imdb_id
stringlengths 9
9
| title
stringlengths 1
92
| plot_synopsis
stringlengths 442
64k
| tags
stringlengths 4
255
| split
stringclasses 1
value | synopsis_source
stringclasses 2
values | review
stringlengths 119
19k
⌀ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
tt0092842 | Dead of Winter | On a snowy night, a woman enters a train station on New Year's Eve to retrieve a satchel full of cash, from a coin-operated storage locker. Later that night, she drives into an empty parking lot, and exits the car to place a call. As she anxiously smokes, she makes a phone call, and tells the other party she'll wait only a few more minutes. After she gets back in her car, a man is seen in the rear-view mirror, in the backseat, unbeknownst to her. When she catches sight of hin, she's strangled, and her left ring finger is removed.
In New York, struggling actress Katie McGovern (Mary Steenburgen) lives in a cramped apartment, with her out-of-work photographer husband, Rob Sweeney (William Russ). Her visiting brother, Roland (Mark Malone), makes the small space even more confining. The couple's behind on rent and other bills, so, Katie feels the pinch to get an acting job which will help them, financially.
Looking through a list of casting calls, Katie circles one: a vaguely-worded description for a lead actress, who must be available immediately, and willing to travel. At the open-call audition, in a room full of other women aspiring for the job, Katie's called in to be interviewd by a Mr. Murray (Roddy McDowall), who hires her immediately.
The pair drive upstate into the midst of a raging snow storm. When they arrive at the secluded home of Dr. Joseph Lewis (Jan Rubeš), he graciously welcomes her. Dr. Lewis is a parapalegic, confined to a wheelchair. He gives her a cursory tour of the house, which features a number of trophies from his hunting days, including 2 massive, stuffed polar bears. Katie asks to use the phone to call Rob, but finds it has no dial tone. Dr. Lewis surmises the storm must've downed the lines, and Mr. Murray would drive her into town in the morning to make her call, if necessary.
Dr. Lewis explains that Katie's been hired to replace Julie Rose, an actress who had a nervous breakdown during a film shoot, and was picked due to her physical resemblance, as the plan is to still utilise the footage shot by Julie, with new footage of Katie.
When Katie sees pictures of Julie Rose, she's stunned by the resemblance, exclaiming, "I could be her sister!" Dr. Lewis (who's professionally retired from his field, and now is an investor in this independent film), says a test-reel on videotape will be shot tomorrow, which the director will view when he arrives.
The following day, Mr. Murray tries to drive Katie into town to make her phone call, but his car will not start. Mr. Murray cuts and dyes Katie's hair to match the photos of Julie. Asked how they met, Mr. Murray explains that Dr. Lewis was his psychiatrist. The shoot goes well. Katie's lines all seem to eerily describe the attack seen at the film's beginning.
Mr. Murray sneaks out and reconnects the car's ignition. He drives to a house, where a woman, whose face is never shown, watches him from her upstairs window. Mr. Murray slips the videotape through the mail slot. The unseen woman sits down, facing a screen, and watches the video of Katie. After the test footage ends, Dr. Lewis appears on the video to tell the anonymous woman-viewer they need to meet, and he'll contact her soon.
The next morning, Katie finds a notebook with Polaroids of Julie's corpse. Horrified, she confronts Dr. Lewis, who explains that Julie's breakdown ended with her suicide. In the parlour, Katie's startled by a pop in the fireplace, where she sees her driver's license burning. Unable to retrieve it, she rushes to her room and finds all of her ID is missing from her wallet. Katie flees the house without a coat. The weather's so ferocious, she ends up crawling to the top of a hill where, to her horror, she looks up to see Mr. Murray, who tells her Dr. Lewis is worried, and is waiting for her.
Back at the house, Dr. Lewis pretends her imagination is running wild. Katie realizes that Mr. Murray has drugged her hot chocolate. In her room, she barricades the door with furniture before she passes out. As she sleeps, Mr. Murray enters her room from behind a full-length mirror. Katie wakes up in a fresh sleeping gown with a bandaged hand. She peels off the bandages to find her left ring finger has been removed, and screams in horror.
Her barricade undisturbed, Katie quickly finds the secret door and a staircase to the attic, which has a working phone. She calls Rob and explains that they are going to kill her. Rob asks where she is, but Katie can only remember vague landmarks about the drive upstate. Rob orders her to call the police, which she does. As she collapses, she sees the body of Julie Rose. Mr. Murray arrives and rips the handset out of the phone, taking her back downstairs to Dr. Lewis.
As Dr. Lewis redresses her finger, he explains that Julie was involved in a vicious family feud with her sister, Evelyn. As a radical therapy, Dr. Lewis had convinced her to blackmail her sister, theorizing that it would help her achieve a catharsis. He was pleased with Julie's progress, but did not expect Evelyn to kill her, ordering the hit man to take her finger as proof.
During his explanation, the police arrive. Katie is confused from a sedative and Dr. Lewis claims that she is his patient, so the police leave without much of an investigation. Meanwhile, Rob and Roland have begun to drive upstate, using the handful of clues they have to try to locate Katie.
Katie wakes to find Evelyn standing over her. Dr. Lewis offers her as proof that Julie is still alive, to continue the blackmail. Katie fakes an escape attempt, luring Dr. Lewis and Mr. Murray out of the house. She pleads with Evelyn to help her escape, but Evelyn is convinced she is really Julie and attacks her. Katie kills Evelyn and poses as her to try to escape.
Mr. Murray realizes the ruse, but Katie stabs him in the neck. Dr. Lewis is also not fooled by the disguise and lunges at Katie from his wheelchair. Using a fire poker as a crutch, he follows her upstairs and eventually into the attic, where Katie manages to kill him. Rob and Roland arrive with the police, having convinced them to revisit the house. | insanity, suspenseful, gothic, murder | train | wikipedia | The plot centers on a naive actress, played well by Mary Steenburgen, who accepts a job on a rather hush-hush production.
Mary does everything Rubes and his assistant, Roddy McDowell, ask of her because she views this as her big break.But things aren't what they seem in the mansion.
Mary makes a few shocking discoveries while she wastes time in the mansion, locating photographs of a dead woman that Rubes claims to be the actress she is to replace.
This Arthur Penn-directed remake of My Name Is Julia Ross represents yet another attempt to revive an old Hollywood formula, in this case the lady-in-distress thriller.
Mary Steenburgen makes an attractive and sympathetic heroine as a woman trapped in a snowbound mansion by two very strange men.
It caused quite a stir even though it played the lower half of double bills and lasted a mere 65 minutes.DEAD OF WINTER is rather transparent in borrowing from MY NAME IS JULIA ROSS (the heroine's name is Julie Rose, for example), and it has taken the original material, expanded it with some clever additional plot lines, taken the Cornwall atmosphere and transported it to wintry New England for a weather-beaten effect, and turned out a smart little thriller that will give you plenty of winter chills no matter what the temperature is outside.It's another one of those tales where nothing is what it seems.
A pretty young actress (MARY STEENBURGEN) is a down on her luck gal who accepts the offer of a film test from a producer (RODDY McDOWALL) who invites her to his secluded mansion where the test will take place.
Nothing is to be taken too seriously from this point on.When a series of rather unpleasant incidents take place, the woman realizes she is in a trap, but neither she nor the audience understands why she is there and what the purpose is of keeping her prisoner.STEENBURGEN is excellent as the frightened woman (who should have had more common sense than accepting such an offer), and McDOWALL's polite cat-and-mouse game with her is fascinating as it unfolds.
It's a creepy film, filled with authentically wintry atmosphere and it builds toward a surprising and violent climax.Under Arthur Penn's direction, this expanded version of the B-film is every bit as cleverly plotted and written, no matter what some of the other commentators here have said.
Mary Steenburgen, (Julie Ross) plays the role of a struggling actress and tries out for an audition and secures the acting position and is required to stay in the producers home.
Jan Rubes, (Dr. Joseph Lewis) plays the so called doctor and producer who simply adores Julie Ross and simply does not want her to leave and go home to her husband.
Mary Steenburgen gave an outstanding performance along with the great former actor, Roddy McDowell.
I didn't know what to except, reviews didn't give a clue what I'm going to watch.Well first of all, big minus for the beginning, somewhere in 10 minutes or so you get the idea of whole movie.
Don't get me wrong, this was very interesting and very well acted and all, nicely put together, and the ending was little twist that saved a lot.Few parts doesn't make any sense in the movie but that didn't bother me.
However, there are hints that the rough unedited cut possibly had the answers to some glaring holes in the plot (like: Why does our heroine go outside at one point to hike for a long distance WITHOUT PUTTING ON A COAT?) There are also a few other instances where she could have saved herself from her predicament had she just used some common sense.By the way, if anyone knows why this movie was rated "R", I'd appreciate hearing the explanation.
It's unlikely this will ever change.Hitchcock famously said "The director's job is to manipulate the audience." This is critical in a thriller or suspense film, but Arthur Penn fails to do it consistently.
Hitchcock's success in repeatedly confusing the audience throughout "Psycho" owes a much to his working closely with Joseph Stefano to create exactly the right situations and dialog to produce the desired effects."Dead of Winter" isn't a terrible film -- just a disappointing one..
Actress Mary Steenburgen, desperate for work, accepts a job "acting" for a couple of old coots living in an isolated manor; turns out they need her to complete an outlandish blackmail plot (which of course will leave their hired victim expendable).
Engrossing, sometimes gruesome thriller with an atmospheric music score and exceptional performances (McDowall's nervous acting style reminded me a lot of Anthony Perkins).
A cross between Anthony Shaffer's "sleuth" (adapted by JL Mankiewicz)and Alfred Hitchcock,this movie took Penn's enthusiasts by surprise.What?It's not the misfit pit against the whole world,as in "the left-handed gun""the chase "Bonnie and Clyde" "The miracle worker" "little big man" "Alice's restaurant" ?Well,you've got to forget all you know about Arthur Penn and then you can enjoy this Grand Guignol!It's all blood and thunder!Hitchcock's countless fans will relish with the numerous quotations:"suspicion" (the glass of milk!),"rear window"( the leg in plaster!) and "psycho" and "vertigo" here there and everywhere;besides the cat and mouse play and Mary Steenburgen's three(you read well!)parts reminds me of "sleuth".The cinematography recalls Roman Polanski's style sometimes ,which seems appropriate,since the heroin experiments claustrophobia.Hats off to the actress,it was not an easy task and she pulled it off with maestria.The supporting cast,featuring an unctuous Roddy MacDowall and a good-natured Jan Rubes ,is up to par.
Forget any plausibility,and you will admire the marvelous snowbound house ,you will get some scares when MCGovern finds they cut one of her fingers during the night!This is the kind of thriller we desperately need nowadays when all we have got is routine serial killer,drug affairs , endless trials,and supercops(do you think that "die hard" is realist?You're pretty naive if you do).Penn's next movie "target",although it did feature his favorite actor Gene Hackman was another offbeat work in his canon and definitely less entertaining than "dead of winter" ,this frenzied extravaganza..
Then the scene shifts to an apartment of an out-of-work actress Katie McGovern (Mary Steenburgen) and her husband.Katie answers an ad for an actress and eventually passes the audition held by creepy-looking Mr. Murray (Roddy McDowall).
Incidentally, why can't the two investigating cops possess at least one brain between them?PLOT EXPLANATION: The two men only hired Katie because she happens to be an exact double of the dead woman in the first scene.
The ending will not be disclosed here.The movie does have several surprising and tense moments, such as when Katie discovers a body on more than one occasion.
Before that, our protagonist never even noticed the city name on the sleeve patches of the cops.Mary Steenburgen plays all three female roles: Julie Rose, Evelyn, and Katie.
It has few nice little twists and turns and never gets boring, but it's also not terribly memorable.One thing that it suffers from, in my opinion, is the same problem I had with the first Friday The 13th movie, an old crippled man who can barely walk just isn't all that menacing.
"Dead of Winter" follows an aspiring actress who leaves New York City for a purported acting job at a rural mansion upstate.
Little does she know, a doctor and his casting director have different plans.Loosely based on the 1940s thriller "My Name is Julia Ross," this Arthur Penn-directed thriller is campy, but not necessarily in a good way.
Atmospherically, there is a lot of potential here, but Penn unfortunately does not even wring the wintry setting for what it's worth.Narratively speaking, the film poses situation after situation that feels wholly unrealistic, while Steenburgen's character in and of herself registers as intuitive to an extent, but wholly unaware of herself.
Roddy McDowall and Jan Rubes are decent enough here, though their roles as the film's antagonists also come across as non-threatening, which further detracts from the proceedings.The film's last act is comparatively better than everything before it, but it again feels hokey and dull where it could have at least been hokey and amusing.
Out of work actress Katie McGovern (Mary Steenburgen) takes a job that takes her from NYC to Canada.
She is to replace an actress named Julie Rose who walked off the set of her movie.
She finds herself in an isolated mansion with Dr. Joseph Lewis (Jan Rubes) and sinister butler Mr. Murray (Roddy McDowell).
There are plot holes galore (the reaction of the two policemen was incredibly dumb) and the ending is truly laughable.Steenburgen, McDowell and Rubes are all good--but even their considerable acting talents can't save this.
Steenburgen, a fine actress in numerous other films, can be forgiven for accepting this showy 'triple' role; suffice to say, she's not responsible for the resulting blandness.
Roddy McDowall tries hard to enliven the supposedly creepy plot shenanigans, but his efforts are undermined by the fact that his compatriot, Jan Rubes, had just played Santa Claus in ONE MAGIC Christmas, far more convincingly in that than as a villainous mastermind here.Esteemed veteran Arthur Penn took over directing after first-timer (and co-screenwriter) Marc Shmuger was fired.
The lovely and talented Mary Steenburgen's career was in the doldrums when she accepted the lead in this pathetic, unnecessarily ugly, would-be thriller, which also marks the nadir of director Arthur Penn's career.
Heading for an audition, an actress drives out to a large mansion to prepare for the role only to find that a strange conspiracy appears to involve one of his former patients trying to kill her, and she soon learns of deeper ties to their plot and must put a stop to them before it's too late.There were a few good parts to this one.
One of the better parts to this is the house's look, which actually works to the film's advantage in creating a dark, chilling atmosphere due to several key factors.
From the burning license in the fire and the lies about the phones to when it starts in with the hidden rooms and passageways, along with their behavior towards her, it makes this part of the film really entertaining and enjoyable, which is a good thing and is definitely very appreciated.
It's close to fifty minutes in before any kind of danger is detected, and it's still not anything that would move the film along with any kind of speed or momentum at all, and usually resort to being quickly written off at the time to get back to the slow, snail-like pace that has been going on until then.
My default rating for a movie I liked enough to watch again, but didn't rise to the upper echelons 8- Very Good.
Mary Steenburgen plays Katie, a down on her luck actress who is told that she is being considered to take over a film role that was being played by someone else who greatly resembles her.
She is taken to a snowbound country house in remote upstate New York to film an audition tape for the elderly, wheelchair bound producer (Jan Rubes.) After she arrives, things begin to look as if they are not what they seem.
Like most bad thrillers, the most entertaining portions of the film occur in the last twenty minutes, after the damsel in distress finally pieces things together and has to fight for her life.
But the majority of the movie is just tedious set-up and scenes of Katie acting like an idiot as she uncovers what her hosts are really up to.Is she so desperate for a job that she'd go to a remote house out in the country with a complete stranger, just to shoot an audition tape?
Unfortunately for the film, but not for me, their final confrontation is so absurdly shot and choreographed, the scene intended to be tense turns out to be hilarious camp straight out of a Joan Crawford or Bette Davis thriller from the twilight of their careers.To sum things up the movie isn't a complete disaster, it's just too derivative of films of the past, and doesn't add anything new to the 'woman in distress' thriller sub-genre.
Steenburgen is pretty good, even if her character can be a complete idiot at times, and Roddy McDowell has some demented fun when the poop finally hits the fan during the climax..
A Great Suspense in One of the Best Performances of Mary Steenburgen.
In New York, the unemployed actress Katie McGovern (Mary Steenburgen) is invited to an audition to replace the actress Julie Rose that had a nervous breakdown in the middle of a filmmaking.
She gets the job and travels with Mr. Murray (Roddy McDowell) to a remote manor upstate to meet the producer Dr. Joseph Lewis (Jan Rubes) that prepares footage with a test to be sent to the director.
"Dead of Winter" is a great suspense in one of the best performances of Mary Steenburgen in a triple role.
Yes, there are plenty of holes in the story and scenes where you say to yourself "Why are you doing this?" or "Why don't you do the sensible thing and do ---(whatever)?" It can be a tad frustrating as our Damsel In Distress, "Katie," can't seem to figure things out for a long time.No matter, I enjoy looking at young Steenburgen's face.
Roddy McDowell and Jan Rubes co-star as "Mr. Murray" and "Dr. Lewis," respectively, the men who imprison her, and there is a weirdo named "Eveyln," but this is Steenburgen's movie.There is a nice twist at the end, a clever way our heroine discovers to escape her lunatic kidnapper.
Mary Steenburgen gives 3 good performances.
The requirement, according to Mr. Murray (Roddy MacDowall), would be for her to come to a house (during the dead of winter) to meet Dr. Lewis (Jan Rubes).
Dr. Lewis and Mr. Murray, however, know the truth: Julie Rose is actually dead, murdered by her sister Evelyn, whom she had been blackmailing.
She also realizes that Evelyn will kill her because she thinks that Julie is still alive.This was a very interesting movie.
There were some weak areas in the film, but a lot of creepy parts (Especially the part where Steenburgen wakes up with a "surprise")..
Struggling actress Katie McGovern (an excellent and appealing performance by Mary Steenburgen) is summoned to a remote country estate to do a screen test for the crippled Dr. Joseph Lewis (superbly played by Jan Rubes) and his obsequious servant Mr. Murray (Roddy McDowall in peak urbane and unctuous form).
Director Arthur Penn relates the gripping story at a steady pace, makes extremely effective use of the bleak wintry setting, builds a good deal of tension as well as a strong feeling of chilling isolation, helplessness, and claustrophobia, and handles the startling moments of surprisingly brutal violence with admirable taste and restraint.
The sterling acting by the tip-top cast helps matters a whole lot: Steenburgen does stand-out work in three roles, Rubes and especially McDowall excel as a pair of deeply creepy and devious villains, and William Russ makes a favorable impression as Katie's concerned husband Rob. Jan Weincke's glossy cinematography gives the picture an impressive polished look.
(Some Spoilers)We see right away that there's a lot more to the movie "Dead of Winter" then just an out of work actress looking for a part in a new film.
Things start to jell later when we see actress Katie McGovern, Mary Steenburgen, going to audition a part for a movie and the theatrical agent Mr. Murray, Roddy McDowell, whom she's auditioning the part for just goes completely overboard with her both looks and acting ability.
Getting the part on the spot Murray tells a very happily surprised Katie that she'll have to travel with him upstate to see the movie's director a doctor Lewis, Jan Rubes, whom Murray works for as a manservant.
Murray & Dr. Lewis are trying to fool Evelyn the sister of the murdered Julia Rose the woman killed at the start of the movie*****SPOILER*****, both parts Evelyn & Julia also played played by Miss Steenburgen, into thinking that Julia is still alive!There's also something that has to do with a suite-case filled with hundred dollars bills that we saw Julia take out of a locker and is later taken from her by her unknown murderer but it just disappears and is never seen or heard from again as if it never was there in the first place!It's when Katie starts to ask too many questions about the part that both Murray and Dr.Lewis have for her in their new movie that she realizes that the part she's to play is that of the murdered Julia Rose!
The remainder of the movie "Dead of Winter" has Katie running and fighting for her life in an effort to save herself from these three murderous lunatics, Murray Dr. Lewis & Evelyn.
The cops in the area, who aren't that interested in doing their job, aren't much help either as the desperate and injured, by having her ring finger chopped off, Katie runs for her life from both Murray & Dr. Lewis.The ending really saved the movie from being a total disaster by having a "Wait until Dark" like ending in reverse with the crippled would-be psycho-killer Dr. Lewis, stumbling and bobbling all over the place, trying to get his hands on and murdering Katie.
A great thriller, but not one of the best Arthur Penn's movie..
The movie is based on the 1945 film "My Name Is Julia Ross" by director Joseph H.
As if to prove that not all the most intriguing of Hollywood's flirtations with noir and mystery lie in the past, "Dead of Winter" (1987) presents a most convincing Mary Steenburgen in three brilliantly contrasted roles, plus Roddy McDowall in his most involving part since "Kidnapped" (made way back in 1948).
I like to be challenged mentally when I watch a movie and more often than not the challenge is to figure out why plot is ridiculous. |
tt1708453 | Aakrosh | Allegedly based on a true incident reported on page 7 of a local newspaper, the film was a scathing satire on the corruption in the judicial system and the victimization of the underprivileged by the able and the powerful.
Aakrosh forms a part of the series of works, based around explorations in violence, written by noted playwright Vijay Tendulkar, who had earlier written Shyam Benegal's Nishant (1974) and went to write Govind Nihalani's next surprise breakaway hit, Ardh Satya (1983).
Here the victim is shown so traumatized by excessive oppression and violation of his humanity, that he does not utter a single word almost for the length of the film and only bears a stunned look, though later he uses the same violence as a tool to express his own sense of violation and rage.
Basically, the story is of a peasant who is oppressed by landowners and his foremen while trying to eke out a living as a daily laborer. His comely wife, played by Smita Patil, is raped by the foreman who then has him arrested to hide his own crime. His wife commits suicide out of shame. The police bring him to the funeral grounds in manacles and shackles to complete the Last Rites of his dead father by lighting the funeral pyre — which in the Hindu religion only the son has the right to.
Standing beside the burning funeral pyre, he sees the foreman looking at his pre-pubescent sister with lustful eyes. Divining the fate that is in store for her, he grabs an axe and chops off his sister's head to forestall her dire future as perpetual victim, as he sees it. Upon completion of this hapless act of a desperate and downtrodden man, he raises his face towards the skies and screams, and screams and screams — the second time that we hear his voice in the movie (the first is in a flashback, as he vainly attempts to rescue his wife) — a device similar to Andrei Tarkovsky's showing of the icons in brilliant color at the end of his three-hour black-and-white film Andrei Rublev. | violence, revenge, murder, romantic, flashback | train | wikipedia | Besides the usual disclaimer that precedes a film that all incidents, characters and similarities portrayed within are coincidental at best, Priyadarshan's Aakrish takes one extra step to reinforce this point, as it wants to tackle the real world issue of "honour killing" on film, cobbling together a series of faux pas newspaper articles and stamping them as "Fact", before hammering a full size "Fiction" inter-title across the screen prior to the commencement of the film proper.
And up until the last frame did it dawn upon me that the narrative also took issue, besides caste, with that of corrupt cops and politicians who exploit an inherently weak justice system.The story is sufficient to make you seethe with rage as we follow the investigations into the disappearance of three students, whose final moments will get enacted in due course, but only as we gain a certain foothold and breakthrough as experienced by the police officers Sidhant Chaturvedi (Akshaye Khanna) and Pratap Kumar (Ajay Devgan).
While on one hand providing unintentional comedy, I feel the investigating officers' pain when they hit a brick wall from within their own support group who more often than not seem to be on the other side of the fence.It's the culture of silence that is most deafening, and for the first hour before the interval, Aakrosh is quite frustrating to sit through not because of its relatively slow pace, but how we see how helpless our heroes can be given their operating within red tape, and letting others rip them apart because processes rightfully bound them from hitting out.
Director Priyadarshan, whom I associate with comedies like Billu Barber and De Dana Dan, goes all serious and doesn't mince his words in Aakrosh's epilogue, as he crafts a somewhat bleak film with an ending that will raise some eyebrows, suggesting at times that you got to play fire with fire, and some of the techniques employed by the cops here may highlight certain (il)legal framework that many may not be familiar with for us outside India, but so long as it works (and a brilliant plan and execution I must add).The film works because of the great chemistry between the pairing of Aakshaye Khanna and Ajay Devgan as cops who have the potential to be the best of buddies, yet operating on different investigative philosophies that put them at loggerheads as well.
They share some explosive charisma on screen that just chews up all the surrounding scenery, with magnetic qualities that help to tide through the less happening stages of the film, one of which I felt was overly long and probably unnecessary was the entire backstory song/dance routine for Ajay's Pratap and his one time lady love Geetha (Bipasha Basu), their relationship being a victim of caste hypocrisy.
Ajay Devgn, the hot blooded, loses his cool and takes some strong actions and Akshaye Khanna, the man with the brain, takes his chances and gambles.
Hard work pays off well in the end and the truth finally comes out and the village then rests in peace.The movie has taken its inspirations from the recent cases of honor killing but on the whole it's a work of fiction.
Akshaye Khanna, too has acted well but Ajay Devgn and Paresh Rawal are the show stealers.
To conclude, I would say go for it as finally a good Hindi movie has arrived (which actually is rare ) and for super strong performances of Ajay Devgn and Paresh Rawal.My Rating: 8/10 Thanks and Regards..
An outstanding dark movie ever made on a social subject...nothing could be better than this....you must be wondering than why it is not that popular.....2 simple reasons...1--no publicity...2--a rural story which everybody will like but forgets soon or don't wanna discuss...if you wanna taste what the real rural Indian thinkig on 'love' is than do watch this flick and specially the chemistry between the two actors is worth watching.
If you are a kind of men who has lived his/her childhood like 'gautam buddha' than you might get disturberd mentally...Mind you its a 'good' torture 4 'cool urban people' out there.It is based on 'honour killing'.So if you ever ever loved someone & just imagine if she would have been that girl on whom this story is based on then you would realize what it takes to love in 'rural India'..just feel it..the scene where the 3 guys are being murderded is worth watching.PERFORMANCE--Every Character---More than or upto 100%....9/10...i should have given it 10 but honestly i don't know why i'm giving it a 9.
and of course there is Ajay Devgan + Paresh Rawal.As it happens, whenever you first hear about how great a movie is and then go n watch the movie, it just doesn't stands up to the expectation you have built it for the movie in your minds.
The film plot has great scope for an enthralling venture and thats why the movie is enjoyable supported by Ajay Devgan experience of acting in such social-oriented-plot movies.
He simply captures your attention.The story is about murder of 3 teenagers in a village n how a CBI officer(Akshay Khanna) and an Army officer(Ajay Devgan) goes about to solve it.The best part of the movie is Paresh Rawal, acting as a shrewd local Police Officer.
Akshaye khanna, well I don't like his shouting in every other sequence, he seems like doing the same shouting in comedy, action or dramatic movies.
Reema Sen is first class, for a single second she didn't look like a heroine she was so much in her character and whatever happened to Bipasha Basu and Reema Sen was pretty horrible in the movie.
the story is about three students who were missing from more than two months and and two CBI officer Ajay Devgan and Akshaye Khanna's struggle to find evidence and get culprits to court for punishment.
Paresh Rawal is must watch in this film along with Bipasha Basu who doesn't get much scope.
It's then that the government orders a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry with officers Sidhant Chaturvedi (Akshaye Khanna) and Pratap Kumar (Ajay Devgn) to solve the case.
Not that honour killing weren't happening earlier but Priyadarshan took the right opportunity to make a movie on this subject due to lots of media news on it.The movie is a work of fiction with the background being disappearance of three young boys in a remote village named Jhanjhar.
All this leads to anguish(Aakrosh) in both of them.What Priyadarshan misses is demarcation in making this movie serious or entertaining.
There are authentic talks and brainy investigation by the two officers but then there are also unnecessary song sequences, romantic moments and unbelievable stunts.As a package though, the movie is not bad.
Performance wise, the cop duo chemistry between Ajay and Akshaye is excellent and the biggest turn on of the movie.
Paresh Rawal is good but his character development as a comical and villainous SP of the village is improper given the fact that earlier he has played this kind of role very well(e.g. Milan, Mohra).
The actresses are just shown as depleted woman of the society but they play their part as what supposed to be.Not in terms of a serious view but to watch an decent action flick this movie can be seen..
Haven't seen such a good, realistic Hindi movie for a long time.
Hats off to Priyadarshan for making such a serious movie besides making comedy movies.Storyline: Two CBI officers struggling to investigate about 3 missing medical students against corrupt police officials and local politicians.
But finds out more than that, Crew: Ajay Devgan, Paresh Rawal, Akshaye Khanna did their best.
First of all, Ajay Devgan and Akshaye Khanna were great; they both played the roles of no-nonsense, strong minded CBI officers very well.
Ajay Devgan, Akshaye Khanna and Paresh Rawal in pivotal roles.
Although the movie has been getting good reviews, it was nothing but a shameless rip-off of "Mississippi Burning", with a few mis-placed songs thrown in and a few nonsensical stunts/action-sequence.Looks like Priyadarshan had done his homework well for this movie.
Except (surprisingly) Paresh Rawal, who has over-acted his guts out.I would rate it 4 out of 10, not because the movie wasn't good - because it was a shameless copy..
A remake of the 1988 Hollywood Classic 'Mississippi Burning', 'Aakrosh' is an average fare, that hardly offers any novelty to those who have seen the original academy-award nominated film.
Also, the screenplay focuses on a distressing subject like Honour Killings, but the impact of tackling such a serious issue also comes out half-baked.However, the Stunts are good and so is Priyadarshan's direction.
Cinematography is passable, while the Songs and the Background Score deserve a mention.Acting wise, Ajay Devgn and Akshaye Khanna are efficient, as always.
This movie is a rip-off of "Mississippi Burning" just as the movie "Shaurya" was a rip-off of "A Few Good Men".There is an unfortunate tendency in Bollywood cinema to plagiarize successful Hollywood pot-boilers down to the letter, and pass them off as locally-inspired profound morality plays.
The local Indian viewing audiences have for the most part never seen the Hollywood originals, and thus end up feeling awed at what they think are totally original story concepts.Hey, I've got an idea for an Indian sci-fi film: it will feature guys with swords made out of light, and it will start off with the words "long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far away" Hey, as long as it's in Hindi, nobody will be the wiser....
Priyadarshans best and the most underrated movie of Bollywood...Acting by all is top notch and it was good to see the director shifting from comedy to an action thriller which he managed very well...Should be watched at least once as its a well made flick which didn't got its share of importance to be visible to public at least.
Aakrosh Review: The best Indian action thriller ever, as apart from a crisp execution it perfectly carries the feel of a dark action film as well!.
It carries the feel of a dark action movie and every time the heroes break into action is awesome.Ajay Devgn and Akshaye Khanna are highly impressive.
Paresh Rawal's performance is extremely realistic and he deserves a lot of praise.The action sequences are extremely mindblowing; every action sequence feels new, innovative, creative and never seen before.The music works for the film very well.The twists and turns in the screenplay are very well woven.The film has many excellent and clapworthy dialogues which are bound to be memorable.Technical aspects ranging from cinematography to editing as top notch.The film has explored an issue which is merely used as a subplot in most Bollywood films.Negatives:NilRepeat value: YesAAKROSH is the best Indian action thriller in every aspect.
Excellent action, Great Script, good dialogue delivery It contains some offensive words against lower cast too but it was a necessary thing because the story is about Indian Cast system.
A CBI officer and ex army officer are deputed to Jhanjhar where 3 college students were last seen to find out what happened to them and bring the culprits to book.The good - the acting, especially Akshaye Khanna and Paresh Rawal, the stunts and action sequences , the editing, the plot, the climax.
Priyadarshan again rips off a Hollywood film for his thriller vaguely made on the subject of honour killings..
And with the shining merit of being a film made on honour killings in Bihar, featuring Ajay Devgan, Bipasha Basu, Akshay Khanna and Paresh Rawal, AAKROSH did sound interesting as well as exiting before with its pre release promotion in the media.
Only giving it an Indian touch by talking about honour killings in Bihar in a very vague manner and adding some love plots into it cannot hide the original source from where it has been clearly copied.Every little detail in the film is borrowed from the 1988 English film made on disappearance of three civil rights workers in the 60s America which was then fighting with its class problems between the black and whites.
For instance, Two officials investigating the case visiting the city, the police standing against them, the officers having different styles of working, attack on their hotel room, the scenes at the barber shop, a car found drowned in the lake, the officers calling their own police men from the city, the silent protest march of the people, the wife of a local officer having a soft corner for one of the investigators, she informing him about the truth and then getting beaten by her husband, one chase sequences interrupted by a train, the two officers losing their case in the court, finding the dead bodies of the three men buried and then the final justice
.Each and every above mentioned scene is shockingly right there in "Mississippi Burning", which very truthfully is plagiarized in AAKROSH.In the original the one of the three missing boys is a black and the other two are white.
Moreover the burning cross left outside the hotel of the investigators in the English film gets transformed into a burning Trishul in AAKROSH quite amusingly.So what can be written about a movie which is all shot on the basis on the scenes taken from another director's work.
Both Ajay Devgan and Akshay Khanna look like confused officers right from the start and only Ajay comes up with some good chase sequences and dialogues.Being a undisclosed version, the only merit I could find in the movie was its fine Cinematography with some good action scenes using a yellowish green colour tone throughout.
Most of his films are cheap Hindi remakes of Bollywood films.And now Aakrosh= Mississippi Burning (1988).Need I go on?
End of story.Bottom line: if you haven't seen Mississippi Burning, watch it first and then see the cheap remake Aakrosh.
When I saw Aakrosh, I thought to myself 'Wow Priyadarshan can make some really good hard-hitting films.
But then I read somewhere that this film is inspired from the Hollywood movie Mississippi Burning.
The only difference is that Mississippi Burning deals with civil rights in America during 1964 and Aakrosh deals with honour killings, which was a hot topic at the time of its making.However the acting by both Ajay Devgn and Akshaye Khanna did justice to Gene Hackman and William Defoe's acting.
Moreover they should stop making films if they have run out of ideas, or at least credit the film from which they are copying.I have changed my rating from 6 to 3 after watching Mississippi Burning..
Only scenes worth watching; 'Parkour' & Paresh Rawal.Mostly all the lines and events are copied.
In "Aakrosh" Priyadarshan steers clear from his usual genre and attempts to address a burning social issue which starts off with honour killing and later amalgamates into caste-based society.
Priyadarshan does away with the usual typecast role and this time around presents Paresh Rawal in a new garb.
I enjoyed the scene where Devgan's character just kept looking at Rawal's character, making him squirm.Akshaye Khanna was well below average but just above poor.
Even the first song was poorly placed, breaking up the intensity of the movie when it was not needed.Still, action scenes apart, this is a very good movie to watch, mainly for Ajay Devgan and Paresh Rawal.
He is a light-hearted comedy director and should remain so.Priyadarshan chose to make a film on honor killings but this is simply a pretense to copy the controversial Hollywood flick 'Mississippi Burning'.
Not only the scenes but some dialogues are also copied down word for word.The story is pretty much the same like the original but here the 'Blacks' and the 'KKK' clashes are changed to the 'Thakur' and 'Dalit' clashes.The story goes like this: two CBI officers (Akshaye Khanna and Ajay Devgan) are sent to a remote Indian village to investigate the reason behind the disappearance of three students.
As the story unfolds, Paresh's meek wife (Bipasha Basu) who was also Ajay's ex-fiancée, reveals the truth behind the students' disappearance.
Talking about the performances, the movie rests on Ajay Devgan, Akshaye Khanna and Paresh Rawal's shoulders.
Similar to Prakash Jha, Priyadarshan who did deliver films like KalaPani, Virasat and Gardish; delivered only promise and a great miss through Aakrosh.
This film has everything, right from topics like Honor Killing, Caste fights, Feudal lords, Masala, Item Songs, over-the-top action and one man army style heroism.
Looks like that the songs and action sequences are shot by two different directors.
The marketing of this movie was done primarily on recent Khap killings or Honor killings, but the story was loosely inspired from Mississippi burning.
There was even a scene loosely copied from classic Mirch-Masala.This copy got worse by the love story of Ajay Devgan and Bipasha who is playing wife of Paresh (Villain).
Though Akshay Khanna and Ajay Devgan did their best and they delivered very well together.
He cast Ajay Devgan and returned with Akshaye Khanna after some time and both talented actors obviously the expectations were high.
The film starts off well, Paresh Rawal's scenes with Ajay and Akshaye are superb, also the bonding between Ajay and Akshaye is good Several more scenes are well handled but the problem is the lack of consistency, there are several half baked sub plots like Shool Sena part and several more.
The film's climax too seems abrupt and all of a suddenDirection by Priyadarshan is good but not one of his best Music seems forcedAjay Devgan excels yet again as the lead and conveys through his eyes and endears himself well to the masses, Akshaye Khanna too does a great job in his role It's a pleasure to see him do serious stuff Bipasha Basu is decent in a role that could be better Paresh Rawal returns to his villainy something he excelled in the 80s and 90s before he started comedies and excels Reema Sen is superb in her role rest all are good to average |
tt0041178 | The Big Steal | U.S. Army lieutenant Duke Halliday (Robert Mitchum) is robbed of a $300,000 payroll by Jim Fiske (Patric Knowles). When Halliday's superior, Captain Vincent Blake (William Bendix), suspects him of having taken part in the theft, Halliday has no choice but to pursue Fiske into Mexico. Along the way, he runs into Joan Graham (Jane Greer), who is after the $2000 she loaned to her boyfriend, Fiske. The two join forces, though they are not sure at first if they can trust each other. Fiske stays one step ahead of the couple, while they are in turn chased by Blake. When Halliday is knocked down trying to stop Fiske from getting away, he comes to the attention of Police Inspector General Ortega (Ramon Novarro). Halliday claims to be Blake (using identification he took from the captain after a brawl.) Ortega lets him go after Fiske, but keeps an eye on him. His suspicions are confirmed when the real Blake shows up at his office for help.
Halliday and Graham track Fiske to an isolated house in the desert, where Fiske is meeting with Seton (John Qualen), a fence who offers Fiske $150,000 in untraceable bills in exchange for the payroll. The couple are captured by Seton's henchmen. When Blake shows up, Halliday is initially relieved to be rescued, until he learns that Blake is actually Fiske's partner in crime.
Fiske wants to take Graham with him, but Blake makes it clear that he intends to dispose of both her and Halliday. Fiske reluctantly gives in. However, when he starts to leave, Blake shoots him in the back, explaining that his ex-partner, apparently still at large, can take the blame for the missing payroll. Halliday then points out to Seton that if Blake gets rid of him too, he can give the stolen money back to the army and keep the $150,000 for himself. Taking no chances, Seton pulls a gun on Blake. When Graham creates a distraction, a fight breaks out, which Graham and Halliday win. | cult, humor | train | wikipedia | Mitchum is tough but has a good humour about him that sets up the rest of the film; he has judged it well and his easy charm gives him chemistry with Greer.
Bendix is tough and flustered in a good way while Knowles makes for quite a nice relaxed thief that sits well with the playing that the script requires him and the other characters to do.
As a team, Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer are pretty well-known, at least to classic film fans, for their pairing in "Out Of The Past," but I thought they were a lot more fun to watch in this particular film noir.This movie, still not available on tape or disc for some reason, is almost one long chase scene, with people in three vehicles all on the move....with a neat twist at the end.
Vincent Blake in "The Big Steal," who is chasing Duke Halliday (Mitchum) who is chasing Jim Fiske (Patric Knowles) who is trying to keep a rendezvous with Hulius Seton (John Qualen), the fence for the stolen money.
Wonderful repartee between Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer in this chase caper.
'The Big Steal' sees Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer team up again after their earlier Noir classic 'Out Of The Past', which is still one of the greatest Film Noirs ever made.
Forget about 'Out Of The Past' and just enjoy 'The Big Steal' for what it is, a thriller that is a great fun film..
Much of the reason for this was the excellent script that provided enough twists to keep a simple idea humming and another were the likable leads, Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer.The film begins with Robert Mitchum being confronted by William Bendix on a cruise ship.
Since Mitchum is the studly male lead, you aren't particularly surprised when he manages to overpower Bendix and escape.Once Mitchum escapes, he goes looking for a man (Patric Knowles) and apparently Jane Greer is also looking for the same con man.
Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer co-star in this film about a wrongfully accused man being chased by the bad guy, while chasing the other bad guy.
Multiple chases, great interplay between Mitchum & Greer, and fast-paced direction by Siegel make this a fun little film that can be enjoyed more than once..
It stars Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, William Bendix, Patric Knowles & Ramon Novarro.
More comedy crime caper than film noir stinger, The Big Steal is an enjoyable enough experience.
"The Big Steal" is sort of like a mini-version of "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World," film noir style.Jim Fiske (Patric Knowles) stole money from Duke Halliday (Robert Mitchum) and Joan Graham (Jane Greer).
Meanwhile, Vincent Blake (William Bendix), the intended original recipient of the cash, is chasing Halliday, thinking he's the one who actually stole it.
The Big Steal (1949)You can't go totally wrong with Robet Mitchum, and he is with Jane Greer, who was his sometimes girlfriend in Jacques Tourneur's fabulous Out of the Past (1947).
Robert Mitchum reunites with his Out of the Past co-star, Jane Greer, as the two chase thief Patric Knowles through Mexico.
Lots of chasing about the Mexican towns and villages and a particularly effective multiple car chase that takes up a good part of the film's running time.
Jane Greer and Robert Mitchum make a delightful pair in this short and snappy B film, originally made to keep Mitchum from having to serve time for marijuana use.
If any of that happened today, every actress in Hollywood would want a crack at the role.In the beginning of the film, Mitchum knocks out a man named Blake (played by William Bendix) and steals his wallet.
The film is basically a car chase through Mexico, but there is lots of scenery, humor, and great chemistry between the leads.
Enter Captain Blake, played by William Bendix, chasing Halliday.
A swift plot with hair-raising foot and car chases, clumsy but fist-loud fight scenes and a sexual tension between the leads that sizzled - all on a pretty tight budget too.Knowles steals army money, Mitchum's accused and after him, while Bendix is after Mitchum, Greer is after Knowles and Novarro is after all of them.
The Big Steal is a most enjoyable, agreeable time-passer notable chiefly for the crackling exchanges between lead actors Robert Mitchum & Jane Greer.
Incidentally Jane gets the wittier lines but I was disappointed to hear her address a middle-aged Hispanic as `Boy' I was equally disappointed to see likeable laconic Mitchum obviously doubled in one of the many tame fist fights.Although these stars combined for the sublime film noir `Out of the Past' this can by no stretch be regarded as noir.
Robert Mitchum, & Jane Greer Make this a Classic Film !.
What it is though, is a road caper or even a buddy movie, with the twist being that the couple who are simultaneously chasing and being chased are indeed a couple, namely Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer.Set in Mexico, in happily realistic-looking exterior locations, the film is essentially one long car chase and as such, necessarily episodic as the flung-together twosome habitually get out of one scrape only to fall into another.
There's some agreeable grown-up humour between the two, plenty of good fight scenes, where you actually see the protagonists sweat and bleed, an early example of an extended car chase and a decent twist at the end; as you can tell, it certainly packs a lot into its brief 71 minute running time.Mitchum and Greer are great together, William Bendix offers his usual solid support and the young Don Siegel directs with verve and energy.
THE BIG STEAL is a rip-roaring crime adventure yarn which sees the dogged army lieutenant Robert Mitchum travelling through Mexico where he's hot on the trail of a robber escaping with a stash of loot.
Along the way, Mitchum teams up with the fraudster's fiancé, and is pursued by an army captain who thinks he's the real robber.That's the plot in a nutshell, and the film ends up writing itself thanks to the action-laden premise.
And THE BIG STEAL offers massive entertainment value indeed, not least to the direction of Don Siegel, working early on in his career and bringing the same verve and vitality to this as he would to the likes of INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS and DIRTY HARRY.Mitchum is on top form as the likable lead and he's given great support by the alluring Jane Greer and the increasingly exasperated William Bendix.
Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer (together again following "Out of the Past") lead a strong cast featuring William Bendix, and Ramon Navarro.
The chase down the mountain pass is a neatly done hair-raiser, along with the race against time through the road repair-- I like the romantic trick Greer uses to get her and Mitchum through.
Robert Mitchum does his usual thing and heroically swaggers through the movie, fleeing from villains and exchanging clever banter with co-star Jane Greer, who is also caught up in the caper.The plot has many holes due to censorship but the basic scenario is that Greer's slimy ex-fiancé, played by Patrick Knowles, has stolen army money and is on the run.
He is pursued by Mitchum and Greer, who are themselves pursued by William Bendix who delivers a scintillating performance as a crooked army captain.The film is shot on location in Mexico and mostly consists of fast paced chase scenes through the streets and countryside in a mad dash to get to the money first.
Vincent Blake(William Bendix),In order to clear his name Halliday goes on the run in pursuit of the guilty party, one Jim Fiske(Patric Knowles) who has fled south of the border.
The Big Steal is the film that propelled Siegel into the public's gaze as a top action director, the film is one long car chase but don't be fooled that it is only that, it has some of the wittiest and most memorable dialogue ever to grace the screen, Mitchum and Greer have a sparkling chemistry and all their scenes are truly memorable, lets not forget that this is an RKO production and so the film doesn't make complete sense(but who cares) its still a highly enjoyable entertainment all the same.Film Noir Lite so to speak.Look out too for an excellent performance by Ramon Novarro as the Mexican police chief..
Patric Knowles discards Will Scarlet's camp threads for the caddish tropical white suit of a womanising embezzling bounder hotly pursued by Mitchum and Greer, in turn being chased by William Bendix at his lisping homicidal craziest.
Robert Mitchum (Duke Halliday) is chasing Patric Knowles (Fiske) who stole an army payroll of $300,000.00 from him.
In turn, William Bendix (Captain Blake) is hot on the heels of Mitchum whom he believes has taken off with the money himself.
Mitchum was arrested in a drugs bust and spent some time in jail during this film and so it's understandable that he wants to get his hands back on the loot so that he can make a nice investment in some Mexican marijuana.The version that I watched was, alarmingly, a colourized version.
Teaming up with the robbers ex-girlfriend (Greer), Mitchum closes in on the robber, but so does Bendix.A fast paced chase film with Mexican location which gives the film a nice look.
As opposed to the finely crafted noir that Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer starred in two years before, Out of the Past, The Big Steal sort of has that slapdash quality about it.
But the stars are enjoyable.Patric Knowles steals an army payroll that Captain Mitchum is blamed for.
Both combine to chase Knowles and Mitchum steals William Bendix's credentials as an army cop who's been trailing Mitchum.
For most of the film they're all in cars driving across Mexico, Knowles being chased by Mitchum/Greer and them being chased by Bendix.
Just a fun fast-moving film, dominated by the reluctant developing romantic duo of sardonic Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer, but with a fine supporting cast, headed by William Bendix and Patric Knowles.
What does become apparent fairly soon is that 1)Mitchum is chasing Patric Knowles, 2)Jane Greer is also chasing after Knowles for a different reason, 3)Mitchum and Greer are going to join forces, and 4)Bendix is coming along furiously bringing up the rear.It's a neatly-contrived plot, with performances that are just dandy from these four stars.
Ramon Navarro is delightful in a supporting role as a Mexican inspector general who enjoys his encounters with these volatile Americans as they give him excellent opportunities to practice his English.Mitchum and Greer look good together as they go through the usual process of getting in each other's way before realizing they can do better together.
Don Siegel directed this film noir set in Mexico, where Army Lt. Duke Halliday(played by Robert Mitchum) is a fugitive, falsely accused of theft, and in determined pursuit of the real thief.
Still, an appealing and interesting film with effective twists and turns, and a nice re-teaming of Mitchum and Greer(from "Out Of The Past").
Here's a crime caper not as dark as OUT OF THE PAST, but again giving the starring leads to ROBERT MITCHUM and JANE GREER, both of whom are adept at delivering the crackling dialog with ease.Indeed, if it weren't for the chemistry between Mitchum and Greer, there's not that much more to the thin storyline that has both of them on the run from a determined police captain (WILLIAM BENDIX) who chases them all over Mexican highways and dirt roads while they keep one step ahead of the law.There are few surprises, except for a nice twist toward the end.
PATRIC KNOWLES is excellent as the film-flam man with a yen for Greer who realizes he's a no good heel.But make no mistake about it, it's one of ROBERT MITCHUM's most confident, easy performances as the man wrongly accused of stealing a huge amount of money from the government, who must prove his innocence.He and JANE GREER handle their dialog with professional ease and their chemistry is sizzling.Summing up: Highly enjoyable romp is too light to be called film noir but it comes close..
The big steal stars robert mitchum and jane greer, who also played in out of the past in 47, but you probably already knew that.
Also, this was the time that star Robert Mitchum was in trouble with the law over marijuana possession and he actually had to serve jail time during the filming.Anyway, the picture is essentially a chase film that takes place in Mexico.
Jim Fiske (Patric Knowles is on the run from both ex-girlfriend Joan Graham (Jane Greer) and Duke Halliday (Mitchum).
Each party eludes the other until the final confrontation of the parties.Mitchum and Greer had appeared in the classic "film noire", "Out of the Past" in 1947, so I for one was looking forward to their re-teaming.
The man and woman fall in love towards the end and this movie has a good climax.The excellent cast includes Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer (reunited from Out of the Past), William Bendix and Patrick Knowles.The Big Steal is a very gripping movie.
The high speed action that follows is utterly breathtaking and exhilarating to watch but is also made more enjoyable by the scintillating dialogue and some amusing plot twists.After having had the misfortune to be robbed of payroll cash amounting to $300,000 whilst he was carrying out his routine duties, U.S. Army Lieutenant Duke Halliday (Robert Mitchum) is suspected of being the thief's accomplice and in order to prove his innocence, sets off to Mexico to hunt down Jim Fiske (Patric Knowles) and bring him to justice.In Vera Cruz, Halliday, who's being pursued by his senior officer Captain Vincent Blake (William Bendix) meets up with Joan Graham (Jane Greer) who turns out to be Fiske's fiancée.
Complications arise, however, when Blake arrives on the scene and further surprise developments follow.Considering that this movie was co-written by Daniel Mainwaring (aka Geoffrey Homes) and stars Mitchum and Greer who all previously collaborated in the making of "Out Of The Past", it's remarkable just how different the two movies are as "The Big Steal" is very bright and breezy whereas the earlier film's atmosphere is significantly darker.Mitchum and Greer work brilliantly together and the entire cast turn in good performances.
Here's the deal on the steal: Jim Fiske (Patric Knowles) stole a bundle of military payroll money and pinned it on Lieutenant Duke Halliday (Robert Mitchum).
This south of the border road movie is rocky in patches, but it works as well as it does because of the chemistry between Greer and Mitchum and the bickering between Joan and Duke.
Nevertheless, this is a hugely entertaining b-movie (surprised no one else has mentioned the short running time that confers B status) with some terrific performers at their best under the sure hand of a talented director.Mitchum and Greer are appealing leads, with sterling support from William Bendix (a great favourite of mine) and Ramon Novarro as the crafty Mexican policeman.
The primary characters are played by 2 actors with a lot of personality, Jane Greer and Robert Mitchum (re-teamed from Jacques Tourneur's "Out of the Past"), and the film demands little but personality from them.
The story is a lark -- a caper set south of the border with Michum and Greer chasing after Patric Knowles, whose character stole money from them.
"Out of the Past" leads Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer team up again in director Don Siegel's fast-paced, lightweight, romantic crime thriller "The Big Steal." Although "Crime by Night" scribe Daniel Mainwaring and "Dead Reckoning" writer Gerald Drayson Adams have penned a fairly conventional actioneer, the narrative exposes one vast difference between Americans and Mexicans.
Siegel appears to have accelerated the film so that Halliday's elbow blow against the unsuspecting Blake stuns the captain.This nifty but notorious little B-picture went into production about the same time that Robert Mitchum was arrested for smoking marihuana.
"The Big Steal", pairing Robert Mitchum with Jane Greer again, the couple from "Out of the Past." It sounds profoundly noir.
Given that 'The Big Steal (1949)' was the only film to reunite Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer after 'Out of the Past (1947),' one could be forgiven for expecting a dark, seedy film noir thriller.
Jane Greer is far from her vicious femme fatale of 'Out of the Past,' but nor is she relegated to the role of the vulnerable damsel; Joan Graham is shown to be smart, resourceful and independent, able to talk herself out of trouble and even hold her own in a high-speed car chase along a winding mountain road.What I found most refreshing about 'The Big Steal' was its relative forwardness about sex, an oddity given the strictness of the Production Code at the time.
Snappy dialog between Duke Halliday (Robert Mitchum) and Joan Graham (Jane Greer) heats up the chemistry between this pair of screen partners, while Patric Knowles and William Bendix portray less than savory characters in this noir-like romp through the Mexican countryside.
The film is about an army man (Robert Mitchum) who is accused of stealing money.
The film was made a couple of years after Mitchum and Greer united in Out of the Past (1947).
Unlike the tragic Out of the Past, The Big Steal is a fun film that offers some beautiful visuals of and car chases set in the Mexican countryside.
Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer, who were in "Out of the Past" together, reunite for this tale about chasing Patric Knowles, who has stolen money from the U.S. government.
After the intrigue and nastiness of the film noir classic "Out of the Past", Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer got much lighter fare.
On a superficial level it's merely a pursuit race south of the border with Mitchum and Greer chasing Patrick Knowles, Bendix chasing all three and silent star Ramon Navarro watching from the sidelines. |
tt0108238 | Striking Distance | Thomas Hardy, a Pittsburgh Police homicide detective, has broken the ranks by informing on his partner and cousin, Jimmy Detillo, for using excessive force. En route to the Policemen's Ball with his father, Vince Hardy, the ball is postponed after a call indicating a serial killer nicknamed the Polish Hill Strangler has been spotted. As Tom and Vince pursue the killer's vehicle, the vehicles collide and both roll down an embankment. When Tom regains consciousness, he learns his father has been shot dead and the killer has escaped. Police arrest a criminal named Douglas Kesser as the Strangler. Later, rather than go to prison, Jimmy climbs to the top of the 31st Street Bridge and jumps off. His body is never found.
Two years later, Tom is drinking heavily and has been reassigned to the River Rescue Squad. His cousin Danny, Jimmy's brother, has stepped down from the force and also drinks heavily. Called to the scene of a body dump, Tom finds the victim is an ex-girlfriend. Tom is assigned a new partner, Jo Christman, who learns from District Attorney Frank Morris that Tom had been demoted after telling a television reporter that he believed the Polish Hill Strangler was a policeman.
A nurse is abducted. Tom receives a phone call similar to ones left by the Polish Hill Strangler: the nurse screams before she is shot and the phone goes dead. Detective Eddie Eiler, who hates Tom for turning in Jimmy, states on TV the murder was committed by a copycat. Tom is met with strong opposition by his uncle, Captain Nick Detillo, after suggesting the Strangler is back. Tom goes to the precinct and steals the Strangler file in order to conduct an unauthorized investigation. Soon after, the body of another of Tom's ex-girlfriends is found.
Tom attends the Policeman's Ball, where he is still unpopular with all most police, except for his extended Hardy police family. When a drunken cousin Danny starts acting belligerent, a fistfight occurs between Tom and Eiler which is broken up by Jo. Later that night, the two partners fall in love and have sex at Hardy's boathouse. Outside the docks, an unseen person silently observes the lovemaking, which ends with Tom and Jo romancing each other into a deep slumber.
On patrol, Tom and Jo stumble upon the scene of someone dumping what appears to be a wrapped body off a bridge. Tom destroys the suspect's car but the unidentified individual escapes. Divers retrieve the body only to find it to merely a bunch of rugs, which leads to Tom and Jo being humiliated by their peers.
While Jo stumbles upon Tom's investigation notes of the Stangler, Eiler informs Nick he suspects Tom. Nick discloses Tom has been under scrutiny by Internal Affairs. During a court hearing to have Tom removed from the force, it is revealed Jo is really Emily Harper of the Pennsylvania State Police, who has been monitoring Tom to find evidence of misconduct. Harper perjures herself and Tom goes unpunished.
Emily is kidnapped from her apartment just as Tom finds the body of another female victim, a police dispatcher he knows, outside his trailer. Thinking that Danny is the killer, angry about Jimmy's death, Tom heads upriver to the Detillo family cabin. Just as Danny arrives, someone from behind knocks Tom unconscious. Tom awakens to find himself, Danny, and Emily handcuffed to chairs, with the killer, who turns out to be none other than Jimmy, who survived the fall into the river two years earlier, standing in front of them. Jimmy is about to kill Emily when Nick suddenly walks in and he tells his son to turn himself in, but Jimmy is defiant and commands Nick to tell how "Uncle" Vince really died.
A flashback reveals Nick arrived on the scene immediately after Tom and the Strangler crashed their cars. He was horrified to find Jimmy and let him escape. Vince emerged from the wrecked car and took aim at the fleeing killer, unaware it was Jimmy. Nick tried to stop him and, in the ensuing struggle, accidentally killed Vince.
After this revelation, Jimmy takes aim at Nick, who shoots first. Jimmy is wearing a bulletproof vest and returns fire, killing his father. In a fit of rage, Danny charges at Jimmy, giving Tom a chance to free himself. As the police close in, Jimmy flees on a motorboat with Tom in pursuit. The two get into a scuffle in which Tom kills Jimmy by tasering him in the mouth. After Tom is escorted by a paramedic, an officer attempts to remove the handcuffs from Tom's wrists, but Eiler steps in to remove them, and apologizes in the process, which he offers Tom to punch him in the face, which Tom briefly declines and after a second of reluctance, he punches Eiler in the face. Afterwards, Tom and Emily embrace each other.
The movie ends with Tom, who has been reinstated as a detective, visiting his father's grave with Emily and her daughter at his side. | murder | train | wikipedia | Bruce Willis and Sarah Jessica Parker were excellent together and the supporting cast was also outstanding.Director Rowdy Herrington also brought us the awful A Murder of Crows (1999), but he didn't ruin this one, even if it did get a little far-fetched in places.
An interesting plot line, and Willis is believable in his role.+ (GOOD THINGS) 1.) Direction 2.) Chemistry between Willis and Parker 3.) Ending (unlike everyone else, I didn't see it coming) 4.) Length 5.) The score 6.) John Mahoney's performance(BAD THINGS) 1.) Believability 2.) The script (uneven in places)
Comic book cop thriller in Pittsburgh with Bruce Willis and Sarah Jessica Parker.
RELEASED IN 1993 and written/directed by Rowdy Herrington, "Striking Distance" stars Bruce Willis as Tom Hardy, a Pittsburgh detective who's demoted to river rescue.
Bruce Willis plays good cop Tom Hardy, who's convinced the police killed his dad and framed some poor sap.
"Striking Distance" is one of those films that certainly plays better on TV and fans of Willis' work might enjoy this movie much more than others.
Already stinging from having to turn witness against his own partner(Robert Pastorelli)over mistreatment of a witness,things go from bad to worse when a high speed pursuit of a perp,believed to be a serial killer,ends in tragedy for the man in question,both personal and career-wise.Flash forward two years,and Hardy now works River patrol,considered a sort of "non-essential" position in the force,away from his former plain clothes and uniforms--to which he seems to have burned many bridges--and his life has taken a more apparently low key quality.
He still cannot "play nice" with others and earns himself a new partner/diver: a chipper,idealistic single mom(Sarah Jessica Parker,still many years away from "Sex and the City").Unfortunately,a serial killer is on the loose again,one very similar to the one the force believes they'd captured and convicted already.
The MO has Hardy convinced the real killer is out there,but he seems to be the only one who believes this.Very pat elements to this cop drama(stubborn,tough cop who doesn't believe in the blue code,a sadistic killer,Irish/Italaian cop families,etc.)give frame to this still-watchable flick from director Rowdy Herrington(director and co-writer)and Mark Kaplan(co-writer).Willis is completely at home in this,and this is a side of Parker I frankly miss(it seems like forever since she settled on playing chatty,selfish city dwellers with personal problems!).
Throw in solid character actors who look the part like Dennis Farina(as Willis' Uncle,a chief mucky muck in the department),Tom Sizemore(as Willis' cousin,a perceived screw-up),Brion James(as a department head who has a natural tendency to chafe Willis' character and vice-versa),John Mahoney(as Willis' Dad,a chief himself),Andre Braugher(in a small part as an inscrutable District Attorney)and Timothy Busfield(as a wormy,by-the-book partner diver;there mostly for physical comedy relief),and you have a film that,while unremarkable in and of itself,is still interesting and works on the designs it was drawn.
Although this film is not a classic, you'll love this if you enjoyed Bruce in The Last Boy Scout, Hudson Hawk or the Die Hard Movies as he basically plays the same character.
A down on his luck cop who kicks ass as hard as he hits the bottle.Bruce stars as Tom Hardy, a Pittsburgh city cop who gets busted down to working on a police pursuit boat as he testified against his partner.
This movie has an excellent car chase and some cool lines from Bruce plus some very good set piece action scenes.
There is a original location (Pittsburgh), original occupation for male lead (river patrol), a story with great twists, one of the best car chase scenes ever, a great tugboat takeover scene with a cool shootout and timely humor, great performances by some really good actors: Sarah Jessica, Dennis Farina, Tom Sizemore and Robert Pastorini.
I like Rowdy Herrington, and he assembled a good cast for this 1993 film - Bruce Willis, Sarah Jessica Parker, Dennis Farina, Tome Sizemore, Robert Pastorelli, John Mahoney, Timothy Busfield, and Andre Braugher.Willis is Tom Hardy, who spoke out against his crazy partner (Pastorelli) and for this reason is shunned by other officers.There is a serial killer on the loose, and he's killing all of Tom's ex-girlfriends.
This is another EXCELLENT 90's action cop thriller that i grew up watching & is my personal favourite Bruce Willis film,it's up there with The Last Boy Scout (1991),Last Man Standing (1996) & the original Die Hard trilogy.Striking Distance is a really fun late night Mystery Cop Thriller that's exciting at times with bursts of Action & a cool action Hero performance for Willis as mouthy riverboat cop Tom Hardy who teams up with a very young Sarah Jessica Parker & there's a great little cast surrounding Willis like such greats as The legendary TOM ATKINS & the always excellent Dennis Farina R.I.P & the always crazy Tom Sizemore & the great Brion James R.I.P & the excellent John Mahoney R.I.P so yes a really great cast of character actors that complete & compliment this exciting mystery police Thriller!!!
Tom Hardy is my favourite Bruce Willis character by far!!!!Another great aspect of this movie is the ambience & Atmosphere it's got a really nicely done late night feel to it with lovely scenes around the river at night & that cop movie mystery feel & tone like when bodies are discovered floating in the river at night there's a real Thriller ambience it's hard to explain unless you grew up on cop films like i did!!!
I really like the loner rugged tough cop roles where he has to solve whats happening by himself i like that lonely feel & this film has that & that character as Tom Hardy (Willis) who drinks too much & hates everyone & IT'S his best role & character in my opinion as he's the type of guy you wanna be like he's very strong minded & believes in himself & believes what he thinks is right even if everyone is against him he stands alone & stands up to corruption & does the right thing even if it means going against his own family & that is a good man right there & much more interesting & entertaining than his John Mclane Die Hard character!!!
This movie has all those cool elements that 90's cop thriller's had like a nice musical score & car Chases & raining nights with a serial killer out there hunting victims & the who is the killer?
After the success of Die Hard (1988), Die Hard 2 (1990) and The Last Boy Scout (1991) Bruce Willis made another action film in which he plays another cop from Pittsburgh Tom Hardy.
Bruce Willis does a solid job and so does Sarah Jessica Parker as Tom Hardy's partner.
I wish that Bruce Willis would make such a good movies today but he doesn't he is a washed up actor now."Who's the best cop now?" Plot: A serial killer is back in Pittsburgh to torment the former homicide detective who was on his trail years before.
This time the victims are women Tom knows, he must find the killer to prove his innocence.This time Bruce Willis is a homicide detective to solve a case of a serial murders.
Vincent Hardy (John Mahoney) and an accident leave's Tom's dad dead and his partner Jimmy Detillo (Robert Pastorelli) jumps off the bridge in the river, Tommy (Bruce Willis) loses everything including his job.
We have a good dialogues Who's the best cop now?" Good acting from actors Tom Sizemore, Robert Pastorelli and Dennis Farina who are no longer with us anymore RIP you will be both missed.Here we have a great music score from Brad Fiedel who made music scores also for The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Let's Get Harry, Fright Night 1,2 , The Serpent and the Rainbow, Blue Steel, True Lies, and Johnny Mnemonic.The movie is directed by Rowdy Herrington who also directed my favorite Patrick Swayze film Road House (1989).
But no one talk's today about this movie no one even mention's it anymore it is a really shame and I don't know why.I have enjoyed Bruce Willis and I have enjoyed Sarah Jessica Parker it was a solid good fun mystery action film and I don't know why the lower rating for it or why people are bashing it.I love this movie it is my favorite Bruce Willis movie I wish they would make movies like this are today I really do wish.
Anything under 7 would be ridiculous, as anyone claiming this isn't at least a GOOD action film (it is sure as hell better than all the movies Bruce Willis is doing today including A Good Day to Die Hard that movie was a peace sh**t film!) I recommend to all action and Bruce Willis fans.Striking Distance is a 1993 American action thriller film starring Bruce Willis as Pittsburgh Police homicide detective Thomas Hardy.
The film was shot on location throughout Pittsburgh; its early title was Three Rivers.8/10 Grade: B+ Studio: Columbia Pictures Starring: Bruce Willis, Sarah Jessica Parker, Dennis Farina, Tom Sizemore, Brion James, Robert Pastorelli, Tom Atkins Director: Rowdy Herrington Producers: Marty Kaplan, Arnon Milchan Screenplay: Rowdy Herrington, Marty Kaplan Rated: R Running Time: 1 Hr. 42 Mins.
Striking Distance (1993) is a thriller/mystery/action film that stars Bruce Willis and Sarah Jessica Parker.
Bruce Willis is very good in his leading man role, it's an action movie, so it's kinda his turf.
Now this is a different kind of role for Sarah Jessica Parker, I don't think I've seen her in any other action film, this is probably her only one, but nonetheless she was great in her role!
I'm not even a Bruce Willis fan but i liked this movie a lot, sure it wasn't perfect, had some plot and script/dialogue issues, but actors (Willis, SJ Parker among many others) were quite good and so was the story.
Seeing Willis reassigned to river patrol made me think about The Wire (though i guess its should be the other way around), the location being Pittsburg rather than NY, LA or any of the usual places cop movies takes place was nice, the ending was good even though the believability of it left to be desired.
A very presentable, slick cop after serial killer thriller with a dependable cast (Bruce Willis, Sarah Jessica Parker, Denis Farina, Brion James, Tom Sizemore and Robert Pastorelli) and interesting backdrop (the beat isn't the streets, but a river system) despite the same old-same, same-old plotting with stock clichés and some very implausible revelations.
Although Bruce Willis was at the time on a run of poorly received film's {Pulp Fiction and a career invigoration was a year away}, he still had two Die Hard movies behind him and a cult favourite in The Last Boy Scout.
The entire police force, including Dennis Farina and the late Brion James (both a little over-the-top with their resistance to Willis' accusations) writes him off as crazy, except for his new partner, played by Sarah Jessica Parker.
Several good action sequences, including a great opening car chase and a boat chase, as well as an entertaining sequence involving a hijacked tugboat, make Striking Distance better than most cop thrillers.
The stage curtains open ...An established hollywood action star now, Bruce Willis continues the trend as a former Pittsburgh detective who is working with the River Rescue Squad in "Striking Distance" - also starring Sarah Jessica Parker.Tom Hardy (Willis) isn't too popular with the Pittsburgh police department after he informs on his partner, who is also his cousin, Jimmy Detillo for use of excessive force.
thanks to our beautiful Sarah Jessica Parker , and to our best 90's action man , Bruce Willis.
Someone said it in the reviews: There is a original location (Pittsburgh), original occupation for male lead (river patrol), a story with great twists, one of the best car chase scenes ever, a great tugboat takeover scene with a cool shootout and timely humor, great performances by some really good actors: Sarah Jessica, Dennis Farina, Tom Sizemore and Robert Pastorini.
A lot of people tend to put this movie down, but I really find it enjoyable and will go back to it frequently for some good Bruce Willis action.
he got sent to Jersey, while Willis is on river patrol.Sarah Jessica Parker is quite lovely as the new partner, and look at that supporting cast: Dennis Farina.
Pittsburgh police homicide detective Tom Hardy (Bruce Willis) is an outcast after testifying that his partner and cousin Jimmy Detillo (Robert Pastorelli) used excessive force.
This film started out in different kind of way as there is a big chase, Willis' character father gets killed and he is convinced it is a cop.
It has a cast that includes Willis, Sarah Jessica Parker, and a host of other people that appear in movies as usually more background characters, but usually do a good job when given the chance to shine.
Even though Bruce Willis and Sarah Jessica Parker are good, the movie definately lulls for a while.
It's not a great movie, but it's worth a look if you like mystery\action and you like Bruce Willis..
At least she wasn't Susan Sarandon.In the city of Pittburgh (Jeff Goldblum's hometown) a cop (Bruce Willis) comes too close to finding out that a serial killer is another cop and he is transferred to river patrol with Sarah Jessica Parker.
While it is true this movie does not really stand out as a great action flick (like his "Die Hard" films or "Hostage") and you have a fairly good chance of guessing the killer in the first five minutes, the film is entertaining and has enough action and suspense to keep you in your seat.It has Dennis Farina!
STRIKING DISTANCE has Bruce Willis playing an alcoholic Pennsylvania river cop, who was busted down from detective two years before over flubbing a serial killer case that ended in the deaths of his father and a cousin, both cops.
Striking Distance is set in Pittsburgh where Tom Hardy (Bruce Willis) has just had to testify against his partner & cousin Jimmy Detillo (Robert Pastorelli), on his way to a policeman's ball with his father Vincent (John Mahoney) they get a call to say that a wanted murderer is being pursued.
Tom is convinced the killer is back but discovers that officially the new murders have no connection to the earlier ones, Tom is sure that a big cover-up is going on & that the killer is targeting him personally...Written & directed by Rowdy Herrington there doesn't seem to be much love for this much maligned action thriller with even star Bruce Willis saying 'it sucked' while on a chat-show in 2004, hey Bruce I have news for you Striking Distance is nowhere near the worst film you have appeared in.
There's a very good cast here including Bruce Willis, Dennis Farina, Tom Sizemore, Brion James & Tom Atkins with the only weak link the ever awful Sarah Jessica Parker in an early role.Striking Distance is a pretty good action thriller, it has a reasonable murder mystery, some clichéd cop drama & some good action scenes.
He had a pretty bad run of films between 93 to 95, and was finally broke by DHWAV in the summer of 95.It's fun stuff though while it lasts, Cop turns alcoholic, argues a lot with Farina and James, and the killer turns up at the end, but isn't surprising as his name is pretty high up on the credits at the beginning.Parker is fine, but if her character was cut out of the story, it wouldn't damage the narrative.If your a Willis fine, it's a good movie with no surprises..
Sometimes movie watchers like mystery, dislike action, or some variation of such but Striking Distance gives a little of all of the major genres to make it the perfect film for just pure entertainment.Bruce Willis is the iconic macho man.
The voices of Sam the Sham, and the Pharaohs as they sing 'Little Red Riding Hood' are what fill the opening scene of Striking Distance, as a little toy Police Car we at first think is real appears, followed by a woman who's been bound and gagged.This is a great beginning for an action movie, and the shock of it grabs the audience.Tom Hardy (Bruce Willis) is a cop who comes from a large family of police
This average thriller stars Bruce Willis as a former cop turned drunk (pretty much the role he always played in these early '90s films) who is on the track of a serial killer.
He is given able support by Sarah Jessica Parker and a solid cast of movie veterans, including Dennis Farina as his strict uncle, Tom Sizemore as a spaced out nutter, and Brion James in a typically villainous role.The action scenes may not be the most original of all time, but most of them are pretty good, one standout involving a flare gun being fired at a speeding car.
This is just an OK action/murder mystery film starring bruce willis when he was around 40 and in his acting prime.
Striking Distance (1993): Dir: Rowdy Herrington / Cast: Bruce Willis, Sarah Jessica Parker, Tom Sizemore, Robert Pastorelli, Dennis Farina: Cliché filled mess that misses its mark.
Basically Det. Tom Hardy (Bruce Willis) comes from a generation of cops, and he is devastated when his father Vince (John Mahoney) dies during the chase of a serial killer, and after he gets himself in an argument with his partner and cousin Det. Jimmy Detillo (Robert Pastorelli).
The only cast members who deserve to walk away from this movie without shame are Dennis Farina, Tom Sizemore (who was good IMO) and Bruce Willis.
::Spoilers::In one of his many anti-Die Hard films, Bruce plays a glum, haunted river patrol cop trying to catch a man murdering his old girlfriends while contending with new partner Sarah Jessica Parker, prior to her "Sex & The City" success. |
tt0064312 | The Fall | Los Angeles, 1915: stuntman Roy Walker (Lee Pace) is hospitalized, as he is bedridden and possibly paralyzed after a jump he took in his first film. He meets Alexandria (Catinca Untaru), a young Romanian-born patient in the hospital who is recovering from a broken arm, and begins to tell her a story about her namesake. Alexandria is told she has to leave, but Roy promises to tell her an epic tale if she returns the next day.
The next morning, as Roy spins his tale of fantasy, Alexandria's imagination brings his characters to life. Roy's tale is about five heroes: a silent Indian warrior (Jeetu Verma), a muscular ex-slave named Otta Benga (Marcus Wesley), an Italian explosives expert called Luigi (Robin Smith), Charles Darwin (Leo Bill) with a pet monkey called Wallace, and a masked swashbuckling bandit. An evil ruler named Governor Odious (Daniel Caltagirone) has committed an offense against each of the five, who all seek revenge. The heroes are later joined by a sixth hero, a mystic.
Alexandria vividly imagines her friends and people around her appearing as the characters in Roy's story. Although Roy develops affection for Alexandria, he also has an ulterior motive: by gaining her trust, he tricks her into stealing morphine from the hospital pharmacy so that he can attempt suicide; a choice driven by his love leaving him for the actor for whom he provided the stunt footage. However, Alexandria returns with only three pills, having mistaken the "E" on the piece of paper Roy gave her for a "3". The stories become a collaborative tale to which Alexandria also contributes. Alexandria herself becomes a character: while Roy is the masked bandit, she is his daughter.
Roy talks Alexandria into stealing a bottle of morphine tablets locked in a fellow patient's cabinet, and then downs it all. The next morning, Roy awakens from his sleep and realizes he is only alive because his neighboring patient is receiving a placebo rather than actual morphine. Alexandria, desperate to help Roy, sneaks out of bed to the pharmacy. She climbs onto the cabinet but loses her footing, falls, and is badly injured. She receives surgery, after which she is visited by Roy, where he confesses his deception. He encourages Alexandria to ask someone else to end the story, but she insists on hearing Roy's ending. Roy reluctantly begins the rest of the story.
The heroes die one by one, and it seems that Governor Odious will be triumphant. Alexandria becomes upset, and Roy insists, "It's my story." She declares that it is hers too and exerts some influence on the course of the tale. Finally, the epic tale comes to an end with only the Bandit and his daughter remaining alive and Governor Odious dying. Roy and Alexandria, along with the patients and staff of the hospital, watch a viewing of the finished 'flicker' that Roy appeared in. With everyone laughing, only Roy's smile is broken in confusion when he sees that his life-threatening jump has been edited out of the film as another stuntman jumps instead.
Alexandria’s arm heals and she returns to the orange orchard where her family works. Her voice-over reveals that Roy had recovered and was now back at work again. As she talks, a montage of cuts from several of silent films' greatest and most dangerous stunts plays; she imagines all the stuntmen to be Roy. | anti war, violence, cult, philosophical | train | wikipedia | Anybody with an opinion of Iraq War should watch this. The Fall is a difficult movie to assess; I watched it yesterday and thought it a masterpiece. However, the main reason why I thought that is the scenes in which various people tell what they think about the Vietnam war. The director shows both people who are supporting it and against it. And the striking thing is how extraordinarily similar what they are saying are to the way people talk about the Iraq war. So I think it's masterpiece for today because it's highly relevant.The movie itself works to prove the phrase "history repeats itself". Especially, after watching an elderly lady talk passionately about why the war is only about profits, I couldn't hold my tears back. Because at that moment, I understood that we failed those people who fought against the same things 40 years back.However, I also can see why somebody might think this film is a pretentious piece of stick job. As some scenes in between feels very much like filler material, thus the bloated running time. The Italian lady takes much of the flak; but at least she is very pretty to look at. But pay attention to one sequence where Whitehead is talking about Americans and New York, all the while the very sexy Italian lady is strutting seductively on screen. I think it achieves the director's aim of differentiating Word and Image.Also the Colombia University scenes are very revelatory and you just can't look at all that bright young people, fighting - albeit aimlessly - for something they believe in, on screen and don't feel a pang of guilt and shame today.. A magnificent documentary portrait of an era of angst. This highly creative and individualistic documentary epic is one of the crowning achievements of its time. It was directed, photographed, edited, and in story segments staged and written, by the amazing Peter Whitehead. How he does it I do not know. In these documentaries of his, he gains the confidence of just about anybody and everybody, and they open up to him and let him film things no one else ever managed to film. The underlying theme of this film is the discontent in the late sixties in America. Although primarily it was the Vietnam War which was the object of protest, that was not the only issue, and there is much prominence given to Martin Luther King's and Robert Kennedy's assassinations, with highly revealing footage, especially of Kennedy (who recurs throughout the film as a continuous strand upon which Whitehead broods) and those assassinations and their aftermaths were certainly not about Viet Nam. The film was mostly made in New York City, but Whitehead shot also in Washington, DC, and at Newark, New Jersey. His footage of the destruction of much of Newark by fire as a result of the riots after King's assassination are astounding, and I do not believe any comparable film record of it exists. In the film it looks much like Aleppo does today. It is doubtful that the American public ever got to see the true extent of the Newark disaster. But the most fantastic part of this film, certainly ranking as one of the finest documentary portraits of its kind in cinema history, is the coverage from the inside of the besieged students at Columbia University. The sit-ins and protests there went on for a long time, initially led by a far-left group called Students for a Democratic Society (known by initials as SDS), led by Mark Rudd, who is seen in the film of course. While the standard coverage of these events was all done from the outside, Whitehead's revealing film is the only record of what took place from the inside. Never has a revolutionary movement been so intimately portrayed, with all its main personalities vividly shown as people. Whitehead is never judgemental, and he is just 'a seeing eye' impartially recording everything. It is incredible to think that he was allowed to do this by a group of frightened revolutionary students under siege, and who were eventually overrun and savagely beaten by the police. They then regrouped and started yet again, and Whitehead records that too. When Whitehead went to New York with the intention of making a documentary about the city, he naturally had no idea that these things were going to happen in the months ahead, and that he would unexpectedly become one of the greatest flies on the wall of documentary history. The film is quirky and highly personal in other linking portions, where Whitehead and his girl friend of the time, Alberta Tiburzi, feature prominently, including in bed kissing and necking. To say that the girl friend is a cheerful exhibitionist is an understatement. She does some of the wildest and most revealing dancing imaginable around their bedroom while Whitehead is trying to listen to broadcasts of dramatic public events on the radio or watch them on the grainy black and white televisions of those days. Intercut in a kind of surrealist manner with many of the documentary segments are also breath-taking shots of going up and down a service elevator on the side of a skyscraper under construction, and one expects to see Gary Cooper at the top, but he is not there. Whitehead staged a truly remarkable surrealistic scene on a New York subway train featuring the top model of the time, Penelope Tree, standing enigmatically and impassively in the train while an infatuated man literally dances around her in mad and fantastic undulations of homage. Whitehead was certainly influenced by the early surrealist films of Man Ray and his friends. He appears to have wanted to show us that the events outside in the real world (assuming the 'real' world is really real, that is) and the bizarre staged events in various inner spaces used by him share in a commensurate level of phantasmagoria. He evidently wishes us to question just how real 'real' things really are. The film is made at a high intellectual plane and much of its apparent incoherence at times is intentional. Of the many famous persons appearing in the film, I have met five: Penelope Tree (who is not credited on IMDb), Arthur Miller, Robert Lowell, Gloria Steinem, and Sammy Davis, Jr., though my conversations with Miller and Davis were cursory and insignificant. It was glorious to see the alluring Gloria Steinem again as she was then, about the time I met her. She was certainly the most glamorous of the feminist activists of those days, and I remember that all the men were chasing her. The film footage of the poet Robert Lowell is deeply touching and apparently unique. There is also revealing footage of Allen Ginsberg, whom Whitehead already knew, as he had filmed him in his earlier documentary, WHOLLY COMMUNION (1965). By no means all of Peter Whitehead's films are listed on IMDb, and of those which are, some have not been reviewed. All of his films are privately preserved, all or most on 35 mm, and let us hope that after half a century of not being seen, this great treasure trove will be released so that the public can marvel at it. His major works have not been publicly available since they were made, although this film THE FALL was prominently shown, though privately, by the 'Occupy' movement on Wall Street in our time, presumably because of the intimate portrait of the Columbia University sit-ins and protests which gave them heart in their own struggle in the same city. The film includes culture, such as conversation with pop artist Robert Rauschenburg.. Hymn to 1968. This is a problematic documentary. It depicts certain scenes in New York City between October 1967 and March 1968, shot by the independent film maker, Peter Whitehead. It is a very personal documentary, and Whitehead appears in a large number of scenes, and we hear his lengthy ruminations on the state of the United States and the war in Vietnam (in actual fact his commentary is frequently inaudible, as it has to compete with rock music that is being played at a higher volume than his voice).The film contains several striking scenes: of an elevator (and elevator shaft), of a montage inspired by Marilyn Monroe, of debates between NYC residents, and the occupation of Columbia University buildings.However, the negatives outweigh the positives. The film is often maddeningly tedious and prolix. Whilst we are forewarned that it is a series of vignettes, they are too frequently disconnected. The quality of the camera work (and of the print) is highly variable. The various scenes are supposed to revolve about the subject of Vietnam - and they do, to some extent, but then the effect is dissipated by wandering off to art galleries. There is far, far too much of Whitehead himself and his cavorting with a not overly interesting model in her flat. No doubt some viewers will be left wondering what was actually going on in NYC whilst he was gazing at the TV or filming the pouting of his girlfriend. Some of his previous films had been devoted to the world of rock and fashion in London (a real blind alley), and he can't throw it off his predilection for it - worse, he tries to integrate the worlds of fashion and politics. The effect is quite unhappy, although it is possible to argue that in the mid-1960s these worlds did indeed elide. Unfortunately, Whitehead also comes across as a caricature of a modish, floppy haired public schoolboy and varsity man. And to continue in an ad hominem vein, there is a scene in which a piano is smashed and a live chicken is first rubbed and then dashed brutally against the wreckage, which is acutely painful to watch. It is hoped that Whitehead's subsequent career as a falconer was in part an atonement for his complicity in that lamentable episode.Much of what is interesting in this film - the scenes of the peace march in Washington, the riot at the Pentagon, the threnody of Robert Lowell - seems to have been taken from the TV. I cannot be sure of that - but it looks as though it was second hand material. This can be excused only on the ground that the great majority of the American people watched the events of 1968 unfold via the tube, and that Whitehead was sharing that experience. However, the footage of Robert Kennedy at a political meeting seems authentic.I think that Whitehead would have done better to have spent his entire time in Central Park. That is where he obtained some of his best material: middle aged matrons complaining about the excessive coverage of hippies; an orthodox priest fulminating against communism at a meeting of the Russian community; a woman decrying the expenditure on ordnance; 'flower children' playing in a pond...However, the real meat was taken at Morningside Heights, and in particular at Hamilton Hall and the Seth Low 'Library'. There is an interesting scene in which a piper plays in a stairwell whilst a fellow protester dances a reel, and we do get a little feel for how the sit-in changed from being fairly placid to anarchic and then violent as the NYPD moved in. The treatment is quite one-sided - no attempt is made to see the Columbia sit-in from the viewpoint of the University authorities (though we do see a couple of nervous chaplains with first aid armbands). This is quite predictable, as the sit-in was largely a self-indulgent affair by the radical section of the student body. The violence of the police shocked many hitherto complacent New Yorkers (who had associated the political violence of the time with the south and Newark), but sympathies were not entirely with the protesters. I dimly recall Alistair Cooke (admittedly something of an establishment figure, but formerly on the liberal left) writing of his dismay at the sight of president Grayson Kirk's office in the Seth Low Library, and of all his books having been torn and trashed. What sort of sentient, humane protesters wreck a library? Whitehead remarks, very acutely, that opposition to Vietnam had become an article of faith amongst everyone under the age of 25, irrespective of the merits or demerits of American involvement - there was an absence of genuine argument amongst the young themselves. Rage and intolerance had infected the student population (arguably the most pampered in history), which then preceded to act in a monolithic, almost fascistic manner. This line of argument is one of the many threads with which Whitehead toys, and then discards. |
tt0118996 | Dobermann | The charismatic criminal Dobermann (Vincent Cassel), who got his first gun when he was christened, leads a gang of brutal robbers with his beautiful, deaf girlfriend Nat the Gypsy (Monica Bellucci). After a complex and brutal bank robbery, they are being hunted by the Paris police. The hunt is led by the sadistic cop Christini (Tchéky Karyo), who only has one goal: to catch Dobermann at any cost. He manages to catch gang member Olivier, who is also a tranvestite named Sonia. Christini threatens to kill Olivier's baby if he does not help him to catch the gang. Olivier has no choice and visits a party in a disco where the other gang members celebrate their robbery. He informs Christini with an alarm transmitter that all gang members are here so the police start a raid. After a gun fight the police arrest several members of the gang but some manage to escape, including Dobermann, who flees into a hidden basement which also has monitoring screens to show what happens in the disco. As Christini kills Pitbull and abducts Nat with a car to rape her, Dobermann leaves his hiding place and follows him in a stolen ambulance. He overtakes Christini and manages to wrestle him down in the car. Dobermann grinds the head of Christini on the road while still driving the car at high speed as revenge for the killed friends. Christini is left heavily disfigured on the road, presumably dying. The surviving gang members are able to escape and bury Sonia (the personage), suggesting that her treason results in Olivier having to drop his transvestite role. As they leave the scene in their cabrio a police helicopter is shown following them, with their car in its sights. | cult, violence | train | wikipedia | If you like your heroes dirty, your characters about 3 times larger than life, your camera restless, your dialogue cynical and vicious and your violence explosive...
Starting off with a slow scene at the baptism of Dobermann, whos real name is Yann, it then takes you on a action-trip to hell - and never back!The first 30 minutes of the film have super-cool editing, but then the story gets overhand (which is good) and the shooting starts to slow down...
Maybe KILLING ZOE may compare in violence, but not in acting...The scene when Yann and his girlfriend is talking with sign-language only is one of the best scenes in this movie - even though it has no action, no words and only a humming noice...
It's a hard movie to watch for some people, but it has great qualities, very nice filming and spectacular direction and editing!
DOBERMANN Aspect ratio: 2.39:1Sound formats: Dolby Digital / DTSA psychotic police detective (Tchéky Karyo) pursues a gang of armed robbers led by the ultra-charismatic 'Dobermann' (Vincent Cassel).A colossal one-fingered salute to the bland, homogenised pap dominating international cinema at the time of its release, DOBERMANN not only set debut director Jan Kounen on the road to cinematic glory, it also helped kickstart an aggressive upsurge in ultra-commercial European cinema (the "Taxi" series, BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF, CRIMSON RIVERS, THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE, etc.), begun two years earlier by Mathieu Kassovitz's equally subversive LA HAINE (1995).
Fans of political correctness need not apply: DOBERMANN is loud, excessive, obnoxious and morally ambiguous in equal measure, and while some viewers may be unable to reconcile themselves to the action and violence of Kounen's raucous worldview, others should cling onto their seats and prepare for the ride of a lifetime...As the above plot synopsis attests, Kounen and scriptwriter Joël Houssin (upon whose pulp novels the film is based) have stripped the plot down to its barest essentials and constructed a series of instantly recognisable character-types (saint, sinner, braggart, dimwit, etc.), thereby liberating Kounen to indulge his true objectives: To push the boundaries of cinema to their absolute limits.
DOBERMANN is a swirling tornado of audiovisual delights which unfolds via shock cuts, hurtling camera-work, loud explosions and in-yer-face action set-pieces, a heady mixture of Hollywood gloss and Hong Kong stuntwork ramped to the max.
The cast is toplined by French superstars Cassel and Monica Bellucci (they married in 1999), playing the antihero and his ultra-loyal partner in crime, and they both manage to carve a niche amidst the film's visual excesses, while Dobermann's misfit gang includes Stéphane Metzger (TRANSFIXED) as a beautiful drag queen who supports his loving, unsuspecting wife and family via prostitution.
But the movie is stolen clean away by Karyo as the deranged cop on Dobermann's tail, an irredeemable psycho who's prepared to break every rule - legal and moral - to bring his nemesis to book.
However, the audience's loyalties are tested when one of Dobermann's gang (the 'good' guys) shoots an inexperienced rookie cop for no other reason than he happens to be within range during a bank robbery, an incident which pegs the characters as dispensable lowlife scum.
Though the scene is cruel and uncompromising, Kounen isn't interested in queer-bashing a sympathetic character, merely demonstrating the moral corruption of Karyo's villainous detective; the drag queen is written and played with quiet dignity, and Metzger's 'fate' for betraying Dobermann under duress is both amusing and redemptive...Houssin's scenario builds to a frenzied showdown in a fancy nightclub, where Dobermann's gang defend themselves against an army of gun-toting police officers, and Karyo finally confronts his mortal enemy, culminating in an explosion of horrific violence.
Its really worth to watch, cause there's not a lot good criminal/action movies like these.
People have compared Dobermann to Tarantino's stuff, but I think it's much more similar to Luc Besson's Leon / crossed with Baz Luhrmann's direction in the opening of Romeo & Juliet.Great comic-book angles and poses, larger-than-life characters, comic-book violence, Prodigy soundtrack..
What do people expect: this movie is for a hard-boiled audience, and others can check out Disney if they want likeable characters and happy endings.
If, on the other hand, you like a movie with balls and one that is not afraid to show sex and violence in the extreme with wonderfully weird characters and a director who knows his business, then you should see this and be amazed, from the opening scene until the final credits.
They wanted to do a different action movie and they got it, but being different does not mean being good in fact when someone tries so badly to do different things, as anyone can notice in this film, the results are poor.
A good movie, or a cult one, is not based in the appearances, it must have some substance and Dobermann does not have anything beyond the never ending gun fights, the shallow characters and dull dialogues.But watching that movie is not a total waste of time, you can learn what not must be done in movies and Dobermann has many examples about that..
A critic have to be objective and it's stupid to destroy a movie like this one when we hate the violent/action style...
The movie looks like the project from film-school( in a good way) of a very talented student.
The director uses pretty much every trick in the book, including CGI in the Dobermann sequence at the beginning of the movie and over-all seems not to be sure what technique to stick with.
The movie is a loud(soundtrack includes The Prodigy), action-pumped and colorful account of a heist organized by bad-ass Dobermann(Vincent Cassel) and his girl Nat the gypsy(Monica Bellucci) with their gang, and the events that follow, when psychotic inspector Sauveur Cristini (Tchéky Karyo) picks up the chase.
extreme violence doesn't make a good movie, which in my opinion a lot of people think.
It is rare, maybe it will never happen again, but someone has actually made a film worse than Pamela Anderson's Barb Wire.Dobermann mixes the non-stop action of The Matrix with the camera gimmickry of The Matrix, and throws in some gratuitous sex for good measure.
But they just look childlishly ridiculous - we were laughing with incredulity that any film company could release such poor film-making.If you like lots of guns and violence then fair enough; and at least seeing this movie will make you laugh.
Dobermann is the sort of hyperviolent, uber-stylized film that is incredibly entertaining while being utterly frightening (to those with weak stomachs) at the same time.The lead cop exemplifies this - he is an avenging angel - a pure creature of violence who rampages through the movie, leaving more destruction in his wake than the title character.
there's no way they could hope to keep up.The action is used in short controlled bursts [a small opening piece, a robbery in the middle and the obligatory climatic violent orgasm] and is perhaps most notable for its slick camera work and high degree of violence [not splatterfilm level, but definitely competitive with John Woo].
He will stop at nothing to get his man including giving a grenade to a baby.6 out of 10, great action and style takes the place of plot and character development..
That, and bloody mayhem!The set-pieces, (a bank-robbery, a shoot-em-up in a nightclub and the final car-chase) are excellent for those who like their action-movies splattered with gore and a loud techno-track.
Things do pick up in the second half, and by the time we get to the final confrontation between Dobermann and the Nazi cop Christini (arguably the most repugnant cop in the history of movies) the violence finally has the kick that it should have had all along.
The characters would be cool if they tried to stick to one-liners and let their guns talk more often, instead of hogging up movie time with blah-blah and multiple shots of one action.
It waves our flesh, play with the dark and disgusting human nature; but its our own rejected nature with all its perversity, temptations that is shown here; that's why we like it: its us.On a technical note the cast is perfect; Cassel is really great, as much as can be Jean Reno (the Boss) in his own movies..
Yes we must admit that fact , this kind of movie in which the bads guys 'win' in rare .But in 'Dobermann' there is NO good guys , it's a pure dogfight without rules !!!
To tell you , the gangsters' (the dobermann and his funny friends) violence looks like kids games compares to the lead cop inhumanity (Christini).
He's not like others bad guys you can see in movies , he isn't afraid by the dobermann and his gang , he has no remorse and no heart .
Tcheky Karyo's acting performance in 'Dobermann' helps for a great part of the psychologic impact given by the movie .
From the CGI Doberman relieving himself on the main credits all the way to the violent ending, this movie held my interest in an almost hypnotic fashion.The Dobermann is a bank robber in Paris who employs a variety of high tech weapons and hopped-up lackeys to help him.
In addition, we can see two great French performers: Vincent Cassel and Romain Duris who have made a lot of good films and often with good directors.
Based on a comic book, Jan Kounen's "Dobermann" is a French crime film that never shies away from taking things to the extreme.
To give you an idea of the colorful palette of characters that awaits you, you also get the Dobermann's girlfriend, a mute, sadistic nympho; Pitbull and Moustique, two hardened criminals whose temper is quickly exposed when they play a tennis game; a priest who carries a Bible in which he hides grenades; Cristini's sidekick cop, who's just a huge fan of his boss; Sonia, a drag queen...and the list goes on.
Filled with dark humour almost from start to finish, Dobermann packs hilarious dialogue, cool aesthetics, costumes, and overall cinematography, plenty of violence which, despite never being particularly graphic, sometimes comprises very disturbing situations - again, I am not giving anything away.
And that's exactly what Dobermann is: excessive in its visuals, from the lighting to the characters' gun designs; excessive in its violence, from the characters' nature to some of the very inventive killings it puts on display; excessive in its soundtrack, with plenty of techno music playing out loud; and excessive in its direction and editing, from an amazing split-screen sequence to camera movements and shots delivering images that appear to be taken out of a comic book strip.
I hate french movies, especially I started to hate them more when I watched "Dobermann".
So, I already know if somebody likes "Dobermann" it means that this man nothing understand in movies..
In 1999, ultra-violence was the opportunity for Jan Kounen, a mediocre French director, to create some hype around his first full-length movie.Dobermann (young Vincent Cassel) is a gangster with his team of crazy violent sidekicks.
Dobermann himself is supposed to be impressive, but he has no impact on script, close to being transparent.Jan Kounen might have wanted to create a kind of pamphlet about police and how cops can sometimes act worse than criminals...
I love this film!The cinematography is fantastic, the writing is sharp and witty, the actors are perfectly cast - Tcheky Karyo especially.Many have placed Dobermann in the same category as Pulp Fiction but I don't think the comparison is fair.
This movie, by the French director Jan Kounen, is not really something most people will enjoy.
I guess the thing about Kounen is he should stop writing his own movies and concentrate on filming other people's work.
Like this one where a cop is eating his sandwich while watching a pimp beating a hooker...Don't be fooled by people who say that this movie is a copycat of 'Natural Born Killer'.
Yet it also epitomises everything that's great about action movies, and more.None of the characters are particularly sympathetic, ranging from the anarchic protagonist to the sadistic maverick cop.
Yet the narrative doesn't really matter, this is an action movie after all; the camera work is truly breathtaking and a great lesson for all aspiring film makers.
Even playing with violence and other bad things French movie-makers show class.
Cult is a word that's being thrown around these days rather hastily for violent movies like this, the same goes for silly Tarantino comparison's, when such films are not even close...
Perhaps it's my love for French film...The biggest problem with this movie is the characters.
A Great, Amoral and Extremely Violent Cult Movie, With Bizarre Characters.
The cast don't help are all unlikeable cartoon characters with no good performances or dialogue.Overall I found this to be a deeply unpleasant film that goes for the hyper cartoon violence approach.
The pleasure is in the gratuitous shoot 'em ups and in this respect Kounen stages the grossness quite impressively.Comparisons with Tarantino will inevitably been drawn, but if anything Dobermann is more like British TV cop shows The Sweeney and The Professionals (the split screen robbery scene being a direct rip-off) of the 70s.
I found this film 97 percent very good - it's running with an excellent-made action, ultra-violence, beating music and a reiterative plot (therefore the 3 other percent).
Of course, I don't criticize the film too much about that, though i prefer the point-making-movies.This film is for those who like action films with a lot of violence and a tepid plot, that it's only pure purpose is to the bring the viewer a 90 minutes of mid pleasure - which it does!.
Just like the movies it is often compared to (Natural Born Killers, Pulp Fiction, The Matrix) its stylistic tone and visuals aren't terribly original, but they DO work.From its violent beginning and crazy CGI dog-headed gangster credits sequence, this is a film that is all about visuals and pace.
Mix that in with some ultra-violence and cinematography that is lifted, in a good way, from the directors commercial background and you have an excellent modern action movie with a brain.Hopefully Blueberry, the director's (Jan Kounen) next movie (with the likes of Vincent Cassel, Micheal Masden, and Juliette Lewis) will live up to the standard he set here.Visuals - 8/10 Plot - 6/10 Performance - 7/10Overall - 7/10 - well worth a watch.
He comes out of the same French creative puddle as Mathieu Kassovitz.Vincent Cassel, Tcheky Karyo and Monica Bellucci are just terrific and the other characters in the movie are playing their part very convincing in this comic pool of ultra violence.
The screenplay it's just OK as a merely excuse to bring it on celluloid, and that's why the story is NOT meant to be the main thing here, it´s just the mean "good" people versus the charismatic criminal -although I got to enjoy it as well-; and being a french movie, we should know prior to watch it by this simple fact that the looks and the whole aesthetics it´s what gonna get the main focus.
All of the cast members that play Dobermann's gang are equally good.If you like action movies, then you'll love the action scenes in this.
He did a Masterpiece with lots of violence and drugs.The music is perfectly chosen, join Dobermann and his gang of bank-robbers in their search for action..
Dobermann is a quite cool French action flick.
The characters are a bit one-dimensional but that flaw isn`t very important.What makes this movie cool is the neatly directed action scenes.
Some scenes in this movie seem a bit sloppy.Dobermann is minimum character development, and consists mostly of good and bad guys shooting at each other.
Filmed in the style of a slick MTV promo with lashings of dark humour and ultra violence,Dobermann launches a relentless barrage on the senses right from the word go and manages to keep up its frantic pace and hold your attention right to the very end.Loved all the characters,each more crazy than the next but in my books Tcheky stole the show ,his performance as the viscious,psychotic bent copper Christini was truely menacing and a real joy to watch.Only gripe was that the script seemed a little weak but perhaps i missed a lot not being a speaker of French.Ce'st la ve.This movie is by no means deep and meaningful but i loved it for what it was ,a lovely slice of mindless mayhem.Enjoy it..
It's the only way to fully enjoy Dobermann.The cast is absolutely great: Karyo camps one of the most evil bad guys you will ever have the chance to see on screen, Cassel is great, Bellucci is hot and all the secondary characters are really funny.The music and action sequences are really cool and the general mood is so edgy it makes you feel nausious.
I've seen the movie so many times I know it by heart.When asked about the extreme violence of his flick, director Jan Kounen said "With this film, I want to shock the Bourgeoise".
Great movie for those who like european films.
Americans should be more open to foreign films because they're missing a lot of good movies like this one..
The film is a dark actioner that provides highly stylized violence being done by unlikable people in the context of a simple story.
This film gives us an hour and a half of actions done by people who have very little in the way of a moral system.
For fans of extreme cinema, Dobermann is almost a must-a good blend of violence, style, and craziness with a thumping soundtrack and over-the-top acting and set-pieces.
A good cast does well, particularly Cassell and Karyo as the respective robber and cop, but at times the mashing together of genres does not work completely.Cassell stars as Dobermann, a man with a penchant for violence ever since his birth.
'Dobermann' is an over-the-top stylish action gangster film that for once doesn't come from Japan. |
tt0060230 | Charlie Brown's All Stars! | After Charlie Brown's team loses their first game of the season (123-0), his team throw down their caps in disgust and quit. Frustrated and depressed, Charlie Brown wanders around aimlessly until Linus meets him with good news: Mr. Hennessey, operator of a local hardware store, is offering to sponsor Charlie Brown's team, place them in an organized league, and even buy them new uniforms. While Linus is inflating a pool, Charlie Brown's sister, Sally, appears in her bikini bathing suit.
The excitement gets the better of Charlie Brown, and he eagerly tells the team the good news. Lucy is apprehensive, but states that if Charlie Brown can really get the team uniforms, they will give him another chance and return to the team. Later at home, Charlie Brown gets a phone call from Mr. Hennessey, and is told that the league does not allow girls or dogs. Charlie Brown tries to reason with Mr. Hennessey, but Mr. Hennessey replies that they are the league's rules, not his. Unwilling to sacrifice his friends, Charlie Brown has no choice but to turn down Mr. Hennessey's offer.
Moments later, Charlie Brown relays the news to Linus, who tells him that Lucy and the team will most likely be angry with his decision. However, Charlie hits on an idea: he will not tell them until after the next game, figuring their lifted spirits will drive them to a great win. Linus says this may not be a good idea, but Charlie Brown feels it will work. The game starts off slowly, but as it picks up, the team begins to play spectacularly. Inspired by Snoopy successfully stealing second, third, and home, Charlie Brown attempts the same thing in the bottom of the ninth inning, successfully stealing second and third. However, he tries to win the game by stealing home, only to be thrown out at the plate, ending the game.
Lucy and several others tell Charlie Brown that if it were not for the uniforms and the league deal, they would quit. Charlie Brown then tells the team (leaving out the reasons why) that he told Mr. Hennessey that the deal was off. This causes the team to yell in anger and storm off. As the girls (Lucy, Patty, Violet and Frieda) complain about their misfortune and Snoopy is shown sharing their disgust, Linus speaks up telling them the real reason why Charlie Brown turned the offer down. Both Linus and Schroeder berate the girls and Snoopy for their selfishness; pointing out that Charlie Brown was not willing to sacrifice them just to get the uniforms. This causes the girls and Snoopy to feel terrible for being so hard on Charlie Brown. They are uncertain what to do, until Lucy comes up with an idea to make up for the insults; make a special uniform for Charlie Brown. After Linus insists there is no material available, Lucy grins evilly and says they do; and it is Linus's security blanket. Then they make a uniform for Charlie Brown with the only material available; Linus's security blanket.
The girls and Snoopy present the newly made uniform (complete with the words "Our Manager" on the front) to Charlie Brown, who is very pleased with it. He is determined that his team will win the next day, but the next day, it rains, so there is no ball game. Charlie Brown just stands in the rain on the pitcher's mound, where Linus finds him and tells him that nobody will come to the field. He then looks nervously at Charlie Brown, and when Charlie Brown questions him for it, he then wails to him that his uniform was made from his blanket. So Charlie Brown lets Linus hold the shirt-tail against his cheek and suck his thumb, while the two of them stand together in the pouring rain during the closing credits. | psychedelic | train | wikipedia | A gem buried under The Easter Beagle.
If you're a fan of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown," "Charlie Brown's All-Stars" will not disappoint.
It has the heart and warmth of the other two, a sweet story and the feel of Charles Shultz's comic strip, a quality that seemed to diminish after the first three episodes.
Maybe it's just me, but everything after "The Great Pumpkin" Charlie Brown specials seemed forced and lightweight.I watched "All Stars" with my family last night when it was paired with "The Easter Beagle." Nobody sat still during Easter Beagle, but all were seated and laughing during All-Stars.
For me, everything came together for the first three specials; a sweet and solid story with a nice message, great Vince Guaraldi jazz and voices that suited the Peanuts characters wonderfully; particularly the voices of Charlie Brown and Linus.
I read that one of the producers had heard Peter Robbins' voice in a mall and knew immediately that he would be perfect for Charlie Brown.
They credit his voice and characterization as one of the reasons the Christmas special was so effective..
Three strikes and out, Charlie Brown.
In this second ever Peanuts TV special Charlie Brown is in the bad books of the rest of the gang (as if he's ever in their good books) for being utterly hopeless at baseball and losing every game.
He's a curse on their team and they'd all rather spend summer doing their own individual thing.But when he arranges to have personalized shirts made for the team they come back, though he neglects to tell them it's on the condition that Snoopy and the girls get kicked out.He's damned if he does and damned if he doesn't.
Old Blockhead just can't do anything right.
For a 1966 effort the colors and sound in this one were surprisingly good.
It may not have the lasting appeal of the seasonal specials, but it's still worth watching..
It's Baseball Season.
Second animated special based on the cartoon strips of Charles M.
Schulz is about poor luckless Charlie Brown's attempts to win at least one game, and break a long losing streak.
Charlie gets some initially good news when he is offered the chance to join an official little league, and get to wear real uniforms, but even that hope is dashed when he is informed that the league won't accept either girls or pets(Snoopy).
How can Charlie break this news to the gang without the risk of them walking away from the game forever, and him in particular?
Lightweight special is stuck between two classics, and is just too flimsy and silly to be remembered.
Best for Baseball fans..
not quite a Peanuts classic.
Charlie Brown's baseball team is horrible and his whole team blames him.
It's the start of a new season.
After another embarrassing loss, everybody quits to do something fun for the summer.
Hardware store owner Mr. Hennessey offers to sponsor the baseball team.
The team reunites for the promise of uniforms.
Hennessey then withdraws since girls and dog are forbidden in the league.
Charlie Brown keeps the secret to himself.
The team does a lot better but Charlie Brown's bonehead play loses the game.
Everybody blames him until Linus reveals the secret.
The team makes a manager's uniform for Charlie Brown out of Linus' blanket.This takes a large section of the Peanuts world and sets it for the second TV special after "A Charlie Brown Christmas".
It suffers by comparison.
It tries to have a lesson but it doesn't work as well.
The message is a little muddled.
It also doesn't have anything iconic like the Charlie Brown tree or The Great Pumpkin.
It's fine for loser Charlie but it needs to say something more beautiful about losing..
"I hate it when they try.".
The second Peanuts TV special is a baseball-themed one.
Charlie Brown sucks at baseball and his team, frustrated with "that old blockhead" for losing them the first game of the season, quits.
Shortly after Charlie finds out the team has the chance to join the Little League, with a sponsor who will pay for new uniforms and everything.
Everyone's excited and eager to play again, even with sucky Charlie Brown.
But then the news is handed down to Chuck that the team can't have the girls or Snoopy on it.
So he struggles with how to tell them, knowing they will rip him a new one.
Lots of funny lines in this one but also lots of heart.
Love the ending..
Second Animated Program?
I Didn't Know This!.
Charlie Brown playing baseball must have been established with this program.I always wondered why toy figures of Charlie Brown had him in a baseball cap.I remember this program, and likewise, I remember the accompanying storybook (Charlie Brown and Linus on the pitcher's mound in the rain at the end was effective).Lately, ABC has realized that airing new Christmas or Valentines Day specials simply makes fans go 'what happened to the old one?' so now they air Charlie Brown as a full hour, the old one accompanying the new one.Works for me.I hadnt seen the Easter one in DECADES, do you hear me!!!
All Stars aired in connection with the old Easter one, so I sat and watched it.It seemed incredibly crudely done, but as I watched it, I realized which one it was.From there, I was then very amazed by the story.Charlie Brown wasn't as easily defeated here (which was the way he sort of began in the comic strips, kind of like Sluggo to Lucy's Nancy, or Tubby to Lucy's Little Lulu).This time, he took the slings and arrows from his 'friends' with a bit more endurance.What makes this one so funny is they were really sending some ammunition his way!
Lucy: "Don't expect us to be doing all that cheering from the outfield.
'Yay, Charlie Brown!
You're a great pitcher, Charlie Brown!' -- Fact is, you can't do it, Charlie Brown, and you aren't that good a pitcher.
That makes us hypocrites.
You wouldn't want us to be hypocrites, would you, Charlie Brown?" Sherman: "I don't like being on a losing team, Charlie Brown.
It's depressing.
You're different.
You seem to get some satisfaction from losing." Something like that.I remember many of the situations and jokes from the comics."Slide, Charlie Brown, Slide" was actually the title of one of the reprint books.Yet this episode was made wholly unique when Charlie Brown got a store to sponsor the team with uniforms, then was told he would have to remove the girls and Snoopy from the team.Charlie Brown couldn't do it and the team turned on him.Only later did they learn why and feel utterly crushed.I don't think at any time Charlie Brown has made such a supreme sacrifice for his ungrateful friends and likewise they in turn sought to make amends to the ol' blockhead.Which then brought us to the ending.Devotion.That's what you can say about our boy named Charlie Brown.Devotion..
You Blockhead Charlie Brown.
It has been a long time since I've done a review of one of my favorite comics as a kid Charlie Brown and the Peanut gang.This time around Charlie Brown and the gang have a baseball team however they have the biggest losing record in the history of the game.Charlie Brown's team quits to enjoy summer because they have lost 999 games and have reach their breaking point.
Charlie Brown promises them Uniforms if they return to the team.However he gets news that may throw that plan off.
That's enough of the plot you should check it out to see what happens.
The animation is pretty good for 1966 with details to the characters and the background of the special.
This special has many moments that will make you bust into laughter as the peanuts were known for.
Even Snoopy will get you laughing.The voice acting being down by children was a smart choice and it works for each character they have them voice.The story is one that you can appreciate and relate to.Charlie Brown's all stars is a special film for children and adults so you can enjoy this with your whole family.If you're a fan of the Peanut gang then you will love this special.
I give Charlie Brown's All Stars an 9 out of 10.
This movie did not steal home.
"Charlie Brown's All Stars!" is the rare occasion of a Charlie Brown sports movie.
Just like the others, it runs for 25 minutes, was written by Charles M.
Schulz and directed by Bill Melendez.
This was is going to have its 50th anniversary next year, so it's one of the very early Charlie Brown films from the 1960s.
And it's all about baseball.
The bunch keep losing their games because Charlie Brown simply sucks at the game and not even great plays by Snoopy (voiced by Melendez himself) and the red-haired girl cheering for Charlie can make him a winner here.
So, it's all set for Charlie's usual depressed state.
Apart from that, it is also about new team uniforms and a lesson on friendship at the ending.
At 9-10 minutes, this may have been a good watch, but at almost 30, this 2-time Emmy-nominated piece sadly isn't.
Really drags occasionally and Charlie standing at each base for ages and talking instead of running is just the most unrealistic thing ever.
Not recommended. |
tt0315824 | The Big Bounce | Jack Ryan, a surfer and occasional thief, attacks the menacing Lou Harris with a baseball bat. Harris is a foreman on a Hawaii construction site run by corrupt millionaire Ray Ritchie. When Jack is released from jail, both the police and Ritchie's right-hand man, Bob Rogers, Jr., tell Jack to leave the island. However, Judge Walter Crewes takes a liking to Jack and offers him a place to stay and a job as a handyman at a small resort of beach-front bungalows that the Judge owns. Jack has dangerous run-ins with Harris and Rogers, Jr., on numerous occasions.
Ritchie has all his (substantial) property registered in the name of his wife, Alison. He is also cheating on his wife with a much younger mistress, Nancy Hayes. When Nancy catches Jack's eye, the Judge warns him that she likes "the criminal type" and cannot be trusted. Jack is falling for Nancy, and the two break into houses for fun and profit.
Nancy come up with a scheme to steal $200,000 ($254,000 today) that Ritchie keeps handy for bribes and mob business. She arranges for Jack to sneak into Ritchie's house to steal the money from his safe. Jack arrives to find that Nancy has poisoned Ritchie, in a conspiracy with Alison. Nancy has set up Jack to be Ritchie's "killer", with Alison to shoot him dead as an intruder. It turns out that the Judge is Alison's lover and has been part of the conspiracy, with the two promising to give Nancy the $200,000 for her part. Jack manages to steal the money from the safe and avoids being shot, leaving Alison and the Judge to set up Nancy as Ritchie's killer.
Alison and the Judge are seen sailing on Ritchie's massive yacht, disposing of his body in the deep. Nancy is seen in disguise, trying to escape the island before she's arrested for Ritchie's murder. Jack drives past Nancy in a limousine, stopping to wish her well and refusing to help her after she set him up. He gets back in the limo, with the money and a beautiful vacationer named Number 9 he met while working at the Judge's resort. | murder | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0199950 | The New Adventures of Pinocchio | In July 1890, Pinocchio and his friend Lampwick skip school to go to a carnival. While there, they watch a presentation by the carnival's leader, Madame Flambeau. She gives a man with one shorter leg some of her Elixir, and his leg grows to the length of the other one. The carnival's dwarf then leads Pinocchio and Lampwick to "The Hall of Freaks", a place with a clown that washes his face, an albino who can blow fire from his mouth, a large fish tank that have fish with human faces, a woman with a beard, and a fairy called "Blue" who only Pinocchio can see. They then return to Pinocchio's house and find his father Geppetto, who is very sick. Pinocchio and Lampwick then return to the carnival to each buy some of Madame Flambeau's Elixir. Felinet and Volpe, a human-cat and human-fox respectively, lead them to Madame Flambeau. They don't have enough money for the Elixir, so they agree to work for her in the carnival. Lampwick drinks his Elixir and returns home, and Pinocchio gives his Elixir to Geppetto.
The next morning, Pinocchio finds the Elixir has transformed his father into a puppet. Madame Flambeau enters their house, and gets angry at Pinocchio for giving the Elixir to his father instead of himself. She reveals she is Lorenzini's widow. Geppetto and Pinocchio are then forced to work at the carnival's show. Geppetto eventually accepts and enjoys being a puppet, much to Pinocchio's dismay. Lampwick had been transformed into a sea donkey because of the Elixir, and Pinocchio finds him in the large fish tank. Madame Flambeau compromises Pinocchio that if he becomes a puppet, then Geppetto and Lampwick will automatically become human again; but this was a trick so that Pinocchio would perform in front of the prince. Seconds before the show, the dwarf takes Pinocchio; Felinet and Volpe take Geppetto and replace the two with inanimate puppets. The prince angrily leaves due to the audience booing. Madame Flambeau and her team go on a search for Geppetto and Pinocchio. The dwarf takes Pinocchio and Lampwick to the forest where Pinocchio came from. The dwarf transforms and reveals himself as Pepe.
Madame Flambeau finds Geppetto and then finds Pinocchio. Geppetto apologizes to Pinocchio for being more interested in his fame than his son, and it is implied he wants to be human again. Madame Flambeau then transforms into Lorenzini, a secret he had been hiding the whole time. He plans on cooking Lampwick using Pinocchio and Geppetto as the firewood. Pepe gives Pinocchio clues on how to find the Heart of the Mountain. Pinocchio, Geppetto and Lampwick get to the Heart of the Mountain via sliding down a long pathway. Once there, they find a pool called the "magic water", something that turns someone/something into their true nature. Lorenzini and the others also enter the Heart of the Mountain. Lampwick falls into the water and is instantly restored to human. Lorenzini laughs and jumps in the magic water thinking it will make him powerful, but it instead turns him into "the sea monster" over a period of time. Geppetto and Pinocchio then jump in and are instantly restored to human. Volpe and Felinet jump in but their true nature remains.
The next day, Lorenzini is locked up in a cage, and is laughed at by the carnival's audience for his grotesque sea monster appearance. Pinocchio and Lampwick go to see Geppetto's puppet show, along with a girl called "Isabella" who looks just like Blue but with black hair. Isabella tells Pinocchio that the Elixir can't truly fix anyone's troubles. Geppetto performs in front of the prince, and is applauded by Pinocchio and the rest of the audience. As the second lot of credits roll by, Lorenzini escapes his prison. | fantasy | train | wikipedia | Under the magic spell, Pinochio becomes a boy and Jephetto a wooden puppet..
The previous writers comments were not based on The New Adventures of Pinochio.
In this version Martin Landau (Jeppeto) becomes a puppet when he accidentally drinks a magic potion.
An English boy plays his son in the title role and gives a marvelous sensitive performance.
Except for some poor special effects, this Pinochio is really fun, believable and a must see.
Forget the previous versions.
Jeppeto is captured by a traveling circus, and Pinochio with his friend spends his time trying to rescue him, and remove the evil spell.
While attempting to rescue Jepetto, Pinochio is captured, falls under this spell and he becomes a wooden boy, This movie is really fun,hard to find.
If you are in Europe I think you will be able to see it..
Serves as a terrific antidote to the 'Disneytized' version.
I watched this film on TV with my two children (aged 12 and 10) and I think I enjoyed it as much as they did, maybe more.
The whole production is beautiful and feels like a fairy tale should.
The plot kept my children engrossed and amazingly stays true to the story.
It probably wasn't pre-tested or had to have its ending changed to suit the market.
In short, well-made, well-acted and well-filmed with special effects that are good enough to create some magic without being too spectacular and distracting.
It also makes good use of its location setting (admittedly in Luxembourg and not Italy).
A really pleasant way to spend an hour or so with the kids.
So why bother to comment at all?
The thing is a lot of people of my generation grew up with the Disneytized versions of what were mostly European fairy tales or children's stories, such as Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan, Winnie the Poo, etc, etc.
In the end, it's hard for us non-Americans to convince our kids that these are not the original stories.
Apart from incongruous American accents (okay, we're used to these a lot more than Americans are used to our "foreign" accents), names get changed (Jimminy Cricket instead of Pepe, which was good enough for the author), locations get switched and elements of the plot are shifted about or simplified.
Sometimes the tough parts are made just plain cute.
Maybe it shouldn't matter but when one culture dominates the film and TV outlets as much as is happening today then there's a feeling that when a film goes half-way to keeping its balance (with a nice mix of European and American actors) it serves as a terrific antidote.
the recent Midsummer Night's Dream (dir.
Michael Hoffman) was another good example.
What a lot of Americans perhaps realize is just how many plots (children's movies aside) that are simply lifted from the original settings, maybe French, maybe British, by the US film and TV industry and then represented as original output.
It's a pity because that way, you don't get to know as much about us as we do about you.
Incidentally, my kids voted for this movie over the Disney version.
It made me proud..
Very disappointing..
To say this is a silly movie is an understatement.
The premise, that Gepetto is now turned into a puppet, has a great deal of promise, in that it could have explored the mirror images, so to speak, of the poignant emotions that have made Collodi's original tale immortal.
Sadly, none of this occurs.
Instead, every millimeter of depth is drained, leaving only an insipid story of a boy and man who seem less real than the puppets they sometimes occupy.
Gabriel Thomson, in the title role, comes across as trying very hard to rescue anything he can out of this part, which must have felt pretty humiliating right after "Pip" of "Great Expectations." He showed much more what he was capable of in "Enemy at the Gates" (2001), and then went on to a TV series.
I suppose the very young might find a few laughs in this "Pinocchio," but if you're looking for a further lesson in life or what constitutes being human, you won't find it here..
Pinocchio - the comments of an extra.
I was part of the "extras" together with my 6 year old daughter.
It's true that the site, the weather, were fantastic BUT...
you could feel from the beginning that this movie will not be that successful due to many various factors.
That was the first time I participated in a movie production and found out that all the people working on the set had an over dimensioned ego, finally, only the actors were nice and friendly.
The official photographer was chasing the extras who were taking pics of themselves in their funny costumes.
He was threatening us.
The casting girl was atrocious, nasty and arrogant.
Some extras thought they were THE movie stars and were constantly pushing the others to arrive all the time in front of the cameras.
Extras were getting poor food while the crew was nicely treated in term of food.
We were so naive, just wanting to participate in a dream, trying to make nice souvenirs.
Well, I participated in other movies and yes, I have to say that this movie environment is really a pitiless world, the jungle where the strongest bites the poorest.
A simple replication of the world I must say..
Solid story but very weak visuals.
I have to concede that this movie is a very deficient sequel to the original Pinocchio plot.
As I watched it I expected better images - this is a real point of criticism here.
A movie like this one, which actually features substantial magical input and imposes visual challenges for the producers ought to meet the requirements and try to live up to the premise it is built on.Thus this brings down the rating significantly.
I would normally be more indulgent with low budget productions, but as stated above, Pinocchio lives and dies with the transformation of visuals and the quality of the images.
Some were acceptable, the majority indifferent, and some simply ludicrous and a real shame.What makes me award this weakly equipped movie with a solid 6 though is based on two reasons: 1.
The British actor Gabriel Thomson as Pinocchio.
Gabriel Thomson is one of very few young actors who have natural skills and the ability to project their characters' sensibility with very subtle and decent acting.
I was stunned by his genuine performance and the way he is able to express so much with so little endeavor.
He shines here as he does in his most notable appearance in 'Enemy at the Gates'.
He manages to vitalize Pinocchio in a way that makes the audience relate to him as a character - something that is not always the case in movies featuring a preposterous edge as 'Pinocchio' does.
Gabriel's performance is very intriguing and much better than everything else this movie has to offer.2.
The story itself detached from the actual transcription.
I do not know if this sequel to the well-known Pinocchio-plot has a literary artwork as a basis.
Anyway, I think the idea itself of how the original story can be continued is true to the original concept and properly developed.
There are some nice messages and the story proceeds at a smart pace that compensates for some of the visual flaws.'The New Adventures of Pinocchio' is not for everyone and it could have been done significantly better regarding its decor.
However, if you are looking for a well-developed story and a brilliant Gabriel Thomson as Pinocchio, you might want to give it a try..
Bizarro Pinocchio.
A poorly made g rated movie.
Martin Landau as Gepetto is either unconscious in bed or doing a voice over.
Talk about phoning in a part.
Jonathan is a prince who briefly visits the show, and he has few or no lines.
This is what he deserves for walking away from a hit TV show.
The drag queen circus master, Udo Kier, looks exactly like Hillary Clinton if she painted an eyeball on her cheek every day.
The computer generated wooden puppets look weird, and the blue fairy speaks in clichés.
On the plus side, Felinet can snuggle in my lap anytime.
This movie is only suitable for little kids and the weak minded; it is excruciating for adults.
Weak sequel to a decent film.
While it doesn't hold a candle to the 1940 Disney film, which nearly 80 years later is one of their greatest triumphs and one of the best animated films of all time.'The Adventures of Pinocchio', dating from 1996, had its flaws, but was decent and a nice alternative to the Disney film.
This sequel, 'The New Adventures of Pinocchio' from 1999, is mediocre at best and even often quite weak.It does have some good things.
Gabriel Thomson is a likable and earnest Pinocchio and Udo Kier steals the film as an over-the-top, sometimes weird but incredibly fun Madame Flambeau.
Rachel Portman is missed, her score was beautiful, more dynamic and poignant but the music in 'The New Adventures of Pinocchio' is serviceable enough.
Warwick Davis does a decent job as Pepe.However, Martin Landau's Geopetto is almost completely sidelined and Landau, who was superb in 'The Adventures of Pinocchio and has given great performance, phones it in here.
And while Kier is fun as Madame Flambeau his Lorenzini (a villain that could have been much more interesting) is just not sinister enough.What particularly hurts the film are the visuals and the story.
'The New Adventures of Pinocchio' looks rather cheap, the photography isn't as lavish, editing is sloppy and the sets and costumes do look like shoestring budget material, but it's the puppetry and special effects that are particularly subpar at best and often extremely poor and too obvious.
Pepe is very mechanical in movement and design, the sea donkey is especially cheaply weak, Kier's sea monster make up couldn't have been more bizarre and the scene with the talking fish should have been left on the cutting/editing room floor.The story tries to put twists on some of the events of 'The Adventures of Pinocchio, but just feels like a dull, soulless and charmless retread with role reversals.
Pacing is dull, the dialogue couldn't have been more cheesy or bland and the direction often is inept, especially in the talking fish/cart ride scene.Overall, weak sequel though not without its moments.
4/10 Bethany Cox. The New Adventures of Pinocchio.
I would definitely rather see the Disney cartoon than this piece of crap.
When I was younger it was good in places, and now the only good thing I can say about it is that there are some good stars in it, but that is it!
You know the story, Geppetto (Martin Landau) makes puppets, including Pinocchio, who is brought to life (played by Gabriel Thomson) and will hopefully become a real boy.
It is hardly the same as the Disney cartoon though, they have more scenes with him going hardly anywhere, he actually gets to go to school, his Dad goes to court or something, and Jiminey Cricket is now named Pepe.
Also starring Udo Kier as Madame Flambeau/Lorenzini, Gemma Gregory as Blue Fairy, Leprachaun's Warwick Davis as Dwarf and Dawn French as the Baker's Wife.
It is just ridiculous, and not special effects or the many stars can save it from being a piece of crap!
Poor! |
tt0120317 | That Darn Cat | "Darn Cat" or "DC" is a wily, adventurous Siamese tomcat who lives with young, suburbanite sisters Ingrid "Inkie" (Dorothy Provine) and Patricia "Patti" Randall (Hayley Mills), whose parents are traveling abroad at the time of the story.
One night, while making his rounds around town, teasing Blitzy the Bulldog as usual, DC follows Iggy (Frank Gorshin), a bank robber, to an apartment where he and his bank robber partner Dan (Neville Brand) are holding hostage a bank employee Miss Margaret Miller (Grayson Hall), whom they nickname "Moms". Without intention, the robbers let the cat in and he tries to eat the food that caused him to follow Iggy.
When Miss Miller is alone for a moment (but still under total eye surveillance of the robbers) being forced to cook the meal for them, she removes DC's collar and tries to put her watch around his neck with a help inscription. In the process, she attempts to scratch the word "help" into the back of her watch. Then she releases him into the outdoors.
When DC comes home, Patti discovers the watch. She has a gut feeling that it belongs to the kidnapped woman and visits the FBI. She tells Agent Zeke Kelso (Dean Jones) of her discovery, and Supervisor Newton (Richard Eastham) assigns Kelso to follow DC in hopes he will lead them back to the robbers' hideout.
Kelso sets up a headquarters in the Randalls' house and assigns a team to keep the cat under surveillance, but through a couple of careless moves, DC manages to elude them. Eventually a bugging device is implanted in DC's collar and the cat leads Kelso into a comical chase at a drive-in movie and several backyards. After several failed attempts and without hard evidence about the watch, Supervisor Newton shuts down the operation. Patti disguises herself as a hippie merchant who pretends to be a niece of a jeweler she knows well, Mr. Hoffsteddar (Ed Wynn), and she calls the FBI to persuade them that the watch belonging to Miss Miller was indeed hard evidence. Patti and Kelso rescue Miss Miller and bring the robbers to justice.
Subplots involve a "romance" between Patti's sister Ingrid and Gregory Benson (Roddy McDowall) and a "romance" between Patti herself and a surf-obsessed slacker neighbor, Canoe Henderson (Tom Lowell), and the meddling of nosey neighbor Mrs. MacDougall (Elsa Lanchester) and her disapproving husband, Wilmer MacDougall (William Demarest). At the end, it is revealed that the gray cat in the opening sequence and DC have started a family. At the end, they are taking their kittens on a prowl. | absurd, revenge, comedy, gothic, romantic | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0206154 | Morgane et ses nymphes | Two young women travel by car through the Auvergne. Having run out of gas near an odd village, they spend the night in a barn where they make love. The next morning, Anna is gone and a dwarf in medieval garb guides Françoise through a forest (later identified as Brocéliande) to a lake, where a magic canoe carries her to an island, and then to a castle where scantily clad women frolic and kiss, overseen by the dwarf Gurth. Françoise is interviewed by Morgan le Fay and bathed by some of her women. Gurth reveals in a monologue that he procures the women for Morgan and has aspirations to take over.
During dinner, Morgan and Françoise discuss love and beauty, and Morgan reveals that time is at her command. Afterward, she proceeds to caress and kiss Françoise, while her women wonder if they've been forgotten. Morgan offers immortality and beauty; if the offer is not accepted, a life of abjection among a group of older women is the victim's lot. Anna, tied up in the basement, accepts the offer, but Françoise escapes to look for the boat. She manages to swim across, only to find Morgan waiting for her on the other side, wherever she turns; she takes her back to her castle and promises to teach her magic.
Françoise, however, schemes with Gurth to escape, and a feast the next day appears to be a good occasion to get a magic necklace and other items together. Dances are performed and groups of women engage in various kinds of lovemaking; Françoise makes love to the woman who has the magic tunic, and runs off with it. The necklace has also been stolen. Françoise, now in the tunic which renders her invisible and wearing the necklace (which controls the boat), needs only Morgan's topaz globe, without which she can't leave the forest. Gurth is accused, and sentenced to blindness, muteness, and leglessness. He gives Françoise his "ring of life" so he will die and she will be able to escape; he dies instantly and Françoise escapes from the castle and boards the boat. Gurth's horse appears and Françoise rides off, ending up in the village, just in time for a funeral procession. However, she calls out for Morgan, who is there immediately. Morgan takes her back to the barn, where Anna is sleeping still with Françoise, being watched now by Françoise. | pornographic, psychedelic, cruelty | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0021505 | The Unholy Three | Three performers leave a sideshow after Tweedledee (Harry Earles), the midget, assaults a young heckler and sparks a melee. The three join together in an "unholy" plan to become wealthy. Prof. Echo, the ventriloquist, assumes the role of Mrs. O'Grady, a kindly old grandmother, who runs a pet shop, while Tweedledee plays her grandchild. Hercules (Victor McLaglen), the strongman, works in the shop along with the unsuspecting Hector McDonald (Matt Moore). Echo's girlfriend, pickpocket Rosie O'Grady (Mae Busch), pretends to be his granddaughter.
Using what they learn from delivering pets, the trio later commit burglaries, with their wealthy buyers as victims. On Christmas Eve, John Arlington (an uncredited Charles Wellesley) telephones to complain that the "talking" parrot (aided by Echo's ventriloquism) he bought will not speak. When "Granny" O'Grady visits him to coax the bird into performing, "she" takes along grandson "Little Willie". While there, they learn that a valuable ruby necklace is in the house. They decide to steal it that night. As Echo is too busy, the other two grow impatient and decide to go ahead without him.
The next day, Echo is furious to read in the newspaper that Arlington was killed and his three-year-old daughter badly injured in the robbery. Hercules shows no remorse whatsoever, relating how Arlington pleaded for his life. When a police investigator shows up at the shop, the trio become fearful and decide to frame Hector, hiding the jewelry in his room.
Meanwhile, Hector proposes to Rosie. She turns him down, but he overhears her crying after he leaves. To his joy, she confesses she loves him, but was ashamed of her shady past. When the police take him away, Rosie tells the trio that she will exonerate him, forcing them to abduct her and flee to a mountain cabin. Echo takes along his large pet ape (who terrifies Hercules).
In the spring, Hector is brought to trial. Rosie pleads with Echo to save Hector, promising to stay with him if he does. After Echo leaves for the city, Tweedledee overhears Hercules asking Rosie to run away with him (and the loot). The midget releases the ape. Hercules kills the midget before the ape gets him.
At the trial, Echo agonizes over what to do, but finally rushes forward and confesses all. Both he and Hector are set free. When Rosie goes to Echo to keep her promise, he lies and says he was only kidding. He tells her to go to Hector. Echo returns to the sideshow, giving his spiel to the customers: "That's all there is to life, friends, ... a little laughter ... a little tear." | murder | train | wikipedia | The scene where Harry Earles tries to get an early bonus with the necklace is very good and the whole relationship between the midget and the strongman is better defined, IMHO, in this version.
The rest of the cast is good with Elliot Nugent as the patsy Hector contributing a nice turn and Harry Earles again reprising his role as the midget baby.
Lila Lee and future director-screenwriter Elliott Nugent are both good as the young lovers, the former's scenes with Chaney being some of the best in the picture.
And, just as much as he did in the silent version, midget Harry Earles conveys pure menace as the depraved dwarf Tweedledee, although a combination of early sound equipment and his thick German accent make many of his lines all but incomprehensible.
I had an afternoon free so I decided to watch the two versions of this Lon Chaney classic back to back, the original 1925 version directed by Tod Browning, and this later sound remake, which was directed by Jack Conway.
It's the story of a crooked carnival ventriloquist (Lon Chaney) who teams up with the midget (Harry Earles) and strong man (Ivan Linow) for a series of robberies.
The sound film moves more briskly, while the silent felt slightly overlong (though the other was still quite good, and well-directed).It was an amazing treat to get to hear Chaney in his only talking film, and he actually sounded very much as I'd always imagined he would from his gruff exterior.
On the other hand, it was sometimes difficult to always understand the dialogue spoken by Harry Earles (as Tweedledee the midget) and Ivan Linow (as Hercules the strong man).
He was an incredibly skilled actor and, thankfully, The Unholy Three (1930) let's us actually see that.In this film, Chaney did five voices; those of a parrot, an old woman, a girl, a ventriloquist, and the ventriloquist's dummy.
While the film is notable as a vehicle for the actor's vocal gymnastics, the story of this talkie version of the 1925 version is pretty much identical to the silent, but with a few exceptions: As a talkie, The Unholy Three is a bit less gripping by the sounds becoming explicit, as well as, lacking much of the macabre horror the silent version featured.
And yet it was cancer that took him from film just as he proved he could successfully speak within the new realm of sound.Lon Chaney could have been, perhaps, the greatest actor of all time, though, with much of his work missing, it's still justifiable that he is and beyond all the thousands of faces, there was one true Chaney: an incredibly gifted artist.
Every great performer deserves a wonderful finish to their careers, and Lon Chaney got one with this remake of his 1925 classic.
For each character he portrayed, he had differing voices, something he was (of course) unable to do in the silent era.People have wondered what he could have done with Dracula, although it's been proved there was never any such proof Chaney was sought for the part.
The 1930 version of The Unholy Three boasts a distinction that guarantees it permanent special status among film buffs: the great silent star Lon Chaney made his only talkie appearance here, shortly before his death from throat cancer at the age of 47.
And it's worth noting that this a faithful remake of the 1925 silent version in which Chaney also starred, thus giving us a rare chance to compare two performances by the same actor in the same role but in two very different formats, and to compare the handling of the same material before and after the coming of sound.
(When Hollywood remade hits from the silent era the lead roles were almost always recast; parts once played by Doug Fairbanks would go to Errol Flynn, Valentino's would go to Tyrone Power, etc.) This summer I was lucky enough to see restored prints of both versions of The Unholy Three back-to-back at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC, and the experience was fascinating.The plot has been outlined in detail elsewhere, but briefly it involves the criminal career of a trio from the "carny" world: a ventriloquist called Professor Echo (Chaney) who masquerades as an old lady, a strongman, and a midget who disguises himself as a baby.
But in the talkie, the gorilla is laugh-provoking; and it doesn't help that instead of the actual simian used in the silent film, the 1930 version features a man in a highly unconvincing ape suit, the sort of tatty-looking costume you'd expect to find in a Bowery Boys comedy.Talkies aren't just silent movies with sound added, they're a new world with different rules, especially where pace is concerned.
And although Chaney handled his dialog deftly some of his co-stars did not: both strongman Ivan Linow and "baby" Harry Earles speak with thick accents that are difficult to understand.It's fascinating to see (and hear) Chaney in a talkie, but the remake is fairly slow going.
The second Unholy Three is a film that requires patience for the average viewer, though it's a must for anyone with an interest in early talkies, the silent era, and, of course, its star performer.
I only wish Lon Chaney had recovered and lived to make more films, once Hollywood's directors had grasped the demands of the new technology and learned to make slicker, more stylish movies that would have displayed his talents to better advantage..
Of course, THE UNHOLY THREE (1930) is most famed for the only time we can hear the great silent horror star Lon Chaney speak.
Three out of work circus performers (Chaney, midget Harry Earles and strongman Ivan Linow) decide to become a trio of jewel thieves.
Midget Earles has the best dialog, delivered in a squeaky voice- "I like it" (meaning the plan) "It's unholy!" This motley trio decide to disquise themselves very outlandishly (Chaney as an old woman, Earles as a cooing baby) They couldn't just lay low, or take assumed names?
LON CHANEY delivers an interesting performance (especially when posing as a kindly old woman), but not even the great Chaney can overcome all the defects in this remake of the 1925 silent.For starters, the performances around him include two extremely bad examples of early screen acting--from awkward Lila Lee and a young man who would later turn his talent to directing rather than acting--Elliot Nugent.
Anyway, his is the weakest performance in the film with Lila not far behind.The tale itself is interesting enough to hold the attention--and especially chilling is the malice (pure evil) displayed by Harry Earle as the malevolent midget.
Unfortunately, most of his dialogue is unintelligible due to his German accent, something director Jack Conway should have noted.Only real satisfaction is watching Lon Chaney in one of his last roles.
Summing up: At best, it is an interesting example of Chaney's considerable talent despite the primitive acting technique displayed by Lila Lee and Elliot Nugent.
Chaney plays a ventriloquist name Echo who who becomes a scam artist, opens a pet store, dressing up as a little old lady and calling himself Mother O'Grady, complete with white wig and high-pitched voice, and with the help of a midget named Tweedledee and a strong man named Hercules, sets out to prey on wealthy customers.
Considering Chaney's vocal accomplishment in the early torturous sound on film system, one wonders how Chaney would have faired a few years down the road in films like The Invisible Man with only his voice and no face whatsoever.
Browning had actually made the silent Unholy Three and the script or scenario must have not gathered too much dust when director Jack Conway did this sound remake.
Lon Chaney Sr.'s performance in the talkie version of The Unholy Three was a good enough one to end his career on.
It's not bad as an early sound film and I appreciated the humor of some scenes but, like others commenting here, I did have trouble hearing some of the little person Harry Earles' words when he spoke them as well as that of the strongman played by Ivan Linow.
For Lon Chaney's sound debut, MGM had him filming a remake of one of his silent classics, The Unholy Three.
I wish that Victor McLaglen had not been replaced by Ivan Linow as the strong man and Lila Lee is a more hardboiled case than Mae Busch, but the chance to hear Lon Chaney and realize he could have had a great career in sound makes The Unholy Three worth viewing.The title comes from a crack Chaney makes about him as the show ventriloquist, the strong man Linow, and the midget Harry Earles being an unusual gang.
As a front they open Mrs. O'Grady's pet shop with Chaney in drag as little old Mrs. O'Grady.The weakness of the plot is Lila Lee who knows very well what this crowd is up to.
The microphone obviously wasn't sensitive enough to pick up whispers and/or the actors weren't accustomed to sound to fake it.Speaking of the trial, John Miljan who normally played villains in his career does good work as the District Attorney who unmasks literally, the whole criminal enterprise.The Unholy Three was not the best film Chaney could have done to make a sound debut, still it's our only record of him on sound and he registers well in the new medium..
"The Unholy Three" was the last film made by the great Lon Chaney -- and the only talking film which he completed before his untimely death at age 47.
Chaney is nothing less than marvelous as "Echo", the sideshow ventriloquist who forms a criminal collaboration with a midget (Harry Earles) and a strongman (Ivan Linow).After fleeing a carnival bust, this threesome sets up a burglary ring with Echo also posing as an old lady pet shop owner.
THE UNHOLY THREE (MGM, 1930), directed by Jack Conway, offers a moment of truth for 1930 audiences and film enthusiasts today in witnessing what silent film legend Lon Chaney had never done before on screen - to be heard as well as seen.
Even for a talkie, Chaney continues to express himself with facial gestures as he did in the silent era, which comes off to best advantage.The story opens where Professor Echo (Chaney), a sideshow performer, entertains with his ventriloquist act.
He is accompanied by Hercules, the strong man (Ivan Linow), Tweeledee (Harry Earles), the midget, and his girlfriend, Rosie O'Grady (Lila Lee), who roams around the crowd picking the pockets from observant patrons.
As "The Unholy Three," Echo disguises himself as a kindly old lady who owns "Mrs. O'Grady's Bird Shop"; Rosie as "her granddaughter"; Tweeledee plays the baby in the cradle; and Hercules as Granny's son-in-law and baby's uncle.
When Echo discovers Rosie's love for the young man, he decides to make Hector the fall guy by making him the prime suspect, causing his arrest for the series of crimes and murder while the gang seeks refuge in a cabin out in the country, with Rosie being held against her will.First filmed in 1925 that also featured Chaney and Harry Earles, with Mae Busch and Victor McLaglen as Rosie and Hercules, the same roles enacted here by the lesser known names of Lila Lee and Ivan Linow, who make fine, though not entirely great substitutes.
The use of silhouetted images of "The Unholy Three" as they gather together planning their latest caper is revised, along with elements of surprise and suspense where a police inspector (Clarence Burton) plays around with the baby's toy elephant where the stolen necklace is actually hidden, and another at the trial where Echo plants a note for Hector to read, only to watch him toying with it instead.
They comprise of ventriloquist and gang leader Lon Chaney (Echo), midget Harry Earles and strongman Ivan Linow (Hercules) and they have set up a pet store.
Things go wrong for the Unholy Three when a love interest for Lila in the annoyingly innocent Elliott Nugent (Hector) gets in the way of the good work planned by Chaney.The film is entertaining and funny, and has laugh out loud moments, especially from the midget.
Nearly the Same as the Original...and Fun. Sad to know that as Lon Chaney crossed over into sound film, he was already dying.
The Man of a Thousand Faces went out with a really decent remake of a silent film he had starred in five years previously.
Renowned for being Lon Chaney's only talkie, the 1930 "Unholy Three" is a good picture that doesn't seem to be as static as some other early sound pictures I've seen.
The only drawbacks to this one as compared to the silent version is that the love interests are not as good & as others have noted, it can be a bit difficult to understand what exactly Harry Earles is saying sometimes.The big selling point to this feature was obviously getting to hear the great Chaney Sr. speak on camera for the first time & it's interesting to think where his career might have gone had he lived, although despite the popular fable that's been told for many years, Chaney would not have been playing Dracula at Universal Pictures.
But that story has been told so many times, that most people seem to have accepted it as the gospel.In any event, Lon Chaney proves he was more than capable of making the transition to sound pictures.
This is most notable as MGM superstar Lon Chaney's last feature film - and only "talkie" - he succumbed to cancer at age 47, as it was being released.
Also, Chaney's treatment of Lila Lee (as Rosie O'Grady) seems too violent with sound.
"I'll even take that from you, Echo," she replies.Chaney's last words: "I'll send you a postal card." ******* The Unholy Three (7/3/30) Jack Conway ~ Lon Chaney, Lila Lee, Harry Earles, Elliott Nugent.
Lon Chaney's only talkie would be worth seeing just to hear him him speak, (His voice sounds remarkably like the old TV and wrestling announcer, Dick Lane), but this oddball film is a hoot overall.
A trio of circus performers--a ventriloquist (Lon Chaney), a midget (Harry Earles) and a strongman (Ivan Linow) leave the circus and, along with beautiful Rosie (Lila Lee), turn to crime to get rich.
Having viewed both the 1925 silent and this sound remake,and on the strength of Chaneys masterful performance,I rated this a 10.I think the production values of the'25 version were a bit better, but the courtroom scene where Chaneys voice gives him away needed the element of sound.However,I had problems with much of Harry Earles dialogue delivery.
It's very difficult to decide whether I like the silent or sound version of this film better.
The silent version has much better camera angles and is a bit easier to understand.However, the sound version gives us the rare treat of hearing Lon Chaney's voice for the first and only time!
Plus Lila Lee & Elliott Nugent are better than the actor/actress in the original version.
The only "minus" is that the primitive sound recording techniques at that time can't capture Harry Earle's (the Midget) voice, and MANY times it's difficult to understand what he's saying.Most people don't know that Chaney was chosen to play "Dracula" , but died shortly after this film was made, and made a super-star out of Bela Lugosi (and, to further talk about coincidences, Lugosi was to play Frankenstein, but turned down the role, because "it had no speaking part".
Lon Chaney and Harry Earles return to repeat their roles from the original film.
The studio decided to turn the Man of a 1,000 Faces into the Man of 1,000 Voices for his sound films and Chaney does eleven different voices here.
Plus, two of the three Unholies are the same actors (Lon Chaney and Harry Earles).
In his only talkie, Chaney displayed a speaking voice that perfectly matched his physical appearance."The Unholy Three" is a re-make of Chaney's 1925 film of the same name.
Echo (Chaney), Tweedledee a baby faced midget (Harry Earles who repeats his role) and Hercules (Ivan Linov) form an alliance -- "The Unholy Three".
The unholy three are Lon Chaney (in his only talkie and last film), Harry Earles (the dwarf from "Freaks") and muscular Ivan Linow, as well as pretty Lila Lee. They are the four survivors of a traveling carnival show that was closed by the police, and now operate a bird shop as a front for a robbery ring with Chaney in drag posing as the kindly operator.
It is difficult to like a film where the major characters are obvious crooks and killers, but what makes this better than average is Chaney's performance as the former ventriloquist who can make customers believe his parrots can talk and some really creepy shadowing.
The other performers, particularly Lee, are outrageously melodramatic, and at times, it seems like they are speaking in silent cinema dialog rather than as characters in a sound film.
The three are Echo the ventriloquist (Lon Chaney), Strongman Hercules (Ivan Linow), and Midget a/k/a Tweedledee (Harry Earles).
Lon Chaney and Earles each replicate their original roles.
The talkie version of Tod Browning's 1925 film is competently, if unimaginatively, directed by Jack Conway.
Lon Chaney, brilliant in his final role, reprises his role of Echo, the criminal ventriloquist who, along with cronies Harry Earles and Ivan Linow, opens a pet shop specializing in "talking" parrots.
Harry Earles is one actor who could have remained silent, his voice is completely not understandable.
Perhaps like some other silent stars the switch to talkies found it out for lacking talent.Thankfully the same cannot be said of Lon Chaney.
Rosie was a far more interesting character in this version, mainly down to the charismatic Lila Lee.Watching Chaney disappear into the night on the back of a train was also surprisingly moving.Not as good as the silent version, but I'm glad it was made. |
tt0205177 | Kevin & Perry Go Large | The film begins at the beheading of Anne Boleyn, which turns out to be an erotic daydream, introducing protagonist Kevin, who is having sexual fantasies when he's supposed to be doing his homework about Boleyn.
Kevin has tried to lose his Virginity for three years. He and his best friend, Perry go to a newsagent's to buy a pornographic magazine, which results in failure, as do all of Kevin's attempts at sexual exploration.
The boys come up with the idea to go to Ibiza to become DJs and get "guaranteed Sex", but Kevin's parents Ray and Sheila (James Fleet and Louisa Rix) forbid the trip due to Kevin's bad grades on his school report. As a compromise however, they tell the boys they can make the trip on the condition that they get a job to pay for it.
The boys search fruitlessly for a job, ending up at a house party where Kevin again tries to succeed in finally having sex, and again fails.
Having failed miserably at all his attempts at success with women and gainful employment, Kevin is asked to sign for the delivery of his dad's Credit card. Kevin then takes the card to the bank to steal the money for the flights from his dad's bank account. At the bank, Kevin accidentally foils a bank robbery, and the manager awards Kevin and Perry with enough cash to make the trip. With that, they plan for their holiday in Ibiza.
Once in Ibiza, the boys spot the 'girls of their dreams' Candice (Laura Fraser) and Gemma (Tabitha Wady). They also meet Eye Ball Paul (whose nickname derives from his practice of vodka eyeballing). The boys spend the day with the girls and although they are unsuccessful at having sex with them, they do begin to bond with them as friends.
That night, the boys walk down the high street filming the events around themselves. Kevin then films a couple snogging which turns out to be Ray and Sheila. Kevin sulks while he and Perry hang out with Ray and Sheila, finally ending up at the club "Amnesia" where they dance the night away. Their new friends, Candice and Gemma are refused entry by the doorman (Paul Whitehouse), citing their appearance as a reason.
The next day, the boys go to Paul's where he makes them clean his house in return for his listening to their tapes. Leaving Paul's house, they spot Candice and Gemma, but again their clumsy attempts at wooing them end up in failure.
After the girls have a makeover, they are admitted to Amnesia with Kevin and Perry. However, events again conspire to ruin their chance at romance with the girls. Later, Perry videotapes Ray having sex with Sheila. The following day, Paul listens to their music as the boys clean his kitchen. He stumbles across the taping of Ray and Sheila and shows it to everyone, resulting in Kevin ending his friendship with Perry after realizing he was responsible for filming them.
After a day of Kevin and he sulking around unhappily, Perry runs into Paul, who tells him that he likes their song, and that he will play it in the club. Perry tells Kevin the good news and the friends reconcile. That night they and the girls go to the club again. Their song is played but Ray and Sheila (who wanted to visit the club) are humiliated as the sex tape was used by Paul in the creation of the song. Nevertheless, the song becomes an instant club favourite. Paul becomes unhappy at Kevin and Perry's success, and turns off the song and makes the crowd angry. Kevin and Perry then take over as DJs with the club dancing through the night. The next day, Kevin and Perry finally lose their virginity to Candice and Gemma on a beach with other couples engaged in intercourse.
In the Epilogue, the boys are seen signing copies of their record in a music shop, whilst Kevin's parents are seen signing copies of a video they have made about better mid-marriage sex. | cult, adult comedy | train | wikipedia | I'd argue that it doesn't as I feel that Enfield's character rather pokes fun at the naivety of youth, and whilst I've been partial to my own dalliances in nutty behaviour, I can sense a critical undertone in the Kevin character.The film is funny, and the plot is definitely good enough to keep you watching.
As a pre-pubescent teen at the first time of watching, I found the film better then, than perhaps I would do now - but I know I could always whip out the DVD, watch it, and enjoy it time and again.Enfield and Burke were obviously well versed in their roles, but as always too the Mum and Dad characters played by James Fleet and Louisa Rix, were fantastic.
I had just been on vacation with some of my friends and we had been out clubbing every night.So we really had the feel for this movie.We also like this kind of humor.The soundtrack in the movie is great and Kevin and Perry is just hilarious.They are so stupid that it is cool..
I like the film, I gave it a 7, I even use a quote as my signature ("all I wanna do is do it") but I can see that it is not an amazing film, but it does what it says on the tin: its a Harry Enfield comedy - so its a puerile, toilet humour driven extended comic sketch.
But it does have an awesome soundtrack, and does chronicle, in a comical way, the rights of passage for a British teenager from the late 90's and the traditional image of holiday with your parents in THE place to be at the time - ibiza.I was a teenager in the 90's, I loved and still love dance music, I went to ibiza many times and now even live here, and I, like millions of other brits at the time, was a fan of Harry Enfields comedy.
Not quite a great film, but an enjoyable enough storyline, topped off with a lot of funnies and a great soundtrack.Also anyone who didn't grow up in the era of dance/rave music then I would say you are wasting your time watching this film, as the best thing about it is that a lot of teenagers/young adults can relate to it.Lets be honest people in their forties or fifties aren't going to listen to Rave Music and go on a holiday to Ibiza to find some sex, pop pills and attend raves.I would also say anyone who enjoyed the Kevin and Perry sketches in the Harry Enfield programmes should find this interesting also as the film tops any sketch ever featured on the TV programme..
The way Kathy Burke & Harry Enfield act as teenagers as if it is quite lifelike, i think she does a better job and she does put on a good masculine voice (at times).
I used to be a hugh fan of the original Harry Enfield show on english television, but after seeing the apalling excuse for a movie of "Kevin and Perry" last night, I'm definitely having second thoughts.
Harry Enfield and Kathy Burke bring Kevin and Perry to the big screen, and despite my affection for the DVD something is definitely lost in the translation to the movie theatre version of these great characters.The Kevin and Perry sketches were always the highlight of the TV show for me, i simply love the stereotypical characters, and the exaggerated, yet realistic situations that are portrayed.
The short sketches do struggle to fill up the feature length with such hilarity and the characters obviously lack the depth to sustain the entertainment throughout.I did still enjoy the movie though, it managed to make me laugh enough and the story tried it's best to carry the duo through till the end, and it only missed by a bit.
The real saving grace for me was in the DVD - Kevin's guide to being a teenager is a brilliant best of from the TV series, and it certainly makes up for the flaws in the movie.5.5/10 for the film 9/10 for the DVD extras 7/10 is my final vote.
Sure, it's really gross but it is really funny and Harry Enfield and Kathy Burke both do a brilliant job as Kevin and Perry.
This film is typical Harry Enfield humor, just an extended sketch from the TV series really, so again if you don't think he is funny then don't watch it..
I agree that it is a waste of time and money going to the cinema, but is a exceptional movie if you want to stay with your friends at home with some pizzas and beers.The storytelling is poor, and the jokes are very obvious, the acting is also very bad, but this movie has something that attract to watch it.
STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All CostsUltimately,what mars Kevin & Perry Go Large is what marred the Beavis And Butthead movie.While the exploits of 2 pre pubescent teenagers who's own views on the world are overtaking them too much obviously provide a lot of insightful and parodically entertaining fun on the small screen for half an hour,ultimately,a feature length movie stretches the mark a little bit,and the ultimately one joke premise ends up becoming kind of tired and repetitive.Still,that's not to say there ar'nt good bits in the Kevin and Perry movie.A lot of the laughs are generated from the movie's frank honesty of what that type of teenager is like,and their honest thoughts about things and people around them.Such a scene is when Kevin imagines he has committed suicide,and all those around him he believes to be his enemy are thinking over their loss in buckets of tears,including many beautiful women in bras.This adaptation crosses all barriers and is'nt afraid to do so,and,as a result,the moment's of hilarity it does acheive work very well.Indeed,while the movie is crude and may be interpreted as offensive by a lot of people,at no point is it really what you'd call tasteless.But,as mentioned,because the story has no coherent structure to follow,the funny scenes ar'nt pieced together at the appropriate moments,as ar'nt the flashy ibiza club tunes,both are very absorbing,but,sadly in a way,not combined into a satisfying whole.Still,it's an honest enough depiction of the best elements from the show,and it ends reassuringly happily too.While not as successful as it's inspiration,it's just as honest and effective.***.
When Kevin finally got laid the result was hilarious, a long-awaited punchline to a joke years in the telling.At the peak of his creativity, Enfield frequently killed off characters before they exceeded their natural lifespan (Little Brother himself being a case in point).
I've now watched this about 57 times in a row without stopping is there a record so far?Id like to beat it.it will be easy I absolutely love this film because of the pukes, penises, farts, shags, sex and laughter especially!If you agree with me write in what you think and why too.I am proud.Also,Actually,I'm starting to act like Kevin,I am not your slave every five minutes.I like three characters mostly.Kevin, Perry and Eyeball Paul.I've been to the actual place.It is dynamite.I don't know if it is still there now but Id recommend this film to anybody in the known Universe!.
For those of us from the 'tab' generation, the soundtrack and swirling club scenes are enough to bring a tear to the eye and a flashback to the brain.The film has some terrific shots of Ibiza and did I mention the soundtrack, William Orbit's Adagio remix is sublime to mention just one.Rhys Ifans puts in a deliciously o.t.t. performance of Eyeball Paul and Harry Enfield is beautiful as the oh so stereotypical know it all teenager.
Ok, so the characters were funny in small sketches the Harry Enfield and Chums TV series, but they certainly don't deserve their own movie.
I must admit that i was'nt looking forward to watching this,But to my surprise, I WAS RIGHT,This is probably the most stupid,idiotic load of crap that i've ever seen.If you can stand countless erection joke's(well one joke done a hundred time's )then this is the film for you,All of the joke's are forced upon you(AGAIN&AGAIN&AGAIN)..
I think double acts are a good comedic concept in films - from Laurel & Hardy onwards - and Kevin & Perry are fine in this respect, doing the usual routine of trading jokes off of each other, they are outsiders and there is a warmth between them because of this.
Kevin (Harry Enfield) and Perry (Gimme Gimme Gimme's hilarious Kathy Burke - and yes, it is a woman) are absolutely hilarious in their title roles and whilst the movie is nothing but trash and fart jokes on a film reel, it will no doubt provoke reactions you weren't prepared to give!
But I am SO glad I did, Harry Enfield has managed to make a 3 minute sketch work as a feature length film, with genuine sad bits as well as the hilarious script.
The brainchildren of Harry Enfield and Kathy Burke, they are a humorous and worryingly realistic portrayals of british teenagers.The film follows Kevin and Perry as they try to go to Ibiza, where they can fill their ambition to score, and also become big name DJs. The whole film is hilarious from start to end, and you wont stop laughing, but only if this is your type of film.
If you're a fan of Harry Enfield and Chums, and the collection of bizarre characters that he creates, then you will find this film to be a wonderful extension of his comedy series.
great film, captures the kevin and perry characters from the sketch show well.
If you like the Kevin and Perry characters from Harry Enfield and Chums sketch show then you will like this film.
The show is full of new and funny material, Enfield and Burkes performances as Kevin and Perry are great, I always found it funny how Burke as a woman played a horny male teen haha, and actually all of the actors did a pretty good job, especially considering that it's more of a tongue in cheek extension of a sketch show than a serious acting film.
The kind of people giving this film low reviews I think are people who don't understand the film, haven't ever seen the Harry Enfield and Chums sketch show, and are probably born in a different generation so missed out on that as well as the trance music scene and things, probably thinking the film is supposed to be serious and wondering things like "why is a woman cast as a boy!" and "this acting is all exaggerated and unrealistic, teenagers aren't really like that" lol..
The 40 year old man Harry Enfield and 35 year old woman Kathy Burke both did excelent jobs playing 15 year old boys, the film though is let down by recurring displays of their enormous erections which are funny the first time and that time only.
The Kevin and Perry characters, originally from the "Harry Enfield and Chums" sketch show, are no exception - basically a one-joke set-up that 'satirises' Bitish teenage boys.
The soundtrack is the big highlight from the film, and is a classic soundtrack for anyone who 'grew up' in the 90's.Verdict - Aged between 18-30 and live in Britain, and liked dance music (trance), and have a sense of humour, then a must see Anyone else, don't bother, you'll only left wondering 'why is this funny?'.
For people that are unaware, Kevin is a teenager like every other teenager, dirty, hates his parents, wants to do his own thing and never listens to anyone else.Harry Enfield does exaggerate this characature some what but you can then see exactly how much like yourself he is.The basic plot is Kevin is a virgin and is desperately trying to lose his virginity as soon as possible, and the film follows him and his friend Perrys attempts at trying to do this.The film does seem to be on one track when it comes to the jokes with most of them to do with erections.
One such sad example of the latter would be the 2000 comedy Kevin and Perry Go Large (based on the popular UK comedy sketch Kevin the teenager from the show Harry Enfield and Chums), which due to its hateful characters, poor structuring and overall lack of anything funny, ranks not only as one of British cinema's worst, but arguably one of the worst films in movie history.The story is that friends Kevin and Perry go on a holiday to Ibiza in order to become DJ's so that they can find their significant others.
Why are we meant to like these characters again?And yes, I do understand that they are meant to be a satire of both teenagers and their culture, but it doesn't excuse how truly detestable the main characters are, and the fact that it isn't at all funny (or even good satire, considering how the humour is aimed at, ironically, at the same lowest common denominator audience the film is meant to be making fun of) only serves to make matters worse.
It also helps that Rhys Ifans (as always) is very good, and in turn, becomes the only thing in this film anybody could stomach.It is because of all these problems that I feel that Kevin and Perry Go Large is not only one of the worst British films ever made (a title it takes very easily), but is one of the worst films ever made.
This film was an attempt to cash in on those characters by taking them out of their usual setting and putting them in club-land, Ibiza.Co-written by Enfield and directed by Ed Bye, 'Kevin and Perry Go Large' is perhaps the worst movie of 2000.
The movie that started nearest to my arrival at the cinema was Harry Enfield's much hypes 'Kevin and Perry Go Large'.
As a movie, this does not rate highly, but do not let this put you off, it is HUGELY entertaining.I have shown this to my family/friends and they all think it's brilliant for easy brain-out entertainment that needs little thinking about.Everyone will either know, or be able to guess at the predictable storyline of 2 teenage boys left to go-large on their first adult summer holiday.It takes you through ups and downs, and no matter how many times I watch it, I always find it entertaining.
Its a great film to watch if you want a good laugh and are a fan of Harry Enfield and Kathy Burkes characters Kevin & Perry.
Never done before (I don't think), this could have been a disaster, but thankfully isn't.KEVIN AND PERRY GO LARGE is a really funny movie that will repulse us and at the same time remind us of some dark corner of our puberty that we'd sooner forget.The cast are enthusiastic and fun throughout.
This really worked well as a film, I wasn't sure about it since the sketches on TV were so short you didn't get time to be bored but this was really well done and Kathy Burke and Harry Enfield played teenage boys down to a T!
This is an excellent movie, and followers of Kevin the Teenager and his friend Perry from the Harry Enfield show will not be disappointed by their latest antics.
This fun film "Kevin and Perry Go Large" is not a bad extension of the characters from TV.
The Kevin and Perry sketches that featured on the Harry Enfield and chums T.V. show were very funny and one of the main reasons people watched the show.
Kevin &Perry Go Large has no heart, no backbone, and watching thirtysomethings dress up as teenagers is funny for about a microsecond.This film will ONLY appeal to hormone driven teenagers with no taste in comedy.
Though I find HARRY ENFIELD AND CHUMS a very funny show I wasn`t really expecting much from KEVIN AND PERRY GO LARGE and I was right .
The problem is that Kevin and Perry were created and written for a comedy sketch show where sketches are tightly written and last for a couple of minutes so to stick them in a feature film in which plot and character development revolves around a couple of 14 year old virgins trying to get their legs over seems like a lost cause .
'Kevin & Perry Go Large' is one of the worst movies I have ever seen..
The sidekicks in English film history ARE funny however.Not only Perry is a horrible character, so is Kevin.
Kevin and Perry Go Large is offending to any movie ever made let alone funny movies like American Pie. It is actually sad that youth nowadays have to be entertained by rubbish like this instead of things that are actually based on a sense of humor, but I believe this explains the high percentage of teenage pregnancy in the UK.Overall the story could have been OK, after a lot of changes to the script.
The Kevin and Perry thing actually did work on TV mainly thanks to Kathy Burke and the shortness of the sketches but as a film it is beyond awful.
I walked into this movie not knowing what to expect, having only heard about 'Kevin' from others and not watching the TV series myself.I was relieved to find that it is one of the best British comedies I have seen.
You don't need to have watched the series to enjoy this movie, with it's touches of humour which completely change the film, and stop it from turning into mediocre run of the mill comedy.
Kevin, the stroppy teenager that's by far Harry Enfield's best creation, makes it to the big screen along with Perry (Kathy Burke, who is excellent).
Kevin and Perry go Large is a movie spin off from the Harry Enfield show.
This movie is based on a silly comedy character created by British comedian Harry Enfield. |
tt0043676 | Inside Straight | In San Francisco in 1870, Ada Stritch owns a bank, but there's a run on it. She needs $3 million to keep it open. In desperation, she turns to a wealthy man she despises, Rip MacCool.
Also in need of Rip's help are newspaperman Johnny Sanderson and an old acquaintance, Flutey, each of whom, like Ada, has issues with Rip from their past. Rip offers to deal a hand of poker—if Ada wins, he will give her the $3 million. If not, he gets the bank.
Everyone recalls how they first met. Fifteen years before, Ada, a widow, has a small hotel that she'd like to sell. Rip and his pal Shocker are guests there. Rip woos her romantically, then offers $3,000 cash plus shares in the "Mona Lisa" gold mine. Ada accepts, only to learn later that the stock is worthless.
Johnny was a prizefighter. After a defeat, Rip helps him find a job. Rip is broke, but suddenly discovers that a vein of gold struck at the Mona Lisa mine has made his stock worth a quarter of a million dollars.
A beautiful singer, Lily Douvane, is loved by Johnny, but is seduced by Rip's money and weds him instead. Johnny is heartbroken. They have a baby boy and named it after Johnny. It's a loveless marriage, though, and when Lily catches Rip in a compromising position, she demands a divorce, a million dollars from Rip and custody of their child.
Johnny cares about the baby and also for Zoe, the nanny. Rip interferes again, proposing to Zoe, then angering her as well as losing his fortune. Zoe mortgages their home. She also is pregnant. Rip regains his money, thanks again to the Mona Lisa mine, but loses both Zoe and his new baby in childbirth.
Shocker explains to those present how Rip became the cold-hearted man he is. At 16, unable to pay for his own parents' funeral, he worked beside Shocker in a mine. Money came to mean everything to him. After hearing this, Ada agrees to the winner-take-all hand of cards. Rip gracefully loses and the bank is hers, although all suspect that Rip, having a heart after all, actually held the winning hand. | flashback | train | wikipedia | Success breeds unhappiness.
Rip McCool (David Brian) has 19th century San Francisco at his mercy since he has all the money and they have none.
Angry villagers are lining up outside the bank before it opens in the morning so that they can clean out what little there is or kick some banker (Mercedes McCambridge) butt.
Friends, enemies and the ambivalent gather in Rip's upholstered parlor to plead for themselves and the town.
Through a series of flashbacks, we see the roller coaster journey of an ambitious man coming up through Hard Knocks University, who has managed to frustrate and confound all with whom he comes in contact.
They want to like him, but he just won't let 'em.
An exception is Rip's loyal man Friday (Lon Chaney, Jr.), who knows why Rip is a hard case and unlike the other characters, has seen a positive side of his nature.
He may just be easily impressed.
The suspense turns on whether McCool will bail out the city or let it go to the pelicans.
The city's fate is to be decided by single game of stud poker between McCool and his arch rival the banker.
This can of corn is worth watching and should be better known.
MGM production values and fine performances by almost everyone provide an enjoyable watch.
Barbara Billingsley (aka June Cleaver) has a nice bit and I found it gratifying to see Lon Chaney, Jr. in a role that allowed him to do more (emotionally) than he normally was asked to do.
All in all, pretty enjoyable..
Story of rags to riches.- not bad.
At the opening, the town bank is in trouble, and Ada Strich, the owner (Mercedes McCambridge) is playing poker.
MacCool, the man across the table, (David Brian) makes her an offer she can't refuse to try to save the bank.
She thinks she knows her opponent well enough to tell if he is bluffing or not.
Then we start taking a trip down memory lane in flashbacks, so see how we got to where we are today.
Apparently they had quite a past, and Ada has never forgotten a minute of it.
MacCool himself had been way up high, and flat out broke, so he was the player of the day.
As the various people in the room speak, we learn they all had a past with MacCool.
Then about halfway through, we are treated to a snooze of a song What Can a Poor Maiden Do, performed by Arlene Dahl.
While done well, yet in a very stiff manor, it sure brought the film to a screeching halt.
Should have left it out.
Same goes for Up in a Balloon, sung by Monica Lewis...
As the story continues, we find that they had more dealings together over the years.
McCambridge had JUST won her Oscar for All the Kings Men; She and Brian would both have long careers in Hollywood, but Brian ended up doing mostly television series work during the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, Some fun faces appear in the story - Lon Chaney Jr and Barbara Billingsly as a drunk who talks too much.
Even Percy Helton, who you will recognize by his voice!
he appeared in millions of films, but about half the parts were uncredited.
(in "Straight", he records a deed when someone sells property.) Fun film, for a period piece.
Better than I expected.
Directed by Gerald Mayer, nephew of Louis B..
A Little Closer Look at a Near-Sleeper.
Excellent character study, well written and acted.
Movie opens with Ada trying to save her savings bank by winning a hand of five-card straight from ruthless wheeler-dealer McCool.
If he wins, she loses the bank and depositors lose their money; if she wins, she gets enough from him to save the bank.
It's the 19th century before depositor protection from the FDIC.
Meanwhile, she has two kings, while McCool has possible straight depending on his hole card.
So what's his hole card.
Should she bet her bank and its depositors' savings that he doesn't have the inside straight.
Bystanders advise her to consider her opponent's character before making a decision.
At that point the film turns to a series of flashbacks, each revealing a side to the money-mad McCool's relations with others.
But we won't find out the hole card til the end.
In a sense, the man's moral core is reflected in the outcome of a poker hand.
I detail this opening because it sets up the movie's remainder in compelling fashion.
As the flashbacks show, McCool appears driven by only one thing- money.
However, a softer side emerges in his relationship with his two buddies (Johnny and Shocker) and his second wife Zoe. So perhaps his inner life is not as cut-and-dried as his many big money operations make it seem.
Thus, a greater moral ambiguity emerges as the flashbacks progress, each peeling back a layer in McCool's troubled life.
Credit under-rated screenwriter Guy Trosper for both the incisive screenplay and the story concept.
A gander at his credits over the years demonstrates an outstanding talent.Actor Brian is excellent as the central character, especially convincing as a ruthless operator.
Surprisingly, McCambridge gets a bit of romance and exhibits flashes of sympathy as the put-upon Ada. At the same time, Chaney gets a likable role as the loyal Serbian sidekick Shocker, while Sullivan has a secondary part that may have been a studio add-on.Anyway, the movie strikes me as something of an oddity coming from big budget MGM.
The film itself is in b&w, but well mounted, particularly the crowd scenes.
At the same time, it's an exception that neither of the two headliners has a particularly likable role, which is not the usual way of promoting headliner careers.
But then 1951 was also a time when the studio was branching into darker themes under new honcho Dore Schary, and away from L.B. Mayer's sunny wholesome fare.
That may explain the movie's hybrid status, somewhere between an A and B production.All in all, the film strikes me as something of a sleeper, particularly in it's construction, theme, and absolutely appropriate ending.
Perhaps it's the rather dour subject matter, and morally ambivalent leads that have reduced the 75-minutes to real obscurity.
In my little book, however, the movie definitely merits a measure of re-discovery..
Familiar but well made..
"Inside Straight" is a film after the same tradition as the Clark Gable film "Honkey Tonk" and Edward G.
Robinson's "Barbary Coast".
They are all stories about men who went out west and were determined to strike it rich.
But, along the way, they lost track of what's important...their humanity and connection with others.When the film begins, Rip McCool (David Bryan) is playing a high stakes game of poker with his old rival, Ada (Merceded McCambridge).
It's a winner take all affair.
But before the outcome of the game is shown, there are a long series of flashbacks in which everyone there give their recollections of their dealings with Rip...and they are mostly terrible.
Rip is determined to make a fortune...regardless of what he has to do and who he needs to walk on to get it.
You see Rip's ups and downs and his many, many mistakes.This film is an enjoyable saga but not one that screams MUST SEE.
Instead, it's well done and worth seeing but also rather familiar.
I enjoyed it...and much of it is because I've always thought that Bryan was a very good actor despite being far from a household name..
Impressive.
I am not used to see dramas anymore, since a long time.
I am rather a B movie viewer: noir, crime, westerns, adventures, sci-fi...But I decided to try this one, which was in the middle of the tons of DVD I have to see.
And I was amazed.
Of course, I have seen this kind of story in the - far - past.
Solid dramas, grade A movies, produced by big studios, with major stars.I had never heard of this one.
However I knew Gerald Mayer's films.
I have all them, except one, in my library.
But I don't remind the topics.Anyway, this movie tells the rise and fall of a rugged adventurer - David Brian, in the late 1870's in San Francisco.
Characters are pretty well described, and the story not breathtaking but interesting.
You're stuck to it.
Narration is built around flashbacks.
This way, you can understand the inner character of the lead - Brian.
And, curiously, that's the last flashback, just before the end of the movie, that describes you the best the very meaning of why Brian is such an ambivalent character in this film.
It's poignant, and you feel a sort of strange sensation inside of yourself.
Why just before the end ?
I don't say it's the wrong place to tell that.
Just it's unusual.
And the very ending, one minute later, is unforgettable.Don't miss it.I'll also mention Lon Chabey Jr who gives here a very interesting performance we usually never witness with him. |
tt0231956 | The Last Man | === Introduction ===
Mary Shelley states in the introduction that in 1818 she discovered, in the Sibyl's cave near Naples, a collection of prophetic writings painted on leaves by the Cumaean Sibyl. She has edited these writings into the current narrative, the first-person narrative of a man living at the end of the 21st century.
=== Volume 1 ===
Lionel's father was a friend of the king before he was cast away because of his gambling. Lionel's father left to take his life, but before he did so he left a letter for the king to take care of his family after his death. After Lionel's father died the letter was never delivered. Lionel and his sister grow up with no parental influence, and as a result grow to be uncivilised. Lionel develops a hatred of the royal family, and Perdita grows to enjoy her isolation from society. When the king leaves the throne, the monarchy comes to an end and a republic is created. When the king dies the Countess attempts to raise their son, Adrian, to reclaim the throne, but Adrian opposes his mother and refuses to take the throne. Adrian moves to Cumberland where Lionel, who bears a grudge against Adrian and his family for the neglect of the Verney family, intends to terrorise and confront Adrian. He is mollified by Adrian's good nature and his explanation that he only recently discovered the letter. Lionel and Adrian become close friends, and Lionel becomes civilised and philosophical under Adrian's influence. Adrian assists Lionel in pursuing political endeavors in Vienna which Lionel accepts and leaves for 2 years but chooses to return to England because he hasn't heard from either Adrian or his sister.
Lionel returns to England to face the personal turmoil amongst his acquaintances. Lord Raymond, who came to be renowned for his exploits in a war between Greece and Turkey, has returned to England in search of political position, and soon Perdita and Evadne both fall in love with him. On discovering that his beloved, Evadne, is in love with Raymond, Adrian goes into exile, presumably mad. Raymond intends to marry Idris (with whom Lionel is in love) as a first step towards becoming king, with the help of the Countess. However, he ultimately chooses his love for Perdita over his ambition, and the two marry. Under Lionel's care Adrian recovers, although he remains physically weak. On learning of the love between Idris and Lionel, the Countess schemes to drug Idris, bring her to Austria, and force her to make a politically motivated marriage. Idris discovers the plot and flees to Lionel, who marries her soon after. The Countess leaves for Austria, resentful of her children and of Lionel.
Adrian and the others live happily together until Raymond runs for Lord Protector and wins. Perdita soon adjusts to her newfound social position, while Raymond becomes well-beloved as a benevolent administrator. He discovers, however, that Evadne, after the political and financial ruin of her husband (on account of her own political schemes) is living in poverty and obscurity in London, unwilling to plead for assistance. Raymond attempts to support Evadne by employing her artistic skills in secrecy, and later nursing her in illness, but Perdita learns of the relationship and suspects infidelity. Her suspicions arouse Raymond's proud and passionate nature, and the two separate. Raymond resigns his position and leaves to rejoin the war in Greece, accompanied for a time by Adrian. Shortly after the wounded Adrian returns to England, rumours arise that Raymond has been killed. Perdita, loyal in spite of everything, convinces Lionel to bring her and Clara to Greece to find him.
=== Volume 2 ===
Lionel finds Raymond and brings him back to Greece. Lionel and Raymond then go back to fighting and go to Constantinople. Lionel discovers Evadne, dying of wounds received fighting in the war. Before she dies, Evadne prophesies Raymond's death, a prophecy which confirms Raymond's own suspicions. Raymond's intention to enter Constantinople causes dissension and desertion amongst the army because of reports of the plague. Raymond enters the city alone, and soon dies in a fire. He is taken to Athens for burial. Lionel then drugs and take Perdita on to a ship for England. Perdita, distraught by Raymond's death, drowns herself by throwing herself off the ship.
In 2092, while Lionel and Adrian attempt to return their lives to normality, the plague continues to spread across Europe and the Americas, and reports of a black sun cause panic throughout the world. At first England is thought to be safe, but soon the plague reaches even there. Ryland, recently elected Lord Protector, is unprepared for the plague, and flees northward, later dying alone amidst a stockpile of provisions. Adrian takes command and is largely effective at maintaining order and humanity in England, although the plague rages on summer after summer. Ships arrive in Ireland carrying survivors from America, who lawlessly plunder Ireland and Scotland before invading England. Adrian raises a military force against them, but ultimately is able to resolve the situation peacefully.
=== Volume 3 ===
The few remaining survivors decide to abandon England in search of an easier climate. On the eve of their departure to Dover, Lionel receives a letter from Lucy Martin, who was unable to join the exiles because of her mother's illness. Lionel and Idris travel through a snowstorm to assist Lucy, but Idris, weak from years of stress and maternal fears, dies along the way. Lionel and the Countess, who had shunned Idris and her family out of resentment towards Lionel, are reconciled at Idris' tomb. Lionel recovers Lucy (whose mother has died), and the party reaches Dover en route to France.
In France, Adrian discovers that the earlier emigrants have divided into factions, amongst them a fanatical religious sect led by a false messiah who claims that his followers will be saved from disease. Adrian unites most of the factions, but this latter group declares violent opposition to Adrian. Lionel sneaks into Paris, where the cult has settled, to try to rescue Juliet. She refuses to leave because the imposter has her baby, but she helps Lionel to escape. Later, when Juliet's baby sickens, Juliet discovers that the imposter has been hiding the effects of the plague from his followers. She is killed warning the other followers, after which the imposter commits suicide, and his followers return to the main body of exiles at Versailles.
The exiles travel towards Switzerland, hoping to spend the summer in a colder climate less favourable to the plague. By the time they reach Switzerland, however, all but four (Lionel, Adrian, Clara, and Evelyn) have died. The four spend a few relatively happy seasons at Switzerland, Milan, and Como before Evelyn dies of typhus. The survivors attempt to sail across the Adriatic Sea to Greece, but a sudden storm drowns Clara and Adrian. Lionel, the last man, swims to shore. The story ends in the year 2100. | absurd | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0059418 | Major Dundee | During the American Civil War, Union cavalry officer Major Amos Dundee (Charlton Heston) has been relieved of his command for an unspecified tactical error at the Battle of Gettysburg (it is implied that he showed too much initiative) and sent to head a prisoner-of-war camp in the New Mexico Territory. After a family of ranchers and a relief column of cavalry are massacred by an Apache war chief named Sierra Charriba (Michael Pate), Dundee seizes the opportunity for glory, raising his own private army of Union troops (black and white), Confederate prisoners led by his former friend and rival from their days at West Point, Captain Ben Tyreen (Richard Harris), several Indian scouts, and a gang of civilian mercenaries to illegally pursue Charriba into Mexico. Tyreen bears a grudge against Dundee. Before the war, Dundee cast the deciding vote in Tyreen's court-martial from the U.S. Army for participating in a duel, leading to Tyreen later becoming an officer in the Confederate Army. However, having given his word of honor, the chivalrous Tyreen binds himself and his men to serve loyally, but only until Charriba has been dispatched.
When the diverse factions of Dundee's force are not fighting each other, they engage the Apaches in several bloody battles. Though they rescue several young children captured by the Apaches, the Americans lose most of their supplies in an ambush, forcing them to raid a village garrisoned by French troops supporting Emperor Maximilian of Mexico. However, there is little to loot, and Dundee ends up sharing some of his dwindling food with the starving Mexicans. Beautiful resident Teresa Santiago (Senta Berger), the Austrian widow of a doctor executed for his support of the rebels under Benito Juárez, causes further tensions between Dundee and Tyreen.
Dundee makes it easy for his French prisoners to escape. When they return with reinforcements as he had expected, Dundee surprises them in a night attack and makes off with badly needed supplies. Teresa and Dundee have a brief affair. In an unguarded moment with her, he is attacked by the Apaches, and wounded in the leg, forcing him to seek medical help in French-held Durango. The doctor successfully removes the arrow, but Dundee has to remain there to recuperate. He is tended by a pretty Mexican, whom he eventually takes to bed. When Teresa comes upon them unexpectedly, her relationship with Dundee comes to an abrupt end. Dundee starts drinking heavily as a result. Tyreen has to sneak into town and shame Dundee into resuming his mission.
Charriba proves difficult to pin down, so Dundee pretends to give up and starts back for the United States. The Apaches give chase and end up in a trap. Charriba is finally killed. With their bargain concluded, Dundee and Tyreen prepare to resume their personal battle, but the vengeful French appear, forcing the two men to set aside their differences. With the French having positioned a portion of their force on the American side of the Rio Grande, blocking Dundee's forces from crossing into U.S. territory, the two cavalry forces charge each other at the Rio Grande, with major loss of life on both sides. Tyreen sees a French soldier seize the U.S. regimental colors, and seemingly moved by a patriotism he had thought dead, he takes back the captured American flag, and hands it over to Dundee – only to be hit in the stomach. With his last strength, he rides off to singlehandedly delay a second detachment of French cavalry while the others escape across the Rio Grande, and set out for home, greatly reduced in number.
As Dundee's force heads home, the narration notes that it's now April 16, 1865, and the soldiers are still unaware that the Civil War is over and President Lincoln has been assassinated. | violence, murder | train | wikipedia | A textbook example of how a penny-pinching producer can ruin a potentially great movie by basically sandbagging its (admittedly truculent) director, MAJOR DUNDEE nevertheless works as an answer of thoughts to the glorious Cavalry westerns of John Ford.
Sam Peckinpah, on his third film overall and first one with a large-scale budget, was somehow able to pull a good film out of his controversial hat, thanks in no small part to his cast.Heston plays an ambitious, ego-driven warden of a prison outpost in New Mexico in the closing months of the Civil War. When a rampaging band of Apache slaughter a family at a nearby ranch and then take apart a regiment he sends out to destroy them, Heston sees his way to get out of his routine job and get promoted.
Now, they'll not only have to worry about hunting down the Apache and keeping the peace amongst themselves, they also have to worry about French lancers.Despite the film being butchered so maliciously to the point where many critics rightly complained about its incoherence, plus a marital music score that Peckinpah detested royally (he could have used Jerry Goldsmith here), MAJOR DUNDEE succeeds by pulling out as many stops as it can.
Peckinpah rounds out the cast with his Usual Suspects: Warren Oates, Ben Johnson, R.G. Armstrong, L.Q. Jones, John Davis Chandler, Slim Pickens, and Dub Taylor.In spite of all its flaws, MAJOR DUNDEE is still quite viewable, which is why I rank it an 8 out of 10.NOTE: In 2005, for its 40th anniversary re-release, Sony Pictures released an extended version of MAJOR DUNDEE on DVD, with twelve minutes of footage once thought irretrievably lost placed back in; and they've replaced the original marital music score in favor of one by Christopher Caliendo.
The work of the whole cast is very good.The clash between Major Dundee (Charlton Heston) and the Confederate war-prisoner Captain Tyreen (Richard Harris) is somewhat conventional, but the character of Dundee can be placed among the best depicted and most interesting in the history of western movies.
"Major Dundee" is Sam Peckinpah's rehearsal for "The Wild Bunch." The stories for both films are basically the same (men whose time has come and gone and they know it, and who don't fit in either society they are forced to be in, and they know that, too).
"Dundee" has a good story, excellent action scenes and a sterling supporting cast of first-rate character actors (R.G. Armstrong, John Davis Chandler, Warren Oates, among others), but as previously noted, the film tends to fall apart during the second half.
("Logan's Run") as a green, wet-eared bugle boy, the film's narrator; future Oscar-winner James Coburn ("The Great Escape", "Cross of Iron") as an one-armed, half-breed Indian tracker; Senta Berger (also of "Iron") as a sweet but strong village doctor and Brock Peters ("Soylent Green" with Heston; "To Kill A Mockingbird" and the first African-American actor to work on a Peckinpah film) as the leader of free African slaves-cum-Union soldiers.There's also Peckinpah's stock actors: Ben Johnson, Warren Oates, John David Chandler, L.Q. Jones, Dub Taylor, Slim Pickens and R.G. Armstrong.
Plus, Berger's assistant in "Dundee" is played by Begonia Palacios, who would later be the infamous director's second wife.And there's the film's bad stuff, including characters coming and leaving during important plot points, back story details being scant (Peckinpah co-wrote the screenplay on a tight budget and schedule with Harry Julian Fink, who later co-created "Dirty Harry" with his wife, and Oscar Saul, who wrote the screenplay of "A Streetcar Named Desire") and behind the scenes animosity, like Heston, on horseback, nearly cutting down Peckinpah with a saber, and Peckinpah himself being locked out of the editing room by film producer Jerry Bresler (the two "Gidget" sequels) and then-executives at Columbia Pictures, who wanted a "John Ford-like cavalry film".
To Peckinpah's credit the early scenes showcasing this tension are every bit as tense and exciting as the action sequences later on.Peckinpah even gets great service from such disparate elements as comic actor Jim Hutton (who doesn't seem to belong in a Peckinpah picture, yet makes it work here as a befuddled lieutenant with able help from Heston), location shooting in Mexico, and skysets that sometimes call to mind David Lean's work on "Lawrence Of Arabia."Peckinpah was trying to make the same kind of epic as "Lawrence," vast in scope and profound in message.
The most annoying thing about this film (besides the bad editing and music) is the narration, it seems so out of place.Major Dundee is about a drunken battle harden officer who must lead a rag tag bunch of p.o.w.s, prisoners and calvary men across the southwestern desert and into Mexico searching for some "wild Indians".
Pekinpah's excellent Western which works as standard Cavalry movie, a meditation of loyality and friendship and a study in a dangerous obsession.Heston is very good as the titular Major who will risk everything to catch the raiding Apache's and restore his good name - he is stiff necked and inflexible and plays nicely against Harris's dashing Southern Captain who only wants to get home.
This is still a fine movie, with action, humor, suspense and even a little history of the French incursion into Mexico during our civil war.Charlton Heston is the star, and title role, but Richard Harris steals the show as the flamboyant Captain Tyreen.
He takes no action in a situation that could doom the entire mission, and is fortunate that the preacher and captain bail him out.It seems that the money or patience ran out and the film ends in a frenzy of fighting with the Apaches and then the French.I recommend this movie to any Civil War or Western fans, you won't be disappointed.
The restored version of "Major Dundee" is a good film directed by Sam Peckinpah.
In this shortened version a lot of what happens may not appear to make sense.Charlton Heston plays the Yankee Major Dundee of the title who leads a troop made up of Northern soldiers as well as renegades and confederate prisoners in search of the apaches who massacred a garrison and kidnapped a group of male children.
On route they encounter a platoon of French soldiers who have taken over a Mexican village, fall out amongst themselves, (the leader of the confederates, Richard Harris, vows to kill Dundee when the apaches are caught or destroyed) and finally come up against the Indians themselves.It is a complex, morally ambiguous film, (though perhaps the complexity is largely to do with the cutting of the picture), and there are great things going on in it, (the relationship between Heston's Dundee and Harris and between Dundee and his men are beautifully delineated), and both Heston and Harris are superb.
Here in the new millennium we are able to see a restoration of the film with added scenes that gives the film are more cohesive structure, and yes it improves the film ten fold because the characters have flesh on their bones, yet still we are only really glimpsing three parts of Peckinpah's vision since there is another 30 minutes of film seemingly lost forever, and that is a crying shame because this film could have been a western masterpiece had it been allowed to flourish.There is still a lot to enjoy here tho, Major Dundee leads a rag tag army of Union soldiers, Confederate rebels, convicts, loonies, and a one armed James Coburn into Mexico to hunt down an Apache army who are responsible for deadly attacks on U.S. bases in Texas.
James Coburn plays a very interesting character, but it's a character that demands more time on screen than we actually get (perhaps the victim of the cretinous cuts?), and it leaves a hankering feeling that never quite leaves you.It's a fine journey, it's a fine character piece, and everyone also note that the wide screen shoot is gorgeous, but at the end of the day Major Dundee is only hinting at the genius that would deliver The Wild Bunch four years down the line, but it could have been so much different...Forgive them for they know not what they do.
It is set during the last winter of the Civil War, cavalry officer Major Amos Charles Dundee (Charlton Heston) leads a contentious troop of Army regulars along with a band of Confederate prisoners led by Captain Benjamin Tyreen (Richard Harris) who volunteer to go into Mexico and track down a band of rampaging Apache Indians .
It is his narration which tells the rest of the story which by the way, takes place during the Civil War.Major Amos Dundee (Charlton Heston) arrives a Union prison to form a group of volunteers to go after the Apaches and exact revenge for the massacre.
He assembles a group of volunteer misfits including regulars Lt. Graham (Jim Hutton), Trooper Ryan, Sgt. Gomez (Mario Adorf), a grizzled one-armed scout (James Coburn) as well as a vengeful Reverand (R.G. Armstrong), a horse thief (Dub Taylor) and the disheveling Wiley (Slim Pickens).Not having enough men, Dundee brings Aesop (Brock Peters) and his freed slaves on board and is then forced to ask for volunteers from the Southern prisoners led by Captain Tyreen (Richard Harris) to round out his force.
No doubt Peckinpah loved the Western genre so allowing him total free rein over a movie like this is kind of like letting a child loose in a sweetie shop and will lead to one thing - Disaster No doubt if this had been filmed in the 1970s we'd have seen MAJOR DUNDEE analysed as being a very good example of how the director is the auteur of a movie but in the mid 1960s Hollywood studios didn't allow this type of maverick behaviour so it's highly unlikely anyone made this as freely structured art and the producers should be blamed for a lack of discipline .
If you're aware of the films of Sam Peckinpah you'll know that he can make an absolutely outstanding movie when he's forced into it , THE WILD BUNCH is arguably the greatest western of all time while CROSS OF IRON is in my opinion the greatest movie set during the second world war but more often than not his films are bizarre exercicises in excess and MAJOR DUNDEE is a good example .
Enjoyed this film directed by Sam Peckinpah who also directed "Straw Dogs" in 1971 created a great story during the 1860's and at the end of the Civil War. Major Amos Dundee, (Charlton Heston) is a major who was in the Union Army and was disgraced and put in charge of a Confederate prison camp.
Major Dundee (Heston) leads a group of Union soldiers and Confederate prisoners on a mission against Apaches in Mexico.
(Although the story told by the film is fictitious, it is a historical fact that some captured Confederate soldiers, known as "Galvanized Yankees", did volunteer to fight for the Union, normally against Native Americans).Peckinpah concentrates less on the military conflict between the Cavalry and the Apaches than on the personal conflict between Dundee and his second-in-command, Captain Ben Tyreen, one of the "Galvanized Yankees".
There is also a subplot about Dundee's romance with Teresa, the Austrian-born widow of a Mexican doctor executed by the French for supporting the rebels.There are some good things about the film; both Heston and Richard Harris as Tyreen play their parts well, and the battle scenes are well-handled.
The final edited or, in this case butchered version of Major Dundee was not the film either Peckinpah, Heston or the studio intended it to be.
In anycase, the scene and the movie were eventually completed and Major Dundee today remains a classic example of both malign studio interference and a lost opportunity of creating a great film..
In a way it's a very good film to see as a marker of the times- big budget pictures with big name stars meant to bring in anyone who might be somewhat in the market and isn't glued to a TV set or out on the streets marching for a cause- and for the future for the director.It's on the one hand the epic story of Major Amos Dundee (Charlton Heston), who led his cavalry of prisoners and soldiers, union and confederate, on a crazy mission to kill a bunch of Apaches that have been raiding US bases which would get him in a lot of trouble if caught by his superiors, and of course if he got his men killed by the wrong people.
If a film can be good, as Orson Welles once said, if it reflects to a degree the person who made it, Major Dundee turns out to be better than might be expected.'Expected' in the sense that it's Peckinpah before he broke out as the true madman of American movie-making for a good half a decade between The Wild Bunch and Bring me the Head of Alfredo Garcia.
Sam Peckinpah's cavalry oater follows tough Major Amos Dundee (Charlton Heston) as he leads a motley troop of Union cavalry, Confederate prisoners, and colourful civilians into French occupied Mexico to rescue children kidnapped by the Apache, extract revenge against the renegade chief, find glory, and repair his reputation.
However, the cast is great and has a lot of Peckinpah regulars like Ben Johnson, Warren Oates(who would reunite next in Sam's masterpiece The Wild Bunch), James Coburn, LQ Jones, RG Armstrong, Slim Pickens, as well as Richard Harris,who was awesome as nemesis for leading man/antihero Charlton Heston, who gives one of his most interesting performances in this picture.
Though at times this displays director Sam Peckinpah's penchant for self-indulgence, most of the film is spot-on, with a muscular script, great Mexican locations, and an excellent, macho performance by Charleton Heston, in a role he was seemingly born to play.
Likewise, Richard Harris is magnetic (in his first western) as his imprisoned Confederate counterpart, while James Coburn, along with the Peckinpah stock company, are a whole lot of fun to watch too.The only real flaw, in my opinion, is the subplot involving Dundee's seemingly forced romance with European widow Senta Berger and his recuperation from an enemy's arrow.
Major Dundee leads a group to Mexico to destroy a band of Apaches.His group contains of Army regulars, Confederate prisoners and Indian scouts.The prisoners' group is led by Benjamin Tyreen, Dundee's former friend and rival.Major Dundee from 1965 is a Sam Peckinpah movie.This is not the best of the director.But the actors do all great work.Charlton Heston plays the part of Major Amos Dundee.Richard Harris is Captain Benjamin Tyreen.Jim Hutton portrays Lieutenant Graham.James Coburn does the role of Samuel Potts.Michael Anderson Jr. is Trooper Tim Ryan.Senta Berger plays the part of Teresa Santiago.Brock Peters plays Aesop.The western guy Ben Johnson portrays Sergeant Chillum.Then there are some of the Peckinpah regulars, with Warren Oates playing O.W. Hadley, R.G. Armstrong playing Reverend Dahlstrom and L.Q. Jones playing Arthur Hadley.Slim Pickens is Wiley who likes the booze.Dub Taylor plays Benjamin Priam.Although not the finest of Peckinpah, the movie has its moments.Like the scene where Dundee is wounded by an Indian arrow after taking a swim with Teresa.And the friction between Dundee and Tyreen is captivating to watch.All the Peckinpah fans should get a kick out of this movie..
(Palacios, who plays his love interest, married director Peckinpah after this.) The primary problems seem to come in the mid to late section of the film when many things happen to the characters in swift succession and it's hard to completely gather their motivations and the timing of the actions.
(Palacios, who plays his love interest, married director Peckinpah after this.) The primary problems seem to come in the mid to late section of the film when many things happen to the characters in swift succession and it's hard to completely gather their motivations and the timing of the actions.
Because director Sam Peckinpah sandwiched this film between "Ride the High Country" (1962) and "The Wild Bunch" (1969), you'd think there must be some meat in "Major Dundee".
Now, the film looks like it needs to be edited down.**** Major Dundee (3/15/65) Sam Peckinpah ~ Charlton Heston, Richard Harris, Michael Anderson Jr., Jim Hutton.
With a title like MAJOR DUNDEE, I'd expect either a Shirley Temple movie or a comedy; certainly not an excellent western-historical drama with a multi-star cast and an exceptional, complex story to tell.Set in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War, a US Cavalry commander pulls together a unit made up of his own men plus Confederate prisoners, regular criminal prisoners, ex-slaves, Indians and Mexicans in order to chase down an Apache army that massacred a US Cavalry unit and captured 3 children.
It's during the waning days of the Civil War, and the nearest Union outpost is Fort Benlin, a POW camp run by Major Amos Dundee (Charlton Heston), a glory-seeking officer who arrives to late to stop the massacre and raises an army of guards, Rebel POWs, including his former Army buddy-turned-enemy Captain Ben Tyreen (Richard Harris), black Union soldiers, and various miscreants and criminals, to pursue Sierra Charriba "until the Apache is taken or destroyed".
From my point of view, this movie has almost everything going for it: Directed by Sam Peckinpah, one of my favorite directors, A dream cast of Charlton Heston, Richard Harris and James Coburn with a utopia of rich character actors supporting them.
The one who stood out for me was Richard Harris as Confederate Captain Ben Tyreen, continuously holding his men in line whenever circumstances arose to challenge Major Amos Dundee's (Charlton Heston) command of the ragtag Cavalry bunch.
Sam Peckinpah's 1965 western Major Dundee is a near-great film that has a checkered history.
This is too bad since the film is likely the most realistic and gritty Western ever made, and on the heels of Ride The High Country (1962) showed Peckinpah as a director with a bright future.It is filled with great shots, a great lead performance by Charlton Heston as the lead character, Major Amos Dundee, and terrific supporting performances. |
tt0864835 | Mr. Peabody & Sherman | Mr. Peabody is a gifted anthropomorphic dog who has an adopted 7-year-old human son, Sherman. He tutors Sherman travelling throughout history using the WABAC, a time machine. They visit Marie Antoinette in Versailles during the French Revolution in 1789. Getting caught in the Reign of Terror, Peabody is nearly sent to the guillotine by Maximilien Robespierre, but escapes with Sherman through the Paris sewers.
In the present day, Sherman attends the Susan B. Anthony School in New York City. His knowledge of the apocryphal nature of the George Washington cherry-tree anecdote leads to a fight with Penny Peterson in the cafeteria where she puts him in a choke hold. Peabody is called in by Principal Purdy who tells Peabody that Sherman had bit Penny. He is also confronted during this meeting by Ms. Grunion, a Child Protective Services agent, who implies that Sherman's behavior is due to being raised by a dog. She informs Peabody that she will come to their home to investigate whether he is an unfit parent.
Peabody invites Penny and her parents over for a dinner party to reconcile before Ms. Grunion arrives. Penny calls Sherman a liar for claiming first-hand knowledge of history. Despite Peabody's contrary instructions, Sherman shows Penny the WABAC. Penny goads Sherman into taking her into the past, where she stays in Ancient Egypt in 1332 BCE to marry King Tut. Sherman returns to get Mr. Peabody's help. Peabody hypnotises the Petersons, and retrieves Penny by telling her the fate of a pharaoh's widow.
The WABAC runs out of power, but Peabody is able to get them to Renaissance Florence in 1508 where they meet Leonardo da Vinci. Penny and Sherman explore da Vinci's attic, finding his flying machine. Penny goads Sherman into flying it, which he manages to do before crashing. Da Vinci is thrilled the device works, but Peabody is upset that Sherman risked his safety and destroyed a historical artifact.
They again attempt to return, but a black hole forces them into an emergency landing during the Trojan War in 1184 BCE. Upset about learning what Ms. Grunion would do to him, Sherman runs off and joins the army of King Agamemnon in the Trojan Horse. During the final parts of the Trojan War, Penny is trapped inside the Horse as it rolls towards a cliff. Peabody rescues her, but apparently dies during the attempt.
Sherman pilots the WABAC to a few minutes before they left in the present to get Peabody's help to fix everything. As Sherman and Penny try to explain the situation, Sherman's earlier self shows up. Peabody tries to conceal the presence of two Shermans from the Petersons, then Grunion arrives. Then a second Peabody arrives from Ancient Troy. Grunion's attempt to collect both Shermans causes them to touch and begin to merge. Both Peabodys rush to assist, but they each merge back together amidst a cosmic shockwave. Grunion grabs Sherman to take him away, hurting him in the process. Peabody furiously bites Grunion, who then calls the NYPD. Peabody, Penny, and Sherman race to the WABAC, but cannot time travel due to a rip in the space-time continuum caused by the merger of their cosmic doubles. Historical figures and objects from the past begin falling from the cosmic rip and into the present.
Peabody crash-lands the WABAC in Grand Army Plaza at William Tecumseh Sherman's statue's base. Historical figures and police officers quickly surround them. Grunion calls in Animal Control to collect Peabody. Sherman explains that everything was his fault, but Grunion contends that it is all because a dog cannot raise a boy. Sherman climactically shouts down Grunion, saying that if being a dog means being as loving and loyal as Peabody is, then he is proud to be a dog too. Penny, her parents, the historical figures, and others all make the same pledge. George Washington is able to grant Peabody a presidential pardon which is supported by Abraham Lincoln and Bill Clinton.
As Peabody, Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, and Agamemnon try to figure out how to close the rip, Sherman suggests they travel into the future. Peabody and Sherman take off in the WABAC and undo the damage. The historical figures are dragged back to their respective times, with Agamemnon abducting Grunion back to his own time as she vows revenge on Peabody.
Sherman returns to school having made friends with Penny. History meanwhile is contaminated with modern traits, while Grunion and Agamemnon get married in the Trojan Horse. | historical | train | wikipedia | It's hard to imagine somebody trying to pitch the story for Mr. Peabody & Sherman - "Let's make a movie about a genius dog who goes travelling in time and space with his adopted human son!" Well, actually, someone did make that pitch...
But those of us who are less familiar with these characters needn't fret: this new incarnation by DreamWorks Animation is bright, funny and packed with great gags, a pleasingly smart treat for kids and adults alike.Mr. Peabody (voiced by Ty Burrell) is the brainiest dog in all the land, and a celebrated inventor, athlete and businessman to boot.
Forced to play nice with Penny (Ariel Winter), a classmate who ridicules him for having a dog as a father, Sherman shows her the WABAC: a time machine invented by Mr. Peabody to allow his son to bear witness to history in the making.
Together, Sherman and Penny embark on a trip across time that could destroy the past, the present and the future.Bouncing merrily from the French Revolution to ancient Greece by way of the Italian Renaissance, Mr. Peabody & Sherman messes mischievously with history - we're presented with a cake-obsessed Marie Antoinette (Lauri Fraser), a volatile Mona Lisa (Lake Bell) and a beef-headed Agamemnon (Patrick Warburton).
The story gets a little lost in the shuffle of history, with almost too much to absorb by the time nefarious social services worker Ms. Grunion (voiced with wicked relish by Allison Janney) turns up - a canine bigot to the core - and threatens to remove Sherman from Mr. Peabody's custody.Nevertheless, director Rob Minkoff manages to pull the whole thing off, balancing the film's largely irreverent tone with a surprisingly heartfelt ending.
It's based on "Peabody's Improbable History", a cartoon that always aired in the middle of the "Rocky & Bullwinkle" show and had Mr. Peabody, a smart dog with glasses, and Sherman, his adopted human son-also with glasses, going to various important events in history ending with some kind of pun often said by Peabody to a bemused Sherman.
The movie sets that up in the first 15 minutes, which by the way it was done it looked like the movie was going to be some kids documentary about history but when it actually got into the story it was really fun.
The comedy made me laugh, the visuals are stunning, I wish I could've seen it in 3D, the story is quite unique but also had similar elements of other movies, I got a Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure vibe and you get some pretty generic characters that you've seen in quite a lot of animated movies but the plot was't boring; I was interested to the end.
I would like to sign off by saying, Mr. Peabody & Sherman is a must watch for everyone who enjoys a darn good movie..
Despite this, "Mr. Peabody & Sherman" certainly does bring another high-quality piece of family entertainment to the big screen.Surprisingly, the film's story is quite strong.
Based on the retro cartoon of the same name, "Mr. Peabody & Sherman" centers on a highly intelligent dog named Mr. Peabody (excellently voiced by Modern Family star, Ty Burrell) who adopts a young boy named Sherman (also excellently voiced by 8-year-old Max Charles).
An all-star supporting cast including Steve Colbert, Ariel Winter, Stanley Tucci, Patrick Warburton, Dennis Haysbert, Allison Janney, Leslie Mann and even Mel Brooks are certainly a treasure to listen to as well.In regards to its historical accuracy, though this film does certainly have its share of jarring anachronisms (such as heart-printed underwear and an actual working flying machine made by Leonardo da Vinci), there is certainly a decent amount of informative elements in the historical scenes.
LA Times' film critic Betsey Sharkey recently criticized this movie for being "too smart for its own good," saying: "Mr. Peabody's "teaching moments" will sail right over the heads of kids while requiring adults to pay attention." With all due respect, Ms. Sharkey, I feel like the "teaching moments" are what make this movie stand out from other family fare.
Mr. Peabody, to appease things, invites the girl and her parents to a dinner at their house, everything goes haywire from there and we meet some pretty interesting characters from the past.What made this movie special is the little details that are revealed along the way like how Sherman was adopted.
Based on a 60's short 'Peabody's Improbable History', DreamWorks and director Rob Minkoff ('The Lion King') bring the original characters up- to-date in this wonderfully charming and colourful romp.The story tells of Mr. Peabody, a talking canine (voiced by Modern Family's Ty Burrell), and his adopted "pet" son Sherman.
In an attempt to impress Penny, however, Sherman accidentally reveals the WABAC - Peabody's time travelling machine and ends up rewriting history that will have dire consequences in the future if not set right.I hadn't seen the original cartoon until I saw the film, but I caught the introduction episode on YouTube after and there were several scenes/dialogue that's been re-used in the movie.
The humour is very child-friendly and it's still a step down from what I like to call the "old" DreamWorks ('Shrek', etc.), but it is great family entertainment.The story is on the predictable side, but has a great message and will keep parents and older siblings entertained, while the zany energy and characters will keep the kids amused.
It's quite noticeable that Dreamworks Animation is trying to break visual grounds in their most recent movies, but Mr. Peabody and Sherman gives a little reminder on their original magic.
The animation was great (saw it in 3D) and the story was funny and intelligent!The animation is very stylized which makes it even more fun.They have advanced the old kid's cartoon series to a whole another level.They took the original and built on it with great skill and thought.It's still a kid's movie but is advanced enough for the adults too.
They over did it with The Smurfs and the Soooby Doos.Building a time traveling adventure story with the smart dog Mr. Peabody and his adopted human son named Sherman.
This invention by Mr. Peabody can take them to any time in history he likes, allowing them to meet and be friends with all the great figures in history.On Sherman's first day at school, a sassy little girl named Penny bullies him, and he retaliates by biting.
This altercation leads to a series of events which may cost Mr. Peabody not only his custody of his beloved Sherman, but may alter the whole fabric of human history as we know it.The whole absurd concept of a genius dog adopting a boy really did not ring well with me.
Well, low and behold I was pleasantly surprised with the same zing and corny humor of the old 'Peabody's Improbable History' that I was raised on, while finding great enjoyment in the fact that there were still ways to freshen it up with a strong story, fun characters, lots of action and some very entertaining filming and effects.It was wonderful to let go for those 92 minutes and just be a kid again..
I love how the animators made Mr. Peabody and Sherman almost look a bit like the hand drawn counterparts by having emotions.How I can ever repay DreamWorks Animation and Rob Minkoff, the director of my childhood favorite, Disney's The Lion King, for making a smart and entertaining adventure?
Or perhaps worry about not being able to go back to where you came from by getting stuck in the past?If you do, it wouldn't hurt to watch this film as DreamWorks Animation, "Mr.Peabody & Sherman" has potential to lure you to venture a thrilling and fun trip that consists of intact ancient architects, lively culture and brief history of the past that you have learned in school as a series of hilarious events occur in two different dimensions.
For the first time in history of mankind, Mr.Peabody, an erudite dog that nurtures his adopted son, Sherman who is a human that often gets called his names due to an unconventional relationship with his dad develops into a heartfelt story by overcoming nerve-wracking predicaments in the midst of riding on the circular time machine, WABAC.The only downside for me is the scientific artifices that Mr.Peabody exercises is too quick to catch up despite the brief explanations.
The only reason that I went to watch the movie was that I 'have a deep regard' for talent involved in animation movies, Dreamworks especially.So, This opinion is a completely neutral, no contempt or nitpicking of a fan( or a hater).Things to look forward to : - lots of puns/satires referring to science/history/culture/language.
Mr. Peabody & Sherman, when removed from the stigma of the original animated shorts, is actually a very well thought out and executed children's movie.
But really the only review that matters came from my seven-year-old daughter when asked on the way home how she liked the movie: "Much better than Frozen." So there you go DreamWorks Animation, straight from the mouth of babies..
It's a very refreshing animated film, based on a segment from the well known cartoon the Bullwinkle Show, it expands on these stories with beautiful animation and two very lovable leads, Ty Burrell delivers Mr. Peabody's voice brilliantly, adding his own original spin to the character while not shying away from the original too much, and Max Charles voice perfectly conveys a young, shy and optimistic boy.
Though it may appeal more to kids, Mr. Peabody & Sherman is still very fun, sweet, with a stellar voice cast, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good family film.
This movie stands out for its value and quality.I can tell the children love watching this film and Mr Peabody character is so well spoken that the children learn new words just listening to him And the rest of the characters make up a dynamic combination we all enjoyed the representations of the past characters they really bring them back to life.I loved talking with the kids about the history characters and the historical events it's a great movie all around and you'll love it too.10 out of 10 is high but I hour this will encourage a sequel and maybe an educational TV series...Buying the blue ray let's get the ball rolling people.
Rob Minkoff's film is about a very talented dog named Mr. Peabody who has adopted a boy named Sherman and also invented the time machine.
Like I said it shares a lot, and I mean a lot of the same plot points as Dragon, but it also starts it's own universe without a problem.Just as I enjoyed watching Midnight In Paris solely for the throwback characters, I think seeing some of the most famous, and intelligent, people of all time on one screen was pretty cool.
Take the film for what it is and I think you will enjoy it.+Adventurous ride +Who doesn't love time travel +FUN +Builds a cool universe -Predictable -Could have been a little bit more different than Dragon 8.0/10.
Every dog deserves a human - who will get in troublesome funny historical adventures while traveling through time.Mr. Peabody & Sherman has everything you want from a wonderful family animation: laughs and lessons.I never watched the 1960's show that originally featured the characters now headlining their own movie.
Mr. Peabody works frantically to save the children and right the ensuing time-traveling troubles.While flying around wormholes in the WABAC audiences will experience ancient Egypt, the Italian Renaissance, ancient Troy, and the French Revolution but will meet even more historical characters.
When I saw the first official image of Mr. Peabody and Sherman I thought that it looked like another generic movie that was based off an old cartoon show.
The motion sequences are well done (especially when the characters are surfing the sewers of Paris or flying on Da Vinci's flying machine), and the majority of the characters are hugely likable (especially Mr Peabody and Sherman themselves), but the plot is a little bit all over the place, occasionally has some weak script writing and most jokes fall flat.It's safe to say that all the best parts are in the trailer and I really hope that Dreamworks does better next time, but overall this isn't a bad movie for kids and could even appeal to the Horrible Histories crowd (no matter what age they are)..
In the trailer for "Mr. Peabody & Sherman," the hyper-intelligent dog learns that his adoptive human son and a classmate have hijacked his time machine.
It makes for a satisfying character arc for Penny, a coming-of-age story for Sherman, and an opportunity for Peabody to come to terms with his boy reaching that age when he's more interested in spending time with girls than with his old man—er, dog.The main relationship of the movie, though, is between the title characters.
Rob Minkoff delivers relationship between Humans and Animals again and with the hearth warming of course .The Movie is really fun and entertaining all the time with the adventure , back to the past style with some information about the event in that time too , the characters are also great in the movie they're just so much fun , i mean who doesn't like crazy Leonardo Da Vinci !!The Main characters ( Mr.Peabody , Sherman ) both are great characters with interesting background and conflict they have.
or just how you look , what you're (a dog for example) and the movie just make it so believable even it's just so Over the top , nonsense.That comes to the part that doesn't work in the movie , they just don't give a reason why Mr. Peabody or "the dog" can talk and have so much intelligent which makes the movie doesn't make any sense and unbelievable in some part.Overall still a pretty great movie with great Characters , fun and entertaining to watch and great interesting Theme also ..
In order to teach his adopted son, Sherman (Max Charles), history lessons he builds a time machine called WABAC, and travels with him to the past.
Mr. Peabody goes to their rescue before Penny's parents discover anything is wrong, which would hurt his chances with Ms. Grunion to maintain his parenting rights.Beside all the fun adventures through time, the film also happens to be a delightful and good hearted movie about father and son relationships.
Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014) Starring: Ty Burrel, Max Charles, Ariel Winters, Allison Janney, Ellie Kemper, Stephen Colbert, Stephen Tobolowsky, Karan Brar, Joshua Rush, Adam Alexi-Malle, Stanley Tucci, Leslie Mann, and Lake Bell Directed by Rob Minkoff Review HE'S LEAVING HIS MARK ON HISTORY You know I'm beginning to believe that Dreamworks is getting better with their animated feature films, I've heard great things about their How to Train Your Dragon movies, which I have not seen and this film in particular was surprisingly not just good but great.
The film is based on Mr. Peabody & Sherman comic,cartoon or whatever it originally was where they had adventures through time and history.
The Classic Story of a Boy and His Dog is Turned On its Head and the Film Considers the Premise of a Dog Adopting a Boy in a Way that the Original Cartoons Never Could Considering Its Context.There is a Visually Impressive Sci-Fi Template as Peabody, Sherman, and Classmate Penny Timehop Courtesy of Mr. P's Invention Called the WABAC (The Wayback Machine).
While the Episodes of the TV Show Opened With Sherman Asking "Where are we going Today Mr. Peabody?" and He Would Answer, "Set the Way Back to xxxx.", and After the Adventure Would Always End Each Episode with a Pun. No Such Format Needed Here, Things Just Unfold at the Speed of Light and Never Really Slows Down as the Jokes Fly By and the Improbable History is Colorfully Presented and Skillfully Handled to Make the Movie Enjoyable for All Ages and a Rich and Rewarding Experience..
The plot of the movie may be too modern for a cartoon like Peabody's Improbable Adventures, but it's entertaining, however, it's the humor that steals the show for me, the characters are interesting, there's a lot of jokes about the historic figures, King Agamemnon is like Joe Swanson, Napoleon Bonapart is like the Great Cornholio, and Penny's father is similar to Steve Colbert.
Hoping to smooth things over with her parents, he invites Penny and her family over for dinner and that's when the movie really takes off, as Sherman and Penny go on an adventure that has the potential to alter the space-time continuum.The first thing I'll say about this film is that it is very funny.
One thing I like about this film is that in the movie, Mr. Peabody is a really intelegent dog, and it makes him look funny.
Mr. Peabody and Sherman is more than just a movie about a Dog-Genius father and his adopted son.
Sweetness and good-natured humor seep from the pores of Mr. Peabody & Sherman, an animated adventure film based on the "Rocky and Bullwinkle" shorts.
The best parts of the movie were the ones that dealt with them actually living up to the premise of the cartoon and going to different points in history.It doesn't take a genius to see that the relationship between Peabody and his adopted son Sherman was a thinly-veiled metaphor for gay parents adopting kids.
What I will say is, that although is was kind of a fun film (Plus as a Modern Family fan, I liked that Ty Burrell was the voice of Mr. Peabody), there was nothing in the story to interest me that much.
But its still quite fun to see they time traveling and revisited some important people and glorious moment.There are also father son relationship which are quite interesting.Children will enjoy it though, you can take your family to watch it.But overall, it still just an okay movie.
messy?Overall, though, 'Mr. Peabody & Sherman' is a great animated film for both children and adults alike. |
tt0123119 | Is This Goodbye, Charlie Brown? | This special begins, when Linus calls the Brown house, and Sally picks up. She gets very excited that her Sweet Babboo is on the other line. He denies that he is that, and tries to ask if Charlie Brown is home, but while he is doing so, she asks if he called to ask her to a movie. He gets furious, and yells at her, saying, he will not be taking her to a movie, and wants to talk to her brother. She misinterprets that, and tells him she will be waiting outside for him to pick her up. She then gives the phone to Charlie Brown.
Linus tells Charlie Brown he has something important to tell him and that he will be over right away. When he arrives, he tells him they will have to move, due to his father's job transfer. He is shocked to hear this.
Lucy then goes to Schroeder to tell him the same thing Linus told Charlie Brown, and she gives him a double-sided picture of her so that he will always remember her. He however, does not take her seriously, and says that he would want to forget her if she leaves.
Charlie Brown then sadly watches the movers take the Van Pelts' things, and load it into their trucks. He then goes to Lucy's psychiatry booth, and tells her he will be miserable without Linus. She then yells at him, and reminds him that she is also leaving. She then shows him the booth's new owner (Snoopy), who has changed its cost from 5 cents to 50 cents. Linus then tells Charlie Brown that he is playing his last baseball game with him later on.
Lucy then walks over to the Brown house, and finds Sally waiting out in front, saying she is waiting for Linus to take her to the movie. Lucy tells her that they are moving, so he will never pick her up, but she refuses to believe that.
Linus then invites Charlie Brown to his and Lucy's going away party. He asks Sally if she wants to come, but she insists that Linus is going to pick her up and take her to a movie. The Van Pelts' going away party is catered by Snoopy, who feeds everyone dog biscuits, and dog food with water (to pour over the dog food, ala Gravy Train), which causes everyone to leave disgusted.
The next day, Linus and Lucy say their tearful goodbyes to Charlie Brown. As they are pulling out, Linus throws Snoopy his security blanket, as a way to remember him. After the Van Pelts leave, Charlie Brown sadly walks home. When Charlie Brown gets home, Sally is sitting on the porch, still waiting for Linus to take her to a movie. Charlie Brown tells her that he and his family moved away. She angrily walks inside. Then, Schroeder comes by to ask where Lucy is, and Charlie Brown tells him that she and her family moved away. He says that he thought she was kidding, then grows upset and says, "I never got to say goodbye."
The next day, Charlie Brown tells Peppermint Patty, that he is upset over Linus' moving away. She tells Marcie that they have to help him get over his sadness. Marcie asks her if she likes him, and she naturally denies it. She walks home trying to convince herself that she could not like a loser like him.
That night while Patty is trying to sleep, she thinks Charlie Brown is probably feeling bad for himself, and decides to call him to make him feel better. When she calls him, Charlie Brown is so tired that he does not seem to be listening to what Peppermint Patty is saying. Patty invites him on a date to the movies, but makes it seem as if Charlie Brown is asking her instead. She says she would go with him to a movie, then hangs up, and goes to sleep feeling good about herself. Charlie Brown then suddenly wakes up and wonders what he was doing by the phone, thinking he just dreamt he was talking to Peppermint Patty.
The next day, Peppermint Patty is waiting for Charlie Brown to pick her up for their date. Marcie goes to him at the wall, and asks why he looks so tired. He tells her that for some strange reason, he woke up at midnight by the phone, after dreaming he spoke to Peppermint Patty. She realizes what is happening, and tells Peppermint Patty that he is not coming. She does not believe her and continues to wait.
Later that day, Peppermint Patty calls Charlie Brown because she is angry that he did not show up for their date. She continues to bother him, but says she will not take revenge on him, and when they hang up, he says, "I never know what's going on." Sally expects a phone call from Linus, and Charlie Brown reminds her that Linus moved, and that even if he was still here, he wouldn't be calling her. Charlie Brown then shows her a postcard from him which only reads about her: "Have you seen any good movies lately?", making her livid.
Charlie Brown notices moving trucks in front of the Van Pelt house again. He looks to see what is going on, and he is excited to find Linus. He tells him his father did not like his new job and they are moving back. Just then, Lucy (while on her way to tell Schroeder that his "sweetie" is back) gets out of the car and says, "What kind of a neighborhood is this? It didn't change a bit while we were gone," to which Linus says, "Oh yeah. She's back too," before Snoopy throws Linus his security blanket back. | psychedelic | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0028776 | Death in the Air | Inspector Gallagher (Willard Kent) of the United States Department of Commerce views a number of crashes and disappearances of Goering-Gage Aviation Corporation aircraft as suspicious. With United States Army Reserve test pilot Jerry Blackwood (John Carroll), Gallagher visits the Goering-Gage company. Jerry test flies Goering-Gage aircraft but finds nothing wrong. When a severely injured passenger from a crash, claims a mystery aircraft attacked them, the owner, Henry Goering (Henry Hall) hires psychiatrist, Dr. Norris (John Elliott), to question the man. Dr. Norris believes a psychotic ex-World War I flying ace, whom he dubs "Pilot X," may be behind the attacks.
With the help of Blackwood, Goering and Norris assemble a group of five ex-flying aces living in the area who may have a connection with the mysterious Pilot X. He recruits German Lieutenant Baron von Guttard (Hans Joby), French Lieutenant Rene Le Rue (Gaston Glass), British Captain Roland Saunders (Pat Somerset), Canadian Lieutenant Douglas Thompson (Wheeler Oakman) and American Lieutenant John Ives (Reed Howes). The group meets in a mansion to plan how to confront the mysterious Pilot X.
One pilot, however, von Guttard comes under immediate suspicion when Goering is uneasy with son Carl (Leon Ames), an ex-German prisoner of war. On their first patrol, Pilot X attacks, killing von Guttard . Later that day, Le Rue is killed by Pilot X and the next day, Saunders has a mental breakdown. Blackwood receives a note from Pilot X, asking him to meet him in the sky at six o'clock the next morning. Thompson, meanwhile, receives a similar note but Pilot X, who is on the airfield, paints an "X" on Thompson's aircraft.
Blackwood mistakes Thompson for Pilot X, and kills the Canadian. When a paint can is found in Ives' locker, all accuse the American ace of being Pilot X. That night, Dr. Norris calls the elder Goering, telling him that he knows who is Pilot X, but is murdered. Gallagher believes Blackwood is Pilot X, and sends Ives and Saunders after him.
Helen Gage (Lona Andre), Henry's ward, however, first finds part of Saunders' goggles near Norris' dead body, then finds the other half in his aircraft. Crazed, Saunders, takes off after Blackwood with Helen trapped on his aircraft. Once in the sky, Pilot X appears and attacks Saunders, wounding him.
In a fierce dogfight, Pilot X attacks Blackwood but is shot down. In the wreckage of Pilot X's aircraft the body of Carl Goering is discovered along with a photograph of Carl in a German uniform. He was not a prisoner of war, but deserted and joined the German Air Force. With the mystery solved. Blackwood and Helen realize that they are attracted to one another and embrace. | murder | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0260447 | The Turn of the Screw | An unnamed narrator listens to Douglas, a friend, read a manuscript written by a former governess whom Douglas claims to have known and who is now dead. The manuscript tells the story of how the young governess is hired by a man who has become responsible for his young nephew and niece after the deaths of their parents. He lives mainly in London and is uninterested in raising the children.
The boy, Miles, is attending a boarding school, while his younger sister, Flora, is living at a summer country house in Essex. She is currently being cared for by Mrs. Grose, the housekeeper. Miles and Flora's uncle, the governess' new employer, gives her full charge of the children and explicitly states that she is not to bother him with communications of any sort. The governess travels to her new employer's country house, Bly, and begins her duties.
Miles soon returns from school for the summer just after a letter arrives from the headmaster stating that he has been expelled. Miles never speaks of the matter, and the governess is hesitant to raise the issue. She fears there is some horrible secret behind the expulsion but is too charmed by the adorable young boy to want to press the issue. Soon thereafter, around the grounds of the estate, the governess begins to see the figures of a man and woman whom she does not recognize. These figures come and go at will without ever being seen or challenged by other members of the household, and they seem to the governess to be supernatural. She learns from Mrs. Grose that her predecessor, Miss Jessel, and another employee, Peter Quint, had a sexual relationship. Before their deaths, Jessel and Quint spent much of their time with Flora and Miles, and this fact has grim significance for the governess when she becomes convinced that the two children are secretly aware of the ghosts' presence.
Later, without permission, Flora leaves the house while Miles is playing music for the governess. The governess notices Flora's absence and goes with Mrs. Grose in search of her. They find her in a clearing in the wood, and the governess is convinced that Flora has been talking to the ghost of Miss Jessel. When the governess finally confronts Flora, the girl denies seeing Miss Jessel and demands never to see the governess again. At the governess' suggestion, Mrs. Grose takes Flora away to her uncle, leaving the governess with Miles, who that night at last talks to her about his expulsion; the ghost of Quint appears to the governess at the window. The governess shields Miles, who attempts to see the ghost. The governess tells Miles he is no longer controlled by the ghost and then finds that Miles has died in her arms, and the ghost has gone. | gothic, haunting | train | wikipedia | The better of Petr Weigl's filmed versions of Britten's operas.... The other was 1996's Let's Make An Opera, which I did love overall, but found this even more impressive. Of the four or so Weigl opera films seen so far, 1982's The Turn of the Screw is the second best for me, the best being 1988's Eugene Onegin. 1994's Winterreisse was interesting but not particularly ideal for those who know the true meaning of the songs, despite the beauty of the visuals, the music and how it was performed. This Turn of the Screw may not be absolutely perfect, Lillian Watson sings beautifully but too mature for Flora I feel. Luckily the rest of the singers fare much better, Michael Quinn sounds wonderful though you may feel you prefer somebody older. Robert Tear is appropriately intense and relishes Quint's sense of mockery, Ava June is amusing and benevolent and Helen Donath has the right amount of naivety for the governess. The actors look great and act naturally enough. The music is wonderful, and beautifully performed by the orchestra and conducted with enough buoyancy. The simple story is both creepy and fun, though one thing I do prefer in the original story is the sense of ambiguity with the ghosts which the opera's libretto doesn't have in comparison. I also loved how the film looked, the settings are both beautiful and evocative, and there is nothing fake about them. The photography is very good. All in all, I loved it on the whole, maybe it is not the best performances of Britten's work I've seen(either 1981's A Midsummer Night's Dream, 1985's Albert Herring or 1987's Rape of Lucretia, the Barstow performance of Gloriana is also highly impressive), but there is much to make it worth seeing. 9/10 Bethany Cox. Listen with your eyes closed. Petr Weigl is not the first person to think that he can film an opera with beautiful people on the screen and the fat ladies confined to the soundtrack. He is hoping for the best of both worlds but he ends up with the worst. The voices just don't fit the faces and the lack of synchronisation is laughable. I was most sorry for the little girl who played Flora. Not only was she given a woman's voice but she had to spend the entire film with what looked like a dead ferret on her head. Britten's opera comes over very well if you listen with your eyes closed. |
tt0337611 | Dilwale | The movie begins in Goa, where Raj leaves his auto repair shop to confront Mani for stealing a man’s cell phone. Mani tells Raj that he is stealing it for his younger brother, whom he must care for after both of their parents died. While out driving, Veer sees a woman, Ishita, hitchhiking but his friend refuses to pick her up. However, after he stops the car to urinate and leave his friend and went back to ishita, and he agrees to take her where she needs to go, damaging the car in his rush to get there. For penance, Raj forces Veer to work in the shop day and night. Veer’s friend Siddhu provides him with coffee so he can stay awake to fix the car. However, he falls asleep anyway and awakes to find that the car’s sound system has been stolen. Siddhu takes it to a pawn shop to sell it, having stolen the sound system while Veer was asleep.
The men of the local gang leader, King, try to sell drugs at a crab shack. Veer beats them up after they threaten Ishita. They then come back later to exact revenge on Veer, but Raj breaks up the fight. Raj’s men find him at the hospital where Veer is staying and tell him they know where to find King’s men. Raj goes to King's hideout, incapacitates the gang members, and burns their drug stash. Raj tells King’s men his gangster name, Kaali. King stops by Raj’s shop the next day to present a deal where Raj will fix all of King’s cars in exchange for protection.
The film then flashes back to Bulgaria. Raj is in a car chase with a rival gang, trying to make off with a container of gold, when he accidentally runs over a woman, Meera. When he gets out to help her, the rival gang catches up with him, and he has to leave. Later, Raj runs into Meera again, who works as a sketch artist. He reveals to her that he is a gangster, and that he is the son of Randhir Bakshi, the leader of the gang. Veer attends a boarding school where Raj only comes to visit once a month. Randhir and Raj talk about how Raj was adopted. Raj meets with Meera again, and she asks him to take care of some guys who are troubling her. She also asks him to celebrate her birthday with her the next day. He promises to take care of a job early and then meet her in the evening. The next day, Raj is engaged in a car chase. His car gets blown up and rolls over, trapping him inside. He is confronted by Meera, who he finds out is the daughter of the rival gang’s leader, Malik. She reveals that their entire relationship so far was designed so that Malik’s gang could have a chance to kill him. She holds a gun to his head, but she chooses to spare his life this time. Later, Raj gets a new car and engages in a car chase with Meera, eventually pushing her car to the edge of a cliff. He saves Meera from falling off the cliff, then tells her that the next time he sees her, he will kill her. Despite this warning, she later comes to his home and tells him that she loves him. At first he refuses to listen to her, but then he admits that he loves her, too. They make plans to tell their parents about their relationship.
The film quickly flashes back to Goa, where Veer discovers that Siddhu has been putting sleeping pills in Veer’s coffee so that he fell asleep on his shift, allowing Siddhu to steal items from the shop. Veer is upset, but Siddhu explains it is for his girlfriend, Jenny. They agree to help each other secure girlfriends. As a consequence, Veer reveals his feelings to Ishita. Upon finding out about their relationship, Raj wants to meet Ishita’s family. When Raj visits Ishita’s house, he discovers that Meera is Ishita’s older sister.
The film then quickly flashes back to Bulgaria, where Malik agrees to meet Randhir, but, secretly, he plans to kill him. The meeting breaks into a shootout, during which Malik shoots Randhir. Randhir then shoots Malik, and both men die. Raj holds Randhir and takes the gun out of his hand. Meera finds Raj and believes that he killed her father, for which she shoots Raj; however, he survives the gunshot. Both Meera and Raj decide to move far away from Bulgaria and start a new life.
The film is again in Goa, where Veer and Ishita come up with several plots to bring Meera and Raj together. As a side plot, Mani steals King’s car and brings it to the shop, where Veer discovers drugs in the trunk and decides to burn them. Ishita tells Raj that Meera has not forgotten her first love. King comes to Meera’s house one night, but Raj, as Kaali, shows up and stops them from causing her any harm. King asks Meera later if she knows Kaali, but she refuses to acknowledge their relationship.
Meera issues an ultimatum that in order to marry Ishita, Veer must move in with Meera. Meera also tells him that Raj is adopted and not his blood brother. Veer says that he loves Ishita, but he cannot abandon his brother. Raghav, one of Malik’s men, decides to tell Meera that Raj did not kill Malik, but that Malik had shot Randhir, who had shot Malik in return. Upon learning this, Meera tells Veer that he can marry Ishita and stay with Raj. At this process Raj and Meera gets reconciled.
Siddhu and Jenny get married. King shows up at the wedding, having tracked down his stolen car, which is now being used as the bride and groom’s getaway car. King starts to cause a disturbance, but Raj beats him up. King then tries to shoot Raj, but accidentally shoots Meera who tries to save Raj, however Meera survives and King gets beaten to death hence Raj and Meera reunite in hospital. | flashback | train | wikipedia | Wonderful, entertaining classical movie of the 1990's.
Dilwale (1994) is a romantic, action-packed entertainer of the 1990's decade.
Ajay Devgan for the first time in his acting career, then, did a mentally retarded person's role and his change of image really worked wonders.
Not only was Devgan appreciated widely by both, critics and masses, but this movie, DILWALE(1994) did very well, then at the box-office.
Also, Ajay's female co-star in this movie, Raveena Tandon,not only looked super-pretty in this movie but also danced well in the song numbers, too.
Paresh Rawal, Avtar Gill and Gullu(Gulshan Grover)too have acted well in this triangular love story.I was disappointed though, that the song number," Jo tumhe chaahe usko satana", picturised on Raveena Tandon and Sunil Shetty , was chopped off the editing table.The songs of this movie were outstanding too.This movie, Dilwale(1994), was in reality, Raveena Tandon's first career super-hit.
The best part of this movie, was though Sunil Shetty's under-rated acting as a police officer.
Sunil was even nominated in all the many dozen film awards functions, then for "Best supporting Actor award" category.The songs of this movie were not just a rage, then, but even now many Bollywood fans, go online on the internet to hear this movie's super-melodious songs.
I have already, watched this movie 5 times till date..
Believe it or not I have seen this movie more than 50 times.
This is one of the movies which is very popular in Afghanistan.
I am not sure if Indian people remember this movie or not but Afghans certainly do.
I still hear some of the guys on Afghan local radios asking for this song to be broadcasted for them.
The actors were chosen very well.
I liked both Ajay Devgan and Sunil Shetty in the movie.
I did not like Raveena in the movie.Music: This film's music had great impact on it's audience forcing them to watch the movie for the great songs from NADEEM SHRAVAN.
Also the singers, Kumar Sanu, Alka, Udit has done great job singing songs for this movie.I recommend anyone watching this movie, specially music lovers..
A long journey of action, drama and music.
Dilwale is a good film, except for the similar flaws that most films of the 90's had.Story is about an efficient cop who is give the task of handling a mentally deranged man's case.
The cop soon realizes that the convict is innocent and does all that he can to prove the latter's innocence and bring the culprits to book.The music is noteworthy, with Kumar Sanu's melodious voice in most tracks.
There are many a song in this film.
Some action sequences are good, bit of overacting on Sunil Shetty's part, but otherwise he and Ajay Devgn are cool.
They did make a good pair in this film.The flaw - Some scenes are meaningless, at some places the editing is not smooth, and some sequences are simply exaggerated.
Also some of the songs make the film unnecessarily lengthy.Watch it but watch the time!.
Average Music with Timeless Music.
When this movie originally came in 92, even as a child I remember its songs being played at every corner, such was the success of the music.
Even the songs in the audio cassettes included prologues in form of small conversations.
The movie was just another love story.
The acting too was plain average except for Preash Rawal's Mama Thakur character.
Watch him playing a bad guy to the hilt before joined the buffoonery bandwagon.
Raveena Tandon was really one of the hottest girls of that time.
Just watch her dancing in the songs.
I bet running around trees could not have been much merrier.
And yeah, if you don't believe that Sunil Shetty can't look good(forgive me, tolerable) watch him in this one, he definitely was not bad-looking(could not use good looking for obvious reasons).
Overall, a watchable flick..
What a Intense acting by Ajay Devgn & Sunil Shetty.
Outstanding performance by Ajay Devgn..
Nobody can perform like Ajay Devgn
In this type of intense rol..
Decent romantic film.
Ajay Devgan who started off with Phool Aur Kaante did several action films, After the success of PAK and Jigar rest films bombed in 1993 Dilwale however was a superhit.
The film is a typical romantic story of 90s with twists in the form of Ajay's mental illness,not that it's novel but yet a decent film.
The film starts with Sunil Shetty in a typical 90s style action scene and then goes into flashback of Ajay Devgan, his scene in the mental assylm is superb, though it reminds us of Ittefaq(1969) starring Rajesh Khanna.
THe scenes involving Ajay and Sunil are well handled, the film does have some corny scenes like some comic scenes, Also the romantic track is typical 90s, with many songs and also we have the typical villains but for a 90s film it's superbDirection by Harry Baweja is good Music by Nadeem Shravan became a hit, Kumar Sanu's solo Kitna Haseena Chehra is superb, Saaton Janam(in 2 versions)is superb, while Udit's Mauka Milega too is superb, rest all are good tooAjay Devgn was slowly learning the craft of acting, he does a good job in this film, especially in the mental scenes.
Sunil Shetty is sincere in his supporting act, however his voice and dialogue delivery were very bad those days, especially in high pitched scenes Raveena is okay in her part, Paresh Rawal and Pramod Moutho are good in their villainy,Rami Reddy has no dialogue only keeps staring.
Reema Lagoo is as usual, Saeed Jaffrey is as usual Gulshan Grover plays A Bihari babu who keeps trying for Raveena and provides some funny moments. |
tt2056771 | A Bigger Splash | In an isolated villa on the little Italian island of Pantelleria, world-famous rock singer Marianne is on holiday with her filmmaker lover Paul. She is recovering from surgery and has lost her voice, communicating only by signs and occasional whispers. He is in recovery from alcohol addiction and a failed suicide attempt. Neither talks Italian but solitude is what both need, until an airplane from Rome brings a man neither wants to see.
This is Harry, a brash music promoter who was Marianne's lover until he passed her on to his protegé Paul. With him is Pen, a previously unknown daughter of his who says she is 22. Moving into the villa, Harry starts inviting friends round as if it were his home and taking everybody out to various sights and festivities. His arrogant manner bores Pen and annoys Paul, but Marianne starts falling under his spell again and the two make love. The sultry Pen then makes a play for the unhappy Paul, who succumbs easily.
After drinking on his own, Harry comes back very late and starts a fight beside the pool with Paul. Both fall in, and Harry is drowned. In the morning his corpse is seen by the maid, who calls the police. They have more urgent business with illegal immigrants landing from North Africa, some floating ashore dead, but take the occupants of the villa in for questioning. Marianne convinces them with the truth that she was asleep, and suggests that the muderer was an intruder. Paul lies, saying he went to bed before the time of death, and is believed. Pen reveals that she can talk perfect Italian, but chose to let her hosts struggle, and her passport reveals that she is only 17. Taking her to the airport, at the departure gate Marianne gives the insolent young woman a good slap. | murder | train | wikipedia | Tilda Swinton is superb as the voiceless singer, Dakota Johnson gave me, for the first time, a glimpse into what she could be, Matthias Schoenaerts hits all the right notes even the most unexpected ones but Ralph Fiennes gives a performance that it hast to be seen to be believed mostly because this is the same actor in Schindler's List, Quiz Show, In Bruges and last year he provided me woth one of the funniest scenes of the year in Hail Caesar.
Joining her is partner and filmmaker Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts) who, as we see through flashbacks, is introduced to Lane by record producer Harry Hawkes, a rambunctious and zany character played in true dickhead style by Ralph Fiennes.
Tilda Swinton, who actually suggested that her character shouldn't be able to speak herself, does incredibly well with a very physical performance of gestures, facial reactions and whispers, and despite the age gap, her romance with Schoenaerts' Paul feels quite believable.
The stand-out performer though, which is saying something in a film starring Tilda Swinton, is Ralph Fiennes, who shows his superb range with a crazy portrayal of an insufferable, irritating nuisance.Despite the character he is playing, Fiennes is obscenely engaging, and a scene in which he busts multiple moves is both hilarious and striking in a way that very few films are.
While she rests her voice after throat surgery, a David Bowie-esque rock legend, Marianne (Tilda Swinton), and her documentary-filmmaker boyfriend of 6 years, Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts), relax in the remote Italian paradise of Pantelleria.
Her record producer, mutual friend of both and former flame of Marianne, Harry (Ralph Fiennes), brings his estranged daughter, Penelope (Dakota Johnson), to spend time with the couple and, mostly, interrupt the vacation.
It works for the most part, but largely due to the efforts of the talented, committed cast.It's films like A Bigger Splash that make us appreciate the largely underserved Ralph Fiennes.
To an extent there's interest in simply watching the well-cast stars go through their paces: Fiennes plays one of his most extroverted characters; Swinton has magnetism as usual in a contrasting figure (contrasting because her rock-star has to be silent while recovering from surgery--but a laughable flashback where she sings in a recording studio blows any belief that we're watching a credible musical talent); Schoenaerts is attractive and earnest; Johnson is good playing a petulant brat who uses her sexual allure in obvious (yet successful) ways.
That the director thinks his actors/characters are endlessly fascinating is obvious--otherwise why on Earth would he stage scenes like the one in which two of them invade a karaoke bar, and though neither of them can sing very well, we're supposed to believe they quickly have half the island populace raptly watching their performance?
Yet "Bigger Splash" inadvertently provides the truthful end to that sentence: "...only to each other." In terms of image and editing, the film is flashy in often pointless, mannered ways that to my mind are neither beautiful or interesting...just show-offy and empty, the flourishes of a director who thinks flamboyant stylistic gestures = a true "artist," without worrying what they actually MEAN, if anything.
Rock-star Marianne (Tilda Swinton) is recuperating on an Italian island after throat surgery, with her film-maker lover (Mattias Schoenaerts) for company.
World famous singer Marianne Lane (Swinton), temporarily mute from a recent throat operation, is enjoying a relaxing holiday with her doting film-maker boyfriend Paul De Smedt (Schoenaerts) on a remote idyllic Italian island.
Much to their initial annoyance, Lane's manic music producer and ex-boyfriend Harry Hawkes (Fiennes) turns up with his newly discovered daughter Penelope (Johnson) to gate- crash the tranquillity.A Bigger Splash is a character development masterclass by Guadagnino.
Only then do you realise just how well the film has branded its characters into your hide, and how desperate you are to know the outcome.Until the last half hour or so not much really happens in A Bigger Splash but you simply don't notice, such is the utter delight in watching a great cast develop complex characters with a wonderfully astute script..
A remake of Jacques Deray's 'La Piscine' (1969), 'A Bigger Splash' has attracted some big names: Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton, Dakota Johnson and Matthias Schoenaerts make it a star-spangled vehicle indeed.Recuperating rock star Marianne Lane (Swinton) is on holiday with her lover Paul (Schoenaerts) when their peace and quiet is destroyed by that worst of all afflictions: the uninvited guest.
Star of the show, however, is definitely Swinton, who has very few lines (her character is supposed to refrain from speaking after a throat operation) but as she's in most scenes is required to get Marianne's opinions across through facial expression, miming, and sheer force of personality, which she manages splendidly.This is an engrossing film, with an interesting plot, good acting and lovely scenery (and not just of the countryside variety, either - all four leads get their kit off at some point, although I could have done with fewer such scenes from Mr Fiennes - he's in relatively good nick for a chap in his fifties, but things are starting to sag!) It's strange, though, that an Italian/French co-production is mainly in the English language!.
I ended up fast forwarding and was still bored.It's Ralph Fiennes' picture, he is a wonderful actor as is Tilda Swinton, but both performances are wasted here.Save your money and two hours of your time, this film is not worth either!.
Ralph Fiennes is manic, Tilda Swinton faffs around looking pale and (not particularly) interesting plus she isn't remotely convincing as a rock star (she barely exudes enough energy to make a cup of tea, let alone convince us that she could perform to a stadium of rock fans), Matthias Schoenaerts is nice eye candy and the other characters are just plain irritating.It's an adaptation of an old French film La Piscine.
Her ex-boyfriend and his current girlfriend join them, and things get strange as emotions are stirred.Given the great cast of Tilda Swinton and Ralph Fiennes, together with rising stars Matthias Schoenaerts and Dakota Johnson, I expected great things from "A Bigger Splash".
To keep the plot line taut there are only four actors who play out in two pairs and the chemistry is anything but harmonious.An almost silent Marianne (played by Tilda Swinton) is a once-famous rock star who is recuperating from throat surgery with her former alcoholic boyfriend Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts).
The fact that she only whispered in this film may have helped to minimize the stereotype factor that could have been there to a great degree and happily wasn't, as she played a rock star on vacation.This is the other thing I so enjoyed about A Bigger Splash: to a great extent it avoided stereotypes though the possibility of several were suggested in each of the four main characters and in the situations in which they found themselves.All this is to say that the story of these four people interacting on this fabulously beautiful Italian island was fresh and captivating, with outstanding acting and excellent script..
As the movie is based on 4 characters, who are staying on a secluded island in Italy, the director really needed an interesting script, which had different elements to keep it interesting throughout the whole 2 hours but most of the film was just about a couple, rock star Tilda Swinton (Marianne Lane) and Matthias Schoenaerts (Paul De Smedt), who get a visit from Marianne's ex boyfriend, Ralph Fiennes (Harry Hawkes) and his young daughter, Dakota Johnson (Penelope Lannier), while they are taking time out from there jobs after Marianne has had a throat operation and Paul is recovering from a attempt at suicide and battling with an alcohol addiction.
With that aside, it's still worth a watch just to see Fiennes on top form.Budget: N/A Worldwide Gross: $7.5millionI recommend this movie to people who are into their crime/mystery/dramas, starring Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes, Dakota Johnson, Matthias Schoenaerts and Lily McMenamy.
Despite falling flat on certain points of the story, Luca Guadagnino, the film's director, beautifully captures not only the intense and profound relationships between his characters, but also is able to make good use of the European spirit, along with his cinematographer Yorick Le Saux, with stunning visuals shots of a variety of locations in the Italian island of Pantelleria.
Three considerably talented actors (let's leave Dakota Johnson out of the conversation, shall we?) are wasted in this borderline terrible movie about four unhappy people whose problems I cared absolutely nothing about.Throughout the film, snippets of news reports about the Syrian refugee crisis are juxtaposed to this quartet's dull collection of first-world problems, and the refugee situation is even used overtly as a plot device late in the film, so maybe that's the point.
The most compelling character is played by Matthias Schoenaerts (his past alludes to addiction and attempted suicide), but true to the rest of the movie, any sharp edges he might have been able to bring to the film are dulled by the general torpor.I had given up caring about happened to any of these people by the half-way point, a sure sign that the movie I'm watching is a dud.Grade: D.
In her latest collaboration with director Luca Guadagnino (I Am Love, 2009), Ms. Swinton's character remains mostly silent, save a few well placed whispers and one uncontrollable outburst, and she is certainly worth the price of that ticket.Adding to the movie fun here is a script by David Kajganich adapted from Alain Paige's story that was the basis for the 1969 film La Piscine.
Blowing into town like the upcoming sirocco winds is Marianne's former lover and former music producer Harry (Ralph Fiennes), along with his daughter Penelope (Dakota Johnson).
Ralph seemed like a nerdy English tourist.although i think Tilda is a good actress i found not one of the four of them erotic.it is an erotic plot after all.the scenery was very appealing but the sex appeal of the actors not.even Matthias and Dakota who are young and reasonably good looking they were entirely unappealing in this movie.don't know why.story does not climax.just..things happen.i think the idea is to find their vacation interesting.not a good movie.but i watched it till the very end.nice photography OK rhythm and as i said appealing scenery.and sorry Tilda but you are no Romy Schneider.fighting over her....
From the moment Ralph Fiennes appears as Harry, he plays his role with such fervor and energy that he simple blows everyone else from the screen, sorry Tilda Swinton (as Marianne) and Matthias Schoenaerts (as Paul).
The purpose of the movie was not lost on me, despite the filmmakers being far too subtle about it, but half way through the movie I realized that I no longer cared, even after the climax of the movie occurred I had no real feelings either way.I started out liking Tilda Swinton as a David Bowie inspired Rock star who just had a surgery that could end her career.
In the vein of Jacques Deray's unstimulating LA PISCINE (1969) and François Ozon's tantalizingly cagey SWIMMING POOL (2003), Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino's much anticipated follow-up of his family embroilment haute-coutrue drama, I AM LOVE (2009), A BIGGER SPLASH (the name hints a more adept reference of British artist David Hockney's pop art painting), debuted in last year's Venice, it centers on a close-knitted quartet's moral tug-of-war which sets its scenic background in the remote Italian island, Pantelleria, and swimming pool, again just like in I AM LOVE, functions as the metaphor for imminent man-made danger (Guadagnino cannot swim in real life).Marianne Lane (Swinton), a famed British rock star, enjoys her recuperation from a recent throat operation in Pantelleria with her boyfriend Paul De Smelt, a Belgian documentary filmmaker (Schoenaerts, finally returns to a role which he can act with his own nationality), but the unplanned arrival of Marianne's ex-boyfriend, the UK music producer Harry Hawkes (Fiennes) and his American daughter Penelope Lanier (Johnson), interrupts the lovey-dovey's intimate holiday.
The film will give its answer.Besides, there is some serious business to be done (for Harry, I mean), and pieces together from the infrequent flashbacks, audience will be informed that Paul is Harry's friend at the beginning, it is Harry who introduces him to Marianne, and no wonder Harry holds the grudge about being usurped like that (despite of his own philandering nature), but the point is, Marianne is really happy with Paul (explicitly shown by Paul's female-satisfying gesture in the chamber), maybe due to her voice-loss, she hasn't clearly manifested that the only reason she invites Harry to stay is for old time's sake, and hopes that their friendship remains, but in Harry's book, her hospitality betrays a promising signal, he is motivated, tests the water from Paul's reaction and revels in his street- smart gregariousness, until Marianne has to literally spell out her resolution in utterance, which effectively closes the case.In another pair, Paul and Penelope, the latter is the enigmatic variant in the quartet, who has never revealed her intentions, is she under the command of Harry to seduce Paul, to undermine their relationship, or is she really Harry's daughter?
Guadagnino habitually leaves many a lacuna like these to leaven the atmosphere of mystery and temptation, while the topical immigrant crisis, looms large in the background mostly and for once, precipitates an encounter unexpectedly, until cunningly exploited as a possible justification for the unpleasant death, which happens in the swimming pool and is closed with a polished zooming-out aviation shot, overall, the film's cinematography never fails to leave the island's unique topography untapped.The quartet core together concocts a palpable interplay between each of them, Ralph Fiennes is the MVP simply because he is all over the place and wondrous to behold under a fully liberated context, and at the same time his performance knowingly triggers a tint of abstruseness which belies the nature of every human soul; Swinton, to quote Penelope's offhand remark, "a very domesticated rock star", hemmed herself in Marianne's own verbal barrier and retreats to a less idiosyncratic realization of a woman in desperation to express her emotions through means other than words, she might not be convincing as a Rock-N-Roll superstar, but surely her Marianne is a woman who doesn't settle for second-rated commodity.Matthias Schoenaerts, as solid and desirable as one can divine, seems to be typecast as the even- tempered lover with a burly figure serving well as a bodyguard to the woman he loves, the truth is, his Paul is supposedly the most dangerous and unpredictable one among the four, yet, his barbaric spasm only materialises with a lukewarm thrill; meanwhile, Dakota Johnson, on the contrary, pulls off a staggering impression out of her cool-girl veneer, apart from the gratuitous nudity (so is for Mr. Fiennes), her breakdown in the end sparks off more empathy and tells more of her character than we give the credit for.The ending, with a massively anti-climatic caricature of the a celebrity's fandom, seems to be an odd choice to close a sturdily built character drama which scars has clearly forever marred those who have survived, and a takeaway advice: don't ever invite your ex to spend a holiday with you, it has proved to be lethally dangerous..
The film stars Tilda Swinton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Ralph Fiennes and Dakota Johnson.
It competed for the Golden Lion at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival.--Plot: -Marianne Lane (Tilda Swinton), a famous rock star, and her photographer boyfriend, Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts), are vacationing on the remote Italian island of Pantelleria, when they are disrupted by the unexpected visit of an old friend, Harry (Ralph Fiennes), and his daughter, Penelope (Dakota Johnson).--Critical reception: -On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 84%, based on 19 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10.
While The Graduate's pool is a transparent vehicle for displaying Benjamin's desires and mistakes, Marianne's (Tilda Swinton) pool in sunny Italy hides meanings just as the dust-laden sirocco will hide the land.Marianne's voice is mending from her rock singing, appropriately silencing her when her ex-love, Harry (Ralph Fiennes), arrives at the Italian seaside town where she and love Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts) are vacationing.
Director Luca Guadagnino specializes in short films and this 2-hour plus drawn out aimless tale overtaxes his ability to make a story poignant.Marianne Lane (Tilda Swinton) – an internationally famous rock star - has undergone throat surgery and is under order to not talk while she recovers.
They are disrupted by the unexpected visit of an old friend/lover Harry Hawkes (Ralph Fiennes) and his daughter Penelope Lannier (Dakota Johnson) - creating a whirlwind of jealousy, passion and, ultimately, danger for everyone involved.Much of the reason this film drags on a bit is the character of Henry Hawkes – obnoxiously overbearing at all times, getting on every one's nerves including the audience of the movie.
i would like to see a remake of the movie.I'm not really sure what the point of the movie was.I think they can keep the characters accept Ralph Fiennes and replace him with someone else , a good looking well build guy.
The movie stars Tilda Swinton (who also starred in 'I AM LOVE'), Ralph Fiennes, Matthias Schoenaerts and Dakota Johnson.
Ralph Fiennes, Dakota Johnson and Tilda Swinton may wander through A Bigger Splash naked (or nearly so), but it's director Luca Guadignino who's truly without clothes here.
I don't know the director but Ralph Fiennes, Matthias Schoenaerts and Tilda Swinton are all talented actors.
The plot is similar, featuring an aging record producer Harry (Ralph Fienees) involved in a love triangle with his former protégé, Marianne (Tilda Swinton), a rock singer and her current lover, Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts), a photographer.
Remake of a sixties French film La piscine (The Swimming Pool) about a rock star, Marianne Lane played by Tilda Swinton relaxing on their Italian island Pantalleria with her current partner Paul who is rocked when her ex-partner of six years Harry Hawkes (Ralph Fiennes), a rather eccentric music producer arrives on the island with his apparently 22 year old daughter Penelope (Dakota Johnson). |
tt0039840 | Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman | In a hospital, Angie Evans (Susan Hayward), her face bandaged, recounts the events that brought her here.
A nightclub singer, Angie becomes involved with another singer, Ken Conway (Lee Bowman), whose career has yet to take off. Her agent Mike Dawson (Charles D. Brown) helps get Ken and piano accompanist Steve Anderson (Eddie Albert) a spot on a radio show singing cowboy songs. Ken sings a ballad on the day Angie, now his wife, gives birth to their daughter. The attention he gets leads to a new career opportunity.
Ken soon is a big success, gaining popularity and wealth, while Angie stays home, her career at a standstill. She begins to drink. Ken counts on her to present a sophisticated image for his new high-society friends and contacts, but her alcoholism worsens, so secretary Martha Gray (Marsha Hunt) comes to Ken's aid.
It isn't long before Angie is certain an affair has begun with Martha and her husband. Steve tries to intervene on Angie's behalf, but he can see Martha has fallen in love with Ken.
Angie neglects the child, continues to drink, then creates a scene at a party. Ken asks for a divorce and custody. A fire starts from a lit cigarette of hers, shortly after she kidnaps their daughter from a nurse, results in Angie's suffering serious facial burns while saving the child.
There may be no hope, but Ken tries to stand by his wife as her life hits rock bottom. | melodrama, romantic, flashback | train | wikipedia | Allegedly, Susan Hayward got this breakthrough role because every other Hollywood actress turned it down, due to the fact that it is the story of Bing Crosby's wife, Dixie Lee. Whatever, it got Susan an Oscar nomination and put her on the road to meatier parts.As other comments have pointed out, this was probably considered very hard-hitting back in the day.
Here, Hayward gives up her own successful singing career to be the stay at home wife of Lee Bowman, whose career takes off.
(In Bowman's dubbing, they even give him those mellow, rounded Crosby-like tones.) Boredom, feeling left out, and jealousy lead her to consume more and more alcohol, although it's clear from the beginning of the film that she drinks for courage before performing.Her downward cycle and the ending of the movie are all a little too pat, but Hayward does a good job with the material she's given.
This is more the fault of the script and the direction, however.Eddie Albert is charming and gives an honest performance as partner and concerned friend.Recommended if you want to see a young Susan Hayward in a meaty role..
Unfortunately, Miss Hayward was later given an Oscar for her WAAAAAY over the top performance in I WANT TO LIVE, whereas she only was nominated for this film.
Perhaps she lost since she was a relative newcomer.The reason I liked the film so much was that it was an excellent study of alcoholism as well as the contribution an enabling spouse can have on the drinking.
In most ways, SMASH-UP was a better film (though the scenes of Ray Milland having DTs were incredible).By the way, if you liked this film and want to see an even better film on drinking and a destructive relationship, try DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES--perhaps the best study of alcoholism ever put on screen..
A successful singer Angelica Evans (Susan Hayward) gives up her career and marries unsuccessful singer Ken Conway (Lee Bowman).
In the Citadel Film Series, The Films of Susan Hayward, the authors put forward the proposition that if The Lost Weekend had not come out the year before and carried all the awards it won, Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman might have garnered a lot more acclaim and maybe an Oscar for Susan Hayward.As it is the film got two Oscar nominations for Best Story by Dorothy Parker and Frank Cavett and for Best Actress for Susan Hayward.
Rounding out the field were Dorothy McGuire for Gentleman's Agreement and Joan Crawford for Possessed.At the time Smash-Up came out there were hushed rumors going around that this film was based on the troubled marriage of Bing Crosby and Dixie Lee. Having just read a biography of Gene Autry that came out last year an equally good case can be made for it being modeled on his first marriage to Ina Mae Spivey.
Especially since Lee Bowman's character starts out as a cowboy singer and branches out as Autry was doing right about that time.In any event the story has Susan Hayward as a lounge singer who falls in love with another singer Lee Bowman and marries him and they have a daughter.
Even though he doesn't notice her, she sure gets Hayward's back up and they have one outstanding chick fight in a powder room.Still the film belongs to Susan Hayward as the girl from Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn was taken seriously as an actress for the first time in her career.
Although it looks dated now and obviously was not a big budget Hollywood film, but this was Hayward's breakthrough performance and deservedly earned her a first Oscar nomination..
Loretta Young, that years surprise winner for "The Farmers Daughter" said years later that she had herself voted for Susan Hayward and not Her own performance or that of the favorite and Loretta's best friend Roz Russell.
Susan Hayward justly could have won Three Oscars: "Smash Up", "I'll Cry Tomorrow" and of course "I Want To Live" when she finally did win her Oscar to thunderous applause and a curtain call she thanked "Walter Wanger without whom none of this ( her career) would have been possible" Great Hayward won the Oscar at least once.
Dorothy Parker was co-writer of the original story and you can just about make out her contribution in the character played by Susan Hayward, a singer who sacrifices her career for that of her husband, Lee Bowman, then hits the bottle as she plays second-fiddle losing him to vampish Marsha Hunt.
Susan Hayward's fine performance, for which she is deservedly well-remembered, is easily the best reason to watch this feature.
Her ups-and-downs, her battle with alcoholism, and her fears about her relationships all provide good material for Hayward to work with.As the husband, Lee Bowman is quite bland and one-dimensional, so much so that it almost looks deliberate.
Eddie Albert helps out as the husband's partner, and Marsha Hunt gives a good performance as Angie's cold-blooded rival.
She got an Oscar nomination for this role and it's no wonder.The leading man was probably chosen for his silky rich voice, but Lee Bowman is a very natural actor, and he keeps up his end of the relationship.
It isn't long before she is a slave to the drink and her life is falling down around her.A handful of films have tried to put alcoholism on screen The Lost Weekend, Leaving Las Vegas to name two, but some are more successful that others.
By the time the film gets to the `well, you see Ken
..' moralising ending I'd lost interest in this person and wanted a more realistic view of alcoholism.Hayward is OK she's not as hammy as she could have been, she could have gone all Betty Davis one us!
Smash Up: Story of A Woman is Great Susan Hayward Pretest ****.
Susan Hayward turned the page in Hollywood when she received her first nomination for this film in 1947.While reading the other reviews, I am very surprised that no one else mentioned the many similarities between this film and the classic "I'll Cry Tomorrow," which came 8 years later and again paired Hayward with Eddie Albert.
Albert had a larger role in this 1947 film but was much more memorable in 'Tomorrow'.Right away Hayward is clamoring for a drink.
These were all definite pretests for her role as Lillian Roth 8 years later.While Lee Bowman was adequate here as her husband, the part should have gone to Eddie Albert, the friend in the film instead.Marsha Hunt is excellent in the role of the conniving worker of Bowman's.Susan Hayward exhibited that vulnerability, that weakness that would lead to her depiction of an alcoholic in both films.
"Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman" was the role to jump start this career turn.
Anyone who passes up the chance to see Susan Hayward in "Smash-Up" because they've already seen her play a drunk in 1956's more popular "I'll Cry Tomorrow" are missing out on a great performance from the star.
But when husband Lee Bowman's singing career takes off, she feels forgotten and falls back on her main weakness (always a little shy--maybe anti-social--she hits the sauce).
Eddie Albert is very good as Bowman's accompanist (he helped Hayward out in "I'll Cry Tomorrow" too) and Marsha Hunt is fantastic as an executive with eyes for Bowman (her designs are subtle, but Susan catches them, leading to a great catfight).
Beautiful alcoholic Susan Hayward (as Angelica "Angie" Evans) wakes up bandaged in a hospital bed, trying to recall what led to her "Smash-Up" - "The Story of a Woman" is told in flashback
A rising young singer, though lacking some confidence, Ms. Hayward gives up her career to serve as wife, mother, and party hostess to radio crooner Lee Bowman (as Ken Conway).
He and his career take off, leading Hayward to fill her emptying life with alcohol.
Still, there is more than one kind of alcoholic, Hayward does an excellent job with the role, and the message about this woman's need for her own career is clear.
And, Mrs. Crosby wasn't the only Hollywood woman too dependent on drink.******* Smash-Up (3/47) Stuart Heisler ~ Susan Hayward, Lee Bowman, Marsha Hunt, Eddie Albert.
Marsha Hunt was strictly wooden as the part of the secretary Martha; Lee Bowman was strictly unsympathetic as the long suffering husband who knew at the beginning that is wife was a lush.
Angie's (Hayward) given up her singing career so that hubby Ken (Bowman) can shoot to the top of his.
The film Smash - Up The Story of a Woman was controversial, particularly for its time as it contravened the then strict Hays Code (1930 - 1968), which acted as a censorship and as such a moral guidance.
This left a chasm in which a film role of an alcoholic mother, wife and homemaker needed filling.The controversial nature of the role is ripe for a struggling actor, such as Susan Hayward.
The Plot.Angie Evans, fast-rising nightclub singer, interrupts her career to marry struggling songwriter Ken Conway.
Both are about a singer's downward spiral in alcoholism, both star Susan Hayward, and both feature Eddie Albert!
She's married to Lee Bowman in this film, and as his music career takes off, boredom and neglect make her take to alcohol.
Not to be outdone by Ray Milland, who had galvanized audiences two years earlier with his unprecedented depiction of alcoholism in "The Lost Weekend," Susan Hayward wanted to prove that women could be alcoholics too, and plays one in this melodrama that looks like a film noir but in every other respect is a straight up soap opera.Hayward's performance isn't exactly subtle, but at least it's subtler than the one she'd give as another alcoholic several years later in "I'll Cry Tomorrow." It's probably not fair to laugh at these old movies and their representations of conditions that we've since learned so much more about, but it's hard not to.
If anything makes this movie worth seeing now, it's that.Hayward received the first of five career Oscar nominations for her performance in this, and Dorothy Parker and Frank Cavett were nominated for writing the original story on which the screenplay was based.Grade: B-.
Whoever thought it was a good idea to pair an emotional Susan Hayward with a stoic Lee Bowman?
Angie (Susan Hayward) is a singer for whom big things are predicted but she suffers from stage fright and always needs a drink to steady her nerves before a show.
She is married to Ken (Lee Bowman - was there ever a more boring or blander leading man than Lee Bowman), a struggling singer and is anxious to give him the success she feels he deserves.He finally gets a radio spot as a singing cowboy - "Lonely Little Ranch House".
The song and Ken (along with his offsider Steve (Eddie Albert) are a huge hit and he can finally give Angie all the things he wants her to have.
Even though the rest of the film is routine Susan Hayward, as usual, delivers a powerhouse performance and acts everyone off the screen.It does get a little preachy at the end.
As the effervescent star of a family of performers (who happens to like a little drinkee now and then), Angelica lacks the ambition to continue her singing career.
Hubby, and his partner, played by Eddie Albert get jobs as singing cowboys on the radio (another mysteriously popular career in old movies), and he pens a special song a hideously slurpy ballad called "Life Can Be Beautiful." Dispensing with the cowboy routine, hubby sings the song on his radio show one night and become an overnight success, a teen idol this, of course, is a time when teen idols *weren't* teenagers themselves.
(Some Spoilers) Susan Heyward's spectacular performance in "Smash Up" as the helpless and self destructive alcoholic Angie Evens Conway was hindered in that it followed the Academy Award winning "The Lost Weekend" which was released two years earlier!
It took Miss Hayward some ten years to get the coveted award as the convicted murderess Barbara Graham in the far more inferior "I Want to Live" in 1958.In the film Angie is first seen all bandaged in the White Memorial Hospital after surviving a house fire that she accidentally started.
Having married struggling composer and singer Ken Conway, Lee Bowman, Angie gave up her promising singing career to become a housewife and mother.
It was Ken's success as a big time radio singing personality that drove Angie to the bottle in her feeling that she's become a has been as a singer and totally dependent on Ken. It's that deep insecurity on Angie's part that leads her to not only drink and forgo her in being a good mother to her and Ken's newborn daughter Angelica, Sharyn Payne, but have her conjure up bitter and hateful feeling against Ken's secretary Martha Gray, Marsha Hunt, who she thinks is having an affair with her husband.As Ken gets more and more successful in his both singing and radio career Angie gets more depressed and starts to hit the bottle big time.
Passing out from drinking Angie drops a cigarette on the living-room carpet that sets the entire house on fire leaving her in critical condition, from third and second degree burns, when risking her life rescuing Angelica.***SPOILERS*** Despite the films depressing storyline it does in fact have a silver lining.
It brings both Ken and Angie back together in them realizing that their estrangement from each other, in him being a big singer star and her a housewife, lead to the troubles that almost destroyed both of them including little Angelica.
It was the tragedy of Angie going off the deep end and into a whiskey bottle that finally brought her and Ken to their senses before it was too late.P.S Look for Eddie Albert as Ken's and Angie's good friend and fellow musical composer Steve Nelson who composed the films theme song "Life Can be Beautiful"-Ken's signature song- that's played over and over, at least a dozen times, during the curse of the movie..
Once a rising singing star, she ended her career to be wife and mother.
As husband Lee Bowman rises in fame, she turns more to the bottle while Bowman spends less time with her and more time with his beautiful secretary, Marsha Hunt, who may or may not be predatory.
In 1947 only insiders would have connected the characters played by Lee Bowman and Susan Hayward as thinly disguised portraits of Bing Crosby and his wife Dixie Lee. It was, of course, well documented that at the time of the marriage Lee had the higher profile whereas Crosby was just getting started.
The film is, of course, built around one star part and in Susan Hayward we get someone more than capable of sinking her teeth into it with adequate support from Lee Bowman and another quietly effective performance from Eddie Albert.
The film opens with rising nightclub Angie Evans (Susan Hayward) abandoning her career and marrying - against all advice - a so far not rising singer/songwriter Ken Conway (Lee Bowman).
The two marry, Angie gives up her career to support him, and Ken and Steve Nelson (Eddie Albert) spend their days trying to write new songs.
He gives her servants that do all of her work for her, so that she has, as the song says "too much time on her hands".Now you have to remember that this is the 1940's, married women are not supposed to work, and that Angie was not raised a socialite, so that handling Ken's social obligations do not come naturally to her.
Enter Martha Gray, Ken's personal secretary, who does what little that is even expected from a wife who has absolutely nothing to do, and Angie begins to turn to drink.
Susan Hayward (in an Academy Award-nominated performance) plays an aspiring singer who abandons her career to get married, but sinks into alcoholism and depression as her husband becomes famous.
You can see why they sank into alcoholism (think Mrs. Robinson in "The Graduate" and Mrs. Wormer in "Animal House").I understand that this movie is loosely based on the life of Dixie Lee. When she got married to Bing Crosby, she was more famous than him.
I'd say that Susan Hayward should've won Best Actress for the role (but make no mistake, Loretta Young's performance in "The Farmer's Daughter" was also a fine one).
Susan Hayward and Lee Bowman star in a semi-biographical treatment of the marriage problems of Dixie Lee and Bing Crosby, renamed as Angie and Ken, respectively.
The destructive influence of the decision for Angie to quit her singing career in favor of a homemaker role on her psyche, and her consequent decent into full blown alcoholism is emphasized.Besides the introduction of several new songs, the strength of the film lies in warning the viewers of the pitfalls of taking away too much responsibility or glamour on the psyche of people constitutionally ill-prepared to handle this situation.
This reason is mainly relevant to the first part of the film, before Angie foregoes her singing career.
Another reason for Angie's decent into alcoholism is her jealousy, both of her husband's sudden rise to superstardom, and of his secretary, Martha, who seems to be running his life more and more, leaving little for Angie to feel valued for.
Susan would later star in a rather similar film subject in "I'll Cry Tomorrow"., based on the life of Lilian Roth: another singer who turned to alcohol to deal with her personal problems and the pressure of her career.Susan earns her Academy Award nomination mainly in the 2nd half, when she stays smashed most of the time, feeling more and more worthless and jealous of Martha's dominant role in Ken's life. |
tt0092086 | ¡Three Amigos! | In 1916, the bandit El Guapo and his gang are collecting protection money from the Mexican village of Santo Poco. Carmen, daughter of the village leader, searches for someone who can come to the rescue of her townspeople. While visiting a village church, she sees a silent film featuring "The Three Amigos" and, believing them to be real heroes, sends a telegram asking them to come and stop El Guapo.
Meanwhile, Lucky Day, Dusty Bottoms, and Ned Nederlander are Hollywood silent film actors who portray the Amigos on screen. When they demand a salary increase, studio boss Harry Flugleman fires them and evicts them from their studio-owned housing. Shortly afterward, they receive Carmen's telegram, but misinterpret it as an invitation to make a show appearance with El Guapo.
After breaking into the studio to retrieve their costumes, the Amigos head for Mexico. Stopping at a cantina near Santo Poco, they are mistaken for associates of a fast-shooting German pilot, who is also looking for El Guapo and who arrived just before they did. The Amigos perform a show at the Cantina, singing "My Little Buttercup", and leave the locals amused. The German's real associates then arrive at the cantina, proving themselves adept with their pistols. A relieved Carmen picks up the Amigos and takes them to the village, where they are put up in the best house in town and treated very well.
The next morning, when three of El Guapo's men come to raid the village, the Amigos do a Hollywood-style stunt show that leaves the men very confused. The bandits ride off, making everyone think that the Amigos have defeated the enemy. In reality, the men inform El Guapo of what has happened, and he decides to return the next day and kill the Amigos.
The village throws a boisterous celebration for the Amigos and their victory. The next morning, El Guapo and his gang come to Santo Poco and call out the Amigos, who confess that are too scared to confront him after Lucky gets shot in the arm. El Guapo allows his men to loot the village and kidnap Carmen, and the Amigos leave Santo Poco in disgrace.
Ned persuades Lucky and Dusty to go after El Guapo. They spot a cargo plane and follow it; the plane is flown by the German, who has brought a shipment of rifles for the gang. Preparations are underway for El Guapo's 40th birthday party, and he plans to make Carmen his bride. The Amigos try to sneak into the hideout, with mixed results: Lucky is captured and chained up in a dungeon, Dusty crashes through a window into Carmen's room, and Ned ends up stuck in the piñata.
Lucky frees himself, but Dusty and Ned are caught. The German, having idolized Ned's quick-draw and gunspinning pistol skills since childhood, challenges him to a shootout. Ned kills the German, and Lucky holds El Guapo at gunpoint long enough for Carmen and the Amigos to escape in the German's plane.
Returning to Santo Poco with El Guapo's army in pursuit, the Amigos rally the villagers to stand up for themselves. The bandits arrive, only to find themselves suddenly being shot at by Amigos from all sides and falling into hidden trenches dug by the villagers. El Guapo's men either ride off or are shot, and he takes a fatal wound as well. As he lies dying, the villagers step out to confront him. El Guapo congratulates them, then shoots Lucky in the foot and dies.
The villagers offer to give the Amigos all the money they have, but the Amigos refuse it, saying (as in their movies) that seeing justice done is enough of a reward for them. They then ride off into the sunset. | comedy, cult, psychedelic, humor, satire, comic | train | wikipedia | I looked up this movie on IMDb fully expecting to find a lot of comments that reflected my opinion, that this is a great little film.
Carnage ensues, the German sharp shooters finish off the rest of the patrons in a bloody gun fight, the confused looks on the bandit's faces throughout this whole routine is hilarious.This film isn't desperate to pack gags into every available space, and because of this it feels more controlled and less try-hard, to me most of the jokes are of a high enough quality they don't need a lot of superfluous back up gags.
The Amigos fighting back tears as Lucky Day informs his buddies that, in fact, they have been summoned not to perform, but actually to fight the evil El Guapo--Martin Short's tearful line, "Why am I in Mexico?" is hilarious, almost as funny as Steve Martin's follow-up, "I've been shot already!"This is an intelligent comedy, one that pokes fun not only at the mythology of the Hollywood western, but at Hollywood itself.
The scene with Dusty Bottoms (Chase), singing at the celebrations as if he has a frog in his throat makes me laugh every time, My little buttercup scene in the tavern with Ned (Short) with the hankerchief on his head, the calls they have to make to summon the invisible swordsman, the part in the desert..."lip balm?" I'm embarrassed to say how many times I have seen this movie, I'm just going to say a lot...and would recommend to everyone!.
All he has to do is open his mouth and show his bad teeth and then give his huge smile and I crack up every time.The three leads - played by Steve Martin, Matin Short and Chevy Chase - are all excellent and in the primes of their careers.
Chevy Chase, Martin Short and Steve Martin are brilliant in a movie that relies completely on their given talent - comedy.
Chevy Chase, Martin Short, and Steve Martin, some of the funniest men ever to work in comedy, all team up here as The Three Amigos, a group of out of work actors in early Hollywood cinema.
The unfortunate thing is that this is not a movie that is greater than the sum of its parts, since I would expect more from actors with the caliber of Martin, Chase, and Short, even working individually, but even the fact that they are all not used to their full potential is not enough to bring down the rest of the comedy here.The story involves the three out of work silent film actors, who suddenly find themselves unemployed and broke when they receive a telegram from a small village in Mexico desperately asking their assistance.
These three comic greats work with a beautiful chemistry, to make you laugh hard enough to split your pants, every time you watch this movie.
One scene rolls, painlessly, into another without making you look at your watch once as The Three Amigos attempt to stop the evil banditos (grungy, greasy, cavorting, drinking and shooting at everything - just as in the spaghetti westerns, but with a sillier and lighter edge versus a serious and menacing one) from taking advantage of the poor peasants.This is a classic comic film, with real comics pulling out all the stops, that I feel everyone should see.
The "Three Amigos" (Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short) are a silent screen comedy act, who recently got fired from their producer (Joe Mantegna).
Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short team up to bring out what made us all love them so much on Saturday Night Live and all of their comedies to follow.The movie shows us a small Mexican village that is being terrorized by El Guapo (ironically, Spanish for "the handsome one).
Believing that this is her village's one chance at freedom from El Guapo, Carmen sends for the Three Amigos, promising a huge reward if they come, assuming that they will turn it down like they did in the show.Of course, as we all in the real world know, "The Three Amigos" is merely a TV show that, on the very day that Carmen's telegraph reaches them, is canceled and the actors fired.
Lucky Star (Martin), Dusty Bottoms (Chase), and Ned Nederlander (Short) read the telegraph and mistake it as a request for them to act out the show, and in desperate need of money, take up the offer and head down to Mexico.
If you're not a fan of slapstick (or just don't like Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, or Martin Short), then yeah, I wouldn't recommend this movie.
She telegrams an invitation to the Three Amigos; Lucky Day (Steve Martin), Dusty Bottoms (Chevy Chase) and Ned Nederlander (Martin Short).
Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short star as three silent film stars who are asked to defend a Mexican town from bandits.
It's underrated a bit, but not by much.Steve Martin, Martin Short and Chevy Chase star as film stars in the depression-era; their show is about three Amigos that fight bad guys down in Mexico.
I've always been a fan of Martin and Short, and...well...I liked Chase in "Vacation," so I think they really make this movie.
Chase, Martin and Short play silent era movie stars who get axed by their studio when their films start under-performing.
But the movie stars don't know that this show is for real.Try fitting an invisible swordsman (who gets shot), a singing bush (and a talking turtle) and a room full of hard drinking gun toting Mexican lowlifes who're scared of the sight of Chase, Martin and Short into a workable idea for a film.
A village resident named Carmen goes searching for help, and during her search, she sees a film starring the Three Amigos (Lucky Day, Dusty Bottoms and Ned Nederlander) playing in a church.
I remember the beginning of this film from both viewings, with the Three Amigos riding horses and singing "The Ballad of the Three Amigos" (a song written by Randy Newman), featuring a very long falsetto note, which I found funny both times.
However, there are eventually more really funny parts, such as the German thug in the saloon, the Three Amigos coming in after him and singing "My Little Buttercup" (also written by Newman) to the frightened men inside who think they are friends of the German, and the actors saying their lines to the village intruders!
Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short all show their talents in this film, and so do other cast members, such as Alfonso Arau as El Guapo and Kai Wulff as German.
In addition to often being funny, sometimes very much so and sometimes just a little, "¡Three Amigos!" can be exciting with the action and adventure.When I first saw this 1986 comedy, I had never seen "Blazing Saddles", a much more popular western spoof from 1974.
I didn't see that one until January this year, and I think I found it funnier than "¡Three Amigos!" overall, like probably most people who have seen both movies (though I didn't find it as funny as many others clearly have through the decades), but it didn't seem to affect my opinion on this later film of the same genre.
If you're a fan of the three comedians who play the starring roles here, you like western movies, and you want a laugh, you COULD still find this flick disappointing, but it's probably still worth a try..
First of all, any ONE of the three leads could carry a terrific comedy on his own; but Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short together are simply three times as funny, that cannot even be argued.
If when you think of an 80's comedy, you think of movies with Chevy Chase, then that would DEFINITELY include this little flick.
I'm one of the few people left alive who've seen both Under the Rainbow AND Won Ton Ton, the Dog That Saved Hollywood, the previous record-holders for the least laughs in a major comedy - I thought nothing could ever join that illustrious company, but then in 1986 Three Amigos came along.I saw it on HBO right after it came out, smoked on Heineken, with three friends who, like me, were HUGE fans of Martin Short, Steve Martin, and the other guy.
Of course, I am kidding, as this is really a charming tribute to and spoof of the earlier days of filmmaking, as a silent era Western trio, "Lucky Day" (Steve Martin), "Dusty Bottoms" (Chevy Chase) and Ned Nederlander (Martin Short), find themselves out of work after their last movie flopped and they won't listen to the studio head's suggestion.
John Landis has fun directing movies, for crying out loud, he directs some of USA Channel's Psych.If you haven't watched Three Amigos, you're not allowed to sing, use a water canteen in a hot desert, or even wear one of those big sombreros.
In this wild and goofy movie, Martin Short, Steve Martin and Chevy Chase are at their comical best.
Martin Short, Steve Matin and Chevy Chase are at their comical best as three bungling actors who find themselves having to play their roles for real.
Lucky Day (Steve Martin), Dusty Bottoms (Chevy Chase) and Ned Nederlander (Martin Short) are a silent movie trio known as the "Three Amigos".
But as those three amigos were among the best funny guys in the eighties and Landis isn't a baby with a camera, surely, all those great names imply that something good was due to come.
It's not a bad movie by any means; the concept is clever and in fact many individual segments are brilliant.But far too often the director, John Landis, seems to have been relying on his three leads (Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, and Martin Short) to simply "be funny" without the aid of a funny script.
The Three Amigos is little more than a slapstick comic farce featuring, Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short who portray silent film cowboys.
The movie shows them trying to assimilate to the culture and people of Mexico, looking for adventure in the country, and eventually discovering that they can ride together to "save the bad guys" in a series of slapstick, Three Stooges, type of comic gags and stunts.I have never cared for Martin Short.
As for Martin Short, I have no interest in seeing him.The writing in this film appears to imply that if these three actors can do good to great comedy on their own, let's put them together and we'll have a classic film.
The kids laugh at the antics of Steve Martin, Martin Short and Chevy Chase and the adults can't help but laugh over the hokey-ness of the storyline as they re-live the movies of the "good old days" of 50's-60's "black hats versus white hats" westerns.
And, especially, if you want to see what Chase and Short were like before they turned into ridiculous jerks this is a good place to start.Also, this is the only film for which Randy Newman helped with the script.
This film is one of Steve Martin's best writing efforts, and I've noticed his best work is what he writes himself, of course having Chevy Chase and Martin Short along for the ride is only going to make a movie better!
Martin's Lucky Day is clueless, Chase's Dusty Bottom is a blithering idiot, and Short....well, he steals the film in quite a few places as former child star Ned Nederlander.Filled with priceless one-liners, ("Can I have your watch when you are dead?"), great sight gags ("Are gringos falling from the sky?") and an awful lot of clever dialogue (Jefe's questioning of El Guapo is brilliant) this movie made me laugh from start to finish, I give it 10 stars out of 10, because it lived up to my expectations of being funny, silly, and an enjoyable way to spend an hour and a half or so.
His character fits perfectly with that of Chevy Chase and Martin Short, who are equally funny in this movie.
Hilarious comedy Western with Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short.
Three silent movie stars in 1916 (Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short) are mistaken for real heroes by a beautiful Hispanic woman (Patrice Martinez) and hired to rid an oppressed Mexican village of El Guapo (Alfonso Arau) and his banditos."Three Amigos" (1986) is a comedy Western with elements of "The Magnificent Seven" (1960) and "The Wild Bunch" (1969).
The film, spoofing movies like seven samurai and the magnificent seven, has a number of good jokes and good acting from Steve Martin and Chevy chase.
A character gets shot in one scene and proceeds to do a song-and-dance routine a couple of minutes later without so much as a wince, for example: a laugh could equally well have been got by having him attempt energetic gestures without thinking and so break off hopping around in agony (I wouldn't have found that terribly funny myself, but it would have been on a level with the comedy in the rest of the film), but that would have involved a petty-minded concern for continuity that the writers of this script clearly shrug aside.Basically, I found the level of humour a bit puerile; if that makes me a snob, then so be it.
Three failed silent movie actors Lucky Day (Steve Martin), Dusty Bottoms (Chevy Chase) and Ned Nederlander (Martin Short) seemingly land up with a dream job; they get an offer of 100,000 pesos to protect a small town in Mexico - the three amigos assume that this is film work and that everyone else is along for the ride, but they soon learn that what they're involved in is real and the 3 Amigos quickly find themselves having to rescue Carmen (a Mexican girl) who has been kidnapped by the evil El Guapo (Alfonso Arau) and whom is seen by El Guapo as his own personal prize.Three Amigos is a western spoof, and for me most obviously it is parodying The Magnificent Seven.
The film has a slapstick and silly feel to it (which sometimes works) when for example there is a good visual gag or examples of amusing dialogue, but far too often there are stretches in this film where neither element exists and you're left with some sequences that aren't that funny - some of the song and dance numbers don't really work and the camp-fire scene produces rather mixed results in the comedy stakes.Where the film works slightly better is in the occasional way that it shows the flaws with our protagonists; all of them are idiots, but in different ways; I did like the way that Steve Martin's character is called Lucky Day yet more often than not, it was him that messed everything up for his Amigos - clearly an intentional irony exists with his character.
A cosy Sunday afternoon matinée comedy feature by director John Landis sees a dependable comic trio (Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short) as silent movie stars that get mistaken for the real deal.
The best asset though is definitely the performances and chemistry of the three leads Steve Martin, Chevvy Chase and Martin Short, all three are very likable and show good comic timing.
I don't think this is a total waste of time, and those who are fans of the old Saturday Night Live will enjoy seeing Martin, Chase and Short working together..
is a great comedy, highly recommended for anyone who likes to have a good laugh involving three funny film stars named Chevy Chase (well, he used to be funny), Martin Short and Steve Martin..
Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, and Martin Short were all excellent in this movie.
But, with Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short in the cast, you can bet there'll be some memorable scenes.
Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short who play the Three Amigos are very funny.
Then rent the Three Amigos, Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Chevy Chase alone are worth the $2..
Little does he realize that Lucky Day (Steve Martin), Dusty Bottoms (Chevy Chase), and Ned Nederlander (Martin Short) only play these Amigos on stage, not in real life.
Although Saturday Night Live has come out with very few good movies recently, this 1986 flick is a classic postmodern comedy, and is definitely worth watching.
The story concerns "The Three Amigos," a silent movie comedy team featuring Lucky Day (Martin), Dusty Bottoms (Chase), and Ned Nederlander (Short).
Steve Martin gets a lot of screen time, it seems Chevy Chase is left with the recycled odds and ends from other successful screenplays as he fumbles in search of his own time, and Martin Short isn't given much to perform with either.Three Amigos has heart, but not comedy.
Randy Newman's musical numbers provide fun and smiles, Landis's directing is above average, yet you'd find superior in his other works like The Blues Brothers and National Lampoon's Animal House, but the dry setup, the under-used talents, and the flimsy script make Three Amigos a missed opportunity.Starring: Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Martin Short, Patricia Martinez, and Alfonso Arau.
Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short team up for a screwball comedy but it's as though they think their presence alone will make the film funny.
There are being played by '80's comedy icons Steve Martin, Martin Short and Chevy Chase.
More was to be expected from '80's comedy talents such as John Landis, Steve Martin, Martin Short and Chevy Chase involved.Hightlights of the movie to me were the musical numbers, which were definitely the most fun sequences of the movie.
Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, and Martin Short get the roles of a lifetime in "Three Amigos!", where they have to defend a Mexican town from bandits in 1916.
Chevy Chase plays off the more outlandish antics of Steve Martin and Martin Short like the comedy veteran that he is.
This movie is extremely funny what a great trio (Chase, Martin, and Short) I loved this movie. |
tt0397742 | Yeh Vaada Raha | Vikram Rai Bahadur is the only son of Mrs. Sharda, and sole heir to a vast business and estate. While vacationing with his artiste friend, Raja in Kashmir he meets a beautiful girl named Sunita and falls head over heels in love with her. Sunita was a great singer and had also got a contract to sing on Radio, she tells Vikram and also asked him to sing with her but he continuously denied her. Soon he proposes marriage to her, and she accepts. They go to the temple where they had first laid eyes on each other and seek God blessings as well as vow to never part till death, even tying the symbol of their love, a necklace vicky had won for Sunita in a fair, around a wishing pole.
Vikram goes back to Delhi, to ask his mother's permission and blessings to marry Sunita, but she refuses telling VIcky about Sunita's parents and past. Also saying that if her name is joined to theirs, their business will suffer as Sunita's presence is inauspicious. His mother's words anger Vikram and he goes back to Kashmir and tells Sunita they will have a quiet temple wedding. On their way to the temple their vehicle meets with an accident against a truck. While Raja sustains minor injuries, Vikram is badly hurt and hospitalized, and Sunita's face is severely disfigured. Mrs. Sharda goes to see Sunita and offers her money to stay away from Vikram. She tells Sunita about her disfigurement and emotionally blackmails her by saying "think how Vikram would live with an ugly and disfigured girl like her. Hearing this Sunita agrees to stay away from Vikram but says she doesn't want Sharda's money. Sunita is transferred to a hospital in Delhi, where Sunita's local doctor, Dr. Sahni together with a doctor in the Delhi hospital, Dr. Mehra restore her disfigurement by plastic surgery. On the day that she leaves, Vikram regains consciousness and asks for Sunita, But his mother tells him that Sunita is dead.
Months pass and Vikram longs for Sunita, not eating properly, not living his life, not looking after himself. Meanwhile in these months Dr Mehra is doing his job beautifully, he fixes Sunita's disfigured face and gives her a new face. She quickly recovers, and cannot wait to give the good news to Vikram. Tho she believes that with her new face Vikram won't be able to recognise her, but Dr. Mehra, who now sees Sunita as his daughter, reassures her that in love one's face is no matter, the heart and the soul remains the same and that is what brings two lovers together, not their face or outer beauty. Sunita and Dr. Mehra turn up to Vikram's house only to find out that he is getting engaged to another beautiful, but wealthy young woman named Rita.
Vikram is unable to recognize Sunita and she believes that he has forgotten her. She returns home with her new father (Mehra) and decides to change her name to Kusum Mehra, to begin life anew. After the engagement party it is reviled that Vikram is making an orphanage in the memory of Sunita in Kashmir. It will be called "Srimati Sunita Rai Bahadur Anathalay" which means Mrs. Sunita Rai Bahadur orphanage, hence giving Sunita the proper respect of his name as she would have been had she been alive. Upon being asked by Raja why he agreed to marry Rita he tells of how his mother advertised it in the newspaper without even asking him and how when he confronted her she told him about the millions of rupees they would get through the marriage in order to fund and re-establish their failing business.
Vikram decides that he will fund his Orphanage with his own funds and does not wish to let his mother's money play any role in its building or running. To earn money he decides to sing in stage performances as Sunita used to always ask him to sing with her. On one such performance Sunita aka Kusum and Dr. Mehra come to the show not knowing that Vikram is the artist performing. Kusum hears him singing a song dedicated to love but feels insulted that someone who has forgetting his love would sing a song for love. So she begins to sing against him despite promising herself that she would never sing again. Hearing her voice reminds Vikram of Sunita's voice and he continuously re-listens to her voice's recordings in order to figure out whether it is Sunita's or not.
The next day he arrives at Kusum's house and asks her to sing with him on stage. She refuses. He offers her money to sing with him, again she refuses and angrily tells him to leave the house. Assuring her that he will return in the evening in case she has changed her mind, she leaves. As he had promised he returns in the evening, Dr. Mehra meets hims and asks why he wants Kusum's voice only, but before Vicky could reply the servant comes and tells then that Kusum is not at home. Vikram leaves once again. Dr. Mehra gets angry with Kusum and asks her why she is doing what she is doing. Why would she not confront Vikram and why still is she looking after him through the window. The next day when Kusum leaves the house Vikram is waiting outside in the car for her. He gives her a lift and on the way once again they are faced with a similar situation to accident that had taken away Sunita's identity. She screams and loses consciousness.
A few days later when Vikram goes to see how Kusum is, he find out that Kusum had previously gone through a similar accident as the day when she had fainted. Kusum also asks about an injury on Vikram's forehead, one that he had received during his accident. Vikram tells her about his accident and about how he has forgotten everything. This angers Kusum further as she believes that Vikram has forgotten her and she accidentally spills every detail she knows about the accident itself. Some time later Vikram's mother finds out that he wants to do a show with some girl called Kusum and he won't marry until the is done. Therefore, Sharda goes to Kusum's house and asks her to sing with Vicky and also telling her everything about how she had lied to Vicky about Sunita's death and why Vikram had decided to marry Rita. Kusum is happy to hear that Vicky has not forgotten her and that he still loves her and is making an orphanage in her memory. She is satisfied with this, agrees to sing with Vikram and will not get in the way of Vikram and Rita's wedding.
Dr. Mehra calls Sharda to his hospital and explains to her how he had given Sunita a new face after her disfigurement. He tells her how Sunita is Kusum and Kusum is Sunita and how Kusum is satisfied only by the fact that Vikram stills loves her. Mehra tells Sharda there is still time, she can still reunite the two lovers. Sharda doesn't listen to him. Kusum sings with Vikram and also reminds him of Sunita by doing the dance which both used to do while singing their song Yeh Vaada Raha. All of her things, her dance, her voice, everything reminds Vikram of Sunita and at the end of the performance her he holds her and calls her Sunita at which Kusum runs away.
Back home, she packs her bags and leaves for Kashmir asking her father not to tell Vikram anything. Vikram comes seeking Sunita and confronts Mehra. Mehra tells him to ask his mother for answers. Vicky goes to Sharda and asks her whether Kusum is Sunita. His mother tells Vikram everything about how she lied to him about Sunita being dead because she wanted to protect him and make his future better, etc. Vikram goes to Kashmir to find Sunita and he does right outside her house. When she sees him she runs to the temple where they made their vows. At the temple they repeat their vows again and embrace each other. | romantic | train | wikipedia | null |
tt1719068 | The Grief Tourist | Jim Tahna, a quiet and solitary man, explains in voice-over narration his hatred of society and his employers, though he enjoys his work as security guard, as it allows him long periods of solitude. On his vacation time, he engages in dark tourism, the visitation of murder sites. His current subject is Carl Marznap, a mass murderer and arsonist. He leaves Yonkers, New York, to visit Carl's home in California. His neighbor at the cheap motel in which he stays, Iris, turns out to be a prostitute. Nervous, Jim fumbles in conversation with her, then states in voice-over how much he hates prostitutes. At a local restaurant, he meets Betsy, a friendly waitress. Jim introduces himself to her as Carl and falsely claims that his sister has been diagnosed with cancer. Betsy and Jim draw closer over their difficult lives, and she invites him to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.
On his tour of Marznap's home and crime scenes, Jim becomes increasingly disturbed by hallucinations and vague flashbacks. Eventually, Jim hallucinates Marznap himself, who urges him to teach the world what it feels like to be a victim. Once tortured and gang-raped in juvenile detention, Marznap explains that he sought revenge by burning down a church, as he blamed those people for doing nothing to help him while his father abused him. After the Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, Jim and Betsy bond further, and Betsy invites him to dinner at her house. Betsy offers him marijuana, and he reluctantly accepts. When she tries to kiss him, he becomes agitated and demands that they have sex without any affection. When she asks him to slow down, he berates her and leaves. Marznap encourages him to visit Iris. A trans woman, Iris has anal sex with Jim, and he flashbacks to a childhood gang rape.
Jim and Carl discuss their shared experiences, and Jim expresses his belief that he is broken beyond repair. The next day, at the restaurant, Betsy apologizes to Jim, and he calls her disgusting. She runs away crying, and Jim returns to his motel. Jim breaks into Iris' room, scares off her client, and beats her savagely. After he berates Iris, God, and the kids who raped him, he takes Iris to the church, where he strangles her. Marznap and Jim then discuss what to do next; Marznap counsels him to commit suicide, and Jim slits his own throat. In the epilogue, the police reveal that Jim has killed six trans-women prostitutes on his various dark tourism trips, and a young man visits Jim's house as part of his own dark tourism. Around a hole in the wall in Jim's house, a message reads, "From this void, no one returns!" | violence, murder, flashback | train | wikipedia | Dark Tourist...a must see..
This review was written by Amanda Baverstock, a UK resident who saw the film in London during Fright Fest.
A spot on review!
With her permission, I am posting here."Dark Tourist is a dark slice of cinema.
No doubt about it.
It makes for truly uncomfortable watching but please, do not let that put you off because if it does then you will certainly be missing out on an emotionally cerebral and breathtaking performance from Michael Cudlitz.
Here he portrays a man quietly being torn apart by deep-seated inner demons like no other actor can.Cudlitz is in pretty much every scene, something I hadn't even noticed until a friend pointed it out to me afterwords.
Now that takes some doing!
To own the film so effortlessly that you don't realize just how few actors were actually involved in this project.
Cudlitz's performance is never contrived.
'Dark Tourist' puts to good use his voice in a superbly sentient narrative thread that runs throughout the film.
It draws you in, closer and closer towards to the inner turmoil that is Jim Tahna.Michael has an acting style that utilizes subtle nuance and body movement so naturally it's a joy to watch and both build towards a perfect picture of a tightly wound man who's hurting beyond measure.Whilst Cudlitz is definitely the lynchpin of the film, Melanie Griffiths brings her unique brand of vulnerability to a role so sympathetically portrayed that the whole cinema actually gasped in despair during one pivotal scene.
I won't elaborate.
You'll know which one when you watch!
And Pruitt Taylor Vince always has immense presence and in this film he adds a hugely important layer to the plot."Dark Tourist' is not pleasant viewing in any shape or form.This film will certainly leave you thinking 'What if'.
What if the characters involved simply had someone who listened to them at a time when they needed it most?
It will certainly make you uncomfortable because it reflects the general murky malaise society has towards understanding and treating people with mental health issues and it leaves you questioning what would happen if more people had the help they needed, when they needed it most.So yes.
I thoroughly recommend 'Dark Tourist'.
It's a film for people desperately fed up with formulaic cinema, filmmaking that is afraid to challenge and it flips the bird at writers and producers content in churning out bland cookie cutter films.".
An Insatiable Modern Film Noir.
Grief tourism is an excursion to locations associated with tragedy.
Travelers visit sites associated with death and murder.
Dark Tourist, directed by Suri Krishnamma, exquisitely examines this fascination with pain in a manner that allows the audience to delve into the mind of a man who uses trauma to connect with others.
This film encourages its audience to understand how feelings of loneliness and isolation devour victims who are unable to reach out to people around them.Michael Cudlitz (Southland, Running Scared) plays Jim Tahna, a security guard whose eagerness for grief tourism goes beyond that of mere fascination with death and destruction.
Jim takes a trip to New Orleans, Louisiana to visit sites associated with mass murderer, Carl Marznap, a quietly chilling Pruitt Taylor Vince (Wild at Heart, Constantine).
In between locating the places where Carl grew up and slaughtered innocents, Jim meets Betsy, a heartbreakingly stoic Melanie Griffith (Lolita, Working Girl).Cudlitz has a magnetism about him.
He is able to maintain momentum between lucid expectation and crushing vulnerability with mere gestures, his limping step, and an emotive intelligence behind his eyes.
Cudlitz plays Jim as a man of many layers whose desperate need to fill the unexplainable void within renders him incapable of sincerity.
Jim knows exactly what to say to people and how to say it.Krishnamma's use of sound allows his audience to make the connection between Jim's insatiable need to bond with others while simultaneously preserving his isolation.
The lighting is at times beautiful and accentuates the grotesque themes of the film.
Trauma, sexual desire, brutal deaths, and painful memories are highlighted under Krishnamma's artful direction.The most intimate moments are surprisingly found during the Jim's voice overs, where we watch him go about his day.
Paired with rhythmic, repetitive, and chaotic sounds, Jim is carried through the story methodically.
This adds to the mounting tension that builds throughout the film as the reasons for Jim's fascination with pain are revealed.In Dark Tourist, Krishnamma deals with the notion of an audience's fascination with death and sexuality as a form of entertainment.
It is as if he is prodding the audience to look inward and discover their own reasons for feeling such satisfaction.
The concept of one being a bottomless void, a face, a name, a victim, plays heavily in this orchestrated piece that no provides no simplistic answers to the logic behind a serial killer's motive.
Nothing is black and white.Dark Tourist is a film that calls to mind the thought of what it means to be a victim of a tragic event.
It daringly and disturbingly draws the audience to the social dilemma victims of violent and sexual trauma face amongst peers, which is the fear of communication and the tendency to turn a blind eye.
Cudlitz's portrayal of Jim during scenes where he is psychologically afflicted is masterful.
In one scene Jim and Carl stand outside a prostitute's door.
Jim is silent, still, almost trembling with the effort to hold himself against temptation.
Here is the moment where change is imminent.
Vince's quiet tones and Cudlitz's pregnant pause embodies the issue of trauma buried deeply into the psyche, and the struggle to keep the despair of its existence at bay.Read the rest here - http://bit.ly/18wwPag. Dark Places.
Going to dark places taking literally.
Our main protagonist is not someone that will win a popularity contest.
But that is not the kind of movie you should expect anyway.
This is exactly what it says: Dark!
And the main actor is great depicting the downfalls and the character trades in general.Which also makes this is a very uneasy view.
This won't go down easy with people who can't stomach a few events.
You might see a few things coming, but there are still some surprises that are going even deeper into the tunnel.
Very well shot this was a favorite at the Frightfest in London where it was playing.
Not for everyone, but if you can dig it (you'll know a few minutes in), you'll have a hell of a ride.
Dark , Eerie and Brilliant!.
Dark Tourist took me on a ride I did not expect.
The performances were so real I forgot I watching a movie.
Frank John Hughes has an uncanny ability to present deep insight while structuring a story that allows you in...
Michael Cudlitz in the new Charlie Bronson, a silent, powerful, talent who can think on screen without brooding.
God only know what's in store for this miracle of expression, but I would bet big, big, things!The music by Austin Wintory is so profound, it found ways to creep into my being without drawing attention.
What an underscore!Evocative, Provocative, Sensational!See this move!
It will be an experience you're are not likely to forget!.
not what i was hoping for.
I thought Melanie's character was not needed.
She also delivered a less than 'good' performance.
I don't know if the Director thought he could cash in on her star power or what he was thinking by allowing her to be in this movie.
I felt she sunk the movie faster than it was already sinking on its own.
Her weak attempts at crying forced me to fast forward her parts in the movie altogether.
The movie was on to something great then the writers or directors (maybe both) lost their way.
Showing the other murders and far less of Melanie's character would have been great.
The ambiguity of the prostitute in the next room was great because I wasn't sure if it was a man or a woman with a strap on.
Some confusion on my part did set in when the reporter said that 6 transsexual prostitutes were murdered.
That tells me it was a man.
However, her/his phone conversation with the kid and going to Six Flags told me t was a woman.
Confusing.
HAD potential!.
Brilliant and Unapologetic in Portrayal of the Dark Sides of Humanity.
I was interested in this movie, in the beginning, because I kinda have the hots for the lead actor Michael Kudlitz, and believe he is a brilliant actor.
It just so happens I am also a fan of unapologetic dark movies, without sappy happy endings.
It was just by chance that I got both in this movie.This movie isn't easy to watch.
The characters are "broken" sad, mislead, lonely, tired and violent.Melanie Griffith was superb.
So natural, it didn't even feel like she was "acting" Pruitt Taylor Vince was also on top of his game.
Admittedly these types of movies are not for everyone, but I really appreciate the honesty in them in showing the dark side of humanity.
This movie certainly does that.
I actually forgot I was watching ACTORS.
Brilliantly done on subjects that is generally uncomfortable for most people..
One way to kill some time is to spend some time where some killin' actually happened..
Well I would say that this is a slow hot soak in a long cool movie, except the movie is just over an hour long.
Take the fact that it is shorter than most TV pilots, and forget it.
You get every bit of a full fleshed out well acted, and filmed movie here, there is true darkness out there, and this is just one tiny little snapshot.
A well told story that unfolds slowly enough to keep you on course from the beginning.
Michael Cudlitz is really good in this movie, which is no surprise as he has been acting forever, I actually do remember pretty near every time his face has shown up since Jump Street.
Melanie Griffith plays broken very well these days, you just see her, and feel the pain.
I Enjoyed this movie, at first I thought it was going to be something else, but that is what you are supposed to think.
I would only recommend this movie to horror/psycho killer kind of morbid death tour kind of stuff.
You people that are afraid that one day the Hardy Boys won't be there to stop the mad voodoo witch doctor should most likely steer clear of this here. |
tt0330802 | Raid | Indonesian special tactics officer Rama prays, practices Silat, and bids goodbye to his father and wife, who is pregnant with his child. He cryptically promises his father he'll "bring him home." Rama joins a heavily armed 20-man elite police squad, including officers Bowo and Dagu, Sergeant Jaka, and Lieutenant Wahyu, for a raid on a high-rise apartment block in Jakarta's slums. The team intends to capture crime lord Tama Riyadi, who, along with his two lieutenants Andi and Mad Dog, owns the block letting criminals and junkies around the city rent rooms under his protection. Arriving undetected, the team sweeps the first floors and subdues various criminal tenants; they also temporarily detain an innocent, law-abiding tenant delivering medicine to his sick wife in apartment #726. Continuing undetected to the sixth floor, the team is spotted by a young lookout, who passes on the message to another lookout just before he is shot dead by Lt. Wahyu; the latter youth raises the alarm.
Tama calls reinforcements and the team is brutally attacked. Thugs snipe two officers guarding the perimeter, eliminate two more in the armoured van, and ambush several officers patrolling the first five floors. Cutting the lights, Tama announces over the PA system that the police are trapped on the sixth-floor stairwell, and he will grant free permanent residence to those who kill the intruders. In the darkness, the remaining team members are ambushed by shooters from above, and almost completely wiped out. Prior to the gunfight, Lt. Wahyu confesses to Jaka he staged the mission so he can eliminate Tama, who's in league with corrupt police officials, including himself. The mission is not officially sanctioned by the police command; nobody at HQ knows their location and thus there is no hope for reinforcements.
The remaining officers retreat to an empty apartment as they are cornered by more armed thugs. To create an escape route, Rama uses an axe to cut a hole in the wooden floor so the team can descend to the lower level. Dropping to the room below, the team struggles to fend off Tama's horde of thugs and Officer Bowo is critically injured in the process. In a last-ditch effort to defend his team, Rama uses a stove propane tank to construct an improvised explosive device that successfully eliminates the invading henchmen, giving the officers a small window of time. Out of ammunition, and with more of Tama's reinforcements approaching, the team splits into two groups: Jaka, Dagu and Lt. Wahyu retreat to the fifth floor, while Rama and a critically injured Bowo ascend back above in search of the law-abiding tenant they encountered earlier.
Fighting through a handful of goons on their way to apartment #726, Rama and Bowo plead with the tenant for help; despite his sick wife's protest, Gofar reluctantly hides the officers in his apartment. Four machete-wielding thugs arrive and ransack the man's apartment. The leader, noticing a refurbished wall, begins stabbing it but fail to find Rama and Bowo. After tending to Bowo's wounds, Rama leaves him with the couple while he searches for Jaka's group. On the eight floor, he crosses paths with the machete gang but manages to defeat the group, including their leader, whom he uses to smash through a window and cushion a three story plummet onto a fire escape below. Exhausted, he makes his way to the sixth floor before being unexpectedly grabbed by Andi, who had just murdered two of Tama's men in the elevator. Andi is revealed to be his estranged brother, and Rama signed up for the mission to search for him at the urging of their father. Rama refuses to leave the building without his comrades, and Andi refuses to abandon his auspicious criminal life, "Just because you see what I do as wrong doesn't mean I can't be good at it." Rama reluctantly accepts and parts to search for his surviving team members.
Meanwhile, Mad Dog and a squad of his thugs discover where Jaka and his group are hiding. A brief scuffle ensues which ends up splitting the team even further; the thugs pursue Lt. Wahyu and Dagu, while Jaka is left at Mad Dog's gunpoint. Instead of shooting him, Mad Dog challenges Jaka to a hand-to-hand fight which he ultimately wins and proceeds to snap Jaka's neck, killing him. Mad Dog meets up with Andi to report back to Tama in the surveillance room. Tama, having learned of Andi's treachery, incapacitates Andi and hands him over to Mad Dog for torture and execution. Rama regroups with Dagu and Lt. Wahyu, who go on to fight through a narcotics lab, as they head for Tama on the 15th floor. Along the way, Rama discovers the room where Mad Dog is torturing Andi, causing him to separate from Dagu and Wahyu. Mad Dog lets Rama free Andi, and fights both brothers. Mad Dog initially has the upper hand, but the brothers prove to be a match when working together. Following an intense and grueling battle, Rama kills Mad Dog with Andi's help.
Meanwhile, Lt. Wahyu and Dagu confront Tama after killing off his remaining henchman. However, Lt. Wahyu ends up betraying Dagu by shooting him dead before taking Tama hostage, intending to use him as a shield to escape. When the duo encounter Rama and Andi as they're leaving the building, Tama taunts Lt. Wahyu by revealing that he had already been waiting for them before the raid began and Lt. Wahyu was set-up by his corrupt higher-ups; indicating that he will be killed regardless of escaping. In despair, Lt. Wahyu kills Tama and attempts suicide, only to find he has no ammunition left.
Andi uses his influence over the tenants to allow Rama to leave with the injured Bowo and a detained Lt. Wahyu. The tenant who protected Bowo watches from a window grinning with relief. Andi also hands over numerous blackmail recordings Tama made of corrupt officials taking bribes, hoping Rama can use them to his benefit. Rama asks Andi to come home, but Andi refuses due to his acclimation to his criminal lifestyle. Andi asserts he can protect Rama in his role as a gang lord, but that Rama can't do the same for him. As he turns around and walks back to the apartment block with a grin, Rama, along with Lt. Wahyu and an injured Bowo, exits to an uncertain future. | violence, murder | train | wikipedia | Finland's own action hero.
Raid (the superb Kai Lehtinen) returns to Finland to find his ex-girlfriend Tarja (Mari Rantasila) only to hear that she has been killed in an arson made on the public voice press headquarters.
Grieving, Raid begins his own investigation of what happened.
Meanwhile Captain Jansson (Oiva Lohtander)of the Finnish police is investigating the murder of a protester during the world bank meeting held in Helsinki.
Soon he realizes that all clues might be pointing into the wrong direction and with his friends, officers Huusko (Pekka Huotari) and Susisaari (Kirsti Väänänen) begin to take a closer look into the investigation.
In the background spins a conspiracy and a strange charecter known as the legioner, but what do all these have to do with the same magazine as the one that Tarja worked for?While Finland hasn't had a chance to boast with great movies until now with "The Man Without A Past" there still have been numerous great movies that have been made here.
Considering that money is limited for movies, most have been small budget comedies and drama movies, but finally Finland can say that they have their own action hero.
Kai Lehtinen is superb as the quiet Raid and Oiva Lohtander does a fabulous role as the sarcastic Jansson.
While the movie has moments of slight clichés such as the Legioner, the whole movie fixes them and allows the movie really to shine.
An excellent action movie with a decent plot that allows the audience really to connect with the characters, these are real people not super heroes.4.5/5.
More powerful, but less believable than the miniseries.
In June of 2005, the Finnish embassy and the MHz channel arranged a special showing of the RAID sequel at the AFI Silver, just outside Washington DC.
We stood in line surrounded by enthusiastic Finnish-Americans.
Kai Lehtinen and Tapio Piirainen had flown in, signed autographs and posed for snapshots with fans.The film delivered most of our favorite characters in another involved political conspiracy with economic consequences.
Running gags from the series were continued in the film.
It was hard to judge if the film was funnier than the series, or if the enthusiastic crowd made it seem more humorous.
The events in the series were fictional, but believable.
Raid was still the talented and instinctive hero, and Uki, Tarja, Jansson and Sundman were still very believable characters; the actions they took were plausible enough to suspend disbelief.
Sundman's relationship with a plump model was intriguing.This film was more action-packed, but it was more difficult to believe that the climactic events could have occurred without serious repercussions for Raid and his cohort.
And the film's villain wasn't as memorable as Hammar.After the showing, Lehtinen laughed a lot while he and Piirainen fielded questions from the stage.
Kai seemed very surprised and flattered to be a hit in America, but was grounded enough to brush off any talk of leaving Finland to pursue a Hollywood career..
Todays Helsinki with strong cyberpunk feeling..
Raid was very popular tv-serie in Finland couple of years ago.
It was a good story of dirty political deals including many human casualties.
There were two kind of main characters.
Polices and villains.
Police leading characters investigate a case that was too hot to handle.
Even they own superiors constantly try to brake the investigations and many finish leading politics were involved.
At the same time professional hitman called Raid try to investigate the same thing for his own reasons.
These both sides had very different working ways, but they had a mutual goal, so policemen try to look in a different way as much as they can when Raid handle a situation his way.Movie Raid is a sequel to this tv-serie.
Like tv-serie it is very comical and it has superior dialogs and absolutely not any boring characters.Film is very good and surely worth of watching.
There was a certain feeling that too many original tv-serie characters was put in the movie just because they are fun comical sidekicks, but that is the most common problem of all sequels..
Wish There Would Have Been More.
I had loved the 2000 series and didn't even know that this sequel existed until reading the blurb on the brand new 1st English translation of a Raid novel Raid and the Blackest of Sheep.
(Thank you, Ice Cold Crime!!!!!) I immediately launched on an internet search and managed to get a copy.
I found it simply wonderful - all the more so after having read the cited novel.Unlike my fellow reviewer above, I really appreciated the inclusion of so many characters from the series (Sunderman, the Cowboy, et al.) OK.
The Cowboy was there as a reference point only, but the series was so good that I appreciated every link between the two.
The plot is complex and, yes, at times a little implausible, but it is also not to be taken entirely seriously.
There is much of what I have come to learn from having watched all of Aki Kaurismaki's oeuvre is Suomi humor.The acting was great.
The characters stayed in character.
The music, which echoed that of the series, was great.
There are many scenes where the countryside of Finland looks much more beautiful than it did in the series - almost to the extent that I wonder if people had kvetched about the series giving the country a bad name.I will be watching my DVDs of both the series and this film many times over the coming years and if you get them on DVD so will you..
Robbers and Cops fight the system.
The plot of Raid continues the one of the earlier TV-series: the system (politicians and corporate world) is corrupted, and the "little people" have to find alternative ways to deal with the situation.The movie is strangely professionally done for a Finnish one.
All the characters have appropriate actors, who are able to add some depth into their performance from the TV-series.
However, as a stand-alone movie this could be a little hard to follow specially in the beginning, since the "sequel-feeling" is quite strong..
Finnish crime movie- works OK.
Raid is back in town.He finds out his girlfriend Tarja is dead.Acting work in this movie is great.Kai Lehtinen is our leading man, who doesn't talk a lot but acts much more.Oiva Lohtander as Jansson is brilliant.Juha Muje makes his drunken Sundman a tragicomic character.Mari Rantasila plays Tarja.Then there are some Finnish movie veterans.Helge Herala plays Emperor-Tarja's father, and even on the hospital bed he does a great job.Sakari Jurkka is Jansson's father, and the same thing goes with him as with Herala.It has a couple nice action scenes, but that's all.Overall, an OK movie, but nothing groundbreaking..
Excellent, humorous film.
I really enjoyed watching this movie, though finnish film production seldom makes me enjoy its fruits.
Last days I have been surprised by some great pieces of finnish film industry, this is definitely one of them.
Great acting, especially Oiva Lohtander's role as inspector Jansson made me laugh.
I really recommend this to every film freak on earth.
Worth seeing!.
(minor spoiler)Funny actionmovie in the line of "Last Action Hero".
This movie has a nice sense of humour.
The hero, Raid, is a renegade adventurer who is surrounded by all kinds of funny sidekicks.
Like "Last Action Hero" it exaggerates the macho of the hero, to the point where you can´t help but to laugh.
Also the villains are pure evil and totally depraved of feelings.
But unlike "LAH", the hero doesn´t try or even want to get in touch with his softer side.
The intrigue of the movie is that an political activist gets killed by the police during a demonstration.
The story then spins about Raid all the way up to an international money laundry operation which includes a surprising actor... |
tt0120828 | Six Days Seven Nights | Robin Monroe (Anne Heche) is a New York journalist who works for Dazzle, a fashion magazine. She is invited by her boyfriend Frank (David Schwimmer) to spend a week holidaying with him on the island paradise of Makatea, in the South Pacific. The final leg of their journey to Makatea is in a dilapidated de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver, piloted by middle-aged American Quinn Harris (Harrison Ford). They are accompanied by Quinn's girlfriend and co-pilot Angelica (Jacqueline Obradors). On their first night on the island, Frank proposes to Robin, who happily accepts. At a bar, a drunken Quinn makes a move on Robin, which she rejects as Frank appears.
The next morning Robin is called away by her boss to Tahiti to supervise a fashion event. She hires Quinn to fly her there, but a thunderstorm forces them to crash-land on a deserted island. Initially believing they are on an island with a peninsula to the north, they climb a mountain to disable a beacon Quinn believes to be there, but discover they are in fact on a different island with no beacon.
In Makatea, Frank is told that Robin and Quinn are missing. He and Angelica board a helicopter to search for them but with no success, thus leading Frank to believe that his fiancee is dead. One night, Frank gets drunk and sleeps with Angelica after she seduces him.
After seeing a boat, Robin and Quinn try to reach it but discover that the boat is taken by pirates (played by a New Zealand Maori, a Samoan and two East Asian actors), who discover them and capture them. Quinn manages to distract the pirates and the two narrowly escape by jumping into the ocean from a cliff. In the jungle, they discover an abandoned World War II Japanese plane, where they camp for the night. Salvaging parts from it, they succeed in getting Quinn's plane airworthy again and manage to take off from the island, avoiding the pirates again, who accidentally destroy their own boat. Quinn is injured but Robin manages to land in Makatea, where their funerals are held. Frank is very happy to see Robin alive, but is disgusted at himself for sleeping with Angelica and not being able to tell Robin about it. Robin goes to the hospital where Quinn is recovering and tells him her feelings for him, but he rejects her.
After their vacation ends, Robin decides to fly back New York with Frank, but at Tahiti, she reveals to Frank that she doesn't want to get married. Frank finally tells her he slept with Angelica and she tells him about her feelings for Quinn. They decide they are not in love and she gives him back the engagement ring.
Quinn has a change of heart and rushes to the airport, but is too late to stop the plane. He then encounters Robin getting off an airplane, having stopped the flight. He walks up to her and they embrace and kiss each other. | comedy, boring, murder, romantic | train | wikipedia | It's a very, very good romantic comedy with a funny script, witty direction, great tropical locales, and an eclectic but engaging supporting cast..
The grand old DeHavilland Beaver upstages everyone and so if you like airplanes, you will like this one.Harrison Ford + Airplanes = Great Movie every time..
One scene moves to the next in a seamless manner often foreshadowed by a soundtrack that is very good and quite catchy.The film was well cast with Harrison Ford as the crusty cargo pilot - Ann Heche as the assistant editor of a fashion magazine - David Swimmer as her pasty but very nice fiancé and Jacqueline Obradors as the beautiful but dingbat club dancer.
The character development of the cast moves forward with the same speed as the rest of this cute story.While the film is certainly not for everyone, judging from IMDb ratings and rotten tomatoes, I really believe it was the message and not the movie that failed to impress.
This may explain why some seem to love the movie, while others have curiously rated it rather poorly.In any case, if you need a quick escape and love flying to beautiful Polynesian Islands loaded with beautiful scenery and good-looking people, then his film may be your ticket!.
This movie is one of my favorites, because if i'm having a bad day...they (Heche and Harrison) are having a much worse one and manage to pick up my mood with the delivery of lines that make me laugh, so, yeah the humor.
Slowly Robin and Quinn start falling for each other.Directed by Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters 1 & 2, Junior, Twins) made this amusing, nicely filmed romantic/comedy/adventure with fun performances by Ford and Heche.
This situation is told in a comedy tone By telling Harrison Ford and Anne Heche's adventures, Ivan Reitman must have been influenced by Francis Veber' method.
Harrison Ford and Anne Heche work great together!
I enjoyed watching Harrison Ford in this movie, he's a great actor, as well as Anne..
This romantic comedy and adventure story had a bunch of good and bad things going for or against it., but overall was an enjoying story that was a pleasant diversion.
I don't know if I'd own it, but it's worth watching once or twice.THE GOOD - Some tremendous South Seas island scenery; a good mix of comedy and adventure with attractive leads in Anne Heshe and Harrison Ford; and fast-moving story meaning good entertainment.THE BAD - Poor messages about fidelity and marriages; an annoying, whining character played by David Schwimmer; too heavy - for family viewing - on the profanity and cleavage..
I did however want to see him end up happy (in fact, I wanted him to end up with Angelica), but they didn't follow through with his character, so we really don't know what happened to him.It may sound like I didn't like the movie, but on the contrary, I liked it a great deal, I just don't think I got out of the film what the director/writers wanted me to get out of it.
Temuera Morrison (who would later go on to become Jango Fett in Star Wars Attack of the Clones...and Harrison Ford played Han Solo in the original trilogy...kind of interesting) does a fine job in his role.
Allison Janney kind of bugs me as an actress on the whole, but her role is minimal and has very little screen time, so I can deal.All in all, this is a fun movie, with a lot of cool stuff in it, but nothing spectacular.
Ford and Heche are stranded on remote Pacific island and face various dangers while Schwimmer and Obradors party and fret.
Mr. Ford has always had a comedic gift for parody - Han Solo, Indiana Jones and now "Queenie." The only flaw in this perfectly casted film is, of course, David Schwimmer.
There is nothing earthshaking in the script but its not bad either and Ford's low key comedic abilities save the day with Heche pulling off the perfect NYC pushy ad exec persona with David Schwimmer's whining, nasal "Friends" character in the background.
Very good lite comedy that has great cinematography and great lead actors who perform very well.Hache proved she is a new top notch star to look out for.It was nice to see Ford do a comedy/romance movie since he needs more of movies in this genre if he wants to remain in contention for one of the best all-around leading men of all time.Schwimmer might want to take more diversified movie roles in the future because he is pushing his ROSS act too much.I know he has more talent to offer.The weakness here is the average screenplay/script,but still the movie should be enjoyed by most light romance/adventure/comedy fans who are not too conservative.......
The script/timing/acting in this movie is excellent, and is a great joy to watch.
While the plot held no surprises, (once you understand the premise of the film, you know right where it is going, but, in the case of this movie, it was fun to find out how they get there), it was interesting.
Unfortunately, he and Obradors seem to be limited to supporting , rather than starring, roles.So, if you are looking for a light, funny way to spend an evening, watch this movie..
The concept of "6Days/7Nights" - a NY advertising executive and an older south seas "bush pilot" hate each other, get stranded on an unhabited island, encounter bad guys, have to cooperate to get off the island, then somehow throw off all constraints to fall in love and start new lives together - is simple but not unlike the many Cary Grant movies.
With the right actors and direction this could have been a nice romantic comedy.HOWEVER -- Ann Heche, with her nasal delivery of lines, her combatant attitude, just doesn't come off as a love interest of anyone, much less Harrison Ford.
Plus, Ford is not up to his usual quality, probably because he too knew it was going to be a bad movie.The movie starts as an obvious romantic comedy.
One of the more entertaining comedy movies for the husband-and-wife crowd, SIX DAYS, SEVEN NIGHTS offers the peculiar feeling of a vacation getaway that runs amuck.
Harrison Ford, a guy we know from many action thrillers this day, is far from being offbeat, and Anne Heche proves to be very reasonable.
The romance between Quinn (Harrison Ford) and Robin (Anne Heche) on the island doesn't seem to have any basis whatsoever and it just appears out of nowhere.
The other romance between Frank (David Schwimmer) and Angelica (Jacqueline Obradors) is so poorly acted, it's like something out of an 80's B movie.The only good thing I can say about this movie is that the scenery was good.
Ford and Heche show real chemistry and they also show good comedic ability in their roles.
Overall this movie has a lot going for it, I guess you would call it a romantic comedy but it's got good action, good humor, Danny Trejo as a no lines saying pirate (not one line, really people?
Anne Heche and Harrison Ford's chemistry works really good and their characters are very likeable.
There was bodily injury, but nogratuitous violence.The plot was based on questionable morals, but the ending handled thosestrayings very well.This is not a "chick flick," though Harrison Ford admirers willdefinitely enjoy some of the island views of him.
It was a delight to Harrison Ford playing in an actually entertaining film after the Devil's Own and Air Force one.
Harrison Ford was great as the pilot who almost took Robin (Anne Heche) to Tahiti, but a storm caused them to be stranded on a deserted island.
The plot is nothing above the standard action-adventure plot but the acting does help move this movie above average.From time to time Harrison Ford, who plays Quinn, has to remind us that he is a great actor, not just an action-adventure star.
Anne Heche, who plays Robin, turns in what has to be the best acting ever in film.
His acting is really not that much different than his character on the TV show "Friends".Angelica, played by Jacqueline Obradors is a treat as the oversexed dancer who thinks everyone has sex after a funeral (that was the best line in my view).As I said the plot was pretty much by the numbers which is a shame because with it being Directed by Ivan Reitman I thought there might be some extremely goofy moments he has been known for in other films.
The movies exotic locations and solid performance from Harrison Ford carried the film.
Not bad romantic comedy makes good use of the opposites attract scenario with funny lines, a pleasant feel, two charming leads, and some impressive scenery, but it's far too predictable to succeed overall.
Harrison Ford plays a dashing and aging pilot who swoops Anne Heche off her feet on an island in Hawaii.
Harrison Ford plays a dashing and aging pilot who swoops Anne Heche off her feet on an island in Hawaii.
Harrison Ford plays a dashing and aging pilot who swoops Anne Heche off her feet on an island in Hawaii.
The idea for the plot of "Six Days Seven Nights" was a good one, if not original, about people being stranded on an island.
Harrison Ford and Anne Heche seem to reflect the lack of anything of substance in the film, let alone any chemistry for romance.
With all that Quinn Harris (Ford) and Robin Monroe (Heche) face in this film, couldn't the writers and director have squeezed in a couple more oddities?
As others have noted, Harrison Ford, like most actors, had poor roles in films that were turkeys.
I honestly do not understand why so many hate on this movie so much; it's funny, has a decent amount of action, the right amount of sexiness, and the chemistry between Harrison Ford and Anne Heche is AMAZING!
I will admit, David Schwimmer was my least favorite part of the whole thing; it was like watching Ross from FRIENDS in a feature film.
Harrison Ford and Anne Heche as castaways on a paradisal island.
Released in 1998, "Six Days Seven Nights" is a lost-on-a-deserted-island adventure/romance starring Harrison Ford as a small-plane pilot who is stranded on a remote Pacific island with a New York magazine editor (Anne Heche) after his plane crashes during a storm.
Anne Heche and David Schwimmer play the couple on vacation as Robin and Frank.
Ivan Reitman directed this romantic comedy-adventure that stars Harrison Ford as Quinn Harris, a boozing and grumpy pilot hired by beautiful New York executive Robin Monroe(played by Anne Heche) to fly her to Tahiti for business reasons, but unfortunately are forced down on a seemingly deserted island by a storm.
How society slid down hill since then in such a short time is just amazing.The movie has irony, comedy, and lot of beautiful scenery, and is worth while watching especially for the beautiful scenery of the Society Islands (Ending shots taken at Kauai)..
I liked this movie very much - Harrison Ford proved to be as adept at comedy as in his many more dramatic roles - and Ann Heche is always a pleasure to watch for me.
The remainder of the cast were all excellent, and the locales interesting.You can pretty much tell where the story is going and how it will end - from very early in the picture, but that doesn't lessen its enjoyment.Just a good all-round piece of pleasant entertainment.However, the title still "bugs" me a bit every time I look at it.
In one of Harrison Ford's real low points, he plays a gruff pilot who gets stranded on an uncharted island with stuffy reporter Anne Heche.
It's got to be one of the most predictable movies ever.Overall, the movie brings up two questions: why can't Harrison Ford just stick with what he's good at, and why was Anne Heche getting so many roles in the late '90s?
If only...This movie is an extremely pleasant experience, with it's competent photography work, good acting, a little bit of everything, as in romance, humor, hints of sex, adventure, bad guys, city life vs life in an island, you name it (and under certain limitations), you got it.
David Schwimmer plays his usual stupid, unlikable character, and it's definitely not Ford's best performance.
Now before you all start emailing me as usual, I like Harrison Ford, romantic comedies (this was neither), fantasy feel-good yarns but this my friends, made me feel real bad!I have to admit the flick offered a barely credible premise to start with - that ANYONE could get a case of the hots for Anne Heche, last woman on earth or what!
Just wanted to make sure you got my point...I like the leads: Harrison Ford is excellent as the older ex-pat male (Quinn Harris) who has his little slice of ex-pat heaven turned on its ear by the arrival of New York careerist-yuppiette Anne Heche (Robin Monroe) - who is surprisingly appealing, notwithstanding the fact that Robin clearly displays all those negative qualities that Quinn so glibly enumerates.
I find that Harrison Ford and Anne Heche both possess very enigmatic and alluring facial qualities, and as such I like many of the scenes where their facial expressions and body language convey as much emotive force as their dialogue, if not more.
Harrison Ford and Anne Heche are convincing and funny as crabby airline pilot Quinn Harris and jet-setting fashion magazine editor Robin Monroe, contending with being lost on a Pacific island, and battling with some modern-day pirates.
The only way off the island, is the same way they got on, by flying in a small prop plane piloted by (Quinn) Harrison Ford.
The holiday becomes a nightmare when she has to return to the mainland for a photo shoot and her plane crashes on a remote island leaving her stranded with pilot Quinn Harris (Harrison Ford).From there on, the two battle to survive not only each other but a band of pirates led by Temura Morrison (Once Were Warriors, Speed 2).
Robin and Quinn's love / hate relationship soon blossoms into a lot more over their time in this remote paradise.This is such a great film that is not only entertaining but also genuinely funny as well.
Among the funniest scene's is when the plane is crashing, we see Heche take a large amount of Zanex to help her relax as well as a some great one liners from Harrison Ford.
The two leads are both great in their roles despite the fact that Harrison Ford looked a little old for Heche.
There is also some superb photography as well as a great score from Randy Elderman (Toy Story).'Six Days Seven Nights' is a nice piece of light entertainment for those who enjoy something with a bit of everything like action, adventure, comedy and romance.
The question was not so much how good the film was, but would the public accept a lesbian playing a romantic interest of Harrison Ford's.
So Harrison Ford drops Jaqueline Obradors for Anne Heche?
Ivan Reitman's Six Days, Seven Nights has Anne Heche as a career woman who goes ion a tropical vacation with her boyfriend, but then a problem sidetracks her to go to another island.
Ford gets a pretty good change of pace here by going to the comedy timing and there is good comic direction by veteran Reitman, but Heche brings the film down with her annoying performance.
Harrison Ford always makes a movie worth viewing.
The 2 people hate each other - but they will just have to get along because soon their lovely 'vacation' is turning into mayhem!Six Days Seven Nights isn't exactly a film I would add to my top 250 - but it is definitely worth a look.My rating : 7 and a half/10..
'Six Days, Seven Nights' starts out very promising, and by the time the movie is half done, it looks like Touchstone has created the best comedy in years.
Harrison Ford and Anne Heche, despite the twenty three year age difference, have great chemistry and inject a lot of life into their characters- and the movie.
There would be no need for the stupidity of the whole "pirates" idea.I'd never seen Anne Heche before, and I think this movie was a bad introduction for her.
"Six Days Seven Nights" is an enjoyable movie nothing great but for 2 hours it is entertainment.
This film has bits of action and comedy and even romance, I recommend this movie..
I watched this on video last night mainly because I'm a fan of most Harrison Ford movies.
I have never much liked the usual Hollywood feel-good romantic/comedy/action movies.
Harrison Ford (who should have known better) and Anne Heche are flying from (a) to (b) and crash.
All the scenes with Harrison Ford and Anne Heche are well acted, exciting, and sexy.
Instead of a miracle appearing out of nowhere in the middle of the film, you actually see them building and working as you would have to if you were stranded on an island.From the moment Ford and Heche meet you feel the connection they have to each other.
When it gets towards the end of the movie they obviously start falling for each other (just like every other typical romantic comedy), but this one I enjoyed imparticularly.
I only hope that I can see Ford and Heche appear in another movie together sometime soon..
I also like Harrison Ford, and think this was a good role for him.
The chemistry between Harrison Ford and Anne Heche is good, and the film is overall very entertaining.
Most of the movie's modest pleasures are derived from watching Harrison Ford reprise his Star Wars character in a tropical setting.
If this premise (couple trapped on desert island) actually happened, could a twenty-something Anne Heche develope a relationship with a 60-something Harrison Ford? |
tt0297120 | Firestarter 2: Rekindled | Vincent Sforza (Danny Nucci) works for a large, influential research firm, and he has been put in charge of locating several people who were part of an old experiment from the 1970s—an experiment in which a group of college students were given a dose of a chemical called LOT-6. Apparently, the victims of the experiment have won a class action lawsuit and need to be found so that a check can be issued. Included on the list is Charlene "Charlie" McGee (Marguerite Moreau), the offspring of two of the participants in the experiment.
When Charlie was a kid, Charlie's mother Vicky (Karrie Combs) was murdered by men who worked for the now-defunct Shop, the government department that wanted to harness her pyrokinesis as a military weapon. Charlie's father Andy (Aaron Radl) was killed by John Rainbird, a professional killer who had been hired by the shop. Ever since then, Charlie has been in hiding to protect herself. Under an assumed name, she now has a job at a university library, where she secretly does research to find a way to suppress her pyrokinetic abilities.
When Vincent finally locates Charlie, he unintentionally sets into motion a series of events with deadly consequences. It turns out that there really isn't a class action lawsuit settlement. John Rainbird (Malcolm McDowell), who was thought to have been burned to death by Charlie, is still alive, scarred from the burns—and he's looking for Charlie, because he's still obsessed with her. Rainbird has been using the lie about a class action lawsuit to lure the original LOT-6 experiment's victims out of hiding so these victims can be killed one by one in order to keep things quiet.
Charlie gets help from James Richardson (Dennis Hopper), one of the victims of the LOT-6 experiment. The experiment has given James the ability to tell the future. When Vincent discovers that he's been duped into luring Charlie back to Rainbird, Vincent also decides to help Charlie.
John's been working on perfecting the LOT experiments, and has created 6 young boys with rather unusual abilities. One has the power of suggestion, another can sense truth and deception, two can move things with their mind, one has the destructive voice from hell, and the most dangerous one of them all is an energy sink, someone who can suck the life and energy out of anyone or anything.
Rainbird is using these children to rob a bank as a test of warfare in the new decade. With Vince and James on her side, Charlie must decide whether to keep running, or fight Rainbird to the end. Charlie chooses to fight to the end, and after Rainbird kills Vincent, Charlie kills Rainbird—right in front of his experimental boys—by taking him into a fiery embrace, and literally turning him into a pile of ashes. Then Charlie ends up in a one-on-one battle against the energy sink.
Charlie uses her powers to destroy the energy sink, and the other experimental boys realize that Charlie was telling them the truth when she said that they become a little less human every time they use their abilities. Charlie, finally having no need to be in hiding, later boards a bus to Canada. | paranormal, revenge, murder, flashback | train | wikipedia | That is the only thing that i kept asking myself through out the long duration of this horrible thing.I must admit that i have never read the book, but i am a fan of the original film.
Firestarter 1 was good, it stuck with the book's plot, it changed a few minor details and cut a few scenes as expected but much of the actual dialogue was just as the book word-for-word....
however when I put Firestarter 2 in the DVD player, I was cringing at every detail, the information isnt accurate, it's made a complete mess of the original movie, the flashbacks to "what happened" were totally different, everything from the way her mother was killed to what happened at the Manders Farm.If you've never read the book or seen the first movie, you'll probably like it, but once you've read the book and gotten attached to the characters, you'll find this movie a huge disappointment..
The Sci Fi Channel almost had a hit with "Firestarter: Rekindled."Almost.For those who read the Stephen King novel or has seen the 1984 movie version of the novel with Drew Barrymore, stop right where you are.
They recreate Charlie's early story rather than use the footage from the original to keep the story in balance, also changing her parent's fate.If you could get over these problems, then you could really enjoy the film on a decent level.
They don't know the real story behind Rainbird, that they could possibly end up in the same situation as Charlie..
Originally airing as a Sci-Fi Channel original movie/mini-series, "Firestarter 2: Rekindled" is the only sequel to "Firestarter," a little horror movie from 1984 that was based on a Stephen King novel and starred a very young Drew Barrymore as the title character.
To say it takes liberties with its source material would be an understatement.Since this is 2002, and Drew Barrymore has better things to do, the role of Charlie McGee has been re-casted with Marguerite Moreau, who will certainly ring a bell to fans of "The Mighty Ducks." Malcolm McDowell of "A Clockwork Orange" fame steps into the shoes of George C.
Scott and looks even less Native American as John Rainbird, the manipulative megalomaniacal psychopath who exploited Charlie in the past and who, like Sam Loomis in "Halloween," can't shake his past obsessions, no matter what cost it comes at.
It's the job of Vincent Sforza (Danny Nucci) to track these people down so they can receive the rewards of a class action lawsuit (a.k.a. a brutal and swift cover-up death) and once he realizes something is awry, helps Charlie once again escape the clutches of Rainbird and his cronies, as well as fending off a group of genetically engineered "Super-Kids," who serve merely as plot devices and filler.
Also, there's Dennis Hopper as a tortured psychic who was obviously only written into the script so that his name could appear in the credits, possibly lending credibility to this sequel.All these little sub-plots do well enough to pad out the length of the "film," but for the most part, it follows the same "fox on the run" formula of the first.
The flashbacks were unnecessary because not only did they not add to the narrative at hand, but also because anyone watching a TV-movie/sequel should have at least seen the first movie or read the book.
Truth be told, if they had billed the movie simply as "Firestarter: Rekindled," dropping the "2," the results would have been less offensive and it would be suitable as more of a remake than it is a sequel.
But the flashbacks don't always line up with the story told in the first film (at least, what I remember of the first FireStarter film).Next, despite being 4 hours long, you never seem to get close to the characters.
as good as the other actors are in this film, Hopper makes the best of the screen time he's given.
Firestarter II is about the adventures of psychic Charlie McGee (Marguerite Moreau, Drew Barrymore's character from the first film) who is pitted against the evil John Rainbird (Malcolm McDowell) and his band of evil psychic children.
Also, the writing of pretty much any scene in the movie with Dennis Hopper is a horrifically bad attempt to back-fill plot holes.
The only really memorable performances are Vincent's (Danny Nucci) limping around acting clueless and Malcolm McDowell's shambling around scowling at things.The ending of the miniseries seems almost solely purposed to leave this WAY open for any sort of sequel(s).
I really liked the whole thing, and was pleasantly surprised - I was half-expecting a sloppy horror movie without much of a plot.
Who knows, perhaps this is all more faithful to the actual Stephen King novel but just don't call your movie "Firestarter 2: Rekindled" when you are taking a totally different approach with the story and completely ignore the stuff from the earlier 1984 movie."Firestarter" had a pretty much closed ending.
But if you have seen the first movie you know that it's pretty much a solid fact that there is no way the character could still be alive, or at least could definitely not look as 'well' as Malcolm McDowell did.
Couldn't they simply come up with a fresh new villain?But this is the foremost problem with this movie; it's a sequel without any imagination or good ideas.
Plenty of awesome ingredients and potential to play around with you would imaging but strangely enough the only thing they could come up with was letting the main character accidentally put stuff on fire every time she was getting too excited during sex.
An excellent subject for a science-fiction/thriller, you guys!They really didn't come up with anything good or exciting, which is really the most disappointing thing about this movie and its story.
Even though the movie is about 3 hours long (it can also be aired as a mini-series) nothing is really ever explained well enough, which also makes this movie a real unsatisfying one by the end, as well as just a pointless sequel and movie in general.Also really don't understand why Dennis Hopper showed up in this.
It also would had been nice if they actually cast someone who somewhat looked like Drew Barrymore, who played the main lead in the movie but instead they casted brunette Marguerite Moreau.
The acting in this movie was not all that bad though, which probably prevented it from ever becoming a truly bad and ridicules one.No, I really don't want to sound like I completely hated it.
You probably have seen way worse than this movie but a better story should had really made this movie at least somewhat remotely exciting and original to watch.You're really way better off watching just and only the first movie, which wasn't even that great of a movie in the first place either.5/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/.
Pretty much read and seen all of his movies/books.Anyway, I'd like to see this become a regular series.
I am not saying Firestarter II is a bad movie, but I think the premise was poorly thought out.
When I found this movie I thought it was a sequel to "Firestarter", 1984, a movie that adapted a Stephen King story.
I was expecting a better cast too, like the original cast from the first movie.
Marguerite Moreau takes over the role of "Charlie" McGee from Drew Barrymore, playing the now grown woman who is still on the run from sinister government forces determined to use her mental fire making abilities for their own ends, especially John Rainbird(now played by Malcolm McDowall) who has continued his experiments with a group of boys, whom he plans on using to take over the world...Strange sequel foolishly tries rewriting the climatic events of the first, in order to explain how Rainbird is still alive, despite his apparent demise there.
Story goes on far too long, and isn't at all interesting; Though both Moreau and McDowall try their best, this misconceived sequel falls totally flat..
I can understand not wanting to hurt someone if you don't have to, but I think that if I feared for my life, I would defend myself first and grapple with the emotional consequences later.-How do they expect anyone who saw the movie Firestarter to believe that Rainbird survived?
The reason that Charlie had to die according to John was that she held a power that had to be taken to the other side with him when he killed her.Secondly there was the issue of the fact that EVERYONE who has seen the original movie will tell you that John Rainbird only had one eye.
We know this because from the book and from the narrative in the movie there is a mention that he was in Vietnam and a claymore took half of his face.Thirdly, the reason that Charlie was being sought after was because she was the product of the marriage of 2 Lot Six participants.
It surprised me to find out that I thought this movie was better than the first Firestarter.
Who ever wrote that script should be shot compared to the original it was killed off and I feel sorry, other wise I was getting ready to see a very good movie but what I got was trash..
Meh. This movie was indeed interested and well done, but as far as a sequel to the original movie in 1984, it was pitiful.Acting was great, but the storyline didn't even come close to the idea Stephen King gave to the movie world.Everything was different.
People who have read the book and seen the first movie with Drew Barrymore as Charlie will probably agree with me.I still say it's a good movie, just not a decent sequel.I say watch it, but don't go into it expecting it to be a sequel.
If you have that approach in mind, you may enjoy it.Oh, and in response to a comment I read at some point about this movie.Firestarters or Pyrokinetics (if one does research) are known to unintentionally turn things into cripsy critters when they get excited or upset.
If you loved the Stephen King book, and the first movie, don't look at this as it's sequel.
not only did they make charlie as a grown up totaly not believable, but all of the flashbacks aren't even close to what actually happened in the original firestarter.
FIRESTARTER II is probably the best TV movie sequel I have ever seen.
In all, the film is just a lot of fun, especially with the addition of sexual tension between Charlie McGee (Marguerite Moreau) and John Rainbird (Malcom McDowell), and the creepy little children of the new experiment.
The thoughts behind the experiment are better detailed and I thought the film also did a very good job at showing the bad side of being Charlie and on the run her entire life.
McDowell plays crazy without a problem and makes for a great villain and we've also got Dennis Hopper playing a psychic and we all know that he always adds some good entertainment value.
With that said, for the most part this is a good little film and certainly much better than the original.
it's been a little while since i've seen this sequel to the 1984 original.however,i do remember that i really liked the girl who played the grown up version of Charlie.i thought she did well in the role.there's a lot more excitement in this one,i believe.it's much higher energy.again,the acting is serviceable,though the plot seems sillier than it did in the first movie.also,clocking in at nearly 3 hours running time is a real negative here.i think the story could have been told in much less time than that.they certainly could have shaved off an hour.but as sequels go(other than the long running time)this movie is not half bad.for me,Fire Starter 2:Rekindled is a 5.5/10.
I wasn't totally disappointed, but my biggest pet peeves were that the flashbacks didn't match up with the events of the first film (Manders Farm, Vicky and Andy's deaths) and the fact that Rainbird was supposed to be dead.Could've been a lot worse though and for a miniseries this wasn't bad.
Watch the Original Firestarter - Do not Spend Your Time With This Sequel.
A Minor SpoilerIn the 80's, Stephen King's Firestarter was a successful movie in Brazil, with the lovely Drew Barrymore.
In both the book and the first movie, John Rainbird is quick-fried by Charlie...old boy is deader than Dubya's chances of re-election!
Pretty tepid stuff.As the story goes on, Charlie's hair gets less and less red, as if it had started browning from her first experience with Rainbird.
But to bastardize the original movie that the fans have come to love, just cheapens this already shaky film.Marguerite Moreau was a disaster as "Charlie" McGee. Her character was hollow and as plastic as a Barbie doll.
The only thing good I have to say about this "sequel" is that the effects were believable, but that doesn't begin to redeem this horrid waste of film.So disappointing to have them rewrite the ending of 1 like that.
Watched this movie today from the "Firestarter- The Franchise Edition" ( A 2 Movie set with both the original, & the Sequel.
My comments are reflective of the sequel- Firestarter 2 Rekindled.I don't even understand why this movie was made.
It neither follows the book or the established storyline laid out in the first movie.It is so bad that I just bet the Producers of the First movie absolutely refused to allow them to use any footage in the flashback segments, which the details of the story were greatly changed.Also the part of the villain- John Rainbird goes from a brutal assassin with devious charm, to some kind of Pencil stabbing Hannibal Lector.
Rainbird was killed in the book and in the first movie.
As for the relationship between him and Charlie in this film in my opinion is stupid as he killed her father in the 1st movie and in the book.
Also, as a kid the nickname Charlie (Charlene) might be "cute" but you'd think that as an adult she would no longer be going by Charlie.The annoyingly bad CGI, obvious green screen, sex comments that took away from the story, lousy soundtrack and generally bad acting built up to the point where by the end of the movie I had already made plans for the bonfire.
I would've sold it except I doubt anyone would've bought it.Firestarter was good enough on its own in 1984, the sequel here and the supposed upcoming remake is all just garbage and a cliché attempt to interest people with the plot of psychic powers.
I loved the book, and liked the original movie.As many others have commented, the script is so poorly done, with so many holes, that some pretty good actors are wasted.Just one example **possible spoiler**: after struggling for the entire four hours to avoid using her powers at all, she goes ballistic and kills innocent people left and right, before killing the man she really hates, who's standing vulnerable right in front of her?
I wasn't a fan of the original movie, despite liking Drew Barrymore.
The first part was a mixture of flashbacks: George C Scott did a good John Rainbird, but M M D, I felt was more convincing as the villainous J R.) displaying the Shop's devious agenda, plus an attempted love interest for Charlie.One thing that has stayed with me for many years, is a quote/ monologue by John Rainbird, that's listed on here, and I've tried asking about its origin, and it sounds like a paraphrased Bible verse, and if so, which one?I can't seem to access the F A Q to ask about this, any ideas?
But I like it because I'm into movies that have people with psychic powers, in fact, I've discovered that I have 2 as well.
Plus, I love the powers each boy had, so this movie will get a half rating, a 5 like I mentioned.
Having seen the original, and having been a big fan of it for many years, I think this is an excellent sequel.
At the time of this writing I have not seen the original Firestarter, or read the book, so I can't comment on it's effectiveness as a sequel.
The overall effect emitted by her on screen presence is one of a frightened child, which is exactly what Charlie McGee is at heart.Malcolm McDowell is well known for playing the bad guy, and his turn as the obsessed John Rainbird is every bit as enjoyable as his other villainous roles.
It's like he tells Charlie "I had a boring job, but at least my life made sense." He's the kind of guy who does what he's told and gets the job done.Dennis Hopper's Richardson is a minor character who does not appear until midway through the movie.
This taxes Charlie's nerves a little bit, but in the end we do find out if Richardson's claims come true or not.This section will contain spoilers if you have not seen the movie.
I think that Firestarter 2 is a good movie, because of the way it wraps up.
First of all, other than the character of Charlie and some flashbacks that are somewhat similar to the original, this movie pretty much throws out the entire first film.
Not to mention the doctor's personal records and a film showing the farmhouse massacre?The biggest problem with this movie is that Charlie could have ended it anytime she wanted to, but she spends most of the last 2 hours (or however long it is after the commercials) running away.
Everyone seems to complain about the flashbacks but if you have read the novel, they are a little more true to the story than the first film was (even though they are poorly acted).Charlie is now a "hottie" and trying to keep her pyrokenetic talents dorment. |
tt0082779 | Murder Is Easy | Luke Fitzwilliam happens to share a London-bound train carriage with Lavinia Pinkerton, an elderly lady who informs Luke that she is travelling to Scotland Yard to report a serial killer, responsible for the deaths of three people i.e. Amy Gibbs, Tommy Pierce and Harry Carter, and that another man, Dr John Humbleby, will be the next victim. Luke, unsure of how to respond, feels that this is unimportant and pays lip service only.
However, he is soon surprised to find the obituaries of not only Miss Pinkerton, who has been killed in a hit-and-run car accident, but also a Dr Humbleby, who has died of septicaemia. Luke, a retired policeman, travels to this seemingly quiet village, Wychwood under Ashe, and poses as a researcher for witchcraft and superstition to try and uncover the true murderer. Staying in a large estate with the wealthy Gordon Whitfield and pretending to be a cousin of Bridget Conway, Whitfield's fiancee, he makes inquiries into the deaths. He and Conway receive the assistance of Honoria Waynflete, an elderly but observant spinster whom they believe may know the identity of the person behind the deaths. By asking several villagers – including Mr Abbot, a solicitor who fired Tommy Pierce from his service due to an incident with a letter; the Rev. Mr Wake, local preacher; Mr Ellsworthy, an antique shop owner who appears to be mentally insane, and Dr Thomas, Humbleby's medical partner (who had had several rows with Humbleby and would have benefited from his death) – it becomes apparent that the deaths had been understood to be accidents. Amy Gibbs died after confusing her cough remedy with hat paint in the dark, Tommy Pierce died from falling off the library roof after cleaning the windows, Harry Carter fell from a bridge while drunk and drowned in the mud, and Humbleby died from a cut that became infected. Luke learns that Mrs Lydia Horton was another victim of these "accidents" -– she was recovering from acute gastritis and was progressively getting better before she had a sudden unexpected relapse and died.
Luke believes Ellsworthy to be the killer - he had shown signs of mental instability, and Luke's suspicions are further aroused after he sees Ellsworthy arriving home with blood on his hands, though this later is proved to be blood from a hen he sacrificed with his friends as part of a pagan ritual. Later on in that day, Luke and Miss Waynflete witness Whitfield arguing with his chauffeur, Rivers, who had taken Whitfield's Rolls-Royce for a joyride. Shortly after this event, Rivers is found dead, with his skull caved in by a stone pineapple which Whitfield had outside his house for decoration. Luke and Bridget have realised that they are in love with each other, and Bridget tells Gordon of her decision to break off the engagement. Gordon, ordering Luke to his study, makes a very suspicious statement. He claims, with some satisfaction, that God, executing divine justice upon wrongdoers, kills people that do him harm. Whitfield notes as examples that Mrs Horton had argued with him, Tommy Pierce did mocking impressions of him, Harry Carter shouted at him while drunk, Amy Gibbs was impertinent to him, Humbleby disagreed with him on the village water supply, and Rivers used his car without permission and then spoke disrespectfully to him; and all of them died soon afterwards. Whitfield predicts that Luke and Bridget, having wronged him, will soon meet their fates too. This sudden turn of events makes Luke change his mind about who is responsible for the deaths. It seems obvious under the circumstances that Whitfield must be the murderer. He consults Miss Waynflete, who confirms his suspicions, and tells him of how she knew he was insane: when they were both young, Waynflete and Whitfield had been engaged to be married. But one evening, Whitfield killed one of her canaries that she kept as a pet, with the appearance that he enjoyed doing it. She knew from that moment on that Gordon went too far on subjects – so far that he would kill those who wronged him even slightly or trivially.
Luke and Bridget decide that Bridget should leave Whitfield's estate to stay at Miss Waynflete's house, to be protected from Gordon. Luke goes off to collect their luggage and prepare to leave, while Bridget and Honoria go for a walk in the woods. It is at this point that a sudden twist in the plot occurs – Honoria, of whom Bridget has had a nagging suspicion, reveals herself to be the murderer. During her engagement to Whitfield, Honoria had killed her own pet canary after it bit her, which prompted Gordon to abandon the engagement. She vowed revenge on Gordon, and eventually decided to have him hanged for crimes he did not commit. She came up with the plan to kill anyone with whom Gordon had any trouble, eventually leading his ego to become inflated with the idea (which she suggested to him) that God exacted immediate retribution from those who disrespected him. Honoria regularly visited Lydia Horton, to whom Whitfield had sent some grapes, and was able to poison her tea. Honoria next killed Amy by swapping the bottles around in the night and locking the door from the outside using pincers -– the fact that she died from hat paint would have suggested an old-fashioned touch, linking it in Luke's mind with an older man, like Gordon. She killed Carter by pushing him off the bridge on the day he had a row with Gordon, and she likewise pushed Tommy Pierce out of the window while he was working. Whitfield had been the one to assign this job to Tommy, so that made him look suspicious.
Lavinia Pinkerton had observed Honoria staring at Humbleby as he and Whitfield argued, and she realised that Honoria must be the killer, and that Humbleby would be her next victim. Suspecting that Lavinia had figured out the truth, Honoria followed Lavinia into London. Just after Lavinia and Luke had parted ways, Honoria pushed the other woman in front of a car that happened not to stop. Honoria framed Whitfield by giving a nearby witness the registration number of Whitfield's Rolls-Royce. After inviting Humbleby round to her house, she was able to cut his hand with scissors, supposedly by accident. She then convinced him to let her apply a dressing to the wound. She had previously infected the dressing with pus seeping from her cat's ear, and Humbleby died a few days later from blood infection. After witnessing Rivers being sacked, Honoria hit him with a sandbag and caved his skull in with the stone pineapple -– it would have appeared suspicious as it was a decoration that only Gordon chose. Finally, she drugged Bridget's tea (which, fortunately for Bridget, she had not actually drunk) and took her into the woods, where the two of them began talking. Honoria then reveals a knife covered in Whitfield's fingerprints, and informs Bridget that she will kill her and leave the knife at the scene. Whitfield's fingerprints on the knife that killed the woman who had just jilted him would be damning evidence against him. Furthermore, Honoria had arranged for Whitfield to be seen walking alone through the very area where Bridget's body would be found. According to Honoria's plan, Whitfield would be condemned as a murderer and would surely be hanged. Bridget, who was about to have her throat slit, fights with the older woman, who has the wiry, mad strength of the truly insane. Having himself realised that Honoria was the killer, Luke arrives on the scene and saves Bridget. With the case over, Bridget and Luke decide to leave the village once and for all, to live their lives together as a married couple. | revenge, mystery, murder | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0093200 | Hollywood Shuffle | Bobby Taylor (Robert Townsend) is a middle class black male aspiring to become an actor. He practices his lines in the bathroom, with his younger brother Stevie (Craigus R. Johnson) watching as he plays a stereotypical “jive” character for the audition for "Jivetime Jimmy's Revenge", a movie about street gangs. Bobby's grandmother (Helen Martin) overhears the “jive talk” and shows her disapproval. His mother (Starletta DuPois), is more supportive, telling Bobby that he is going to be late for the audition. Bobby assures his mother that if he lands the part, everything will change.
After the audition, Bobby talks with his boss Mr. Jones, who questions Bobby's dedication to his restaurant, Winky Dinky Dog. A limo then pulls up and the man inside is revealed to be B.B. Sanders (Brad Sanders), who plays Batty Boy in There's a Bat in My House. Ecstatic, Bobby asks Sanders how to tell a good part. Sanders tells him that if his character does not die in the script, then it's good part. Sanders also says that it is not about art, it is about the sequel.
Bobby gets a call from his agent and learns that his audition went well, but they wanted an “Eddie Murphy-type". Regardless, Bobby gets a callback. That night, he has a nightmare in which the director (Eugene Robert Glazer), writer (Dom Irrera), and casting director (Lisa Mende) hound him to be Eddie Murphy. Waiting in line with a group of Eddie Murphy clones, Bobby starts turning into Eddie Murphy himself until he wakes up in shock.
The next day, Bobby's co-workers, Donald and Tiny, belittle Bobby's career as an actor and his constant excuses for missing work, telling him that he will never make it as an actor. Bobby quits his job.
Later that night, Bobby visits his uncle Ray and expresses his doubts in pursuing his acting career. Ray encourages Bobby to try to follow his dreams. During his callback, the director, writer, and casting director are thrilled at Bobby's performance, calling it “very black” and give him the eponymous lead role. At home, Bobby celebrates getting the part with his girlfriend Lydia, when his grandmother comes home early and the three watch a film noir. Bobby has another fantasy of him playing the lead in his own film noir, called Death of a Breakdancer.
That night, Bobby dreams of the roles that he wants to play, from a Shakespearean king, to a black superhero, to Rambo. His final dream is that of him winning his fifth Oscar.
Bobby returns to the studio the next day to start filming "Jivetime Jimmy's Revenge" with his family in the audience. Due to his overwhelming guilt of playing such a stereotypical character, Bobby quits in the middle of the shoot. With his grandmother steadfastly telling him there is work at the post office, Bobby ends the film shooting a commercial for the USPS. | satire | train | wikipedia | Interesting and impressive, Hollywood Shuffle allows the characters to make the point that Townsend is making, without being too harsh or lecture-like.
The film incorporates some great parody scenes such as the Siskel and Ebert inspired "Speed and Tyrone" where the reviewers sneak into movies.
A couple haven't been that enthusiastic at first; thought it was all right but didn't understand the fuss I make about it, but the next day they'll want to watch it again.I find it pretty embarrassing when someone quotes the inevitable Austin Powers, but for months after seeing this film I just couldn't help it - probably the reason I had to get everyone I know to watch it.Some films have great scenes and some are just good films; this is both.
His self financed film Hollywood SHUFFLE pokes fun at the struggles many black actors face whilst looking for an acting career in Hollywood.
This film showed people how the Movie making business handles the majority of young black actors who're trying to make it in the movies.The story is about a young, talented and aspiring actor who wants to make it in Hollywood as a director.
Robert Townsend's independent debut is a light-hearted farce that explores the struggles of black actors of Hollywood.
This is typical of the kind of humor employed throughout the movie - Townsend takes a racial stereotype and turns it outside out, making us think and laugh out loud at the same time.I wish more directors, black or not, would follow Townsend's personal, self-effacing approach to movie-making but I guess it's easier to produce yet another violent shoot-em up or special effects showcase.
by Dane Youssef Movies in general are so formulaic that even most independent films are pretty routine and by-the-numbers.Maybe that's why "Hollywood Shuffle" feels so refreshing, like a much-needed change of pace.
Like "The Brother McMullen," this star-vehicle was written and directed by Townsend about his dream to make it as a professional actor, trying to break into Hollywood, while at the same time, trying to over-come the cruel limitations mainstream Hollywood has set up for black people who want to act...
that has an agenda.There is so much burning talent, so many struggling entertainers wanting to make something of themselves, that Hollywood can afford to treat the auditioning talent the same way a really strong cleanser treats germs.Townsend's efforts to make this movie are inspiring--he borrowed every dollar he could, asked for movie footage that was left on the cutting-room floor, called in every favor he could, threw everything he had and more to get this one made.To tell his story, get his foot in the door...
For those with talent who dare to dream big.Greats Keenan Ivory Wayans and John Witherspoon have bit players as people who work at a hog stand in the neighborhood who don't ask for much out of life...
He's more interested in using this to make up of all those dream roles he never got to play and showing his chops as an actor than really making a great movie.There's a scene where he takes-off "Siskel & Ebert"--before everyone started doing it.
It's great to see him playing all these roles you know he's always dreamed of doing (he plays them while his character actually IS day-dreaming).The movie captures the struggle of the out-of-work actor just right.
Like many other breakthrough films, especially independents, "Hollywood Shuffle" was another arrival of a fresh new talent.
You can see it here, not only in some of his satirist scenes, but some of the quieter moments where real drama in brewing and dreams are at stake.We see where Townsend is asking himself if he's good enough, if he face the whole world (which is how it is when you're struggling to make it as an entertainer
or in life) and when life-long happiness is at stake.
Bobby Taylor wants to be a respected actor, but he has to settle for stereotypical roles in the white-dominated world of cinema.
When the movie is actually filmed, it gives the term 'Blaxploitation' a whole new meaning.Bobby lives with his brother Stevie and his grandmother, and he is often told he could work at the post office.
The fantasies are the best part of the movie.In one scene, slaves are escaping, and the one guy who worked in the house makes Stepin Fetchit look like Sidney Poitier.
Light-skinned blacks need not apply.In another fantasy, Bobby imagines that, since Siskel and Ebert are white guys who don't know what they are talking about, his people are represented by a couple of brothers in 'Sneakin' In The Movies'.
And there is a movie about pimps and hookers that is ten times worse than anything real.Probably the best fantasy of all happens while Bobby and his grandmother are watching 'Sam Ace', a Humphrey Bogart type movie.
The film 'Death of a Breakdancer', done in black and white with the film noir style (including jazz music) stars Bobby as a black Sam Ace. While the film shows positive images, stereotypes can still be found--Jerry Curl is one of the suspects and very funny.Rambo becomes Rambro in another scene.Should we be enjoying all these offensive portrayals of African-Americans?
Robert Townsend is black, and he produced, directed and co-wrote this movie and did a fine job of acting as well.
We're not like that, and I know it.This movie was made on a budget, but one reason was the use of the same actors in many different roles.
For the most part, it doesn't seem low-budget.One of the better moments in the 'real' world takes place in the barbershop run by Bobby's Uncle Ray. David McKnight does an admirable job in a dramatic scene.I highly recommend this movie..
The one scene that sticks in my mind are the audition scenes where blacks audition for demeaning roles casted by clueless white producers and directors trying to tell blacks to act the way they think blacks should act (ain't that a blip!) and looking for an "Eddie Murphy type".
While Wayans has sone on to better things (IN LIVING COLOR, I'M GONNA GIT YOU SUCKA and SCARY MOVIE), Townsend has not been so fortunate (The uneven THE FIVE HEARTBEATS, The lame TV sit-com THE PARENT 'HOOD and the godawful B.A.P.S.).
Robert Townsend plays a black actor who is trying to find an acting job in California...but all he finds are stereotypical roles.
It shows parodies of TV shows, movies and commercials all making fun of how blacks are treated in Hollywood.
Townsend did much better with his next film "The Five Heartbeats".Sadly this movie had no effect on Hollywood.
When Robert Townsend learned that the only screen jobs available to himself and other black actors were more or less the same, stereotypical assortment of pimp, prostitute and criminal character roles, he didn't get mad, he got even, channeling his frustration into a homemade satire of Hollywood discrimination (financed, according to PR legend, almost entirely by credit cards).
The often broad and obvious humor works well during the sometimes hilarious fantasy digressions: a Siskel and Ebert parody by two ghetto critics; a mock film noir scenario; and an irreverent commercial ad for The School of Black Acting.
Even though things have changed a little bit, this movie is still a fun parody & demonstrates to me the skills Robert Townsend has to pull off a movie with what he had at the time, and make it look like it has a decent budget.
Robert Townsend has made a great movie about the stereotyping of blacks in Hollywood.
I begin this review by asking this question because the film that I just witnessed, Hollywood Shuffle, was neither funny or rather dramatic.
Townsend's comic timing in this film was disastrous due to the fact that the elements he was supposed to be making fun of, he was instead promoting and vice versa.
The preview gives the impression of a very intelligent, comic film that prides itself on the intelligence of the viewers, but the actually film could not be further from the truth.The main problem with Hollywood Shuffle is not story itself (because it is lacking in elaboration); it is Townsend's direction.
From battling a villain known as Jerry Curl to parodying Siskel & Ebert, Townsend's attempt to poke fun while speak a message about the film industry falters.
Perhaps it was Townsend's direction, or just maybe this atrocious story, but these typically funny comedians were obviously underused and ignored when it came to critics of this film.
Townsend can be funny, but in this film it just felt like he was playing against himself, instead of through his personal experiences and troubles.
He plays a hopeful, charismatic, good-natured man who's trying to land a role in a film and earn some self-respect.The problem is, he has a very active fantasy life.
What this means is that often, mid-scene, Townsend's character will think about something like a movie being discussed, or something he sees on TV.
Instead, we watch a pretty unfunny scene that lasts more than five minutes as the two guys review fictitious movies such as an Amadeus ripoff and a pimp zombie film.
It's pretty unfunny, lasts way too long and milks the scenes for cheap laughs that fall flat.This happens way too much, and makes the movie seem awkward, as if there wasn't enough confidence in the basic premise and instead tried to pad the film with waste.
There was one exception, the first fantasy of the movie, where a fake school for black film stereotypes is advertised.
It's good satire, and being a white man, I wasn't offended but instead laughed at how accurate this parody was of some people's attitudes towards black characters.
As a result we're left with a storyline that isn't focused on when it should be at least 90% of the film.I liked Robert Townsend, and I felt for his plight.
Townsend's character was charming and I would have preferred to see him just be himself instead of the fantasy characters, but since that's the case only about half the time, I rate this movie a 5- promising but disappointing..
Robert Townsend burst onto the Hollywood scene with this great indie film and it's been downhill ever since.
Actors often have to weigh their ethical qualms at playing a role they find tactless (or even out-and-out racist) against the practical demands of paying the bills.In Hollywood Shuffle, Robert Townsend shows the African-American side of these difficulties in the story of aspiring actor Bobby Taylor in late-80s LA.
Bobby's story is interspersed with fantasy sequences that address and parody various popular films and genres.For an indie film, the visual look of Hollywood Shuffle is quite good.
It feels like Townsend couldn't decide between two types of movie - one a silly comedic satire lampooning Hollywood from a black perspective, and the other a more serious story with a more wry sense of humour derived from his real experiences as a struggling actor - and so he just tried to make both (but succeeded at neither).Much of the movie seems like it would have been dated even at the time it was released.
Now that's not to say that these new portrayals and perceptions of black characters and life weren't without their own particular problems - just that much of what Hollywood Shuffle presented feels like it would have been irrelevant by then.Overall, I agree with some of the other reviewers in the use of the word "uneven".
Robert Townsend directed wrote and produced this comedy with autobiographical moments as a black actor struggling to find work besides the usual stereotypical roles..Good insight into the racism that still exists today in the movies done in an uneven way but some comic gems are in here along with some other clever funny moments..on a scale of one to ten..5.
Still a fine, and refreshing moment from both the world of independent film(financed by Townsend's own credit cards) and comedy in general, especially "black comedies" and I don't mean those by Todd Solondz.It's the most absurd moments which stick with me, like John Witherspoon muttering to himself about "ho-cakes" and the film noir spoof featuring Jerry Curl (the greatest and greasiest of all villains).
So aside from episodes of "The Boondocks" on Cartoon Network, and the occasional "Chapel Show" re-run, there's still few intelligent, black comic voices, especially those critical of not just external finger pointing the ways the "white media" portrays African American's, but the ways and reasons which African Americans take on these roles and stereotypes in "black media" as well.Two "Boondocks" episodes this past year, critical of BET, were banned from the air, and only available to view on DVD, while Tyler Perry (famous for playing yet another cross dressing Mammy in a fat suit), makes films and TV shows every thirty five seconds...well at least there's always work at the Post-Office.
Robert Townsend comes off like a real troublemaker in 'Hollywood Shuffle", an incisive and often hysterical indictment of typecasting in Tinseltown.
I thought, "I'll give this movie a shot, I like Robert Townsend".
Robert Townsend had me in stitches.The movie is a comedy about the stereotyping that goes on in Hollywood.
It follows a young aspiring actor named Bobby Taylor (Robert Townsend) and his arduous road to becoming a Hollywood star.
The film focuses on Bobby Taylor (Robert Townsend) as he attempts to become a successful actor.
It features over the top white Hollywood casting agents, producers, and directors who provide feedback to black actors (in some cases classically trained) on how to act "more black" or be like Eddie Murphy.
I was amazed that there aren't even photos of the stars and director (Robert Townsend and others) on the cast page of this movie.
Much has been made of Hollywood Shuffle, Robert Townsend's debut film made at a very minimal cost.
Bobby Taylor (Robert Townsend) is an aspiring black actor from a middle class LA neighborhood.
Hollywood Shuffle is one of the best black comedies of all-time.
Robert Townsend used comedy for a great purpose(to convey a truth) and it worked out splendidly.Premise: Bobby(played by Robert Townsend) has dreams of making it big in Hollywood.
Sure most people might say that the acting is over-the-top but these actors who play in the types of movies that Hollywood Shuffle parodies are always over the top with their performance so what are you talking about?
There are some unforgettable bits here, like the Black Acting School, At the Movies, and the Health Clinic.
Lee did that with She's Gotta Have it in 1986, though in the scope of a more serious take on relationships, while Townsend's film is about images and representation in entertainment.That last description makes it sound heavy, like it might be work to watch this movie.
The highlights involve a satire of Siskel & Ebert - "critics" who "sneak in to s***" and review Amadeus (they don't like it because they can't pronounce the title) and a pimp-attacking-hookers thriller but as if the pimps are zombies, and they praise the direction despite the stereotypes(!) Townsend's character logically has these exaggerated, wild fantasies going on because he's a struggling actor, working part time as a hot-dog vendor, and the framing for these sketches - also including a spectacular, almost show-stopping detective spoof with "Sam Ace" and featuring Keenan Ivory Wayans in full Jheri Curl (that's his character's name, and seeing when the villain finally breaks down over spilt Curl juice is about as funny as anything, ever) - while he goes for a big role in a movie.
I think there could be a potential criticism that the movie has a split personality: on one side there's savagely satirical and mostly silly skits - it's interesting to see Paul Mooney at one point as this is clearly one of the forefathers of the Chapelle Show, or, considering the Wayans presence and co-writing credit, In Living Colour - and on the other is a sometimes amusing but really sad take on how black actors get pigeonholed as this or that kind of "character" when it's not exactly a fair representation (or at the least when that's *only* what is available).
The send-up of black stereotypes really stood out in one moment in the movie, where there's a TV commercial for the Robert Taylor Black Acting School where all the instructors are white and they "teach" African- American actors how to act black.
Bobby Taylor is an aspiring black actor in Hollywood who catches a big break as the lead in a movie called Jivetime Jimmy's Revenge.
However, as he considers the negative and stereotyped portrayal of black people in films, he starts to have serious doubts about his dreams of stardom.Produced and directed on a shoestring by thirty-year-old Townsend, Hollywood Shuffle is both a terrific and sobering drama about prejudice in Tinseltown and a hilariously funny series of vignettes from Bobby's point of view, almost like some weird love child of Imitation Of Life and Monty Python.
It's important to remember that at the time this movie was made there were virtually no mainstream African-American stars in Hollywood (hence the many references to Eddie Murphy).
The talented cast are great fun to watch, especially Woodard (Tyrone) and Johnson (Lydia, Willie Mae in the Mandingo bit, and the hooker at the end of Attack Of The Street Pimps), and all of the comedy is laugh-out-loud funny, particularly the Sneakin' In The Movies Siskel & Ebert spoof and the black-and-white private-eye flick, Death Of A Breakdancer.
Director/co-writer Robert Townsend gives a wonderfully engaging performance as eager and affable aspiring actor Bobby Taylor, who's having trouble getting that one major role that will launch his career.
Townsend delivers a pointed, incisive and often uproarious comic critique of racial stereotypes in mainstream Hollywood fare with a series of spot-on and frequently sidesplitting parodies. |
tt0120765 | My Giant | A huckster named Sammy (Billy Crystal) travels to Romania on business after splitting up with his wife. After a disappointment with his client, he crashes his car and is rescued while unconscious by an enormous Romanian man named Max (Gheorghe Mureșan) who is close to 8 feet tall.
Sammy thinks the rescuer is God, as he can only see Max' giant hands. When Sammy wakes up, he thinks he is in Heaven. But, he is confused to find a statue of Jesus next to his bed, as he was raised Jewish. He then realizes Max has brought him to a monastery, where he was raised after being given up for adoption by his parents because of his height.
Once he wakes up and interacts with Max, he sees potential stardom in him. Sammy attempts to broker his introduction into the movies. In doing so he exploits Max' desire to visit a long-lost paramour, Lilliana (Joanna Pacuła), in Gallup, New Mexico. First, Max obtains the role of a villain in a movie, but he is so drunk that he vomits on the protagonist. However, the scene is included in the movie.
One day, Sammy talks to Steven Seagal about including Max as a villain in one of his movies, convincing him that he needs a different kind of villain. At first Seagal rejects him because there was another actor who would take that role, but he changes his opinion after listening to an extract of a Shakespearean play done by Max.
Suddenly, after some medical exams, Max is diagnosed with heart disease which cannot be treated with a transplant because Max' heart is so big. Sammy decides to find Lilliana, and tries to convince her to meet Max again, but she rejects the invitation. Sammy then convinces his wife to take the role of Lilliana and after some words, Max asks her for a kiss.
Afterwards, Sammy and his wife decide to get back together again, after realizing that they were truly in love and that their son needed them.
Sammy eventually decides to return Max home to Romania. Max refuses to go back, but finally he enters his old house, and meet his parents again, who abandoned him. Sammy ends up watching Max' first filmed scene in a cinema with his family. Max dies shortly after, because of his heart, but changed many people's lives forever. | romantic | train | wikipedia | A Good Movie.
I'm surprised the ratings for this movie are so low.
Billy Crystal plays a talent agent who gets fired by his client then almost drowns.
Luckily two giant hands save him from the water, and they are of course attached to the "giant", George Muresan (spelling?) who he immediately tries to sign on as a client because there is obvious potential jobs for such a huge man.
He brings him to the states under the pretense of reuniting him with the girl he used to like, only she doesn't want to see him at all.
The movie has comedy at times but mostly it is a dramatic movie, which it wasn't marketed as, so I think that might be why a lot of people are disappointed.
It's not a really deep story and the acting isn't great (Muresan is a basketball player and Billy Crystal is pretty much just going through the motions) but it's definitely worth seeing and is a good little movie..
it's a good movie if you see in depth of it.
i totally disagree with the person who first commented about this movie.
to me, this storyline is about a man with growth hormonal disorder trying his best to look for the love he is yearning for.
Trying his very best to fit into the society who doesn't seemed to accept him.He then met someone who treats him with best friend's love and was shown the way to receiving the love he always wanted to have.
the man who created all that happiness in returned received something important from the giant, which is family and spouse love.and the comedy, it's just part of making the audience feel some laughter bugs at certain part of the shows.and i must admit, it made me tear a little..
Some good, some bad.
I usually don't read others comments before I review a movie, but for this one I did.
It definitely wasn't a "great" movie.
I think your reaction to this movie really depends on what you expect going in.
It's billed as a comedy, but really it's not very funny so don't expect too much laughter.
Most importantly, it's clean enough to be an entertaining family movie.
Don't expect a deep thought provoker, or a hysterical side splitter, but just watch it.
I believe someone else described it as "predictable fluff", which is true but that doesn't have to be a bad thing all the time.
It's a nice movie so don't end up hating it because you expected too much..
First off, I absolutely loved this movie.
As a Billy Crystal fan, I must say that I was expecting more comedic situations than I actually got.
In addition, Gheorghe Muresan (as Maximus) was superb in his first film role.
When Sammy goes to Romania to visit his client on location he has his world turned upside down.
Sammy and Max's journey is unique and moving, and even humorous at times.
Plus, the location in Czech Republic where parts of the film were shot, was absolutely beautiful.
I have to say, this dramatic comedy had me feeling a variety of emotions.
I thought it was excellent and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone..
This film broke my heart especially when his lost love (played bitchily by Joann Pacula) disses him and actually gets nasty with Billy Crystal who is only trying to help.
I thought she would turn out to be a giant herself and that there would be a twist at the end but that was not to be.
George Muresan was a little difficult to understand but he brought a warmth to the role.
I really enjoyed this heartwarming film and Billy Crystal always makes me laugh.
a sweet movie.
I always liked this movie, I have seen it so many times but I always enjoyed it :) the story is interesting and special.
But the only thing I have to disagree with is that I don't think Max lived in a Romanian monastery or what was that :P They don't look that way in Romania..
Anyway, back to the story, Ghita Muresan played pretty well but as someone said before me, his English needs to improve.
And there were some funny moments and some tragical/sad parts too.
It worths being seen, I thought it was sweet that the giant wanted to find his love.
It's not the best movie ever, but it was nice!.
A heart-warming film for all the family..
This is a brilliant film.
The story starts off in Romania,where Billy Crystal stars as an agent who can talk anybody into doing anything.
There is a really funny scene here, where Crystal is a child, and talks his father, who is a rabbi into eating pork (you filmophiles may know that this is a parody of Crystal's religion).
He is mainly a talent scout, and he's trying to find a suitable villain for his latest movie.
After finding out that the whole film has a terrible crew, he accidently falls into a small river.
See the film and find out the rest!.
You should know something is wrong when a Steven Seagal cameo is the high point of a movie.
Acting agent Sammy Kamin travels to Romania to see his one (and only) client on the set of a low budget American film.
When he sees his saviour is 7ft10" tall he realises the potential and gets him a job on the local movie.
Together the pair set out for America Max wanting to find the only girl ever to care for him (25 years ago) and Sammy eyeing a key part for Max as a bad guy in the new Steven Seagal movie.I love Billy Crystal.
When he is on form he is very funny and can make even average romantic comedies worth watching.
However this film is beyond his saving grasp as it is simply just not funny enough.
The plot (and humour) is basically `oh look- here's a really tall guy'.
The worst thing is that it then goes into cloying sentimentality every five minutes as Sammy learns to love again through the spirit of his gentle giant.
And up comes the music that every Crystal film seems to use for `touching' moments.At the start of the film is a scene where Sammy as a child shows his ability of persuasion by sitting down to a roast pig dinner with a rabbi.
This I laughed at but that was the last time (only 100 more minutes to go!) because most of the film is just amusing and any rare good lines are lost in a sea of middling humour.
A cameo by Seagal is quite good but not as funny as it could have been if he'd made more fun of himself.
Even Crystal's dialogue (usually an oasis in the sea of sentimentality) is poor.He doesn't do a good job at all here and, although he is playing his usual character, it's difficult to care less what happens to him or why.
Muresan is an average basketball player who is good as a bench player but not as a starter.
He makes a sympathetic character so it's not all bad but it doesn't seem to come naturally for him.
The rest of the cast are Ok and there's a few well known faces in there but Seagal is probably the best bit of casting in the film and he is amusing if not funny.Overall this is a pretty average film that is just about passable but certainly not funny or enjoyable.
There are a few laughs and the rest of the film either falls into fake, cloying sentimentality or just goes for laughs by having the big and the small man beside each other.
I love Crystal even in poor films but I won't be watching My Giant again unless I'm tied to a chair a la `Clockwork Orange'..
This is a little film with a big heart.
Excellent acting throughout and directed with love.
This so-so comedy kept me entertained most of the way through, but it got too soapy towards the end for my tastes.
Crystal is his usual likable self, but Muresan is the real find here.
Sure, he could use some brushing up on his English, but Gheorghe has a natural gift for acting, it seems.
Unfortunately, the movie is only sporadically funny, and the more emotional scenes seemed forced and just didn't work they way they should have.
It's not bad, but the weak ending left me disappointed..
A pleasant movie with some original ideas.
"My Giant" is a pleasant, gentle movie, with some defects, but also containing some original ideas.
The first part, located in Rumania, is comic, with Sam (Billy Crystal) trying to convince the giant Max (Gheorghe Muresan) to become an actor.
Needless to say, I prefer the first part, which offers some really funny moments (NOT the vomit scene, which is, fortunately, the only coarseness in the film).The sentimental part is a bit boring.
Moreover, we find in it the cliche family troubles that (according to movies) any American male seems to have.
But, in fairness, some developments of the story are original, unexpected and surprising, if not particularly cheerful.I like Billy Crystal and I'm always amused by him.
The character of the giant Max is depicted with extreme sympathy: Gheorghe Muresan shows that he can act.A surprising peculiarity of "My Giant" is the great respect for Christian religion and priests (here monks), shown along the movie.
The trend in current movies is the exact contrary: Christian religious feelings are systematically scorned, and, in particular, priests are usually depicted as the hypocritical origin of all evil.
Since I'm always fond of people swimming against the main stream, I heartily thank Billy Crystal and Gheorghe Muresan for having violated these annoying conventions..
I have really liked the movie.
Not only because of the idea behind it, but I was very happy to see locations from The Czech Republic with castles, villages, and people (even actors), etc.
What was my surprise, when I hear from the TV: "Here I am, in Romania..." Come on, if the filming locations in the Czech Republic are so good, why not to name it accordingly?
Well, then go to Romania to shoot the movie and do not give wrong information to viewers (mainly American), who can finally learn something about Europe.
Love the movie, but am very disappointed that it wasn't filmed in Romania.
The country houses did not look Romanian, nor did the actors who played Romanians, with the exception of Gheorghe Muresan.
Also, the monastery and church scenes, conveyed the Catholic religion, when the religion of Romania is Romanian Orthodox.
I'm curious as to why the movie was filmed in the Czech Republic rather than Romania..
A Good Bittersweet Serio-Comedy from Billy Crystal.
Containing Billy's famous humor, this more modest comedy with heavy bittersweet overtones is a big departure, pleasantly unexpectedly so for Billy Crystal.
This movie has different tear-jerker, dramatic, serious underlying themes (particularly with a scene with Steven Seagal).
This movie was both entertaining and serious, a movie about lost love, about relationships with father-son, husband-wife, about friendship and values with a good dose of humor thrown in, especially at the beginning.
The balance between drama and comedy isn't always maintained as with the new classical genre of this type, but the real message and motivation for this movie remains solid.
The discovery of Billy Crystal's talent scout/agent character in Romania of a giant human is revealing and the behind the scene's view of movie agent is fascinating.
Yet the focus remains on sensitive ties of both love and learning about one's self.
Gheorghe Muresan rules.
I love Gheorghe Muresan, so I automatically loved this movie.
Billy Crystal is a good actor, even if he is annoying.
But the thing that made this movie was- at least, for a basketball fan- seeing Gheorghe Muresan act..
I could not believe "My Giant." It was not a movie.
Movies have actors.
Billy Crystal was his usual annoying self.
This Movie Stunk.
I barely got a chuckle, this movie sucks.
Billy Crystal is not the funniest man in the world, and Gheorghe Muresan certainly isn't much of an actor.
But the Wizard was able to deliver a very good fragile, gentle giant.
The highlight of this movie was the love an innocence that Muresan feels toward a girl he loved 23 years ago.
This movie is billed as a comedy, but feels quite dark at times.
This is the best movie I've seen for a long time.
It makes you laugh and cry at the same time, literally!!
I don't know about anyone else but I'm really tired of watching films about 'perfect' people, living 'perfect' lives.
Max the big Giant is certainly no Tom Cruise but he's a really kind and normal guy with a heart of gold.
Basically he is ridiculed for being a bit tall and having a funny accent and then Billy Crystal helps him become a Hollywood star.Everyone should see this film, then we might all stop being so prejudiced and bitchy..
Big Gheorghe shines....
Gheorghe Muresan is the best part of this movie.
He was instantly likable and can actually act!The plot seemed a little sappy and contrived, and the ending was a little dissapointing.
Not good....
This movie is supposed to be a comedy, but it isn't funny.
When a comedy isn't funny, we know we have a problem.
I'm not sure Crystal new exactly what he wanted to do with this movie, whether to tell the story of a failed agent of movie stars (played by himself), criticize the system governing show business, or...In any case, he starts on a couple of these endeavors in this movie, but only barely starts...
There is nothing of consequence, the movie just seems to senselessly go from one scene to the next, until it finally reaches the (expected) ending.
Nothing tragically bad about this film, but nothing good either..
One lame movie..
This movie was pathetic.
It was not the least big funny.
Billy Crystal played a real slime-ball character, who did not really make any big change in his attitude by the end of the movie.
A great movie that most people never give a chance..
This is the greatest movie ever.
This is one of the most predictable movies I have ever seen.
And this supposed to be funny.....
I can`t say I laughed once, and the only good feeling this movie gave me was relief when it ended..
Giant Loser for Crystal.
The most accurate description of how Billy Crystal fairs in "My Giant" is to say that this movie is to his career as "Ishtar" was to Warren Beaty's - it didn't ruin it, but it slowed it down.......a lot.
Crystal should know the three golden rules of Hollywood: 1) never play opposite a kid 2) never play opposite an animal 3) never play opposite someone that is almost 3 feet taller than you, is as innocent as a kid and "acts" like an animal.What is this story?
I guess, but I didn't laugh, except at the scenes where Crystal is on his own and not burdened with his (what-is-her-role-in-this-movie) ex-wife or the afore-mentioned Giant.
Did I mention there's also a kid in this film?
The son is brought in to make us feel sorry for Crystal, and we do, but for the actor, not the character.
Billy Crystal is a funny man.
Your aunt is a crude gal....Love it!I think not.
This movie could have been more sincere..
Pretty good..
This movie turned out to be better than I had expected it to be.
Some parts were pretty funny.
It was nice to have a movie with a new plot..
Funny and heart-warming!.
This is beautiful film making.
It did not recieve much publicity, but I found it to be one of the best movies that I had seen that year.*MINOR SPOILERS* Billy Crystal plays Sammy Kamin, a struggling movie producer who travels to Romania and stumbles upon a seven foot tall giant of a man who had saved his life after a car accident.
A real life basketball player plays Max (Gheorge Muersan) a kind, gentle loving giant who wants people to respect and care for him.
MY GIANT is a touching movie.
Comedy beginning and then towards the end, we got into the dramatic moments of the film.
Sammy tries numerous ways to make his giant famous, in order to try to score him a role in a movie.
But, being famous is not what Max wanted.
Steven Segal even plays himself in a ten minute cameo.
This movie was great, definetly a winner......5/5..
Crystal's Had Bigger Films..
My Giant (1998): Dir: Michael Lehman / Cast: Billy Crystal, Gheorghe Muresan, Kathleen Quinlan, Joanna Pacula, Steven Seagal: Advertized as a comedy but it is anything but.
Billy Crystal plays a filmmaker who is in a car accident in Albania and is rescued by an eight-foot man named Max. He is friendly and skilled in five languages.
He will star in Crystal's movies and in turn Crystal must locate Max's lost love, who broke his heart and has no desire to rekindle.
The method in which Crystal handles this is a break in trust.
Another poorly handled scene involves Crystal's son on the phone with Steven Seagal.
Gheorghe Muresan is likable as Max despite his despairing final scenes.
Crystal is great with comic dialogue as he takes his discovery to new heights.
Kathleen Quinlan as his wife is cardboard with a scene towards the end where she is used to solve a problem that is questionable.
Joanna Pacula as Max's ex is not remotely likable.
Seagal is either desperate or has a really good sense of humour to be the bunt of this joke as himself.
Hardly funny but it does contain a strong theme regarding acceptance and abilities. |
tt0064256 | O Dragão da Maldade contra o Santo Guerreiro | After the World War II, in the Brazilian sertão. A group of impoverished peasant mystics (beatos) gathered around Dona Santa (Rosa Maria Penna), a female spiritual figure, join in veneration of Saint George with an obscure figure named Coirana (Lorival Pariz). Coirana claims to have restarted the cangaço and seeks to take the revenge of Lampião and other cangaceiro martyrs, presenting the tale of Saint George and the Dragon in a contemporary class conflict context. They threaten the town of Jardim de Piranhas governed by Coronel Horácio (Joffre Soares) a blind and old cattle owner married to younger and attractive Laura (Odete Lara). Dr. Mattos (Hugo Carvana), the corrupt police chief of the town, hires Antônio das Mortes as a jagunço against Coirana and Antônio fatally wounds Coirana in a duel. However, Antônio is changed by his experiences with the poor, and so he then demands that the coronel distribute the food stored in a warehouse to the remaining cangaceiros. The colonel raged and sent Mata Vaca (Vinícius Salvatori) to kill Antônio das Mortes. But Antônio das Mortes with the help of his friend "Professor" (Othon Bastos) kills Mata Vaca and his jagunços. The coronel is killed by Antão (Mário Gusmão), the helper and possibly lover of Dona Santa in a scene reminiscent of Saint George slaying the Dragon iconography. The movie ends with Antônio das Mortes walking by the roadside, carrying on the struggle - in some ways hopeless or unending - which extends beyond the killing of the colonel and the expropriation of his land. | allegory, revenge, psychedelic, magical realism | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0059712 | Ship of Fools | The characters board a German ocean liner in Veracruz, Mexico, for a voyage to Bremerhaven, Germany, along with 600 displaced workers in steerage, being deported from Cuba back to Spain, and a not-so-exotic band of entertainers, for whom the voyage is just a job. Some are happy to be bound for a rising Nazi Germany, some are apprehensive, while others appear oblivious to its potential dangers.
The ship's doctor, Schumann (Oskar Werner) (with dueling scar), takes a special interest in La Condesa (Simone Signoret), a countess from Cuba who has an addiction to drugs and is being shipped to a Spanish-run prison on Tenerife. Her sense of certain doom is contrasted by the doctor's determination to fight the forces of oppression, embodied by his insistence that the people in steerage be treated like human beings rather than animals. The doctor himself has a secret, a terminal heart condition, and his sympathy for the countess soon evolves into love.
Several passengers are invited to dine each night at the captain's table. There, some are amused and others offended by the anti-Semitic rants of a German businessman named Rieber (José Ferrer) who – although married – is beginning an on-board affair with a busty blonde (Christiane Schmidtmer). The Jewish Lowenthal (Heinz Rühmann) is invited instead to join a dwarf named Glocken (Michael Dunn) for his meals, and the two bond over their exclusion. Eventually a passenger named Freytag (Alf Kjellin) seems shocked to find himself ostracized when Rieber learns that his wife is Jewish.
Others aboard include a young American couple, David (George Segal) and Jenny (Elizabeth Ashley), who bicker because David is unhappy at his lack of success with painting. A divorcée, Mary Treadwell (Vivien Leigh), drinks and flirts, on a quest to recapture her youth in Paris. Bill Tenny (Lee Marvin) is a former baseball player disappointed in the way his career never quite took off. They are distracted by the music and the professional dancers, whose flirtations seem to skirt the edges of solicitation, or dive right in to the seedy side of oblivion.
When the passengers disembark, two are no longer with them – the countess, who has been taken to an island prison, and the doctor, who has died. | romantic, suspenseful, storytelling | train | wikipedia | Jose Ferrer's German bore, George Segal and Elizabeth Ashley and even the wonderful Michael Dunn will make you sea sick at times but I will recommend it nonetheless just to admire and enjoy Vivien Leigh's Charleston or Simone Signoret looking at Oskar Werner with a mixture of love, lust, compassion and need.
"Ship of Fools" it may be, but it is also a Ship of Stars: Oskar Werner, Vivien Leigh, Lee Marvin, Simone Signoret, Jose Ferrer, Elizabeth Ashley, George Segal, and Michael Dunn.
Directed by Stanley Kramer, this 1965 film deals with a German ship heading to its port in Bremerhaven in 1933 and the lives of some of its passengers.
Dunn speaks to the audience at the beginning and end of the film, telling us at first that it is a ship of fools and that we may find ourselves in some of the characters.This is one of the best all-star casts ever assembled, right up there with "All About Eve" and "The Long, Hot Summer." The performances are as magnificent as the film is relentlessly depressing, with a Jewish man put at a table with a dwarf, while at the captain's table, another man preaches about the new Germany and extermination of Jews, the elderly, and those who are not fit.
By the end of the film, looking at the Jew's beautiful family on the dock, the viewer is ready to reach for a razor blade.Oskar Werner (Tyrone Power's son-in-law) gives a magnificent performance as a man discouraged about his life full of obligations, exhausted from ill health, and reaching out for one last chance at happiness.
One can keep going on, especially with the sympathetic Oscar Werner and Simone Signoret, and with Dunn again, the only one of the passengers and crew who is intelligent.For the point of the story is that this world of the 1930s is headed (as the reader knows) for disaster that will engulf everyone.
Director Kramer assembled an all-star cast--including Vivien Leigh (her last film), Simone Signoret, José Ferrer, Lee Marvin, Oskar Werner, José Greco, and George Segal.The film takes place entirely on shipboard, except for the final scene.
Based on Katherine Anne Porter's epic novel, the Oscar-nominated "Best Picture" centers on a sundry group of travelers circa 1933 who clash "Grand Hotel" style on a German ocean liner bound, via Mexico, for Germany (and impending doom it would seem) just as strong Nazi sentiment was breeding.
The ship becomes a microcosm of pre-WWII life and mores, with a plethora of subplots alternately swelling and ebbing throughout - situations that alter the course of some of its passengers and crew members, for better or worse.From the clever opening collage of credits (don't miss this part) set to a catchy, flavorful Latin score to its fascinating all-star disembarkation at the end, it's smooth sailing for most of this trip, guided with an assured hand by the always capable Stanley ("Judgment at Nuremberg") Kramer, with certain cast members (Simone Signoret, Oskar Werner, Vivien Leigh, Lee Marvin, Michael Dunn) coming off better than others (José Ferrer, Elizabeth Ashley, George Segal).A number of compelling vignettes acted out by the choice, eclectic ensemble make up for the sometimes turgid melodramatics that occur on board as our "ship of fools" are forced to examine their own pride and prejudice while victimized by others.
Who can forget the tormented Simone Signoret and Oskar Werner (both Oscar-nominated) as the morphine-addicted political prisoner and dutiful ship's physician who provide the film with its most poignant and tragic shipboard romance.
These glorious scenes and more help to balance out the less serviceable ones, particularly those involving Jose Ferrer's boisterous, irritating Nazi bigot who borders on caricature, and Elizabeth Ashley and George Segal's turbulent lovers who come off dull and forced.Ernest Laszlo's lustrous black-and-white cinematography was suitably Oscar awarded, while the whole look, feel and tone of the movie is decidedly old-style theatre at its best.
Both deserved."Ship Of Fools" (1965) also deserved (but did not get, sadly) multiple "Best Actor" and Best Actress" awards ["Best Supporting Actor/ Actress awards, also].High quality, in-depth acting of true talent and accomplishment have seldom ever reached the levels achieved in this movie, done repeatedly, again and again and again, from start to finish.The movie contained at least half a dozen (possibly more) Academy Award winner best actor performances.....at least three best actor academy award winners performed (incredibily) in this movie (Lee Marvin, Vivien Leigh, and Jose Ferrer), and others (some who may have gotten academy awards I overlooked) were also wonderful in all ways (Simone Signoret, Oscar Werner, Michael Dunn, Elizabeth Ashley, George Segal, Gila Golan, Jose Greco, and Barbara Luna....who sang the famous "Dites Moi" song in South Pacific on the Broadway stage when she was a little girl in 1949!).The titles at the start of movie are incredible, and deserve to be ranked with the best of all movie titles ever presented (someday, a special award for movie titles will be established....if this has not already been done, it is certainly an unmet need.....movie titles are important, are an art unto themselves, and a major asset to movies when done well.........see the titles for Bullitt 1968 and North By Northwest 1959 as only two examples of "the best of the best movie titles...the "Ship Of Fools" 1965 movie titles are part of the "the best of the best.") The Abby Mann written screenplay is really an original screenplay with an original story, by far better than the best selling Katherine Anne Porter novel also titled "Ship Of Fools" ....
Furthermore , the once famous but now a disappointed and despairing divorcée named Mary Treadwell (Vivien Leigh's last film , she replaced Katharine Hepburn who was first choice for the aging Southern belle, but because of Spencer Tracy's bad health she opted to continue to care for him), a punchy as well as forceful baseball player (Lee Marvin) and a wise dwarf (Michael Dunn) .
Special mention to the extraordinary couple acting as illicit lovers magnificently played by Simone Signoret and Oskar Werner who would make a similar film 11 years later ,¨Voyage of the damned¨ by Stuart Rosenberg , also was about a boatload of refugees heading back to Germany before the outbreak of the Second World War ; it would prove to be Werner's final film .
The hotchpotch of the first-class passengers (from Mexico to Europe) depicted in the film are complying with the milieu of that particular period, notably the 3 Oscar-nominated performance from Simone Signoret, Oskar Werner and Michael Dunn (the latter is a very interesting example of a nomination from a normally pedestrian presence, I hope the dwarf card is not the case here), and judging by my taste, Heinz Rühmann and Vivien Leigh are also quite in the top form, especially Ms. Leigh, not to mention her turbulent real life status at that time, her frail with dignity performance is rather too harrowing to watch.
(The two actors and the director must have worked on this together for a long time, otherwise none of them could have helped breaking up with laughter.) Dunn finally replies, "No." Marvin says slowly and emphatically, "I think you're a sawed off INTELLECTUAL." Then adds, "Drink up, shorty." That scene, with its improvised quality, its near-perfect timing and acting, its camera placement, should be shown in every film class.I don't want to leave out Oskar Werner who, along with Simone Signoret, provides the romance and the drama.
The story and acting reflect the style of a different time, but if taken on its own terms------this film can provide many enjoyable moments of screen entertainment."Ship of Fools" is another matter.
Its all-star cast delivers a series of widely varying performances-------from the scenery-chewing ones by Jose Ferrer and Lee Marvin to the world-weary portrayals by Oskar Werner and Simone Signoret to the acting school products of George Segal and Elizabeth Ashley.
"Ship of Fools" should be best remembered today as Vivien Leigh's last film----in a role that she knew quite well by then-----a variation of her Blanche DuBois character in "Streetcar Named Desire." Her Mrs. Treadwell is a monument to all the depleted middle-aged women in fiction who become shadows of what they once were, and who are constant reminders of what living an empty life ultimately produces.But she sure was a beautiful woman, even in her final screen appearance.
The first-class passengers are the lonely American Mary Treadwell (Vivien Leigh); the bigoted Siegfried Rieber (Jose Ferrer) that woos the futile Lizzi Spoekenkieker (Christiane Schmidtmer); the rude American player Bill Tenny (Lee Marvin); the aspiring painter David (George Segal) and his girlfriend Jenny (Elizabeth Ashley) that financially supports him; the gypsy dancer Pepe (Jose Greco) and his troupe of prostitutes posing of dancers; the dwarf Karl Glocken (Michael Dunn); the Jew Julius Lowenthal (Heinz Ruehmann); the German Freytag (Alf Kjellin) that was married to a Jewish woman; and a weird couple that treats their dog as a son.
There are dozens of characters and stories in the film and it would be silly to describe any of them in detail, but the emotional core of the film belongs to the ship doctor and a Spanish contessa, brilliantly played by Oskar Werner (who also gave a brilliant performance the same year in The Spy Who Came in from the Cold) and Simone Signoret.
Sounds like the Love Boat so far, but it's about 180 degrees the opposite of that.You can best compare Ship of Fools to Grand Hotel which was also in a German setting and set in the same time period that Grand Hotel came out, 1932.
Werner knows this on some level, but he gets involved anyway because he sees her as a last chance for life after the heart attack he sustained.Jose Ferrer is the bellicose Nazi prototype who can't seem to find much good in any other people save the Germans.
Greco by the way is outstanding in his role.Lee Marvin's breakthrough year turned out to be 1965 because Ship of Fools together with his Oscar performance in Cat Ballou established him as a leading man, not just a brilliant character actor.
It was a grand performance for Leigh.Ship of Fools got several Oscar nominations including Best Picture and acting nominations for Oskar Werner for Best Actor and Michael Dunn for Best Supporting Actor.
A strange, rather offbeat morality tale from Katherine Anne Porter's bulky novel, SHIP OF FOOLS manages to hold interest even though the characters are never fully realized and the full potential of the novel isn't to be found in the screenplay.It's best described as a multi-episode GRAND HOTEL at sea, episodic with the love story between Simone Signoret and Oskar Werner at the core and easily the best acted piece, despite the soap-opera overtones.
Director Stanley Kramer usually dealt with films of a social nature.Ship of Fools, based on Katherine Ann Porter's best seller, is such a film.It revolves about a group of passengers on their way to Bremerhaven, Germany in 1933, as the Nazis have seized power and started their brutal change in Germany.Willie, the ship doctor, is masterfully played by Oscar Werner, who merited a best actor nomination.
She skillfully reminded him that he has apparently been too busy lynching Negroes to know what is going on in the world.An excellent supporting cast of George Segal, Elizabeth Ashley, as well as the brilliant Jose Ferrer, in a brilliant turn as the Nazi, who advocated death for older people.Veteran German actor, Heinz Ruehman, asks: What are they going to do, kill us all?You've been a fool if you've missed this endearing picture so far.
The film includes a stellar cast, interesting theme, and while the characters are more like caricatures, I do not agree with several reviews condemning them as "archetypes".Simone Signoret is a drug addled countess, being deported, who ends up falling for the ship's physician, Oskar Werner.
(The dog itself is as amusing to look at as Jose Ferrer, dressed as a devil).Today, the film seems a bit talky, but has a definite message, and the performances by Vivien Leigh, Lee Marvin and Ferrer alone are worth watching.
Oddly enough it was the sugary sweet anti-Nazi R&H bonbon, The Sound of Music, that took the trophy that year, but then this was only a subplot in that opus.Granted it is a bit overdone, but the screenplay has its heart in the right place and we are enriched by the performances of Oskar Werner and Simone Signoret - justly Oscar nommed - as well as the last film performance of Vivien Leigh (who not only deserved a nom and didn't get it - she deserved to WIN the Best Supporting Actress trophy - a very sad and serious error).
The doomed love affair at the center of the drama seems tailor made to bore one to death -- other plot lines, like the one involving George Segal and Elizabeth Ashley, get short shrift by the screenwriters.There are three reasons to see "Ship of Fools": 1.) Michael Dunn, who gives a winsome and entirely winning performance as the diminutive narrator and speaks directly into the camera in a gimmick that shouldn't work but does 2.) Lee Marvin, giving a pleasingly unlikable performance as a belligerent American 3.) and Vivien Leigh, whose morose character at one point in the film breaks into a five-second spirited Charleston, which by itself makes the film worth sitting through.Grade: B.
This film has a first rate cast like the great Vivien Leigh, Simone Signoret, Oskar Werner, Lee Marvin, Elizabeth Ashley, George Segal, Michael Dunn, Jose Ferrer, and others to write about here.
"Ship of Fools" is a great film and always will be, because of great actors like: Vivien Leigh (Mary Treadwell) "Gone With the Wind" '39; Simone Signoret,(La Condesa)"Room At The Top"'59; Jose Ferrer (Siegfried Riebu) "Vovage of the Damned"'76 along with Oskar Werner (Willie Schumann)"Fahrenheit 451" '66.
The movie portrays various and sundry people aboard an ocean liner sailing from Mexico to Germany in 1933.At the start, dwarf Karl Glocken (Michael Dunn) tells the audience that the passengers are all fools, including him.
As the movie progresses, we get introduced to the numerous characters: a divorced socialite (Vivien Leigh in her final role), an alcoholic (Lee Marvin), a Spanish aristocrat (Simone Signoret), and a Nazi (Jose Ferrer).
The major reason to view this film is the outstanding final performance of the incomparable Vivien Leigh,who played Mrs. Mary Treadwell, an attractive, middle-aged, Southern divorcée on this cruise ship set in the 1930s.
But with Ship of Fools what works is that it's like changing the channels between about seven or eight channels with each one having different characters in the same time period, so if one channel starts to drag a little it can flip to another and it might be more interesting or compelling.The film doesn't have a strong story, which is both to its benefit and detriment.
Vivien Leigh is the (just slightly) older woman who was once probably to die for and now time has sort of passed her by from her jazz days; the Southern boozer (Marvin) who doesn't get why Jews are put down by the Germans but can't help but drop n****er a few times without even seeming to notice; Oskar Werner is a doctor who becomes a sort of friend to Simone Signoret (I say sort of since it unfolds into what may be a romance for him, and for her is more mysterious); and George Segal is an artist who can't seem to really make a living at that job since he works for money elsewhere, and Elizabeth Ashley as his flustered would-be lover.I may have neglected to mention some of the German characters, of which there are many, including a dwarf, one of the more interesting people in the movie who sort of opens the film with a 4th-wall breaking moment (not really to repeat itself, and I wish either Kramer had more of it or dropped it altogether as it's unnecessary).
Made in 1965 and filmed in black and white (which won artistic points with critics and the academy), this is a stunning cast of actors including Vivian Leigh (brilliant as usual in her last film role before succumbing to mental illness), George Segal, Lee Marvin, Jose Ferrer and Michael Dunn.
Oskar Werner, Simone Signoret, Vivien Leigh (in her last film role) Lee Marvin and Michael Dunn are standout in the major roles while Charles Korvin and Werner Klempler register memorable brief scenes.Ship of Fools is more of a 30's than 60's film with it's large all star cast (think Grand Hotel) with little room for derivation and improvisation that would inform the style of the era it was about to enter.
It lumbers at times with some characters, such as the insipid bickering between young American lovers played by George Segal and Liz Ashley but overall Ship of Fools quality acting makes it worth boarding..
Abby Mann and Stanley Kramer came together again after their classic collaboration in "Judgment at Nuremberg" and became the nucleus of a tremendous cast and crew that put together another great film.Oskar Werner heads an amazing ensemble in a powerful performance as the ill-fated ship's doctor.
She has some savagely comic scenes with Lee Marvin, the last one being a scene where he mistakenly in the dark takes her for one of the prostitutes aboard the ship and she beats him to a pulp.Jose Greco as Pepe, the head of the Spanish Dance troupe who also pimps for some of his dancers is excellent in a role of a hard-bitten and malevolent character.George Segal and Elizabeth Ashley do the best they can in perhaps the most poorly written roles as the star-crossed young lovers.
Other characters on the ship include: an aging American divorcée , Mary Treadwell (Vivien Leigh); a washed up baseball player, Tenny (Lee Marvin); and two American lovers, Jenny and David (Elizabeth Ashley and George Segal). |
tt5311514 | Kimi no na wa | Mitsuha, a high school girl living in Japan's mountainous Hida region, is bored of country life and wishes she were a handsome Tokyo boy. With her grandmother and younger sister, she makes kuchikamizake sake.
Mitsuha begins switching bodies intermittently with Taki, a high school boy living in Tokyo. Their memories of each other fade quickly, like dreams. They realize the experiences are real when their friends and family tell them they have acted strangely recently. They begin to communicate by leaving notes in Mitsuha's notebook and memos on Taki's phone and intervene in each other's lives. Mitsuha helps Taki develop a relationship with his coworker Miki, while Taki helps Mitsuha become popular in school. As Taki leaves Mitsuha's kuchikamizake as an offering in the family tomb on a mountaintop outside the town, Mitsuha tells Taki about a comet expected to pass Earth on the day of her town's festival.
One day, Taki wakes up back in his body. After an unsuccessful date with Miki, he tries to contact Mitsuha but fails, and the body switching ends. He decides to visit her hometown but does not know its name and his memories of it are fading. A restaurant owner in Hida recognizes the town from Taki's sketch and tells him it was destroyed by a fragment of the comet. Taki finds Mitsuha's name in the records of fatalities and discovers the date of the disaster. He realizes that their timelines were separated by three years.
Taki goes to Mitsuha's family shrine to drink her kuchikamizake, hoping to reconnect with her body before the comet strikes. He sees fragments of Mitsuha's past and learns that her father left the family after his wife died and that Mitsuha, having fallen in love with Taki, went to visit him the day before the comet struck. She met his younger self, giving him her name and ribbon. He wakes in her body on the morning of the festival and reveals his identity to Mitsuha's grandmother; she tells him the body switching is part of the Miyamizu family history caused by the kuchikamizake. He convinces Mitsuha's friends Tessie and Saya to help him evacuate the village but realizes that Mitsuha might be in his body at the shrine and goes back to the mountain.
Mitsuha wakes up in Taki's body at the shrine, and although they sense each other's presence on the mountain, she and Taki are separated by time. They realize it is twilight, travel back to their own bodies and finally meet. As they return to their respective timelines, they attempt to write each other's names on their hands so they remember each other, but Mitsuha disappears before she can write hers.
As Mitsuha races back to town, their memories of each other start to fade. Tessie tells Mitsuha to convince her estranged father, the mayor of Itomori, to evacuate the town. Running to his father's office, Mitsuha realizes that Taki wrote "I love you" on her hand instead of his name. She confronts her father and convinces him to evacuate the town. The comet piece crashes to Earth, destroying Itomori, but most of its inhabitants survive.
Five years later, Taki has graduated from university and is searching for a job, but senses he is missing something important. He recognizes Tessie and Saya in a Tokyo restaurant, now engaged, but cannot identify them. One day, Taki and Mitsuha recognize each other when their trains draw parallel. They disembark and search for one another, finally meeting on a staircase. Feeling as though they have met before, they ask for each other's name. | romantic | train | wikipedia | In a world dominated by stupid sequels, prequels and remakes it is film/anime like this that restores hope in today's entertainment.Not only it is emotional and feels real, it delivers a relevant message.
I love the imagination and palette but also appreciate that it aims to remind us of social issues that we should be paying attention to.The only reason I don't give our heroes and their story a 10/10 is that I still feel a couple of Miyazaki movies (like Kiki, Chihiro and the racoon dogs) were just that much better and showed a little more imagination.Whatever the case I live in fear of the Hollywood announced remake by Hollywood hack JJ Abrams who has never shown any talent or vision.
It is beautiful, tender, modern (watch the film and you will understand) and makes human love interesting again.With that said, it is too bad that Hollywood has picked this up.
The feeling will disappear, the underlying sense of humanity will disappear, the story will be set in (I am guessing) Dallas Texas or some similar dump, the girl will be wearing long prairie skirt like a good Jewish girl and we will all ask why didn't Hollywood learn a lesson from the American remake of Ghost In The Shell which was a mess?Sigh.
Director Makoto Shinkai's artistry is something people tend to love or hate, but this film is solid proof to all of his disdainful critics that his movies were never "just eye candy".
I know I sound like I'm fanboying, but as a film student and anime fan for many years, I'm being fully honest here - if Director Makoto Shinkai keeps this kind of quality up, he is going to be an even bigger name in the anime industry for years to come.
In some respect it reminded me of Spirited Away (my long time favorite animation movie), in which both main characters grow thanks to the other, and whose paths had crossed and would cross again, beyond memory or reality.Saying more would spoil the movie, so I have been very, very vague.
Tokyo is more real than the real Tokyo, and the director, animators, background artists, and computer artists seem to have devilish fun playing with lighting and getting some of the most beautiful scenes and moments I can recall in an animation movie.I should mention the music as well, which was very, very good.
I know RADWIMPS (I went to see them live a couple of years back), but was surprised at the tone they achieved, and how well it fit with the movie - the music, along with the visuals, really help in getting a full immersion into the story.However, some of the most hilarious jokes in the movie seem to be untranslatable to English - in particular the "dialects" of the main characters, as well as a specific moment that makes use of several of the ways that Japanese people use to refer to themselves, depending on context and sex (watashi, watakushi, boku, ore).
So I'm looking forward to seeing how those scenes will be handled in the translation!I have since seen the movie one more time, bought the OST, and bought and read the novelization (which is almost like the movie, but does give more insight into each character's thoughts and thought processes.).
(Done as the movie SOMEWHERE IN TIME, 1980).I already gave this the highest rating on the IMDb.The animation is stunning and complimentary to this one-of-a-kind tale.All things considered, I would like to avoid the ongoing arguments about which Japanese animation studio is better, or worse, than the other.
I tend to watch animated movies because they have so much more to offer at the same time it is a tougher competition.The story line is really good, why?
Regarding the character development its spot on, no more information was needed then what was provided, we are limited but at the same time free to make our own thought.I wish to say thank you to everyone who have supported and/or worked with this piece of art, they should feel really proud of themselves, it is an honor that you shared it with us (the viewers).
I have followed Makoto Shinkai's older works and most of them really have a bad ending, though still good, but this movie's sweet.
He really know how to play with our emotion, especially for his work's fans who have followed his works, i'm hoping its not a bad ending during the entire movie.But man, this work is a true masterpiece.
I'm not saying this is better than spirited away, they had a different genre and makoto had his own stunning style.How this piece of animation would turn my emotion really hard?
Together, they must help each other find solution in daily life problems, and solve the mystery of the reason why this whole conundrum started.This may sound like your typical body-swap romantic comedy situation, but you may find yourself on the wrong side of the spectrum as this movie takes you into an incredible journey.
I started watching this movie with high expectations,but somehow this movie managed to be exceed them.Movie didn't just look amazing,which is expected from Makoto Shinkai,but story is amazing as well,it manages to keep attention of viewer from start to finish,and as movie progress it just gets better and better.I think that everyone that loves movies should watch this.Even if someone doesn't like animated movies they should give this movie a try.Also i love how some little things that at first seem meaningless at the end of movie get amazing meaning.
The actual anime capturing the magical essence of the heartfelt story that I don't believe can be replicated as good live.
And it's one of the greatest animated journeys you will ever experience.Watch the review at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7v32c900F4 and / or read along hereYour Name follows a girl from the country and a boy from the city who have never met that switch bodies when they dream.
This film has jaw dropping photo-realistic visuals with beautiful Japanese voice work, great cinematography, laugh out loud comedy, gripping story, insane twists, looming soundtrack, heart racing action, unforgettable quotes.But the best part about this movie is that it has very few mistakes.
Looking around at other reviews and forums, I have a feeling, that this will be regarded as one of the best animated movies ever made.A+10 / 10Watch more reviews like this at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfNozbWd9SJYYwLK2zYn_AA.
The animation is stunning, the story is engaging and the movie complements everything perfectly.Watch it, you'll find yourself captivated..
But this movie is a perfect 10, and if you haven't watched it then you're missing out on so much.The music, the characters, the voice acting, the plot - literally all 10/10.
I will end my review saying Your Name is the best looking animated film I have ever seen.
As I stated before, in a movie as heartfelt and intimate as this, the dialogue and the humour should be handled with the utmost care, and most of the time throughout the movie, I felt as if it took you away from the story – by all means, there certainly would be moments of humour when a boy switches bodies with a girl and vice versa, but humour was not the purpose of this movie, and this should have been respected.One last, and slightly more subjective gripe, but I found the music choices to often be contradictory and 'annoying,' to say the least.
I think you should watch this movies with a clear mind, so I won't say anymore, just know that there's more to it than that, and the film takes many unexpected twists and turns.
I have all the songs on my playlists now and I listen to them practically every day during my spare time, it's that good!By the end of the film I felt like I had had such a complete experience.
That being said, Your Name is still a solid movie with stunning animation and I'd recommend you try watching it yourself.
The two learn about one another through various hi- jinks and need to find a way to pair up and stop something from happening.The movie was English dubbed by Funimation and came to select theaters in North America for a week and I have been dying to see this after hearing about all the buzz regarding it, and I'm not going to lie, this was one of my most anticipated films of the year.
I'm just going to leave the explanation regarding the story and characters off right here because it's hard for me not to review this particular film without talking about the film in-depth.The animation is fantastic to look at as well.
We are also gifted with Shinkai's train metaphor, however this time unlike 5 cm per second, they show the protagonist journey diverging down separate routes and coming back together all while moving in the same direction to the eventual end of the line.The two protagonists are Taki, a boy from urban Tokyo, and Mitsuha, a girl from a rural Japanese village.
The films fantasy spin keeps things fresh and prevents the film falling into generic slice of life clichés.The art like all of Shinkai's other works it breathtaking, making the film stick in the minds of the audience for long after the films over.
If anyone has seen the trailer, they know this movie offers beautiful and captivating animation from the very first shot.
With a very well deserved rating of 8.6 and 113th placing on the list of 250 top rated movies of all time, "Your Name" delivers us anything we could ask from it:A terrific artwork, the movie's animation is extremely well made, with beautiful landscape scenes accompanied with an excellent soundtrack; the sky, sun, water and comets are completely astonishing and mesmerizing to watch.
Just like in every of Mokoto's movies, the characters are extremely well constructed and it makes you fall in love with them after 10 minutes into the movie, developing a huge emotional bound to the story.
The reason that I needed to make one because I was astonished with something that I just watched, and I feel that people need to watch it too.Great story line with twists here and there, great characters and development, supported by excellent animation and music.I came to the cinema with the expectation of this movie would be as good as 5 cm per second, in fact it surpassed my expectation.
I could not even remember when was the last time I watch a movie without checking my watch, which means that every single minutes, from beginning till the end, the scenes were very enjoyable and well fit in to the whole flow of the story.This movie also reminded that how great Japanese movies in Asia were before Korean movies started coming to scene.
Having seen other movies (Garden of Words, 5 centimeters per second and Children Who Chase Lost Voices) from Makoto Shinkai, I've been prepared for the visual masterpiece that is Your Name, but the well built, interesting story was a pleasant surprise.While his other movies were a bit slow or uninteresting for me, this one managed to get pacing and plot right, and was successful in keeping my interest, and managed to build a smart story from the corny body-switch basics.I'm hesitating between 8 and 9 stars, as I've felt the story could have been a bit more complex, and there were some plot holes, that are not so easy to overlook.
Think of the most touching and beautiful movie/scene you've ever seen, and loved, and it still doesn't come close to what this film has.
This anime makes me speechless, I watch this movie with very high expectation from all the reviews I have read and it was worth all of the good reviews out there.
The consistent top-notch animation, artwork, soundtrack, directing and even the voice acting was clearly done with love and care to the point that the finished film looks and feels like a passion project without a deadline striving for perfection.Oh and it's not just looks too it's got brains as well.
Not only because I have thoroughly enjoyed Makoto Shinkai's previous films, but also because it has been doing incredibly well at the Japanese box office the past few months.While I think Shinkai's previous films are great, none of them quite reached masterpiece levels for me, but I'm very happy to say that Your Name did that, because not only is this without a doubt Shinkai's best work to date, this is easily one of the best Anime films I have ever seen.I don't want to go give away too much detail about the plot, but all I will say is that this is an incredibly written and very original story, with fantastic animation (as you would expect from Shinkai), along with lovable characters, funny humour, a great music score and a final act that will surely have you waiting to see what transpires with deep emotional investment.What starts off as a funny body-switch comedy turns into something much more deeper and emotional in the 2nd half, but I won't give anything away!It's now one of my top 5 favourite Anime films and I encourage everyone, regardless of whether you're an Anime fan or not, to check out this masterpiece..
Moving from enjoyment to stunning emotion, Your Name is ultimately an enthralling and powerful tale, one told with great visual beauty from Makoto Shinkai.Shinkai, the director and writer of the likes of The Garden Of Words and 5 Centimeters Per Second is being dubbed as 'the new Hayao Miyazaki' by his third fantastic outing with Your Name.
Mixing the images of classic landscape paintings with some exceptional photo-realistic macro-focus shots, there's no doubt that Shinkai is a master of anime when it comes to pulling off pure visual beauty.Also, the second half of the film is evocative of a great Miyazaki picture.
I'll get into the specifics of the latter half in a minute, but suffice to say at this point that Shinkai definitely has the ability to match the likes of the great Miyazaki when it comes to bringing across both blissful and devastating human emotion, something that's always even more powerful in animation.Before I get into that, however, I want to talk about the first fifty minutes of Your Name.
Frustratingly, there are about two or three musical montages throughout that make the film feel like a TV movie, and each time they appear, they're more and more jarring, proving a hugely disappointing break in the film's generally impressive elegance.I understand that Shinkai has his own style, but his previous films haven't ever used so many of these montages.
Stepping up from an interesting but not always emotionally riveting first act, Shinkai dramatically turns the film into an emotionally stunning and powerful experience, with so much poetic elegance and sheer unpredictability that you can't look away from the screen.It's difficult to discuss the second half without spoilers, but the way that the film manages to grab you so much by taking such a drastic turn, moving away from the fantasy of the body-swap to an incredibly human and tender story, Your Name is definitely worth the wait to get to the best bit.Overall, I was hugely impressed by this film.
About halfway the movie switches into a pretty convoluted romance story, that just doesn't work, because the whole second half is built around wanting to give the audience the "feels".
Makoto Shinkai's Your Name is my third favourite animated movie of all time, only being surpassed by Kaufman's Anomalisa and Miyazaki's Spirited Away.
I didn't cover everything like the voice acting or characters, but that's because, though they were also good, they weren't as great as the other aspects of the movie.
This movies contains a real simplicity in complexity , it takes you through an extraordinary love story , during the first period of the movie you will be feeling like its an ordinary story and even guessing the end of it but in the middle of the movie things takes an unexpected sadly beautiful turn that would leave you in a shock but it will also give you the best time of your life..
Even you may wonder how beautiful living in the town where one of the main character lives.It's such an experience to watch an animated movie of this kind.
There's no experience of the perfect combination between graphics, effects, characters, story that filled with many of emotions, in Non-animated movie.
I would absolutely re-watch this movie to feel those emotions again.
Never in any kind of movie (live action, animated) have I ever felt this way about any of the characters, and that really says a lot of about the writing and voice acting.
Ok, this is my first review of a movie, so maybe I'll be brief.The story is very well written, it just somehow feel like it does make sense.
I'm not Japanese myself, but I've been to Japan quite some times, and it feels very nostalgic to watch the scenery in this movie.The soundtrack is very nice, the music is very heartwarming and just click very well with the love story in the movie.Overall, I highly recommend this movie not just for anime lovers, but also for everyone..
The animation is spectacularly done in every scene, the characters are really alive, the scenery is beautiful, in general it is just a really fun movie to look at.
Your name (Kimi no Na wa) is one of the most beautiful animated movies out there and is worth watching!.
"Kimi no na wa" in Japanese or "You Name" in English is an animated movie realized by makoto shinkai , came out in summer 2016
Look, pretty much, this movie's great all round - just give it a watch.Actually, I almost forgot to mention that it's also good on the emotional side of things, so much so that I glimpsed tears in my friend's eyes towards the ending...Pretty much infinite praise for this anime. |
tt1103273 | Peep World | At a dinner celebrating the 70th birthday of their father Henry Meyerwitz (Ron Rifkin), tensions among the four Meyerwitz siblings explode thanks to the success of the youngest son, Nathan (Ben Schwartz), whose new novel Peep World is a thinly veiled portrait of the family. The best-selling expose reveals the oldest, "responsible" son, Jack (Michael C. Hall), as a porn addict, the daughter, Cheri (Sarah Silverman), as a catty drama queen, and the third son, Joel (Rainn Wilson), as a living disaster with a loony plan to change his life.
The story takes place over the course of a single day. Jack, a struggling architect, is stressed about the well-being of his wife and unborn son. Cheri, an actress, wants to sue Nathan for damages since she is unable to get work. Joel, an incompetent divorce lawyer, juggles mounting financial troubles while maintaining a relationship with his client Mary (Taraji P. Henson). Nathan finds little happiness with his success due to the ongoing turmoil. Jack's pregnant wife Laura (Judy Greer) discovers him masturbating in an adult video store. Cheri continues to rant about the book and upcoming movie, but decides to attend the dinner with her religious friend Ephraim (Stephen Tobolowsky). Joel misses Mary's divorce hearing. After being given a shot for premature ejaculation issues, Nathan causes a scene during his book signing with an unwanted erection. After his publicist Meg (Kate Mara) helps him "relieve" his problem, she reluctantly accompanies him to his father's birthday dinner.
The four siblings meet at the restaurant along with their mother Marilyn (Lesley Ann Warren). Everyone is surprised when their father introduces his new girlfriend Amy (Alicia Witt), who is not only half his age, but also the actress playing Cheri in the film adaptation of the book. The family quarrels during dinner. Henry deems his children ungrateful and reveals that Amy is pregnant. Marilyn claims the children always blame someone else for their problems. The dinner ends abruptly when Henry chokes on a piece of food. Jack performs CPR, and the family rushes him to the hospital.
While waiting, Cheri asks, "What do we do if he dies?" Jack replies, "We'll live." A doctor appears to give the family news. A narrator then explains that Henry finally got his family together, though he almost died for that to occur. | romantic, flashback | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0277738 | The House of the Dead 2 | A few months after the events of the first film, Professor Roy Curien at the fictional Cuesta Verde University (CVU), has managed to subdue and contain a "Hyper sapiens" specimen, who is revealed to be his son, Rudy Curien, (a survivor of the Isla Del Monte incident from the first film). Curien experiments on another survivor (Alicia), trying to determine the source of her immortality, with apparent disregard for the rotted state of Alicia's body. When Curien has created a serum that he believes will bring back the dead and grant immortality, Curien murders one of his students and injects her with the serum. She returns to life, infects Curien and breaks out of the building.
A month later, the university has a full-fledged outbreak, which is confirmed by AMC reconnaissance teams. Jake Ellis, an agent for AMS, goes in search of fellow agent Alexandra "Nightingale" Morgan. He finds her on a date at a restaurant, where she must execute several infected people before she returns to base with Ellis. They are ordered to retrieve a blood sample from the originally infected specimen on campus; missiles will level the campus at midnight, regardless of whether the agents are still present or not. She assigns a gender-mixed Special Forces team of U.S. Marines to provide them with backup. Ellis openly questions the competence of the soldiers, leading to friction between the two units. Upon arrival at CVU, the soldiers encounter zombies. One soldier panics and another becomes infected after his gun jams. When the others discover his injury, they sever his infect arm, but he turns and infects the team medic; both are executed by Ellis. The team continues forward into the university proper.
They proceed to battle through the hordes of infected, splitting into two teams. Two female soldiers, Lieutenant Alison Henson and Private Maria Rodriguez, and a male soldier, Bart, investigate the dorms. They break into a female dormitory where they find the deceased naked body of a zombie. Bart attempts to pose with the corpse and is bitten by a mosquito trapped in the room. Fearing contamination but unwilling to execute Bart, who is threatening them with a handgun, Henson handcuffs Bart to a radiator and the two soldiers exit the room, falling back to the van. Meanwhile, the second team, including Ellis and Nightingale, are attacked multiple times. Eventually, every soldier escorting them is killed, including the leader of the unit, Sergeant Griffin. They fight their way to the professor's laboratory and find the original specimen still imprisoned, as well as a pair of students who had survived. They enter the confinement room and extract blood from the zombie, but are forced to kill it when it breaks free. The two students Lonny and Sarah, who had allowed them into the confinement room are overrun and torn apart by zombies, and Ellis and Nightingale escape while the zombies are feeding on the bodies.
Henson and Rodriguez make it to the extraction vehicle. There, they prepare to rescue Nightingale and Ellis, but Rodriguez is bitten by a zombie who was locked in the back of the van by the soldier assigned to guard it. Henson executes Rodriguez, and the duo arrive in front of the science building as Nightingale and Ellis fight their way through a horde of zombies. Ellis and Nightingale saved by Henson, but the blood sample vial is destroyed in the process. They are forced to turn back, with ten minutes before the military releases the missile level the campus, and fight their way back to the confinement room. They retrieve a second vial, but Henson is bitten on the ankle. She remains behind and commits suicide, as Nightingale and Ellis escape before the missile strikes the campus and only Ellis made it out but Nightingale trapped surrounded by zombies. Bart breaks free from the dormitory by amputating his hand and forces Ellis to hand over the vial. Bart decides to kill Ellis anyway, Nightingale survives and kills Bart. His dying action is to pull the pin on a hand grenade, destroying the vial in the process. Nightingale is wounded but uncertain of whether she's infected. Ellis refuses to execute her, as the two leave together and headed to the city, finding that the infection has spread to the rest of the city. | violence | train | wikipedia | null |
tt1716777 | People Like Us | Sam Harper (Chris Pine), a struggling corporate trader in New York City, is in trouble after one of his deals violates federal law and the Federal Trade Commission threatens him with an investigation. Sam's boss (Jon Favreau) urges him to bribe federal officials, at Sam's own expense. Returning home, Sam learns from his girlfriend Hannah (Olivia Wilde) that Jerry, his estranged father, has died in L.A. of cancer. Sam tries to avoid attending the funeral, but Hannah insists on making arrangements. After flying home to L.A., he stays with Hannah at Jerry's house and has a tense reunion with his mother Lillian (Michelle Pfeiffer).
Sam meets with his father's lawyer and friend (Philip Baker Hall), who tells him that the will leaves Sam no money. However, the lawyer hands him a shaving kit. Inside is $150,000 in cash and a note stipulating that the money be delivered to "Josh Davis."
Josh (Michael Hall D'Addario) turns out to be a troubled 11-year-old whose single mother, Frankie Davis (Elizabeth Banks), is a recovering alcoholic and bartender. Sam secretly follows Frankie to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, where she reveals to the group that she is Jerry's illegitimate daughter. Sam realizes that Frankie is his paternal half-sister, and Josh his nephew. Sam tells Hannah the news, and his intention of keeping the money for himself. This disgusts her, and she returns to New York, leaving Sam with Lillian.
Sam introduces himself to Frankie as a fellow alcoholic visiting from New York, and soon becomes involved in their life, giving encouragement and social advice to Josh, and getting closer to Frankie. He learns that Jerry visited Frankie and her mother on Sundays, and that Frankie has never met her father's "real" wife and son. Growing close to Frankie and Josh, Sam broods over what to do about the phone calls from federal officials warning him of his deepening legal trouble. Frankie tells him that she does not want him around Josh because she fears he will leave the boy and return to New York. Sam decides to leave, but returns to pick up Josh from school. He receives a phone call from Frankie at the airport, telling him Josh has been in a fight.
One night, after watching Sam put Josh to bed, Frankie embraces Sam and tells him to stay. Sam reveals his true situation, and Frankie explodes in anger, throwing him out of the apartment. Later Lillian is hospitalized following a heart condition, and in the waiting room, Hannah finds Sam, and they reconcile. Hannah tells Sam that she has enrolled into UCLA's law program to remain close to him after realizing that he now wants to be with his family. Meanwhile, Frankie receives Jerry's money through a lawyer. She uses the money to enroll at school and move into a suburban neighborhood with Josh. She quits her job and cuts contact with Sam.
After she returns from the hospital, Lillian tells Sam that she made Jerry choose their family over Frankie and her mother. She thought she was protecting Sam, but instead Jerry rejected Sam because Sam reminded him of the daughter he abandoned. One day, Josh, who is having difficulty adjusting to life without Sam, tries to find him after finding Lillian's address, and through his step-grandmother relays his home address to Sam.
When Sam visits Frankie, she is angry. He asks for forgiveness and for a chance to be her brother, and Josh's uncle and father figure. He shows her an old film reel Jerry shot of a young Sam at a playground. In the film, a girl joins Sam, and Frankie realizes that Jerry had regularly brought her and Sam to play together and thus loved both his children. At this recognition, Frankie accepts Sam as her brother. | dramatic | train | wikipedia | It proves that in life a family always have life altering choices to make.The story which was inspired by true events has Sam(Chris Pine)a grown salesman who one day with his love Hannah(Olivia Wilde)gets a call in New York and the news is bad his record producer dad who he hasn't seen in years has just passed away on the west coast in L.A. Also Sam's mother Lillian(Michelle Pfeiffer)has fallen ill with a heart condition, so he takes a trip to California to have his life turned upside down.Soon Sam will have revealed that his father had a hidden past life this was in the form of another sibling it's a half sister in Frankie(the sexy Elizabeth Banks).
And Sam has dropped everything after the connection so he can start anew with his true love Hannah.Overall good film of finding out hidden special secrets, it proves love last with family as a new connection that was once secret starts a better life for all.
Chris Pine as Sam shows he's much more than just a pretty face, but the true scene stealer is Michael Hall D'Addario who plays Josh, the bad-boy son of Elizabeth Banks' character, Frankie.
Film Critic, 15-year-old Raven Devanney shares her review below: Video review available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzovjcl38xwPeople like us is a heartfelt drama about a man who's life takes a turn for the worst and in unsuspecting events leads him to a sister he never knew he had.
My favorite character was Frankie played by Elizabeth Banks because her performance was so solid and she definitely carried the comedy of this film as well as the heavier emotions.
My favorite part of this film is when Sam played by Chris Pine is getting to know Frankie and her young son because I enjoyed watching their bond grow.It really bothered me that Sam wouldn't tell Frankie who he was until the end of the film because it just complicated their lives, but it gave the film a much needed twist.
The dialogue is smart (written by director Alex Kurtzman with Roberto Orci and Jody Lambert), the pacing is fast and furious at first but as the film lingers it slows to a slow dance that makes the whole plot come together, and the cast is uniformly excellent.Sam (Chris Pine, who continues to grow as an actor) is a fast talking salesman whose antics have resulted in some financial disasters that have placed his life in the panic mode.
The remainder of the film is the working out of the secrets and truths that Sam and Frankie are brother and sister and the aspect that binds them is Sam's concern for Josh and for Frankie's future.Yes, there are errors within the film's script that confuse matters, but in the end the performances by Pine, Banks, Pfeiffer and D'Addario are so fine that little else matters.
And as it's inspired by true events on behalf of the director Alex Kurtzman, he shows the viewer the emotional aspects of broken families and strained relationships with admirable tenacity; it makes you wonder what goes on behind closed doors.The performances in this film were second to none, with Elizabeth Banks the stand out in my mind.
While Pine's character of Sam may at first appear to be a bit pompous and big headed, Pine is able to show how he actually is not so bad after all; the touching moments he shares with (still stunning) mom Michelle Pfeiffer, the eventual truth regarding his true relationship with Frankie, as well as the conclusion to the film prove this.People Like Us is simply a movie that packs a huge emotional punch about love and how life is not always as simple as it could be.
This movie forces its audience to reflect on the "what if" it was me having to make these decisions, what would I do.Taking ordinary but important human relationship material and shifting the focus to mother-son and brother and sister focus, with a romantic side and even uncle-nephew story, the movie offers a new look at relationships, the complexity of real life scenarios and how people have to deal with such tragedies and redemption.
"People Like Us" continues the important relational genre with such meaningful movies such as "Something to Talk About" (1995) about a wife dealing with her husband's affair; "Valentine's Day (2010) an attempt to offer a variety of relational realities; "The Perfect Man" that focuses on a mother-daughter relationship; The Pursuit of Happiness (2006) involving a father-son relationship facing economic poverty; Margot at the Wedding (2007) a more independent version of examining a dysfunctional family as a whole.
Incest was in the air ...Also, OK, I know it is a movie - though based on true events - but I don't think anyone would choose to help a kid in school when his mother is on the way ( and plus nothing of a big deal happened) to help him when on the other hand you have several people hanging above your head with : You will go to prison messages.The reason for his girlfriend's leaving was lame.
I'm somewhat estranged from a lot of my family, aside from my Dad. I may not have had no contact with my sister like Sam (Chris Pine) does in this movie, but I was easily able to feel sympathy for him.
Chris Pine( Unstoppable)as Sam is terrific as a brother who finds out that he has a sister Frankie( Elizabeth Banks scrubs, what to expect when you are expecting, next 3 days)after the death of his father Jerry whom he dislikes for not showing any interest in being his father.
Josh (Michael Hall) has the sweetness in his voice and longing for love and friendship from the good looking Sam. Banks and Chris Pine were excellent and Hall was terrific as the kid who gets into trouble when left alone.
People Like UsNot knowing you have a sister until you're a man means you don't have much time to crash her slumber parties.And while this drama isn't about raiding a grown woman's bedroom at night, it is about earth-shattering revelations.It is not until his father dies that Sam (Chris Pine) learns he has a sister Frankie (Elizabeth Banks).Bequeathed with $150,000 and tasked with presenting the windfall to his sibling's son Josh (Michael Hall D'Addario), Sam leaves his girlfriend (Olivia Wilde) to stalk his sister.Overtime he's welcomed into their lives as a friend, but when Frankie learns he is her brother, she implodes.Making the story all about the secret and dragging out its declaration until the obligatory separation/reconciliation, People Like Us is insubstantial.Besides, the only way to tell if a stranger is your brother is to have a baby with them and see if it looks weird.
Now the problem lies that the whole charming thing with Frankie and her son is like any young guy trying to vow a woman and her son and when Frankie (Elizabeth Banks) falls for Sam (Chris Pine) without knowing that he is her step-brother makes the whole concept incest.
But I suppose an actor relishes the challenge of not being stereotyped into a role, and beyond the pretty boy looks, People Like Us provides an avenue to demonstrate if he has some acting chops, or not.Chris Pine plays Sam, a barter trade facilitator who, through a series of aggressive deals, finds himself in hot soup when external factors start to throw a spanner into his well oiled operations, and finds himself wanted by the authorities to answer to some dubious dealings, as well as his customers being none too happy about his non delivery on his professional promises.
So therein lies the dilemma, whether to be selfish and go against his conscience to embezzle the money, needing it to save his own skin, and since no one's there to check on him, or to do what's right and pass it on.Curiosity got the better of Sam, and as he turns stalker into the lives of Frankie (Elizabeth Banks) and her oft bullied son Josh (Michael Hall D'Addario) who is the de facto misfit in school.
Contact soon gets made, and with his best of intentions to keep his real identity and relations to Frankie and Josh a secret, this blows up quite unexpectedly, bordering on the cusp of near incest as Frankie's emotions start to get the better of her, since she's probably on the lookout for a father figure for her son, which now comes in the form of Sam. It's a little bit morbid to think of it, but I suppose dramas like these love to stretch some limits, especially when secrets got harboured on one side only.So can Chris Pine do drama?
Elizabeth Banks seem to picking up a lot more bit roles of late, and this one didn't have her do much except to slowly open up in the wrong way, while Michael Hall D'Addario becomes the scene stealer with his rage against the entire world attitude.Having the likes of Olivia Wilde and Michelle Pfeiffer in small supporting roles didn't detract from the film's main intent to examine the building of ties between Sam, Frankie and Josh, and it surely goes well to say that blood will almost always run thicker than water.
Olivia Wilde does a decent job herself and so does Michelle Pfeiffer, but their performances did not strike me as stunning in any way.All in all, Chris Pine and Elizabeth Banks did this movie a lot of justice and it is a very good film indeed, but it just didn't do it for me, at least not as much as I had hoped it would...maybe it's just me, but by all means, go ahead and see it for yourself; you will not regret giving up two hours of your day to see it.
"People Like Us" tells the story of Sam Harper, a fast-talking, down-on-his-luck corporate barterer, portrayed by Chris Pine, who is told the sad news that his father just recently passed away.
He also finds a note that tells him to give this money to a young 11-year-old boy named Josh, the son of an ex-alcoholic bartender of a single mom, Frankie, played by Elizabeth Banks.
Although, I ended up being underwhelmed by the film, it wasn't the fault of marvelous performances by Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Michelle Pfeiffer, Olivia Wilde, and Michael Hall D'Addario as 11 year old Josh.
Well Meaning, Well Acted and Well, just kind of Mediocre and the Ending is a Contrived Piece of Feel Goodness that is Flat and Hardly Believable.Interactions among the Players is a bit Stiff and Relationships both Known and Unknown are Strained and there is Another of those "Intelligent Beyond Years", Annoying Kids Tugging Away at the Heartstrings and Here it just doesn't Work, but not for Lack of Trying.Worth a Watch for those Wanting something a bit Different in the Hollywood Family Film Factory, but the Story is as Thin as the Credulity of it All and it Works more on an Empty Emotional Level than Anything Resembling a Life-Affirming-Changing Picture that these Things at Best can Offer..
time flied and the movie ended and i felt captured, this one really dragged me in it and for this i will not mourn those two hours i spent watching this.The script, story, development were great, it developed slowly but beautifully, the dialog was good, the performance by the cast was exceptional.But the plot was a little bit thin, and it was predictable (very) in the last 15 minutes, so this why one star is missing here.But overall i'm glad it didn't turn into a rom-com because it would have plain stupid..
With a cast that includes Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Olivia Wilde, and Michelle Pfeiffer, one knows this movie will be quite a compelling watch.
What seems to be a start for a comedy, slowly but surely descents into a full-blown drama of epic propositions (I am mean this in a good way, believe me).The movie has some cliché moments as I am sure everyone has them by now but it truly excels creating original dialogs in every corner with fabulous acting of all parts involved.What truly excels in this one is the way the script is played through the movie, masterfully should I add, from one moment to the other, there is little manipulation and truly a lot of heart poured into each scene that lead us to connect with every character in story.From the role of mother, played beautifully by Michelle Pfeiffer (my gosh , this woman is gorgeous !) to the very well played role of the 'sister' by Elizabeth Banks and the lead actor Chris Pyne, there is no week role or miscast here, this is truly a work of someone who really does know how to create a compelling drama.If you care about a deep story, brilliantly executed script, characters well developed and an ending truly inspiring then you must go see this one.People like us has a deep understanding of the human drama about life and the choices we make, it make us feel connected to our own reality dramas and how we solve them, the movie really excels in they way it makes us feel like the characters in this movie.
If you can feel your own memories and your own life flowing through you after watching this movie, then you know this is good stuff.People like us deserves no less than an 8 and a serious recommendation as one of the best dramas of 2012..
Michelle Pfeiffer has a couple of powerful scenes and damn she's beautiful, does this woman never age?Chris Pine's character is nothing new, a twenty-something, fast-talking, self absorbed salesman (although in all fairness he wasn't terrible he just wasn't all that interesting.) The movie revolves around his character Sam, whose latest deal collapses on the day he learns that his father has suddenly died.
'PEOPLE LIKE US': Four Stars (Out of Five)Film writer/producer Alex Krutzman makes his feature film directorial debut with this touching family drama about a down on his luck salesman who discovers he has a sister, he never knew, after his father, he came to hate, passes away.
I think it underperformed with critics and at the box office (and was undersold as well) because Chris Pine is not a well known enough leading man (yet) and the movie focuses on the relationship between an adult brother and sister (rather than tell a love story) but that's why it's so good.
Once home Sam discovers that his father has left him with a task: He must find a woman named Frankie (Elizabeth Banks) and give her and her son Ted (Michael Hall D'Addario) 150,000 dollars and look out for them.
Reuniting with his estranged mother Lillian becomes challenging enough, but Sam also discovers that his father left him $150,000 in his shaving kit.The catch is that it comes with instructions to deliver the cash to an 11-year-old named Josh, who happens to be the son of Frankie, a half- sister he didn't know he had.
As the precocious Josh, Michael Hall D'Addario is given lines only an 11-year-old in a mainstream movie would speak, but he is such a likable young actor that he manages to come across as authentic.Olivia Wilde has a thankless role as Sam's put-upon girlfriend Hannah, but she provides more depth than the plot device she represents, while indie mainstay Mark Duplass ("Humpday") seems to be showing up everywhere these days, this time as Frankie's conveniently available downstairs neighbor.
"Typical drama ensues when we see such as actors as Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks and Michelle Pfeiffer doing some good work in the film that hits most of the notes that a film with type of film would hit" A film with this type of plot would most of the time be something made fun of by being called a lifetime movie but this film is not as bad those type of films and actually makes you care about the characters.
The story essentially revolves around Sam (Chris pine) who learns his father has died and left him a shaving case filled with money to give to his half sister, Frankie (elizabeth banks) that he never knew existed.
A movie about the hazards of not identifying oneself immediately — which ultimately causes more problems than it solves — but exhibits absolutely no tension, interest or empathy for any of the characters involved.Directed by Alex Kurtzman (in his film debut, although he did helm a season of the "Alias" TV series) and starring Chris Pine ("Unstoppable"), Elizabeth Banks ("What To Expect When You're Expecting") and Michelle Pfeiffer ("New Year's Eve"), the plot concerning a long-lost family member is unbelievably contrived and ridiculous In fact, while a story of mistaken identity holds a lot of promise, from Shakespearean drama to standard sitcom fare, here, though, none of that potential is realized.
This is a film about siblings- a brother and a sister, only she doesn't know they are related.Now that I have seen the film, I'm sorry to tell you that this ick factor apparently wasn't unintentional- seems the entire plot hinges on Sam (Chris Pine) not revealing to Frankie (Elizabeth Banks) that he is her half-brother.
Instead we spend fully half the movie in standard rom com mode, with Sam meeting and charming not only Frankie but her young son Josh (Michael Hall D'Addario) too.The film is written by director Alex Kurtzman and writing partner Roberto Orci- better known for their work on Transformers, Cowboys vs.
His mother (Michelle Pfeiffer) is cold and distant.Sam's father was a record producer who had a daughter, Frankie (Elizabeth Banks) from another relationship.
PEOPLE LIKE US (2012) *** Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Michael Hall D'Addario, Michelle Pfeiffer, Olivia Wilde, Mark Duplass, Sara Mornell, Philip Baker Hall. |
tt0065780 | Gimme Shelter | Agnes "Apple" Bailey (Vanessa Hudgens) has never had an easy life. She's been in and out of foster care for years, and her mother June (Rosario Dawson) is an abusive addict who only wants her for the welfare money she provides. She decides to run away and go in search of her absent father Tom Fitzpatrick (Brendan Fraser), whom she discovers is now a wealthy Wall Street broker with a family. He agrees to take her in, but she's quickly forced out again when he and his wife learn she's pregnant and don't agree with her decision to keep the baby.
When a pimp forces her into his vehicle to discuss "business", Apple jumps into the driver's seat, speeds away and crashes the car. Apple awakes in a hospital where a priest, Father McCarthy (James Earl Jones), is waiting to speak with her. After gaining her trust Father McCarthy arranges for her to stay in a home for pregnant teenage girls. The shelter is run by a formerly homeless woman named Kathy (Ann Dowd). June is informed that Apple will be staying there and goes to the shelter in an attempt to take her to her home, but is forced to leave after she gets violent.
Apple bonds with the other girls at the shelter, beginning to open up and trust them. She gives birth to a baby girl and names her Hope. Tom comes to visit and the two reconcile. He offers to let Apple and Hope come live with him, but as they're leaving Apple realizes she's already made a home for herself at the shelter and decides to stay. | tragedy, violence, murder | train | wikipedia | The Stones were possibly the biggest band in the world at the time, so by today's standards it seems unbelievable they'd put on a free concert where the venue was changed at the last minute, the set was still being constructed as the 300,000 very fried looking hippies turned up, and there was no security for their satanic majesties except for the San Francisco Hell's Angels who were paid in beer and brought along pool cues with lead weights at the end for added security - as well as the standard knives and baseball bats.
At the time many people really did believe that they could change the world and looked to bands like the Stones as leaders of the counterculture, and you really get the impression things like this mattered a hell of a lot more, but after Altamont, well...
Certainly not a filmed concert, this important documentary describes, in a very sensitive and powerful way, the incredible human bestiary that rushed towards the 1969 free Rolling Stones show located on Altamont speedway, California.
The Rolling Stones were on their US tour when they stopped to play a free concert at the Altamont Speedway in San Francisco.
The film mixes concert footage of the Rolling Stones, footage of the night at Altamont, as well as the band watching and reflecting on that terrible night.
Thus we have a scenario that is nerve racking to witness unfold and we are then filled with immense anxiety and dread as the situation grows into the tragedy it morphed into by the end of the night.Of course, what makes Gimme Shelter more than just a simple reflection on the tragedy at Altamont Speedway is the footage of the Rolling Stones watching the Altamont footage and reflecting on it all.
There's sort of two documentaries here: one shows the actual concert in Altamont, and the other shows the Rolling Stones watching the footage to see where everything went wrong.
The strength is what exactly this one is showing, namely the death of 60's innocence at a sleazy unorganized concert packed with drugged-out hippies watching the world's greatest rock and roll band.
Even with the parking, when they are talking about how they have room for only a (relatively) small number of cars when they need room for many times more, the answer simply is a suggestion to ask the landowner next door to use his land to park cars and hope for the best, and that's that.There probably is no better film where you can get that certain "feel" for the late 60's hippie-rock crowd and scene.
Truth is, Altamont never actually changed anything much; instead, it was a wakeup call for those who still for whatever reason, refused to acknowledge that the times have already been changing indeed.The footage at Madison Square Garden is actually the best concert footage in the film, interesting seeing how the house lights were on all the time and how the band played on stage without any props or effects (KISS was still 5 years away).
A free concert given by rock group The Rolling Stones in 1969 at the Altamont Speedway near San Francisco reaches a fever pitch when the rowdy crowd clashes with the Hell's Angels, who were enlisted in place of actual security--ultimately resulting in tragedy.
With the Stones themselves, the Maysles brothers look back over the concert in regards the performances and the wider impact the event had.Although not quite as good as I had hoped it would be, this film was still pretty interesting as it captures "the end of the sixties" in the Altamont concert murder and the performances of the Stones in their prime.
When I saw the new version,with the new footage added,I was hoping for more footage from Altamont.Instead,we get only more footage of the Stones in the studio,and more performance footage of their show at Madison Square Garden.I've always wanted a version ,that was strictly about Altamont,because,ultimately,that's what the main focus of the documentary is,in the first place.Show more footage of the other acts that played(Or,tried to play,only to have their sets interrupted,by Hell's Angels attacking fans,that they thought were out of control).There has to be more footage of the Flying Burritos,Santana,C,S,N,&Y,Jefferson Airplane,etc,and there certainly has to be more footage of Angel assaults on innocent people in the crowd.Make it about 3 hours long,like "Woodstock".It would give us a much better view, of what that ugly,horrible day,was really like..
It wasn't one of the Rolling Stones' smarter ideas to hire the Hells Angels as security for their Woodstock cash-in at San Francisco's Altamont Speedway Free Festival in 1969.
Hmm, let's see - $500 in beer ought to do it.David and Albert Maysles' notorious documentary-cum-snuff movie captures the madness - and murder - that ensued, as a young, black Meredith Hunter is stabbed to death by the Angels live on camera, while the Stones' frontman whimpers from the stage: "Who's fighting and what for?
Altamont was an event that should never have happened, but because of the greed and arrogance of the Rolling Stones it turned out to be one of the darkest chapters in not only rock and roll history, but of society in general.One reason I blame the Stones for what happened is the fact that originally the concert was going to be held in Golden Gate park featuring The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane and the Stones were going to show up at the end unannounced.
Most of the rest of the movie is incomprehensible and dull, between trying to decipher the Stones' thick accents and no use to subtitles to indicate what is going on, the whole thing seems rather confusing.As everyone knows, the films chronicled the horribly disfunctional Altamont concert of '69, which was an interesting counterpoint to the peace and love Woodstock.
This was mostly because of some very poor decisions made by the Stones and promoters, for example having a stage little more than a foot off the ground for 300,000 people?Just for the record, apparently the Grateful Dead used the Hells Angels as security all the time for their concerts in the 60's, it was common practice.
This film is about the tragic free Rolling Stones concert in Altamont 1969, where Hell's Angels was in charge of security and there one person was killed.
Great capture of rock's darkest day.A documentary on the Rolling Stones' 1969 US tour and the tragic events that concluded it.
During the Stones' set, Meredith Hunter, high on methamphetamine and armed with a gun, makes a lunge for the stage and is stabbed to death by the Hells Angels.
First of all, it all starts to become more interesting the moment things are starting to come together for the 'Altamont Free Concert', which was supposed to be a sort of response to 'Woodstock' but things are starting to become even more interesting when things are starting to hit the fan, during the concert.I think that everybody is already very familiar with all of the events that went down but this documentary actually shows you how it all happened and things started to go from bad to worse.
It even shows you the fatal stabbing and some of the other brutalities, committed by the Hell Angel's, who were brought in by by the management of The Rolling Stones, as security during the concert.
The film is now infamous for rock fans for it's depiction of the doomed Altamont speedway concert, where amidst a higher-than-usual pitch of angry vibes in the audience a Hell's Angel killed a man after seeing him pull out a gun.
The rest of the film leading up to that is just as watchable (or, I don't know if that moment, free-framed near the end, is what could be called as 'watchable') for fans of the Stones, showcasing some of their best songs live including Jumping Jack Flash, Satisfaction, Love in Lain, and Sympathy for the Devil.
But then, of course, comes the Altamont concert, which gets an appropriate build up as the promoters and lawyers figure out the concert, which was to be the west-coast throwback to the legendary Woodstock concert that occurred earlier that year - in fact, many have called Gimme Shelter the 'anti-Woodstock' for its aspect of rock and roll tragedy, however they each have their own senses of the beauty and disillusionment that went with the era.
Granted,The Woodstock Music & Art Fair had it's share of downers & bummers than the starry-eyed,stoned out audience members would admit to (there were several drug overdoses,a tragic death of a sleeping audience member by being run over by a tractor in a field next door to Max Yasgur's farm,and there was Abbie Hoffman being kicked off the stage by a surly Pete Townsend of The Who,who was in a foul mood that day),but hands down,The Altamont Free Concert holds all of the cards for perhaps what had to be one of the biggest downers of the end of the 1960's,as far as concerts go.
It's a pretty amazing movie.It's interesting, the documentary makes the event seem like the first rock concert ever done.
I've been to a lot of concerts and the whole thing seem unorganized in comparison to present day concerts, but that's the magic of the whole thing, The Rolling Stones were doing something fresh and unique at the time (Or at least somewhat, Just before this, I saw Ron Howard's documentary on the Beatles playing Shea Stadium, which was more organized and predates this event, but once again, that adds to the magic, as The Fab Four are too squeaky clean to have Hell's Angels as body guards).My favorite part was these inter cuts with the Stones watching the documentary being edited, including the infamous scene when the Hell's Angel stabs a man to death, which became one of those moments in Rock and Roll History that became legendary.
Gimme Shelter (1970)**** (out of 4) The Maysles' landmark documentary covering The Rolling Stones 1969 tour of the United States, which was to end with a free concert in San Fransisco at the Altamont Speedway.
While the band and everyone else had great hopes for the free show, it turned into a disaster as concert goers went up against the Hell's Angels who were working as security.A lot of films get the reputation as being the "greatest" of something.
Finally, the film works brilliantly as a thriller.Yes, GIMME SHELTER works perfectly as a thriller because most people are going to come into the movie knowing what happened at that free concert.
A documentary crew tails the Rolling Stones for a leg of their 1969 North American tour and unwittingly captures one of the nastiest, bloodiest all-day concerts in music history - the infamous Altamont Speedway show.
Gimme Shelter is still a compellingly made documentary about a free Rolling Stones concert that ends in tragedy.
This film, Gimme Shelter, is both enjoyable for the performances of The Rolling Stones and others like Ike and Tina Turner, Jefferson Airplane, and The Flying Burrito Brothers, and upsetting for all those scenes of those Hell's Angels constantly beating up on several audience members not to mention some of the musicians like Airplane's Marty Balin.
The great thing about "Gimme Shelter" is the way this documentary works as a dramatical film with acts, thrills, and when you watch how things were at the Altamont Festival you see how difficult things were that it looks like a Hollywood film where everything happens because it was written this way in order to be appealing to audiences.
The now infamous concert seems to fated from the moment where managers wanted a place to do the show until the deaths of four people during the whole thing, being the murder of Meredith Hunter as the worst presented (and the only displayed and mentioned in the film, during the Rolling Stones performance of "Under My Thumb").
Reasons for being a failure are countless: Security issues concerning that the police almost wasn't present and the Hell's Angels were the ones contracted to do the job, pushing people around and hitting Jefferson' Airplane's member Marty Balin on the face (act denounced by the band members while performing which almost caused a big clash between band and the motorcycle members); the place where the concert was made with a enormous number of people (this is the drama I was talking about, since this place was the third selected for such event, sounds like a play with three acts of tension, the third place where everything happened, things like that).
Everything was a mess, but you can see some happiness, some smiles in crowd, it wasn't so bad but it could have been a better event to be remembered as a nice thing.Future viewers pay attention to Rolling Stones performance in the final minutes of the film where the most gripping and shocking part appears.
And despite all the planning we see Mel Belli and managers doing throughout the documentary one must wonder what happened there."Gimme Shelter" captures the 1970's hippie movement, the rock n'roll as a powerful art in that social scenery, and of course the music is great.
You can't keep your eyes off the audience at Altamont; the filmmakers showed some very memorable shots, such as the girl who was enjoying the concert yet at the same time crying, the guy who gave Jagger a pleading look, the Hell's Angel giving Jagger a menacing glare for some reason.
The film showed all the great music and the horror, but I also liked watching band members' reaction to the chaos: Paul Kantner chastising the Angels for knocking out Marty Balin, Grace Slick saying that bodies should not be on top of each other unless love is intended, Keith Richards threatening not to play and Mick Jagger trying in vain to stop the violence.
Instead, as is the basic scenario behind any of the greatest film documentaries, what began as one thing (in this case, a concert film) slowly spun off into a completely unexpected territory (in this case, proof of an era's demise), and the true gift comes from what can be made of it all.In retrospect it seems obvious that using California's Hell's Angels for crowd control would prove to be a bad idea, and likely fatal.
Apart from archiving a musical milestone onto celluloid, the film chronicles with nail-biting tension the progression and difficulties of staging a free concert for an audience of 300,000 and how the end of the flower-power era of love and peace was heralded with the stabbing of an audience member by Hells Angels security guards.
The camera spends almost no time on any of the Stones other than Mick Jagger, and nearly all of the Altamont footage is shot from behind the band to feature the audience, which, as it turns out, is the stroke of genius that makes this movie so special.The audience is the true "star" of the film.
The Altamont concert moved actually at a the last moment from the Golden Gate Park to a smaller location started with ambitions to be a West Coast version of Woodstock but ended in chaos and with the loss of the lives of four people.The documentary catches live some of the events of that night, but it is not extremely revealing or innovative in what it is showing.
The film shows Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts in the screening room right after the ill-fated concert, watching the footage in shock, and then the documentary flashes back to a slightly happier time (the Madison Square Garden concert, where Ike and Tina Turner opened).
There are images in this film (Tina Turner's clearly troubled performance; a wasted Keith Richard, bopping his boot to Wild Horses; the Hell's Angels member, casting a downright threatening look at Mick; the stabbing) that will stay with viewers for a long time, and will stay with rock and roll fans forever..
masterpiece documentary, "Gimme Shelter."The film deals remarkably with the careless, optimistic attitude of the Rolling Stones towards life that was crushed by a free concert they gave in December of 1969.
The audience is left with moral and ethical questions to ponder, as well as a twisted, and phenomenal new view of the "greatest rock and roll band in history."Dick's Altamont Speedway Rolling Stones Free Concert: The day the 60's died..
As a concert film, the Stones are at their best--the footage is excellent, Mick Jagger is young and vibrant and they perform their best songs.
As originally planned, Gimme Shelter was to be a celebratory document of The Rolling Stones' 1969 tour of the U.S. that began with the Thanksgiving show at Madison Square Garden which opens the film, and ended with the free concert given at the Altamont Speedway near San Francisco.
It probably seemed like a good idea at the time: The Rolling Stones decide to hold a free concert at Altamont Speedway in San Francisco, California in which the Hell's Angels were hired as security.
The film does have the footage of a murder by the Stones hired Hells Angels Security, along with some clubbing.
Certainly not a filmed concert, this important documentary describes, in a very sensitive and powerful way, the incredible human bestiary that rushed towards the 1969 free Rolling Stones show located on Altamont speedway, California.Complete disorganization, brutal security staff, drug abuse will turn this rock party to an awful black celebration that will lead to more than a human sacrifice : the destruction of a new kind of innocence.Often shocking and disturbing, sometimes dreadful, "Gimme shelter" brings to us not only the pictures of a riot.
The film is made up of footage from the concert itself, including the violence that ensued and Mick Jagger trying to calm things down on stage, some of the point of view from drugged up and dancing spectators, and The Rolling Stones watching it all back and reflecting. |
tt0043545 | Flight to Mars | The first expedition to Mars, led by physicist Dr. Lane (John Litel), includes Professor Jackson (Richard Gaines), engineer Jim Barker (Arthur Franz), and his assistant Carol Stadwick (Virginia Huston). Journalist Steve Abbott (Cameron Mitchell) is also aboard to cover the historic mission. A final interview with his crew mates before launch makes him realize that there are grave risks for them all.
They lose contact with Earth when a meteor storm disables both their landing gear and radio. The crew is forced to decide whether to crash-land on Mars or turn back for Earth. Professor Jackson makes the case that the purpose of their expedition is to collect data, data which they can send back to Earth using self-propelled space cylinders equipped with homing devices. They decide to proceed with the mission, knowing they can never return.
After they safely crash-land, the crew are met by five Martians at one of their above ground structures. Looking human and being able to communicate in English, their leader, Ikron (Morris Ankrum), the president of their planetary council, explains that they have been receiving Earth's broadcasts by which they learned our languages. Their own efforts, however, to transmit messages to Earth have only resulted in faint signals being transmitted.
The Earth crew are brought by the Martians to a vast underground city, which is being sustained by life-support systems fueled by a mineral called Corium. There the crew meet Tillamar (Robert Barrat), a past president and now a trusted council advisor. Terris (Lucille Barkley), a young female Martian shows them to their room and serves the group automated meals. The expedition members are amazed at the high level of Martian technology around them and soon ask the council for help with repairing their spaceship.
Discreetly, Ikron reveals that their Corium supply is nearly depleted. He recommends that the Earthmen's spaceship be reproduced, once repaired, creating a fleet that can evacuate the Martians to Earth. The council votes to adopt Ikron's plan, while also deciding to hold the Earthmen captive during the repair process. Alita (Marguerite Chapman), a leading Martian scientist, is placed in charge of the spaceship. Ikorn keeps himself informed of the progress by using Terris as a spy. Jim begins to suspect the Martians' motives and fakes an explosion aboard, slowing the ship's repairs. When Jim later announces their blast-off for Earth is set for the next day, he surprises everyone with the news that Tillamar and Alita will be joining them.
Terris reports their suspicious behavior, leading to Alita and Tillimar being held, but Jim foils Ikron's plan to seize the repaired Earthship after freeing both. After a brief confrontation with Martian guards at the spaceship's gangway, the three make it aboard safely, and the expedition is able to safely blast-off for Earth. | romantic, intrigue | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0095496 | Last Rites | Father Michael is a New York priest with close ties to the Mafia crime syndicate — his father is a don. The priest's brother-in-law Gino, a mafia boss, is murdered while having sex with Angela, a mistress. She narrowly escapes by hiding in a bathroom and locking the door.
Pursued by hitmen, the mistress comes to the priest for confession. She is afraid to go to the police so Father Mike agrees to meet her at her choice of location. A cab driver transports him to a loft apartment, telling him a sorrowful tale of how Angela has helped him and his wife with the grief over losing a young son. Father Mike confronts her about knowing his relationship to Gino. She denies knowing the connection. When the two encounter the hitmen, the priest is wounded and one of the hitmen recognizes Father Mike.
Angela hides in his church. She tells him it was Gino's wife who shot him. Gino is buried, and Father Mike glares across the casket at his sister Zena, having seen her with the hitmen when he was shot. He speaks to his father, who says he expects to lose at his racketeering trial and be sent to prison. The Don tells the priest that his sister wants to run the business, but he has said no since she's a woman. As they leave the cemetery, the hitman tells the Don and Zena that he recognized Michael.
Zena comes to confession and tells Father Mike that she knows of him helping the girl. The priest begins to fall in love with Angela. He meets best friend Nuzo, a detective and godson of his father. Nuzo tells him not to trust her. He tells Mike that Gino gave evidence to a rival crime syndicate, which sealed the Don's fate, in return for 5 million dollars. Nuzo tells him to sit tight while he makes an arrest, but Nuzo is gunned down, dying in Mike's arms.
Father Mike and Angela flee to Mexico, heading for her village. For the first time the priest violates his vows and they have sex. In the morning she is gone. Meanwhile, the Don finds out they are in Mexico and sends Zena to kill the girl. Father Mike races to catch up to Angela, thwarting another hitman along the way. He arrives in the village in time for a festival.
Angela is a fraud who set Gino up and took the money. She is also married to the "cabbie" she sent to pick him up. Now she instructs her husband to kill him. He stops at the festival and Michael spots him. He witnesses the cabbie drive away in the rental car Angela took.
Michael goes to the hotel and finds a surprised Angela. He lies that he loves her and they have sex again. She awakens to see Michael sitting in a chair, staring at her. He stands, walks to the door and leaves her, saying "via con Dios" as he goes. She is stunned to see Zena step through the door. Zena shoots her as Michael continues down the steps past the body of the "cabbie." He gets into a limo and waits for Zena. She sits next to him and says "thank you, brother." He takes her hand and kisses it as they drive away. | romantic, neo noir, murder | train | wikipedia | +MAJOR SPOILERS+ At the start of the movie "Last Rites" Geno, Roberto Corbo, is gunned down in his hotel room by his wife Zena, Anne Twomey, as his lover Angela, Daphne Zuniga, runs for her life and locks herself in the bathroom.
Zena blasting the locked door with a shower of bullets feels that Angela is also dead and leaves.
Later Father Michael, Tom Berenger, who's a priest at New Yorks Saint Patrick's Cathedral takes a confession from non-other then Angela about feeling guilty for the death of her lover Geno.
Geno is Michael's good friend as well as his brother-in-law.
There Angela tells Michael that she had no idea that Geno was still married to Zena Michael's sister.
Now she feels that she'll be killed by Zena's and Micheal's father's Don Carlo, Dean Clark, mobsters for fooling around with Geno.
Michael at first feels that there's more to the story then what Angela is telling him.
Why did she go to him, Zena's brother, of all people to confess about having an affair with his brother-in-law Geno without knowing who he is?
At first when watching the movie "last Rites" it looks like the story of a woman who was cheated on by her husband who then took things into her own hands.
But as the movie moves along you begin to realize that the story is more, far more, then what you at first thought it was.
Michael is smitten by Angel's beauty as well as her vulnerability hides her in his residents at the cathedral with the help of fellow priest Father Freddy, Paul Dooley.
As Michael's father Don Carlo, New York's Boss of Bosses in the Mafia, has his hoods out on the street looking for her.It's obvious that Angela did a lot more damage to Zena and her father that what it seems on the surface in her having an affair with Zena's husband Geno.
Some of the truth comes out later when Michael has a talk with his friend and undercover policemen Nuzo, Chick Vennera.
But before Nuzo can do anything to make Michael see what he's involved in he and his partner are gunned down in an undercover drug bust that tragically backfired.It turns out that Geno was talking to the Feds and gave them enough rope to hang Michael's father Don Carlo.
Geno was also making a deal with the Mannonie family who were trying to unseat or whack Don Carlo and take over his crime empire.
The Mannonie's gave Geno five million dollars with which he and Angela would take off with and never be heard from again.
Also it was Angela who put Geno up to selling out Don Carlo who she later planned to have murdered when they were out of the country and then keep all the money for herself.
Going into town looking for Angela Michael sees Luis the cab driver who took him to Angela's loft in New York.
Going to the house where he saw Luis coming out of Michael finds that Luis and Angela are married and that they played him for a sucker!
The plan was to get Angela out of the country and away from the vengeful Don Carlo and his mob.
Both Louis & Angela are now going to have Michael murdered.
Then with Michael out of the way they'll together live off the money that the Mannonie family paid Geno to sell out Michael's father.
Very confusing movie due to the bad editing and atrocious acting on the part of the beautiful but irritating Daphne Zuniga.
But if you overlook the bad editing and acting and follow the story it's not as bad as most people say it is.
This doesn't mean that "Last Rites" is by any stretch of the imagination a good movie.
Tom Berenger really rises above the material that he's given in the movie with a very sensitive and troubling portrayal of Father Michael.
A man born into the mob who wants to make penance for his father's sins.
Also Tom Berenger shows a very commanding use of the Italian language in the scenes where he speaks it.
But It's the movies bad editing and directing that does it in by muddling the story instead of crystallizing it.
Among the many plot-holes, and there are legions of them, in the movie is the scene in Mexico after Michael finds out about Angela cheating on him as well as setting him up for an assassins bullet.
You see Michael, after praying in the local church, taking off what looks like, I may be wrong, a wedding ring from his finger and sadly dropping it on the ground.
Even though you never saw Michael and Angela get married in the movie for him to have that wedding ring in the first place..
Every New York film cannot be a lasting classic.
Whether you consider it a church film with mafia overtones or a mafia film with church overtones, Berenger's priest shows subtle vulnerability that escalates to overwhelming vulnerability and you have to be curious as to where it will end.
So we have this priest, son of the mafia, who gets involved with this chick.
Not only we have Tom Berenger in top form, the film features Daphne Zuniga (why I had never heard of her before?), and Adrian Paul, way younger and before he put on the Highlander clothes, and in a small role.
The plot is excellent, the performances are great and what to say?
You would think that with the mob, the Catholic church, machine guns, hookers, hit men (and women), full-frontal nudity, screaming inside a church, the lead actress crying that "I'm a whore!", a stuttering priest and a uniformly attractive cast that there'd be a reason to get excited about this thing.
Alas, you'll only be disappointed unless, like me, you want to see it because you've heard only bad.Although it's shot in a made-for-TV style, there a couple of interesting camera shots (set in Mexico) and even a moment or two where there's promise of the story kicking in.
This film has a few things going for it and not much else.
It does have an icy female villain well played by one Anne Twomey, who is now known only for her small part as the NBC exec who put the kibosh on Jerry's sitcom pilot on Seinfeld.
It has the sexiness of Tom Berenger and Daphne Zuniga, but doesn't seem to know what to do with them.
And it has brief full-frontal male nudity by an unknown actor at the beginning, worth a look alone since it happens so rarely in American films.
The rest is not good, but it may be fun to watch just to see how convoluted it gets.
Plus you keep thinking the main actors are going to bare all, but they never really do.
If you wanna see more of Berenger, get At Play in the Fields of the Lord instead.) Sorry to keep dwelling on the nudity, but this is not a film you watch for the plot.Roger Ebert named this as the worst film of 1988 six weeks before the year was up.
She has deserved better, and in fact could be having a Helen Hunt kinda career if she hadn't been cast in films like this.
(Being on Melrose Place probably seemed like a good idea at the time, but not in retrospect.)You can decide for yourself if this film is "so bad it's good" or just bad.
Perhaps it might have been a great cheap Cinemax "erotic thriller" with a controversial priest angle, but at face value it's lame, with a lousy written tough-guy priest character that rings false all the way through it.
Despite every awful review this movie has received -including Roger Ebert ominous one as "the worst movie of 1988"- I loved it when it was first released and I still enjoy it.The plot may be faulty, but the atmosphere is great and the music by Bruce Broughton is -as expected-very good.For me -and many of my(according to what Mr.Ebert could think on this subject) "tasteless" friends, it still remains a cult film to be enjoyed again once in a while.
The naivete of Michael (Tom Berenger) the priest has credibility in terms of his position in his family.
The "finale" with his last phrase and the entrance of his sister Zena (Anne Twomey)and the very last scene at the car with her are simply terrific and impossible to forget no mater how many years have passed..
This film does show Berenger's truly broad range as an actor.
It is one of those movies' that stick with you and kind of "haunt" you, in the very good way of being truly memorable, ultra-sexy and different!
Bellasario's genius is well known now, but was truly evident in this early work of his.50 Shades of Gray has nothing on the raw sexuality displayed so beautifully by Tom Berenger.
My wonderful husband of 30 years has always known that even though Berenger is 16 years my senior, I would have an affair with him in a heart-beat.
The ending of this movie leaves you breathless and yearning for more..
It inexplicably features an Irish dude (Berenger) badly trying to pass for Italian.
The impossibly stick-thin Daphne Zuniga is playing Mexican?
But, you will laugh, and you will laugh hysterically!(did I mention this movie wasn't good?)(1/2* Out of 10 Stars) - of course, IMDb will not let me do 1/2*!.
Priest Father Michael (Tom Berenger) has a father who's the head of one of the families in the Mafia.
Michael protects Angela (Daphne Zuniga) who his father wants dead...and starts to fall in love with her despite being a priest.
Now he's torn between love for his family, love for Angela or love for the church.The story has been done before and there's plenty wrong with it.
For starters Berenger is totally miscast as the priest.
In the right roles Berenger can be good--but not here.
Still it does (somewhat) work.Within the first 5 minutes you have female nudity AND full frontal male nudity (unusual in any Hollywood movie).
Zuniga has about two nude scenes and Berenger shows off his muscular chest.
There's also a wonderful supporting performance by Anne Twomey as Michael's sister Zena.
This is no classic--heck it's not even a good movie--but it's not an utter disaster either.
Ring on Father Michael's finger.
I recently saw this movie for a second time, and noticed that the ring was on his finger at the very beginning.
I think the reason he took off the ring was that he realized he had betrayed the vows he took to the Church.I loved Tom in this movie, but I pretty much love him in everything.
It was interesting to see what a cathedral looks like "behind the scenes".
The plot was implausible, but not as offensive as some would have you believe.Hard to believe that Tom did this movie one year before Major League.
I'm a fan of Tom Berenger, and I'm not alone since he was a great leading man of the late 80s and 90s.
He's younger here, cast as a priest, which stretches credulity a bit, but it's convincingly played and written by someone who clearly had a background in catholicism, which really permeates the entire film.
Berenger being Italian doesn't exactly jibe with reality either, but again, its made plausible.The film has some decent action and surprises, with all the hallmarks of an 80s movie that relies on its plot, characters, some back lot sets, and period grit and debased attitude as well as slightly substandard film stock that still looks great.
There's something about films that used to have to rely on characters and plots because they couldn't afford to blow tens of millions on effects.Regardless, Berenger as a priest, his friends, his awful sister, and his mob family are all played well.
However, when you give it some thought, a convincing rationale can come to mind, one of innocence lost, one in regards to family coming first and the mania of that within the mob taking over even a good son.
There's a real subtext about the good or bad side to women that is taken a bit far, and makes the director/producer seem like a possible misogynist, but maybe that's how life went for him.
Or maybe it's the destiny for Berenger's life as a priest.
Regardless, it's better a film to me than a 5 or even 6.
Bad choice for Mr. Berenger.
A Catholic priest shields a woman from the mob.
And then the priest has more than a passing interest in the damsel in distress.A quick ramble on Berenger: The guy is one of my favorite actors.
Having gotten a good break in the late 70's and early 80's his career was going downhill already by 1986.
To play it safe; Berenger decided to work with established directors to further his career even more.
He worked with Ridley Scott in "Someone to Watch Over Me" in 1987, did a solid film in Roger Spottiswoode's "Shoot To Kill" starring alongside Sidney Poitier and made quite a splash in Costa-Gavra's extreme political thriller "Betrayed" in 1988.To close off 1988 Berenger played the lead in "Last Rites".
I have no idea of Berenger's personal faith and whether he wanted to really stick it to Catholic priests; but I simply don't get what was interesting to begin with in "Last Rites".The film opens well enough.
A super sexy mobster gal, Zena (Anne Twomey), kills her husband (in quite a nasty way) when she catches him bedding another woman, Angela (Daphne Zuniga).
Angela narrowly escapes and shortly thereafter goes to confession in Father Michael Pace's (Berenger) booth.
As fate would have it; Pace is Zena's brother and therefore has direct ties to the mob.
Pace decides to help Angela and keep his family from getting to her.
All the while the mobsters are closing in on them."Last Rites" offers up at least one miserable twist, a hopelessly boring middle section, some pathetic attempts at taking a stab at religion and an ending that takes far too long to reach it's predictable conclusion.
Which is a shame 'cause it starts fairly well.Berenger isn't all that believable as the tortured (and fairly weak minded) priest and Zuniga's legendary bad performance here probably ruined any further chances at a solid acting career.
Anne Twomey easily walks off with the film."Last Rites" probably hurt Berenger's film career.
I don't think it's quite as bad as Roger Ebert labeled it (the worst film of 1988) but it certainly isn't good.
Apart from "Major League" in 1989 and "Sniper" in 1993 (and a personal favorite is "The Substitute" from 1996), Berenger made more bad choices commercially speaking and his film career has never recovered..
This movie is fun.
When the voluptuous horny girl gazes ravenously at the half-clothed Tom Berenger in his chaste, priestly bedroom, he tells her "I can't touch you, I'm a priest." But he doesn't seem to be convincing himself and he certainly isn't convincing her.The movie doesn't take itself seriously, and the story line is insanely convoluted, but if you can't quite make sense of it all, it's still fun.
Highly recommended as a chick flick, but I can understand that anybody who doesn't find a half-naked Tom Berenger sexy might not like the movie.If you're looking for a heart-stopping thriller-mystery, this ain't it.
If you want a good chick-flick drama with a little adultery and a few cold-blooded murders and a totally-unexpected-yet-strangely-satisfying-and-unsettling ending, I recommend Last Rites..
My problem with the film from the beginning was how hard it was to suspend disbelief for a priest like Michael.
There are so many problems with the plot that you can't stop thinking - 'but what about this?' If the beautiful Angela is so incredibly smart where she has set up her scheme with he painter husband to actually end up with the $5 million, then why is she so dumb as to be in the line of fire to be possibly killed by Zena's bullets in the beginning (only escaped by luck) and finally takes one at the end.
A smart girl who knows how to work the mob, and knew Michael was in Geno's family, would have foreseen that.
You watch it because you just know the priest is going to give into temptation and ravage Angela, and so you voyeuristically continue to watch.
Berenger is the "good son" of Mafia Don, Clark.
A girl, Zuniga, rushes into the confessional and admits she was witness to a Mafia killing and is now being hunted by the mob.
The people responsible for the killing are none other than Berenger's own family.
It gets a little complicated here.Berenger decides to help Zuniga escape to her native Mexico rather than turn her over to his own family for execution.
Once across the border, Zuniga seduces Berenger.
Then he discovers that he is the mark in the intricate plot to get Zuniga out of the country.
When she's safe, she tells her real lover to kill Berenger.I'm not sure just what kind of flick this is supposed to be.
And after discovering his betrayal, Berenger far too easily turns from compassionate priest to Judas goat.The acting is barely up to professional standards.
Zuniga is beautiful, lanky, sexy but seems more suited to lighter roles.
Berenger isn't convincing as a priest.
Dane Clark puts in a decent performance but doesn't look quite right for the role and lacks individuality, the way some television actors do, just walking through the part.Whatever conative kinks existed in the minds of the people who produced this, they weren't realized on screen.
Oh, there's a neat scene in which Zuniga slides nudely out of bed, saunters over to the relaxed, alert Berenger, and plants a big smooch on him before undressing him and leading him over to the sack for a hot sex act. |
tt1145446 | Fatso | Luca Lucchesi is a single man who lives in his late grandmother's house. He keeps himself busy by translating instruction manuals from German into his native Norwegian. He occasionally phones his German clients to tell them "Ya gotta Eat", but apart from that his social contacts are reduced to a friendship with a show-off named Fillip who patronises him. Rino is very attracted to a till girl but each time he sees her in the supermarket he is dumbstruck and breaks into sweat. He expresses his fears by secretly drawing kafkaesque comix which are accessible for the film audience. One day after a night of watching porn and consuming plenty of convenience food he learns that his father has rented out a room to female foreigner. When the woman arrives,she explains to him she was from Sweden and intended to start over again in Norway. He doesn't ask why but he gets that information anyway when he eventually finds her helplessly drunk on the stairs to their flat. She tells him she had fallen in love with a family man who had returned to the mother of his children and she had hereby just repeated her big mistake. Next morning she sees him masturbating and later she even finds his comix. But when she leaves he has learnt enough from her to talk to his true love, the till girl, and ask her out successfully. | pornographic, cult | train | wikipedia | A fat man fights against himself to attain his right to be horny and happy.
I finally saw this film a couple of days ago, having put it off due to middling reviews and a general lack of buzz.
I was shocked to discover that not only did it work, it worked better than any Norwegian film I can remember seeing in the last few years.
Granted, Norwegian film is in dire straits at the moment, rehashing dull formulas, making films out of every best-selling book regardless of how well it suits cinema or even works as a book.
And yet the industry is in love with itself, regarding these times as some sort of golden age for our business.
So let me just say that most movies chosen to prove that claim are nothing but mild versions of Fatso, and that if the business wants a flagship, here it is.Like most Norwegian movies, the story concerns a sexually arrested man in an Oslo apartment whose main goal in life is to get laid.
But unlike the cutesy characters usually presented, this guy is a monster.
We get such uncensored glimpses of his sexual imagination that even as one laughs, one might also feel uncomfortable by the honesty with which his mind is presented.
Especially since we all know that deep down we're not as far away from his thought processes as we imagine.
The story is basically a repeat of the cinematic wave that made 1999 such a banner year for American cinema, exploring the male psyche and his place in modern society.
Sure, not many women would want to sleep with, or get to know, this obese, inward-looking, one-track-mind person, but the filmmakers are fully committed to support his right to be fat, horny and in lust for companionship.Everything he sees reminds him of sex, sometimes in very concrete ways, sometimes in more abstract ways and some times his mind wanders into combinations of childish superhero worship and universal needs.
He is a lonely man who sits in his apartment eating, masturbating and subconsciously hating himself, until his father rents out a room in his large apartment to a sexy Swedish girl with issues of her own.
Some see her character as underdeveloped, but we only see her from Rino's point of view, and there are enough moments of desperation in her story to suggest that the angst of the movie is universal, regardless of apparent status, looks and crowd.
She doesn't need to be an angel or insanely smart because all Rino needs is someone, anyone, to see him, even if it is with disgust in their eyes.The story takes us through Rino's journey out of his misery, but it only takes us so far, the filmmakers resisting the temptation to give us the American miracle-cure.
The alterations he makes to his universe are things most of us could learn from, even if we're not in as deep a ditch as him.
He goes from being an anti-hero to a hero in the traditional sense, trying anything to achieve his goals, while also displaying moral ambiguities that makes him tragically human.
His relationship with his best friend is both hilarious and sad, the metaphors are direct and truthful, the way he sees the world has a twisted universality to it.
Somehow a PERSON has found his way into a stylized comedy.At it's core, this is not a movie about getting laid, losing weight, getting friends, status, cooler clothes or creative success, which are all goals the movie keeps open throughout.
It's about seeing yourself in others.
As he sees the tragedy beneath beautiful surfaces and beauty and humanity beneath ugly exteriors he keeps developing a sense of himself.
And through discovering the human being in Rino, viewers who are honest with themselves may see their own lives in a slightly different light and walk out of the theaters as more of a person..
A poignant plot despite the corny, horny comical front.
I saw this movie without any expectation that it would be good.
But it turns out to be an artful and skillfully developed movie that is comical on the surface but carries deep down a tragic undertone.
Nils Jørgen Kaalstad, who plays Rino, is a much better actor than first appears on screen.
His acting is superb in subtle ways.He plays an over-sexed nerd who is hooked onto pornography but has not developed the skills required to actually lure women to bed.
His innate shyness and inexperience make him a lonely, socially (and sexually) ostracized person.
But Rino has a good heart and is a kind and responsible person.
The anecdotes on his translating "boring" user manuals of tools and widgets from the German to Norwegian is actually funny and very true-to-life.
I know people who do such work for a living.I can see that this movie may not appeal to viewers who don't not want to think.
Rino's failure to live a "normal" sex life is a veiled condemnation of the dark side of Internet sex.
Rino elicits sympathy.
One hopes he will eventually finds the right woman who rescues him from the dungeon of cyber sex obsession.
The movie is deeply honest and real-to-life..
From embarrassing to great to face-palm..
This concept could very well have portrayed an awkward fat nerd's struggle to become a real alpha man and Rino could very well have become every fat nerd's role model.
I thought first the movie was aiming at this, but like most Norwegian movies, this movie has its unnecessary twists and turns to make the viewer not anticipate such ending and of course this has it's own shares of such.I must say Nils Kaalstad starring Rino is one of the best performances EVER.
He genuinely portrays a very awkward and ultra nerdy guy in such a realistic way that you actually feel he is one hell of a looser and almost forget this is a movie and not a documentary of such a douche.
He actually grows eventually a bit more balls and it is amazing to see the gradual transformation of Rino.
From extremely awkward to sometimes very charismatic, this actor knows how to deliver!
Malin is Rinos new roommate and she does also a terrific job to portray a stupid Swedish blonde girl who likes to party and never takes responsibility for anything.
Rino's best friend is Fillip who is often very abusive to him, but since Rino has no friends, I guess he has to take what he gets.
It is also very interesting to see how this relation completely changes, once Rino grows some balls.Rino also likes to draw cartoons, depicting his sexual frustration, which is kind of interesting concept even though they are quite immature and plain right stupid.
This movie could have been "Rocky for nerds" and I think they should have taken it this direction, but this is a movie that is interesting and constantly surprises you and you do not know what direction it will take you and therefore it gets a 6.5/10 from me.
It had great potential, but it is a fun movie nevertheless..
Not that shallow.
No, Fatso is not just another teen comedy about an horny-but-clumsy uggo.Or, to put it better, it is ALSO about Rino, an awkward young man (not that young actually) with too much interest in porn and not enough social skills to turn his fantasies into reality.The conflict between his wishes and his inability to be "normal" is the core of the movie.Rino's quiet and secluded life gets turned upside down when Malin, a young Swedish girl, moves in his flat.
The girl is more or less everything Rino has just watched on porn movies: she's young, cute, social and very "open".The problem is: she only dates (ie.
sleeps) "cool morons".Rino tries hard to become cool himself, but in the end he fails.
He and Malin are just too different and can barely work as roomies, as the social and aesthetic prejudice can't be overcome by either of them, thus making even a friendship impossible.The icing on the cake is the grand finale, where Rino gives up his try to become a new man, and falls back to his old habits of autoerotism...
with tragicomic consequences.But in the very end, Rino and Malin have taught and learnt something, and we leave them going separate ways, hopefully a little bit better then they were when they first met.Fatso has two souls: you can take it as a typical "beauty and the beast" comedy (with no happy ending though) or a as a slightly deeper analysis of social interaction, expectations and pigeon-holes.Its best aspect is it doesn't provide an easy way out: Rino won't end up being a stud, and he won't stop being a clumsy porn-addict virgin either.
Malin won't probably stop being a fickle party-animal either.But both at least made something out of each other's company, and are probably a little less lost when out of their element.
Especially Rino.On a final note, there is virtually no trace of the trivial and blunt vulgarity that made Fatso a controversial book in Norway.
Rino was a much more disgusting, perverted and hopeless character in the book, but in the movie they had to make him look more sympathetic.
And I'm not sure that was a smart move.Also, the book ended in a much much MUCH more controversial way, fitting Rino's ugly character.
Once again, it would have been interesting seeing that ending on the silver screen too.
But the ending must be sorta happy, and clean even though it's not Hollywood.All in all, an enjoyable movie, with some ups and some downs, but with such an interesting starting point like Fatso (the book), it should have been done much more out of it.A final note: Casting a Swedish girl for the role of Malin (Maria is Norwegian in the book) was probably meant as a way to remark the difficult communication between Rino and women (and vice-versa) also by having the characters speaking in two different languages.
Similar but different..
There're so many "RINOS" like this one out there.
FATSO is a Norwegian comedy-drama about a solitary man, RINO, which lives alone in a house that belongs to his father.
He's fat, addicted to pornography, doesn't care of his own looking and his home really looks like a mess; and yes, he doesn't have a girlfriend and doesn't even know how to talk with girls
To relief from his frustrated sexual life and flow his fantasies this guy does a cartoon where he assumes the leader character: Here RINO is some kind of superhero and he can fight against everyone who subjugates him
but it's just an escape from his frustrating life!
One day his father tells him that he will rent one of the apartments' rooms to a Swedish girl; and this event will change his monotonous life, definitely!
I appreciated this comedy-drama.
It has some good "dirty humor" and some really crazy scenes, but I expected a different plot's development and also a different disclosure.
In fact I think it has an unsatisfying ending.
It has a nice message, OK, but I was expecting something different
something less dramatic, I don't know
Well, at least it doesn't have one of those awful Hollywood endings where the guy always end up together with the girl!
And that's a good thing!
On the other side, I don't think this movie is too clichéd, at all!
It doesn't have nothing to do with those boring and (ultra) clichéd American teenage comedies!
And that's a good thing, again!But at the same time it also makes you think that it's not just a comedy, in fact, it tells us a story that is not so uncommon these days, and that's probably the most "dramatic part" of it
There're so many "RINOS" like this one out there.
fatso-a refreshing movie.
This was like a breath of fresh air, while other norwegian movies tend to be pretentious and corny.The dialouge is good and the film balances the tragic and funny in a brilliant way.I allso liked the animation that were used several times in the movie, it gives the movie an arty feel and it was a creative way to not show the most vulgar parts of the story.
I don't think this is a movie who makes fun of people, i rather think its a movie about overcoming obstacles and growing as a person.
I liked that it wasn't a straight up comedy,it was bitter sweet and insightfull.
So if you are tired of empty and thoughtless comedies, i strongly recommend this one!!7 out of 10 in my book.
enjoy!.
Average Comedy.
I went to see this movie last Sunday, and I had mixed feelings after seeing it.
In it's own way its a weird and sometimes really funny movie.The Whole movie resolves around this big shy fella, and his journey to get some with a girl, and whats annoying me of is the way the movie ends.
After making an entire movie resolving around this subject, he doesn't get any at all, and instead almost saws off his own genitals with a Dremel...
And thats just about when I gave up this movie.Fun at times, but mostly bizarre and boring..
Pointless and boring.
Be warned.
This film is a bore making fun of people with problems, either being fat, nerdy, sexually frustrated, blond or Sweedish.There's been very many good Norwegian movies out the last years, and therefore one might expect good things going to a new story.
This film has been buzzed a lot, especially around that the novel writer Lars Ramslie almost took the filmmakers to court due to them changing the name of the film from the books title "Fatso" to "Knullegutt" ("Fu**er-boy" in English).Well, that name might have been more appropriate, because the film is just about getting laid.
And Reno is a kind of guy which is not the first a girl would look upon, to say it carefully.Already in the start of the movie it seems obvious that this kind of humor doesn't fit me.
OK, some parts are enough to rise a teeth-less smile on your face, but then the film gets more and more dull.When it comes to Reno almost accidentally cutting his male servant off, you're so dazed by the film you really don't react in any other way than thinking "What did he do that for?
Well, is he going to lie there?" Then realizing: You really don't care about the guy at all.In the end Reno gets a positive message, and this saves his world, and when the film then wasn't ending, I went myself.
I realize the film was only 2 minutes longer, but still...
My life is too short for watching boring comedies.
Hope the book is better.
It has to be.The best thing about the movie?
The mid-seventies Ford Granada used by Renos "friend" Philip.
Beautiful!
Though they were probably making fun of this car as well, in the film....
A videw point from loney fat horny guy that has poor communication skills and main goal in life is to get laid.
This movie is about a horny fat guy named Rino that has poor communication skills that is depressed cause he can't get laid so he imagines himself as a fat Rhino superhero that goes around doing perverted stuff.
Just about everything he sees makes him imagine and have sexual thoughts.
But a girl moves into his house and he can't help but have sexual thoughts about her while his so called friend is somewhat of a cockblock.
The thing is this movie is more uncomfortable and kinda painful to watch than actually funny.
In fact I didn't even laugh or even chuckle throughout this movie.
The girl that moves in just uses the guy for a shoulder to cry on while she goes bang some other guy that doesn't really care for her.
Even though I felt just slightly sympathetic towards her I couldn't help but not blame the girl although she does give false hope.
And far from being a likable character cause a guy like Rino isn't someone I could recommend to a friend for a blind date no matter how sorry I was for the guy.
If you thought the plot in "Knocked Up" is kinda far-fetched with Seth Rogen, the guy in this movie makes Seth Rogen look like Brad Pitt.
The thing is though this movie doesn't try to cut corners but it's raw and direct.
This movie has to do with the deep inner thoughts that an actual narrow direction and the ending may not satisfy other but it works in my opinion.6.5/10.
Waste of time.
Save yourself the time and don't watch this movie.
I think it might be worthwhile if you're European, but if you're expecting comedy, suspense or anything remotely good to happen - it won't.
Definitely not for north American crowd.
This movie really sucks and the girls aren't even good looking.
Like really?
Dude cuts his **** off and has a loser best friend.
Horrible ending as well, should never have been made to a movie.
Even if it was considered a film noir, it still sucks by having a half ass ed tragic hero wannabe.
I honestly felt like the rising climax was going to happen next....because it seemingly never happened.
The concept of making fun of people like the main character is heartless and in the end there is no resolution to the nonsense he endured himself. |
tt0119248 | Hamam | Francesco (Alessandro Gassman) and Marta (Francesca d'Aloja) are an uptight Italian couple running a small design firm. Their marriage, once the most important thing to both, has lost all meaning. Francesco loses interest in Marta, prompting her to start an affair with their business partner.
Francesco's aunt Anita, the black sheep of the family, dies in Istanbul, where Francesco goes to try to sell the property he has inherited as quickly as possible.
The family who had managed the property under Anita's supervision and direction welcomes him with hospitality, but they are concerned about what the future holds for them. Their young son Mehmet (Mehmet Günsür) is particularly eager to show their handsome guest around.
When Francesco discovers the property includes a derelict hamam, a Turkish bath, he instead decides to restore the hamam and reopen it to the public. During the restoration, he starts a relationship with Mehmet.
Meanwhile, Marta arrives in Istanbul to get a speedy divorce from Francesco, but she is taken aback when she realizes how much Francesco has changed from his old self: both the hamam and Mehmet's unconditional affection were just what he needed, giving him back a purpose in life. Marta falls in love with him again, causing Rome and the divorce to lose importance for her.
Francesco's unwillingness to sell the property makes him enemies, some of whom ultimately murder him.
Marta decides to stay in Istanbul and run the hamam, the final scene suggesting she has turned into a second Anita. | revenge, murder | train | wikipedia | After repeat viewing you will notice the beauty of the story, characters and the city of Istanbul!
Being single, after a life of love and tragedy, she was living the last years of her life with a Turkish family in an old original part of Istanbul.
Francesco, an architect/interior designer, living in Italy, in a wealthy part of Rome with his girlfriend goes to Istanbul to take care of the estate of his aunt.
After getting to know the family, Francesco is engulfed in this new old world of Turkey and Istanbul.
Going from very wealthy in Rome to being a guest of a very poor Turkish family, Francesco's life and the Hamam become "one".
Francesco has decided to rebuild his life without his girlfriend and Rome and starts rebuilding the Haman in Istanbul to its former glory with the help of Mehmet, son of the Turkish family, who, during the course of the restauration, becomes his lover.
From then on things start to develop very quickly in a storm of old against new, east against west, money against poverty, greed against tradition, love against hate and finally gay against straight untill the very end!
Some self-reflection comes in the form of letters that his aunt wrote to his mother, with the implication that he feels the same way.Steam, or Hamam, is about suddenly finding one's "home", and being willing to accept that discovery and embrace it..
I expected to see the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque right off, but you never see them-- the film chooses to see Istanbul through the charming back alleys and everyday people.
Istanbul itself is like a character here, and its special charms are at the center of the story.
If you have visited there, you will understand why the characters become so captivated.But this film only uses Istanbul and the Hamam as a vehicle for showing its characters ways of finding happiness and tranquility in one's life.
It shares that quality with literature-- it is at once about these specific characters, and also about everyone, everywhere.Here in New York this film is called "Steam" and is being sold as a major homoerotic experience.
It's sad that they have to cheapen this wonderful movie in that way, and people going expecting to get their jollies will be woefully disappointed-- and entirely missing the point.One tends to think of Turkish/Italian cinema as not being as technically sophisticated, but this film is vary carefully and intelligently written and directed.
This really is one of those special, beautiful movies, not as flashy or intense as some, but I think I will remember this film for a long time.--- Check out website devoted to bad, cheesy and gay movies: www.cinemademerde.com.
Everything is beautiful about this movie, the people, the love between the two men and the between the family and Francesco.
Beautiful scenes of Istanbul, which I am sure is not seen by the usual tourist.I loved this movie and highly recommend it..
But when Francesco inherits a Turkish bath from an aunt he barely knew, he heads to Instanbul to sell it.
Francesco finds his bitterness salved by the love of the family who manages the hamam, his heart stolen by the family's hunky son Mehmet, and his too-fast life slowed by the need to rebuild and maintain the hamam.
Here we find yet another of the main characters we have started to know throughout the story, being sucked into the gentle, demanding, chaotic, smoky, colourful and slow whirlpool that is this movie's Istanbul.
The vagueness and the fact that so much of the story is told through glances, gazes, and shimmering vistas of Old Istanbul means that everyone can bring their own story along with them to illuminate the hints and nuances of this remarkable film.The ensemble performances were very powerful, and I honestly couldn't find any false notes here, though the atmosphere of Mediterranean melodrama at the film's sudden and somewhat awkwardly contrived conclusion seemed a little heavy and perhaps unnecessary as an ending to the serenity of the film as a whole.I quite liked the music, and I enjoyed the director's eye for everyday details in a landscape that is very exotic to a North American filmgoer--reminiscent of The Scent of Green Papaya, or Raise the Red Lantern..
First off the bat, the homosexual suggestive advertising of this film is misleading: it was not the central theme nor occupy any more than a second's brief moment.This film actually has a very poignant way of telling a story, which is set in Istanbul (this was what drew me to see this film as I remembered my visit to Turkey and fascinated by the city of Istanbul), and Istanbul is really the central backbone of this movie.
Story unfolds in a very ordinary everyday way, and through out the film, yes, things just unfold and nothing is presented elaborately no fuss no emphasis they all come across in subtle nuances.
Meanwhile layers of emotions subtly unraveling and the central characters: Francesco and his wife, Marta, each of their own feelings go through stages of change
through each of their experiences of Istanbul and Francesco's aunt Anita's words
It all come together
and you will enjoy this film.
But this movie wasn't even close to being that shallow.The story is very bittersweet, about two people finally finding themselves only to lose it in the end.
Francesco dies later and Marta understands her aunt's letters: as a free woman in Turkey she needs no men to be paired with.
I have seen this film twice now, and both times felt enchanted at the end.
I was able to put myself in the main character's shoes in not understanding everything being said (well, I could read, but still...) The use of what I perceived to be 'broken Italian' also added to the mood.The letters being read has been done before and I expected it to be a foreshadowing of things to come but I didn't expect the way it was carried out.As for the sexuality mentioned in other reviews, I think I would call it sensuality, and it didn't always involve naked bodies.All in all, this was a great movie.
Hamam, not only tells us what traditions originally are (not restricting rules, but guidelines to keep senses, the family and the body together), but also reminds us the mystique remains of a city, where nothing is considered wrong, where life just floats along the steam of the Hamam.Beautiful and sensual, Hamam is a soft and relaxing movie, like its title suggests..
We have many films on the theme of how repressed English visit sunny Italy or Greece to discover new depths to their souls, from "Zorba the Greek" through "Room with a View," "Enchanted April," and "Shirley Valentine." "Steam," or "Hamam: Il Bagno Turco," breaks new ground.To begin to understand the enormity of the life-transforming intensity of feeling the "cold" foreigners experience in Istanbul, the "cold" foreigners are ITALIANS, the very people whom film makers love to contrast with the supposedly cold Brits."Il Bagno Turco" made me and two friends -- one of whom had never been there, another who'd lived there four months -- want to hop the next plane for Istanbul, and perhaps never leave.The film reminded me of how surprised I was to experience the warm hospitality of the Turkish people.It also reminded me and my friends, once again, of how profoundly civilized the Italian people are.The cinematography and direction is nothing short of amazing.
In one scene, toward the end, the frenzied rush of one of the main characters through the streets of his Istanbul neighborhood to seek help is carried off with balletic precision, while the unseen camera photographs him from a variety of swiftly turning angles, with no camera in sight..
A married couple works out their banal existence; evolves.The magic of Turkey and the showering of loving hospitality is reflective of the people from that part of the world.
The feeling is that something significant is going to happen at any moment; it doesn't really until close to the film's end.
Then came most unexpected changes: Going to a most fascinating city (Istanbul) located in a drastically different country (Turkey) to finish some family business; meeting a loving, close-knit family; making personal connections with the members of the family and other local persons; discovering an architectural peculiarity --Turkish Steam Bath-- not well-known and appreciated even in that city; exploring, enjoying, and getting to know all the unique specialties of this type of "Bath"; and, above all, going through a major personal evolution and discovery.
This film will make you want to visit Istanbul.
The atmospheric music and excerpts from "Madame's Letters" help to give the film an exotic Turkish feel (well to me anyway).Knowing the basic plot, I was expecting the outcome of the Francesco / Marta / Mehmet encounter, but it was still quite well handled.The ending was a bit of a wrench, and I wasn't quite expecting it to come out that way, so full marks in that respect.Worth looking out for..
Being born in Istanbul and having lived most of my life there, I was very much carried away with the subtle Istanbul spirit of the movie.
Despite the direction of this film's marketing, reviews and various plot summaries, "Hamam" is ultimately the tale of the spiritual connection and liberation of two Italian women as they encounter life-altering experiences in exotic Istanbul.
An Italian man named Francesco inherits am old Turkish bath from his aunt and travels to Turkey to sell it.
The ensuing story deals with his involvement with the bath, with the community of people in its milieu, and especially an attractive young cousin Mehmet who stirs his sexual ambivalence in the men's world of the "hamam" (the bath), and the triangle completed by his wife Marta who has her own issues.I found the earlier parts of the movie to be slow developing, picking up "steam" as the main character begins to discover himself in the culture of the hamam.
The film seems true to Turkish city culture from my limited observations after two trips there.
The English subtitles show generally good, clear form (not knowing the original languages I can't vouch for their accuracy), although there is a mixture of Italian and Turkish spoken, with some of the characters speaking only one or the other and not understanding each other: all that isn't clear to us, because we just have the English translation in the same typeset.This film will be mildly interesting if you like the subject matter, and a number of reviewers have appreciated its subtlety and treatment of a changing culture.
A special film For the side of Istanbul, for delicat portrait of love, for inspired performances, for flavors and words and tension and the meet with a form of happiness out of any definition.
Ferzan Ozpetek, a Turkish film director who has the ability to gather very different point of views at a time.
Also in this movie, showing how beautiful and bad life can be, and how we lose the "whole" among the details.
A confusing adventure for the young italian man who discovers love for the second time and the Turkish bath "Hamam" at the suburbs of Istanbul..
A well-organized film that tells Turkish culture from a different perspective.
That is, the movie is not "usual" or "boring" for an ordinary Turkish."Things flow more softly there" for Istanbul...
It was a good point.The story of Francesco at the Turkish bath is demonstrating parallel to his aunt's story.
Reminds me a little of the Italian film 'I Am Love', which also takes a dramatic turn near the end.
Anyway, the film is remarkable for portraying a quietly ambivalent acceptance of homosexuality in a culture that is non-western and cosmopolitan: Istanbul.
Leaving wife and drab existence in Rome for what he believes is a short trip to Turkey to oversee the selling of the house, he unexpectedly falls in love with the culture and the people.
This film won accolades at 1999's Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Film Festival where its message - that to find happiness and self fulfillment and that to stand up for what one wants and believes in, results in exultation in life, but comes at the cost of danger and (potentially) disaster - had a special meaning for the audience.
Towards the end of the movie we learn that someone wanted to name their baby after Francesco and I asked myself why.
He does nothing in the movie except brood and read his aunt's letters and for some reason everyone who meets him in Turkey seems to think he's Mr Charisma.
I've dealt with clients that are Turkish, and though I have little knowledge on their way of life, it was interesting to see them portrayed: their kindness, generosity and hospitality.
We get confusing opening where you have to put pieces to get who's who/where/what they do, but after awhile it slows down to a married Italian man who travels to Turkey following his Aunt's death and his strange desire to continue her hamam or bathhouse which was already going out of style before her death.
When I rented the tape Hamam, the Turkish Bath' at my local video store, I had wrong expectations of what the movie would be about.
But let me add just one thing: If you're out to see a romantic GAY movie with an ending that encourages you to live your gay life instead of getting married, you better see MAURICE.
The Hamam becomes a pleasure for Francesco, but also a measure for his life and, in the least, his very existence.
The main character's partner can also be another female.It is really a nice movie about a person's simple life pursuing happiness.
It really does not matter how much one can make, this film showed that happiness is when you found something that you like to do.A good movie..
Hamam: The Turkish Bath is a beautifully acted film, and a film the the director should be proud of for a first time film.
This is the first film directed by Ozpetek, an Italian director of Turkish origin, and it contains all the recurrent issues of his later work.
The movie focuses on Francesco, a young architect, on how his life changes for the better, when he is forced to leave Rome to go to Istanbul.
There he finds a completely different way to relate to work and other people, he discovers the importance of value such as solidarity, understanding and family.
In the latest part the film have a twist, as long as Francesco's wife Marta comes to Istanbul to make him sign the divorce papers.
The finale comes unexpected, Francesco is killed (we don't know why, probably 'cos he refuses to sell the hamam) and Marta, instead of leaving, takes over the hamam.This film is about happiness and the comparison of two ways of life.
In Istanbul Francesco becomes lover of the son of the Hamam caretaker.
He found a family in Turkey living with the Hamam caretaker's family, but he hasn't any in Italy (although being married); 3- food as a metaphor of the joy of staying together, as a tool to welcome other people and strengthen relationships with them (hospitality is an important concept in southern cultures).
Even if immature, I love this film and here you are 3 reasons why it's worth seeing: 1- the topic is interesting and well developed 2- Istanbul is well portrayed in a very non-touristic way3-(for girls) Alessandro Gasman is so handsome in this film.
Believing it's a house he sets forth to sell it only to find it is a hamam(Turkish bath).
As a guest at the house where his aunt once boarded he becomes aware of the differences in the Italian and Turkish cultures..
The Turkish people are noted for their hospitality and this is clearly portrayed through the various characters in the film.
The story begins with a death and ends with a death suggesting that in some way the hamam is cursed.
But the daily life of the Turkish family and the progress of the refurbishment of the hamam is so convincing that we feel in the end that should we go to Istambul we would most likely recognize the hamam and the people who live there.
The first 90% of this movie is an interesting and even thoughtful examination of an Italian yuppie who finds himself in a typical neighbourhood in Istanbul, and has to re-examine his life and the choices he's made.Unfortunately, this movie is the most egregious example of the now-trite 'surprise tragic ending' that some straight filmmakers seem to feel obliged to do whenever they have a gay character.
Hamam is an Orientalist movie, reflecting the perspective of Western fantasies about the East, in this case Istanbul.
Its director is actually Turkish but he filmed Hamam probably for a European audience, putting very delicate pieces of Turkish culture here and there throughout the movie.
As its title goes, the movie's most sound object is the Turkish bath, which has long been associated with sexuality, nakedness etc.
More than Mehmet's personal effect on that, apparently the general atmosphere of the city together with its people and culture, culminating in this historical and exotic space of hamam was the primary factor for Francesco's expansion into new sexual horizons.
Apart from such extravagant Orientalism, the movie also had more sincere moments of Turkish way of life to offer.
The tragic murder of Francesco was a warning to the European intruder of the potential dangers of the Orient which accompany its pleasures; but Marta's insistence on continuing Madam's enterprise with her aspiration in fact to turn into a Madam nevertheless ended the movie in the hope for the Western audience to realize its fantasies and ideals through an Oriental way of life.. |
tt0035770 | Cry 'Havoc' | The film tells the story of a mixed group of Army nurses stationed in Bataan during World War II. At the beginning of the film, the head nurse, Lt. Mary Smith (Margaret Sullavan) begs her superior, Capt. Alice Marsh (Fay Bainter), for more nurses to help deal with the excessive workload, but instead of professional nurses, she is assigned a group of civilians from various backgrounds. They lack experience and require training and find it difficult to settle in. Pat Conlin (Ann Sothern) rebels against Lt. Smith's strict nature, but the group begin to reveal stories from their past and become better acquainted. They also meet a male officer, Lt. Holt (Allan Byron). Pat becomes infatuated with him, leading to jealousy between her and Lt. Smith who refuses to explain why she is offended by Pat's attention to him. During an air-raid one of the volunteers, Sue West (Dorothy Morris), is separated from the group, and some of the women, including her sister Andra (Heather Angel) search for her. After three days, she is found alive, having spent the time trapped in a hut with the corpses of several soldiers who were killed during the attack.
The hardships bring the women closer, and they discuss their hopes for the future. Grace (Joan Blondell), a former burlesque performer, dances for the group to break the tension. Sue remains in a state of shock following her ordeal, and this is compounded when the hospital is attacked again. Grace is injured, and in a later attack, Connie (Ella Raines) is killed. An opportunity arises for all of the women to leave Bataan to Corregidor, but after some discussion, they all decide to remain and help as best they can. Lt. Smith becomes ill with malaria, and in her delirium reveals to Flo that she was married to Lt. Holt and that they were keeping their marriage a secret due to a military regulation that prevented married couples from serving together. When the group learns that Lt. Holt has been killed, both Pat and Lt. Smith are grief-stricken. The hospital is surrounded by Japanese forces and the nurses forced to surrender. | romantic | train | wikipedia | As a patriotic exercise in morale rising this film does a good job even though it is downbeat but as an opportunity to see an amazing group of actresses gathered together it can't be beat.With its almost totally female cast, a very young Robert Mitchum just starting out is in and out of the picture in about a minute, this is a rare bird indeed.
The great Margaret Sullavan in her second to last feature is fantastic as the outwardly tough nurse Smitty who is hiding many secrets.
Two of the best character actresses the movies ever had, Fay Bainter and Connie Gilchrist, don't have much too do but inject their special touch into their scenes.
These women are going through hell and the ending leaves little doubt that their struggles are far from over but that their courage helped to win the war.
What makes the 1943 WWII drama,"Cry,Havoc", offbeat is that it deals with a subject of the war that was rarely talked about then or now.
"Cry,Havoc" was based on a fairly successful stage play, which explains why the film is set primarily in the confines of an underground bomb shelter.
Lieutenant Mary "Smitty" Smith(Margaret Sullavan) desperately needs more experienced nurses at an army hospital in Bataan.
The cast includes: Margaret Sullavan, Ann Sothern, Joan Blondell, Fay Bainter, Marsha Hunt,and Heather Angel.
Here she plays Pat Conlin, a tough, headstrong nurse,who thinks she knows the severity of war.
'Cry Havoc' is Richard Thorp's 1943 film about the courageous women Army nurses and volunteers on Bataan during WWII.
The film suffers a bit from showing it's stage origins, but offers a terrific ensemble cast of actresses, all giving top-notch performances.Margaret Sullavan is wonderful as Lt. Smith, an Army nurse secretly married against the rules to an officer on Bataan.
She is suffering from malignant malaria, but refuses to leave Bataan for treatment, wanting to be near her husband, but also unwilling to desert the overworked nurses and volunteers.
Sullavan was always great at suffering nobly on film (as in 'Three Comrades,' 1938), and again gives a beautiful, moving performance as the dedicated nurse, keeping both her marriage and illness to herself.Ann Sothern and Joan Blondell share top billing with Sullavan and give terrific support as two of the volunteers.
And Ann Sothern, who was sooooooo beautiful, is marvelous as the tough, straight-talking waitress with her sights set on an Army officer, unaware he's Sullavan's husband.The supporting cast includes Fay Bainter, Marsha Hunt, Ella Raines, Heather Angel and Connie Gilcrest, all excellent, and a bit by young Robert Mitchum as a dying soldier.Not a classic WWII film, but recommended for fans of the actresses..
Other films that should be viewed in the same era include Bataan, So Proudly They Hail, Purple Heart, Wake Island, etc..
Very good film about women in war.
Two movies were made, and two books have been written about this group, referred to as the "Angels of Bataan." There are significant differences between the films, and the books.
An Army nurse, Lt. Juanita Redmond, who was among the evacuees from Corregidor, wrote the first book, "I Served on Bataan." It covered the five months from the Japanese attack of the Philippines on Dec.8, 1941, to the fall of Corregidor.
The book and movie were about the ordeal of the nurses over those five months, first on Bataan and then on Corregidor.
Although no nurses were killed, some were wounded as the Japanese continually shelled and bombed the Allied defenses.The second book is more recent.
MGM came out with it in February 1944 – five months after "So Proudly We Hail." It was based on a play that ran for just 11 performances over Christmas of 1942.
In this film, most of the women are not nurses but are civilians who answered a call for volunteers to help the nurses on Bataan.
And, this film ends with the women being captured in the fall of Bataan.
But "Cry Havoc" also is a good telling and showing of the peril, ordeal and heroism of women serving in time of war."We Band of Angels" is still available from book stores.
WWII curiosityan all female cast, and those men that do briefly appear are wounded servicemen dependent on the women.
As I see it, the problem lies with director Thorpe who films the dramatics from an impersonal distance as if it were still the stage play from which the movie was adapted.
Like the Paramount film, Cry Havoc deals with nurses in the Phillipines after Pearl Harbor and their experiences during the Japanese attack.Margaret Sullavan was fulfilling the terms of an MGM contract with this movie.
Afterwards she would concentrate on the stage and would only do one more film years later, No Sad Songs For Me. She plays the no nonsense army nurse with several new charges rushed up to the Bataan front among them Joan Blondell and Ann Sothern.
Fay Bainter played Sullavan's superior and she also was winding up her MGM contract as well.There are no substantial male roles in this film, they're seen briefly in fighting roles and of course as casualties.
According to a recent biography of Margaret Sullavan, she and Sothern did not get along so their scenes together had some real bite.
Cry Havoc should be seen because anything that has Margaret Sullavan should be seen as she left us way too few films for posterity.
All of these women had great careers in Hollywood, some were just character actresses like Marsha Hunt, who had a cute turned up nose and simply never got the man she fell in love with.
CRY HAVOC follows in the tradition of films like SO PROUDLY WE HAIL by dealing exclusively with nurses in the Philippines on active duty during WWII.
MARGARET SULLAVAN is the lieutenant in charge of a group of gals including ANN SOTHERN, ELLA RAINES, FRANCES GIFFORD and JOAN BLONDELL, all of whom are inexperienced but have to learn the ropes fast during wartime bombardments.Based on a play, it barely shows its stage origins and presents a gritty story of nurses under stress doing the best they can under dire circumstances.
Watch for ROBERT MITCHUM in a brief unbilled bit as a dying soldier.Sullavan and Sothern argue over Sothern's infatuation for a man Sullavan loves and there's some trite dialog among the all-female cast when they get to exchange stories--but it's still an above average melodrama of women nurses during war.Summing up: Worth it for the gritty wartime bombardments and interesting cast, but don't expect anything great.
In calling "So Proudly We Hail" 'superior' to "Cry Havoc," the writer overlooks the fact that, as in most Golden Era films, women's stories were almost exclusively told in relation to their romantic relationships with men.
What hobbles "So Proudly We Hail" (and it is a terrific film, don't get me wrong), is its constant undercutting the challenges and dangers faced by WWII American nurses in the Pacific by shifting the characters' priorities to romance.
So in some ways, although "Havoc" could be considered more static and talky (from its stage origins, as mentioned above), I find it "better" than "Proudly," because I feel it lets the women stand front and center -- and stay there.
*****NO SPOILERS HERE*** A cast of some top actresses make up the ensemble of "Cry Havoc," a film about war nurses and volunteers in Bataan, their courage, hard work, and sacrifices.
Margaret Sullavan heads the cast in her second to last film.
She is joined by Fay Bainter, Ann Sothern, Joan Blondell, Ella Raines, Marsha Hunt, and others.Even today, this is a difficult film to watch, and one can really feel the dirt, the fear, the hunger, the frustration, and the sorrow these women experienced.
I can't imagine the impact when it was first released during World War II.We know that the World War II films produced in the '40s were whitewashed - men who were on the actual Bataan Death March think movies depicting it are a joke, and there was certainly nothing produced like "Saving Private Ryan" back then.
I have no idea whether "Cry Havoc" was an accurate depiction of life at war but it presented nothing romantic, desirable, or pretty, except for the very brave nurses who represented the real thing serving our country in World War II.***SPOILERS AHEAD****Though the ending of the film is somewhat depressing, nurses who served at Bataan and were taken prisoner were treated with great respect by the Japanese, and worked in an internment hospital until they were evacuated.
Some of the brightest female stars of the 1940's get a chance to get dirt on their Max Factor faces in this "Women in War" drama which took them to Bataan, the location of a Robert Taylor war movie made the same year.
Here, the women are nurses, brought out to aid head nurse Margaret Sullavan and her commanding officer (Fay Bainter), and conflict arises to the difference in their personalities.
However, in wartime, everybody must pull their weight, put aside petty squabbles, and band together for the cause.In addition to Sullavan and Bainter are the billed above the title Ann Sothern and Joan Blondell whose on-screen personalities were so alike that they sometimes seemed like sisters working at separate studios.
Since she had been at MGM for more than just a few years, Sothern gets more meat to bite into with her part, Blondell simply adding a bit of comic relief to the wisecracks which seemed to be tossed up in the air for either her or Sothern to catch.There are some very tense moments here where the women are pretty much all alone, no American or other Ally soldiers there to protect them from the villainous Japanese.
This is where the film becomes very similar to Paramount's "So Proudly We Hail" which is certainly superior dramatically.
Both rank equal in nail-biting emotion as to the fate of these lovelies who may be able to flip acid off of their tongue to deal with the others but won't be able to defend themselves against the enemy that surrounds them.The always colorful Connie Gilchrist adds color as the cook, giving motherly advice towards the girls who venture into her kitchen, while Bainter provides a mentor-ship towards the women, especially the somewhat hard Sullavan.
Like "So Proudly We Hail", this contains a rather downbeat ending which is certainly within the reality of war and opens all kinds of thoughts as to what might be in store for these women..
Needless to say, this war-time drama is gritty every step of the way.The big surprise here is the toughness of the part given to Ann Sothern.She certainly sheds her "Panama Hattie" way as well as comedic gifts in giving a very good performance as a no-nonsense volunteer among a group of women volunteering their services in Bataan during World War 11.
This part was perfect for Sullavan who would commit suicide 17 years later.Joan Blondell, as always, is wonderful as the volunteer who was a burlesque queen prior to the war.
It's a well-staged play about a dozen or so nurses trapped on the Bataan peninsula in 1942, short of medicine, short of love, short of everything except Japanese bombs and the rumble of their tanks as they draw nearer.
The structure, while offering nothing much new, does a good job of building suspense until the final surrender.It's the distaff side of "Bataan", released the same year, 1943, except that "Cry Havoc" is a bit less hysterical in its hatred.
The Japanese may bomb a hospital but at least none of the nurses refers to them as "bandy legged monkeys" as Robert Taylor does in "Bataan."It's not surprising that this group is as diverse and one-dimensional as the men of "Bataan." Let's see.
The whole story isn't badly done.The title is from Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar": Caesar's spirit will return and "Cry 'Havoc,' and let slip the dogs of war." Two movie titles right there..
Any film with Margaret Sullavan is worth watching, but.....
Probably this silly business was in the original play, but if it wasn't, then Hollywood owes an apology to the movie going public for spoiling this tribute to the nurses and volunteers who served on Bataan in the early days of the Pacific Theatre of War, circa 1941-1942.
War really is Hell, you know.Well, for the good part of the film, we have 13 fine actresses (14 if you include uncredited Anna Q.
Emphasis is on Margaret Sullavan, Marsha Hunt and Fay Bainter for the serious aspects, and on Ann Sothern and Joan Blondell for what Hollywood no doubt regarded as humorous and "romantic" relief.
The Japanese are going to win this one for the time being, and the nurses are headed for imprisonment.
Nurses In War. What a pleasure it is to see such an amazing cast of women put together in one film.
Today we are lucky to get more than 2 women in a film unless we get a comic book movie.
This cast has almost as diverse a cast of good women actresses as any movie I have seen.This is a stage play made into a movie about army nurses dealing with the Japanese invasion of Bataan.
Thank goodness it does not go to the conquest as I can not imagine a group of women and what would have happened to them if an invader got to plunder them.This film deals with the desperate and the more desperate situation as the invader gets closer and closer.There are a few men, most notably a dying sequence by an uncredited Robert Mitchum but for the most part the ladies coping with the war and with each other are the subject here.
Sometimes even their faces get grim and dirt.The reason this ensemble is only together for this one film is the war effort.
Directed by Richard Thorpe, with a screenplay by Paul Osborn that was based on the play by Allan Kenward, this nearly all female cast war drama tells the harrowing story of thirteen women on Bataan during World War II just prior to its being overrun by Japanese forces in 1942.Led by two veteran nurses, Lieutenant Mary Smith 'Smitty' (Margaret Sullavan) and Captain Alice Marsh (Fay Bainter), nine novice (e.g. only first aid expertise) volunteers receive on-the-job training (and quinine) to do the best they can to assist the officers with the continuous supply of American G.I. casualties on this precarious peninsula in the Philippine Islands.
References are made to General MacArthur, Corregidor, and President Truman's order to evacuate which supersedes MacArthur's to dig in.Though the film contains a few (unimpressive and requisite) action sequences, the story primarily takes place in the women's bunker, where they sleep and eat; there are a couple of scenes in the outer office of a never seen Lieutenant Thomas Holt (Addison Randall, uncredited does appear with field glasses covering his face near the very beginning), where a communications switchboard is operated by the women.
Most of the scenes involve the women talking about their lives, the war, and its effect on themselves, their emotions, and each other.Young Sue West talks about the simplicity of the situation (e.g. what's at stake): if they enemy wins, "we" die; she even says "if one of us dies, all of us will".
Helen, who initially expresses interest in Lieutenant Holt, is a calming influence and a voice of reason among the women while Grace, who laughingly tries to distract everybody's maudlin outlook by demonstrating her striptease act, says some things she shouldn't when her leg is wounded (an injury that magically disappears later).The film's main subplot is relational, and it involves Smitty and Pat. Captain Marsh appears only briefly in a few scenes, including one at the beginning which is confusing until the end and one near the film's conclusion when she (somehow) appears in the bunker just before the voice of the enemy is heard outside.
She's aware the Smitty is also interested in the Lieutenant, but doesn't see the seemingly all business, serious, and even homely nurse as much competition.But Smitty has two secrets: not only is she suffering from malignant malaria (her Captain had wanted to evacuate her to better doctors in Australia even before the volunteers had arrived) but, as a civilian nurse, she'd married Lieutenant Holt; she's able to keep both of these facts from the others until (late in the film) she has an attack and reveals them to Flo, who then relates them to Pat. The film's final scene, after the bunker had been vacated by the others, with their hands above their heads, under orders from an unseen yet English speaking Japanese invader, shows these two women coming to terms with (respect for) one another..
"Cry 'Havoc'" is one of quite a few films about women at the front lines in the Pacific theater during WWII.
What makes this a bit different is that most of the women are NOT nurses, but untrained volunteers who are pressed into service during the final days in the Philippines during the early part of 1942.
Ultimately, the audience knew that the women would not escape--as it was public knowledge of the fall of the islands.The film is fairly good but does suffer from a few characters who are more caricatures.
Most of the rest aren't as broadly written as her--and a few are even quite interesting, such as the sick nurse played by Margaret Sullavan.
It takes fully 1 hour and 22 minutes before any of these "nurses" helps a wounded GI, then the film ends soon after.
Sixty years later it stands out as the grittiest war movie ever."So Proudly We Hail" did the nurses --- and America --- proud. |
tt0037090 | Mouse Trouble | A mailman delivers a box in the mailbox. Tom opens the box and finds a book on how to catch mice and for the rest of the cartoon, he takes its advice to attempt to catch the mouse (Jerry).
The first thing the book suggests is to locate the mouse. Tom "locates" the mouse, but when he tries to grab Jerry, the mouse steps off the book and slams Tom's nose in it.
Tom sets out a simple mouse trap and tests it by snapping it by touching it with a feather. Jerry, however, succeeds in freeing the cheese from it without setting off the trap. Shocked at the trap's failure, Tom tests it, and the trap snaps as soon as he touches it, causing him to scream in pain. Tom then sets a snare trap around a piece of cheese and gets ready to pull the string but Jerry sneakily replaces the cheese with a bowl of cream. When Tom peeks back at the trap, he sees the cream and drinks it, completely distracted by it as Jerry activates the trap, sending the cat out to the tree himself.
Tom's next attempt at catching Jerry is to guffaw while reading the book. A curious Jerry ventures out of his hole and Tom eventually captures Jerry by shutting him into the book. But when Tom grabs him, Jerry pulls the same trick on him with his fists. Tom inspects them only to get punched in the eye and leaving Jerry to escape. (This trick was pulled again in Safety Second.) After reading in the book that "A Cornered Mouse NEVER FIGHTS", Tom pounces onto Jerry, but Jerry fights back and beats Tom offscreen. Afterwards, Tom, now bruised and battered, drones "Don't you believe it!" - a cultural reference to the distinctive jingle on the 1940s radio show Don't You Believe it! (Voiced by Harry E. Lang.) (This was repeated at the conclusion of the episode The Missing Mouse).
At this point, Tom stops reading from chapter-to-chapter and skims the book, trying suggestions that he likes or thinks one of them will work. Upon reading Chapter VII: "Be scientific in your approach", Tom uses a stethoscope to listen for Jerry within the walls of the house. This backfires when Jerry screams into the microphone, almost deafening Tom. Tom then forces a double-barreled shotgun into Jerry's mousehole. However, the barrels of the gun bend upwards, protrude out of the wall and point straight at Tom's head as the cat fires and ends up shooting himself in the head, rendering himself bald.
In the next scene, Tom, wearing a dodgy, orange toupée, sets a bear trap and sticks it inside Jerry's hole. Jerry walks outside from another hole behind Tom and puts then trap behind him. Just as Tom sits down, the trap triggers. Tom screams in pain and is sent up into the ceiling. Tom then tries to use a mallet to flatten Jerry. Jerry pops out of a hole behind a picture right above Tom, grabs the mallet, and hits him, knocking him out.
Tom then attempts to hide inside a large gift box before knocking on Jerry's wall. Jerry, seeing the box, knocks on it. With no response, Jerry returns with a bunch of pins and sticks them inside the box while Tom whimpers in pain before sawing the box in half. Hearing nothing inside, Jerry looks inside the box, and in horror, he gulps and displays a sign reading "IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE?"
Now covered in bandages (including one wrapped around his bisected torso), Tom reads the twelfth chapter of the book, "Mice are Suckers for Dames", which makes him wind up a female toy mouse which repeatedly says "come up and see me some time". Jerry, noticing the toy, walks with it. Tom attempts to lure Jerry into a mouse-sized pretend hotel which is named "cozy arms", the door of which leads into Tom's open mouth. But to Tom's dismay, Jerry ushers the toy mouse into the hotel first, which causes Tom to eat it and breaking it (shattering his teeth in the process). After hiccuping twice (which triggers the swallowed toy's voicebox), Tom looks at his decrepit teeth in a mirror. This infuriates the cat as he shatters the mirror and angrily rips off and destroys the book.
Tom goes insane and gets revenge by attempting to blow away Jerry with dozens of explosives (TNT, gunpowder, dynamite and a massive block buster that resembles the atom bomb Fat Man). When Tom ignites a piece of dynamite cautiously, it doesn't start the fuse enough, so he blows the fuse too hard. This causes the fuse to be fired immediately, and explosives erupt, killing Tom. Nothing at all remains of the house except Jerry (who remains unharmed after the explosion) and the part of his mousehole, while a fed-up Tom, this time with a spirit form, is seen on a cloud floating to heaven with a harp and a halo, all the while, repeatedly hiccuping "come up and see me some time" ad infinitum. | psychedelic, comic | train | wikipedia | Excellent tom and jerry short.
One of Tom and Jerry's best shorts involves Tom ordering a book on how to catch mice.
As Tom finds out, the advice is hardly fool proof and leads to some of the most memorable gags in the history of the cat and mouse duo.
the toupee, the robotic female mouse, the pretending to read something uproarious gag, "Don't you believe it".
This short is excellence personified and a MUST HAVE for everyone with even a passing interest of Tom and Jerry shorts.
This hilarious Oscar winning cartoon can be found on disc one of the Spotlight collection DVD of "Tom & Jerry" My Grade: A+.
This Had The Feel Of A Roadrunner Cartoon.
It's pretty sad when a cat has to send away for a book entitled, "How To Catch A Mouse," but that's what poor Tom did.
By the way, the publisher of the book is "Random Mouse."This cartoon reminded me early on of a Road Runner episode.
The difference is that Tom plays Wile E.
Coyote and Jerry is the elusive Road Runner.
No matter what trap Tom sets, Jerry figures a way to beat it....or the trap backfires in predictable manner.Yes, half the gags were too predictable but it was still entertaining and it did offer a few new wrinkles....like a windup Mae West doll which provides all the laughs in the final minute and is very original material..
Tom's "how to" book must have been written by a mouse!.
This cartoon won an Oscar in 1944 and it's easy to see why.
Tom tries to use a book's advice on how to catch a mouse.
Which works out very well for Jerry, but not for Tom!
I suspect that the book was written by a mouse-maybe even Jerry himself.
Tom certainly comes out the worse for wear here.
I almost feel sorry for Tom.
A very funny (and violent, even for a Tom and Jerry!) cartoon that runs frequently on the Cartoon Network.
Recommended..
Come up and see me sometime..
Despite the rather generic title (there had already been a T&J short called Dog Trouble) this Oscar-winning cartoon proves that it's worth the Academy Award by being very funny and inventive.Mouse Trouble has Tom order a book on how to catch mice (from Random Mouse Publishing nonetheless) and follow the foolproof instructions exactly as printed no matter how many times they prove to be completely ineffectual.
Naturally they all come back to bite him in the ass.
Poor Tom, he gets so beaten up in this one but never lets the pain lessen his enthusiasm.Plenty of visual jokes and laughs in this one..
Mouse Trouble.
Mouse Trouble (1944)*** 1/2 (out of 4) If you go through the Tom and Jerry shorts in the order that they were released you'll notice that 1944 had some of the greatest films.
That trend continues here as Tom orders a book on how to catch a mouse, which he reads and tries to do but Jerry isn't going to go without a fight.
This short is basically broken up into several chapters as Tom reads from the book, tries what it says and then moves onto the next chapter.
For the most part this is just one violent attack on the poor cat after another and of course it's fast and funny.
The highlight is certainly the sequence where Tom tries to use curiosity to catch the mouse.
There's no doubt that the funniest thing is just that high-pitched scream from Tom..
Predictable with an obvious title, but still very funny and well made.
I am a fan of Tom and Jerry, and have been for as long as I can remember.
Mouse Trouble is not the best of their cartoons, but I like it.
Where Mouse Trouble is not so impressive is in its predictable story and its somewhat obvious and generic title.
However, the animation is very good for its time, with lovely backgrounds and the characters are drawn well.
The music is wonderful too, as it nearly always it, while the sight gags are clever if quite violent too, particularly the one with the robotic female mouse and "Mice are suckers for dames".
The pacing is good as well, while both Tom and Jerry are very entertaining.
And I do agree, it does have a Roadrunner vs.
Wile E.Coyote feel to it.
Overall, I liked it, but I don't consider it a favourite like I do with The Cat Concerto, Mice Follies or The Two Mouseketeers.
8/10 Bethany Cox. Too predictable to be very funny..
Tom once again attempts to trap Jerry, this time using a variety of ingenious methods which are described in his recent book purchase, entitled 'How To Catch A Mouse'.An episodic T&J caper (as opposed to the usual, single, prolonged chase scene), Mouse Trouble is basically a series of quick fire gags, which sees Tom's different traps backfiring in amusing ways.
I use the word amusing, because, unfortunately, they are very rarely hilarious, being way too predictable in their outcome.This style of cartoon would be done much better (and again and again) years later by the brilliant Wile E.Coyote and Roadrunner..
Very well done, possibly my favorite T&J episode.
"Mouse Trouble" is a short film from over 70 years ago, already in color and with sound, and it features world's famous cat and mouse duo.
Tom has ordered a book that helps him keep up-to-date with how to catch mice these days.
Probably not a bad idea as he has failed so many times in the past.
Sadly, Jerry is once again simply too smart for him and manages to get out of every dangerous situation and take revenge on Tom for trying to catch him.
This is basically a collection of very short sketches, each one around 30 seconds.
This is not a problem at all though as these are really creative, funny and also brought some new tricks to the table that hadn't been done in cartoons already.
Interesting about this one is also that we see Tom with a ginger wig to hide his bald head at some point.
I enjoyed it.
The Academy obviously did as well.
Thumbs up, this one is definitely worth the watch..
Catching mice...
by the book!.
This 'Tom and Jerry' short opens with Tom getting a book on how to catch mice in the post.
He quickly starts reading it only to notice that Jerry is reading it too!
Tom chases him back to his mouse hole then sets about trying each of the ideas proposed in the book.
Of course none work; when he sets a trap it doesn't go off even when Jerry tugs at the cheese on it but does go off when Tom touches it, next he sets a snare but Jerry switches the cheese for a bowl of cream and Tom gets caught himself...
and so it goes on with each successive idea leading to Tom getting more and more damaged until he is ultimately blown to kingdom come.The gags here might be fairly predictable but they come thing and fast and are pretty funny...
and delightfully cruel.
The thing I found funniest was that after shooting himself in the head and effectively scalping himself Tom wears a shocking red toupee...
normally this would be a one shot gag but here he continues to wear it to the end of the cartoon!
The animation here looks good; certainly much better than it was in their '60s outings..
Well made, but I agree that it is awfully predictable..
I love Tom and Jerry cartoons for two reasons.
First, the original ones were unashamedly violent--funny and cartoony but violent.
Second, the animation of their films from the early 40s to mid-50s was probably better than the shorts from Looney Tunes and Disney.
However, despite these pluses, the films are amazingly predictable.
Tom chases and tries to kill Jerry and Jerry ends up beating the snot out of Tom instead is the plot of 90% of these films and MOUSE TROUBLE is no exception.
It seems odd to me, then, that Tom and Jerry actually took home more Oscars than the Looney Tunes people for all their cartoons during the the 40s and 50s.
I dunno.
They sure were animated nicely but they just weren't especially novel.
Perhaps the Oscar people just hated cats!
As for this particular film, I've seen it many times.
It's the one where Tom buys a book on how to catch a mouse (has such a book EVER really been written?!?).
And, by using the book, Tom STILL gets clobbered by Jerry and proves he's just a boob.
Aside from the great animation (Tom and Jerry cartoons pre-1950 are the most beautiful), I also liked that there was better than usual continuity.
When Tom has the top of his head shot off, he wears a toupee the rest of the film to hide it!
Clever--just not earth-shaking.By the way, me divulging that Jerry beats Tom--is this REALLY a spoiler?!?!.
Cat Trouble (Contains Spoiler).
There is a scene here where the "How To" book talks about curiosity so Tom begins laughing at a book and Jerry curious as always decides to see what Tom is laughing at but every time he gets near the book Tom moves to another direction.
Finally Jerry gets in top of the book and as he reads Tom shuts the book close and when he opens it Jerry is looking at something inside his covered hand.
Tom is the one curious now.
So Jerry does the same thing Tom did to him but finally Jerry decides to show Tom what he has inside of hand.
When Tom peeks inside Jerry punches him in the eye!HILARIOUS!
3(***)out of 4(****)stars |
tt0042824 | Outrage | Three disparate travelers, a disillusioned preacher (William Shatner), an unsuccessful prospector (Howard Da Silva), and a larcenous, cynical con man (Edward G. Robinson), meet at a decrepit railroad station in the 1870s Southwest. The prospector and the preacher were witnesses at the memorable rape and murder trial of the notorious bandit Juan Carrasco (Paul Newman). The bandit duped an aristocratic Southerner, Colonel Wakefield (Laurence Harvey), into believing he knew the location of a lost Aztec treasure. The greedy "gentleman" allowed himself to be tied up while Carasco assaulted his wife Nina (Claire Bloom). These events lead to the stabbing of the husband and Carrasco was tried, convicted, and condemned for the crimes.
Everyone's account on the witness stand differed dramatically. Carrasco claimed that Wakefield was tied up with ropes while Nina was assaulted, after which he killed the colonel in a duel. The newlywed wife contends that she was the one who killed her husband because he accused her of leading on Carrasco and causing the rape. The dead man "testifies" through a third witness, an old Indian shaman (Paul Fix), who said that neither of those accounts was true. He insisted that the colonel used a jeweled dagger to commit suicide after the incident.
It turns out that there was a fourth witness, the prospector, one with a completely new view of what actually took place. But can his version be trusted? | romantic | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0378906 | Travellers and Magicians | A young government official named Dondup (played by Tshewang Dendup) who is smitten with United States (he even has a denim gho) dreams of escaping there while stuck in a beautiful but isolated village. He hopes to connect in the U.S. embassy with a visa out of the country. He misses the one bus out of town to Thimphu, however, and is forced to hitchhike and walk along the Lateral Road to the west, accompanied by an apple seller, a Buddhist monk with his ornate, dragon-headed dramyin heading to Thimphu, a drunk, a widowed rice paper maker and his daughter Sonam (played by Sonam Lhamo).
To pass the time, the monk tells the tale of Tashi, a restless farmboy who, like Dondup, dreams of escaping village life. Tashi rides a horse that goes into a forest. He immediately becomes lost in remote mountains and finds his life entwined with that of an elderly hermit woodcutter and his beautiful young wife. Tashi's wish of escape granted, he finds himself caught in a web of lust and jealousy, enchanted by the beautiful and yielding wife, but fearing the woodsman and his axe. Tashi finally tries to murder the woodcutter, aided by his wife who is pregnant by Tashi. He runs away, however, while the old man is near death, burdened by his guilt. Deki, the woodcutter's wife calls and runs after him, but drowns in a mountain river while giving pursuit.
Tashi's adventures finally turn out to be hallucinations induced by chhaang, a home-brewed liquor. The monk's tale merely parallels Dondup's growing attraction to Sonam. During a dilemma similar to Tashi's, Dondup manages to hitch a ride to Thimphu. The film ends without showing the final outcome of Dondup's journey - his visa interview and his trip abroad. The audience is left to wonder whether the trip changed his attitude toward the village and Bhutan, and if he returned to the village. | storytelling | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0117615 | Shall we dansu? | The film begins with a close-up of the inscription above the stage in the ballroom of the Blackpool Tower: "Bid me discourse, I will enchant thine ear", from the poem Venus and Adonis by William Shakespeare. As the camera pans around the ballroom giving a view of the dancers, a voice-over explains that in Japan, ballroom dancing is treated with suspicion.
Shohei Sugiyama (Kōji Yakusho) is a successful salaryman, with a house in the suburbs, a devoted wife, Masako (Hideko Hara), and a teenage daughter, Chikage (Ayano Nakamura). He works as an accountant for a firm in Tokyo. Despite these external signs of success, however, Sugiyama begins to feel as if his life has lost direction and meaning and falls into depression.
One night, while coming home on the Tokyo Subway, he spots a beautiful woman with a melancholy expression looking out from a window in a dance studio. This is Mai Kishikawa (Tamiyo Kusakari), a well-known figure on the Western ballroom dance circuit. Sugiyama becomes infatuated with her and decides to take lessons in order to get to know her better.
Sugiyama's life changes once his classes begin. Rather than Mai, his teacher is Tamako Tamura (Reiko Kusamura), who becomes an important mentor to him. He meets his classmates: Tōkichi Hattori (Yu Tokui) who joined to impress his wife, and Masahiro Tanaka (Hiromasa Taguchi) who joined to lose weight. He also meets Toyoko Takahashi (Eriko Watanabe), another student. He further discovers that one of his colleagues from work Tomio Aoki (Naoto Takenaka) is a regular at the dance studio. Aoki, who is balding and mocked at work for his rigid ways, is revealed to be leading a secret life as a long-haired (via a wig) ballroom dancer. Though distant from her, the classes increase his infatuation for Mai. His secret thus becomes twofold: not only must he hide the lessons from his wife, he must also hide them from his friends and colleagues as it is considered embarrassing according to traditional Japanese customs to participate in Western ballroom dance.
Later, after being rebuffed by Mai, Sugiyama discovers to his surprise that his passion for ballroom dance outweighs his infatuation with her. Indeed, dancing, rather than Mai, gives Sugiyama the meaning in life that he was looking for.
Masako, noticing his odd behavior, thinks that he is having an affair — so she hires a private detective to follow him. Meanwhile, along with his classmates, Sugiyama enters an amateur competition – only to find out that his wife, having finally learned the truth from the detective (who has now become a devoted fan of ballroom dancing) is in the audience. Surprised by this, he stumbles and nearly knocks his dance partner to the floor. Though he is able to catch her, he accidentally rips the skirt of her dress off. Both leave the contest. Later, they learn that Tomio won the contest. When Tomio is ridiculed at work after his colleagues read of his success in the newspaper, Sugiyama stands up and tells them not to make fun of something they don't understand.
At home, Sugiyama's wife tries to understand her husband's new passion by asking him to teach her to dance as well. He is invited to a good-bye party for Mai, who is leaving for Blackpool. At the party, Mai joins him to dance, asking him "Shall we dance?" | romantic | train | wikipedia | Watched this last night and was bowled over by the heartfelt story line, the excellent character development, and the good karmic vibe emanating from the acting and movie as a whole.Without giving away too much of the plot, it begins with an ordinary joe who commutes to his office job every day who becomes inspired to take dance lessons.
All of the film's characters are taken seriously, as they are, and none are diminished because of their "imperfections."I've been thinking about taking social dance classes with some friends.
Watch this wonderful family film (small children might not get it, but teens certainly would) and smile at the genuine caring you see shown in it time and again.Why they would make a remake of Shall We Dance is a mystery, as it is perfect as-is..
From there he bonds with four other dancers and learns to enjoy dancing as well as finding out about the mysterious woman.There is no gratuitous (or any) sex involved, just how a small group of people learn how friendships are formed and developed.This film was remade with Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez and the new one while appealing is nowhere as enjoyable as the original.
He assumes this is all there is to life until he accidentally takes up dancing, all because he wanted to get a closer look of a beautiful girl that he sees by the dance studio everyday while riding the subway on his way home.His was infatuated with her at first, going to the dance class just to idolize her, but he eventually lets himself go and gets himself into the dancing.
There is a set of oddball characters also learning in the studio, giving the film a lot of laughs and some sense of bonding between the dejected.There is also revelations of various characters, including the girl he initially admired, giving some depth to them by showing their blemished past and their struggle to overcome it.The dancing was also engaging, with the big competition at the end, but it is not the usual story where our underdog come out at the top by winning it.
While some of you may find the dancing scenes not as perfect as you expect, I kinda like it as it makes me feel that the characters are really "alive", learning to dance as the film goes on.Over all, this film is encouraging and heart-warming.
I'm sure that the Hollywood remake that someone told me about, with J Lo and Richard Gear, will be excellent, but this original Japanese version from 1996 was so emotional and thought-provoking for me that I am hard-pressed to think of any way that it could be improved, or its setting changed to a different culture.A story I found worth watching, and with o fist-fight scenes or guns going off or anything of the sort!
It's always hard to find a good movie-musical in our day and age, and perhaps this doesn't quite qualify (there is plenty of learning how to dance, but no singing) but I really think that Gene Kelly and others who championed a place for dance in our lives would have thought so very highly of this film and the role of dance in helping to tell a story about a middle aged man, successful with a family in Japan, looking for something...
In Japan, a man who is bored with his mundane life and the rut of his married life, sees a beautiful Japanese woman staring out the window of a dance studio.
First, there is NO way the remake can be as good, because Japanese society is quite different from ours and plays such a major part in this film, as explained in the opening narration.
Mr Sugiyama is a middle-aged member of a Japanese society where ballroom dancing is viewed as unsuitable behaviour.
There are many other funny and warm-hearted scenes.The ending is not a fairytale, but it leaves the viewer feeling good.This movie helped me to understand the Japanese people a little better.
The ONLY reason the original film did not become more widely viewed is the US audience's aversion to subtitles.One of the main reasons this movie would never work in an American telling is that the reserved, ultra socially conservative character of the public Japanese persona is at issue in this movie.
Certainly the main character awakens to a more full understanding of living a vivacious life through dance, but half of the movie's tension comes from the stereotypes and ridicule ballroom dancers face in Japan.Please try to see this movie in it's original form, not the terrible full screen.
And please DO skip the US remake....it's a shallow travesty in comparison to the original Japanese movie.Yes, I know the "original" movie is much older, and this is simply a Japanese take on the story, but the only two people are likely to see any time soon are this one and the new US remake.Speaking of foreign films, I'll make a few quick recommendations: 1.Monsoon Wedding-I list this first for a reason, outstanding film!
Don't get me wrong, it is 100% Japanese (and that is what makes it work), but everyone will get something out of it (even if it is just a great laugh at one of the main characters called Mr. Aoki - one of the funniest characters I have ever seen!)I can't even think of this movie without smiling!!
These are all words that floated through my head while I was watching this beautiful, simple film.It is rare that a movie truly moves me, but "Shall We Dance?" accomplished that with grace to spare.
It was absolutely enchanting, even the parts that show Sugiyama's (touchingly portrayed by Koji Yakusho) stilted steps when he was first learning to dance were lovely in a humorous, child-like way.
We witness a shy man learning to express his repressed feelings through dance, a beautiful dance instructor rediscovering her love for the art, and the personal growth of every member of the wonderful supporting cast.Beauty.
All the love and little agonies of life are here, expressed with the delicate feeling of a fine Japanese watercolor painting combined with the emotional strength and grace of the culture..
If you are tired of films trying too hard to be fairy tales (the "Pretty Woman" variety love story), here is a beautiful film in which a Japanese businessman is pulled free from his robotic, dispassionate life when he falls in love...with dancing.
What makes it work so well, and makes it so different from the standard dance movie is that it really isn't about becoming "Great" it is simply about finding a way to express one's self.
No one is discovering their passion, they are finding their quiet soul.The Japanese background makes the subtle oppression and "secret life" of ballroom dancing both understandable and personal.
But to me the big bonus is the look this movie gives the viewer into Japanese society - real life in Japan.
The result is a movie that will pull you in, make you laugh, make you think, and both entertain you and give you insight into today's Japan.Also look for the the main 8 actors from Shiko Funjatta, as they all appear again in various roles, from supporting characters (Takenaka) to short cameos (many)..
But you also felt the compelling will to get out there to dance and compete.In the end, you would not get the woman, but you would have learned something about yourself and the person you are, not the one other people peg you to be.I hope to see more films of this type on screen.
A Perfectly Polished Gem. What makes "Casablanca" the great movie it is is that it doesn't try to tell the history of the world; it is not an epic; it is a perfectly polished little gem, "the problems of three little people" told exquisitely."Shall We Dance" is such a polished gem.
Set in the Japanese culture where all dancing is suspect, a middle-class middle-management man who has lost the luster of his life sees a beautiful young woman looking wistfully out the window of a dance studio and, eventually, goes looking for her.
A middle age man, trapped in a conventional life, passes by a dance studio on his trip home by train every night and sees a beautiful woman teaching.
They are two funny character actors.One could purchase and read a college text book regarding the structure of life in Japan, or, you could watch this fine film and begin to understand how thepeople of Japan grow up in a fairly rigid societal structure.
"Shall We Dance?", a light-hearted flick from Japan, tells of an overworked accountant and family man who is attracted to a dance studio by a beautiful woman he see's from the train during his daily commute.
The only defect in this film is that its story is ultimately cliche and somewhat trite (of course, this applies to 95% of all movies made).The incredible awkwardness and discomfort of the main character as he enters the world of ballroom dancing in order to appease mid-life crisis is classic.
The incidental characters in the dance class are appropriately humorous, and the focus is never really on the world of ballroom competition, but on the much more interesting and accessible world of human emotion and interaction.If you don't enjoy this movie, you haven't got a sentimental bone in your body.
This great little movie gives foreigners real insight into Japanese life in the city and suburbs and the cultural restraints that everyone must live with daily in modern life.
This is a very real and funny movie about a Japanese man having a mid-life crisis.
Attitudes to ballroom dancing, as conveyed in the film, are definitely non-Western, though the discipline and the music are clearly cultural imports to Japan.
A delightful family film, as much about Japanese culture as Ballroom dancing..
This is far more than the charming story of middle-aged man discovering the pleasures of ballroom dancing (although it IS that as well).
While it will inevitably be compared with Strictly Ballroom, its lightness and feel-good quality sets it apart from all pretenders.The charming awkwardness of the protagonist Shohei Sugiyama (played by Koji Yakusho) and the alluring beauty of Mai Kishikawa (played by Tamiyo Kusikari) are enhanced by a raft of absurd and captivating secondary characters.There are few people anywhere who will not be enthralled by this little film..
In the website of "shall we dance" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0358135/ they also admit that they adapted the movie from this movie by Masayuki Suo.The movie is very beautiful, if you know the Japanese society, the movie creates a character who is depressed by the stressing society.
It demonstrates how gentleness and concern for others actually helps improve everyone's life.I recommend Shall We Dansu highly for anyone wanting to see a good story.So many movies today are big on action, but small on plot.
Nearly 15 years after its release, its only now that I have had the pleasure of seeing it.The story focuses on a man undergoing a mid-life crisis who spontaneously takes up ballroom dancing.
For Mr. Sugiyama, a middle-aged accountant with a wife and daughter, it begins at a commuter train stop where he spies a young woman looking out the upper-story window of the Kishikawa School of Dancing, and is captivated.
The focus on body-movement in this movie eventually sensitizes you to the movements of the characters to the degree that you start to think they're all dancing, all the time.
It's surprising to see that the two films have the same starting-point, however, Shall we Dansu uses surprisingly little sentimental effects and integrates the dancing into the plot wonderfully.
Shall We Dance is an excellent film because it shows how something, like dancing, can rejuvenate the life flow in the human spirit.
A humorous tale of a passion for ballroom dancing and unrequited love with a cast of delightfully lovable characters including that of the man's wife.
Wonderful Movie of Japanese Attraction to Western Styles in Dance and Love.
Instead of reiterating the many thoughtful statements about this movie, I'd like to add the following comments about how this film compares to the American version, in case you were wondering which to watch.
2) A big difference is that the Japanese film uses dance as simply part of the story, while the American version relies on flashy music and more expert dancing to capture the audience, not trusting the story to work by itself.
3) Both stories show how one middle-aged man deals with his feelings of being trapped in routine, by doing something difficult and beautiful: ballroom dancing.
4) Both films have great supporting characters and story lines, but the American version is more rushed and crowded.
6) The Japanese film has a wonderful storyline about marriage that is more subtle and touching than the American movie version (where Susan Sarandon is too on the nose in some of her speeches).
The Japanese wife of the man with a secret dancing life is a terrific supporting character.
I've been watching ballroom dancing for many years, and enjoyed watching her in the American film.
9) Watch the Japanese film first, when you are in the mood to get absorbed in the characters' lives.
Obviously, the dancing of the film is the highlight, and what will bring people to this movie.
In an ordinary movie, you'd have a love story between the character of the businessman and the aloof dancer/instructor.
Not being a fan of ballroom dancing at all, I didn't expect this film to keep me watching as it did.
I've seen 'Strictly Ballroom', which was amusing, but this Japanese comedy is so very heartwarming, gentle and elegant that it's hard not to love it.The story of a bored accountant who finds pleasure in dancing is perhaps very simple, yet when one adds to this the Japanese cultural embarrassment of physical contact in public, it takes on a new light.
If you are a ballroom dancer or have ever taken lessons, you will draw on that experience as you watch.This could be a good family film if the kids are old enough (12?) and can deal with the subtitles.
Sugiyama-san (Kôji Yakusho), a salaryman with a loving wife and daughter, is still in an emotional rut until he sees a beautiful woman gazing out window of a dancing school.
The contrast between the Japanese society, and the way of life, with the whole history makes the movies much more interesting.
The dances were so fascinating and I loved the plot of the movie.I believe that even though it was Japanese, people will love the movie all together and want to watch it over and over and over again.
And, this film does a very good job of showing the awkwardness and difficulty of the Japanese to learn to dance – especially the men.
There isn't a lot of gut-busting humor, but it's sweet and certainly worth some smiles.Finally, again similar to "Living Out Loud", the film has something to say about getting through life's down times.Who should see this film:-- drama / romance types-- foreign film lovers, this one's a keeper-- people like me who don't mind intellectual films if they're not too arty or slow-paced, this one's safeI'll give "Shall We Dance?" a 7 out of 10..
I haven't seen this movie yet, though it's been recommended to me and I look forward to watching it on DVD.But I thought I should point something out because a lot of people seem to be comparing the newest version (Richard Gere) with "Shall we Dansu" and referring to "Shall we Dansu" as the original.The Japanese film is NOT the original, and it has had several incarnations, as a search on IMDb.com will tell you.
Aoki explains to Sugiyama, "When I finish work, put on the clothes, the wig and become Donny Burns, Latin world champion, and I start to move to the rhythm, I'm so happy, so completely free." Here lies the chief charm of Shall We Dance, the contrast between the ultra-competitive women of the studio--including the one who caught Sugiyama's eye, Mai --and the men who dance simply because they enjoy it.This is a great film tackles issues such as the views on men in the Japanese culture,mid-life crisis and ballroom dancing.The cast in the film were excellent.This is one of the best Japanese films I have ever seen.And it is not a horror film.It takes into consideration the pains of middle-age and the need to feel alive during that stage.Overall,it is the best Japanese films I have ever seen.
I saw the American cut of this Japanese movie, which has several scenes and characters removed.
At that, "Shall We Dance" is a charming movie with tons of heart.
But they develop a relationship on another, still meaningful level."Shall We Dance" is also the title of a 1937 Astaire-Rogers film, and the Japanese version was remade under the same title in 2004, starring Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez.
A Japanese salaryman (Koji Yakusho) feeling jaded by work and bored with his family life, joins a ballroom dancing class.Shall We Dance?
This is the original Shall We Dansu, a Japanese film that takes a look at the society around it and the shameful act of dancing.
However, this is a very funny film with a very interesting story line.The one thing to be aware of is that this is the original Japanese version.
Sugiyama is a respectable Japanese man that works as a businessman and has a wife and daughter, so it is out of the norm for him to take dancing lessons.
Masayuki shows the humor of Japanese customs and how people must keep their lives secret to avoid humiliation.The acting in Shall We Dansu was the best part of the movie.
As for the characters focused on in the story, all of them secretly love to dance. |
tt0087436 | Hundra | Hundra belongs to a tribe of Amazons. She is the only tribe member of her age who has never been with a man. She declares she would keep it like that. One day when she goes hunting, her tribe is outnumbered and slaughtered by barbarians. As the only survivor she travels to an old wise woman and asks her for advice. To her surprise she is told she ought to become a mother in order to prevent the final extinction of the Amazons. Subsequently Hundra seeks a father for her child. The first candidate has bad manners and it turns out that he is suffering with a sadistic personality disorder. While she continues her search she is confronted by a murderous robber baron who only wants to kill her. Later she encounters an effeminate pimp. Eventually she gets to know a gentleman who works as healer. She asks him to become the father of her child but she is told that a man won't get in the right mood if he is approached in an all too blunt way. Hundra asks other women to help her to live up to his expectations. Consequently she succeeds in seducing him, gets pregnant and delivers a child. Unfortunately now an evil pagan priest kidnaps Hundra's daughter. Thus Hundra is coerced into joining a sinister ritual where the priest's followers humiliate her. During this session she is informed that her new friends have freed the child. She fights back and returns to her home lands. The female narrator explains there was proof that Hundra's spirit kept on living in all women ever since. | revenge, cult, murder, violence | train | wikipedia | US/Spanish co-production with bloody scenes , spectacular fights , enjoyable score and being filmed in Almeria.
Thrilling and stirring movie full of imagination and fantasy that introduces us a brave heroine , female counterpart to Conan , she leads a valiant tribe of women who dares to be free .
This is a delightful action/adventure romp set in the Dark Ages , where savage and violent men enslave all women .
There appears a valiant warrior woman , her name is Hundra (Laurene Landon) , a Red Sonja-alike , she was born in a tribe of fierce warrior women .
Hundra is an archer and sword fighter , whose Amazon tribe was wiped by nasty Vikings in some scenes similarly shot to Conan film .
Hundra The Invincible finds her family slain and takes a vow of vendetta until one day she meets her match (Ramiro Oliveros) .This exciting film packs noisy action , adventure, and rip-roaring fights .
Sympathetic performance by Laurene Landon as Hundra the Invincible , a valiant woman who has been raised to despise the influence of men , she the finest warrior of her people .
The following year Matt joined forces with actress Laurene Landon for Hundra (1983) and Yellow Hair & the Pecos Kid (1984) , both of them being shot in Spain with similar cast and technicians .
The female narrator makes it clear that the men feared the women living a life on their own and either wanted to enslave them or kill them.As for the nudity part.
The women were meant to be shown as worthless slaves, pieces of meat for the men to use as they pleased.The one point I'd make is that ALL the men in the film are for the most part shown to be utter pigs and violent to woman.
Beautiful blonde warrior woman Hundra (Laurene Landon) would rather have a good horse between her legs than a man, but after a savage attack on her tribe by a horde of hairy barbarians she is forced to seek out a mate to ensure the continuation of her people.Matt Cimber's Hundra supposedly turns the tables on the male-dominated fantasy genre with a barbarian woman who is more than a match for any man; it soon becomes apparent, however, that the feminist angle is just for show, the film exploiting its female star's physical appeal—and that of the other women in the film—just as much as any other B-movie trash.
Bad news for the women's liberation movement, but good news for fans of sexy ladies in small loincloths.Landon's wooden delivery of her lines makes it abundantly clear that she was not hired for her acting ability, but rather for her sex appeal and athleticism.
Hundra might swing her sword as skillfully as any Cimmerian, but she does so in a skimpy outfit that frequently gives glimpses of her shapely behind; when she's not fighting, she likes to go for a naked ride through the surf on her horse.Cheap titillation aside, Cimber's movie is at its most entertaining whenever there is fighting, the blood flowing freely as Hundra hacks and stabs at her opponents; however, there is a prolonged absence of action once our heroine enters a city where the local high priest, whose temple doubles as a knocking shop for barbarians, vows to add her to his stock of subservient women.
While avoiding capture, Hundra falls in love, gets pregnant, gives birth to a daughter, and teaches a slave girl how to fight, all of which is fairly dull to watch.Things eventually pick up for a rousing finalé (aided immensely by Ennio Morricone's epic score) in which Hundra rallies the women to revolt against their captors, but despite more bloodletting and the hilarious demise of the high priest (a woman suffocates him by straddling his face), Hundra remains a fairly mediocre affair overall..
Hundra, a fabulous warrior woman sets out to punish via execution as many of us wicked man things she can.
Yeah, the entire concept is kinda dumb but its actually one of the better Conan type films made in that era...the genre was not done justice.
The first is the one where Hundra's tribe is attacked, and the second is the ending which might possibly go down as one of the best heroic endings of all time.
The images are great, the effects great and Ennio Morricones music score is a stirring operatic piece that makes everything seem of epic importance (But its really not).In Summary Fans of Fantasy Movies Rejoice.
Because Hundra is one of the best fighting films ever.
Hundra is one of the best films of its genre.
This movie is 100 times better than its sister film "Yellow Hair and the Fortress of Gold" also starring Laurene Landon and filmed back to back..
This lightweight bit of silly feminist twaddle has Laurene Landon as a female Conan the Barbarian-type woman who really hates males (even berating her dog for being a guy) who goes on a quest of vengeance after her village is devested by pig-headed males (figutively, of course).
Be it Landon's awful reading of the script, midgets who lack depth perception, Hundra riding naked through the shoreline for no reason whatsoever, the general inaneness of the story, or a combination of those elements, the flick is quite watchable IF you have a high tolerance for films of this nature.
The movie also seems to go on to long and could've used some tighter editing.Subversive Cinema's DVD Extras (R1): 47 and a half minute Making of 'Hunting Hundra'; Cast biographies; Theatrical trailer (with nudity); and Trailers for "Future Kill" (with nudity), "Sensetive new age Killer" (with brief nudity), "Dust Devil", "Wild Blue Yunder", & "Land of Look Behind" Easter Egg: got to the special features section, then on to 'Credits', while in that menu press right for a 2 minute and 50 second easter egg video clip of Laurene Landon talking about working with Robert Aldrich and confusing him with Robert Altman (she hasn't aged well at all).
I don't care for the sword-and-sandal fantasy genre that permeated the 80's with movies like the CONAN films and RED SONJA and BEASTMASTER.
Except one member of the tribe, Hundra (Laurene Landon), can't be bothered to contribute a child.
One fateful day, while Hundra is out on a hunting run, her tribe is attacked by a band of barbarian men who rape and pillage, leaving no survivors.
And so Hundra must enter the world of men and find a suitable mate with which to fulfill her destiny.What I think I enjoy most about HUNDRA is that it feels like a horribly misogynistic film with a main character who didn't get the memo and proceeds to rebel against the script and film itself as the ultimate icon of women empowerment.
It would be one thing if the men were just abusive and sexist, but the fact that Hundra's destiny is to find a nice man and get pregnant, and that she's cool with it, means the women don't seem too keen on fighting this imagery.
When Hundra first comes face-to-face with Pateray (Ramiro Oliveros), a healer in the city of men where she spends the second half of the film, and he turns her away because he's not the type of dude to randomly sleep with any woman who comes crashing through his roof, her response is to allow herself to get captured and imprisoned in the temple where she knows she'll receive training in proper use of lipstick, eye shadow, and forks.
It could just be that I'm having a hard time understanding what it is this movie is attempting to tell me (and, keep in mind, this came out in 1983
it was a different time) and I'm just infinitely amused at how this is the most misogynistic "girl power" film I've ever seen.This isn't your average low-budget fare either.
Few people in this movie are, with exceptions for Ramiro Oliveros (who was genuinely decent) and Luis Lorenzo (who gave a scene-chewing performance as the high priest's adviser in charge of sex slaves).
HUNDRA was written and directed by Matt Cimber, and I love when low budget movies are written and directed by the same person (bonus points if produced as well) because it means there's a lower chance that someone will stand up to them when things just aren't working.
Cimber thought they'd be iconic scenes and add legitimacy, but they're memorable for the complete opposite reason.Striving to be more than it is, HUNDRA falls short but manages to entertain in spite (and perhaps in part) of its shortcomings.
Of the half dozen Z-grade movies I've treated myself to recently, HUNDRA is probably the only one I'd be willing to acknowledge as genuinely entertaining and not just schlocky fun.
The plot's a little stupid, the messages seem confused, and the tones are all over the place (the rapist beatdown is accompanied by music suitable for the sweetest scenes in THE PRINCESS BRIDE) but despite all that, Hundra is a strong female presence in a movie that tries its hardest to whip her in line.
In a mythological land, a female tribe is slaughtered by marauding male barbarians leaving the warrior Hundra as the lone survivor.
Soon, she winds up in a walled city run by a group of chauvinistic men.Hundra has the one original angle of being a feminist slant on the sword and sorcery cycle of films from the mid-80's.
So Hundra stands out a little from the crowd, although Red Sonja from a few years later was coming from a similar place.
But, that said, there are good fight scenes that bookend the film.
And the production values overall seem pretty good with some decent locations and a stirring Ennio Morricone score to add some additional class.
After her all-woman tribe gets wiped out by some nasty men for no reason, Hundra takes off in search of a man to impregnate her (hopefully with a girl) to ensure the tribe does not die out for good.
After giving the aforementioned men what-for, Hundra, her horse and her pet dog that follows her around everywhere, travel in search of the perfect man for the job.
After a failed attempt with a drunken slob who Hundra ends up thumping, she arrives in a near-by desert village run by a chauvinist pig and his merry men.
Meanwhile, she falls for the village doctor and wants him to be the father of her child, but he is not very willing...Hundra could possibly be the world's earliest feminist.
She hates men and is strongly for women's rights, trying to force her beliefs on every woman she comes across later in the film.
Hundra tries and tries and finally convinces the teacher to fight back against the prince and his merry men, and stand-up for her rights.
Doing her bit for the women of the village, Hundra takes her baby and rides off into the sunset, ready to try and replenish her tribe so that they may thrive again...With the feminist themes, this film is an interesting twist on the abundant sword and sorcery plot.
Hundra Needs A Baby - that sums up this film minus the fighting of course.
Hundra goes out to hunt for a man of the wolf clan to have a baby with.The movie is alright - not too bad.
It's a sincere film with a handful of comical scenes (like the belching & farting man).This is a pretty decent sword and sorcery type of movie if you like the Conan types of films - except this one is focused on a female barbarian.5/10.
Agree that lead actress shows more athleticism than others in the genre, her fight scenes are better than most.
Despite the pseudo feminist pretentiousness, the only reason to check out this film is to look at how gorgeous the tall blonde Laurene Landon is.
Fierce and fearless warrior woman Hundra (a splendidly sassy and spirited portrayal by gorgeous Amazonian blonde goddess Laurene Landon) declares open war on vile and oppressive misogynistic male swine after her whole village gets butchered by a foul horde of guy marauders.
Ably directed by Matt Cimber, with a clever and witty script by Cimber and frequent collaborator John Goff (the plot basically serves as a nifty metaphor for the many ways men tend to degrade and dominate over women), several stirring and well-staged swordfights, a handy helping of raw and bloody violence (the opening massacre sequence is especially brutal), bright, crisp, glowing widescreen cinematography by John Cabrera, a constant brisk pace, breathtaking Spanish countryside scenery, a decent sprinkling of tasty nudity, a winning sense of tongue-in-cheek humor (at one point Hundra encounters an aggressive face-painted midget on horseback who attacks her with a pitchfork!), and a first-rate rousing'n'robust full-bore orchestral score by the great Ennio Morricone, "Hundra" makes for an immensely fun and satisfying little corker.
Best of all, Landon attacks her plumb lead role with tremendously thrilling gusto and passion: Laurene looks simply smashing in her buckskin outfit, wields a truly mean sword, delivers her pro-woman speeches with fiery aplomb, and even performed almost all of her own stunts.
In the past few weeks, I've watched a number of movies with Amazon-style man-hating tribes who only seek the company of men for the purposes of procreation.
Wiped out, that is, except for a hunter/warrior named Hundra (Laurene Landon) who vows to get even for the slaughter of her sisters.
But to do so, Hundra will need the help of the very same men she seeks for revenge.Based on my rating, it should be obvious that I have some real problems with Hundra.
Getting past the film's mixed message, Hundra is, for the most part, a poorly made, badly paced, and horribly acting movie.
As for the film's lead Laurene Landon, she's honestly one of the worst actresses I've seen in a while.
And it doesn't help that the longest fight during Hundra's climax was shown in slow-motion.Before I end this, I feel I should mention one very obvious highlight of Hundra Ennio Morricone's score.
There's one particular piece of music played during the film's final fight scene that almost makes the movie worthwhile.
A peculiar sub-genre which arose at the time was that of the 'Feminist Fantasy Film' – best described as Conan-style movies in which the main character is always portrayed by a woman with considerable sword-wielding prowess.
Well-known titles in this field would include the likes of Red Sonja, Gwendoline and Barbarian Queen, but the first film to use this idea was actually the 1983 offering Hundra.
Alas, apart from introducing a new slant to this Neanderthal genre, Hundra comes across as a pretty dismal movie.A tribe of women survive in the wilderness without a single man amongst their number.
One member of the tribe – fierce, independent warrioress Hundra (Laurene Landon) – refuses to have any dealings with man-folk and proudly declares that she will never have children, preferring instead to hunt and kill and serve as a protector to the tribe.
One day, while Hundra is away on an expedition, the entire tribe is slaughtered by an army of men.
When Hundra returns, she finds that she is the last of her kind
and the only way she can repopulate the tribe is by going amongst the very men that massacred her brethren to find a suitable mate.
But her fighting instinct refuses to stay down and she is soon leading a rebellion against the men-folk and their chauvinistic ways.It's hard to find many positives to say about Hundra.
The film's message is as muddled as its perceived target audience – on the one hand, we are told how misogynistic men are and asked to celebrate as a woman hacks them down to size; yet at the same time we have this crusading warrioress riding around on her horse in the nude, showing plenty of tit, bum and pubic hair.
The best way to approach Hundra is as a pure sword and sorcery film – it might not be a very good example of the genre, but it sure beats trying to figure out the movie's unfathomably cockeyed politics!.
He also created and directed the original Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling TV show (he's played by Marc Maron and named Sam Sylvia in the Netflix series).Today, we're here to discuss Hundra, one of the two films he made with Laurene Landon (the other is Yellow Hair and the Fortress of Gold).Hundra is the only youngster in her tribe of Amazons who hasn't been with a man and she has no problem letting the other ladies know.
Sadly, every member of her tribe soon gets killed by barbarians and the old wise woman wants her to have kids rather than get revenge.
Technically-speaking, Hundra could be an OK B-grade Conan-era movie : nice visuals, great Ennio Morriconne music, enough budget for decent locations, etc.
Females want to submit, enslave, rape and most of the time kill men.
Every men hates every women, and vice-versa.Could a fantasy world like this possibly exist?
NO, because :Most of the women do want to have a relationship and sex with men.
Most of the men do not maim, rape and kill women.
She finds a man she wants to have a child with, goes to the temple because she thinks that is what he is looking for.
Anyway all ends well as the bad guys die off when Hundra's child is rescued.
HUNDRA is another gender-swap variant on CONAN THE BARBARIAN, much like SHE and RED SONJA; the main difference is that this film is absolutely terrible.
It's directed by the awful Matt Cimber, whose YELLOW HAIR film was equally dreadful, and like that film it stars non-acting blonde starlet Laurene Landon.
The plot is a straight copy of that of CONAN, with Hundra's village being massacred while she goes on a rampage of revenge afterwards. |
tt0105226 | Red Rock West | Michael Williams (Nicolas Cage) is a drifter living out of his car after being discharged from the Marine Corps. A job on an oilfield falls through due to his unwillingness to conceal a war injury on his job application, so Michael wanders into rural Red Rock, Wyoming, looking for other work.
A local bar owner named Wayne (J. T. Walsh) mistakes him for a hit man, "Lyle from Dallas," whom Wayne has hired to kill his wife. Wayne offers him a stack of cash—"half now, half later"—and Michael doesn't correct him, taking the money.
Michael then visits Wayne's wife, Suzanne (Lara Flynn Boyle), and attempts to warn her that her life is in danger instead of killing her. She offers him more money to kill Wayne. Michael tries to leave town, but a car accident leads him to encounter the local sheriff, who turns out to be Wayne. Michael manages to escape from Wayne but runs into the real Lyle from Dallas (Dennis Hopper). Lyle and Wayne quickly figure out what has transpired, while Michael desperately tries to warn Suzanne before Lyle finds her.
The next morning, when Lyle comes to get money from Wayne, he kidnaps both Suzanne and Michael, who are trying to retrieve hidden cash from Wayne's office. Wayne and Suzanne are revealed to be wanted for embezzlement, and Wayne is arrested by his own deputies. Lyle returns with Michael and Suzanne hostage and gets Wayne out of jail to retrieve their stash of money. At a remote graveyard, Wayne pulls a gun from the case of money and holds Lyle at gunpoint before Lyle throws a knife into Wayne's neck. Michael and Lyle fight, with Lyle ending up being impaled on a grave marker. When Lyle rises to attack Michael, Suzanne shoots him dead.
Michael and Suzanne escape onto a nearby train, but when Suzanne tries to betray Michael, he throws the money out of the speeding train and then throws Suzanne off to be arrested by the arriving police accompanied by a wounded Wayne. Michael's train continues its journey into a new town. | comedy, neo noir, murder | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0070122 | Gojira tai Megaro | In the year 1973, the most recent underground nuclear test, set off near the Aleutians, sends shockwaves as far south as Monster Island, disturbing the monsters, causing Anguirus to fall into a fault opened up by the consequential earthquakes and Rodan to fly off, while Godzilla decides to stay put.
For years, Seatopia, an undersea civilization, has been heavily affected by this nuclear testing conducted by the surface nations of the world. Upset by these tests, the Seatopians plan to unleash their civilization's beetle-like cyborg god, Megalon, to destroy the surface world out of vengeance.
On the surface, an inventor named Goro Ibuki, his nephew Rokuro and their friend Hiroshi Jinkawa are off on an outing near a lake when Seatopia makes itself known to the Earth by drying up the lake the trio was relaxing nearby and using it as a base of operation. As they return home they are ambushed by agents of Seatopia who are trying to steal Jet Jaguar, a humanoid robot under construction by the trio of inventors. However the agents' first attempt is botched and they are forced to flee to safety.
Some time later, Jet Jaguar is completed but the trio of inventors are knocked unconscious by the returning Seatopian agents. The agents' plan is to use Jet Jaguar to guide and direct Megalon to destroy whatever city Seatopia commands it to do. Goro and Rokuro are sent to be killed, while Hiroshi is taken hostage. Megalon is finally released to the surface while Jet Jaguar is put under the control of the Seatopians and is used to guide Megalon to attack Tokyo with the Japan Self Defense Forces failing to defeat the monster. Eventually, the trio of heroes manage to escape their situation with the Seatopians and reunite to devise a plan to send Jet Jaguar to get Godzilla's help using Jet Jaguar's secondary control system.
After uniting with Japan's Defense Force, Goro manages to regain control of Jet Jaguar and sends the robot to Monster Island to bring Godzilla to fight Megalon. Without a guide to control its actions, Megalon flails around relentlessly and aimlessly fighting with the Defense Force and destroying the outskirts of Tokyo. The Seatopians learn of Jet Jaguar's turn and thus send out a distress call to the Space Hunter Nebula M aliens (from the previous film) to send Gigan to assist them.
As Godzilla journeys to fight Megalon, Jet Jaguar programs into a safeguard mode and grows to gigantic proportions to face Megalon itself until Godzilla arrives. The battle is roughly at a standstill between robot and cyborg, until Gigan arrives and both Megalon and Gigan double team against Jet Jaguar. Godzilla finally arrives to assist Jet Jaguar and the odds become even. After a long and brutal fight, Gigan and Megalon both retreat and Godzilla and Jet Jaguar shake hands on a job well done. Godzilla returns to Monster Island, and Jet Jaguar returns to its previous human-sized state and reunites with its inventors. | cult | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0055972 | Experiment in Terror | A psychotic killer, Garland "Red" Lynch, uses a campaign of terror to force San Francisco bank teller Kelly Sherwood to steal $100,000 from the bank for him. Despite his threat to kill her or her teenaged sister Toby if she goes to the police, Sherwood contacts the San Francisco office of the FBI, where agent John Ripley takes charge of the case.
Ripley interviews a woman who implies that she's involved in some way in a serious crime, but before she can give Ripley the details, Lynch murders her. Sherwood continues to be terrorized with phone calls, an asthmatic condition making the unseen Lynch's voice all the more sinister.
The FBI identifies the criminal, noting that Red Lynch has a record of convictions for statutory rape, forgery, criminal assault, armed robbery, and murder. They track down his girlfriend, Lisa Soong, whose 6-year-old son has just had a hip replaced. Lynch is paying all the hospital bills. Because of this, Lisa refuses to believe that Lynch is a criminal and will not cooperate with the investigation. Ripley nevertheless manages to get some information about "Uncle Red" from the boy.
Lynch finally gives Sherwood a time and date to steal the money, and just to make sure that she does, he kidnaps her sister Toby and holds her captive. The climax is a chase through Candlestick Park after a nighttime baseball game between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers. On-field action includes several close-ups of Dodger pitcher Don Drysdale. Ripley and his men ultimately surround Lynch on the infield of the stadium. As Lynch takes aim at a police helicopter, Ripley shoots him and he dies on the pitchers mound. | murder, sadist | train | wikipedia | Although it's two hours long and there is nothing much resembling today's blood and guts-action-a-minute thrillers, this 1960s crime story still entertains, thanks to an interesting cast.Sure, they could have chopped off 15 minutes of this to make it a bit tighter but watching Glenn Ford, Lee Remick, Stefanie Powers and Ross Martin isn't all bad, especially Remick, a gorgeous woman with one of the sweetest, softest voices I've ever heard.
Since my exposure to Blake Edwards beyond his comedies has only been `Days of Wine and Roses', which is one of the most depressing films I've ever seen, I wasn't sure what to expect in the way of a thriller from a director who I largely respect.
`Experiment in Terror' which stars Lee Remick and the always great Glenn Ford, turned out to be an outstanding and slick film which was thoroughly enjoyable.While the story, about a bank teller who is threatened with the kidnapping of her younger sister if she doesn't steal 100K from her employer, and the FBI agent (Ford) who tries to both protect her and find out who the extortionist is, does not rely on cheap thrills in order to create suspense.
Glenn Ford is an FBI agent; Lee Remick is the victim of someone she's never seen in "Experiment in Terror," directed by Blake Edwards and also starring Stefanie Powers and Ned Glass.
He has a nice chemistry with Remick.There are some great scenes in "Experiment in Terror." One of the best takes place in the apartment of a woman who makes mannequins; and several take place right at the beginning, when Martin accosts Remick and later surprises her in her home.
Not having their expertise, I won't.I really love the atmosphere Blake Edwards created in this film, and I love the casting of Ford, Remick, Martin, and Powers.
Coming home late one night Kelly (Lee Remick) is attacked in her garage by an asthmatic nasty named Red Lynch (Ross Martin) who convinces her he knows of all her daily life , particularly her employment at the bank where she works as bank teller.
Taut noir thriller has an asthmatic psycho killer excellently played by Ross Martin who steals the show and gives an unnerving portrait of evil .
Gorgeous Lee Remick as accosted woman , an effective Glenn Ford as obstinate Inspector and a likable and very young Stefanie Powers .
Before Ross Martin became the amiable Artemus Gordon on "The Wild, Wild West," and before Blake Edwards began making those Pink Panther movies, they joined up for this complex, thoroughly convincing story of a sadistic thief who terrorizes bank teller Lee Remick to gain her complicity in a heist.
Edwards makes effective use of the San Francisco locations, of Glenn Ford's portrayal of a tough FBI agent, and of Henry Mancini's jazzy score to weave this taut, psychological suspense tale..
I have to agree with another review which wondered why ROSS MARTIN didn't just rob a bank himself if he wanted that $100,000 so badly, instead of terrorizing a young bank clerk (LEE REMICK) and her not too bright sister (STEPHANIE POWERS).
At that point, it loses some of its credibility.Good performances help sustain whatever suspense there is, especially from LEE REMICK, GLENN FORD, ROSS MARTIN and NED GLASS.Skillfully directed but needed a tighter script..
But when Toby is abducted by the stranger, Kelly tries to stay calm to help the FBI to catch the criminal."Experiment in Terror" is an above average thriller from the early 60's in a noir style directed by Blake Edwards and with Glenn Ford, Lee Remick (whom we all miss so dearly) and Stefanie Powers on the lead roles.
When Lee Remick's character Kelly is attacked for the first time, her eyes are impressive even in a black- and-white film.
Glossy thriller concerning pretty bank teller Kelly Sherwood(Lee Remick)who's coerced into embezzling $100,000 by a unseen asthmatic killer who will threaten to kill her young sister Toby(Stephanie Powers)unless she agree's to the demands,F.B.I agent John Ripley(Glenn Ford)is assigned to protect them & foil the blackmailer.Atmoshphic tension build's through out the film as the bank teller is under scrutiny by the assailant at all times & watching her every move & a game of cat & mouse is played out.which heighten the suspense right to the nerve-racking conclusion.Blake Edwards bird eye camera view direction add to the paranoia..
The fact that director Edwards does not typically dabble in the genre (albeit having learned his lesson from the masters extremely well) should excuse its occasional pretentiousness - most evident in the long two-shot at the beginning of Lee Remick's first encounter with Ross Martin and the similarly extended (and basically irrelevant) sequence in the mannequin lady's apartment prior to her murder.The film's deliberate pace and methodical approach creates a riveting and unrelenting tension and the various subplots (focusing on Stefanie Powers as Remick's younger, liberated sister; Ned Glass as a sleazy police informer; the aforementioned and possibly nymphomaniac 'mannequin lady'; and Martin's Japanese 'family'), while making it longer than is perhaps necessary, are so well nurtured that they give the film an extra edge - thus further enhancing its essential quality.
Acting is top-notch: Glenn Ford is one of Hollywood's most likable, reliable and underrated leading men; Remick and Martin (a memorable and complex heavy, who also gets to do his menacing act in drag!) are perfect as victim and aggressor.Also, the film's pervasive noir-ish atmosphere (propelled by Henry Mancini's unusual score and superbly caught by Edwards and cinematographer Philip Lathrop) is indication that the genre wasn't quite done yet; indeed, EXPERIMENT IN TERROR can be seen as marking perhaps the transition point between old-style noir and the so-called neo-noirs spearheaded by POINT BLANK (1967).Since I work as a bank teller myself, I'm always fascinated by caper films and, in this case, I couldn't help but empathize with Remick's plight; however, I found some aspects of the plot unconvincing: the bank manager's refusal to put up the ransom money, the fact that Remick was kept active on front-office duty during this nerve-racking period, Remick cramming $100,000 in two bundles into her little purse and, finally, the supervisor not noticing the missing cash from Remick's own till at the end of the day....
The first scene, with Remick trapped in her garage by a man who tells her she must rob $100,000 for him from the bank where she works or he will "do something" to her or her younger sister, is a stunner, but it gives away any surprises (and thus the possibility of real suspense) the rest of the film might have had to offer.
Glenn Ford stars as an FBI agent and Lee Remick is a bank teller who is forced to steal $100,000 dollars from the bank or he'll kill her and her sister.
Glenn Ford is good as usual and so is Lee Remick and their is this one scene that really stands out when the camera is shooting up from the floor that shows three FBI agents talking..
This film is a disappointment, despite having the ever-welcome Lee Remick and Glenn Ford in the leads.
The performance of Ross Martin is the only real interest, although Ford and Stefanie Powers are good, Remick less so.
Above-average thriller directed by Blake Edwards about a young bank teller(Lee Remick) and her younger sister(Stephanie Powers) being terrorized into stealing from the bank or suffer the consequences.
The brisk pace, the credible story, and the excellent acting by Remick, Ford, and in particular Ross Martin add immeasurably to the overall mood.
Written by the Gordons, from their book "Operation Terror", this Blake Edwards crime-drama has a sterling black-and-white look, a fine Henry Mancini music score, and good performances by a first-rate cast.
A great deal of time is spent examining the psycho's relationship with an (innocent?) Oriental woman and her ailing son; there's a tie-in to the case with the murder of a local woman who painted mannequins, yet the sequence appears to be included solely to feature the corpse hanging amongst the fake limbs and torsos (stylish but merely distracting); and there's talk about whose money victimized Lee Remick will actually remove from the bank, yet when the time comes she seems to be acting all alone (with suspicion all around her).
It stars Glenn Ford, Lee Remick, Stefanie Powers and Ross Martin.
Lathrop.Film begins with bank teller Kelly Sherwood (Remick) driving home through night time San Francisco, over head shots capturing the cityscape for backdrop purpose.
All the while Mancini's musical accompaniments act as a foreboding presence, dovetailing with the themes and characterisations at work in the play.Visually it's also impressive, filmed in gritty black and white, Edwards uses intense close-ups to ramp up the tension, dallies with angles to enforce emotional turmoil, while Lathrop always keeps the lenses stark, the contrasts rich and the use of angled shadows is most striking.
The lab rat in this particular Experiment In Terror is Lee Remick who works as a bank teller and lives and supports her younger sister Stefanie Powers.
At one point he confronts Sherwood in the ladies room of a club and Martin is complete in drag, looking every bit as murderous as Tony Perkins was in Psycho.Glenn Ford is the lead character here as the FBI agent assigned to track Martin down when Remick contacts them.
It's a good part for Ford, but it doesn't really develop into a three dimensional character because of the way the script is written.The film really belongs to Martin as the experimenter and Remick and Powers as his lab rats.
Some other familiar faces here are Roy Poole as another FBI agent, Clifton James as a local homicide cop, and Ned Glass as a rather quirky informant.The film also features some nice shots of Candlestick Park in San Francisco where the final confrontation takes place after a Dodger-Giant ballgame.
Blake Edwards shows a masterful hand at direction and orchestrates a fine cast, including the absolutely beautiful Lee Remick and the no-so-bad-herself Stephanie Powers in a tense FBI drama.
Blake Edwards' "Experiment in Terror" is just that, edge-of-your-seat suspense that just gets better over the years.
But the best performance in the film comes from Ross Martin as "Red" Lynch, the supremely scary villain of the piece.
And that story Martin tells Powers to get her to come running to him in the first place was just about the cheesiest ever.The biggest problem with the movie is that, at no time in the picture did I think Lee Remick was in any kind of danger.
"Experiment in terror" (1962) directed by Blake Edwards as movie is nowadays of course an incredible piece of time that reconstructs namely the architecture of a baseball stadium, in a last scene of pursuit and shootings, where terror is experienced as rarely we have seen before, like a tragic beauty which it is difficult to forget for a viewer.
Featuring a great cast including Glenn Ford, Lee Remick, a very young Stephanie Powers, and a pre-Wild, Wild West Ross Martin as the villain, this movie has all of the suspense, and yes, terror, that so many movies don't have in the midst of all of their heavy-laden special effects.
Glenn Ford plays a very cool FBI officer who assists her, and There's an appearance from a young Stephanie Powers as the heroine's sister.Action is tight all the way through, and the film hold your interest.
Lee Remick and Stephanie Powers are excellent as the two sisters who are the targets of the bad guy's machinations, but this Ross Martin's movie.
Blake Edwards monochromatic thriller is a beautifully shot, tense film filled with excellent performances.
One night upon returning home she's threatened by a stranger known as 'Red' (Ross Martin) in her garage, she's then forcibly told to rob her bank of $100,000 or she and her sister will be murdered by him.She then manages to get the word out to an FBI officer John 'Rip' Ripley (Glenn Ford) without Red knowing.
However the screen-writers do a great job of writing likable, interesting characters whilst keeping the action focused on their situations rather then the plot/heist, which helps to hide some of the pacing issues.The entire cast all give excellent performances, especially from Ford and Remick.
There are solid performances from Remick as the bank worker, Powers as her little sister, Ford as the FBI agent, and Martin as the creepy, asthmatic villain.
Experiment In Terror is a by-the-numbers film noir thriller, and director Blake Edwards plies his style too heavily.
This is what pretty much happens on screen as Glenn Ford takes every meeting as FBI Agent Ripley with such serious response that we can't help but believe that at the core this is a grand comedy.The title states the whole film in the title, Blake Edwards has indeed created an experiment in terror with camera angles, lighting, and editing he has crafted a perfect film noir without the least amount of heart that lies at the best of the genre.
Great night to be at Candlestick Park if you're a baseball fan, or if you're a psychopathic extortionist!Ross Martin is absolutely terrifying as the asthmatic extortionist who kidnaps little sister Stephanie Powers and demands $100,00 from bank teller Lee Remick.
Shot in black in white, restored to widescreen format on DVD, the San Francisco locations (including the Golden Gate Bridge and Candlestick Park) gives this film a interesting aura.Lee Remick is a young bank teller named Kelly Sherwood, who lives with her teenage sister, Tobey (Stefanie Powers).
With Kelly in the crossfire, Ripley and his fellow agents close in on him in a memorable climax in Candlestick Park's baseball stadium.Unlike the gratuitous violence and nudity often found in films today, "Experiment In Terror" relies on plot development, effective camera angles and concentrated performance in order to bring out fear in the viewer, and for the most part, it does it in spades.
In contrast to the other films I've mentioned, Experiment in Terror is an entertaining thriller with some nice, tense moments and at least one "edge of your seat" scene.
This is heightened by simple yet realistic performances by Lee Remick and Glenn Ford as well as a very convincing psychopathic performance by Ross Martin.
The uneasy mood of the piece is effectively enhanced by Henry Mancini's creepy score and some wonderful cinematography strongly reinforces an awareness of the ever-present menace that lurks in the shadows.One dark night, Kelly Sherwood (Lee Remick), who works as a teller in a San Francisco bank, returns to her home in the Twin Peaks area of the city and after having parked her car in her garage, is grabbed from behind by a man who threatens to kill her and her teenage sister unless she agrees to steal $100,000 from the bank where she works.
He warns her not to contact the police because he'll be watching her to ensure that she obeys his orders.When Kelly gets the opportunity, she contacts FBI agent John Ripley (Glenn Ford) who takes charge of the case and soon identifies the attacker as Garland "Red" Lynch (Ross Martin) who's a criminal with a long record of convictions for violent crimes.
Glenn Ford shows Ripley's genuine concern, sincerity and efficiency very convincingly and Ross Martin is terrific as the madman whose actions cause so much distress and fear."Experiment In Terror" looks great and is well directed despite a few unnecessary lapses in the momentum of what happens on screen.
The movie is boring, but Ross Martin is good as the mysterious psychopath who terrorizes Lee Remick.
Apparently, Blake Edwards proved that he could do things far beyond the range of the Pink Panther films and he sure hit a home run with this intense 1962 thriller.Just watch the face of Lee Remick, bank teller, who is accosted in her garage by a heavy breathing sadistic, eerie character threatening her that if she doesn't steal $100,000 from her bank for him, she and her teenage sister, Stefanie Powers, will be killed.This is a tense thriller and Ross Martin is absolutely superb as the sinister character.Glenn Ford is smooth as the FBI man who Remick turns to.
Ford is a bit wooden but efficient and the supporting cast includes Ross Martin, Stefanie Powers (as Remick's younger sister), and the great Ned Glass as "Popcorn," a not so trustworthy police informant..
The terrorized bank teller decides to take a chance with getting in touch with the F.B.I. and agent John Ripley(Glenn Ford), will race with the clock to find Toby and catch the blackmailer before matters get worse.Filmed in San Francisco and making good use of iconic locales.
Blake Edwards' "Experiment In Terror" is a suspense film so stark, so serious, so sinister, that it almost plays like a Naked Gun-style parody of the genre.
The terror begins there and the movie never stops, never lightens up or allows any of its characters to catch their breath or achieve three dimensions.Lee Remick, as the bank-teller victim, calls the FBI immediately, (did she not take the psycho's threat seriously?) and gets in touch with G-Man Glenn Ford, who's like a Federal Agent on the cover of a Wheaties box.
(Do a Google image search for James Lanphier to see what I mean)Anywhoo, a good solid, police procedural with a number of plot holes that didn't spoil the fun.Lee Remick, was gorgeous and gave a convincing show of terror, Stefanie Powers when SHE was menaced in turn turned into a shivering wreck.Glenn Ford was personable and believable as an FBI agent and from telling somebody he'd "never had to shoot anybody" managed to up his body count by the movie's end.The final crowd scenes at Candelstick Park added tension but kinda telegraphed what the finale would be....
Its opening terror scene is tense, sadistic, and surprising; it comes from out of nowhere, just like film's villain. |
tt0120696 | Hard Rain | During the worst recorded rainstorm in the history of the Midwestern United States, armored truck drivers Tom (Christian Slater) and his uncle Charlie (Edward Asner) are collecting the money from the local banks affected by the rising flood waters. In the small town of Huntingburg, Indiana, which has been evacuated, Tom and Charlie drive into a ditch and become stuck, and Charlie calls dispatch to alert the National Guard. They are then ambushed by Jim (Morgan Freeman) and his gang of armed robbers, Kenny (Michael Goorjian), Mr Mehlor (Dann Florek) and Ray (Ricky Harris). Kenny accidentally shoots Charlie dead, as Tom gets away with the $3 million in cash and hides it in a cemetery.
After being chased through the local Middle School by the gang now travelling with a boat and jet skis, Tom takes refuge in a nearby church. He is knocked out and wakes up in a cell at the local Sheriff's office. Tom tells the Sheriff (Randy Quaid) about the gang and the area he hid the money, although he keeps him locked up. He and his Deputy Wayne (Mark Rolston) then leave to investigate, whilst another officer Phil (Peter Murnik) is ordered to take Karen (Minnie Driver), the woman who knocked Tom out and is currently restoring the church, out of town. In protest, she pushes Phil out of the boat so she will be able to fill the water pumps at her church.
The town's dam continues to experience huge pressure from the rain and the operator Hank (Wayne Duvall) is forced to open another spillway floodgate. This causes another huge burst of water to stream through the town, resulting in even worse flooding, especially at the church. Tom wakes in his cell, trapped as the Sheriff's building slowly fills up with water. After filling the pumps at the church, Karen returns and saves him by opening the light fitting on the roof for him to escape. They are then spotted by the gang, and hide before having to get out of the water because a nearby transformer is going to blow.
Kenny grabs Tom and they both fall in the water, but Tom fights him off before Kenny is electrocuted and later dies. Tom and Karen enter a nearby house, only to discover locals Doreen (Betty White) and Henry Sears (Richard Dysart) who believe they are looters. After explaining their story, Henry decides to give Tom their boat so he can return to the armored truck. When he resurfaces from the now submerged truck, he finds Jim and the gang holding the elderly couple hostage. Tom gets Jim to let them go by promising he'll show them where the money is.
On the way to the cemetery, Jim reveals to Tom that the National Guard were never coming because Charlie was actually calling the gang, and was in an alliance with them. He was only killed because Kenny was never told Charlie was on their side. Jim then sends Tom to retrieve the money but finds it has disappeared. When the gang are about to shoot him in anger, they are all ambushed by the Sheriff and his Deputies, who have found Karen. The Sheriff now doesn't care any more about justice and intends to keep the money for himself, Wayne, Phil and Hank, who has now joined them from the dam.
Mr Mehlor and Ray are killed in the shoot out, and Jim and Tom escape in a boat, finding sanctuary in the church. Wayne takes Karen back to her house, with the intention of raping her. The others try to force Tom and Jim out by throwing petrol bombs on the roof, but instead are forced to drive through the stained glassed windows. At Karen's house, Karen manages to stab Wayne with her penknife, killing him. In the church, a shoot out occurs, and at one point Tom and Phil come face to face, but Phil cannot bring himself to shoot him. Hank then shoots Phil, thinking he's a coward.
The dam overtopping alarm sounds, alerting the town that the dam is going to fail. Offering a deal, the Sheriff says Tom and Jim should let Hank and him go with a couple of the moneybags. Tom agrees, yet Jim does not. Instead, Tom then leaves to try and save Karen, before the Sheriff shoots Jim with a revolver he was hiding, although he isn't badly hurt. The Sheriff and Hank escape in a boat and, when they are forced to go faster to avoid the wave engulfing the town, the Sheriff pushes Hank out of the boat. He then dies after being caught in a gas explosion.
Tom arrives at Karen's house, to find her handcuffed to the banister. He first tries to free her with a saw, then uses Wayne's gun. The water is so high now they have to get onto the roof and are then caught by the Sheriff. Jim, who managed to escape from the church, comes from behind them in a boat. The Sheriff shoots at him, disabling the steering, forcing him to go over the roof. As he does so, the engine breaks off and collides with the Sheriff, knocking him into the water. However, he is not dead and tries to shoot Karen as he grabs a moneybag, but Tom and Jim manage to shoot him dead. Tom tells Jim he should leave, just as the State Police arrive. Jim picks up the Sheriff's moneybag and rows away, as Tom tells Karen the fire damage to her church wasn't too bad, and it can be repaired. | violence, neo noir, murder | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0246628 | Focus | Seasoned con-man Nicky Spurgeon (Will Smith) goes to an upscale restaurant, where an inexperienced grifter, Jess Barrett (Margot Robbie), seduces him, and then pretends they've been caught by her jealous husband. When the deception fails, Nicky advises them never to lose focus when faced with unexpected situations. Jess finds him in another nightclub a few days later and convinces Nicky to become her mentor. Nicky tells her about how his father, a con man named Bucky Spurgeon, was forced to shoot his grandfather when a con went wrong, a maneuver he calls "the Toledo Panic Button".
Jess follows Nick to New Orleans, where she is introduced to Nicky's crew as well, including the obese and profane Farhad (Adrian Martinez). She picks a few pockets as a test, and soon Nicky and Jess develop a romantic relationship, upsetting Nicky, who was taught by his father to never become emotionally involved with anyone in their line of business. At the 17th Associated Football Franchise of America Championship Game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, Nicky gets into a round of increasingly extravagant bets with gambler Liyuan Tse (B.D. Wong), eventually losing all of the money the crew has earned.
To win it back, Nicky asks Tse to pick any player on or off the field and says that Jess will guess the number picked. A distraught Jess scans the field and notices Farhad wearing jersey number 55 and realizes it is another con. They take Tse for millions of dollars. Nicky explains to Jess how Tse had been programmed to pick 55 since he arrived, with subtle, subconscious prompts throughout his day. Afterwards, Nicky, wary of his growing emotional involvement, leaves Jess by the side of the road with her cut. He instructs the driver to take her to the airport. Jess cries as her limo drives off, leaving Nicky to climb into another waiting car.
Three years later, Nicky is in Buenos Aires, working for billionaire motorsport team owner Rafael Garriga (Rodrigo Santoro). Garriga needs to beat a team headed by Australian businessman McEwen (Robert Taylor) to win the championship. Nicky will pretend to be a disgruntled technician on Garriga's team willing to sell Garriga's custom fuel use algorithm EXR. Instead he will sell McEwen a bogus version which will slow their car down during the race. At a pre-race party, Nicky runs into Jess, who is now Garriga's girlfriend. After faking heavy drinking upon seeing Jess, Nicky has a convincing fight with Garriga in public and after being thrown out, is recruited by McEwen to provide the component.
Nicky begins pursuing Jess again, and they eventually rekindle their relationship. The head of Garriga's security entourage, Owens (Gerald McRaney), is suspicious and narrowly misses catching the two together. Nicky delivers the component to McEwen for three million euros but also sells it to the other teams for similar amounts.
Nicky and Jess attempt to return to the United States together. However, they are caught by Garriga's men and taken to Garriga's garage. Jess is bound and gagged whilst Nicky is given a beating. Nicky has actually sold the real EXR to all of the various teams. Garriga is convinced that Jess had something to do with Nicky gaining access to EXR and begins to suffocate Jess by holding her nose. In order to save Jess, Nicky explains that he gained access to EXR through tricking Jess into believing he still had feelings for her. That the necklace he had given to Jess was equipped to secretly record Garriga's password and login information. He explains that Jess was conned and knew nothing about this. However, Jess then reveals that she was only trying to seduce Garriga in order to steal his valuable watch and to make Nicky jealous.
Nicky promises to come clean in order to spare Jess's life but Owens shoots him in the chest, causing a horrified Garriga to leave. Owens then reveals himself to be Nicky's father, Bucky, and assures Jess that he avoided any major arteries. He simply employed the "Toledo Panic Button." Bucky then tapes up Nicky's wounds and draws excess blood out of his son's chest with a metal plunger so that he can breathe again. They flee the garage in Garriga's vehicle.
Bucky drives Nicky and Jess to the hospital to treat Nicky's punctured lung and departs with Nicky's money as a reminder of the consequences of losing focus. After he leaves, Nicky notices that Jess snatched Garriga's watch before he left the warehouse, and a smiling Nicky and Jess then go into the hospital together. | suspenseful | train | wikipedia | Paymer's even handed portrayal keeps Finklestein from becoming a stereotype or someone whose sole purpose is to engender sympathy, making his one of the strongest performances in the film.The tight editing and close-cropped cinematography make for a clean picture with few distractions, and mixes an air of claustrophobia in with the small town USA feel - it is simultaneously comforting and disturbing.
Most people attending this film will have no idea of the great novel by Arthur Miller that is the basis of it.
The cinematography in this brilliant and atmospheric film, directed with sure hand by Neil Slavin, kept reminding me of some Edward Hopper's paintings, especially a sequence at the beginning of the film when Newman steps outside a building and the night shot when he and his wife are being followed with long black shadows behind the couple, menacing and anticipating the confrontation with the bullies.
Laura Dern, David Paymer, and especially Meat Loaf, who infuses incredible depth to the bully-next-door, are excellent, but they all pale in comparison with the stellar turn of William H.
His WASP-ish everyman character in 1943 (during the war) comes under attack after he gets a pair of new eyeglasses, which apparently makes him "look Jewish." His Americanism is questioned, his garbage is overturned, is forced to quit his job, he gets thrown out of a union rally when he fails to stand up and clap, he and his wife get roughed up by thugs on the street at night.
William Macy, David Paymer, Laura Dern, and Meat Loaf Aday are all fine in their roles.
Others' main criticism of this film--namely that Macy suddenly looks Jewish upon donning his glasses--is misplaced.
The glasses are just the little bit of change needed to CONVINCE others he's a Jew. The scene in which he says to his boss, (paraphrasing) "but you KNOW what my background is," along with another discussion with his mother, suggests that he's had to fight this same assumption in the past.
Kazan, incidentally, directed "Gentlemen's Agreement.""Focus," which is showing in remarkably few theaters (only two in Manhattan and I wouldn't bet on a long run) both exaggerates and encapsulates a strain of anti-Semitism in New York City during the Second World War that, even today, few who recall it say much about its pervasiveness.The War Department was discomfited to learn through surveys that a surprising minority of servicemen thought the war was being fought for Jewish interests or that actually it had been caused by Jews.
Macy, and his glamorous-in-a-forties-way, also mistaken as Jewish, bride, Laura Dern, didn't exist in New York City.
Meat Loaf's character, Fred, has known Lawrence for many years, and yet when the time comes, at the bidding of his fanatical supporters, he allows them to attack a man who is not part of their "target" group.
I once conducted an experiment in a role-playing game, and was shocked to see how normal and level-headed people welcomed the creation of an oppressive police state - which would ultimate threaten them all - because it crept in in stages.Fred is the start, his LA friends and preacher idol are the catalyst which pushes his neighbours over the edge into violence without stopping to think that what they are doing in wrong.The relationship between Lawrence and Finkelstein, the Jewish shopkeeper is a fascinating one, because Lawrence misses the point almost until the end: if the bigots force Finkelstein out, where is he to go?
One of Arthur Miller's finest works, Focus, comes to the screen and while there was a lot to like about the movie, some of it seemed like it was almost unreal (though I'm not sure if that's in a good or bad way).
Macy, great as always, plays Lawrence Newman, average Joe and good guy in Brooklyn, NY in the early 1940's who finds he needs a new pair of specs.
Lawrence tries to ignore the ignorance and bigotry in his neighborhood against the Jewish people, but with a string of events involving his neighbors (Meat Loaf, David Paymer), and a new girlfriend (Laura Dern in one of her best performances) who knows what trouble Lawrence is in, push him into the conflict of his life.Often, Focus, delivers a poignant, startling and smart story in showing a character with so much at stake it is making him insane.
This movie tells the story of prejudice against jews in New York City, during World War II.
Secondly I have to confess that I am always highly suspicious of movies which depict actions that are supposed to have happened more than fifteen years before production and try to create an authentic setting.That much said, I would like to explain why this film disappointed me so deeply.
Instead we have performances of brilliant acting talents such as Macy (at one time absurdly, "artfully" distorted like a comic book character), Paymer, Dern and Meat Loaf, clean sets with theme park quality, flawless fotography, brilliant colours.
However, knowing what a great playwright Arthur Miller is, I doubt that his original play was very much like the movie.
Macy, Laura Dern and David Paymer just can't create an effective story with the material here..
Definitely an original movie with good acting, but one which asks us to suspend belief just a little too often, and yet seems strangely relevant to the times we are living in..
"Focus" tells of a bland and nonconfrontational man (Macy) who buys a pair of eye glasses which make him look Jewish after which be becomes the object of antisemitic hostility, etc, blaa, blaa.
Perhaps that is the romantic image many Americans have of the time this film is set, as it is in the middle of the War, Macy has returned from the war (His neighbor asks "Hey, is it true you got a Fritz over there?") and is trying to get on with his life but one day he gets a new pair of glasses (hence the name) and sees things clearly as the surrounding situation reveals itself to be one of rabid anti-semitism, and Macy and Dern could wrapped up in it.
In 2005, has undergone a complete reversal, with average citizens who have taken patriotism and religion as their unifier supporting the Republican Party and viewing organized labor as part of left-wing 'unpatriotic' America.A great picture to watch, if you care to see the friendly, timid and meek Macy (played beautifully by him) get caught in the carnage of race and hate in the mid 40's in NYC.A tough, emotionally charged film..
The first reviewer is right - In this movie we see ourselves, snuggling up to the majority, being agreeable, trying to stay out of trouble, just trying to live our lives, and we see how easily these very human traits, so fundamental to the functioning of society, can lead us to become complicit in a great evil.The story is set during World War II, with the radio, newspapers and movies reminding us of Hitler's attacks on Jews to underscore the irony of the same kind of violent anti-semitism taking place in America.
At times that seemed a little heavy-handed to me.It feels more like a play than a movie, but it's so thought-provoking that such quibbles mean little.
Larry has lived an uneventful life until middle age; yet all it takes is his beginning to wear a pair of spectacles for everyone - EVERYONE - to, at the first glance, take him for a Jew. I willingly suspended disbelief because the plot kept me moving forward, but the implausibility did bother me throughout the film.
(And, quite frankly, I didn't understand why his wife was also taken for a Jew. Larry seemed to think so because her name was "Hart." And later when he married her, I don't know why his neighbours assumed she was Jewish.) For the first part of the film I wondered if there were going to be elements of fantasy.
The movie called "Focus" stars William H.Macy (who happens to be one of my favorite actors) and Laura Dern.
We can actually see his myopia (I wonder if Macy was able to see a single thing while making this film!), and experience it figuratively.
Lawrence hooks up with a pretty lady named Gertrude Hart (Laura Dern), and because she is also mistakenly assumed to be Jewish, this merely adds to his problems.Arthur Millers' 1945 novel gets adapted for the screen by screenwriter Kendrew Lascelles, and director Neal Slavin, an award winning photographer making his filmmaking debut.
This film, based on a strong story written by Arthur Miller in 1947 finally got to the screen in 2001, but it left me wondering what had happened to the screenplay adaptation?.
The somewhat over the top floozy treatment given to the Laura Dern character and the intense attention paid to William Macy's circular, horn rimed glasses (very common in those days) seemed out of kilter.
Many other works have given more thoughtful handling to this subject, among these were James Hilton's (precursor to the war) examination of propaganda fueled hatred in the 1939 W.Bros film: "We Are Not Alone" ~ and in 1947 20th Cent Fox turned Laura Hobson's novel: "Gentlemans Agreement" into a quite successfully adapted screenplay."Focus" has the odd interesting moment but unfortunately not enough of them to be successful.
Set in the Lush Technicolor World of the War Years, this is a Film from an Arthur Miller Novel Written Contemporaneously and Brought to the Screen Over Fifty Years Later.
Laura Dern as Macy's Wife (also mistaken for a Jew) is also a Suspension of Disbelief the Movie Never Makes Clear.
Macy does an admirable job and his performance becomes the basic spice of atmosphere.Laura Dern is not a surprise but the art to use the ambiguity of her character is a real virtue.
Based on a novel by playwright Arthur Miller, FOCUS goes deep in a subtle, parabolic way about the danger and ultimate silliness of ethnic/religious/racial/etc prejudice, how public perception and treatment can be radically changed merely by the style of someone's new eyeglasses, and so on.
FOCUS truly captures the 1940s: It doesn't just show the setting--It puts you right in it.The characterization of protagonist Lawrence Newman and William Gacy's performance as same are a little flat: He's a bit too much of a quintessential white, nerdy, mainline Anglo-Saxon Protestant office worker.
Otherwise, most of the acting is quite impressive, with excellent performances by Laura Dern as Newman's new-found love and former rock star "Meatloaf" as Newman's go-with-the-majority Teamster neighbor..
Exposing antisemitism on the 1943 home front, this film version of an Arthur Miller book, comes across as somewhat preachy, yet the fine acting and flawless wartime community setting cannot be denied.
Macy gives another patented and mannered yet excellent performance as an EveryMan in a nightmare: set in WWII era Brooklyn his milquetoast faces Anti-Semitism and neighborhood paranoia/fascism to the hilt despite his not being Jewish leading to a boiling pot of one's beliefs and the fine line of standing up for one's self in the face of unparalleled madness.
Based on a novel by Arthur Miller, director Neal Slavin allows the acting to come forth and gets it in bulk with exceptional work by Dern, Paymer and surprisingly Aday as the next-door-neighbor from hell.
A very good movie about anti-semitism near the end of WWII.
Look...I've come to expect this level of acting from William Macy...the guy just keeps putting in terrific performances...but MEAT LOAF?
To paraphrase an old adage: "It ain't the meat, it's the emotion"...and the Loaf is quietly buffing up his acting chops of late..Laura Dern carries off the 40's look perfectly here...great job by the costume and hair departments...David Paymer is typecast but right on the money.
Director Neal Slavin's impressive starring cast includes William Macy (seen in The Contender at last year's TIFF), Meat Loaf (AKA Meat Loaf Aday, AKA Michael Lee Aday), David Paymer, and Laura Dern (also starring in Novocaine, also at this year's Festival).Based on the Arthur Miller novel by the same name, Focus follows Christian but "Jewish-looking" Lawrence Newman (Macy) as he struggles among the hatred and anti-Semitism in his neighbourhood.
Pitted between the Jewish store-owner down the street (Paymer) and his card-carrying anti-Semite next door neighbour (Meat Loaf) Newman faces difficulty in dealing with inner conflict and conflict around him.
Good acting by William Macy and Laura Dern in an unconventional story of anti-semitsm..
In fact, throughout the whole film, Macy's character sees how wrong and absolutely unfair anti-Semitism is, but his only complaint, is that he is not really Jewish and as such, it is not fair that he is being persecuted.
Apparently the novel portrays Lawrence Newman as an anti-semite whose fortunes change when he gets "jewish looking" glasses.
Laura Dern, Macy and David Paymer give good performances, so also the good supporting ensemble..
Focus is another great movie starring William H.
As the film unravels, Newman will begin to see a whole different world, where being Jewish is akin to being an animal.The movie is disturbing in the way it shows that being racist was something fairly normal.
In that same vein, this film, `Focus,' directed by Neal Slavin, is important, in it illuminates the problematic reality of anti-Semitism, which for years beyond number has affected millions of people, is still unimaginably prevalent today, and like any manifestation of bigotry, will perpetuate itself if left unchecked or ignored.
Lawrence is the kind of guy who gets by just fine by minding his own business and refusing to involve himself with matters that are not (he feels) his concern.All of that is about to change, however, as with the advent of World War 2, Lawrence, along with the owner of the corner market, Mr. Finkelstein (David Paymer), inexplicably finds himself a target of the neighborhood xenophobes, who have aligned themselves with the `Union Crusaders,' a national organization currently taken to channeling their fears and hatred upon Jews, or anyone who even `looks' like a Jew.
And suddenly Lawrence finds that he can no longer just stand on the sidelines and watch the game being played; because now, he IS the game, whether he wants to be or not.Working from an intelligent, well written screenplay by Kendrew Lascelles, which he adapted from Arthur Miller's novel, Slavin presents a chilling scenario that incisively examines the effects of bigotry upon those against whom it is leveled; and when one considers the fact that this is not merely a hypothetical situation, but a depiction of reality, it becomes all the more disquieting, even unnerving.
Another of the film's strengths is the performance turned in by Laura Dern, as Gertrude Hart, a portrayal that effectively complements Macy's work, as well as that of Slavin.
Dern lends tremendous substance to her character, capturing her physically as well as emotionally, and her colorful zeal crates a striking contrast to Lawrence's reserve that works extremely well, for her character as well as the film itself.And just as Sean Combs recently (in `Monster's Ball') made a good case against dismissing out-of-hand the acting endeavors of an established `rock star,' Meat Loaf Aday gives a powerful performance here, as Fred, Lawrence's next-door neighbor.
I've seen many movies about prejudice, racism, and anti-Semitism, but this seemed to hit me harder than most.This was definitely one of the best indie films I've ever seen...I had to travel 45 minutes to see it, and it was well worth it.
Macy as always was wonderful, so was Laura Dern, and I was pleasantly surprised by Meatloaf's performance, playing the vicious anti-Semite neighbor.
Macy stars as Lawrence Newman in the film based on the novel of the same name by Arthur Miller.
Things change for him we he buys a new pair of round wire-rim glasses and begins to "look like a Jew" to others.
He begins to loosen-up a little after falling in love with a beautiful typical '40s blonde bombshell and marries her (played by Laura Dern.) This just brings about more talk of him being Jewish, and his neighbors think she's a Jew as well.
This does nothing but create more trouble because, well, ignorance knows no logic.Not only dealing with a good subject, this movie was beautifully filmed using sharp colors and odd camera angles.
Macy's character tries his best to stay in his normal life, but keeps finding himself and his new wife in very anti-semitic surroundings.
The themes of FOCUS are a more intensely personal form of psychotherapy for Miller than for most of America's screenwriters, and the "making of" shows Arthur was still johnny-on-the-spot during location filming, even at the advanced age of 86.
Jew. This is a movie about a man everybody thinks is Jewish.This is a movie about Lawrence Newman, who lives in Brooklyn in the 1940's, at the time of WWII.One day, when he gets himself glasses, people start thinking he's a Jew.And that only, because he looks like one.And he lives in a very antisemitic neighborhood.So some people start treating him like dirt.They make that judgment, being a Jew, of Larry's fresh wife, Gertrude Hart, too.That makes their lives unbearable.Neal Slavin's Focus (2001) is a fairly good look at the antisemitism.That's a problem that won't go away.The movie is based on Athur Miller's novel, which, I admit, I haven't read.But the movie is really good, so I'm sure the book would also.The actors do good job.William H.Macy is always good, and his work as Larry Newman is brilliant.Laura Dern is Gert Hart and she's magnificent.Meat Loaf is almost scary as the neighbor who wants to keep Jews out by any means necessary.David Paymer's character as the Jewish shop-owner Mr. Finkelstein is the most sympathetic in the movie.Paymer is the perfect choice for the role.One of the greatest scenes is in the end when Mr.Finkelstein and Newman fight against those Nazi-like people with baseball bats.They join together to fight the evil.The Christian and the Jew.. |
tt1341341 | Ceremony | The film begins with Masuo Sakurada receiving a telegram from his cousin Terumichi. He is traveling with his cousin Ritsuko to check out his cabin and see if the telegram is true. Masuo has a flashback to the ceremony on the first anniversary of his father's death, after he and his mother repatriated to Japan from Manchuria. Because his younger brother died before they returned from Manchuria, Masuo is expected to live for two sons.
Throughout each of the ceremonies, the tangled family web is revealed, with numerous instances of incest that make the relationships between each of the family members somewhat unclear. The continued incest is not only expected amongst the family. Masuo himself is interested in Setsuko, and later Ritsuko, and finds himself in competition with Terumichi for them.
Masuo finds himself sacrificing much of his freedom for the family. He has a talent for baseball, but gives it up when his mother dies and he is not present. He burns all of his baseball possessions except his glove. His sacrifice reaches its climax when he goes through a marriage ceremony to an absentee bride at his grandfather's insistence. He finally releases his frustration and hatred for his grandfather afterward. His grandfather dies years later, and at his memorial service Masuo is asked by his uncles to marry as quickly as possible to have another heir to the family lineage.
Masuo and Ritsuko finally arrive at Terumichi's cabin in the film's final segment, to discover that the telegram informing them of Terumichi's death is true. Ritsuko feels an obligation to commit suicide next to Terumichi, because he had been her lover. Masuo leaves the scene, and outside has a flashback to a childhood memory of playing baseball with his cousins and Setsuko, who have all died. | romantic | train | wikipedia | The romantic desperation of flawed characters with humour, love and understanding.
Sam (Michael Angarano) is going to take his friend Marshall (Reece Thompson) on an adventure.
The girl is Zoe (Uma Thurman) and she's about to marry Whit because he's rich and handsome.
Sam, although just as immature, is likely a bit more well-read than Gatsby, and he makes some hilarious and shrewd remarks about Whit and Zoe, their relationship, and about the relationship he would like to have with Zoe."Ceremony" is not actually like "The Great Gatsby", but the simple parallels that you can make amongst all the characters, illustrates how anyone would be able to find something to connect to in Fitzgerald's classic.
And then afterwards, you will be able to find an extra layer of meaning in "Ceremony".This is a romantic comedy, or coming-of-age journey, that is delightfully funny, whimsically quirky, but with a real sense of character.
What makes me confident that he will become a great writer is when his characters discuss the art of writing characters all the while being completely oblivious to their own flaws.Michael Angarano shows that he is becoming the star that he deserves to be (if this finds an audience) with his quick delivery of witty lines and his ability to sport a moustache and a burnt-orange suit throughout the entire movie without ever making a single joke feel tired.
The younger Reese Thompson (playing the year-and-a-half older Marshall) seemed a bit out of his league, but then again he's playing a character who is a bit out of his league.Although it takes place during a weekend wedding with a guy trying to win over a girl, it doesn't follow any standard romantic comedy trajectories.
I enjoyed the first five minutes of Ceremony, where the main character is reading from his children's book in a library, and the camera slowly pans back to reveal all empty seats, except for one adult, who applauds enthusiastically at the reading's conclusion.
It was original and funny, and I thought I was in for a good movie.I couldn't have been more wrong.
The rest of the movie is plagued with one-note characters, (mostly) uninteresting dialogue, and good actor's talents wasted.
All of the plot points have been done before, and better (e.g. the lovelorn sap chases down the woman he loves who is slated to marry a jerk).
Uma Thurman's fiancé is so blatantly obviously a jerk as to be a caricature (in an unfunny way), and it is unbelievable that an intelligent woman would see enough in this man to marry him.The class differences at the resort is an old, tired plot device, as was the outdoor scavenger-hunt the host's family traditionally plays, which veered into the ridiculous.I'll give one example of a poorly thought out scene.
Uma Thurman visit's the main character in his guest room to talk, since they were old flames.
The movie is riddled with head-scratching moments like this, as if the writer was also the proofreader and didn't catch errors in logic (or overdone clichés).The best friend, who has been used by the main character finally leaves, which is the only believable occurrence in the movie.
The trailer depicted the movie as being a road-trip type romantic comedy, and as a group we decided that it looked like a decent movie.
Our big problem with the movie was that the main character Sam Davis (Michael Angarano) is such an a-hole that we couldn't engage emotionally with this movie.
I find it very hard to enjoy a movie where the main character is such an a-hole that you would like to shoot him yourself, and you are hoping throughout the duration of the movie that he does NOT get the girl.
One Note Quirky little indie movie, could have been lot more funnier....
CEREMONY – CATCH IT ( B- ) Ceremony is a quirky little movie about young guy crashing the wedding of the woman he loves.
The movie is smart, funny and full of good performances by the lead stars.
Michael Angarano hopelessly in love is something to see, he brings the madness to the movie.
The movie is quirky & funny but lacks big time in screenplay.
The movie has a slow start establishing Sam's character as an absolute jerk and his friend Marchall's character as a whiny hypochondriac.
However, things pick up nicely when Uma Thurman (Zoe) comes on scene.
Nothing like a major star like her to pick things up.The setting is a gorgeous beach house on the ocean, with all the beautiful people partying for a weekend wedding - who doesn't love a wedding!
Sam's character unfolds delightfully as his deeply romantic self comes to the fore.
The movie, thankfully, doesn't take the easy way out by tying things up with a bow, but leaves you with the sweetness of the mystery of life..
It has a bit of a Wes Anderson look to the film which feels a little vintage and keeps your eyes satisfied throughout.
The movie was a good balance of comedy and romance.
Watchable romantic comedy stars the diminutive Angarano as Sam, the man with the plan to whisk his true love (Thurman) away from her fiancé (Pace), moments away from the altar.
Unfortunately for Sam, Thurman's character has outgrown their once-brief tryst and sees stability and maturity in her imminent marriage, even if Pace is somewhat egotistical and high on self importance.Not a lot happening here, with minor chuckles and melancholy moments the general tone, Thurman's towering height and obvious age, both dwarfing Angarano, who's seemingly behind the eight ball all the way.
Thompson as his best friend begins to suspect a ruse when they're "inadvertantly" invited to the wedding, and the once strong friendship that has cooled over the years, serves as the film's dramatic baseline, not quite a bro-mance, but equally, something short of true romance.
He also has a funny scene in which he naively pops a party pill with some amusing consequences.Director Winkler never really seems to find the right tenor, lost amid light humour (predominantly from Johnson as Thurman's drug-addled brother) and pathos with little content to develop and only the natural appeal of Angarano and Thurman off which to pivot.
Just out the gate, I think there's two types of people who will like this: a) those with a eye for hipster-esque romantic indies with above-average dialogue and sweet scenes that breathe and b) those who have a affinity for one of the main cast (Thurman, Pace, Angarano).
Uma is excellent (as always) and with her Idiosyncrasies, she fits the character of Zoe wonderfully.
Michael Angarano is great for these roles and along with Reece Thompson, they were refreshingly original compared to cliché duel characters you see in most comedies.
From the beginning of the story, with the introduction of Sam and Marshall you will laugh and grow to like them right away!
The characters, Whit and Zoe's brother Teddy, are hilarious and you cant help , but to shake your head with giggles when they speak.
A movie about a 30 something woman getting married and a young lover from her past gate crashing.
The whole way through this film you are guessing at the plot, at why a scene is playing out the way it is, and what is really going on.
It is very obscure, not made any easier with the whole different storyline going on with Uma's character's brother.
I struggled on with this film purely because I thought it would get better, and particularly I will admit because Uma was listed in it and I had enjoyed her acting in the past.Save yourself the bother and don't bother pressing play.
Sam Davis (Michael Angarano, a brilliant young actor in his early 20s, so memorable in the deeply touching 'One Last Thing') writes children's books and lives in the child like fantasies of kids.
He has a friend Marshall Schmidt (Reece Thompson, another early 20s bright young talent) who happens to show up as the only member of an audience to hear Sam read his latest new children's book.
The two boys rekindle their friendship, stagnant for the past year while Marshall recovered from an altercation and hid in his parents home while Sam had a momentary encounter with a beautiful 30s something woman Zoe (Uma Thurman).
The two lads decide to take a little trip to ostensibly to get Marshall out of his parent's home to see the world, but in actuality Sam has heard that Zoe is marrying some wealthy guy, Whit Coutell (Lee Pace, another brilliant actor remembered for his shattering performance in 'Soldier's Girl'), at Whit's lavish seaside home.
Sam and Marshall mend long absent feelings of closeness and taking some daring steps they drive to the seaside estate, obtain an invitation to Zoe's party (her wedding to Whit Actually) from Zoe's drunken brother Teddy (Jake M.
Sam confronts Zoe, stating his love and his desire to marry her, but Zoe needs more than a young kid to satisfy her and sees the opportunities of marrying the moneyed Whit.
Michael Angarano is pitch perfect as Sam, a young man whose ideals are tested and who must learn the adult role.
Reece Thompson is not far behind, and Uma Thurman gives one of her most well rounded performances.
But in the end most of the credit for the success of this little gem is due to the talent of Max Winkler who writes as well as he directs: he is a formidable force.
Uma Thurman was the SOLE REASON for renting this film--- none of the other actors are familiar to us, except for Michael Angarano (from The Forbidden Kingdom) in his first "adult" leading role!The leads are competent, but you still wonder if the movie would have done better at the box office had Jesse Eisenberg hadn't backed out last minute (Angarano was supposed to play "Marshall", the sidekick).Nevertheless, this movie reminded me of "Rushmore," even though the plot is more like "The Graduate." (If you've seen both movies, then you'll understand my analogy).Max Winkler, son of The Fonz, has done a great job as a rookie director.
He's got a great future ahead....Finally, I have to say that Jake Johnson ("Teddy") really adds a "Hangover" dimension to this film, in a good way!
He is only one of many quirky supporting characters who make this a lovable film....one you're likely to purchase rather than rent!.
I will say that "Ceremony" is not actually the average romantic comedy, and that was one of the brighter moments of the movie.
That being said, then "Ceremony" was a rather uneventful and somewhat pointless movie.The story was almost too simplistic and offered no laughs along the way.
It took director Max Winkler one hour and twenty-six minutes to get from A to B, and managed to almost tell nothing along the way.It should be said that the people on the cast list were doing good jobs with their given roles, and there were some good talents performing in the movie.
It was actually Lee Pace who carried the movie with his performance, despite not having a leading role.Should you happen to like romantic comedies, then there are far better choices of this genre available out there..
It's main character, "Big" Sam Davis, provokes your sympathy, for me even empathy.
He's hapless and suave, as is his best friend, and their misadventure on a weekend of friendship and finding love is so poignant, well e-quipped with humour, and fantastically grand in it's reality that it becomes compulsive viewing not only for it's strong emotional journey, but also for it's delectable slice of mid-twenties adolescence at an impasse with life.
I dare you to find even one character in this movie that isn't charming.
The similarities between Max Winkler's Ceremony and Wes Andersons work are absolutely obvious, down to the small details.
Watching Ceremony I was reminded of Dignan making his absurd plans, Anthony Adams falling in love, and of course, Max Fisher pursuing Miss Cross.
I loved Uma playing Zoe but truthfully, she was too stylish for this movie part.
Sam was too short and young for Zoe, and his way of running a friendship was a disaster all the way around.
I wasted my time watching this movie but let it play while doing homework or napping.
There was no comedy in this movie and i challenge anybody find at least a funny if not laughable moment within the entire piece of work.
Other than Zoe, Marshall played a good role and he did the best out of it.
This film tells the story of a young man who convinces a friend to go to the beach for a holiday.
As for the film itself, the only is alright, but I have trouble getting the film because of the age difference between Sam and Zoe. Though I can see that the age difference is an integral part of the story, it still is not a believable romance.
Old versus New. The movie has quite a lot going for it.
Especially story wise but also with a very strong lead performance by Uma Thurman.
And while quite a lot seems ridiculous (the male friendship even though there is some shattering, but almost too late to be really plausible), it all works somehow.It's not your standard romantic comedy, that is for sure.
The male antagonist gets a bit too cliché at the end and almost unworthy of Umas love/affection in the first place.
When I start to watch a movie that I've taped on my DVR I usually come to IMDb and read some of the reviews just to get a sense of where it's going before I give up my time.
I know we've seen all kinds of wedding movies with similar plots.
In fact I'm sure Marshall really appreciated the attention he got from Sam as he had his own issues which made him appear as someone who doesn't get out much.I also appreciated the fact that this wasn't the predictable boy loves girl, boy tries to break up impending marriage and boy succeeds.I read someone else complain that Zoe was marrying an *hole who you knew was an *hole from the start.
Yes he was a bit self absorbed but so are many successful people.I thought the emotions that Zoe felt for Sam were very real and appropriate for what their situation really was and her reluctance to hurt him was well written.
At the end you could see that Sam (and Marshall for that matter) grew up a little bit more.
A children's book author, Sam Davis, is presenting his newest work.
To our surprise, only his friend Marshall has come to support Sam. The book is terrible, perhaps a bit better than the previous one whose subject was a flying koala bear.
Sam has invited Marshall to come along for a week-end in Long Island.
Secretly, Sam has been madly in love with this woman, who also got interested in him, for just a brief period of time.Sam and Marshall are staying in a hotel near the mansion where the celebration will be held.
Sam does not want to lose her, although for all practical purposes he has come too late to make his claim.Written and directed by Max Winkler, "Ceremony" is an indie we saw recently on DVD format.
Zoe, a thirty something gorgeous woman has had a fling with the much younger Sam. Obviously he thought their brief romance would continue, but the reality Zoe has moved on.
Marshall, on the other hand, feels used by Sam, a man he felt was his friend, but he is finding otherwise.
Unfortunately for Sam, he has come too late to even think he can rekindle what he had with Zoe.Michael Angarano started early in films and he is finally coming into his own.
The emphasis in the film is the age difference between Sam and Zoe. Mr.
Angarano looks much younger than he is against the more mature Uma Thurman who appears as Zoe. Ms.
Reece Thompson, especially, seen as Marshall, is one of the best things in the film.
Lee Pace, who plays Whit, makes an impression as the movie star.
Sam is in love with a woman who is getting married this weekend; and he is determined to stop it.
Sam writes children's books , Zoe, the woman he loves is about to marry a big time "nature documentary" film maker, Whit.
Marshall is along for this ride, but thinks he is there for some quality time with his best friend, Sam. There is a bit of that uncomfortable "social class" , high brow/low brow referencing here; but it unfolds beautifully and becomes clear what the story is saying.
Also, the age difference between Sam and Zoe is not that much, but enough to make a difference where understanding certain things come into play.
I wont spoil it, but what Zoe tells Sam, he doesn't seem to understand how that could be.
When this movie came out Michael Angarano was 23 and Uma Thurman was 40.
In this entertaining little movie that is at its core.Angarano is Sam Davis , a not overly successful author of children's books.
So this weekend they are on an excursion outside the city (N.Y.) and end up at a beaten down inn, just adjacent to and sharing a beach with an upscale place where, it just HAPPENS, a party is planning a big wedding.The bride to be is Uma Thurman as Zoe and Sam has traveled there specifically to try to divert the wedding plans.
But at least one of the issues, from Zoe's point of view, is the age difference.
Plus the fact that her fiancée has a career and income, unlike Sam.The IMDb rating is about right, overall it isn't that good a movie, much of the dialog doesn't work very well, but Thurman and Angarano are both nice to watch and that makes it worth the time for light entertainment. |
tt0165929 | Romeo Must Die | Po Sing (Jon Kit Lee) is waiting for someone in a club in a predominantly African American neighborhood when a group of angry patrons try to start a fight with him. His father's right-hand man Kai (Russell Wong) and his Asian henchmen pull Po out of the club after a brief fight with the bouncers before the meeting can take place. The next day, Po is found murdered.
Fearing retribution, real estate developer and gang leader Isaak O’Day (Delroy Lindo) arranges for his chief lieutenant Mac (Isaiah Washington) to place security on both of his children. Meanwhile, Po’s brother, Han (Jet Li), learns of the murder in the Hong Kong prison where he is serving time. After starting a fight in the mess hall, Han is dragged to an isolation cell for punishment. He overpowers the guards and escapes, disguised in one of their uniforms.
Eventually, Han makes his way to Oakland and learns that Po may have been a casualty in a gang war that seems to have erupted between Black and Asian gang families over control of properties along the Oakland waterfront. O’Day and Han and Po’s father, Ch’u Sing (Henry O), are engaged in a joint business venture to acquire and sell the properties to Vincent Roth, a businessman who plans to buy a new NFL franchise in Oakland and build a new stadium on the waterfront. He also learns that his brother called O’Day’s daughter Trish’s (Aaliyah) record store the day before he was killed. After a chance encounter with her, he follows her and learns that Po may have actually been calling Trish’s brother, Colin (DB Woodside).
At his brother’s funeral, Han confronts his estranged father, blaming him for failing to keep his promise to protect Po after Han had helped them both flee to America to escape the Chinese authorities, an action which resulted in his own imprisonment and disgraced status as a former police officer. Meanwhile, O’Day reveals to his son that the deal he is working on will get their family out of the crime business for good, but that he must be careful. That night, unseen assailants kill Colin and his girlfriend by throwing them out of his high rise apartment window.
As Han comforts Trish, he learns that Po had put together a list of businesses that were either destroyed or being threatened with destruction for failing to sell their properties, and that Po was trying to contact Colin to warn him about this. The two visit one of the few remaining properties on the list but the Chinese owner and his employees have been killed. Han dispatches the hitters who, to his surprise, are a Chinese hit team - and when he is reluctant to fight one because she is a woman, Trish lets him direct her to fight in his place. When Han confronts his father over this, he tries to deflect suspicion by telling him O'Day may have used outside contractors.
It is revealed that the gang war is a ruse; Mac and Kai are using violence and intimidation to force their fellow owners of waterfront properties to sign over their deeds. Trish and Han visit the last property on the list, the nightclub where Po originally intended to meet Colin. Mac and his goons kill the club’s owner (DMX) and kidnap both Trish and Han, taking them to separate locations. Han escapes by overpowering his guards, led by Maurice (Anthony Anderson). Meanwhile, Ch’u Sing has the other Chinese crime lords killed, ensuring that he will have control over their business interests.
O’Day and Ch’u Sing meet with Roth at the Oakland Men’s club to sell Roth the deeds for the properties they now control. Sing takes a multimillion-dollar payment and leaves, but O’Day refuses his payment, stating that his payment will be in the form of a share of ownership of the new franchise. An enraged Mac reveals to O'Day the fake war scheme to secure the deeds and has Trish brought out at gunpoint to force O’Day to hand over the deeds to the developer. O'Day, realizing that Mac also killed Colin, attacks Mac in a rage, but Mac shoots O'Day. Roth flees to the rooftop and escapes via helicopter but Mac shoots the deeds out of his hand, sending the deeds flying to the winds. Han arrives and confronts Mac about his brother; Mac reveals to Han that it was Ch’u Sing’s lieutenant Kai who killed Po, and is about to fire at Han as well when Trish arrives and kills Mac first.
Han and Trish return to Isaak to find that he is grievously wounded but will live, and that he wants to shake Han's hand, which Han gladly does. He leaves Trish with her father, tracks down Kai at the Sing compound and engages him in an all-out fight. Overcoming burned hands from coals by ripping his shirt and improvising hand wraps, Han ends up killing Kai by landing a kick on his skull with such force that he breaks Kai's spine completely. He confronts his father, knowing now that his father had his own son killed "like running over a dog in the street" for no other reason than that he was interfering with a business deal. He tells his father that he will answer for his crimes, either to the American authorities or to the other Chinese families. As Han walks away, his father picks up his gun and shoots himself in the head, committing suicide. Han finds Trish waiting for him outside and the two walk away from the house together. | comedy, boring, murder, violence, flashback, revenge | train | wikipedia | Not usually a fan of this type of all-out Action movie, "Romeo Must Die" knocked me off balance when I found it to be one of the best films I have ever enjoyed.
I decided to watch Romeo Must Die with Jet Li in her memory as it has a lot of her music(Come Back in One Piece", "I Don't Wanna", "Try Again" and "Are You Feelin' Me?"), and it is one great movie that I watch over and over again.
Thanks, Aaliyah, for the music you gave us.I never get tired of watching Jet Li in action and look forward to many more movies with him..
The other characters are left beautifully in the background until the necessary time when they spring to the limelight to steal the show, however briefly, from Li.Ok so it isn't his best martial arts movie (that was probably the Legend of Fong Sai-Yuk) but his fighting is coupled with an excellent story, one that is far more elaborate than a simple Romeo and Juliet, with less of the soppy love stuff too.For any martial arts, mystery, action, thriller, even dare I say sports (a wonderful American Football scene) film fan will love this film.Definitely one for any video collection!.
The wild action scenes, fairly involving story and nice colors and interesting sound track all make this movie a cut above the normal martial arts fare.
When he gets there, he gets entangled in a money scheme plot involving two rival families, where the daughter of a crime lord, Trish O'Day (Aaliyah), is also caught in the middle.It's almost like a modern-day Romeo and Juliet, but with Han and Trish caught in the chaos and them helping each other to stop the war and bring the criminals to justice.
However, Jet Li and Aaliyah had some great chemistry together; in her first motion picture, Aaliyah delivered a pretty witty and dramatic performance.Overall, it's a good action film with a well-paced plot.Grade B.
This was by far, one of the best movies I've seen.Even if action movies are not your scene,this one is guaranteed for your enjoyment.It had everything you could want in a movie,humor,action,drama,suspense,and good actors.The actors,they were just brilliant.I just like Han's cool.Aaliyah was very good,considering the fact that ,that was her first movie.The tag-line was not your common one,where good guys run after the bad guys and at the end the bad guys are arrested,and everybody lives happy ever after.This movie was more realistic,something you can believe.The directors did a fantastic job,so did the actors.Sheer enjoyment..
Granted, the x-ray effects were a welcome change, but that was about all this movie had to offer in terms of fresh ideas.The plot is drawn out at great lengths, with fight scenes a little too few and far between for my tastes.
Also, I felt the black gangsters were over-developed, while the asian gangsters were under-developed (Russell Wong's character is barely on the screen for 10 minutes of the movie, while Isiah Washington's incessant melodrama drowns out a good portion of the flick).I think most of the problem comes from the over-ambitious screenplay.
+) The fight scenes are great and Jet Li is pretty much the star of this movie.
He looks like an Asian James Bond in a way.+)Aaliyah is ok too, but the best actor in this movie is Isaiah Washing, Russel Wong,Delroy Lindo, Anthony Anderson, and Henry O+) Some of the comedy is very funny~ The story is very silly but at the same time they take it so serious.
It is about two companies who are trying to buy all the land so that they can then sell it to this guy in Canada who will then turned it into a football field for the NFL.~The modern day "Romeo and Juliet" story is also very sillyGood movie to watch for the fight scenes.
Between the acting, fight scenes, and DEFINITELY some good music, it was overall a great movie to watch.
The R n'B soundtrack is also great but the problem is that no one wants to upset the audience and the whole film feels like it's trying to be some sort of PC black movie.
Why did the producers get such a great martial arts actor only to waste his talents by having poor fights that rely on CGI?Overall the film is just about enjoyable, but it's hard to watch it without seeing the wasted opportunities at every step..
"Romeo Must Die" stars Jet Li as Hang Sing.He is a cop that was framed for a crime that did not commit and winds up being locked in a Hong Kong prison.Finding out that his brother has just been murdered,he breaks out and goes to America seeking vengeance on his brother's murder because that is where the murder took place.That is when we meet Trish O'Day,played by singer Aaliyah.She becomes Han's love interest which.Trish's family seems controlling and Trish seems to have no freedom of her own.Eventually Han and Trish get involved in alot of trouble involving some really great fight scenes.Some of the fight scenes involve special effects like the one in "The Matrix".Although "The Matrix" had fight scenes done with effects because it was necessary,this was not.But it still looks pretty cool although I would have liked to have seen the fight scenes done without the use of special effects."Romeo Must Die" is an enjoyable action film that I found very watchable and Jet li takes charge of the movie.Aaliyah,who had sadly been killed in a plane crash was really great in the film and was set to star in another Joel Silver production which were two sequels to "The Matrix".Watching these films can be an entertaining film and although this film is not the best of the Jet Li films,I consider it one of the best."Romeo Must Die" is a movie that I would have no trouble seeing again..
Romeo Must Die was his first lead role in an American production and I feel unfortunate to report it didn't live up to my expectations.Li stars as Han Sing, a former cop from China who escapes from prison to avenge the death of his brother.
With virtually no one to trust, Han turns to the rival boss's daughter (Aahliyah) for help.The movie is very loosely based on Romeo and Juliet, but despite what the purist naysayers might think, the thought of adapting the play into a martial arts thriller actually seemed like an interesting idea.
The closest they get to intimacy is a hug, and even that looks like a hesitant move."Love" story aside, Romeo Must Die is actually part kung-fu flick and part hip-hop gangster movie blaring with an obtrusive rap soundtrack.
The plot is mostly nonsense, seeing as it relies on duping its audience into believing nobody in the press would somehow catch onto the connection between all these "mysterious" deaths and this high-profile NFL deal.Far worse is the fact that Romeo Must Die simply doesn't have enough action, especially for a film that runs nearly two hours.
A modern take on the classic "Romeo and Juliet" co-starring hip hop star Aaliyah Haughton (one of 1999 Teen People Magazine's "21 Hottest Stars Under 21"), Delroy Lindo ("Ransom," "The Cider House Rules"), Isaiah Washington ("Out of Sight") and rapper DMX.The basic plot about this film is about a murder and a blood feud between rival gangs, when Han Sing's (Jet Li) brother is murdered in Oakland, California, Han escapes from Hong Kong prison and he flees the country by coming to US, to investigate on his own, his brother's murder while facing off the same time with his estranged father.
The two also share plenty of danger as they try to find the real cause of the blood feud.This film has pretty much all action, gravity- warping martial arts, cool visual effects and all star music track combine in this revved-up action movie from producer Joel Silver (The Matrix) and starring Jet Li (Lethal Weapon 4) in his first English-language lead role.The action in this movie is really good and the acting is really decent from all actors.
Jet Li & Delroy Lindo are both at their best.Overall: Romeo must die was sweet and entertaining I love this flick to death, I enjoy the song DMX - First I'm Gonna Crawl, gosh they aren't movies made like this one today.
Pictures Starring: Jet Li, Aaliyah, Isaiah Washington, Russell Wong, DB Woodside, Anthony Anderson, DMX, Delroy Lindo, Henry O Director: Andrzej Bartkowiak Producers: Joel Silver, Jim Van Wyck Screenplay: Eric Bernt, John Jarrell Story by Mitchell Kapner Rated: R Running Time: 1 Hr. 55 Mins.
It was crazy, wild, funny, and featured some ridiculous over the top wire-work that seems to have been hailed by many as a wow factor!Personally, I thought the wire-work was a mess.As a huge fan of both Jet Li and Corey Yuen Kwai, with over 3000 DVDs in my Hong Kong collection, I felt that the action in RMD was created by studio pressure to go wild which resulted in a complete shambles that made said fights look unprofessional and wrong.I have been watching much better work, even from 70's Hong Kong cinema, and while the action still had its moments, felt let down by it all.Anyways, with my gripe out of the way, I did actually enjoy the film.
One that focused on improbable displays of over choreographed martial arts action complimented by acting of a quality found on the low budget DVD rack and which is only used to set the scene for further unlikely fight culminating scenarios featured solely to showcase the leading star's talent.
Through a plot-line based, about as loosely as possible, on William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet the protagonists Han( Jet Li) and Trish(Aaliyah) struggle to unearth the truth behind the murders of their respective siblings.
So for those who had hoped for a more authentic retelling of the story there may be disappointment, but only if they cannot fully appreciate Jet Li's mastery of the Hong Kong action genre in which case they are in the wrong cinema anyway.However, they may be consoled by the fact that Andrzej Bartkowiak has directed a funny and clever film.
Film review "Romeo Must Die" Action movie.
It tries to put everything into one film: comedy elements like a group of men, caught in a deadlock with their guns pointing at each other, fat Maurice who is not able to look after Trish because he is so busy with dancing and flirting or Han who has his problems to drive in San Francisco; all the hilarious fighting scenes where we can only see flying fists and feet or where Han beats all the African American guys in football just by using his Kung Fu or Wushu techniques; a mob story that includes different ethnic groups and a love story that should link everything but fails in doing that because there is actually no romance or at least flirting between the protagonists.
The first, is the romantic love between Jet Li's character Hans and Aaliyah's character, Trish O'Day. This brings me to the title of the film, 'Romeo Must Die'.
A good film if you like martial arts stunts and if you are a Jet li fan.Story is about a martial arts expert who escapes from prison in Hong Kong and comes to USA to find and eliminate his brothers' killers, amidst gangsters and his own family issues.The good- the action sequences, the story, Jet li's acting and stunts.
Romeo Must Die is a very slick competent action flick with some great wire-fu provided by Jet Li. The film has a fairly basic plot about two rival gangs but all the twists can be seen coming it's the likeabilty of Li and Aailiyah as well as some very cool action scenes that make this film entertaining.The action scenes are way over the top but Li remains super cool throughout, the bad guys are mostly comedy villains apart from a nasty yuppy who seems to come straight out of Wall Street and the main baddie (who i wont name as it's meant to come as a surprise!).
And to compensate for the lack of classic martial arts action in LW4, there are tons of wire-work/CGI laden kung fu in this movie.The storyline's pretty decent, with a gang war between an African American gang, and a Chinese gang, in which Jet belongs to.
She is a real loss to both the music and acting scene.The music from the movie was good too, and I think it fitted in with the film well.
The fighting scenes were also very good, though it wasn't as natural as I would've liked it to have been.All in all, I love this film, and think that even if there was a Romeo Must Die 2, it wouldn't be the same without Aaliyah..
but it does have reprieves such as impressive action scenes, jet li truly is a master of martial arts and shows this well throughout the movie.
Jet Li plays Han Sing who falls in love with Trish O'Day (Aaliyah) but their families disapprove their romance.That sounds awfully familiar.That's because this is kind of a modern day version of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.Andrzej Bartkowiak's Romeo Must Die (2000) includes lots of kung fu action.Jet Li, who is one of the coolest guys on the planet, gets to show his skills in this movie.He can't only fight good, he's also a fine actor.Aaliyah is also superb in this movie.
This great actress and R&B singer sadly died in an air crash on August 25th in 2001 at the age of 22.She was incredibly beautiful and talented woman.There are also other great actors in this film, like Delroy Lindo, Isaiah Washington, Russell Wong and the rap artist DMX.Many critics don't like Romeo Must Die too much, which is a shame.This movie is filled with amazing action sequences.Many things work in this movie just great.I certainly liked it, so why don't you give it a chance..
"Romeo Must Die" is one film that I truly liked because it was not filled with 120 minutes of action, it actually had a story to it.Jet Li seems like he never lost a step from his breakout American debut in "Lethal Weapon 4." I can't believe that he didn't come to America sooner because he is incredibly talented and excellent martial artist.
"Romeo Must Die" is one film that I truly liked because it was not filled with 120 minutes of action, it actually had a story to it.Jet Li seems like he never lost a step from his breakout American debut in "Lethal Weapon 4." I can't believe that he didn't come to America sooner because he is incredibly talented and excellent martial artist.
What worked: Romeo Must Die is a good action film which displays the acting talents of each of its stars and newcomers like Anthony Anderson whose career looks promising, But Aaliyah actually is good as Trish O Day she almost made me cry a couple of times,u actually connect with her character, and Jet Li injects some emotion to his character,coming off as lovable but furious(especially when he fights!) This movie unlike most other action films actually tries to develop a story and even though it is somewhat predictable it's still watchable but the second half of the movie is when it actually gets better,the action is well choreographed.
The action scenes aren't as good as the top Hong Kong directors but still decent enough - I'd prefer a lighter touch on the computer enhancement.Jet Li will never be a great actor but he does pretty well here as the love interest of Aaliyah, daughter of the black gang leader.
Aaliyah and Jet Li are like good buddies the entire movie.
If you can come up with an interesting excuse of why these guys are feeling so froggy that they have to leap on each other than its a pretty good story for a martial arts movie and romeo must die does that.
Han and Trish are trying to find out of why the to famillies fighting each other, without knowing that it will put them both in great danger.A very good movie, and i am sure that this will be an action-classic, if you haven't seen it then: WHAT ARE YOU WATING FOR?**** out of *****.
The ending is anticlimactic and just made me angry about the time and money I had wasted watching the movie.Do yourself a favor and go see a REAL Hong Kong action film instead..
The title of the movie still vexes me, but the effect is minimal.Overall, "Romeo Must Die" was a great beginning for Jet Li in America.
i came out of the theater asking (as posted in another comment) 'why the need for the special effects in the fight scenes?' i, too, agree that Jet Li is great with karate/kung fu/whatever you want to call it, and that this movie just made him appear, well, average.
But for a really good action flick based more on fighting than stunts, the west now knows to look to Li. If you liked the fights in the Matrix, go see the man who had the most influence on them - Jet Li - in Romeo Must die.
We know how the story must end.The action is fantastic in this film, which is not surprising - in fact, it's what we expect from Jet Li.
When watching HK films one can admire that Jet Li is actually hanging from those wires, and while being obviously fake, it is more believable than the use of digital effects on the fights in `Romeo Must Die'.
The plot, like most martial arts films, is a secondary consideration - the sole purpose of every character and all dialogue is to set up the next fight scene.
The actors are all good enough, especially Delroy Lindo and Aaliyah, but you'd be better off renting one of Jet Li's older Hong Kong movies.. |
tt0036295 | Red Hot Riding Hood | The story begins with the standard version of Little Red Riding Hood (with the wolf from Dumb-Hounded, the cartoon which saw the debut of Avery's Droopy). The characters rebel at this stale and derivative staging of the story and demand a fresh approach. The annoyed narrator accedes to their demands and starts the story again in a dramatically different arrangement.
The story begins again, now told in a contemporary urban setting. The narrator explains that Little Red Riding Hood (now portrayed as an adult) is an attractive performer in a Hollywood nightclub under the stage name "Red Hot Riding Hood," and the Big Bad Wolf, now a Hollywood swinger, follows Red to the club where she's performing. Red performs onstage (a rendition of the 1941 classic hit song "Daddy" by Bobby Troup) and the wolf goes mad with desire. He brings her to his table and tries wooing her, but she wants nothing to do with him. Red escapes the Wolf, saying she's going to her Grandma's place, but nevertheless the Wolf manages to get there first. Grandma's place is a penthouse at the top of a skyscraper. Red's grandma is an oversexed man-chaser who falls head over heels for the Wolf (upon seeing him, she whistles and says, "At last a wolf! Yahoo!").
The Wolf tries to escape, but Grandma blocks the exit and asks him, "What's your hurry, hairy?" She locks the door, drops the key down the front of her evening gown, and poses provocatively for him. She dons a bright red shade of lipstick and a chase scene ensues. Whenever the Wolf attempts an exit, Grandma waits behind the door with puckered lips. He finally makes his escape by jumping out a window, severely injuring himself on the pavement many floors below. He makes his way back to the nightclub, covered with bandages and bruises, swearing, "I'm through with women. Why, I'll kill myself before I'd even look at another babe." Immediately Red takes the stage and begins another performance. The Wolf pulls out two guns and commits suicide, but his ghost rises from his dead body and howls and whistles at Red as he did earlier. | psychedelic | train | wikipedia | The king of cartoons sends the 1943 censors a message..when the armed forces actually bypassed the Hays office to get an uncensored version of this one off to our troops overseas, they preserved one of the greatest works of art ever committed to celluloid..and allowed resonances to echo into such disparate results as Jessica Rabbit, Cool World, and Ren and Stimpy.
For the record, the plot is simple..the old fairy tale is worn out, and needs some new blood..the wolf is now really a wolf, and Red has more than goodies in her basket..now, go and watch this one three hundred times, and you'll see almost all the little jokes lovingly crafted into it...
But modern-day animators working on pixillated mega-productions owe Tex Avery and his "Termite Terrace" co-workers a large debt.
Rather than retell The Avery story (there are several books around that will do that), just look out for his classic MGM cartoons of the '40s and '50s, and marvel at the genius on show.
This time he uses the fairy tale of 'Little Red Riding Hood'.
The wolf is a rich character who falls in love with Red. She doesn't want him because she has to go to her grandma.
Of course hilarious moments is what we get.This short has a nice story and the usual Tex Avery humor, including written messages.
Tex Avery's first excursion into animated sexual frenzy is his best, ranking as one of his three greatest cartoons (the other two, in case you're wondering, are "Who Killed Who?," also 1943, and "King-Size Canary," 1947).
It's too bad Avery didn't complete the opening misdirection by having the FIRST title card read "Little Red Riding Hood," but it goes by so quickly, and is drawn so conservatively that it doesn't really hurt.
Actually, my comment for this should truly be a simple verbal genuflection, but that wouldn't be of acceptable minimum length here, so I'll actually say something.This is Tex Avery's masterpiece in terms of the relation of his work to animation in general and the short form in specific.
Got to be the funniest and fastest Avery cartoon there is, the best "modern" slant on the red riding hood story, with the wolf lusting after Red Hot at every opportunity.
Here is the short (besides her last cartoon Little Rural Riding Hood), that got me to love to the first overtly erotic cartoon character ever created - Red. Now this short Red Hot Riding Hood is one of Avery's most popular cartoons and some consider the cartoon to be Avery's magnum opus.The story begins with the standard version of the Little Red Riding Hood story; until the characters suddenly rebel at this done-to-death staging and stated "every cartoon studio in Hollywood has done it this way", which is kind of the truth.
Grandma is an oversexed man-chaser who falls head over heels over Wolf, and locks him in her apartment, puts on a bright red shade of lipstick and tries to kiss him several times during his stay.
He tries to escape but the lovelorn granny chases after him, and every door Wolf opens Grandma is there waiting with puckered lips.In contrast to my favorite cartoon character Betty Boop, who was a character who exuded a sweetly innocent style, Red was pure sex, existing almost exclusively to whip the Wolf (a metaphor for males in general) into a carnal frenzy.
With this short as her introduction, Red was the sexy distraction for the oversexed, lusting "Wolf" character that was introduced earlier in the 1942 short "Blitz Wolf." She drove the sex-crazed wolf do all the things that were to become trademarks of Avery's cartoons: the eye-popping, the jaw dropping, and the gravity defiying pratfalls.
She was so popular that she was brought back for 3 more cartoons - "Swing Shift Cinderella," "Uncle Tom's Cabana" and "Little Rural Riding Hood." Her cartoons were originally made for the benefit of U.S. GI's, and were banned from television for years for being considered to racy..
Ever since I found out about "Red Hot Riding Hood", I had been wanting to see it, but I never did.That is, until I found it on YouTube.....Tex Avery made me very, very happy that day, hence my comment title.It starts off like a normal sugar coated fairy tail (the narrator even uses a sappy voice!) until the Wolf, Red and Grandma all start complaining that every studio in Hollywood has done this over and over again.
This is the low down on what happens: The Wolf is a wealthy playboy, Grandma is also filthy rich (and horny as hell) and Red is a flaming hot and sexy nightclub singer/dancer.
Red appears on the stage again and, true to the Wolf's words, he shoots himself and his ghost goes nuts over Red.This is most definitely one of the greatest cartoons of all time.
Avery had previously satired the Red Riding Hood story at WB with LITTLE RED WALKING HOOD (1937).
After they protest reenacting the tiresome story, we are treated to a retelling of the story: Red Hot Riding Hood (something new has been added).
The humor, which became a standard that Avery had perfected from his days at WB, is the wolfs over-the-top reactions to Red's dance number; Nicely animated by Ed Love and Preston Blair respectively.
Love animation, it was a big part of my life as a child, particularly Disney, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry, and still love it whether it's film, television or cartoons.Also have much admiration for Tex Avery, an animation genius whose best cartoons are animated masterpieces and some of the best he ever did.
'Red Hot Riding Hood' is one of his most famous cartoons, a distinction that is so richly deserved because it is not one of Avery's very finest (in a filmography where a vast majority of his output was good to masterpiece standard) but to me and many others one of the best cartoons ever made.
It was very ahead of its time, with the hottest and sexiest Red Riding Hood ever and characters in animation and its very racy humour, and to this day it's still the complete opposite of tame.The story 'Little Red Riding Hood' is one of the most famous stories ever and has been parodied in countless cartoons, of which no other cartoon based on the story is this imaginative, daring or unique as 'Red Hot Riding Hood'.
All the characters are great, especially the smoking hot Red and the hilarious wolf.
'Little Red Riding Hood' has never had a Grandma this feisty either.Can't say anything bad about Avery's direction.
He does a wonderful job directing, with his unique, unlike-any-other visual and characteristic and incredibly distinctive wacky humour style all over it as can be expected.Once again there is nothing sadistic or repetitious, instead it's imaginative, wonderfully wild, deliciously deranged, violent but imaginatively so, shockingly racy, red hot sexy and hilarious throughout from start to finish.
The music, courtesy of Scott Bradley, is lushly and cleverly orchestrated, with lively and energetic rhythms and fits very well indeed.'Red Hot Riding Hood' is a tour-De-force when it comes to the voice acting.
The all-famous tale needs some new blood (as demanded by it's three main characters), so now the wolf is some hot shot rich...
wolf, grandma is a crazed sexy old lady with her own penthouse and red a nightclub dancer (watch out for Jessica Rabbit in Roger Rabbit, she must be based on red).
Red Hot Riding Hood begins with what seems to be yet another Red Riding Hood story (we saw this with Disney before, remember), but less than a minute in, both Red and the Wolf turn to face the audience frustrated that they have to go through what is, essentially, a dated telling of this tale.
Every shot there is something to look at, the sense of propulsive movement is delirious and the gags make one think that all totally bonkers slapstick comedy should have started here (when the wolf comes back to the apartment building for example anf the old lady is there waiting for him...
In this Tex Avery offering, he is a playboy who finds himself totally taken with a night club singer named Red Riding Hood.
If you thought that 'Little Red Riding Rabbit (1944)' was an offbeat adaptation of the fairy-tale, then you haven't seen nothing yet.
Tex Avery's 'Red Hot Riding Hood (1943)' opens in the usual fashion, but, after that, any resemblance to any known fairy-tale character, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
The Wolf baulks at having to play the one-dimensional bad guy for the hundredth time, and threatens to quit if the animators can't come up with anything original; Red Riding Hood and her grandma agree with him.
So Avery throws together 'Red Hot Riding Hood,' an adult cartoon set in the big city – the Wolf is a sex-crazed womaniser, Red a knockout nightclub dancer, and Grandma a libidinous old lady with her own high-rise penthouse.
Somebody must have forgotten to inform Avery that he was producing cartoons for children, since there's actually little to laugh at for anybody who isn't yet acquainted with the birds and the bees.However, for those of us who have surpassed that particular checkpoint, 'Red Hot Riding Hood' is very funny.
The sheer audacity of a children's cartoon about sex – particularly given the typically innocent and wholesome image of Little Red Riding Hood – is something to be applauded.
Also worth noting is that 'The Mask (1994)' directly referenced 'Red Hot Riding Hood' in the scene where Jim Carrey wolf-whistles (in the full sense of the word) Cameron Diaz during her nightclub performance – I'd never realised this.
For fans of Tex Avery and MGM cartoons, this one is essential viewing..
This is a wonderfully kooky and sexy film from MGM and director Tex Avery.
Never before had such a hot cartoon leading lady been released by a major film studio and audiences of the day were both incensed and excited at the prospect!
The cartoon begins with the traditional Red Riding Hood story.
So, moments later, Red Riding Hood is a living pin-up girl and the wolf is a sex-crazed "wolf" on the prowl for such a tasty dish!
Like SWINGSHIFT Cinderella, however, the old lady (grandma in this case) is dead set on catching the wolf herself and does everything she can do to thwart the wolf from capturing Red. Most of the action is very high-paced and goofy--just like you'd hope in a Tex Avery cartoon.Overall, this is a great cartoon.
'Red Hot Riding Hood' is howling good time!
Released with the 1943's Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer movie 'Dr. Gillespie's Criminal Case', Frederick Bean Avery, better known as Tex Avery 1943's animation short 'Red Hot Riding Hood' is one of the most wacky cartoon ever.
Although, there have been many semi-sexy adult- oriented animation adaptations of the classic fairy tale, 'Little Red Riding Hood', before this short, like Van Beuren Studios 1931's short, 'Red Riding Hood', Fleischer Studios 1931's 'Dizzy Red Riding Hood' & Warner Bros, 1937's 'Little Red Walking Hood', which Avery also produced before leaving for MGM.
None of them, stands the test of time, like this classic 7 minute film about a socialite playboy, literal and figurative wolf (Voiced by Frank Graham) trying to woo the heart of a beautiful nightclub singer (Voiced by Sara Berner).
Thank goodness, Avery's humor and perfect comical timing set the new tone of well-rounded comedy that is still used today by animators & filmmakers, alike.
There is no better, example of that, than the hybrid films of 1994's 'The Mask' & 1988's 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' whom directors, were highly influence by Avery's works.
If anything, 1925's 'How Could Red Riding Hood (Have Been So Very Good)?', written by A.P. Randolph, suite the movie, better, even if that song is kinda banned from the public (except in instrumental versions), due to possible sexual connotations at the time.
Still, it did rub the wrong way with the Hays Code, at the time, to the point that MGM release a censor version, where the wolf doesn't react in highly cartoony wild way to Red's dancing.
Despite that, the film is one of Avery's most famous cartoons, to the point that, two other sequels shorts were made: 1945's 'Swing Shift Cinderella' & 1949's 'Little Rural Riding Hood'.
It's still a nice animated film from Tex Avery.
'Red Hot Riding Hood' is a shining example of some of the best, the golden age of animation can bring to the table.
Tex Avery had already established himself as a master of groundbreaking and adult-oriented humor and the king of comical timing after only three movies at the MGM.
He made other masterpieces after that, but if there was one to keep, it is "Red Hot Riding Hood", certainly the most defining of all his films.
I mean, is there a better illustration of Avery's legacy than the wolf continuous whistles and howling during Red's sexy song.
But let's get back to the first three waves that somewhat predated the shock of hilarity "Red Hot Riding Hood" provided (spoilers ahead in the next paragraph)Let's see, the first one, "Blitz Wolf" was a propaganda short based on "The Three Little Pigs" with a wolf embodying Hitler but not one of these ugly-looking caricatures from Warner Bros cartoons, he was evil but sympathetic enough to carry the film.
Avery's creativity was going all over the place but "Little Red Hot Riding Hood" combine the comedic core of all these elements, as many ingredients to a great sandwich we devour with appetite.
And what he accomplishes is even more impressive because he doesn't just make a cartoon with adult characters, he takes as a starting point a fairy tale, the epitome of childhood-oriented stories.
I said Avery mastered the ending of his shorts, this is perhaps one of the few times where the beginning is the most memorable part, it even plays like a real epiphany for the world of animation, Avery's anti-Disney testimony, expressing his deepest belief that there's no reason fairy tales should be meant to please children, there was something strongly adult in them, and when we know what the metaphor of the 'big bad wolf" was intended to, we can hardly disagree.The short opens with one of these Disney trademarks, a book opening, and the narrator starts with "Good evening kiddies", then using a very corny falsetto voice, as if dumbing down the tone was the best way to reach children, he shows good old riding hood going to her grandma's house, the brave old lady waiting and her bad and the sneaky wolf coming, but as the narrator speaks, the eyes of the animal break the fourth wall and he's finally fed up with always being the "big bad wolf", the girl joins him and then the three characters all in unison express their tiredness, they had enough with the same story being played over and over again.
Then the Averyan magic operates and the narrator announces a few changes will be made.The rest is known by everybody, the wolf becomes the archetypal woman-chaser, red hot a cabaret dancer and the grandma is perhaps one of the most politically incorrect animated characters of all time.
Of course, you can't really analyze the film without passing over the most iconic moment, featured in many movies such as "The Mask" or that striptease with Sophia Loren where Marcello Mastroianni starts howling, the wolf whistles, the frenetic way he hits his head, are perhaps the closest depiction to sexuality ever displayed in a cartoon.
And the perfect metaphor for it, this moment is so important in the history of animation that viewers didn't even notice that even the content of the "Daddy" song was rather racy.On a side note, the film had the fortune to be made in World War II when troops needed mature content to be kept in good spirit so the short passed the censor (except for a marriage that could have been seen as bestiality).Still, the reversal of role we got with the grandma is another demonstration of Avery's genius.
And we're on the road again.Once again, Avery sacrifices his characters for laughs, but like the ghosts, the wolf will be back over and over again, with him and Red, and Droopy for the previous, Avery had already established himself as the King of comedy, "Red Hot Riding Hood" is the quintessential Avery cartoon, named one of the Top 50 greatest cartoons of all time.
"Red Hot Riding Hood" is a 1943 cartoon written and directed by Tex Avera.
Red Riding Hood is a lascivious night club dancer and the Wolf is a guest at that club and when he sees her, he literally wants to do anything with her except eating her.
Unfortunately, when he arrives at her Grandma's place, the old lady is at least as horny as he is and he gives it his all to keep her from doing with him what he planned to do with Red Riding Hood.
Not really outstanding, but a good watch and it's just so much fun to watch Wolf at the night club crushing hard on Red Riding Hood.
Although, to his credit, while borrowing from previous cartoons, he did manage to put a new spin on them; rendering in a sense, "new and improved." TAKING AN AGE old and very well known story such as Little Red Riding Hood and "updating" it and giving the characters 20th Century "face lifts" the master Director just let his imagination run away with itself.
His penchant for all that is fast paced and outrageous easily fills up the running time.DURING THAT SAID running time, his innovations include: Red Riding Hood as a sexy vamp/singer, a playboy "Wolf" in the 1940s vernacular, Grandmother's place now being a penthouse and Granny's possessing the libido of a much younger woman!
That is followed by the Wolf's white as a sheet shade's stomping, whistling and hooting for Red Riding Hood, whom has once again taken center stage. |
tt0030321 | Kidnapped | The central character and narrator is 17-year-old David Balfour. (Balfour is Stevenson's mother's maiden name.) His parents have recently died, and he is out to make his way in the world. He is given a letter by the minister of Essendean, Mr. Campbell, to be delivered to the House of Shaws in Cramond, where David's uncle, Ebenezer Balfour, lives. On his journey, David asks many people where the House of Shaws is, and all of them speak of it darkly as a place of fear and evil.
David arrives at the ominous House of Shaws and is confronted by his paranoid Uncle Ebenezer, who is armed with a blunderbuss. His uncle is also miserly, living on "parritch" and small ale, and the House of Shaws itself is partially unfinished and somewhat ruinous. David is allowed to stay and soon discovers evidence that his father may have been older than his uncle, thus making David the rightful heir to the estate. Ebenezer asks David to get a chest from the top of a tower in the house but refuses to provide a lamp or candle. David is forced to scale the stairs in the dark and realises that not only is the tower unfinished in some places, but the steps simply end abruptly and fall into an abyss. David concludes that his uncle intended for him to have an "accident" so as not to have to give over his nephew's inheritance.
David confronts his uncle, who promises to tell David the whole story of his father the next morning. A ship's cabin boy, Ransome, arrives the next day and tells Ebenezer that Captain Hoseason of the brig Covenant needs to meet him to discuss business. Ebenezer takes David to a pier on the Firth of Forth, where Hoseason awaits, and David makes the mistake of leaving his uncle alone with the captain while he visits the shore with Ransome. Hoseason later offers to take them on board the brig briefly, and David complies, only to see his uncle returning to shore alone in a skiff. David is then immediately struck senseless.
David awakens, bound hand and foot, in the hold of the ship. He becomes weak and sick, and one of the Covenant's officers, Mr. Riach, convinces Hoseason to move David up to the forecastle. Mr. Shuan, a mate on the ship, finally takes his routine abuse of Ransome too far and murders the unfortunate youth. David is repulsed at the crew's behaviour and learns that the captain plans to sell him into slavery in the Carolinas.
David becomes the slain cabin boy's replacement, and the ship encounters contrary winds which drive her back toward Scotland. Fog-bound near the Hebrides, they strike a small boat. All of the small boat's crew are killed except one man, Alan Breck Stewart, who is brought on board and offers Hoseason a large sum of money to drop him off on the mainland. David later overhears the crew plotting to kill Alan and take all his money. David and Alan barricade themselves in the round house, where Alan kills the murderous Shuan, and David wounds Hoseason. Five of the crew members are killed outright, and the rest refuse to continue fighting.
Alan is a Jacobite who supports the claim of the House of Stuart to the throne of Scotland. He is initially suspicious of the pro-Whig David, who is also loyal to King George II. Still, the young man has given a good account of himself in the fighting and impresses the veteran soldier.
Hoseason has no choice but to give Alan and David passage back to the mainland. David tells his tale to Alan, who in turn states that his birthplace, Appin, is under the tyrannical administration of Colin Roy of Glenure, the King's factor and a Campbell. Alan vows that should he find the "Red Fox" he will kill him.
The Covenant tries to negotiate a difficult channel without a proper chart or pilot, and is soon driven aground on the notorious Torran Rocks. David and Alan are separated in the confusion, with David being washed ashore on the isle of Erraid, near Mull, while Alan and the surviving crew row to safety on that same island. David spends a few days alone in the wild before getting his bearings.
David learns that his new friend has survived, and David has two encounters with beggarly guides: one who attempts to stab him with a knife, and another who is blind but an excellent shot with a pistol. David soon reaches Torosay, where he is ferried across the river, receives further instructions from Alan's friend Neil Roy McRob, and later meets a catechist who takes the lad to the mainland.
As he continues his journey, David encounters none other than the Red Fox (Colin Roy) himself, who is accompanied by a lawyer, a servant, and a sheriff's officer. When David stops the Campbell man to ask him for directions, a hidden sniper kills the King's hated agent.
David is denounced as a conspirator and flees for his life, but by chance reunites with Alan. The youth believes Alan is the assassin, but Alan denies responsibility.
The pair flee from redcoat search parties until they reach James (Stewart) of the Glens, whose family has heard of the murder, is burying their hidden store of weapons, and is burning papers that could incriminate them. James tells the travellers he will have no choice but to "paper" them (distribute printed descriptions of the two with a reward listed), but provides them with weapons and food for their journey south, and David with a change of clothes (which the printed description will not match).
Alan and David then begin their flight through the heather, hiding from government soldiers by day. As the trek drains David's strength, his health rapidly deteriorates; by the time they are set upon by wild Highlanders who are sentries for Cluny Macpherson, an outlawed chief in hiding, the lad is barely conscious.
Alan convinces Cluny to give them shelter. The Highland chieftain is offended when David covenantly refuses to play cards but defers to the respected Alan's opinion of the lad. David is tended by a Highland doctor and soon recovers, though in the meantime Alan loses all of their money at cards with Cluny, only for Cluny to give it back when David practically begs for it.
When David and Alan resume their flight in cold and rainy weather, David becomes ill again and nurses a childish anger against Alan over the affront of having to beg for their money. Alan patiently tries to help the sulking David for several days, but he finally gives in to his own pride and begins taunting him. David forces a showdown with swords by insulting Alan's courage and loyalty, but Alan cannot bring himself to fight him. David, now sick in the extreme, at last feels contrition and realizes a plea for help can do what an apology will not: mend the rift between them. Alan carries David on his back down the burn to reach the nearest house, fortuitously that of a Maclaren, Duncan Dhu, who is both an ally of the Stewarts and a skilled piper.
David is bedridden and given a doctor's care, while Alan hides nearby, visiting after dark. During David's nearly month-long recuperation, he is visited by many curious but loyal neighbours in the region and by a foe of Alan's, Robin Oig, the son of Rob Roy MacGregor and a wanted outlaw. Alan and Robin nearly fight a duel, but Duncan persuades them to leave the contest to bagpipes. Both play brilliantly, but Alan admits Robin is the better piper, so the quarrel is resolved. Alan and David prepare to leave the Highlands and return to David's country.
In one of the most humorous passages in the book, Alan convinces an innkeeper's daughter from Limekilns (unnamed in Kidnapped but called "Alison Hastie" in its sequel) that David is a dying young Jacobite nobleman, despite David's objections, and she ferries them across the Firth of Forth. There, they meet a lawyer of David's uncle's, Mr. Rankeillor, who agrees to help David receive his inheritance. Rankeillor explains that David's father and uncle had once quarrelled over a woman, David's mother, and the older Balfour had married her, informally giving the estate to his brother while living as an impoverished schoolteacher with his wife. This agreement had lapsed with his death.
David and the lawyer hide in bushes outside Ebenezer's house while Alan speaks to him, claiming to be a man who found David nearly dead after the wreck of the Covenant and says he is representing folk holding him captive in the Hebrides. He asks David's uncle whether Alan should kill David or keep him. The uncle flatly denies Alan's statement that David had been kidnapped but eventually admits that he paid Hoseason "twenty pound" to take David to "Caroliny". David and Rankeillor then emerge from their hiding places, and speak with Ebenezer in the kitchen, eventually agreeing that David will be provided two-thirds of the estate's income for as long as his uncle lives.
The novel ends with David and Alan's parting ways; Alan returns to France, and David goes to a bank to settle his money. | action, murder | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0042379 | Dark City | John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell) awakens in a hotel bathtub, suffering from amnesia. He receives a phone call from Dr. Daniel Schreber (Kiefer Sutherland), who urges him to flee the hotel to evade a group of men who are after him. During the phone talk, Murdoch discovers the corpse of a brutalized, ritualistically murdered woman, along with a bloody knife. He flees the scene, just as the group of men (known as the Strangers) show up to investigate the room.
Eventually, Murdoch learns his own name, and finds he has a wife named Emma (Jennifer Connelly). He is also sought by police inspector Frank Bumstead (William Hurt) as a suspect in a series of murders committed around the city, though he cannot remember killing anybody. While being pursued by the Strangers, Murdoch discovers that he has mind powers—which the Strangers also possess, and refer to as "tuning"—and he manages to use these powers to escape from them.
Murdoch explores the city, where nobody realizes that it is always nighttime. At midnight, he watches as everyone except himself falls asleep as the Strangers stop time and physically rearrange the city as well as changing people's identities and memories. Murdoch learns that he comes from a coastal town called Shell Beach, a town familiar to everyone, though nobody knows how to leave the city to travel there, and all of his attempts to do so are unsuccessful for varying reasons. Meanwhile, the Strangers inject one of their men, Mr. Hand (Richard O'Brien), with memories intended for Murdoch in an attempt to predict his movements and track him down.
Murdoch is eventually caught by inspector Bumstead, who acknowledges he is innocent, and by then has his own misgivings about the nature of the city. They confront Dr. Schreber, who explains that the Strangers are endangered extraterrestrial parasites who use corpses as their hosts. Having a hive mind, the Strangers have been experimenting with humans to analyze their individuality in the hopes that some insight might be revealed that would help their race survive.
Schreber reveals that Murdoch is an anomaly who inadvertently awoke during one midnight process, when Schreber was in the middle of imprinting his latest identity as a murderer. The three embark to find Shell Beach, but it exists only as a poster on a wall at the edge of the city. Frustrated, Murdoch and Bumstead break through the wall, revealing outer space on the other side. The men are confronted by the Strangers, including Mr. Hand, who holds Emma hostage. In the ensuing fight Bumstead and one of the Strangers fall through the hole, revealing the city as an enormous space habitat surrounded by a force field.
The Strangers bring Murdoch to their home beneath the city and force Dr. Schreber to imprint Murdoch with their collective memory, believing Murdoch to be the final result of their experiments. Schreber betrays them by inserting false memories in Murdoch which artificially reestablish his childhood as years spent training and honing his psychokinetic skills and learning about the Strangers and their machines. Murdoch awakens, fully realizing his skills, frees himself and battles with the Strangers, defeating their leader Mr. Book (Ian Richardson) in a psychokinetic fight high above the city.
After learning from Dr. Schreber that Emma's personality is gone and cannot be restored, Murdoch exercises his new-found powers, amplified by the Strangers' machine, to create an actual Shell Beach by flooding the area within the force field with water and forming mountains and beaches. On his way to Shell Beach, Murdoch encounters Mr. Hand and informs him that the Strangers have been searching in the wrong place—the mind—to understand humanity. Murdoch turns the habitat toward the star it had been turned away from, and the city experiences sunlight for the first time.
He opens the door leading out of the city, and steps out to view the sunrise. Beyond him is a pier, where he finds the woman he knew as Emma, now with new memories and a new identity as Anna. Murdoch reintroduces himself as they walk to Shell Beach, beginning their relationship anew. | revenge, murder | train | wikipedia | If not for that it would rate as a passably good noir thriller.In fact Dark City did not even lead to Heston getting his real screen break in his second film.
Later on DeMille learned about Dark City and had it run for him and was convinced even more.For a man who played such noble characters later on screen, Dark City presents Heston as a cynical gambler whose bookie joint got raided.
Needing some working capital to get back on their feet, Heston, Jack Webb, and Ed Begley find a sucker in the person of Don DeFore and rope him into a poker game.
And Heston is desperate to get some kind of line on the brother before he winds up dead.Part of the reason Dark City isn't a better film is precisely because Heston is not a nice guy.
Especially when he starts romancing DeFore's widow Viveca Lindfors in an attempt to get information on Mazurki.The film was later remade taking it out west as Five Card Stud with Dean Martin in the Heston role and Robert Mitchum taking Mazurki's part.
Doing it that way made you care more what happened to Martin than what eventually will happen to Heston.Lizabeth Scott as nightclub singer/girl friend of Heston, Harry Morgan as a retainer at the bookie joint, and Dean Jagger as the homicide cop round out the cast.It's interesting to speculate though what kind of turn Charlton Heston's career would have taken if Cecil B.
It's OK with me to use jargon, but let's only use it correctly, shall we
Although Dark City certainly has elements of the Noir genre, there is a very simple reason why this movie really don't qualify as such: indeed the cynical main character Dan Haley slowly but surely turns into a better man, gradually allowing his conscience to play a more important role in his life, and taking several correcting steps after a life of causing sadness and anger.
We get first evidence of this, when he discovers that his poker game buddy Augie has been cheating in a game that left L.A. business man Arthur Winant penniless.Another indication of his double feelings about the world around him can be found in his relationship with Fran:Fran: Don't you ever need somebody Danny ?
Fran: Just to need
Although he keeps on pushing lovesick Fran away when she's once more trying to get too close to him, he will remain -in his own particular way- loyal to her.So, if one of the reviewers complaints about the lack of chemistry between Heston and Scott, he seems to have completely missed the point this movie is trying to make.
In the end of the movie, he's only beginning to think about romancing again.Then, several small elements distributed cleverly along the storyline like Tom Thumb's crumbs will lead to big changes in Haley's life.
Charlton Heston is wonderful as a gambler with a conscience who plays a fixed game of poker with his war buddy and in turn is accused of the murder in which the companion actually committed suicide.
This film is crime noir since Danny Haley, its lead played admirably by Charlton Heston, in his first major Hollywood starring role is running an illegal bookie joint.
A stranger, Don DeFore, strikes up a conversation in Danny's hangout; he ends up in a poker game with Danny's bookie friends Soldier (Harry Morgan), Barney (Ed Begley Sr.) and Augie (Jack Webb).
DeFore loses 5000 dollars in a crooked game, pays with a cashier's check and hangs himself in his hotel room that night--some of the money was not his...But, soon after, Barney is found hanged, and the rope was just put around his neck to make the crime look like a suicide.
In this story about Danny, the man who escapes the "dark city" he had thought to hide from life in, Charlton Heston is very good for his age.
Jack Webb, a powerful radio actor, here turns in what I regard as his best screen performance ever as the nasty and cowardly Augie., Ed Begley Sr. was one of Hopllywood's best dramatic actors, infusing a small part in this feature with his usual dynamic intelligence; and Harry Morgan as the brassy "Soldier" is charismatic and effective.
Viveca Lindfors is very well cast I suggest as the suffering but courageous wife; Don Defore was very good at playing a man shallower than he appeared, and here he has a lot to work with.
Dark City is likely most notable as being Chuck Heston's film debut.
But it's also worth seeing for then-supporting actor Jack Webb (actually quite good) teaming with Harry Morgan, some 16 years before they'd pair up in the color reincarnation of Dragnet 1966.
Dark City, a pretty decent 1950 film noir, is fairly enjoyable, at times excellent, and might have been a minor classic had the dreadul romantic sequences, plus songs, not pulled it down a couple of notches.
Charlton Heston is a gambler who, with his friends Ed Begley and Jack Webb, play hardball poker with a hapless out of towner who signs over a check that doesn't belong to him to the gamblers and shortly thereafter hangs himself.
Heston is good though not wildly convincing as as the youngest and shrewdest of the gamblers, Lizabeth Scott is as enigmatic, mannish and unappealing as usual, and Viveca Lindfors is fine as the dead guy's widow, with whom Heston (inevitably) falls in love.
It was released in 1950 and Stars Lizabeth Scott and Charlton Heston.Heston plays a gambler (Danny Haley) who along with two friends sucker a man from out of town into a game of poker.
(There are Spoilers) Charlton Heston known for the Biblical epics and movies with cast of thousands that he made during his fifty or so year career in motion pictures started out in his very first movie, back in 1950, in a little known film-noir curiosity piece playing a small-time hoodlum running a bookie joint in Chicago.Having his gambling den raided three time in just over a month by the cops, even though he was paying them off, has Dan Haley, Charlton Heston,and his three fellow bookies Barney, Ed Bagely, Augie, Jack Webb, and Soldier, Henry Morgan, wonder if they should get into a much safer business like working a bar or being a croupier in a casino.
Trying to figure out where the next dollar is coming from Dan goes to the nightclub where his girlfriend Fran Garland, Lizabeth Scott,is doing a show and runs into out of town businessman Arthur Winant, Don DeFore.
Seeing Winant pull out a number of big bills, including a $5,000.00 bank check, from his wallet as he paid for his drink Dan invites him for a game of cards at his now closed down bookie joint with his friends Barney Augie & Soldier.
Superior film-noir thriller with Sidney Winant, who spent a number of years in a mental institution for the criminally insane, out hunting down and killing those responsible for his brothers, Arthur, death and going from Chicago to Los Angeles to Las Vages to do it.
The movie then moves to Las Vagas with Dan on the run getting a job as a card dealer at his friends Swede's, Walter Sande, casino and meeting his fellow bookie Soldier and his girlfriend from the "Windy City" Fran who both were working there.
This is a strange mixture of three genres:-the film noir:the dives,the gamblers,and the fact that Scott resembles Lauren Bacall.-the suspense:the killer with the ring who's doing away with the ones who were responsible for his brother's death:we only see his hand ,and it will remain so till the very last sequence.With hindsight,it would have been better if we had not seen him at all.The mystery would have been more disturbing.What a disappointment if we had seen the truck driver's face in Spielberg's "duel"(1974)!-the melodrama:the widow and her son gets in the way,as far as film noir is concerned.The way Heston redeems himself is much too predictable.Of course,Heston is very good and the supporting cast competent.But by trying to juggle three things at once,the movie loses much of its strength and the ending is anti-film noir..
While the most notable aspect of this film on paper maybe that it features the debut starring role of Charlton Heston, it actually has a lot more going for it, being a better than average noir thriller.
However when the victim hangs himself the next day in remorse at his loss and shame, the trio don't reckon on the man's avenging brother who hits town and starts to take retribution against them one by one.In a sub-plot, Heston is being also being pursued, although this time more agreeably, by sultry nightclub singer Lizabeth Scott while another notable background character is a supposedly "punchy" ex-boxer played by M.A.S.H.'s Harry Morgan, who acts as Heston's loyal, good-natured sidekick, although there's not much evidence provided as to his actual slowness, indeed he's one of the better judges of character in the movie.Director William Dieterle ratchets up the tension nicely as three become two becomes one and Heston's last man standing, now humanised somewhat by meeting and slightly improbably romancing the dead man's widow and befriending her orphaned child, awaits his turn at the massive hands of the revenging sibling wearing the big black ring.
The dialogue is sharp, the characterisations credible and I also liked the "Casablanca"-type, although more uplifting, ending.Besides capably employing staple noir devices like shadows, darkness and dread, the movie is notable for the excellent songs given to Scott to perform, the most famous of which is the evergreen "That Old Black Magic" but also featuring the superb torch-song "Letter From A Lady In Love".Heston leads the cast in already recognisably commanding manner and Scott, Morgan, Ed Begley and especially Jack Webb, later of "Dragnet", bring their characters to life in his wake.All in all, an effective lesser known noir well worth watching..
Dark city is classic film noir with legendary Charlton Heston, this was his first movie so I would say that maybe he was a little stiff in his film debut but sure he gave a decent performance.
One of the problems is that I expected more scary scenes with Mike Mazurki, it could been a much more tense and mysterious if the director was more focus on imaginative writers for the scenes of the movie, also music that is Lizabeth Scott singing too often prevent to convince the audience that there is a tense situation in the lives of the main characters.
Danny Haley character played by Heston I think was more like a depressed man then a hustler.
From 1950, Dark City is a noir starring Charlton Heston, Lizabeth Scott, Viveca Lindfors, Harry Morgan, Dean Jagger, Jack Webb, and Ed Begley.
Later, he hangs himself, and the group is questioned by a police detective (Dean Jagger) who feels that Danny is above the group in intelligence and potential, but is going to be murdered if he keeps going the way he is.The dead man's brother, a psycho, is committed to tracking down every single person at the game and killing him.
That's when he realizes how scary this guy really is.This is an effective film that for some reason has several long numbers performed by Lizabeth Scott, who plays a nightclub singer and Danny's girlfriend.
Scott pines for him with her breathless voice, and she's good as well.Fine film, interesting to see Heston at 27..
as this film that starts out rather slow becomes a Hitchcock-like game of cat and mouse across the country involving a psychopath bent on vengeance against a group of crooked gamblers that drove his brother to suicide after he lost money that belonged to his company in a card game.
And this is their one hope - to find out what the guy looks like so they can at least have a chance.At first Charlton Heston may seem out of place here as a gray character at the center of a film noir, but he carries the role admirably.
You'll see several actors playing against their normal type here including Jack Webb as one of the gamblers that is at first a bully full of bravado turned to quivering coward as the killer closes in, and Harry Morgan as an ex-soldier turned simple by something that happened in WWII that is never explained.Only one thing is a bit annoying in this film - for some reason the makers of this film seem to think Lizabeth Scott's nightclub singing is some kind of treat for the audience.
Being a huge "Dragnet" fan, I just had to see the two movies that Jack Webb appeared in with Harry Morgan before the two worked together in "Dragnet." "Dark City" is one of them and the other is "Appointment with Danger." Although "Dark City" was released in 1950, the year before "Appointment with Danger" was released, "Appointment with Danger" was actually filmed first (shot in the summer of 1949).
"Dark City" was Jack Webb's final filmed feature before hitting the small screen with "Dragnet" in 1951.
It contains one of the thinnest plots I've ever seen, and it tries to convince the audience that Charlton Heston somehow doesn't deserve to die, but Jack Webb and Ed Begley do, even though all three of them took part in cheating the killer's brother out of money.
There is a lot to like about "Dark City" and it's an excellent example of film noir.
The police bring in Webb and Heston and inform him that they know about the game and even know who the killer is--DeFore's psychotic brother who'd spent much of his life institutionalized in a mental hospital!!
Don DeFore does a great job as a doomed gambler, and so does Ed Begley Sr. In his memoirs, Heston called this a good B film.
Chuck Heston may be taller than Michael Jordan but he's a small-time gambler here, and not a very pleasant one.Chuck is a member of a group that runs a small bookie joint in Los Angeles, the others being Ed Begley, Jack Webb, and Henry (Harry) Morgan Or maybe it's Harry (Henry) Morgan.
Also more action - what little we have is confined to the beginning and the climax.Scott's performance is superficial, but Heston impresses in his professional screen debut, whilst Morgan, Webb and DeFore contribute solid support.
Unexpectedly, an opportunity to minimize their losses arises when Danny meets an out-of-town businessman in the local nightclub where his girlfriend Fran Garland (Lizabeth Scott) is the resident singer and notices that the friendly Arthur Winant (Don DeFore) has a $5,000 cashiers check in his possession.After Winant is lured into a rigged poker game, he gets ripped off so badly by Danny, Barney and Augie, that he loses all his money including the $5,000 which belonged to his employers and unable to come to terms with what he'd done, commits suicide in his hotel room by hanging himself.
Danny and his gang immediately fear the possible repercussions and things quickly get worse when Barney is murdered and they learn that Winant's psychopathic and very over-protective brother, Sidney (Mike Mazurki) is out for revenge.Soldier, who was not involved in the card game decides to leave Chicago and goes to work in a Las Vegas casino that's run by one of his old friends and Danny and Augie go to Los Angeles where Danny poses as an insurance investigator and romances Winant's wife Victoria (Viveca Lindfors), in an effort to acquire a photograph of the maniac who's out to kill him.
When it becomes clear that Victoria doesn't posses a photo of Sidney, Danny owns up to having deceived her and decides to head for Las Vegas where he's subsequently joined by Fran before some further surprising developments lead to his eventual confrontation with the fearsome Sidney.This movie provided a very young-looking Charlton Heston with his first Hollywood starring role and the character he plays is rather complex because he's a man who, after having been betrayed by his wife and his best friend whilst on military service in England, had become very disillusioned, cynical and embittered.
Early in Charlton Heston's career; Danny Haley(Heston)suckers Arthur Winant(Don Defore)into a crooked poker game; Winant ends up losing a check that belonged to his brother and goes back to his hotel room and hangs himself.
Survivors have no idea what their hunter looks like and Danny goes to Winant's widow Victoria(Viveca Lindfors)posing as an insurance agent needing a photo of Sidney...Danny is certain that Sid would like his check back that his brother lost in the poker game.
Strong players round out the cast: Lizabeth Scott, Dean Jagger, Jack Webb, Harry Morgan and Ed Begley..
Early in the movie, we see Fran (Lizabeth Scott) singing a song in a nightclub.
Moreover, just to get an objective assessment, I checked Internet Movie Database and Netflix, and neither of them classified it as a musical, but only as a crime drama or film noir.In reflecting on why this was so, I thought back on that earlier comment by her that she could not sing, followed later by another remark to the effect that singing in a nightclub was just a way of making a living, something she would gladly give up if Danny would marry her.
Charlton Heston, a man that worked extensively in the American cinema, was seen for the first time in an important role in "Dark City", a decent drama-mystery with shades of film noir.
The supporting cast is excellent, Dean Jagger, Don DeFore, Frank Morgan, Jack Webb, Ed Begley, and specially the brutish Mike Mazurski, contribute to the over all enjoyment of "Dark City" Victor Milner's black and white cinematography works well with the story being told.
Charleston Heston (In His 4th Film), Lizabeth Scott (Scared Stiff), Jack Webb & Harry Morgan (Dragnet), Ed Begley (12 Angry Men), Dean Jagger (The Magician), Don Defore (Hazel), Walter Burke (Support Your Local Sheriff), Mike Mazurki (Some Like It Hot) ... |
tt0025939 | Rocky Mountain Mystery | Mining engineer Larry Sutton (Randolph Scott) arrives at the Ballard radium mine to take over as chief engineer from his missing brother-in-law Jack Parson, who is a suspect in the murder of ranch caretaker Adolph Borg. Sutton teams up with deputy sheriff Tex Murdock (Chic Sale) who is investigating the murder. Staying at the ranch with the ailing owner, Jim Ballard (George F. Marion), are his niece Flora (Kathleen Burke) and nephew Fritz (Howard Wilson) who've been notified of their uncle's failing health now wait to inherit his legacy. Also staying at the ranch is a mysterious Chinaman Ling Yat (Willie Fung), the housekeeper Mrs. Borg (Leslie Carter), her son John (James Eagles), and the beautiful and spirited Rita Ballard (Ann Sheridan), another niece, who quickly earns Sutton's trust and romantic interest.
Shortly after Sutton arrives, Ballard's nephew Fritz is murdered by a mysterious cloaked figure in the same manner that Adolph was killed—crushed beneath the massive weight of a stamp mill, a huge apparatus used to pulverize rock to unearth valuable ore. Sutton and Tex find that the ranch guests all have alibis. Soon the mysterious cloaked figure strikes again, shooting young John, attacking Sutton, and slashing Flora's throat. While the investigation continues, Jim, who is apparently an invalid, takes a turn for the worse, prompting Sutton to contact his ex-wife who hasn't been to the ranch in thirty years.
Mrs. Ballard arrives at the ranch, Mrs. Borg tries to prevent her from seeing her ailing ex-husband. Sutton arrives and helps her upstairs where she discover that "Jim" is actually Adolph Borg, and that he and his wife had killed the real Jim Ballard sometime earlier during a takeover attempt by the Borg family. Adolph then tricks Sutton and escapes, taking Rita as a hostage. Sutton follows them to the mine where he fights with Adolph and John, nearly being crushed by the stamp mill. After Adolph falls to his death, Sutton rescues Rita. Afterwards, Mrs. Borg, her son John, and their Chinese servant Ling Yat are sentenced to twenty years in prison, and Tex is made sheriff. Larry and Rita get married and buy a ranch in Hawaii. | mystery | train | wikipedia | Randolph Scott at this point in his career when he wasn't doing other films was learning the western genre in a series of films that Paramount's B unit was doing from Zane Grey novels.
In this particular one, Rocky Mountain Mystery, Grey tried his hand at a detective story and skilfully combined the genres.Randy's a mining engineer, but he's turning amateur sleuth to find out what's happened to his brother-in-law, who no one has heard from.
Upon arriving at the scene he meets deputy sheriff Chic Sale who's investigating the murder of the owner of a mine.
The two of them decide to join forces.The film is set in the contemporary west, at least the contemporary west of when Zane Grey wrote the story.
There's reference to Chic Sale's son killed in the Great War and how Scott reminds him of his late son.
When these two arrive at the mine, there's a lot of interesting people living there.As it turns out there's quite an intricate scheme working there of which the homicide is only one aspect.
I wish this film had been given a bigger budget and the A treatment because the film had potential.Young Ann Sheridan is the female lead, this is probably one of her first films in that regard, she'd be signed by Warner Brothers next year.However the important reason to see the film is the appearance of one of the great stage stars of the last centuries and notorious personalities.
Mrs. Leslie Carter (and that's how she was billed) has the role of family matriarch of the clan at the mine and even in her old age you can tell what a beauty she was back then.
Her acting is also decent, no exaggerated stage mannerisms from back in her day when she learned her craft from David Belasco.Her divorce from her husband was one of the great scandals of the day.
You can see her story in the film, The Lady With Red Hair starring Miriam Hopkins and Claude Rains.By the way she was billed under her former married name to take advantage of the fact that was how the public knew her and to stick it to her ex.Even without Mrs. Leslie Carter, Rocky Mountain Mystery is a decent film, I wish had been given better production values by Paramount..
Early Ann Sheridan.
My primary interest in seeing this movie was to catch an early appearance by 'Sheridan, Ann' (qv) where she actually appears in a few scenes and not just in a bit part.
I'd dare any actress to make this dialog come alive, never mind one who is just starting out.Aside from Miss Sheridan, Randolph Scott is good as the lead but he is also a victim of a story, and script, that doesn't have much to offer.
But at a running time of only an hour and combined with an early glimpse of a future star, there are worse ways you could spend an hour..
Slightly Better Than Average 30s Western.
This is definitely a "B" type western, but Randolph Scott does his normal star role as Randolph Scott.
"Chic" Sale's performance as the "old timer" is very entertaining, the plot is decent, and everything moves along.
Some interesting little add ins, like the two dogs.
You can also see Ann Sheridan before she learned to act.All in all a little better than average for this era..
Great Early Randolph Scott.
Rocky Mountain Mystery exists in that parallel universe where the old west never really ended but continued on well into the nineteen-thirties and forties, usually inhabited by Gene Autry, Roy Rodgers, Tex Ritter, and sometimes even a very young John Wayne.The characters ride horses, use oil lamps to light their way, and seemingly live a frontier existence under territorial law, all with six-guns on their hips.
I sometimes wonder if the depression era children who were the films' main audience actually believed the west was really like this.This is an above average B-western and a great example of what modern experts are calling "horror western" due to their odd plots and sadistic mystery villains.
I prefer to call them mystery or suspense westerns.Rocky Mountain Mystery effectively mixes an Old Dark House plot with frontier themes.
It's not as chilling as I'd like but it does have a creepy fiend dressed in black complete with gloves, hat, and cape; a killer that prefers to crush heads in a hydraulic press but isn't afraid to menace a pretty girl with a straight razor either!
mystery/western.
this is a pretty good western.but it's not just a western.it's also a mystery.actually it's probably more of a mystery than a western.it's short clocking in at around 65 minutes,but it's a pretty good movie.it stars Randolph Scott,Anne Sheridan,Kathleen Burke,Florence Roberts,Howard Wilson,Charles 'Chic' Sale,Mrs.Leslie carter,George F.
Marion,among others.i thought it was well done.it had a nice atmosphere,and wasn't wholly predictable.the acting was good by all concerned,and the story was interesting,but similar to another western i remember seeing.though i can't recall weather this movie came out before that one or not.by similar story,i don't mean the general outline and formula that most westerns follow.i mean that some of the story details and specifics are similar.regardless,i liked it.for me,The Fighting Westerner is a 6/10.
Rocky Mountain Mystery (1935) ** (out of 4) Randolph Scott stars in this "B" picture, which is based on a story by Zane Grey.
In the film Scott has to go to a small mining town where murders are taking place for what appears to be a possible future inheritance.
Scott must battle the bad guys, find out who the killer is and romance Ann Sheridan.
This is a rather strange film that mixed with Western and Mystery genres together but the end result isn't as good as one would hope.
The biggest problem are the incredibly low production values, which usually leaves all the action to one small place.
There's never any scope to the film and the low budget doesn't leave much that the cast can do.
In fact it seems like the budget is so low that they can't really do much of anything except talk.
The mystery itself isn't too interesting but Scott does make the film worth watching.
He's certainly not his classic self here but he is good enough for the film.
Sheridan is decent in her role but still a little rough around the edges.
Aloha to Randy and Ann. This story much reminds me of the later John Wayne-starring western murder mystery "Tall in the Saddle" Like Wayne, Randy shows up unexpectedly from far away, with an oblique interest in the case, but becomes the main driving force in pursuing the identity of the killer.
Like Wayne, Randy has two beautiful young women indirectly involved in the case, and we assume that he will wind up with one of them.
See the movie to discover the meaning of my title.Interesting that a rare radium mine, rather than the usual gold or silver mine, was chosen as the story location and property of interest for the heirs to fight over.
Less than a pound of radium/year was mined in the US at this time.
As indicated in the film, it did fetch top dollar, being a transient radioactive breakdown product of uranium, and thus being extra hazardous to mine, as well as present in only minute amounts in the ore.Unless you are paying close attention, the identity of all the relations of the two old owner partners of the mine can be confusing.
Also present are Mrs. Borg and her son John, as well as the Chinaman servant of Ballard:Ling Yat. Randy is present as the newly hired mining engineer for the mine, replacing his brother in law, Jack Parsons.
Also present is Tex Murdock, the newly appointed deputy sheriff of this region: an eccentric old coot, who joins Randy in trying to solve the case.
Mrs. Ballard doesn't show up until rather late in the story, and only at Randy's request.
The body, kept under a sheet in a back room of Borg's cottage, vanishes.(No one present, except presumably those who lived on the property prior to the murder, has seen the body).
Flora and Fritz are found murdered in separate incidents, with Fritz's head crushed by the ore stamping machine, similar to the death of Adolf.
Would have been poetic justice if the guilty had been also crushed by that ore stamper but he/she meets another fate.Kathleen Burke, who played the murdered Flora Ballard, was a striking exotic beauty, especially her eyes.
Her main claim to fame in Hollywood was as the cat woman in the dark science fiction film of 1933 :"Island of Lost Souls".
'Chic' Sale, who played the old coot Tex Murdock, was a noted ex-vaudevillian comedian and current film character actor, specializing in tottering old men 20-40 years older than his 45-50 years.
Unfortunately, he would die of pneumonia only a year or two after this film was made.
Otherwise, I'm sure we would have seen him in many more films of the late '30s and '40s.Willie Fung, who played the Chinaman, had a 20 year Hollywood career.
Handsome Howard Wilson, who played the murdered Fritz, had a very short Hollywood career.
Mrs. Lesie Carter was mainly a stage actress, with only a few film roles.
She would be the subject of a film a few years later: "The Lady with the Red Hair", based on her biography.
Of course, Ann Sheridan, would go on to have a substantial film career.This film is currently available on DVD as part of a very cheap package of some of Scott's lesser known westerns..
"The Old Dark House" has moved from Wales to the west coast of the United States, and Randolph Scott shows up in the middle of a murder investigation.
It seems that the relatives of a dying patriarch (who hires Scott to work in his laboratory) have gathered around, waiting for the old coot to die.
As always happens in these films, the hero (Scott) falls in love with one of the more innocent members of the family, and in this case, that heroine is none other than Ann Sheridan, the future "Oomph Girl" in one of her first major roles.
Several years off from beginning to shine as one of Warner Brothers' top actresses of the late 1930's and 40's, Sheridan had yet to show her potential, but what made her movie star material is evident.
Scott, seen the same year in the Astaire/Rogers musical "Roberta", moved between "A" films and low-grade western/action films.
Even though he's seen through most of the films in chaps, this isn't really a western, in spite of its setting.In the supporting cast, "Chic" Sale adds some amusement as the self-sworn in sheriff, while stage actress Mrs. Leslie Carter makes a rare screen appearance as the family matriarch.
Coming off like Eva Moore in "The Old Dark House", Carter would be much better off five years later when Miriam Hopkins played her in Warner's biopic "The Lady With Red Hair".
Otherwise, the film is entirely forgettable, and strictly for fans of the "Z" budget bottom of the bill programmers or for fans who want to see Scott and Sheridan early in their career..
Excellent Mystery set in the West.
Randoph Scott was quite good as the agent sent to investigate things (I can understand how Cary Grant was supposed to be smitten by him at the time).
I liked the production values for this 1935 film, it helped me know more about 1935.
I enjoyed the story and was mildly taken by surprise as to the "who done-it".
The old lady was a "hoot", I understand she was quite an actress in her day and quite a personality also: a movie was made about her and her husband, for some unusual reason.
Loved watching Ann Sheridan and all the other actors (seemed like a stage play) who all seemed to have long and interesting careers.
I also prefer the "Rocky Mountain Mystery" title as opposed to "The Fighting Westerner" title that I bought..
I would never have figured Randolph Scott and Ann Sheridan in a picture together, much less a Western.
At least it's nominally a Western, with it's fair share of mystery elements as hero Larry Sutton (Scott) arrives on the scene as a mining engineer with a penchant for detective work.I saw this picture under the title "The Fighting Westerner", packaged as part of a two hundred fifty film Western collection by Mill Creek Entertainment.
The surprise of the movie in retrospect was the actor Chic Sale portraying Deputy Sheriff Tex Murdock, who I would have sworn was in his Seventies, but a quick check of his bio revealed he was only fifty at the time he made this picture.
He died the year after this film's release of pneumonia and something tells me he would have been a cool character to know personally.If you think about it, the way the villain dispatched his victims here was pretty gruesome.
At one point, our hero is knocked out and placed strategically under the press to become it's next victim, but if you're attentive, you'll see the 'unconscious' Randolph Scott move his left arm across his chest.
Fortunately, he wakes up just in the nick of time to solve the murder mystery and hook up with Ann Sheridan by the end of the story.
As you see in Fightingwesterner's review, this is one of those weird western B-movies in which you see all kinds of contemporary items yet the film is set in what seems like the old west!
This was actually pretty common back in the 30s and 40s, as Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and many of the other stars of the day made such anachronistic films.
My favorite was an Autry film where you see Gene chasing baddies on his horse--and they were driving in a pickup truck!
Oddly, audiences of the time loved the films and seemed to look past this weirdness.
And, despite "Rocky Mountain Mystery" being another one of these strange films, it was enjoyable.The film begins with Randolph Scott arriving at the scene of a murder.
It seems that a man has been assumed guilty and Scott knows this other man is not the culprit.
Along with the goofy Deputy (Chic Sale--who is even more of a crusty old character than the great Gabby Hayes).
Together the two work on uncovering the mystery--and it leads to a surprising discovery that it's not one person they are looking for but a group of them!
The film is enjoyable--mostly due to Sale's enjoyable over-the-top performance.
Yes, he chews the scenery but you can't help but like him.
Aside from this, look for a younger and less glamorous Ann Sheridan--before Warner Brothers changed her appearance and style.
Worth seeing--particularly if you like B-westerns or mysteries..
Charles Barton directs a muse-see movie!.
Randolph Scott (Larry Sutton), Ann Sheridan (Rita Ballard), Charles "Chic" Sale (Deputy Tex Murdock), George F.
Marion (James Ballard), Mrs Leslie Carter (Mrs Borg), James C.
Eagles (John Borg), Willie Fung (Ling Yat), Kathleen Burke (Flora Ballard), Howard Wilson (Fritz Ballard), Florence Roberts (Mrs Ballard).Director: CHARLES BARTON.
Re-released in 1950 by Favorite Films as The Fighting Westerner.
NOTES: The first of only two talkies made by the distinguished stage actress, Mrs Leslie Carter ("The American Sarah Bernhardt"), who is the subject of the 1940 movie, "Lady With Red Hair".
COMMENT: This "B" western is a must-see if only for the presence of Mrs Leslie Carter who has a major role which she plays with unforgettable (if somewhat theatrical) gusto.
Director Charles Barton was wise enough to indulge her with many close-ups.
We wonder if the celebrated red hair is actually a wig, but the important thing is that we see her and hear her.
However, "Rocky Mountain Mystery" has many other features of interest as well.
Just take the rest of the cast: George Marion, who starred opposite Garbo in her first talkie, Anna Christie (1930), is great as the crippled mine-owner.
Randolph Scott is at his personable best as the hero, playing opposite here the lovely Ann Sheridan.
Charles "Chic" Sale, a very popular artist in his day, displays plenty of fire in the serio-comic role of a none too-bright old codger who has been roped in as a deputy sheriff.
Kathleen Burke elicits plenty of sympathy as a brittle but imperiled heiress, while Florence Roberts makes the most of a stand-out scene in she confronts both Mrs. Leslie Carter and then George Marion.
Director Charles Barton not only deftly underscores all the various plot surprises but invests the movie with an overall atmosphere that is truly chilling, assisted here by marvelous art direction, spooky photography, disorienting sound effects, and production values that can only be described as staggering..
Much of the effort that went into screen writing in the thirties had to do with exploring the role of the detective.
Most of that was playing with the detective story.
Watching many films from this era is fun just from the experimental nature of the narrative.This is nominally a western.
Our hero struts like all the other cowboys busy in other films establishing that genre.
Otherwise, this is a standard detective story.
Because it wants to make the case clear, it features a radium mine, something about as alien from the old west as possible.
Judged as a detective story, it is slightly more complex than the ordinary.
There is misdirection of a kind that seems predicable today but was likely a surprise then.
(The murdered man had his face crushed in a mining press, so you know the body is not who it is claimed to be.) There is a surprise conspiracy.The version I saw had the title "The Fighting Westerner," and I suppose they tried to market this both as a western and a mystery.Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life. |
tt0156136 | Tik Tik Tik | Sherley (Sarika) is a model who returns to Chennai after a modeling stint abroad. She is received by the modeling agency and is soon drugged and operated upon. Her dead body is soon found.
Dileep (Kamal Haasan) is a photographer working for a newspaper run by Lakshmi Narayanan (Thengai Srinivasan). He is a photographer in a beauty pageant run by a rich industrialist, Oberoi (Shamasundar L. Asrani), which was won by Sharadha, Swapna and Radha (Madhavi, Radha and Swapna). He becomes professionally involved with Radha and Swapna while romantically involved with Sharadha. Soon Swapna’s deadbody turns up and he becomes the main suspect in the murder investigation and is on the run from police. As his face is plastered in wanted ads all over the city and police watching Sharadha’s house, he goes to meet Radha.
Radha, who always considered Dileep as her brother as he was always nice to her, helps him and lets him stay in her apartment. The next morning, when Dileep wakes up and turn on the tap, the water is bloody red and he hears screaming coming from the apartment water tank. He goes to investigate when a group of people are gathered around the tank and is shocked to find Radha’s bloody body inside the tank. Soon people recognize him from the wanted ad and mistakenly think that he murdered Radha. He is once again on the run from police for the murders.
He starts to investigate the murders and deduce that the only thing the two girls had in common, apart from him, was the modeling agency. When he secretively meets up with Sharadha, he finds a small incision on her body. Remembering that the other two girls had the same incision, he questions her. Although she doesn’t remember how she got it, she remembers that she didn’t have one before she left on a photo shoot abroad for the agency. She also finds it strange that she was unconscious for a few hours during the shoot but cannot remember what happened.
They eventually find out that Oberoi, has a nefarious business through his modeling agency. He drugs the models during the photo shoot abroad, operates them and smuggles diamonds into India using their bodies. When the models return to India, they again drug the model and take it out and kill the girl.
Dileep gets captured by Oberoi’s goons but with the help of his editor and his girlfriend, he has already got the truth out. Before Oberoi can kill Dileep, they hear the police siren coming towards him. Oberoi, an obsessive diamond collector, rather than get caught and go to prison, eats his own diamonds and commits suicide. | murder | train | wikipedia | Enjoyable. A thriller that was ahead of its time, it rides on K Bhagyaraj's screeplay writing skills. A tale of one lensman, three models, one villain and a few diamonds. Some memorable songs from Ilayaraja. Worth a watch.. Tik Tik Tik. Really nice movie.. Amazing Thriller with good Glamour. One of the best movies of Dir. Bharathiraja.Isaignani Illayaraja's BGM and songs are too good. A haunting beat comes up in every murder sequence.Therye first murder scene
will be very interesting and captures the entire audience. Kamalhasan would have under played and represents the best romantic moments with Madhavi.
The last 1 hour will be a seat edge thriller with chases and stunts.A fight scene inside a dark room will be nice.
Entire movie is filled with enough glamour since the story revolves around Models, However it will be suitable for the screenplay.
Really worth for the Music and Direction. The movie was a Super hit.. Madcap crime thriller with Haasan at the top of his game. A bevy of glamorous models are bumped off one by one in in a diamond smuggling operation masterminded by the dastardly (but amusingly and probably ironically named) Oberoi. Part suspense crime thriller, part madcap action vehicle for Kamal Haasan as professional photographer Dilip who has been framed for the murder of the girls and is a fugitive on the run out to prove his innocence. With Oberoi played like a reserved yet partially demented Dr. Evil (from the Austin Powers franchise- years before the Austin Powers films were even conceived) coupled with almost schizophrenic scene changes, Tik! Tik! Tik! is probably as much fun today as the year it was released. The star of the show is undoubtedly Haasan who is completely in his element in this kind of film. Apparently ahead of its time plot-wise back in 1981, I managed to see a high quality Malaysian DVD pressing with English subtitles and perfectly mixed audio which brought out both the (then) clever 'ticking' sound effects interspersed throughout the film and also Ilaiyaraaja's excellent songs-- Poo Malarinthida's note perfect mix of classical and modern pop elements show why he was and probably still is miles ahead of any other music director. Tik! Tik! Tik! is a perfect reminder of a time when big starers didn't need to rely on endless fight scenes, pointless special effects and soul-less choreographed item numbers. A clever plot yet the overall simplicity of this film is what makes it. |
tt0053434 | Warlock | The Warlock (Julian Sands) is taken captive in Boston, Massachusetts in 1691 by the witch-hunter Giles Redferne (Richard E. Grant). He is sentenced to death for his activities, including the bewitching of Redferne's bride-to-be; but, before the execution, Satan appears and propels the Warlock forward in time to 20th century Los Angeles, California. Redferne follows through the portal.
The Warlock attempts to assemble The Grand Grimoire, a Satanic book that will reveal the "true" name of God. Redferne and The Warlock then embark on a cat-and-mouse chase with the Grand Grimoire and Kassandra (Lori Singer), a waitress who encounters Giles attempting to use a witch compass to track the Warlock. Explaining some basic rules of the Warlock, such as their weakness to purified salt, Kassandra follows Giles after seeing the compass work and, knowing the warlock stole her bracelet, putting an aging spell on her.
The Warlock assembles two-thirds of the Grimoire; and Giles is stunned to learn that the last portion is buried in his grave, buried off of church lands under the cursed sign of a witch. The Warlock appears and starts a ritual to assemble the Grimoire. After seeing the name of God appear on the book, The Warlock is about to call it out and unmake existence when Kassandra injects him with salt water, and he bursts into flame. Redferne returns to his own time. In the epilogue, Kassandra is seen burying the Grimoire in the Great Salt Flats. | revenge | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0033908 | The Midnight Snack | The cartoon takes place in a kitchen at midnight. Jerry pokes his head out of the refrigerator door and steals some cheese, unaware that Tom is watching him. Tom weighs the mouse down enough such that he can no longer see in front of him. After Jerry falls off from a rolling pin, Tom emerges from his hiding place with a smug face.
Jerry "salutes" the cat and returns the slice of cheese to the refrigerator. He then proceeds to steal just a tiny bit of cheese, but Tom stomps on his tail with one of his hind paws and replaces the cheese as if to say, "Leave it alone". However, the cat soon realizes that he has the free run of the refrigerator, so he traps Jerry's tail with an iron and begins eating. Jerry frees himself, but is soon caught by Tom, and returns himself to the iron.
Tom then presents Jerry with the wedge of cheese, which he cannot reach due to the iron. Tom then smells the cheese, but soon sees that it is the wedge of cheese to his nose's displeasure and tosses it away. Unfortunately, the cheese smashes some crockery and wakes up Mammy Two Shoes, who goes downstairs. Tom quickly shoves Jerry into the refrigerator and hides. Mammy rushes in and opens the fridge, screaming in terror when she spots Jerry. Leaping onto a stool and comically hiking up numerous, patterned layers of underclothes, Mammy calls Tom who emerges and pursues Jerry. In the midst of the chase, Mammy leaves the room.
Tom surprises Jerry behind a trash bin, but Jerry tricks Tom into looking over the bin and jumps on the pedal, sending it to crash into Tom's face. Jerry then jumps into the toaster and Tom starts it. Jerry pops up, his rear end smoking, and cools it in a sink full of water, only to be chased again by Tom. Tom ends up losing his grip and gets his tail caught up in an ironing board, with his body facing the refrigerator. Jerry climbs down the blind, picks up a fork with his tail and stabs Tom with the fork, causing Tom to slide down the board and eventually crash into the fridge just as Jerry had planned.
Mammy re-enters the room on the belief that Tom has caught Jerry and disposed of Jerry. Then she opens the refrigerator door to get Tom a bowl of cream, only to find Tom in the refrigerator, covered in food. Jerry overhears Mammy shouting at Tom and kicking the screeching cat out of the house while devouring his wedge of cheese. | psychedelic | train | wikipedia | When Tom was Playful.
If I'm not mistaken this is the third Tom and Jerry short and there is something about animated shorts that the very early appearances of the characters are usually not like their familiar presence.
In a way early shorts are like the first draft of a script!
While Jerry here is still the same Jerry we all know and love Tom however, is not the devilish cat we know.
Instead here he is a playful cat just joking around with Jerry.
In a way Jerry is the bad guy of this short because he didn't have a sense of humor!3(***)out of 4(****)stars.
That Technicolor food looks good enough to eat!.
Getting everything right in the second entry in a series isn't too shabby an achievement!!
This film's three times as good as "Puss Gets The Boot." The balance of the three characterizations is just right, and the story cements both Tom's personality as a lovable scoundrel & Jerry's as being a put-upon character who only eventually gets the upper hand.
And forget about the early, "ugly" design of Tom--remember, it's characterization, story and comedy timing that count here.
Of course, when Tex Avery entered MGM, the series would be adopting many of his methods of freneticism and outrageousness......but when all's said & done, a cartoon like THIS is really ALL I NEED..
A classic piece of Tom & Jerry funny and well animated.
Jerry is trying to steal cheese from a very well stocked pantry all at once or bit-by-bit he intends to have it.
Tom spots him doing it and toys with him before stopping him getting any more cheese.
Tom sets himself up in the fridge and starts eating food; when his owner comes down to investigate a noise, Tom frames Jerry for the crime starting a chase and prompting Jerry to even things up.I'm not a massive fan of Tom & Jerry, I much prefer the more cynical and sharp edge that the Looney Toons had in their best moments.
T&J often feels rather simple by comparison to Daffy in crazy mode and essentially they are.The same routines, twisted slightly each time in order to make it different and, for that reason I suppose they deserve credit for keeping it going as long as they did.
This short film is a good example of them at their best as it features good, colourful animation and plenty of lively action.
It has no edge to appeal to adults but it was still lively enough to stop me getting board while the kids were laughing out loud along to it.Overall I enjoyed this film and I'm not a fan of their cartoons.
The routines are good and the animation is really bright and colourful, with both Tom and Jerry looking wide-eyed and well rounded (not the sharp edged, skinny Tom of later years).
A good example of the best of Tom and Jerry..
Early form of the Tom and Jerry characters..
The characters went through several different design changes from the early 1940s through to the 1960s, most often as a result of different directors.
The most dramatic changes were made between the original design in the first cartoons and the characters' form that most would instantly think of as Tom and Jerry.
This short is one of the earliest ones and things were still in flux.This also has an appearance by Mammy Two Shoes and has Tom and Jerry going at it furiously, each trying to come out ahead, though Jerry is probably also trying to get some peace and some breathing room as well.
Good fun and amusement all around.
Well worth looking for.
Recommended..
Right Names But Not A Lot Of Laughs Yet. Hey, at least we have the right names: Tom and Jerry.
The first episode of this famous cartoon had the cat and mouse called "Jasper" and "Jinx." Now, at least we're headed in the right direction with the T&J we're used to seeing and hearing.
Still, you know this an early cartoon just by the furry look on Tom.The story is simply about raiding the refrigerator which we see Jerry doing, trying to haul off a big piece of cheese.
Tom makes it difficult for him in an amusing sketch that is playful more than the sadistic things were saw in T&J 'toons in later years.
Later, Tom decides to taste the goodies in the fridge, himself, and there is a semi-humorous scene with jello.Still later, Tom frames Jerry as Mammy the maid comes down to investigate the noise.
By the way, the presence of the maid, "Mammy," in some of these early cartoons brings the usual introduction of the DVD from Whoopi Goldberg, whom Warner Brothers apparently feels they have to hire to tell us uninformed folks all the politically-correct B.S. This woman comes across as condescending and phony, gives the same speech she gave in the Looney Tunes Golden Collection except she substitutes a few names.
Note to Warner Brothers: hey, we know what's right and wrong; you don't have to tell us.Overall, this wasn't much and not really recommended for those who have a seen a bunch of Tom and Jerry cartoons from the later '40s and 1950s.
Tom still doesn't look like "Tom" and the humor has none of the familiar edge to it.
I guess they were still getting the kinks out before settling down with the kind of characters and stories that made them famous..
The funniest animated short ever.
Not only the best Tom and Jerry film, but the best animated short I've ever seen.
The timing, the animation, the character expressions, the sound effects...
Not one false note.
This one leaves me in stitches every time..
Nice episode.
The movie is cool.
I want to tell you why.
I don't see get too much hate, it got possible reviews.
And i really like how tom stay up late.
Great movie, as well.
Y'a know?
Jerry did things wrong.
She broke too much plates causing her to get in trouble!
The movie is released in ?/?/41.
I watched it at 12:00.
To be honest, it is way better than Battlefield Earth.
The novel was good enough, and so does the episode!
It was awesome, Excellent and cool!
What a year!
Victory for the episode and the novel!
:) The episode contains no nudity and it was awesome!
It was Rated Y!
It was Rated Y!
Awesome!
Cool.
Maybe next time.
The Midnight Snack is one of the first Tom and Jerry cartoons, if I am not mistaken it was the second.
It is not quite as good as the cartoons of the 50s, most of which are classics, it does understandably have the feeling that they were still finding their feet, but it is infinitely better than the Gene Deitch abominations.
What did I like about The Midnight Snack?
A lot actually.
As I've said, things are not quite settled but that is to be expected at the start.
However, the animation really is wonderful.
Tom's design would get better later on with his ears for example being more prominent and cat-like, but here he does look sweet I have to give you that.
The backgrounds however have fluidity and detail and the colours are bright and beautiful-looking.
The music has always been a key part to Tom and Jerry's success, full of energy and always enhancing the humour.
The music for The Midnight Snack, even for so early on, does that exactly.
The story is simple but never dull, and the gags are as you'd expect very funny.
Jerry is the same as usual, cute and very clever for such a small rodent.
Tom is much more playful than the more dastardly, cunning approach he'd have later, but he is very likable and interacts very well with Jerry.
All in all, not one of the best but still very good.
All in all, not one of the best but still very good.
9/10 Bethany Cox. The Midnight Snack.
The Midnight Snack (1941) *** (out of 4) THE MIDNIGHT SNACK would be the second Tom and Jerry cartoon but the first to use those names.
The story has Jerry sneaking into the icebox for some cheese but when Tom catches him he decides to add some "weight" to make Jerry struggle.
From here it's an all out war as Tom once again tortures the poor mouse until the maid comes to see what's going on.
THE MIDNIGHT SNACK isn't the best film in the series but if you're a fan then there are enough clever moments to make it worth viewing.
The highlight is some early creativity, which includes some bread being used as steps as Jerry is forced to work for his meal.
There's a lot of fun action throughout as glasses are broken and various other bits of damage done..
Sophomore outing for the famous cat and mouse..
The second outing for everyone's favourite cartoon cat and mouse (and the first in which they are actually named Tom and Jerry), the Midnight Snack is a vast improvement over their first appearance (in 1940's Puss Gets The Boot).
Tom is still a little rough around the edges, lacking the defined look he would get in the Quimby episodes, but the style and feel of the animation is much more refined.The story is still fairly simpleJerry raids the fridge whilst Tom does his best to stop himbut the level of invention is much higher, with some lovely use of various food as props.
The visual humour and quality of animation ain't quite up to the standards that would be reached in the years to follow, but it's definitely heading in the right direction..
Funny, slightly.
Not much is happening in this short.
Jerry fancies himself a midnight snack, so he decides to raid the fridge.
Tom in watching and foils his plans.
Content with neutralizing the mouse, Tom helps himself to whatever he feels in the fridge.
But he soon makes a mess and the offensive, highly stereotypical black slave/owner goes mad at him.
Tom pins the blame on Jerry and a chase follows.
There's not much in the way of creativity in this short.
The kitchen environment just doesn't seem to offer too many traps, props or tricks.
And while Jerry looks normal, Tom looks more feline and raggedy than he does in the later cartoons.
Yes, it's worth watching but it's not as good as the Tom and Jerry we're familiar with..
Introducing Tom and Jerry.
There was one previous short featuring these two iconic animated characters but this was the first where they are actually called by these names.
This is a fairly tame introduction to the characters; far less violent than later shorts...
although it does have its moments.It opens with Jerry stealing a wedge of cheese from the refrigerator and as he struggles under its weight Tom puts more and more items on top of it and eventually puts obstacles in front of him; inevitable Jerry drops the lot.
Jerry then tries to get a smaller piece but Tom forces him to put it back.
He then pins Jerry down with an iron while helping himself to a snack.
When the lady of the house approaches Tom puts Jerry in the fridge so he can take the blame for the mess and stolen food and Tom can be the hero when he catches Jerry again.
The woman does indeed scream when she sees Jerry but in the ensuing chase it is Jerry that gets the better of Tom; this leads to a painful finally involving a toasting fork and a grater!
While this may be a fairly tame example of Tom and Jerry it is still funny and provided a good introduction to the characters.
I liked how their conflict started fairly gently before escalating to the painful finale.
It is interesting that we never see the face of the lady of the house; we just see her lower body and here her shouting; always referring to Tom by his full name; Thomas.
I believe that in a later version this black woman has been removed and been replaced by a white woman; apparently some people thought the character was racist but personally I couldn't see that and think removing her is worse unless more negative aspects of the character were revealed in other instalments.
The animation looks great as do the backgrounds; it is clear that this wasn't made on the cheap.
If you are a fan of Tom and Jerry this is obviously a must see and even if you aren't it is a lot of fun for adults and children alike..
Starring Tom and Jerry!.
For a second episode, this is certainly a improvement over the first one (Puss Gets the Boot), but it doesn't have laugh-out loud moments in this one, but there are moments that raise a smile in my face, such as Mammy-Two-Shoes pulling several layers on her dress or Tom blaming Jerry.The Story?At Midnight, Jerry starts to steal the Fridge food, but only to be followed by Tom, who stops Jerry.
But, Tom decides to steal the fridge too, but he accidentally broke some dishes after throwing a cheese.
Mammy-Two-Shoes comes down to see what happened, so Tom blames Jerry as the responsible, and start to chase him, in the end Jerry manages to push Tom against the fridge, breaking everything inside it, so Mammy throws him out of the house.That Technicolor food looks really convincing to me, and makes me want to eat it!
Like all early Tom and Jery cartoons, it have a beautiful animation and backgrounds.I Recommend it!
Give it a watch if you have free time..
The second Tom & Jerry short gives them their accepted names for the first time, but is otherwise more or less a re-run of its predecessor although, even here, we see the beginnings of the caricatured violence for which Tom & Jerry became known.Scott Barber's music punctuates the action with well-realised cues, but still contains quotations from mouse-based nursery rhymes.Once again the black housekeeper puts in a vocal appearance and, once again, the current reaction that she is a racist stereotype misses the point that she is probably an accurate reflection of the time when the cartoon was made.
Entertaining but not exceptional..
Kitchen chaos.
"The Midnight Snack" is an American short film from 1941, so this one has its 75th anniversary this year.
The names Hanna and Barbera will probably immediately tell you that this is a Tom&Jerry cartoon and it is actually their second only in terms of chronology.
You see that the looks of the characters changed a lot over the years and decades and here they are still at their most original.
But nonetheless, this one is among the most known about the duo.
I personally cannot say though that I consider it among the best.
The action here is very slapstick-oriented and I cannot say I found a lot of it entertaining or even funny.
The world's most famous cat&mouse pairing wreaks havoc in Tom's kitchen this time and while early on it all seems to go for Tom, this changes quickly as these movie goes on.
At almost 9 minutes, it is slightly longer than they usually are.
As a whole nowhere near my favorite T&J works.
I have to give this one a thumbs-down. |
tt3431758 | No Game, No Life | Sora and Shiro are two hikikomori step-siblings who are known in the online gaming world as Blank, an undefeated group of gamers. One day, they are challenged to a game of chess by Tet, a god from another reality. The two are victorious and are offered to live in a world that centers around games. They accept, believing it to be a joke, and are summoned to a reality known as Disboard. There, a spell known as the Ten Pledges prevents the citizens of Disboard from inflicting harm on one another, forcing them to resolve their differences by gambling with games whose rules and rewards are magically enforced. In-game, rule enforcement only occurs when the method of cheating is acknowledged and outed by the opponent, allowing players to cheat through discreet methods. Sora and Shiro traverse to Elkia, the nation inhabited by humans, and befriend the duchess Stephanie Dola. Learning about Elkia's decline, the two participate in a tournament to determine the next ruler; after winning the crown, they earn the right to challenge the Disboard's other species as humanity's representative.LN 1.4 Their next goal is to conquer all sixteen species in order to challenge Tet to a game; as of the sixth volume, five of the sixteen are under their control.
=== Characters ===
Sora (空) and Shiro (白)
Sora is an eighteen-year-old male who excels at strategies and cold readings while his eleven-year-old stepsister, Shiro, excels at calculations and logic.LN 3.0 Together, the two form the undefeated gaming identity Blank (空白, Kūhaku, stylized as『 』) due to their trademark of using only spaces as their in-game names. After their parents died, the two no longer had emotional ties to society, and eventually became agoraphobic and hikikomori.LN 1.0 When the two are separated from each other, they begin to suffer panic attacks.LN 1.1 After Sora and Shiro are summoned to Disboard, they decide to uphold their undefeated reputation as Blank by defeating Tet. Sora is voiced by Yoshitsugu Matsuoka and Shiro by Ai Kayano. In Sentai Filmworks' English localization, Sora and Shiro are dubbed by Scott Gibbs and Caitlynn French respectively. A 2014 poll by Charapedia ranked Shiro and Sora as two of the most intelligent anime characters of all time.
Stephanie Dola (ステファニー・ドーラ, Sutefanī Dōra)
Stephanie is a teenage girl and granddaughter to the previous king of Elkia, the nation inhabited by humans. She has a lot of explicit knowledge but lacks the intuition to win games.LN 2.1 Her grandfather was infamously known for losing games and giving up Elkia's land. As a result, Stephanie strives to restore the honor of her grandfather and humanity. When Sora and Shiro are crowned, she becomes their assistant and deals with Elkia's economics and politics. They discover her grandfather kept hidden records on the other species which becomes an asset to their victories;LN 2.3 her experience with Sora and Shiro improves her skill to the point that she can win against normal humans.LN 4.1 She is voiced by Yōko Hikasa and English dubbed by Sara Ornelas.
Jibril (ジブリール, Jiburīru)
Jibril is a flügel, a powerful angelic race known for their ruthlessness.LN 2.1 Jibril is over 6000-years old and is the youngest and most powerful of her species.LN 5.2 She won Elkia's library from Stephanie's grandfather in order to store her books and use it as a home.LN 2.2 After losing to Sora and Shiro in a game of Shiritori, she becomes their slave, but is treated as an equal.LN 2.2 She often provides magic or transportation necessities for the protagonists. Later on, she begins publishing novels based on Sora and Shiro which makes them famous among the flügels.LN 5.1 She is voiced by Yukari Tamura and English dubbed by Amelia Fischer.
Warbeast
The warbeasts are kemonomimis with high physical abilities; their nation is known as the Eastern Federation. They are ruled by a nameless Miko, a logical woman who helped the Eastern Federation flourish for the past fifty years.LN 3.4 She possesses a rare ability called Blood Destruction which augments her physical abilities by taxing her body. She allies herself with Sora and Shiro who promises benefits for humanity and warbeasts.LN 3.4 She is voiced by Naomi Shindo and English dubbed by Suzelle Palacios.
Meanwhile, the warbeast embassy in Elkia is represented by Izuna Hatsuse (初瀬 いづな, Hatsuse Izuna), an eight-year-old child and ambassador of the warbeast.LN 2.4 She has a childlike demeanor and uses the copula desu, but also possesses high intellect and Blood Destruction.LN 3.3 Following the alliance between humans and warbeasts, she is a constant companion to Sora and Shiro whom she adores and trusts. She is voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro and English dubbed by Kira Vincent-Davis. Alongside her is her grandfather, Ino Hatsuse (初瀬 いの, Hatsuse Ino).LN 2.4 He believes Sora has selfish ulterior motives and dislikes him. After the alliance between humans and warbeasts, he works alongside Stephanie to formalize the union.LN 4.1 He is voiced by Mugihito and English dubbed by John Swasey.
Kurami Zell and Fil Nilvalen
Kurami Zell (クラミー・ツェル, Kuramī Tseru) is an eighteen-year-old girl and considered the slave of the elf Fil Nilvalen (フィール・ニルヴァレン, Fīru Niruvaren). Though Kurami's family were the Nilvalen family's slaves for generations, her relationship with Fil is similar to daughter and mother.LN 3.2 Meanwhile, Fil is considered a failure of a magician but is secretly highly skilled.LN 5.0 She is willing to betray Elven Garde, the nation inhabited by elves, for Kurami's sake; the two conspire to have Fil obtain a political position of power in order to abolish slavery.LN 3.2 Sora manages to convince Kurami to be his ally by sharing his memories with her.LN 3.1 Kurami is voiced by Yuka Iguchi and Fil by Mamiko Noto; they are English dubbed by Kara Greenberg and Christina Stroup respectively.
Dhampirs and sirens
Dhampirs are a species with similar characteristics to vampires: they drink body fluids from other species for nourishment; excel at transformation, illusion, and dream magic; and are weak to sunlight. Their weakness to sunlight can be spread through bites which deters the other species from sharing blood with them.LN 4.0 Meanwhile, sirens are an all female species with the body of a mermaid. They require the life of a male from another species in order to reproduce; their magic allows them to seduce anyone of their choosing. Both species live in a nation called Oceando. Centuries ago, the dhampirs and sirens used the Ten Pledges to create a mutualistic relationship between the two; the dhampirs were allowed to feed on the sirens and in return, a male dhampir is to mate with the siren's empress who can reproduce without killing. Eight hundred years prior, the empress went into hibernation and the mating rituals killed all but a single male dhampir.LN 4.1
Plum (プラム, Puramu) is the last male dhampir and as a result, disguises himself as a female;LN 5.4 his magic skills are considered above average within his species.LN 5.2 After consuming Sora and Shiro's sweat, he becomes fond of their taste. He makes a deal with the sirens to lure Sora and Shiro in an attempt to have one of the two races enslave humanity. Sora and Shiro deduce his deception but decide to save both races regardless.LN 5.4 Since then, Sora and Shiro have Plum accompany them on their adventures.
The empress of the sirens, Leila Lorelei (ライラ・ローレライ, Raira Rōrerai), used the Ten Pledges to put herself to sleep without revealing the requirements to wake her up. While she slept, Amira (アミラ) takes her place in leading the sirens.LN 4.2 Realizing the empress is a masochist who desires a la douleur exquise, Sora's immunity to the sirens' seduction magic allows him to awaken her.LN 5.4 Subsequently, the empress used Sora's hair to create a siren daughter.LN 5.5
Other characters
Tet (テト, Teto) is an old deus, a magical entity born from wishes and prayers. During the era when the sixteen species were at war with each other, a human named Riku Dola and his Ex Machina wife, Shuvi Dola, imagined the existence of a god of games; this resulted in Tet's birth. Due to Riku's efforts, Tet comes into possession of an object known as the Star Grail, allowing him to become the god of Disboard. Using its power, Tet cast the Ten Pledges on the world, ending the war and making the world center around games.LN 6.5 He is voiced by Rie Kugimiya and English dubbed by Shannon Emerick.
Azrael (アズリール, Azurīru) is the first flügel and their leader following the death of Artosh, the old deus who created them. Since then, Azrael has become despondent towards life and tries to give meaning to the flügel's existence to prevent their suicide.LN 5.2 She is able to converse with the flügel's homeland, a sentient floating island called Avant Heim which is part of a species called the phantasma.LN 5.1 Following her loss against Sora and Shiro, her powers are reduced to the levels of a human which gives her a new perspective on life.LN 5.3 | fantasy | train | wikipedia | 8 episodes in, but I am thoroughly impressed..
I was really surprised by this anime.
I wasn't expecting much from it, but its funny and surprisingly smart.
With five episodes left, unless they just completely drop the ball, this is easily is one of my favorites of this season.So, whats it about?
The anime is about a brother and sister, Sora and Shiro, who are NEETs and experts at games.
I mean they are literally the best in the world.
The get transported to another world where games are how everything gets done.
No war, murder, crimes, just games.
Naturally they fit right in.What makes this show great is the characters.
The main duo is great.
The princess Steph is also great and its funny how the brother and sister treat her.
The show has a great sense of humor and I find myself laughing pretty hard quite often.I said it was smart.
Yeah, when they play games, you can really see the gears in their heads turning, trying to figure out how to beat opponents that should be superior to them.
It never feels like a dues ex machina is what finishes the game.
You really feel like the are extremely smart and cunning.At first, I wasn't digging the designs, but really quickly I warmed up to it.
The style feels like fantasy meets Las Vegas, which makes sense, considering the world is based on gambling.
So yeah, I really like it.
The girls are also very cute and the reaction faces are great.
The presentation is great.I guess its worth mentioning that it has a decent amount of fanservice.
If you don't like fanservice, I personally don't think it will be too distracting...
Just try to look past it if you think it might bother you.All in all, I really like this anime and its one of the better ones this season.
Check it out!EDIT: Follow up after seeing episode twelve.
While I will still leave the score the same because my enjoyment for it never waiver, I will admit that at times it falls victim to the Gambitroulette trope.
Doesn't change much though, I still really liked it..
Amazing Anime!
What a great show!!
No Game No Life is such a fun and extremely well thought out show, the concept is so basic and straight forward that you don't think it could be portrayed so well.
If your looking for something amazing to just take you out of this world on a fun, funny, amazing journey then your going to love this show.
The main characters are great, they're both shut-in genius's with great memorable personalities.
The artwork & character design is amazing, this show gave me a real "Alice in Wonderland" feel.
I felt completely immersed in this fantasy, colorful, amazing world from the first 5 minutes!
and that feeling followed through all the way until the very last second of the show!
Cause i couldn't think of anything to lessen the value, It made me laugh, feel for the characters in such a short period of time, it was intelligent and caused me to think on a multitude of occasions.
I really have high hopes for the continuation of this series, i'm sure anyone reading this will love it too!!.
I was the type of anime viewer who mostly watched shonen-series like Naruto, Bleach, DBZ, etc.
Boy did No Game No Life impress me.
The story revolves around a sibling pair, Sora and Shiro, who call themselves "Blank." Working together, they've never lost at any game thrown at them.
One day, they're taken to a world that suits them perfectly: a world centered around the concept of games.
Whereas shonen animes define "epicness" as intense action sequences involving fantastic displays of power, this show gives the word another meaning entirely.
Many of the games that the characters engage in are a battle of wits, requiring complete knowledge of the rules and demanding clever manipulation of their opponents.
I do wish that more attention was given to the younger sister, Shiro.
Many times Sora is shown as the mastermind behind everything when we know that Shiro is every bit as talented as he is.
Another point that needs to be addressed is the explanation component of games.
The pace needs to be slowed at these points, or else audiences will feel enthralled merely because of the exciting soundtrack and a general epic sensation.
Other than that, the voice acting, art style, premise, soundtrack, humor, and much more all coalesce to form one gripping anime you can't get enough of.
If you're looking for a lighthearted yet awe-inspiring anime, look no further..
one of the best animes i've seen in a while.
Its refreshingly brilliant this anime is addicting ones you watch it you are hooked, not only is it funny ecci and brilliantly done but its also the plot is interesting the concept of a real fantasy world where almost everything is led by the 10 rules which one must follow at all times.
how can we not want to watch this over and over.
One disappointment is that there's no manga tho the manga is very outdated and they just release those novels That's definitely a bummer so lets all work together to get it back on the map who can contact the creator of this anime to get it back on the map it would help us get it alive Basically a sequel is a must!.
My favourite anime.
I never expected to see such an amazing anime in my entire life...
I loved each episode, each character and each game this game presented.I see a lot of people complain about Steph, but she is still a person, she doesn't need to be only stupid, Sora and Shiro is just smarter than her (actually way smarter, maybe 10x smarter).Their goal is something I'm excited to see they can manage to do, if they can actually take on everyone or how hard it is to defeat them.
I'm a bit sad about the ending, but I'm a huge fan of open endings, also the episodes and what it does in those episodes fixes the open ending, makes you even more excited for season 2!
Otherwise I can't fully add in full sentences how much I love this anime, but I really want to see the movie (if it's real deal) and the season 2..
It is so weird with such a unique and bizarre plot, that it is a blessing to watch.
The characters are well developed and in almost every episode there is a totally random moment which is hilarious, usually I burst out in laugh.
If you love Death Note and Code Geass, you would probably like this one too.
In my opinion this is a 9/10 series, but I gave it a 10/10 score because I think IMDB users are underrating it..
Thought this animes art was too blinding, the brother irritates me by acting like such a controlling freak of his little sister and the little sisters voice was just urgh so deafening!Some of ya might think these are just pathetic excuses from me to not like the anime.
However this is my personal opinion and if any of you like it, thats totally fine.
I honestly did want to like it but it just didn't match up my own personal tastes!.
Characters - I'm always a fan of shows where the main characters are geniuses and where the writers take the time to also flesh out their personalities and show their actions in a way that the audience can follow.
Its way more satisfying than when a one-dimensional genius character does a thing offscreen and you're supposed to find it impressive.
Sora and Shiro are very relatable and entertaining.
Watching them solve puzzles and play games is just a lot of fun.
The supporting cast members are also great, but the two leads are definitely my favorite.
Visuals - The actual animation is a lot more smooth and fluid than I was expecting for an anime.
It looks pretty great.
Aside from the literal animation, the visuals are fantastic.
The character designs and settings are all fun and nice to look at.
The most unique visual decision made was that there aren't black outlines around characters and objects.
It really gives the world a distinct feel.
Audio - I watched this with the Japanese dub.
The voice acting is pretty great, along with the music and sound design.
Its interesting, clever, satisfying, and funny.
The only thing wrong with it is that at the time of me writing this review there is only one season..
Some minor character spoilers occur, but no actual plot spoilers.There's been a strange transition for anime in the last 10 years.
Instead, series are now being pumped out an alarming rate that attempt to do these things at once, but never truly do.No Game, No Life as a whole exemplifies this trend, magnified threefold.
Instead, we're left with a masterfully vibrant and colorful vehicle, completely saturated with fan service that may appeal to the 14-year old demographic, but quickly looses anybody who's past puberty.The ensemble in this series is a cast of over characterized buxom women, constantly swooning around a single (virgin) male protagonist, making obnoxious anime facial gestures, and seemingly defying both gravity and genetics with skinny well endowed bodies that loose articles of clothing for almost no reason.
Ironically, not a single nipple or pubic hair is shown in this series, despite just how much time is spent looking at panties under skirts and making drawn out jokes about breasts.
You'll see all the skin and shiny bosoms in the world, completely naked men and women, but without actual nudity anywhere.
What's the most irritating part is just how much plot IS actually there, as well as the amount of time spent on explaining real-life math theory, physics, chemistry and even vocabulary in this series, through some drawn out exposition usually by the protagonists.The two main protagonists in this series are a pair of nihilist (and possibly incestuous...) siblings Sora and Shiro, whose sole mission in life is to play games to the point of exhaustion and then explain to everyone around themselves how superior they are for knowing the inner workings of the formulas involved in said games.
(Where they get the money to pay for rent is never made clear, but hey this is anime we don't need details!) For example, the 9 possible outcomes and random ratios involved in a two-person game of Rock, Paper, Scissors.
This is fine the first time or two, but when it eats up an entire 22 minute episode and the same stunned look is on the opponents' faces every time, it gets dull.
Like watching Goku continuously and inevitably beat every opponent he ever comes across, there's no potential for defeat, and therefor no REAL risk.
AKA, boring.The other members of the cast are a spectrum of female anime tropes who we've all seen over and over and over again; submissive, skinny, sexualized big-eyed nymphos seemingly destined to hover around a lucky know-it-all virgin male who spends all his time playing games.
They may be pretty to look at, they may be fun to watch interact, but ultimately it's done.
For example, an omnipotent angel-God woman in this series has a Library of Congress size volume of encyclopedia at her disposal, but doesn't know where the erogenous zones are for humans that have the EXACT same body parts in the exact same areas she does...
It's really just an excuse for fan service.The back story in this series isn't clear until midway through, 16 types of humanoid tribes are fighting for ownership of a region based upon 10 laws played out into real-time games, all of which are governed over by an androgynous child being known as Tet. Violating these rules forfeits the battle with the violator losing, unless you aren't caught cheating.
This is a theme the lead antagonist uses through-out the series, finding loopholes into situations where the rest of the denizens have no concept of what math is.For all it's flaws and tried tropes, this series does break ground on something I've yet to see, just how freaking vibrant, colorful, and eloquently drawn a series can possibly be!
This is a step in the right direction for series anime; this series is the sharpest I've ever seen.
Every facet of every object has an infinite color gradient, with pinks, greens, violets, blues engorging every single frame.
It is jaw dropping saturated with color, and the animation doesn't miss a beat.
Having this series on mute playing in the background is just as impressive as listening to it's expositions.
The animation is worth the rent alone.But for all it's colors, and interesting anecdotal information, No Game, No Life just doesn't quite do what it sets out to do.
If you're going to put heroes into vulnerable life threatening situations, have some consequences!
If you're going to have virgin men surrounded by overtly sexual concubines...
Quit beating around the bush, and actually push the envelope you're attempting to push.
I have a feeling that the creators avoided too much detailed sexuality and nudity due to Shiro being an 11 year old girl, but the fact that she's completely naked in the series several times, they show gratuitous pantie shots of her, and the other characters interact with her in alarmingly uncomfortable instances totally voids this caution.TL;DR, worth the rent for it's animation, probably not worth the cost ownership for the Blu-ray..
No game, No life has a rather weird description but It's really worth watching and has a huge potential!
The story is about two siblings who are hardcore gamers and are known as the Blank players.
Legend says that they have never been beaten in ANY game, Chess, Online football, online MMO, shooters nothing.
One day they receive a mysterious email about If they ever felt that the world they lived in wasn't where they belonged.
The siblings agreed and suddenly teleported into a new world where the God stated that their be no War no Violence and no theft and that everything had to be solved with a game, their are a total of 16 races and Humans are known to be the least powerful up till now perhaps?
No game no Life is a comedy/action/adventure/intellectual anime.
The storyline is to early to say but I have to admit that I have never loved characters of an anime so quickly and that I was laughing on the floor most of the episodes I watched I truly recommend trying it out yourself!.
How can anybody, in the right mind, consider this to be any good?
The two main characters, Sora and Shiro, parade Steph around like she is their dehumanized slave.
They treat all of the other female main characters like trash.
In one episode, they dress Steph like a dog and make her "dog for a day"; if anyone was to do this in real-life, he/she would be condemned as a sadomasochist - or worse!
Considering that this anime is plagued with panty-shots, pornographic and perverted bath-tub scenes with the hentai-type tentacle thing that molests the girls while they are bathing (this is shown in a couple of the episodes), and the moe catgirl-type characters in the final battle with the Eastern Federation, I just did not see anything of redeeming value.
There is no memorable or likable humor whatsoever in this schlock-fest of an anime.
The only thing that I found even remotely interesting about this anime was that, in one of the episodes, they did a brief parody of "Castle in the Sky" when one of the protagonists made a reference about Laputa.
Everything else was just pornographic, fan-service garbage suitable only for a complete loser.
Please do yourself a favor and AVOID THIS ANIME LIKE THE PLAGUE!.
A 'Caught in an Online World' anime with a difference.
Eighteen year old Sora and his eleven year old step sister Shiro are hikikomori, total recluses, in the real world but when they play on line games together they are the unbeatable team known only as 'Blank'.
They spend all their time on line until one day, after winning a game of chess, they find themselves drawn into the online world of Disboard.
Here they learn that everything is decided by a game where the loser can't back out of any forfeit agreed beforehand and to be caught cheating means instant defeat.
Sora is determined to win until he has defeated everybody there despite the fact that he and Sora are part of Imanity; the weakest of the races of Disworld.
If they are to achieve their ultimate aim they will first need to rise to the top of Imanity then figure out how to turn the games so that it is possible for them to beat the stronger races such as the Elves and Warbeasts.There have been a few series recently where people get caught in an online world; this one is somewhat different though; here only two people are brought into the game and rather than trying to find a way out they relish the idea!
At first I thought the fact that Blank never seemed to lose would prove to be disappointing but as the series progressed it became clear that the fun was seeing how they would turn apparent defeat into a real victory.
Sora was a somewhat obnoxious protagonist but he wasn't too unlikeable and Shiro and the other characters who were drawn into their quest were fun to watch.
The animation is pretty good and its slightly unusual colour palette gives Disworld a distinctive look which I rather liked.
Overall I liked this series far more than I expected and hope there is more to follow; the final scene certainly left a possibility of a further series open.These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles. |
tt0390393 | Puppet Master: The Legacy | The film begins with a rogue agent, Maclain (Kate Orsini), in one of the rooms in the Bodega Bay Inn, reading Toulon's diary, hoping to find some secret to the formula. The diary bursts into flames. As Maclain enters the basement, she finds a man named Eric Weiss (Jacob Witkin) talking to the last Toulon puppets: Blade, Pinhead, Jester, Tunneler, and Six Shooter. Eric explains that he knew Toulon before he died, and that he swore he wouldn't pass it to anyone else. Maclain threatens Eric with a gun. Eric then takes out a tape recorder, and plays a recording that Toulon left him.
Cut back to present day, Eric reveals that his real name is Peter Hertz, the boy who was saved by Toulon in Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge. After the conversation, Maclain, stressed out, shoots Eric in the knee, knowing he knows more about Toulon and his puppets' bloody legacy, such as Toulon's suicide. Eric believes that Toulon only killed those who deserved to die. Maclain, however, brings up the subject of the murders that happened with the parapsychologists in Puppet Master II. After the argument over whether Toulon was good or bad, Maclain still threatens to shoot Eric with the gun. Eric tells her that the puppets fought a war that was a hell of a lot tougher than anything they ever known, and then he plays another tape recording of Toulon, which tells about Sutek's attempt to steal the elixir formula to kill the Puppet Master.
After the recording finished, Maclain tells Eric that she knows everything about Rick, because before she came to the hotel, she went to Rick's house where she found Toulon's diary. When Rick didn't cooperate to give up the diary, she shot him and his friends four times and took the diary with her. Seeing that there's one last recording, Maclain threatens him to play it. The recording talks about how there's always someone discovering Toulon's secret, even after his supposed death, always someone who didn't fully understand what a gift, or a Curse...the formula for the puppets really was. After the recording, Pinhead throws a mallet at Maclain's head and Eric shoots her in the heart with her own gun, for trying to take over the puppets. Maclain, minutes away from death, explains that's not what she wants, and she tells Eric that when the puppets brought Toulon back to life, he resumed his final experiment, the one he started before he committed suicide: Soul Transference.
Maclain then explains that she's not here for the secret of bringing the puppets to life to sell it to the open market, she's there to know what makes them die for good. Maclain finally explains: Toulon and ALL of the Puppet Masters that followed in his footsteps created immortals, souls trapped in wooden bodies, living every day in agony, wanting revenge on their Puppet Master, whose title now belongs to Eric. After explaining, Maclain drops dead on the floor. Eric hears something behind, turns around, and sees the immortals that the Puppet Masters have created (off-screen). He points the gun at them and pulls the trigger. Then a note appears: The producers would like to thank all the cast and crew that helped make the Puppet Master series a tremendous success over the years, ending the series with the puppets themselves to fight off the Puppet Masters' unholy creations. | flashback | train | wikipedia | A cheap, sloppy mess, "Puppet Master: The Legacy" is the second-worst entry in the series, and a fundamentally flawed, "clip-show" of a film with no originality....
I'm thrown for a loop trying to think of how to write a review for Charles Band's 2003 film "Puppet Master: The Legacy." I actually, honestly cannot think of a way to summarize it.
I grew up watching copies of the earlier "Puppet Master" movies behind my parent's backs (they didn't approve of the gore until I was a teenager), so when I recently got the "Puppet Master" box-set as a nostalgic gift from my father, I popped this one in, thinking it would be an interesting film.Oh...
god.Words cannot describe this movie."Puppet Master: The Legacy" is essentially a 15-minute long short film, that is padded with about an hour of footage from the previous films, as a character explains the plot of the series to another person.
Those lame episodes where the producers would run out of money and just string together a series of clips from prior episodes, with a lame bookend scene of the characters recalling the old clips?
This movie is one of those!And what makes it even sadder- the "story" that is used to string together the clips is one of the most poorly written, insanely plotted and hilariously cheaply-shot "plots" I've ever seen.The abundance of old footage actually serves two purposes, to actually be fair.
One- for the reason I stated above, to give the producers fodder to release a new DVD of this awful clip-show, and Two- to try and fix a few continuity problems that existed within the series.
So disrespectful to the fans.)The plot of the new footage is this- a man named Eric Weiss (unknown actor who we'll never hear from again) is captured by some rogue agent chick named Maclain (unknown actress who we'll never hear from again) who forces him to tell her the story of the puppets from the movies.
It looks like it was filmed on an 80's VHS camcorder, the lighting is abysmal, there is no real set-decoration or design to speak of, and the acting is hilariously bad.As a fan of the series, this film just felt like a cheap, cash-grabbing insult.
(Yet somehow isn't as bad as the pain-inducing "Puppet Master VS Demonic Toys." Saw that once about five years ago, and it still makes me angry.).
The Puppet Master movies were among the best movies ever produced by Full Moon Entertainment in the early 90s.
The movies were of good quality but when Full Moon's budget started to be lower, the movies' quality went downhill, with bad effects and awful scripts.
To end quickly, the Puppet Master storyline was a chaos with the only things that tied the movies together were the Puppets and its original master, Andre Toulon.
So Charles Band, the mind behind most of Full Moon Entertainment successes and failures gives us "Puppet Master: The Legacy" as a way to fix the problems of the series and finally putting an end to his beloved story.In "Legacy", we find Peter Hertz, the boy who as child during World War II was helped by Andre Toulon and escaped with him from Nazi Germany.
In the Bodega Bay hotel he found Toulon's notes and his beloved Puppets, but he was found by a mysterious woman named Maclain (Kate Orsini) hired to find the Puppets and Toulon's secret.The movie follows a discussion between the two of them, remembering Toulon and his actions since he learned the secret of life, until his death and rebirth.
While Weiss remembers Toulon as a great man whose life was destroyed by the Nazis, Maclain knows him as a mad psycho who enslaved the puppets.The movie works very well in terms of giving sense to the storyline, trying to fix the enormous plot holes the series had.
To do this, the movie uses clips from all the Puppet Master movies, although this has to do more with the fact that it had almost no budget than with a creative decision.The new material (barely 30 minutes) is well acted, and in fact is better acted than most of the acting in the series.
It really shows how hard Band tried to fix his most successful series, as the clips from previous movies are very good edited, and work better than watching the entire awful movies (clips from Parts 4, 5 and Retro Puppet Master for example).
We also get to know the fate of characters from all the movies, as they are mentioned in the conversations between Maclain and Weiss.As a fan, watching the movie was kind of sad, because it was very obvious that this was a desperate attempt to fix a series that has been badly damaged over the years; nevertheless, the effort is very appreciated, because it finally gives a fitting conclusion to Full Moon's best selling movies.30 minutes and clips of previous movies is not my idea of a good movie, but this movie is definitely a must see for every fan of the Puppet Master series.
There are hardly any new material and just of a man remembering the old movies.The result is a complete mess of clips without proper story line.
The whole point of this movie must be to get some fast money from the fans of the series without making any effort.There is just nothing here for anyone.
I you never seem a Puppet Master movie go see another one.I would recommend Puppet master or Puppet Master 3 - Toulon's Revenge as a starting point for this series..
This movie is a great way for the series to finally end.
Personally I wish Puppet Master Vs. Demonic Toys would finally be made but the way this movie ends they basically say "This is THE final movie in the series...".
And this was about one woman trying to stop the new puppet master because I would have never guessed that the puppets would be in pain.
Plus it showed some of the puppet master series that I didn't see and I what to see it so badly like part two.
It also showed little aliens from part 4 that was also cool, it showed other people episodes that might be good to them and it did.So thanks to this Puppet Master is going to be a big hit..
Puppet Master - The Legacy is basically a clip show of the previous movies which came before, so if you have seem them, you can skip this and don't miss anything new, except maybe 5-10 minutes of two people talking in a cellar.
Everything else is really just one big lazy as can get clip show so many series and sitcoms are doing to fill an episode to save money.But even if you haven't seen the previous movies, I wouldn't recommend it.
I actually stopped watching the films after this, and I liked the first three or five, they weren't very good, but charming and had some good stop motion animation, but they were getting worse, and this one is really one of the worst and laziest movies I ever saw.
The charm and puppeteering art of the Puppet Master movies is not to be found in "The Legacy"..
Puppet Master Legacy.
The problem with Legacy isn't the fact that it the majority of it shows all the past movies with a very small subplot.
It's not a good movie at all, the eighty percent of old scenes were boring and the new twenty percent were highlighted with a couple of horrible acting and more questions than answers.
Since this is chronologically the last movie in the series I'm looking forward to the possibility of a franchise rejuvenation in the near future..
Puppet Master: The Legacy (2004)I don't think I ever seen a series, well they only added 5 news scebes, in to one movie and run old flashback most of the movie.
Well I have only seen half of this movie, I could it not find it on DVD, Youtube had it but half the part was taken downThe only think i can say about this movie, If I saw this first , there would be no need to see the ones before.This movie added nothing new to the series at all, it just show you want to already knew.
Attempting to acquire the truth about the puppets, an agent interrogates one of the last known survivors of the legendary puppet masters' work and learns of their grisly history as to how they came into being as well as their history together, ultimately forcing a final showdown with them.This was one of the worst films ever made.
This is essentially a clip show of everything we've seen for the series up until the present, attempting to retcon the franchise into a cohesive storyline which is the only apparent purpose of this one.
There was quite an odd tone to this one as well due to the different types of films being covered which not only gives this quite a cheap look but also wildly chaotic and disjointed tone that really doesn't make much sense as there's no real connection to how this one goes back and forth between any of the films, and with a lame final stinger it makes no sense as for what the legacy actually is since everything is wrapped up in such a lame manner.
Despite it being constant puppet action and a fast-paced story, overall there's little need to watch this one at all.Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Language..
Remember when I said 6/7 may be the weakest entries to the franchise/series of the Puppet Master?
On the other hand, maybe this is sufficient and you don't need to watch all the previous entries to get you up to speed before the next three installments formed a trilogy that could've been shortened and was too long for it's own good and also kind of feels like a cash in?
Puppet Master: the Legacy: The Strings Have Been Dropped For This One. I am being honest when I say that I enjoy the Puppet Master films.
In fact, if Puppet Master 3 was the zenith, then this film is the nadir.
I used quotations because The Legacy isn't really a movie, per se, but a series of clips of stock footage from previous films framed by 25 minutes of new footage to form a pointless new story.
But if you're one of those sloths, then I pity you, because this Puppet Master is not seeing the series at its best.
Puppet Master: The Legacy (2003) 1/2 (out of 4) Ultra-cheap eighth entry in the series starts off with a woman taking Eric Weiss (the boy from PUPPET MASTER III) hostage and demanding him to tell her the secrets of the puppets.
From this point on we start a whole string of flash backs to earlier films in the series with constant "looks" at the present time as the woman becomes more and more demanding.
No, that honor goes to this installment, which runs 74-minutes and being generous I'd say that at least sixty-minutes are nothing more than clips from the previous seven movies.
Die-hard fans might enjoy seeing a cut down version of the previous movies with a few new scenes added in but to me this is about as cheap as you can get and I really see no reason to applaud the cheapness of a film like this.
The only reason I could see this film being important is for those people who aren't really interested in the series but want to see what "story" all of the movies told.
Instead of seeing the previous seven movies you could just watch this thing and get the general idea of what the series was about.
Unlike watching the previous seven movies in order, this one here would at least allow you to see the "story" in chronological order.
Since the series jumped around so much none of them were in order so the clips here are as followed: RETRO, PM3, PM, PM2, PM4, PM5 and then CURSE.
THE LEGACY is an ultra-cheap film that's only purpose was to milk an already dead series.
Puppet Master: The Legacy features a woman named Macclain (Kate Orsini) who has been hired to discover the secret behind puppet master Andre Toulon's (played by actors Guy Rolfe & William Hickey who is in the film & not just the trailer as the IMDb would have you believe) serum that manages to give life to his inanimate wooden puppets such as Blade, Tunneller, Six Shooter, Torch, Leech Woman, Pinhead & the cool Jester who each become living killing machines ready to protect their creator.
Macclain breaks into Toulon's final resting place Bogeda Bay Inn where she finds Toulon's old friend Eric Weiss (Jacob Witkin) & threatens to torture & kill him unless he hands the secret over, as the two argue the truth about Andre Toulon is revealed as his entire life & the events surrounding his killer puppets are told...Directed by Charles Band under the pseudonym of Robert Talbot Puppet Master: The Legacy is the eighth & to date final film in the Puppet Master franchise that started with the excellent Puppet Master (1989) all those years ago, the series carried on with Puppet Master II (1991), Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge (1991), Puppet Master 4 (1993), Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter (1994), Curse of the Puppet Master (1998) & finally Retro Puppet Master (1999) before this instalment which went straight to video in '03.
Courtney Joyner under the pseudonym of Gene Yarbrough tries to tell the tale of Andre Toulon in chronological order & make some sense out of it unlike the series as it stands at the moment & is basically an excuse to use as much footage from the previous seven Puppet Master films as possible, Puppet Master: The Legacy features clips from all of the previous entries.
The clips are reasonably well edited into into a new film, there are a few sudden jumps in logic & location, there are numerous occasions where character's just come & go within the space of a few minutes & it's a bit choppy as you would expect a 70 minute film made up from seven other films would be.
I was going to start this comment by saying that I was a fan of the Puppet Master films but then I realised I have only seen the first two which I thought were both great, unfortunately judging by some of the footage from the other sequels the series obviously went downhill in a big way.
I must admit I rather liked Puppet Master: The Legacy, they at least keep things moving, the clips used are good, I've only seen the first two so most of the footage was new to me anyway & rather surprisingly the twist ending was rather good, in fact I'd go as far as to say it was pretty clever (hell, I doubt there are many instances in any Puppet Master film you could describe as clever) & was a nice way to round things off.Director Band doesn't do anything as there's hardly any new footage here, what is here is reasonably well shot & there are some OK shots of the puppets.
The puppets themselves are cool & probably the best bunch of killer toys ever to grace the silver screen!The budget stretched to one room, some scientific lab equipment & the services of two actors, that's all there is to Puppet Master: The Legacy.
The acting was alright.Puppet Master: The Legacy isn't for everyone that's for sure as most of it is just footage taken from the other Puppet Master films.
However I quite liked it as I really like the first two in the series, the killer puppets themselves have real character & personality & are some of the best & most memorable seen in this type of film & if you like the Puppet Master series & know what your getting yourself into then I'd say it's worth watching but probably not worth buying as you'd only want to watch it once.
The problem is instead of answering some questions such as why Toulon was out of character in part 2 and what Curse of the Puppet Master was about.
Hopefully now that Full Moon is back on it's feet the Puppet Master series will return to the glory days of the excellent parts 1-5.
Unlike most though, I thought retro puppet master was cute, yet nothing great.
Yes, one was released in 2008 and the other in 2012.The best guess possible is that production problems struck but the studio still had to put out a film as per contract, so a Quick story was put together to try and plug the gaps until the later films would eventually be realised.As such, this film is one giant Spoiler!!!What makes me think that the Later movies were in production but put on hold?
Well, having watched them in chronological order - Some "Post Production" effects are missing from some of the cobbled together scenes, as well as some small dialogue changes.Compared to the last movie, the editing is far, far better...
Continuity wise its hard to know where this actually fits in the series as once again it seems to ignore events of previous films in the franchise...
But at least its not as badly edited as Curse of the Puppet Master.Random Irritations:The stolen scene from one of the old Sinbad Movies...Some of the cobbled together Post Production scenes give a little too much away about the inner workings of the film...
You can actually hear the small explosive charge used to shatter a window!!!A scene boarding a train taken from another entirely different Movie.Random Superb Moments: Revisiting the far superior Puppet Master 3: Toulon's RevengeSo, this is rightfully the LAST in the series, regardless of what the Wiki says... |
tt0366848 | Onegai Teacher | Please Teacher! is a story mainly revolving around a tight-knit group of friends in high school and how they cope with several life-changing events that are never too far off from intimate relationships. The main character is a boy named Kei Kusanagi who suffers from a very rare disease which causes a comatose state referred to as a "standstill" whenever he is under severe emotional distress.
Before the beginning of the story, Kei, at 15 years of age, had fallen into a "standstill" lasting three years after witnessing the suicide of his elder sister. After recovering, he quietly moved away from home in order to avoid social difficulty due to his long absence, and began living with his uncle, a medical doctor, and aunt. Due to the strange nature of how he came to live there, Kei wanted to keep the situation a secret from his new friends for fear of being ostracized as being too old to associate with them. After Kei had established himself in his new surroundings and had entered into a close group of mutually supportive friends, a Galactic Federation starship had entered Earth's atmosphere stealthily, approached Honshū Island and landed surreptitiously in Lake Kizaki.
The story begins with Kei suffering a minor 'standstill' while in the vicinity of the lake, witnessing several unexplainable phenomena happening there, and then watching as a beautiful half-human alien named Mizuho Kazami materialize beside the shore. Kazami was sent to observe planet Earth by a seemingly benevolent Galactic Federation in order to prevent humans from making developmental mistakes. (Later, it is revealed that she had personal reasons; she wanted to see the home planet of her father, who had died when she was a child.) Kei, upon observing the materialization, attempts to escape the pursuing Kazami. Kazami is under strict orders to prevent her true identity and mission from being discovered. During his attempt to escape, Kei falls into the lake. Kazami rescues Kei and, using information from his identification, is able to return him home in secret. The next day, Kazami has become Kei's new homeroom teacher and next-door neighbor.
During assisting her in moving in, Kei suffers another standstill, and while in a weakened state explains his predicament to the compassionate Mizuho, who ends up revealing her own origins and purpose on Earth. Several accidental activations of Mizuho's teleport technology (which were inadvertently caused by Kei) eventually place Kei and Mizuho in a couple of compromising situations in front of his uncle and aunt and his school's headmaster, but Kei protects Mizuho from charges for an inappropriate relationship between student and teacher by impulsively stating that they are married, resulting in an actual civil marriage that later blossoms into genuine affection for each other. The headmaster relents, partly because he, too, had married a former student younger than himself and can understand their situation personally. Both are allowed to stay so long as they do not reveal their status to the other students, and do not engage in any public displays of affection.
The remainder of the series concerns the budding intimate relationships between the close friends, one of whom (Koishi Herikawa) is romantically interested in Kei, and another (Ichigo Morino) who has suffered even greater loss of time from the same disease as he has; the problems of having to maintain the secrecy of the marriage; an interfering parent and sibling visiting from the Galaxy Federation; and Kei learning to overcome the ever-present threat of another lengthy 'standstill' stealing more of his life, particularly as he has fallen deeply in love with Mizuho and desperately wants to remain with her.
Eventually Kei falls into another major "standstill" and in order to bring him out of it, Mizuho has to use her technology which is against the law. As a result, her status on Earth is revoked, she is banned from the planet and all memory of her is erased from everyone's, including Kei's, minds. With the help of her mother and sister she sneaks back and is devastated to learn that Kei, who she is deeply in love with, has no memory of her. While helping her move back in, Kei reveals that his memory has returned and the two express their love for each other and get married again. | psychedelic | train | wikipedia | I don't quite know how but while I was surfing the net I came across a random advert for "Please Teacher" first thoughts it was an episode of Pokemon.
The series was well spaced out over 12 episodes and an extra one which just gives you a nice little extra.Anyway focusing on the series, its a story revolving around a teenager who falls in love an alien teacher (believe it or not, hence the name).
I was hooked on this from beginning to end and so by the sounds of it so were many others.In conclusion, I'm no anime nerd and if you never have watched one of these adult themed cartoons I would recommend this one for sure.
A great contrast of characters and fun story line.
I have watched this series, and I totally agree with the other guy.
I would really love to see Bandai bring out another season or 20...as long as they are as good as the first...I was quite sad to see the story end, and am also left with a feeling of emptiness, (and I'm a 27yo guy) ha ha.
This is a slightly sexually oriented show and is intended for more mature audience, however there a couple scenes were blurred\censored, I don't feel that is necessary, as it is art...hand animated drawings, not real images that these MATURE folks are viewing, I mean, whats the point in drawing it if you are just going to censor it back out?
but thats just my opinion...anyway Great Series, A+, ***** Buy it, Watch it, Love it.
An Anime Worth Watching.
For someone who has seen the first 150 episodes of Naruto, the first two seasons of Ranma 1/2, about 75 or so episodes of Inuyasha, all 28 episodes of .hack//SIGN, all 26 episodes of His and Her Circumstances, all 6 episodes of FLCL, the first 27 episodes of FullMetal Alchemist,OVA 1 and 2 of Ai No Kusabi, and all 13 episodes of Please Teacher, I am glad to say that this anime has some of the most funniest scene's I've ever seen in...
This anime has love, sorrow, science fiction, fantasy, humor and all the body that makes a good anime.
The characters also grow within and along with the plot of the story which makes this anime one worth watching!
Kei Kusanagi is a 15-year-old student with a secret: he's actually 18.
He suffers from a disease that puts him into a state of suspended animation when he's stressed, and once put him out for 3 years (there is some scientific validity to this: it's called cryptobiosis, and while there's no historical record of a human entering this state, Kei is supposed to be the very first case).
Light flickers nearby, and Kei watches as an angelic-looking alien visitor materializes on the shore.The next day, he discovers that the visitor, Mizuho Kazami, is posing as a teacher at his school, and has also moved in next door to where he lives.
Kei is the only person with the knowledge of who Mizuho really is, and she needs to speak to him about that privately, which leads to the two of them being caught in a compromising situation (she teleports them into a school equipment shed, where they are discovered).
The rest of the series deals with their relationship, the effect that keeping it a secret has on Kei's friendships, and the very real feelings that he and Mizuho begin to develop for each other.The series isn't perfect.
There is a somewhat jarring moment in the first episode where Mizuho goes from competent interstellar explorer to shy new teacher rather abruptly, and there are some awkward lines of dialogue, but these are small flaws in an otherwise well-made, very touching show..
This is a great anime, especially for unexperienced people to the anime/manga world.
The storyline is as such, the main character, Mihuzo Kazami, is an alien sent from the galactic federation to observe earth, but poses as a teacher to blend in.
Kei Kusanagi, a student in the school with strange debilitating illness that renders him in a standstill, discovers her secret and is discovered with her by his principal.
A series of events take place with Kei and Mihuzo dealing with love, loss, jealousy, and of course, some comedic "suggestive" scenes.
A word of advice for those new to anime, don't try watching all 12 episodes at once, it can really mess you up, believe me!
This is the best Anime in the world it stole my heart..
I loved this anime when i first saw it i got pulled in to the story.
i got so mad that i emailed bandai entertainment to see if they will bring out a season 2 of Onegai teacher.
i was feeling this emptiness in my heart this is a very powerful anime.
i can't explain my feelings about this anime but i wish it was real and that i was Kei. i would recommend it to all those anime lovers everywhere even if its your first anime it will love it..
A Classic Romantic Comedy Anime.
I was told of this by a friend as was with a few other anime so I ordered the DVD and you know what I didn't regret it one bit not just because of the animation or the wonderfully well drawn characters.I loved this because it was funny and although Kei and Mizuho's marriage is effectively one of convenience (i.e. protect Mizuho's secret) there was something VERY real between Kei and Mizuho especially as their relationship grows.Also other characters including Kei's aunt and uncle plus Kei's high school friends and other characters add plenty to this wonderful romantic comedy.Also I might add this was one anime that actually got adapted into a Manga and not some manga adapted into an anime.I think of Onegai Teacher/Please Teacher as one of the greatest romantic comedies EVER created!
When I first heard about this series from a friend,she told me that it was of her favorite anime.
But when I watched the preview of this series on one of my .hack//sign volumes,it was truly amazing.
My favorite characters in this show are:Kei.Mizuho,and Minoru.
We all need to move forward,and try to get through like Kei. Another thing that is cool about the series is the roles of Mizuho,and Minoru.
For all who those wants to believe that there's hope in everyone this is a good movie for you first of all i would like to say that this is an awesome show.
I was watching oh my goddess last week and i was really happy that i had watch it then suddenly i went to the net for other recommendation and i found out the that the guy who made oh my goddess was in this one two so i watched it...then wow all i can say is good storytelling and awesome comedy.
i would recommended this to anyone who like comedy romance with a touch of fantasy......10/10 excellent ending too....TRY love HINA now that is another story...so try watching this.
My friend's kind of an anime geek, so he was just browsing an electronics store that's somehow known for carrying some good anime movies and shows.
All through Teacher and Twins (except for the best parts) we were laughing our asses off at our own jokes.
The best parts of the two shows always held our rapt attention, because it is that great.I've been babbling about my first viewing of this for long enough.
Very, very good Anime.
If you want to watch young people going through emotional wringers in improbable but interesting story lines, get this anime.I like anime soaps, and this one is one of my three favourite, one of the others being the follow-on series Onegai Twins.
Over thirteen episodes it covers a lot of ground, and I would have liked to have seen a lot more.
The animation is good and the music...
The thing is, things don't look like they've advanced much since today.Anyway, the plot revolves around Kei, a high school student whose body suffers from what he calls stand-stills, where he blacks out without warning when under stress.
Kei thinks it's a dream, but the next day the woman, who calls herself Mizuho, takes over for his class, as his old teacher quit (or so his class is told).
Kei soon finds out she really is an alien, and promises to keep it a secret.
But then things take a turn for the stranger when, after the two are accidentally locked in an outdoor shed together and are found by the principal, Kei, in order to prevent Mizuho from being fired, tells the principal they are married (because he is 18, after all, or rather he should be).
The aunt and uncle decide to make it official, and soon a marriage certificate has been signed, the rings have been exchanged, and the aunt and uncle have moved Kei's things into Mizuho's apartment.
(No, really, I'm serious.) I've only seen the first DVD so far, so I think I may watch the rest to see how it plays out..
Onegai Teacher is a pretty good anime, but it falls short from being anything more.
There's a good amount of humor and some fun characters to follow.
The story is rather weak, but it's good enough.The relationship between Mizuho and Kei just never seems to click.
Couldn't they at least call it "Onegai Sensei"?This isn't a series I'd recommend, as hard as that is for me to say about any anime.
If you've watched all the other recent animes and you need something new, go for it.
It's not horrible, in fact I had a rather good time watching it.
Personally, I believe there's just better animes out there to choose from.
Other folks have loved this anime though, so it's all a matter of personal preference.Rirath_com.
When Kei a normal high school student, who dreams of finding the girl of his dreams, Kei finds out that his new teacher Kazami Mizohu is an alien from outer space who lands on earth to study humans for the Galaxy Federation.
To keep her secret he marries her and from there on its nothing but tests to their love for one another.
if you haven't seen Onegai Teacher I highly recommend it and urge you if you to make it TOP PRIORITY!.
The story revolves around a teacher and her student and how their relationship builds up.
It'll make you laugh, it'll make you cry and you'll love the characters that you will see in this anime.
Twins, is in fact a spin off that came out in 2003, a year after Onegai Teacher was released.
Teacher, as I thought it portrayed, as best as any given anime could, the post-pubescent worries of adolescent life.
Additional to this, woven into the storyline was a poignant love story, although somewhat unrealistic, between student and teacher.
I recommend this anime to all viewers, giving it a 7 out of 10.
I am a big fan of romantic comedy anime.
It has many elements that prove the good and the bad that comes along with falling in love with someone.
Kei Kusanagi finds himself charged with protecting the true identity of his homeroom teacher Mizuho Kazami, who also happens to be an alien.
Onegai Teacher is dramatic, funny, and adorable.It is truly my favorite anime.
Watch it or read the manga to understand how hard the creator worked on it..
As a guy who watched all 24 episodes of Love Hina, all 48 episodes of Kimagure Orange Road, and all 96 episodes of Maison Ikkoku (plus some Tenchis) and liked them all, I feel qualified to rate this series as utter crap.
Please Teacher takes the lamest and most overused aspects of those shows -- primitive accident-based humor (i.e. tripping and falling on a girl), pointless plot devices, forced drama, slow story development -- and throws it on top of weak characters that give little reason to care.Main guy Kei is the exact copy of Love Hina's Keitaro in both appearance and attitude (and name), and Mizuho (the teacher) embodies every clichéd frail female anime stereotype.
All of which make this the only anime series that clocks in at a tidy 13 episodes that I didn't have the willpower to finish.Don't be seduced by the high-quality cover art or the clever website preview.
I don't know how people can enjoy this show and where all the good reviews are coming from, but this show is terrible.
Don't get me wrong, I love anime.
And I know that one thing that comes hand in hand with anime is strange plot-lines.
You learn to love them if the anime is good, because it makes you think and it's interesting.
I never really understood the point of this series, I was just fine at Onegai Twins.
But they had to go and make another one, and unfortunately the masses of anime fans who like anything with the stereotypical busty girls with lucky guys show love it just because that's what it is.
For those of you looking for a real meaningful and worthwhile anime, avoid this one at all costs.
After Reading so many enthusiastic reviews I expected something really good.
Unfortunately, Onegai teacher happened to be one of the worst series I have ever seen.
Besides, the whole relationship with an alien teacher seems so weird and untrue.
To compare, Love Hina has much more comedy moments in it, and the synopsis is much better.
Onegai teacher could be as well summarized into three episodes, the action is so slow and it leads to nowhere.
The fact that the female lead is an alien does not make it sci-fi, because they aren't "alien" in any noticeable way.The series is extremely slow, it just shows everyday life for a teenage dude in school, and his friends and romances.
I cannot believe 12 episodes á 20 minutes could feel like an eternity.There's whiny teenage girls and illogical dilemmas.
It's only 13 eps long plus a short movie, well, it's the same length as the other eps, but it still is a great anime.
Though I am a fan of the anime, the manga is much better in my opinion.
A good chick anime show.
With a name like 'Onegai Teacher' ('Please Teacher'), one might expect this to be 1) a hentai show, 2) a harem anime, or 3) both.
Fortunately, what we have here is an entertaining little show that avoids the genres which have become the "box office poison" of anime.Kei Kusanagi is a boy in a small Japanese town (which, in truth, is closely based upon a real-life area near Lake Kizaki in Nagano Prefecture, Japan).
The next day, the woman (Mizuho Kazami) shows up as a new teacher in Kei's high school and even moves in near his house.
Mizuho's an alien sent to monitor the progress of Earth, and she goes to great lengths to protect her secret, but after some very complex and embarrassing situations, the two secretly marry each other to keep the truth about their encounters under wraps.Kei, who until now has led a relatively average and uninteresting life outside of his illness, now finds himself living with a babe-a-licious teacher--and coping with the numerous complications which arise from such a life.
Plus, there's Mizuho's mother and little sister to worry about.What with the endless number of romance anime shows revolving around simple boyfriend-girlfriend scenarios, it's interesting to see one that actually profiles a married couple.
Although I felt that some of the sci-fi elements weren't necessary, this 13-episode show held my interest quite a bit, and I recommend it.
If you enjoy this show, check out its sequel-spin off, 'Onegai Twins' ('Please Twins'), which is also more grounded in realism than 'Teacher'..
Please Teacher review.
This is my first time writing a review, but I felt compelled too for this anime.
Please Teacher has become one of my all time favorites, which is saying something.
The story follows Kusanagi Kei who ends up with an alien called Kazami Mizaho for his homeroom teacher, due to some mishaps beyond there control they end up married.
As with other anime there is another girl in love with Kei. Please Teacher tells the story of two people from different worlds finding love, and dealing with the ups and downs that come with it.
If you are new to anime or are a veteran I can't recommend this enough, at 13 episodes long you can binge watch it in day so give it a go.This review is after watching Please Teacher in both Japanese with subtitles and the English dub..
Really cringy af sci-fi romance anime but it did work!.
The story goes - a alien is in love with her student, marries him and her job is being kept with this secret.
I mean in reality, if a teacher marries her student, either she loses her job or the student is transfered to another school lol.
I was even more shocked that the uncle and aunt were laid back with Kei in marrying his teacher.
By the very weirdness, it was enjoyable to watch like I definately would recommend this all the way!I give this a 8/10!.
Sure, the guy looks too much like Keitaro Urashima of Love Hina, hence his name Kei, and a very attractive woman from another world falls for him, it has a bit of a different feel, than that of Tenchi, and yes, there are some comedy in it that looks like Oh My Goddess!
and stuff about Ichigo Morino, who is another stereotype, with the Rei like actions or Lolita complexes, there are things in it that make it worth watching.
For once, there is something about Kei's health that makes him like the stereotypical wimp hero, but at least he's got some background for it unlike Keitaro or Taro Hanaukyo!
Anyways, if you like Love Hina or Oh My Goddess! |
tt0040611 | Mouse Cleaning | The cartoon opens with Mammy Two Shoes mopping the kitchen floor. After she finishes, she is happy to have cleaned the entire house and hopes that it will remain clean; unfortunately, it doesn't, as the camera cuts to Tom chasing Jerry outside, rounding a corner too wide and through a mud puddle, and then continuing the chase into the house. He runs into Mammy and she hits him with the mop, chastises him for making such a huge mess and forces him to mop the floor. As Tom finishes, Mammy prepares to go shopping. She warns Tom that he had better not make any more messes in the house, or the whole neighborhood will lose one cat around here: him.
Tom nods his head in fright and Jerry, hiding behind a broom, also nods his head, about to take stock of the situation for the purpose of sabotaging Tom's efforts. After Mammy closes the door, Tom sticks his tongue out at her and makes a face, but she opens the door and points her finger directly at Tom, giving him a final warning that the place has to be clean or else. Tom then nods again and kisses her finger, smiling politely, and satisfied, Mammy leaves. For the rest of the cartoon, Jerry takes advantage of this conditional to torment the cat and to get him into trouble once and for all.
Tom finishes the remainder of the cleaning. Feeling relieved, Tom wipes the sweat off his forehead, but he immediately has to clean this up in addition. A fly buzzes through the room and leaves dirt behind on one of the windows, so Tom has to wipe the window down to boot. When he turns around, he is shocked out of his wits to see Jerry deliberately scooping ashes from an ashtray onto the floor. Tom quickly grabs a broom and dustpan and cleans up the mess, but no sooner has he finished doing so when Jerry is on the floor, holding the ashtray like a parade drum, and tripping the switch to dump more ashes onto the ground. Shocked and fed up, Tom angrily hurls a tomato at Jerry, who ducks as the tomato splatters into the wall, which creates an even bigger mess for Tom to clean up.
In apoplexy, the cat collects a bucket and starts to clean the wall, but he refuses to concentrate on the bucket and fails to spot Jerry deliberately emptying blue ink from an ink pen into the bucket. Midway through cleaning up the tomato, Tom has created an identically sized mess of blue ink on the wall caused by Jerry, and he realizes what has happened when he becomes aware that the water and towel are blue. In absolute dread, the cat covers his eyes and slowly turns to peek at his new mess, and then lifts his hand; his eyes exaggeratedly pop out and his jaw drops.
Soon, Tom sees Jerry holding the ink pen, and he starts a new chase in complete maniacal rage, which quickly stops when the pesky mouse threatens to squirt ink over the drapes. Smirking, he carries out this threat, but no ink successfully escapes; apparently, the pen is empty. The cat, delighted, steals the pen and accidentally empties it onto the drapes. In horror, he grabs the drapes and runs them through the washing machine, the wringer, and the iron. Exhausted, the cat replaces the drapes and breathes out hoarsely.
Shortly after this happens, Jerry returns to his sabotage again; this time, he deliberately juggles six eggs while walking a tightrope, forcing the cat to protect him in case he falls and, eventually, to catch the eggs when Jerry flings them across the room. In addition to juggling, Tom is forced to catch a cream pie on a fork using only his head, until he barely stands up. As the coup de grace, Jerry deliberately pulls the rug from under Tom, and although the cat recovers in time to snatch the egg carton and catch every egg in it, he completely forgets about the pie, which splatters onto his face.
Having been humiliated again, Tom searches for Jerry, who soon opens the front door for an old horse to walk into the house. Tom scares Jerry back out of the house as he quickly grabs the horse and throws it out (presumably doing away with Jerry in the process), and while his enemy is occupied with this, Jerry takes the opportunity to unknowingly re-enter the house through an electrical outlet marked Emergency Entrance, ready for another scheme. Tom goes to sleep, having apparently gotten rid of all threats.
Meanwhile, Jerry pushes an ink stamp pad onto Tom's feet and hands, and when the cat wakes up, he shuts the pad on Tom's nose before the cat can process what he sees; accordingly, Tom forgets about the stamp pad and chases the mouse. Jerry leads Tom on an off-screen chase through the entire house, and when the duo finally pulls back into view, Jerry stops the chase and points, prompting the cat to look at the disgraceful, gigantic mess of paw prints he now has to clean up. Looking at his now ink-covered paws, Tom makes the connection and picks up the mouse, hurls him down the laundry chute, and races to clean the house before Mammy returns.
On the verge of finishing his cleaning job, Tom sees a furious Mammy coming up the sidewalk; he hurriedly finishes, then stows the cleaning supplies behind the couch and sits down hopefully, waiting impatiently for Mammy's return. Meanwhile, a truck full of coal has come to the house to make a delivery, but Jerry grabs a rope and ties it to the delivery chute. Jerry pulls the delivery chute up to the living room such that the entire shipment of coal literally barges into the house (Jerry is not seen again afterwards), pushing Tom towards the front door and then knocking Mammy down the moment she opens it. As soon as she digs her head out from the coal, she begins threatening to throttle Tom, despite the utter impossibility of Tom being responsible for this new mess. Just then, Tom emerges in blackface.
Thinking that he is a black man with information on Tom, Mammy asks him if he saw Tom. Tom, knowing that he is in trouble now, responds (via Stepin Fetchit's voice) that he has not: "No, Ma'am! I ain't seen no cat around here! Uh uh! There are no cats, no place, no how! No MA'AM!". Tom, meanwhile, walks away from the coal pile, but only his head is blackened, so his ruse doesn't fool Mammy. Then Mammy begins to pelt pieces of coal angrily at him. He taunts her despite the fact that the last few pieces of coal barely missed him and tries to run away, but soon, Mammy throws another piece of coal into the distance and it ends up hitting Tom, knocking him out in an identical fashion to Tee for Two as the cartoon ends. | psychedelic | train | wikipedia | Mouse Cleaning is one of the most hilarious Tom and Jerry cartoons ever!.
Just rewatched this classic Tom and Jerry cartoon on YouTube.
It's the one where Mammy Two-Shoes (voice of Lillian Randolph who I knew from my favorite movie It's a Wonderful Life as well as from the radio show "The Great Gildersleeve") threatens Tom eviction if she sees one spot in the house when she comes back.
Naturally, Jerry will do everything to Tom so he gets his just desserts!
When I first saw this in the late '70s on afternoon television, they actually showed the cat in blackface at the end and speaking in the now unacceptable dialect of the stereotypical Negro.
Despite that, this is one of the most hilarious cartoons ever!
I mean, it's so hilarious seeing Tom frantically cleaning up while Jerry the mouse sabotages him at every turn!
William Hanna and Joseph Barbera really topped themselves with this one and perhaps one-upped M-G-M colleague Tex Avery as well.
So on that note, I highly recommend Mouse Cleaning..
Recycling old material.
Tom is given an ultimatum once again, he's out for good if the house is not clean when his master comes back from shopping.OK, it's pretty much like the first Tom & Jerry short "Puss Gets the Boot", except for not breaking things it's about not dirtying things: Tom cleans and scrubs while Jerry does the exact opposite.
It's not too hard to guess how it'll end...The artwork is not bad if not anything to write home about and there are a couple funny sight gags, like Tom kissing his masters finger.
Whenever these cartoons brought a new character to the screen (s)he had a purpose, be it a rival cat or a love-stricken buzzard.
This one has a horse that could have been something but stays in the picture for 10 seconds doing nothing - either the writers lacked imagination or the animator thougth that a hay-eating-horse is the funniest thing on earth.On a positive side Tom has probably never had a more feline moment when he goes to sleep and stretches his feet and toes.
If you own a cat you'll know what I mean when you see the moment.Although Jerry has tormented Tom in every cartoon, in this cartoon his anarchistic malice, especially pouring the ink into the cleaning water reminded me a lot of Harpo's pranks in those Marx films, where Harpo could shred unsuspecting peoples clothes and paperwork with a big smile.So there.
It's worth a look and not that bad as I may make it sound, just average..
Cleanliness is next to godliness.
Mammy-Two-Shoes (not dubbed by the PC-brigade in the version I saw) has just finished cleaning the whole house when Tom bursts in the door, covered in muck, chasing Jerry.
She freaks and tells him to keep the house spic and span until she gets back from the store.
This he has no problem doing, but Jerry, for no other reason than to be mean, decides to wreck the place so Tom works himself to death picking it up after him.There are some good gags but I'm surprised no one complained at the final bit where Tom, covered in coal dust (now looking like a black cat) pretends to be some other cat to Mammy-Two-Shoes and acts like a retarded, cotton-picking 19th century slave.
I don't find it offensive, he's probably just mimicking Jim from Huckleberry Finn but it's this kind of thing that cartoons got away with back in the day and something you'll never see in the airbrushed, static, PC crap of today.No one is credited for Tom's voice or Mammy-Two-Shoes'..
A Classic Tom & Jerry.
Tom Cat is warned by his master: "If I find one dirty spot here in this house, we're going to be minus one cat around here." Jerry Mouse makes a mess to clean up and finally, the mouse fills up the house with coal..
I like Tom and Jerry a lot, and while I did find Mouse Cleaning entertaining, I did find it nothing special as well.
The artwork is beautiful with some truly lovely background art and colouring, and the music is typically energetic.
Most of the gags do work, particularly with Tom desperately tries cleaning up the house with Jerry making it increasingly difficult and Tom and Jerry are both fun to watch.
What didn't quite work for me was the standard story, one or two moments where the pacing wasn't as secure as it could have been, the beginning particularly could have had less time to get started, and two questionable gags, one being the horse gag, which was rather lame, and the one with Tom covering himself in coal dust and the way he acts after, which is some proof of why I can be sometimes marvel at what cartoons can get away with.
All in all, nothing special but it was entertaining.
All in all, nothing special but it was entertaining.
7/10 Bethany Cox. A fairly good Tom & Jerry short.
Tom & Jerry are one of my favorite characters from Hanna/Barbera along with Penelope Pitstop and Scooby Doo.This short is a fairly good, and it has a couple of good gags like Jerry scattering ash from the ash tray in a way like a marching band drum, and in the end where Tom in blackface does a Stepin Fetchit routine.
Of course, cartoons from the 1930s to the 1950s contain gags that included stuff that appear to have racial or ethnic prejudice, which were a common place in American society at that time, so keep that in mind.
So like I had said, this is a fairly good short.
But one last thing is that I didn't get the old horse gag, I mean what's it going' do?
stink up the whole house?
or crap everywhere?
*NOTE* 7/10 Stars for a mediocre gags and one that didn't make sense (to me).
Jerry does the dirty on Tom..
Mouse Cleaning might just feature a new take on an old ideaTom must prevent Jerry from causing a mess, or he's out on his earbut, thanks to some very funny gags and one delightfully un-PC moment (thankfully left intact in the version I saw), it actually proves to be a pretty enjoyable cartoon.There is plenty of fun to be had from watching the mischievous Jerry mouse trashing Mammy Two Shoes' house, and Tom's desperate attempts to return the place to its original spick-and-span condition are a delight to behold.
Hilarious highlights include the mouse squirting ink into a bucket of water being used by Tom to clean up a mess, Tom juggling eggs and balancing a pie in an effort to prevent further chaos, Jerry leading an old horse into the house (a brief moment, but very funny), and the mouse inking up an exhausted Tom's paws and then getting the poor cat to chase him all over the house.And that un-PC moment?
Well, Jerry redirects a coal delivery so that it pours through an open window.
When Mammy sees the ensuing turmoil, a black-faced Tom adopts a negro accent and slowly slips away..
Not PC but very funny.
After Thomas chases Jerry into the house and gets the kitchen floor muddy after Mammy Two Shoes has just cleaned it he is told he must clean it up while she is out...
and if there is any mess in the house when she returns he won't be living there any more.
Needless to say Jerry takes this as his cue to make as much mess as possible; he empties the ash tray onto the carpet; juggles eggs and squirts ink into the water Tom is using to clean the walls.
Eventually it looks as if Tom has got the house spotless again...
that is until Jerry redirects the coal delivery just as Mammy Two Shoes returns...
leading to a politically incorrect black-face gag that is cut from versions aired today.This short may take place in the standard setting but it is a little different as for the most part Tom isn't racing around trying to catch Jerry.
Here Jerry is very much the antagonist as he tries to make a mess.
The gags vary from the obviously funny, such as the egg juggling, to downright malicious; such as ink gag.
The final gag, which is cut from some versions, is a little shocking in this day and age as Tom, with his face blackened by coal talks like a black man...
although at least his voice was provided by a black man not somebody pretending to be black..
Fascinating, if somewhat derivative, Tom and Jerry short.
This is a Tom and Jerry short from the late 1940s.
There will be mild spoilers ahead: This short, which features Mammy Two-Shoes, a recurring human character, is a very good though typical Tom and Jerry short.
Mammy has just spent much of the day cleaning house when Tom chases Jerry into the house, tracking mud on the floor in doing so.Mammy sets Tom to clean up his mess and tells him he's out if she sees any mess when she gets back from shopping.
He's faced similar "or else" situations before, so now the drill is in place-Jerry hears the threat and gleefully sets about making certain there's plenty of chances for there to be a mess which forces Tom to spend much of the short frantically cleaning the messes Jerry so fiendishly engineers(most with Tom's unwitting participation.Jerry's most devilish trick just happens to coincide with Mammy's return and the ship hits the sand for poor Tom, who hasn't a prayer of getting clear of things.
Mammy has a great throwing arm and a fine sense for trajectories and cartoon physics!
Poor Tom.There are a few details which some might find offensive, so, sadly, this cartoon will probably never find a release on DVD or Blu-Ray, which is a shame, because it's an entertaining short and deserves to be seen.
It's got a superb vocal performance by Lillian Randolph as Mammy.
Well worth watching.
Recommended. |
tt0058323 | Man in the Middle | Friction develops between American and British troops stationed in India during World War II and culminates in physical outbreaks between the troops when, in 1944, American 2nd Lieutenant Winston (Keenan Wynn) shoots unarmed British Staff Sergeant Quinn (Bill Mitchell) multiple times seemingly without provocation before 11 witnesses. American General Kempton (Barry Sullivan) assigns Lieutenant Colonel Barney Adams (Robert Mitchum) to defend Winston at his court-martial because, even though everyone thinks it is an open-and-shut case, the general wants Adams to put up a vigorous defense to make it clear that the verdict is not simply a sop to reduce tensions between the two armies before a major offensive against the real enemy. Adams later finds out that Winston's brother-in-law, a Congressman, has been applying pressure.
The Army Lunacy Commission has found Winston fit and sane. However, Adams is informed by nurse Kate Davray (France Nuyen) that Colonel Burton (Alexander Knox), who headed the lunacy commission, refused to accept the report of the hospital's psychiatric head, Major Kaufman (Sam Wanamaker), who believes Winston is a psychopath. Burton is anxious to have Winston convicted and hanged to patch the strained relations between the two forces. Adams instructs Kaufman to bring his report to the trial, but when Burton is informed of this order he transfers Kaufman to a distant hospital. Adams visits British Major Kensington (Trevor Howard), a qualified psychiatrist who also considers Winston to be psychopathic but has been warned not to interfere. Kensington believes Winston killed Quinn out of a feeling of victimization because Quinn, a sergeant, had the same duties as Winston, a lieutenant.
Winston, in an interview with Adams, raves that he killed Quinn for defiling the white race by consorting with a black woman. Though he despises Winston, Adams refuses to rig the trial, and he holds back his defense, waiting for Kaufman to arrive as a witness. When he learns that Kaufman has been killed in an accident on the way to the trial, Adams calls Kensington to the stand after establishing that no member of the lunacy commission is a qualified psychiatrist. As Kensington describes Winston's mental illness to the court, Winston cracks and begins raving. Adams wins his case and spends a few days of peace and happiness with nurse Davray before leaving the area. The friction between the troops is eased, and they prepare to enter battle in complete unity. | murder | train | wikipedia | "Man In The Middle" (1964) is arguably Mitchum's best performance (certainly his most nuanced) and one of those situations where you can't imagine anyone else in the role.
Although the focus is a "military" court martial in India during the last months of WWII, it is basically a standard courtroom drama with Mitchum's character playing the defense counsel.
With a running length of just 93 minutes and a relatively complex story to tell, Director Guy Hamilton had to utilize a lot of stereotypes and nonverbal clues from Mitchum to assemble a coherent film.
He is largely successful although it appears a lot of the romantic side story (between Mitchum and "South Pacific's France Nuyen) was trimmed before release.
That is of little importance to the theme, what was left works mainly as a way to go out on Mitchum's closing line "you might not be able to beat them but you don't have to join them".Out of combat, recovering from his wound, a limping career Army lieutenant colonel with a law degree and limited legal experience finds himself assigned to defend an American officer (Lt. Winston-played by Keenan Wynn) who has already confessed to the murder of a British Staff Sergeant.
In fact, the film opens with the murder so the viewer is never in doubt about the "who done it" issue.
Winston's brother-in-law is a congressman who has rejected several other potential defense counsels but has agreed to Mitchum's appointment.
The area commander (nicely played by Barry Sullivan) wants the proceeding expedited ASAP with a death sentence, the best way to satisfy the British so everyone can go back to pulling together.
He is a friend of Mitchum's family and is confident that Mitchum will take one for the team and do what is best for the war effort.And at first Mitchum seems quite agreeable to the idea of providing no more than a token defense; pointing out to the two hot shot attorneys on his defense team that in a few months they will be back practicing law as civilians while he has found a home in the Army and does not want this to louse up his career.
Nor is it actually of any real relevance to the story Director Guy Hamilton is trying to tell, so Winston is simplistically portrayed as a totally unsympathetic character.
Unlike in "A Few Good Men" (1992), it is intended that the viewer conclude that just going through the motions would really be in the best interests of everyone except the defendant.Mitchum is on the screen 90% of the time and is the only character that undergoes any real change during the course of the film.
I was just a child, but I still remember the shocking scene in the beginning of the film where Keenan Wynn's character walks into a packed army tent and shoots a young soldier to death.Filmed in black and white, the film was extremely well-acted and filmed.
Robert Mitchem was outstanding as the officer in charge of defending Wynne and trying to determine just why he murdered this young soldier.
However, the show is stolen by Keenan Wynn and he gives his greatest screen performance.Man in the Middle rates a 10 out of 10..
His performance is sublime.The story itself is very believable and convincing; adapted from the fine novel The Winston Affair by Howard Fast.Robert Mitchem gives an excellent performance as does Leslie Howard.
The sad thing is that Robert Mitchum got his turn in court in Man In The Middle.Not that it's a bad role or a bad performance that Mitchum turns in.
But ultimately you don't really care what happens to the victim here, an insane and racist army lieutenant played by Keenan Wynn who coldbloodedly shot down a British sergeant in the China-Burma-India theater of World War II.It's the nationalities here, the American Army in the spirit of interallied cooperation just wants to get Wynn quickly convicted and hung in a proficient military manner.
General Barry Sullivan has gotten Mitchum to be the defense lawyer with then presumption that because Mitchum is from a military family he will do the right thing by the army's standards.But an army nurse and an army psychiatrist played by France Nuyen and Sam Wanamaker make him see that Wynn needs the best defense.
That will usually do it with the military.The film was partially shot on location in New Delhi and the biggest problem on set according to Robert Mitchum's biographer Lee Server was keeping Trevor Howard away from the booze.
Howard is in the film as well as a British psychiatrist and apparently at the time he was heavily drinking and he couldn't hold the liquor as well as Mitch.
The biography goes into what must have been a hilarious scene where the director is trying to tell a drunken Howard on the set to change some mismatching socks which even a black and white camera could pick up.Man In The Middle is well made and the performances sincere by the players.
But in the end I really could not care what the army did with Keenan Wynn..
Now Zanuck did return in the early 60's but Rome and 20th Century Fox were not built/rebuilt in a day.Lt. Charles Winston (Keenan Wynn) is an American officer during WWII in India, sharing a camp with British soldiers during the time before they are to move out and start a campaign against the Japanese in southeast Asia.
At the beginning of the film Winston takes his revolver, walks over to where the British officers are bunking and shoots dead unarmed British staff sergeant Quinn in the full view of witnesses, and then just turns around and goes back to his own quarters and turns out the lights.
He probably went to sleep.Enter stage left Robert Mitchum as Lt. Colonel Barney Adams, who has been appointed defense counsel for Winston.
Apparently Winston's brother-in-law is a congressman and has been applying pressure - thus the high ranking defense counsel versus some random JAG representative, and the apparent motiveless killing of a British soldier by an American soldier is causing friction between the troops when the focus should be on preparing to fight the real enemy.So Adams - quick on the uptake - learns very fast that he is there to make a show of a defense in a trial in which the only acceptable outcome can be the hanging of Winston.
Apparently the army psychiatrist who examined Winston first considered him insane, but was overruled by his commanding officer for no apparent reason.
And when Adams tries repeatedly to interview Winston he gets either stone silence, irrelevant ramblings, AND the motive - that Winston was a racist and did not like the fact that the British soldier he killed was "defiling the white race" by consorting with women of another race when on leave and bragging about it.So the great irony here is that the armies involved in a world wide conflict to defeat powers that will ignore the facts to get the outcome they desire want their military justice system in this one case to ignore the facts to get the outcome they desire - that they are willing to hang a possibly insane man for the sake of allied cohesion.Of course Mitchum is great in this role of the lifer army man who is faced with doing things that might damage his career for the sake of justice.
Brave words for a film released in a country at the beginning of an unpopular war and in the midst of the civil rights movement.
This is the film Guy Hamilton made just before the blockbuster of his career "Goldfinger" -which,although very different from "Man in the middle" ,remains one of the best (who says best?) Bond ever made-.The problem with "man in the middle " is that there's not enough scenes with Keenan Wynn.We would like to know more about him,about his childhood,his relationship with his colleagues,women ,etc.Only Trevor Howard's final plea -which an ominous music makes disturbing- really tells us about his psyche.Also handicapped by a decorative female character who brings almost nothing to the plot whereas we 're waiting to know more about Winton's motives.Average..
The start of the movie shows Keenan Wynn walking calmly into a tent with his fellow soldiers, shooting one man dead, then walking calmly back to his barracks.
Man in the Middle doesn't really live up to the hype from the beginning, but if you like court martial movies or hate crime movies, you can try it out.Robert Mitchum gets called in as defending counsel for Keenan's court martial, and he meets obstacles at every turn.
Since the man Keenan killed was British, the officers are intent on hanging him to improve relations between the United States and England; the movie takes place during WWII.
Also, the film takes a blatant viewpoint that because Keenan is a racist, he is therefore insane, which is a debatable argument.As much as I love Robert Mitchum, he didn't need to be in this movie; it was a role Kirk Douglas would normally be cast in.
Between Trevor Howard's incoherent mumbling, France Nuyen's inconsistent character, and Keenan Wynn's one-dimensional rantings, this felt more like a B-movie than a serious one.
It's a cross between A Soldier's Story and Town Without Pity, but not nearly as good as either.DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend.
"Man in the Middle" is a movie based on a 1959 novel by Howard Fast, "The Winston Affair." The basic plot of the movie follows fairly closely the story of the book.
He is brought into India to be defense counsel in a hot trial of American Lt. Charles Winston, who shot and killed a British sergeant in cold blood.
In the book, Winston shot a British officer.
The American command wants Winston tried and executed.
The story is about the roadblocks Adams encounters in his quest to see that justice is served by giving Winston a fair trial.
But, that's partly Mitchum's persona, and it may reflect 18 years of service in which his man has learned to understand military "necessity." The other actors give excellent performances.
The looks on the faces of the court martial board members are telling and will bring a smile to a viewer's face A couple reviewers saw Keenan Wynn's performance as Lt. Winston as exceptional, and I agree.
On the other hand, the romantic aspect of the film, between Mitchum and France Nuyen as Kate Davray, doesn't click.
Movie buffs may be interested to know about other Howard Fast books made into movies.
This film was the second of five novels by Fast to be made into a movie.
Fast was a writer and thinker who continued to defend the "every man" after he left the Communist Party in 1956.
When they learned of the Kruschev speech, Fast and more than three- fourths of the American members left the Communist Party.
A film detailing the defense of insanity with the background that the accused is the brother-in-law of a United States Congressman.Keenan Wynn delivers an excellent performance as the American officer who in front of 11 witnesses shot a British army man for his alleged racist activities-cavorting with African American women.
He epitomizes hatred in the film while claiming that the next war will be a racial one.Robert Mitchum is called in to be his defense attorney in a case that is supposedly one to get out of the way and just hang Wynn.A much younger Sam Wanamaker is the psychiatrist whose report on Wynn was conveniently ignored and when Wanamaker is called to testify, he is conveniently transferred and is killed in a car accident while attempting to join the trial.The film would have been ever better had we viewed the Congressman and the technique of flashbacks be used to see what Wynn's life was like before he joined the army.
Even with a brother-in-law in Congress, it's hard to envision how such a nut case was ever accepted into the army.France Nuyen places a nurse who falls for Mitchum in record time even for movie standards.The film is one of duty and ethical dilemma..
Considering that it's a Robert Mitchum film, I am pretty surprised that it isn't more well-known.The film begins in WWII with an officer (Keenan Wynn) marching into another soldier's tent and killing him--right in front of many witnesses!
The scene then switches--Wynn is awaiting trial and Robert Mitchum has been asked to defend the guy in a court martial.
At first, Mitchum is willing enough just to go through the motions--especially when he finds Wynn to be an obnoxious jerk when he tries to meet with him.
But, later, he slowly starts to realize that Wynn might be insane--and executed a man with this diminished capacity might be wrong.
Set in India during World War II, this film focuses on the hatred from an American Lieutenant (Keenan Wynn) who shoots a British NCO in cold blood, later we find out, because the man was in danger of "destroying the white race by mixing his blood with that of a black woman".Attorney Robert Mitchum is assigned to the case, at first he thinks to be a prosecutor, but later he finds out to be the defense.
Mitchum knows he is simply a puppet to prevent any issues between the British and American Governments for this murder, and that Wynn is sure to get the death penalty.
Barry Sullivan and Trevor Howard also give outstanding performances, and Guy Hamilton's direction is tight, direct and basically flawless.
An American officer, Keenan Wynn, shoots a British sergeant in India during the war and is put on trial for his life.
Everyone seems anxious to hang Wynn, get over this international incident that is somehow impeding the war effort.Robert Mitchum is assigned the task of defending Wynn.
He can go with the flow, follow the hypothetical imperative, and put up a lazy defense so that Wynn hangs and he, Mitchum, become a full bird colonel.
Or he can follow a moral imperative and try to see that justice is done, in which case he himself can look forward to a career in the Army that is a dead end.Yes, it sounds good.
Directed by Guy ("Bond, James Bond") Hamilton, shot more or less on location, with Mitchum, Wynn, Trevor Howard, and other respected actors.Lamentably, it looks like not much more than a variation on "The Caine Mutiny Court Martial." France Nguyen is thrown in gratuitously in order to prove that Mitchum is heterosexual, I guess.
MAN IN THE MIDDLE is an interesting more than entertaining legal drama that offers a leading role for permanently weary-looking Robert Mitchum.
He plays an army officer who's called in to defend an American soldier in Burma who cold-bloodedly executed a British ally.
Only France Nuyen's part — the obligatory romantic interest — strikes a false note but fortunately it is skilfully worked into the main plot and it is not allowed to become the central focus of attention and reduce the courtroom drama to a sub-plot, as happens in so many films.
Keenan Wynn has a difficult role and is not wholly successful, especially when you consider how much more impressive Bogart was as a somewhat similar character in "The Caine Mutiny".I also like the realistic way the author works politics into his script from high-level diplomacy to army ranking ("Look, gentlemen, I'm a career army man.
***SPOILERS*** Robert Mitchum is the limping-he's always seen walking with a cane-man US Army Let.Col Barney Adams who's assigned by his boss Gen. Kempton, Barry Sullivan,to defend the wild eyed and crazed US Let. Winston, Keenan Wynn, who murdered in cold blood British Sgt. Jackson,Errol John, in front of 11 eye witnesses in his barracks.
Barney is told flat out by Gen. Kempton that his client Let. Winston is to be found guilty and hanged but he has to get a fair trail first to make it, his forthcoming execution, look good in both the US and UK military eyes.
Barney after interviewing Sgt. Winston in his cell feels that the guy is as nutty as a fruitcake but with the US Army, through it's Lunacy Commission, having him diagnosed as being perfectly sane has no choice but go along in defending him only to do such a sloppy job doing it he'll end up being convicted and executed.It's when the assistant of Major Kaufman, Sam Wanamaker, Kate Davray, France Nuyen, told Barney that his evaluation of Winston's mental state was kept hidden from the court record that he decided to get Kaufman to testify in Winston's defense even though he doesn't want, in him willing to die a martyr for the white or Aryan cause, him to.
It takes a while for Barney to convince Major Kaufman to agree to testify to Winston's sanity or lack of it only for him to end up dead in a car accident on his way to court!
This leaves Barney with only one option to save Winston's life by having him be put on the stand and thus, on cross examination, show everyone just how crazy he really is!****SPOILERS**** There's also British Army psychiatrist and expert in dealing and treating loonies like Winston Major Kensington, Trevor Howard,who more then confirms the late major Kaufman's assessment of Winston's mental capacity that wins the case for Barney who decided to go based on the evidence not orders of his superiors -to let Winston hang on a vine or rope-and ending up getting him committed not executed for what he did.
By going against his superiors orders Barney has forfeit his upcoming promotion as a full bird colonel but at least he prevented and innocent but insane man from being executed for a crime that he didn't, in him being out of his mind crazy, consciously commit! |
tt0066740 | The Abominable Dr. Phibes | Dr. Anton Phibes was an expert in theology and music who was supposedly killed in a car crash in 1921, shortly after the death of his beloved wife, Victoria, during an operation. However, he survived the crash, horribly scarred by the accident and left unable to speak, forcing him to remake his face with prosthetics and use his knowledge of acoustics to regain his voice. Resurfacing in 1925, Phibes believes that his wife died a victim of incompetent doctors, and begins elaborate plans to kill them.
Phibes begins his quest for vengeance with the help of his beautiful and silent female assistant Vulnavia, using the ten plagues of Egypt as a basis, wearing an amulet with Hebrew letters corresponding with the appropriate plagues as he commits the murders. After three doctors are killed, Inspector Trout, a detective from Scotland Yard, learns that they had all worked together under the direction of Dr. Vesalius, who reveals that all of the deceased had been on his team in Victoria's case, as well as four other doctors and a nurse. When another murder is reported, Trout suspects Phibes is alive, and he and Vesalius go to the Phibes mausoleum at Highgate Cemetery. They find ashes in a box in Phibes' coffin, which Trout believes are the remains of Phibes' chauffeur; Victoria's coffin is empty.
Despite all of the police's best efforts, Phibes is able to kill the remaining doctors and the nurse. Reserving the final punishment for Dr. Vesalius, he kidnaps the doctor's son, Lem, then calls Vesalius and tells him to come alone to his mansion on Maldene Square if he wants to save his son's life. Despite Trout's protests, Vesalius knocks the inspector unconscious and immediately races to Phibes' mansion, where he confronts the mad doctor. Phibes has placed Vesalius' son under anesthesia and prepared him for surgery; a small key implanted near the boy's heart will unlock his restraints, but Vesalius must perform the surgery within six minutes (the same amount of time Victoria was on the operating table before her death) to get the key before acid from a container above Lem's head falls and destroys his face. Vesalius succeeds and moves the table out of the way; Vulnavia, backing away from the police, is sprayed with the acid instead.
Convinced he has accomplished his vendetta, Phibes retreats to the basement of his house to lie in the stone sarcophagus containing the embalmed body of his wife. He drains out his own blood and replaces it with embalming fluid as the coffin's inlaid stone lid slides into place, concealing them both in darkness. Trout and the police arrive and discover that Phibes has mysteriously disappeared. Trout and Vesalius recall that the "final curse" was darkness, and they speculate that they will encounter Phibes again. | comedy, murder, cult, horror, atmospheric, revenge | train | wikipedia | Joseph Cotton in one of his best post-60's roles, here perfectly in character as a god-like doctor (particularly in the final operation sequence).There's also the Art Deco set design which many have oohed and ahhed over in here and elsewhere.The British cops are a bit too humorous, and there's not really a lot of background here.
Price has played many roles in the style of this character, but this is his best and I'd even go as far as to say that this is the quintessential Price performance.The plot of The Abominable Dr Phibes follows the man of the title as he gets revenge on the doctors that he believes killed his wife after she was fatally injured in a tragic car accident (the same accident that got Phibes his own injuries).
The story revolves around a dead-like "Dr. Phibes" playing his organ, directing music, dancing and ceremoniously killing off the surgeons who failed to fix his wife after a car accident.
PHIBES, after avoiding it for so many years because of THEATRE OF BLOOD, which I absolutely hated and since the stories for both films resemble each other and that the star of both films is Vincent Price, I had no desire to see THE ABOMINABLE DR.
I can't tell you how much fun I had watching DR PHIBES go about killing his victims in morbid but ingenious ways, along with the help of his beautiful and funny assistant, Vulnavia, with everything culminating in a truly suspenseful climax and an ending that left me giggling and smiling.
Well made horror movie full of black humor and a bit of gore where numerous people meet horrible deaths by a despicable avenger named Doctor Phibes (exceptional Vincent Price), causing wreak havoc and bizarre murders wherever he goes .
After being disfigured in a car crash , Phibes decides to seeks revenge against the members of a surgical team (whose chief is Joseph Cotten) and he seems to dispatch new weird death , committing inventive crimes and killing every few minutes of the movie with the assistance of his lovely companion ( a delectable Virginia North).
Camp terror movie with charismatic performance of excellent protagonists , Vincent Price and Joseph Cotten , and all around with special mention to Peter Jeffrey as intelligent Inspector .
It's followed by a good sequel titled ¨Dr Phibes rises again¨ again by Robert Fuest and Vincent Price in which Phibes attempts to revive his beloved wife and going on vengeance on those he thinks responsible for her death ..
Vincent Price plays Dr. Phibes, a man hell-bent on getting revenge for the death of his beloved wife.
This splendid black comedy has a virtually identical plot to a more celebrated Vincent Price classic of two years later, 'Theatre of Blood' - a cultivated and artistic madman, perceiving himself wronged (in this case, the failure of the medical profession to save his dying wife) sets out to systematically and elaborately revenge himself on those responsible - nine surgeons.
Vincent Price plays Dr. Phibes, a man bent on seeking vengeance (of biblical proportions!) against each member of the surgical team that was operating on his wife when she died.
The cast is outstanding, featuring Vincent Price as the title character, Terry-Thomas and Joseph Cotton as two doctors, and Virginia North as Phibes' mysterious silent assistant.
Vincent Price is spectacular as Dr. Phibes, a deranged organ player who seeks his revenge on the surgeons he believes are responsible for his wife's death.
Classic horror film starring Vincent Price as a man seeking revenge on the doctors he holds responsible for his beloved wife's death.
Well-directed with a clever script, beautiful sets, and a great cast that includes Price in one of his best roles, the great Joseph Cotten as one of the would-be victims, Virginia North as the lovely Vulnavia, and Peter Jeffrey as the police inspector who gets many of the film's funniest moments.
Believed dead but instead in hiding and seriously p****d, Phibes begins to hunt down and imaginatively murder the nine doctors he holds responsible for failing to save his wife, building up to Dr. Versalius (Joseph Cotten), in the style of the Ten Plagues of Egypt from the Old Testament.It would be easy and indeed lazy to label Dr. Phibes as camp.
It's deliciously free-spirited, never allowing something like logic to get in the way of fun, acid-trip horror.It shares a lot in terms of narrative with the superior Theatre of Blood (1973) - which is often labelled Dr. Phibes 3 by it's fans - so the film is little more than murder after murder.
Vincent Price plays the good Dr. Phibes, who was hideously scarred in an auto accident while rushing home after his wife died in an operation.
How wrong I was!Vincent Price Plays Dr.Anton Phibes a man who was presumed dead following a car accident after the Death of his beloved Wife on the operating table.
But low and behold Dr. Phibes isn't dead although is terribly scarred and can only speak with the help of a grammaphone, and decides to have revenge on the Doctors he believes Killed his wife.Price's performance is outstanding - hilarious one minute and scary the next, but thankfully he plays it tongue-in-cheek as do his co-stars Including Joseph Cotten,Terry-Thomas among the Doctors and Peter Jeffrey as the Det. leading the investigationDon't just dismiss this as a Obscure,awful British B-Movie- It deserves better!Follwed by a sequel.My Rating *** out of ***** or 7/10.
Each surgeon is killed according to the ten curses of the Pharaoh from the Old Testament, which include killer bats, rats, bees and locusts.A highly enjoyable camp horror with a number of memorable sequences including the opening where Price emerges from the ground in a sinister black cape at the consul of his art-deco cinema organ.
Vincent Price as Phibes and Joseph Cotton as Dr Vesalius, the head surgeon who the madman is reserving until last and Peter Jeffery as the hapless Inspector Trout all score in their roles.Dr Phibes Rises Again emerged in 1972, which saw the mad doctor resurrected along with his beautiful henchman Vulnavia and the pair headed for Egypt in order to discover the Elixir of life, which would enable Phibes to revive his wife.
Using the plagues of Egypt as his inspiration, the Abominable Dr. Phibes exacts revenge upon the doctors who allowed his beloved and beautiful wife (the stunning Caroline Munro, seen here only as a lovely portrait) to die on the operating table during what should have been a routine procedure.
Assisted by his silent and sinfully pretty assistant Vulnavia, Dr. Phibes creates some of the most bizarre and creative methods of murder ever seen on film!There's a frog mask which slowly shrinks and eventually crushes it's wearer to death whilst a happy ragtime jazz song plays in the background.
This film never takes itself too seriously and is an absolute riot to watch, a fantastically brilliant black comedy that should not be missed by horror fans, especially fans of the late great Vincent.
The eponymous Phibes (Vincent Price) takes revenge for the death of his wife by murdering her surgeons one by one, using as his modus operandi the Biblical plagues of Egypt.
The movie is right up there with "Theater of Blood" as among the best things Price did.If you like horror films and haven't yet seen this entertainingly bizarre classic, give it a whirl..
The score by Basil Kichin and the exquisite Deco/Bauhaus sets by Brian Eatwell (done with inimitable British style on a shoestring) have a lot to do with how beautiful this film looks and sounds, as does the cinematography and the role of the neglected genius Robert Fuest at the helm.This film inspired a whole cycle of revenge thrillers in the early Seventies, many of them starring Vincent Price.
Probably the best one after the original was 1973's Theatre of Blood, thanks to his support from Diana Rigg and a whole roster of the great and good in British theatre, among them Coral Browne, who was to become his wife after they worked together on this film.In 1973 plans for a third Phibes film (featuring the good Doctor's encounter with Hitler) were scrapped because of the star's dissatisfaction with studio-dictated cuts to the sequel.
a horribly disfigured doctor, (we do not see his ghastly face till the end), anton phibes, survives the car accident his wife was killed in and, following the Ten Plagues of the Old Testament, takes stylish vengeance on the nine doctors guilty of letting her die on the operating table.
phibes is basically a twisted genius who lives in a surreal world of his own making, inhabiting(if my memory serves me) an abandoned mansion in which, like the phantom of the opera, he pounds on his organ and plots his deadly revenge against the doctors who let his beloved wife die.
Price gives one of his best performances as Dr. Phibes, a doctor revenging his wife's death by killing the 9 who let her die.
Dr. Phibes is a former doctor turned mad organist...and killer.Alongside his partner, Vulnavia, he has been targeting a group of doctors who once worked under one Doctor Vulsalias.For each victim Phibes possesses an amulet (that contains a hebrew symbol); which he places upon a wax bust of their image upon their death, that he then melts with a blowtorch.The detective investigating the recent spate of deaths eventually figures out that these Hebrew symbols represent the ten curses placed upon the land of the Pharaohs in Jewish folklore.And that they seem to be lining up with the causes of these recent deaths.Turns out that Vulnavia was the love of Phibes' life- who died on the operating table under the care of these now dying or already deceased doctors.A total of eight doctors (and one nurse) had worked on the case; so- with Phibes thought to be dead- the detectives race to find the culprit and solve the case, before those still alive become victims, themselves.But there were ten amulets, so that leaves the final curse- Darkness- unfulfilled upon the conclusion of the film.Thus spawning the sequal Dr. Phibes Rises Again.It would also go on to inspire Theatre Of Blood (which also featured Price)- in that the plot revolves around a mistaken death; 9 victims; and kills based on deaths in Shakespeare plays, to equate with how this film uses the Hebrew curses.The scenery in this film has a cool Art Deco look that nicely compliments the mood of the film; and it's soundtrack, which consists of 1920's source music alongside 1940's jazz standards (despite the film being set in the 20's).The special effects in this are pretty basic- and some of the kills are pretty implausible- but Phibes' make-up is rad.And the costumes Vulnavia wears are pretty great.It may not be the best horror film of the era- with Price typecast in his House Of Wax role, yet again- but it's influential in it's own right.And quite enjoyable.5.5 out of 10..
Following a strange rash of deaths, a police inspector realizes that the deaths were all of the men were in the employment of a doctor who let a distinguished professor's wife die in their care and sets out to stop him from continuing his plan of revenge against them.This here is a classic by any means of the word, and easily one of Price's best films.
Freaky Fun. I wasn't expecting much from this movie and I was pleasantly surprised.This was the first horror movie I watched in awhile that actually made some sense and wasn't full of plot holes.While the cops in the movie did say and do some dumb stuff.Like saying to double check the bats for rabies after they killed a guy.Would they give rabies shots to a corpse?Besides little things like that it wasn't too bad.I'm not sure if I have ever seen any other Vincent Price movies but I was assuming everything he did was cheesy and this definitely wasn't.It was a good story and it wasn't boring.There was too much bad music but the story makes up for it.
It is Vincent Price in a diabolically campy performance as Dr. Phibes, out to avenge his wife's death.
Nine shall die, nine eternities in doom!" Nicely put there.The British black vein comic-strip horror "The Abominable Dr. Phibes" is a flamboyant soap opera bathing itself in decorative camp (stunningly fabricated set-designs and inventively devised deaths) and a blown-up turn by Vincent Price.
The Abominable Dr.Phibes is up there among the best horror films Vincent Price starred in.
That said, this is still a superb tongue-in-cheek horror.Price is Dr.Phibes, a Ph.D. in music and theology who seeks revenge against the nine doctors involved in the operation in which his late beloved wife passed away.
Still, we get to see beautiful Virginia North in some eye-popping costumes and hear some great old music--but that's not what I look for in horror films.The acting is good too--Price can't move a muscle in his face but still manages to overact (amusingly) with his voice; Peter Jeffrey is LOTS of fun as Inspector Trout; Joseph Cotton gives a very good performance as one of the doctors and North doesn't have a word of dialogue but looks stunning and plays her part completely straight-faced.
Not A Nice Man. Vincent Price is diabolically amusing as Dr. Anton Phibes, who is systematically murdering the nine doctors he blames for screwing up his wife's operation, resulting in her death.
It's films such as The Abominable Dr. Phibes that so clearly illustrate what a giant of the horror genre Vincent Price truly was.
The movie was so successful they made some kind of sequel called "theater of blood" which was,IMHO ,even better for Shakespeare was more inspiring than the plagues of Egypt and also because the hero had a more talented co-star in the shape of Dame Diana Rigg .But "Phibes" was the first one -although it owes ,like lots of other movies ,a good deal to Agatha Christie and "and then there were none" -and is a must for any horror buff;the crimes are ,so to speak,imaginative and you will know where the "Saw" writers found some of their better ideas when you see the scene of the operation;although American,Joseph Cotten has got the British stiff upper lip;the police never lose their composure amids all those horrors and brilliantly fail to prevent the good doctor from doing away with those who botched their work some years back..
The police are always one step behind, too late to prevent any of the killings, each accomplished in a very stylized way with a devilish flair of imagination (highly contrived, of course, in true horror movie fashion).Cotten is the last victim on Phibe's list and his fate is saved for the last segment in the film as he is forced on a mission to save his son from certain death.
Vincent Price plays Dr. Phibes, a cryptic jack-of-all-trades whose wife was killed by a team of nine doctors.
good but a little bit overrated but not by much this has some great Black comedy and camp humor in it and i cant say enough about Vincent Price performance it is just wonderful and it is one of the best performances in his career there is actually a lot of blood in this movie and lots of disturbing and strange deaths the rest of the acting is solid and steady as we see Dr.Phibes hideous deformed and decaying face that actually made me flinch and does not very often make me do that now there are a few things in here that i didn't like at first there is too much dialog and most of it is uninteresting but still this is a good horror flick that i do recommend the directing is pretty stylish the sets costumes are magnificent and it is also visually stunning you can see all the embalming fluid bottles all filled up (yuck) see it *** out of 5.
Demented organist Dr. Phibes murders the surgeons he blames for the death of his wife, with each killing based on the biblical plagues visited on the Pharoahs.In many ways, Dr. Phibes can be seen as a practise run for my favourite Vincent Price movie, the brilliant Theatre of Blood: as in Theatre, Price's protagonist is an unhinged individual, presumed dead by the authorities, who exacts revenge on the group of people he believes have wronged him by carrying out a series of highly inventive, 'themed' murders; the tone of both films is almost identical—haunting, macabre, and with a camp streak a mile wide; and like Theatre, The Phibes movies feature great supporting casts, including many faces familiar from 70s British TV and film.Phibes never quite reaches the level of magnificence achieved by Theatre of Blood—Price's camp style is still a work in progress, the preposterous death scenes aren't quite as well orchestrated, and there is a distinct lack of comical gore—but there is still plenty to enjoy in director Fuest's innovative direction, Norman Warwick's colourful cinematography, the quirky, anachronistic design, which cleverly combines the styles of both the 1930s and 1970s to surreal effect, and the very dark, tongue-in-cheek humour (best line: "I think it's a left hand thread").The horror audiences of the time certainly thought so, for Price returned the very next year for the rather disappointing sequel, Dr. Phibes Rises Again..
It's great to see Vincent Price with an altered screen presence - in this film, he plays a mad doctor who has adapted his way of speaking following a disabling accident.
******** The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) Robert Fuest ~ Vincent Price, Joseph Cotten, Virginia North.
The story is pretty basic about a man calling himself Dr. Phibes (Vincent Price) who seeks revenge for the death of his wife and his own disfigurement.
The role of Dr. Phibes is played by none other than the one and only Vincent Price, and his performance here (even though all of his dialogue was pre- recorded) proves just how irreplaceable the man truly was. |
tt0253798 | Out Cold | Rick Rambis, best friend Luke, and other friends Anthony, "Pig Pen", Jenny, Lance and Stumpy, all live and work at a ski resort on Bull Mountain in Alaska. The mountain and resort were founded by Herbert "Papa" Muntz who loved to drink and ski at the same time until he died doing so. His son, Ted, took over the mountain and plans to sell it to wealthy Colorado ski resort tycoon, John Majors. In addition to being friends, Rick has romantic designs on Jenny, but is held back as he is still getting over his ex, Anna, who mysteriously disappeared after 3 weeks of summer love in Mexico.
After arriving at the mountain, John Majors plans to change the mountain name and turn the ski village into a first class resort but seeks Rick's help in getting his rowdy friends in line so as not to scare off his investors. John brings with him to the mountain his daughters, Inga, a Swiss ski bunny, and Anna, Rick's summer fling. After Anna's arrival, Rick then gets drunk and misses his date with Jenny. Later, Anna explains she left Rick in Mexico because she was already engaged and that Rick was the other man. Majors begins to make major changes to the town and mountain, such as changing the dive bar to an upscale club and removing the statue of Papa Muntz from the center of the town. Majors offers Rick a contract to be his new manager and Rick agrees on the condition that his friends all get to stay, but Majors secretly has Ted fire them behind his back. Rick finds out about the firing of his friends and quits his job and races to stop his friends from leaving.
Rick gives an inspirational speech about how the mountain is their home and not letting Majors ruin the memory of Papa Muntz, they all grab their snowboards and head for the mountain. The group of friends and Inga then cause bedlam at the festivities and Major is outraged at Rick's betrayal. Rick frees Anna from her father and takes her to an airstrip where Barry, her fiancé, waits in his plane. He tells Anna what they had in Mexico was special but that he realized she belongs with Barry and Rick watches Anna fly away. The friends defeat Majors and Ted decides he is no longer selling the mountain. Rick asks Jenny out again after revealing he no longer thinks of Anna. | prank | train | wikipedia | The movie is so funny in so many little ways, and if you open your mind and are willing to accept it for what it is, I think you'll love it as well.
Jason London is great as Rick Rambis, Zach Galifinakis is hilarious as Luke and whoever plays Pigpen does a great job of acting dumber then you would think anyone could actually be.
You'll either love it or hate it, but if you snowboard or like to have a good time, I think it will be the former..
When I first saw the trailers for this film I thought it looked like just another run-of- the-mill comedy, and I guess in a lot aspects it pretty much is, but still, I thought it was much funnier and much better than I originally anticipated.Sure, the story is nothing profound, nor terribly original, but that doesn't necessarily mean it isn't good and fun to watch.
Like I said, nothing profound, or original, but there's still fun stuff to be seen.The comedy in the film is what made the movie for me.
The movie is packed full of great music (my favorites being Eve 6 - "Anytime" and Weezer - "Island In The Sun").All in all, I would definitely recommend this film to anyone who likes snowboarding or just likes comedies.
It is pure unclean fun and what it lacks in a "message" it more than makes up for with sharp humor.While people may take issue with the subject matter (drugs, dick and fart jokes, boobies), the story and dialogue are exceptional.
Give it a try--it's definitely worth your time.8 out 10: Rated Excellent for Casablanca references, the scene on the mechanical bull, and just being absolutely fun..
I know it's something we have all seen a million times, but, darn it - we NEED this type of movie.
Yeah, yeah, yeah
the story line's predictable: idyllic local winter ski haven (Bull Mountain) is under threat by a big-business tycoon's (Lee Majors) plans for turning it into a high rollers' resort town.
Not so fast, partner.Out Cold joins the ranks of other great teen comedies (Animal House, Better Off Dead, Caddyshack, and the hundreds of others) in its magical ability to stop time if just for a moment.
Those are our `rites of passage' years - generally, between the ages of 16-25 - nine very short years.Out Cold takes place in the fictional tiny-town of Bull Mountain, Colorado - elevation 10,000 feet a winter wonderland of snow, skiing and snowboarding.
Even if you've never experienced the perfect winter or summer vacation even if you've never gone to that ivy-league school where no student has homework even if you've only dreamt about spending time at exotic locales with fun in the sun/snow this is the reason why we NEED this type of movie.
If only for ninety minutes, these movies offer a fantasy or nice remembrances of times gone by (or, to come.) For all of you naysayers out there who pooh-pooh this film on the account of its wonderfully juvenile content, I say, `Go see Harry Potter, you bombastic moralist and leave me alone!'.
Although it may seem like the same old crap, snowboard, hot chicks and funny jokes actually WORK!.
Ok, I know everyone think this movie is idiot, predictable and has its stupid jokes.
I could be with you, I dont like this kind of movies, specially when it gets as bad as "The Sweetest Thing" , "The New Guy" and others from the genre...But I am here to say that this is one funny movie!
We don't care for the acting in movies like this, since we laugh and feel good, it's all right.
I thought this would be just another stupid American comedy like 'Dorm Daze' which i also watched a few days ago and was far from impressed with.
I think Jason London's character is a bit stupid though because that girl Jenny that likes him is much better looking than that french bird Anna he dated for three weeks.
I was like "Dude, stop being such a douche and go for sweet Jenny who likes ya instead of Anna who is a cheating ho!".The locations in this film are beautiful and the snowboarding scenes are breathtaking at times.
When talk about this movie you might think it is just another Jason London movie that you barely heard about and is doubted weather to watch it or not; after all he is not very much of a extreme type of guys to be playing this role.
And tell the truth the movie ain't that bad.It is about the group of friends try to save their beautiful town from taking over by the rich tycoon.Not very original story but movie did offer more on pretty funny casting that turn out to be good (Caroline look great); some of the scenes are funny and smile worthy and even to laughable at time.Recommendation: Definitely worth a watch Rating: 7/10 (Grade: C+)Please Rate My Review After Reading (YES/No), Thanks!.
Out Cold is a little-known comedy gem from 2001 that has somehow managed to find its way on my list of movies that I watch on a semi-regular basis.The film is set in the fictional ski town of Bull Mountain, Alaska, a place which manages to maintain its unpretentious, laid-back small town atmosphere despite being located in an area famous for its great skiing and snowboarding.
Leading this group of likable misfits is a man named Rick Rambis (played by Jason London), who is unable to form a relationship with attractive snowboarding instructor Jenny (played by A.J. Cook) because he is still pining over a girl he met during a drunken binge in Cancun, Mexico.When wealthy businessman John Majors (played by veteran actor Lee Majors) steps in with the intent of buying Bull Mountain and turning it into an Aspen-like "espresso and tofu" resort that caters to rich yuppies, the residents of Bull Mountain begin to fear that they will all be fired and forced to leave town.
Adding to the turmoil is the arrival of Majors' two daughters: Inga, (played by former Playboy Playmate of the Year Victoria Silvstedt) a gorgeous blonde bombshell, and Anna (played by Caroline Dhavernas), Rick's old flame from his Cancun vacation.What follows is a slobs versus snobs comedy in the tradition of "Caddyshack" and "Animal House" as the locals try to stop their town from being taken over by Majors and his cronies.
I also feel the need to mention David Koechner, who provides a hilarious performance as Stumpy, a hard-drinking, tall-tale telling local who is probably insane.One complaint I have about the movie is that it feels like several scenes were edited or removed entirely so that it would be given a PG-13 rating rather than an R rating.
But unlike the "critics" and a majority of the other people who have commented on this movie, I think that's a good thing.I like stupid movies.
The story is pretty simple; Anthony lives in a small Alaskan town and spends most of his time snowboarding with his friends on the neighboring mountain.
His daughter is actually Anthony's long lost girlfriend, so Anthony must choose between winning her back and getting a secure job at the new resort, or keeping the traditions of the mountain (freedom and fun) alive with his friends.Of course, the plot isn't important.
It isn't as funny as many of the movies I listed above, but it's better than many other comedies I've seen (BLACK KNIGHT, ME MYSELF & IRENE, and BILLY MADISON for example).
This movie is geared toward a younger audience, it is kind of like Grind, only with snowboarding instead of skateboarding.
For those of you that don't know, snowboarding is a sport in which a drunken idiot, like myself, straps them self to a piece of wood and slides down a snow covered mountain and does flips and spins and slides across pieces of metal and wood.Plus, it has the six million dollar man in it so why wouldn't you see it?.
Anna is a gorgeous little girl that any man would love to hook up with at Pedro El'Hornys.Lee Majors plays a great role as the baddie, but was really good.
I saw it 5 times.Pig pen and Luke are great together as odd couple brothers and Lance the "gay" guy and the black dude fits in perfect, cant snowboard, but is there for fun!.
This movie is a quantum leap funnier than anything like "Animal House" or "Dodge Ball.""Out Cold" sends up every exhausted cliché' in the movie making biz, smartly, dead on, and funnier than I thought possible.
Only this was to Caddyshack what Caddyshack 2 was to Caddyshack.I wonder what the tag line was: "If you liked Police Academy 4, you'll love this one!" Mitigating factors: David Koechner Rad footage of people getting racked up during credits - best part of the movie, actually.
Except there's no pleasure involved and I'd feel kind of guilty not warning you this is a very unfunny comedy I guess the producers were trying to dig into the market of the American Pie demographics or possibly of the SCARY MOVIE fans and in many ways it does seem to try to emulate the near the knuckle humour of these film series except at the last moment it pulls back .
How many times watching this movie do you feel there's going to be a gross out punchline then at the very last moment it's cancelled ?
Again, this was nowhere near a good film, but as a person that watches films on a consistent basis, I saw Out Cold as a film that tried really hard to be humorous, original, and creative, but just failed miserably.
While Out Cold did not begin the trend in Hollywood, it did contribute to it, and thus continuing films like Date Movie, American Wedding, and Dude, Where's My Car to plague our theaters.I think I have spoken enough about my personal belief on why this film was a wart on the back of Hollywood, so let's look at actual reasons why this film tried and failed.
It was this type of humor that I was expecting the entire film, but overall continued to keep falling short.Overall, Out Cold felt like your last pick to be your date for prom.
You know how Homer Simpson is always watching those movies where the bad frat boys are trying to fight the mean old dean for control of the college campus, and fart jokes, keggers, and our heroes spending endless hours trying to get lucky just add to the "hilarity"?
Damn screwball comedies, don't make 'em like they used to.Substitute the snowboarding antics for actual comedy, and you've got a brainless, pointless, i-could-make-a-better-movie-i-can't-believe-there was-two-directors-and-this-film-still-isn't-worth-a-sh--Just go and watch Animal House.My friends went on and on about how funny it was, it wasn't, it's excruciatingly bad.Oh, except for one scene, but I had to take my brain out and flush it down the toilet to accommodate the space to grasp sush sharp wit.I hate using sarcasm, it truly is the lowest form of humour, but its the only way to relate to this ludicrous waste of cash, its own level, Jacques Cousteau could never get this low..
The woman he ended up with (A.J.) was cute and had the right look, but not enough flirting screen time with Jason London.Movies that are written poorly only do well when there's more skin and sex, but from the commentary on the DVD it seemed the directors wanted early teens to appreciate it.
I liked this movie better when it was first made in 1991 and called Ski School.
Very cool snowboard scenes, cute harmless jokes, easy to follow script, friendship, lots of things you want to see in a Sunday morning.These guys are really sympathetic and their always smiling faces give the film a deep peace.
İn this movie the best friend of the snowboarding guys is gay.
I think western people finds something funny or humorous in this homosexuality that we can not understand.Overall an entertaining film for breakfast tea..
Out Cold is a guy humor movie so if thats what you'll like then you'll love the movie...The main storyline revolves around a guy named Rick who works at a small time resort in Alaska called Bull Mountain.
And so he mined his favorite movie for material and came up with a fun contemporary boy meets girl, loses girl, gets girl back, loses girl again story that was an irreverent nod to some old Hollywood greats.
I love to ski/snowboard and I enjoy movies about it.
I think that out cold was a very stupid teen movie but I love it anyway.
As a lover of snow boarding and a lover of comedies I thought this was a great introduction for other movies of this sort to be made.
I wasn't sure what to think when the movie first started, but you get to know the characters and all of the lines become funny.
I didn't think this was going to be a great movie in the least, but when I saw it I was wrong!!
Another thing I liked is you didnt feel like the jokes were being forced down your throat and "trying" to make you laugh, you just did cause it was funny...I give this film an 8/10.
most of the plot was predictable.the snow boarding scenes were very impressive.so if you like "juvenile" humor & snowboarding, go have fun..
Its a great comedy, if you have a since of humor you would love this movie, its very funny, and they got great actors in this movie.
So make sure you get it and see it because its hilarious, and if you don't like this movie you gotta have a bad since of humor because its funny.
There were beautiful woman in the movie, funny jokes, everything was great about it.
The plot is normal but the characters make the entire film laugh out loud funny.
I guess if you do, and you're in your mid 20's you work/live on a "Bull Mountain." And the good guy gets the girl, there is a crazy old regular that makes everyone crazy, and the drunk brothers make everyone laugh.
my favorite movie, hilarious, i could watch it 10 times in a row.
I've had this movie for years now and every time I watch it I'm still laughing my ass off!
I love snowboarding just as anyone else, and it had some great stunts in it.So, I would just like to know, whats the songs name?
Just this scene makes the movie worth to watch.
its non-stop fun if you want to just laugh at stupid people this is the movie.
Story is your usual boy-wants-girl but it is something that you forget when you watch the movie because it's filled with great humor and keeps you laughing most of the time.
If you want to see a funny snowboard movie this is the one two see.
Everything combined added up to one of my favorite films of all time, the intelligable jokes, the original, great plot, throw in some great acting, and that classic feel-amazing that i haven't gotten since Good Burger!
I never liked snowboarding untill i saw this movie, some scenes are just to powerful, that you know you'll never think the same again after this experience.
Very stupid comedy offers up a couple of good gags and jokes, but not enough to make up it's flaws and certainly not enough to make it reccomendable.And one more note (from a guy's perspective): what is the point of having Victoria Silvstedt in a PG-13 movie when she does so much to try and make it a R movie (the hot tub sequence for example)?
We need a movie like this at this time.
This is just like hot dog the movie but better.
And all those kooky, sex drenched comedies like "Hot Dog: The Movie" and "Better Off Dead"?
It's full of cliches - the annoying teen-movie romance, the drunken party-loving jocks, the locals with funny accents - and it definitely should've been rated R (the MPAA has lost all their bearing in the practice of letting trash like this just get away with enough sex, drugs, and crudeness to keep it at PG-13), but there are just so many dumb jokes that you're bound to laugh at a few.
A film like `Old School,' though visibly stupid, is smart enough to know its place: `Out Cold' is just a big havoc, filled with bad jokes and stupid sex gags..
There's something altogether disturbing about `Out Cold.' It is a sex comedy, but not nearly as clever as `Old School' or `There's Something About Mary.' Normally I would say that this is because of the PG-13 rating, holding back the film, but in this case not so: If I took a guess, I'd say this movie is rated R.
A film like `Old School,' though visibly stupid, is smart enough to know its place: `Out Cold' is just a big havoc, filled with bad jokes and stupid sex gags.Forgive my ignorance, but I didn't pay much attention to the plot - because there isn't a very deep one here.
If you want to see a movie with great skiing or snowboarding there are a bunch out there.
It is one of those movies you can watch over and over again and laugh at all the jokes every single time.
My favorite scene would have to be the house party scene If you liked Out Cold, I think you will like another Jason London film, Dazed and Confused.
Don't discount this film simply because of it's "stupid snowboarder" facade, the fact is that has many of the literary and cinematic elements that make movies fun to watch..
Tommy didn't like it because he said it ripped off Hot Dog The Movie and Ski School but I think he's wrong. |
tt0103242 | What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? | In 1917, "Baby Jane" Hudson is an adored yet ill-tempered vaudevillian child star while her older sister Blanche lives in her shadow. By 1935, their fortunes have reversed: Blanche is a successful film actress and Jane lives in obscurity, her films having failed. One night, Jane mocks Blanche at a party, prompting Blanche to run away in tears. That same night, Blanche is paralyzed from the waist down in a mysterious car accident that is unofficially blamed on Jane, who is found three days later in a drunken stupor.
In 1962 a wheelchair-bound Blanche (Joan Crawford) and Jane (Bette Davis) are living together in Blanche's mansion, purchased with Blanche's movie earnings. By now, Jane has descended into alcoholism and mental illness and treats Blanche with cruelty to punish her for stealing her spotlight. Later, when Blanche informs Jane she may be selling the house, Jane's mental health begins to deteriorate further. During an argument, she removes the telephone from Blanche's bedroom, cutting Blanche off from the outside world. Later, Jane begins denying Blanche food, until she serves Blanche her dead parakeet on a platter--and, at a later meal, a rat that she killed in the cellar.
Jane becomes obsessed with recapturing her childhood stardom and puts an advertisement in the paper for a pianist to accompany her singing, When Jane leaves the house, Blanche tries to get the attention of her neighbor, Mrs. Bates (Anna Lee), by writing a note pleading for help and throwing it out her bedroom window. Jane returns in time to notice the note and prevents Mrs. Bates from seeing it. When Jane reads the note, the two sisters quarrel again.
When Blanche's caretaker Elvira Stitt (Maidie Norman) comes to clean the house, Jane pays her and gives her the day off, but when Elvira returns later on, Jane abruptly fires her and sends her away. After Jane goes to the bank to get some cash, Elvira comes back and finds that Jane has locked Blanche in her room. When Jane returns a neighbor tells her she saw Elvira go into the house. Jane confronts Elvira. Meanwhile, eccentric and cash-strapped Edwin Flagg (Victor Buono) sees Jane's newspaper advertisement and arrives at the mansion, where Jane hires him as her accompanist. Desperate for cash, Edwin insincerely flatters Jane and encourages her to revive her act. While Jane drives Edwin home, Blanche searches the house for food and discovers Jane has been forging her signature on checks. Desperate for help, Blanche crawls down the stairs and calls their doctor, telling him of Jane's erratic behavior and begging him to come to the house. Jane returns in time to find Blanche on the phone and beats her unconscious before imitating her voice over the phone and telling the doctor not to come. She then binds and gags Blanche and locks her back in her upstairs bedroom. Elvira, still suspicious of Jane, returns the next day and discovers Blanche in a weakened and starved state. Before she can rescue her, however, Jane beats Elvira to death with a hammer and disposes of her body.
Days later, the police call upon the Hudson house and tell Jane that her maid's cousin has reported her missing. The panicked Jane prepares to leave, taking Blanche with her. Before they can leave, Edwin shows up uninvited and drunk, and discovers Blanche in her bed, bound and emaciated. Edwin flees to a drugstore where he notifies the authorities.
Jane drives Blanche to the beach and reverts to her childhood self. Near death, Blanche confesses that her paralysis is her own fault: on the night of the accident, she had tried to run Jane over because she was angry at her sister for mocking her, and ever since she has let Jane believe she was to blame for her spine being severed when the car struck the iron gate of their house. Pathetically, Jane asks, "You mean all this time we could have been friends?" With childlike joy, Jane goes to a beachside snack bar to get ice-cream cones for herself and Blanche, then succumbs completely to her insanity and dances before a crowd of puzzled onlookers, believing she is once again "Baby Jane," performing for her adoring fans. Two police officers, who have come to arrest Jane for Elvira's murder, see Blanche lying motionless in the sand and rush to her. | insanity, revenge, murder, sadist | train | wikipedia | Excellent!!!.
An excellent remake of the 1962 classic, with real life sisters Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave in the old Bette Davis and Joan Crawford roles.I am a big fan of the original film, and was pleasantly pleased when I watched the remake and it was a lot better than I thought it would be.Although based on the same story, the events in the two films are staged completely different, which was good because I can't stand a remake that is just a total rip-off of the first film.The basic story is as follows...Jane Hudson (Lynn Redgrave) is a former child star who was forgotten when her sister Blanche (Vanessa Redgrave) became famous and stole all of Jane's former success.Now middle-aged, the two sisters live together and Jane takes care of Blanche after a horrific accident leaves Blanche unable to walk.
When a TV network starts to show a season of Blanche's old movies, Jane's forgotten jealousy returns, as she has always held her sister responsible for the loss of her career...I thoroughly enjoyed the movie.
4 stars..
Interesting.
. .but unsatisfying.
My philosophy on remakes is if you can't outdo the original, why bother?
Although there are several remakes that I like, this is one of those "why bother" films.
Don't get me wrong, the cast did a decent job with what they had to work with, and it was interesting to see the characters moved into the 90s, but where the original had a little too much backstory this version didn't have enough.
But allowing time for commercials took away from the story, leaving this version nearly an hour short of the original.
It was interesting to see the characters moved into a world with video stores, prostitutes, and drag queens -- which may be the only saving grace for the remake.I saw this version when it premiered, but didn't yet know the original, thus I didn't care for it that much.
Seeing it again over 10 years later, now that I've seen the Davis/Crawford version, it made me like this one slightly better, but only slightly.
The original is deservedly a classic, and the behind-the-scenes story is just as, if not more, interesting as the movie itself.
When it comes to this version, there were no behind-the-scenes battles, being as the leads are real-life sisters.At the beginning of this version, the Redgrave sisters seem to be more friendly towards one another than Davis and Crawford were at any point of the original, but it still works.
Lynn does a descent job as over-the-top Baby Jane, but she only plays it over-the-top, unlike the schizophrenic portrayal that Davis gave.
Vanessa, on the other hand, lacked the depth that Crawford had as Blanche, which made her seem less like a victim and more like she just can't act, particularly the closer it got to the end of the film.
Case in point, the final scene.
Where Crawford gave an honest, breathless confession on the beach, Vanessa Redgrave studders her way through the dialogue as if she's reading it from cue cards perched above her head.
John Glover, taking over the Victor Buono role, did a good job with his part, though it was a little disconcerting seeing the character in drag (though Buono could have never pulled that off).At the very most, this version was interesting.
Nuff said..
Not bad in itself...but no remake of a classic!.
"whatever happened to Baby Jane?" remains a stunning,horrific story well ahead of it's time (1962) Joan Crawford and Bette Davis left memorable & nightmarish examples of how to play a role for all it will get you!
However, it's 1991 remake with the lovely and talented Redgrave sisters promised to leave viewers with the same creepy chills & thrills!
Unfortunately, this simply dosen't happen here!Don't get me wrong!
The 1991 version of "Whatever happened to Baby Jane?" holds up as it's own story: set in modern-day Hollywood with it's all-too-familiar band of groupies,druggies,drag-queens & has-beens,who will forever lurk in the video stores and back streets, hoping to meet aging or ailing celebrities in order to "break-in" to the big-time!
This TV movie actually draws the viewer in to a modern version of a hybrid between "Sunset Boulevard" and "Midnight Cowboy" But, in deference to it's original.I must confess that as the ailing,aging Blanche, Vanessa Redgrave manages to hand in an adequate if not wooded portrayal.AS the nutty Jane,Lynn tries her best to NOT imitate Bette Davis and it does work-at least her portrayal is more remorseful and concerned about her crippled sister!
In THIS version we actually FEEL for poor Jane as she's led to believe that SHE had caused the accident!
When she finally learns the truth she actually seems to have been "set free" from 20 years of guilt,depressionn & alcoholism!
Of course,it's too late now,we realize, as we watch the police chase her on the beach in the final shot!.
Hideous travesty.
Godawful, pointless remake doesn't engender sympathy or interest for anyone; it's shameless, ill-conceived and difficult to watch and so is Lynn Red-faced's performance.
Wasn't Bruce Vilanch available?
You gotta give her credit for shameless exhibitionism.
Just look at The Last of the Mobile Hot Shots, her portrayal of to Xavier Hollander in The Happy Hooker, and in Smashing Time she looked like Jay Leno in drag, but this is an embarrassment as is the whole film which destroys any sense the original,campy Gothic had, and even if you haven't seen the original this amateurish, mean-spirited remake will make you cringe.
The whole thing seems like a long, unfunny joke that was completed in single takes and even Vanessa Redgrave is useless.
I think I know why this travesty is never shown..
Some Movies Just Aren't Meant to be Remade!.
The Original "whatever happened to baby jane" was such a classic.
it can be considered a timeless classic but trying to make it all modernized just ruins it.
this film was completely unnecessary.
At least in the early 1960s, they were able to pull this kind of a story off because of the camera angles and the character types.
but this film is just annoying especially with the closeup camera angles and the cheap cinematography, and baby jane looks like a clown.
the performances were weak by the redgrave sisters, they looked like they did not know what they were doing at all.
plus in the original movie, Jane plays a revenge trick on blanche by putting a bird followed by a dead rat on her cover tray which is one of the most famous scenes in all of horror history, in this film, it is a sandwich with worms on it followed by really dramatic music and then cuts off to the next scene..that was not fun at all and nowhere near as exciting as the original....there is absolutely no point in watching this movie so stick with the original classic!.
Painfully Dull and Bland.
(1991) * 1/2 (out of 4) Remake of the 1962 cult classic has Lynn Redgrave taking over the role of Jane Hudson from Betty Davis while Vanessa Redgrave takes over the role of Blanche, originally played by Joan Crawford.There's really no point in going through the plot description because I'm pretty sure you already know if if you've seen the original.
If you haven't seen the original then I'd recommend you stop reading this and go do so.
While I found the original film to be flawed in certain aspects, there's no question that it was a classic thanks in large part to the wonderful lead performances.
I'm very much pro-remakes as I think they can often be quite interesting in the new things they bring to something that is familiar.With that said, this remake just doesn't work for a number of reasons.
The biggest problem I had with the film was the fact that it was incredibly dull.
I mean, there wasn't a single ounce of life to be found in this thing as the movie gets off to a very slow start and it just becomes more and more dull as it moves along.
Director David Greene doesn't bring any sort of life, tension or atmosphere to the picture and I'd argue that everything that worked in the original film is pretty much watered down here.Another major issue is the fact that there's just no tension between the sisters.
There's not a single frame where you really feel for the Blanche character because her torments just aren't all that shocking and they contain minimum impact.
It doesn't help that both characters are extremely dull here and that's especially true for Baby Jane.
Trying to match what Davis did would be impossible but Redgrave just doesn't do anything with the part.I enjoy made-for-television films but this one here falls into some pretty bland traps through.
In case you've missed it, I've used the word bland and dull throughout this review.
WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE?
WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE?
has a couple interesting changes including the reason behind Jane's mental breakdown throughout the film.
I also liked some of the updated stuff including Blache becoming "known" again thanks to VHS.
With that said, turning Jane into a pop star was just painfully bad..
This film showcases the brilliant talents of both Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave..
This film is a masterpiece!
Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave show once again why they are both such successful actresses.
This version of Baby Jane rivals if not surpasses the original with Joan Crawford and Bette Davis.
Both actresses give astounding performances, and deserve the accolades of critics and the film industry for such a great movie.
This film deserved better coverage and a wider audience..
apples and oranges.
If the 1962 version had never been made this movie would be considered great.
It's a great, tragic story with two great stars and it's really well done.
The star quality of the Redgrave sisters is enough to carry the movie but Lynn's performance is astonishing.
Vanessa is always excellent but her part is less showy.
It's not a scene for scene remake and the characters are fleshed out a little more.
I love the original and I am Davis' biggest fan but this movie can easily stand on its' own.
It's fun to think of other pairings for the story (Elizabeth Taylor and Roddy McDowall would have been great fun) and I can understand why Lynn and Vanessa did it.
It could stand to be restored..
A Glimmer Of Hope?.
I've seen the original zillions of times but have only seen the remake once all the way through, though I seem to remember getting in on the last part a few years later when I happened to notice that it was on again.Either it was on again or else something similar to it.I can only remember seeing it once.One thing that especially impressed me about this one was that it seemed to me that the beach scene offered a glimmer of hope.Blanche told the cops that her sister was in need of professional help so to please be sure that she got it--and I also had the feeling that help just might have arrived in time that Blanche's life also was spared.This would mean that the two sisters would have another chance at a good relationship with each other instead of one being dead and the other either being permanently locked away in a mental institution or else a prison--and seen as "hopeless" either way..
Unnecessary.
Some films are such classics that remakes are doomed to failure before a word is spoken.
In its favour, Lynn Redgrave seems to have enjoyed herself and her version of Jane was a lot less cruel than David's.
Vanessa Redgrave seemed to be sleepwalking through the entire film.
For me, trying to modernise it while also attempting to keep to the original film just didn't work.
This is a picky point but the Redgrave sisters are very tall and watching Lynn trying to run about like a child was probably unintentionally hilarious.
I'd say just watch the original..
Redundant.
This is the TV movie remake of the classic psycho-thriller starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford.
This low budget production obviously can't hold a candle to the original, but it does have the novelty value of casting real-life sisters Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave as the leads.
Sadly, the concoction doesn't really work successfully and the end result is more frustrating than anything else.
Lynn overacts horribly throughout and has none of the depth or sympathy of the original's character.
Vanessa is the opposite and seems almost comatose at times.
Most of the time this is a scene-for-scene copy, but there are a few changed bits, like the inclusion of a drag singer, which don't really work.
The end question is...why bother with this when the original exists?.
The Original Vs. The Remake.
Remakes are doomed from the beginning.
Even worse than sequels--remakes only have a limited way to go.
"Baby Jane" was such a startling movie in all sorts of ways.
First, you got to see two huge stars, Joan Crawford and Bette Davis, decay right before your very eyes.
That freaked some people out.
Second, you saw Crawford and Davis in the same film.
(Really, a documentary of the making of the original would have been much better than a remake).
Bette Davis hated every cell in Joan Crawford's body, and it translates well onto film.
Jane, Davis' character, despises Blanche, played by Crawford.
We don't have all that hype with the Redgraves.
Lynn plays Jane for laughs and maybe a few scares, and Vanessa doesn't do a darn thing.
One of the major differences in the two is the way Jane treats Blanche.
In Baby Jane 1, she is mean, abusive, and for the most part unforgiving.
Baby Jane 2 shows a much nicer, more pathetic Jane.
She obviously cares for Blanche (maybe being sisters helped the Redgraves out with this one), but she is still angry with her.
If Blanche gets hurt, Jane is upset.
Even if she caused the pain, she's sorry later.
I have the feeling that the makers of this version got their hands on a copy of the book (by Henry Farrell--izzat his name?).
In the book, Jane and Blanche got along better than Crawford and Davis.
(Who doesn't?!?)One good thing about the film--Lynn Redgrave looks hilarious.
She's got fried red hair that she wears in pigtails like antennae, Lynn's using her too-funny flat American accent, she's going for camp.
On the other hand, Vanessa, who can act, doesn't.
She doesn't seem to know what she's supposed to do.
Do we hate Blanche Hudson, are we sorry for her, what?
The beach scene is ruined by her stuttering, but it is quite obvious that she's very sick and COLD.
COLD makes one stutter--they should have driven that point home.
(They could have really ruined the scene by using the book--in it, Jane brings Blanche ice cream, Blanche eats in and promptly vomits.
That would be pretty awful.) I do, however, love any movie that shows how enormously tall Vanessa Redgrave is.
When Dominic (?) picks her up, she just dwarfs him completely.Last and least, this movie is very unkind.
To the viewers, to the actors, and to anyone else who may have gotten involved.
It's unkind to give Jane a chance to live out her dream only to have it go horribly wrong.
It's unkind to be paralyzed from the waist down, as Blanche is.
It's unkind to have a watch a movie that should have been much better..
Not bad.
When I found this Nineties remake of the timeless 1962 classic "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" I was expecting something really bad.
To my surprise, it wasn't bad at all!
Sure, it'll definitely never beat the original, but for a more modern version of the story it did an okay job.
It's certainly watered down from the chilling performances of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford in the original, but at least this remake made an evident effort.
The Redgrave sisters and Glover added new faces to the main roles and a modernized soundtrack added a new element to the plot as well.
Personally I'll always love the original the best, but as far as remakes go, I've seen worse. |
tt0143808 | Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World | In London, John Smith is ambushed by a group of soldiers with a warrant for his arrest and presumed dead in the ensuing confrontation; Governor Ratcliffe has lied to King James (being a personal friend of the King) and framed Smith as the traitor from the first film in a plot to declare war against the Powhatan Nation while avoiding punishment for his own crimes. In order to prevent this, the King sends a young diplomat, John Rolfe, to bring Chief Powhatan to England for negotiations. In the New World, Pocahontas, Powhatan's daughter, mourns John Smith's death but is eventually able to move on. John Rolfe soon arrives, greeted by English civilians (who by now have settled in Jamestown) and a curious Pocahontas. Rolfe eventually speaks with Powhatan, but he refuses to accompany him to England, so Pocahontas goes in her father's stead, believing that she can bring about peace between the two nations. Powhatan sends a bodyguard, Uttamatomakkin (Uti) to accompany Pocahontas. Rolfe and Pocahontas have a rocky start, but gradually warm up to each other.
In England, Rolfe leaves Pocahontas at his mansion and meets with King James and Queen Anne, but James refuses to meet with Pocahontas despite Rolfe's pleas. Instead, per Ratcliffe's suggestion, James invites both Rolfe and Pocahontas to an upcoming ball and promises that if Pocahontas impresses him by acting "civilised", he will prevent the armada from sailing to Jamestown, but if she does not, he will declare war. Knowing that Ratcliffe deliberately manipulated the King, Rolfe and his maid, Mrs. Jenkins, educate Pocahontas in the ways of British etiquette to prepare her. At the ball, Pocahontas wins over the King and Queen with flattery and almost manages to prevent war, but a bear-baiting arranged by Ratcliffe and greatly enjoyed by the snobbish nobility infuriates Pocahontas and she openly accuses the King of savage behaviour. James angrily orders Pocahontas and Uti imprisoned in the Tower of London, and declares war on the Powhatan tribe.
At his home, Rolfe is approached by a hooded stranger who helps him break Pocahontas and Uti out of the tower and take them to an inn, where the man reveals himself to be John Smith. Smith implores Pocahontas to stay hidden with him, but she instead takes Rolfe's advice and decides to try and stop the war one last time. She openly confronts the King in the palace and reveals Smith, thus proving that Ratcliffe had been lying the entire time. Realising Ratcliffe's treachery, James sends a battalion to stop the armada. They are successful in stopping the ships before they can set sail, but Ratcliffe refuses to give up and tries to kill Pocahontas. Smith appears and fights Ratcliffe one-on-one until Ratcliffe draws a gun, but before he can fire, Rolfe sends him overboard with the ship's mast. Ratcliffe makes it back to the port, where he is arrested by the King.
Smith receives a royal pardon and his own ship from the King as a sign of apology. Pocahontas and Rolfe, meanwhile, appear on the verge of admitting that they love each other. Before they can, Smith appears and implores Pocahontas to accompany him on his new journeys around the world, but Pocahontas chooses otherwise and she and Smith part ways as friends. As Pocahontas later prepares to return to Jamestown, she finds Rolfe waiting for her on the ship, having chosen to go and live with her in Jamestown (with Uti remaining in London in his stead). They kiss as the ship sails into the sunset. | romantic, action | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0017367 | The Set-Up | Bill "Stoker" Thompson (Robert Ryan) is a 35-year-old has-been boxer about to take on an opponent at the fictional Paradise City Arena. His wife, Julie (Audrey Totter), fears that this fight may be his last and wants him to forfeit the match. Tiny (George Tobias), Stoker's manager, is sure he will continue to lose fights, so he takes money for a "dive" from a mobster, but is so certain of Stoker's failure that he does not inform the boxer of the set-up.
The beginning of the film shows Stoker and Julie in their room at the Hotel Cozy, passionately debating whether he should participate in the fight. Julie tells him that she has a headache and won't attend the match. Stoker claims the $500 prize could allow them to buy a cigar stand or invest in another boxer, Tony Martinez, and start a new life. Julie says she cares more about his well-being than money, but Stoker responds: "If you're a fighter, you gotta fight."
After Stoker departs for the arena, Julie continues to struggle with her fear and desire to support him, but ultimately ends up not using her ticket to the event and instead roams the streets surrounding the arena.
At the beginning of the fourth and last round of the vicious match with the much younger and heavily favored Tiger Nelson (Hal Fieberling), Stoker learns about the fix. Even though he is told that Little Boy (Alan Baxter), a feared gangster, is behind the set-up, he refuses to give up the fight.
Stoker wins the vocal support of blood-thirsty fans who had at first rooted against him and ends up defeating his opponent. He pays for his decision with a beating in an alley outside the arena from Little Boy, Tiger Nelson, and their cronies. The group irreparably damages Stoker's hand with a smash from a brick.
The story closes with Julie meeting Stoker as he staggers out of the alley and collapses into her arms. "I won tonight," he tells her. "Yes," she answers. "You won tonight. We both won tonight." | murder | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0096071 | The Serpent and the Rainbow | In 1978, a Haitian man named Christophe (Conrad Roberts) mysteriously dies in a French missionary clinic, while outside a voodoo parade marches past his window with a burning coffin. The next morning, Christophe is buried in a traditional Catholic funeral, at which his sister cries over his body and prays for his soul. Onlooking is a mysterious black man dressed in a suit who was also outside Christophe's hospital window on the night he died. As the coffin is lowered into the ground, Christophe's eyes open and tears roll down his cheeks.
Seven years later, Dennis Alan (an ethnobotanist and anthropologist from Harvard University) narrowly escapes the Amazon Jungle and returns to Boston after acquiring rare herbs and medicines from a local shaman. During his ordeal, Alan drinks a hallucinogenic potion and experiences a horrifying image of the same black man from Christophe's funeral, surrounded by corpses in a bottomless pit. Alan also sees his totem jaguar spirit which leads him out of the jungle to safety.
Back in Boston, Alan is approached by a large pharmaceutical corporation looking to investigate a drug used in the Voodoo religion of Haiti to create zombies. The company wants Alan to acquire the drug for mass production and use it as a type of "super anesthetic". The corporation provides Alan with significant funds and sends him to Haiti where the country is in the middle of a revolution. Alan's exploration in Haiti to find the drug, assisted by the doctor Marielle (Cathy Tyson), locates Christophe who is alive again after having been buried for dead seven years before. Shortly thereafter, Alan is taken into custody by the Haitian authorities, with the commander of the Tonton Macoute (Captain Dargent Peytraud (Zakes Mokae) - the same black man from both Christophe's funeral and Alan's vision in the Amazon) warning Alan to leave Haiti. Alan is at first not harmed by Peytraud, due to Alan's status as a U.S. citizen.
Alan refuses to leave, and continues to investigate. He encounters a local witch doctor, Mozart (Brent Jennings), who is reported to have knowledge of the zombie drug and the procedure necessary for its creation. Alan pays Mozart for a sample of the drug, but Mozart sells him a fake substitute of rat poison instead. After embarrassing Mozart in public, the Voodoo witch doctor agrees to show Alan exactly how to produce the zombie drug for a fee of $1000 to which Alan agrees. Before gaining this knowledge, however, Alan is arrested a second time by the Tonton Macoutes and tortured. After having his scrotum nailed into a chair, Alan is dumped on a street with the message clear that he had best leave Haiti before he is killed. Alan, however, still refuses to do so and meets with Mozart to create the zombie drug.
A few hours before picking up the final product, Alan has a terrifying dream. This was planted in his head by Peytraud, revealed to be an evil bokor who turns enemies into zombies and steals their souls. When Alan wakes up, he is lying next to Christophe's sister who has been beheaded. The Tonton Macoutes enter, take photos, and frame Alan for murder. Brought to Peytraud, Peytraud tells Alan to leave the country and never return, lest he be convicted of the framed murder, executed, and then his soul stolen by Peytraud. He puts Alan on an airplane at gunpoint, but Mozart sneaks onboard at the last minute and gives Alan the zombie drug for free. Mozart simply asks Alan to tell people about him, so that Mozart can achieve international fame. Alan agrees and returns to Boston with his mission apparently completed.
At a celebration dinner, the wife of Alan's employer is possessed by Peytraud, who warns Alan of his own imminent death. Thereafter Alan returns to Haiti, where his only ally, a houngan named Lucien Celine, is killed by Peytraud through dark magic causing a scorpion to materialize inside Celine's throat; Mozart is beheaded at the same time as a sacrifice for Peytraud's evil power. Alan is then sprayed with the zombie powder which "kills" him; afterwards, Peytraud steals Alan's body from an American medical clinic before Alan's death can be reported to the American Embassy. Peytraud takes Alan to a graveyard where, helpless in his coffin, Alan sees that Peytraud has captured Marielle and will kill her as a sacrifice to Baron Samedi. Peytraud further shows Alan the soul of Lucien Celine in a canari. Alan is then buried alive with a tarantula to "keep him company". Waking up screaming in his coffin a few hours later, Alan is rescued by Christophe who was also turned into a zombie by Peytraud many years earlier and now lives in a cemetery thinking that he is still dead.
Having escaped Peytraud's trap, Alan returns to the Tonton Macoute headquarters looking for Marielle. There, Alan and his jaguar spirit defeat Peytraud and send the evil bokor's soul to Hell. As the Haitian people celebrate the downfall of Jean-Claude Duvalier, Marielle proclaims "The nightmare is over". | good versus evil, cult, psychedelic | train | wikipedia | The film is set in Haiti during the last days of the dictatorship of "Baby Doc" Duvalier.Based - very loosely one surmises - on a true story, the plot follows Dr. Dennis Alan (Bill Pullman) as he investigates a powder that is said to turn people into zombies.
The best thing about "The Serpent and the Rainbow" is probably the topic it covers: Not known to the general public (including me, until I watched the film and researched the subject a little more afterwards), the so-called zombies, which legend has it that they are people who were condemned by sorcerers to become living deads, are in fact nothing more than the victims of a special powder thrown to them, whose active ingredient is a substance which is now well-known by scientists worldwide.
When the effect of this substance starts to diminish after 12-24 hours, the sorcerer is usually there to undig the completely shocked and shattered person, convincing him that he is now his zombie-slave.The movie is based on a true story by a scientist (Pullman) who went to Haiti, a country were such practices were rife, in order to get his hands on this substance and provide it to his employer, a pharmaceutical company, in order to analyze it and use it as an anaesthetic.
However, he soon realized that things were much more complicated than that, as the police chief (Mokae), who used this zombie-trick as one of his suppression tools, was quite unhappy with this intrusion.Although based on a very interesting story, the movie goes a bit far and becomes a typical horror film, full of black magic, terrifying visions, etc.
I still see it as an adventure film with horror elements, but this time I found it full of style -a touch of documentary approach, clever use of colorful locations, good handling of massive scenes with many unprofessional extras, attractive ethnic art direction, a bit of grand guignol in some performances (mainly Zakes Mokae), humor and a sensitive and sympathetic approach to a different culture.
Upon returning to America he is asked by a drug company to return to Haiti and investigate the process of "Zombification" as proof of a man being brought back from the dead has been discovered and the Americans of course would love to know how it is done.In Haiti Dr Allen meets a beautiful female psychiatrist and together they become embroiled in a world of good vs evil voodoo style in search of this miracle which is in the form of a powder.However, their is evil at work in the form of a very nasty voodoo witchdoctor, who unfortunately also happens to be Chief of Police in the very much oppressed Haiti.This was a great film.
"The Sepernt and the Rainbow" is a lot like the movies "I Walked with a Zombie" and "Premature Burial" in that it's more realistic in it's subject matter and tries to keep the supernatural angle in check and not let it overwhelm it's story.
Even though there are a number of gruesome scenes in the movie like decapitation's and immolation's as well as cannibalism nothing can compare, or condition you, to the horror of being unknowingly buried alive and not being able to scream in order to prevent that terrifying act from happening and In the film "The Serpent and the Rainbow" it happens twice not once.
With all the mind-blowing special effects in "The Serpent and the Rainbow" The most eye-popping scene in the movie has to do with modern day Voodoo Priest Lucien Celine, Paul Winfield, going bananas and literally screwing his head off.
It's based on the non-fiction book by Wade Davis, and tells the story of anthropologist Dennis Alan (Bill Pullman) who travels to Haiti for the purpose of investigating what could be causing supposedly dead people to still be alive.
The man's filmography is a mixed bag, and this film; The Serpent and the Rainbow, despite having an awesome title and good subject material (zombies, voodoo, being buried alive), still ranks as a disappointment.
The jungle setting is nice, and makes for a nice change as there aren't too many horror films set there; and the film also impresses in the special effects side, as although the movie doesn't go over the top with great effects, the ones it does have are put to good use and it helps to create and intriguing and foreboding atmosphere.
As Alan is on the island, he falls for a female doctor ( Cathy Tyson) who's father is a voodoo priest and "Hougan" ( Paul Winfield) as he finds out what could the secret of re-animating the dead back to life could be but with some deadly results coming to Alan.Loosely based on a true story and on a book by Wade Davis, this is a strange effort from master horror maker Wes Craven on doing something different then the usual slasher flick but kind of a non-traditional zombie movie in the E.C. Comics tradition.
The movie explores the secrets of voodoo and the myth behind bringing the dead back to life with elements of the classic zombie flicks like "White Zombie" to it, Pullman does great acting in this movie before he was the president in "Independence Day" and during the time he was Lonestarr in "Spaceballs".The movie has some intense memorable moments like the cringe worthy "I wanna make you scream" sequence guaranteed to make a man flinch, OK make-up effects and there's also a good storyline to the movie.
While Romero's "Dead" Trilogy is certainly the most chilling and the most captivating, other films in the genre have been very good competitors, such as "Return of the Living Dead," "Zombie," and "Night of the Creeps." While "The Serpent and the Rainbow" seems promising enough to be among such entries in the genre, it fails due to reasons that could have easily been avoided.After setting up the scenes for a great start, it sinks into a series of pointless--and predictable-- scenes.
As a result, "Serpent" is almost a miss, and it is worth watching only to see Bill Pullman's excellent performance and the few gripping scenes featuring the bizzare zombiefication rituals.However, this film has one more redeeming quality: as I have said, I haven't seen a zombie film that hasn't made me cringe, no matter how stupid I thought it was.
Wes Craven's cult classic horror zombie film The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988) is one of his best films in my opinion!
Based on the true life experiences of Wade Davis and filmed on location in Haiti, it's a frightening excursion into black magic and the supernatural.The movie has a great creepy score from Brad Fiedel, it has a wonderful performance by Bill Pullman, he really showed that he can do a dramatic role.
- Wes Craven (1939 - 2015) I really miss you and thank you for all the Freddy movies, thank you for all horror franchise and movies like are: A Nightmare on Elm Street, New Nightmare, Scream, The Serpent and the Rainbow, Shocker and The People Under the Stairs.
The Serpent and the Rainbow is a 1988 American horror film directed by Wes Craven and starring Bill Pullman.
The script by Richard Maxwell and Adam Rodman is loosely based on the non-fiction book of the same name by ethnobotanist Wade Davis, wherein Davis recounted his experiences in Haiti investigating the story of Clairvius Narcisse, who was allegedly poisoned, buried alive, and revived with a herbal brew which produced what was called a zombie.8/10 Grade: B+ Studio: Universal Pictures Starring: Bill Pullman, Cathy Tyson, Zakes Mokae, Paul Winfield, Brent Jennings, Conrad Roberts, Aleta Mitchell, Badja Djola, Theresa Merritt Director: Wes Craven Producers: Doug Claybourne, David Ladd Writers: Richard Maxwell, Adam Rodman Based on The Serpent and the Rainbow by Wade Davis Rated: R Running Time: 1 Hr. 38 Mins.
Although I must say that the battle at the end is a tad over the top, but I'm not cynical enough to let that change my positive review too much.Bill Pullman's lead character is a kind of geekier Indiana Jones, and as much as I say 'geekier' he is still able to scrap with the best of them - he has no hesitation when it comes to smashing someone over the head with a bottle certainly.In short this is a well-worked adventure story with subtle, creeping horror themes running throughout it - put down that slasher film and watch this..
Editing: 9/10 (Academy Award winner Glenn Farr keeps us on our toes) Acting: 7/10 (Bill Pullman and Zakes Mokae do a great job in their parts) Dialogue: 7/10 (The screenplay was well drawn out, for the most part) Sound: 6/10 (Works well enough to please the audience) Effects: 10/10 (Some genuinely creepy looking corpses will keep you watching) Art Direction: 7/10 (One of David Brisbin's more memorable achievements) Costumes: 8/10 (Peter Mitchell's vision suits the film and the actors) Music and/or Score: 6/10 (Brad Fiedel provides enough to satisfy)Total Score: 75/100On release it was competing with The Blob, Child's Play and Critters 2.
I wanted to watch this basically just because it was a Wes Craven film I hadn't seen, but it really went far beyond my expectations.I always thought Voodo are the perfect theme for a horror movie.
of course like all American movies they have exaggerated a bit for the showmanship, but many of the rituals were performed by real Voodo priests.The tag-line "Don't bury me, I'm not dead" may sound a little corny, but any horror fan would grad this film off the shelf and buy it when they read it.
However, since I'm rating the movie as a whole, it must be noted that there are some scenes that are extremely creepy (especially the freaky dreams that the main character keeps experiencing) and the whole Voodoo culture in Haiti is the perfect setting for this type of film.
Ever since George Romero's horror classic Night of the Living Dead, the word zombie has been synonymous with the image of a shambling reanimated corpse with a hunger for human flesh (or braaainnnsss!); few films have delved into the real phenomenon of the Haitian voodoo zombie, making Wes Craven's The Serpent and The Rainbow an all the more unusual and engrossing film.Set in Haiti during the oppressive regime of "Baby Doc" Duvalier, the film sees Captain Peytraud (Zakes Mokae) of the Tonton Macoute (the island's secret police) using voodoo practises to control political radicals; through the inhalation of a special powder, his enemies are reduced to a state of living death, only to awaken hours later to find themselves buried alive.When anthropologist Dennis Alan (Bill Pullman) is hired to locate a sample of the powder, which might prove useful as an anaesthetic, he finds himself immersed in a world of bizarre rituals, horrific hallucinations, and very real terror at the hands of Peytraud, who will do anything to protect the secret of his power.Craven clearly has a very real interest in his subject matter and his eye for detail when recording the bizarre rituals and voodoo practises of Haiti give his film an almost documentary feel at times; at the same time, he doesn't miss an opportunity to exercise his more creative muscles, the film boasting several of his impressive trademark nightmare sequences.
A Harvard anthropologist Dennis Allen is sent to Haiti to retrieve a strange powder that is said to have the power to bring human beings back from the dead.In his quest to find the miracle drug,our heroic scientist enters the rarely seen netherworld of walking corpses,blood rites and ancient curses."The Serpent and the Rainbow" is actually one of the better horror films directed by Wes Craven.It's based on the true life experiences of Wade Davis and filmed on location in Haiti.The script is pretty good and there are some truly creepy moments.The cinematography is gorgeous and the score is excellent.So if you're a fan of Wes Craven's horror films give this one a look.It is certainly better than "Deadly Friend","Shocker" and "Swamp Thing".7 out of 10..
It does indeed provoke more thought than the average horror film (but then so do most movies), and it does have some truly great surreal imagery.The fact that it purports to be based on a true story, should go without comment.
While I've never read Wade Davis' book, I'm betting it bears little in common with this movie.What we have here, ultimately is a dated horror film, that is probably not as thought provoking as it once seemed (the works of Ken Russel and David Cronenberg have since seen much more widespread exposure, and have plumbed such depths to greater effect) nor as surrealistic (again others, most notably David Lynch, have far exceeded this), but nevertheless, sometimes eerily effective.It's most notable elements indeed are not those of horror imagery, nor certainly not the paper thin plot that manages to stutter along, but in the bits of history - the search for the truth behind zombies and the repressive regime that was the Duvalier government - which I kept wishing were more integrated into the overall conflict.Still, it remains along with 'White Zombie', among the best films dealing with the subject of Voodoo.
This is really a big miss film from Craven.Dennis Alan (Bill Pullman ) a researcher out of Harvard goes to Haiti to tackle the mystery of a zombie legend and also a type of drug that might be connected.
Pullman makes this movie somewhat bearable along with some rather different zombies.I think this is a case where Craven basically had a couple of random ideas and put them together and called it a film.
The movie starts off a bit roughly, then takes on a nice pace and settles in, delivers its plot and introduces the various characters, all the while showing life in Haiti, some of the cultural aspects there.It should be said Zakes Mokae, the 'bad guy', puts in a fabulous performance.Other than that, the ending ruins so much of the potential the whole film may've been driving towards, there's not much commentary to be made really.
Horror director Wes Craven explores that particular subject in his 1988 movie, "The Serpent and the Rainbow".
A Lesser Known Wes Craven Film, But not a Bad One. A researcher (Bill Pullman) goes to Haiti in order to find a "zombie drug" that can give someone the appearance of death, when in actuality their body is at its lowest functioning.
The script found its way to Wes Craven, and Bill Pullman (at that point a young rising star) was given the lead.Author Wade Davis was on set from the very beginning and wanted to make the best film he could regardless of who the director would be.
Though Allen hopes to use the drug for the good of the medicine world and in trying to find this drug he becomes caught up in this voodoo magic and blood rites.The set-up for this film is quite original and an inventive look into the macabre underworld by director Wes Craven (Nightmare on Elm street, The Hills have eyes).
First, the 'true story' that this film is based on is the story of Wade Davis, who traveled to Haiti much like Bill Pullman in this film, and found the secret formula for making zombies.
Interesting work from director Wes Craven and also recommended for those who like their zombie films la George A.
Loosely based on the non-fiction book by the ethnobotanist Wade Davis, "The Serpent and the Rainbow" started production as a realistic approach on the author's investigation in Haiti about a drug used in the Voodoo religion to create zombies.Davis wanted Aussie director Peter Weir to direct and his then favorite leading actor, Mel Gibson to portray him on screen, but after the duo lost interest, the project was delivered to the "master of schlock", Wes Craven due to his work in the dreamlike movies such as "Deadly Blessing", "Deadly Friend" and his most well-known "A Nightmare on Elm Street".
Craven brought in all his bizarre imagination, surreal sets & gruesome scenes, but with him on the helm the movie started itself to distance from the realism of a, supposedly, true story.Visually, "The Serpent and the Rainbow" is craftsmanship at its best for a movie of this peculiar genre: the locations were perfectly spotted so as the hundreds of extras selected and the engaging cinematography by John Lindley gave it a sweaty, gritty & hypnotic feel, in the vein of what Michael Seresin did for Alan Parker's "Angel Heart" a year before.The screenplay have its flaws, it may be too confusing for a viewer at a first watch and like Craven's own direction, it tried to achieve in so many genres: the 'serious' drama / suspense movie; an unrealistic popcorn horror film (such as "A Nightmare on Elm Street") or a revolution / war drama (such as Weir's "The Year of Living Dangerously") that the end result is a bit messy.The pace is uneven and the plot is slow to develop and the editing even if it isn't the best, it's still passable.Bill Pullman for the central role of Dennis Alan (an alias for the author Wade Davis) was an odd choice, he isn't that great of an actor and lacks charisma to carry a movie on his shoulders and his clean looks, boy scout smile and fragile appearance of a townsman did not contrast well with the "Indiana Jones" adventurer, skilled in Jungle methods of survival and in establishing contact with lost tribes that his character required.
Directed by Wes Craven and inspired by the real events detailed in Wade Davis' book of the same title, The Serpent And The Rainbow presents a look at the real-life "zombie" phenomenon with dashes of horror added to it.Note that I used the word "inspired" above.
Bill Pullman, Cathy Tyson, Zakes Mokae, Paul Winfield and Brent Jennings star in Wes Craven's 1988 horror film based on the book.
Anthropologist Dennis Alan (Bill Pullman) goes to Haiti to find how supposedly dead people are coming back to life as zombies. |
tt1560985 | The Devil Inside | On October 30, 1989, Maria Rossi (Suzan Crowley) committed a triple murder during an exorcism performed on her. The Catholic Church became involved, and she has since been in a Catholic psychiatric hospital in Rome. A news story and police investigation show the three members of the clergy whom she murdered. Her daughter, Isabella, learned of the murders from her father, who died three days after telling her.
Twenty years later, Isabella (Fernanda Andrade) is in the process of filming a documentary about exorcisms and, to find out more about her mother, she visits a school in Rome. She meets two priests, Ben (Simon Quarterman) and David (Evan Helmuth), who take her with them on an exorcism performed on Rosalita (Bonnie Morgan). They bring along medical equipment to determine if it's possession or mental illness. Rosalita attacks the crew after spouting out obscene remarks in different languages and accents. She calls Isabella by her name, despite not knowing her. Eventually, they get her under control.
When Isabella goes to visit her mother, Maria, in the asylum, she finds that her mother speaks in different accents and has paintings all over the walls. Maria then craps herself while screaming a weird language. She has inverted crosses carved into her arms and her bottom lip. Maria tells Isabella that killing a child is against God's will. Isabella tells David and Ben that she had an abortion years ago and her mother had no way of knowing that—another sign that showed possible possession. As the crew prepares to perform an exorcism/analysis on Maria, David worries about losing his job, since the Church does not authorize exorcisms without undeniable proof that the patient is indeed possessed. During the procedure, Maria mentions knowing what Ben did in the past.
After analyzing the data from the video and audio files, they present the evidence to the Church. David shows many signs of stress, as Ben plays the audio files over and over. Ben finds that there are four different demons speaking in unison. David is to perform a baptism at his church, in which Michael tags along to record. When he holds the baby to start the immersion baptism, he mutters some lines from the Bible and starts forcefully submerging the baby in the holy water. The crowd rush up to save the baby as he passes out.
Soon after, Ben finds David at home with blood all over his forearms, much the way Maria was during the exorcism. The police arrive, and David acquires an officer's handgun and holds it in his mouth. Ben tells him to fight it, but he begins to weep, reciting the Lord's Prayer, and forgets the last few words. He laughs and shoots himself. Isabella begins having a seizure.
Ben hysterically comes to the realization that Isabella is possessed. Ben and Michael leave with Isabella in a car, heading to get help for a potential exorcism. While Michael drives, Isabella speaks of also knowing the horrible act Ben committed, scaring Ben. She then tries to strangle Michael and breathes into his mouth. He instantly shows signs of possession, and acceleration can be heard as Michael speeds into oncoming traffic. The camera goes black, and cuts in with short sequences of chaos, most likely of Michael, Isabella and Ben flying through their car windshield.
Before the credits start rolling, a title card is shown informing that the case of the Rossi family is still unresolved, followed by another title card directing viewers to a website (www.TheRossiFiles.com, currently defunct) "for more information on the ongoing investigation". | murder | train | wikipedia | null |
tt3069212 | Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist | In the Southeast Asian nation of Shadaloo City, civil war has erupted between the forces of crazed military dictator General M. Bison (Raul Julia) and the Allied Nations, a multinational military force, led by their regional commander, Colonel William F. Guile (Jean-Claude Van Damme). Bison has recently captured several A.N. relief workers, and via a live two-way radio broadcast, demands Guile secure a US$20 billion ransom in three days or else face responsibility for the hostages' deaths. Guile refuses and vows to track Bison down, but his assistant, Sergeant Cammy (Kylie Minogue) is only partially able to pinpoint Bison's location to the river-delta region outside the city. One of the hostages is Guile's close friend, Carlos "Charlie" Blanka (Robert Mammone), who Bison orders taken to his lab for his captive witch doctor, Dhalsim (Roshan Seth), to turn into the first of his supersoldiers. Though Charlie is severely disfigured by the procedure, Dhalsim secretly alters his cerebral programming to maintain Charlie's humanity.
Meanwhile, travelling con artists Ryu Hoshi (Byron Mann) and Ken Masters (Damian Chapa) attempt to swindle arms dealer Viktor Sagat (Wes Studi) by providing him with fake weaponry. Sagat sees through the ruse and has Ryu fight his cage champion, Vega (Jay Tavare), but the fight is interrupted when Guile bursts in and arrests everyone present for violating a curfew. In the prison grounds, Guile witnesses Ryu and Ken fighting against Sagat's men, and recruits them to help him find Bison in exchange for their freedom, since Sagat is Bison's arms supplier. They are entrusted with a homing device and win Sagat's trust by staging a prison escape and faking Guile's death. However, reporter Chun-Li (Ming-Na Wen) and her crew, former sumo wrestler E. Honda (Peter Tuiasosopo) and boxer Balrog (Grand L. Bush), all of whom desire vengeance on Bison and Sagat, stumble across the plan, and, over Guile's objections, attempt to assassinate Bison and Sagat at a party. In order to maintain Bison's trust, Ryu and Ken stop the assassination and reveal Chun Li, Honda, and Balrog to Bison.
Upon returning to his base, Bison inducts Ryu, Ken and Vega into his organization and orders Honda and Balrog imprisoned and Chun-Li taken to his quarters. Ryu and Ken break Balrog and Honda out of confinement and rush to confront Bison, who is fighting Chun-Li, but Bison manages to escape and unleash a sleeping gas, sedating them all. Meanwhile, Guile plans his assault on Bison's base. He is briefly impeded by the Deputy Secretary of the A.N. (Simon Callow), who informs Guile that the decision has been made to pay Bison the ransom, but Guile takes no notice and proceeds with the mission on his own. At the base, Dhalsim is found by a security guard, and a fight ensues in which Charlie is released and he kills the guard to protect Dhalsim. Guile arrives shortly thereafter and sneaks into the lab, where Charlie begins strangling him. Charlie stops when he recognizes Guile. Horrified at what his friend has become, Guile prepares to kill Charlie, to end his suffering, but Dhalsim stops him. Because the ransom was never paid, Bison prepares to kill the hostages by unleashing Charlie on them, but Guile emerges and a gunfight ensues with Guile only barely holding his own until the remaining A.N. forces arrive. After ordering Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Honda and Balrog to find and rescue the hostages, Guile engages Bison in a one-on-one duel. As Guile and Bison fight, Ryu and Ken are confronted by Sagat and Vega, and only barely manage to defeat them. Bison's computer expert, Dee Jay (Miguel A. Nunez Jr.) steals Bison's trunk of money and escapes, joined by Sagat. Bison's bodyguard, Zangief (Andrew Bryniarski), engages Honda in a vicious fight until learning from Dee Jay that Bison was the true enemy, and decides to join sides with Ryu and Ken.
Guile eventually gains the upper hand against Bison and kicks him into a bank of hard drives, delivering him a fatal electric shock, but a revival system restores Bison and he reveals that his suit is powered by electromagnetism which enables him to fly and fire electricity from his knuckles. Bison takes control of the fight and eventually moves to deal the death blow, but Guile counters with a well-timed roundhouse kick that sends Bison crashing into his gigantic monitor wall, but also causes the base's energy field to overload. The hostages are rescued, but Guile stays behind to convince Dhalsim and Charlie to return with him, though they refuse, Charlie unwilling to return to society in his condition and Dhalsim wishes to atone for his part in mutating Charlie in the first place. Guile escapes just as the base explodes and reunites with his comrades, while Sagat and Dee Jay realize the trunk was full of useless "Bison Dollars" that Bison intended to use once he had taken over the world. As the base collapses, the fighters strike their winning poses from Street Fighter II: The World Warrior.
In a post-credits scene, Bison's computer is reactivated from solar power and the revival system restores Bison again. His fist smashes through the rubble and a computer screen is shown selecting "World Domination: Replay". This scene was omitted from the theatrical release "out of deference to Raul Julia". | dramatic | train | wikipedia | It sticks to the authenticity of the game series and does a great job of portraying the street fighter characters that you loved as a child.
The story is very well scripted and is true to the video games.The origin story of Ryu and Ken is very authentic and the focus on the details makes it satisfying to watch.
As a hardcore fan of the street fighter games I hope this is the start of something great and look forward to future episodes.
Apparently, it also was Joey Ansah's, and Christian Howard's, as well as Mike Moh's!All Street Fighter fans who loved the lore and the martial arts of the game were disappointed never to be given a rich, powerful representation of Ryu and Ken on screen, except for some great anime versions.After a long wait (about 16 years for me), Joey and Christian announced that they wanted to make a live action adaptation, and after another year and a half, with hyped up expectations, their team unleashed Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist onto the world.
More of Gouken, Akuma, Ken and a lot more of Ryu, knowing where the story can take us from here!The most imposing actors in the movie for me were Igawa (no surprise there) but also Akira Koieyama, who can be very impressive and compelling.
The image gives off a warm vibe, a strength of colours which just feels good to me as a viewer.I truly hope that Joey, Christian and their team will get the proper funding for many more features and will continue (soon!) to produce more of this great story on screen for us!In the meantime, I just want to say THANK YOU SO MUCH JOEY, Christian, JACQUELINE, MIKE, TOGO, AKIRA, PATRICK, and all the others for the amazing work done on the show, and EVERYBODY, WATCH THIS MOVIE!!!
I believe that Street Fighter fans all over the world have been suffering for decades, waiting for a live-action movie that is done right.
From terrible casting, bad fighting scenes to a genuine lack of passion and respect to a franchise that has impacted our world in more ways than we could ever imagine.So why is Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist any different?
As a huge fan of Street Fighter, I couldn't stop reciting the sequence of every moves such as Ryu performing a great focus attack.As for the music, usually in independent productions, the music is often very generic and unoriginal.
There's no real requirement to have a die hard knowledge of the street fighter saga to enjoy this but lets be honest if your watching this series its almost certain you've played at least one of the games, and if not, by the end you will have an higher understanding of the origins of two of the most central characters that made Street Fighter one of the most recognized titles in the fighting genre.
From the actors chosen to the music and the setting of the short films, this rendition of Street Fighter is better than all of the movies made in Hollywood.
I've waited so long for a good adaptation of a fighting game movie especially street fighter and mortal kombat.
What a waste.I was kind of shocked to see who the director was and hopefully they keep that way please don't let the big time directors (no disrespect to Ansah)get their hands on this and ruin it.I was glad they went in depth Ryu,Ken, and Akuma I completely forget how he came about but still never knew that much about him even though i always thought he was one of the best characters.
By far the best SF2 movie yet n it's not even a "Big Hollywood" production..No big budget SFX or blood gore, just great martial arts fighting n I mean the actors must've studied the game moves because they have them down packed!
A brief but comprehensive history of the Ansatsuken fighting technique, the mythos that surrounds it and the destiny of 2 brothers and the paths they follow .From the masters that perfected the technique through the generations.Hollywood has traditionally failed fighting game genres like street fighter with over the top fight scenes and special effect coupled with a weak storyline.SFAF does not fall in this trap , instead focusing on the story of the fighters,the history behind them and their motivation.
The fight scenes are brilliantly done because they are integrated in a believable way, as the warriors practice and understanding of the ansatsuken technique grows.For such a low budget offering, the storyline and "feel" of street fighter is faithfully upheld and expounded upon, this is my favourite rendition yet, culminating in the rivalry and friendship of Ken and Ryu....Very well done and thank you!!!.
There are two parallel similar stories of Ken, Riy and their master Gôken in the present days and young Gôken, Gôki and their master Gôtetsu in the 50's while learning to fight "Ansatsuken" with different conclusions.Reading IMDb Ihave just found that "Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist" is indeed a TV Mini- Series.
I give 10★ for its consistency with the game, unlike most (if not all) ridiculous street fighter movies out there As the subtitle implies, the story focus on ken and ryu and the secret around their school style ansatsuken (assasin's fist), so, no u wont see street fighter tournament or it's many characters participant.The story itself been done real good and consistent with background story of the game series.
They even carefully took care of small details trivia such the gloves and headband, again, consistent with the game time line.As a fan, u could easily recognize their style 'trademark moves' when they fight, not only the 'hado' set of hadoken-shoryuken-tatsumaki but also in their 'ordinary' punch and kick or even in some stance (not in all fight).Now i cant wait to see how they will do the 2nd season.
The characters are all perfectly cast and the fight scenes are incredible; the attention to detail is so pleasing and fans will notice the fight moves are pulled straight from the game and you can tell the stars are actually trained in martial arts.
It's going to be unorthodox in the sense that at first it will seem more about me than the film, but this background is essential to explain the sheer impact this movie can have on a person (in this case, me).Anyone who knows me really well and has heard of "Street Fighter: Assassins Fist" would be surprised that I have yet to say anything about it.
The second thing I did was turn my spare bedroom into a traditional Japanese room with tatami mats and various other pieces of feudal age Japan lore (I also grew up watching jidai geki, just fyi).Now, knowing this background of myself, you can probably see that "Street Fighter: Assassins Fist" was without a doubt made for someone exactly like me.
The story line is mind blowingly epic, covering all the details we've heard of growing up watching the anime series and playing the games, tying them together in such a way that it flawlessly fits in a manner that I can only call perfection.
The whole series was epic as it decently portrayed the the two most famous fighting characters of all time, Ryu and Ken. The video game imitation of the series was also perfectly executed.
Not only did they nail the Ansatsuken fighting stlye (Ken & Ryu's martial lineage), they were able to reflect the personalities of the characters in their fights and choices of moves, whilst combining excellently choreographed scenes, with all of the moves from almost every Street Fighter game, which is an immensely difficult job!Joey Ansah did a brilliant job as director, allowing characters to explore boundaries of their personas, whilst staying true to the series, with beautiful homages to the anime move, anime series, games and so on.
Raging Demon is also quite good and so the rest of techniques.The looking of the story takes much from Street Fighter Alpha: Generations, which, to me, is one of the best SF movies ever.
Everything was explained right from the beginning so even if you have never played the game or watched anything to do with Street Fighter, this will give you what you need to know.
While the past films have focused on slapping random street fighter characters on screen showing some of their signature fighting moves just for the sake of it, this is an actual real movie involving the main street fighter characters.Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist is a web-series containing 12 short episodes chronicling the lives of Ryu, Ken, and their master Gouken.
But when I gave it a try, it blew my mind right away, like in the first seconds of the trailer!If you're a Street Fighter fan and want to watch something REALLY true to the games, then definitely you want to watch this.
The only thing keeping me from giving this movie a 10/10 is its low budget effects, and also I did not like the actor for Ryu. His acting and fighting moves were a bit underwhelming.
A lot of great scenes that SF fans like myself love to see (ie: Ryu's theme played by flute, Akuma's final fight scene, reference to Dan in the dojo, etc.) And, surprisingly, a lot of very powerful, emotional moments in this movie...
I always rate movies based on their niche, so I would not compare a fan made martial arts film inspired from a game to a Hollywood big production.
If you look carefully at the battle between Ken and Ryu you see a lot of the trademark game moves, which were carefully choreographed in a believable fighting scene, which I think is both commendable and very difficult.Now, the film is an origin story, it doesn't contain much fighting and it only concerns the two characters who had disappointingly identical fighting styles in the game: Ken and Ryu. You get the typical dojo Master/pupil story (Street Fighter Kids would have been a better title).
The storyline takes a great deal from the games & enriches it at every level, it is like many "martial arts" training segments in many ways but also takes the mythology & lore into a far deeper realisation that enriches the story exponentially, it is by doing this that the series takes on a life of its own.
The acting is very good, the casting choices were absolutely spot-on & the action was very tightly coordinated without veering too far into the ridiculous (Hado manifestations aside).It brought the Streetfighter back-story of the characters revealed to life about a thousand times better than has been done before & for a fan of movies or games this is a worthwhile view & I found it highly entertaining & can't wait for more..
This is the only street fighter movie/show I've ever seen that consistently keeps the choreography consistent with the game for every fight (for better or worse...).+Ken. He is the best part of the show, and for the most part he's fun to watch (when he's given something to do).+Acting (for most).
Maybe it works better watching it 21-minutes at a time, but I find it hard to believe it would be much more intriguing that way.Check out the anime series instead- Street Fighter 2 V.
For Street Fighters fans, its an absolute treat, Ken and Ryu are played perfectly and really feel like their video game counterparts.
"Sonic Boom" i had no hopes for this, but it was totally different!!!!This movie is a masterpiece, and the actors deserve tons of credit for not just performing well, but also because they fit the roles they are picked for perfectly.Ken and Ryu is exactly how i pictured them, and to see the plot unfold as the movie goes on is nothing but satisfying!If you even remotely enjoyed the Street Fighter game back in the glory days, then i guarantee you will enjoy this movie..
The movie depicts the Street Fighter spirit and atmosphere brilliantly and from the casting, the wardrobe, the amazing fights, well used effects, wonderful landscape and HD image, it was a feast to my eyes and kept me entertained for 2 hours in a row, begging for more.Never heard of Christian Howard, but he was the perfect choice for Ken. I would say the looks are somewhere on the SF Alpha version of Ken, with long hair and ponytail.
The guy has the looks, the physique (humanly possible of course), the moves and the charisma of Ken. I felt like i was seeing one of my favorite characters being played in a live movie.Mike Moh as Ryu, on the other hand, was harder to grow on me, perhaps because there is a notorious discrepancy on physique between the 2 of them, other than that, he was a faithful Ryu, obsessed with getting better and better on fighting, while maintaining the DO spirit all the way.
Comedy and drama were put in all the right places and i loved the old-man on the lake, always teasing Ken, but don't want to be a spoiler.I don't know how good are the martial artists in the movie, what kind of experience they have in martial arts (i have to research on it), but every move, every fighting scene is a visual feast.
Another excel role was the one from Togo Igawa (Gôtetsu), who i already had seen on Last Samurai, he also was great, giving that "Akira Kurosawa" feeling to every scene he was on.Joey Ansah's "Akuma" was a pleasant surprise, they managed to give the character the background and looks of the games, an impressive fighter that was in the center of our story, perhaps my favorite part of the script.All in all, if you are a SF fan, specially of characters like Ryu, Ken and Akuma, go and see this somewhere, it is simply put, the best Street Fighter movie ever made.I can't wait to see the sequel, meanwhile, i will just boot up my console and play SF while watching the movie again.I sure hope that if Hollywood makes a SF movie, looks upon this guys and casts every single actor in here to the role they deserve, cause they sure well deserve it..
The plot is confined to tell the story of four 'Street Fighter' characters: Goken, Akuma, Ken and Ryu. The acting is flawed, but it's good enough for this type of movie.
Finally, fight choreography is very good and very pleasant for the eye so the overall impression of "Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist" is very positive.I didn't care much about 'how true was the plot to the game?', but it looked coherent so I found it to be quite interesting.
As a fan of Street Fighter and King of Fighters, I was amazed while watching this movies.I can only hope that they could do the same for the King of Fighters, because no adaptation has ever given this game the credits it deserves.I think the fans will enjoy this series, because they will not feel that the story is disconnect like in other failed adaptations.Everything is in the game's story, so there is really no need to change it at all.
And it was nice to know how Goki became Akuma and how it all started between Ryu and Ken. Hopefully in the next Street Fighter movie sequel, they will include the story of Ken having a wife and a kid.
I've been waiting for a Street Fighter live action adaptation for ages...I mean there has been previous attempts, but that's all they were attempts, and they messed up the story so much that not even half way through those movies you'd go "What the hell???"...So after watching this feature film, I was completely blown away.
This is how a video game adapted to TV-series.Beautifully filmed, great storyline and the best thing of all the characters and their customs done perfectly.The sound effect were very good if we put to our consideration that this is a fan film with low budget.The graphic effect again very good for low budget film.The action scene were AWESOME!!
Coming from a die hard street fighter fan, EVERYTHING was perfect, from the characters, the acting, the story, the music, the fighting, the whole cinematography!
And the "Legend of Chun-Li" was at least a step in the right direction, but not really great.For a martial arts movie based on a video game, "Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist" was a snoozefest on a grand scale, and it failed to entertain me on any level.
But I always enjoyed the stories of Ken, Ryu, and Akuma.So when I found out about Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist, I was excited, but leery.
I'm no die-hard fan of Street Fighter, but I do love the animated movies/shows & I know the background stories.
What totally put me to awe was the last fighting scene of Ken and Ryu which ended with a counter move that often happened while playing the actual game-a hadouken intercepted half-way by a shoryuken.I hope the series will go on and not loose its charm, concentrating on a few fighters and sticking to a well-written story that allows the characters to develop and transport their emotion..
I love how they are all about detail I mean to even why they move like that it was just truly perfect now they made it official now when street fighter fans think about Ryu and Ken's back story I hope that they think of this.
The characters from the game are limited to ryu, ken, akuma and gouken, which is kind of a good thing as too many characters would have ruin the whole feel of the series.
Overall a must watch for Street Fighter fans who already are familiar with the games' back stories..
The formative years of Ryu and Ken. This is a really good watch for everybody who played the famous Street Fighter video game when they were younger. |
tt0109417 | China Moon | The story opens with detectives Kyle Bodine (Ed Harris) and Lamar Dickey (Benicio del Toro) investigating a murder scene. Bodine tutors Dickey in the ways of homicide investigations, stressing that all murderers make stupid mistakes, which is how they get caught.
At a local bar, Bodine hits on Rachel Munro (Madeleine Stowe) who blows him off. Rachel is married to wealthy banker Rupert Munro (Charles Dance). Back at home, she gets drunk as she looks at a private investigator's photos of Rupert making love to one of his employees, Adele. Rupert is intimidating and emotionally abusive towards Rachel, who decides to give in to Kyle's advances and start an affair with him.
At one point, the lovers row out on a lake at night. Kyle points out the large full moon and says that his grandmother called it a China Moon, because it looks like a giant china dish. His grandmother thought a China Moon made people do crazy things. Their affair quickly picks up steam, and Kyle urges Rachel to divorce Rupert.
Soon after, Kyle and Lamar are called to the Munro's on a domestic disturbance complaint. They find Rachel badly beaten. Kyle warns Rupert to leave her alone. Later that night, Rachel drives to Kyle's trailer and fantasizes about killing Rupert. She explains that she has bought a 9mm gun. She says that she could take a trip to Miami, drive back one night and kill him. Then she could return to her trip unseen, using it as an alibi. Kyle tries to talk her down, but she flees in a panic.
Rachel arrives at a hotel in Miami, and the concierge hands her an envelope which contains the picture of a rental car and its keys. Later, she leaves the hotel at night, without noticing Adele sitting in the lobby. She gets in the rental car and drives back to her home. Meanwhile, Adele enters her hotel room.
Instead of driving home, Rachel drives to Kyle's trailer, and he agrees to drive her home to get her things. He waits in the car as she packs a suitcase. Kyle does not see Rupert returning home, and when Rupert encounters Rachel in the act of leaving him, he flies into a rage. She gets her 9mm gun and shoots him twice in self-defense. She stops Kyle from calling the police because she points out that she drove back from Miami without checking out of her hotel, just like her murder fantasy. She knows she would look guilty, and Kyle agrees to help her cover her tracks. Using his skills as a homicide detective, he helps her carefully clear the crime scene, even removing the bullets from the wall, spackling over the holes and painting them. They dump Rupert's body in the same lake where they first made love. Back at the house, Kyle turns on the humidifiers to erase any of his fingerprints.
Rachel returns to the hotel in Miami and has brunch by the pool the next morning. When she returns home, she sticks to Kyle's plan and calls Rupert's bank. Rupert's secretary informs Rachel that he has not been in to work, and Rachel reports him missing to the police. Kyle and Lamar are assigned to the case. During their interviews with Rachel, Lamar is highly skeptical of her story, pointing out all its inconsistencies. As they shoot the breeze at Rachel's house, Lamar casually hypothesizes that Rachel killed Rupert with the help of one of her many boyfriends. He tells Kyle that Rachel is well known for wrapping men around her finger, and that, with the millions she would inherit from Rupert, it was highly likely that she got one of her boyfriends to help her kill Rupert and dispose of his body. Lamar starts to unnerve Kyle, who begins to doubt Rachel is telling him the truth.
Lamar gets a tip about a car being out at the lake on the night of the murder. The police divers find Rupert's body. During the autopsy, the coroner extracts a bullet from Rupert's chest. Lamar takes the bullet and hands it to Kyle, saying that it looks like a .38. The detectives confirm that it is a .38, which is the caliber of gun that Kyle carries. During his first date with Rachel, she had inquired about the caliber of his gun.
Back at the Munro house, Kyle discovers the photos of Rupert and Adele in Rachel's wardrobe. The crime scene technician discovers a bullet hole in the wall, and the extracted bullet is also a .38. Kyle is summoned to a meeting with his supervisor, who suspends him pending an investigation into his involvement with the case. He orders Kyle to surrender his pistol.
Later that day, Lamar arrives at Kyle's trailer and asks him to come in for some more questioning. The pistol he surrendered did not match the serial number on his service weapon. Sitting in the back seat of Lamar's car, Kyle fixates on a compass that sits on Lamar's dashboard. After a second, more forceful interrogation with his supervisor and Lamar, Kyle returns home and re-examines the pictures he discovered at Rachel's. He identifies Lamar's dashboard compass in the bottom of the frame of one of the pictures.
Adele meets with Lamar, and he pays her for her part in the scheme, after she shows him a ticket to prove that she is leaving town. He promises to pay her the rest of her share once he has received his cut. Kyle sneaks into Rachel's house and confronts her about the scheme. She confesses that Rupert was going to leave her with nothing, and that Lamar had concocted the scheme to make sure she inherited all of Rupert's fortune. She swears that, despite the fact that Lamar had designated Kyle as the fall guy, she had fallen in love with him.
Kyle orders her to set up a meeting with Lamar at the bar where they met. At the bar, Kyle confronts Lamar. He confirms that Lamar had switched out the 9mm bullet for a .38 during the coroner inquest. He asks Lamar where his service revolver is, and Lamar says it is in his car. Kyle forces Lamar out to his car at gunpoint to retrieve the .38. The bartender sees Kyle's gun at Lamar's back and calls the police. They arrive as Kyle is searching for his pistol underneath the driver's seat in Lamar's car. Lamar calls out to the police that Kyle has a gun, and they open fire, killing Kyle. A distraught Rachel runs over to Kyle as he lies dying. She picks up the .38 and kills Lamar. | tragedy, romantic, neo noir, murder | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0059807 | Time Piece | The fast-paced scenes in Time Piece are edited together in a rhythmic pentameter, with an underlying use of sounds and repetitive beats. The film begins with a young man (who provides only four brief words of dialogue who just quotes "help") sitting patiently in a hospital bed. An unidentified doctor enters the room and checks the man's heart rate, which begins to pulse rhythmically.
As the rhythm increases, the film begins to follow the man's peculiar habits such as crossing a busy street in different clothes and different locations, working in a busy office, working on a conveyor belt, walking through different locations and ending up in a forest where he has the appearance of Tarzan, eating dinner with his wife, walking down the street seeing pogo stick riders, and visiting a strip club while simultaneously maintaining himself in motion.
Eventually, the man is imprisoned for shooting the Mona Lisa while dressed as a cowboy and is forced to perform odd acts of labor like working in the rock pile and painting an Indian elephant pink. The man eventually escapes from prison and begins to frantically run across a long distance with different disguises like Abraham Lincoln and Tarzan while evading cowboys. The man then jumps off a diving board and soars into the sky (aided by a flying device) where he is subsequently shot down by the world's military powers. He falls from the sky defeated and lands in a muddy puddle in the form of a rustic clock. The clock strikes twelve and the film's events flash quickly on-screen.
Back in the hospital room, the doctor covers the man's seemingly lifeless body. The camera then pans up towards the doctor's face, revealing him to be the same man smiling gleefully while winking. | psychedelic | train | wikipedia | it can now be found on some sites on-line; well worth seeking out as one of the best of the 60s.
Jim Henson as a filmmaker sometimes doesn't get as much credit as for his main innovations with the Muppets and establishing them throughout the years as the head producer of the Henson company.
But behind the genius puppeteer that he was, he was also very good at creating a style that was all his own, whether it was with the original and enlightening fantasy films he made in the 80s or with the Muppet movies.
Part of what crosses over from his time with the Muppets with this rarely seen short film, Time Piece, is the pure sense of tongue placed firmly in cheek.
The theme of time is one that many art films deal with (not the least of which Bergman), but this film is like a collaboration between the crazier silent shorts of the 1920s and Chuck Jones.
I laughed many times during this film, but it's also a marvel of- of course- timing, but also at getting the right rhythm with the images.
It goes without saying that its directness in the editing, with its tempo always on step without going overboard, is some of the best I've ever seen in a short film.Little moments end up making the best parts of Henson's film, where no real story emerges aside of himself sort of being witness to the follies of the world in a very crazy manner.
And it's also an exercise in repetition- a few times the one spoken word of the film pops up ("Help")- by Henson, and it's always very funny.
But the comic timing is explored in little themes Henson had in later films, such as food, with one of the real laugh out loud bits being when Henson and the woman eat at the table as they one-up each other.
Or seeing the delirious pathway in Henson running around towards the end (being chased, no doubt, by archive footage).
It all ends then, to put it mildly, down the toilet (literally I mean).
This is a surprising film with as much invention that can be fused cinematically into its concept- showing time as being very musical in a sense, and possibly breaking the balance that it usually keeps with day to day life.
It's an early gem, and its quite a stroke of luck to find it on-line or through a rare 16mm print; one of the true unfortunates in being unavailable to the masses and other fans of Henson..
Wacky but thoughtful fun.
I remember seeing this short in elementary school (stop doing the math!) and have loved it ever since.
It was screened at the same time as "Help, My Snowman's Burning Down" and "Clay", both exemplary shorts on their own, but my favorite was always "Time Piece".
The hapless subject's strange situations and his plaintive cries of "help!" (especially when his head was, literally, served up on a platter) were priceless and led to a spirited discussion of the meaning of the film.
Now that I know it was done by Jim Henson, I'm not surprised it was so good!
A definite must-see for its composition and the execution of the scenes as each jump-cut leads to a new, sometimes visually jarring, sometimes amusing, image..
This is a neat little film..
This is a neat little film that I believe won the Academy Award for best live action short film in 1965.
It is a crazy piece about the effect that time keeping have on us all.
There is a lot of stop action and editing.
Don't miss the dancing naked chicken!.
While far from great, this was a super-important film.
This is an experimental film done early in Jim Henson's career--before he achieved national prominence.
While I didn't enjoy it and didn't see it as a great artistic triumph (despite the Oscar he received for Best Live Action Short), I am thrilled that he made it because it gave him a chance to experiment and hone his craft.
Interestingly, the film has none of his Muppets--even though for almost a decade he'd been using them on local (Washington, DC).The film has a beat (such as drum or cymbal) every second and the action changes--almost slide show style.
Much of it seemed rather random, though some of the seemingly random images weren't (such as the obvious phallic imagery).
Clever at times, but not a film I'd want to see again..
a somewhat different side of henson.
You can say what ever you want about it, but there's no denying that Jim Henson's earlier works are certainly...INTERESTING to some degree.
Having only thus far witnessed 'Time Piece', if 'Piece' can be considered a basis for the style of these earlier Henson films than I am likely to love every one that I see!
Surreal, funny, bizarre, brilliant...it's Henson years before he came to be known as the world famous creator of such classics as 'The Muppet Show' and 'Sesame Street'.
I can certainly say that it is at least mildly surprising seeing a film made by the man who invented 'Sesame Street' that also contains some heavily raunchy jokes and images, but this element only adds to the fun!
Seriously, 'Time Piece' is an uproarious and surrealist joyriot!.
time is on Jim Henson's side.
It was only after "Sesame Street" debuted that Jim Henson became a household name.
Of course, that wasn't his first foray into the public eye.
The man who created the Muppets had been working on stuff since the '50s, but his avant-garde 1965 short "Time Piece" is also worth seeing.
This film has no discernible plot.
It focuses on time, whether as an abstract concept, or as the dominant force in our lives (to the extent that it imprisons us).
Henson plays a man who walks to the beat of a ticking clock.
A few other things happen, all set to a beat.The antics of Bert & Ernie, as well as Kermit & Piggy, showed everyone that Henson was capable of creating some far-out material.
But here, he goes for the surreal.
In a good way.
Definitely worth seeing.
Watch for a young Frank Oz (the voice of Fozzie, and the director of "The Muppets Take Manhattan", "Little Shop of Horrors", "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels", "What About Bob?", "In & Out", "Bowfinger" and the original "Death at a Funeral") in one scene..
Time Piece is a definite far-out early Jim Henson masterpiece.
Just saw this early experimental short by the creator of the Muppets, Jim Henson, on YouTube as linked by Amid on Cartoon Brew.
It's basically an abstract animated slide show of Henson walking to work, having dinner with his wife, jumping on a pogo (with other people on that at various moments), etc.
All done to a constant drumbeat with occasional cries of "Help!" from Henson.
There's some adult humor here so I don't recommended this to children.
Some of the cuts and montage that I remember from the Muppets' later TV show "Seseme Street" probably came from here.
Anyone who thinks of Jim Henson as mainly a children's puppeteer would probably really be blown away with Time Piece.
If you liked this, there's a short Henson did with sound man Raymond Scott called Ripples, also on YouTube.
Highly recommended!.
Rhythmic Randomosity!.
Time Piece (1965 Short)
Boing, click, ring, pop, zip!
Onomatopoeia bliss.
Jazz drums, go; bells, ding!
Rhythmic repitition fun,
Henson's sole nomination!
Tanka, literally "short poem", is a form of poetry consisting of five lines, unrhymed, with the 5-7-5-7-7 syllable format.
#Tanka #PoemReview.
Creative and clever short playing with rhythm and time.
This short was nominated for the Academy Award for Short, Live Action, Losing to Le Poulet (The Chicken).
There will be spoilers ahead: Jim Henson, already feeling constricted at being considered a producer of children's programming, produced this experimental film as a way of demonstrating other facets to his work.
It's most decidedly not intended for children.It's a visual short, with only four instances where a single word is uttered.
Henson plays a man, whom we see all through the short.
At the beginning, we see him in a bed in a hospital room.
A doctor comes in and checks his heart rate.
This is where it starts to get surreal.
You begin to hear sounds which aren't typical for the situation-a camera shutter click when he blinks, clicking in place of a heart beat and so on.The editing on this is extensive, as all the scenes are very brief, running seconds in length.
Henson is seen in various places, in different clothing and varied surroundings.
He's seen on a pogo stick, running, walking, dressed in suits, rags, as a caveman and even as Lincoln for a bit.
Timepieces are shown here and there.Henson is shown with a woman, with the inference that she's his wife.
The woman also does a variety of things-cut cords, take off clothing, eat dinner, change clothing and so on.
There are points in this where, if you blink, you'll likely miss something!
Everything revolves around rhythm and time and it all comes back around rather neatly.
The ending is good, so I won't spoil it here.So far as I'm aware, this isn't available commercially at the moment, though at one point, I believe you could find it online.
Pity, because it's well worth seeing.
I want the time back I spent watching this.
"Time Piece" is a 9-minute short film from America from the 1960s and the main reason why this is still somewhat known today is that it was made by the late Muppets creator Jim Henson.
He wrote it, directed it and also played the central character.
It sure is fascinating how different this is compared to all his Muppets stuff.
Henson was still in his 20s when he made it and as it scored an Oscar nomination it was one of the biggest successes of Henson's career.
However, I am not impressed.
I am not a Muppets fan at all and this one here I don't like either, even if for completely different reasons.
It is a very experimental film, there is no plot in here, no spoken language either, which is good because you don't need to understand English to see it, but honestly why would you want to see it?
It's tough to find a reason in it.
Maybe for the sound effects as this is the only component that was slightly memorable or at least not as forgettable as everything else and that is also only really because they were very much over the top, also in terms of volume.
Maybe that's where the film should have been nominated.
Anywhere I am glad it lost to the French entry in the short film category because that one is much much superior to this one here.
This one here sure is packed with tons of metaphors and symbolisms, many about the subject of time and fugaciousness, but that makes it only a slightly smarter watch.
Maybe it could have been a success if we heard Pink Floyd's Time while watching the visual side.
But that one only came out a bit under a decade later.
"Time Piece" gets a thumbs-down from me.
Not recommended.
Not recommended. |
tt0406432 | La linea | Veteran assassin Mark Shields (Ray Liotta) is hired to track down the head of an elusive drug cartel centered in Tijuana, Mexico. Shields takes the assignment in a weary daze, as he is fresh off a case that claimed the life of a woman he continues to see in his mind.
Meanwhile, Javier Salazar (Andy García), the head of the cartel Shields is assigned to, is dying. Salazar hands over his position to his nephew, the cocky Pelon (Esai Morales). Pelon takes charge with a different agenda, however, planning to change the cocaine being transported to heroin from Afghanistan.
Shields recruits Wire (Kevin Gage), an old friend, to help in an assassination attempt. Pelon is leaving one of his warehouses when he is attacked not only by Shields and Wire, but a different group set up by a contractor named Anthony (Bruce Davison). A shootout ensues, ending in Anthony's team being forced to withdraw. Shields aborts the operation, but Wire is kidnapped.
Pelon sees Padre Antonio (Armand Assante) after the shootout. Then he goes to talk to Salazar, who tells his nephew that their operation won't ever be in jeopardy if the Americans simply keep taking out the leaders. Salazar believes that someone will always be there to take the seat of the fallen leader.
Shields is mugged but is found by a local woman named Olivia (Valerie Cruz), who takes him into her home. Shields stays until he recovers, then leaves. He later finds out that Wire was tortured and killed.
Pelon is attacked once more by Shields, and is kidnapped. Shields takes Pelon to Salazar's home. It is revealed that Salazar faked his illness, hired Shields and set up an elaborate twist for his nephew. Pelon is executed by Padre Antonio, another dupe set up by Salazar. Shields then gives his pay to Olivia (local woman) and boards a cab. On a ride to the airport Shields realizes that he was shot sometime when he was kidnapping Pelon, and he slowly lays down in the back of the cab and dies. | psychedelic | train | wikipedia | Animation in its simplest and its best. Fine Art of Simplicity. It might be exaggerated comparing it to invention of wheel or wedge, but it is easily yet another example of achieving greatness through simplicity.Each of the less than 3 minutes long shorts is initiated and terminated one-dimensionally, restricted to a single line (la linea in Italian), while the middle part gets more "complex", both visually and aurally, thanks to the noisy little fellow whose two-dimensional adventures we're in to follow. Moody little chap is a collection of extremes. Redrawn (reborn!) at the start of each new episode, enthusiastic about his (coming to) existence, stretching and happily sighing out of contentment, not before long he's, at first curious about, then eventually puzzled with, and finally upset with the usual absence of the line ahead, finding himself either irritated or delighted with the easily recognizable line gap-filling shape, subsequently outlined, or alternatively deleted by the only other permanently accompanying character, pencil-holding hand, apparently belonging to his author, Osvaldo Cavandoli. When annoyed, The Line (La linea) bitterly complains, angrily mumbling inarticulate words, that - not only due to their forte-to-fortissimo dynamics - easily sound like scrambled Italian, a native language of his author. However, when happy "with his new (drawn) toy" he childishly vocalizes in falsetto voice, or murmurs his simple tune. Easy to please, even easier to displease, his vocal repertoire includes sweetest humming and the loudest of laughter, pouting noise and mockery... to name a few.Palette of background colours provide for the whole spectrum of mood changes: from happy serenity of (nature's) green, carefree tranquility painted in light blue, via suspicious hesitance reflected on the deep blue (sea), through the whole scale of intense feelings (anywhere from unpleasant surprise to utmost infuriation) backed by range of red tones, while darker gray tones, culminating in black, add up to troublesome, occasionally fearsome, eventually gruesome moments of difficulty or "serious" disaster, with expected final comic relief.Of course, extensive continuous watching might be end-impression counterproductive. Therefore, it should be consumed as a medicine, in small portions, an episode or two at the time. Ideal as an entertaining time filler, to keep the (TV) program schedule accurate.. La Linea. This show was sent on children's TV in Norway (under the name "Streken" ("The Line")), and is therefore of nostalgic value to me. When I recently came by some online videos of this old cartoon, I discovered that La Linea can still be funny.I like this show, it's brilliantly put together: The simplexly drawn character and his environments and the constant drawing hand interfering the history.The plot is quite trite. The little guy walks on a straight line and runs into various problems (such as a hole in the ground or an object he can play with). If there's an obstacle, the cartoon yells at the drawer, and he (the drawer) promptly draws a solution. A lot of nonsense happens in the episodes, and it doesn't seem to always be any clear red lines the story follows.The little fellow is enormously moody; he gets angry very easily, but is just as quick happy again if he likes the solution the cartoonist draws him. It's interesting how the background colour changes depending on La Linea's mood (blue when happy, red when angry).Although the show originally is Italian (the creator is Italian), it works in every language. As far as I know, La Linea doesn't speak any actual words, but my rediscovery of him made me aware that he babbles with an Italian accent.. using real words. Oh yes, there *are* plenty of real words in there, not in every episode but - according to my impression - in more than half of them, one key word comes near the beginning as part of setting the basic scene, like when he starts to interact with an object - international words which everyone will recognise, like 'love', 'microphone' or 'umbrella', and the Italian numbers one to five for fingers as they appear one by one, and so on. A fascinating link with the Italian and French traditions of mime. Another example of a (feature) film which doesn't depend on language and works internationally is Tage Danielsson's 'The Adventures of Picasso' - Swedish, but also distributed in America and Hungary at least: in the subtitles of the Hungarian DVD version each language is shown in a different colour, there are 10 of them including Latin, but you don't need to understand any of them to follow what's happening and how people are reacting.. Bizarre and occasionally disturbing cartoon series. La Linea, never listed in the television schedules (at least not here in Britain), occasionally popped up as a filler during the school holidays, and good Lord, it was completely weird. Against a bright, primary coloured background, a human hand drew the outline of a big-nosed, bad-tempered, constantly squawking little man, whose strange 'adventures' always started out well, but then bad things began to happen to him well before the end. I remember him having half his face shot off and being tormented by a monkey in a palm tree, with that unsettling bass-voiced "Ah yom be dom, a yom be dom" scat-singing going on in the background all the while. It was a warped precursor to the 'Mr Bill' shorts made famous by Saturday Night Live, if you like. La Linea has recently been released on DVD, but a little of this stuff goes a long way. Don't overindulge. |
tt0470125 | Grandia III | === Characters ===
The characters of Grandia III were designed by You Yoshinari and feature an assortment of playable and non-playable individuals. The game centers on Yuki, a 16-year-old boy who dreams of becoming an ace pilot like his idol, the legendary Sky Captain Schmidt. Together with his friend Rotts, he builds his own magic-powered aircraft in an attempt to fly over the ocean, but becomes sidetracked due to the intervention of his mother, Miranda. When Yuki and Miranda meet Alfina, a beautiful young girl with the ability to communicate with Sacred Beasts, the god-like guardians of the planet, they become involved in an adventure that takes them around the world. During their journey, the party meets four other characters who become playable at certain points in the story, which include Alonso, a gambler who dreams of completing his map of the world; Ulf, a simple man who owns a pet dragon named Shiba; Dahna, a cynical cartomancer with a hidden soft side; and Hect, a sullen musician from a troubled village.
The principle antagonist is Alfina's brother Emellious, who, like his sister, can communicate with the guardians. Rather than seek worldly balance and harmony, he abandoned his duties as a Communicator to seek the power of Xorn, a rogue guardian with the power of darkness, and become a god. Emellious is assisted in his endeavor by a number of subordinates, including Kornell, a large, imposing man with an iron gauntlet; Violetta, who serves Emellious out of love; La-Ilim, an inhuman, demon-like man who uses an artifact known as the Crystal Skull to summon undead beasts; and Grau, Emellious' right-hand man and conniving strategist. In order to combat their adversaries, the heroes must travel across the world to meet the Sacred Beasts and gain their power, who consist of Gryph the eagle, Drak the dragon, Yoat the ram, Seiba the unicorn, and Unama the dolphin.
=== Story ===
Grandia III takes place in an unnamed world, consisting of a main continent surrounded by the Belion Sea, which is vast, to the point where only one person has flown its breadth, Sky Captain Schmidt. Yuki hails from the village Anfog, on Titalos Island. Much of the world relies on methods of flying, from dragons to planes, which use a magical power source. The Guardians are mystical beasts which reside in the world of Grandia III, hailing from the Verse Realm. They came to Yuki's world after a war broke out on their own, quieting wars in both worlds.
Approximately 5,000 years in the past the world was nearly destroyed in that war. The 12 Guardians stopped the destruction and guided the remaining people of the world to safety. They then watched over the world, imparting wisdom to the people through a chosen line of "Communicators", who could understand the words of the Guardians.
Yuki, an aspiring pilot, has been building an airplane with his friend Rotts in the hopes of being the second pilot to fly across the ocean, following in the footsteps of his idol, Schmidt (though he keeps these plans a secret from his mother, Miranda). So far, he has been rewarded with little success, with nearly twenty projects which, for varying reasons, have failed to get him where he wants to be. On this final flight, he finds that his mother stowed away on his plane, and is unable to fly high enough with the extra weight.
His reprimanding of his mother is interrupted, however, by the sight of a girl in a carriage being chased by several men. Yuki decides to get involved, and swoops down, inevitably crashing into the forest. He and Miranda fight to defend the girl, who they learn to be Alfina, a Communicator, one of those who speaks with the Guardian beasts. They, in light of what had just happened, offer to escort her to the temple at Arcriff, and become more and more involved in the events surrounding the disappearance of Alfina's brother, Emelious. As the story progresses, Alfina's fate becomes more twisted, as Alfina and her companions challenge Emelious and finally face Xorn.
The epilogue shows everyone going on living their lives. In the end, Yuki and Alfina are married with a young child, with their son having the same ambition of flying as his father. | tragedy | train | wikipedia | This Grandia is a bit of a tease. The first Grandia game had me from the get go and is still the Grandia game I consider the best. Part two is not all that far behind, as it is the Grandia that seems to get better the more I play through it. Then there is part three (never played Extreme). This game starts out in spectacular fashion and when I played through it the first time I thought it was going to be the best of the bunch, but after going through it I thought it was not up to par with the other two. I tried it again and once again I was loving it and then it just kind of gets weak near the end thus why I consider this one a tease. It is still very good, do not get me wrong. I enjoyed it more than Final Fantasy XII which was released around the same time this one was and part XIII as well. It just saddens me that the game just could not live up to such a strong start, but that is a lot of role playing games. Legendia II is like that as it starts out incredibly and then it becomes weak as it becomes fetch the crystals from the dungeons. Here, the same problem as once you visit the verse realm for the second time and visit the village there it becomes go to this temple, now that one and finally it is over in a blink of an eye! I was stunned I won it again and so quickly as I could have sworn there was more to it. Of course, in this day and age of games that seem to not want to end I guess it is refreshing to play one that does.The story has a young man who wishes to be a pilot coming across a young girl fleeing strange men. He assists her and soon both he and his mother are trying to escort the young lady to the mainland. The young man meets his hero, a pilot who will design a couple of planes for Yuki (the pilot wannabe) and his quest to escort the young girl soon becomes a battle for the world as her brother has plans to use the power of a god to create the perfect world! The characters in this game are pretty good as far as the heroes are concerned. It is nice seeing Yuki's mother accompany him during the first portion of their journey. The captain they run into is a nice character too, just wish they could have stayed around a bit more. Soon Yuki teams with a boy named Ulf and a leader of a desert tribe. You do not get to use Yuki's hero, but he is a good character too and plays a big role in the final battle. The problem is the villains as one of them a blond dude simply disappears at the end unless I missed something, a strange creature that summons the undead seems pivotal then is never really explained, the girl is in love with the leader and is probably the only one you know the reasons for being with the leader and then there is this one guy who seems to be the one to turn Emerious (the girl's brother and primary antagonist) onto the whole scheme, but they never really do much in explaining him at all! Only Emerious is explained in any detail and there are probably a fair number of things they do not really cover about him too.So the game has the basic Grandia combat with some cool air finishers, the game has a very strong story to start and the game is a lot more fun than most role playing games these days thanks to the damnation of turn based role playing games. Just seems they got rushed with this one as they did not do the job with this one they did with the other two. I do not know if it is because Square was behind the game this time as I know they rushed the people who made Xenogears which is why Fei and Elly do the whole second disc telling the story thing, but it is a shame as this game could have been a masterpiece. The world is not as large, you do not get that many characters and it kind of ends quickly. Still, for the time it lasts it is good and worth a play through, just be prepared if you like a very heavily story driven role playing game as this one is going to tease you!. Enjoyable game with one of the most insipid female characters ever.... Intruigingly, this is the only Grandia game not to be released in the UK (Unless you count Grandia Xtreme). Fortunately, thanks to the wonders of ebay, I was able to purchase a copy AND find a way to play it on my PAL PS2. The other two games in the series were fantastic (especially the first) so I had high hopes for this one. Is it up to scratch? Well, the battle system is still as good as ever, and there are plenty of items to find that increase the longevity no end. It is spread over two discs so expect a huge adventure, and the graphics are the best yet. But...Who wrote the story?! It cribs from virtually every other RPG ever made and would almost pass as a parody of clichéd plot lines from the genre. Let's see... wannabe pilot befriends mysterious pointy-eared girl and together they set out on an adventure that COULD DECIDE THE FATE OF THE PLANET AS WE KNOW IT (TM). I suppose the pilot's mother joining you at first in the quest is someone original, but she soon disappears.. eloping with a scummy sailor you run into, leaving you with, in addition, a dragon-riding demi human (CHECK) a magic user with a HUGE cleavage (CHECK) and a pink haired girl who doesn't say much (CHECK). Together, they are embroiled in a storyline involving GUARDIANS and TEMPLES as they fly around the world RIGHTING WRONGS and generally being humourless clean-cut GOOD GUYS. ZZZZZ.... come on, how about for once we get a main character who kills the townsfolk, burns the houses and releases the EVIL SPIRIT THAT DESTROYS THE PLANET. Okay, maybe I'm just kidding but honestly, the amount of formulaic story elements here beggars belief.Anyway, I won't harp on about it for too long, as the game has a far bigger problem. It has blonde hair, brown eyes, a sappy voice and goes by the name of ALFINA. Apart from being called something that a trans-sexual might think of being referred to as after his operation, this girlie is one of the most annoyingly drippy protagonists in an RPG EVER. This is a person who is always upset, never stops talking like a little kid and spends all her time whining and crying. Fine, the history of RPGs is littered with people who have their own personal traumas and demons to conquer, but this individual seems to be ENJOYING her depression and consequently, gets our hero to do EVERYTHING for her. I cannot emphasise enough how much I HATED this snivelling, pathetic character, and by implication her 'boyfriend' (i.e you) who never objects for one minute to her behaviour and put his foot down to her constant stupid requests. Thankfully, I haven't played up to the point where they share their first kiss ( Inevitable, really ) because once they do, I have a feeling I will need a new television set.As I said, at face value the game is more than enough fun. Perhaps the faults that I found with it are my opinions alone, but I don't think so. All over the internet, this is generally accepted as the weakest of the trilogy, and I don't think it was any great loss it never turned up on ol' Brittanias shores. I would still recommend it to RPG fans, but don't expect anything to rival the previous two installments. Could do better, guys. 7/10. Excellent game in the Grandia series. Grandia III was released in February 2006. Created by Game Arts, published by Square Enix.I absolutely loved Grandia II on the DC. So much so that it's my favorite DC game ever. Over 5 years later (with a detour in Grandia Xtreme), Grandia III is an exclusive on the PS2.Grandia III is about its outstanding battle engine. You choose to attack an enemy. Both you and the enemy have an IP gauge. You attack the enemy when you are free to do so. You can also attempt to cancel its attack by landing a critical hit. There is also Magic and Special Moves that can be used. The action can get fast and furious with all hell breaking loose. There is that instant gratification of canceling a potentially dangerous enemy spell and then countering with critical that makes the enemy fly followed by your comrades comboing him.The game is also very tough. Even with some powerful characters you can easily be killed off by the monsters. They put up a tough fight and strategy is necessary to survive.The graphics are pretty decent; nothing mindblowing. The acting is pretty good and the characters are interesting. Alfina seems to be always be spazzed out or crying while Ulf is the little ball of hate towards his foes. Yuki reminded me a bit of Vyse from Skies Of Arcadia.The story is decent but it's probably been told before and the worlds you visit are typical: ice mountain, jungle, desert, etc. Also, the game is linear; you're pretty much set on one path and there is little in the way of sidequests. There's a lot to collect, though and you will try and see if you can get all the spells, skills and weapons/armor. The gambling game of arranged dice is also addictive.The music is O.K. nothing as good as Tales Of Legendia was. The theme song seems to be a rip-off of an Utada Hikaru combo of J-Pop and Hillary Duff.Still, this game owns because going into battle and leveling up is so much fun. There's no tedium involved. Also, there is plenty of customization for your warriors. Like Gran Turismo, you can see if you can perfect your warriors.All in all, an excellent game. It isn't in the same class as Dragon Quest VIII but it's in the next level. Hopefully, Grandia IV will be out sooner and I also hope to find Grandia Xtreme. Maybe I'll even play the original Grandia on the PSOne if I can find it. |
tt0106833 | Ethan Frome | The novel is framed by the literary device of an extended flashback. The prologue opens with an unnamed male narrator spending a winter in Starkfield, a fictional town in New England, while in the area on business. He spots a limping, quiet man around the village, who is somehow compelling in his demeanor and carriage. Curious, the narrator sets out to learn about him. He learns that Frome's limp arose from having been injured in a "smash-up" twenty-four years before, but further details are not forthcoming.
Chance circumstances arise that allow the narrator to hire Frome as his driver for a week. A severe snowstorm during one of their journeys forces Frome to allow the narrator to shelter at his home one night. Just as the two are entering Frome's house, the prologue ends. We then embark on the "first" chapter (Chapter I), which takes place twenty-four years prior. The narration switches from the first-person narrator of the prologue to a limited third-person narrator.
In Chapter I, Ethan is waiting outside a church dance to walk home Mattie, his wife’s cousin, who has for a year lived with Ethan and his sickly wife, Zeena (Zenobia), in order to help out around the house and farm. It is quickly clear that Ethan has feelings for Mattie. It also becomes clear that Zeena has observed enough to understand that he has these feelings and resents them.
When Zeena leaves for an overnight visit to a doctor in a neighboring town, Ethan is excited to have an evening alone with Mattie. Mattie makes supper using Zeena's treasured pickle dish which she received as a wedding present. Unfortunately, the Frome's cat jumps on the table and knocks off the pickle dish, shattering it beyond repair. Ethan decides to hide the damage until he is able to purchase glue by setting the dish's pieces neatly in the cupboard.
In the morning, Ethan goes into town to buy glue for the broken pickle dish and, upon his return, finds that Zeena has already come home. Zeena informs Ethan that the doctor told her she needed to do as little work as possible and that she has already hired another girl to replace Mattie, who will be forced to leave.
Ethan is angry and frustrated by the thought of losing Mattie and accidentally tells Mattie of Zeena’s plans to send her away. Mattie reacts with shock but rapid acceptance, trying to calm Ethan, while Ethan becomes more agitated and begins to insist that he will not let her go. Ethan kisses her. Moments later, they are interrupted by Zeena.
After supper, Zeena discovers the broken pickle dish and is enraged. Ethan, miserable at the thought of losing Mattie, considers running away with Mattie, but he lacks the money to do so.
The next morning, Zeena describes her imminent plans for sending Mattie away. Panicked, Ethan rushes into town to try to get a cash advance from a customer for a load of lumber in order to have the money with which to run away with Mattie. He changes his mind after the customer’s wife expresses compassion for his lot and he realizes that he cannot lie to this kindly woman and her husband.
Ethan returns to the farm and picks up Mattie to take her to the train station. They stop at a hill upon which they had once planned to go sledding and decide to sled together as a way of delaying their sad parting. After their first run, Mattie suggests a suicide pact: that they go down again, and steer the sled directly into a tree, so they will never be parted and so that they may spend their last moments together. At first, Ethan refuses the plan, but, in his despair, he ultimately agrees. On the way down the hill, a vision of Zeena's face startles Ethan into swerving a bit, but he corrects their course, and they crash into the elm tree. Ethan regains consciousness after the accident, but Mattie lies beside him "cheeping" in pain like a small wounded animal. Ethan is also injured, and the reader is left to understand that this was the "smash-up" that left Ethan with a permanent limp.
The final chapter (or epilogue) switches back to the first-person narrator point of view of the prologue, as Frome and his visitor, the narrator, enter the Frome household two decades later. The narrator hears a complaining female voice which turns out to be Mattie, who now lives with the Fromes due to having been paralyzed in the accident. Zeena is now forced to care for her as well as Ethan. Ironically, Ethan and Mattie have gotten their wish to stay together, but in mutual discontent instead of happiness. | romantic, flashback | train | wikipedia | A satisfactorily uncomfortable adaptation of Edith Wharton's novel..
Ethan Frome is one of those stories that is meant to be uncomfortable and unattractive, so if you were put off by either the novel or the movie, it just shows that they succeeded in what they set out to do.
Before I go on, however, I would like to point out that I realize how much is lost in the transition from novel to film, in that the film is not able to capture Wharton's writing style and there are scenes that are taken out and artistic liberties taken with the material, but as far as a structured story, this is a worthwhile adaptation.Liam Neeson brilliantly portrays the fated Ethan Frome, a character who is in an unhappy marriage to a wife who is more interested in the social status achieved by being married than in Ethan as a person.
Zeena, his wife (played by Joan Allen), is a woman who has become embittered by her life as the wife of a poor man (as Ethan describes her at one point) and the fact that any scrap of love or passion has leaked completely out of her marriage, which was pretty dry to begin with.
When Mattie (Patricia Arquette) comes to live with them, things begin to fall apart much more seriously than the emotional way in which the marriage between Ethan and Zeena has long since crumbled.There are a lot of religious and social undertones throughout the film, as we struggle with Ethan and Mattie, watching them desperately falling in love with each other but each as helpless to do anything about it as the other.
And besides that, Ethan has moral reasons of his own for not wanting to leave Zeena, feeling that he has an obligation to her that prevents him from leaving her alone and helpless.
This obligation is, of course, derived mainly from Zeena having put so much effort into caring for Ethan's mother before she passed away, an extended act of charity of which she constantly reminds him.Patricia Arquette delivers a fine performance in the role as Mattie Silver, although her iconography since making this film has completely changed the way she is seen in movies and makes her role as Mattie slightly less believable.
But Liam Neeson is the actor here who deserves the most recognition, I can't even imagine someone portraying Ethan Frome more accurately as far as the way he was described in the book than what Neeson did in this film.
If you're studying this book in school, it would probably be a good idea to just go ahead and read the book, because this movie is not going to inform you enough to be able to pass a test on the novel, but it certainly works as far as entertainment or as a way to complement the book..
In particular, Joan Allen shines as the sickly wife and Liam Neeson is very sympathetic as Ethan.
The plot is faithful to the original although one character is changed from an engineer to a clergyman.
Watch this for Liam Neeson's performance.
Tate Donovan was a nice find as well, as the new preacher in town, I think I enjoyed him more here than in any other film in which I've seen him.Back, however, to Neeson.
He is THE reason to see this film.It could have been that I was home ill (ironic when you consider the plot) when I saw the film, but I'm not so sure the pace wasn't a little below the speed necessary for people to get truly wrapped into the story and characters.
Yet, I stuck through the whole thing, because I was transfixed by Neeson's performance.He is one of the greats!
When Richard Nelson set out to adapt Edith Wharton's classic novel Ethan Frome to the silver screen, he could have never imaged that he would surpass the novel in quality.
Marvelous casting and cinematography, as well as a befitting musical score by Rachel Portman, create the perfect audio/visual setting for an American classic.Ethan Frome is the story of a man broken by his illicit love for his wife's housekeeper cousin.
Starting from the present, the story flashes back to many years earlier before the accident that crippled Ethan.
Ethan and Mattie fall deeply in love while Zeena becomes sicker and sicker.While staying largely true to the novel, Richard Nelson makes changes to the story that perhaps Edith Wharton should have considered when writing her tragedy.
The identity of the character investigating into Ethan's past has been altered from an engineer to a preacher, a more sensible profession in the context of the story.
The depth of Ethan's relationship with Mattie also goes much deeper then in the novel.
One of these events, an attempted suicide by Ethan's lover Mattie, was absent from the book yet again helps the viewing audience to feel the intense emotions of the movie.
Well-chosen deletions from the book also help pacing while not infringing on its essence.Perhaps the greatest attribute of "Ethan Frome" is its high-quality acting.
Liam Neeson, staring as Ethan Frome, delivers an astounding performance.
Patricia Arquette equalizes Neeson's performance as Ethan's forbidden love Mattie Silver.
There are several scenes in which dialogue is not needed to understand what Arquette's character is feeling.
Lastly, Joan Allen does a phenomenal job in portraying Ethan's sickly wife Zeena.
Though not as antagonistic as in the novel, she none-the-less conveys a meaningful performance.What gives the movie version of Ethan Frome the edge over its book counterpart is the visual experience and the haunting soundtrack.
"Ethan Frome" wonderfully tells the story that Edith Wharton meant to in her novel.
Outstanding acting and beautiful camera work make "Ethan Frome" a deeply moving film.
Those who read the book will be mystified by the superiority of the movie over the novel.
As a whole, "Ethan Frome" is highly recommended..
Subtle and powerful adaptation of Edith Wharton's novella..
These are New England country folks, as quiet and as repressed as they are in Edith Wharton's novel.
Wharton chose to write a tragedy, and this movie captures the essence of Wharton's vision far better than The Age of Innocence, thanks largely to the direction and the superb cast.
Ethan Frome (1993)This is a classic Edith Wharton melodrama, a hyper-romantic short novel that has turned on and turned off many high schoolers and literature majors over the years.
It's a great story and it's hard to go totally wrong with it, but it's an old fashioned story, and more slow and steady than filled with amazing or surprising turns and emotional insights.Another way to put it is: it isn't a Bronte novel.So a movie version of Ethan Frome has to find some way of pulling us in very deeply, through characterization, through ambiance, through an attention so small things that make the main plot take on resonance.
We watch the title character, played by Liam Neeson, with a growing sense of calm partly because of the camera.
I think this is meant to imply a formality to life at the turn of the century (the book was written in 1911 and set a few years earlier).
I must say outright that this book is one of the best Edith Wharton books you could possibly read, so I was a little dubious going into this film.I was pleasantly surprised though by the detail and care that the director and actors put into it, although I would quibble with one point- I found that rather than the Whartonian 'repression', the performers seemed to be awkwardly stumbling with their emotions- it's a fine line to be sure.Liam Neeson does a wonderful job in this film, beautifully nuanced performance, and Joan Allen (as always) just about walks away with the film.Absolutely worth a viewing, but try the book first, it's superb..
I felt that Ethan Frome was EXTREMELY well acted by all; however, this bleak, depressing drama was very slow moving and lacked intensity which I think would have added to the romantic plot.
A deeply flawed adaption of Edith Wharton's novel.
The 1993 British-American television production ETHAN FROME is an adaptation of Edith Wharton's 1911 novel about star-crossed lovers in late 19th-century Massachusetts.
Though Wharton was a wealthy New York socialite, she had glimpses of New England village life, and it was the harsh winters, dire poverty and cruel gossip of this region that she sought to portray.
The eponymous character (played by Liam Neeson) is a young farmer in the fictional Massachusetts community of Starkfield, whose dreams of making something of himself are dashed by the early death of his parents and then his marriage to the sickly Zenobia "Zeena" Frome (Joan Allen).
When Zeena's cousin beautiful cousin Mattie Silver (Patricia Arquette) comes to help out in the house, Ethan's heart is thawed, but ultimately the uncompromising conditions of Starkfield life bring Ethan and Mattie to a tragedy.The plot of a pair of star-crossed lovers is rather overdone, but ETHAN FROME is interesting in its depiction of a Massachusetts village in the late 19th century, complete with characters speaking in dialect and a description of country farmhouses.
This adaptation does a decent job of presenting those strengths of the novel.
It also offers an improvement on the novel in that it tweaks Wharton's risible climax -- Ethan and Mattie deciding to escape this cruel world by sledding down a hill into a big elm tree, the stupidest means of suicide in all of literature -- to be more believable.The adaption is flawed, however, by a number of factors.
One is the decision to change the framing story of Wharton's novel.
In the book, the visitor to Starkfield who spurs the flashback is an engineer who wonders why Frome is so taciturn.
In this film, however, the visitor is the town's new preacher, just out of seminary, who protests against Frome being shunned by the town.
Wharton's portrayal of a man who walls himself off by the world after multiple tragedies is replaced, then, by an element completely unknown to the novel: the castigation of the villagers as ignoring basic Christian charity.
Another unwelcome change is that Ethan and Mattie sleep together, while in Wharton's novel the characters seem incapable under their dire circumstances of having even a physical relationship.
Also, Liam Neeson offers some of the best acting in the film, but he's 10 years too old to play this role.I first saw this film when it was shown on PBS nearly two decades ago, and it works well enough as passive entertainment on television, but this is a second-rate affair in many ways and I cannot recommend getting the DVD..
Very few movies or novels affect me this strongly nowadays!The depiction is bleak but romantic, tender, and very, very fine.
This is one of the more enjoyable novels I have read in high school and I think this film adaptation fits the book very well.
It is about the life of husband Ethan Frome (Liam Leeson) and his disabled wife, Zeena Frome (Joan Allen).
They hire a young woman, Mattie Silver (Patricia Arquette), to help tend to household needs and, as time passes, she and Ethan fall in love.I've found this movie to be quite enjoyable and engaging, as its drama and plot are enthralling and beautifully depicted.
The plot does flow well as the movie is faithfully executed in accordance with the novel and the acting is quite astounding for the most part.
The characters especially the three leads are sympathetic and phenomenal - you feel the suffering Zeena's illness is causing her and the complexity surrounding the forbidden love of Ethan and Mattie.
The simplicity of the Victorian town the movie is set in and the snowy weather give the story a solemn atmosphere.If you have read the novel before watching this film, you will still feel intrigued by the plot and find the course of the events suspenseful, wondering how everything will play out at the end.
It's a good piece of movie drama that is a must-see.Grade B+.
Based on the book by Edith Wharton, XIX century renowned American writer, is a drama that reflects in a painful way the sufferings of a poor peasant family in rural New England.
An unknown narrator takes care to present the story to the viewer in flashback after the arrival of a new pastor who decide to visit his parishioners one by one until it meets with the main characters.
Good performance by Liam Neeson.
ETHAN FROME (1993) *** Liam Neeson, Patricia Arquette, Joan Allen, Tate Donovan.
Edith Wharton's classic Gothic Tragedy comes to fruition in this bleak and romantic story of unadultarated forbidden love set in 19th century New England.
New England love triangle gone bad.
I always thought that Edith Wharton was an interesting author and I had been meaning to read the book since high school but never got around to doing so.
The interiors are dreary, the characters dreary, and the story dreary.
The crippled body and unfriendly personality of Ethan Frome greets a newly arrived visitor in that small New England town where Frome has a farm.
The town minister Tate Donovan tells the reason why.Back in the day Frome played here by Liam Neeson was a typical tightlipped New England farmer trying his best to eke out a living on the played out soil that characterized New England in the day.
He has to do the work of two because his wife Joan Allen is a sickly sort.
The fetching Patricia Arquette brings out some emotions that Neeson hasn't felt in years.
But this is a most conservative rural part of New England and besides Neeson has the usual guilt pangs in regard to Allen.
In the end it all turns out rather badly for Neeson and Arquette and let's say in the matter physical and mental well being the tables have been drastically turned.
Ethan Frome never got a big screen treatment before and I can see why, it's a real downer of a story.
There was also a TV special which starred Sterling Hayden as Ethan Frome, casting very much in line with using Liam Neeson here.The cinematography depicting New England of the 1890s was superb I don't think Edith Wharton would have any complaints.
I don't think it's the best of her novels though, I'm not even sure what the point of her story was.
Still Neeson, Arquette, and Allen deliver fine performances and devotees of Edith Wharton should be pleased..
Very good adaptation of the book.
Very good adaptation of a classic book.
The characters in the novel: Zeena, Maggie and Ethan, are etched on to full screen very much as they appear in Edith Wharton's novel.
The most intriguing aspects of the film center on Ethan's wife, Zeena, even though she is not a co-protagonist.
Poorly adapted, brilliantly acted.
Although I found the acting excellent, and the cinematography beautiful, I was extremely disappointed with the adaptation.One of the significant portions of the novella is the fact that Ethan and Mattie decide to kill themselves, rather than go on.
This is never presented in the movie, they show it as if it were a sledding accident.The character changes in Mattie and Zenna are almost non-existent.
While in the novella they almost change places, at the end of this adaptation it appears as if they are both invalids.Lastly that Mattie and Ethan consummate their relationship fully nearly destroys the power and poignancy of the finale.The change of the narrator being a preacher was one effective change.Neeson and Arquette are superb in their portrayals.
Joan Allen was also wonderful, however her character was much watered down from Whartons novella.I do not expect films to faithfully portray novels, but this one went to far and in the process nearly destroyed the story.Overall, I would not recommend watching this film unless you have read the book as you will come away confused and disappointed..
John Madden's cinematic interpretation of Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome falls short of doing justice to a great literary piece.
While the story is maintained the elements that give the novella its soul are skewered and all in all lost in the film.
Madden fails to convey the innocence, and overall tragedy of Ethan and Mattie's relationship instead transforming it into a morality tale.
Zeena (Zenobia) in the book is almost completely the antagonist, the books least sympathetic figure, where in the movie she can be almost pitied though it's a stretch you kind of feel bad for this sick woman who is being cheated on.
The book more accurately describes Zeena's tyrannical control of the house and of Ethan.
Film mistakes: Ethan's elusiveness in the church dance scene, interactions with Denis Eady, addition of love scene, fox scene, store scene, saying his plans allowed, lack of displays of Ethan's inner emotions and thoughts, introduction of the priest instead of nameless engineer, let on to much that Zeena knows about the growing relationship where in novel reader never knows what Zeena is thinking or aware of.
Based on the novel, Ethan Frome (1911), by Edith Wharton.I watched the movie, then I read the book, then I watched the movie again (and again), it's easier than reading the book again, but I'm going to do that too.
The love story breaks through the arid shell of real life—oh, so briefly
Ethan (Neeson) wants more, Mattie (Arquette) wants more, the viewer wants more
Every other character in the story seems to, well, not "want" less but be all too righteously satisfied with less.
Except for a brief whirl of a dance scene, there are no smiles on the faces of any of the other characters who live dried up lives, and disdain the spark of love and life in Ethan and Mattie.
Doubtless, the town folk see a pitiless moral lesson in the damaged life of Ethan Frome and the love he must keep stuffed inside him. |
tt0093993 | Sleeping Beauty | After many childless years, King Stefan and Queen Leah happily welcome the birth of their daughter, the Princess Aurora. They proclaim a holiday for their subjects to pay homage to the princess, and at the gathering for her christening she is betrothed to Prince Phillip, the young son of Stefan's friend King Hubert, so that their kingdoms will always be united.
Among the guests are three good fairies called Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, who have come to bless the child with gifts, beauty and song. Before Merryweather is able to give her blessing, the evil fairy Maleficent appears, only to be told she was unwanted. Maleficent turns to leave, but when Queen Leah asks if she's offended, the evil fairy curses the princess, proclaiming that Aurora will grow in grace and beauty, but before the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday, she will prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die. King Stefan and Queen Leah are horrified and beg the three good fairies to break the curse. Unfortunately, they are not strong enough to break it, but Merryweather uses her blessing to weaken the curse so that instead of dying, Aurora will fall into a death-like sleep from which she can only be awakened by true love's kiss. King Stefan, still fearful for his daughter's life, orders all spinning wheels in the kingdom to be burned. The fairies do not believe that will be enough to keep Aurora safe, and so they spirit baby Aurora away to a woodcutter's cottage in the forest until the day of her sixteenth birthday.
Years later, Aurora, renamed Briar Rose, has grown into a beautiful teenage girl. On the day of her sixteenth birthday, the three fairies ask Rose to gather berries in the forest so they can prepare a surprise party for her. Rose is friends with the animals of the forest and sings them a song, Once Upon a Dream. While singing in the forest, Rose attracts the attention of Prince Phillip, now a handsome young man. He races to find the owner of the beautiful voice and is instantly struck by Rose's grace and beauty. Rose at first is frightened at the sudden appearance of the stranger, but Philip soon puts her at ease. They instantly fall in love, unaware of being betrothed years ago. Rose asks Phillip to come to her cottage that evening.
While she is out, Flora and Merryweather argue about the color of Aurora's ballgown. They fight, attracting the attention of Maleficent's raven and revealing the location of Aurora. Back at home, Briar Rose is thrilled to tell her guardians she met a man and fell in love. The fairies tell Aurora the truth about her heritage, that she is a princess and already betrothed, and tell her she must never see the man she met again. Heartbroken, she leaves the room. Meanwhile, Phillip tells his father of a peasant girl he met and wishes to marry in spite of his prearranged marriage to Princess Aurora. King Hubert fails to convince him otherwise, leaving Hubert in equal disappointment.
The fairies take Aurora back to the castle and leave her alone in a room to wait for her birthday celebrations where she will finally get to see her parents. Maleficent then appears and magically lures Aurora away from the fairies and tricks the princess into touching an enchanted spinning wheel. Aurora pricks her finger, completing the curse. The good fairies place Aurora on a bed in the highest tower and place a powerful spell on all the people in the kingdom, causing them to fall in a deep sleep until the spell on their princess is broken. While doing so, they overhear a conversation between the two kings. From King Hubert's conversation with King Stefan, the fairies realize that Prince Phillip is the man with whom Aurora has fallen in love. They rush to find him, but he is kidnapped by Maleficent who is waiting for him at the cottage in the woods. She shows Phillip the peasant girl he fell in love with is the now-sleeping princess. She tells him she plans to keep him locked away until he's an old man on the verge of death, then release him to meet his love, who will not have aged a single day.
The fairies find and release the prince, arming him with the magical Sword of Truth and the Shield of Virtue. Maleficent tries to stop Phillip by surrounding Aurora's castle with thorns but fails. She then transforms into a gigantic dragon to battle the prince herself. Ultimately, Phillip throws the sword, blessed by the fairies' magic, directly into Maleficent's heart, causing her to fall to her death.
Phillip awakens Aurora with a kiss, breaking the spell and thereby wakes everyone in the palace. The royal couple descends to the ballroom, where Aurora is happily reunited with her parents, while King Hubert is confused of how the two young royals met. Flora and Merryweather resume their argument over the color of Aurora's ball gown, magically changing it from blue to pink while the happy couple waltzes. The last color to appear is pink. Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip live happily ever after. | fantasy | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0054756 | Il colosso di Rodi | A Greek military hero named Darios (Rory Calhoun) visits his uncle Lissipu (George Rigaud) on the island of Rhodes in the year 280 BC. Rhodes has just finished constructing an enormous colossal statue of the god Apollo to guard its harbor and is planning an alliance with Phoenicia, which would be hostile to Greece.
Darios flirts with the beautiful Diala (Lea Massari), daughter of the statue's mastermind, Carete (Félix Fernández), while becoming involved with a group of rebels headed by Peliocles (Georges Marchal). These rebels seek to overthrow Rhodes' tyrannical king Serse (Roberto Camardiel); but so does Serse's evil second-in-command, Thar (Conrado San Martín). He has Phoenician soldiers smuggled into Rhodes as slaves, and his men occupy the Colossus to secure safe entrance for the Phoenician fleet.
The rebels learn of this plan and decide to apply to the Greeks for help; Darios, who is forbidden to leave Rhodes as he is suspected a spy, is to serve as an unwitting message carrier. But as they try to exit the harbor under the cover of night, they are foiled by the Colossus's defensive weaponry and arrested; Darios is of course convicted as a fellow conspirator. However, just before the captives are to be executed, the rest of the rebels break them out.
In their hideout, Peliocles decides that the only way to stop the invasion is to control the Colossus and free their fellow rebels who have already been captured and sentenced to work as slaves beneath the Colossus; the release mechanism for the dungeons is located in the statue itself. Darios realizes that without reconnaissance the mission is doomed to fail and tries to enlist Diala's aid. Unfortunately, he foolishly tells her about the rebels' hideout. Diala, who longs for power, betrays Darios and has Thar have the rebels nearly wiped out – with the exceptions of Mirte (Mabel Karr) and Koros (Ángel Aranda), Peliocles' sister and brother, who have managed to hide.
Peliocles and his men are captured and forced to provide amusement in the local arena; but just when Darios arrives to publicly expose the traitor's plot, Thar executes his coup and kills Serse and his retainers. The rebels immediately set out to carry out their plan, but the rebellion seems doomed to fail: Darios is captured while he tries to work the release mechanism to the dungeons, and Koros, who accompanies him, is killed. An all-out assault of the rebels on the Colossus is foiled by its formidable arsenal, which forces them to retreat into the city.
Thar's plan seems to go smoothly until the soldiers kill Diala's father, who does not want to see his life's work abused, and an earthquake and a violent storm hit the island just as the enemy fleet is visible on the horizon. Thar and his men flee the Colossus when a tremor shakes the structure violently, only to be slain by the rebels in the city streets; Diala, plagued with remorse, frees Darios but is soon afterwards killed by falling debris. As the quake continues, the Colossus finally topples over and crashes into the harbor bay.
After the fury of nature has passed, Darios and Mirte meet Lissipu outside the ruined city. Lissipu remarks that Darios is now free to leave, but his nephew announces that he will marry Mirte and stay in Rhodes to help make the island peaceful again. | intrigue | train | wikipedia | In "Airplane," when Captain Oveur asks young Joey, "Do you like gladiator movies?" he is slyly and salaciously referring to films like "The Colossus of Rhodes." While technically not a gladiator movie, Sergio Leone's directorial debut is rife with scantily clad men whose rippling muscles and impeccable abs are fully exposed while they wrestle with each other or undergo whippings, torture, and bondage.
Despite some good action sequences that hint at Leone's directorial talents, the film's dialog is stilted, the special effects dated, and the performances generally wooden.
American actor, Rory Calhoun, a fading western hero who was obviously hired only for his name, wanders through the proceedings like a stranger in a strange land in more ways than one.
If expectations are kept low or the viewer is an undying fan of Rory Calhoun, then "Colossus" provides some camp moments and decent action in addition to its legions of male Italian bodies..
Dario trying to clean up the doomed Rodhes town from enemies and a foreign invasion .Some years before conducting a master class on the art of widescreen composition in The good , the bad and the ugly , Sergio Leone directed his credited directorial debut , though he had previously stepped in to finish most of The Last Days Of Pompeii when the original director fell ill, with this equally epic sword and sandal film starring American cowboy actor Rory Calhoun.
Ample cast formed by American Rory Calhoun and familiar faces as Spanish as Italian actors ; Rory was in Italy for the title role in MGM's Marco Polo (1962), stepped into the lead role of "Colossus" on only one day's notice .
Leone served his apprenticeship in film by assisting various Italian directors as well as Walsh, Wyler and Melvyn Le Roy
By the late '50s he was writing scripts for gladiatorial epics, the genre in which he first gained directing experience, and took over "The Last Days of Pompeii" when the director Mario Bonnard fell ill before directing alone "The Colossus of Rhodes." Not until 1964, however, did he establish himself as a true original with his first film in what would come to be known as the Man With No Name trilogy
"The Colossus of Rhodes" begins in the island of Rhodes in the Mediterranean Sea 280 B.C.Rhodes is celebrating a proud day in her history
A magnificent statue will now dominate the seas
But the Colossus was erected in blood and the people in Rhodes do not want slavery
The chief of the rebels, Peliocles (Georges Marchal) needs a man like that visitor Dario (Rory Calhoun), who's a great warrior in Greece
Thar (Conrado San Martín)who is in love with Diala (Lia Massari)is no longer content with the power Serse (Roberto Camardiel) stupidly bestowed upon him
He wants this beautiful island to sell to Phoenicia, than he'll be the reigning monarch
Of course the rebels don't have enough men to attack them openly
There's only one plan, to enter the Colossus
But the Colossus is impregnable
How could they hope to get in?
Rhodes' best soldiers are imprisoned underground
A heavy gate seals the only exit
This gate can only be opened by a control in the Colossus
If you want to see how the Colossus is a huge trap don't miss this Sergio Leone's directorial debut.
I purchased the Historical Epics collection and watched COLOSSUS OF RHODES the same evening I got the DVDs. Having seen over 60 Peplums in the past 3 months and still wanting to see more of this underrated genre, I believe I have a pretty good idea what makes a great S&S (and what I enjoy and dislike about these films) and COLOSSUS OF RHODES is not one of them.
The film is so all over the place that many scenes from this film have been used as stock footage in other Peplums made after this, including the fun and thrilling TRIUMPH OF THE TEN GLADIATORS, which didn't have a tenth of this film's budget and yet accomplished more in respect to entertainment than this first Sergio Leone effort.The actors are mostly serviceable with the exception of Georges Marchal and Mimmo Palmara who clearly stand-out from the pact.
Sergio Leone had to start somewhere as a director and this film is good enough for a first film and as visually spectacular as it is, COLOSSUS OF RHODES features few of those Leone qualities that would become a staple of his style in his Spaghetti Westerns.All in all, there are much more satisfying Peplums out there, maybe not as spectacular, like GIANT OF MARATHON or the TEN GLADIATORS sequels.
The supporting cast is good enough to make up for Calhoun, although the dubbing is poorly done.It's not as sophisticated as "Spartacus", but it's certainly more effective than, say, "Clash of the Titans." If you like sword-and-sandal films, this one is well worth your time..
Notable now mainly as an early work by Sergio Leone, this ambitious entry in the sword-and-sandal genre has the kind of long, detailed story-line rarely seen in productions of this sort, and it's unencumbered by the religious "piety" which clings to, say, "The Revolt of the Slaves." If anything, "Colossus" may be a tad too ambitious, since the second half of its two-hours-plus running time could use a bit of trimming.Worth noting are the scenes involving the head of the giant statue which is of hollow construction.
Stephen Boyd or John Derek, Leone's original choice, would have done better jobs.) Also worth noting is the movie's apparent motto of: "Shirts off, chains on." Rarely have so many muscular men been subjected to such a variety of bondage and torture, beginning with the pre-title sequence in which a bare-chested, spreadeagled Georges Marchal, (who was born for this kind of role,) is rescued from a prison-camp.
Technically master director Sergio Leone's debut, The Colossus of Rhodes wasn't his first foray into swords-and-sandals epics.
Great action, good plot, outstanding costumes and sets add to the enjoyment of seeing this film..
Legendary Italian director Sergio Leone intentionally gave himself a long apprenticeship, working as assistant or second unit director on numerous projects throughout the fifties, including William Wyler's version of Ben Hur. He wanted to pick up as much experience as he could before beginning his own projects.
But in between his apprenticeship and beginning the Dollars Trilogy he made this little-known and little-seen sword-and-sandal adventure, his first time in the director's chair.Colossus of Rhodes is one of a vast number of peplums that were being produced in Italy in the early 1960s.
There is a whole subplot which involves plenty of horse-riding through rugged terrain, the look of which was replicated almost shot-for-shot in certain scenes in Fistful of Dollars.Aside from the direction, Colossus of Rhodes suffers from all the hallmarks of a cheap European production lousy screenplay, bad dubbing, and some really cringeworthy overacting.
Time and again one of the good guys will get into trouble only to be saved by the most uninspired, improbable last-minute heroics, to the point where the villains are unbelievable because they just look like absolute pushovers.It's interesting though that, just as the Italians would create westerns free from rosy moralism a few years later, this Italian-made sword-and-sandal flick also seems to have dispensed with most of the kind of sickly nobleness that plagued the US epics of the 1950s.
While retaining the popular slave revolt theme, the rebel characters do seem a lot more genuine than any patronising Charlton Heston character, despite the deficit in acting talent.For Leone fans it's a bit difficult to know how to class Colossus of Rhodes.
"The Colossus of Rhodes" is one more of the 50's and early 60's sword and sandals fever and it doesn't add much to the genre.I accept some scenery and settings are acceptable (the big statue is one of them) and also the plot if you are not very demanding.
The action scenes are nothing new and the special effects are just correct.But perhaps the main flaw of the picture is its unbearable duration (more than two hours); but this is a usual bad habit of director Sergio Leone who went on to better products in the western genre also demerited by a clear and unnecessary overrun that he couldn't seem to avoid."The Colossus of Rhodes" is just for peplum fans and very patient ones too..
Word was that director Sergio Leone who stepped in during 1959 and took over directing "The Last Days of Pompeii" with Steve (Mr. Hercules, himself) Reeves wanted to make a sword and sandal film...at that time Italy was churning out the musclebulgers by the dozens.....Steve Reeves with that physique carved from granite was the king of these musclebulgers.....and to a lesser degree by another musclebulger named Mark Forrest.
Calhoun had made his reputation during the 50s making westerns and was hired......anyhow, story is a typical Italian sword and sandal epic of evil rulers, mob scenes, tortures with whips and chains and a few lovely women to look at.....main story line concerns a giant erected statue called the Colossus which stands over the entrance of the harbor to the island of Rhodes in 280 BC.
Massari has all the charm of a wooden box and little to no sex appeal.....in most sword and sandal movies the women are skimpily dressed to the extreme to attract the male audience.....in Colossus the women are covered with full length togas and long dresses....go figure.....Mylene Demengeot who co starred with Steve Reeves in "Giant of Marathon" would have been a better female leading lady for this film....anyhow....there are still legions of sword and sandal fans out there who remembers all those gladiator films....the genre was resuscitated briefly in Russell Crowe's 2000 film "Gladiator".....word was the director wanted Steve Reeves to come out of retirement and play a role but Reeves was in declining health at the time and could not commit....so sad to see the king of these S&S films decline the role......only real criticism is this film is about 20 minutes or so too long coming in at 2 hrs and 15 minutes.......still not bad to see for sword and sandal fans..
Sergio Leone's directorial debut is an ambitious, if unrefined, production that doesn't hold a candle to his finest works but it still manages to create moments of tension & suspense by skilfully utilising all the available resources to finish as an amusing, if somewhat forgettable, sword-n-sandal epic.Set during the void years between the days of Alexander the Great & the advent of Roman Empire, The Colossus of Rhodes (also known as Il colosso di Rodi) follows a Greek war hero who visits his uncle on the island of Rhodes to enjoy his vacation but inadvertently becomes involved in a plot to overthrow the tyrannical king.Directed by Sergio Leone (best known for The Dollars Trilogy & Once Upon a Time in the West), The Colossus of Rhodes takes some time to find its footing but once the premise is set, it throws in some good dose of action, twists & betrayals into the mix to deliver an experience that works to quite an extent & is sufficiently enjoyable.Despite the low budget, this Italian production features some impressive set pieces that have an extravagant feel to it.
The director's trademarks are missing yet there are hints of few elements that Leone would perfect in his later films.But as polished & refined its set design is, the story doesn't have enough meat on it and the characters inhabiting it aren't that interesting either.
However, for a debut effort, the technical execution is surprisingly good.On an overall scale, The Colossus of Rhodes marks the beginning of a filmmaking career that would later attain immortality by changing the landscape of the western genre forever.
One could hardly believe Leone directed this thrilling film about ancient pagans, swords and sandals.
And this hate was fostered by the equally psychotic movie critics.Make no mistake, that the control freaks who praise Leone's control freak westerns probably won't like a film this good, but also make no mistake that those control freaks have a short shelf life.
Rory Calhoun gave a great performance and I still remember when he appeared in a film called, "The Red House" starring Edward G.
I went into The Colossus of Rhodes knowing it wouldn't be anything too mind-blowing, especially since the director, "first-time" (in quotes as he directed before in uncredited capacity) Sergio Leone, was under likely restrictions from the producers as to what he could do with the material.
Even with the formula of a 2nd-string old time movie like this one might expect some slight subversion, as Kubrick had little moments with Spartacus Leone would with this film.
The plot is fairly simple, and sometimes doesn't even make too much sense- unless you're a fan of Lex Luthor in schemes involving making the colossus more important than Greece- and it's mostly excuses to show off characters in togas and saying pedantic dialog and acting both pretty and crude (though not very dirty or 'off the street' as in other Leone films).
I know I shouldn't go too far in length to compare this to his great films (matter of fact, I can't think of one of Leone's westerns, or Once Upon a Time in America, being less than excellent), and that it's his technical debut as director.
Over half a dozen credited scriptwriters (including director Sergio Leone) assembled this typical early 60's peplum in which the Colossus of the title is nearly four times the size of the original and serves as a sort of combined Bastille and Death Star around which both the talk and the action coalesce for over two sprawling hours.As in the spaghetti westerns that later made his name, Leone slaughters plenty of people, but denied firearms the action here tends to feel messier and more drawn out..
A few years before he made Clint Eastwood famous, Sergio Leone made his directorial debut with "Il colosso di Rodi" ("The Colossus of Rhodes" in English), a sword-and-sandal epic.
The star is Rory Calhoun, who actually seems a little out of place: the movie is set in Greek-Roman times, so most of the cast members sound English, but then in comes a guy with an all-American accent!
A big-budget (for a change!) Italian sword-and-sandal epic, partly filmed in Spain to give it that extra picturesque look.
The film is mainly of interest to modern film fans as being the first movie that Sergio Leone - famous for his spaghetti westerns - directed, and his skill shows even here with the interesting visual compositions on screen which make the movie highly watchable.Although lacking in his particular artistic style which became prevalent after FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE (you know, slow scenes of high tension, extreme close-ups intercut with long-shots, a reliance on props as symbols), THE COLOSSUS OF RHODES shows none of the amateurish mistakes that a first-time director might make and instead is a fully watchable and well-directed movie.
There are lots of different sub-plots involving an invasion of Rhodes by a foreign army, the central slave revolt, some romantic interludes between the lead Dario and various court women and also the intervention of Mother Nature at the climax when a devastating earthquake destroys the city.The acting is fairly efficient for a sword-and-sandal movie with most of the cast acquainting themselves well with their various roles; the villains are despicable and the good guys muscular and honest.
Sergio Leone's "Il Colosso di Rodi" is simply the best Italian epic there is on the movie market.
It might be that Leone just gave definitive achievements in each of the genres that he worked inthe sword and sandals; the western; the gangster movie (if he would of had the time to shoot his GONE WITH
and the WW2 Soviet epic, as were his intentions, we might have had the definitive hallmarks of another two genres, as well).He was the Fellini of the genre movies.
Well, it should be pretty obvious why anyone is still watching this film director Sergio Leone later became a force in cinema with his "Fistful of Dollars" trilogy but I will go ahead and brave the "gladiator movies" jokes and admit that I've seen quite a number of these over the years and I particularly enjoy the ones by Mario Bava ("Hercules in the Haunted World," "Viking Massacre," etc).
I didn't notice that particularly, but I do think that it was a good way to make the film at least marginally believable instead of laughable.That said, the chemistry between Calhoun and his female co-stars (love interests) is pretty much non-existent.
Another thing is that this film avoids almost all the supernatural and magical elements that tended to be emphasized more and more as the peplum cycle of the late 50s/early 60s wore on, signaling that this was a more "serious" production than most; again a sign that this was intended for more of an adult audience that would patronize something like "Ben Hur" as opposed to "Hercules Versus the Moon-Men." And it also goes out of its way at various points to turn genre conventions on their head, much as Leone's famous Westerns later did for example introducing a huge group of slaves like in "Spartacus" but instead of having them revolt, having them turn out to be the army of the oppressor in disguise.
When you've seen a number of the Hercules and Maciste films you start to appreciate anyone who approaches the genre with anything even resembling ambition and respect for history.Fans of the great director Leone might consider this a disappointment or even an embarrassment, but in my opinion it's nothing of the sort.
We should all be glad that thanks to Leone's reputation a nice print of one of the better sword and sandal Italian epics is finally available again.
Any viewer expecting from Sergio Leone's sword and sandal directorial debut some kind of "Once Upon a Time in Greece" luscious, elegiac epic is going to be disappointed - like, "I found a dead rat in the soup" disappointed. |
tt0106165 | The Untouchables | During Prohibition in 1930, Al Capone has nearly the whole city of Chicago under his control and supplies illegal liquor. Bureau of Prohibition agent Eliot Ness is assigned to stop Capone, but his first attempt at a liquor raid fails due to corrupt policemen tipping Capone off. He has a chance meeting with Irish-American veteran officer Jimmy Malone, who is fed up with the rampant corruption and offers to help Ness, suggesting that they find a man from the police academy who has not come under Capone's influence. They recruit Italian-American trainee George Stone (aka-Giuseppe Petri) for his superior marksmanship and intelligence. Joined by accountant Oscar Wallace, assigned to Ness from Washington, D.C., they conduct a successful raid on a Capone liquor cache and start to gain positive publicity, with the press dubbing them "The Untouchables." Capone later kills the henchman in charge of the cache as a warning to his other men.
Wallace discovers that Capone has not filed an income tax return for some years and suggests that the team try to build a tax evasion case against him, since he is well-insulated from his other crimes. An alderman offers Ness a bribe to drop his investigation, but Ness angrily refuses it and throws him out of the office. When Capone gunman Frank Nitti threatens Ness' family, Ness has his wife and daughter moved to a safe house. His team flies to the Canada–United States border to intercept an incoming liquor shipment, aided by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, killing several gangsters and capturing George, a Capone bookkeeper. Malone then shoots a gangster through the mouth (not revealing the man is already dead) to scare George into agreeing to testify against Capone.
Wallace prepares to escort George from the Chicago police station to a safe house, but they are shot and killed by Nitti, who has infiltrated the station. Ness confronts Capone and his men over the deaths, but Malone intervenes to save him from being killed and urges him to persuade the district attorney not to dismiss the charges against Capone. Realizing that police chief Mike Dorsett sold out Wallace and George, Malone forces him to reveal the whereabouts of Walter Payne, Capone's chief bookkeeper. That night, a knife-wielding thug sneaks into Malone's apartment; Malone chases him out with a shotgun, but falls victim to Nitti's Tommy gun ambush. Ness and Stone arrive at the apartment; before dying, Malone tells them which train Payne will take out of town.
At Union Station, Ness and Stone find Payne guarded by several gangsters. A gunfight breaks out on the lobby steps, resulting in all the gangsters being killed and Payne being taken alive. As Payne testifies at Capone's trial, explaining the untaxed cash flows throughout the syndicate, Ness notices that Capone seems unusually relaxed and also spots Nitti carrying a gun under his jacket. Ness has the bailiff remove Nitti and searches him outside the courtroom; a matchbook in Nitti's pocket contains Malone's address, leading Ness to realize that he killed Malone. Nitti shoots the bailiff and flees to the courthouse roof. Ness has the opportunity to kill Nitti at one point but chooses not to, but when Nitti mocks the way Malone died, Ness pushes him off the roof to his death.
Stone gives Ness a list, taken from Nitti's jacket, that shows bribes paid to the jurors. When the judge refuses to consider it as evidence of jury tampering, Ness bluffs him into thinking that his name is in Payne's ledger of payoffs. The judge subsequently orders that the jury be switched with one in another courtroom, prompting Capone's lawyer to enter a guilty plea on his behalf. Capone is later sentenced to 11 years in prison. Ness closes up his office and gives Malone's St. Jude medallion and callbox key to Stone as a farewell gift. As Ness leaves the police station, a reporter mentions a rumor that Prohibition may soon be repealed and asks what Ness will do if that happens. Ness replies, "I think I'll have a drink." | murder | train | wikipedia | One of the great shows of the '90s.
"The Untouchables" had many great elements: 1.
An excellent cast, including several familiar faces from TV and films: Tom Amandes ("Everwood"), William Forsythe ("John Doe," "UC: Undercover," "Out for Justice"), John Rhys-Davies ("The Lord of the Rings," "Raiders of the Lost Ark"), and David James Elliott ("JAG").2.
Some entertaining -- if historically unrealistic -- stories, combining gangster action stories with looks into the personal lives of the characters, especially the relationships with Al Capone (Forsythe) and Eliot Ness (Amandes) and their respective wives and children.3.
Fantastic theme music by Joel Goldsmith (I'm still humming it, and I haven't seen the show in 10 years).
I wish they had released a soundtrack album for the series.Though the show was on for only a year and a half, "The Untouchables" was able to tell a complete story, fleshing out both the heroes and the villains into complex characters, and it wrapped up most of the plot lines by the final episode.This series would make an ideal DVD box set.
Are you paying attention, Paramount?.
Good Entertainment.
This 1990s version of "The Untouchables" was actually pretty good, and was one of the better programs on FOX when it aired.
The stories were engaging although, as in previous versions of "The Untouchables", they perhaps took their creative license at bit too far at times(Al Capone and Elliot Ness in a boxing match?!!).
However, the real strength of the show was the performances.
Tom Amandes and Paul Regina work well as Elliot Ness and Frank Nitty, and John Rhys-Davies does an even better job as Malone.
But the greatest performance is without doubt that of William Forsythe as Al Capone, who really steals the show, and makes it quite worth watching.
I think he did a better job in the role than Robert De Niro did in the 1987 movie.
Indeed most of performances were better than those in the movie, which was itself not a bad piece of work..
the acting was top notch, particularly by William Forsythe.
the series format definitely allowed the principle characters to be much more elaborately portrayed than the limited two hours available in a movie.
I have been hoping that this series would become available in DVD format.
I think it would be a must buy item for any serious videophile..
Great Series!.
I can still remember how shocked I was when I heard this program was cancelled.
Every episode was good; one even dealing with bootlegging on an Indian reservation( where liquor had not been permitted to be sold for years prior to Prohibition.) I was also struck by the stunning look-alikeness of Tom Amandes to Jimmy Stewart.
They could have been twin brothers.Even their voices,mannerisms were similar.
I wonder if this had anything to do with the series sudden disappearance.
William Forsythe was the best Capone to-date, even outdoing de Niro.
The supporting cast was also excellent.
I think this series was better than the original series with Robert Stack.
What made Stack so good was his toneless performance.Amandes gave the character flesh and blood and a mind.
Excellent series and canceled way too soon.
I really liked the development of the characters throughout the episodes I have been able to watch.
Especially the character of Paul Robbins played by David James Elliott.
The story lines were clever and kept me watching from episode to episode.
The actor that portrays Elliott Ness does indeed remind me of Jimmy Stewart.
With the onset of reality TV programs, I miss the scripted dramas of old and would really like a revival of good series programs such as The Untouchables.
If you enjoy gangster movies and shows where the good guys win, you will enjoy this program.
In my opinion, it was canceled way too soon.
If it were to come out on DVD, I would buy it in it's entirety..
As good as it always has been.
Enjoying the airing of the Untouchable series on Polish TV in English, I find the story as fascinating as the times I´ve watched it before.
Aside from the excellent choice of actors/actresses, the tragedy and funny side of the topic is clearly tangible in almost all episodes.
Especially when Ness is forced to rescue Nitti from a revengeful boy who´s cop dad was killed.
Irony at its best.Although the story happened nearing a century ago, it is as vivid and valid as ever.Excellent scripts, great actors, and a fascinating story untouched by time..
Canned way too soon.
I saw this show early on in its first few episodes and was very favorable impressed by the great performances of Tom Amandes as Elliott Ness( by the way, Mr Amandes looks enough like Jimmy Stewart to almost be his twin brother, I could,'t believe the very close resemblence), and Robert Forsythe, who played Al Capone.
Mr Forsythe brought a measure of depth to the usual Capone gangster portrayal.
I hope that this show will still be viewable even as reruns.
It was canned way too soon.I would even like to see it on vhs.
It would be well worth the buying price..
A few comments to make....
Yes, this really was a great show.
Two corrections to make on the previous comments that were left: a) The show DID last more than one season; it was on for two.
The show ran from January 1993 to September 1994 (the last new episode aired in June 1994).
b) Second, it was not on FOX, but on UPN (or whatever they called themselves in the early 90s; it may have been "Universal 9" here in the NY area.)I think the show ended because William Forsythe announced he was not coming back for a third year.
Also, I remember there was some controversy back in 1993 because there was a healthy dose of ethnic slurs on the program, directly mostly towards Italians, Irish, and Poles, and some Italian-American groups were offended by it..
Definitely worth watching....
One of my favorite movies of the 80s was "The Untouchables," and when I saw that a show was coming out on the same subject, I thought it would be another crummy TV spinoff like "Uncle Buck."But, despite the fact that the TV show didn't have the big names of the movie version, I found the show to be much more believable and suspenseful, without the glaring anachronisms that the movie had (e.g. Frank Nitti being killed at the Capone trial in the movie).William Forsythe (Capone) does an INCREDIBLE job...he AT LEAST equals the great Robert DeNiro's performance of the same character.
Also, John Rhys-Davies and Tom Amandes give great performances and the show's writing was excellent.
It's a shame it had such a crummy time slot and was canned so soon..
Well-made TV drama.
This was such an excellent show!
I, too, was shocked and disappointed when it was dropped.
There are few shows for which I actually made time in my schedule to watch, but this definitely was a weekly "event." In addition to the great stories, acting, camera work, etc.
it also had first-rate scenery and costumes that really added to the portrayal of that time period.
(Sometimes it was a little too violent for my taste, but hey, it's Al Capone, so what do you expect?) And, yes, one of the all-time greatest TV theme songs.
My fingers are crossed that this series will someday come out on DVD.
I would not only get a copy for myself, but also several gifts..
This TV series Should be on DVD!.
I'm a fan of untouchables as much as the next person and i would love for the series to be on DVD i enjoy all the early episodes, especially the pilot the later episodes, i didn't get to see because i was busy watching other movies If the series lasted from January 1993 till September 1994 then they should put both seasons on both VHS and DVD [on either two, three or four disc DVD] to some extent that people would be like "oh my gosh, the untouchables is on DVD!
i'm excited!
"My point being , This series should be on DVD and VHS then they'd realize they'd love the series on DVD or VHS as much they did when it was on fox TV from january 93 till September 94.
I really liked this series.
I really liked this series.
I really liked this series.
I honestly enjoyed this series.
It moved fast and had great music.
In fact, I wish I could find the theme song an a CD someplace.
There were moments in which the writers drew parallels between Ness and Capone, revealing that the two men actually had some things in common.
I never missed an episode and was truly disappointed that it was not renewed for a second season..
This show was the best one i have ever seen.
Great stories and great acting in this series.
I have been watching the clips on you tube, which are great.
I think this show was taken off way to soon and may be why we will never see it on DVD.
This was the best untouchables show or movie made, it was ahead of its time.We need to do whatever we can to get this series to DVD.
I gave it 10 in voting for it.
If anyone has DVD info on this show please let me know about.Or if anyone is selling DVD's i'm very interested in buying them.
please email me at jpisano@bostonvolvo if you have info.
Why do we need to have a minimum of 10 lines for this??.
For A New Generation.
This revived version of The Untouchables drew from both the original Robert Stack television series and the Brian DePalma film that won for Sean Connery that Best Supporting Actor Award.
As such it had the strengths and weaknesses of both.The Untouchables themselves under Eliot Ness were as described a group of incorruptible federal prohibition agents at a time when that group generally could be bought and sold.
They were the group who hurt Al Capone and Bugs Moran the rival gang heads in Chicago in the pocketbook with their raids on their illegal distilleries.
They did not however bring Capone down, that was the job of some hard working accountants in the US Attorney's office in Chicago who got him for income tax evasion.This series did not take its characters from the original Robert Stack series that was based on Ness's memoirs ghosted by Oscar Fraley.
The characters are from the film that starred Kevin Costner with Tom Amandes as Ness, John Rhys-Davies in Sean Connery's role as Malone and William Forsythe as one mean and nasty Al Capone.Amandes captured a lot of the self righteousness of Eliot Ness who back in the day fancied himself as some kind of Eagle Scout.
In work I've seen him in subsequently, Amandes has been more villainous which may have been his true niche as an actor.
Forsythe was the best thing that series.
In his career he's played a succession of great villains, his style of psychotic villain is similar to Lyle Bettger's.
Capone by all accounts was a generally easy going man, but had a hair trigger temper which was demonstrated on more than one occasion here.The Untouchables just like the previous series ran out of real plots and then had the guys going all over the country taking care of all the known criminals of the time.
The silliest episode I recall had Amandes and his crew going to New York and tangling not only with Lucky Luciano but with Thomas E.
Dewey.
Charles Martin Smith played Dewey and on those grounds alone, Tom Dewey's heirs should sue.
In fact Dewey had a lot more to do with bringing down New York's criminals than Ness did in Chicago.
In fact both men aspired to a political career, but Dewey certainly got a lot farther than Ness who ran for Mayor of Cleveland and lost in a landslide.
Still Eliot Ness and his crew will probably get another look in the next generation, they do fascinate us so..
the untouchables.
the untouchables.
Can someone plse tell me where I can buy this TV series of the untouchables from 1993-1994?
I have been racking my brains trying to find it and the soundtrack for it is impossible!!
I really love this show and I would like to add it to my collection.
I think that William Forsythe is an excellent actor to play the role of Al Capone.
The show has its moments where you just get right into the action and puts you at the edge of your seat!
If there is anyone that has any leads on where to buy this DVD/VHS or even know about the soundtrack, plse don't hesitate to reply.Thank you =) |
tt0032007 | Tarzan Finds a Son! | A plane flying to Cape Town, carrying a young couple and their baby, crashes in the jungle. Everyone on the plane dies, except for the baby who is rescued by Cheeta, Tarzan's chimpanzee. Tarzan and Jane adopt the child and name him "Boy". Five years later, a search party comes looking for Boy, because he is the heir to a fortune worth millions. Tarzan and Jane claim the child is dead and that Boy is theirs, but Sir Thomas recognizes Boy's eyes. The younger Lancings suggest leaving Boy and taking the inheritance; when Sir Thomas objects, they say they will take him back and, as legal guardians, still control of the inheritance. Sir Thomas says he'll tell Tarzan, but the rest of the party imprison Sir Thomas in a tent and plan to abduct Boy. Tarzan overhears them plotting; he steals their guns and throws them into a deep lake. Jane arrives the next day and learns what has taken place, and admits that Boy is Greystoke. She persuades Tarzan to retrieve the cache of guns, without which the search party can't survive. Tarzan retrieves them but Jane drops the rope so that Tarzan is trapped.
Jane, convinced it's the right thing to do, goes with Boy and the rest of the Lancings toward civilization but Sir Thomas convinces her that the younger Lancings only want Boy for his money. Sir Thomas tries to sneak away but they shoot him. Thinking Jane is trying to fool them, they ignore her directions and fall into the hands of the Zambeli, known for mutilation of captives. The white people are held in a separate hut while the tribe begins to kill and preserve the native bearers. Jane is wounded while helping Boy to escape through the fence. Boy finds Tarzan and is aided by chimps and elephants to free him. Tarzan reaches the Zambeli village and uses the elephants to drive away the natives. He saves two of the search party, and he and Jane decide to keep Boy with them in the jungle. | murder | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0104534 | It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown | It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown is composed of several Christmas-themed story lines, all taken directly from the Peanuts comic strip:
Charlie Brown tries to sell wreaths door-to-door.
Peppermint Patty worries about her Christmas book report.
Peppermint Patty and Marcie attend a performance of Handel's Messiah. The following day at school, Peppermint Patty writes about the performance. Neither her nor Marcie know Handel's first name, so Peppermint Patty credits the piece to "Joe Handel."
Snoopy becomes a Santa on the street, Lucy and Sally beg to differ.
Woodstock and his bird friends play chamber music inside a snowman's hat.
Charlie Brown tries to explain the true meaning of Christmas to Sally (who is convinced that the true meaning of Christmas is "getting all you can get while the getting is good") when she is writing a letter to Santa, but she tunes them out. She also writes to Mrs. Claus, Mary Christmas.
Snoopy, Woodstock and his friends dance with the candy canes that were on Charlie Brown's tree.
Sally goes to Linus's house for the meaning of Christmas and complains to Linus about calling birds in "The Twelve Days of Christmas". Linus tells Sally about Albert Schweitzer and how he disliked Christmas presents because he "hated to write thank-you notes." Sally asks who Albert Schweitzer was.
Charlie Brown sells his entire comic book collection in order to buy Peggy Jean a nice pair of gloves, only to find that she has already bought a pair.
The kids participate in a Christmas play, where Marcie plays The Virgin Mary, Franklin gets the role of Gabriel, Peppermint Patty reluctantly plays a sheep, and Sally, who has to say the line "Hark!" in the same play to summon a herald angel, inadvertently yells "Hockey stick!". Later, Harold (herald) Angel drops by to visit Charlie Brown, looking for Sally.
In the final scene, Lucy tells Linus to get up from the beanbag, but Linus refuses, saying that they remembered the time when they opened presents under the Christmas tree, and thinking that why they haven't been nice all day. Lucy angrily tells him that he's driving her crazy. The film ends with Linus saying, "Joy to the world". | psychedelic | train | wikipedia | The only thing this short has going over its predecessor is the animation has improved.
However, considering that the animation of the original Charlie Brown Christmas isn't really something to get worked up over, it leaves little room for this short to be as relevant.The characters are still as sweet, but the first one spent a lot of time dealing with the anxiety of the season while this one just kind of presented it as it is.
The first one had a lot to say, this one didn't.Most importantly, the first one was funnier.Not that this isn't an enjoyable experience by any means.
When compared to the original Charlie Brown Christmas this movie seems to be less social commentary and more an excuse for gags.
It's more cartoonish and has more obvious laughs rather than any irony or important things to say.There's another Xmas play in this 'un.
Peppermint Patty is refusing to do any homework and is annoyed that Marcie is playing Mary and she is left with the thankless role of a sheep.
Charlie Brown is selling his old comics to buy an Xmas present for his wannabe girlfriend and his sister Sally has only one word to say in the play 'HARK' but she ends up yelling 'HOCKEY STICK' instead.More like a series of Peanuts vignettes than a real TV special.
I found it as an EXTRA on the DVD of the original "Charlie Brown Christmas".
My problem with this special is the fact there isn't really one major story driving the special.
What we get is a bunch Charles Schultz Comics brought to life That would not of been too bad had the little vintage been a little more heart warming.
One thing that is clear is that Peppermint Patty and Marci are definitely waving the rainbow flag.
I just wish that this special was better..
A very funny holiday special..
This 1992 Peanuts special does not have the appeal of its classic predecessor, but it updates the characters and situations with flair.
Blending new characters with the classic gang of youthful cynics, Charles Schulz again pokes fun at the commercialism of the Yuletide season.
While not as cohesive or poignant as "A Charlie Brown Christmas," "It's Christmastime Again" is much, much funnier..
Times Change, So Did Charles Schultz.
Ask yourself: "What is the appeal of Peanuts?" Hallmark still manufactures porcelain collectors' vignettes, plush dolls, ornaments, and cards in great quantities, although new segments of the comic strip are no longer being created, at the strip's creator's (Schultz') request.
I believe that for most children, beyond the animated characters, the music, and short, comedic skits, much of the depth of Peanuts and its holiday specials is lost.Today, the specials are increasingly dated both in their look and content.
I recall the first time I saw the original Charlie Brown Christmas special in the 1970s.
The storyline was too fragmented for easy comprehension, and the concept of an aluminum Christmas tree simply too strange for words for a child who had known only real trees.
I took it as some left-over joke from the nineteen fifties.The original Charlie Brown Christmas special's message seemed to assert the pretense of philosophical depth, but spoke more to the trials of a lonely child seeking the approval of his peers.
What I recall most is thinking how much I loved the music, and that it would be fantastic to be able to play some of it myself.
(I memorized "Linus and Lucy" on keyboard many years later, and manage to produce a version of "Christmas Time is Here" on flute.) I saw the Thanksgiving Day special in its time, and now reminisce about the old station wagons, and how the manufacturers were always rearranging the way the back seat(s) would fold down to try to create buyer interest.
I still enjoy the final scene of the Thanksgiving special, and permit my own dog to join me for Thanksgiving dinner.
In today's SUV/mini-van era, the scene at the end of the Thanksgiving special probably makes children wonder what type of vehicle Charlie Brown's parents' could possibly own.I have been forced to conclude that what the Charlie Brown specials offer most poignantly is an opportunity to look back at children living in a place of idealized innocence that never was a part of life in America, and to induce an element of whimsy and longing for this version of childhood re-made through the eyes of an adult.
Even the neighborhood, with its relatively small and boxlike houses near an area sufficiently rural for a pumpkin patch and a Christmas tree farm to be accessible to small children is a thing of the past that is unknown in today's sprawling cities with high crime rates and an inclination toward large, upscale, and often cookie cutter housing.The original Christmas special incorporated religious themes, which was expected to sink its ratings.
By casting off the deeper emotional and cultural underpinnings of the holiday season, it was inevitable that what would result would be less a classic holiday special than a cartoon for children.I don't rent or await the broadcast of this special.
The original, with its pure Guaraldi soundtrack and courage to be different, even religious, although I am not a religious person, still strikes at deeper, human chords than most cartoons.
It is a story about the journey of a group of "wee folks" toward a better comprehension of each other, the season, and their own motivations, amid a flurry of Yuletide activities.
They come together at the end better than they were before.
In that ending, with its symbolic chorus, the meaning of Christmas is communicated.
That was an ending for the Christmas season that is impossible to top..
Good follow-up to a classic holiday special.
In my opinion, this is a good follow-up to a classic holiday special.
Also, when Sally (voice of Jodie Sweetin) messed up her line in the Christmas play, I laughed.
In addition, the thing that really makes this special worth watching is the music, especially "Linus And Lucy." When that song is performed, I always get warm and tingly.
I would have to say that's my favorite song of this special.
In conclusion, I highly recommend this good follow-up to a classic holiday special to everyone, especially all you fans of the comic strip who have not seen it.
When you see it, prepare to smile and have a good time..
Charlie and Snoopy are always fun to watch.
Charlie Brown screams Why can't I ever be a wrong number?.
If you love Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang, you will definitely enjoy this extra Christmas special along with the original Christmas Special which became an annual tradition on television.
I enjoyed watching Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang back.
I just love watching Charlie Brown selling Christmas wreaths before Thanksgiving.
Peppermint Patty asking about a book to read for a school report..
Fun Christmas Special.
"It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown" takes several stories from the comic strip such as Charlie Brown selling Christmas wreaths; getting gloves for Peggy Jean; Marcie going out to play a sheep instead of playing Mary on a Christmas play; etc.
The special itself is no "A Charlie Brown Christmas," but I do believe that this special is funny and it is fun to see the Peanuts gang as they have always been iconic to pop culture.
The animation is really well done, and I really enjoy for each character as we see them for what they are going through during the Christmas holidays.
If you don't like this one as much as "A Charlie Brown Christmas" that is fine, but I do think its a fun Christmas special and it might be my second favorite Christmas special by the Peanuts gang.
I don't know how many Christmas specials that feature the Peanuts, but might go into further detail on what is my second favorite Christmas special by the Peanuts gang.
I give "It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown" a 9 out of 10..
Much better than the original.
I like this one better than the one we all grew up with.
Coca-Cola asked CBS to make a Christmas special so that they could advertise their product.
So much for the "commercialization of Christmas"!
So the people who made the special, as well as the network people, did not like what they produced.
I think it would have been a hit regardless because Peanuts was very popular already, and there were only three networks back then.
There were not as many Christmas specials back then, either.
I'm not saying it was bad, but it could have been better if they had more time on it.
Obviously it has a lot of charm and also was the first Peanuts special so that makes it unique.This one is more like the comic strip (short vignettes strung together), and it looks like they took more time with it.
It moves faster than the original, is funnier, is not as religious, and has better music.
Even though I am not a kid, I liked it a lot.The original was very slow-moving, and it is heavy with Christian sentiment.
The music was good, but this newer one uses a lot of classical music as well, which I enjoyed.
Charlie Brown struggles to sell Christmas wreaths door to door.
Peppermint Patty is trying to read a book.
Sally tries to write a letter to Santa and tries to understand Christmas.
Charlie Brown is trying to buy a pair of gloves for Peggy Jean.
Peppermint Patty volunteers to be Mary in the school play but the role is already given to Marcie.It's a scattering of Christmas themed sketches.
This is in-line with the other Charlie Brown shows where distinct separate cartoon skits are lump together.
The story is certainly not as compelling as the original 65 Christmas special.
However, it is still Charlie Brown and has that innocent charm as always..
A Christmas Special that just is not a strong one.
It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown this is a new original Christmas special from The peanut gang Now I'll give them a B for effort but this one just don't do just as well as the classic Charlie Brown Christmas not at all I wouldn't even say it comes close other than Snoopy's bits this special just don't hold much but as a Peanut Fan I try to give it the benefit of a doubt While the film does have something to hold your interest it just has moments of face palm that makes you wonder what were they thinking?After watching it on DVD it wasn't quite as well as I had hoped for.My best opinion about this Christmas special for Charlie Brown,Snoopy and the other Peanut gang is that it's okayIt does feature good animation as always with good hand drawn animationthe voice acting is mix at best plus some of the characters The story is up and down the opening was the best part of the film Overall I give It's Christmastime Again,Charlie Brown an 7 out of 10.
So much better, yet not nearly as good.
It's the gang's second Christmas special, and everyone is in a rhythm this time around.
The animation is much more polished, the direction is fluid, and the jokes come quickly and with such regularity it's surprising this wasn't sponsored by an oat bran product.
Yes, this special is much more in line with the Saturday morning cartoons of the day than with the story-oriented specials of years past.
And because of that, it's perfectly suited for a fun family holiday special.But for all this outing does right, it has no soul -- none at all.
In the original, Charlie Brown lamented the commercialization of Christmas; in this one he embraces it.
In the original, the jokes flowed from the characters (e.g., Snoopy mimicking Lucy); in this one it's all interchangeable punchlines (Sally sounds remarkably like Lucy in this outing).What it really boils down to is depth.
It's just jokes, just vignettes, just a contractual obligation to churn out another special.
The original dared to explore what it would take to get a perpetual optimist to give up on Christmas; this one is about buying gifts and memorizing lines for a Christmas play.
Again, it's Saturday morning cartoon fodder.We watch this one every year, and the kids enjoy it well enough.
And now that I'm older, I long for stories rather than just jokes.
So yes, we watch this one every year, but to me there is only one Peanuts Christmas "special"..
I have noticed that several viewers have given this film a low marking because they compare it to the special made in 1965.
I say don't watch this one and compare it to A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Just sit back and take a break from the other Christmas films that get played over and over again over the Holidays.
Snoopy once again, as in all the Peanuts Specials, steals the show.
Snoopy with the candy canes, as the Santa Claus, and putting the gloves to good use is priceless.
Who can forget Sally only having to say "Hark" for her single line of the Christmas play and blowing it?
Also, Pepper Mint Patty's question about Mary wearing glasses is a nice touch all because she's angry about being a sheep.
In the end leave it to Linus to put the finishing touches on this treat, "Joy To The World!" Charles Shultz and Charlie Brown do not fail in this film.
Watch this one and the original around the time Christmas rolls around.
Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and our friend Charles Shultz make Christmas more enjoyable..
Sub par to the original.
A Charlie Brown Christmas is one of those timeless classics that teach you the value Christmas and just enjoying the holiday.
It tries to capture the emotion of A Charlie Brown Christmas, there even is another Christmas play, but fails with lackluster and easy jokes.
Charlie Brown is no longer wondering about the spirit of Christmas but is instead wants to buy a present for Peggy Jean ($25 gloves...what?).
His sister Sally is the most annoying character in the movie.
Here is one of her jokes: Sally wants to write a letter to Santa, but doesn't know how to spell Charlie (for some reason he needs to be in her letter) so instead decides to name him Sam, because she knows how to spell Sam. Also, Sally plays an angel in the play with one word to day: "Hark!" She instead says hockey stick (har har).
If Sally saying hark 12 times (all oddly sounding exactly the same) doesn't kill you, nothing will.
Peppermint Patty and Marcy are a large focal point, but that hardly makes it better.
Marcy is funny with her responses to Patty, but Patty is another story.
She sounds like a boy (which doesn't dispel the rumors) and gets mad when she has to be the sheep in the play (terrible baas and all).
All in all, it tries to be a parasite to the original, but compromised the message for a few quick laughs..
This is another Peanuts cartoon from quite a while ago, actually almost 25 years, but given the first of these came out almost 50 years ago, it's not really that long.
The director is Bill Melendez and he made several Peanuts films, the writer is Charles M.
Anyway, it's Christmas time again and it's really more of the usual.
The kids are preparing a play and there is lots of talk of the commercial aspects of the holidays against the real tradition.
However, this topic was also significant in one of the very old Peanuts cartoons if I remember correctly, so it's a bit of beating a dead horse.
I have never been the biggest Peanuts fan, but i enjoy some of these cartoons nonetheless.
A very funny and enjoyable Peanuts Noel holiday special.
The Peanuts gang return for this breezy and entertaining romp.
The ever-hapless Charlie Brown tries without any success to sell wreaths door to door in order to raise twenty-five dollars so he can buy a gift for the adorable Peggy Jean, Peppermint Patty struggles with a book report, Sally tries to memorize the one line she has to say in the upcoming Christmas play, and Snoopy gets into his usual mischief which includes posing as a sidewalk Santa.
The voice actors all do fine work, with stand-out contributions from John Christian Graas as the precocious Linus, Lindsay Benesh as bespectacled brainiac Marcie, and Deanna Tollo as the sweet Peggy Jean.
The Christmas play rates as a definite hilarious highlight, with Peppermint Patty forgetting her one line as a sheep ("Baaa!").
Granted, this program isn't as poignant or thoughtful as the terrific classic original, but it still makes for a perfectly amiable diversion just the same..
This was a sequel of "It's Christmas, Charlie Brown" made in 1993.
This one isn't as good, but it's somewhat funnier and lacks the slightly heavy handed message from the original.It doesn't have a plot; it's more like a set of vignettes from Charles Schulz's comics from the 1980's and early 90's that have to do with Christmas (similar to his Saturday morning cartoon from the 1980's).Highlights include the great segment on the gang's Passion Play performance where Sally Brown has to say "Hark" and instead says "Hockey Stick" because she saw her brother holding one most of the day before, Charlie Brown wanting to buy a $25 set of gloves for his friend Peggy Jean, and Charlie Brown selling Xmas wreaths.
The Sally Brown character is a very dominant character in this one, and honestly, I've always been a Sally Brown mark, so that's why I might like this one more than others; her ditzy behaviour in the comics was always a treat.All in all, it's not the original, but it's still a good one. |
tt0276868 | Cold Heart | Dangerous psychopath Sean Clark tries to kill a woman and gets into a prison psychiatric hospital. Thanks to the efforts of a talented psychiatrist Philip Davis, Clark is released prematurely. Davis explains that he acts on behalf of Sean's father but mentions that his father does not want to meet or communicate with Sean. Davis gives Clark money and takes him to his new home, reminding that the main condition for the Sean's release is his weekly visits to Davis.
After that, Sean starts a new life. He gets a job with a large company, the owner of which turns out to be Davis's wife, Linda, who falls in love with Sean. In turn, Sean performs her every wish and even says to Davis that he loves his new employer.
Meanwhile, Linda suspects that her husband has an extramarrital affair. Secretive phone calls, leavings for conferences (which he does not attend)—all of this convince her that she is right. One day, Linda plans to attend the presentation of her film. Her assistant, who was to accompany her, proposes to replace her with Sean. On a trip, a whirlwind romance sparks between Linda and Sean. Blinded by passion, Linda cannot suspect that all the events are the parts of her husband's insidious plan. He wants to profit from her death and chooses the most reliable weapon—a convicted maniac, whose guilt no one will doubt. | murder | train | wikipedia | Nastassja's 3rd movie with the same plot.
Nastassja Kinski seems to be making a career out of playing the bored wife who has an affair with a younger man...who then tries to kill her.
Seriously, "Cold Heart" follows the plotline of her other film "Say Nothing" very closely.
And then there is "Blind Terror," which is the same basic plot, with very minor differences.Actually, in some ways, "Cold Heart" is the best of the three.
There is a clever plot twist towards the end which I was not expecting.
It is not fully fleshed out and explained, but it's an interesting idea.
Josh Holloway is on the verge of playing a good psychotic...but he reverts to the same maniacal smile too many times to bring much depth to the role.
Jeff Fahey has a thankless part, and seems bored playing it.
Nastassja...well, I think she too is bored, and why wouldn't she, since she played the same role in three different movies, all released within a year of each other.
She looks good, but for Nastassja fans, there is nothing particularly intriguing that she brings to this part.
There is no one scene that stands out.It is what it is...a made for video thriller..
Better than you might expect....
I have to confess that when I started watching this movie, I didn't really expect much: both the script and the actors seemed not to be very inviting.
In the end I had to change my mind: both Nastassja Kinski and Josh Holloway are pretty convincing, and the plot isn't so ordinary, despite the fact that the starting point is the usual sexual relationship with a psycho-depressed-hyper-aroused hunk.
A nice thriller, with good music and interesting directing choices.
There could be much worse films than this one..
A well thought out plot.
For all the negative comments, it looks like if you follow Nastassja Kinski nobody likes the movie, but I had never heard of any of these actors and just caught the movie on cinemax.
Its not another skin flick, you have to watch the movie to realize the topic is completly adult to begin with, and the sex scenes are very necessary to portrait what the director wants us to see.The movie I think is very well done, the psychotic patient that gets released and ends up with his doctors wife, only to cause a mess of problems.
The patient is brilliant, he will let his girl do whatever she wants, in exchange for his full attention as well (something close =b).
As soon she changes her mind, it gets messy.
He also has some psycic sensitivity as you watch the film.
The interactions between the psychiatrists husband and wife is believable for somebody who is blinded by emotion, and the husband knows how to play on it (or avoid it) just like little kids avoid situations.This movie has so many brilliant mini aspects of it, I dont understand how its getting a 4.0/10.0, it is deserving of much more.
If you watch the movie for the thrill of a movie I would hate it too, you have to watch it to get into the characters head to appreciate this movie, or else most of the plot basis is gone, leaving an empty movie with some funky things happening..
A mishmash of styles that was fun to watch.
I came home last night from band practice with my tail dragging; it wears me out.
I was surprised to find my wife up at 11:30.
She said she'd had trouble sleeping.
So I made some popcorn and we flipped through the channels.
This movie was just starting.
In its way, it's a real gem.
The characters are all so ridiculous that they're like comic book characters; but I mean that in a good way.
The movie wisely stays focused tightly on just a handful of characters: Kinski, a professional woman working for a company that does I'm not quite sure just what (brokerage, I think?); her analyst husband; the young pyscho who works for her firm AND is a patient of the analyst; and Kinski's assistant, an impossibly sexy and overly-made-up blonde.The psycho is almost too goofy at the start, with his leering smile and his oh-so-perfect hair.
He accompanies Kinski on a business trip, and finds it laughably easy to get her to have a drink, then to slam shots, and finally to go to bed with him.
(One is surprised that her clothes don't literally fly off her, she's so obviously eager to be seduced.) The next fifteen minutes of the movie shift to softcore porn with plenty of groping and breasts and buttocks (none of which are Kinski's, I'm guessing).Then the movie proper begins.
Blah blah, back home, blah blah, she's made a mistake, blah blah, he won't take no for an answer.
And there's something not...quite...right about the husband.Anyway, the whole things gets resolved in an anti-climax at a rustic cabin the analyst has just presented to Kinski, purportedly to atone for his failings as a husband that had led her to the arms of another.
The ending turns into comedy, almost slapstick, with some funny lines that are made even funnier because the movie gave no hint that it, like the young psycho, is completely schizophrenic.All in all, this was a pretty cheesy movie, and if you were taking it seriously from the beginning, you would probably find yourself annoyed with it.
We both watched it because it was late, there was nothing better to do, and we just wanted to be entertained.
Not even for Hudson Leick....
I like Hudson Leick as much as the next guy (and probably more than most of the next guys), but even for her, this movie is just not worth watching.
It's just plain terrible from start to finish.
Sure, Hudson looks great if that's your interest -- not hard for her to look good in any case -- but even fast-forwarding and just watching her scenes, this one is just a real crapper.
Even if you really like Hudson, avoid it..
Like Red SHoe Diaries younger brother..,.
its good for a few laughs...
if you're light-tempered enough to enjoy bad things.
and even if you don't laugh, its still moderately entertaining.
don't you just love a twist ending?
this one actually surprised me, i wasn't expecting it.
but maybe i was too distracted by the anime eyes of our resident psycho (Holloway).Kinski is rather subdued...
maybe sedated through the picture.
and Fahey is very grim and serious the whole way through.But for a "psycho seduces unhappy wife of his shrink and she rejects him and all hell breaks loose" kind of movie...
just don't expect anything Oscar worthy..
I cant believe i was looking forward to this movie!
Why Kinski!
is it that bad !
is it that bad !
The Plot, the acting, the directing ..
All fail.
Even the shower scene and the sex scene are made up with a fake model!
I'm going to think twice before i see another movie for Kinski or Dimster.
Uhhhh! |
tt3424690 | Havenhurst | Jackie is a recovering alcoholic that is moving into Havenhurst, an apartment complex in New York City run by Eleanor Mudgett and her son Ezra, who also serves as the building's maintenance man. She is given the warning that she must remain sober while living in Havenhurst or she will be swiftly evicted. While living there, Jackie begins looking for evidence about her friend Danielle, who previously lived in Havenhurst, unaware that the latter was brutally murdered along with her addict boyfriend shortly after receiving an eviction notice. She also meets some of the building's residents, notably a young teen named Sarah, who lives with her foster parents Tammy and Wayne, the latter of whom is an abusive alcoholic. Some time after moving in Jackie hears one of her neighbors, Paula, getting murdered because she returned to prostitution and reports it to a detective friend of hers, Tim. She also discovers an incomplete map that Danielle had created before her death and Sarah gives Jackie Danielle's camera, which contains film that Jackie has developed. The map shows that the building is far larger than it appears, as it has several secret rooms.
Later Sarah is attacked by Wayne, who is abducted by Eleanor's other son Jed, a serial killer that has been using the secret rooms to hide himself and his crimes, as he has been murdering people who have been served eviction notices. Tammy also becomes one of Jed's victims, as she and Wayne had been sent an eviction notice due to Wayne's alcoholism and abuse. After discovering their apartment covered in blood, Jackie tries to show Tim the apartment in order to prove that something bad is happening, only for it to have been cleaned prior to his arrival. After Tim leaves Jackie decides to start drinking in order to receive an eviction notice and discover the building's secrets.
She and Sarah, who is now staying with her, go down to the laundry room and discover a secret passage that leads to a room containing records showing that Eleanor and her children are descendants of serial killer H. H. Holmes and have inherited his murderous disposition. They soon find, however, that they have been discovered by the murderous family and are chased throughout the building, unable to leave. Jackie manages to call Tim in the hopes of summoning help, only for Sarah to get captured. She manages to rescue Sarah and help her escape the building, but is captured and presumably murdered. Shortly thereafter Tim arrives with several police officers but is unable to do anything as there is no evidence that the disappearances are sinister in nature and ends up leaving unsatisfied. Once he and the others are gone Eleanor speaks to Sarah and convinces her to join her family and assist in the future murders. | murder | train | wikipedia | The ending was so botched, I can't help thinking the crew itself got "evicted" half way through the filming (read, ran out of money or fell apart).
Despite the weird behavior of several characters, the story had a good potential till it suddenly, stupidly, untimely took a twist that is so used and abused, it doesn't even elicit a chuckle anymore.
Movies like this make me wonder how someone gets so much money, convinces a bunch of talented people to participate (most of the actors, the operator was pretty good), and is not held accountable for making bad script decisions that inevitably cut any hope for a good payout.
You won't fall of the wagon ever again.The person who moves to "Havenhurst" is Jackie (Julie Benz), a recovering alcoholic who's responsible for the death of her lovable daughter because of her addiction.
What could potentially have been a very interesting and unique horror movie, ended up being a generic storyline suffering at the hands of the writers.The story did have potential, but writers Andrew C.
Furthermore, it didn't help one bit that the storyline was completely devoid of anything even remotely scary.What did work out quite well in favor of the movie was the house and the design idea behind it.
But again, it just lacked that element of horror."Havenhurst" also had some adequate acting performances to boast it, although they were struggling with a very inadequate script, and it was weighing the actors and actresses down visibly on the screen.For a horror movie, I will say that "Havenhurst" belongs more in the mystery genre with just a hint of thriller to it.
Which are the tags of the genre here on IMDb. I just sat down to watch it because I thought it was going to be a horror movie.
So I was naturally very disappointed with the end result."Havenhurst" is a mediocre movie that came and went without any fanfare and without leaving any impressions in the horror genre, because it just wasn't equipped with fangs or nails..
Seemingly inspired by the true story of H.H. Holmes, the Torture Doctor of Chicago, who murdered anything up to 200 people, most of them in his mansion/castle full of blind corridors, rooms that could only be opened from the outside, equipped with secret gas lines, and a basement used for dissection, Havenhurst bears many similarities.
With so many low budget horror movies being released, there are far better choices than this flick to spend one's money on..
Harris may possibly have been there as a favour to someone as her total screen time is barely 60 seconds.Havenhurst is a gigantic apartment building for people to put their lives back together.
It's full of former alcoholics, drug addicts and various criminal types and that's where our heroine moves in seeking her missing best friend.If you play nice it's a great place to live but should you return to your old ways you'll find yourself in a world of trouble.Julie Benz is an incredible actress, a tour de force and is always fantastic to watch.
She does a brilliant job and the movies concept is actually quite intriguing especially near the end where a big twist occurs.I walked away from this feeling that something was missing, maybe the delivery wasn't on point, maybe it was too short or maybe the finale didn't appease me.
Regardless Havenhurst is a decent enough watch and could potentially see a sequel or even a franchise.The Good:Julie BenzGreat twistVery originalThe Bad:Awful coverFeels incomplete somehowThings I Learnt From This Movie:Julie Benz doesn't age, seriously it's getting ridiculousDanielle Harris may well have been in the movie more than I realised, she's just so tiny maybe I missed her.
In films like Havenhurst, the most convenient thing to do is to focus on the pros, and hoping them to partially compensate the usual problems of a horror B-Movie, made with a certain visual style and adequate handling of the suspense, but pre-fabricated characters and little imagination.
In conclusion, Havenhurst is a mediocre film, but it didn't bore me, and I can give it a slight recommendation, specially to other fans of Benz's.
Let me start off by saying that the only reason I gave this film a go was because I like Julie Benz from the Dexter series.
Number one, Benz plays a recovering alcoholic who moves into the building (the title of the movie) only to learn that that whoever breaks the rules while living there of their past lifestyles, (hence drinking again) will pay a severe penalty for it.
The film is just plain awful, Benz has no range of character the story makes absolutely, no sense, and the whole time I just ended up screaming at my 70in TV, from scenes where she clearly had the upper hand and because of a very poor script, she winds up doing something stupid to get caught.
Although ostensibly a haunted house story, this is really a slasher at heart.The film opens with a pulse-pounding score, superior gore effects and a dazzling cameo from horror goddess Danielle Harris.
We have powerful acting from Julie Benz (Dexter, Buffy, Two Evil Eyes), and an evil maternal instinct from Fionnula Flanagan (The Others, Trash Fire).What sells the film more than anything is the cinematography, as the colorization is rich, and provides a nice palette against which to tell a moving story.
The exterior aerial shots look great, and it left me wondering if this is a real building or if some crafty CGI is used.In recent years, public discourse was concerned about the so-called surveillance state, and those fears come to life here.
Although this story of murder and disappearance could be in any era, this surveillance aspect makes it especially timely, even if not intended by the writers.I highly recommend "Havenhurst".
Havenhurst is a sprawling Gothic building that has been turned into a halfway house for recovering addicts.
Its latest tenant is Jackie (Julie Benz), an ex-alcoholic who discovers that her new abode harbours a horrifying secret: it was once home to one of America's first serial killers, H.H. Holmes, and someone seems to be following in his bloody footsteps.To be honest, there's not a whole lot of originality going on in Havenhurst, the plot taking the well worn 'creepy old house with a secret' format (complete with hidden passageways and trapdoors) and adding a little Saw-style punishment for good measure, as meted out by cold-hearted landlady Eleanor (Fionnula Flanagan) and her sons whenever their tenants fall off the wagon.Despite a strong central performance and just a smidge of gruesome gore, the film never really delivers the chills, failing to get the pulse pounding with its hackneyed attempts at eerie atmospherics (the whole building could do with better lighting) and predictable jump scares (I lost count of how many times a creepy figure would suddenly rush past the camera in the foreground or behind a character).In short, Havenhurst is by no means a terrible film, just not all that inspired.5.5 out of 10, rounded up to 6 for bumping off Danielle Harris, horror's most over-rated scream queen, as soon as possible..
I love Juli Benz but this movie was not good enough for someone with her talent.
The scream queens are in this (actresses who often do B horror movies) but they have gotten a lot older and yet were still playing younger parts and dying in horrific, ridiculous ways.
This movie was just hard to watch, easy to predict and what a waste of such a great cast and potential!
Julie Benz does her best, although her terrible material defeats her and would be beneath even the worst actresses.However, the story does feel over-stretched and some of it feels vague, under-explained.
Making the film feel bland and forgettable with not enough heart put into it.Acting is not good aside from Benz.Dialogue can be stilted and rambling while the pace is uneven, dragging in a lot of the second half and never is it exciting.
The acting in this movie was great, the atmosphere and the creepiness of this Gothic building set the mood,.
The mystery, and wondering what's going on, the supernatural aspect, keep me in suspense, and made this " a sitting at the edge of my seat" type horror film.
But then we come to the very end of the movie, i so very very disappointing.
I hate when you watch a movie, and really really like it, and then it has a stupid ending...
The only reason you may want to watch the incessantly sullen horror flick "Havenhurst" is if you happen to be a fan of Julie Benz from the long-running Showtime series "Dexter".
The start is really powerful as with most Horror movies.
Then again, some Horror fans do like these sort of "haunted places" (in movies that is, I reckon), so there is something here for you guys.
None of the characters are even vaguely believable or interesting - the script is utterly terrible and full of clichés to the degree where your completing sentences in your head half the time - the "scary" characters are at best kinda funny and the low budget is embarrassingly evident, in everything from the obviously fake hand being stabbed to the meaningless repetitive aerial shots of the so called havenhurst building...You can watch it for free on Netflix right now, but it only really works as background noise while doing something fore fulfilling with your life simultaneously.
I loved the fact that the writers were able to work H.H. Holmes into the plot , but his real story would make a better movie than this story!
It's an infuriating ideology which is even more infuriating in that they get away with it at the end because the movie just abruptly ends with them murdering the main character and the little girl she was protecting inexplicably wanting to join the murderers.
Weird things begin to happen and she desperately tries to piece together the mystery of Havenhurst.The few things I liked about this film were the style, the look, the story, and the pacing.
I know this is a horror film but it happens a couple times so it really ruins any realistic momentum.Finally, that ENDING!
HAVENHURST takes not only its inspiration but it's foundation from the real life historical details surrounding Herman Webster Mudgett, a.k.a. H.
H. Holmes, "one of the first documented serial killers in the modern sense of the term".Taken as a whole, what is so incredible about the original, real, Mudgett story is that, if you were to read it as a novel rather than as an account of recorded historical facts, you simply wouldn't believe it.
Reads like a Stan Lee origin story, doesn't it?Within the walls of The Castle, in the middle of Chicago no less, "somewhere between 9 and 200" people were killed as part of a variety of for-profit schemes involving life insurance scams, skeletal models for medical schools, and model organs.
To help with operations, he invented his own alarm systems to monitor people moving about within his building.The Mudgett story goes on and on in this same vein.
For the purposes of the movie, it's a different family running it and their motivations are different from what Mudgett would understand, but it's pretty much "second verse, same as the first".The connection to the original Mudgett story serves to highlight two points.
The writer of HAVENHURST basically goes head-to-head on the story and simply can't create a fictional story that can stand on the same playing field with the historical one.And secondly, a basic movie through-line composed primarily of slicing and dicing people, for whatever reason, is just not enough to carry a movie.
It's all been said and done far better by Mudgett himself in the real world before the movie even begins.
The movie literally depends on its audience being completely ignorant of the historical facts surrounding the Mudgett story in order to have anything to serve up to the audience; if you know the Mudgett background, HAVENHURST is simply a tiresome exercise in tiptoeing through the intestines.
Having to depend upon audience ignorance in order to have something to give is a bad plot strategy.While they can't save the movie from its own intrinsically limited playbook, Julie Benz and Fionnula Flanagan, who were also together in the TV series DEFIANCE, do provide some quality acting to help relieve the boredom.
You should at least do 10 minutes of research if you're going to make a movie based upon historical facts, people, and events.
I watched this one despite its weak rating because I really liked Julie Benz and Fionnula Flanagan in "Defiance".
Even the detective that spent most of the film investigating the place (off the books, but on the clock of course) phones it in when he arrives on scene for the second time with a whole precinct in tow, takes a quick tour, doesn't even bother questioning the suspect and then leaves quietly despite being told not half an hour before that "there's a secret room in the basement with all the evidence you need".
However, something between brainstorming and filming must have gone awry.The opening scene I missed the fact that I was seeing a cameo because I was instead infuriated that the junkies looked like they had just put on freshly purchased clothes and pulled the sleeves down 'sloppily'(as junkies do).
By start, I mean that basically all they know is that they are being watched while they're in the halfway-house and that it is somehow related to tenants disappearing.So, the only logical thing to do is to gather all of the evidence you can and openly discuss it in the room, right?
At one point a character gets film developed at an offsite store and takes them all of the way back to Havenhurst before looking at them...
after which she makes a call on the phone inside the room to tell a detective to come look at them.Once what is actually going on is known, it is confirmed that there was no logical reason for characters(some weighing near 170lbs) to be flying across the room.
That's not the type of tool someone would have in a custom built area with frames/supports sourced in-house, it's a 30-75lb(this one is admittedly a smaller version) specialty item for moving pressing equipment to where they can be bolted(to assemble something like what you saw crush the Terminator in the first movie).Here's a hint in case you ever find yourself running from a murderer and you come across naught but a die-bar hanging from a ply-board wall, to open or finagle something with it, pry with the pointy end.
Once in awhile, one must ask oneself if these revenants to-be residents are deserving - and actually in the majority of cases, they certainly are, case in point a rotten couple of lushes mentally and emotionally abusing their daughter Sarah, whereupon it becomes physical, her friend Ezra steps in to terminate the problem, then eventually turns on Jackie when she violates the rules with her compulsive embibement.Overall, with shades of Nightmare on The The 13th Floor and tie-ins with the true crime case history of Holmes, even including influences of The Cecil, Havenhurst is sure to chill for claustrophobic, voyeuristic, sanguinous thrills.
I normally don't watch Netflix horror movies, but I started to watch them to see how they are.
This movie started out good.
Resurrection of Evil (AKA Havenhurst): Jackie (Julie Benz) a recovering addict has just completed rehab and moves into a strange old apartment building run by the sinister Elanor (Fionnula Flanagan) and her creepy sons.
I expected a lot better as the movie started off pretty good but went a little too downhill so my overall rating is 3 0ut if 10 Aye (Geordie Accent).
It started out with a very generic opening scene that we've all seen a thousand times before, and I thought to myself "here we go again." But then as things began to move along I found myself more focused than I usually am while watching a horror movie.
Then the final third commenced and I was absolutely hooked.Coincedentally, this is the second film in a row I've watched (I won't say the name of the other film so as not to spoil that one) where the theme has been someone working within the walls of a house/building with the intention of killing people.
And even when I was watching the first of those two films I was thinking that this is becoming quite a common trend in horror movies lately.
Afterwards you can't help but look at your own walls, or attic, or basement in a different and uncomfortable way.The ending to 'Havenhurst' is what absolutely sold it for me.
Happy endings are the death of horror films in my opinion, they simply should not exist.
In a world that is severely lacking in good modern horror films, 'Havenhurst' is a breathe of fresh air.
It's creepy, will keep your attention, has some genuinely tense and uneasy horror scenes, a well written story and a brilliant ending to top it all off.
Julie Benz is great - Movie has promise but not quite there.
I would have enjoyed a bit more back story about the relationship with her character and her daughter, as I felt that could have been explored more.The film itself has the promise of a great horror but is lacking in areas and the ending felt too quick..
The film opens with Danielle (Danielle Harris) and her boyfriend doing lines in a half-way house that looks like a Stephen King hotel.
Her alcoholic friend Jackie (Julie Benz) occupies the same room after rehab.
If you are a stuffy psycho building movie fan totally worth some time.
I have seen a lot of movies lately with actors literally looking like Facebook videos on the screen..
but this still managed to have some atmospheric thing going on even for a 2016 movie.. |
tt0044954 | The Narrow Margin | Detective Sergeant Walter Brown (Charles McGraw) of the Los Angeles Police Department and his partner are assigned to protect a mob boss's widow, Mrs. Frankie Neall (Marie Windsor), as she rides a train from Chicago to Los Angeles to testify before a grand jury. She is also carrying a payoff list that belonged to her murdered husband. On the way to pick her up, Brown bets his partner and friend, Sergeant Gus Forbes (Don Beddoe), what she will be like: "She's the sixty cent special. Cheap. Flashy. Strictly poison under the gravy."
As the detectives and Mrs. Neall leave her apartment, they are waylaid by a mob assassin named Densel (Peter Virgo). Forbes is shot to death, but Densel, although wounded by Brown, escapes. At the train station, Brown discovers that he has been followed by gangsters Joseph Kemp (David Clarke) and Vincent Yost (Peter Brocco). The latter meets him on the train and unsuccessfully tries to bribe him.
Brown's relationship with Mrs. Neall is caustic. She is a cynical and flashy brunette, who flirts with him while expressing doubt about his integrity and commitment to protecting her. By chance Brown makes friends with an attractive blonde train passenger he meets, Ann Sinclair (Jacqueline White), and her too-observant young son Tommy (Gordon Gebbert). When Kemp spots Brown with her, he mistakes Sinclair for his target. After Brown beats him up in a fight and questions him, the policeman learns of the mistake. He turns Kemp over to railroad agent Sam Jennings (Paul Maxey) and hurries to warn Ann. Densel, however, has boarded the train during a brief stop at La Junta, Colorado, and waylays Jennings, freeing Kemp.
When Brown tries to warn Ann that she is in danger, she reveals that she is the real Mrs. Neall. The other woman is an undercover policewoman, and Brown was not told in case he might be corrupt. Densel and Kemp enter Brown's compartment to search for the list and discover the fake Mrs. Neall in the next compartment. Densel shoots her dead as she tries to sneak her gun out of her purse. Then Kemp discovers a badge and police identification, identifying her as Chicago PD policewoman Sarah Meggs, hidden within her record player.
Densel, deducing the truth, goes for Ann. He is cornered in the compartment with her, with Brown outside. Brown uses the reflection from the window of a train on the next track to shoot Densel through the door without endangering Ann, then enters the compartment and finishes him off in a shootout. Kemp jumps off the stopped train, but is quickly arrested. Brown escorts Ann from the Los Angeles train station to the grand jury. | cult, suspenseful, murder | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0044829 | The Lavender Hill Mob | Henry Holland (Alec Guinness) is dining with a fellow Briton in a posh restaurant in Rio de Janeiro where he is well known. He relates a story explaining his presence in Rio. It seems he was a seemingly unambitious London bank clerk in charge of gold bullion deliveries for over 20 years. He had a reputation for fussing over details and suspecting all cars he observed following the bullion van, but all in all appeared to be a man dedicated to his job and the gold's security. In fact, he had hatched the "perfect" plot to steal a load of bullion and retire. The one thing stopping him had been that selling the gold on the black market in Britain was too risky, and he was at a loss as to how to smuggle it abroad.
One evening a new lodger – artist Alfred Pendlebury (Stanley Holloway) – arrives at Holland's boarding house in Lavender Hill. Pendlebury owns a foundry that makes presents and souvenirs that are sold in many resorts, including foreign ones. Noticing how similar the foundry is to the place where the gold is made into ingots, Holland decides that the ideal way of smuggling the gold out of the country would be as Eiffel Tower paperweights sold in Paris, and puts this hypothetically to his new friend: "By Jove, Holland, it's a good job we're both honest men." "It is indeed, Pendlebury."
When Holland suddenly finds that he is about to be transferred to another department at the bank, he and Pendlebury quickly move into action. They recruit two petty crooks, Lackery Wood (Sidney James) and Shorty Fisher (Alfie Bass), to help them carry out the robbery. The plan is simple but clever, and it succeeds: Wood and Fisher carry out the hijack of the bullion van and switch the gold to Pendlebury's works van. Holland, who is supposedly assaulted and almost drowned in the robbery, becomes the hero of the hour. The police find themselves running around in circles, unable to track down the "master criminal" who is in fact right under their noses giving them false statements and misleading clues. Meanwhile, Holland and his associates melt the gold in Pendlebury's foundry and export it to France disguised as miniature Eiffel Towers.
The plan goes wrong when the woman running the souvenir kiosk in Paris misunderstands her instructions due to a language mixup; instead of holding back the specially-marked box of Eiffel Towers, she opens it and puts them out for sale. Pendlebury and Holland, who have adopted the names of "Al" and "Dutch", arrive to retrieve their disguised bullion only to find that six of the towers have been sold to a party of British schoolgirls. A wild chase back to the Channel ferry follows but all sorts of hold-ups, including problems with the customs men, prevent them from getting to the ship and the girls in time.
If just one of those towers is found to be gold then the game is up. Pendlebury and Holland therefore track down the schoolgirls and, in exchange for a similar tower and ten shillings, recover most of the loot. One girl however refuses to return hers since she intends to give it to a friend who is a policeman. The girl delivers the souvenir to the officer, who is at an exhibition of police history and methods at Hendon Police College. Also attending is a police inspector who is investigating the robbery. As part of the case he checked up on Pendlebury's foundry and was told that many souvenirs bought in foreign places are actually made in Britain. A sudden thought occurs to him and he orders the souvenir to be tested. At that moment Pendlebury snatches it and he and Holland make their escape in a police car.
A confused pursuit then takes place through London, with Holland using the radio in the police car to give false descriptions of the vehicle in which the crooks are riding. Eventually, though, an officer succeeds in stopping their car and arresting Pendlebury. Holland escapes to Rio de Janeiro with the six gold towers, worth "£25,000, enough to keep me for one year in the style to which I was, ah, unaccustomed." But now, he finishes telling his visitor, the money is mostly gone. As they leave the restaurant, Holland is seen to be handcuffed to his countryman. | comedy | train | wikipedia | When Holloway realises they can pull it off, his face is hidden in the shadows as he slowly tells Guinness, 'Thank God Holland, we are both honest men' - a line which I think summarises the entire movie.The reason this movie is so amusing even today is that it is very tightly scripted (Tibby Clark won an Oscar for his effort) & brilliantly realised by the ensemble cast.
Ealing studios are famous for making very dry and witty comedies; they're probably most famous for the excellent 'Kind Hearts and Coronets' and darkly comic 'The Ladykillers', but The Lavender Hill Mob, although not as good as the other two, is definitely worth a mention.The Lavender Hill Mob is about a bank clerk (Alec Guinness) that, with the aid of his friend Alfred Pendlebury (Stanley Holloway), a man that makes paperweights in the shape of the Eiffel tower, has an ingenious idea of how to rob his own bank.
The two realise that the bank cannot be robbed by just them, so they set a trap to catch a couple of criminals, and once they've recruited them; The Lavender Hill Mob is born.Alec Guinness, a regular of Ealing comedies and a man that I think is worthy of the title "the greatest actor of all time" shines, as usual, in this movie.
There are also excellent support performances from Sid James, who is mostly remembered for his work on the 'Carry on' films; Alfie Bass, whom fans of British comedy TV will remember from the series "Are You Being Served" and there's also a very small role for Audrey Hepburn, who's movie legacy is legendary.The Lavender Hill Mob also features many memorable moments that will stick in the viewers' mind long after the film has ended.
This movie also features a brilliant twist ending that rivals the one in the superb 'Kind Hearts and Coronets'.Overall, The Lavender Hill Mob is, despite its low budget and short running time, a spectacular comedy film that should not be missed by anyone..
Of his Ealing days, he left us a legacy that is hard to surpass: "Kind Hearts and Coronets", "The Ladykillers" and this one, that comes to mind.Directed by Charles Crichton and written by T.E. Clarke, this is a fun movie that in spite of the years since it was filmed, it still charms its audiences, young and old.The background is a London, right after the war.
Prior to that, the scenes in Paris at the Eiffel Tower was an original sequence for a movie that relies on intelligence rather than in overblown special effects.Alec Guinness is charming as the master mind behind the heist.
Only a curmudgeon would not laugh aloud during some of the scenes.The plot, briefly, involves a clever bank clerk (Guiness) developing a plan with a die caster (Holloway) to steal several million pounds of gold bullion, recast it into tourist knicknacks in the shape of Eiffel Tower paperweights, and ship it to Paris to sell on the black market.
The scenes in the Balmoral Private Hotel in Lavender Hill are outstanding, and the sparse dialogue allows Alec Guinness and Stanley Holloway to shine as Holland suggests to Pendlebury how gold might be smuggled out of the country.
"Hohohoho; By Jove, Holland, it is a good job we are both honest men." "It is indeed, Pendlebury."Later in the film, the plot stands less well up to scrutiny but Guinness and Holloway are easily able to carry the viewers' attention.
Chases that turn into farces often don't work in this style of British film, but here again Holland and Pendlebury carry such energy and excitement that they fit in well, and I am sure that even in nineteen fifties Britain, large numbers of the audience will have grasped the ironic humour of the policeman singing "Old MacDonald," in addition to those laughing at the straightforward ludicrousness of the scene.Aficionados of British postwar comedy will enjoy this film, and because it lacks the dryness of say, "Kind Hearts and Coronets" or "The Ladykillers" it provides a more accessible introduction for those who are new to this most wonderful of genres..
Alec Guinness (1914-2000) plays a bank clerk who gets an idea to rob his own bank.He does that with the help of his friend Pendlebury (Stanley Holloway) and two professional criminals Lackery (Sid James) and Shorty (Alfie Bass).Lavender Hill Mob is brilliant crime comedy from 1951.The late Alec Guinness does amazing role work and the other actors do also superb job.You can also see the young and beautiful Audrey Hepburn playing Chiquita there.The movie has lots of marvelous scenes.One hilarious scene is the scene where the gang is trying to get to ship but are having all kind of problems with passports and stuff.And the car chase is absolutely brilliant.Watch this British classic movie.It won't let you down I guarantee it..
Ealing studios in Great Britain had a reputation for producing some very droll comedies in the post World War II years and this one was done when Ealing was at its height.Alec Guinness is once again playing a mild mannered schnook of a man who no one notices at all.
The robbery comes off pretty much as planned, but afterward things don't quite work out.They use Holloway's foundry to make solid gold statues of the Eiffel Tower and send them to Paris to get them out of the country.
In a classic British comedy, which exposed a whole new side of Alec Guinness, The Lavender Hill Mob is a film to see.
After a chance meeting with a Mr. Pendlebury (Stanley Holloway), a maker of souvenirs, Holland realizes (in a very Leo Bloom a la The Producers way) that with Mr. Pendlebury's tools and expertise, the pair could steal gold from the bank and melt it into miniature Eiffel Tower souvenirs, smuggling massive amounts of money for themselves.
The score, the comedic acting, the performances make The Lavender Hill Mob a film to be sure to watch, especially if you're tired of the mindless comedies that are so plentiful in American cinemas.
Yet another quirky, fun Ealing Comedy with main man Alec Guinness again taking the lead as the dull, downtrodden gold bullion inspector who waits twenty years to come up with a foolproof inside-job heist to foster his dream of living it up in some exotic South American country.
His unlikely accomplices are old lags Sid James and Alfie Bass, while his right hand man is antique reproducer Stanley Holloway who unwittingly inspires Guinness's gold-plated idea for concealing the goods.As ever, it's all very stylish and yet knockabout stuff, from the bizarre way Guinness and Holloway "advertise" their need for their henchmen, the crazy mixed-up car chase through London, their dizzying race down the Eiffel Tower, the visit to the young girls school to attempt to get back the six golden Eiffels, another crazy mixed-up chase at the Police Training School not to mention the delightfully concise and unexpected resolution at the end.Within these disparate elements there are many memorable details which just stick in the brain like Guinness reading pulp fiction to his avid OAP landlady, a fully tied up and gagged Guinness throwing himself on the ground and into the Thames to make the robbery look real, Holloway's absent-minded pilfering of a street trader's painting ("It was a Landseer last week!"), which jeopardises the operation, Guinness's escape in and out of a London Tube Station to escape the pursuing policemen, Guinness and Holloway's hilarious attempts to board a boat in the face of French red-tape inscrutability and even a blink and you'll miss it cameo by a very young Audrey Hepburn as a grateful chanteuse down Mexico way, all this and more might give you an idea of the structured yet skittish way it's all knitted together, although what a crazy patchwork quilt it is in the end.Best not to examine the plot strands too much and how they go together, just go with the flow as they say and savour in particular Guinness's admirable submersion in his role as well as director Crichton's breakneck direction style - especially the descent from the Eiffel Tower which will have you reeling.
"The Lavender Hill mob" is one of the best comedies of Ealing Studios in it's post-war period, in which it produced numerous classics of British cinema, before it's 1955 sale to BBC.This film is a light, witty and incredibly funny comedy caper,tightly packed in 78 minutes,(you'd wish it was longer, but it's just as it should be) so it doesn't waste a second or becomes boring or predictable.
An effective little diversion, "The Lavender Hill Mob" is one of Ealing's most beloved comedies, even if - like much of their output - it isn't exactly filled with hilarity and genuine belly-laughs.
Yet it has the best Ealing hallmarks, including another "little man" trying to overcome the authorities and a breezy plot that has a touch of fantasy about it despite being firmly entrenched in the real world.Alec Guinness gives a wonderful performance as the seemingly meek bank clerk willing to mastermind the greatest gold heist in history, Guinness enriching the character with so many subtle touches that it bears repeated viewings just to realise how great he is; it's not grand, emotional acting, just playing a character and playing it bloody well.
It shows how even a small slice of whimsy can be enriched further with a bit of effort; nobody concerned with this film is giving less than 110%.The only drawbacks to the film are a certain datedness - especially the toe-curling bit where a middle aged police constable sings "Old MacDonald" loudly and happily (did grown men really used to like those songs?) - and the fact that much time is spent on action with the result that there isn't a lot that's actually *funny* in what is supposed to be a comedy.
Holland (Alec Guinness)is employed as a bank clerk and is responsible for the shipment of gold bullion oversees, but has dreamed of living the high life for a long time.
I thought that was a stroke of genius and it just shows that some jokes never get old.The plot is a relatively good one and when watching it I can see that The Lavender Hill Mob may have influenced other films (the likes of Oceans 11 and The Italian Job probably owe a bit to this film).
There are some parts that didn't work so well for me (the bit where Holland and Pendlebury are running down the stairs at the Eiffel Tower was more silly than funny) and the scenes in the Passport office were also a little repetitive and overdone.Still for what it is it is funny and Crichton's tight-direction means that the film never really hits any lulls and thanks to its short running time it doesn't outstay its welcome.
Then the second half kicks in, and things change entirely.The film becomes a journey following the exploits of unlikely duo Stanley Holloway and Alec Guinness as they go on a hunt for part of the missing shipment, which has by now been melted down and turned into miniature Eiffel towers!
The dizzying scene on the Eiffel tower is a highlight but it's the chase-themed climax which is the real stuff of greatness.THE LAVENDER HILL MOB is a noteworthy movie for featuring performances from future greats.
It's just silliness, without any big themes or points to ponder, and it's airy and breezy and goofy, like watching an utterly insubstantial but extremely well made sitcom.Alec Guinness and Stanley Holloway make a crackerjack comic pair, and their bumblings and pratfalls will make you continuously chuckle if not laugh out loud."The Lavender Hill Mob" is like cotton candy: it dissolves immediately upon contact, but it sure is enjoyable while it lasts.Grade: A.
Getting a couple of other men to help with the plan is only the start and soon things are well on the way to the "perfect" crime.As an Ealing comedy it gains the reputation of the name but also has the occasional problem of being rather light and smug at times; this film particularly seems to suffer from a rather slight core to the plot.
A million pounds in bullion is stolen from a British bank; the crooks successfully hide out in a foundry, melting the gold down and pouring it into molds for Eiffel Tower paperweights...but what happens when one little schoolgirl gets away with a souvenir and turns it over to the police?
This film seems to get high praise all over the place, but in my opinion it isn't as good as 'Kind Hearts and Coronets' or 'The Man in the White Suit', although Alec Guinness is always worth watching.
Alas, the mob here makes for unengaging company in a film rife with forced humor and labored coincidence.Henry Holland (Alec Guinness) is a junior clerk charged with accompanying bars of gold bullion to his employer's bank.
A run down a spiral staircase at the Eiffel Tower late in the film provides a bracing bit of pure cinema accentuated by Douglas Slocombe's clever lens-work, but the movie kills that excitement by following it with a protracted scene of Holland and Pendlebury running around a French customs house.
Many such dull moments weigh down the pacing; while director Charles Crichton's overuse of close-ups add nothing to the comedy.For a studio that released such genially twisted farces as "Kind Hearts And Coronets" and "The Ladykillers" (with Guinness in both films finding ample comedy stores lacking here), one expects more, like some play with the concept of disorganized criminals working out why they are doing what they do.
Is it the wittily executed plot carried out by meek bank official Mr. Holland (Alec Guinness) and his accomplices Pendlebury (Stanley Holloway) and the two crooks (Alfie Bass, Sidney James).
But, unlike Eliot's titular dreamer, here's one man who's not going to lie down and take it anymore.In Tibby Clarke's Oscar-winning screenplay Holland, a gold bullion deliverer ("his one virtue, honesty" sneer his cynical employers) discovers a way of making his dreams of the high life a reality, when he meets souvenir manufacturer Pendlebury - a wonderfully seedy Stanley Holloway, given to spouting Shakespeare at the drop of a bowler hat.With the help of a couple of crooks, 'Lackery' and 'Shorty' (the great Sid James and Alfie Bass), and Pendlebury's smelting gear, they contrive to smuggle one million pound's worth of stolen gold bullion across the Channel in the form of seemingly innocuous 'gold-painted' Eiffel Tower models.
Of the three better known Alec Guiness films to come out of Ealing Studios, the other two being `Kind Hearts and Coronets' and `The Ladykillers,' this is by far the foremost.
The way they give out a fake to catch burglars in the act and then try to recruit them; the great shots running down the Eiffel Tower staircase laughing hysterically, then being too dizzy at the bottom to chase the car they're after; the growing dread on the faces of Guiness and Holloway as their target goes further and further into police territory; and how about a heist that goes perfectly while everyone involved thinks it's been blown and comes within hair's breadths of giving it all away.
It is just a light story with enjoyable characters.Watch this film if you like bank heists or old comedies, because this is great for both of those.
The premise of some struggling working people madly deciding to form a 'mob' and the crazy problem of the Eiffle Tower models and the vertigo scene definitely make it a fun comedy and it's a movie I watch a lot when I need some light humorous distraction.
"The Lavender Hill Mob" isn't a too known well movie but it's one of those early British comedies, done in the same style as for instance the much better known "The Ladykillers", also starring Alec Guinness in the lead.It's a nice little heist movie, involving gentleman like characters instead of the usual crooks.
As with all films of this type, though Holland's perfect scheme initially appears to have been a complete success, it soon begins to unwind in the most tragic manner possible.There's a wonderful sequence set in Paris, after Holland and Pendlebury discover that six of their solid-gold Eiffel Towers have accidentally been sold to a group of English schoolgirls.
Recruiting help of Lackery (Sid James) and Shorty Fisher (Alfie Bass), the two men concoct a plot to steal large amounts of gold bullion.With a comedy cast including Guinness, Holloway and James, the cast of this film is superb in acting capability and is never short of ability.Script included, "The Lavender Hill Mob" is a clever film.
Whilst not of the same standard as "The Ladykillers" (1955), this film is a good laugh and well worth of the title of Ealing.All in all, like most good Ealing comedies "The Lavender Hill Mob" is a fun film with a decent script.
Lavender Hill Mob (1951): Dir: Charles Crichton / Cast: Alec Guinness, Stanley Holloway, Sidney James, Alfie Bass, Marjorie Fielding: Hilarious account of amateur crime as a bank clerk sees an opportunity to steal gold bars and smuggle them out of the country as miniature Eifel Towers.
Sid James plays one of the accomplices, which is interesting because he's one of the only British character actors I can think of who plays both aristocrats and poor guys.My favorite scene in the movie is when Guinness and Holloway are chasing the students down the stairs of the Tower.
Ealing regular Alec Guinness does a great job as the meek Henry Holland and Stanley Holloway is good as Pendlebury.
The Lavender Hill Mob. After seeing Kind Hearts and Coronets, I was definitely looking forward to seeing another Ealing Studios comedy, especially with the great Star Wars star again.
He becomes friends with souvenir maker Alfred Pendlebury (Stanley Holloway) and Holland remarks that they could forge gold to look like the Eiffel Tower souvenirs, and smuggle it from England to Paris. |
tt0214641 | Dragonheart: A New Beginning | One year before his death, Sir Bowen visits the cave-home of his long-dead friend Draco, and there discovers a dragon egg. He takes the egg to a monastery where his friend Brother Gilbert, a monk, lives. The friars at the monastery pledge to hide the dragon away, with Friar Peter (John Woodnutt) protecting him and teaching him for 20 years. The task of taking care of the dragon is passed to a young and gullible friar named Mansel (Matt Hickey).
An orphaned stable boy named Geoff (Christopher Masterson), who dreams of one day becoming a knight like Bowen, lives at the monastery, doing menial chores; he tricks Mansel into manual labor and discovers the hidden Drake, the dragon (voiced by Robby Benson). At first Geoff is afraid, but realizes Drake is more afraid of him. They soon form a friendship.
Meanwhile, two Chinese citizens (Henry O and Rona Figueroa), appearing to be a frail old man and his son, enter the kingdom and ask Friar Peter if he knows anything about dragons, as there is a prophecy stating that "a dragon's heart will doom mankind when a two-tailed comet blazes across the night sky". The comet will come in a matter of days, so they want to make sure that there are either no dragons around, or, if there is one, confirm that its heart is pure and that it will not be tempted into fulfilling the prophecy. Meanwhile, the King (Ken Shorter) makes a mysterious man named Osric (Harry Van Gorkum) his adviser, and Osric pledges to unite the kingdom under the old code, but corrupts it by forcing each status of citizen to wear a certain color of tunic.
While Geoff is complaining about this new law, he and Drake are surprised by some bullies, and Drake is forced to take his first flight. During this, the two Chinese learn of Drake's existence and start to train him to use his dragon abilities, including fire-breathing, flight, using his tail, claws, and teeth, and to exhale ice breath, the last of which is a rare skill that few dragons manage to master. Before this time of teaching, Geoff discovers that the Chinese grandson is the princess of China in disguise, who reveals that dragons once abetted mankind until an evil dragon named Griffin betrayed the dragons and killed humans. Fearing that all dragons were akin to Griffin, the Chinese emperor ordered the killing of every dragon in the country, so that Drake is the last dragon in the world.
The Chinese citizens are captured and Geoff is made a knight for his friendship with Drake. Osric takes them to battle a group of rebels where a fight engages, during which Osric fakes a fatal blow and asks Drake to give him half his heart. Realizing that the attempt is a trick, Geoff rallies Drake in an escape. Drake masters his fire-breathing skills for the first time. At the castle, Osric recognizes a familiar box. Master Kwan, the elder Chinese, recognizes Osric's true identity and orders the amulet burned. Osric recovers the box and discovers his lost heart. Out of revenge for her ancestor's slaying of the dragons, Osric throws a knife at Master Kwan's companion Lian, but Kwan intervenes and dies.
Geoff and Drake arrive, and as the comet comes into view, Osric reveals himself as Griffin, whose heart was cut out by the emperor. Lian carried his heart with her to protect it. When he recovers possession of his heart, he resumes his dragon form and asks Drake to join him in the conquest of mankind. Recalling how Griffin would have cost him his soul if Geoff had not intervened, Drake refuses and challenges Griffin. After a short but fierce dragon fight, Drake uses his ice breath to freeze Griffin to death. Geoff is injured by a piece of ice lodged in his heart; so Drake offers a piece of his own, securing his place in the constellation Draco. The old code is restored and Lian returns to her royal duties for a time. Mansel is awarded guardianship of Brother Gilbert's scrolls and has a life of prayer and devotion. Geoff and Drake go on to become brothers, having discovered the familial bond that is all they ever truly wanted. | good versus evil, violence | train | wikipedia | , and concerns about an orphaned young boy named Geoff (Chris Masterson) living in a stable , he spontaneously meets a dragon named Drake (voice by Robby Benson, while in the first version by Sean Connery) , the world's last living specie .
Drake is the only film dragon that can breath ice .
The young boy dreams becoming a valiant knight and befriends that same dragon and join forces with him to vanquish an astute tyrant , Lord Osric of Crossley (Harry Von Gorkum) .
Unlikely premise from the first part to be continued in a similar plot , there is also a last dragon and a young knight that dreams of becoming a brave knight in shining armor and both inspire the people to fight for their freedom and taking on a tyrannical villain .
It is entertaining and fun but with mediocre computer generator special effects bringing the dragon to life .
The dialog wasn't really that good, but it didn't bother me like other films have.I think this is a great companion to the first one in the fact that it can re illustrate the power of kindness and love to children.
Don't expect the original film, but sit down with your children and have some fun with them!.
I can definitely say "Dragonheart: A New Beginning" is a kid's movie.
I'm REALLY shocked that this film even got made, not because it was that bad or anything, but I just can't imagine that there is much of a demand for this kind of movie.
There are a some cool things in this film, but nothing really great.You can't talk about this movie without mentioning the special effects because the whole movie is a special effect.
The story is a little thin, but for a kid's movie that's kind of typical.
If you REALLY liked "Dragonheart", then you'll probably want to see this film.
But even then, it depends on WHY you liked "Dragonheart", if you liked the film for it's incredible special effects only, then you probably won't like "Dragonheart: A New Beginning".
On the other hand if you liked "Dragonheart" for it's story, then you may like this film.
Even with all the great actors, it's limited to cliches and other such crap that you can expect from a kids film.
Not a bad movie...too bad the story is too weak at times..
OK it misses the magical atmosphere, good special effects and cast but it still is a movie worth seeing.Good things about the movie are the nicely choreographed fight sequence's and the pretty solid and satisfying end fight.
They look acceptable enough.Robby Benson (best know for voicing the beast in Disney's "Beauty and the Beast".) wasn't exactly the best choice to voice Drake, he's boring and makes some of the dialog sound silly.
Overall the acting is pretty solid by the rest of the cast, of unknown actors.With some more work on the script, this movie could have been really great.
I certainly wouldn't mind seeing a third "Dragonheart" movie being made.6/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/.
Four years after original Dragonheart movie, which I liked a lot Universal released on video this cheap and rather pathetic sequel.
I saw it a few days ago and it was far below my expectations, although it wasn't completely a bad movie.
The characters development was totally forgotten and with pathetic villains, Asians and Kung-fu in the middle of medieval Europe, ice-breathing dragons, silly jokes and worst of all with ridiculous ending A New Beginning was unable to bring to its audience a memorable and well-constructed story.The same was with the cast in the movie.
It looks like the studio was counting every buck making the movie and no one actor and no one character from the original movie didn't return for the sequel.
Dragonheart: A New Beginning is a typical example of making cheap, uninteresting movie sequel and burying the franchise.Grade 4 out of 10..
Okay kids fare about a stable boy who befriends a young dragon.
The dragon is voiced by Robby Benson, who's certainly no Sean Connery, who did the voice of the dragon in the original film which I've never actually seen, although Benson did do the voice Beast in Disney's animated version of "Beauty and the Beast" so maybe he does have a bit of cred.
Outside of Benson, there are no real name actors, but the special effects are all good and the writing and direction are also competently done, which is more than I was expecting from a De Laurentiis production.
It's PG-13 for a fair amount o violence, so it's not exactly a kids movie, but I'm not exactly sure that teens or even pre-teens would be all that interested in a corny tale of a boy and his dragon.
Well, given that the first Dragonheart was no Citizen Kane - heck, it wasn't even an Excalibur in itself - my expectations were low for this movie.
Dragonheart: ANB builds on the contrivances of the first and offers its own; now there's a new semi-evil ruler guy (you'll love his beginning speech decreeing that citizens must always speak the truth), a new convenient dragon (whose 'ice lung' ability is just a little too powerful) and a wimpy hero who learns to deal between the two, sort of.One of the more humorous things about ANB is its unnatural PG rating, which means swordfights and such must be bloodless.
But watching a baby dragon spit fire out his butt, spit on someone from a mile away, to be taught to breath ice, you can't possibly be thrilled by that.Next thing, the special effects were miserable.
I also loved the transformation into the evil dragon.Some people are so caught up in special effects and other secondary elements in movies that they miss the most important things.
Be prepared for some good humor, big splashy fight scenes, and an overall (very welcome) light-hearted tone that never got fully developed in the original.The only way I see it could have been improved is if Drake were to encounter an equally young female dragon.
It's a nice movie, although a little more comedy-based than the first movie was.Drake's personality was a lot like mine, he was fresh and young like a human male of his age would be, although he was young, he still had some charisma left from his father, Draco and he was wise too, not easily swayed towards evil, as was said in the movie by the Chinese old man, I've only seen the movie once so I don't remember his name.
I think I'll take an another look at it when I've got some time.I really liked the scene where Drake was being instructed on how to spit ice, I can imagine what it feels like to get a bucketful of dragon-spit on yourself.What I'd really want to know is, why didn't they make this picture a little bit longer and they might of juiced up the ending more, it was a little bit boring as it was.
Also I did wait for some more scenery shots with Drake and Geoff in them, as they weren't really any good scenery shots in the movie.
Seriously, when I first saw the styling of the new baby dragon, I expected it to swallow a turtle any moment on the way and sprout angel wings.
It looks too much like Yoshi, like a baby and the sad thing is that I have yet only talked about the dragon.Christopher Masterson and Robby Benson are spectacularly out of talent during this lot, a spineless cast trying to bare the weight of complete and utter failure.
The underdog recipe has been tried honestly for over a thousand times, on twenty different types of movies, but in most cases, this one included, it does not inspire pity nor does it add something to the experience of watching this.Then there are the brace of peeps that watch this thing for its special effects; trust me when I say that they are quite bad.
Sequels like this should be forbidden, because such movies are just made, because the original Film was a Blockbuster.
The really bad thing about this sequel is that too note the limited budget that probably should have, on the sets, costumes and setting, but particularly in the digital effects of the dragon, which, although not totally bad, is more typical of a television series.
However, the story wasn't strong, the acting was pretty bad with some of it being way over the top and not to mention some dodgy special effects in terms of the dragons.The beginning was rather promising because I felt it was going to go down an interesting direction but then it just got extremely silly.
In particular, it felt like I was watching a cross between the Karate Kid with the Asian character kung fu added in - and it wasn't necessary not to mention that it looked really corny and stupid.Christopher Masterson doesn't bring much at all to his character and while he is more effective in Malcolm In the Middle, his take on a dramatic character fails.
This is not helped by the rest of the cast who look like they are taking part in a school play instead of a film.The dragon named 'Drake' at times looked a bit fuzzy in terms of the visuals but also isn't as charismatic as Draco in the first film - and he looked way more real in that.The narrative done in this was also unnecessary as though they think the audience will engage more with the story but it only makes it feel like the audience is clueless as to what is going on.All I can commend is the attempt they made to make it fun and to try to capture the warmth of the first one - other than that they failed miserably..
The first film was a very likable and fun movie, which is more than I could say for this sequel, which was very disappointing.
Drake(with decent vocal work from Robby Benson) was a good enough character, though Draco was much more likable and imposing, the CGI is fairly impressive and the score while basically a rehash is very good.
However, the sets and costumes are rather tacky, the pacing is very uneven, the story is clichéd with scenes that are severely lacking in life, the action sequences is done with little or no heart, the climax is rushed and uninspired, the script is weak and the acting is not good at all.
This film is very enjoyable for all ages (as long as you understand the language and aren't a baby, not being sarcastic, i mean as long as you aren't like 2...) it has comedy in certain places where there would have been drama in the previous film, yet does have certain 'silly' little surprises, as you go from watching 'Drake' do his -tests- wrong you will find yourself giggling if not laughing.
This film is good beyond measure, i saw it only a couple of days ago and think it is a great film.
I still give it a high rating as the ending is not the whole of the film, other part's had me slightly astounded by the way it was filmed, giving great shots of action, also with there being one certain little surprise which may have you wondering as it did me...but no spoilers, watch the film for a real taster..
The story is obviously aimed more at a younger audience, but the effects and locations do the classic justice,with the added comedy, this is a superb family film.
The voice of Robby Benson, as the young Drake has hints of Sean Connery, and Chris Masterton is great as the naive boy wishing to become a knight.
Unlike most sequels, Dragonheart II actually stands up to its name.If you're set to see the film because of the all-star cast, or a unique special effects experience, you'll be probably disappointed, as the original Dragonheart was unquestionably better at that.However, the intriguing plot, enjoyable characters, and relative originality the movie has, can make it up for an entertaining evening, especially if you were a fan of the first movie..
Drake is the new, young dragon who is found by the stableboy, played aptly by Chris Masterson.
Except for the fact that Sean Connery's illustrious voice isn't here, this film is as good as Dragonheart.
Wow i love the film it's great.thoughs who havent seen it must coz its really good and i think chris is lush i mean have u lot seen him 'wow'.
if i had a chance i wouldnt say no to acting a part in it with chris.oh and drake i felt sorry for him being the only dragon but at least when evil was distroyed he was happy.
It's a clever and very original story with a great cast and even our dragon has a lot of personality despite the limited graphics.If you loved the first Dragonheart, you can learn to love the second one too..
An enjoyable family movie which anyone who loves fantasy& dragons must see.
Robby Benson does a good job as the voice of Drake but may be overshadowed if compared to Sean Connery as Draco from Dragonheart.I found it a bit confusing as it combined the eastern mythology and occasional displays of Martial Arts.
The story of a boy and his dragon.
This is a great dragons and martial arts movie (the only one I know of :) shot at an absolutely beautiful location in Bratislava, Slovakia and also at Orava castle, the same castle used in Nosferatu.
After the adult natured "DragonHeart" of 1996, I expected a bit more maturity in this sequel.
Not only was the animation lacking in comparison to it's original film, but the acting (by the overall cast) was near pathetic to an adult audience.
Though the sequel wasn't quite up to par with the original, it was still a very enjoyable fantasy/adventure movie.
The special effects for Drake, the young dragon, were terrific and the storyline was easy to follow without being dull or overly predictable.
This movie also did a wonderful job of bringing together dragon lore of the East and the West.
I liked the movie, I thought Drake looked funny at first, but then when I saw him fly, roar, and do all sorts of cool stuff, I liked it.
The story was very touching, (I don't want to give anything away if you haven't seen it) Drake was a very sweet and shy dragon, it's sad that he never got to see his parents, like his father, Draco.
I love dragons, Draco was a beautiful dragon with a kind heart, and Drake, his son, was shy, and kind hearted, like his father.
This was a good squeal, I recommend it to anyone who loves dragons and the movie Dragonheart..
No twists, no surprises, just...exactly what you expect.The effects are a bit better, but the stars are gone, and so this project was left with little talent, and less hope.
This is the lower-budget cash-in sequel to the Quaid/Connery movie 'Dragonheart' and this review has minor spoilers.
The plot is predictable and undemanding (the talisman contrivance is sheer corn on the grill in this case!) some of the acting is no better than average and the special effects (like the dragon) are smaller and weaker than in the first movie.
It's really a kids film, so don't expect blood and guts the kung fu is beautiful, funny and harmless, like some of Jackie Chan's best work.
It's unusual and refreshing for a woman to take such a powerful and unqualified tough-guy role, and though this movie may not be technically as good as the original, I found it a lot more fun.
For those of you who saw the first Dragonheart, which was a WONDERFUL MOVIE and I suggest you see it, you should know the second one makes VERY LITTLE SENSE.Point A.
After Draco died he completed the constellation Draco, so tell me if it's completed because the last dragon is there how are there other dragons?!I thought this movie was lacking plot, good acting, and it made little sense prior to the first movie.
If Draco was last of the Dragons, where the H*** did the egg come from?
So the young Dragon, named Drake grows up in Brother Gilberts monastery basement/dungeon area thing.
He and Drake fight i the air, despite the above-average special effects for its time, it was rather boring.
The first Dragonheart was an action-fantasy epic, this movie is just a dull kids version.
I've seen Dragonheart many, many times (which isn't really a children's movie), but when I saw this one, was surprised to see that's what it is.
You'd think the fire and ice would cancel out or explode or something, but anyway, If you liked Draco in Dragonheart, see this one because Drake (The young dragon) is the only similarity to the first film.
Stableboy ascends to hero and, with the help of his dragon and a few Chinese Kungfu-fighters (who looked like they were outfitted in a bad costume shop), overthrows the evil usurper, who happens to be another dragon.
Not only was some of the acting terrible, and the effects were cheap, but Drake was ugly (C'mon, he's essentially Draco and the Scarred one's kid, and we all know how lovely Draco was).
The FULL GROWN dragon was about 1/4 the size of Draco.This movie MAY have had the possibility to NOT SUCK if it had a bigger budget and a better script.
The Dragons looked very very fake, and the fact that the first movie was made in '96 and had much much better effects shows the lack of care put into the sequel.
I gave this movie a chance, against my better judgment, thinking "It can't be THAT bad." But it was. |
tt0104427 | Hoffa | Jimmy Hoffa and Bobby Ciaro are impatiently waiting in the parking lot of a roadhouse diner on July 30, 1975. Others are late for a meeting. Asked if he wants to leave, Hoffa gives Ciaro a scornful glance.
In 1935, a young Hoffa approaches a parked truck, inside of which driver Ciaro is taking a nap. Hoffa pitches the benefits of joining the Teamsters and gives Ciaro a business card, on which he has written: "Give this man whatever he needs." A few days later, Ciaro reports to work to find Hoffa attempting to organize the workers. Hoffa blurts out they'd ridden 85 miles together, and Ciaro is fired. Ciaro later accosts Hoffa with a Bowie knife, but Hoffa's associate Billy Flynn pulls a gun and Ciaro drops the knife. Ciaro joins the pair in the arson bombing of a laundry whose owner has refused to cooperate with the Teamsters. Flynn is badly burned and dies. Ciaro succeeds him as Hoffa's right-hand man.
During a Teamsters strike, strikers fight with non-union workers and police, Hoffa is taken to a local Mafia boss. Ciaro, who speaks Italian, comes along and translates. An alliance between the Teamsters and the mob is formed. Hoffa meets Carol D'Allesandro, who would become his closest mob ally.
Hoffa rises to the presidency of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. His illegal activities include the use of Teamster funds to make loans to the mob. At a Congressional hearing, Hoffa is questioned by Robert F. Kennedy regarding his suspicious union activities. A loud and bitter feud between Kennedy and Hoffa grows, especially after John F. Kennedy is elected President and Bobby becomes Attorney General.
Hoffa, on a hunting trip with D'Allesandro, discusses ways to exploit the union's pension fund. Having no paper with them, the plans are sketched on the back of a hunting license. Subsequently, Hoffa is betrayed by a junior associate, Peter Connelly, who testifies at Hoffa's trial. The critical evidence against Hoffa is the hunting license on which the plans to raid the Teamster's pension fund were written. Hoffa surrenders to federal officials and serves time in a Pennsylvania federal prison while Connelly's uncle, Frank Fitzsimmons, takes over as Teamsters boss. Ciaro, also convicted and imprisoned, is freed and immediately begins working for Hoffa's release. D'Allesandro suggests that the Teamsters endorse Richard M. Nixon for President, so that in exchange for Teamster endorsement, Hoffa will receive a presidential pardon.
Hoffa gets out and expects to again run the Teamsters, but learns that one of the conditions of his release is that he is ineligible to run the union for 10 years. Hoffa meets with D'Allesandro and is shown screaming at the gangster, wanting Fitzsimmons killed. D'Allesandro believes that Hoffa is "too hot" and says, "I can't get close to it." Hoffa leaves with the matter unresolved.
Ciaro delivers a message to D'Allesandro that unless the matter of Fitzsimmons can be settled, Hoffa will go to the press. D'Allesandro says to tell Hoffa that "everything's gonna be all right", and they should all meet the next day at "the roadhouse", a remote diner.
Hoffa and Ciaro spend several hours waiting in the parking lot, but D'Allesandro never arrives. A purported union driver has been waiting for hours in the diner, allegedly for a part for his truck, engaging Ciaro in conversation. He is invited to meet Hoffa in person by bringing a cup of coffee to the car. The driver draws a gun and shoots Hoffa in his car and Ciaro in the parking lot. The hit man and his associates put Ciaro's body into Hoffa's car, drive it into the trailer of the associates' semi-truck, and drive off. | neo noir, depressing, murder, flashback | train | wikipedia | null |
tt2134101 | Metro: Last Light | Metro: Last Light takes place one year after the events of Metro 2033, following the ending of the original novel in which Artyom's missile strike against the Dark Ones — mysterious beings that seemingly threatened the survivors of a nuclear war living in the Moscow Metro — occurred. The Rangers, a neutral peacekeeping force that operates throughout the system, have since occupied the D6 military facility Artyom visited during the first game. This is a huge, and not fully explored pre-war bunker, and Artyom, now a Ranger himself, remains unsure whether killing the Dark Ones was the correct decision. Rumors of D6's discovery, and its great riches, have spread around the Metro; rival factions, such as the Communist Red Line and Nazi Fourth Reich, hope to seize the bunker and its contents.
Khan, a wandering mystic, informs Artyom and the Rangers that a single Dark One survived the missile strike. Khan believes that it is the key to humanity's future, and wants to communicate with it; Colonel Miller, the Ranger's leader, wants to eliminate it as a potential threat. Miller sends Artyom to the surface, accompanied by Miller's daughter Anna, the Rangers' best sniper, to kill the Dark One.
Artyom finds the Dark One, a child, but is captured by soldiers of the Fourth Reich. Pavel Morozov, a captured Red Line soldier, and Artyom escape through the Metro tunnels and across the devastated surface. When they reach the Red Line, however, Pavel is revealed to be a high-ranking officer; he detains Artyom to learn more about the Rangers and the Dark One. Artyom escapes and races Pavel's forces to locate the Dark One and Anna, who has been kidnapped by Lesnitsky, an ex-Ranger and Red Line spy. En route, he finds a contingent of Red Line forces massacring the inhabitants of a station, supposedly to contain a mysterious epidemic. It was the Red Line that introduced the virus to the station – weaponized Ebola acquired from the D6 vault by Lesnitsky. Artyom finds Anna and frees her but they are exposed to the virus and are quarantined after rescue. Afraid that she will die, Anna seduces Artyom.
After they test negative for the virus, Artyom again encounters Khan. They locate the young Dark One, and in a series of hallucinatory flashbacks, Artyom recalls that he was saved by a Dark One as a child; he was psychically linked to the Dark Ones, intended to form a bridge between their species and his. Artyom vows to make amends by protecting the little Dark One, and the two travel to Polis, the Metro's central area, where a peace conference regarding D6 between the Rangers, Red Line, the Reich, and neutral Hansa is taking place. Artyom defeats Lesnitsky and Pavel during the trip. Along the way, the little Dark One senses that there is a group of hibernating Dark Ones in D6. After arriving at Polis, the little Dark One uses his telepathic abilities to make the Red Line leader, Chairman Moskvin publicly confess that the peace conference is a diversion to enable General Korbut to seize D6. Artyom and the rest of the Rangers rush to the bunker to make a final stand against Korbut's army, but are incapacitated by an armored train ramming into their station. Red Line soldiers surround, and prepare to execute, Artyom and Miller.
The karma the player has acquired determines the ending. In the "bad" ending, Artyom destroys D6 to prevent Korbut from using the facility to wipe out the remnants of the other factions and possibly humanity, resulting in the deaths of himself, the surviving Rangers, and the Red Line forces. Later, Anna is shown telling their son of Artyom's bravery. In the "good" ending, Artyom prepares to destroy the bunker but is stopped by the little Dark One, who, along with the awakened Dark Ones, defeats Korbut's army. Artyom calls the little Dark One humanity's "last light of hope". In both endings, the young Dark One leaves with the surviving Dark Ones to find safety, while promising that they will come back in the future to help rebuild the world. | paranormal | train | wikipedia | A great game - 3D Vision ready.
For a start as the only 3D game reviewer here - this game is absolutely perfect in 3D as a matter of fact it is nVision ready.
If you are a seasoned FPS gamer when choosing a difficulty don't bother with medium just go straight to hardened, the Russians don't know what hard gameplay is!
That or their AI are just totally stupid Vrnet glubbisky nyet!
Very good story and brilliant graphics.
You might enjoy the sneaking aspect of this game - Stealth gets you a lot more enjoyment for some although run shoot kill is also a Blast (so to speak) - Being a Russian made game and done very well without a doubt there are subtle mechanics in gameplay and in the instructional way that a game is meant to be played that the Russians just haven't been able to grasp.
For instance there is an 'I' that appears occasionally that still has no valid purpose.
But overall this game is well produced and even though it borrows from many earlier FPS shooters it is a real time waster!
Waste as much time as you can just exploring the world because that is what the devs want you to do, explore - find ammo, notes, clues and even the (sometimes) obvious nod to all our old faves -Just look out for a Huge 'M' here and there - Rusky even promotes his game while you are being eaten by mutant spiders!
With a little more game testing this game could have been perfect but along with magnificent views and scenery came the inevitable glitches and bugs.
Don't worry too much about these as there were only a handful which seemed to appear about half-way through the game.
Sometimes a serious bug can make a game unplayable but not in case of MLL.
There were times when you could easily skip through some cut-scenes of which there are many,especially later in the game toward the end - it almost becomes an interactive movie but nevertheless a great experience.
Goodbye little one!.
Brilliant.
After playing and enjoying Metro 2033, I was looking forward to last light.
I was thinking to myself whether or not last light was going to live up to 2033.
After playing last light I was amazed by how well done the detail of the entire game was.
First of all they capture the emotions of characters perfectly and you really feel emotion for some of them such as the beggars also featured in 2033.
throughout playing the game you feel like you are learning a lot about human nature, emotion, and morality.
The game-play is really good as the enemies you face are not always easy especially if they are in groups giving you more of a challenge.
A must play in my opinion and out of all the games I have played this to me has the best story-line of them all.Really great game.10/10.
Wordless!.
Where do I begin from?
OK, to be honest this is my favorite video game.
Hands down, the best game ever(for me of course).
Graphics-8/10 Plot and storyline-9/10 Gameplay-10/10 Enjoyment-10/10 Overall- 10/10 The graphics are really really amazing.
And the interactivity is superb.
It makes you feel like you are actually in the game, and it never fails to entertain you.
The game never makes you feel bored, and each and every level is better than the last.
The plot itself is enough to entertain you and the voice acting and animations are really realistic.
It is scary sometimes to be honest when you are going in the dark but the first person experience just blued my mind.
I mean literary it did.
This is what makes this game so special from the other FPS games.
Other games - Shoot, hide, run reload, shoot, repeat.
But this my friends is one hell of a fun ride.
Every move changes the whole game and what's about to happen next.
There are more to it than shooting.Just pure awesomeness.
ENJOY!THE BEST GAME EVER!.
How a sequel should be, extraordinary narrative.
After replaying Metro 2033 Redux and now Last Light for the second time, now with more knowledge of the Metro universe as I've read the main trilogy and will soon read some of the spinoffs I've to say I played through the games like you are supposed to, stealthy and in a non lethal way.
It was fun and fresh to do it without going guns blazing.
I finally got the Redemption ending, the true ending and it was one amazing ride.The game is a worthy sequel to the first game, bringing an original story that feels longer and better, but keeping the same tone and feeling that made the first one superb.
Having characters like Khan and Miller returning from the previous game was great as they were two of my favorites and right from the beginning we get into the world once again and the missions and locations are in my opinion even better than the first game, except for the legendary library level, that's iconic.
With new characters like Pavel, Baby Dark One, Anna and much more.
Incredible additions.
The overall atmosphere and every single detail of the whole game made this game superb.
Remarkable experience only achievable in these games, one of a kind..
Not quite as authentic feeling as the original game, but still decent..
Graphics are great, but no better than the first game.
Even with the tunnel setting, it is more linear and scripted than I would have liked.
Some of the voice acting is mediocre, and there were a lot of recycled voices.This is not a bad port, but there is still significant consolitis: the usual annoying checkpoint save system, too low FOV, mouse acceleration, unskippable intro video, etc...
(some of these can be fixed in a config text file).
There is an increased emphasis on action and repetitive stealth, possibly at the expense of survival and exploration elements.
The AI is dumbed down with unrealistically poor sight in the dark, laughably poor hearing, and weak search behaviour.
This was probably done to make a stealth approach easy enough for the average console gamer.
You observe the AI's repeating patrol patterns, sneak past when an opening appears, then, when the path seems blocked, a scripted event or interactive item lets you sneak past again.
repeat, and so on...
repeat, and so on...
repeat, and so on...
While FarCry3 stealth was also unrealistic and repetitive, it was at least much more fluid and dynamic.
The DLC is of a lower quality, with more bugs and poorly balanced difficulty.Despite its flaws and the undeserved hype, this is still a decent game I can recommend quite easily..
Improvement Over The First Game.
I love this game.
The story, the characters, the gameplay, the atmosphere...
Not a lot to fault with this game.
Some of the characters skins (mainly the trousers with pink lines down the side) I didn't really like.
And the boots were not really very good looking.
Aside from this, GREAT GAME.
Improvement over Metro 2033 in almost every aspect.
I don't understand why anyone would not like this game.There were some people that faulted the game for its use of Female characters being sexualised.
I felt the sex scene with Artyom and Anna fit the story, considering the fact they were going to die.
The strip club was a little weird, and there were women in the Theater that could be considered 'sexualised'.I also prefer the style and layout of 2033, but Last Light contains better gameplay.Final Review: 9.4 / 10.
A story-driven sequel.
This review contains spoilers for Metro: Last Light.Metro Last Light is the sequel to 2010's Metro 2033.
The game picks up one year after, Artyom launched the missile strike onto the dark one city.
The spartan Rangers with the help of Artyom in Metro 2033 have discovered the Secret D6 base and are inhabiting it.
Khan suspects that there is a dark one left and conscripts Artyom in a mission to rescue it.The game is similar to the first game in the series and it is a single-player game focused on its story and world.
This second game continues exploring the metro and
focuses on Artyom role in the Spartan Rangers.
Similar to the first game the second has a redux version with improved graphics and artificial intelligence.The graphics of this game are beautiful.
I played the redux version and I enjoyed the increased fidelity in the graphics.
This is a beautiful game.
From The dark metro' tunnels to the harsh surface, the graphics accurately reflect the world these characters in habit, The 4A engine can render things beautifully however, there are never an overwhelming amount of enemies on the screen.The sound of this game is great.
There is not a drastic improvement over the first game but there is not a demand to be better.
The sound in this game is appropriate for the atmosphere and all of the voice actors, do a great job.
The Guns, in this game do sound slightly different as their sound is improved.The game-play is unchanged from the first game.
Artyom the player character, is matched against overwhelming numbers and must manage resources well.
The human enemies can kill Artyom in a few seconds.
The mutants also pose a threat with the new shrimp enemies.
The game intersperses the combat with st friendly stations that the player can explore and shop.The story like the first game is the main draw.
I enjoyed Metro: Last Light's story.
It is a good story of redemption that mostly hits the right notes.
The characters in this game are more fleshed out in the second game.I highly recommend Metro: Last Light.
This is a good single-player first person shooter.Four stars out of four stars. |
tt0118276 | Buffy the Vampire Slayer | High school senior Buffy Summers (Kristy Swanson) is introduced as a stereotypical, shallow cheerleader at Hemery High School in Los Angeles. She is a carefree popular girl whose main concerns are shopping and spending time with her rich, snooty friends and her boyfriend, Jeffrey. While at school one day, she is approached by a man who calls himself Merrick (Donald Sutherland). He informs her that she is The Slayer, or Chosen One, destined to kill vampires, and he is a Watcher whose duty it is to guide and train her. She initially rebukes his claims, but is convinced that he is right when he is able to describe a recurring dream of hers in detail. In addition, Buffy is exhibiting uncanny abilities not known to her, including heightened agility, senses, and endurance, yet she repeatedly tries Merrick's patience with her frivolous nature, indifference to slaying and sharp-tongued remarks.
After several successful outings, Buffy is drawn into conflict with Lothos (Rutger Hauer), a local vampire king and his acolyte, Amilyn (Paul Reubens). Two young men, Oliver Pike (Luke Perry), and best friend Benny (David Arquette), who resented Buffy and her friends due to differing social circles, are out drinking when they are attacked by Amilyn. Benny is turned but Pike is saved by Merrick. As a vampire, Benny visits Pike and tries to get him to join him. Later, when Pike and his boss are discussing Benny, Pike tells him to run if he sees him. Not only this, but a studious girl from Buffy's class, Cassandra, is abducted one night by Amilyn and sacrificed to Lothos. When her body is found, the news spreads through LA and Hemery High, but her murder is met with indifference from Buffy's clique.
When Pike realizes there is something wrong with Benny and that he is no longer safe, he decides to leave town. His plan is thwarted, however, when he encounters Amilyn and his tribe of vampires. Amilyn hitches a ride on the hood of his van which crashes into a tree just before Amilyn loses an arm. Buffy and Merrick arrive to rescue him and Amilyn flees the fight to talk to Lothos. After this encounter, Buffy and Pike start a friendship, which eventually becomes romantic and Pike becomes Buffy's partner in fighting the undead.
During a basketball game, Buffy finds out that one of the players, and a friend of Jeffrey's, is a vampire. After a quick chase to a parade float storage yard, Buffy finally confronts Lothos, shortly after she and Pike take down his gang. Lothos puts Buffy in a hypnotic trance, which is broken due to Merrick's intervention. Lothos turns on Merrick and stab him with the stake he attempted to use on him. Lothos leaves, saying that Buffy is not ready. As Merrick dies, he tells Buffy to do things her own way rather than live by the rules of others and he says "remember about the music." Because of her new life, responsibilities, and heartbreak, Buffy becomes emotionally shocked and starts dropping her Slayer duties. When she arrives at school, she attempts to explain everything to her friends, but they refuse to understand her as they are more concerned with their upcoming school dance, and Buffy falls out with them as she realizes she is outgrowing their immature, selfish behavior.
At the senior dance, Buffy tries to patch things up with her friends but they turn against her, and she is dismayed to find Jeffrey has dumped her for one of her friends. However, she meets up with Pike and as they start to dance and kiss, Lothos leads the remainder of his minions to the school and attacks the students and the attending faculty. Buffy confronts the vampires outside while Pike fights the vampiric Benny. After overpowering the vampires, she confronts Lothos inside the school and kills Amilyn. Lothos hypnotizes Buffy again and when the dance music stops, she remembers Merrick's words and is ready to defend herself. Lothos ignites her cross but she uses hairspray to create a makeshift flame-thrower and burns him before escaping back into the gym. Buffy sees everybody recover from the attack, but Lothos emerges again getting into a fight with Buffy, who then stakes him.
As all of the survivors leave, Buffy and Pike decide to finish their dance. The film then ends with the two of them leaving the dance on a motorcycle, and a news crew interviewing the students and the principal about the attack during the credits. | comedy, violence, cult, alternate reality, good versus evil, romantic | train | wikipedia | Some good examples are S3--The Wish, Helpless, Doppelgangland, S4--Something Blue, Hush and Restless, S5--Fool for Love, Triangle, Weight of the World, The Gift (I'd also say The Body but that one gives too much away) S6--Bargaining, Tabula Rasa, Older and Far Away, S7--Beneath You, Selfless, Conversations With Dead People, The Killer In Me, Get It Done (I'd say Chosen but it's the series finale which also would give too much away).About the show itself--Buffy is the antithesis of the "pretty-blond-victim" who runs from the "psycho ax-murderer" in horror films past--the girl who always twisted her ankle and fell in her attempt to get away.
But what kept me coming back with the razor sharp wit and characters that became like a family to me.This is a beautifully written show and if you can make it past the goofy title, fantastic premise and (for many people) the campy first season (You'll grow to love the camp upon re-visiting it) you'll discover one of the best show's in recent memory..
But having seen all 7 seasons of this brilliant series, I feel quite confident in my opinion.No other show touches on the major issues of humanity this show does: immortality and it's pros and cons, the power of love and friendship, the inner strength we all have within us, and the ability to appreciate life and learn to laugh at the things that get you down.
The events of the show change them and mold them into new people all the time, that's how good the writing is.No episode is boring, in all 144 hours of the series there is something worth watching.
Buffy's story has a huge arch that many can relate to, from chosen one to leader.The show itself is timeless, although some of the early episodes coincide with the advent of the internet and at times you will be watching and yell at the screen "Use your bleeping cell phone!" (cell phones weren't used mainstream by teens until after 2000).
This show was slightly ahead of its time in some regards, where you may think some plot lines were lifted from something like The Matrix in episodes that were actually released a good year before it hit theaters.The stories are quite good, and what I enjoyed most about this show is that the writers actually throw a lot of curve balls at you when you might decide what the outcome will likely be.
buffy the vampire slayer, great fun to watch if you've never seen it and you have an hour to spare, full of action and kick ass lines.but all changes if you've been watching obsessively, the kick ass action and the cheesy lines give way to something far more important, the extreme symbolism, when i watch it im still shocked at how well joss has used the whole show to sum up the teenage girls struggle through life, all the characters merge together showing characteristics of a whole person, the demons show all bad people in life and how they concure them and the relationships show how hard it is at that age and how teenagers feel alone.when watching even after the amount I've watched it through i still find new bits that amaze me, and so people who say buffy is a load of rubbish, obviously don't get its deeper side and just see a girl fighting off demons while tryng to date.plus there's a musical episode :P what more could you want lol.
Some of the characters like Spike for example, will always pop up into my head when thinking of TVs greatest villains.After over 10 years since it first aired, Buffy is still a must have TV show and Buffy and Angel will always be one of TVs best couples..
With creative and daring story lines and terrific character development, the show that began its run on the WB as a mid-season replacement, became a dazzling cult hit resulting in a secure fan base and merchandising for as far as the eye can see.The show follows a young girl endowed with the ancient powers of the slayer, one girl who fights the forces of darkness, battling alone, relieving the world of vampires and demons.
From first love, life, death, sexual experimentation, and self identity crises Buffy chronicles what it is like to be young person growing up in an overly mature world with monsters!
With the imaginative and extremely innovative writing of the show's creator Joss Whedon, along with the most intelligent and skillful writing staff that the biz has ever encountered, they were able to produce many groundbreaking episodes including "Hush", "The Body", "The Gift", "Becoming part 2", "Seeing Red", "Conversations with Dead People", "Grave", and "Chosen" sadly I cannot continue this list for there is not enough space.Without further ado, Buffy The Vampire Slayer is and will always be an incredible show.
Without a doubt, you will fall in love with the characters and stories, and by the time you finish the first season you will have welcomed a new family into your lives sweet and sometimes muddled Buffy, clever and endearing Willow, faithful Xander, perceptive and paternal Giles.
**this review is based on the entire series**An odd show called "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" brought a lot of changes to television.
People who hadn't watched Buffy before could jump right back in, and if they didn't like the current season-long story arc, they could just come back next season or enjoy the stand-alone episodes.These changes are not always noticed, but were successfully employed later on such shows as "Desperate Housewives", though Buffy was never as serialized as the aforementioned show.
The cast, as well as the characters, matures over time and become living, breathing people that you believe.In short, if you are considering watching this show, I highly recommend you watch all of the first and second season before making any judgements.
nobody involved in the making of this show gives less than 100%.Why Buffy The Vampire Slayer did not gain a wider audience, more awards, and a much longer run is perhaps down to the greatest crime committed in the art of making moving pictures - those pulling the purse strings failed to realise the true worth of the treasures they let slip through their greasy hands.As long as I live I know that every two-bit TV show that comes along with a wannabee Sarah Michelle, and pathetic production-line vampire rip-offs, will just make me cringe and mourn the passing of Buffy, and of Sarah Michelle who with one or two exceptions has never been given a decent feature film role.I love and admire Buffy and the girl who brought her to life, and pray for the day when she returns to rescue me from the humdrum banality of living in this world..
With a wonderful cast of regulars and a weird, scary, and often hilarious cast of monsters, this is the most original product I have seen in a long time.Sarah Michelle Gellar does wonders with her role as Buffy Summers.
And Kristine Sutherland is wonderful as Buffy's flakey mother who is trying to come to terms with her daughter's destiny.The shows original concept of a high school student fighting vampires by night has expanded into this amazing portrayal of life and how things rarely go the way you expect.
I could honestly go on for hours about Buffy The Vampire Slayer - a series that formed the basis of television for me with one of the most deterrent names in history but the best writing, acting and humor ever on network television.Season 1 starts off with a big 90s feel and a high corniness to it.
In Season 2, we meet new main characters, see new love blossom and get introduced to probably the best villain-turned-hero we've ever seen on television in the form of Spike portrayed by the incredible James Marsters - of course a villain for a while yet.
Personally, I don't find the 'Adam' villain too compelling but this season works as one that sees characters grow in preparation of a daring move that only four years on the air would allow that comes early season 5.That change is season 5 is the inclusion of a new character, Buffy's sister Dawn who audiences are led to believe has been in the show since season one.
A musical episode reveals this all through song (one of my favorite hours of television ever), and from that point the series moves into a very dark place culminating in Buffy secretly having sex with enemy Spike on a regular basis (and being almost raped by him), Willow nearly destroying the world after losing control of her witch powers and Anya becoming a 'vengeance demon' once again after Xander left her at the wedding alter.
This season is truly about maturing each character in order to push their characters beyond expectations and really cement the idea that high school is long gone, innocence and happiness are now much harder to maintain and in the real world, the line between good and evil is often blurred.In Season 7, Spike has a soul and the end is near.
In closing, I give this a 10/10 because while it can be faulted, I cannot deny its impact on me as a person, it's brilliance as an original idea that paved the way for many shows and films to follow, and its inspirational characters and story-telling that continue to amaze me every time I watch it which I have done and will continue to do over and over again..
I also think there's something people of every age can enjoy about the show like little kids can enjoy the monsters and what not, teenagers can relate to some of the real issues that the show deals with and that the characters go through and adults can also enjoy some of the issues too since some of the things relate to them and anyone can just enjoy the story I guess.
Buffy is about more then a blonde girl slaying some vampires here and there, it's about the power of friendship, Love, being a teenager, human lose and the reality of growing up and facing what is to come to you.
By the end of the 7th season you know everything there is to know about each and everyone of the scooby-gang and you will come to see that every character is hard not to like even the ones that are trying to kill the beloved Buffy herself.
Look up the series' ratings and you'll see how few people actually watched this show.And those low ratings had one reason, and one reason only: Sarah Michelle Gellar's lack of acting ability..
So in that respect the show fulfills its stated purpose.The sexual content (hinted at/confessed homo/bisexuality) might be very trendy, but it comes across as being aimed at people who are too uptight to go rent a real X-rated film.I admit that the occasional episode or comment or scene rises above the the others, but on a whole I always got a feeling that Buffy became popular because one was supposed to like it or be branded uncool.
The Buffy character herself, with her growing arrogance and weird choices, was the true drag on the series in its death throes.In essence, the show plays like a high school writing contest entry where the writer, rather than crafting a coherent tale, substitutes a succession of endless gimmicks and plot twists simply for the purpose of having something different to show the judges on every page.
These 12 episodes introduce the main characters for the duration of the series - Buffy - the one girl in all the world with the strength to do battle with demons, her friends Xander and Willow, and her "watcher" - or mentor - Giles, as well as at first reluctant ally Cordelia Chase and the initially mysterious Angel who both exit at the end of season three for the related show "Angel".
Beyond doubt, "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" is my favorite TV series of all times.
If your thinking about starting to watch the show I have no reservations in recommending it but be warned that BTVS could become your new drug of choice, with series creator Joss Wheden acting as your dealer, and believe me he'll keep you coming back over and over again.
As a television show it's pure soap mixed in with generally banal plot lines, but unfortunately it contains enough charm that it isn't too unbearable, but still, it isn't really quality television at all, and Whedon was to do better with "Firefly".Perhaps the single most unsatisfying element of the program is just how forgettable and uninvolving its sense of mythology is: vampires are slain by the thousands and the few that are humanized make the very idea of the vampire more of the cartoon, all of it of course delivered with self-consciousness and pop culture references, like when the character of Spike says in season 1 something like"what is this--an anne rice novel?" But Anne Rice made the vampire myth sexy and riveting--she didn't treat it as a mere backdrop to teen drama!
The idea of a dark underwold is never exciting because its never treated seriously, and thus you can't fault it because its campy on purpose.And Joss Whedon's dialogue, while it can be cute and funny, is often annoying because its "humor" tends to remind one that these people saying it are really just television characters.Sad that Firefly got cancelled.I wasn't too upset when it happened to Buffy,though..
A soap opera full of characters you could give a crap about and a lot of campy flat humor.If watching a show that thrives on camp is your thing, you'll probably like Buffy.
And it wasn't a big help that one of the most memorable lines of the last season was: Buffy: "I'm the slayer, I am the law".......Ok, i will agree that season 1 through about 4 were amazingly done and very well written, but after 4 years it's difficult to stay fresh and even more difficult when you have a character leave on a spin off (Angel).
IF not for Sarah Michelle Gellar, Buffy might have actually lives up to some of its hype.Again and again, I felt drawn into the show when encountering it while channel surfing.But as soon as Sarah Michelle Gellar showed up with her perpetual grimacing and started chewing through lines with her usual complete lack of acting talent, all illusion that this would be a good show collapsed.It's amazing how WB kept this on the air for so long even though most people who tried it tuned out.I guess it's what ended up killing the WB network.
I thought the movie was entertaining enough, if rather silly.So I tried to watch Buffy a number of times.Unfortunately, Sarah Michelle Gellar was apparently chosen to play a Vampire slayer because she is a Dialogue Slayer!
Who knows how good Buffy The Vampire slayer could have been without Sarah Michelle Gellar?
Every time Sarah Michelle Gellar showed up on screen, made one of her wrinkly faces that passes for her acting or tried to throw a punch to hilarious effect, Buffy became complete camp, a spoof of itself.Maybe if the lead actress had been a good actress, the show would never have become cult...
This show has developed a cult following over the years and it is easy to see why.Loosely continuing on from a failed 1992 movie of the same name, the premise of the show is that a young girl, Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) has been chosen to be the next Slayer, a warrior that is to fight the forces of evil.
This precise kind of episodes just prove how bold is the genius who's been running this show for more than a decade (if you count the amazing new seasons in comics.) Plus, the show expands a rich and unique universe with unforgettable characters and it even sets new standards for the genre in a good (way more Buffy-esque dialogue in television now, for example.) or a bad way (How could those lurking vampires possibly exist ?!
So those are some reasons why Buffy the Vampire Slayer is great and why I highly suggest that you watch it.
For me it was dismal that Sarah Michelle Gellar was playing the Buffy-character - the first five seasons she just didn't convince me at all.
However, that is something that you grow to love about Buffy the Vampire Slayer soon after you begin watching it.
We get to watch Buffy, a naive sixteen-year-old girl grow into a powerful vampire slayer.
Plus, who doesn't love to watch the powerful (and very sexy) romances that Buffy experiences?Buffy the Vampire Slayer is well-written and well-acted.
Brilliant is the only way to describe Buffy The Vampire Slayer.Over seven seasons blonde valley girl turned super slayer Buffy battles evil while trying to Martainn a normal teenage life.Unlike most shows Buffy proved to be completely unpredictable with surprise's around every corner.With a mixture of horror-action-drama-love story-comedy.
I think the actors were amazing, but it's the writing that really makes this show special.SO, TO RECAP: What are the chief factors that make people Buffy fans?Seasonal narrative structure; Humour (especially the dialogue); Characters and relationships; An attractive cast; A mixture of several genres; Classic themes; There is simply nothing else like it: Creativity at every turn.If you're not willing to give it a chance, then at least admit that you can't possibly really know whether you would like it or not.
Also, Buffy benefits from really good story lines, good dialogue and characters that we like and love.
Because of this, and the general consistency of the show, I feel that "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is possibly the best television show ever made..
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of the best shows ever created.
"BUFFY, THE VAMPIRE SLAYER" is the best television shows to be released in the 90's - hands down! |
tt1181849 | Sharpe's Peril | The story continues from where Sharpe's Challenge left off. On their way home to England, Richard Sharpe (Sean Bean) and Patrick Harper (Daragh O'Malley) reluctantly agree to escort Marie-Angelique Bonnet (Beatrice Rosen) to the hill fort of Kalimgong, where her fiancé, Major Joubert (Pascal Langdale), is stationed. They encounter a baggage train heading to Madras, made up of soldiers from the King's and the East India Company's armies, commanded by the young Ensign Beauclere (Luke Ward-Wilkinson), engineer Major Tredinnick (David Robb), and Subedar Pillai (Rajesh Khattar). Included in the train is a redcoat prisoner named Barabbas (Amit Behl), an Indian princess (Nandana Sen) and her retinue, and Tredinnick's pregnant wife (Caroline Carver). When the train is attacked by forces of the bandit Chitu, the Subedar is wounded. They are saved by the timely arrival of Colonel Dragomirov (Velibor Topic) and his cavalry squadron. With no one more qualified, Sharpe is forced to take command.
Trouble comes from within the train as well. Sharpe discovers that Barabbas is in fact the son of Obadiah Hakeswill, the man who murdered Sharpe's first wife. Flying into a rage, Sharpe almost kills Barabbas on the spot, stopped only by Harper's intervention. They also face opposition from Colour-Sergeant Wormwood (Steve Speirs), a British soldier who dislikes Sharpe's methods and fosters feelings of resentment among his men, which grows when Sharpe punishes two of Wormwood's men for drunkenness and attempted rape.
Arriving at Kalimgong, Sharpe and Harper find the entire garrison killed, with the exception of the fort's commander, General Sir Henry Simmerson (Michael Cochrane), Sharpe's old enemy. Strung up naked in the courtyard, Simmerson's mind is addled with the heat and he seems to only speak nonsense, such as "save the harvest." Major Joubert is not among the dead, to Marie-Angelique's relief, but neither are the Company ledgers that reveal what has been stolen from the fort. The Subedar succumbs to his wounds and dies.
Continuing on, the train finds a farming village destroyed by bandits, the entire harvest stolen, and everyone dead but a young girl who witnessed the attack. Between what the girl saw and Simmerson's addled ramblings, Sharpe realises that not only were these people growing opium for the Company, but Colonel Count Dragomirov and Major Joubert were responsible for the slaughter in the village and at Kalimgong, using bandits as scapegoats.
The train is forced to leave mounts and wagons behind when the bridge over a river is found to be destroyed. While crossing, Dragomirov and his men attack. Joubert grabs Marie-Angelique and rides off with her. Sharpe tries to pursue, but Wormwood uses the chaos to try to kill Sharpe, managing only to wound him in the shoulder. Harper drags Sharpe to safety.
Dragomirov's troops retreat. Once his wound is treated, Sharpe takes a horse and leaves to rescue Marie-Angelique, putting Harper in command of the train. When Sharpe finds Joubert, they fight. The weakened Sharpe is disarmed, but Marie-Angelique shoots and kills Joubert with his own pistol. However, Dragomirov's cavalry finds them, and takes them to their field headquarters on the Indian plains. Meanwhile, during the night, the seriously wounded Tredinnick sneaks away, as he is slowing down the train. He tries to ambush Dragomirov, but his shot misses, and Dragomirov stabs him and leaves him for dead. Lance Naik Singh (Raza Jaffrey) finds Tredinnick and hears his dying words: Dragomirov's lie that Sharpe is dead.
Dragomirov shows Sharpe around his field headquarters, where Indian slaves produce opium. He offers Sharpe Joubert's position and promises to keep Sharpe's people prisoner rather than kill them, but Sharpe turns him down. Later, Dragomirov threatens to give Marie-Angelique, who has been dosed with opium, to his men, so Sharpe agrees to lead Dragomirov to the train and convince Harper to surrender. During the night, Dragomirov has Sharpe chained in a pit with cobras, but he gets free, rescues Marie-Angelique, and catches up with the train. Dragomirov follows, but Sharpe uses gunpowder to create a roadblock.
When the train comes to a village, Mrs. Tredinnick goes into labour. Sharpe has no choice but to stop and defend the place. He gets the village's leader, the real Chitu (Ulhas Tayade) and the rest of the residents on-side for the upcoming battle. Singh repairs a very old cannon. Wormwood wants to desert, but his two cronies decide to fight alongside Sharpe. That night, Sharpe apologises to Barabbas for his earlier treatment and agrees to let him fight, but later, Wormwood frees Barabbas and tells him that Sharpe plans to execute him in the morning. Both Barabbas and Wormwood ride away separately. Wormwood joins Dragomirov and tells him all about Sharpe's defences.
When Dragomirov attacks the next day, Sharpe's men resist strongly. Beauclere is fatally wounded while defending the women. Wormwood kills one of his former comrades (with the other also perishing in the battle), but Harper kills him in a hand-to-hand fight. At the last moment, British cavalry soldiers arrive, led by Barabbas, who had ridden the entire night to bring reinforcements. Sharpe duels Dragomirov and kills him.
After the battle, Sharpe says his goodbyes to Marie-Angelique, who talks of visiting Sharpe's farm in Normandy, and to Simmerson, with whom he has an almost-friendly conversation, before he and Harper ride off for home. | violence, action | train | wikipedia | Just watch any Sharpe you see on the box..
They criticized this episode because Daragh O'Malley had got a bit fatter.
And maybe Sean Bean had a few more lines on his face - well, how many wives has be tried to please - apparently without success!.But it's wonderful.
Heroism, humanity, and fellow feeling are all there just as they are in the entire series.
There's some closure for fellow aficionados; Hakeswill (in a sense) is laid to rest, and Simmerson ends the fool he always was.Bernard Cornwell is an excellent author, and Sean Bean / Daragh O'Malley and this entire cast has brought it all to wonderful viewing.Wanna be a soldier!.
Another fine addition to the Sharpe series..
Sean Bean returns as the ever intrepid Richard Sharpe in this latest reworking of Bernard Cornwell's earlier books.
Shot on 35mm this film, and the previous film from a few years earlier, "Peril" has z different look and feel to it, but regardless we get to see Sharpe's continued exploits and share in his adventures.
The production values are higher than ever.
The Indian productions seem to have been taken up a notch or two from the films shot in the 90s.
Sun drenched scenery, both plush and arid, they're a far cry from the relatively frigid realms of the winter locations in Spain and Portugal.
For whatever reason the direction feels a little different as well, but ironically enough seems to hearken back to the feeling that the earlier Sharpe films gave the audience.
There's a sense of adventure, intrigue and the exotic, as well as the romantic.Sharpe is presented with some internal challenges as well as a plethora of external ones.
Teresa, though long gone since the fourth film, is still very much alive in Sharpe's memory.
To find out why, you have to see the film.If I had one critique it's that Sen Bean, being a smoker, has aged prematurely.
Oh sure he's old, but his smoking habit doesn't help sell him as the dashing hero type.
He looks ragged, which, ironically enough, actually helps accentuate the character.
Still, it would behoove him to toss the cigarettes and add some years to his life.Still, it's a solid installment.
A bit longer than usual, and it does take liberties with some of the characters, but it's a decent watch.Give it a whirl and enjoy..
Sharpe revisited.
Though I personally much prefer Sharpe's Napoleonic series to these Indian installments (Challenge and Peril), but I still find the latest one Sharpe's Peril quite entertaining and really very well watchable.OK, I wish the Indian installments were much closer to the Bernard Cornwell's books, that is if they happened in due time (before Napoleonic wars) and order (somehow in Challenge and Peril they've mixed as much from Indian set of books as they possibly could, though not always for good), but it is still a very great Sharpe's adventure.
Just as usual - some quest for good old Sharpe, some girl's heart to win over, and some baddies to defeat.
If that is still not enough a reason for you to watch this Sharpe's adventure, maybe a magic word - Simmerson - would do the trick.
It did worked for me (And thAaaat was soooo great!).
And the very last encounter of Sharpe and Simmerson!
One should not miss it, that I'm sure of..
I love Sharp , every single one!!!.
As usual I enjoyed every single minute of this Sharp adventure!
So what if Sean Bean is a little older, it happens to us all and time has moved on since Waterloo!!
Once again I gasped at his heroics, wished I was one of the buxom females he saves and cried when he and Harper glance back to the sound of 'Over the Hills and Far Away'.I do love every single Sharp but I do prefer the Napoleonic War Episodes (these would get a 10)as due to there being 14(?) episodes there is more time to attach yourself and enjoy the characters.
Sharps Waterloo was my particular favourite but I did sob!!
I feel it is time to dust down my Sharp Video collection and watch them all again with my two daughters , they are in for a treat, (though they have told me they don't want to)!!!
Tough!!.
time to call it a day.
My wife and me are big fans of the series so tuned in this latest 2 parter with anticipation.
Unfortunately as the story began to unfold we we felt that that we had been here before.
By the end we felt disappointed with the outcome.
Although the scenery was magnificent, the story itself just dragged and it was just too clichéd.
You just knew what was going to come next...sorry but it's time to draw a close on the TV adventures of Richard Sharpe.
I just wish Captain Fredrickson and the chosen men could have magically appeared to give us a break from the Sharpe and Harper show!.
Great Farewell To Sharpe.
While not quite as romantic as the previous feature film, SHARPE'S CHALLENGE, this action-packed adventure is a wonderful farewell to the bad boy English rifleman and his colorful friends and enemies.
Personally, I would have ended the series at the end of SHARPE'S CHALLENGE, when Sharpe has the opportunity to marry a loyal, courageous, and truly stunning general's daughter and become a general himself in the famed East India Company.
But instead, Sharpe is just trying to get home, and he is roped into escorting a spoiled French beauty through the Indian countryside, and villains are after her, and one thing just leads to another till pretty soon Sharpe is like Moses leading dozens of castaways in search of safety and a new beginning.
Where CHALLENGE had the feeling of an Arabian Nights adventure, with most of the action among Indian palaces and Royalty, PERIL is more rugged and down to earth, with a virtual "wagon train" journeying through hostile territory like an old fashioned American Western.
There are battles every ten minutes and sword fights every five minutes.
Sharpe's followers include a lot of Western types familiar from movies like STAGECOACH and MAJOR DUNDEE.
The useless missionary, the plucky pregnant woman, the loyal Indian companion, the drunken or lazy troopers, all have their parts to play.
What lifts the story above Western territory, however, is the way in which Sharpe himself is forced to look for closure to his personal dramas.
Some of his most deadly enemies reappear (or their sons do) and there are some unexpected discoveries on all sides.
The most poignant scenes in the story all revolve around Sharpe coming to terms with past regrets and resolving conflicts.
All of it was wonderful, even if Sharpe's French blonde love interest in PERIL isn't quite as demure or winning as English blonde love interest in CHALLENGE.
But both movies are Sharpe classics, both great farewells to a true hero!.
A brilliant addition to the much loved Sharpe series.
Sean Bean and Daragh O'Malley return as Richard Sharpe and Patrick Harper in another brilliant Sharpe movie!
Although I do very much miss Hagman and Harris fighting alongside Sharpe and Harper, this adventure in India still has the essence of a good old Sharpe movie.
We have a beautiful woman, the bad guy, an old 'friend' Simmerson and of course a good few twists and turns that keep us watching.
Yes, some people may complain that Sharpe has too many lines in his face or Harper has a few too many gray hairs on his head, but I love it!
It makes it feel like I'm following them throughout events in their whole lives, not just a chapter of it.
Even though the years may be climbing on our beloved actors, I do hope they decide to make another few movies or at least one last movie to tie up loose ends such as finding Sharpe's daughter.Although it may not be the best of the Sharpe series, it's definitely another brilliant addition!.
Makes a wonderful double bill with Sharpe's Challenge.
SHARPE'S PERIL follows on from SHARPE'S CHALLENGE.
Sharpe and Harper are still trying to find their way out of India, although they keep getting sidetracked.
They join up with some soldiers currently escorting a prisoner cross-country, and they soon find themselves caught up in conflict after running foul of an opium smuggler.
Action, ranging from sword fights to gun battles and a siege, soon follows.
SHARPE'S PERIL was broadcast in two separate episodes.
The first sets up the action, and is quite talky and heavy on the explanation.
The second half is pure action and thoroughly engaging.The two episodes combine to make this one of the best Sharpe adventures yet.
Sean Bean has never been better, here playing a grizzled Colonel who's seen too much of warfare and just wants to be out of it all.
Daragh O'Malley brings a deft comic touch as Harper, while the other, new cast members are superb.
Amit Behl turns what could have been a caricature into an affecting portrayal of a wronged man who retains his dignity, while Velibor Topic is a hateful villain.
Beatrice Rosen is a particularly appealing love interest, and gets to show greater depth than most.
Kudos also to a returning Michael Cochrane, who looks to be having a ball.
With spectacular Indian locations, some excellent stunt work, colourful costumes, a cast of actors and actresses prepared to give it their all, and plenty of emotion to go along with the action, SHARPE'S PERIL is the best that television has to offer.
A splendid outing that doesn't suffer in any way from not being based on one of the Bernard Cornwell novels..
What a let down!.
Oh dear, what a let down this was.
The two redeeming features were the scenery (courtesy of the Indian Tourist Board)and some apparently authentic dialogue.
On British TV the programme was shown in two parts, the first of which dragged, though there was some reasonable action in the second.
I suspect that the influence of Sharpe author Bernard Cornwell was confined to providing the characters, because the plot borrowed countless clichés from Westerns of the 1950s.
There were several insults to one's intelligence.The most notable was Sharpe's supposedly inspirational speech to the soldiers and villagers as they awaited the final onslaught by the baddies.
The references to Napoleon and Waterloo would have meant something to the few remaining British soldiers, but nothing at all to the Indian troops and villagers - even supposing they (the latter especially) understood English.
Then there was Harper curiously being cured of kidney stones and Simmerson's remarkable recovery from delirium and his sudden warmth for Sharpe (and where did he get his smart general's uniform from, after the pursued soldiers and civilians had been carrying next to nothing after crossing the river).
The portrait of Sharpe's daughter in the locket looked more like a colour photograph than a painting.Sean Bean was beginning to show his age, seemed to go through the motions with his acting and was not at all an inspiring leader. |
tt0034547 | The Bowling Alley-Cat | At a bowling alley, a cheerful Jerry pops out of a bowling ball and slides and skates down an alley, but Tom peeks out from behind two bowling balls and appears behind Jerry. After tripping over Tom's tail, Jerry moves his tail and goes to run down the alley again, but almost runs into Tom's mouth. Tom chases Jerry onto the bowling lane, but slips on the alley. Jerry teases Tom, blowing on Tom's legs to make him fall again before grabbing Tom's tail and hurling him into an ashtray.
Jerry then waves at Tom from the pins, and Tom grabs a bowling ball to throw, but Tom lets go in the air, and the ball lands on his back. Jerry laughs, but Tom then throws the ball successfully, making Jerry, hiding behind a pin, jiggle. Tom then bowls the pins down as Jerry clings onto the first pin, jumping out of the way. After Tom's fifth ball breaks the pin, Jerry hides behind another as Tom converts a split.
Tom then uses a towel and powder before throwing another ball at Jerry, but Jerry picks up a pin and hits the ball back at Tom. The ball flies toward Tom, who backs up to catch it, only for the ball to hit him and make the cat crash through the floor. With the pins reloaded, Jerry waves at the cat. Tom throws the ball at Jerry, but his thumb gets stuck and he slides down the lane with the ball, bowling down all the pins. Jerry hangs onto the pin setter, which turns Tom into a bowling pin.
Jerry flees, but Tom pushes a line of bowling balls towards Jerry. Jerry outruns the balls and hides under the ball-eject lane, but the balls return in reverse. Tom opens his mouth, but a ball runs into his mouth instead. Jerry then pops out of it as the balls hit Tom. Tom slides down the ball rack, is squeezed through the arch, and is knocked out by two balls. Tom sticks his finger into the ball Jerry is hiding in, but Jerry bites him. Tom then blows into the ball to make Jerry pop out, but the ball drops on Tom's left foot. Jerry then stomps on Tom's foot to slow him down.
Jerry jumps into another ball, and Tom covers it with a cloth, thinking he has caught Jerry. However, Jerry pops out of another ball, threads Tom's tail through it and ties it in a knot. Tom eventually spots him and chases him, but the ball Jerry tied to the cat's tail bangs into him twice and pulls him backwards when he goes to catch Jerry. Jerry runs under a bench, and Tom follows, but the ball gets stuck underneath. The ball then slams into Tom, sending Tom sliding down the lane, knocking down all the pins, and crashing through a wall before falling into a trash can outside. Jerry stands over his scorecard and records a strike before throwing the pencil he is using away. | psychedelic | train | wikipedia | Begins To Set The Pins, Er Stage.
For at least one reason, this was better than the rest of these 1942 Tom and Jerry cartoons: they got out of their house.
With new surroundings - in this case, a bowling alley, - it allowed for different and better gags than the normal house scenes.This starts off slowly, however, and I wondered if it was every going to produce some laughs, but it did, especially with Tom caught in the automatic pinsetter and then the caravan of bowling bowls was pictured as a train.
Decent, overall, with the really clever stuff to come in a couple of years.
This would have been much better, let's say, in 1945, with crazier stunts.
Nonetheless, this cartoons starts to set the stage for the really funny (and violent) material that also was to come..
Something new.
This is one of the first Tom and Jerry shorts that doesn't take place inside a generic 1940s house but inside, as the title would suggest, a bowling alley.
This new environment allows for fresher gags and more imagination.
There are some inventive sequences and it doesn't resort to the ancient clichés of Jerry plugging Tom's tail into a power socket or putting his tail in a mousetrap.There are no humans to be seen at all and it appears that Tom and Jerry at alone in the bowling alley.
Which is good.
I find that extra characters such as stray cats and unseen humans (including the staggeringly un-offensive Mammy-Two-Shoes) to be a distraction.
New locations, new torture devices and no diversions would make Tom and Jerry funny every single time.
Too bad they mostly never really turned out that way..
Tom and Jerry find their feet.
The Tom-and-Jerry shorts were unquestionably, UNQUESTIONABLY, the most violent cartoons of the golden age.
I recall reading that, in terms of bashings, stabbings etc.
per minute, the Pink Panther cartoons are the most violent, followed (not surprisingly) by the Road Runner - but we know better than to trust such statistics.
It's the Tom and Jerry cartoons that make you say "ouch".
This is a tame sample, actually, from the days before Tex Avery came to MGM.
Orthodoxy (for instance, Leonard Maltin, "Of Mice and Magic") has it that even the cartoons directed by Hanna and Barbera perked up after he arrived, and orthodoxy is correct.
This is still a good cartoon.
Watch it, and you'll see the violence I'm referring to clearly enough.It's a clash between two forces that makes Tom and Jerry so bracingly brutal.
Firstly, there's the detailed, polished, true-to-Newton realism.
That bowling alley floor really is slippery, and the bowling balls really are heavy - one could get hurt playing with such things.
Secondly, there's an element's somewhat muted in this pre-Avery cartoon, although it's still there - the hyper-exaggerated, sadistic anarchy which Avery brought over from Warner Brothers, back when that studio really was producing loony 'toons (mostly not very good ones, it must be admitted).
Put them together and you have a bowling ball that will go out of its way to injure a cat, as only a cartoon bowling ball could - except that, somehow, it also behaves like a REAL, genuinely dangerous bowling ball.
Ouch.Tom and Jerry were at their best in the years following this cartoon, when the balance between realism and cartooniness was precisely maintained.
At some hard-to-pinpoint moment in the 1950s, the realism got lost, and the cartoons became unbalanced in the opposite direction.Another factor which enhanced Tom and Jerry cartoons, right through to the end, was their uncertainty.
Usually, we side with Tom (the cat), who is mean-spirited but at least honest about it - and usually, it's Tom who is roundly walloped.
But Jerry rarely emerges unscathed himself (unlike the Road Runner, or that unendurable creation, Tweety Pie).
And sometimes, just once or twice, he gets the worst of the exchange.
We suspect that Tom will somehow end up losing the battle, but we don't KNOW that he will - which, I suppose, makes his defeat sting all the more..
Truly A Classic.
This is one of the early Tom & Jerry cartoons and also one of the best.
The animation is superb and extremely well done.
The antics of both Tom and Jerry as they try to outwit each other are classic.
The parts of Tom trying to bowl with a ball that's much too heavy for him are some of the most fluid and natural looking animation of the entire time period.
This and another two other sports shorts they made (Tennis Chumps, 1949, and Cue Ball Cat, 1950) have to be on list of top Tom & Jerry cartoons ever.
Definitely one of my all-time favorites..
Different and enjoyable.
While it is slow in pace to begin with, Bowling Alley-Cat is still very enjoyable.
It doesn't belong in the best of their cartoons, but in my opinion it is one of their better early ones.
For one thing, the animation is lovely, crisp and clean and smooth in general.
True, Tom looks like a kitten here, but for 1942 this animation was not bad at all, quite the contrary.
The music was a delight, hearing the Waltz from Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty was a real plus, and the sight gags were both original and funny.
Also I loved this because it was different, it all takes place in a bowling alley rather than the house, it was really nice to see something new once in a while.
Overall, different and enjoyable, definitely worth the watch.
9/10 Bethany Cox. Right up my alley!.
Early Tom and Jerry cartoons have often been accused of being racistwith Mammy Two Shoes' character possibly being a servant and characters often getting a 'blackface' (amongst other stereotypical ethnic representations)but now I'm starting to wonder whether I'm seeing examples of racism where there are none.
I'm sure that there's one bowling ball in this short that is inexplicably made to look like a 'blackface'.
Or maybe not.Anyway, regardless of my possible hallucinatory concerns, this is actually a pretty entertaining T&J caper, with the guys escaping the confines of their house to wreak havoc in a bowling alley.
The fresh environment allows for a whole new wave of creativity, there are plenty of laughs to be had (as well as much cartoonish violence, as one would expect in a place full of machinery and heavy objects), and the animation is as highly polished as the bowling alley we see Jerry skating on, with convincingly weighty bowling balls that look like they could really hurt..
The Bowling Alley-Cat. The Bowling Alley-Cat (1942)*** (out of 4)The action and laughs are the same but the setting is different.
Jerry is at the bowling alley having some fun when he runs into Tom and chaos follows.
THE BOWLING ALLEY-CAT has pretty much everything that the previous Tom and Jerry shorts did but the big difference here is that the action has gone from the house to a bowling alley.
While there's really nothing new here there's no question that the new settling allowed for some creative fun.
One of the highlights is when Tom plans on eating Jerry but instead gets pounded by some bowling balls.
The animation is quite good as you'd expect and there's no doubt that the comic duo were really starting to come into their own..
One of the Best Realistic Animals Tom and Jerry era..
I Consider the Realistic Animals Tom and Jerry era to start at Puss Gets the Boot and end in Sufferin' Cats.The Story is that Jerry is having some fun at the Bowling Alley, when Tom appears and wants to eat him, leading some fun and inventive gags, that didn't take place inside a House.This is Tom and Jerry first cartoon to take place outside a house.
And for me, it's for the best, it allowed some new gags, that weren't seen in the earlier episodes, such as Jerry using a bowling pin as a baseball bat, Or Tom trying to catch a bowling ball like a baseball ball and gets smashed by it.
Another Highlight was Jerry teleporting himself to other Bowling Ball inside another far away bowling ball.I recommend it to every Tom and Jerry fan..
Alley hoop.
"The Bowling Alley-Cat" is another Hanna Barbera cartoon starring Tom and Jerry as you may have guessed from the title already, a pretty nice play on words there and even if the title only features Tom, Jerry is the one who keeps having the last laugh like so many other times.
At exactly 8 minutes, this one's slightly longer than they usually are and it was released back in 1942, so during the days of WWII, and this means that it had its 75th anniversary last year already, which makes it one of the oldest T&J cartoons and from Tom's looks you can see that pretty well as he changed a lot physically from his original form the more cartoons got released over the years.
Actually this is number 007 (Bond anyone?).
The two are at the bowling alley and it is really just the duo at that point, o other customers, no other animals, no other employees, just the cat and the mouse he is trying to catch.
This results in several funny and witty sequences that in fact not only involve jokes on pins and balls (and their faces), but also jokes on other sports like ice skating very early on.
I enjoyed the watch here.
It's among the better, but not best Tom and Jerry cartoons I have seen (and I have seen lots) just like it is among the more, but not most, known cartoons starring this duo.
Go see it, it's worth it in my opinion..
Mayhem at the bowling alley.
This 'Tom and Jerry' short starts off gently with Jerry skating on the slippery surface of the alley; things don't remain gentle for long though as Tom appears and the two of them end up fighting it out as usual.
Being in a bowling alley means plenty of violence involving heavy bowling balls and pins as well as the various mechanisms used to reset the pins and return the balls.
Who has the upper hand switches between them although for the most part it is poor Tom taking the battering...
frequently due to his own actions or stupidity...
would any sane person try to catch a flying bowling ball!?This is a fairly standard 'Tom and Jerry' short although it benefits from the novelty of the location; if you are a fan of the duo I'm sure you'll have plenty of laughs here and if you aren't then odds are you won't.
The animation is top notch with the balls given just the right amount of shine to make them look real and thus heavy; clearly the animators weren't rushing and making this on the cheap.
The action is inventive as are the accompanying sounds; we hear a speeding steam train as a 'train' of bowling balls bears down on Jerry.
Overall it is a fun cartoon than can be enjoyed by viewers of all ages. |
tt0072831 | Criminally Insane | The morbidly obese Ethel Janowski (institutionalized due to her bouts of paranoia, depression, and violence) is released into the care of her grandmother, despite Doctor Gerard's unease regarding Ethel's discharge. Upon moving into her grandmother's San Francisco home, Ethel begins consuming massive amounts of food, and repeatedly claims that the employees of the institution were trying to starve her to death. In an attempt to stop Ethel's gorging, Mrs. Janowski empties the refrigerator, and locks the cupboards. Ethel and her grandmother argue, and when the elder Janowski threatens to call the sanitarium, Ethel impales her with a knife, then mutilates the old woman's hand to get the cabinet key she was holding in a death grip.
Ethel locks her grandmother's corpse in a bedroom, and places an order for more food. When the delivery boy arrives with the groceries, Ethel is unable to pay for them, and stabs the deliverer with a broken bottle when he tries to leave with the order. After Ethel moves the boy's body, her prostitute sister, Rosalie, arrives, and announces that she will staying for a while. Ethel ignores calls from her doctor, and attempts to cover up the odor of her decaying victims when Rosalie complains about the smell coming from the locked bedroom.
While at a bar one night, Rosalie runs into John, her unfaithful and abusive ex-boyfriend, and pimp. John follows Rosalie home, and manages to get on her good side, despite at one point proclaiming, "Rosalie, I'm gonna tell you the truth for once, okay? You need a good beating every once in a while. All women do. And you especially. Okay?" When John and Rosalie fall asleep after having sex, Doctor Gerard visits, wanting to know why Ethel has been missing her appointments with him. Ethel bludgeons the doctor with a candlestick holder, and puts his body with the others.
Three days after the murder of the delivery boy, Detective McDonough visits to question Ethel about his disappearance, and leaves after Ethel gives a few evasive statements. That night, Rosalie and John, unable to tolerate the stink coming from Mrs. Janowski's sealed room any longer, decide to break down the door in the morning. After her sister and John go back to bed, Ethel murders them with a cleaver, laughing maniacally while doing so. Ethel sleeps with John's body (possibly having sex with it) and is then shown doing things like destroying a mannequin, and frolicking near a cemetery in garish clothing. An alcoholic client of Rosalie drops by unexpectedly, and stumbles onto his Rosalie's remains, so Ethel strangles him.
Detective McDonough returns to re-interview Ethel, and even though Ethel gives contradictory information, the detective leaves without incident. Ethel proceeds to dismember her victims, stuff the pieces in sacks, and drive them out to a seaside area with the intent of dumping them in the ocean. Since there are too many witnesses present, Ethel is forced to return home with the bags, which she drags back into the house, forgetting to close the trunk of her car on the way in. A suspicious neighbor peers into the trunk, and calls the police after finding a severed hand in it. The film ends with Detective McDonough walking in on Ethel eating one of her grandmother's arms. | good versus evil, insanity, cult, murder, violence | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0435687 | The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse | One night, Jeremy Dyson calls the other members of The League of Gentlemen to talk about a new series idea he's had, in which everyone in Royston Vasey would wake up with a tail, but the other writers no longer wish to write the series and are keen to move on to new projects. Suddenly he is confronted by three characters from the series; Papa Lazarou and the Tattsyrups. Dyson tries to run, but falls off the edge of a cliff.
At the church in Royston Vasey, the local vicar, Bearnice Woodall, tells fellow residents Pauline Campbell-Jones and Mr. Chinnery that there are signs of The Apocalypse occurring.
Hilary Briss has escaped from prison and is on the moors near Royston Vasey. He finds Herr Lipp there and holds him hostage. Briss uses Lipp to steal a car, driven by Geoff Tipps. Fleeing fireballs, Briss leads them through a door in the church crypt, and they emerge a half-century later in the real town of Hadfield, Derbyshire, the setting for Royston Vasey in The League of Gentlemen television series.
With the situation explained to them by Lazarou and the Tattsyrups, Briss, Herr Lipp and Geoff Tipps travel to London. Lipp pretends to be his creator, Steve Pemberton, and goes home, where he discovers that Pemberton has been neglecting his family.
Briss and Tipps read through The League of Gentlemen's new project, a historical horror called The King's Evil. While Tipps continues to read, Briss chases after an escapee Pemberton and re-captures him, but when they return to the hideout, Briss discovers that Tipps has written himself into the plot of The King's Evil as the hero.
Lipp meanwhile has become deeply attached to Pemberton's family, in particular his children. He looks through some of Pemberton's personal belongings in order to find Pemberton's notes.
Briss takes Pemberton up to Hadfield, where Pemberton telephones Reece Shearsmith to tell him what has been going on. Shearsmith does not believe that Pemberton has been captured and thinks that Briss is playing a joke on him, so Briss comes to the phone. Shearsmith initially believes that Mark Gatiss is joining in on the "joke" when he opens a door and Gatiss is standing right in front of him. Shearsmith and Gatiss find and capture Herr Lipp, and they travel up to Hadfield.
They enter the dimensional door, go back to 1950s Royston Vasey, and swap their hostages, but Pemberton is killed by a stray gunshot. Dr Erasmus Pea tries to convince Briss to leave Royston Vasey and join him, but Briss refuses. Pea kills his fellow characters and turns them into a gigantic homunculus, which Briss fights. Shearsmith and Gatiss climb up the wall of church in order to escape, but Shearsmith falls to his death.
Briss kills the monster, but he himself is stabbed in the back by Pea. Before he dies, he tells Tipps that he is the only one who can save Royston Vasey. Tipps fights with Dr. Pea, while Gatiss tries to return to modern world. However, he is stopped by Herr Lipp, who holds him at gunpoint. Tipps manages to kill Pea using part of the homunculus, but the chaos still goes on. In the church, Lipp says he will kill Gatiss. The other characters try to dissuade him, as they believe that once all the writers are dead, Royston Vasey will cease to exist and all of them will die. Lipp claims that they will in fact be better off, because as long as they're being controlled by someone else they have no free will and can never change for the better. Tipps tells Lipp that because he managed to save the day and can therefore change, Lipp does not need to kill Gatiss. He persuades Herr Lipp to hand him the gun, only for Tipps to accidentally fire it and kill Gatiss himself.
With all the writers now dead, the residents of Royston Vasey prepare for the worst, but instead, everything calms down and The Apocalypse ends. The characters realise they now have free will. Herr Lipp adopts some orphaned children, the vet, Mr Chinnery, finds a rabbit and is able to take care of it without killing it, and Bearnice and Pauline appear to become romantically involved. Tipps leaves the church, waving goodbye to Edward, Tubbs and Papa Lazarou. It appears that Royston Vasey can continue to exist independently of its dead creators.
However, Dyson is still alive and in a coma after falling off the cliff. Everyone else in the world now has tails. | good versus evil, comedy, humor, murder | train | wikipedia | Few shows have survived transition from radio to TV to stage show to film but The League of Gentlemen have achieved it with suitable aplomb.The talented writer/performers had initially envisioned a Monty Python style medieval adventure, but as soon as writing began they soon realised that the characters they have lived with had become very real and deserved better.
With that, the Royston Vasey folk realise their very existence is under threat as the writers decide to disregard the fictitious town and work on a 17th Century romp instead.With the exception of Michael Sheen playing much unseen League member Jeremy Dyson, The League play pretty unlikeable caricatures of their real life personae as well as the familiar faces of Tubbs ("I made a little brown fishy"), nightmare inducing sexual predator Herr Lipp, butcher Hilary Briss and an unlikely hero - irate businessman Geoff Tibbs.
The second is to do something else- something quite different, à la Monty Python.Thankfully, the creators of the cult TV series have gone for the second option, and they've come up with something unique, clever and funny- it couldn't feel less like a TV episode.Try to get your head around this- the writers, playing themselves, are confronted by their Royston Vasey alter-egos, played, of course, by them, and told to continue writing the series, otherwise apocalypse will befall the village.High-concept, contrived and easy to screw up?
After three outstanding BBC television series' and a Christmas special, the bizarre and grotesque (yet perversely lovable) characters of bleak fictional town Royston Vasey make the jump to celluloid, along with their creators - The League of Gentlemen.
The 'Local show for Local People' showcased the Gents talent for live performance and opened doors for the gents to do more live performing such as 'Art' in the west end.The fans favourite has always been the Christmas Special, less of a sketch show and more a tribute to classic horror films yet still wrapped up in the delicious League style.And then of course there was the 'difficult' third series, still a hit with the loyal hardcore fans of course, but maybe a little bit ahead of its time for a mainstream TV audience.As I say, a lot to live up to.So now we have the film and...Well a film is different isn't it?
Along the way we manage to bump into favourite characters from the show but always within the central story unlike the TV sketch show.I was glad that the film was dark in places, a little scary and a little strange...only fitting for The League of Gentlemen.
I am not a professional reviewer of films, so I am finding it difficult to put into words how much I enjoyed this film but for now I will just say that if the supposed benchmark for British Comedy films in recent years was the excellent 'Shaun of the Dead' then I am sorry but a new benchmark has just been set by the inventive, hilarious and sometimes a little scary...The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse.Jason Kenny 2005.
It follows Geoff Tipps, Hilary Briss and Herr Lipp as they try and save fictional Rosyton Vasey from the disinterest of their creators.The League play a wide range of their characters and themselves (or character based on themselves) and are ably supported by the cream of British character and comedy actors such as Bernard Hill, Victoria Wood and David Warner.Warner is a particular stand out reminding me of his smooth and cutting turn in 'Time Bandits'.The film swims in and out of various realities and allows some of the denizen's of Rosyton Vasey some space to grow beyond their usual limits of their comedy shtick.Steve Pemberton's Herr Lipp has a great Bretchian moment near the end of the movie and has to make a decision about his purpose and meaning in life which brings a lump to the throat at an unexpected moment and surprises you with its tender affection for the characters.This echoes something Mark and Reece said in the Q & A afterwards, that the plot of the league being tired of their famous characters is spurious and that the whole film is really a love letter to them.For a format that started as a radio character-based sketch show, these guys have really evolved the idea so far as to sustain a movie which takes you on a journey through fiction, 'reality', comedy, tragedy and a pleasing journey for two of the less obvious characters to carry a long form story from their 70 odd existing creations.The fans of the show will love it.
Some of the best characters such as Tubbs n' Edward, Pauline n' Mickey n' the bizarre Papa Lazarou had about 10 minutes screen time between them, instead a lot of the film is taken up with the real life creators (aka the league of gentlemen) and some rather poor characters from their new 17th century story.
"Wouldn't it be funny," thought Steve Pemberton, as the League sat down to pen a film script, "if our characters came after us, wanting to know why we wanted to kill them off?" Well, as it turns out, no, not really.
In this misguided, post-modern set up (three words: Last Action Hero), bestial butcher Hilary Briss, predatory German exchange-teacher Herr Lipp and broken businessman Geoff Tipps step into the 'real world' to try to prevent the apocalypse of Roysten Vasey and sabotage the Gents' new project - an 18th century romp called The King's Evil.
i went to see the league of gentlemen's apocalypse last night at a preview screening with a Q & A afterwards at the National Film Theatre.Having been a huge fan i was worried that the film might not live up to expectations but how wrong i was!
The film follows three lesser known characters, Hilary Briss, Geoff Tipps and Herr Lipp as they attempt to save Royston Vasey from an apocalypse being rained down on them due to the writers stopping writing the show.
I think a lot more could have been done with that angle (the two different worlds, the fish-out-of-water experience of the characters, the confusion and surprise as people try to comprehend and distinguish the characters and writers from each other.) But too much time is wasted with pushing this painful plot to the end with as much 'bizarre' and 'goof' as is humanly possible.
tubbs and edward are in it for a few mins, micky has 1 line, and her lipp just reels out the same tired old puns, also mr briss's accent just changes about 5 times in the film tons of badly acted extras, and really a few laughs that they seem to recycle for 2 hrs i honestly feel this series has been completely ruined by this god-awful piece of crap..........batman and robin all is forgiven.
Not only was it funny, what you would expect from these guys, but it was so clever, the whole basis of the film being that the characters have left Royston Vasey and are pursuing their creators - the League of Gentlemen in reality.
David Warner's turn as Doctor Pea is fantastic, slightly camp and very funny.The League have always been brilliant at blending humour with sadness and emotion - and the climax of this film, where Herr Lipp is struggling with the idea that he and the other Vasey residents are just fictional people who will never be able to change who they are or their purpose - and to witness how it's breaking him down, is really sad and beautiful to watch at the same time and that really shows the Gents' talent - something for which they are terribly overlooked for to this day.And then you have that rather clever ending - where you sit in wonder - with Joby Talbot's beautiful theme music playing.
very disappointing and incoherent - every now and then a germ of an idea would develop and be discarded in the next line - it had the feel of a film that had been cut and re-cut to try and make it work - I was bored and distracted all the way through, and I'm speaking as a huge fan of the series.
The best and most loved characters only had five minute roles, whilst the three mediocre characters were all the way through the film.Unlike most British movies that are based on television series, this film does kick off and it seems to be on to a winner, but the pace suddenly stops when the three mediocre characters are in the real world waiting to capture the three comedians.The film then doesn't go anywhere when Hillary in a room with the captured Steve, Lipp masquerading as Steve, and Geoff somehow writing himself in to the Medieval times.
The medieval scene was okay but Monty Python did it a lot better and of course funnier, with cameos from Peter Kay and Simon Pegg, both didn't say anything funny, Kay had a line and Pegg just sat up on wall looking bored.What also grated me was that they seem to forget what happened in the previous episodes such as Hillary escaped to the Caribbean in the television in series 2, but in the film he's escaped from prison, and also Lipp is a paedophile vampire which wasn't mentioned at all in the movie, which was also quite disturbing when he's left alone looking after the children.There were lots of plot holes and unexplained situations such as how did Geoff and the Dark One escape from the Medieval times back in to Royston Vasey?
Like Series 3 it started of good but as the film progressed, it slowly went downhill and had a very weak predictable ending.They would of been better off doing what Monty Python did and remade all their best and classic sketches from Series 1-3 and the Christmas special, and turned that in to a film which would of re-introduced the characters to a whole new audience, who can't be asked to watch the series or to tight to buy the DVDs.Best advice is save your money and wait till it's on television.....
In my more honest moments though, I had my doubts about the likely success of the concept, and whether the writers would be able to sustain the high level of wit, comedy and horror that infuse the original series.Unfortunately my fears were not unfounded, and the film was a huge disappointment.
I went to the cinema with a group of die-hard league fans and we were all in agreement that this film wasn't as funny or dark as the three series before.
To make any film was unnecessary, let alone make one as awful as this, where it feels like the actors are just going through the motions in order to please an audience.The concept is that the inhabitants of Royston Vasey realise that they are fictional characters and so they track down real writers Mark Gatiss, Jeremy Dyson, Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton (playing themselves apart from non-actor Jeremy Dyson who is played by Michael Sheen).
It's nice to see Bernice back but again, she doesn't get a lot of screen-time.So, contrary to the poster, the three lead characters are bitter businessman Geoff (Reece Shearsmith), murderous butcher Hilary (Mark Gatiss) and malapropic pervert Herr Lipp (Steve Pemberton).
and without wishing to be rude, seeing the writers breaks the illusion that Royston Vasey's inhabitants are different individuals.Some of the positive reviewers have argued that the film shows the depth of TLOG and that people simply wanted their favourite characters and a load of catchphrases.
Although there were quick nods to The Shining, Scanners and other films, I think they could have really pushed the Wicker Man aspects which are the backbone of the Royston Vasey experience.Ultimately, I came away disappointed - but a friend of mine (who has never seen the series) thought it was really good, so I guess it depends which camp you fall in.
Now i know a lot of people thought that this film was just a flop but i didn't.it had some great lines and acting.i did however thought the cameos were limited.the idea is great so if you are a fan of the series then its definitely for you :):):):)it brings out the more dark side of the league of gentlemens and shows they can write a horror film if they wanted to.I don't understand why people don't like this film as i found it rather enjoyable but then again I'm a fan of the series.
league of gentleman has been the most disturbing British sitcom to be on t.v and how can a funny movie be so bad rated,they just have no taste this film will make you want to watch over and over again and still find it funny.it is surprising that it has done bad but it is British the cinema do crap most of the time but this time it (in my words) a boost with comedy with a giraffe spunks over Lady's, this is a top British comedy and better than dodge-ball, so by this and it won't prove you wrong as i don't really laugh through films but this film was amazing through comedy with the best characters but i was a bit disappointed of how much Edward and Tabb's were in there for back to typing buy this film and it won't disappoint you..
The best parts of the film are really enjoyable thanks to the ways the League of Gents mess around with their characters, and not due to the jokes themselves, which aren't all that great.The idea behind the film, which annoyed many people but not myself, is that the characters have to leave Royston Vasey and go to the real world in order to meet their creators and save themselves from being ignored in favor of a 17th century film script the Gents are working on.
The best part of this script is their handling of the classic Royston Vasey characters, especially Herr Lipp, who gets a big and fun part in the film.
This could be viewed as a bit "up it's own back-side", but I thought it was clever and a departure from the "Grace Brothers on holiday" outings that TV Series movies can descend into.Well worth going to see, and it should appeal to die-hard League Fans (if not - shame on you
.) and regular cinema goers wanting something different - (Start stirring National Anthem) It's British, damn it
.
it was more of an explanation of what they planned to do, and looked like some of the writers disagreed on the fate of the characters and they made a joke of this by killing him off in the first 30 minutes.If your a true fan of the league of gentlemens ability to stay fresh then you'll hate this film.
At one point, I thought it might just me before I realised hardly any laughs were minting from the rest of audience.I wasn't expecting much of a plot (very few TV comedies stand up to being stretched over 90 minutes) but thought the odd bit of classic L.O.G dialogue or visual joke (like at the start of each programme) would carry a film.
Being on screen is something that the League take full advantage of, with heads blowing up, (it'll come as a surprise who it is) and gruesome murders with random Middle Ages style battles all the way.Geoff is easily the funniest character of the three protagonists in this film, because he has the best one liners and overall behaviour, just like in the series.
Soon all three realities have weaved together, and the result is exhilarating: Geoff Tipps being knighted in the middle ages (and trying to court Queen Victoria Wood); the real League of Gentlemen in Royston Vasey, being confronted by characters like Pauline and Dr. Chinnery; David Warner summoning an homunculus outside of Bernice's church.
If you didn't like the TV shows, or you have never seen them, then you wouldn't get much out of the film, and it certainly isn't a good way to introduce the odd characters that inhabit Royston Vasey.
(Peter Kay?) Personally, i am just thankful that it wasn't the Edward, Tubbs and Papa Lazarou show, and that they chose the 3 best characters in the series to headline the motion picture, especially Sir Goeff Tipps arguably the funniest of the bunch.Actually, this is less of a Summary more of a fairly obtuse blog-like thing, but what the hell, the film was awesome, and i guess that's all that counts..
Most of the recognisable and popular characters get some good moments, but this film also gives the lesser known and explored characters an opportunity for storylines and screen time, the plot is twisted and a bit difficult to explain, but it is essentially the bizarre fictional world clashing with the real world, it is weird, but that's probably what the creators wanted, and there are enough funny and dark moments to satisfy fans of the TV show, a reasonable surreal horror comedy.
the only thing i would say is that for the movie to really work they shouldn't have made a third series which tied up endings for the characters as none of this has been referenced in the film - Pauline and Mickey aren't married, Edward and Tubbs are alive and Papa Lazarou is, well...himself.
I just saw the film and i must say i liked it (being a fan of the series) and it was good to see all the old faces especially tubbs,edward and good old papa laz (hello Dave).I think most people know the basic story by now(look above) and it was nice to see the "forgotten gentleman".All i can say is watch for the massive twist at the end that i must admit most people in the cinema didn't get. |
tt0114327 | Sailor Moon | In Minato, Tokyo, a middle-school student named Usagi Tsukino befriends Luna, a talking black cat that gives her a magical brooch enabling her to become Sailor Moon: a soldier destined to save Earth from the forces of evil. Luna and Usagi assemble a team of fellow Sailor Soldiers to find their princess and the Silver Crystal. They encounter the studious Ami Mizuno, who awakens as Sailor Mercury; Rei Hino, a local shrine maiden who awakens as Sailor Mars; Makoto Kino, a tall transfer student who awakens as Sailor Jupiter; and Minako Aino, a young aspiring idol who awakens as Sailor Venus, accompanied by her talking feline companion Artemis. Additionally, they encounter Mamoru Chiba, a high-school student who assists them on occasion as Tuxedo Mask.
In the first arc, the group battles the Dark Kingdom. Led by Queen Beryl, a team of generals—the Four Kings of Heaven (四天王, Shiten'ō, lit. "Four Heavenly Kings")—attempt to find the Silver Crystal to free an imprisoned, evil entity called Queen Metaria. Usagi and her team discover that in their previous lives they were members of the ancient moon kingdom called Silver Millennium. The Dark Kingdom waged war against them, resulting in the destruction of the moon kingdom. Its ruler Queen Serenity later sent her daughter Princess Serenity, her protectors the Sailor Soldiers, their feline advisers Luna and Artemis, and the princess's true love Prince Endymion into the future to be reborn through the power of the Silver Crystal. The team recognize Usagi as the reincarnated Serenity and Mamoru as Endymion. The Soldiers kill the Four Kings, who turn out to have been Endymion's guardians who defected in their past lives. In a final confrontation with the Dark Kingdom, Minako kills Queen Beryl; she and the other Soldiers then sacrifice their lives in an attempt to destroy Queen Metaria. Using the Silver Crystal, Usagi succeeds in killing Metaria and resurrects her friends.
At the beginning of the second arc, Usagi and Mamoru's daughter Chibiusa arrives from the future to find the Silver Crystal. As a result, the Soldiers encounter Wiseman and his Black Moon Clan, who are pursuing her. Chibiusa takes the Soldiers to the future city Crystal Tokyo, where her parents rule as Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion. During their journey they meet Sailor Pluto, guardian of the Time-Space Door. Sailor Pluto stops the Clan's ruler Prince Demand from destroying the spacetime continuum, leading to her death. Chibiusa later awakens as a Soldier—Sailor Chibi Moon—and helps Usagi kill Wiseman's true form, Death Phantom.
The third arc revolves around a group of lifeforms called the Death Busters, created by Professor Soichi Tomoe, who seek to transport the entity Pharaoh 90 to Earth to merge with the planet. Tomoe's daughter Hotaru is possessed by the entity Mistress 9, who must open the dimensional gateway through which Pharaoh 90 must travel. Auto-racer Haruka Tenoh and violinist Michiru Kaioh appear as Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune, who guard the outer rim of the Solar System from external threats. Physics student Setsuna Meioh, Sailor Pluto's reincarnation, joins the protagonists. Usagi obtains the Holy Grail, transforms into Super Sailor Moon, and attempts to use the power of the Grail and the Silver Crystal to destroy Pharaoh 90. This causes Hotaru to awaken as Sailor Saturn, whom Haruka, Michiru and Setsuna initially perceive as a threat. As the harbinger of death, Hotaru uses her power of destruction to sever Pharaoh 90 from the Earth and instructs Setsuna to use her power over time-space to close the dimensional gateway.
In the fourth arc, Usagi and her friends enter high school and fight against the Dead Moon Circus, led by Queen Nehelenia, the self-proclaimed "rightful ruler" of both Silver Millennium and Earth. Nehelenia invades Elysion, which hosts the Earth's Golden Kingdom, capturing its High Priest Helios and instructs her followers to steal the Silver Crystal. As Prince Endymion, Mamoru is revealed to be the owner of the Golden Crystal—the sacred stone of the Golden Kingdom. Mamoru and the Soldiers combine their powers with those of the Holy Grail, enabling Usagi to transform into Eternal Sailor Moon and kill Nehelenia. Four of Nehelenia's henchmen, the Amazoness Quartet, are revealed to be Sailor Soldiers called the Sailor Quartet, who are destined to become Chibiusa's guardians in the future; they had been awakened prematurely and corrupted by Nehelenia.
In the final arc, Usagi and her friends are drawn into a battle against Shadow Galactica, a group of false Sailor Soldiers. Their leader Sailor Galaxia plans to steal the Sailor Crystals of true Soldiers to take over the galaxy and kill an evil lifeform known as Chaos. After killing Mamoru and most of the Sailor Soldiers, Sailor Galaxia steals their Sailor Crystals. Usagi travels to the Galaxy Cauldron to defeat Galaxia and revive her teammates. Joining Usagi are the Sailor Starlights who come from the planet Kinmoku, their ruler Princess Kakyuu and the infant Sailor Chibichibi who comes from the distant future. Later, Chibiusa and the Sailor Quartet join Usagi and company. After numerous battles and the death of Galaxia, Sailor Chibichibi reveals her true form as Sailor Cosmos. Usagi then destroys Chaos with the Silver Crystal. Mamoru and the Sailor Soldiers are revived and return to Earth with Usagi. The series ends with Usagi and Mamoru's wedding six years later. | psychedelic, romantic | train | wikipedia | And those are the very main characters.What I also love about Sailor Moon is how unique it is, and how it doesn't exactly follow a specific formula like a lot of other shows do.
Sailor Moon IS an AMAZING show, so before all you Sailor Moon haters who've only ever seen the dub version of Sailor Moon give this show a rating out of one (*COUGH*), I recommend that you watch it a bit of it in Japanese first, and then come back and vote.
I bought Sailor Moon S and Super S as the ones with an English audio option (Japanese also though) but when it came to it, the dub was so terrible, the voices also, that I just carried on watching in Japanese with English subtitles.
I have to recommend watching all of the episodes because the best season by far, in my opinion, is Sailor Stars (the 5th and final) so you kind of need to have seen the others.
9/10 English DiC: DiC was the first company to bring Sailor Moon over to the English speaking world mid-way through the run on Japanese TV and they dubbed the first 2 seasons of this series, "Classic" and "R".
4.5/10 English Cloverway: Cloverway was the second company after DiC to dub Sailor Moon and they dubbed two more seasons "S" and "SuperS".
So in the end, Cloverway could have dubbed Sailor Stars but they just didn't.The best Sailor Moon overall is the subbed version.
Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon...one of the greatest animes I have ever seen,but DiC butchered it,and I mean seriously.
because SailorMoon features things such as : scantily clad fourteen year olds, transsexuality, gender changes (in the Stars season the starlights changed into males when they came to earth then turn female again when they transform) mushy romance, violence, death of the main characters, reincarnation, etc.
for those who dont know any of the japanese names,here is what we are looking at : Haruka to Amara (Sailor Uranus) Michiru to Michelle (Sailor Neptune) Usagi to Serena (Bunny in the manga)(Sailor Moon) Setsuna to Trista (Sailor Pluto) Ami to Amy (If I remember correctly,they are said differently) (Sailor Mercury) Rei to Raye (Same as before) (Sailor Mars) Makato to Lita (Sailor Jupiter) Minako to Mina (Sailor V & Sailor Venus) Mamoru to Darien (Tuxedo Kamen/Mask) Chibi-Usa to Rini (Chibi/Mini-Moon ALSO Sailor Senshi (soldier) was changed to Sailor Scout The title,'Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon' (Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon), is now just 'Sailor Moon' Note that Hotaru(Sailor Saturn)'s name stayed the same,I guess it was because she was in the anime for such a short period of time.
The dubbing was pretty bad, but it WAS entertaining, and the monster-of-the-day thing was kind of tedious, but fans remember stuff like that.Flaws aside, this was an excellent starter anime for the States.8/10.
(i think that America was better off making the two sailor scouts lesbians because its worse for kids to watch cousins holding hands, looking each other in the eyes etc.) and theirs another homo couple in the Japanese version and in the American version they given one of them a female voice to turn him to a girl.sailor moon has many great morals and use them very passionately and perfect for young girlsso over all sailor moon is indescribable and should be watched by kids and preteens and older people just so they can enjoy itthanks for reading my comment and i hope i helped you a bit(also even though sailor moon isn't on the air anymore you can watch entire series on you tube.com.
The only thing I don't like about her is her feelings about school; but you can see all along the story that she matures, and at the end (when she finally wins over Sailor Galaxia) Serena is a much stronger girl who will continue growing and who will be prepared when the moment comes and she has to take her place as Neo Queen Serena.
Like with most of these Japanese cartoons (Animes) the American version is enormously censored and a lot of times they leave a lot of obvious stuff behind which just makes you want to make fun of it.
Other times, when she is not being lame, she uses the power of love to ultimately win, just like that power of friendship bullsh*t in shonen anime.Overall, it has good music and beautiful art, but the main lead is no one to care for, really.
(And if you hate dubs or have an overly fond attachment to the original dub, you won't like what VIZ did with a dubbing.) I got into Sailor Moon after becoming a fan of Momoiro Clover Z, and I can definitely say it is one of the best anime series I have ever seen - I see why it is so popular.
One thing I don't like is that, in the English dub, there are 'Sailor Says' segments at the end, which is just the Sailor Scouts telling us the morals of the story.
Nostalgia Critic made me remember Sailor Moon.Nobody knows what he will revive NeXT of good old 1990's shows.This is a story about an ordinary Japanese schoolgirl.But when some is in need she and her friends transforms into heroines.Sailor Moon and her friends are fighting many kind of people transformed into monsters.There is also a time for a lot of romance too.Here is something for all with pretty anime girls, an unforgettable theme and Classic anime animation.I'm no major anime fan, but Sailor Moon was one of my most watched mainstream anime back then.I remember watching this on Swedish and German TV.Try to find the VHS cassettes in Germany because it was a big hit there.10/10.
Though I had grew with the English version, I had wondered about the original Japanese version, until I have looked up on the internet; In Japan there were five "Sailor Moon" series all lumped together under one title.
The original Japanese cartoon was a masterpiece (I've seen the entire thing subtitled and thought it was some of the best anime ever made).
Sailor Moon..one of the most popular animes in the world was translated and dubed into english languge by DiC.
Now I know that many people hate the dubbed version because of it's heavy editing (the deaths at the end of season 1), and the very stupid "Sailor Says".
sailor moon i don't know if its because its targeted towards the female audience or the terrible story line that only male my little pony fans,little 6 year old girls,and stupid people who don't know a thing or two about the media would understand but i just don't like sailor moon in my opinion its just a anime for pedophiles to get off to and young little girls to enjoy but as i say there is a show for everyone and sailor moon is not one of those shows for me personally i would go with something like tri gun or Dragon Ball but sailor moon is probably the only anime i have ever rated a one because i hate it with passion and will continue to.
Come on sailormoon isnt that bad.but i have to admit,even when i was like 9 years old in 1998 the beginning of the episode in english,when she wouldnt fight and she got all wimpy,sucked.It wasnt a good start of a good ending that much,but still its improved alot during the other sailormoon seasons sailormoon r,sailormoon s,sailormoon supers and even sailor stars series.That other users comments were too HARSH he/she said it beats south park,anyones it would probably be more appealing to teenage girls or girls 4-12,but i recommend it to anyone who wants to see good action and romance!..
Anybody who thinks that the English dub is great should get a hold of some fansubs (subtitled episodes) and experience the beauty that is Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon..
Since this is the only version of Sailor Moon I've seen, I guess I am biased but I like the show.
I think Sailor Moon is a good show because it's interesting and fun to watch..
The girls in the cartoon all look like their anorexic and Sailor Moon's attitude towards school is appalling.
The english sailor moon was dubbed from DIC and they changed it alotfrom the original japanese series.
I really like Sailor Moon it's my favorite anime but I prefer the japanese version.
The japanese version is for a more older audience but I recommend the english version to younger people you'll like it I got to admit the english version is funny and starting at season 3 the editing is alot better they keep the original story basically..
Secondly, the original music is not very mood-oriented and takes away much of the intensity that DIC brought to its versions of the Sailor Moon episodes.
But like others say it's better than nothing.I mostly watched Sailor moon on Cartoon Network.
This Anime is great,both American and Japanese.But people,don't get mad and say that DiC destoyed Sailor Moon!!!!!Yes,it is worse,but it isn't that bad!!!!!Its worse because DiC doesn't want the kids to see nudity and hear curse words n' all!!!!Watch the American Version and be happy with what you got!!!!!I have seen E V E R Y episode in both American and Japanese!!!(Yes,I have seen SailorStars)and They are both great!!!!!!!.
Anyone who has ever watched the original Japanese versions of cartoons will spend a very long time telling you how the Amercians have senselessly butchered them when they dubbed them for Western audiences, but the fact of the matter is, what you don't know won't hurt you.
So Sailor Moon was rewritten, I have seen every episode of the DiC redo and they are good in their own right.
The dubbed version of Sailor Moon wasn't as bad as some purists like to think.
(A lot like they do in Ranma dubs.)So, even though censorship did happen, and believe me it's not the only show that has been through it, Sailor Moon NA is still undoubtedly fun..
For that matter, I have an aunt in her forties and she adores Sailor Moon.I hate it when people say that the English dubbed version is rubbish, because that's the version I watched it in and I prefer it to the Japanese version any day.
But that's another day and another rant.Now I'm back to watching it - mainly to watch the series that I missed out on as a lame American child (But the rest of the world seemed to get it) - Sailor Stars.So now for the review.English DiC DUB - The dub work, while not true to the Japanese version, is still surprisingly decent.
it was one of my favorite shows as a kid and once I grew older I kind of forgotten about it but then out of nowhere I remember the song My Only Love which is the song that was played when we find out that Serena is the princess of the moon kingdom which then my friend had that episode and I remember being a kid again and remembering all the good times with this show and now I am planning to see the Japanese version as well which I never knew there was till I did research of the show and the things that I found interesting about the Japanese version is: -Sailor Neptune and Uranus are lovers instead of cousins which I kind of had a feeling that they were and I guess I was right -Zoicite and Malachite were homosexuals and in love -Zoicite was a man which shocked me like crazy you wouldn't understand -The music and the extra scenes that wouldn't show in the American version because of the children (for example: how Darian chokes Serena when Darian was in Queen Beryl's control -Extra episodes such as if the parents would keep Luna in the home and so much more I have finished the first season of the Japanese version and it wasn't bad at all but I like the American version abit better and its not just cause American version they spoke in English or anything like that its just when I watched it I just couldn't get into it like I got with the American version I ain't saying that the Japanese version is bad they are both good and I am still gonna watch season 2 of Sailor Moon in Japanese to see more I hope they put back Sailor Moon on TV so I can see season 5 in the American version to see what that would be like and what else I liked about Sailor Moon was the relationship with Serena And Darien from the beginning the fight,pain,love,trust,lost,gain that I always wanted a relationship like that which is so beautiful Serena + Darien=(K)(L) Sailor Moon!!!!
Guess which one I think?), S was the darkest, Super S was the funniest & the cutest (I can't believe so many people hate it), and Stars wrapped up everything neatly and with a bang.One last thing, Sailor Moon has the best in-show music I have ever heard (the Japanese music, .
I admit even though I'm beyond the target audience they had in mine, I love watching it and will continue to watch it.Keywords to remember Moonie: Sailor Moon Fan Purist: Someone who wishes that, in the dub, they had not changed anything about the show Puritans: Those who have a problem with anything vaguely offensive P.S. To all those puritans, who complained about the characters unrealistic figures, we have a better sense of reality than you think..
Original Japanese version 9/10As Said previously I never watched to much of this anime when it got aired on TV in English.
The music in this version is great, The voice acting is believable, the writing is very good, The characters are funny, interesting and well developed with there own personality's, The Japanese version also has no cuts in episodes and has all of them from Season 1-5.
If you haven't watched sailor moon Watch this version since you will get everything in it and it does everything better then the Dub from the comedy to the drama and romance.
English Dub DIC Seasons 1/2 3/10This is a very bad dub and it isn't what sailor moon is about at all.
Not to mention they kept changing the main character Usagi's (Serena in the dub) voice a few times throughout both seasons.
English Dub Clooverway Seasons 3/4 5/10While in certain ways I do think this Dub was better then Dic's dub due it having no cuts in episodes, Keeping the same soundtrack as the Japanese version and having the same storyline.
This version isn't worth your time either but it is better then Dic's dubs tho.This is an anime Classic that everyone should watch and it holds a special place in my heart because it's got me interested in anime.
I really liked the first season of Sailor Moon.
Sailor Venus is a glam girl.There are 40 episodes of Season 1 and there's enough substance to the characters and the villains (Queen Serenity) that it keeps the show engaging without getting too repetitive or boring.For an example, Sailor Mars poking fun at Serena AKA Sailor Moon for eating too much and calling her "meatball head" is pretty cheesy but, cute and funny to watch.However at the start of Season 2, everything changed.
The voice acting was different (it got worse) and the dubbing got worse with lazy, poorly written plots and while other characters like Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus were introduced here, they weren't as fleshed out as they could of been and the whole show just got boring, here on out for me.I don't even know what had happened in the show soon after Season 2 but, whatever.A decent show (girls will love it) but, it isn't for everyone..
10/10DiC English Dub- Sailor Moon fans generally hate this version.
Though that's because the DiC cues were only for Classic and R.Overall: Even if the Dub and Japanese have their flaws, Sailor Moon is still an awesome anime worth watching.
Bishoujo Senshi Seeraa Muun (or as known in the States as Simply Sailor Moon) is the story of a normal girl, Tsukino Usagi/Serena (who loves food and hates school--wow, that's so horrible!
Bishoujo Senshi Seeraa Muun (or as known in the States as Simply Sailor Moon) is the story of a normal girl, Tsukino Usagi/Serena (who loves food and hates school--wow, that's so horrible!
The show originally ran from 1992-1994 (They showed the first season in the US in 1992 and ran through what we know as the Doom Tree saga, where DiC dropped the show).In a nutshell, we follow the lives of what starts off as 5, then turns into 9, girls as they grow and mature...and at the same time balance High School entrance exams with fighting off the evil forces that try to take over the Earth--and the rest of the universe for that matter.
The show originally ran from 1992-1994 (They showed the first season in the US in 1992 and ran through what we know as the Doom Tree saga, where DiC dropped the show).In a nutshell, we follow the lives of what starts off as 5, then turns into 9, girls as they grow and mature...and at the same time balance High School entrance exams with fighting off the evil forces that try to take over the Earth--and the rest of the universe for that matter.
i cant say i have ever seen the original Japanese version of sailor moon but I'm not against gay people or cartoon violence or anything and from what I've heard i think i would like it..
and most people first heard of sailor moon from the dubbed version then found out about the Japanese version.
so if the dubbed version was never played many people would have never even heard of sailor moon - What a tragedy! |
tt1003034 | Perrier's Bounty | Michael McCrea (Cillian Murphy), a perpetual waster, has passed out during the afternoon. He awakes to find two thugs, Ivan (Michael McElhatton) and Orlando (Don Wycherley), staring at him. They remind him that he owes money to Darren Perrier (Brendan Gleeson), a local crime boss. The debt must be paid that night, or Ivan and Orlando will break two of Michael's bones of his own choice. After they depart, Michael goes downstairs and sees his friend Brenda (Jodie Whittaker) carrying a bouquet of flowers. She informs Michael that her boyfriend, Shamie (Pádraic Delaney), with whom she has a rocky relationship, has given her the flowers by way of apologising for his absenteeism. Michael is uninterested, and leaves the building in pursuit of a loan to pay off his debt.
Michael heads to Delgado's Pool Hall, a nearby snooker bar, in search of a man known as The Mutt (Liam Cunningham), who provides loans. There, Michael's friend Clifford (Domhnall Gleeson) explains that The Mutt was recently thrown out of the bar after assaulting a man who insulted his snooker skills. Leaving the bar, Michael clashes with two clampers (Ned Dennehy and Glenn Speers), who vow to find him and clamp his car later. Michael goes home to find his father, Jim McCrea (Jim Broadbent), waiting outside. Their relationship is not good, and Michael is reluctant to talk. However, Jim reveals that he is dying of cancer and wishes to reconcile. The two go to a pub to drink, but while there, Michael learns of The Mutt's location in another pub. He abandons his father, promising to talk later.
At the next pub, Michael runs into Shamie, who is making out with a girl. Michael is angry and tells Shamie he needs to show Brenda some respect and end their relationship if he wants to pursue other girls. Michael then finds The Mutt, who is drinking with his associate Dinny (Breffni McKenna). He asks The Mutt for a loan, but is refused. Giving up, Michael begins to drink at the bar only to be assaulted by an angry Shamie. Michael overpowers Shamie and demands he break up with Brenda. Storming off, he is stopped by The Mutt, who asks if Michael will join him and Dinny in a burglary. The money earned will pay off Michael's debt, but he won't get it until morning. Michael agrees, and the three head out.
The burglary goes off without a hitch, and The Mutt finds pictures that prove the home owner is cheating on his wife. The trio plan to blackmail him out of €30,000. Michael is dropped off and is assured he will get his €10,000 in the morning. Back at his car, he finds his car clamped. Ivan and Orlando then return and drive their truck full speed into the clamped car. Michael flees the scene and loses them, then returns to his home in search of the pistol he keeps under his bed. However, Brenda has stolen the gun and is contemplating suicide after being dumped by Shamie. She locks Michael out of her apartment just as Ivan and Orlando enter, having predicted that he would come home. They begin to beat Michael with a bat and prepare to break his leg. Before they can do so, Orlando is shot dead by Brenda. Ivan runs away to tell Perrier. While comforting Brenda, Jim enters and, noticing the body, tells them they need to properly dispose of Orlando. The three get into Brenda's car and go to an escarpment, where they bury Orlando. Jim comments that the locale is beautiful and refers to its history, commenting that men who lived and died by the sword were buried here. Brenda's car becomes flooded and they cannot get away, so Michael and Brenda spend the night in her car, while Jim stands outside, spending the whole night awake, watching Dublin.
At Perrier's hideout, he discusses Orlando's death with four other members of his crew. It is revealed to him that Ivan and Orlando were lovers. Perrier goes to comfort the grieving Ivan, telling him that he is not judgemental about his homosexual relationship and that he will be putting a €10,000 bounty on Michael and Brenda.
Back at Brenda's car, it is morning and Michael notices that his father has been up all night. Jim then admits that he does not have cancer, but instead believes he was visited by the Grim Reaper. During his visit, the Reaper informed Jim that the next time he sleeps, he will die. Upset that his father played on his sympathies, Michael wakes Brenda and tells her that her car has to be burned. Once it is aflame, the trio head back into the city. They are caught in a rain storm and take shelter at a farm, but the farm owner (Jane Brennan) calls the police and claims the trio raped her. Having fled down the road, they take cover upon seeing a Garda Síochána patrol car. Once it has passed, they cut through a forest. Brenda vows to make her relationship with Shamie work, and an angry Michael berates her for blindly loving Shamie despite his lack of faithfulness and love for her. While Jim takes him aside, Brenda storms off and, once they notice she is gone, Michael and Jim follow. They catch up with her as she is being arrested by two police officers. While sneaking up on them, Jim snatches Michael's gun and confronts the officers. The trio steal the police car and Michael receives a call from The Mutt, who gives them his location in order for Michael to pick up his share of the blackmail earnings.
With plans to meet The Mutt behind a factory at one in the afternoon, Brenda demands that, in the meantime, she be dropped off at Shamie's so she can try to restore their relationship. Along the way, the trio encounter a young man (Chris Newman) and two of his mates joyriding in a stolen car. Jim and the man talk and the two trios swap cars. In their new stolen car, they arrive at Shamie's; however, Brenda arrives just as a nearly naked woman strolls out and a nearly naked Shamie runs after her. The two start to get intimate in the hallway just as Shamie notices Brenda, but Brenda runs away. Outside the building, Brenda bypasses the car and runs down a nearby street, prompting Michael to chase after her and comfort her. Jim, left behind, approaches Jerome (Brendan Coyle) and Russ (Conleth Hill), two members of the Savage Canine Vernacular, who are training their Rottweilers to attack. Jim helps them, and then picks up Michael and Brenda.
They trio arrive at the warehouse and Michael heads in alone to get his share. He meets with The Mutt and Dinny, but the two plan on betraying him. The Mutt knocks Michael out with a wrench and he and Dinny carry the unconscious Michael to The Mutt's car. As they are putting him in the boot, Jim approaches, armed with a pistol. He knocks both Dinny and The Mutt out while Brenda steals the entire €30,000. With Michael back in the car, the trio head out.
Hiding out in another industrial area, Jim reveals the reason why Michael became estranged from his parents. After witnessing a local thug, Steve Lynch, beating up a woman, Michael intervened and beat up Lynch. Lynch returned to Michael's house later, where only his mother, Elaine, was home. Lynch proceeded to assault Elaine, leaving her badly injured. Believing his parents blamed him for the attack, Michael broke off contact with them. Elaine and Jim would later split up, with Elaine moving to County Clare. Jim then asks Michael if he can have some cocaine, and Michael agrees, taking him to Delgado's Pool Hall in order to buy off of Clifford. However, during the sale, Clifford signals Mulligan, played by the Irish novelist (Patrick McCabe), who calls Perrier. While Jim is snorting coke in the bathroom and Michael and Brenda are talking, Perrier and his goons enter. Michael accidentally fires off his pistol, causing everyone to take cover. Other gang members, primarily Ivan, begin shooting but Brenda, angry at Clifford, beats him over the head and she and Michael use him as a human shield to escape. Clifford is killed in the process, and Jim is left behind. Upon exiting Delgado's, the pair find that their stolen car has been clamped, and are forced to flee on foot. Thankfully, Shamie is able to find them in his car, announcing that he has been looking for Brenda. Michael and Brenda jump into his car.
Outside Delgado's, Perrier and his crew join with The Mutt and Dinny. Jerome and Russ approach, but their dogs growl and Perrier coldly shoots them. Jim walks out of the hall just as the gangs are leaving, but The Mutt notices him and he is taken hostage. Meanwhile, Shamie has tried to reconcile with Brenda, but she refuses him and her and Michael take his car at gunpoint. They take refuge in a hotel. They receive a call from a badly beaten Jim who explains to Michael that he is going to "take a nap" after the phone call - implying, true to his vision, that he will die. Despite this, Michael arms himself and prepares to go to Perrier's hideout. Brenda tries to warn him against it, but the two share a passionate kiss and Michael heads out in Shamie's car.
Michael arrives at Perrier's hideout, with the €30,000 and a pistol hidden in the crotch of his pants. He is informed that his father is going to die that night, though it will be quick. Michael's death, however, will be slow. He is pinned down on the table while Ivan attempts to castrate him. Before it can be done, however, The Mutt asks for his money so he can leave. Perrier pockets the money, just as Hank (Francis Magee) shoots and kills Dinny. In the confusion, Michael is able to escape, and Perrier kills The Mutt. Two of Perrier's cronies pursue Michael, who has acquired a golf club. He uses it first to knock out Blaise (Wuzza Conlon) and then Victor (Brendan Dempsey). Michael, now armed with a pistol, returns and confronts Perrier, Ivan, Hank, and Kenny (Brian Doherty). Lining them up against a wall, Michael takes their guns and his money. Kenny calls his bluff, and is shot in the leg. Michael then pushes his father out of the building and loads him into Shamie's car. At the same time, Perrier reveals that he has an AK-74u hidden under the snooker table. With that in hand, he, Ivan, and Hank head outside to confront Michael, who is attempting to flee. Perrier fires into the car as Michael reverses, and Jim is hit in the chest. They comment on how the Reaper came after all, and Jim calls him a cunt. An enraged Michael charges out of the car at Perrier, firing his gun, wounding Ivan and Hank in the process. Perrier shoots at Michael, severely wounding him. Before Perrier can finish him, multiple vans pull up, brought to the location by Brenda, containing members of the Savage Canine Vernacular. They set their dogs upon Perrier, who is mauled to death. Brenda, Jerome, and Russ inform a semi-conscious Michael that they're taking him to Derek Dawson, the best veterinarian in the business.
The next morning, Michael, having had his wounds treated, and Brenda are at the funeral for Jim, who is buried alongside Achilles and Apollo, Russ and Jerome's dogs, at the same place that the trio had buried Orlando earlier. A heartfelt eulogy is given, and Michael and Brenda profess their love for each other. The pair then head to County Clare, where Michael intends to reconcile with his mother. The narrator, implied to be the Reaper, ponders as to whether the experience has made Michael a better man, possibly an enlightened man. He is shown waving at his mother before the camera fades out. | murder, revenge, suicidal, violence | train | wikipedia | Perrier (Brendan Gleeson) has a bounty for the head of Michael (Cillian Murphy).
Poor lad, he owes money to some local thugs.With the help of his beautiful, slightly crazy and suicidal neighbour Brenda (Jodie Whittaker), they accidentally kill a thug, and then with the encouragement of his might-be-dying father (Jim Broadbent), they go on a crime spree.It's a comedy of errors where the errors lead to many murders, some accidental but some because there's nothing better to do.
I'm assuming that's the purpose, and also that the contradiction between philosophy and gangster crime is supposed to be hilarious."Perrier's Bounty" could be a brilliant fusion of all genres into a gangster crime film.
But in the end, there are quite a few things, that don't quite work in it's favor.While the story as it is, is told pretty fast (so that you can't think too much about some logical errors/plot holes I guess), sometimes you'd want some time for the characters to breathe.
We certainly don't shy away from foreign films, and this gangster/father-son story looked to be right up my alley.Like I mentioned in the title - there is quite a bit of humor here that can be hard to pick up because of its' dry nature, and because of the thick accents.
It can really make the difference between this being a completely average film, and this being a truly enjoyable, albeit lesser-known, humorous, and darkly adventurous tale.The cast is strong and the story moves at a brisk pace.
It's in the storyline vein of Tarantino or Ritchie, but lacks a bit of the panache of those directors' work.Perrier's Bounty has good performances throughout, and there is little doubt that those fans of the afore mentioned directors will find this to be an exciting film.
THose who liked pulp fiction and lock stock will find this to be a good(not great) film along the same lines.
The acting was unbelievably good, with Jim Broadbent, Cillian Murphy, Jodie Whitaker and Brendan Gleeson, joined by a throng of wonderful cutthroats, henchmen and great dog trainers.
The magnetic Cillian Murphy is a quick hook into the world of the film, but Jim Broadbent is the story's heart, and the eccentric but completely relatable character he paints is a treat to watch.
The story, despite trying hard, never turned out to be more than mediocre.The movie does have an impressive list of actors and actresses on the cast list, but despite this fact, that wasn't enough to pull off the story in a manner that would turn out to be outstanding.The story is about Michael McCrea who owes money to Perrier.
Michael is given a short amount of time to make payment due, otherwise Perrier's goons will set out to collect the debt one way or another.
A frantic night turns worse when Michael ends up on the run with his suicidal neighbor and his dying father.Storywise, then there were moments throughout the movie that were great and there were some good ideas to the script as well.
Perrier's Bounty is a gangster flick packed full of fantastic actors like Jim Broadbent .
This is not a movie to be taken too seriously, but if you are looking a good, lighthearted mix of drama, action and ironic comedy, this is a fantastic choice.I've not researched all of those who were involved in each movie, but the feel is very similar to In Bruges with Colin Farrell (which I highly recommend - especially if you've ever been to Bruges), maybe because the great Brendan Gleeson is in both...The settings, from the bar, to the bad guys' headquarters are great and, in addition to Brendan, the cast does a great job with what they are given.
If you enjoyed Snatch or In Bruges, then you will find this trip just as satisfying.Michael (Cillian Murphy) owes a small debt to Perrier (Brendan Gleeson), a Dublin crime lord.
After Perrier's enforcers come calling, and things go awry, Michael, his father (Jim Broadbent), and his downstairs neighbor, Brenda (Jodie Whittaker), go on the lam.In the process of saving their lives they mix with the local police, Brenda's ex, a coke dealer, some teenage car thieves, a farm woman with an active imagination and a group of mean-dog fanciers.Lots of bodies fall by the wayside, and the hoodlums get their just desserts in the most imaginative way..
My decision to watch this stemmed from the star power of Cillian Murphy, if not then I would have approached English/Irish crime thrillers with a little apprehension as most somehow come across as Guy Ritchie wannabes, or follow a dark and gritty formula that gets quite tired after a while.
London Boulevard was a little underwhelming with a sprawling narrative that got nowhere, and in some ways Perrier's Bounty didn't quite leave a favourable impression.Granted the film boasts great character actors, from Murphy as the down and out protagonist Michael McCrea, Jim Broadbent as his dad Jim, and Jodie Whittaker as the hot next door neighbour Brenda who all get embroiled in Michael's affairs with the titular gangster Darren Perrier (Brendan Gleeson, whom is probably known to worldwide audiences better for his role as Mad-Eye Moody in the Harry Potter franchise), when they inevitably knock off two of the latter's foot soldiers when they come knocking violently to get back money owed, and a bounty is declared on Michael and the group which runs its course in an overnight tale of hunter versus prey.The better parts of the film come from the incredibly chemistry that Murphy and Broadbent share as son and father, especially when they got introduced in the film not really speaking or on good terms, but for the inevitable improvement when Jim's death sentence by way of a medical condition gets made known, and the wicked modus operandi of Perrier coming into play.
That of course gives way to plenty of scenes with graphic violence, which to a modern audience is something already quite numbing if the intention is to shock.Still, director Ian Fitzgibbon keeps Mark O'Rowe's story moving at incredible pace, set against an eclectic soundtrack, but alas it is the pace that doesn't allow for the film to breathe and give a little bit more dimension to the characters, especially the villains who come across as pretty one dimensional goons out for blood and constantly cursing through their limited vocabulary.
It's touted to be a comedy, but unless you have a ear for thick Irish accents, then most of the verbal jibes would probably have gone unheard, which is a pity since I would have loved it if it was subtitled to assist non native English speakers.Perrier's Bounty lacked a certain X-factor to its rather bland storyline, which had the actors to thank for making it a lot more enjoyable if not for their presence, since you're likely to be able to stay ahead of plot developments, which spell mediocre and average..
Michael and Brenda go on the run with his father Jim.This is a brit film from director Ian Fitzgibbon.
It looks like he's trying to make yet another quirky gangster movie from the island reminiscent of the Guy Ritchie style.
I recommend this movie to people who like there Irish comedy crime capers.
PERRIER'S BOUNTY is YET another clichéd gangster movie in which everyone is ripping each other off and there are no nice characters in sight.
RED EYE's Cillian Murphy plays a low-rent scumbag who owes money to a local gangster, played with familiar relish by Brendan Gleeson.
Cue loads of chases, manic situations, pursuing hit men and even a little romance with shoehorned-in love interest Jodie Whittaker.This could be just another London-set gangster drama in the same vein as many a Guy Ritchie movie, but the fact that it's Irish sets it apart a little from the crowd - but only a little.
It really falls apart when it comes to the father/son bonding scenes with an out-of-place Jim Broadbent; these are indescribably boring and seem to go on forever.However, fans of fantasy TV show GAME OF THRONES will be well served by the supporting cast; no less than four familiar faces from the programme appear here.
He causes the death of a debt collector, therefore the gangsters issue a bounty on him."Perrier's Bounty" may sound like a good idea, but it is poorly executed.
Perrier's Bounty is a quirky dark Irish crime comedy but it is also a misfire as you get a feeling of having seen it all before.
It wants to be In Bruges, it even has Brendan Gleeson in it but is nowhere as good.Cillian Murphy plays a young waster Michael McCrea who is in debt of 1000 Euros to loan shark Perrier (Brendan Gleeson.) Michael's dying dad (Jim Broadbent) turns up to make his life awkward and his dizzy, suicidal in the neighbouring flat (Jodie Whittaker) accidentally kills one of Perrier's debt collectors.Now they all find themselves on the run from Perrier but maybe some other goons with vicious dogs might inadvertently come to Michael's rescue.Despite the wacky set up the characters are rather two dimensional even with the added eccentricities they are given..
He lives in a small town in northern Ireland and owes a hefty loan to local crime lord Darren Perrier (Brendan Gleeson).
Perrier's Bounty is smart and funny, though not shatteringly original; many comparisons have been made with the dark and distinctly Irish humour of In Bruges.
Not because we expect it to turn out differently; just because we like how some stories feel.Here's Brendon Gleeson back again in an wholly different role to his In Bruges turn, joyous as as solidly horrible gangster Perrier; unkind to animals, worse to people.
And Jim Broadbent - in the wake of Peter O'Toole (may all the gods rest his venerable soul), does anyone mix matter-of-fact and completely barmy better?We know the core actors are great at what they do, and they carry the film along reliably.What's great about this movie is the detail, the gleaming dialogue, and the real story at the heart of this; the father and son, estranged and reunited in ludicrous circumstances, and the family ties slowly revealed to us.
Hurrah also for the supporting turn from Brendan Coyle, who's always a joy to watch.Perrier's Bounty isn't a new tale; but it's lyrical, funny, dark, human and absolutely charming..
The film delivers as an entertaining hour and a half, with a load of Irish/British humor and fine actors, but it doesn't manage to get up to a classic standing.Cillian Murphy is playing unfortunate Michael, which owes a grand to small time gangster Perrier.
It goes wrong, as Michael's female neighbor steals his gun to commit suicide, and more or less are the reason for the following mess.The film manages to keep interest, as well as keeping the story very real, as British and Irish films nearly always are.
This film is funny, but don't expect it to be fast paced, like the marketing say, comparing it to Lock, stock and two smoking barrels.
Dubliners - especially those who might be involved in shady activity - are well known for their colorful use of the English language yet here the writer has chosen to impose a random, stilted, formal English style of banter on the characters who in turn sound like they are choking on Roget's Thesaurus.Intermission by the same writer delivered an entertaining roller coaster ride with nods to Tarantino and Ritchie, however the plot never thickens for the thieves in Perrier's Bounty as it careers all about the place like a fun palace dodgem.The quality actors involved could do little to rescue this crime capers proceedings and are unlikely to save this for their grandchildren either..
Good cast - Brendon Gleeson Liam Cunningham Jim Broadbent Cillian Murphy et al - and a story of the shady underworld inhabiting Dublin......drugs, guns, violence, dog fights and other such delights.So today I packed myself off to the local multiplex and gladly bought my ticket.The premise goes that Michael (Murphy) owes Perrier (Gleeson) a sum of money, which he hasn't got - two of Perrier's thugs tell him he has four hours to find the money - or he will have two bones broken.
The Mutt tells Michael he is short - but is doing a job that night and needs a third man...So starts a hectic forty eight hours for Michael as he has run-ins with his father (Broadbent), the girl in the flat below, her on/off lover, two sadistic car clampers, the local dog fraternity, the snooker hall drug pusher, the ASBO-dodging car thieves.......I could go on, mentioning the double-crossing and the underlying love story triumvirate.Funny in parts but more chuckle-some than guffaws, the whole leaves you wanting more meat to chew over - there is not much to bring you in to the story completely.
This puts Michael, his neighbor and his father (Jim Broadbent)in a deeper hole as they are now on the run.
It's just a standard comedy as Perrier (played by Brendan Gleeson)has a few minutes of screen time and his presence is seen during the dying hours of the film.
The acting was very impressive overall, though Jim Broadbent's accent was a bit hard to decipher at times.
The main scene stealer is Cillian Murphy who really shows his comical talent and Michael was the funniest of the zany bunch.Not a terrible film by far, but just lacks the qualitative humor that "Intermission" possesses.
Cillian Murphy owes money to Perrier a crime lord and has hours to pay him back.
When his plans to pay back a 1,000 debt go awry, scruffy criminal Cillian Murphy, the girl he loves (Jodie Whittaker) and his dying dad (Jim Broadbent) have to stay one step ahead of Brendan Gleeson's goons, who want to lop off his willy and put it up his bottom.
Given the cast, this crime-comedy is a big disappointment, with a poor, mannered script of the type currently entrancing the Irish Film Board: a torrent of swearing and a show-off's vocabulary intending to compensate for a complete absence of anything to say.
Gleeson gives an excellent performance and Murphy and Broadbent are both quite good, but it's a smug and unsatisfying film, the agreeable invention of parts of the plotting and a handful of nice lines obliterated by a blizzard of bull faeces and a climactic death scene that is a new kind of rubbish.
Michael McCrea owes money to Perrier.
As I was watching this I felt a great distatchment with the on screen antics, not caring for any of the characters and their gormless antics - apart from Michaels da, played effectively by Jim Broadbent with a wavering Irish accent but real heart.
Unfortunately it has to be said that overall it was pretty much a waste of some fine Irish/British acting talent, yet it'll still probably get a DVD release long before the earlier Gleeson movie I Went Down.
This is an urban Irish crime-comedy, so between the slang and the sort of accents where Michael is pronounced MOY-cul, I'm sure I missed some of the subtleties of Perrier's Bounty.
Either way, they're a fun group with which to spend a fast hour and a half.Michael (Cillian Murphy) is a low-level denizen of Ireland's criminal underworld, which isn't so much under anything as sort of off to the side and behind the local pub.
It gives their crime stories a refreshing workaday sensibility.Anyway, Michael owes a thousand Euro to his local crime boss, Perrier (Brendan Gleeson).
With a 10,000 Euro bounty on one side, his melancholy but surprisingly violent father on another, his unspoken love's heartbreak on a third side and an unresolved conflict with his mother on a fourth, Michael is boxed in and needs a hell of a lot of Irish luck to get out alive.About the only complaint I have with this movie is that the character of Perrier, though ably brought to life by Brendan Gleeson, never lives up to his advance billing.
And while this isn't an intricate plot, there are more than enough times when it heads in an unexpected direction to keep you glued to what's going on.Perrier's Bounty is a clever and energetic piece of entertainment.
I will add "Perrier's Bounty" to that list of the latter.Brendan Gleeson is Darren Perrier, an Irish mobster who takes his loans very seriously.
Cillian Murphy is Michael McCrea, who is a bit of a slacker and finds himself with just a few hours to get the cash to keep the goons off him.
Michael owes money to Perrier, a local thug.
Now they must run for their lives, accompanied by Jim, Michael's estranged father who claims to be dying and has come to reconcile with his son.....A good premise, a great cast, and a short running, do sometimes make for a rollicking good movie.
Here we get an average Gangster film we have seen a dozen times before, albeit with an awesome cast.The makers seem to think it will be funny for the audience if some of the characters have tics, one not being able to sleep, one wanting to commit suicide, and obviously, the token 'funny' banter between the criminals.It's getting old now, and the fact that actors like Gleeson, Murphy, and Whittaker signed up for this baffled me.There are a couple of good scenes toward the end, but it didn't make up for the Deja Vu I experienced for the first hour.Disappointing..
What did Michael (Cillian Murphy) do to get into debt with Perrier (Brendan Gleeson)?
When two of Perrier's henchmen prepare to break Michael's leg, his neighbor Brenda (Jodie Whittaker), who began as a slightly irritating character but got much better as time progressed, shoots one of them, saving Michael's life, but throwing fuel on the fire of Perrier's wrath.Add Michael's father Jim (Jim Broadbent, whose Irish accent sounded just fine to me) into the mix, and it's hysterical and hilarious! |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.