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I don't understand why the reviews of this film are so universally bad, unless I'm just off my rocker. I found it sick, brilliant, twisted, and psychologically sophisticated. You won't get deeper into the mind of a criminal psychopath in a Hollywood film than this one. It has layers within layers, nuanced acting by Sto...
1pos
23cd50efa27e68a7955b03c290b5f34a
I am not a usual commenter on this website but seeing how underrated this movie is, I endeavour myself to write some comments and remarks about it. I had fun watching this movie, perhaps because Cat is everything I wish I could be, I am not going to post spoilers or reveal plots but there's are things that i really fou...
1pos
dd3b4f082ddb6a51d35b1f4450bceea7
I found this movie to be very good in all areas. The acting was brilliant from all characters, especially Ms.Stone and Morissey. Tramell's Character just gets smarter and more psychologically twisted by the minute. The plot is interesting even though, this movie is more for the mind playing between the main characters ...
1pos
9cb03caad20a697256bef7b0da53a8ad
I cannot accept the negative comments of other reviewers. They are too critical, perhaps because they are stuck in the past. I would like to see a comment from someone who had never seen Basic Instinct 1, perhaps someone very young ? I left the cinema feeling glad that I had not been swayed by the IMDb reviewers. 14 ho...
1pos
a7edbf3305242daee092f2f87c8d2a75
We start all of our reviews with the following information. My wife and I have seen nearly 100 movies per year for the past 15 years. Recently, we were honored by receiving lifetime movie passes to any movie any time at no cost! So we can see whatever we want whenever we want. The point of this is that CRITICS count fo...
1pos
32f153f52494a4004ef427475a771a65
What a thrill ride! Twisted and thought provoking. Once again, Sharon Stone pulls off her drop dead gorgeous, spellbinding character of author Catherine Tramell impeccably. The original Basic Instinct takes place in San Francisco. The sequel takes place in London, where Catherine has now relocated. Both bustling cities...
1pos
876aa9d61dc8e35466438437e9047572
Just came back from the first showing of Basic Instinct 2. I was going into it thinking it would be crappy based on preview critics and I was pleasantly surprised! If you liked the original Basic Instinct I think you will enjoy #2 just as much if not more. Great story that always keeps you wondering and thinking. The m...
1pos
83b0c3ab7299bbfeadf934cf3764c2a6
This picks up about a year after the events in "Basic Instinct". Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone) is now in London. While having sex with a soccer player while speeding about in a car going at 110 miles/hour (don't ask) she goes off the road and ends up in the Thames. She survives--he doesn't. The police hire psychiatr...
1pos
7d6e74fb3ff3c023f22951a8e786053f
Let me be up-front, I like pulp. However it is like one of these "easier dives" that you see at the Olympics. It has to be marked down a little because it is easier to give a cheap thrill than drag you inside the world of, say, a late medieval painter.<br /><br />This is only a two hour ghost train ride and while often...
1pos
819283037f491598df353f6ab1d361af
I heard tell that Madonna was briefly considered for the Catherine Tremell role. Compared to Sharon Stone, Madonna is too coarse and BAUERISCH. She's not even close. <br /><br />EVIL INCARNATE: Sharon Stone is a bit long in the tooth, the ameliorative effects of modern chemistry and surgery notwithstanding. However, sh...
1pos
735ed4fd5749190a03aee399f9bacf9c
Yes i'll say before i start commenting, this movie is incredibly underrated.<br /><br />Sharon Stone is great in her role of Catherine Trammell as is Morrissey as Dr glass. He is an analyst sent in to evaluate her after the death of a sports star. Glass is drawn into a seductive game that Trammel uses to manipulate his...
1pos
5bf2a2dcfee3f03eca5f08684f28f0e2
Really, I think this movie is more an example of an easy target than a truly bad film. In fact, the movie is done very well in many respects and is very entertaining.<br /><br />Yes, the script is a little convoluted, but that's the genre. The film has a noirish atmosphere centered around a femme fatale. Just like all ...
1pos
bc922d815e8313d00dfb8c6969fdd09e
Just the kind of movie I love. Some very good British actors as well as the one and only Sharon Stone. Catherine Tramell (Stone) masterfully manipulates a well educated group of people's lives, playing on their frailties to collect experiences to write a murder mystery book. She plays the female psychopath quite well w...
1pos
2961d8a740b5c8a0537faaf316ec58a1
I thought this movie did a down right good job. It wasn't as creative or original as the first, but who was expecting it to be. It was a whole lotta fun. the more i think about it the more i like it, and when it comes out on DVD I'm going to pay the money for it very proudly, every last cent. Sharon Stone is great, she...
1pos
9a10f54798e72140ba9b9b54aee60c54
Since this movie was based on a true story of a woman who had two children and was not very well-off, it was just scary as to how real it really was! The acting is what gave the movie that push to greatness.<br /><br />Diane Keaton portrayed the main character, Patsy McCartle who had two sons whom she adored. Her perfo...
1pos
fa13ef7ccd8c1f89875510f6f312b918
I got to see the movie " On Thin Ice" on the television in India.. I must say the movie was really well done, and really sent a chill down my spine.. the basic story makes me ponder what makes certain addicts decide to move on where as others still remain addicted...<br /><br />however, I felt that Diane Keaton was at ...
1pos
b5dd81adf8935fe64935d5a5184052be
A single mother(Diane Keaton) finds herself working several minimum-wage jobs. When she gets fired, she finds that she is unable to support her sons(Michael Seater and Colin Roberts), the latter of whom has asthma. Then she goes to her friend and starts selling drugs. Soon enough, she gets addicted to the drugs that sh...
1pos
8e5b49af6fb570a2421f40cbad29e306
Diane Keaton has played a few "heavy" parts in her many years on the big screen but she's mostly known for the "light and fluffy" stuff with Woody Allen, such as Annie Hall. She deserves an Oscar for best actress in a drama for this effort and it doesn't really matter what the competition was the year it was first show...
1pos
8f8c3d2ca9eff3de0bc6c5d972d2ed08
The past few months I have collected Voyager seasons 4 to 7 on DVD (I only had 1 to 3 on video before that, because Kes is my favourite character) and have just reached the end. I saw them when they were originally shown on TV here in the UK but had forgotten most of it. Am I satisfied with the ending? I think I am. Na...
1pos
d7c28761ec8a5f88d6eae368aeda5564
This is a great ending to the show. The fact that Adm. Janeway was able to do a double switch on the Borg was great. The fact that she allowed herself to be infected, thus infecting the Queen with a "poison" that in, essence, ended the Borg was great. The way they ended it also left some, not a lot, for a reunion movie...
1pos
618c26f59206b83dc4ce6bd8a85d22a3
SPOILERS. Like other posters, I felt that the ending was a bit abrupt. I would have liked to have seen the crew adjusting to life back on earth after their return. I suppose the writers anticipated this problem by "front loading" some Voyager on earth sequences at the beginning of the episode. (Of course, that time lin...
1pos
e7980737e3acb44d8fa836c0f8c6c77c
I was not really a big fan of Star Trek until past 2-3 years. Thanks to the advent of Netflix and post 2000 video technology distribution, I am able to embark into the past of all the great Star Trek episodes. For those that don't really watch every single episode and know them by heart, through TNG, DS9, Voyager, etc....
1pos
6a83fd180b6af9905fa2d3e90846af23
This final Voyager episode begins 23 years in the future. Voyager has made it back home. In the many years it took to return tho, the Vulcan Tuvoks' mind has been destroyed. He carried a disease they were too late getting home to cure.<br /><br />Captain Janeway comes across aliens who have time travel technology. She ...
1pos
cecdcca870fbe3ca75e9409fbf51e8bd
This is an excellent film about the characters in a adult swimming class, their problems, relationships and interactions with each other. It should have managed a wider distribution as it's much better than similar films from major studios out at the same time.<br /><br />The swimming instructor is an almost-Olympian, ...
1pos
f62cb65d4c3af05dcde5f0fc5d22afd4
I had the opportunity to see this film twice at the 2006 Moving Picture Festival In Birmingham, Alabama. I enjoyed it so much that I watched it a second time when they had an encore screening.<br /><br />When I think of the films that are shown at festivals, I usually expect them to be edgy and offbeat, often with the ...
1pos
4c25e70ca2ab561be909284f4a9f5506
I consider myself a huge movie buff. I was sick on the couch and popped in this film. Right from the opening to the end I watched in awe at these great actors, i'd never seen, say great word. The filming was beautiful. It was just what I needed. I hope that this message is heard over any bad comments written by others....
1pos
482f6d79cd82d313b4402ad0cee03e29
i actually thought this is a comedy and sat watching it expecting to laugh my ass off. pretty soon in became clear this is no comedy, or at least not a 'Jim Carrey type' one. what kept we watching was the characters - the movie starts with some pretty grim, troubled people, gathered together to try and fight one of the...
1pos
93de595893a29a81055293ce89cde826
I was really impressed with this film. The writing was fantastic, and the characters were all rich, and simple. It's very easy to get emotionally attached to all of them. The creators of this movie really hit the nail right on the head when it comes to creating real life characters, and getting the viewer sucked right ...
1pos
55e12fed3ad3ac8a1734374d0331f8da
I don't know why I picked this movie to watch, it has a strange title and from the description it just looked like something different. Every once in a while its good to try a film that's slightly different from the mainstream Hollywood hero/thriller flick and this film certainly was different. Right from the beginning...
1pos
9e5505c51e6a4bf63cb499cee78ad0e3
The big bad swim has a low budget, indie feel about it. So many times I start to watch independent films that have had really good reviews only to find out they are pretentious crud, voted for by people who are so blinded by the idea of the film and its potential to be provocative that they forget that film is a form o...
1pos
de11e63bdd6bef03499f4eee0e8a0d6c
I had the pleasure of screening "The Big Bad Swim" at the 2006 New London Film Festival last week. The festival highlights some of the best independent and non-mainstream films from the past year. It was my assumption that "The Big Bad Swim" was chosen for screening at this festival for the simple reason that it was sh...
1pos
1947778def92047075e22639e728b27c
this independent film was one of the best films at the tall grass film festival that i have ever seen there i loved it there are so many things that was great about the film on top of all that the cast and crew that i had the opportunity to meet were absolutely phenomenal.I thought that Avi did a great job in his role....
1pos
a3b74d62c2d1ec5b5555f66a50f1c209
Writing something genuine and true is challenging. Knowing how to shoot it and putting it together without making it trivial is even better. Ishai Setton's movie is one of those where you can recognize Life in all its simplicity and beauty. I have been touched by "The big bad Swim" and from now on, I will promote it as...
1pos
586c6d0fa3f30caaec6bf554315a5e44
I saw The Big Bad Swim at the 2006 Temecula film festival, and was totally caught off guard by how much I was drawn into it.<br /><br />The film centers around the lives of a group of people taking an adult swim class for various reasons. A humorous idea in its own right, the class serves as a catalyst for greater chan...
1pos
5501c6e64058766219e25b9db657e32d
This indie film looks at the lives of a group of people taking an adult swim class in Connecticut. The plot is fairly thin. What drives the film is the characters, excellently played by mostly unknown actors. Standouts in the cast are Brewster as a high school teacher experiencing marital problems and Weixler as a casi...
1pos
93406c6df5286a130a32ffae923dcd7a
I think I usually approach film festival comedies with the low expectation that they will invariably be "quirky," and that any intended humor will be derived solely at the expense of the characters' simplicity in the face of a complicated context. What was exceptional about Big Bad Swim was that the director was able t...
1pos
f71184d39d97fb804ef9ae7c30f86244
A community pool in Connecticut is the setting for this "under the radar" film which is charming, funny, entertaining, and appealing. Although it won prizes in major film festivals, "The Big Bad Swim" was not released to hordes of theaters across America, but was distributed in DVD form, and shown in theaters selective...
1pos
6363d821742859c916af58c94e21a6bc
This film is hilarious, original, & beautifully directed. I have become a BIG BAD SWIM groupie, tracking it to film festivals whenever & wherever I can. I've seen it about half a dozen times now, & each time, enthusiastic audience response has confirmed my feeling that this is one of the best films to come out in years...
1pos
0219f05d24866e53eeceb3c4773b044d
I recently had the pleasure of seeing The Big Bad Swim at the Ft. Lauderdale Film Festival and I must say it is the best film I have seen all year and the only film I have ever felt inspired to write a comment/review on. This film was beautifully directed and combined a script with realistic dialogs, excellent acting, ...
1pos
86bd09dc932736f7ad0620d007e5fd45
Or released on DVD or screened on a cable channel like Amer. Life TV network. I have been watching another favorite, "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea", as well as "Lost in Space" and Land of Giants". They've been showing them forever but aren't receptive to suggestions for other shows. My father and I were big fans as ...
1pos
8e936ab8b5e8b5ca77140b4f844c39f2
With the death of GEORGE NADER, on 4 February 2002, I thought of this most interesting program, which even though it had only a short run, was a tremendous idea with good story lines throughout. Generally unseen for over 40+ years it would be worth viewing again. The opening credits showed many differing images, one of...
1pos
804419f8448818a7f584fdb0cd587178
In 1967 I visited the Lake Elsinore glider-port and flew a yellow Pratt Read sailplane. Returning to Germany the above serious ran on TV and one segment was about the high altitude sailplane flights in California in the early 50ies. (The real life pilot was Bill Ivans, I don't know who played him in the series) It turn...
1pos
4b9da267152ca91085af6a01b6c43552
This has to be one of the best comedies on the television at the moment. It takes the sugary-sweet idea of a show revolving around a close family and turns it into a quite realistic yet funny depiction of a typical family complete with sibling and parent spats, brat brothers, over-protective fathers and bimbo sisters. ...
1pos
5d7e14ef0b7a2f4e9bf98512bb3bdb3e
This show was great, it wasn't just for kids which I thought at first, it is for the whole family.<br /><br />The first season was mostly about the father looking after is two daughters and son, he sadly passed away in season 2, I Could believe it when I heard it.<br /><br />I am clad they carried on with the show as t...
1pos
8685fadce055a782cd3ada5e389c2050
8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter had an auspicious start. The supremely-talented Tom Shadyac was involved in the project. This meant that the comedy would be nothing less of spectacular, and that's exactly what happened: the show remains one of the freshest, funniest, wittiest shows made in a very long tim...
1pos
0efb1f57082a3686679996566490b61b
Let me say first that this show was top tier when John Ritter was there. Upon his death, the show did drop off a bit, but the producers didn't give up on the show, adding James Garner and David Spade to the regular cast from 2003 to 2005.<br /><br />The show centers around the Hennessy family, Paul (John Ritter, may he...
1pos
9e54fffbd714bdf0f7ac5deeb25a88a2
ABC has done more for this show by allowing television veterans James Garner and David Spade to join the cast of this show. At first, the show was watchable and even predictable with John Ritter and Katey Sagal. John's loss shocked the world. Katey and the three kids are really a solid professional cast. The hour lesso...
1pos
c11c1cea92fb89b4bd8307317d06d5e7
Paul Hennessy and his wife, Cate must deal with their two teenage daughters and weird son...But after the untimely passing of John Ritter, the show became more about coping with the loss of a loved one...<br /><br />I found this show, passing through the channels one afternoon and I have to say I was laughing myself ti...
1pos
7ed7d4baff0f83f8b2eac73318dbb00e
This is full of major spoilers, so beware.<br /><br />"Prix de Beaute" always suffers in comparison to the two films Louise Brooks made with G. W. Pabst, "Pandora's Box" and "Diary of a Lost Girl," but in some ways, "Prix" is the quintessential Brooks film. Here she has a chance to be charming without the dark side of ...
1pos
943f81359b6cff869444c4a5a548275c
I think I truly love this film . "Prix de Beaute" was originally a silent film but later dubbed into French in 1930. Despite having someone else's voice dubbed over hers, this remains a stunning tour de force for Louis Brooks. The fact that her singing voice is dubbed by the legendary Edith Piaf helps to mollify us pur...
1pos
2daf839bd7006ffc77498f3336f8f49d
It is often only after years pass that we can look back and see those stars who are truly stars. As that French film critic, whose name escapes me, said: "There is no Garbo. There is no Dietrich. There is only Louise Brooks"; and there is, thank heavens! Louise Brooks! This is the third of her European masterpieces. Bu...
1pos
f046a881bc86757d0e45ea52fa98a6dd
`Mad Dog' Earle is back, along with his sad-sack moll Marie, and that fickle clubfoot Velma. So are Babe and Red, Doc and Big Mac, and even the scenery-chewing mutt Pard. The only thing missing is a good reason for remaking Raoul Walsh's High Sierra 14 years later without rethinking a line or a frame, and doing so with...
1pos
76773cc981db8ff633046214b829815a
A real classic, ten out of ten! Every actor is perfect, the screenplay is a haunting succession of suspenseful scenes. Scenes in car and scenes in the mountains are breathtaking. Wonder if this film is already out in DVD, because it must be seen in Widescreen version. Saw this film in the late fifties, maybe three or f...
1pos
6c5f2908451299e778fe941a6b49ae15
I think that that creator(s) of this film's concept deserves a lot more accolades than they probably ever received. It isn't an Oscar caliber film of course, but, at least for me, this film has left a lasting impression since I first saw it back in 1984 (in the theatre). <br /><br />I don't think this is (and hope it i...
1pos
599decf7ea416562bee923163e655c72
OK, first of all, ignore the last person' review. They admit to falling asleep through it so it's no wonder they didn't understand what was going on!!! As thriller/horrors go, this film ain't too bad, it is certainly very watchable. Right from the opening scenes you get a general idea exactly what is going to be the ca...
1pos
20e5bf13e4fe85cf04156ea553dbccaa
I saw this movie on TV late one night years ago, but it was a disturbing experience that has stayed with me to this day.<br /><br />The premise may seem a bit unoriginal - due to an earthquake, a hidden underground store of a toxic nerve agent in the hills above a small town is breached, and a microscopic amount of the...
1pos
e69e1b23b90a4f61e6e0ea9ae0437f8b
I saw this movie back in 1984, we first started watching "This Is Spinal Tap" and after 5 minutes we were ready to fall asleep. So we went instead to see this movie. If you have any conspiracy theory's going around in your head, you will want to watch this one. <br /><br />The question you have to ask yourself when wat...
1pos
b554660baa5b72f2382624fd7104561b
Im not a big Tim Matheson fan but i have to admit i liked this film.It was dark and a small bit disturbing with some scenes a bit edgy,i don't know were to classify this film its a bit SF and a bit horror slash thriller.I saw this at about 2.00am or so on my local channel there was nothing else on so i decided to watch...
1pos
584cb1317ee2d4375971610a1ce34b6a
Viewing "Impulse" is a very satisfying experience. Unpredictable films are such a rarity, when one comes along like "Impulse", it is something to embrace. The script is logical, and extremely creative. Meg Tilly, Tim Matheson, Hume Cronyn, and Bill Paxton, give believable performances. This could have played out like a...
1pos
585cc65f9339a0ddb47a4e7e43803163
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.<br /><br />Without giving away too much of the plot, it begins with an ordinary joe who commutes to his office job every day who becomes ...
1pos
7ff86cdc24f8c4e9921e0502dffdfca3
I simply love this movie. It is a perfect example of the well-rounded surprising stories that come out of Asian cinema. There was a recent Hollywood remake of this movie, with Richard Gere and the simply awful Jennifer Lopez. Please do not confuse the two movies. The original Japanese film is touching, subtle and wonde...
1pos
593c6f4b7d56d4f401bd7a42d22db766
I was so surprised when I saw this film so much underrated... I understand why some of you dislike this movie. Its pace is slow, a characteristic of Japanese films. Nevertheless, if you are absorbed in the film like me, you will find this not a problem at all.<br /><br />I must say this is the best comedy I have ever s...
1pos
04f4b98ba44519b46d88f170b9e5562a
How many of us wish that we could throw away social and cultural obligations and be free? Most of us, I suspect. Shall we dance? is not a movie about dancing. It is about learning about ourselves, recognising what we are looking for in life and having the courage to go in search of it. Mr Sugiyama is a middle-aged memb...
1pos
e32c4dac9d878b79b26887c4a3614af6
This film is about a man who has been too caught up with the accepted convention of success, trying to be ever upwardly mobile, working hard so that he could be proud of owning his own home. 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 b...
1pos
7c6b1a56a8d6bbb6397e57cd38251fee
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. It adds to the humor as well as warmth of this movie. There is slew of different supporting characters/personalities. Each does there p...
1pos
a1905b7fc2604ee119cf62d430da37f2
I don't like "grade inflation" but I just had to give this a 10. I can't think of anything I didn't like about it. I saw it last night and woke up today thinking about it. 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 fro...
1pos
28ce91ba181f69bc3940597d1a48f996
Okay. As you can see this is one of my favorite if not favorite films. This is a character drama which is absolutely hilarious. The main character is a business man who is stuck in a "same thing, different day" mentality. He sees a woman looking melancholy out a window of a dance studio from his train everyday and wond...
1pos
a50ca7c644f8c766bad8ae2eb539a9ef
This movie is among my favorite foreign films, some of the others are Amilee and My Life As a Dog. The similarities with those movies as with so many great foreign films, is that it takes a mundane slice of life and transforms it into a profound heartfelt lesson. <br /><br />In Japan, a man who is bored with his mundan...
1pos
a6540301bdefb52ebb8e187538dc74dc
The accountant Shohei Sugiyama (Kôji Yakusho) is feeling bored with his routine life, limited to hard work and stay at home with his wife Masako Sugiyama (Hideko Hara) and his teenager's daughter. One night, while traveling home by train, he sees the beautiful face of Mai Kishikawa (Tamiyo Kusakari) in the balcony of a...
1pos
f4a587ff36596f4bd251270508921e26
I have seen this movie many many times and I will never get tired of it. It is a classic in every sense of the word. The movie is hysterically funny and yet quite touching all at the same time. For those of you who are not a fan of "subtitles" or of foreign film in general, open your mind. This is a great movie for "th...
1pos
7c361cfd198519ddc8255b5b8e743b85
This movie was charming. An accountant wants more from life than the approved conventional success. 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. The big triumph at the end is not...
1pos
6eaf5bf4b8b7bae2da2ffc58e87d397b
There were some great moments of reality in there depicting modern day life (not only in Japan, but everywhere). It shows how stifling ones culture can be, and wanting to break out of the mold its created for you.<br /><br />The dancing was just a vehicle for saying "do what you love even if its against the norm". Rath...
1pos
a3fb74e700384194e60df588d8d8b7cb
Funny. Sad. Charming. These are all words that floated through my head while I was watching this beautiful, simple film.<br /><br />It is rare that a movie truly moves me, but "Shall We Dance?" accomplished that with grace to spare. Gentle humor mixed in with occasional subtle agony made this easily one of the best exp...
1pos
8a5fcf7a95dffd1f739707614a6c7a08
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. Wonderfully drawn characters bring to life a story that is at once deepl...
1pos
3340c7047f8aaee6154b6f4f4f68ac6e
Everyone in the cast, from Sugiyama to Aoki and Toyoko is someone we know in everyday life. They were so natural, and Sugiyama's transformation is incredibly believable. The score is so moving, it brought me to tears. The choreography was beautiful without seeming athletic. Mai's graceful dancing and charm gave me goos...
1pos
efced9761467360ad1dc2361e6034deb
I always look forward to this movie when its on TV. Have to get the DVD I guess. The range of different types of people is great. It says to me that anyone can be a dancer if they try hard enough. My favorite character must be Mr.Aoki. He is so quirky but so full of emotions. It is a perfect movie with wonderful dancin...
1pos
19c7ec8065acd3bacd0a29d99eb839e0
I lived in Tokyo for 7 months. Knowing the reality of long train commutes, bike rides from the train station, soup stands, and other typical scenes depicted so well, certainly added to my own appreciation for this film which I really, really liked. There are aspects of Japanese life in this film painted with vivid colo...
1pos
3a84c70e688423c8973b62059a8847ea
I just saw this delightful Japanese feature film at the 5th Annual Roger Ebert Overlooked Film Festival in the historic Virginia Theatre in Champaign, Illinois.<br /><br />Although this film, subtitled in English, has ballroom dancing as its heart, the film actually shows the world outside of Japan how the rigid struct...
1pos
5e208416c1153c53475c3c282d69d8f3
"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. What he finds in the studio are lessons in dancing and, most of all, himself. Funny, poignant, and utterly charm...
1pos
20aa9209c3eb7dcaa3413667cf7e70c8
A sweet and totally charming film, Shall We Dansu? made me laugh and cry. At first appearance, Sugiyama-san was not terribly appealing--an uptight salaryman, seemingly devoted to his family, but all too easily captivated by a face in a window. The object of his obsession is distant and cold. But by the end of the movie...
1pos
10bf39a251e964a68c46a5f3b3c7a026
It is not the same as the other films about dancing. A few normal people found themselves from dancing. Unlike the dancing films in Hollywood, the characters in this film are not handsome or hot young people. They are someone that you may see everyday in your offices. They are some depressed about their lives and final...
1pos
e82b11020cd96adcaa1c2885c77f3662
This is a very real and funny movie about a Japanese man having a mid-life crisis. In Japan, ballroom dancing is not approved of. But when Shohei Sugiyama becomes obsessed with meeting the beautiful young girl he sees in the window of a dance studio, he suddenly finds himself enrolled in dance classes. No one is more s...
1pos
a31d1aa11b75141b7ea5c562e95fb9b0
Masayuki Suo, who directed this fine film, is on a role. After the decent "Fancy Dance" and the classic (in Japan, anyway) college-sumo comedy "Shiko Funjatta", Suo has followed his own huge footsteps with a smashing success.<br /><br />The story is engaging. We both laugh often (Naoto Takenaka is hilarious, as he is i...
1pos
707d2079c01563a465bca65e657328d3
Absolutely stunning, warmth for the head and the heart. The kind of movie western movie makers are too rushed, too frenetic to even attempt. My kids watched it, and they loved it too. What real people--goes to show you how cultural differences (the Japanese setting) is less important than the human similarities. Go see...
1pos
b059b398563c263663e64a296594302a
I approached this film with low expectations but was very pleasantly surprised. It is very well done and it beats hands down the ballroom dancing movies of recent years, especially "Strictly Ballroom". While the music is nice and the dancing colourful, for me the movie is not about dancing. It is about the very Japanes...
1pos
423eee417d227eb024efc34b40060b4c
This film revolves as much around Japanese culture as it does the lives of one modern Japanese family. Physical contact is frowned upon for those over 7 (especially in public) hence all that bowing instead of hugging even when you are close friends/ relatives. Ballroom dancing involves putting your arms around someone ...
1pos
bde61dd92c8f019a689f8cb613b0192b
This is far more than the charming story of middle-aged man discovering the pleasures of ballroom dancing (although it IS that as well). It's the tale of one person learning to love life again, pushing past all the pressures of work and money to discover joy once more. The bonus in this film is a fascinating insight in...
1pos
a1bcb3891c789d701aa481cbfc4d229a
I thought this film was just about perfect. The descriptions/summaries you'll read about this movie don't do it justice. The plot just does not sound very interesting, BUT IT IS. Just rent it and you will not be sorry!!
1pos
aa92d6d21fb232f8ee7b364a8463a3ef
Shall We Dance is an excellent film because it shows how something, like dancing, can rejuvenate the life flow in the human spirit.<br /><br />Dance is seen as the expression of existence, and the birth of individuality. The is certainly the case with Aoki. At work he is a humble office denizen, but place him on the da...
1pos
a4dc2cb96685652fdf2459e75f292f85
Ernst Lubitsch's contribution to the American cinema is enormous. His legacy is an outstanding group of movies that will live forever, as is the case with "The Shop Around the Corner". This film has been remade into other less distinguished movies and a musical play, without the charm or elegance of Mr. Lubitsch's own,...
1pos
826006fdb2fcd23f8405cbf468d8b561
I have lost count of just how many times I have seen this movie - I probably know the entire dialog backwards - yet I am drawn to it time and again.<br /><br />Set in Hungary, a young Jimmy Stewart plays the eligible bachelor "Kralik" who becomes the secret admirer of Margaret Sullavan's innocent "Klara". Kralik secret...
1pos
7d0080530e954d546b1f97ce5de5e191
The cast really helps make this a pleasant surprise and a cut above the normal man-vs.-woman-argue-all-the-time-but-wind up-in love-type of Hollywood screwball romance/comedy.<br /><br />I usually don't go for those type of films and that tiresome storyline but this one was refreshing, fun to watch, and oozes with char...
1pos
76e53db8643cac005fea428735183279
This is a movie that gets better each time I see it. There are so many nuanced performances in this. William Tracey, as Pepi, is a delight, bringing sharp comic relief. Joseph Schildkraut as Vadas, is the only "villian" in the movie, and his oily charms are well used here. Frank Morgan, is delightful as the owner of th...
1pos
e045ca4739916bc1f36e58c134ea2ae3
A wonderful film, filled with great understated performance and sharp, intelligent dialogue. What really distinguishes the film, however, is that undercurrent of sadness throughout. The story is underscored by affairs, loneliness, suicide, disappointment, the fear of losing ones job in a world where that had disastrous...
1pos
c14d745e02587d8972aa67535ad2ff01
Sweet romantic drama/comedy about Stewart and Sullavan writing love letters to each other without either one knowing who the other is. Naturally, they work together and can't stand each other. You can guess the rest. It's beautifully acted by the entire cast (especially Sullavan, Stewart and Frank Morgan), has a witty,...
1pos
d972e595c388d93a4bd1e02280bbadb8
I just watched this on Turner Classic Movies Last night, for the first time ever seeing it, and I loved it. I like lots of the older films, especially because of the absence of all the filthy language, and excessive violence, nudity and sex in most of today's films. I also think they were made much better in many (but ...
1pos
0e1ed3f294bff7bc6d1d535678f631ea
Calling this a romantic comedy is accurate but nowadays misleading. The genre has sadly deteriorated into cliches, too focused on making the main couple get together and with very little room for ambience and other stories, making it formulaic and overly predictable.<br /><br />The Shop Around the Corner does not suffe...
1pos
03ff0fe2a4b718a815bb762f813b0ebe
Much about love & life can be learned from watching the folks at THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER.<br /><br />Ernst Lubitsch had another quiet triumph added to his credit with this lovely film. With sparkling dialogue (courtesy of his longtime collaborator Samson Raphaelson) and wonderful performances from a cast of abundant...
1pos
e6e997f8a66b1b00f149cba1ec468581
This, despite not being the original - it began life as a play in Central Europe - has weathered the several incarnations that followed (MGM's own remake with period songs In The Good Old Summertime, the Broadway show She Loves Me, even the excellent theatre revival in Paris a couple of years ago) and remains the defin...
1pos
c3c91c6286746e1833285cc7118e20b3
This is a truly classic movie in its story, acting, and film presentation. Wonderful actors are replete throughout the whole movie, Miss Sullivan, and Jimmy Stewart being the foremost characters. In real life she greatly admired, and liked Jimmy, and indeed gave him his basically first acting roles, and helped him be m...
1pos
58b4ffde7a1810424e49ecb0f05c0aeb