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478,515 | 463,200 | 87,363 | 7 | Funny , entertaining , scary and NOT for children | Possible spoliers ahead . . . I loved this film when it first came out and now , 16 years later , it still holds up . The performances range from very good ( Polly Holliday , Frances Lee McCain ) to OK ( everybody else ) . The special effects are superb , Gizmo is soooooo cute , the movie is never dull and there are tons of references for film buffs ( like me ) . BUT it is NOT for children . I remember seeing it on opening night back in 1984 , and when the evil gremlins attacked and the violence got real extreme ( the mother killing three of them in a blender , microwave and knife ) , I still remember mothers dragging screaming , terrified children out of the theatre . There's also an extremely morbid Christmas tragedy that Phoebe Cates relates and people are killed - - on screen ! If they had toned down the violence and avoided killing people ( injuring would have been fine ) this would be a great film for everybody . As it is , it is a great film . . . for junior high on up . Also , when the gremlins invade the bar would someone explain where they got all those little clothes and how they knew how to play cards , drink beer , break dance , etc etc . Also there's a gremlin in the school that kills a teacher , slashes Zach Galligan . . . and then is forgotten ! There are plenty of logic lapses in the script , but it's still worth seeing . Deserves an R rating , not a PG . |
478,160 | 463,200 | 486,051 | 7 | More a character study than a horror film but not bad | A girl ( Emily Blunt ) needs a ride from college to get home to Delaware by Christmas . She finds a ride with a guy ( Ashton Holmes ) . But she's obnoxious and mean and he gets tired of her . They try to take a shortcut but get stranded on a deserted highway . The car is damaged , the cell phones don't work , night is falling and it's sub zero temperatures out . Also some strange people start haunting them . OK - - this is far from a perfect horror film . It's slow-going , too long , very talky and isn't really all that scary . Still it is well-made and has some mildly spooky scenes . As I've said it's more a character study than horror but it's a GOOD character study ! The script is interesting and Blunt and Holmes are excellent in their roles . Unfortunately it derails at the end and becomes very confusing and has one climax too many . Still it's worth watching for the acting and if you're in the mood for a mild horror film . |
478,723 | 463,200 | 22,386 | 7 | Howlingly bad melodrama saved by Hayes | VERY old and creaky talky about Madame Claudet ( Helen Hayes ) sacrificing everything for her son ( who grows up into Robert Young ) . The thing is her son doesn't know she's alive . She had to give him up because she was abandoned by his father and ( wrongfully ) thrown in jail . She secretly supports him by becoming a prostitute . It's as bad as it sounds and very old and out-dated . Plays like a ( bad ) play but Helen Hayes single-handedly saves it . She overdoes it occasionally ( but then she WAS a stage actress ) but she's basically just excellent . She won a well-deserved Oscar for this . And seeing Robert Young so . . . young ( sorry ) is fun . I just didn't buy the story for one second - - it was just too silly ( and old-fashioned ) to be taken seriously . But it moves VERY quickly and is worth seeing for Hayes alone . I'm giving it a 7 . |
478,454 | 463,200 | 435,653 | 7 | An actually very good horror flick | SPOILERS After the funeral of a man three of his buddies - - Harris ( Dominic Purcell ) , Kira ( Josie Maren ) and Sid ( Marcus Thomas ) - - get drunk and dance on some graves in a graveyard late at night . It turns out they unwittingly resurrected some evil ghosts who go after the people who disturbed them . This was barely released back in 2006 but it actually isn't half bad . The bad points are : the movie has those stupid jump scares ; some of the acting is pretty bad ; it has a totally pointless beginning ( which the director rightly protested ) and a frustrating ending . The good : there are likable characters ; there's some good acting ; the story sounds far-fetched but they put it across and it has some VERY scary moments . The ghosts aren't actually even seen till the end and believe me - - they are frightening ! There are three horrific standouts here : the first view of the ghost in Harris ' bed , a sequence in a graveyard halfway through and the all out assault at the end . The special effects are excellent and it truly scared me - - there aren't many films I can say that about ! Some bad acting by Purcell ( who can be good ) lessens the full effect but everybody else is pretty good ( especially Clare Kramer as Harris ' wife ) . So a good strong ghost movie . Turn off all the lights and pop this into the DVD player ! I give it a 7 . |
477,782 | 463,200 | 113,270 | 7 | Not good but not bad | I originally caught this back in 1996 in its one week run at a movie theatre . I was under impressed by it and my feelings haven't much changed . Documentary about the infamous Edward D . Wood Jr . covering his life and movies . There are interviews with people who worked with him or knew him . They include : Vampira , Dolores Fuller , Bela Lugosi Jr . , Loretta King , Gregory Walcott and Paul Marco . Interviews are mixed with clips from the movies or some bizarre recreations . It is interesting ( somewhat ) but was this really needed ? I've seen all of Wood's films and they're just terrible . Wood had ambitions but not a bit of talent to carry them out . I wouldn't say he was the worst director ever but he's down there . Do we really need a docu on a very mediocre film maker ? I do like the fact that they didn't try to make Wood out to be some sort of saint . More than a few of those interviewed ( especially Lugosi Jr . ) pretty much hated the man and it comes through loud and clear . Also they totally ignore his films in the adult film industry in the 1960s and 70s . Still it's of interest if you're a Wood fan . The best interviews are with Vampira ( who tears Wood apart ) and Dolores Fuller ( a long time girlfriend ) . |
477,676 | 463,200 | 171,580 | 7 | A pretty good commercial film | Well another indie director goes Hollywood . Neil LaBute after " In the Company of Men " and " Your Friends and Neighbors " , turns out a pretty good commercial comedy drama . On those terms , it's good - - but when you compare it to his earlier films , it's really depressing . " In the Company . . " and " Your Friends . . . " were depressing but fascinating films about men and women and their interactions . This movie has no character development , tries too hard to be cute and quirky and ( worst of all ) has two hit men - - one philisophical and one a violent , profane lunatic . Gee , that's original ! The thing that makes the movie bearable is all the acting is good and some of the lines are hilarious . So , if you go in expecting a typical Hollywood film , you won't be disappointed . |
478,543 | 463,200 | 264,761 | 7 | Sweet but skin deep | Two women , Jessica ( Jennifer Westfeldt ) and Helen ( Heather Juergensen ) , meet through a personal ad and tentatively start a lesbian relationship . The problem - - Jessica can't fully commit to it - - Helen can . It's a cute movie - - reasonably entertaining with some good performances by the two leads ( who also wrote it ) , and also by Scott Cohen ( as Jessica's boss and ex ) and Tovah Feldshuh ( as Jessica's VERY Jewish mother ) . Most of the laughs come from Feldshuh who is hysterical . Also it has multiple happy endings for everybody . But it's all so fluffy - - there's no real depth or meaning in this film . It's on the level of a very good sitcom . There's nothing wrong with that , but a movie needs to be more - - I walked out feeling kind of empty - - like I hadn't seen a real movie . Worth seeing but slight . DON'T pay $10 . 00 to see it . |
478,596 | 463,200 | 78,723 | 7 | No masterpiece , but funny and very interesting | Very loud , very big and very funny fictional account of a supposed Japanese invasion of Los Angeles in 1941 , after the bombing of Pearl Harbor . There are many plotlines throughout the film - - too many to summarize here . Basically , this is the most unusual Spielberg film I've ever seen ( and his only bomb ) . It's from the bigger is funnier school of humor - - Spielberg's only big comedy . There's lots of gunfire , lots of fights , lots of screaming ( in full stereo ) and tons of destruction ( an entire amusement park is destroyed , a few city blocks of Los Angeles and a big beautiful house ) . As for the acting - - it varies wildly . Tim Matheson plays a lt . who has the hots for Nancy Allen who only gets excited in moving planes - - they're both cute and funny . Dan Aykroyd is wasted . John Belushi is annoying . Robert Stack is amusing . Ned Beatty and Lorraine Gary are funny , but underused . Treat Williams is violent and very unfunny . And where else can you see Christopher Lee play a German ? The film is too long ( I saw the 2 director's cut ) and it doesn't always work . . . but when it does , it's hilarious ! A definite highlight is the jitterbug sequence - - unfortunately , it has a violent conclusion in which a very likable character is punched out three times . Terrific John Williams score too . The ending credits are quite interesting - - it shows each cast character screaming ! You may hate this film , but it's definetely a one of a kind . It's a cult classic in Europe . |
477,571 | 463,200 | 82,956 | 7 | Nothing new but enjoyable | Movie about two Australian girls - - Debbie ( Nell Schofield ) and Sue ( Sue Knight ) - - and what happens when they become girlfriends of two surfer guys . I caught this at an art cinema here in America in 1981 . Technically I was still a teenager ( I was 19 ) so I was interested in seeing how Australian teens acted . Script wise there's nothing new here . It shows the usual teenage adventures dealing with dating , sex , suicide etc etc . I always knew what was going to happen before it did but I was never bored . What I found interesting was , despite the accent and a few changes in clothes and hair , these teenagers aren't much different than American teens . They had many of the same difficulties and hang-ups . Also this was based on a book from a real surfer girl and her true life adventures and ( I heard ) it was a faithful adaptation of it . The acting was just OK but the actors were attractive and this was well-made and pretty interesting . So this is no unsung masterpiece but a pretty accurate portrayal of what it's like being a teenager and trying to be with the popular kids . I give it a 7 . |
477,169 | 463,200 | 53,172 | 7 | VERY mixed feelings | The first of the three so-called " sex comedies " made with Doris Day and Rock Hudson . Day plays interior decorator Jan Morrow . She shares a party line with womanizing Brad Allen ( Hudson ) . She hates him for always monopolizing the phone calling his various girlfriends . Allen's best friend Jonathan Forbes ( Tony Randall ) is in love with Jan . Brad sees Jan , falls in love , disguses himself as a Texan and proceeds to steal her away from his buddy . Some friend ! SPOILERS IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH ! ! ! ! This movie has a lot of negative things about it - - the sexual innuendo is stupid and extremely unfunny ( I groaned aloud at one of the lines ) . Thelma Ritter plays an alcoholic maid named Alma - - her alcoholism is presented as cute and funny - - alcoholism is NOT funny ( although I did laugh when she drank Hudson under the table ) . There are a few homophobic lines that come from Hudson - - homophobia is never funny and hearing them come from Hudson is extremely disturbing . The film also makes the point that a woman living alone with a successful job can never be happy without a man in her life . Sheesh ! The good things - - the acting is good - - Hudson and Day play off each other beautifully . I love the split screens used throughout the picture . Everything looks colorful and beautiful - - Day is just breathtaking and her clothes are incredible - - Hudson is strong , handsome and when he smiles . . . sigh . Also this is where some of the things we now see as cliches were invented - - the voiceovers , split screen , the ( purposedly ? ) lousy back screen projection and the montage of Hudson and Day seeing the sights . So , on one hand I liked this a lot - - there's always something to look at . On the other hand the stupid sex jokes and treatment of women make me uncomfortable . I can only give it a 7 . And don't let the term " sex comedy " bother you - - this might have been extreme in 1959 but it's very tame today . |
478,901 | 463,200 | 241,527 | 7 | Long , but pretty good | Adaptation of J . K . Rowling's very popular book is as good an adaptation as possible . . . but it doesn't completely work . The big problem was they were afraid to cut anything out of the book ( they'd have school children all around the world after them ) , so they try to put everything in and there's too much for one movie . Also it's a virtual word-by-word recitation of the book - - if you've read the book , you've seen the movie . This doesn't allow director Chris Columbus any leeway to change things or add his own personal stamp ( not that Columbus was ever an inventive director to begin with ) . So , it just ends up being the book visualized exactly as written . The acting is so-so . The kids picked to play Harry , Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger are pretty good - - not great , but certainly not bad . The adults vary wildly - - Maggie Smith and Zoe Wanamaker ( love her yellow eyes ! ) are just great as teachers at Hogwats . . . Alan Rickman , Richard Harris and Robbie Coltrane are horrible . . . they're REALLY not enjoying themselves . Also John Williams bombastic score is annoying . Still , it looks great , moves fairly quickly and there's a fantastic sequence showing a Quidditch game . So , it's OK but nothing great . Maybe if Spielberg had directed it . . . |
477,156 | 463,200 | 35,675 | 7 | Enjoyable but no great shakes | A kid at a military academy named Bud Hooper ( Tommy Dix ) sends a fan letter to Lucille Ball asking her to be his prom date - - despite the fact that he has a girlfriend , Helen Schelsinger ( Virginia Weidler ) . Ball accepts under the pressuring of her agent ( William Gaxton ) . Bud's two roomies ( Kenny Bowers , Jack Jordan ) are also hot for Ball . Add Nancy Walker and Harry James and his Orchestra and thing go barreling out of control . Not a great musical but enjoyable . The color is bright , the film is full of life and there are some very funny ( if dated ) lines . Most of the songs are unmemorable ( and go on far too long ) until the last one - - it's a great little number called " Buckle Down Winsocki " and easily stops the show . Acting - - well Ball is just incredible - - VERY sexy , funny and believable . Dix is just so-so as Bud , Weidler is good as his girlfriend . His two roomies - - one is OK ( Bowers ) but the other ( Jordan ) over OVER ACTS to a truly annoying degree . It reached the point that every time he was on screen I was cringing away . Walker's character is treated dreadfully - - she's the butt of some VERY cruel jokes . Still she manages to be funny regardless . Also this is one of you few chances to see Walker sing and dance ( pretty well ) and see Lucy sing ( although her voice is obviously dubbed ) . And there's Gloria DeHaven and June Allyson in bit parts ! Nothing great but I enjoyed it . If the songs had been better this would have gotten a 10 . As it is I'm giving it a 7 . Worth catching . |
477,997 | 463,200 | 25,725 | 7 | Silly but OK | SPOILERS ! ! ! Sweet innocent Ann Dixon ( Helen Foster ) is friends with the more worldly Eve Monroe ( Nell O'Day ) . Ann falls in love with Tommy ( Glen Boles ) and slowly starts to drink , smoke , have sex , play strip poker and get pregnant . This all leads to abortion and death . There's also a pretty mild bit of skinny dipping ( one or two girls are topless - - everybody else wears their underwear ! ) . This was probably sold as an " educational film " back in 1934 . All the subjects it dealt with were strictly taboo back then . . . BUT it could be released to show people how " horrible " these things could be and everybody guilty of it is punished or dies . Strangely enough the guys get away with it but the girls are punished - - double standards I guess . This is ridiculously tame today . Nothing is really shown or even talked about openly - - the word " abortion " is never used but it's pretty clear that's what happens . It's pretty slow moving too . Some of the acting is good - - Foster , O'Day and Boles are all good in their roles . So it's slow-moving and silly but an interesting view of what was an exploitation film of the 1930s . |
478,998 | 463,200 | 213,065 | 7 | Very 70s , but kids might like it | A lorax tries to " speak for the trees " when Onceler moves into his beautiful country and destroys it by chopping down trees and causing pollution . So-so animation and some truly nauseating songs got on my nerves , but young kids may like it . It's very pro-environment and ( when it sticks to dialogue ) is kind of fun . Also very short ( 25 min ) . So , good for the kids but a bit much for adults . |
479,518 | 463,200 | 56,993 | 7 | Pretty good if unknown Price movie | Vincent Price plays Simon Cordier a kind man who is a judge . He is possessed by a Horla ( never shown - - you only hear its voice ) who thrives on evil . It sets Price out to commit evil deeds even though he fights against it . Then he meets sweet Odette ( Nancy Kovack ) and things go out of control . . . . Well-made , colorful ( some BEAUTIFUL set design here ) , low-key horror film . The plot is interesting and the acting is good ( especially Price and Kovack ) . There's next to no violence in this one ( the one murder scene is badly faked ) . . . it mostly concentrates on Price fighting against the Horla . There's a few very interesting discussions between Price and the demon about good , evil and morality . It all leads up to a great climax . If you're looking for a blood and guts movie this isn't it but it is an intelligent thoughtful horror film . Recommended . |
478,823 | 463,200 | 53,137 | 7 | Great acting carries this one | A nuclear war has killed everybody in the world - - except for Australia . However it's just a matter of time before the radiation hits and kills them also . This movie focuses on certain people there . There's Cmdr . Dwight Towers ( Gregory Peck ) , whose wife and children are most certainly dead , being romanced by married , alcoholic Moira Davidson ( Ava Gardner ) . Then there's Lt . Cmdr . Peter Holmes ( Anthony Perkins ) and wife Mary ( Donna Andrson ) who just had a baby . She doesn't want to accept reality and he's trying to force her to . There's race car driver Julian Osborne ( Fred Astaire ! ) who is very negative and complains nonstop about it . In 1959 this was considered quite shocking . There was no happy ending and it seemed nuclear war could happen any day . Now it's terribly dated . The script is OK but we've seen these characters and situations before . They're all clichés and it's pretty obvious how things will end . It's also too long and I was bored . Still the acting is great . No one is bad in this one . Astaire and Perkins even fake credible Australian accents . There's also very effective use of " Waltzing Matilda " throughout . All in all I was bored and knew exactly how things were going to end . Still the acting in this makes it work - - somewhat . I give it a 7 . |
479,086 | 463,200 | 245,341 | 7 | Doesn't work | Jimmy ( Steve Guttenberg ) , a failed writer and actor , comes home on New Years Eve to find his girlfriend has left him , his cat has died and a gay burglar ( Lombardo Boyar ) is robbing his place . . . for the third time that month . He captures him , ties him up and things get strange . James Kirkwoods ' play was an off-Broadway hit in the 1970s . I never saw it but I read the script and it was wonderful . This film comes far too late - - the play was very much of its time . The gay character ( which was pretty revolutionary when the play came out ) is old hat by now and the movie feels washed out . Basically the comedy doesn't work . Boyar is VERY good in his role but Guttenberg ( who can be good ) was pretty bad . Maybe both directing and acting for the movie was too much . The two actors have no chemistry at all ( even though Boyar is trying ) . The movie isn't unwatchable . . . it's just no big deal . Also Guttenberg's apartment was WAY too big and beautifully decorated for a starving artist . They also ( badly ) changed the ending of the play . So it's worth seeing for Boyar alone . Also he's got guts - - he spends half the movie tied down with his pants cut wide open showing his back side . I give it a 7 for him alone . |
478,705 | 463,200 | 100,707 | 7 | This could haven been much better | Forgotten movie which barely got a release . I didn't even know it existed until I saw it while casually browsing at a video store . Homeless teenager hooker Dawn ( Christina Applegate ) angers psychotic cop Lumley ( Eb Lottimer ) who wants to kill her . She runs into a nice , normal teenage boy ( David Mendenhall ) and , together , they try to get away from the cop . Supposedly factual movie on the lives of homeless kids in Vencie , California . It was obviously made on a VERY low budget and looks appropriately grimy and gritty . It is well directed and Applegate is just fantastic as Dawn . Mendenhall has his moments too and it has an incredibly sad ( but realistic ) ending . Still , two things really lessen this film . One is some truly terrible dialogue - - the situations are believable but the dialogue isn't . The second is Lottimer as the killer - - he's not a bad actor but his character is given NO depth or insight . Also the bursts of VERY graphic violence are jarring . With a little more polish to the script and more depth this might have worked . As it stands it's only worth seeing for Applegate and some nice direction . I can only give it a 7 . |
477,628 | 463,200 | 60,438 | 7 | Sometimes funny but way too frentic | Slapstick farce based on a Broadway comedy / musical about some crazy complications when a slave ( Zero Mostel ) tries to win his freedom in ancient Rome . The script is OK with some funny lines and sight gags , the girls are all very beautiful ( and horribly objectified - - but this was done in the 1960s ) and the comedians ( Mostel , Phil Silvers , Jack Guilford , Buster Keaton ) are at their peak . . . but I didn't really enjoy this . For one thing it's WAY too fast and frentic with director Lester spinning the camera all over the place . In most of his movies this technique works . . . it doesn't here . You have some very telented comedians here . . . they don't need camera tricks to get the joke across . Often the camera cuts away to something else in the middle of a joke . . . it gets very annoying and is enough to make you reach for the Dramamine . It got on my nerves a lot . . . more than once I wished I could reach out and force the cameraman to stay still . Also this movie relies way too much on slapstick - - there's a closing chase sequence that goes on forever and has TONS of it . Still , I'm giving it a 7 just for the cast alone ( what a pleasure it is to see Keaton not doing a beach party movie and Silvers is hysterical ) and some very funny parts . Also the opening song and the " maid " song are real treats . So , it's worth catching on a slow night . |
479,238 | 463,200 | 408,790 | 7 | Pretty good | Kyle Pratt's ( Jodie Foster ) husband has just died in Germany . Kyle is bringing the body to the USA with her 6 year old girl Julia ( Marlene Lawston ) . They board the plane and Kyle falls asleep . She wakes up to find Julia missing - - and nobody on board remembers seeing her and her name isn't on the manifest . Is Kyle going crazy over her husband dying . . . or is something more sinister afoot ? It's good to see Foster back in a movie ( her last before this was in 2002's " Panic Room " ) but the movie is just OK . The movie starts off very good . Foster is a wonderful actress and her panic and anger at her daughter's disappearance is totally believable . Also Sean Bean is just great as the captain of the airplane . But when it becomes clear what's going on the movie falls apart . It asks the audience to accept some highly improbable events and just completely derails at the very end . Also Peter Sarsgaard ( a great actor ) appears to be sleepwalking . Still it does work very well at the beginning and Foster's acting throughout is just great . A 7 . |
479,165 | 463,200 | 60,445 | 7 | Forgotten comedy thriller | Michael Caine uses flighty Shirley MacLaine to hopefully steal something from Herbert Lom - - the richest man in the world . That's about all you need to know . This is a fun movie - - nothing too serious about it . It's very colorful with some beautiful settings and outfits ( get the white dress MacLaine wears ) . The script is sharp and sometimes very funny . MacLaine is full of life and fun in her role - - quite an accomplishment since she has nothing to work with . Caine ( a great actor ) seems strangely muted in his role . Lom is having a fun time with his part . The comedy mixes very well with the action ( MacLaine comes off best ) and there are some really neat twists and turns at the end ( although I saw the last one coming ) . This isn't an acting film - - just a film to sit back with , turn off your brain and enjoy ! Strangely this is pretty unknown - - I didn't even now it existed till it turned up on TV unannounced ! Well worth catching . |
478,300 | 463,200 | 35,489 | 7 | Great sets and atmosphere | Story about a monster going after the Hammond family who live in Hammond Hall - - a huge castle in the middle of nowhere . It seems that one of the Hammonds , centuries ago , sold his soul to the Devil for eternal life . Every few years he has to kill one of the Hammonds ( always a man ) as a sacrifice to the Devil and to keep him living . Helga Hammond ( Heather Angel ) thinks that's ridiculous and it's all a silly legend - - but her brother Oliver ( John Howard ) has been attacked and the monster may not stop at him . . . This was made quickly to cash in on " The Wolf Man " which had been a huge hit for Universal the year before . It has all the markings of a B movie - - a pretty silly ( and illogical ) script , an unknown director and a cast of actors on their way up ( or down ) . It also has some extremely annoying " comic " relief in the form of Cornelia Christopher ( Heather Thatcher ) a helper of Robert Curtis ( James Ellison ) who is assigned by Scotland Yard to solve the case . Still this is worth catching at least once . The sets are quite impressive ( I'm assuming they were made for another film ) and there's tons of atmosphere ( lots of fog on the moors outside ) . The howls we hear during the night are pretty spooky too . Also there's a creepy little saying - - " When stars are bright on a frosty night , Beware thy being on the rocky lane " . The last reel appearance of the monster is a disappointment unfortunately . Also the acting isn't that great with the sole exception of Angel . Thatcher especially gets annoying with her stupid jokes - - I spent most of the movie hoping the monster would get her ! Still worth seeing for sets and atmosphere alone . A 7 . |
477,561 | 463,200 | 100,502 | 7 | As bad as Robocop - - but in a different way | Robocop ( Peter Weller ) is back fighting drug lord Cain ( Tom Noonan ) , his gang and an evil OCP executive ( Daniel O'Herlihy ) and his helper ( Belinda Bauer ) who want to replace Robcop with different machines . This starts off OK with Robocop foiling a robbery . Then it goes downhill . You see him stalking his wife he had when he was human . Then OCP convince him he's not human , he rejects his wife . . . and the storyline never comes up again ( ? ? ? ? ) Why even bother with it ? ? ? ? The movie is not as bloody as the first but it has a mean streak running through it that is unpleasant : SPOILERS ! ! ! ! ! ! Robocop is chained down and taken apart piece by piece ; a man is cut open and a child is forced to watch ; we see children swearing , taking drugs , killing people and being killed . These scenes aren't fun or exciting . . . just real sick . SPOILER END ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Also the story gets REAL stupid after the hour mark and , like the first , plot loopholes pop up left and right . The last battle is far too long - - I don't care how good the effects are . There are good things - - the great stop motion animation and special effects ; the dark humor is still present and strong ; the tests of cyborgs to take over Robocop are quite funny ( O'Herlihy's reactions are priceless ) and the story was never boring . The acting varies - - Weller is as good as possible in the getup ; Nancy Allen is hardly in this ( she seems like an after thought ) ; O'Herily is fun ; Noonan is OK and Bauer is TERRIBLE in her role . Yes she is beautiful but not an actress . So - - on par with " Robocop " - - good or bad is your call . |
478,659 | 463,200 | 245,674 | 7 | Better than the original | The original 1960 " 13 Ghosts " was a very boring , stupid horror film . This one , while no classic , is actually quite good . A grieving widower Arthur ( Tony Shalhoub ) , his hot daughter ( Shannon Elizabeth ) , annoying son ( Alec Roberts ) and feisty black maid / cook / babysitter / whatever ( Rah Digga ) get trapped in an all glass house with a sort of psychic ( Matthew Lilliard ) and a ghost liberator ( Embeth Davidtz ) . It was set up by the evil Cyrus ( F . Murray Abraham ) and he has 12 murderous ghosts in cages down in the basement . But they all get out , one by one , and go after the family . This is pretty dull stuff until they get locked in the house , the ghosts escape . . . then the movie REALLY gets going . The ghosts are very brutal-looking and their attacks are bloody and violent . In a nice tip of the hat to the original , people in the movie can only see the ghosts when they have special glasses on . The special effects are excellent and it has more than a few scary scenes . The plot does go out the window at the end , but I was still interested . The acting - - Shalhoub is OK as the father . Davidtz is in it for the money ( and her character is badly written ) . Lilliard goes way over the top . . . as always ( take a few Valium bud ) . . . seriously , can't this guy do anything but overact ? Elizabeth is full of life and is viciously attacked in one scene but she's not in the movie enough . Roberts is just annoying as the kid . And F . Murray . . . he can play this villain role in his sleep . . . and he does . And Digga is funny but her character is cliché city . No masterpiece but not the disaster I was expecting . Worth seeing in a theatre with a good sound system . |
477,780 | 463,200 | 74,562 | 7 | Worthless as a biography but entertaining | Highly fictional movie about the love affair between Clark Gable ( James Brolin ) and Carole Lombard ( Jill Clayburgh ) . It chronicles how they first meet and hate each other but eventually fall in love . The problem is Gable's first wife won't give him a divorce and their studios are threatening to drop them . There are so many factual errors here it's pointless to try and discuss them all . The biggest one for me was the portrayal of Louis B . Mayer ( badly played by Allen Garfield ) as a kindly man . He was loud and obnoxious and treated the actors like dirt . Here he comes across as a nice gentle father figure which is wildly inaccurate . Still if you just accept this as a fictional tale it's not too bad . It's pretty obvious they spent a lot of money on this - - there's some truly beautiful sets and clothes . Also the script isn't too bad . It mostly consists of Brolin and Clayburgh screaming and arguing with each other or hopping into bed . . . but it still works . Brolin is VERY convincing as Gable . He looks like him and sounds like him . Also , from what I've heard , he pretty much gave an accurate portrayal of Gable as he really was . Clayburgh looks nothing like Lombard but her acting is excellent and she does show Lombard as she actually was - - strong , funny and independent . Also Red Buttons is excellent as a studio publicist . Beautiful music score too . There are a few problems . The movie is way too long - - it's 131 minutes and should have been shorter . Also there's a truly tacky sequence involving a " ck soc " that should have been eliminated . But , as a fictional tale , this is pretty good . R rated for swearing and very frank sexual talk . |
477,770 | 463,200 | 39,840 | 7 | Only worth seeing for Hayward | A successful singer Angelica Evans ( Susan Hayward ) gives up her career and marries unsuccessful singer Ken Conway ( Lee Bowman ) . She happily sacrifices for him and his partner ( Eddie Albert ) . Eventually he DOES hit it big , she has a baby . . . but he never has time for her - - his rising career comes first . She slowly drifts into alcoholism . This was probably hard-hitting in 1947 ( a female alcoholic ) but it's not even remotely surprising today . It tiredly follows all the rules of a drama like this leading to a jaw-dropping happy ending that was TOTALLY unbelievable ( but the Production Code demanded that ) . Also Bowman is pretty stiff as the husband and this looks pretty cheap ( it WAS independently financed ) . Still Hayward is so good all the shortcomings can be forgiven . She dives into the role full force and gives everything she has to it . This film ( understandably ) made her a star and earned her an Academy Award nomination . She's just incredible - - it's worth sitting through just for her acting . Also Albert is very good in his supporting role . So it is dated and really not that good - - but worth seeing for Haywood's strong , impressive performance . |
479,125 | 463,200 | 64,782 | 7 | A one of a kind | Musical that takes place during the Gold Rush days at a place called No Name City . Ben Rumson ( Lee Marvin ) a hard-drinking , ill-tempered man is partners with a man named Pardner ( Clint Eastwood ) . Through some circumstances to convoluted to get into , Ben gets a wife named Elizabeth ( Jean Seberg ) . However she starts falling for Pardner . What will they do ? For 1969 that was pretty adult and strange subject matter for a musical . This movie was plagued by problems when it was being filmed . Marvin was impossible to get along with , the director and producer were constantly fighting and it was filmed in the dead heat of summer where temperatures ran over 100 % . It went way over budget , was released and bombed almost immediately . It's no undiscovered masterpiece of cinema but it's not as bad as its reputation would have you think . There are many problems with this film - - Marvin and Eastwood couldn't sing so ( naturally ) they sang . Marvin was quite obviously tone deaf and Eastwood was OK ( he's introduced singing in fact ) but had a very thin voice which didn't do justice to the songs . Seberg was ( thankfully ) overdubbed . The songs themselves aren't bad but not exactly memorable . There's a show stopper called " There's a Coach Coming In " which is fun . Acting varies - - Marvin chews the scenery and Eastwood downplays his scenes which contrast Marvin beautifully . Seberg was beautiful but never was a great actress as this movie shows . For some reason the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band plays a few songs and appears briefly on screen . Also Paddy Chayeksky adapted the screenplay ! It's overlong ( almost three hours ) and very strange but fun and interesting . I give it a 7 . " Not tonight parson , these folks have suffered enough . " |
478,837 | 463,200 | 47,573 | 7 | OK , some of the ants look fake , but . . . | the movie works . It's about a colony of giant ants ( caused by nuclear radiation ) on the rampage . The story moves VERY quickly , has decent acting and characterizations and some of the special effects are very good . But when they look bad , they look BAD ! ! ! But hey . . . it was done in the 1950s ! This is easily the best " big bug " movie of the 50s . Well worth catching . |
478,928 | 463,200 | 416,320 | 7 | A good film - - but no masterpiece | A Woody Allen film shot in London ! An retired Irish tennis star Chris ( Jonathan Rhys Meyers ) quits the circuit and takes a job teaching rich people how to play . He becomes friends with VERY rich Tom Hewett ( Matthew Goode ) and starts romancing his sister Chloe ( Emily Mortimer ) . Then he meets Tom's girlfriend Nola ( Scarlett Johansson ) and falls in lust for her . . . This isn't a comedy . It's a very grim tale of adultery . This has been praised as a comeback for Woody Allen - - his last few films have been laugh less comedies . It's also been described as a masterpiece . It is good but not THAT good . To be totally honest I don't understand why this is being praised so much . The story is downbeat and moves VERY slowly ( this film could easily lose 20 minutes ) . The affair between Chris and Nola comes out of nowhere - - I never believed it for one second . Nola comes off as shrill and having no idea what she wants out of life . Her character is very unlikable - - you wonder what Chris sees in her . The film really falls apart during the ending . Nola acts seriously deranged and Chris goes WAY too far . I also saw the resolution coming from a mile away . Also Allen has no feeling at all on how to shoot London . In his New York films you got a real sense of the city - - not here in London . Also ALL the characters ( with the exception of Nola ) are nice - - all the time . They're TOO nice . I didn't believe them for one second . The acting really carries this film . Meyers is drop dead handsome and very good in his role . Goode and Mortimer are also good . I didn't like Johansson but that's mostly because of her character . So I don't really like this film but I don't hate it . I was fairly entertained and it was OK . I give it a 7 and that's mostly because of the acting . |
477,673 | 463,200 | 47,580 | 7 | Colorful fluff | Basically a travelogue of Rome with a light story of three women meeting , losing , then getting the men of their dreams . The photography is beautiful , the acting is OK , nice music score . Basically a no brainer movie . The prime reason to see it , for me , was Rosanno Brazzi and Louis Jourdan . They're so young and VERY handsome in this film ( when Brazzi smiled my knees went weak ! ) that they're fun to watch . Try to see it letter-boxed - - the pan and scan version shown most often on TV is terrible . |
478,745 | 463,200 | 65,854 | 7 | Good horror anthology | Four stories written by Robert Bloch about various people who live in a beautiful , old mansion and what happens to them . The first has Denholm Elliott as a novelist who sees the killer he's writing about come to life . Some spooky moments and the twist at the end was good . The second has Peter Cushing becoming obsessed with a wax figure resembling his dead wife . The third has Christopher Lee who has a child ( Chloe Franks ) and is scared of her . It all leads up to a pretty scary ending ( although the ending in the story was MUCH worse ) . The last is an out and out comedy with Jon Petwee and Ingrid Pitt ( both chewing the scenery ) and a cape that turns people into vampires ! There's also a cute line about Christopher Lee playing Dracula . This is a good horror anthology - - nothing terrifying but the first one and the ending of the third gave me a few pleasurable little chills . Also the fourth one is actually very funny and Pitt makes a VERY sexy vampire ! Also the house itself looks beautiful . . . and very creepy . It's well-directed with some nice atmospheric touches . A very good and unusual movie score too . All in all a good little horror anthology well worth seeking out . Try to see it on DVthe Lions Gate one looks fantastic with strong colors and great sound . |
478,699 | 463,200 | 256,524 | 7 | OK Allen | Comedy set in 1940 about an insurance investigator ( Woody Allen ) locking horns with an efficiency expert ( Helen Hunt ) while a string of suspicious jewel robberies are going on . Only average Allen comedy . . . but that's still 70 % better than the typical Hollywood film . It's fairly well-acted . . . Allen is , frankly , way too old for this ( he's 65 and he's getting women in their 20s and 30s ? ? ? PLEASE ! ) but he gives a good performance ; Hunt is simply wonderful . . . she looks great in the 40s outfits and her verbal sparring with Allen was hilarious ; Charlize Theron looks fantastic but is shamefully wasted and ( in a huge surprise ) Elizabeth Berkeley actually gives a halfway decent performance ! The script is OK if a tad unbelievable . And the movie looks fantastic . . . the costumes and the sets really evoke the 1940s . So , it's OK , but no great shakes . |
479,671 | 463,200 | 18,362 | 7 | Good if somewhat overly melodramatic | An all black silent film made exclusively for black audiences in the 1920s ( back then theatres were segregated ) . Poor but beautiful Louise Howard ( Lucia Lynn Moses ) is beaten by her stepfather ( William E Pettus ) but dreams of a better life . She meets good honest Alvin Hillyard ( Harry Henderson ) and he falls in love with her . But her stepfather and evil Eddie Blake ( Norman Johnson ) aren't going to let her go without a fight . Interesting from a historical standpoint and not too bad as a drama either . It does get overly melodramatic with a lot of eye-rolling speeches and gets more than a little ridiculous during it's last half hour but I was never bored . The acting is actually pretty good and it moves quickly . Also the cards telling us what's going on have some interesting designs . When Blake is introduced there's a wolf shown on the title card ! So , a pretty good movie . Also interesting to see how blacks were shown and treated back then . A 7 . |
478,632 | 463,200 | 47,542 | 7 | Dated but good | It seems the President will be stopping at the little town of Suddenly CA on his way to Los Angeles . Crazy killer Johnnie ( Frank Sinatra ) comes into town and holds a family hostage to use their house as a place to kill the President from . This is dated in a lot of ways - - the violence is extremely toned down , there's next to no blood ( even when one man is shot at least 30 times ! ) and the killers are actually way too nice . Still , it is short ( only about 75 minutes ) , moves quickly and has some good acting . Top billed Frank Sinatra is great . This is his first film ( and I think only one ) playing a totally amoral criminal . Every time he's on screen you can't stop watching him . Nancy Gates as one of the hostages is also good . The rest of the cast ranges from OK to disastrous - - especially Sterlinh Hayden who is stone-faced throughout . The film looks cheap too and the print I saw was in terrible shape . Still this is worth catching just for Sinatra's acting . He holds this together . Remade ( disasterously ) as " The Desperate Hours " in 1990 . Now THAT'S a bad film ! ! ! ! " Ellen will you please stop being a woman ! " |
477,803 | 463,200 | 78,346 | 7 | Pretty good | One of the better comic book movies . The story is vague ( something about Lex Luthor causing California to sink into the ocean ) , but the movie holds your interest . The acting is mostly good - - Reeve is perfect as Superman , Margot Kidder is OK as Lois Lane , Gene Hackman is fun as Luthor , but Valerie Perrine and Ned Beatty are just annoying . The script is a problem - - some times it's funny , other times it's horrible . It was also obviously written " down " for the kids in the audience . Also there are lapses in logic and the special effects are pretty laughable . Still , I was never bored and the acting by Reeve and the music score by John Williams carry you through the bad sections . Worth watching - - perfect for the entire family . Try to see it letter-boxed though - - it doesn't work on full-screen TV . |
477,568 | 463,200 | 87,175 | 7 | Good of its type | Psychic Alex Gardner ( Dennis Quaid ) is recruited for a government-funded institute . In it psychics are able to get into peoples ' dreams and interact with them . However one subject dies while in this state and Alex realizes something is wrong . And the President ( Eddie Albert ) is going to visit the institute for some nightmares he is having . . . I enjoyed watching this but realized , after it was over , that it didn't make a whole lot of sense and there were plot holes left and right . Still , it moves quickly and the dream sequences themselves were lots of fun . This was also the second PG-13 rating ever released . It was cut to get that ( a sex scene between Quaid and Kate Capshaw was almost completely dropped ) but there were some complaints about the amount of violence ( none of which was cut ) that was allowed in . By today's standards though it's not that bad . Quaid is good - - he's young , handsome and not taking any of this seriously . Max von Sydow is very good as the head doctor of the research . Kate Capshaw is pretty terrible as his assistant . Christopher Plummer seems to be proving he can say his lines without moving a muscle in his face . Albert is lots of fun as the President and David Patrick Kelly almost runs away with the movie as Tommy Ray Glatin . So a quick , fun little movie . Just don't think about it too much . |
478,488 | 463,200 | 69,704 | 7 | Where were you in ' 62 ? ( Original ad ) | Nostalgic look at one night / morning of a small California town and some of its teenagers . Story-wise this is nothing new - - all the stereotypes are in place - - the loving / bickering couple ( Ron Howard and Cindy Williams ) ; the rebel ( Paul Le Mal ) stuck with a 13 year old ( Mackenzie Phuillips ) ; the nerd ( Charles Martin Smith ) having a disastrous date with a blonde ( Candy Clark ) ; the hood ( Bo Hopkins ) showing the good boy ( Richard Dreyfuss ) a night out and Harrison Ford and Suzanne Somers in small parts . What makes this movie better than average is the great direction by George Lucas - - he fills the Cinemascope screen masterfully ; the non-stop soundtrack of 50s / 60s hits ; a great script and the cast of then-unknowns . It's incredible to see some of these actors so young ( especially Ford and Dreyfuss ) and full of life . Without this cast , this movie would probably have long-since been forgotten . So , no great shakes , but very sweet and nostalgic with some good acting . Worth catching . Try to see it letter-boxed or on a big screen . |
479,140 | 463,200 | 100,602 | 7 | Great black comedy | Michael Caine , a mild-mannered successful businessman , is passed over for a big promotion that goes to a younger man ( Peter Riegert ) . While waiting for the subway one night , a bum bothers him for money . Upset over his job he accidentally pushes the guy onto the tracks in front of an oncoming train killing him completely . Nobody sees him do it and he feels a great sense of power and freedom over getting away with it . Now he decides to go after everybody else who wronged him . . . This little gem came out in 1990 . I remember it got great reviews and I saw it with a sold-out audience that applauded at the end . Since then it's just disappeared . Why ? Probably because it's an intelligent , scary , very black and very funny movie . My guess is that this movie was too dark for most viewers to handle . That's a shame - - it's a real good movie . The direction is great - - crooked camera angles are used to convey Caine's state of mind and a great sequence that cross-cuts between a double murder and him with Elizabeth McGovern ( an office worker he supposedly falls in love with ) . The movie is short ( about 90 minutes ) . . . just as long as it should be . Caine is superb in his role . You see him slowly turn from a quiet , unassuming man into a ruthless , cunning killer - - a really great acting job . McGovern has the unenviable role of " the girl " but pulls it off and her makes her character sympathetic and believable . All the roles are well done by a cast of top character actors . A very good movie . Here's hoping it someday gets the recognition it deserves . |
477,496 | 463,200 | 397,065 | 7 | It could have been worse | A bunch of 20-somethings are on their way to a concert . They're driving through a forest and decide to stop and camp out for the night . They wake up in the morning to find their car fan belt wrecked . The nearest town is miles away but two of them get a ride by a VERY strange man . They find the town - - but it's strangely deserted . . . and what about that House of Wax building they see ? The wax figures in there seem strangely real . . . There's a lot more to the plot but that's the basic structure . There are a lot of plot holes it you look at this closely . The real plot makes little sense and in the movie the House of Wax is made totally of real wax ( that could never happen in real life ) . Also people keep doing dumb things like wandering into rooms for no good reason ( and it just happens to be the room the killer needs them to be in ) and going up the stairs when they should be bolting for the door . Still , compared to some recent horror movies , this isn't too bad . For one thing not all the characters are annoying . Even the dreaded " comic " relief ( played by Jon Abrahams ) isn't bad . But he does go around filming everything with a hand-held video camera . Can we PLEASE stop having that in every horror film ? It's stupid and has no bearing in the plot at all . And not all the sympathetic characters live - - one murder really surprised me . And there is in interracial couple introduced with no fuss . It takes it's time getting to the blood and gore but when it comes it's VERY gruesome and nasty ( this is not for the squeamish ) . The special effects are also excellent if a bit too realistic . As for the acting . . . it's not totally terrible . Elisha Cuthbert is very good and Brian van Holt is damn scary as the villain . The others actors are OK except for Paris Hilton . She is TERRIBLE ! ! ! Easily one of the worst actors EVER ! And Chad Michael Murray shows off his buff upper body - - very impressive . It also plays homage to the two originals before it - - one character is named Vincent ( Vincent Price was in the 1950s " House of Wax " ) and the final showdown is briefly filmed through some Art Deco windows which immediately reminded me of the 1930s " Mystery of the Wax Museum " . Also there's an impressive ending when the house literally melts ! So , an OK pretty gruesome horror film . Just don't examine the plot TOO closely . |
479,218 | 463,200 | 74,751 | 7 | Not good but I have happy memories about it | The first ( and virtually forgotten ) remake of " King Kong " . This one has an oil company called Petrox going to Skull Island to get oil . The expedition is run by evil Fred Wilson ( Charles Grodin ) . Nice guy Jack Prescott ( Jeff Bridges looking like a hippie ) is a stowaway who becomes their photographer . They find beautiful Dwan ( Jessica Lange in her movie debut ) stranded in the middle of the ocean . They get to the island , Dwan is offered as a sacrifice to Kong - - but he falls in love with her . He's captured and bought to New York where he breaks loose and climbs the Word Trade Center with Dwan in his clutches . OK - - this is not a good movie . However I saw it at the age of 14 in a movie theatre and was blown away by it . I found it big , exciting , funny and sad . Also people seem to forget that this DID have defenders . There were many positive reviews - - even the legendary critic Pauline Kael gave it a good review in " The New Yorker " ! Still this has been regarded as a total bomb and derided from all sides . But I prefer this over that overblown Peter Jackson remake that ran an unnecessary three hours . First of all the special effects are great . Kong's face is incredibly expressive . You can SEE what he's feeling . Also I do like the fact that Lange doesn't scream nonstop like Fay Wray did in the original . The scenes between her and Kong include incredible special effects - - and some of the most laughable lines in screen history ! Lange TALKS to the ape - - " You gdamn chauvinist pig ape ! " " I'm a Libra . What sign are you ? " I mean COME ON ! ! ! ! There are plenty of things wrong with this though . The dialogue is dreadful - - full of stupid jokes that are meant to be ironic ( I guess ) . Get a load of the ( very obviously ) fake giant snake Kong fights on Skull Island ! When they hit New York continuity goes flying out the window . Kong ( somehow ) finds Dwan in a small underground bar . No way that could happen . Also he's trampling down some oddly quiet streets in Manhattan - - yet minutes later they're full of people . And the ending was just needlessly bloody . And HOW did Dwan get from the top of the World Trade Center to the street in a matter of minutes ? Also seeing the World Trade Center ( which no longer exists ) might remind some people of the horrific tragedy . As for the acting - - Lange does what she can . Bridges is good if way too earnest . Grodin is just terrible . So - - it is NOT a good movie but childhood memories die hard . I give it a 7 . |
479,546 | 463,200 | 47,472 | 7 | Great musical with some SERIOUS problems | In the 1850s a man ( Howard Keel ) who lives with his six brothers out in the middle of nowhere takes a bride ( Jane Powell ) . He expects her to be a maid , housecleaner , cook , etc . She does but makes all seven of the guys dress nicely , eat correctly and have good manners . Soon the six brothers fall in love with some town girls . So Howard tells them go off and kidnap them ( ! ! ) They do and the girls fall in love with them ( ! ! ! ! ! ) OK - - this film has good things - - - some absolutely beautiful , if fake , scenery ; some pretty good songs ; an incredible barnraising sequence ( the dancing is unbelievable ) and it's shot in bright color and widescreen . BUT . . . the film has an annoying boys will be boys attitude and some really upsetting violence ( for a musical ) - - during the barnraising sequence especially . Also there's horrible back projection ( especially when Keel takes Powell to his house ) and a just astonishing hatred of women . We're supposed to find it amusing that the seven guys KIDNAP the women ( after beating their boyfriends senseless ) and the women fall in love ! Yeah yeah I know it was made in the 1950s but that doesn't excuse it . I had a LOT of problems with that . Still I'm giving it a 7 for the dancing alone . |
478,340 | 463,200 | 74,703 | 7 | Somewhat interesting but also pretty sick | In 1942 New Orleans gangster J . D . Walker ( David McKnight ) is shot to death by Elija Bliss ( Lou Gossett ) . It is believed that he killed his wife ( he didn't ) . Cut to 1976 . Mild mannered young law student Ike ( Glynn Turman ) is possessed by the spirit of J . D . He immediately becomes cruel and vicious and treating his beautiful girl friend Christella ( Joan Pringle ) like dirt . Then he realizes his ex rival Elija is still alive as a preacher and J . D . sets out to get his revenge . I've wanted to see this since it came out in 1976 . I was 14 then and a newspaper ad showed a drawing of a gravestone and a pretty young woman lying dead in front of it with a look of horror on her face ( needless to say nothing like that appears in the film ) . But the film only played one week and quickly disappeared - - but I've never forgotten that drawing . I'm glad I finally got the chance to see it . It's not a great film but it's an interesting psychological horror film more than a blood and guts one . There's only one bloody attack scene and a shot of a dead animal being cut open ( which was repeated at least 8 times ) . This concentrates more on Ike being possessed and trying to fight back . It's a hard role but Turman pulls it off . The only part where he goes too far is at the end when J . D . takes complete control and Turman REALLY overdoes it . It's also kind of fun seeing Gossett ( REALLY chewing the scenery ) as a preacher . His speeches at church are energetic ( to say the least ) and a highlight . The only thing that bothers me here is the disgusting misogynistic attitude . There's a truly sick scene where Turman viciously tries to rape Pringle . The only other female roles are TWO cheating wives who eagerly jump into bed with other men and Bliss's daughter who seduces Ike ( J . D . ) almost immediately . Also Ike has a friend who talks about women like they should be beaten up and controlled . This attitude permeates the film and makes it a chore sometimes to watch . Still this is a somewhat interesting reincarnation movie . I give it a 7 . |
478,729 | 463,200 | 52,948 | 7 | Overlong but has its moments | This movie takes place in 1880 . Professor Oliver Lindenbrook ( James Mason ) discovers a way down to the center of the Earth . He takes with him his assistant Alec McKuen ( Pat Boone ! ! ) , Swedish Hans ( Peter Roson ) and beautiful Carla Goteborg ( Arlene Dah ) . On their trail is the evil David Thayer and his assistant . I was expecting the worst from this . I mean really - - PAT BOONE in a dramatic role ? ? ? ? Within the first 10 minutes they actually have him singing a song ! Also fourth billed Diane Baker is hardly in the movie . But , as soon as they start their journey ( about an hour in ) , things pick up . The underworld sequences look pretty cool ( especially the ocean they discover ) and there are some decent special effects . There are also some lousy ones ( wait till you see the " giant " lizards ! ) The acting is , for the most part , pretty good . Mason is excellent as the professor , Dahl is truly beautiful and not bad . Boone ( surprisingly ) was good too . Also him and Ronson spend a large part of the movie with their shirts off and in shorts . Ronson is big and buff - - Boone is hardly muscular but he's so young and handsome that he's easy on the eyes . I'm pretty sure that this isn't faithful to the book ( I never read it ) but they get some of the scientific facts correct . At least it isn't as bad as the dreadful 2008 adaptation . If you see this make sure it's in wide screen . This was shot in CinemaScope and looks pretty impressive that way . The full frame version usually shown on TV is pretty bad . Overlong but worth catching . Kids will love it . |
479,420 | 463,200 | 155,975 | 7 | Pointless but actually pretty good | A remake of Alfred Hitchock's classic . You know the plot - - A woman ( Anne Heche ) steals a large amount of money so she and her boyfriend ( Viggo Mortensen ) can start a life together . During the drive to his town , it gets late and she decides to spend the night at a motel . It's called Bates Motel and she meets the owner Norman Bates ( Vince Vaughn ) . . . To be totally honest I never liked the original . It was well-directed and pretty well-acted with a great music score and great direction - - but I always found it kind of slow and dull . Still - - this remake was not needed . Why a talented director like Gus van Sant chose to do this is beyond me . But FOR WHAT IT IS . . . it's actually pretty good . It's NOT a frame by frame remake of the original like some people claim . Things are changed . Van Sant shot the murder scenes differently - - a wise choice . Imitating Hitchcock's ones wouldn't have worked . Characters and situations are updated ( purportedly Julianne Moore's character is supposed to be a lesbian - - but I never caught that ) and van Sant directs it ( mostly ) his way . A few times he does direct it the way Hitchcock would but not all the time . Also the acting is almost uniformly great . Heche is very good in her role and Vaughn is ( surprisingly ) just terrific as Bates - - he plays it differently than Anthony Perkins did and actually adds a new dimension to the character . He plays Norman as a little boy trapped in a man's body . . . but you also see the anger and violence lurking right underneath the surface . Strong support is given by Julianne Moore and William H . Macy ( VERY good ) in supporting roles . The only disappointment is Viggo Mortensen . I've never thought he was a good actor and this movie does nothing to change my mind . The southern accent he adopts is particularly silly . I'm not really sure why but this movie seems to move faster than the original . I still think there was no point to remaking the original but I do like this . It was a HUGE critical and commercial bomb so I don't think we'll be seeing anymore Hitchcock remakes . I give it a 7 . |
478,635 | 463,200 | 78,481 | 7 | Forgotten Altman | Dino Corelli ( Desi Arnaz Jr . ) is marrying Margaret Brenner ( Amy Stryker ) . Naturally everything goes wrong . There's the married woman ( Carol Burnett ) who's being chased around by another man ; a lesbian wedding planner ( Geraldine Chaplin ) ; a gay captain ( Craig Richard Nelson ) ; a senile priest ; a topless portrait of the bride as a wedding gift ; the old head of the family ( Lillian Gish ) who is bedridden etc etc . This isn't even close to being one of Altman's best works like " Nashville " and " Short Cuts " . There are far too many characters , it meanders all over the place and it's too long . Still it's not his worst ( " H . E . A . L . T . H . " is MUCH more horrible ) . This comes across as him trying to please the audience . The story lines are pretty conventional and the PG rating prevents him from throwing in tons of female nudity ( which he seems to love showing in all his films ) . It's not bad but it doesn't look or feel like an Altman film . I was seriously surprised to see he directed it - - I thought it was just some by-the-numbers director who doesn't even try anything different . Direction aside the plots are pretty predictable and Altman doesn't do comedy that well . The bits with Burnett only work because of Burnett's considerable comedic talents . The acting varies from terrible ( Arnaz Jr . ) to OK ( Stryker ) to very good ( Burnett and Chaplin ) . Not the total fiasco that people have said it is but definitely a lesser Altman . A 7 . |
477,735 | 463,200 | 57,244 | 7 | Not really a gay film . . . but good | Dot ( Rita Tushingham ) and Reggie ( Colin Campbell ) marry too young and realize it too late . Reggie starts to be good friends with Pete ( Dudley Sutton ) who just happens to be gay . And Dot wants Reggie back . . . Technically this isn't really a gay film . Pete is gay but it's only suggested here and there and not made clear until the very end . And , despite the title , this doesn't deal with the heavy leather gay set . It's about Reggie trying to deal with his life - - figuring out what he wants . Is it Dot . . . or Pete ? SPOILER ! ! ! ! ! The ending pretty much makes it clear that it's neither . He walks away from both but I never got the feeling it was because Pete was gay - - I think it was because Reggie just wasn't ready for a relationship with anyone END SPOILER ! ! ! ! ! The film is ahead of its time for having a sympathetic gay character and it IS an interesting character study ( of Reggie ) shot in stark black and white . Good acting too . Good luck trying to see this . . . I caught it totally by accident one night on a local PBS station . |
478,219 | 463,200 | 52,901 | 7 | Gruesome but fun | A series of gruesome murders in England have Scotland Yard baffled . Crime journalist Edmond Bancroft ( Michael Gough ) mocks the police for not finding the killer . Since it's Michael Gough we all know he's the killer . I saw this film constantly on TV when I was in high school and have very fond memories of it . Seeing it again on DVD it's lacking . The script is REAL stupid , the dialogue terrible and most of the acting is dreadful - - Graham Curnow as Bancroft's assistant is especially bad ( no surprise that he never made another movie ) . But it's still worth seeing . The murders are very bloody and gruesome - - by 1959 standards . The opening one is especially sick . But they're so over the top ( and completely impossible ) that they become fun to watch . Also Gough chews the scenery in ever scene he has - - especially towards the end . So it's worth seeing for Gough and the murders . Also this originally opened with a 13 minute prologue about hypnotism which plays a part in the film . It's real silly but hysterically funny . It's available on VCI's DVD ( which has an incredibly good print of the movie ) . |
478,678 | 463,200 | 60,668 | 7 | I haven't the slightest idea of what this is about but it works ! | This takes place in 1808 in an insane asylum . The Marquis de Sade ( Patrick Mage ) puts on a play of an assassination for an audience . He uses the other inmates as actors . Things slowly get out of hand leading to a truly horrifying ending . I first caught this way back in 1980 at a center for adult education . It was a video of the movie shown for free . The picture was murky and the sound was terrible . Still I sat through it . I just caught it again ( over 20 years later ) on cable . This time I could see and hear it clearly . I'm not going to pretend that I understand what this is about , aside from the basic premise about a bunch of inmates putting on a play , and I do know it was based on a stage play . Still , I watched all 2 hours . The acting is great across the board but Magee , Ian Richardson and Glenda Jackson ( in her major film debut ) are exceptional . The movie is disturbing - - I realize these are all actors playing roles but they're so good that you believe everything you're seeing . The direction also is masterful - - it opens up the play cinematically . It has an R rating but that's mostly for subject matter and a brief nude scene with Richardson . This isn't for everybody - - some people will be bored silly by it - - but for those who like challenging movies this fits the bill . The ending is very disturbing . I give it a 7 . |
477,147 | 463,200 | 35,422 | 7 | Odd Superman cartoon | Lois Lane and Clark Kent are sent to cover a circus ( for some reason ) . They separate to cover more ground . While Lois is watching a show in the Big Top a HUGE ( and very fierce-looking ) gorilla ( or ape ) is accidentally let loose . He proceeds to wreak havoc and , in the mayhem , other animals escape from their cages . Lois saves a little girl from the huge gorilla ( or ape ) but then it goes after her ? Can Superman save her and the circus ? Very strange Superman cartoon . For once he isn't battling mad scientists or creatures - - just animals . Also it seems kind of strange that he has trouble beating a large gorilla ( even though it IS huge ) . And he doesn't even show up until 6 minutes in ( this is only 8 minutes long ) . Still , it's pretty good . |
478,486 | 463,200 | 113,464 | 7 | OK but lacking | First off , the play was better . Some of the humor that worked so well on stage fell flat on a movie screen . Second , Weber is miscast . He's handsome , muscular but he can't act . However , I give him credit for playing an openly gay man so easily . Third , the direction is really off . I don't recognize the director's name , but comedy is not his forte . His direction really destroyed some of the jokes . Other than that , this is an OK movie . Michael T . Weiss is beautiful ( and hunky ) and one hell of an actor . Patrick Stewart played a gay older man to perfection - - I couldn't believe it when I found out he was straight . Also the scenes with Olympia Dukakis , Sigourney Weaver and Nathan Lane are great ! Also a great romantic ending with a few nice , long kisses . So , worth seeing but no great movie . If only they had a better leading man and a better director . . . |
478,416 | 463,200 | 171,804 | 7 | Strong , unpleasant - - SPOILERS | Graphic and VERY disturbing about a person born with both sexes . The female side is more developed but she / he chooses to live as a man . She falls in love with another woman , people discover her secret and all hell breaks loose . Based on a true story , this movie is very well-acted ( especially Swank ) and pulls no punches . Unfortunately , that also makes it very disturbing to watch . There's a rape sequence that's almost impossible to sit through , and some people walked out of the theatre I saw it in towards the end when it was clear she was going to be killed . I almost joined them ! Still , I recommend it and find it great to see a movie that doesn't hold back . Just brace yourself for some truly horrific violence . |
477,187 | 463,200 | 303,353 | 7 | Interesting but off-putting | The life and ( hard ) times of producer Robert Evans . It chronicles his start in show business , his rise , his downfall and comeback . He provides the narration for pictures and videos taken throughout his career . Also , they try something different with the stills here . . . the backgrounds ( or foregrounds ) are real and moving while the characters stay still . Some people might like it . . . I found it incredibly annoying . . . it kept " pushing " me out of the picture . Also the film doesn't add up to much . There's precious little insight to the movies he produced ( except for " Rosemary's Baby " ) and even less insight to his character . I left the theatre still not knowing much about him . Still , I enjoyed it . Some of the pics are incredible and there are some very funny observations ( he said he never understood what " Chinatown " was about ! ) . So it's worth seeing for bits like that . Otherwise it's nothing much . |
477,285 | 463,200 | 183,649 | 7 | Good , but not great | A media publicist Stu Shepard ( Colin Farrell ) is in a phone booth making a call . He hangs up . The phone rings . He picks it up . A smooth , scary voice ( Keifer Sutherland ) on the other end informs him he has a gun trained on him and he will be killed if he hangs up . This is a great premise - - for a 60 minute movie . Unfortunately this runs on for 80 minutes . It drags ocassionally and has a really bad ending . But it's well-directed with great use of split screens , Farrell is fantastic ( as always ) , Sutherland's voice is just perfect and it does have some very intense , frightening moments - - as well as some funny ones too . No masterpiece but worth catching for Farrell and Sutherland . |
478,429 | 463,200 | 86,927 | 7 | Crude but fun | Likable , stupid , crude and very funny movie about Tom Hanks having a bachelor party before he marries beautiful Tawny Kitaen . Naturally , things go barreling out of control . It's incredibly tasteless ( although somewhat tame compared to today's movies ) , silly and full of female ( and male ! ) nudity . . . but damned if I wasn't laughing ! Most of the humor comes from Tom Hanks who's ( I assuming ) ad-libbing his lines left and right . Very 80s in terms of clothes and hair . Brainless but fun . A perfect example of an R-rated 1980s sex comedy that would get an NC-17 rating today . Also interesting to see Hanks pre-stardom . Turn off your brain and enjoy ! |
477,518 | 463,200 | 40,185 | 7 | Kids will love it | SPOILERS Young Peter Fry ( Dean Stockwell ) is left alone when his parents go off to fight in WWII . He's left with lovable Gramps ( Pat O'Brien ) . His parents are killed in the war and he becomes a war orphan . He reacts with anger - - and then wakes up one morning to find her hair turned green ! He soon discovers it was turned green so people will notice him and listen to him as he delivers a message - - war is bad for children . END SPOILERSThe Technicolor cinematography is beautiful and I applaud the message ( especially in these times ) but I personally found the movie simplistic and heavy-handed . I also thought Stockwell's character was obnoxious and there were two songs in the film that made me want to cut off my ears BUT kids will probably love this . It's made for them anyways - - this is not an adult film . The acting is so-so . Stockwell is just OK ( although I give him credit for taking the role ) and O'Brien seems uncomfortable in his role . The only ones who pulls off any acting are Robery Ryan and Barbara Hale ( looking stunning in color ) as a teacher . She also has a great scene where she subtly points out to her class that there's nothing wrong with green hair . Also Stockwell's hair color doesn't look that strange in this day and age . I give this a 7 for the color and the message . |
477,227 | 463,200 | 71,517 | 7 | Overly violent but enjoyable trash | Foxy Brown ( Pam Grier ) goes after some vicious drug dealers after they kill her boyfriend . Not as good as " Coffy " for one reason - - it's way too violent and Grier's character is treated horrendously . She's beaten up repeatedly , raped , shot up with drugs , tied down , whipped in the throat and dragged around and tortured - - it just goes too far . However , she gets her revenge very brutally too . It's all fairly enjoyable trash . There's bad dialogue , loads of blood and violence , a lesbian bar fight and some truly terrible acting by Kathryn Loder as the head villain . Also she wears the worst 70s outfits I've ever seen ! Still , worth seeing - - it moves quickly , Grier is fantastic ( as always ) . . . but it's still trash . |
479,066 | 463,200 | 64,100 | 7 | VERY 60s but not uninteresting | Robert Culp and Natalie Wood play a VERY liberated couple who basically love each other . . . when they cheat on the other they discuss it and talk out their feelings and end up still madly in love . They share their views with another couple played by Dyan Cannon and Elliott Gould . They try to convert them to their way of thinking . . . but will it work or tear them all apart ? For starters this film would NOT be made today . With HIV and AIDS out there the casual sex shown here is a stupid idea . And can anyone seriously say they would honestly tell their partners that they had cheated on them and DISCUSS it ? ? ? ? That aside , I still sort of like the movie . The script was well-written with some sharp observations on sex and love and I found the discussions between Culp and Wood fascinating . Also Culp and Wood give out great performances ( I especially liked Wood's little smiles ) . Cannon is good too but , surprisingly , looks HORRIBLE . Gould is just OK . But the script carries this one . If you can accept the ideas in this it works . However it all ends in a laughably horrible ending that ( almost ) destroys everything that went before . Ending aside , I think this is a pretty interesting and a ( I think ) accurate picture of the late 1960s . Worth a look . I give it a 7 . |
478,260 | 463,200 | 25,301 | 7 | Well done but slow and WAY too sentimental | Claudette Colbert plays a widowed mother trying to run her husbands business after his death . She takes in a black woman ( Louise Beavers ) and her fair-skinned daughter to help . She loves Beavers ' pancakes and gets her to start a successful business with her . The movie skips ahead years later when Beavers ' daughter ( Fredi Washington ) is trying to pass herself off as white . . . and things go out of control . This is important as one of the first movies to deal honestly with racism and the self-hatred of fair-skinned black people . It is well done and Colbert and Beavers are excellent . . . BUT this is very dated . Colbert convinces Beavers to sell over her pancake recipe and has her doing all the cooking for the shop ! Later , when Beavers is getting rich , she refuses to get her own house and insists on staying with Colbert - - living in the basement no less ! And Beavers is ridiculously nice , sweet and kind ALWAYS ( credit Beavers to pulling it off ) . Also it hits you over the head with sentimentality . Nothing wrong with sentimental movies but really - - this one over does it ! Some scenes with Washington were so overdone I thought they were kidding . So this is historically important but just too dated and slow to really be enjoyable . The Lana Turner remake is much better . |
478,291 | 463,200 | 102,337 | 7 | Low-key | Story about two young men in England - - Philip ( Angus Macfayden ) and Eliot ( Corey Parker ) - - falling in love . Philip tells his parents - - his mother thinks it's a disaster - - his father ( Brian Cox ) remains strangely quiet . It turns out HE'S gay too and his sons coming out is forcing him into a decision . Low-key drama . I caught it on PBS ( slightly edited ) and then saw it complete on VHS in the early 1990s . I liked it but can't say I was too impressed . For starters the low-key aspect of the story was TOO low-key . Everything seemed muted . Macfayden and Parker were ( surprisingly ) terrible in their roles . I never believed these guys even liked each other , let alone love each other . So a crucial turn halfway through didn't carry the emotional weight it should have . The happy ending all around seemed too pat for me also . Still it was brave to make a movie like this back in 1991 AND get it distributed . It was well-directed and well-written . Also Cox was excellent in his role . So , it IS interesting in terms of gay cinema - - it portrays gay men in a realistic manner ( especially having hunky , masculine Macfayden play one ) but it just doesn't come across strongly enough . Worth a viewing but don't go out of your way . |
477,777 | 463,200 | 67,128 | 7 | Overrated but not too bad | In England emotionless hit man Jack Carter ( Michael Caine ) travels to Newcastle to see about his brothers death . The police said it was accidental - - he's convinced it was murder . Slowly things get more violent and dark . I don't think this is a masterpiece of cinema like some think it is but it's not a total bomb either . For its time this was revolutionary . It was bleak and cold and there's not one character in this film that you can root for . Also the violence was pretty extreme with some really shocking treatment of women . Seen today it's not so fresh . We've had plenty of dark films with no likable characters and extreme violence . Also , by today's standards , the violence was pretty restrained . I also found the first hour completely boring - - it picks up a lot in its second half . Still , this is well-made - - it's beautifully directed and Caine is just great in his role . Also all the settings are drab and grim which just add to the feeling of the story . This wore me down eventually - - I was thoroughly depressed by the end . Still , it's worth catching if you're into movies like this . I give it a 7 . |
477,240 | 463,200 | 209,163 | 7 | Loud , silly , PG-rated violence . . . | basically a typical summer blockbuster ! I saw it at a sneak preview last night and I mostly liked it . The action is virtually non-stop , the special effects ( except for one monster at the end ) are incredible and the film never stops moving . But the plot makes no sense ( something about a Scorpion King and the Mummy fighting ) , characterizations are nonexistent and there's some truly awful dialogue . Also in a movie that takes place in the 1930s , terms like " Are we there yet ? " " Whatever . . . " and " Get a room " did not exist ! That may be nitpicking , but it bothered me . Brendan Fraser , Rachel Weisz and John Hannah all reprise their roles from the original . They're all very good here . . . too bad they have nothing to play with . But , I was never bored . It's a movie where you turn off your mind , sit back and enjoy the ride . In other words , a very good summer movie ! |
479,448 | 463,200 | 86,979 | 7 | An indie classic | This is the film that gave independent filmmakers hope . Made on no budget , it got a release and was a modest success at the box office . I saw it in 1984 and wasn't too impressed . The plot is familar and the movie has dull sequences . Also , characters act like total idiots , it gets VERY gruesome at the end and ( with the sole exception of Walsh ) the acting is pretty bad ( especially Getz - - very handsome with a nice bod , but he can't act ) . Seeing it again in 2000 , my feelings haven't changed . I do like the movie somewhat and it did start the indie revolution but the plot holes are very obvious ( what happened the the husband's dog ? ) and it's kind of dull . It's well-directed ( there are incredible shots ) but pretty pictures don't make a movie . Worth seeing , but don't expect much . |
477,196 | 463,200 | 196,216 | 7 | Good , not great Woody Allen | Hey , Woody Allen's doing comedy again ! After his Ingmar Bergman phase and his woman-hating movies he's finally back at doing what he does best . The lines are pretty good - - there are a few real howlers . Tracey Ullman is uproarious as Allen's wife , May is adorable as a very dumb woman and Allen is good - - he's just getting a little old for this . The plot has problems - - it's not consistently funny , three main characters disappear completely after the first half-hour and there are some needlessly cruel jabs made at Ullman's character . Also the story has no bearing in reality whatsoever . Still , it's funny and well-made . Worth seeing , but try to catch it at half-price - - it's really not worth $8 . 00 . |
477,395 | 463,200 | 71,455 | 7 | Silly but fun | One of the big all star disaster flicks on the early 1970s . This competed with " The Towering Inferno " which opened the same year . There are multiple story lines going on in this : Architect Charlton Heston is unhappily married to Ava Gardner and has Genevieve Bujold as a mistress ; Lorne Greene plays Gardner's FATHER ( stop laughing ! ) ; George Kennedy plays a mean cop ; unstable Marjoe Gortner lusts after Victoria Principal ; Richard Roundtress plays an Evil Knievel type ; Walter Matthau is a drunk ( no shock there ) ; Dick Sargent pops up long enough to get killed and Lloyd Nolan plays a doctor . The dialogue is terrible and the situations are pure soap opera - - but who watches this for the actors or story lines ? The earthquake hits about an hour in and it's fantastic . Some of the special effects are laughable ( gotta love those cardboard houses ) but others are pretty effective . The sequence goes on for almost 10 minutes and has some pretty bloody scenes ( in an uncut print ) for a PG film . You see buildings being demolished left and right , people being crushed or flung screaming out of buildings . No music either - - just the rumbling of the quake . Very impressive . The rest of the film deals with how all the main characters deal with the disaster . This is not a good movie of course but I'd be lying if I said I hated it . I got the sense that the special effects people working on this were having lots of fun destroying Los Angeles and it comes through . The acting is , for the most part , OK . Bujold easily out acts everybody else and Gortner is so bad it's almost embarrassing . And what did happen to Roundtree ? He sort of disappears at the end . It's suggested he got drowned but we don't see anything . I never saw this in Sensurround - - our local theatre realized that the process could easily have destroyed the place ( it was an old building ) . Also Sensurround DID win a special Academy Award . But this is fun in a silly sort of way even without it . A very guilty pleasure . I give it a 7 . |
478,359 | 463,200 | 430,105 | 7 | Good revenge movie | In Detroit four adopted kids ( played by Mark Wahlberg , Garrett Hedlund , Andre Benjamin and Tyrese Gibson ) get together for their moms funeral . She was accidentally shot to death in what was just a robbery at a convenience story . But they begin to find out that her killing may have been more than just an accident and set out to find who killed her . . . and why . The script is nothing new but this is still a pretty good movie . The story gets a little overly convoluted but the numerous twists and turns keep you watching . Also making the brothers both black and white is a good idea - - it adds more tension ( racial and otherwise ) . The four actors also work well together and play off each other in a natural manner . There are bursts of loud and exciting action with extreme violence well directed by John Singleton . There are some problems however - - the script has some TERRIBLE lines and has some unfunny comedy shoehorned in . Also Wahlberg is ( surprisingly ) terrible and he should never attempt comedy again - - the man does not know how to be funny . The view of females here is also problematic - - they're either screaming witches ( Gibson's horribly stereotyped Latina girlfriend ) or sex objects . Still , this is a good revenge film with a satisfying ending . Worth catching . |
479,259 | 463,200 | 265,459 | 7 | Williams is excellent . . . movie is so-so | A photo-processing man Seymour " Sy " Parrish ( Robin Williams ) , becomes obsessed with a seemingly perfect family - - the Yorkins . He's developed their photos for years and thinks he knows all about them . When he notices something is wrong however , he goes out of his way to correct it . This is an OK movie with a great performance . The story is interesting , but we know next to nothing about the Yorkins - - they're given very little depth . So when things go crazy at the end , you feel nothing . Also Connie Nielsen and Michael Vartan come across with no personality - - it's not their fault - - the script is against them . Also the movie gets very unpleasant at the end . But it , more or less , works because of Willaims - - he's just great as Sy . . . charming and creepy at the same time . . . he's just fantastic . Also the young son of the Yorkins played by Dylan Smith is very good . . . he acts just like a 9 year old should . So it's somewhat worth seeing but no great shakes - - except for Williams . |
477,962 | 463,200 | 257,360 | 7 | Worth seeing for the acting - - nothing more | Warren Schmidt ( Jack Nicholson ) has recently retired . He's lived a quiet , meaningless life . His wife dies and his only child Jeannie ( Hope Davis ) is getting married to a very strange man ( Dermot Mulroney ) that Warren can't stand . He travels from Nebraska to Colorado to stop the wedding - - but can he - - or should he ? Slow , morbid and extremely unfunny . . . but worth seeing for the acting . Nicholson is just superb as Schmidt . He completely covers his usual Nicholson mannerisms and gives a quiet , restrained performance . Kathy Bates is absolutely hysterical as Mulroney's very odd mother . . . she's even better than Nicholson ! Aside from these two and some beautiful scenery , there's no reason to see this movie . The script is horrible - - very slow with some really sick humor throughout and peopled with unpleasant characters . All the characters here are unlikable and tiredly strange and " cute " . I seriously considered walking out a few times . Also when he travels from NE to CO the movie turns into a pointless travelogue - - for 30 LONG minutes . I didn't pay $10 . 00 to see pretty scenery . See this for Nicholson and Bates . Otherwise this is long and dull . |
479,314 | 463,200 | 36,261 | 7 | Too much opera , not enough Phantom | The first talking version of the Phantom of the Opera ( played by Claude Rains here ) in love with beautiful opera singer Christine ( Susanna Foster ) . The film looks just stunning - - it deservedly won an Oscar for its incredible color cinematography . Everything looks perfect and Foster is just so incredibly beautiful in closeup . So it looks good but this film has big problems . For one thing there's too much opera - - WAY too much ! All the operas look good and the singing is good - - but I personally hate operas and I was bored silly . " Phantom " is supposed to be a horror film - - NOT an opera film . The Phantom himself doesn't show up until 30 minutes in ! And they give the Phantom an origin - - it's not bad but not needed . . . it was scarier knowing nothing about him . There's LOTS of lame comedy of suitors Anatole ( Nelson Eddy ) and Raoul ( Edgar Barrier ) vying for Christine's affections . And Rains scarred face at the end isn't remotely scary - - can't hold a candle to Chaney's 1925 version . And Eddy's acting was abominable - - he was hired just for his singing . It does have some good things : The Phantom's first appearance DID make me jump ; the chandelier dropping was very well done ; Rains gives an excellent ( and very sympathetic ) performance in the lead and Foster is pretty good too - - - and what a voice ! Nice score too . But it's not a horror film - - it plays like an opera drama with horrific touches . Still it should be seen just for the stunning color cinematography alone . For that I give it a 7 . |
479,495 | 463,200 | 417,148 | 7 | Really mixed feelings on this one | Samuel L . Jackson is flying a witness to a brutal killing from Hawaii to Los Angeles to testify . The person guilty for it doesn't want him to live so he packs the plane full of deadly snakes to kill him . . . and hundreds of innocent passengers . The plot is stupid from the word ' go ' - - like HOW did he get all those snakes on board in cases without security noticing ? All the clichés are in place too with all the stock characters - - there's the horny young couple ; the obnoxious white old guy ; the innocent ditzy rich girl ( with a little dog named Ashley Kate no less ! ) ; the two kids who have never been on a plane ; the honeymooning couple etc etc . All that's missing is Helen Reddy as a signing nun ! These characters are introduced in all seriousness too - - - not in a remotely funny way . Then , after the snakes attack , ever single disaster in an " Airport " movie you've ever seen is thrown in . Again - - in all seriousness . Maybe that's supposed to be the joke but I wasn't laughing . The audience I had was dead silent too . The only parts that worked were the VERY vicious and gory snake attacks - - - they're graphic and bloody and pretty disturbing . Some very sympathetic characters are killed also . The acting - - well how good could it be ? Everybody keeps a straight face and says their lines - - that's about it . I've heard that this works if you have an audience rearing to go and yell back things at the screen . . . like " The Rocky Horror Picture Show " . BUT ( like " Rocky " ) it doesn't work that well as a straight movie without the audience . It plays like an R rated " Airport " movie with gore thrown in . I didn't hate it - - but I wasn't thrilled . I give it a 7 for Jackson ( he's NEVER bad ) and the attacks . |
477,483 | 463,200 | 1,072 | 7 | A little heavy-handed but I liked it | It's Christmas Eve and a man with a wife and two children can't find a job . His wife is heavily depressed as is he . He turns to drink and finally leaves his wife because he's a failure . . . . It gets better after that but it really pours on the pathos at first . It's not as depressing as it sounds and the second half is very light and cheerful and it all ends on a happy note . Minor but very enjoyable . |
477,874 | 463,200 | 74,851 | 7 | For Nicolas Roeg this is accessible | David Bowie plays an alien who comes to Earth to get water for his dying family . There he gets a kind lawyer Oliver Farnsworth ( Buck Henry ) to help him as well as scientist Nathan Bryce ( Rip Torn ) . He also falls for lovely Mary-Lou ( Candy Clark ) . He wants to get back to his planet . . . but will his friends really help him ? It all leads to a depressing ending . A lot of posters have complained that this movie makes no sense . Maybe they're talking about the cut version ( it runs only 115 minutes ) . That's how it was released in the U . S . in 1976 ( the distributor thought it was too long ) . Four years later the complete 140 minute version played . That's the one I saw . I understood the movie perfectly - - but I already knew that director Nicolas Roeg loved to confuse audiences . . . or something . I still haven't figured out what his " Bad Timing " was about . Still , for him , this is accessible . The story is constantly being interrupted by flashbacks ( and forwards ) and some pointless imagery that , as far as I can tell , has nothing to do with the story . . . but that's how all his films are . Also it has plenty of gratuitous female nudity . Seriously did we need to see Torn with THREE different women ? Also the message at the end is totally predictable nowadays . Still I'm giving this a 7 because , when it sticks to the story , it is incredible . It really draws you in . Also the cinematography here is truly beautiful . Acting is great all across the board . Bowie ( in his first film ) was just great . Totally believable in a very difficult role . Henry is also great and Clark is just beyond belief . She has a hard role with difficult dialogue and pulls it off beautifully . Torn ( a great actor ) seems confused at first ( although that COULD be because of Roeg's scatter shoot editing ) but , as the movie progresses , he gets better . So , it is far too long and Roeg should have stuck to the story but the acting and storyline keep you watching . |
477,486 | 463,200 | 60,182 | 7 | Very good | True life story . George and Joy Adamson ( Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna ) live in the wilderness in Kenya . In self defense , George kills a lion and his mate only to find they were protecting their three cubs . He and his wife decide to raise the cubs . They give two of them away to zoos , but can't part with Elsa , a lioness . But then they realize they can't keep her and don't want to put her in a zoo . Can they help her live in the wild ? I read the book " Born Free " when I was in grammar school in the 70s and loved it . I also vaguely remember seeing the movie on TV ( and liking it ) and the very short-lived ( 13 episodes ) series in the early 70s . Also the song was a big hit in the mid 60s and again in the early 70s . But I had forgotten all about it until it popped up on TCM . I decided to tune in and loved it ! The movie was shot beautifully on location in Kenya ( where it took place ) . Wide screen viewing is essential for this one . Also , Travers and McKenna were a real-life couple when they did this film ( in fact they remained married until his death in 1994 ) and there devotion to each other comes through loud and clear . Also the lions ( male and female ) are SO cute when they're cubs and even beautiful as they get older . Elsa herself was portrayed by a number of different lionesses but you can't tell the difference . And Travers and McKenna worked with all the animals for 2 weeks before filming so they all interact together perfectly . This is perfect family viewing - - adults will adore it as much as the kids . I'm only giving it a 7 for a few reasons - - there isn't much of a story and the film DOES drag a little . Also the cute little shots of the cubs get a little bit much . Yeah they are adorable , but it got to the point that I thought the filmmakers were purposely shoving them in our faces to get us to go " awwwwwwww " ! A little bit too cute for my tastes . Still it's a great film and the music in this one is fantastic ( and Oscar-winning ) . Also I defy anyone not to cry during the final sequence - - it even got to me and I'm the last person to cry at movies like this . A very good family film . See it ! |
477,550 | 463,200 | 71,617 | 7 | Different | I found this movie under the Comedy section of Blockbusters ( God knows why . . . it should be in Horror ) about 10 years ago . It looked interesting so I rented it . It's certainly different . It's about a bunch of elderly people turning into killers to prevent their building from being torn down . The acting is pretty good and the killings are pretty scary ( but within a PG rating ) . . . but this is treated as a comedy . I found nothing funny about the situation at all . And when they start killing each other off over nothing the movie went too far . Lousy ending too . Still , it's worth catching if you want to see something different and the acting is quite good from the entire cast . |
477,740 | 463,200 | 82,495 | 7 | Pretty good - - for what it is | Sequel to " Halloween " picks up right where the original ended . Michael Myers is still on the loose and after Laurie Strode ( Jamie Lee Curtis ) who's lying drugged up in the hospital . Meanwhile Dr . Loomis ( Donald Pleasence ) continues his hunt for him all over town but Myers ( somehow ) knows Laurie is in the hospital and heads for it . . . This film starts off ( and ends ) with the song " Mr . Sandman " which , if you think about it , DOES fit the movie . This movie is not as good as " Halloween " . . . but how could it be ? Still this movie makes some serious mistakes . Myers is turned into a killing machine - - slaughtering people left and right for no reason . The first murder is totally pointless . His murders are VERY bloody - - totally the opposite of what the original was . He's also given a stupid back story which wasn't needed . There are huge script problems too - - Myers breaks into a school ( why ? ) and prints " Samhain " ( an ancient Druid saying ) on a blackboard - - how is a homicidal maniac going to even KNOW what Samhain is ? Curtis is comatose and near death at one point but she's next seen stumbling around the hospital . The front door of the hospital is unlocked but mysteriously becomes locked when Curtis is trying to enter . Also this is the darkest and most unpopulated hospital I've ever seen . Acting varies - - poor Curtis has to act drugged up the entire film and Pleasence is lousy ( but the dialogue he's given is pretty bad ) . On the plus side it IS well directed by Rick Rosenthal effectively using the wide screen ( try to see it letter-boxed ) . Rosenthal was criticized for all the explicit violence in the film but he said John Carpenter ( who produced the film ) shot all the gore inserts . It was never really resolved . So there are tons of things wrong with this film - - so why am I giving it a 7 ? It moves quickly , is well-directed and throws a gory death at you every 7 minutes or so - - you're never bored . So if you turn off your mind COMPLETELY this is lots of fun . If you don't - - you're gonna hate it . A good MINDLESS horror film . |
478,330 | 463,200 | 94,578 | 7 | Disturbing | I came across this totally by accident on late night TV back in 1988-1989 . It was on right after the " Friday the 13th " TV series . I watched and had two feelings . It WAS good but it was also one of the most repulsive things I've seen on TV . The violence and action were extreme - - nothing was held back . I know this was fiction but it was so in your face it got disturbing . Some good acting made it even harder to stomach . When they got to the plot about stealing human babies to do - - something ( I forgot what ) - - I stopped watching . It's years later , but I have never shaken the image of a screaming nude baby in an aliens claws and the mother sitting a home and crying next to the empty cradle . Yeah - - it's fiction but there ARE limits and this one went way overboard . I'm giving it a 7 nonetheless - - it was a strong , interesting TV series . I'm not going to give it a bad vote just for a few minutes that bothered me . |
479,006 | 463,200 | 109,828 | 7 | A little too mild but pretty good | In 1955 a French student named Philippe ( Marco Hofschneider ) spends a year at a college in Virginia as an exchange student . There he meets a beautiful black woman ( Robin Givens ) and falls in love . . . but that was forbidden back then . But he can't stop his feelings for her . . . Laid-back adaptation of a true story . It's good but distressingly TOO mild . This story has been told before and this is a good version but everything is so toned down it's hard to react to it . Also it mixes in football , blues music , a nervous breakdown and alcoholism in bits and pieces making it a jumble - - the movie seriously lacks focus . Still this is not unwatchable . It's beautifully filmed and has a feel for the period in clothes and cars ( LOVE Cal's one ) . The acting really pulls this one through . Hofschneider is just great - - young , handsome and full of life . His reactions when someone tries to get him into a blues club are hilarious . Rick Johnson is also good playing his best friend Cal . Givens is pretty terrible - - a one note performance but she IS beautiful . Also the film is tasteful . There is a sex scene between Hofschneider and Givens but no nudity is shown ! Hofschneider however was completely nude when they filmed it - - he complained it was too cold shooting it and thought it was unnecessary but he did it . All in all the film DOES work . I actually cried a little at the end . This came and went VERY quickly in 1994 . It was supposed to boost Givens ' career but didn't do a thing . It's worth seeing but don't go out of your way . I give it a 7 . |
478,188 | 463,200 | 109,838 | 7 | Stupid , silly but fun | OK the movie is REALLY stupid and gruesome ( how did this get a PG-13 rating ? ) but I was very entertained and found myself giggling at every dumb joke ( and there are plenty of them ) . The acting is ( appropriately ) over the top and the movie moves VERY quickly . Great makeup and special effects too . So if you like grossout humor and have a strong stomah see this movie - - you won't be disappointed ! |
478,838 | 463,200 | 48,696 | 7 | One of the best big bug films of the 50s | A scientist develops a liquid that makes animals grow to enormous sizes . Of course a tarantula escapes and keeps growing , and growing , and GROWING . . . The science in the film is , ummmm , " dubious " and the comic relief is pretty wretched ( but brief ) yet it's still one of the best " big bug " films of its era . The movie moves fairly quickly , the special effects are very good , the close-ups of the tarantula are not pleasant and the film is pretty exciting . John Agar looks handsome and rock solid as the hero , but J . Carroll Naish ( as the scientist ) is wooden and seems very embarrassed about being in this ( great make-up though ) . Also the cameo of Clint Eastwood at the end is amusing . No great shakes but worth seeing for the special effects . |
478,145 | 463,200 | 196,229 | 7 | Pretty funny | A very stupid male model , Zoolander ( Ben Stiller ) tries to find meaning in his life while fighting a rival male model ( Owen Wilson ) and unwittingly being used by an evil fashion designer ( Will Ferrell ) . The jokes are funny - - sometimes very funny . The movie really zips along and there are tons of in jokes and countless cameos by celebrities ( my favorites were Winona Ryder and Billy Zane ) . Also Stiller and Wilson are hilarious - - but seeing them as top male models is a stretch ( then again , that might be part of the joke ) . Also Milla Jovovich is VERY weird - - and funny . But Ferrell is annoying and not funny at all ; Christine Taylor ( Stillers real life wife ) is beautiful but bland ; Jerry Stiller and Jon Voight act like they're drugged and there just isn't enough material for a full length movie . Still , there are enough funny moments to make this worth a look . |
478,213 | 463,200 | 174,856 | 7 | Well-done with great acting | The only problem with this film is it's length . . . it's 2 hours - - way too long . But the basic true story and the acting ( especially by Washington ) keep it interesting . Worth seeing - - just don't accept it as gospel truth , and be prepared for the length . |
479,126 | 463,200 | 404,032 | 7 | Won't make you forget " The Exorcist " but still very good | Based on a true story . Father Moore ( Tom Wilkinson ) is accused of letting Emily Rose ( Jennifer Carpenter ) die during an exorcism . Doctors said she was epileptic but she and Moore thought she was possessed . Lawyer Erin Bruner ( Laura Linney ) is hired to defend him . She doesn't really believe demons possessed Emily . . . but then strange things start to happen to her . Is it coincidence or not ? And will she convince the jury to find Moore innocent ? This movie is far from perfect . It's a little too long and Campbell Scott is surprisingly bad in his role . . . but this movie works . It's serious and well-made and it keeps things on a somewhat believable level . The things that Rose does COULD be caused by psychotic behaviour . . . but maybe not . The audience is provided with both sides of the argument . This movie really doesn't provide any answers but it brings up some fascinating questions about faith , religion and mental illness . Except for Scott the acting is great across the board but Linney and Wilkinson carry this movie . The two of them are believable from the very beginning . Also it's well-directed and there are only a few of those stupid " jump " scares with the sound blaring out for no good reason other than to make the audience jump . For a PG-13 horror film this is pretty adult and well-done . I give it a 7 . |
479,233 | 463,200 | 280,707 | 7 | Agatha Christie meets Robert Altman | It's 1932 England and murder occurs at a remote country estate with a huge amount of guests . Who did it ? The murder doesn't occur until over an hour into the film and , before that , it's pure Altman . Characters talking constantly , LOTS of overlapping dialogue . . . usually I love his films , but I had a hard time getting into this one . For one thing , all the actors are British ( with the sole exceptions of Bob Balaban and Ryan Phillippe - - sporting a really stupid Scottish accent ) so it's sometimes hard to make it what they're saying . The first hour contained a lot of dialogue that was simply unintelligible . After the first hour , I got a handle on the accents and was able to follow it . The murder isn't the main focus - - it's mostly about class consciousness ( servants and the rich people ) - - nothing new is said but it's all still very interesting . The acting helps immensely . They have a huge gathering of very good British actors . Emily Watson , in particular , is superb as a very feisty maid . Maggie Smith is , as always , great - - but hasn't she played the mean old rich woman once too often ? Clive Owen is - - interesting . He's certainly good-looking but seems somewhat stiff in his role ( although that's how it should be played ) . The worst acting is easily from Phillippe - - get some acting lessons bud ! Also , blessedly , there's no gratuitous female nudity in this film - - Altman seems to usually have a thing for having his actresses strip for no good reason - - he held back this time . Why this film has an R rating I can't say . No nudity , no sex , the murder is bloodless and there's no swearing . So why the R ? All in all , not top-notch Altman but still pretty good . |
478,805 | 463,200 | 29,453 | 7 | Good , but no masterpiece | In 1937 France , thief Pepe Le Moko ( Jean Gabin ) is hiding out in the city's notorious Casbah district . One step out of it and he'll be sent to jail . He falls in love with a high class woman , Gaby ( Mireille Balin ) but he must leave the Casbah to be with her . . . and the police are closing in . This is a good movie . . . at times a great one , but not the masterpiece I've heard it is . It drags at times and some of the subtitles read pretty stupidly . Also there's some truly ugly sexism on display . But , it's well directed by Julien Duvivier and Gabin was one hell of an actor . He's handsome , intelligent and full of charisma . In one great sequence , he's so happy that he's literally singing and you see how it affects everyone around him . Also Balin is beyond beautiful and Lucas Gridoux ( as a sleazy detective ) and Gilbert Gil are very good . And the ending is shattering and very moving . So . . . it's a very good French film . It's just been reissued in a beautiful new print ( as of August 2002 ) . . . try to catch it . |
478,337 | 463,200 | 67,217 | 7 | A little overdone but good | PLOT SPOILERS ! ! ! ! Dr . Boch ( George C . Scott ) is the chief of medicine at a major NYC hospital . He's left his wife , his children have disowned him , he's impotent , drinks a lot and contemplates suicide . Also there's a killer roaming the hospital . Then he meets VERY strange Barbara ( Diana Rigg ) and falls in love . She wants him to run away with her - - but can he completely give up on his old life and start a new one ? Very strange movie with an Oscar winning script by Paddy Chayefsky . It presents a suicidal main character and shows us a hospital full of overworked nurses and doctors that is run incompetently . It manages ( somehow ) to actually make this seem pretty funny . It's not laugh out loud humor - - it's VERY black humor . Also the acting is right on target - - Scott is just great ( and Oscar nominated ) here . You see him trying to keep his sanity in a totally crazy situation . Riggs character is more than a little odd but her matter of fact manner works and she's also incredibly beautiful . The script is strong and brutal - - but never too much . I think it fumbles the ball at the end with a situation that goes way too over the top - - but it's still worth seeing . If this had been done totally seriously it probably would be impossible to take . Also look for Katherine Helmond in a small bit and Stockard Channing and Christopher Guest in uncredited bits . I personally had trouble taking this seriously . From what I've heard hospitals WERE this bad back in the 1970s but not anymore . See it for the acting and script . I give it a 7 . |
478,952 | 463,200 | 67,229 | 7 | A laugh a minute ! | Film starts right off with a nude ( male and female ) devil worshiping sequence and rapidly gets worse ( or better depending on your view ) . A bunch of devil-worshiping hippies ( with a leader named Horace ! ) come into a small town . They beat up a local girl and her grandfather and give granddad a dose of LSD . Pete decides to avenge his sister and grandfather by infecting rabies into a bunch of meat pies and then giving them to the hippies to eat ( ! ! ! ! ) . The hippies do , get rabies and one hippie woman sleeps with a bunch of construction workers and infects THEM ! Soon a small bunch of uninfected people are fighting for their lives . Historically this IS an important film - - it was the first film to get an X rating for violence alone ( there is nudity but it's within an R rating ) . It was cut to ribbons to get an R . Now we have the uncut version available . At best it's a mixed blessing . For starters the acting is terrible across the board - - the hippies especially act like a bunch of retarded school children . And the script has some lines that had me gaping in disbelief . Here are a few examples - - After giving her boyfriend a big kiss a woman says , " Roger I'm very upset " ; " There's no one in the town because of the damn dam ! " ; " Rape is a little out of an engineers domain " ; a man is shot down and someone says , " I have to call the Red Cross - - we're in a state of emergency " . Then there's the gore effects which are , to be nice , primitive . There is a LOT of blood and violence here but it's all so obviously fake it's hard to take seriously . Still I was never bored and I was constantly amused by the acting , script and pretty poor production values . Also you do have to give credit to these people - - they had no budget and were just out to make a gory horror film . They DID succeed . Also the cast ( male and female ) are very attractive physically . So - - not a forgotten horror classic but I'm glad it's available in it's uncut form . Worth seeing for horror fans . By the way - - there's no drinking of blood . |
477,677 | 463,200 | 204,946 | 7 | Fun , silly movie | OK , it has its boring spots and not all the comedy works , but this movie about cheerleading competition is usually very enjoyable . The acting in uniformly good ( especially Dunst ) and the movie doesn't take itself seriously once ( really , how could it ? ) . As for all those comments about how this isn't a work of art and makes fat girls feel worthless - - come on ! It's just a silly teenage comedy ! This has NO pretensions to be a work of art and anyone who takes it as a serious message movie should have their head examined . Also the guys are cute in the movie and it's pretty gay positive . My only complaint - - couldn't the guys have taken their shirts off just once ? God knows there are tons of scenes with the girls scampering around with next to nothing on ( all within PG-13 limits though ) . |
479,079 | 463,200 | 55,516 | 7 | Surprisingly this is a Hammer film ! | In 1910 Hong Kong Christopher Lee plays Chung King , an evil leader of tongs who will kill anyone who stands in their way of their slave and opium trade . A sea captain ( Geoffrey Toone ) battles them when his daughter is murdered . Violence follows and then bodies begin piling up . Unusual Hammer film - - not really a horror movie - - more like a violent action film . Lee is having a whale of a time playing King and Toone is OK in his role . Everyone else is pretty terrible - - especially pretty Yvonne Monlaur and all the Asian actors . The low budget does show and the script is sort of scattershot . I'm giving it a 7 because it's no longer than it needs to be ( 79 minutes ) , Lee is very good , there's some beautiful color photography and some pretty strong bloody violence for 1961 - - but then this IS a Hammer film . Worth seeing on a slow day . |
477,351 | 463,200 | 785,533 | 7 | Interesting . . . but killing animals is NOT fun | Shot in faded color . . . so faded it looks b & w . Only certain things are in color - - like wine . . . and blood . Story has Edgar Allen Poe ( Jeffrey Combs ! ) as an alcoholic . He can't think up a horror tale to write and he has no money . His wife ( Elyse Levesque ) is dying from consumption and their black cat is driving him crazy . Then things get bad . . . I won't give any more away but it ( basically ) turns into a version of Poe's " The Black Cat " with Poe as the protagonist . The film gets VERY bloody at the end and some needlessly graphic scenes of a cat being killed or mutilated . I happen to love cats and these scenes really were horrifying . . . almost enough to make me switch off . Still it was well done with good acting and some realistic gore . Neat twist at the end too . It horrified me . . . which is what it's supposed to do . But the animal cruelty bothered me . A 7 . |
477,370 | 463,200 | 82,498 | 7 | One of the better 80s slasher flicks | I saw this when it came out in 1981 and loved it . It still holds up 20 years later . Melissa Sue Anderson and her friends are stalked by a killer at Crawford Academy . Who and why ? In many ways this is a standard by the numbers slasher film , but it has fairly good acting ( with 2 exceptions ) , a very good script with a few neat twists and turns and some very inventive ( and bloody ) murders . Also there's a VERY graphic brain surgery sequence . As I said the acting was OK except for Anderson ( miscast and really bad ) and Glenn Ford ( he looks very embarassed to be in this ) . Still , it's an enjoyable horror film with a great birthday party at the end . My only real complaint - - why are Anderson's friends all so obnoxious ? You want them to die ! Be aware - - there are two versions of this film . Both are R-rated , but one is slightly gorier than the other - - unfortunately , they're showing the tamer one on cable . |
478,637 | 463,200 | 117,705 | 7 | Silly but hard to dislike | Movie about Michael Jordan and the Looney Tunes characters ( Bugs Bunny , Daffy Duck , Roadrunner etc etc ) . An evil animated monster runs Moron Mountain - - a planet with an amusement park . They need a new ride so he sends five helpers to Earth to kidnap the Looney Tunes characters . Then they can be used as a new act at the amusement park . Bugs and the others agree - - IF they play them in a basketball game and win . Bugs and the others convince Michael Jordan to help them - - but the aliens have evil plans up their sleeve . Michael Jordan meets the Looney Tunes . Sounds like a sure recipe for disaster . I was positive this film was going to be a bomb when it was released ( with HEAVY publicity ) in 1996 . Yes - - it's silly but if you love Looney Tunes ( like I do ) you'll probably love this . The characters are treated ( more or less ) respectfully and during the climatic basketball game the stands are full of every Warner Bros . cartoon character ever made . One small mouse character who talks nonstop I remembered from childhood and I literally broke up laughing when he appeared ! The animation is just great , the merging of live action with cartoon figures works and the script is fun . There are groaners and stupid lines but , all in all , it was pretty amusing . The debits : Michael Jordan just can't act . I'm sure he was a wonderful basketball player but his acting was as wooden as a basketball court . Also various other sports figures pop up and prove they're worse actors than Jordan ! Bill Murray ( who can be good ) is just lousy in a supporting role . And Wayne Knight is just SO annoying . Also I could have lived without seeing the Warner Bros . logo popping up everywhere . At one point it's on Daffy Duck's butt . . . and he kisses it ! And there's a brief take-off on " Pulp Fiction " which isn't as funny now as it was in 1996 . So , these things lessen the movie but don't destroy it . Worth catching if you're a Warner Bros . animation fan . Kids will love it . I give it a 7 . |
478,910 | 463,200 | 36,060 | 7 | Another WWII Superman cartoon | For reasons never explained Lois Lane is flying with some man over a jungle with top secret American war secrets . Unknown to them the Nazis have taken over the native tribe in the jungle ( for some reason the Nazis dress like the Ku Klux Klan ! ) . They shot down the plane - - the man dies but Lois lives - - she hides the plans and is captured . The Nazis threaten to torture her but she won't tell them a thing . So they decide to have the natives burn her at a stake ( ! ! ! ) . Will Superman find her in time to save her . Vague story and plot loopholes galore mar this cartoon . But it is VERY colorful with the expected great animation . Also there are some real surreal scenes when Lois is being burned . It's worth seeing just for that . I give this a 7 . |
479,330 | 463,200 | 114,095 | 7 | Good cast , good idea , badly done | I work in a library and expected to like this movie when it came out 5 years ago . Well I liked Parker Posey a lot ( she's a wonderful actress ) and Omar Townsend was really cute as her boyfriend ( he couldn't act but when you look like him who cares ? ) but the movie was bad . It wasn't funny or cute or much of anything . Posey kept the movie afloat with her energy . But she learned the Dewey Decimal system OVERNIGHT and then shelves tons of books to the beat of music ? ? ! ! ! ! ? ? ? Come on ! Also I did have a problem with the way she looked when she became a full-fledged librarian at the end - - hair in a bun , glasses , no sense of humor - - can we let that stereotype go please ? Worth seeing for Posey and Townsend but that's about it . The TV series was much better . |
479,310 | 463,200 | 369,735 | 7 | Not THAT bad | Charlotte ' Charlie ' is a young cute Latina that just can't find Mr . Right . Then she ( tiredly ) cute meets hunky Kevin Fields ( Michael Vartan ) a rich doctor who immediately falls in love with her . They agree to marry in record time . . . but Kevin's mother ( Jane Fonda ) is dead set against it and will do anything to stop it . . . I've heard all the bad press about this but I like Lopez , Vartan and Fonda so I saw it anyways . It's not great but it's not the disaster everyone says it is . The main problem is that it's not that funny . There are quite a few funny lines . . . but not enough for a feature length movie . Also seeing Fonda trying to stop Lopez is just horrible . Lopez plays such a sweet woman . . . it is not fun seeing her being tormented . But she does turn the tables ( eventually ) and then the movie kicks into high gear - - but that's not until the last half hour or so . Also there are more than a few lapses in logic - - Vartan and Lopez fall in love and agree to marry WAY too quickly and there's a scene in a hospital involving a fake doctor which could never happen in real life . Also Lopez has the now obligatory gay best friend - - nothing wrong with that but does it have to be in every movie ? For the record , I'm gay . Still I did like it . It looks great - - Fonda's estate is unbelievable and I did like most of the acting . Vartan ( introduced shirtless to show his buff body ) is given nothing to do but pulls it off ; Lopez ( surprisingly ) isn't that good - - she appears to be on Valium ; but Fonda ( FINALLY back in films after 15 years ) is great ! She tears into the part with gusto and really gets this movie going . She does look old - - but for 68 she looks pretty damn good . Also Wanda Sykes as her assistant Ruby is just fantastic . She easily has the funniest lines and steals every scene she's in - - although Fonda matches her . My audience loved it - - there was long , loud applause at the end . So . . . is this a great movie ? No , but I found it enjoyable . And it is great to have Jane Fonda back again . I give this a 7 . |
478,032 | 463,200 | 408,236 | 7 | It's OK | Film version of the play . Based on fact it tells the story of a man ( Johnny Depp ) who is jailed ( for no good reason ) for 15 years . It was done by slimy Judge Turpin ( Alan Rickman ) because he wanted his wife and child . 15 years later he returns , adopts the name Sweeney Todd and sets out for vengeance . He's helped by Nellie Lovett ( Helena Bonham Carter ) who uses the meat from his victims to put into her meat pies which become VERY popular . I saw the play back in 1980 with Angela Landsbury and George Hearn . I remember loving it and the acting was superb . This version just doesn't match up - - it can't ! Tim Burton correctly shoots it in seriously drained color and he gets a superb performance by Depp and young Ed Sanders ( as Toby ) . Everybody can sing too . Also the murders are shown with blood gushing out - - once onto the camera lens ! Still it's impossible to take them seriously . Still this has its drawbacks . Carter is terrible - - she can sing but her acting is pretty dreadful . Rickman has done the evil act once too often - - and it shows . Also it's depressing ! It wears you down running on for two full hours . Some songs were cut out too - - I really miss " The Ballad of Sweeney Todd " . So - - it's not a disaster but it could have been so much better with a different leading lady and not cutting ANY of the songs . Depp really puts this film across though - - for him alone I give this a 7 . |
479,339 | 463,200 | 117,260 | 7 | GREAT cast - - - so-so movie | John Bookman ( Fred Williamson ) returns to his home town which is now over run by gangs . His father is attacked and John wants to clean up the city . He enlists two old friends to help - - Laurie ( Pam Grier ) and Jake ( Jim Brown ) . But the gang leader is a borderline psycho and won't let go of the city . Bookman realizes they're going to have to fight to win . This was just made to get some of the best stars from the 1970s blaxploitation films together to kick a like they did back then ! Aside from Williamson , Grier and Brown we also get Ron O'Neal and Richard Roundtree popping up in small roles . And it's always good to see Paul Winfield , Isabel Sanford and Robert Forster ( before his big comeback in 1997's " Jackie Brown " - - with Grier ) . The basic plot is OK but there are some serious mistakes made . As the movie goes on the plot gets increasingly stupid ( Williamson's " plan " to pit the gangs against each other causes killings and huge property destruction ) and there are plenty of loopholes . There's some great action sequences but ( even for this type of movie ) it's far too violent . Seeing old people and children attacked or killed is just going too far . Still it's great to see these actors in action again . Grier easily gives the best performance - - but I was surprised at how really good Williamson and Brown were . This gets a 7 just for the cast . Worth catching . . . just don't think about it too much . |
477,485 | 463,200 | 49,061 | 7 | Depressing but good | Jane Hurley ( Debbie Reynolds ) , a poor girl , is marrying Ralph ( Rod Taylor ) . They don't want a big , elaborate wedding but her mother Agnes Hurley ( Bette Davis ) is determined to give it to her - - even if it drives her husband Tom ( Ernest Borgnine ) to bankruptcy . Purportedly this was made for TV but I have my doubts . Consider the talent - - it's based on a play by Paddy Chayefsky and adapted by Gore Vidal , and it has Borgnine , Davis and Barry Fitzgerald who were all movie actors . Also Reynolds and Taylor were rising stars in movies not TV . For whatever reason it was released theatrically . It's well-directed and has a very beautiful score which is used sparingly ( as it should be ) . But this is strong stuff . Seeing a likable if poor family being torn apart by a wedding is very upsetting . If they had used lesser actors this might have been easier to take but when you have Davis and Borgnine giving their all it's difficult to watch . Borgnine is just great - - you feel the man's anger and shame . Davis is fantastic too - - she gestures a little bit too much but it's still a powerful performance . And she fakes a very convincing Brooklyn accent . Reynolds isn't that good ( except for one scene in the kitchen when she explodes ) but she was just starting out . And Barry Fitzgerald had played the lovable Irish uncle once too often when he did this movie . But there's a great screenplay ( of course ) and it's shot appropriately in atmospheric black & white . My only big complaint is the ending . It ends on a happy note . On one hand , I liked it - - on the other hand , I didn't believe it for a minute . It was great to get a break from all the bleakness , but it rang so false that I couldn't swallow it . That aside though , this is well worth seeing . I'm giving it a 7 . |
478,149 | 463,200 | 78,869 | 7 | Disney's first PG film | This was Disney's big Christmas release in 1979 - - a big budget , the first PG rating and big stars . It was a huge bomb which is too bad - - it's pretty good . A spaceship's crew ( Anthony Perkins , Robert Forster , Joseph Bottoms , Yvette Mimieux ) find a mad doctor ( Maximilian Schell ) in outer space ready to enter a black hole . He sets out to take them with him . . . or else . Great special effects are the main attraction here . The debits are kiddie-like dialogue , bad acting , huge lapses in logic and two cutsey robots voiced by Roddy McDowell and Slim Pickens . Still , I liked the movie . It moves fairly quickly and there was always some impressive effects to look at - - it's obvious that Disney spent a lot of money on this . This is fine for kids - - the PG rating is just for someone saying " damn " and three non-bloody , quick deaths . Adults should like it too . |
477,540 | 463,200 | 249,462 | 7 | A good little movie | A motherless boy being brought up by a cruel brother and uncaring father , finds an escape through dancing . It's all very predictable and the ending is lousy , but the acting is good , some of the dancing is astonishing and the movie is never dull . But somehow , it never really connected with me . I liked it , but it just wasn't as good as I had heard it was . Basically , a very good little movie . But not worth $9 . 00 . Also , the R rating is wrong . Yes , there's a lot of swearing , but it shows a little boy who , against all odds , prevails . That's a great message for kids . It should have gotten a PG-13 . |
479,643 | 463,200 | 374,102 | 7 | Good but not great | A husband and wife are accidentally left behind on a scuba diving trip . Unfortunately , they're in the middle of the ocean and a current is pulling them farther out . No one knows they're missing , night is coming , and then the sharks show up . . . . This film has won HUGE praise from film festival critics . . . but it's just OK . Yeah , it's well-done , yes it's scary - - but only a little . For one thing it's 40 minutes until they get in the water . . . and we learn nothing about them . You just see them vacationing and enjoying it all . No insight into their feeling or lives at all . So when they're attacked later on , you really don't know them so it doesn't bother you that much . And the scenes in the water are scary at first but slowly become boring . They only perk up when the sharks pop up . The two actors are very good but there's only so much they can do with this script . And the ending DID surprise me ( and other people in the theatre ) . So it's worth seeing but it's NOT the masterpiece people are making it out to be . I give it a 7 . |
477,163 | 463,200 | 311,429 | 7 | Turn off your mind and you'll enjoy it | A bunch of fictional characters ( Mina Harker , Captain Nemo , Allan Quatermain , the Invisible Man , Dr . Jekyll and Mr . Hyde , Dorian Gray , Tom Sawyer ) are called together in 1899 to combat a madman who threatens to take over the world . The plot is silly and full of huge holes ( Mina Harker was NOT a vampire ; Tom Sawyer working for the U . S . government ? ; Mr . Hyde looks like a cousin to the Hulk ; Dorian Gray is an immortal ? ) but the movie itself looks great , there are plenty of incredible special effects ( and , surprisingly , some bad ones ) and it moves so quickly that you really don't have time to stop and think about it . Just ignore logic , plot and characterizations , lean back and let the movie sweep over you . There's a fight or action scene every 5 or 10 minutes or so - - you won't be bored . All the acting is pretty good - - Connery is excellent ( as always ) as Quatermain and Peta Wilson makes a very sexy vampire . The only bad acting comes surprisingly from two good actors - - Stuart Townsend is very dull as Dorian Grey and Shane West is way out of his league as Tom Sawyer . The scenes between him and Connery are almost embarassing to watch - - Connery is acting rings around him . So - - is it a good movie ? No , but it is an enjoyable one . Just sit back and don't think about - - during or after the movie ! Good viewing for a hot summer afternoon . |
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