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479,362 | 463,200 | 405,496 | 10 | An exceptional documentary for anyone with even a passing interest in movies | Back in 1974 a pay TV station was started in Los Angeles . It was the Z channel - - it showed movies uncut with no commercials . It was a pioneer - - years before Showtime , HBO and Cinemax . But Z channel showed films no one else would air - - foreign films , independent features . A lot of important film were discovered ( or rediscovered ) on this channel . It ran the uncut " Heaven's Gate " after the disastrous cut version was released ; the same with " Once Upon A Time In America " ; it introduced " Bad Timing " to an audience after it's minor theatrical release ; " McCabe and Mrs . Miller " found its audience here ; the complete 9 hour version of " 1900 " was shown here and on and on . Also , some of these films had X ratings - - but Z didn't cut them . MANY clips of the various films are shown here . It's also about it's owner and programming director - - Jerry Harvey . It explains what drove him and how he singlehandedly found these films and showed them . Unfortunately he was also suffering from personal demons which ended up killing him . I didn't know anything about this station - - and I'm upset that I grew up on the East Coast and not the West Coast . The programming this station had was fascinating and is inter cut with people who worked there and directors it helped . This is an absolutely fascinating look at the kind of pay TV station we'll never see again and the men and women who ran it . Just great - - a definite must-see ! A 10 all the way . |
479,298 | 463,200 | 70,239 | 10 | Energetic , interesting version of the Bible | I know some Catholics HATE this movie , but only because they think it's wrong to set the Bible to rock music . If you can ignore that , you'll see a film shot in Israel , with a pretty good cast , excellent score and some superb photography . It just stops short of being a great movie for a few reasons - - primarily Ted Neeley as Jesus Christ . Yeah he can sing , yeah he looks the part but his acting is lousy . From the expressions on his face , I was wondering if he was aware of WHAT he was singing ! The early 70s costumes and " hairstyles " are NOT easy on the eyes . Some of the outfits on the cast were ugly and the hairstyles - - God ! Why did every guy have to hair running down his back in the early 70s ? It looks ridiculous in this day and age . Those few complaints aside the movie is great . The songs are wonderful and the dances are energetic ( to say the least ) . And this film is NOT anti-Catholic . It also has three GREAT performances - - Yvonne Elliman as Mary Madgalene , Barry Dennen as Pilate and Carl Anderson as Judas . Elliman's beautiful rendition of " I Don't Know How to Love Him " is haunting and her reaction when Jesus is being whipped is shattering . Dennen plays Pilate as a tormented man who doesn't want to crucify Jesus but has no choice . Anderson is basically good during the entire movie . I do question , however , why he's played by a black man . Other than this , a great performance . Worth seeing any time of the year . |
478,641 | 463,200 | 101,110 | 10 | WAY ahead of its time | If you liked " Soap " you'll like this . It's about a crazy family with evil sister Denise Sandler ( Teri Garr ) and good sister Charlotte . It just involved Denise trying to get everything her way and will do anything to get it . Naturally they have some very unusual family members and friends . This aired for only a few months in 1991 . In fact it was the first new show that was cancelled ! I never figured out why . It was funny , racy ( for 1991 ) and kept pushing the envelope every chance it got . Garr was just great in her role - - she was clearly relishing every moment she was on screen . Also it had a blind character ( played by Mark Blankfield ) who accidentally destroys a laboratory completely while trying to help Charlotte . That came under attack by a group for blind people but it was repeated again a week or two later ! I have to admit I was in hysterics both times I saw it . He also accidentally kisses another man on the lips - - pretty risky for 1991 . It was WAY ahead of its time and was probably too much for 1991 audiences . I think it would be a hit today . Where's the DVD release ? I give this a 10 . |
477,927 | 463,200 | 91,630 | 10 | A rarity - - a horror comedy that is funny AND scary ! | It all starts out with a beautiful black & white prologue at Corman ( nudge nudge ) University in 1959 . Some " creeps " ( disgusting little things ) come to Earth and attack a young man ( they get in through your mouth , turn you into a zombie and plant other " creepers " that shot out of the mouth to infect people ) . He is caught and frozen solid and ( for some reason ) kept at the university . Then , in 1986 , two friends Chris Romero ( nudge , nudge ) ( Jason Lively ) and J . C . ( Steve Marshall ) unwittingly revive him . He wakes up and attacks the university . Soon , it's overrun by the things - - it's up Chris , J . C . , Cynthia Cronenberg ( nudge nudge ) and Detective Cameron ( nudge nudge ) to battle them . As you can see this movie doesn't take itself seriously for one moment . Heck , there's even a cameo from Dick Miller ! And it IS very funny ( especially some of J . C . ' s lines ) . But it doesn't shy away from blood and gore - - there's PLENTY of that . And it is creepy ( sorry ) more than once . They even break one of the rules of horror films - - POSSIBLE SPOILER AHEAa sympathetic character ( I won't say who ) dies and it's actually one of the film's more unpleasant moments ( you don't see it but you HEAR it ) . As 83 minutes it doesn't overstay it's welcome and ends with an all out massacre ( I'm REALLY surprised - - and pleased - - that this got an R rating ) . There are some gaps in the plot ( things happen way too quickly and characters just automatically correctly guess what's going on ) but this is a small quibble . I saw this back on video in 1986 after Fangoria magazine raved about it . I loved it - - then it disappeared . I never even saw it again until today ! Here's another great movie awaiting rediscovery . From what I heard Sony owns the rights - - hopefully we'll see the DVD someday . A fun , scary , gory movie . A 10 all the way ! " The good news is that your dates are here . The bad news is they're dead ! " |
478,981 | 463,200 | 30,442 | 10 | Great forgotten comedy | Rich , scatterbrained Emily Kilbourne ( Billie Burke ) has the habit of bringing in down-on-their-luck , homeless men to help them much to the disgust of her husband and children . They usually rob her blind and leave . Then Wade Rawlins ( Brian Aherne ) who just LOOKS down and out enters her life and she invites him in and he starts to change the whole family . . . for the better . The plot IS predictable but this is still a very funny screwball comedy . The script is great with one liners flying fast and furious . The entire cast is up for it - - Burke is just great and received an Oscar nomination for her performance ; Aherne is just OK ; Constance Bennett is wonderful as Jerry who falls for Rawlins and Alan Mowbray has some very funny sequences as the family butler . Catchy title tune too ( also nominated for an Oscar ) . The romance between Bennett is Aherne is a bit too predictable and there's a very rushed ending . Also an offensive black stereotype is thrown in at the end . Still this is a fast , funny , wonderful film that deserves to be better known . Recommended . Good luck finding a good print - - the only one available is in terrible condition . |
479,628 | 463,200 | 132,367 | 10 | Chilling | I caught this documentary at a small art house cinema back in 1981 . There was no rating but you had to be over 18 to be admitted . I have never forgotten it . It's about pornography and how it degrades women . They specifically target porno films where women are tied up and used . To make their point they do have to show clips from these films - - and they're just revolting . I have nothing against porn - - but not when it's violent and people are being tied up or forced . They also talk to people who run porno shops and women who perform sex acts live . The most interesting interview I remember was when they talked to a wife and husband who preformed live sex acts to each other on stage ( she's white , he's black ) . She actually defends what she's doing quite well and had me believing her ! Just fascinating with hardcore sex - - but it IS necessary for the integrity of the film . It's also horrifying that some people enjoy this sort of " entertainment " . Hard to find - - it deserves wide distribution . A 10 . |
477,478 | 463,200 | 70,294 | 10 | One of the best haunted house films ever ! | Four psychic investigators ( Roddy McDowall , Pamela Franklin , Clive Revill , Gayle Hunnicutt ) are to spend a week in the Mount Everest of haunted houses to see if life does exist after death . They are given only a week and , in that time , have all the ghosts attack full force . Next to the 1962 version of " The Haunting " this is the best haunted house flick ever made . It starts up and never stops . There's no humor and it's beautifully atmospheric . Also creepy sound effects and eerie music help keep up the mood and director John Hough shoots the film from weird angles keeping you off balance . Good performances help especially by Franklin and there's one harrowing sequence in which she " offers " herself to the spirits of the house . Not for the blood and guts crowd ( this is PG rated ) . A very scary movie . The book is much better and a LOT more graphic but there was no way they could have shot the book faithfully - - it would have had an X rating ! For instance when Franklin has sex with a ghost - - in the movie she looks into the camera and screams . In the book she finds a rotting corpse forcing itself on her ! This seems to have disappeared off the radar - - even the 2003 DVD release is pretty bad . The colors are faded , there's only a trailer as an extra and there was no big publicity campaign for it . Still you should seek it out if you haven't seen in - - it's worth it . I give it a rare 10 ! |
477,260 | 463,200 | 39,204 | 10 | One of the all-time best | Superb boxing film - - the only one to come close is " Raging Bull " . John Garfield ( in an excellent performance ) plays a poor young man who quickly becomes a world class champ only to find corruption at the top . Film is well-directed by Robert Rossen and contains exquisite cinematography by James Wong Howe . All the acting is good except for Lilli Palmer . She tries , but she seems totally lost in her role . It moves quickly , is never boring and has some very brutal ( for 1947 ) fight scenes . Only main complaint I have is about the ending - - MAJOR SPOILER AHEAD . He's supposed to throw a fight , but at the end doesn't and gets out of boxing alive . In real life he probably would have been gunned down . But there was a Production Code to follow in 1947 , so it had to have happy ending . Aside from that , it's a great film all around . Don't miss this one ! |
479,544 | 463,200 | 303,797 | 10 | Just great | Fascinating documentary with the actors and actresses of Broadway's " Golden Age " ( late 1940s-late 1960s ) talking about their experiences on stage , who influenced them , how they got into the business etc etc . What's truly incredible is when they compare and contrast how Broadway was back then and how it is now . They were a close-knit family back then ; they didn't need mikes to project their voices throughout the theatre ; the incredibly low ticket prices back then as compared to now . . . The picture isn't perfect . . . it's not done chronologically and there's no historical or sociological perspective . Still there's rare live footage of some of the Broadway shows and all the stories are just incredible . It makes one feel sad to realize we'll never see a world like that again . Everybody is good but Elaine Stritch is an absolute howl ! A must see for all Broadway fans . A 10 all the way . |
479,640 | 463,200 | 21,571 | 10 | Just stunning | This silent film focuses on a small Ukranian village in 1930 . It's about small independent farmers working against a " collective " - - a state run collaboration of farms . The film ( kind of ) is about their conflict . To be truthful there isn't much of a story - - that's secondary in this film . The imagery is what counts and it's truly stunning . It contains some of the most gorgeous footage I've ever seen of nature and , in images , clearly documents man's love of the earth . There are characters and a minor story but they're actually pretty bad - - the story is painfully slow , the acting horrendous ( one very good-looking actor just stands there with a big beautiful grin on his face no matter WHAT the scene is about ) and has some of the most laughable dialogue cards I've ever seen ( I'm assuming it doesn't translate well from Russian ) . Also the " restored " print looks pretty terrible . Still the images are incredible and there's a beautiful music score going along with it . Historically and visually this is a landmark of world cinema - - a definite must-see . Try to see the unedited prints which contain surprising ( for 1930 ) female nudity . |
477,557 | 463,200 | 65,466 | 10 | So bad it's good ! | I think some people have seen too much into this movie - - a satire ? ? ? ? Come on people ! It's a RUSS MEYER film ! They were made to show tons of young , beautiful , big-breasted girls and that's about it . According to Erica Gavin ( who gives the one good performance in the film ) , Meyer filmed this dead seriously - - he actually thought he was making an insightful expose on rock music ! What he made is a camp classic - - it contains some of the worst dialogue ever uttered . . . but it's never boring , is always moving and has some surprisingly good songs . Also the direction is uproarious . Note the times when the band is playing who's popping up on either side of the screen - - talk about clichéd ! The acting ( with the exception of Gavin ) is pretty bad , but it fits the silly dialogue perfectly . Tons of female nudity , no male nudity and a sudden swing into bloody , disgusting violence at the end . Still , it's a laugh a minute . . . especially it you see it with an audience . A definite must see ! A 10 from me ! See it letter-boxed - - the pan and scan version is unwatchable . This originally had an X rating - - when it was released on video in the mid 90s , Warner Bros tried to lower it to an R - - but couldn't . The ratings board said one sequence was too explicit - - a long , beautiful lesbian sex scene which SHOWS NOTHING except the girls kissing ! ! ! ! To Warner Bros credit , they didn't cut it and just released it with an NC-17 . Don't be fooled - - it's an R rating all the way . " This is my happening and it freaks me out ! " |
478,427 | 463,200 | 39,192 | 10 | A one of a kind | Nuns led by Sister Clodagh ( Deborah Kerr ) attempt to establish a hospital and school in the Himalayas . They find themselves having to deal with physical , emotional and sexual hardships . The story here is secondary - - this film is one of the most stunning color films ever made ( try to see a good color print ) . It contains breathtaking visuals , great direction ( particularly fine use of color , light and shadow ) and great performances all around . The only fault I had was with the two main male characters played by Sabu and David Farrar - - they were both annoying ( especially Farrar ) and ( in the case of Sabu ) not really necessary to the plot . However , that's a small complaint . This is a must see film . Best acting comes from Kerr and Kathleen Byron ( especially at the end ) . |
477,846 | 463,200 | 47,885 | 10 | Very dated but a classic nonetheless | Richard Dadier ( Glenn Ford ) starts teaching at an inner city NY school and has to deal with hostile kids who don't give a damn about school . He tries to reach out and deal with them but they resist - - lead on by Artie West ( Vic Morrow ) who is one step short of a psychopath . He keeps trying and then things get violent . . . Yes , it's very dated now . . . we have kids shooting teachers and other students dead nowadays , but in its time this was considered a truly shocking film . It was accused of provoking violence in schools ( which is ridiculous - - the film is anti-violence ) and was the first Hollywood film to use rock'n'roll in its soundtrack . All that aside it's still a good movie . The script is as explicit as Hollywood would let it be ( the kids don't swear but they come close ) and it was shot in gritty b & w . The performances are almost all uniformly excellent - - especially Sidney Poitier as Miller ; Margaret Hayes as a teacher who is almost raped and especially Morrow who is downright horrifying as West . It's hard to believe this was his first film . The only so so performances were by Ford ( too grim-faced ) and Anne Francis who has the hopeless role of his pregnant wife . I first saw this on TV when I was in high school ( 1976-1980 ) . I remember when " Rock Around the Clock " started blasting out during the opening credits I really felt a jolt go through me ( I can only imagine the effect in 1955 ) . I loved the movie but I realized it was probably toned down by Hollywood ( I found out later it was ) and I've never believed the " happy " ending . Still this is undeniably a powerful film and a definite must-see . Also , historically , it's an important film . A classic . A definite 10 . |
477,221 | 463,200 | 65,488 | 10 | Like it or not , it's powerful | A bunch of gay men ( and one straight guy ) get together for a birthday party . Things slowly barrel out of control , the men attack each other and " The Truth Game " tears them apart . I'm an out , proud gay man and I love this movie . Yes , it's a downer - - yes , they all hate themselves - - yes , they tear each other apart . But you know what ? Those men EXIST ! I met them when I came out in the 80s and they're still around now almost 20 years later . Go to any popular gay bar on a Saturday night and you'll find plenty of Michaels in full voice . Also , this film was made in 1970 when homosexuality was still considered a mental illness and was against the law in many states - - no wonder these guys were miserable . Also , it was a milestone in Hollywood - - the first movie which dealt with all gay characters and not one of them killed himself ! I saw it unedited on TV when I was closeted and it didn't depress me at all . It was uplifting ( in a strange way ) . Even though these men are clawing at each other , they're still friends and they are there for each other . Also , the " Truth Game " has never been played at parties I've gone to . So , you may not like it , but gay men like this do exist . Avoid at all costs the cut TV version . It's 13 MINUTES shorter and is incomprehensible . |
478,514 | 463,200 | 182,508 | 10 | Excellent | Charlie ( Dan Futterman ) wanders around NYC one night looking for another man who ( might ) have something he is looking for . That's all I'm going to say about this - - you have to see the film to understand it . The film starts off slow ( and surreal ) but quickly draws you in with fast , incredible images and a plot that becomes clearer as the movie goes on . Dan Futterman is just superb in his role . . . this had to have been a difficult part to play but he pulls it off . Actually no one is bad but Matt Keeslar ( as his lover Chris ) and Samuel Bell ( as Dean ) deserve special mention . This film is not for everybody . It challenges you and makes you think ( how many films nowadays do that ? ) and is very dark , disturbing and depressing . It also demands multiple viewings ( I had to see it twice to actually understand it ) . Also there is some violence that is jarring . But , at the end , I was in tears - - I've seen this movie at least seven times and I STILL cry at the ending . It's actually a happy ending ( sort of ) but really hits hard . Basically this film deals with love , loss and coming to terms with it . Also there are urban legends played out during the film - - they DO fit in . It deals with gay relationships primarily and there's plenty of kissing and flashes of nudity . Easily one of the best films of 2000 and it's in my list as one of the ten top films ever made . Just great - - I highly recommend this . Try to see it on DVthe commentary and extras really explain the story and themes more . |
479,506 | 463,200 | 147,800 | 10 | Just great teen update of " Taming of the Shrew " | At Pardu High School young perky sophomore Bianca Stratford ( Larisa Oleynik ) wants to date - - but her overprotective father ( Larry Miller ) won't let her until her older sister Katerina ( Julia Stiles ) dates . Problem is Katerina hates everybody ! Cameron James ( Joseph Gordon-Levitt ) wants to date Bianca and hires tough boy Patrick Verona ( Heath Ledger ) to date Katerina . Trouble is Patrick falls for Katerina . . . I can't believe I'm giving a 10 to a teen comedy ( I'm in my 40s ! ) but I loved this ! It's bright , full of color , quick with many interesting characters and some absolutely hysterical one liners . I laughed out loud more than once ! The script is sharp and just great - - it updates Shakespeare's play in a very affectionate manner . The acting is just perfect . Stiles has already proved she's a good actress - - she plays the comedy and drama to perfection . Oleynik is perfect as her younger sister - - she could have been too perky but she wasn't . Gordon-Levitt is touching in his role . Allison Janney has a few hysterical bits as guidance counselor Ms . Perky and Andrew Keegan plays the drop dead handsome but obnoxious jerk Joey Donner very well - - his verbal fights with Stiles really work ! Ledger is just OK . There's also a great soundtrack and some truly funny outtakes during the closing credits along with the band Letters from Cleo belting out a song on top of the school ! The only negative I have is that there was a bit too much swearing and sexual innuendo for a PG-13 movie . Still , I loved this movie from beginning to end - - funny and moving . Highly recommended ! |
477,566 | 463,200 | 118,421 | 10 | Very violent , bloody and sick - - but you can't stop watching | Harrowing series about life in Oz - - an experimental prison where they try to rehabilitate prisoners . There's gay sex , rape , torture , mutilation , killings , humiliation , tons of male nudity . . . all in your face and going full force . It also is easily one of the best written dramas ever put on TV and almost all the actors are just great . Since this was on cable there were no restrictions on what they could say or show . There's plenty of racist comments flying in here but it's for all races . In fact the white characters come off pretty badly ( especially the Aryans ) and the black characters come off better ( the peace-loving Muslims ) . The Hispanics don't have a strong role and there are NO Asian prisoners at all . All the prisoners seem to be back-stabbers and willing to kill anyone at a moments notice - - - but you still find yourself sympathizing with some of them . Even the guards , counselors and doctors at the prison have serious issues . I heartily recommend this BUT rent it - - don't buy it . I have the whole collection and , to be totally honest , I don't think I ever want to see it again . It's incredible TV but so grim , dark and depressing . Guess I gotta sell it all online . I give it a 10 . |
478,962 | 463,200 | 166,924 | 10 | One of Lynch's best | Betty ( Naomi Watts in a fantastic performance ) tries to help an amnesiac " Rita " ( Laura Elena Harring ) find out who she is . There's a lot more than that to the plot , but you should see the film yourself to find out . Almost as good as " Blue Velvet " , this is David Lynch's newest mind trip . It makes sense for an hour and 45 minutes ( it was originally a pilot for a TV series that was rejected by ABC ) but then things change drastically and images ( and characters ) go barelling out of control . . . but that's expected from Lynch . Characters and things change in very unexpected ways . . . alternate realities seem to step in . Or do they ? This last section is wide open to interpretation - - like the best Lynch films this demands multiple viewings . If you're a Lynch fan ( like me ) or if you like films that are adult and challenge you , go see it . If not , stay away . Also , there's a not so explicit lesbian love scene . |
478,349 | 463,200 | 35,753 | 10 | Depressing and disturbing but just great | This takes place in a small French town in 1943 . Someone called " The Raven " is sending poison pen letters to various people in the town . They're filled with half-truths or outright lies but it begins to affect people . Quickly the whole town falls apart - - relationships are destroyed , mistrust and suspicion are all over and it finally leads to suicide and a murder . Plotwise this may seem familiar to many but it's beautifully done . The film moves quickly , is well-acted and director Henri-Georges Clourot ( who also directed the classic " Diabolique " ) does a wonderful job of visualizing the paranoia and hatred of the townspeople . The best sequence has a nurse running away when she thinks she is being chased by a crowd . Also this deals with sex outside marriage , pregnancy and abortion - - taboo subject in 1943 . Believe it or not this was seen as Nazi propaganda in its day ! It was shot while France was being occupied and shows a town full of violent , suspicious and angry people . French people thought it was a slap in the face to them - - showing them as ignorant people who let lies destroy them . That seems pretty silly now . It's now rightfully regarded as a classic . Well worth catching . I give it a 10 . |
478,925 | 463,200 | 65,571 | 10 | Just simply a masterpiece | Story of a weak-willed Italian man ( Jean-Louis Trintignant ) who is ordered , in 1938 , to assassinate his one-time professor . He is ordered by a Fascist organization he joined to become normal , to conform ( he's gay and ashamed of it ) . He takes his annoying wife ( Stefania Sandrelli ) with him . . . only to find his professor has married a former love of his ( Dominique Sanda ) . Can he kill them both ? This film is just riveting . The story is never boring and full of some very intriguing people . The acting is superb - - especially by Trintignant who you see holding his fear and indecision inside and Sanda who is unbelievably sexy . . . and dangerous . I don't know much about politics so I'm not going to discuss that . But this film is a must-see for the incredible cinematography by Vittorio Storano and masterful direction by Bernardo Bertolucci . The sets are exquisite - - every single one looks incredible and is beautifully lit and shot for maximum impact . Sometimes I was just so caught up in the visuals I lost track of the story ! Every shot is filled with rich symbolism . My favorite sequence was at a dance hall when Trintignant is " caught " in the dance . Also some prints are missing a 10 minute " Dance of the Blind " that was cut from original prints . It's no loss - - it adds nothing to the story . Quite simply one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen with a strong , intriguing plot . A powerful must-see film . A 10 all the way . |
479,345 | 463,200 | 109,508 | 10 | Fascinating if unsettling | Absorbing profile of Robert Crumb , an underground cartoonist . Shows him at work and interacting with his friends and heavily dysfunctional family . I had no idea who Robert Crumb was ( all I knew was that he created " Fritz the Cat " ) and I find underground comics repulsive but I was never bored or repelled by this movie . It has him talking about his life and his work along with interviews with his family and friends also discussing him and his work . The film shows many of Crumb's graphic work ( VERY graphic for an R rated movie ) and has him discussing , analyzing and ( at times ) defending his work . We also see oppossing or agreement from other art critics or artists . What's most interesting is that we see he came from a very destructive family and puts all of his hatred and childhood misery into his drawings . I still don't like underground comics , but this movie helped me understand them . . . to a degree . Also a haunting look at a disturbed family . . . but it's treated sort of lightly . . . not dark and heavy . Very interesting and well done . Not for everyone but great for those with VERY open minds . |
477,855 | 463,200 | 47,296 | 10 | Quite simply a classic | Gripping , powerful drama of corrupt unions for dock workers and how one man Terry Malloy ( Marlon Brando ) fights back . This movie is a definite must-see . The story is pretty simple and has been done before but the script is superb and all the actors are at the height of their powers . Brando is unbelievable as Malloy - - he portrays his innocence and hurt so easily - - I actually started to get a lump in my throat when he comes to grips about the corruption . Rod Steiger is great in a small role as his brother . The taxicab sequence between him and Brando has become a legend - - rightfully . Lee J . Cobb is frightening as the leader of it all . Eva Marie Saint ( in her first theatrical role ) is gorgeous and just great as a woman who falls in love with Brando . The scenes between them are incredible . There's also superb direction by Elia Kazan - - this is possibly his best work . The only debit here is Karl Malden as the priest - - he overplays it way too much and got on more nerves . But that's about it . This movie is one of those rare instances where everything clicked together perfectly . A HUGE hit in its day . Don't miss this one ! |
478,450 | 463,200 | 74,285 | 10 | One of DePalma's best | High school misfit Carrie ( Sissy Spacek ) unleashes her telekinetic fury on her tormentors . This was a huge hit in 1976 and scared me silly . It doesn't scare me now ( except for the closing sequence ) , but I still think it's a good solid horror film beautifully handled by Brian De Palma . It moves quickly , has some beautiful imagery ( everything is shot soft focus with muted color ) and has almost uniformally good performances . The only bad one is by John Travolta way out of his depth playing a hood . Amy Irving ( as a student who befriends Carrie ) , William Katt ( with a very 70s afro ) , Nancy Allen ( playing a real bitch ) , Betty Buckley ( so young and full of energy ) and P . J . Soles ( silly but bearable ) are all perfect . But Spacek is superb matched by Piper Laurie who is very scary and marvelous as her deranged , religious mother . They were both nominated for Best Supporting Actresses Awards ( very unusual for a horror film ) . Also the film is ( by today's standards ) very restrained in terms of blood and gore . And the final sequence will make you jump ( also notice the cars in the background during that - - they're moving backwards ! ) Only complaints - - De Palma REALLY hates some of the high school kids - - you feel like like he's working out some personal issues here . And did we really need the slow-mo shower sequence at the beginning ? That aside - - this is a great film . See it letter boxed . |
478,465 | 463,200 | 18,054 | 10 | Excellent silent movie | Movie follows the story of Jesus Christ ( H . B . Warner ) starting with Mary Magdelene ( Jacqueline Logan ) and ending with his resurrection . While not exactly accurate ( Magdalene was Judas ' lover ? ) to the Bible this is actually an excellent movie . It's very reverent to the story and doesn't preach to the audience like other Biblical movies did . Some of the shots of Jesus were stunning - - he ( literally ) GLOWS . It's all done with lighting but it looks realistic . And since it's directed by Cecil B . DeMille it's a spectacle - - this movie is BIG ! The sets are colossal , there's a cast of hundreds and a big huge Crucifiction sequence that is quite impressive . There's also some nice special effects - - surprising in a movie that's over 70 years old . Also , it's well-cast . The standouts are Warner as Jesus ; Logan making a very impressive Magdelene and Joseph Schildkraut playing a very young and handsome Judas . Also his father Rudolph Schildkraut plays Caiaphas . And the Resurrection sequence at the end is in two-color Technicolor . This is a much better than the 1961 remake . That one was badly cast ( Jeffrey Hunter was way too young for the role ) , too long ( almost 3 hours ) and dragged . This one is barely 2 hours and moves very quickly . A very impressive silent film - - well worth catching . |
478,719 | 463,200 | 64,665 | 10 | Depressing but excellent | Young , handsome , muscular Joe Buck ( Jon Voight ) moves from Texas to New York thinking he'll make a living by being a stud . He gets there and finds out quickly that it isn't going to be easy - - he goes through one degrading experience after another . At the end of his rope he hooks up with crippled , sleazy Ratso Rizzo ( Dustin Hoffman ) . Together they try to survive and get out of the city and move to Florida . But will they make it ? Very dark , disturbing yet fascinating movie . Director John Schelsinger paints a very grimy portrait of NYC and its inhabitants . In that way it's dated - - the city may have been this bad in 1969 but it's cleaned up considerably by now . He also uses every camera trick in the book - - color turning to black & white ; trippy dream sequences ; flash forwards ; flash backs ( especially involving a rape ) ; shock cuts ; weird sound effects . . . you name it . It keeps you disoriented and off center - - but I couldn't stop watching . There isn't much of a story - - it basically centers on the friendship between Rizzo and Buck . There is an implication that they may have been lovers ( the final shot sort of shows that ) . It's just a portrait of two damaged characters trying to survive in a cold , cruel , urban jungle . This was originally rated X in 1969 - - the only reason being that the MPAA didn't think that parents would want their children to see this . Nevertheless , it was a big hit with high schoolers ( back then X meant no one under 17 ) . It also has been the only X rated film ever to win an Academy Award as Best Picture . Hoffman and Voight were up for acting awards as was ( mysteriously ) Sylvia Miles who was in the picture for a total of ( maybe ) 5 minutes ! It was eventually lowered to an R ( with no cuts ) when it was reissued in 1980 . Also the excellent song " Everybody's Talkin ' " was introduced in this film - - and became a big hit . A great film - - - but very dark . I'm giving it a 10 . DON'T see it on commercial TV - - it's cut to ribbons and incomprehensible . |
478,269 | 463,200 | 70,047 | 10 | Still scary and shocking | Angelic little 12 year old Regan ( Linda Blair ) is possessed by the devil . Her mother ( Ellen Burnstyn ) tries every medical cure to no avail . She finally tries exorcism with Father Merrian ( Max von Sydow ) and helper ( Jason Miller ) performing it . This film was considered the most horrifying film ever made back in 1973 . It's still horrifying to this very day . Blair screaming out obscenities , finding new uses for a crucifix and doing projectile vomiting are still hard to watch - - this film is NOT for children ! I saw the new version this weekend . With the addition of the now infamous " spider walk " and another doctor visit , the footage added nothing new to the film . In fact , it made the film a bit too long . It does have great acting , especially from Blair , Burnstyn and von Sydow . Also the special effects still hold up today . Well worth seeing . A very scary , graphic horror film . |
478,139 | 463,200 | 22,286 | 10 | A classic | Classic gangster film showing how a young man ( James Cagney ) becomes a gangster and killer . This film made Cagney and deservedly so . It moves quickly ( it's 82 minutes long ) , is never dull , has good acting and contains many classic sequences : Cagney smacking Mae Clarke in the face with a grapefruit ; a massacre that you hear but don't see ; Cagney stumbling through a rainstorm . The film also opens and ends with a silly statement condemning gangsters - - it was probably put in to pacify censors - - this film was considered extremely violent for 1931 . Also the ending is horrifying , even by today's standards . A must see . Also a nice showcase for a very young Jean Harlow . |
479,156 | 463,200 | 65,780 | 10 | Fascinating and disturbing | Superb documentasry about the Rolling Stones free concert at Altamont Speedway in 1969 that resulted in a murder . As a concert film , the Stones are at their best - - the footage is excellent , Mick Jagger is young and vibrant and they perform their best songs . As a documentary it shows the Altamont concert , which was all about peace and love , slowly turning violent . For some reason , the Hells Angels were hired as security and their behavior turned the mood violent and ugly . At one point Jefferson Airplane ( performing before the Stones ) had their lead singer knocked unconscious by the Angels . In a chilling scene you see an Angel angrily threatening the other members and Grace Slick doing her best to calm everyone down . We briefly see Ike and Tina Turner perform too . When the Stones came on , everything fell apart . There was rampant violence ( especially when they started to do " Sympathy for the Devil " ) , beatings and a fatal stabbing was caught on camera ! Just simply a wonderful , if scary film . Not to be missed . |
477,293 | 463,200 | 78,754 | 10 | Depressing but brilliant | The life and times of Bob Fosse - - oops ! sorry ! - - Joe Gideon ( Roy Scheider ) . He directs , choreographs and writes Broadway musicals and the occasional movie . He also has sex with every woman he can , is a chronic smoker . . . there's more but I don't want to ruin it . Basically , this is a character study and an absolutely fascinating one . This is Bob Fosse doing a movie about himself and showing his life in an extremely negative light . I saw this movie when it first came out in 1980 . I thought it was one of the most depressing things I had ever seen - - but went back to see it three additional times . The acting is just great all across the board - - Scheider is cast against type . . . and pulls it off . In fact he was nominated for an Academy Award for this performance ( he lost to DeNiro for " Raging Bull " ) . Jessica Lange is playing . . . let's call her Our Lady of the Oxygen Tank ( you'll see what I mean ) . Seriously , she has a difficult role and plays it beautifully . The direction is superb , mixing fantasy with reality seamlessly . The songs are good and the dancing is just great ( especially in one VERY erotic number about casual sex ) . This movie is not for everyone - - I know of one theatre in which half the audience walked out demanding their money back - - but , if you're game , you probably won't be able to take your eyes off the screen . Depressing but just great . Fosse's best film ( even better than " Cabaret " ! ) |
478,088 | 463,200 | 53,125 | 10 | Easily Hitchcock's best | Businessman Roger O . Thornhill ( Cary Grant ) is mistakenly thought to be a Federal agent . He is kidnapped by an evil man ( James Mason ) . They soon realize they've captured the wrong man and try to have him killed . But it doesn't work and Thornhill finds himself a hunted man . . . OK - - this is not perfect . There's some lousy back projection ( but all Hitchcock films have that ) and I was never really sure WHAT the bad guys were doing ( something to do with microfilm ) . Also I've never believed Grant's actions when someone is killed in front of him ( WHY did he grab the knife ? ) . But the film is so incredibly entertaining no one has ever cared . This has some of Hitchcock's most famous scenes - - the infamous " crop dusting " sequence and the climax on top of Mount Rushmore - - but the whole film is just as good . There's a tense auction sequence and Grant's harrowing car ride down a treacherous road while dead drunk . There are some amusing parts in the film : Grant's mother appears to be a few years YOUNGER than him ; the main villains last name is Vandamm ; the romantic sparring between Grant and Eva Marie Saint is full of sexual innuendo ; Martin Landau ( one of Vandamm's henchman ) is gay ( he says he has a woman's intuition and has slightly exaggerated mannerisms - - but it's not offensively done ) and get a load of Vandamms mountain house at the end ! Grant appears a bit old for this but he pulls it off ; Eva Marie Saint is incredibly beautiful and pretty good as the love interest ( sort of ) ; Martin Landau is so young and handsome with blazing blue eyes and James Mason is just perfect as the evil Vandamm - - his lines seem to come so effortlessly and he's so suave . . . but you also see the cruelty hiding underneath . Probably one of the best Hitchcock villains ever . So - - excellent script with incredible dialogue ; rich , bright Technicolor ; shot in VistaVision ( a wide screen process ) ; great score and Hitchcock's always great direction with several astounding camera shots . Never boring - - even at 136 minutes . A true classic . Don't miss this one ! I give it a 10 . " That's funny . That plane is dusting crops where there ain't no crops . " |
477,465 | 463,200 | 57,012 | 10 | Cold but impressive | Black BLACK satire by Stanley Kubrick about nuclear war . I hated this the first time I saw it - - but I've since revised my opinion . I can see why I didn't like this at first . Even though it's a satire it's full of very unlikable , totally crazy characters . It's shot in stark black & white and I still don't find the idea of nuclear war very funny . Also Kubrick has always been a very ' cold ' director - - he seems very cynical in all his movies and they have a cruel , detached view to them ( especially " 2001 " ) . This is no exception but I have to admit it is ( in its way ) a masterpiece . It's never dull , has some incredibly funny moments ( Sellers conversations with the Russian premier are hysterical ) and moves like lightning . The cast is just great - - George C . Scott enjoyably goes barreling out of control as the military leader ; Sterling Hayden is just great as the guy who starts the war ; even Slim Pickens was good ! And this was James Earl Jones ' first film . But this film belongs to Peter Sellers - - he plays three different roles and he's magnificent in all of them . He plays each one completely different and does a great job constantly . Just unbelievable . So . . . I still find the film a little too cold and don't find it particularly funny but it IS a masterpiece . I give it a 10 . |
477,889 | 463,200 | 65,794 | 10 | Another nightmare from David Lynch | Sick , disturbing and surreal short from David Lynch . A man and a woman get married and have a son who they don't really want . The child grows up being horribly abused by his parents . Then , in a dark sinister room , he plants a seed who sprouts into a grandmother . She , in a way , shows him the affection his parents never gave him . There's more but I won't spoil it . The film mixes live actors with animation seamlessly . It has sound but no dialogue - - the actors just make sounds somewhat like human speech . It's in washed-out color which certainly fits the subject matter . Also you see Lynch using odd noises on the soundtrack which he perfected years later with " Eraserhead " . I'm giving this film a 10 but it is VERY disturbing . It's definitely not for everybody . The abuse scenes are horrible to watch and the nonstop morbidness did start to wear on me , but I couldn't stop watching . It all leads to a very sad ending . Sick , troubling and ( at times ) horrifying movie but just incredible . A 10 but only for those who can stand extreme subject matter . |
477,392 | 463,200 | 470,997 | 10 | Short and hilarious | Stephen ( Brian Palermo ) and Martin ( Mitch Silpa ) are on their third date . They're having dinner at Stephen's apartment . They start talking and quickly some very amusing truths come flying from their mouths . . . A perfect gay date movie ! The leads are charming and the dialogue is very witty and right on target . They capture exactly what it's like on the all important third date . It all leads to a happy conclusion . I saw this at a gay and lesbian film festival and the mostly male audience went wild ! Straight audiences might not get it - - as I said the dialogue is exactly what you would hear on a date . Gay men will identify with it completely . A 10 for gay men . |
477,292 | 463,200 | 22,208 | 10 | Tough , quick melodrama | Barbara Stanwyck plays a night nurse at a very strange household where some children may be in serious danger . Strong pre-Code film has ( for 1931 ) strong dialogue , Stanwyck and Joan Blondell in their underwear , alcoholism , nymphomania , attempted rape , child abuse and Clark Gable ( without his mustache ) slugging Stanwyck unconscious . The plot is kind of silly but the film moves so quickly ( 72 minutes ) that you sort of disregard it . There are also some nice directorial touches from William Wellman . The whole cast is great : Stanwyck is just superb in the title role - - smart , strong and has no fear - - she almost manages to stare Gable down in one of their fights . Gable is incredible as the bad guy - - violent , brutal and very scary . There's great support from Blondell as Stanwyck's best friend and Ben Lyon as a bootlegger with the hots for her . A really great film - - don't miss this one ! Two of the many great lines : " I'm a nymphomaniac . . . and I'm proud of it ! " " You MOTHER ! " |
477,790 | 463,200 | 179,624 | 10 | Just great ! ! ! ! ! | This was put together in 1994 to celebrate the first 100 years of the movies . It starts with the silents and moves all the way up to 1994 ending with " Schindler's List " . For a movie fan like me it's pure magic and loads of fun figuring out which clips come from what movie ( I'm proud to say I got 95 % of them ) . They reference and show classic clips from just about every famous film in Hollywood . Some go by a little TOO fast but I can understand that . Also the clips of music from various movies is fantastic . My favorites are the title music from " Gone With the Wind " and " Rocky " and " We're in the Money " from one of the Gold Diggers films . My only complaints ( and they're tiny ones ) - - some of the clips are WAY out of place . I caught " American in Paris " in the 1940s section ! And where was " Gigi " ? It was one of the few musicals to win an Academy Award as Best Picture . There were other omissions but these stood out . Still it's a great short . Anybody who has even a passing interest in movies will love this . A 10 all the way ! |
479,688 | 463,200 | 206,634 | 10 | Bleak but powerful | This takes place in Britain in 2027 . The world has been hit by a plague or something ( we never find out ) that makes women unable to give birth . Society begins to crumble . Theo ( Clive Owen ) is a bureaucrat who distances himself from it all - - but he was once an activist . He's drawn back into it all by a former lover ( the always great Julianne Moore ) . There is one pregnant woman ( Clare-Hope Ashitey ) who they have to smuggle out of Britain and Theo gets involved . The story is somewhat vague and I'm still not sure what all these characters were about ( I'm STILL at a loss to figure out what Michael Caine was doing here ) but I was fascinated from start to finish . It is bleak and depressing with no humor or lightness to help you along . There are bloody gunfights and a nonstop air of depression surrounding everything . Still it's not THAT grim . I was able to distance myself from it - - I was always aware I was watching a movie . Some people may not be able to do that ( a few people were crying when I went ) . The acting is superb - - Moore is never bad and Owen has never been better . His acting anchors the whole movie . You see his character go from unfeeling and uncaring to the other extreme . Even Caine was fun ( sort of ) . I'm not going to get into the politics of the movie - - but this seems to be the kind of future President Bush would love . Big Brother is always watching you here - - illegal immigrants are routinely caged and brought to camps , people have to carry identity cards and the government has total control over everything . I don't think it could ever happen but it's terrifying to think that it could . A bleak , depressing but just great movie . A 10 all the way . |
479,493 | 463,200 | 65,856 | 10 | Just great | Based on the " Dark Shadows " TV show which was a Gothic soap opera than ran from 1966-1970 . Basically this just takes most of the plots from 1966-1967 and crams them into 90 minutes . Vampire Barnabas Collins ( Jonathan Frid ) is accidentally released from his coffin after being chained in there for over 100 years . He poses as a cousin from England and gets friendly with the present Collins family . He quickly falls in love with beautiful Maggie Evans ( Kathryn Leigh Scott ) and Dr . Hoffman ( Grayson Hall ) tries to discover a cure for his vampirism . But things start to fall apart when Hoffman falls in love with Barnabas . . . . This was made when the TV series was at the height of its popularity . It was shot in two weeks VERY quickly with most of the original cast ( while the TV show was still in production ) . You really don't have to know the original series to enjoy this movie . . . the characters are all introduced ( very quickly ) . It's pretty obvious this movie was edited severely - - the story moves VERY quickly and you're playing catchup most of the time . Still , I had no trouble following it . Also they pour on the blood here - - throats are torn open , vampires are staked all with plenty of gushing red blood ( this would NOT get a PG today - - it would probably get a hard R rating ) . Producer / director Dan Curtis decided he would show everything he couldn't get on TV - - and he did ! The story moves quickly , the violence and gore is strong , the locations are just gorgeous , there's tons of atmosphere , all the acting is good and there are quite a few nice jolts . Frid is just great as Barnabas , John Karlen is good as his servant Willie , Scott does wonders with the thankless victim role she's given and Roger Davis plays the hero very well . SPOILER ALERT ! ! ! ! Nancy Barrett especially is sexy and terrifying as a vampire - - her staking is a definite highlight of the film . END SPOILER ALERT ! ! ! ! So . . . where's the DVD version with the edited footage ? It was announced back in 2001 . . . it's now 2003 ! A strong , tight horror film . Perfect viewing for Halloween night . Highly recommended ! |
478,870 | 463,200 | 29,947 | 10 | Hysterical | Katharine Hepburn and her pet leopard make life miserable for professor Cary Grant . This was a major bomb in 1938 . Audiences probably couldn't accept Hepburn in a screwball comedy . Today it's considered one of the best films of the 1930s . It's a true classic - - jokes come fast and furious and Hepburn's nonstop talking is just uproarious . Her and Grant play off each other very well - - much better than they did in " Sylvia Scarlett " . Actually the entire cast is great . The script is just wonderful - - fast , very funny and piling one mishap on another . Also Grant also says the classic line - - " Cause I've gone GAY all of the sudden " . ( Since we now know Grant was gay it makes that line even funnier ) . Basically this is a true comedy classic . A definite must-see ! I give it a 10 . |
477,146 | 463,200 | 35,524 | 10 | One of the best Superman cartoons | Mt . Monokoa ( located on a nice little island ) seems like it's about to erupt . Naturally there's a town right at the base of the mountain . Reporters Clark Kent and Lois Lane are sent to cover the story for the Daily Planet . While there Lois hides Clark's press pass so she can see the mountain for herself and " scoop " him on the story . While Lois is at the top of the mountain it explodes ! She's trapped up there with the lava flowing all around . Superman is around but how can he save her and the entire town ? Very good cartoon - - quick-moving , beautifully animated and some very nice sequences when the volcano explodes . Never a dull moment - - I especially like how Lois tries to escape from the lava ! Worth catching . |
479,143 | 463,200 | 320,691 | 10 | A GREAT horror film | Vampires vs . werewolves . Sexy vampire woman ( Kate Beckinsale ) saves a muscular good-looking human ( Scott Speedman ) who is being chased by the werewolves . But why ? There's a LOT more going on there but I'll let you find out for yourself . Basically this movie is VERY loud , full of ferocious gun fights ( don't ask me why the wolves and vampires fight it out with guns - - it just works and Beckinsale looks GREAT firing off a gun in each hand ) , washed out color , dark atmospheric sets , tons of fog , loud music on the soundtrack , plenty of blood , a very deep plot ( for a horror film ) , some scary looking werewolves that can run along the walls and ceilings ( ! ! ! ) and all done at a breathless pace . The damned movie only stops occasionally for the plot and then zips ahead full speed . The acting doesn't really matter - - this movie is all about violence and visuals . That being said , Beckinsale ( and the other vampires ) look great in leather and I LOVE the long leather coats they wear when going to battle . Speedman is bad but , seriously , the poor guy has NOTHING to work with ! The only other notable is Shane Brolly who basically sneers his way through his role . . . but it works . Next to " House of 1000 Corpses " this is one of the best horror films released this year . It looks like a masterpiece compared to crap like " Cabin Fever " and " Cold Creek Manor " . Also there's a thankful lack of humor and camp in this film . It takes everything dead serious and plows ahead . I sat there totally engrossed during the entire film and grinning like an idiot because it was so GOOD ! Basically a must-see for all horror fans . Also there's a set-up for a sequel . . . let's hope that DOESN'T happen . No horror film has ever had a good sequel . |
477,795 | 463,200 | 39,689 | 10 | A classic - - maybe the best film noir ever | Jeff Bailey ( Robert Mitchum ) runs a small gas station in a little town in CA . He's in love with a beautiful girl . But he has a past which is about to catch up with him involving gangster Whit ( Kirk Douglas ) and evil Kathie Moffat ( Jane Greer ) . . . MANY twists and turns happen . The plot is very complicated but this is a prime example of film noir . It's beautifully directed using darkness in almost every shot and has all the ingredients of a good noir - - an innocent man ( Robert Mitchum ) in over his head , a bad guy ( Kirk Douglas ) and a totally amoral woman ( Jane Greer ) . What makes this stands out ( beside the incredible cinematography and direction ) is a wonderful script . It's full of some truly incredible lines and delivered dead pan by the cast ( as it should be ) . If any of them had winked at the camera once this would have failed . Mitchum plays it very stone-faced but Douglas is great and Greer is just fascinating as a totally evil , beautiful woman . Basically a must-see film . |
479,568 | 463,200 | 25,878 | 10 | First rate | Combination murder mystery / comedy with lighthearted couple of Nick ( William Powell ) and Nora Charles ( Myrna Loy ) solving the disappearance of inventor Clyde Wynant ( Edward Ellis ) - - he is tall and thin , hence the title . And they have an adorable dog named Asta ( who does help solve the case ) . The legendary movie that was shot in 2 weeks and turned into a huge hit . It moves VERY quickly . . . there's TONS of exposition in the first 45 minutes , was made on the cheap ( it shows ) and has mostly terrible acting - - surprisingly even Maureen O'Sullivan and Cesar Romero are terrible in this . BUT the script is incredible - - very smart and very funny . And Powell and Loy are in top form - - they're really enjoying themselves and it rubs off on the audience . The movie also moves so fast you can ignore the bad acting - - especially by Minna Gombell ( she's truly horrendous ) . And it's beautifully shot too . My only complaint - - the constant drinking by Nick and Nora . It's portrayed as cute and charming . . . back then it was . Today it makes them look like severe alcoholics . That aside this is a GREAT film . A 10 all the way ! |
479,702 | 463,200 | 95,765 | 10 | Classic | This 1988 Italian film ( released in the US in 1990 ) , is back with a full 51 minutes added on . This seemed like a stupid idea . . . there was nothing wrong with the original . The directors cut ( which was hour longer ) was considered a mess . Also , for this release , an extra hour was added ! I expected the worse . Well , I was pleasantly surprised that this 3 hour version is better than the 2 hour one . This story follows the life of Salvatore . He's born in a tiny Italian village and we see him as a little boy in the 1930s , an adolescent in the 40s-50s and an adult in the 80s . It basically is about his love of movies and the one true love of his life - - Elena . They are in love but she comes from a rich family and he lives in poverty . How can they be together ? POSSIBLE MINOR SPOILER IN NEXT PARAGRAPH ! ! ! ! The cut movie in the US excised a lot of the Elena subplot and concentrated on Salvatore's love of movies . There's nothing wrong with that , but Elena disappears quite suddenly . This full version explains what happened between them and fleshes out the characters more . It also reveals a crucial surprise at the end . The performances are all fantastic - - especially by the gorgeous young actor playing Salvatore as a teenager . Elena is also stunning . The film has beautiful cinematography and a haunting music score . The 3 hours flew by for me . I didn't want it to end ! So . . . beautiful music , attractive stars , good acting , compelling story and some incredible romantic sequences . A must-see ! ! ! ! Bring plenty of Kleenex though - - I cried a least 5 times ! |
477,912 | 463,200 | 104,745 | 10 | A classic of gay cinema | Two HIV + men go on a road trip . Basically that's about it . It's not as depressing as it sounds . There's lots of humor in the movie but no pulling back on the anger they feel . The camera-work is shaky , the sound goes from audible to inaudible more than once and there really is no plot . Also , must we have the tired old stereotypes of two lesbians being psychopaths ? But the dialogue contains more truth than any Hollywood movie I've seen . For instance , at one point , one of the guys goes " Let's go to Washington and inject our blood in the President . Want to bet they'll find a cure in 30 seconds ? " Sadly , I believe they would . This was WAY ahead of its time in 1992 . It was angry , in your face and catch a look at a little message after the closing credits , . Grim , funny , powerful with a sad ( but truthful ) ending . Also Mike Dytri is one of the most beautiful , hunky men I've ever seen . A must-see for gay men . |
478,770 | 463,200 | 25,862 | 10 | Just great and VERY adult | Tarzan and Jane are living happily in the jungle . Some men come looking for ivory and to take Jane back to civilization . But Jane loves Tarzan and refuses to leave . One of the men falls in love with Jane and is determined to take her back . . . even if that means killing Tarzan . This is a rarity - - a sequel that's better than the original . " Tarzan , the Ape Man " of 1932 was good but had some dreadful special effects and sort of dragged . This one has MUCH better effects and is a lot more adult . There is tons of blatant racism ( a black man is shot to death point blank - - and no one really cares ) but this was 1934 . There's also plenty of blood , gore and violence ( for a 1934 movie ) and uncut prints have Jane doing a lengthy underwater swim totally nude ! There's also obvious sexual content and Tarzan and Jane are wearing next to nothing and ( it's implied ) they sleep together and have sex - - without being married . This wouldn't bother anyone today but in 1934 this was pretty extreme . That aside , the movie is well-directed , very fast-moving and full of adventure and excitement . Seeing Weissmuller in that skimpy lion cloth is certainly a treat for the eyes and Jane's outfit is pretty revealing too . I still think Maureen O'Sullivan is bad as Jane but Weismuller is perfect as Tarzan . Everybody else is OK . This is easily the best Weismuller - - O'Hara Tarzan out there . WELL worth seeing but not for kids ! |
478,280 | 463,200 | 382,219 | 10 | In a way this IS a classic | I caught this " special " on TV back in 1976 . I had VERY vague memories of it - - I only remembered Kiss and the title . Now that it's out on DVD I can see why I forgot it ! It opens with Lynde dressing as Santa , then the Easter Bunny THEN in a red outfit for Valentine's Day . It seems he's forgotten what holiday it is ! Brace yourself - - that's as funny as it gets . Margaret Hamiltion pops up as his housekeeper . He then does an unfunny monologue which leads to a truly dreadful song and dance number with him " singing " " Kids " - - but changing the lyrics to fit Halloween . Also Donny and Marie do a quick cameo at the end . Next Hamilton has Lynde drive her to her sisters house - - Gloomsbury Manor ( ho ho ) . Her sister is none other than Wichiepoo ( Billie Hayes ) from the H . R . Pufanstuf TV series . Billy Barty also pops up for tons of unfunny midget jokes . Hamilton then changes into her wicked witch getup from " The Wizard of Oz " - - and remains in it for the remainder of the show . Betty White pops up as Miss Halloween on 1976 for another unfunny sketch . Then the show hits his nadir ( and that's saying a lot ) when Lynde plays the Rhinestone Trucker ( sigh ) competing with Tim Conway ( ! ! ! ) for Roz Kelly ( anybody remember her ? ) . This leads to another bad song / dance sequence . The ( blessedly ) Kiss comes out and performs " Detroit Rock City " . It's not over . There's another lame comedy sketch with Lynde playing a sheik ( ! ! ! ) romancing Florence Henderson ( ! ! ! ! ! ! ) . This leads to a disco number , more unfunny comedy and then Henderson comes out signing a discofied version of " That Old Black Magic " . This sequence isn't half bad because Henderson can sing . Kiss then performs " Beth " and have a bit with Lynde - - he cracks jokes and they stand there in total silence . Considering the material you can easily agree with them . Then Kiss really rocks out with " King of the Nighttime World " . Then it mercifully ends with everyone doing " Disco Baby " . Hearing Roz Kelly sing is truly - - - interesting . OK this is bottom of the barrel . The material is horrendous and it reminds me WHY disco died - - but this is a one of a kind . It's a perfect example of the variety show - - a type of TV program that we'll never see again . They were expensive ( too expensive for today ) and full of bad jokes and unbelievable ( in a bad way ) signing and dancing . Still these shows were popular . Also this is one of the few chances to see Lynde at work . Yes , the jokes are groaners ( I literally rolled my eyes a few times ) but Lynde gives this his all and actually manages to make some of the jokes amusing . Not funny mind you - - but amusing . Also Hamilton and Hayes are enjoying themselves and this is the first prime time appearance of Kiss . Yes - - it's horrible but also fascinating in a " so bad it's good " sort of way . A must see ( in a way ) . |
479,063 | 463,200 | 92,005 | 10 | Just great | The best ever adaptation of a Stephen King work ( " The Body " from his book " Different Seasons " ) . In 1959 Maine , 4 12-year-old boys go to find a dead body . It's a 2 day journey and , along the way , one of them Gordy ( Will Wheaton ) , grows and realizes things about himself . Yes , it's a coming of age story , but very well written , directed ( in Oregon ) and with mostly great performances . Corey Feldman and Jerry O'Connell are just OK as two of the boys . Wheaton is very good as Gordy and River Phoenix is exceptional as Chris - - it's sad that he ODed at such a young age . Also Keifer Sutherland is chilling as the head of a teenage gang . Also John Cusack has a good small role and Richard Dreyfuss narrates the story . This movie perfectly captures what it's like to be a 12 year old boy growing up - - the dialogue is just perfect . Some people complained about the excessive profanity in this ( it IS R rated ) , but swearing did exist back in 1959 . Well worth seeing . Don't see this on commercial TV : that version edits the language out and renders parts of the film incomprehensible . |
479,602 | 463,200 | 35,446 | 10 | Excellent comedy | 1939 : the Nazis invade Poland . Joseph Tura ( Jack Benny ) and his theatrical troupe fight them . That's the bare bones - - there's a lot more but see the movie to find out . A very intricate , funny script and excellent performances keep this going . Benny is funny in the lead , but Carole Lombard is letter-perfect as his wife . Also it's fun to see Robert Stack so young and handsome with gleaming white teeth as a lieutenant helping them . Some may find it hard to laugh at considering the subject matter ( the film was a bomb in 1942 ) , but it works . |
477,644 | 463,200 | 78,480 | 10 | Excellent animated film - - more for older children and adults | British animated film about a bunch of rabbits leaving their old warren ( which one psychic rabbit can tell is going to be destroyed ) and searching for a new one . The movie recounts their adventures searching for one . It may sound like a movie ideal for little kids - - but it really isn't . It's an excellent adaptation of Richard Adams book which was written more for teenagers and adults . It's an ecological tale of how men are destroying the earth and ( inadvertently it seems ) killing innocent wildlife . It's also a very interesting story about how a group of rabbits survive on their own . The animation is excellent - - right up there with Walt Disney . The score is great , the script intelligent and the voices used perfectly match the characters . However , as I said , this isn't really for little kids . The story is dead serious and the only humor is provided by the bird Kehaar ( who I personally found very annoying although Zero Mostel DOES have fun with the voice ) . Also , at the end , it gets very violent and quite bloody . When I saw it in a theatre in 1978 one small kid was in tears by the conclusion . So , use your own judgment but I would never let a small kid see this . This is perfect for teenagers and adults . A 10 . |
477,975 | 463,200 | 424,136 | 10 | Disturbing but a must-see | A guy in his thirties Jeff ( Patrick Wilson ) meets teenage Hayley ( Ellen Page ) online . They agree to meet . They get along and she goes to his house with him . Then she drugs his drink . He wakes up tied to a chair and Hayley calling him a pedophile and prepared to teach him a lesson . But is he ? Basically just a 2 person movie and mostly all talk but absolutely fascinating . The will of wits between the two characters is just stunning and has you questioning if Hayley is right or if Jeff is innocent . It's incredible how the movie has you feeling pity for BOTH of the characters at different times . You're never sure who's right and how it will end up . The acting is superb . I must say Patrick Wilson shocked me . I saw him in " Angels in America " and " Phantom of the Opera " . I thought he was a very handsome man but a bland actor . This movie changed all that . He's just brilliant ! The agony and terror his character goes through seems all too real . This part demands a LOT out of any actor and he pulls it off . Very brave . Page is downright terrifying . Her character is ( obviously ) unstable and you're never sure what she'll do next . Again . . . a very difficult role but she pulls it off . Also the direction is great . Everything is done in closeups of the actors faces . At first it annoyed me - - then I realized it works in the movies favor giving it a very claustrophobic , uneasy feeling . This is not for everybody . It's grim and explicit ( in terms of dialogue ) and I'm sure there are moments which might have some guys bolting for the exits . I found it unsettling and fascinating . If you can handle the subject matter I strongly recommend this . A 10 . |
479,700 | 463,200 | 303,321 | 10 | Fascinating , exhilarating | Documentary about a late 1960s-early 1970s San Francisco theatre group called the Cockettes . They all lived together in a commune and were quite a mix . . . gay , straight , bi , men , women . They all wore incredible , colorful costumes ( most of the guys were in drag ) and put on musicals that were very mean , vicious , explicitally sexual . . . and hilarious ! This is a truly incredible movie about an unjustly forgotten group . The movie includes some footage of the actual stage shows they put on along with interviews of the surviving cast members . It gives a view of the 1960s in San Francisco that I've never seen . Just absorbing from the word go . A must see ! Highlight - - their parody of Tricia Nixon's wedding is hysterical . See it ! ! ! ! ! |
478,229 | 463,200 | 43,014 | 10 | A true Hollywood horror story | Hack screenwriter Joe Gillis ( William Holden ) accidentally falls in with faded screen legend Norma Desmond ( Gloria Swanson ) . She lives in a crumbling old mansion with her butler Max ( Erich von Stroheim ) . She refuses to believe that she's no longer remembered and will never make another movie . She gets Gillis to stay with her and rewrite " Salome " which she thinks will be her comeback . Gillis has no other choice and things slowly get out of hand . A VERY cynical view of Hollywood - - especially for 1950 . It shows what Hollywood does to people like Norma - - it makes them stars , tells them that they're great and dump them coldly when they're no longer needed . It also takes swipes at directors , agents , screenwriters , even entire studios ! It has a tight quick script , is appropriately filmed in gloomy black and white and is masterfully directed by Billy Wilder . Everybody thought this was a bad idea when it was being made . It was believed to be too cold and vicious for the public . Also Holden was warned it would ruin his career by playing a younger man kept by an older woman . But it turned out great and is now rightfully considered a classic . The acting is almost all good . I never thought Nancy Olson was that good . Her character is too pure and sweet to be believable . Everybody else is right on target though . Holden is just great in his role . You see the pity , anger and helplessness on his face when he realizes Norma is falling in love with him - - and he's trapped . von Stroheim was equally good as Max who encourages Norma's delusions . Swanson however is just magnificent ! She has a very showy role and could have overplayed it - - but she doesn't . She's mad for sure - - but you only see it peeking through every once in a while . When she loses it completely at the end it's frightening . If she had played it like that all through the movie it never would have worked . How she lost the Oscar that year to Judy Holliday for " Born Yesterday " is beyond me . This is a must see and a true Hollywood classic but VERY cold and cynical . A 10 all the way . " I am big - - it's the pictures that got small " . " All right Mr . deMille - - I'm ready for my closeup " . |
477,619 | 463,200 | 87,054 | 10 | Romantic , intelligent , colorful , adult movie | Lesley Ann Warren owns a bar in LA . She has the habit of sleeping around with almost any man - - she's just looking for love . Genevieve Bujold plays a radio relationship talker , Dr . Love . She has severe issues herself with love and sex . Keith Carradine is a drifter who enters their lives . . . and things go barreling out of control . Very strange but great movie . It's shot mostly at night in beautiful film noirish settings ( look at all the smoke in the bar and at a card game ) . It's also one of the most romantic films I've ever seen . There's a virtually nonstop score by Teddy Pendergrass - - soft romantic songs that perfectly set the mood . All the dialogue is about love , sex and relationships but on a very adult , intelligent level . It's full of great lines and sharp insights . It all leads up to a happy ending ( sort of ) . The cast is just excellent . Warren is fascinating - - sexy and beautiful but deeply damaged . She shows it through her face and expressions extremely well . Carradine plays the whole role with a blank face - - but that fits his character ( a compulsive lair ) . He is so many things to himself and everybody else that he has no identity . Best of all is Bujold in a very difficult role - - she has the play a sex radio therapist who is perfectly in control and a woman who has NO control over her life and loves . Everything about her ( especially her voice ) changes between the characters and you always see both inside her at the same time . She also has a few monologues that are fascinating and funny at the same time . Rae Dawn Chong is pretty good in a supporting role - - love her apartment ( check out the posters on the wall ) . Patrick Bauchau is pretty bad in another supporting role - - but not enough to destroy the movie . Direction by Alan Rudolph is great . He bathes many scenes in red lights and I LOVE how the camera moves back and forth during a conversation between Bujold and Carradine . He also wrote the great script . One minor complaint - - Bujold has a few short , dark fantasies which are never explained . What was all that about ? This was a big art house hit back in 1984 and deservedly received a cult following . But it seems to have disappeared since then ( the DVD was released with no fanfare at all ) . Still it's well worth seeing . |
478,177 | 463,200 | 113,443 | 10 | Touching and powerful drama | Brandon Theis ( Gregory Harrison ) and Nick Stark ( Eric Roberts ) have been lovers for years . Then Nick is diagnosed with HIV . Brandon promises to not leave him - - - but eventually does . He can't handle The HIV . A year later Nick is told he will die very soon of lesions in the brain . Rather than slowly become a vegetable and wither away , Nick decides to commit suicide . He invites all of his friends to a 2 day party - - at the end , he'll take the pills and die . Brandon finds out and attends the party . But does Nick want him there and will Nick be able to forgive him before he goes ? Strong , powerful movie . I saw it in a theatre in 1996 and cried my eyes out . I saw it 2 years later with a friend and we BOTH cried our eyes out ! Saw it again tonight - - cried again . This drama is harrowing at times and brings about questions about love , death with dignity , suicide , HIV . . . etc etc . But it never gets too maudlin and is always fascinating . Roberts is just superb as Nick . Strong , handsome , refusing to wither away . He also approaches his HIV condition with strength and humor - - as he should . Lee Grant is ( sadly ) wasted as his mother . Harrison is so-so as his boyfriend . Usually he's sort of stone-faced but there were a few moments that the looks on his face made me break down . There's one scene of him and Roberts just looking at each other across the room - - you can see the love , fear and hatred in their faces - - it's just great . And Harrison really delivers during the last 30 minutes of the movie . There's a huge cast in this movie - - Margaret Cho ( hilarious ) ; Marlee Matlin ( wasted ) ; Olivia Newton-John ( just great ) ; Bronson Pinchot ( overdoing the bitchiness a bit ) ; Bruce Davison ; Roddy McDowall . There's the problem - - there are too MANY characters ! I'm still not sure who McDowell was and Sally Kellerman shows up looking great but - - who is she ? We're never told . Also , the party scenes are scattershot - - the camera seems to linger around catching certain characters and snatches of their conversations . I also have a hard time believing that anyone has this many friends and they all keep quiet about him committing suicide . Still - - problems aside this works . I think this film hit too close for director / writer Randal Kleiser . Supposedly he went through the same things with his lover . When this movie was released he couldn't promote it . It came ( and went ) very quickly . That's really a shame . It's a strong , powerful movie that should be seen by everybody . And Roberts gives out one of his best performances . The scene when him and Harrison kiss is heart-breaking . Well worth catching - - an excellent drama . Just bring plenty of tissues - - you'll need them ! |
478,662 | 463,200 | 29,658 | 10 | Grim , powerful | A young girl ( Lana Turner in her first role ) is killed in a small Southern town . A Northener , Robert Hale ( Edward norris ) is accused of it . . . but is he guilty ? It doesn't seem to matter because everybody uses his accusation for their own gain . Fast moving , still relevant ( sadly ) look at prejudice , gossip , mob rule and media manipulation . Occasionally the characters give out unmotivated speeches ( especially Hale's wife ) , but the movie is very well-written and acted with Claude Rain chewing the scenery again and again . A must see . . . don't miss this one ! |
478,360 | 463,200 | 67,185 | 10 | Very of its time but still wonderful | Harold ( Bud Cort ) is in his 20s . He's always depressed , has no friends and , for fun , attends funerals . At one he meets Maude ( Ruth Gordon ) who's almost 80 . She loves life and she brings Harold out of his shell . They quickly fall in love . A deserved cult film . This ( understandably ) bombed as a mainstream movie ( it was considered too dark ) but was a big hit when it started playing the midnight movie circuit in the 1970s . This is VERY 70s in terms of style , music ( Cat Stevens ) and its general laid-back attitude but it still works wonderfully . I never found Cort that good ( he's TOO blank-faced ) but Gordon brings the movie to life . She sparks every scene she's in - - she seems to be having a whale of a time in her role . She's helped by a wonderful script that has some of the best observations on life that I've ever heard . My favorite is , " Everybody's allowed to make an a out of themselves once in their life " . The movie is very quiet and laid-back and the black humor ( which is actually pretty mild ) may turn off some viewers . Still I love this movie ! I've seen it multiple times and never get tired of it . A 10 all the way . Also the dates Harold's mother sets up for him are hilarious ! |
478,426 | 463,200 | 113,851 | 10 | Just great | A recently widowed woman ( Elizabeth Perkins ) tries to cope with the help of her baby sister ( Gwyneth Paltrow ) , ex-stepmother ( Kathleen Turner ) and best friend ( Whoppi Goldberg ) . Talky but fascinating . All the actresses give great performances with Perkins getting top honors - - she's just fantastic in a difficult role . All the characters come across as believable and interesting . The script is great too - - they talk and act like real people . Nice soundtrack too . Some may deride this as a " chick flick " , but I'm a guy and I loved it ! Two ( minor ) quibbles - - Jon Bon Jovi is pretty bad as a painter . He's unattractive , not in shape and pretty wooden . It's no surprise his acting career has gone nowhere . And the ending at the cemetery seemed a little overdone but it still works . But , like I said , these are minor complaints . Well worth seeing . |
477,891 | 463,200 | 932,669 | 10 | Excellent mystery | Government worker Luke Patterson ( Bradley Cooper ) goes to a small Native American reservation to find out about a mild earthquake there . He becomes friends with the Indian Chief of Police ( Adam Beach ) and finds an abandoned school building where the earthquake took place . It seems some very mysterious and horrifying events took place there years ago - - but the church and some local officials are covering it up . But things are starting to happen and the building may be haunted by creepy dead children . DEFINITE SPOILERS ! This is based on true events . It seems up until the early 70s , Indian children were taken from their parents and forced to attend a Catholic school . There they were told to speak English only and worship God . If they disobeyed they were punished severely . This works into the story and it's downright horrifying . I knew nothing about this and , it seems , it's STILL not talked about . Filmmaker Georgina Lightning was very brave to get funding for this and get it released . " " END SPOILERSTotally engrossing . I was never bored for one minute . I saw it at a film festival and the audience got so caught up in it they were actually gasping and saying " no " when the villain went after the good guys . Cooper's ( who's excellent ) story gets sidetracked completely after the first 30 minutes . Then it throws you head first into a story involving murders , ghosts , child abuse ( VERY disturbing ) , murder , visions , electro shock treatments - - this movie doesn't hold back . It is difficult to watch but I couldn't take my eyes off the screen . Disturbing and difficult but always fascinating . A 10 all the way . |
478,525 | 463,200 | 381,681 | 10 | Just great | A sequel to the 1995 film " Before Sunrise " . Jesse ( Ethan Hawke ) and Celine ( Julie Delpy ) meet 9 years after their initial meeting . They've changed - - originally they were in their 20s and full of idealism . Now they're in their 30s - - and their lives have changed in ways they didn't predict . Like the first movie they walk around Paris this time and talk about love , life , reality , what might have been - - and it's all fascinating . Like the first film this is basically a character study and ( like the first ) just incredible . It's like catching up with old friends after 9 years apart ! They've aged a lot - - Hawke looks TERRIBLE but Delpy looks OK - - and life has thrown both a few hard knocks but hearing how they survived and what they went through is just incredible . This is NOT for everybody ( four people walked out when I went to see it ) but , for people who can deal with nonstop talk for 80 minutes it is just great . Every single line rings true and is delivered full force by Hawke and Delpy . The acting varies - - Hawke is good ( but he smiles WAY too much ) - - Delpy is just superb all the way through . This is easily one of the best films of 2004 . Highly recommended . |
479,020 | 463,200 | 36,341 | 10 | Offbeat and very creepy | Spooky film about a young woman getting involved with a group of devil worshippers in NYC . In terms of subject matter this is ahead of its time - - it was probably the first film to deal seriously with cults . The film also is the film debut of Kim Hunter ( later to win an Oscar for " A Streetcar Named Desire " ) and has an early performance by Hugh Beaumont ( later on " Father Knows Best " ) . Also Tom Conway was in this and two other top horror films of the 40s - - " I Walked With A Zombie " and " Cat People " . This is one of the very low-budget horror films that producer Val Lewton made for RKO in the 1940s . He was given only " B " actors to work with and zero money , but he turned in some true classics . He used darkness and shadow very effectively making some of the creepiest-looking sets on film . Also he NEVER showed anything explicitly - - he always kept the monsters or violence off screen and just suggested at it . It works beautifully . This movie is the least known of all of them ( probably because of the subject matter ) , but it's probably the best one . The plot and themes are handled matter-of-factly and the sets are truly eerie . The performances are all low-key perfectly fitting the script . Even the obligatory love story shoehorned in works . There's also a VERY bizarre shower sequence and a grim ending . Definitely worth seeing . . . a must for horror fans . A 10 all the way ! |
477,477 | 463,200 | 362,269 | 10 | Just superb | Biopic of Dr . Kinsey ( played by Liam Neeson ) who , in the 1950s , wrote two groundbreaking books on male and female sexuality . The books were met with shock back then and the movie chronicles how Kinsey got his material , deals with the responses and how his research absorbs his life and basically starts to kill him . Totally absorbing from start to finish . The entire cast is excellent - - its one of those rare movies where NOBODY is bad ! Even Chris O'Donnell ( who is usually handsome and annoyingly bland ) is good ! Standouts are Neeson , Laura Linney as his wife , Peter Sarsgaard as one of Kinsey's helpers and Lynn Redgrave who only has a short part at the end but is just stunning . This movie pulls no punches - - the dialogue is very sexually frank and graphic . Also there are pretty explicit sexual scenes and Sarsgaard has full frontal nudity at one point . Writer and director Bill Condon deserves credit for not pulling back once . Also the movie looks just beautiful . This is not for people who are offended by graphic material and definitely not for children ( they wouldn't be shocked just bored ) . It is an adult film made for intelligent , open-minded people and gives us a look at what the 1950s were like in terms of sexual material and how Kinsey was a pioneer in the field of sexual behavior . One minor complaint - - the movie ends without telling us when Kinsey passed away and if he ever got his third book published . Exceptional adult film . I give it a 10 ! |
479,130 | 463,200 | 125,209 | 10 | Fun gay screwball comedy | Bob ( Alexis Arquette ) and Brendan ( Christian Maelen ) were college roommates who are both gay and attracted to each other but never came out while in school . Years later they meet at a reunion where a straight friend of theirs is getting married . Bob has a boyfriend - - hunky Sterling ( Tuc Watkins ) but still has feelings for Brendan . And Brendan still wants Bob . . . I caught this back in 1997 at a small independent theatre . I loved it so much I went back to see it again the same week ( something I never do ) . The picture was very low budget - - and it shows . The threadbare sets are a distraction . Arquette said the production kept running out of money . Also the cast mostly consisted of unknowns . Still this has a good script , energetic performances and complications spinning out of control . It's also very tame in terms of gay sex - - there's no nudity ( the closest we get is seeing Maelen in his underwear ) and kisses are done off screen ( when Watkins kisses Arquette you hear it but don't see it ) . Usually that makes me angry but this was made to appeal to all audiences . A fun light-hearted movie . Well worth seeing . Also interesting to see Marni Nixon on screen and not dubbing somebody's singing voice ! |
478,400 | 463,200 | 40,068 | 10 | One of the best horror comedies ever | Dracula ( Bela Lugosi ) wants to transfer the brain of Wilbur ( Lou Costello ) into Frankenstein ( Glenn Strange ) but Lawrence Talbot , the Wolf Man ( Lon Chaney ) , is out to stop him . This isn't as bad as the title suggests . By the time this was made in 1948 the Universal monster movies were dying . . . and so were Abbott & Costello's movies . So Universal decided to combine them and give them a big send-off . This is ( obviously ) a big-budget production with great special effects ( Lugosi turning into a bat ) and settings ( LOVE the castle on the island ) . They also got Chaney and Lugosi to recreate their most famous roles - - only Boris Karloff refused to play Frankenstein . The best thing about this movie is they DON'T make fun of the monsters - - they're all played straight and treated with respect . Abbott & Costello are there to provide the comedy and they do just great . The script was full of hilarious routines and one-liners that they pull off . Also there's a GREAT music score and it's very well-directed too . Acting is good all around . Abbott & Costello by that point had been together many years and worked well together . Lugosi is obviously enjoying playing Dracula again - - and he's just great . Chaney's performance is routine but he pulls of some lines that might have sounded silly otherwise . Also beautiful Jane Randolph is good in a supporting role . And listen for Vincent Price's voice at the end ! A great horror / comedy WELL worth seeing . I give this a 10 . |
477,714 | 463,200 | 29,604 | 10 | Just great | Superb comedy / drama about a theatrical boarding house and its tenants ( all women ) focusing primarily on Katherine Hepburn and Ginger Rogers . A once in a lifetime cast , all of them in top form . The movie moves VERY quickly with non-stop wisecracks flying across the screen and a very depressing turn at the end . Also , there's no sappy romance subplot - very unusual for a 1930s film . The interplay between Rogers and Hepburn is incredible - - they're both holding their own against each other . Nominated for 7 Academy Awards ( including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress - - Andrea Leeds ) . A must-see . " The calla lillies are in bloom . . . " |
479,528 | 463,200 | 74,937 | 10 | Excellent comedy mystery | Mysterious Lionel Twain ( Truman Capote ) invites five of the world's greatest detectives to his huge estate on a dark and stormy night ( of course ) . All the detectives are parodies of famous literary characters : Maggie Smith and David Niven are doing Nick and Nora Charles ; Peter Sellers is doing Charlie Chan ; James Coco is spoofing Hercule Poirot ; Peter Falk does Sam Spade and Elsa Lancaster does Jessica Marple . Also add a blind butler ( Alec Guinness ) , a mute and deaf maid ( Nancy Walker ) and others - - throw in a murder and set things going . Hilarious Neil Simon movie . The movie looks just great and there's non-stop one liners - - almost every single one is great ! The cast is obviously enjoying themselves ( especially Guinness and Smith ) and the mystery itself is very interesting and complex . It all ends very strangely ( I can honestly say I never got the VERY end ) but it moves quick , is consistently entertaining and there are plenty of in joke references for mystery film buffs . A great film - - highly recommended . A definite 10 . |
478,987 | 463,200 | 426,459 | 10 | Gory , funny - - - a GREAT horror film for horror fans | This review is based on the unrated version . A bunch of people are in a bar in the middle of nowhere . They're all introduced by their stereotypes ( the film does a freeze frame on their faces ) - - the jackass , the Harley mom , the grandma , the kid , the cripple etc . etc . They also list their life expectancies . Then creatures attack - - and the film kicks into high gear . Characters who you expect to live are killed , body parts and blood go flying ( in the unrated version ) and there's nonstop humor - - most of it black but pretty funny . Basically this is a film made by horror fans for horror fans . They give you the expected characters then toss all your expectations out the window . A big strong handsome guy appears ( he's called " The Hero " ) and is killed off almost instantly ! Also the story has strong intelligent female characters , NO gratuitous nude scenes ( a plus in my book ) and sets up scare scenes that - - in an amusing way - - never have a payoff . It's all played totally straight with the actors going all out ( Balthazar Getty especially is having fun ) . There is some strong upsetting gore and killings but this IS a horror film . Basiaclly this is funny , fast-moving , well-acted and EXTREMELY gory . Do NOT see this film if you have trouble with gore . But , for horror fans , this is a must-see . I give it a 10 . |
478,009 | 463,200 | 113,677 | 10 | Just great | Funny , absorbing and smart movie about a no-budget film and the people trying to make it . The movie plays around with reality and dreams without getting too obscure or serious . It's well-done , well-acted ( one of those rare movies where the entire cast is great ) , very funny and very smart . Naturally , this bombed . . . it was TOO intelligent for mainstream audiences and how do you market a film like this . But it plays on IFC all the time and it's basically one of the best films of its year and one of the best on the art of films and filmmaking . If you even slightly like movies , you have to see this . Don't miss it ! |
478,759 | 463,200 | 67,277 | 10 | Powerful but bleak and depressing | A young man in WWI has his arms , legs and face blown off , but he can still think , if not talk . We hear his thoughts while he's in a hospital bed all bandaged up . Most of the movie is flashbacks to who he was and why he was in the war . Dated , very 70s ( the conversation with God played by Donald Sutherland should tell you that ) anti-war movie . . . but , despite everything , it still works incredibly well . The low budget shows , and hurts , at times but this film still packs a wallop . Good acting , great script but a VERY depressing tone and an incredibly downbeat ( but truthful ) ending . Very upsetting but a definite must-see . Also the opening good-bye sequence involves nudity ( male and female ) . It's cut from some prints so beware . |
479,170 | 463,200 | 51,658 | 10 | Exhausting but great | Movie musical takes place in France in 1900 . Teenage tomboy Gigi ( Leslie Caron ) is madly in love with an adult man ( Louis Jourdan ) but he just sees her as a little girl . Her aunt ( Hermione Gingold ) is trying to bring her up to be a proper lady . Jourdan does start to realize Gigi is a woman . . . but doesn't want to marry her . Very colorful and energetic MGM musical - - easily one of the best musicals of the 1950s . The costumes and settings are wonderful ( and won Academy Awards ) and makes you believe that you are in 1900 ! In fact it received nine ( I believe ) Academy Awards - - among them best director and best picture . The songs are great - - there's not really a bad one among them ( although the title song is kind of dull ) . The acting is great too - - Caron is full of life and her transformation from teenager to woman is totally believable . Gingold is great as her aunt and Jourdan is tall and VERY handsome . Also Maurice Chevalier pops up to instruct Jourdan every once in a while . I do have a few minor quibbles - - Chevalier ( who was 70 at the time ) singing " Thank Heaven For Little Girls " while leering at some teenage girls - - I realize this was done in a more innocent era but it comes across as pretty unsettling today . There's totally dreadful back projection when Jourdan and Chevalier are talking ( and singing ) in a carriage . And the RED walls of Gingold's apartment really were getting to me . Also this movie gets too lively at times - - I was exhausted just watching some of the numbers ! Still , this is a lively fun movie . Highly recommended . |
478,846 | 463,200 | 473,434 | 10 | Absolutely amazing | In 1963 14 British children , all age 7 but of varying classes , were interviewed about a variety of subjects . Thereafter they were interviewed every seven years . This is the seventh installment . By now only 12 are left ( 2 dropped out ) . This may be deadly boring to some but I found it fascinating - - you see the most recent interviews along with clips from all the previous shows . You literally see these people grow up before your eyes - - you share their struggles , dreams and triumphs . This was originally done to trace something about social classes - - but that seems to have been dropped . There's nothing extraordinary about these people - - they're mostly plain , average men and women just doing their best to get through life . Sounds dull but I was spellbound throughout . I saw 28 , 35 and 42 Up also and , in a strange way , seeing this was like having a class reunion ! You get in touch with people you haven't seen in a number of years and catch up on them . I remember all of these people from the previous episodes and I loved seeing them again and how most have happy content lives . Not for everybody but I couldn't stop watching . This should really be the last one . One woman makes it clear that she won't do another one and all of the participants comment on how the show negatively affected their lives . So maybe it's time to let them go . Not for everybody but I give it a 10 . |
478,410 | 463,200 | 36,104 | 10 | Great Val Lewton film | A pressman ( Dennis O'Keefe ) hires a leopard for a publicity stunt for his client ( Jean Brooks ) in New Mexico . The leopard accidentally escapes and a rash of gruesome murders happen that look like the work of the leopard . . . or are they ? Not really a horror film as many believe . It's a murder mystery with horrific touches . It contains two very frightening sequences - - one in which a young girl is locked out of her house while the leopard is after her ; the other is one of the scariest locked in a cemetary after closing sequences I've ever seen . The movie is short ( 59 minutes ) and interesting and one character ( Raoul ) has some of the most beautiful face shots at the end - - hard to explain , you have to see it . The dialogue is intelligent and the characters have depth and you're kept guessing up to the very end what is going on . Well worth catching . |
478,282 | 463,200 | 113,769 | 10 | Loved it but WAY too short ! | Christopher Lee discusses some of his films and his approach to acting . He covers one of the Draculas ( " Dracula , Prince of Darkness " ) and a few other horror films ( " Devil Rides Out " , " The Wicker Man " ) . But the most interesting parts are about films that aren't that well-known ( like " I , Monster " ) or are from other genres other than horror - - westerns ( " Hannie Caulder " ) , historical ( " Rasputin , the Mad Monk " ) , adventure ( 3 and 4 Muketeers ) , his visit to Saturday Night Live and even a music number from " The Return of Captain Invincible " . I'm giving it a 10 but it's too short ! One hour is hardly enough to cover Mr . Lee's career - - more time should have been spent . Still this is , so far , the only filmed document of some of his career . The DVD version of this contains two amusing music videos he did with someone named Gary Curtis - - " It's Now Or Never " and " She'll Fall For Me " . They're certainly interesting . Lee isn't much of a singer but he's obviously enjoying himself . |
478,607 | 463,200 | 74,958 | 10 | Scary | TV news anchorman Howard Beale ( Peter Finch ) is being fired off the UBS network after 11 years on the air . He basically cracks on camera and starts swearing and ranting . He's obviously having a breakdown and his best friend and news director Max Schumacher ( William Holden ) wants to commit him . But the ratings are huge and network execs Diana Christensen ( Faye Dunaway ) and Frank Hackett ( Robert Duvall ) will do anything to keep him on the air - - despite his sanity . Paddy Chayefsky's attack on the TV industry seemed like a wild black comedy / fantasy back in 1976 . Chayefskey was warning us what TV was becoming and doing to society . Over 25 years later virtually everything he shows us has actually happened - - it's very scary to realize how correct he was . Also there's assured direction by Sidney Lumet ( one incredible shot shows Finch raving on TV in the foreground and Duvall in the background ) and an incredible cast . William Holden gives one of his best performances ever - - you see his pain and confusion as he tries to deal with the insanity all around him . Dunaway ( won an Oscar for this ) chews the scenery again and again as a network exec who will do anything for big ratings . Duvall and Ned Beatty explode ( and yell a LOT ) as execs . Beatrice Straight ( also Oscar winning ) gives a fantastic 5 minute performance as Holden's wife ( she won a Best Supporting Actress for being on screen FIVE MINUTES ? ? ? ) . And Finch ( his last role - - he died before he was awarded the Oscar ) goes barreling out of control beautifully . The dialogue is great - - people don't talk that way but who cares when the script is this good ? Great direction , script , acting in a movie years ahead of its time . Spellbinding from start to finish . A definite must-see . Try to see it uncut ( TCM - - bless their hearts - - shows it that way ) . The edited for TV versions are horrible . |
478,332 | 463,200 | 500,162 | 10 | If you like Madonna . . . | Technically this isn't a movie . It's just all of Madonna's MTV music videos strung together from the earliest ( 1985 I believe ) to 1990 . If you hate Madonna there's no point in even considering looking at this . But if you're a fan this is a must have collection . The video images are crisp and clear and the sound is nice and strong . Not every video works - - I've NEVER liked " La Isla Bonita " but the highlights outnumber the bad ones . The best are " Borderline " , " Express Yourself " ( some STRONG homoerotic imagery in this one ) , " Oh Father " , " Material Girl " ( her Marilyn Monroe imitation is incredible ) , " Papa Don't Preach " and " Open Your Heart " ( this one is pretty sleazy - - even for Madonna ) . I do have a few complaints . Where's " True Blue " and " Crazy For You " ? And do we REALLY need to see " Vogue " twice ? The video itself is fine but her appearance at the MTV video awards is bewildering and has the WORST lip syncing I've ever seen . Still this is a fun DVD . Recommended . |
478,766 | 463,200 | 339,419 | 10 | Disturbing but powerful | A young farm boy ( Emile Hirsch ) is dealing with his mother's death and a father who acts like he doesn't even exist . He also begins to realize he's gay and attracted to another guy . How does he handle all this at once ? This is basically a character study - - very quiet and slow but absolutely fascinating . You really get into this young boy's head and understand the pain he's going through . There are some very disturbing scenes ( a rape and the ending ) but they ARE necessary for the story . Also there's some beautiful photography and great performances by the entire cast . Highly recommended but not for everyone . |
477,805 | 463,200 | 90,585 | 10 | A GREAT musical ! | Like the previous two posters I think this is one of the most overlooked films of the 1980s . The dialogue with Eddie O'Connell's ( whatever happened to him ? ) thick London accent is a bit hard to understand at first , but the musical numbers are all great ( especially Ray Davies ' number ) and the direction by Temple is truly staggering . Unfortunately , it's not letterboxed on video so , basically , you're only seeing half the movie . I was lucky enough to see it opening week on a big screen in Boston . It blew me away ! Too bad this was never even a cult film - - then maybe it would get a decent video release . Well worth seeing but only on the letterboxed DVD . |
477,868 | 463,200 | 55,614 | 10 | I'm REALLY shocked this isn't in IMDb's top movies | Exceptional musical about the gangs - - the Jets ( Americans ) and Sharks ( Puerto Ricans ) battling it out for a small section in the west side on NYC . Tony from the Jets ( Richard Beymer ) falls in love with Puerto Rican Maria ( Natalie Wood ) whose brother Bernardo ( George Chakiris ) belongs to the Sharks . Can their love survive ? You probably know the answer but I won't give it away . An incredible musical - - the songs have become legendary and the dance numbers are easily the most energetic and incredible ones ever caught on the film . The film was ( partially ) shot on location in NYC which helps and the film is full of color and life . Unfortunately there are problems here : Natalie Wood hated Richard Beymer - - and it comes through loud and clear . There's a unbelievable lack of sexual chemistry between them and Wood gives a rare bad performance . Beymer is tall , handsome , muscular - - and a total blank as Tony . The poor guy is trying but Wood's attitude obviously bothered him . Still everything else about the movie is great . I have a few minor quibbles : How did Tony know where Maria's apartment was ? ; " I Feel Pretty " is actually hilarious - - check out Wood's " dancing " ; the " Cool " number is great to look at but brings the movie to a screeching halt . But everything else works . Chakiris and Rita Moreno are just fantastic as Bernardo and Anita - - their dancing and acting is just perfect - - they richly deserved those Academy Awards they won . Russ Tamblyn is also very good as Riff ( leader of the Jets ) and shows some incredible dance moves . And look for John Astin in a hilarious bit at the dance . All the dances and numbers are good and the lip syncing is pulled off by Beymer and Wood pretty well . But the show stopper is " America " - - that number comes right out of the screen at you full force . The lyrics are sanitized from the Broadway but who cares ? It still works . This won 10 Academy Awards - - including Best Picture and Best Director ( s ) . A true classic musical . I've seen it tons of times and I never get tired of it . A must-see . I give it a 10 all the way . |
477,616 | 463,200 | 51,201 | 10 | One of the best courtroom dramas ever | A man ( Tyrone Power ) is accused of allegedly murdering a woman . His wife ( Marlene Dietrich ) also believes he did it and testifies against him in court . A powerful , brilliant lawyer ( Charles Laughton ) believes Power is innocent and does his best to prove it . Sounds dull but it's not . I caught this on TV way back in the 1970s . I started watching it casually but very soon was caught up in it . The script is smart and , even though it's over 2 hours , it never feels too long . There are many ingenious twists and turns and an ending that ( I have to admit ) I didn't see coming at all . I've seen it many times since and never tire of it . The acting is great . Power is good in one of his last roles ; Laughton is just superb as the lawyer - - he throws out one liners or insults so casually that it's hard to believe he's just acting . I never found Dietrich that good of an actress - - I hate to admit this , but her accent always made me giggle . However she's great here - - especially at the end . Also Elsa Lanchester is a scream as Laughton's by the book nurse . Her and Laughton had a marriage of " convenience " for many years and their fondness for each other comes through making their verbal fights even funnier . A wonderful , exciting , fun courtroom drama - - one of the best ever made . Well worth catching . I give this a 10 . |
477,463 | 463,200 | 71,286 | 10 | Ahead of its time | Harrowing drama of a married woman ( Elizabeth Montgomery ) who is raped twice by the same man . She is treated like a piece of meat in the hospital ( the scene where someone photographs her bruises is unbelievable ) and , in court , they act like she deserved it . I saw this on TV when I was 12 and have never forgotten it . Before this there was never any talk ( on TV at least ) about this subject . Also , back then , rape was considered an act of lust ( ! ! ! ! ) . This haunted me for days after the initial showing . What really got to me was the uncompromising , realistic ending - - TV , at that time , always had pat , happy endings . Not this one . Montgomery was absolutely superb in her role and the rapes were presented tastefully . This movie was a HUGE hit in its first two showings . I believe it was instrumental in changing the publics perception of how rape is a disgusting act of violence and how it can destroy a woman's life . This isn't available in any form that I know of , and that's a shame . It's now 30 years old and deserves a release on DVD . If you can see it , do so . A definite must-see . |
477,316 | 463,200 | 20,629 | 10 | Still works after over 70 years ! | A bunch of young enthisiastic German schoolboys volunteer for WWI believing it to be a noble and fun thing to do for their country . They quickly find out that war is a living hell . One of the first ( and best ) anti-war films ever made . It has problems - - the sound recording is not that good and the acting is bad - - the guys are either overacting or pretty wooden and there is some howlingly bad dialogue . But it still works . Lewis Milestones ' direction helps . The battle scenes are long , vicious and pretty graphic ( for 1930 ) and he really makes you feel all the pain and agony the soldiers endure . There are many unforgettable scenes : a young man , his eyes shot out , screaming and stumbling in a battlefield ; a young soldier trapped in a crater with a corpse of the enemy , the sequence where the soldiers are being driven mad by nonstop bombing from the enemy and a final scene that packs a real wallop . It's also interesting to see flashes of male nudity ( this was pre-Code ) and Lew Ayres so young and full of life . It's hard to believe such an old film can still work so strongly but this does . I can imagine the impact this had in 1930 . See the full 130 minute version . . . avoid the edited 105 minute one . Good luck finding a clear print with good sound . |
477,338 | 463,200 | 78,966 | 10 | No longer timely but still great filmmaking | TV newscaster Kimberly Wells ( Jane Fonda ) and her radical camerman Richard Adams ( Michael Douglas ) are at a nuclear power plant when a serious accident happens . The plants managers play it down but Adams has filmed it all . Wells and Adams try to get it on the air but the corporation that runs the plant prevents it . Plant executive Jack Godell ( Jack Lemmon ) realizes there are serious problems and tests have been falsified . He tries to get executives to believe him - - only they know it . Wells , Adams and Godell find all their lives are in danger . I saw this in a movie theatre in 1979 . I was only 17 and it scared me silly . To make matters worse the Three Mile Island accident happened around this time making the movie all that more real . Seeing it over 20 years later it doesn't scare me but it still is an excellent film - - it works as a mystery , a gripping drama and an expose on the nuclear power industry . Fonda ( with red hair ) has one of her best roles as Wells - - she perfectly conveys her character's growing suspicion and horror when she realizes a nuclear disaster could happen . Lemmon is ( as always ) excellent . He starts out believing in his company and the job and slowly starts to unravel when he starts finding things out . He was rightfully nominated for an Academy Award for this . Douglas is good but he has a small part and is completely overshadowed by Lemmon and Fonda . A really great film - - one of the best of the 70s . Don't miss this one ! |
477,302 | 463,200 | 82,912 | 10 | Horrifying but fascinating | The film opens with the director talking to the camera and saying he is going to show a story about Brazilain street kids whose families live in poverty and must steal and kill to survive . In fact the main character ( Pixote ) was played by an actual street kid only 11 years old . What follows was one of the most brutal , depressing and horrifying film I've even seen . I saw it about 17 years ago ( on a double bill with " Black Orpheus " ) and have never forgotten it . I don't think I ever want to see it again - - it was just too much . SPOILER AHEAD ! ! ! ! The scene which will not leave me is when Pixote meets a prostitute who has to abort her own fetus . You don't see her do it . . . but you get a quick glance at what she got out . It's almost 20 years later and just recalling that scene upsets me . SPOILER END ! ! ! ! ! The movie gets more brutal as it goes along and ends the only way it can . What's all the more harrowing is stories like this really did happen in Brazil in 1981 . . . and are STILL happening today . A harrowing brutal film . . . but it should be seen if you can handle it . I'm surprised this got an R rating - - I've seen X rated film that are less graphic . A 10 . |
477,961 | 463,200 | 20,686 | 10 | Classic - - a prison drama written by a woman ! | This is the prison drama that set the pattern for all later ones . Robert Montgomery is sent to prison and encounters hard-bitten Wallace Berry and regular guy Chester Morris . He's a nice guy but prison life slowly begins to change him . That's about all I'm going to say about the movie . . . it's well worth anybody's time to see it ( it's only 86 minutes long ) . It does lack the hard edge you might expect - - the dialogue is tame ( of course ) and there's next to no violence , but the script is excellent ( surprisingly written by a woman and a Oscar Winner ) and the acting is just great - - especially Berry ( he was nominated for an Oscar but didn't win ) . It does have a sentimental , happy ending but it WAS made in 1930 . Well worth catching - - TCM has an excellent print and shows it every once in a while . Also it's fun to see Robert Montgomery so young and handsome . Best exchange : " Who me ? " " Yes you . " |
478,028 | 463,200 | 71,222 | 10 | Scares me again and again | The plot is simple - - a crazy man hides in a mostly empty sorority house Christmas Eve . He begins to stalk and kill the remaining girls . This sounds like just another slasher thriller , but it's not . For starters , it came out 4 years before " Halloween " started the slasher craze and it's an intelligent , very scary movie - - how many slashers can you say that about ? The film was shot in Canada on a low-budget . With the exception of John Saxon , everybody was basically unknown ( Margot Kidder made this before " Superman " ) . There's no sex , no nudity and very little blood and gore . Still , I've seen this movie at least 8 times and it scares me each and every time . All during the movie , even when the characters are inside , you hear the wind blowing through the soundtrack . It makes you feel the cold and chill the characters feel . Also there are the obscene phone calls the girls in the sorority house are getting - - they're deeply disturbing and the frightening music playing during them makes them worse . A truly scary horror film - - back in 1978 NBC cancelled a showing of the film - - even edited they thought it was too disturbing to air ! That should tell you something . SPOILERSThe most terrifying moments in the movie - - the phone calls ( especially when you hear the killer pleading to be stopped ) ; when Olivia Hussey is grabbed by her hair ; the opening murder and Margot Kidder's murder . Only complaint - - the ending . It was original back in 1974 but it's an overused cliche now . A definite must-see . DON'T see it alone . A commercial bomb when released this has deservedly acquired a cult following . |
478,716 | 463,200 | 67,328 | 10 | Fascinating but VERY depressing | Film depicts life in the small Texas town of Anarene in the early 1950s . It follows three high school teenagers - - Sonny Crawford ( Timothy Bottoms ) , Duane Jackson ( Jeff Bridges ) and Jacy Farrow ( Cybill Shepherd ) - - from their senior year to a few years after . Some people said this is like a soap opera . That is true , but it's a GOOD realistic soap opera . The script is just wonderful ( Larry McMurty adapted from his book along with dir . Peter Bogdanovich ) and the characters are like real people . It deals with all three of them coming of age , their first sexual encounters ( all of which are played awkwardly - - as they should ) and dealing with a dying town . It's ( appropriately ) filmed in beautiful black and white - - the cinematography by Robert Surtees is exceptional - - it brings the whole film to life . This would never have worked in color . The acting varies . Bottoms , Bridges and Shepherd are just OK - - but that's understandable . It was one of Bridges ' first films , it was Bottoms ' second and Shepherds ' first ! They were all still learning . Everyone else though is great . Ben Johnson as Sam the Lion is just wonderful and won a Best Supporting Actor for this . Cloris Leachman is heart-breaking in her role and won Best Supporting Actress . Ellen Burstyn has the best lines and is also very good ( and was nominated for Best Supporting Actress also ) as Cybill's mother . And Timothy Bottoms ' brother ( Sam Bottoms ) has a small part as Billy . It works in the films favor - - Sonny and Billy are supposed to be best friends and the affection the two brothers had for each other comes through on the screen . I'm giving this a 10 . It's just great - - I didn't want it to end . But it is VERY depressing . You probably won't notice until the film is over . A must-see . Avoid the commercial TV print - - it's cut to ribbons . |
477,165 | 463,200 | 16,641 | 10 | Just great - - better than the overblown 1959 movie | Ben-Hur ( Ramon Novarro ) , a Jew is put into slavery and his family jailed by a childhood friend Messala ( Francis X . Bushman ) , a Roman . However , Ben-Hur escapes , becomes successful and plots his revenge and also searches for his lost mother and sister . This has it all over the better-known 1959 Charlon Heston version . For one thing the ' 59 epic goes on for 3 hours and is very dull in spots . This is only 2 hours . Heston isn't very good in the ' 59 version - - Novarro is just perfect in this one . Like wise with Stephen Boyd and Bushman . Granted , Novarro and Bushman overact at times but that's how all silent movies were done . Also , the battle at sea in this one is superior to the later one and the chariot race sequences are equally good . This one is shot in black & white with some tinted reels and some truly great sequences in early Technicolor . Great score too . Basically though , this one is quicker , better-acted and better-directed . Skip the Heston one and see this . By the way , when is TCM going to release this on DVD ? Waiting for it to show up on the station is annoying . |
477,332 | 463,200 | 86,543 | 10 | One of Verhoeven's best | In Holland a gay writer Gerard ( Jeroen Krabbe ) gives a lecture . He stays overnight with a beautiful woman Christine ( Renee Soutendijk ) and has sex with her ( by imagining she's a boy ) . He plans to leave the next day , but gets a look at a picture of Christine's hunky boyfriend Herman ( Thom Hoffman ) and decides to stay to have a try at him . Then things get strange . A big X-rated art house hit in the US in 1983 . Why was it X rated ? Let's see . . . there's strangulation , full frontal male and female nudity , castration , mutilation , simulated sex , a scene in a church with a cross that will shock most people , a gay sex scene in a crypt . . . and it's all a comedy ! ! ! ! ! Paul Verhoeven made this after " Spetters " . " Spetters " was attacked by the critics for it's extreme sexual sequences and denounced as trash . So , Verhoeven filled this film with very obvious symbolism thinking the critics would think it was art and praise it . He was right ! Critics loved the film not realizing that Verhoeven was playing a big joke on them . Still , it's a great film . It's beautifully shot by Jan de Bont ( now a director himself ) and there's so much symbolism and obvious " hidden " layers in the dialogue that you're never bored . All the acting is great - - Krabbe plays a thoroughly despicable character but ( somehow ) has you rooting for him ; Soutendijk is just stunning to look at and plays her part to perfection - - the little smile she gives when Gerard agrees to stay with her is chilling ; Hoffman is extremely handsome with a great body - - he deserves credit for doing the church sequence and going at with Krabbe in the crypt . This is not for people easily offended or the weak of heart , but if you like extreme movies that playfully challenge you ( like me ) this is for you ! A 10 all the way . |
478,833 | 463,200 | 75,194 | 10 | Excellent Holmes movie | Sherlock Holmes ( Nicol Williamson ) is deep in the grip of cocaine addiction . His best friend Dr . Watson ( Robert Duvall ) and brother Mycroft Holmes ( Charles Grey ) get him to Vienna to receive treatment for his problem by Dr . Sigmund Freud ( Alan Arkin ) . While there a mystery pops up involving a beautiful red-haired woman ( Vanessa Redgrave ) . . . Just great . I caught this in a revival theatre back in 1979 when it was playing with " Murder By Decree " ( Holmes vs . Jack the Ripper ) . I just loved it - - and it still holds up . The film never takes itself too seriously ( during the opening credits there's a note saying the whole picture is true " only the fact have been made up " ! ) This was beautifully filmed with exquisite costumes and production design . Also director Herbet Ross does a great job - - everything moves at a brisk pace - - he even makes a tennis game look exciting ! It's 2 hours long but I was never bored . The first hour deals with Freud dealing with Holmes ' cocaine addiction - - the second hour the mystery comes in . During the final 30 minutes it turns into an action adventure flick - - but it always stays on track . There's also a lot of amusing visual or verbal references to other Holmes ' adventures - - we even get to see Toby from " Sign of the Four " ! But you don't have to know the references to enjoy them - - this film works so everyone can enjoy it . The story mixes Holmes ' deductive reason with Freud's psychological reasonings in an interesting and very entertaining way . It also explains why Holmes doesn't like women , why he became a detective and why he hates Moriarty . Acting is ( mostly ) good . Williamson is just great as Holmes - - he perfectly captures the detective under the grip of cocaine . . . and the recovery . Duvall is surprisingly bad as Watson - - he seems constrained by the costumes and unsure of how to play the role . Arkin ( a REAL strange choice ) is actually pretty good as Freud sporting a believable accent . Grey is just great in his small role as is Samantha Eggar ( who disappears much too quickly playing Mrs . Watson ) . And it's amusing to see Laurence Olivier play Professor Moriarty ! Redgrave is hardly in this but she's amusing . Basically one of the best Sherlock Holmes pictures ever ! I heard this didn't do well at the box office . . . that's a shame . It is out on DVD but Universal released it in a hideous full frame transfer ( which makes no sense ) that completely destroys the film . Try to see it on TCM where it's shown letter-boxed . A GREAT film - - lots of fun . I give it a 10 . |
477,278 | 463,200 | 71,315 | 10 | Depressing but complex and riveting | A murder mystery set in 1930s Los Angeles . Jack Nicholson plays a private detective named Jake Gittes . Evelyn Mulwray hires him to discover if her husband is cheating on her . What starts off as a simple cases quickly snowballs into an intricate and complex scheme involving a mysterious and possibly deadly woman ( Faye Dunaway ) and her very rich father Noah Cross ( John Huston ) . I caught this originally at a revival theatre in the mid 1980s . I was fascinated but the downbeat ending depressed me incredibly . I've seen it multiple times since then . I STILL think the ending is not necessary ( screenwriter Robert Towne complained a lot that director Roman Polanski changed his happy ending into a horrifying one ) but I find the entire movie fascinating . It catches the 1930s perfectly down to the clothes , the houses , the cars - - everything . The script is very involved - - you have to pay strict attention or you'll miss some of the many twists . The script deservedly won an Academy Award . The acting is just great - - Nicholson , Dunaway and Huston are just perfect in their roles . It runs over two hours but I was never once bored . The cinematography and music just add to the 1930s mood . Also this was the last film Roman Polanski directed in the USA before leaving to avoid being jailed on rape charges . Beautifically directed , acted and shot . A 10 all the way . |
478,040 | 463,200 | 63,612 | 10 | Truly one of a kind | Retired gangster Tony ( Jackie Gleason ) who's married to Flo ( Carol Channing ! ! ) is brought out of retirement by God ( Groucho Marx - - yes THAT Groucho Marx ) to rub out Packard ( Mickey Rooney ) . Problem is Packard is in prison . They're going to sneak Tony in so he can do the job . The plot is pretty straightforward but this movie gives some characters astonishing names , throws in VERY 60s designs and clothes , tons of unfunny lines and plot twists to show how " with it " the directors and such were . This was made when old Hollywood was at a loss at what attracted teenagers to movies like " Easy Rider " . So they got all these old directors and actors and wrote scripts that were totally abysmal and made zero sense ( old Hollywood thought " Easy Rider " was pointless - - it isn't ) . This is one of those movies . What's wrong with it ? Where to start ? It's impossible to list everything that happens in this train wreck ( worse than Britney Spears ) but here are a few high and low lights : Carol Channing trying to seduce Frankie Avalon ; God trying to seduce young teenage Darlene ; tons of dated dialogue showing how peaceful and loving hippies are ( sigh ) ; John Phillip Law playing a hippie named Stash - - he deserves credit for keeping a straight face while giving out the most nonsensical dialogue ever heard in a movie ; the great George Raft reduced to playing a skipper on a boat ; Gleason having an LSD trip which is a true jaw dropper ; Richard Kiel as a prison guard ; Law giving a code message over the phone ( OK - - THAT scene is great ! ) ; an entire prison spaced out on LSD ; Burgess Meredith as a warden ; Peter Lawford as a senator ( figures - - he was married to a Kennedy ) and a Garbage Pail number which will have you questioning your sanity . There's more but those hit me . The acting - - well who can tell ? The movie is all over the place . Still Gleason is actually pretty good and Channing chews the scenery . Marx ( in his last theatrical role ) was , sadly , pretty terrible as God . He doesn't even get any jokes to crack ! The movie goes barreling over the edge at the end with Channing singing the title song ( which is admittedly pretty catchy ) and ALL the closing credits are sung ! This is a one of a kind motion picture . Yeah it's terrible - - a bunch of older actors / producers / directors trying ( in vain ) to prove how " hip " they are . Still , you can't stop watching and I was never bored for one minute . I just sat there in amazement watching the movie unfold . Truly a camp classic and a 10 all the way ! This NEEDS a DVD transfer ! Paramount is probably ashamed of it - - they let TCM show it but they gave them a full frame print and it played early in the morning . Look - - if we can get jaw-droppers like the 1980 musical " The Apple " out there we can get this ! See it if you get the chance . Trust me - - you'll be amazed ! |
478,814 | 463,200 | 482,571 | 10 | Intelligent and incredibly suspenseful | Drama about two magicians in England in the 1800s - - Robert Angier ( Hugh Jackman ) and Alfred Borden ( Christian Bale ) . They perform together and Angier's wife ( Piper Perabo ) is accidentally killed during an act - - or maybe not . Angier blames Borden - - Borden denies it . They then start competing acts and try to sabotage each other - - and things get deadlier and the stakes higher . This was a box office bomb and that's a shame . It is a little too long and it keeps you guessing - - that's why people probably stayed away . This isn't a movie you can relax with - - you have to pay strict attention to figure out what's going on . The movie has many ingenious twists and turns and constantly keeps pulling the rug out from under you . You always think you know where it's going - - but then it veers off completely in another direction . Some people hate challenging films like this but I was fascinated . The acting is just superb across the board . Jackman and Bale have never been better - - they come tearing out of the movie at you . Even the supporting roles are well done . Michael Caine ( playing sort of a Greek chorus ) pops up and Rebecca Hall and Scarlett Johansson are also very strong . And wait till you see David Bowie as Tesla ! Also the direction by Christopher Nolan just adds to the film immensely . He was one of the co-writers so he knows what he wants . Ingenious drama - - beautifully acted and directed and full of twists and turns . One of the best movies of 2006 . A definite must-see ! |
478,024 | 463,200 | 257,850 | 10 | Powerful , moving | Excellent cable movie dealing with the horrendous murder of gay Matthew Shepard in 1998 in Laramie , Wyoming . A theatre group went to the town and interviewed the citizens and came back with 400 hours of material . This became a play with actors playing the towns citizens . It's now been done as an HBO film with a top-notch cast playing the citizens . There are also reenactments of the trial of the two murderers and their convictions . This is definetely a strange film but totally fascinating with many powerful moments . The scene where Matthew Shepard's father addresses one of the killers of his son is gut-wrenching - - it's hard to believe it's just an actor reading dialogue . Previous posters have complained about not using the real townspeople talking . I don't think that's a valid argument - - many of these people probably wouldn't want to appear on film and would they really want to go through recreations of the trial and the protests outside ? Also , there's not one bad acting job from anybody in the cast but special honors go to Camryn Manheim , Christina Ricci and Amy Madigan . A powerful , painful film . A definite must-see for everybody . |
477,283 | 463,200 | 66,580 | 10 | Superb documentary | Oscar-winning documentary on the 3 day long concert back in 1969 . Despite more people showing up than was expected and running out of food , water and medical supplies and dealing with a torrential downpour everything went fine . There was no rioting , no violence . . . just people helping each other out . The film beautifully captures all this . It contains interviews with the kids attending the concert ( their views are absolutely incredible ) , people in the surrounding town , the police , media . . . all viewpoints are presented . Everything that comes through is tolerance , peace and love . The musical acts are varied - - you'll love some and hate others . For me the definite highlights were Joan Baez ; the Who ; Sha-Na-Na ; Joe Cocker ; Crosby Stills & Nash ; John Sebastian ; Country Joe McDonald ; Sly and the Family Stone and Jimi Hendrix . Also the sound is great and there is superb editing during the sequences with excellent use of multiple screens . I saw the directors cut with adds 40 minutes of music ( bringing the running time up to 3 hours and 40 minutes ) . They add Canned Heat , Jefferson Airplane , Janis Joplin and another number by Hendrix . Except for the Joplin footage none of it is really good or needed . The original 3 hour cut is fine . Warning - - there's lots of swearing , nudity , sex and drug taking . It didn't bother me , but it might bother others - - originally this got an X rating because of it ! A great one of a kind movie . Don't miss it ! |
477,832 | 463,200 | 79,714 | 10 | In it's own way , a horror classic | Two orphaned boys , Mike ( Michael Baldwin ) and Jody ( Bill Thornbury ) notice some strange things happening at Morningside Mortuary . Bodies are disappearing from coffins ; a lady in lavender has sex with men in the graveyard and then stabs them to death ; little midgets in brown cloaks ( making sounds like lions ) are roaming about and there's a flying silver orb with spikes that embeds itself in people's heads ! And then there's the Tall Man ( Angus Scrimm ) overseeing it all . . . Soon Mike , Jody and their friend Reggie ( Reggie Bannister ) are fighting for their lives . . . The story is pretty thin ( and REALLY out of whack at the end ) , the acting dismal , there's no characterizations or depth and some of the special effects are horrible but . . . this is STILL a classic horror film . It takes a while to get going ( nothing much happens in the first half hour ) , but when it does there's scarcely a letup . Action leaps into high gear , there's some fairly graphic gore ( including the now infamous flying sphere killing ) , there are plenty of scenes guaranteed to make you jump and the music score is very spooky . . . right up there with " Halloween " . Also some of the special effects are impressive ( considering there was no budget ) . Also Michael Baldwin was a VERY attractive man and there's gratuitous male and female nudity . What's even more surprising is Don Coscarelli wrote , produced , directed AND edited this at the age of 24 ! He's never matched it since and all the sequels really suck . . . but this stands alone as a classic . A must-see for all horror fans . Also Scrimm is EXCELLENT ( and damn scary ) as the Tall Man . Trivia : This was awarded an X rating FOUR TIMES because of the sphere killing . . . Coscarelli went all the way to the head of the ratings board who overturned it and gave it an R - - a rare occurrence that the ratings board kept in a gore scene ! |
477,464 | 463,200 | 70,917 | 10 | Exceptional but NOT a horror film | A police sergeant ( Edward Woodward ) goes to a remote island near Scotland hearing that a young girl is missing . When he gets there it seems no one has ever heard of her . . . and most say she never existed . He continues to search and the mystery gets deeper and deeper leading up to a very disturbing conclusion . I saw this during it's theatrical reissue in 1980 - - it was the cut 88 minute version . I was disappointed . It was advertised as a horror film and the edited version leaves gaping plot holes . I just saw the extended version on the DVD and loved it ! For one thing , as I said , it is NOT a horror film . I went in expecting that and didn't get it . It's actually a thriller with strong religious and sexual overtures . There's WAY too much to get into about the religious views in this film , and the sexual element is STRONG ! There's a whole circle of nude young women dancing around a fire , and an exceptional sequence in which a very erotic song is sung by a nude Britt Ekland . The mystery itself is fascinating but I really got caught up in the religious and social aspects presented in this film . Credit writer Anthony Shaffer for his script . Also the acting is great on all counts . Woodward deserves credit for playing such an unlikable character - - and STILL getting you to sympathize with him ! Also Hammer stars Christopher Lee and Ingrid Pitt ( whose part is brutally reduced in the short version ) are just great ! For one thing it's interesting to see them playing fairly " normal " people ( instead of vampires ) and they give out excellent performances . Lee especially is enjoying himself - - he did the film for free ! To this day he said it's his best movie - - he's right . An excellent , haunting thriller but it might be too much for some people . There's next to no blood or violence , but I do know some people who just found the ending a bit too much to handle . Still , it's a definite must-see . A deserved cult classic . |
478,436 | 463,200 | 90,756 | 10 | A masterpiece | A very strange movie but incredible . A young man ( Kyle MacLaclan ) comes home to help care for his sick father . Soon he's in love with a detective's daughter ( Laura Dern ) and mixed up in a mystery involving Dorothy Valdes ( Isabella Rossellinni ) and psycho Frank Booth ( Dennis Hopper ) . Probably David Lynch's best film . The story has gaps in logic , but it's secondary to some incredible wide screen imagery ( this has to be seen letter-boxed . . . no two ways about it ) . Lynch has said in interviews that he thinks of the image first then works it into the movie . You can tell . . . things that make no sense at first gradually make sense later on . This movie also demands multiple viewings . . . I was so shocked the first time I saw it , I couldn't concentrate on it . . . it took THREE viewings to finally get it . As to what the movie is about . . . it depends who you ask . Some people said it's the Hardy Boys on drugs . . . others say it's about a boy's sexual awakening . . . others see it as good vs . evil . . . each one is a valid statement ! To me , that's a true art film . . . one that means multiple things all at once . The performances are top-notch . This film made MacLachlan . . . him and Laura Dern work well together and give nice low-key performances . Dern is just great . . . but she does look pretty silly when she tries to cry . Rossellinni is nowhere near as good as her mother ( Ingrid Bergman ) was , but she deserves credit for taking such a risky role . She's pretty good . Hopper is WAYYYYYYY over the top as Booth . . . he's both horrifying and hilarious . . . a great performance . And let's not forget Dean Stockwell as " suave Ben " . His " performance " of " In Dreams " is a definite highlight . Be warned - - the film is very extreme . There's explicit violence , plenty of nudity , sex and tons of profanity . Not for the squeamish . Still , I loved it from beginning to end . One of my favorite films of all time . |
544,700 | 562,732 | 337,945 | 1 | What a disaster . | Infamous for being " brought to you by the digital effects team behind Independence Day , " Coronado is even more of a spectacular failure just from being juxtaposed with ID4 . This ridiculous mess of a film starts off with a brainless premise and goes completely downhill from there . A wealthy , soon to be married couple in Beverly Hills are the subjects of this idiotic story . Claire's fiancée has taken off on a business trip right around Christmas , so she decides to spontaneously fly to Switzerland so they can spend the holiday together . I especially love that her initial reason for wanting to go was because he had left some documents at home that she thought he might need . She grabbed them up and yelled after him while he drove away , concluding that her best bet would be to fly to the other side of the planet rather than call his cell phone . I refuse to believe that a couple living in such a cavernous mansion as theirs were unaware of the existence of mobile phones . So up until this point , the movie is unbelievably bad , but check this out , THIS is where it starts to get bad ! She gets to Switzerland and when she can't find her husband she gets some cake and calls her friend to whine about how unfair it all is . This woman is not an action hero , and she is DEFINITELY not a German Indiana Jones , for crying out loud . She is an overgrown cheerleader , a pampered sorority girl whose outdoor experience is probably limited to digging her spike heels out of the ground when she gets tipsy enough to wander onto the lawn during a wine and cheese party out on the bluffs . She gets a tip that her fiancée is in South America , so she , like , totally flies there to get him . Once there , this moron thinks she's going to go into the jungle by herself , sniff out the enemy base and rescue her poor helpless boyfriend . She laughs off a comment about the danger of going in there , then freaks out later because she finds out that there are battles going on . " You never said anything about battle ! " There is one point where Claire and some journalist that she met up with drive this huge truck across a bridge that is hundreds of feet high and hundreds of feet across and suspended by two by fours . Literally . There are thousands of thin pieces of wood tied together with twine , and these morons decide to drive over it . Not only does it crumble under the weight of the truck , but Claire manages to fall off of it , falling hundreds of feet and landing on her back in the shallow river below . Later she recalls the event , laughing it off like , oh maybe it was only a hundred . At least she wasn't twirling gum on her fingers . What is truly sad about this catastrophically bad movie is that they even managed to coax a terribly performance out of the tremendously talented John Rhys-Davies , a REAL Indiana Jones veteran . There is a lot of nonsense about an uprising at the end of the film , where we meet an extremist rebel leader who , when we first meet him , has such a thick accent that he rolls his r's like he thinks he's in a Ruffles commercial , then later he talks like some guy they pulled off the streets of Venice Beach . Unbelievable . The special effects are negligible . The team that brought you Independence Day , by the very fact that they were involved with ID4 , was simply going through the motions , throwing together some matted and blue screen shots , I have to believe because they just had nothing better to do . The story is astonishingly bad , and Kristin Dattilo , who many other IMDb users cite as the only reason to see the film , doesn't put the slightest effort into her performance . Maybe she thought the digital effects team behind Independence Day could superimpose some meaning into this mess . And given how far they've fallen , maybe they thought they could , too . They could at least have tried . |
543,794 | 562,732 | 306,047 | 1 | An absolute disaster just like the first two . | Now , my bitter disappointment by this time in the ridiculous Scary Movie saga is no surprise , and I have no one to blame but myself for going to the theaters to see it in the first place , and the only weak excuse I have is that I heard from someone that it was much better than the first two ( really , could it possibly have been WORSE ? ? ) because it had a different director . So I figured that since it wasn't TOTALLY a production of the abysmal senses of humor of the Wayans brothers , I would give it a shot , and the only good thing that came of it was that I learned once and for all how important it is to consider a film's target audience before paying real money to sit in an entire theater full of them . So , that being said , if you're the kind of person that would really get a kick out of seeing an eight-year-old boy beaten repeatedly about the head , face , and body with a baseball bat , please , go see this movie . If it would really please you to see that same boy get hit by a car TWICE , you're sure to enjoy this idiotic mess of a film . If , on the other hand , you like to have the slightest speck of actual thought put into a film , you might want to avoid this one , or at least wait until it comes out of video so you don't have to surround yourself with the kinds of people who answered yes to the first two questions . Believe me , I surrounded myself with them a couple nights ago and wished the entire time that I had a pot to put over my head and a wooden spoon to hit it with . That would have been more enjoyable than the movie . When I write my IMDb reviews , I usually try to keep from getting too upset by how bad a movie is . After all , I'm the one that went to see it in the first place , right ? And I don't believe in that ' I want my money back ' crap . Nowhere at any movie theater in the world does it say at the ticket booth ' Satisfaction Guaranteed . ' When you buy a movie ticket , you spent the money whether you liked the movie or not , that's not a hard concept to figure out . I have no problem with a movie being offensive . Quite the contrary , offensive movies tend to be the ones that are most remembered because they made an impression , even if it might have been a relatively bad one . Movies that make you a little bit uncomfortable are the ones that you notice , the ones that make a lasting difference . And I'm not only talking about massively important examples like Schindler's List or American History X or anything like that . Consider this , if every single movie was happy and fun like something like Indianan Jones or Toy Story or Back to the Future , movies would be pointless , they would be little more than pretty things to look at and something to make us laugh and to entertain us for an hour and a half . But when a movie makes us uncomfortable or is offensive to our beliefs or our way of life , maybe just because it shows us something that we don't normally or have never seen and probably don't WANT to see ( like death ) , that's when they gain a new kind of power over us - the power to affect our view of the world . Unfortunately , obtaining this kind of constructive discomfort is not only difficult to capture , it is also VERY easy to screw up , especially when you , as the director / writer / etc , of the film clearly do not care about getting it right and / or do not understand the importance of getting it right . And this is not just true of dramatic war films or deadly serious films , it's also very true of the comedy and even the spoof comedy . The spoof comedy even more than the rest is expected to make fun of the movies that it spoofs and to do it RESPECTFULLY . Granted , some of the jokes in Scary Movie 3 are funny , some of the spoofs are done in relatively good taste ( although , compared to the rest of the material , that's not saying much ) , and some of them I laughed out loud at . But where the Scary Movies go seriously and unforgivably wrong is that they do not understand when they have gone too far , when they've crossed the line , when they've crossed from being childishly amusing to being seriously offensive . And not the good kind of offensive either . I'm not just talking about jokes that are too gross or boobs that are almost popping out or too much profanity , I'm talking about the fact that there WILL be people seeing this movie who have had a brother or a cousin or a SON who has been killed by getting hit by a careless driver , and these people will have walked into this movie having no idea that they are going to see this happen onscreen and have to suffer through an entire theater-full of morons laughing their idiot heads off . Scary Movie 2 featured a character with a disfigured arm , and everyone groaned and yelled and said ' Oh God gross ! ! ! ' when he ate mashed potatoes off his hand as though he were performing fellatio on it . Clearly , Mawn and Sharlon Wayans , or whatever their names are , have no idea that there are people like this in real life , who want to be able to go to the movies and have a good time just like everyone else . So like I said , I have no problem with movies being offensive . I encourage it . But it becomes a problem when the makers of the film have no idea about how the mechanics of offensive material work , and the Wayans brothers are clearly clueless . This is not something that's ' all in good fun , ' this is the absolute bottom of the scale of bad taste , stuff for which there is no place in mainstream entertainment . I hope that I've avoided offending anyone who enjoyed the movie by things I've said in this review . I support constructively offensive material in movie reviews just like I do in the movies , as I described above , and I do not try to offend anyone with what I say in my reviews . So that being said , honk if you love the Scary Movies . Then drive into a tree . |
544,075 | 562,732 | 91,631 | 1 | This is absolute garbage . There is no reason to watch this movie . Ever . If you can only avoid watching one movie in your life , this should be it . | Nightmare Weekend stars a cast of ridiculous actors with even less of an idea of what is going on than the director had , if you can imagine that . There is no decipherable plot or story , the special effects are a joke , and even the sound is terrible . This film was directed by Henry Sala . It was the only film that he ever directed , and the reason is obvious . |
544,280 | 562,732 | 118,441 | 1 | Wow . I never cease to be amazed . | RPM would seem to be a rip-off of Bruckheimer's ridiculous Gone In 60 Seconds , until you realize that it was made three years earlier but didn't generate any attention ( and for good reason ) until Gone In 60 Seconds came out , and hardly even then . David Arquette is spectacularly miscast as a car thief who steals cars not for the money , but for the rush ( and for the all but pulsating cliché ) because , he believes , all the right things end up with the wrong people . That turns out to be true in RPM , since there are such a wide variety of beautiful cars getting stolen from complete morons . One man , for instance , meets Famke Janssen's Claudia on some remote mountain road , attempts to get her drunk on his champagne ( on the shoulder of the road , of course , not at home or anything ) , and then she ties him up and steals his car in front of his very eyes . He is , as would any thinking person , completely incapable of removing his own belt from around his ankles ( or even thinking to do this ) in order to save his precious car . He doesn't deserve it anyway . We learn early on that Luke ( David Arquette ) has a way of getting around the police , since his father is able to pull some strings with them ( mainly with his massive checkbook ) , which he does only because Luke keeps coming up with cool little gizmos that make him a lot of money but that he uses to help him in his stealing adventures . There is a particularly belligerent scene early in the film where a female officer comes to arrest him , and he sneaks out of the building and casually flees the scene in her cruiser , with the siren on . Because that's the safest way to escape , of course . IN a police car . With the SIREN on . Let the forehead slapping begin , but don't get your palm too sore yet , it gets much better . The plot of the film is a pathetically thin spider-webby clothesline of a thing that is barely strung together with a lot of awful , awful scenes , each seeming to try to outdo the last . I've seen James Bond do a wheelie in the cab of an 18-wheeler , and I just about fell out of my chair at the stupidity of THAT , but it's WAY outdone here . Luke is in Nice , France ( evidently for no other reason than to pack the film with bad accents ) , with the hopes of stealing the greatest discovery in automotive history ( the RPM , which runs on a gasless engine ) , and after stealing a Bond-style car , he makes a quick stop on the side of the road to rescue a damsel in distress from some street punks ( which he does just as casually as if he were picking up a friend who was waiting for him ) . As he's running from the police for stealing the car , he drives UP the side of a tunnel , and lands it on the roof of an oncoming big rig ( commenting , ' I haven't done this in a long time . ' ) This is , all joking aside , a serious contender for the most jaw-droppingly ridiculous thing I've ever seen in a movie in my LIFE . Later , Claudia goes to steal a fancy red car , and after flirting with it's idiot owner , she decides that , instead of ditching her Jeep and jumping into the sports car , she'll just grab the wheel and drive away with both of them . Yeah , you know how sometimes people will ride a bike and hold onto the handlebars of a second one ? Evidently this can be done with cars , too . It makes you wonder if anyone read the script before the movie went into production , or if anyone actually watched the sad , belligerent mess that it became before they released it . Cars are hard things to push , I've done it . For the most part , they're pretty heavy machines . But I suppose that in some mythical world where the police jump off of their motorcycles and into moving vehicles before those vehicles show any signs of attempting to escape and where mechanics slide under the cars they're working on feet first , women as skinny as Claudia can push a car while driving another car and only holding it by the steering wheel . Arquette simply cannot handle the role that he is given in this movie . An ever present cigarette is not enough to make him able to play a hardened criminal , he's too much of a lovable goofball . This may be , by the way , how he can steal a car , get caught by it's naked female owner , and turn her into a car thief as well the same day , and then convince her to help him steal the RPM . In one of the most laughable lines in the film , he informs the audience , ' The place was like Fort Knox , holding the biggest automotive breakthrough in history . I was gonna have to be good . ' Well , luckily for him , the replica of Fort Knox was of the kind that doesn't notice low-flying aircraft dropping off red-flag car thieves wearing bright blue jumpsuits and cute white roller-blades , unconscious guards laying just outside the wide-open main entrance and , my favorite , that employs technicians and mechanics that flee the scene like frightened cattle when the lights go out , leaving the greatest breakthrough in automotive history alone with a couple of car thieves that have made their way into the central vault with little to no difficulty whatsoever . It's amazing no one has tried to attack the real Fort Knox after watching this , if it's that easy to get into . ( spoilers ) RPM is a bad movie that is not likeable as a bad movie , the way films like Death Race 2000 are . This is not enjoyable camp , it's ridiculous garbage . The prize for stealing the RPM is a ludicrous one billion dollars , but of course when he's close to getting the money , Luke decides that it would be cute to demand TWO billion dollars ( which he demands in true Dr . Evil form , except without any sense of amusement and , luckily , without holding his pinky to his mouth ) . There is , of course , the obligatory idiot romance , which turns out to be with the woman who caught him stealing her Viper , but also the suggestion that there is a frustrated romance between Luke and Claudia ( who later turn out to be brother and sister ) . Just after all of the mechanics flee the RPM like scared children , Claudia asks Luke why they can't ever be close , and he responds with a line the grammatical correctness of which reflects the sheer lack of intelligence in the rest of the movie . ' Because every time I turn my back on you , you stole everything I ever had . ' |
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