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525,253 | 4,445,210 | 87,089 | 6 | Lots Of Adjectives To Describe This Movie | A very stylish but rough and profane account of gangsters ( " Dutch " Schultz and the like ) and music during the 1920s . The scene is Harlem ( NYC ) at the Cotton Club , which is still run by whites who are pictured as big bigots . Schultz , played by James Remar , is extremely coarse and profane . There are tons of Lord's name in vain abuses in this movie , many by Remar and Richard Gere . There is very hard edge to this film , sometimes a little too hard , I think . The positives are the cinematography , music , dancing and a good romance angle featuring the white leads , Gere and Diane Lane , and the black leads Gregory Hines and Lonette McKee . Gere and Hines are buddies , with Gere playing coronet and Hines tap dancing . Hines is a tremendous dancer and great to watch . You also have other " name " actors in here , such as Nicholas Cage , Bob Hoskins , Fred Gwynne , Laurence Fishburne and Allen Garfield . If the language I mentioned earlier doesn't offend you , this is a great movie . |
526,149 | 4,445,210 | 35,436 | 6 | Observations While Watching These ' Saps ' | The Stooges are excited because in five minutes they are going to be married . Upon entering the house of the three ladies , who must all be sisters , they find the girls weeping . They have to call off the wedding because they just found out their father was framed and put in jail . He used to be the warden but the tables , unfairly , were turned . Their plan is to get arrested so they get inside the jail and rescue the ladies ' father , or at least get evidence of the corruption . This really wasn't a very funny Stooges short , but there were a few good lines and so I'll quote two from Curly and make a few other observations . " We're not ordinary people ; we're morons . " " My , you are a most unusual dancer . Thank you . I come from a family of dancers . My father died dancing . . . . on the end of a rope . " I did enjoy Moe's pronunciation of " fiancee ; " the baseball-type pennants on the dance hall wall that say " Joliet , " " Alcatraz , " " Sing Sing " and " Leavenworth , " Moe calling a guy in a tuxedo " pelican . " I never realized how short all three of these guys were until they were on the dance floor . Even all the women were taller than them ! |
522,690 | 4,445,210 | 435,335 | 6 | ' The Hawk ' Baffles The Doctors ! | Being a big fan of rockabilly music , and living across the border from Canada , I am well aware of Ronnie Hawkins . " The Hawk " ( and numerous other nicknames ) is an old-time rock ' n roller who grew up in Arkansas , did an early gig in Hamilton , Ontario , and loved Canada so much he stayed there . He's been there almost 50 years now , rockin ' away . He almost didn't get to continue his music , and that's the subject of this documentary . About a half dozen years ago he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was given six months to live . Many patients don't even last that long . Pancreatic cancer is a death sentence . Yet , a miracle happened and the cancer disappeared . How , and perhaps why - although that is still baffling Toronto doctors - is explained in this story . Cameras follow Mr . Hawkins into his home and we get to really know the man , his wife , his dogs and his friends . We see some of the things he goes through in the face of death . I knew The Hawk wasn't exactly Billy Graham , or Mother Teresa but I was still shocked how profane and sex-obsessed he is . Hey , most of us guys aren't exactly that different in those areas but Hawkins is extreme . It'a almost embarrassing to listen to him with f-this , f-that to everyone , including a lot of women , and constantly talking about his penis and getting erections . Whatever , the whole thing is strange . It could have been more inspirational had Ronnie been a little classier throughout the telecast . " Well , that's him , " someone explains in the movie . " He talks that way to everyone , whether they are a nun or another musician . " Well , that doesn't excuse his crude behavior nor lack of good taste and manners . One thing that amazed me . Hawkins was doing Michael Jackson's " moonwalk " long before Jackson made it famous ! Another good trait was his attitude toward life and death . He didn't sit around and mope when told he was dying . Speaking of famous people , Bill Clinton is on here a few times . Well , I know he and Ronnie have at least one interest in common , besides both being from Arkansas ! P . S . I wonder whatever happened to that mystery teen healer ? |
526,414 | 4,445,210 | 373,873 | 6 | The Cold , Hard Facts Of The Famous Escape | Bringing the Germans involved in this story - The Great Escape - to justice was the number one aim of the Brits looking for war criminals when WWII concluded . Why did this get top priority ? . Because 50 British airmen were " murdered in cold blood " by the Gestapo after this famous escape attempt . Details of that prison break are given in this documentary that accompanies the two-disc Special Edition DVD of " The Great Escape . " Some of those details are very interesting but on the whole , this 51-minute " feature " can get a slow , a little dry , but if you're really into the history of what happened , you should find this intriguing enough to stay with it . Some of it , especially near the end with stories about the murdered men , are heartbreaking . This documentary includes interviews men who were in the camp at that time and were still alive , obviously , when these interviews took place fairly recently . Relatives are also interviewed and even Germans who were involved in the massacre that followed . It was the coldest March in 30 years and there was snow on the ground on the night of the escape but they couldn't postpone it because the fake passports were all dated , so they had to go ahead despite the weather . I mention the weather but it played a key role in everything that happened , according to some of the things I learned watching this . The coldness also cost the Allied soldiers after the escape as many had to turn themselves in or face freezing to death in the outside . How much that cold weather influenced what happened , and a number of other facts , such as why 50 people were killed ( orders from Hitler ) make this a decent documentary . It's nice to know , too , that much of the movie is not made up , as so often happens in films . |
527,540 | 4,445,210 | 274,166 | 6 | Lightweight Bond Spoof | This James Bond spoof , headed by British comedian Rowan Atkinson , was okay . . . . a fair amount of laughs but not enough to add this film to my collection . Atkinson reminded me a bit of Benny Hill , a more famous English comedian who also doesn't speak much but lets his actions and facial expressions garner his laughs . Both are likable guys . John Malkovich plays a Frechman here and his accent is pretty good . He seems to be always playing strange roles . There really isn't a whole lot to say about this film . Except for a very funny toilet scenes , much of it isn't that memorable . Just a lightweight hour-and-a-half of entertainment . |
522,841 | 4,445,210 | 106,188 | 6 | No ' Groundhog Day , ' But It's Not Bad | This isn't as good as " Groundhog Day , " but it's not bad . I compare it to that film because a similar storyline with each day repeating itself . The main difference in this story is that it's a crime story in addition to the romance , and it doesn't have the likable lead characters the much more famous Groundhog Day had . Here , we get Jonathan Silverman , not exactly Bill Murray . Helen Slater , meanwhile , should have terminated her career after Supergirl . The movie also could have used a little better humor . Despite all these negatives there is something appealing about the film . Maybe it's just the interesting premise that once it hooks you in , has you to stay just so you can see if the hero is going to make everything right . For that , it gets five points but only a point for the rest . Still , if you see it on TV , check it out . |
524,151 | 4,445,210 | 1,206,155 | 6 | Nick Has A Bad Feeling | It was tough to get really involved with this crime story since there were no " good guys . " Everyone connected with these murders - and there were several of them - was connected , and was a low-life-type person . Who do you care about ? Nobody , in this episode . You just watch to see what happens next and how CSI and LV Det . Brass figure it out . They wind up getting help - sort of - from a guy seen in a few past episodes , a thug behind bars by the name of " Drops " ( Method Man ) . Reluctantly , Brass and Nick Stokes have to let Drops out of jail for the weekend to help track down the prime suspects . " I have a feeling we are going to regret this , " says Nick . It turns out to be a " yes " and a " no " on that score . I'll leave it at that . |
523,914 | 4,445,210 | 529,897 | 6 | At Least It Improved On The First Episode | More evidence that this forensic crime show is made mainly for twenty-somethings with the fake-hip dialog and fixations of romances / sex . If only they would just stick to the crime and the investigation ! When they do , it's good - and informative - but there so much of the crap - mainly scientists talking like immature high school kids with their dating and sex gossip , it's ludicrous . Also , for the second week in a row our feminine , ultra-intelligent female lead shows she can beat up every man . How stupid can you get ? ? ? ! Anyway , this was better than the pilot episode , which shows you how bad that one was . This week , we an Arab being blown up in his car and taking a number of people with him . It looks like a terrorist act at first , but then it's determined somebody murdered him and set off a bomb under his car . Was it the man who was having an affair with his wife , or was it his brother or was it his wife . ( It's one of those three . ) Evidence in the bones that shows a poison tips off the " good guys . " |
524,489 | 4,445,210 | 106,220 | 6 | Funny Sequel With An Evil Message | Just the title of this movie tells you that " family values " are going to be trashed . It plays up evil , as opposed to goodness , but most of it is strictly to get laughs . In all , it's a funny sequel to the first Adams Family film , very inventive and slightly more entertaining than the first film . The special effects aren't the only highlight of this comedy . You expect that from this kind of story , but I was pleasantly surprised how much the sound added to the entertainment , especially n the first half of the film . The first half is better all-around because the second half has touches of mean - spiritedness entering the picture , not just humor . The message that evil is cool and wholesomeness is stupid gets carried away and is overdone . Yes , the camp counselors are very funny but too stupid as the filmmakers use them to bad-mouth good values . That's basically the message from today's filmmakers : evil is good and good is evil . Wrap that up in a good comedy and your message gets accepted more readily . Too bad they got carried away because this movie has many funny scenes . |
522,996 | 4,445,210 | 36,323 | 6 | Bogey Battles The Germans In The Desert | I guess this is what you'd call a " man's movie , " a tough war story with no female characters in the cast . Humphrey Bogart is an effective tough-guy American sergeant leading an international group of Allies in a tank across the Sahara desert . Eventually they battle huge odds against an onrushing German forces . intent on getting water from a well that was being tapped by Bogart's crew . There are a few lulls when characterizations are made , and the anti-German fervor in here is a little overdone . However , since it made right in the middle of World War II , that's understandable . There is some good photography in here with nice shadows form the sand dunes . Overall , a pretty solid war film that has decent action without overdoing it . Complementing Bogart in he cast are the likes of Bruce Bennett . Lloyd Bridges , Dan Duryea and J . Carrol Naish |
525,481 | 4,445,210 | 148,647 | 6 | A Very Familiar Storyline | See if this doesn't sound familiar : A proclamation if offered , stating " Whosoever saves the princess from the nasty ogre , he shall marry her . Signed , The King . " Our hero - some human , not Puss or the smaller cats - of course wants to be that guy . We discover the ogre , through some magic liquid he sprays on people , has turned the princess into a small white bird , which he keep caged at home ( like Tweety ) . The Ogre , meanwhile , looks just like you'd picture : hairy , ape-like , a mouth of half-missing teeth and big muscles . He grunts a lot , too . A neat twist is what happens to the guy coming to rescue the princess , and then what happens to all three major characters when the felines come to the rescue . There are some odd scenes , such as the cats all jumping into the ogre's pants and scratching tic-tac-toe games on his butt ! I'm serious . The only thing that was kind of stupid was what the Ogre allowed to happen to himself . That made no sense and hurt the story . . . . . not that it was believable , to begin with , but it wasn't stupid until that part . |
526,412 | 4,445,210 | 36,244 | 6 | Powerful Drama But A Bit Too Talky | The story was copied many times on television shows n the 1950s . I remember seeing the Lone Ranger up against mobs , Steve McQueen and others doing the same . . . . all preaching civility amid a rioting mob out to lynch someone . Since this film was released in 1942 , it may have been one of earliest times this theme was put on film , so I can't accuse them of copying an old storyline . What sets this apart and makes it a good movie was the great dialog , especially in the early moments when " Gil Carter " ( Henry Fonda ) and " Art Croft " ( Harry Morgan ) enter a bar . The characters in here pretty black-and-white as far as their attitudes go . The three guys the mob accuses later on are made to look totally innocent , almost too much so right off the bat , so there is really no guessing done by us , the audience . Fonda was most interesting of the lead characters , along with Frank Conroy as " Major Tetley " and Dana Andrews as " Donald Martin . " Jane Darwell was a hoot as one of the more bloodthirsty of the mob members . That was a far cry from her role with Fonda in " The Grapes Of Wrath . " The film bogs down once they get to the campsite where they think they've found the murders-rustlers . At that point , it's talk-talk-talk . Even Caesar Romero as the Mexican , " Juan Martinez " says he hungry " with all this talk going on . " It makes me think they could have made this film even shorter , and it's short as it is at 75 minutes . It does pick back up the last 15 or so minutes and the reactions of the mob at the end in the bar are interesting . Fonda reads a letter one of the accused men wrote but that turns out to be very preachy , not really a note someone in his position would have written to his wife but a sermon about law and justice . Overall , it's okay but generally petered out after a good start and , like many classic westerns of the 1940s and 1950s , is too talky and melodramatic . Still , it's a powerful story , well-acted , well-directed , nicely shot ( the DVD looks good ) and the message is one to remember . If they re-shot this today , I think they'd tighten the script up a bit and add a little more action and suspense . |
527,048 | 4,445,210 | 51,566 | 6 | Runs The Gamut From Absurd To Routine | Wardrobe has two meanings for most people : 1 - A wardrobe ( sometimes called an " armoire " ) is a standing closet , sometimes called an " armoire " used for storing clothes . Sometimes it is in the form of a big trunk . 2 - a collection of wearing apparel ; a collection of stage costumes and accessories I know it as the second definition but in this movie , an early Roman Polanski film , it is a big " dresser , a large piece of furniture to store clothes and has a mirror in the middle of it . It looks big and tough for even two people to carry . So . . . . imagine the absurdity of the opening scene : two men appearing out of the ocean , walking to shore carrying this " wardrobe ! " That scenes sets up this strange 14-minute film , the first one of Polanski's to get public viewing . Polanski made films in Poland for the first five years of his career . I wonder what people there thought of this strange tale . This movie starts out strictly as a comedy , almost like an old silent film one because there is no dialog so all the humor is physical . However , it then delves into some other odd areas , such as animal abuse , some unexplained and non-eventful and very routine scenes with a girl , some fistfights . You just never know what will happen , all the while the two guys are carrying this huge wardrobe around . I left out mentioning a bunch of strange things so as not to spoil it . Like most of Polanski's early works , this is unusual stuff . My opinion is that many people would see this in many ways , and have a wide wide of likes and dislikes about it . One thing for sure : it's different . You can see this early Polanski effort on disc number 2 of the " Knife In The Water " DVD . |
522,346 | 4,445,210 | 261,220 | 6 | Apparently , Too Tough An Act To Follow | This " sequel " to " Meet The Raisins " was a big bust musically but still fun visually and dialog - wise . It all adds up to being " fair , " and certainly not equal to the first 30-minute California Raisins movie , which was fantastic . I admit , that was a tough act to follow . THE BAD - The main problem with this one is they abandoned the kind of songs that made this claymation rock group so much fun to watch and listen to . This sequel features seven songs , but two of them are repeats from the first movie ( video ) and the other five are all short versions of tunes that were not what the Raisins do best . THE GOOD - You gotta love the visuals and the dialog in here . There are many things to see that are funny , too much to catch on one viewing . I loved all the puns delivered here with the fruits and vegetables . OVERALL - Not bad but get all the pluses in here plus better music in the first Raisins special . |
522,812 | 4,445,210 | 36,271 | 6 | Daffy In Black-And-White | Porky's bill for two nights stay at the Broken Arms Hotel is outrageous . He's even charged separately for the " air , sunshine and goodwill ! " When the big fat French guy from the hotel comes to collect , Porky says his pal Daffy is in charge of the money . Unfortunately , Daffy has just thrown away money in a craps game . One thing leads to another and the Frenchman winds up challenging Daffy on the " field of honor . " Well , you know Daffy doesn't have a lot of honor , and they never get to that duel - just a war to see if they can get out of the hotel without paying while the big hotel manager makes sure the opposite happens . All parties take a beating in this war . In the end , Daffy calls up Bugs Bunny hoping he'll help ! It was odd to see Daffy Duck in black-and-white . In all the Looney Tunes Collection DVDs , I've always seen him in color . This was part of the Volume Three . |
527,053 | 4,445,210 | 94,602 | 6 | Seagal Unfairly Criticized As Actor | This was Steven Seagal's first movie and pretty much summed up the way his films were going to go : marital arts-crime stories with overly despicable villains and our hero saving the women by out-fighting everyone . Jean Van Damme and others followed with the same recipe which , by and large , has been pretty successful . Before I saw this , I had read national critics blasting Seagal's acting talents but that was unfair ; he's not a bad actor . It was also a surprise to see Sharon Stone playing a nice role and without makeup ! That certainly changed quickly with her Basic Instinct-type persona . It was fun to see Henry Silva again . As a kid growing up in the ' 50s and ' 60s , I used to see Silva on television a lot . He always played a bad guy , and played the part well . . . . as he still does . Overall , a decent action flick but not one of Segal's more memorable films . He make a big upgrade with his next film , " Hard To Kill . " |
527,424 | 4,445,210 | 71,477 | 6 | A Tough Call | This was made-for-TV movie shown about 30 years ago about the only American since the Civil War to be shot for desertion . Slovik ( Martin Sheen ) was a strange person and I didn't know how to react to this story , frankly . I knew Hollywood was going to give it its usual liberal bias , especially with Sheen in the starring role , so I tried to look at this objectively with no prejudices - something I don't see here with any of these reviews . Unfortunately , in trying to be totally neutral , it's easy to watch this film and come away with no definite stance . On one hand , you can't blame the military because it would be in chaos if every soldier who didn't want to fight could get out of it . That's ludicrous . On the hand , Slovik was such a nice , gentle guy , the death penalty for his actions seemed severe , too . Couldn't something else have been worked out ? I don't know , and at least I'm being honest . I never was in the military and maybe if I was , it would be an easier call . It is a tough call . . . . but at least the film - except for a couple of lulls with the romance angle - kept my attention and made me think about an issue , so it served its purpose . |
526,231 | 4,445,210 | 94,608 | 6 | Memorable , But Not Oscar-Worthy | I remember this being somewhat of a controversial film when it came out , probably because the rape scene was too graphic for many people . The subject of rape , in itself , is not new to films so it must have been the way it was presented . ( I am writing this from memory . ) I do remember the scene as extremely uncomfortable to watch . In a nutshell , Jodie Foster plays a woman , " Sarah Tobias " who goes looking for trouble in a bar and gets much more than she bargained for , being gang-raped on top of a pinball machine . She then goes to court to prosecute the men involved . This was an out-and-out " women's lib movie " and since they are given favorable press by the politically-correct media , the film got extra publicity . Even for feminists , though , this story has too many holes in it to be as credible as we would like it to be . The had a female prosecutor , of course , and Kelly McGillis just didn't cut it in that role , just not convincing . Also , with Hollywood , when you hear " based " on a true story , you know facts will be few and far between and the dramatic parts will be very exaggerated . None of this implies , by the way , that the victim deserved what she got . In fact , I hope some women learned from this movie and never put themselves in a spot where something horrific like this could happen . Alcohol and sex desires are a lethal combination and a bar with a number of drunks is not where you want to start arousing people . Jodie Foster is a fine actress but I did question her winning an Oscar over this . Too much of the Academy Awards in the last two decades have become nothing but political forums ( always favoring the latest left wing cause ) . In this case , the feminists were appeased . Foster has done better work in other films and not been recognized . Overall , I think this film is good for one viewing but a little too unpleasant for more than that . |
526,859 | 4,445,210 | 60,397 | 6 | This Special-Effects Film Needs A Re-Make | I found this very interesting in parts and very boring in others . . . . and that was awhile ago . With today's faster-paced movies , I would probably find this too much on the boring side today . The same holds true for the special effects : great in its day , nothing that much today . This movie features a well-known cast but feels like a ' B ' science-fiction film . A couple of decades later , they made another version of this called " Inner Space , " and that was more interesting . I think another re-make would be appropriate about now in the mid 2000s . With today's technology , it would look spectacular . That's the problem with movies that rely heavily on special effects : they get dated quickly . This movie might have been " fantastic " in the mid ' 60s , but not now . |
525,351 | 4,445,210 | 954,452 | 6 | Trashing Tobacco , For The Most Part | Almost half of this hour-long show seemed to be dedicated to an anti-smoking campaign . Despite being an ex-smoker ( and happy about it ) , I still thought it overemphasized here and a bit out of place . What should have been emphasized were the segments giving the history and variety of tobacco . That's what Modern Marvels does with it's other episodes , but here it became preachy instead of educational . And , as bad as they made cigarettes look , they made cigars look really attractive . Man , you wanted to rush out and buy one of these expensive stogies . It was almost a public relations account for cigars made in Latin America . They showed how each one is made and wrapped individually . Some of these babies are really expensive , too . We're talking $100 or more . Anyway , before touching on the rest of the program , it was mentioned early in the episode that tobacco is ( 1 ) adaptable ; ( 2 ) profitable ; ( 3 ) pleasurable ; ( 4 ) a tax bonanza ; and ( 5 ) a killer . Regarding the later , MM says " it's a product that if you use ' as directed , ' it will kill you . " This is the kind of thing that went for quite awhile on this anti-cigarette propaganda piece . Even as one who hates them , I was getting annoyed how biased this show turned out to be . Later , they go on to almost glorify pipe smoking and the wonderful art of briarwood handmade pipes . They mention smokeless tobacco : snuff , chewing tobacco , etc . , but barely touch on dangerous that it , too . Oral cancer , although not nearly as prevalent as lung cancer , is a big danger with people who " chew , " and cigars and pipe tobacco isn't exactly health food , either . Whatever , we see and hear about all these forms of smoking . The most interesting part of this show on tobacco was the history of it , both in the U . S . and in Europe . I wish the program had dealt more with that . Tobacco has a long , varied history . . . . and an interesting one . By the way , there are several forms of it - most of which will get you high - they never discussed . |
525,909 | 4,445,210 | 106,079 | 6 | NYPD : The First Season | Believe-it-or-not , I never watched this show until I bought the DVD when it came out . I just never watched it , even though I enjoy crime shows . Anywhere , here are my thoughts , just randomly said : David Caruso may have gotten top billing as the star of the show but Dennis Franz is the actor who dominates when on screen . He is the most dramatic figure in this crime series that features character studies , almost to the point of being soap opera-like . In fact , all the love-lives of the main characters are explored , especially as the episodes developed that first season . In the beginning , some sex scenes were used to grab viewers . This was new to TV then . All the characters in the show may not have been likable but they were all interesting . To me , the most likable was Nicholas Turturro's " Martinez . " The cops - men and women - all talked tough and the show's writers liked to insert words like " a-hole " and " prick " because , I suspect , they could get away with using them . This was TV's first drama to use words like that and have the open sexuality that was shown here . We saw side shots of breasts and Caruso's butt , etc . Speaking of Caruso , he left after this first season and that really annoyed a lot of the viewers , I am told . After an unsuccessful movie career , he landed back on his feet in TV with the very successful CSI : Miami show . Franz , meanwhile , stuck it out for the long NYPD run . I found the first season interesting but too much soap opera and not enough straight crime story didn't encourage me to buy any further season DVD sets . |
526,492 | 4,445,210 | 1,214,478 | 6 | Impressive Machines , And Now Very Fast , Too | I love to look at old steam locomotives and think trains look spectacular in movies . Thus , I was looking forward to this episode of Modern Marvels . It turned out to be a little disappointing , although a few things were interesting . This program got very technical on how trains are run , assembled , repaired , etc . Sometimes it got a little too bogged down in the details . Still , these pieces of machinery are so impressive , not just in looks but in function . They aren't relics of the past , either , still able to move things at a cheaper rate , for instance , than trucks . We also get glimpses of the modern-day speed demons : the TGV from France and the Maglev from China and Japan . Both trains can go 350-plus miles per hour ! Unlike the TGV , the Maglev's wheels never touch the rails . This train is powered by magnetic forces . It's pretty amazing and America is hoping to have a version of it in about 5-8 years , albeit slower but one that will alleviate big-city traffic congestion . Also in this episode are looks at locomotives which guide big boats through the Panama Canal and ones that haul tons of coal underneath the hills of Pennsylvania . |
522,478 | 4,445,210 | 218,922 | 6 | Love Is Blind | Here's a " steamy " film - at least early on - about a Cuban ( Antonio Bandaras _ who marries an American woman he had only previously written to , only to find out later she ( Angelina Jolie ) wasn't that woman but a scheming impostor ( Billy Bob found this out in real life ! ) This is nicely photographed , " lush " being the best adjective to describe it . I didn't find the story very involving , yet it wasn't boring and I could relate to Bandaras ' character . Perhaps many men could with the old " love is blind " story . This is one of those films with poor messages here and there where corrupt people live happily ever after despite their overt sins . There is an " R " version and a " unrated " version of this film , the latter being two minutes longer . |
524,263 | 4,445,210 | 373,926 | 6 | Ridiculous Ending Spoils Good Movie | Seldom has an ending been so disappointing and ruined a good film as this one . For most of the way , this was a slick thriller , nicely photographed and nicely acted . Sean Penn is outstanding in here . I like to see him play low-key characters instead of hot-headed sleazeballs . Nicole Kidman also gives a good performance . Sometimes her classic beauty hides the fact she can act . The story was pretty involving , hard to put down once you've started . My only complaint up to the ending was the obvious plug for the United Nations . This looked a public relations piece for that organization . However , then came that ending - a real insult to anyone's intelligence . In a nutshell , nobody would go the extremes they went to here to protect a visiting dignitary , using all that manpower and machinery . . . . and then leave him all alone in a room at the end ! Are you serious ? ? ? It was unbelievably stupid and ruined what had been an entertaining and somewhat - smart film . |
527,118 | 4,445,210 | 781,635 | 6 | Somewhat Routine , Until The End | For most of this program , it was more like the CSI programs in the first year or two when they made it a straight crime scene , before they slowly evolved into featuring bizarre sexual , crazy cases . However , there are sexual innuendos here by several members of the CSI team and none of them have an relevance , and , near the end , we have a " fantasy service " involvement which is a key to the case . In other words , things didn't wind up as normal as they appeared for three-quarters of the episode . Anyway , the case is simply about a man found murdered and lying outside on the loading dock of a swank casino-hotel . His neck has been broken but he has some " trace " on him that has to be figured out . That " trace " winds up being the chalk you find in pool halls used for cues . We get is the straight investigation , meaning clues from the body , then from the medical examiner , then from surveillance tapes , from evidence in the hotel room he was staying in ( after they discover who the " vic " is ) , evidence from an accident in an expensive Ferrari that the man had rented , etc . We also get the typical young , arrogant , thinks-she's hot-female who has an attitude and little in the way of morals or respect or anyone other than herself . Outside of her , we don't get a lot suspects until a little over the halfway point when we get a guy who is similar to the woman . This case isn't particularly interesting with a weak ending , to be honest , but it's detailed and makes you appreciate ( if this is accurate ) all the effort that goes into solving a crime . |
525,988 | 4,445,210 | 373,889 | 6 | Humorous , But Hard To Follow If You Haven't Read The Book | If you scan the first hundred reviews of this movie on this website , I think you'll see the words " disappointed " and " disappointment " more than any other adjectives . I , too , found it the same . I have not read any of the books , but I've seen - and enjoyed - the four previous movies , so I expected to full enjoy this one . This film disappointed me because ( 1 ) - I felt the story was nothing I could make a lot of sense out of , since I hadn't read the 800 or 900-page book . If one didn't read the book and knew this story , it was easy to get lost about a number of things in here . The screenplay was " choppy , " hard to follow in spots . Some of the things , like the death of Sirius Black , happened so fast I didn't know exactly what happened . This was just too uneven and rushed to keep us non-HP readers interested , story-wise ; ( 2 ) - Harry wasn't the nice little kid throughout most of it , and he admitted it - that he was angry most of the time . Well , I agree , and he wasn't fun to watch , as he had been in the other films . I am used to a good-kid HP , not an angry teen ; ( 3 ) - His two closest buddies , Ron and Hermione , looked like they mailed in their roles , especially Ron who looked like he was half-asleep during the film . ( Maybe he was pouting because he had so few lines , who knows ? I wouldn't blame him , frankly . ) ; ( 4 ) I get tired of filmmakers giving us the rebel-as-hero and authority figure-as-villain . Enough is enough on that theme , which is so heavy-handedly presented here it becomes ludicrous . ( 5 ) If you are going to have a major villain , SHOW him , don't hide him for 99 percent of the film , which is what they did here with Voldemort . On the positive side , I DID get enjoyment out of all the little special effects , many of which were humorous and always fun to watch . I got a kick out of many of the new faces in the film , and it also was fun to see some characters we had seen only in perhaps one previous film , such as Emma Thompson's teacher role . I also thought the music was outstanding : the best I've heard in the five Potter films . I wonder how many others appreciated it in here ? All in all , it was visually fun to watch and hear , as all the HP movies have been , but the story was just not entertaining as much as the others . |
523,758 | 4,445,210 | 25,458 | 6 | A Singing Popeye Cartoon | This is an unusual Popeye cartoon in that 98 percent of the dialog is sung - and all of it one song : " The Daring Young Man On The Flying Trepeze . " It gets to be a little much after awhile and I'm glad this sort of thing wasn't the normal fare . In fact , I don't if it ever was done again in a Popeye animated short . You can't use any verbal jokes or add to the story when all you are doing is repeating verses of the same song over and over . However , the sight gags are very good in the beginning before the " trapeze song " took over , as Popeye sails an ocean liner through the dock and down the main street of a big city , right to Olive's house . We also see something else unique ( at least , I've never seen her ) : what looks to be Olive Oyl's mom . It's a shorter , fatter and older version of Olive . She sings to Popeye that Olive has run off with the " man in the flying . . . . " Fortunately , the circus is right across the street so Popeye takes a bunch of nearby street kids to the tent , watches the big musclebound guy on the trapeze swing a terrified Oliver around like a wet towel , and then goes to get his girl . The ending is funny and unexpected . Olive really took her lumps in this episode ! |
523,120 | 4,445,210 | 94,332 | 6 | Very Entertaining But Very Blasphemous | Well , here is the " horny little devil " getting his due . He ( " Darryl Van Horne " played expertly by Jack Nicholson ) gets in his philosophies and beliefs for much of the film . He gives us mostly feminist ( overly so ) Left Wing rants and does so in crude manner but the women don's seem to mind because they are crude themselves . One look at the cast ( Nicholson , Cher , Susan Sarandon , Michelle Pfeffer and Veronica Cartwright ) tells you this script was not written by members of the DAR ! These are all very liberal people with liberal viewpoints . Sex jokes abound throughout ans the women casually talk about the size of men's penises , etc Although Nicholson - The Devil - gets it in the end with some voodoo nonsense , he still comes out looking like a pretty cool guy . That's no surprise , coming from Hollywood . The only person in this story who knows from the start that he's the Devil ( the others are clueless most of the time ) is the Christian woman ( Cartwright ) but of course she's pictured as some wide-eyed lunatic . The actors are fun to watch , it's an interesting story but for any Believer , this movie is blasphemous , big-time . For the secular crowd , which means most people , this is a fun movie . |
525,689 | 4,445,210 | 106,308 | 6 | A Tongue-In-Cheek Film For ' Evil Dead ' Crowd | This is the third and final installment of the " Evil Dead " series . Like the second in the series , it was filled with " campy " humor . With director Sam Raimi , you know it's done with a lot of tongue-and-check , if not totally tongue-in-cheek . If not , it would have to be classified as one of the all - time dumbest movies ever made . If it weren't the language ( Bruce Campbell , in the lead , provides lots of profanity ) , this would be a film little kids would love with all the non-stop action and Three Stooges-like slapstick humor . The violence is so prevalent it just gets too much and the film is only 80 minutes long ! The humor helps take off some of the edge of the violence . What you have is a medieval-horror-comedy film with Campbell fighting an army of skeletons , a la Jason And The Argonauts . Campbell is best at making goofy faces . Embeth Davidtz provides the romantic interest . |
526,959 | 4,445,210 | 51,337 | 6 | Dumb & Dated . . . . But Love Those Skeletons and Special-Effects ! | Wow , does this movie had incredibly stupid dialog ! This is a Class B film with , yes , a capital ' B ' but it was still fun to watch , thanks to a decent amount of action and the special-effects . The latter were done by the famous Ray Harryhausen and many think this is his greatest work . They were great in its day but are dated now . However , you can still get a lot of enjoyment out of watching this and that especially goes for kids . Nevertheless , it ; s almost a " campy " kind of picture . . . . so corny it's good for the adults . The fighting skeletons ( from Jason & The Argonauts , this being the same type of thing ) are still fun to watch and seems to be the trademark of these Harryhausen mythical films . Kathryn Grant , meanwhile , provides the female beauty . Kerwin Mathews , Richard Eyer and Torin Thather are the male leads . Lots of big names , eh ? ? |
523,945 | 4,445,210 | 209,144 | 6 | Hip ? Cool ? Different ? Maybe , But Also Frustrating | This was " okay , " but frankly overrated by the national critics . Because the story ran backwards , I guess that was supposed to be cool or hip or something . If you make things too hard on the audience and most get confused on what's happening , it makes the elitist critics feel good because they " understand it " and thus feel superior . It's so much hogwash . Having said , I didn't say I didn't find the movie interesting . I did , and enjoyed the performances of Guy Pearce , Joe Pantoliano and Carrie-Anne Moss . A man with no short - term memory goes back , scene-by-scene , trying to find the killer of his wife . It's a film I saw back in 2001 on VHS and I'd like to see it again , now that six years have passed since then . I understand one of the special-edition DVDs of this showed the movie in the correct time sequence without all the flashbacks . That might have been less-creative , but better . However , be warned : this is a frustrating film to watch for first-time viewers . |
523,730 | 4,445,210 | 183,505 | 6 | ' Not For All Tastes , ' As They Say | What a wacky movie ! It gets most of the " stars " in the rating here for the entertainment value of the film . As low-brow as it is in spots , you never get bored watching it . In a nutshell , Jim Carrey plays a schizophrenic Rhode Island state trooper . There are lots of outrageous scenes in this film , most of them in the first half . Some , such as with the cows or Carrey taking a poop on a neighbor's lawn , are memorable in a perverse way . Rene Zellweger is too profane to begin with , but she settles down as the story goes on . She and Carrey sure make an " odd couple . " We get the PC baloney here of the black characters all being smarter than the white folks . The black kids cannot speak a sentence , however , without some profanity it it . The people who made this film are known for their sleazy comedies . That overall sleazy feel to this dark-slapstick comedy makes me hesitate to recommend it , but if a lot of " language " doesn't bother you - or dildo jokes , believe-it-or-not , this will entertain you . |
525,792 | 4,445,210 | 121,765 | 6 | Only Disappointing Star Wars Film , But Still Decent | This was the only Star Wars film of the six in the series that disappointed me . I still like it , overall , but the teen romance didn't do anything for me and took away from the normally more interesting story lines . The romance doesn't take up a lot of time but it features a lot of stupid dialog and leads to a stupid finish in the film . On the positive side , this film offers good action scenes and excellent artwork and special effects . Some of the scenes are just stunning to view . Some , to be fair , look too computer-generated but overall it's a fun movie to look at , as it is to hear with some outstanding surround sound . The better the speakers ( and a sub-woofer ) , the more awesome this movie . I'd like to see this on large-screen plasma set , too , to get the full effect of the visuals . The more the series went on , the better the technology to present them and this was the second-last of the saga . " Attack Of The Clones " is the only Star Wars episode I have only seen once . Perhaps a second look will bring it up to some of the others , especially now that I am so familiar with the whole story . |
527,474 | 4,445,210 | 35,937 | 6 | A Rebellion Against " Authority " | This was pretty good entry in the Val Lewton Horror Collection , even though it's anything but " horror . " This film is a straight drama , almost a film noir about a paranoid sea captain ( Richard Dix ) who eliminates anyone who disagrees with his " authority , " a key word in this movie . Russell Wade is the captain's protégé , and the story really centers around him and the conflict he has with his boss after he begins to find out what a violent nutcase he happens to be . Along the way , it was noteworthy to see Lawrence Tierney play one of the captain's victims . Also good was Jacob " Sparks " Winslow as the ship's radio operator . This is an involving film as we root for Wade to expose this captain and to convince others that the man with the " authority " is an evil person . |
525,150 | 4,445,210 | 1,463 | 6 | A Very Short , Early ' Oz ' | This is a shock , at first , to view . It looks so primitive that you can hardly believe what you're seeing . It makes the 1939 version look like today's advanced technology , in comparison . The sky , for instance , looks like a cheaply painted paper mache that just moves right to left . That is supposed to indicate a windy day and looks so hokey you watch this in amazement . But , it's 1910 , and the very early years of motion pictures , so I am not ridiculing it . In fact , it makes you marvel how much they advanced in just several decades of film-making after this was made . It is interesting to note some of the differences in the story , too , such as Nebraska being mentioned instead of Kansas , but this was adapted from a stage play , not the novel ( as the ' 39 film was ) . Differences aside , it was still fascinating to watch because it's almost like going to school and watching your kids in some Middle School production ! Once again , I am not slamming it because I realize when it was made and appreciate the effort . . . . and historical value of this film . Also , it's hard to get much of a story in when the film's running time is only 13 minutes . Note : a young Bebe Daniels plays " Dorothy . " You can see this movie on DVD as part of the " More Treasures From the American Film Archives , which was released in 2004 . |
526,489 | 4,445,210 | 389,790 | 6 | Mildly Amusting Animated Effort | Mildly amusing is probably the best description of this recently-released ( on DVD ) animated feature . My reviews on animated movies are what I thought of it as an adult , and how adults would relate to it . For this one , I'd say this is not a film adults will run out and buy : rent - yes / maybe ; purchase - no . The animation and story might be something kids will still enjoy but most of the gags fall flat for adults , although it does have a few clever things in it . It just isn't up to some of the truly funny animated films of the past few years . That said , it was still fun to watch with some humorous drawings in the background that you have to watch for quickly . As for the story , for a film with a lot of politically-correct messages , stereotypical characters , Liberal icons plugged , etc . , it was surprising to see a commonsense " if it ain't broke , don't fix it " conclusion . Kudos for that , but there are just too many dumb parts in this story . The connection of a talking bee with a human girlfriend was too ludicrous to be entertaining , as were the courtroom scenes . The animation was fair . Yes , a story with flowers as a key ingredient is going to be colorful , so there is plenty of color but it looked kind of washed out and blah to what it could have been ( i . e . " Cars , " " Polar Express , " etc . ) . I expected more out of a Dreamworks film . Overall , for adults : skip it . It just isn't funny enough to invest your time . For the little kids , sure - they'll like it . They like almost almost any animated movie . |
526,570 | 4,445,210 | 120,834 | 6 | The Good & Bad Of ' Snow Falling On Cedars ' | As the referees say on pro football TV games , " On further review . . . . . . " That's the way I thought after my second viewing of this movie . GOOD NEWS - On the first look , I was totally blown away and dazzled at the fabulous cinematography . Man , this is one of the prettiest movies I've ever seen . . . . . and that's important for my entertainment . Scene after scene looks like some picture postcard . I also enjoyed the two lawyers in this film , played by James Rebhorn and Max VonSydow . Sometimes those two were riveting to watch . BAD NEWS - Most of the story was anything but riveting , way too slow and with way too much time used on flashbacks . This story could have been told in a much more presentable way which could have kept the audience's attention . It's also a little too politically-correct . We were beaten over the head with the prejudice against Japanese . Everyone here , except the Liberal newspaper editor and his son , is portrayed as extremely bigoted . Overall , a spectacular visual film - one of the best ever - but a story that takes interminably long to tell . . . . . too long . |
524,824 | 4,445,210 | 105,636 | 6 | Nothng But Nastiness | This is a nasty movie - very nasty . It's extremely profane and doesn't feature a nice guy in the bunch , just a bunch of extremely low-life profane people . Bill Paxton , William Sadler , Ice Cube , Ice T and whatever other stupid rappers name you can think of cuss and shoot each other in an abandoned warehouse for much of the film . There is no one to root for and Paxton's character is the only one who has at least a shred of conscience . Also , this is a Walter Hill-directed film so you know you're going to get a lot of violence . I also didn't care for the rap soundtrack , although it wasn't overbearing or too loud . Having said all that , the film did keep my attention , to say the least . I have to admit : this was a very interesting story . If you're in a violent , testy , irritable , hostile mood and you want a movie to go with it , this is it ! Not really recommended but better than I've described it above . Just b ready to have your ears assaulted . |
522,700 | 4,445,210 | 44,502 | 6 | Not Really A Noir , But A Decent Drama With A Different Setting | Barbara Stanwyck , Paul Douglas , Robert Ryan and Marilyn Monore : wow , not a bad leading foursome of actors ! I bought this because it was labeled a film noir , and I am always willing to give them a chance . Plus , with this cast , it sounded good . It turned out to be only fair because it was more of a soap opera than a noir . I guess the presence of some amoral people and a lot of wise-cracking lines made it be considered " noir . " The " amoral " people were played by Stanwyck and Ryan , of course . . . . . who else ? They are effective in those roles , too , but they should be since those two fine actors played those roles on numerous occasions . Douglas plays the simpleton good guy who gets shafted by his wife Stanwyck who has an affair with Ryan . Monroe and her boyfriend ( played by Keith Andes ) have a smaller role but are just as fascinating a couple , of not ore so than the leads . The final third of this movie didn't match up the first two-thirds or this would be rated at least a 9 simply because of the great dialog in that first hour . There were so many good lines I couldn't count them all . I just wish it had stayed that way all the way thorough . The fishing docks of San Francisco certainly was a different site , too , for a noir . To me , this should be simply classified as a " drama . " |
525,626 | 4,445,210 | 36,705 | 6 | More Comedy Than Mystery | This late-entry Charlie Chan movie gets marks simply for the entertainment , not for a deep-thinking suspenseful " whodunnit . " It's just fun to watch with an always-smiling daughter ( played by Frances Chen ) replacing number-whatever-son and the eyes-popping-out-of-the-head Mantan Moreland adding humor , although of his humor is a bit stupid ( and insulting to black folks , I'm sure ) . However , Moreland is a likable guy so it's hard to get annoyed at his silliness . The story is a familiar one of the day , about the occult ( seances ) and , thankfully , another that exposes the mediums as crooks . These Sidney Toler-Mantan Moreland collaborations , as opposed to the early Warner Oland / Charlie Chan movies , replied more on comedy and gimmicks rather than brains , and once you accept that , you just go along with an entertaining hour of lamebrain fun , especially when Chan starts to put people down with his sarcasm . |
522,599 | 4,445,210 | 105,573 | 6 | Sleazy & A Bit Stupid But Entertaining Overall | A deep cast playing wacky characters makes this a fun film for most of the way , except the last 20-30 minutes when the sleazy jokes , sleazy situations and stupid stereotypes go overboard and almost ruin the entire viewing experience . ( Why do movies usually overdo things in the last 20 minutes , whether it's comedy or an action film ? ) All the sex jokes are not untypical of today's comedies in which marriage is made out to be nothing but a joke , morals are at their lowest and we have to listen to 10-year-olds are smart-mouthed kids . However , to be fair , there are a lot of funny scenes and remarks in this film . I liked Catherine O'Hara in here , along with Hector Elizondo and Chazz Palminteri . I never realized the latter was such a good comedian as I had only seen him play gangster roles . All the characters are meant to be absurd and biggest example of that was Elizondo's character , " Norman Rutledge " who had the best lines in the movie . In all , ludicrous and stupid but entertaining enough to recommend a rental . |
524,917 | 4,445,210 | 86,373 | 6 | Hosers Get A Bit Repetitive , Eh ? | Boy , this was a fun movie to watch once , at least for me . Additional viewings just didn't have the comedic effect that first one did . It's like good beer that has gone flat . Maybe because by the second viewing I knew I was going to hear " eh " 5 , 000 times and " hoser " about 500 times . It's fnny at first , but gets a little too annoyingly repetitive after that . It's like , " Ok , we get the joke ! " The movie starts off funny , somewhat of a forerunner of a Wayne's World flick with the boys pretending to be in a film or on TV . Here , the two " stars " are Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas , both of whom make light of a couple Canadian guys who love their beer , and little else . Everyone is a " hoser " and every sentence ends in " eh ? " Actually , as one who lives close to the border and has been in Canada many times , I laughed at that stuff on the first viewing . However , that - and the lame gags in here - got just too stupid and plain dumb on subsequent viewings . Yes , I even gave this a third look about a month ago , but only lasted about a half hour . I canned the tape and " cracked open a cold one - a beer not mentioned in the movie but a big favorite around these parts : a Labatt's Blue . It was a lot better than the film . |
525,861 | 4,445,210 | 59,800 | 6 | A Real Mixed Bag Of Good & Bad | A typical early James Bond movie , filled with beautiful women , a sexist and suave spy can who can do little wrong ( Sean Connery as Bond ) , a few gadgets and a lot of action scenes . The gadgets , which are always fun , were fewer in number than usual , I am sorry to say . The action scenes , although interesting , had absolutely no credibility . Of course , that isn't anything new but they are particularly ludicrous here . Our hero eliminates almost everyone while no one hits him ! Also , there are a number of scenes in which Bond escapes from impossible situations and they never show how he did them . All of a sudden , he's pictured somewhere else . In addition , with so many foreign accents , it was difficult to understand the dialog , at least on tape when I last viewed this . Perhaps the DVD has English subtitles , which would help immensely . Otherwise , the filmmakers keep this lively story moving fast most of the time and if you are a male who likes ogle pretty women , you have a lot to choose from here beginning with Claudine Auger . Aftter a good start , the second hour of this film was disappointing . Overall , I'd have to say the same thing after watching the previous Bond class , " Goldfinger . " |
525,355 | 4,445,210 | 44,391 | 6 | 2 Out Of 3 Ain't Bad | A bit of a soap opera , this film was divided into three segments as people recalled their experiences with " Jonathan Shields , " played well by Kirk Douglas . " Shields " was a guy interested in making movies and he used people to get to the top . Three of these people tell of their dealings with him , and none of them have too many good things to say . I liked the first and third segments but didn't care for the middle one with Lana Turner simply because Turner became so melodramatic , too hysterical for me . Barry Sullivan was excellent in the first part and helped get me into the story . He was the director who got " screwed " by Douglas . Turner was the unknown actress whom Douglas turned into a star while the last part dealt with the key screenwriter for Douglas , played by Dick Powell . I thought Powell was the best of the four main characters of the film but his segment was the shortest , unfortunately . As good as he was , his wife was equally as annoying . She was played by the normally entertaining and alluring Gloria Grahame , who was anything but that in this role . She sounded ludicrous with her fake southern accent . How she won an Academy Award for this role is mind - boggling . Some classify this movie as film noir , but I dispute that . It's simply a straight drama with soapish overtones . It's well-written , however , and keeps one's interest all the way , so I am not knocking this movie . It has a good things going for it . |
522,997 | 4,445,210 | 79,840 | 6 | Pretty Good On Its Own , But No ' Lonesome Dove ' | This is something of a poor man's " Lonesome Dove . " The story is a combination of two Louis L'Amour novels and doesn't have the intensity of Larry McMurtrey's aforementioned " Dove , " nor the beautiful cinematography . The best part of " The Sacketts " is the cast , led by some of the best actors to ever play cowboys . I mean , this is worth owning alone just to see Sam Elliott , Tom Selleck , Glenn Ford and Ben Johnson all in the same story . These guys - especially Elliott and Selleck - were always fantastic playing cowboys . Not only that , you get classic stars such as Gilbert Roland , Mercedes McCambridge , Ruth Roman , Jack Elan , Slim Pickens and more ! Wow - impressive . Being a made-for-TV film , you don't get much profanity or blood and for most of the film , you get two separate stories going on at once . One story features Selleck and Jeff Osterhage as brothers and another as Elliott , as the older brother involved with his own adventures . Even though I can't compare it favorably to Lonesome Dove , it's still a decent western on its own merits . |
526,518 | 4,445,210 | 244,244 | 6 | First Viewing Was A ' Blast ' | Here's a film I really liked the first time , and was totally turned off on the second viewing as the Hollywood bias machine was in high gear again , and you can guess in what director ( left or right ) . Anyway , two things remained the same : John Travolta as " Gabriel Shear " was riveting as an anti-terrorist terrorist . The explosion scene where people are flying sideways is awesome , particularly in the sound department if you have surround system . Oh , and yes , Halle Berry and her figure was on display in this film and quite a sight . Wowzer ! Some of this script is a takeoff on Dog Day Afternoon , which Travolta's character re-enacts a role from that famous ' 70s film . " Shear " talks about that movie during the film . I almost got discouraged watching this in the first half hour because there is so much computer terminology that I was lost . However , if you find yourself in a similar spot , take heart because that that ends after that first 30 minutes and is no longer a problem . Credibility and bias aside , it's still a fun movie for at least one viewing , with that early bomb scene most memorable . |
524,863 | 4,445,210 | 421,239 | 6 | Dumb , But Entertaining & Much BetterThan ' Flight Plan ' | This was a decent thriller aboard an airplane in which our " hero , " Rachel McAdams as " Lisa Reisert " saves the family of the Director of Homeland Security and the life of her own dad . She does all of this against a terrorist and his group . Yeah , I know . . . . a little far-fetched . . . . and annoyingly PC as a young woman consistently beats the crap out of a male psycho who is using her to complete the assassination attempt . Outside of that nonsense and a slow first 30 minutes , the last hour is a fun ride . McAdams sports a pretty , fresh face and a sweet demeanor except with a few bursts of profanity at the end . Up to that point , she was refreshing to see as you don't often see 20-ish movie actresses looking wholesome anymore . Cillian Murphy is creepy looking and effective as the bad guy " Jackson Rippner . " Once the film kicks into gear as Murphy shows his evil intentions , the film switches from a yawner to a suspenseful action flick and stays that way until the end . Then , they tack on a really stupid last few minutes with a very un-realistic middle-aged couple just to the end the film with a cheap laugh . Overall , a dumb but entertaining movie but at least a whole lot better than the year's other " airplane movie , " the horrible " Flight Plan . " Still , knowing the quality of horror work director Wes Craven has produced over the year , I was a bit disappointed . |
527,025 | 4,445,210 | 870,903 | 6 | A Tribute To Friz & ' Birds Anonymous ' | Friz Freleng wrote and directed all the Tweety and Sylvester cartoons , we are told in this behind-the-scenes documentary , which was part of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection DVD set . Freleng is seen here , which is nice for cartoon buffs since the man was one of the legends in the business . Freleng comment , " I liked Sylvester because he was the fall-guy and all the gags came from his failures . " The one " Tweety and Sylvester " cartoon that is given extra treatment here is " Birds Anonymous , " the Oscar-winning one in which Sylvester tried to go against his nature and treat the bird nicely . It's a spoof of Alcoholics Anonymous and Mel Blanc did about 15 voices in this one , according to his son Noel . The artwork and sound also is recognized for this particular cartoon . This bonus feature really was more of a tribute to Freleng than a comment on the popular cartoon . This feature , seen on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Three DVD , was okay , but I was looking for an insight into " Tweety " and " Sylvester " characters , and that wasn't here . |
524,468 | 4,445,210 | 870,905 | 6 | Frank Tashin Gets His Due | Frank Tashlin was one of the founding fathers of the Looney Tunes , helping the set the style for the these famous cartoons . He worked with Tex Avery and other big-shot who provided these great cartoons that we still enjoy today . In this behind-the-scene look , film historians pay tribute to this great animated director of Warner Brothers cartoons and explain who he was , what kind of guy , what kind of humor he preferred , how he worked up the ladder from copy boy to animator to director . His first directed short was " Porky's Poultry Plant . " Frank and came in around the same time as another big name : Tex Avery . Both guys shared a wacky sense of humor ! Tashlin is different from most animators in that he spent the last few decades as a director for live-action films ( regular films ) and made hit movies with Bob Hope , Jerry Lewis , Doris Day , Rock Hudson , Jayne Mansfield and others . As someone who appreciates great visuals , it was interesting to be informed and to see the Art Deco designs and other forms of artwork Tashin used in his cartoons . He may not have the big name in animation that Avery has , but he was close in talent . Some people might find this " documentary " boring but I thought it was pretty good . You can see it on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Three DVD . |
522,646 | 4,445,210 | 24,991 | 6 | Keeping Abreast With Claudette | Actually , this movie was better than I thought it might be . ( Sometimes lower expectations help ! ) It had some good dance numbers , almost Busby Berkeley-like extravaganzas held in Cleopatra's barge . It also had a few decent action scenes and a fairly good and easy-to-understand story . Claudette Colbert and few others surprised me a bit by showing off quite a bit of cleavage , but then this was released just before the Hays ' Code was in effect . Colbert was not shy : she had been nude in an erotic milk-bath scene two years earlier in " The Sign Of The Cross . " Warren William , as " Caesar , " and Henry Wilcoxen , as " Marc Antony , " both overacted and looked almost like silent film characters with all the makeup . They were terrible . Why this film won an award for cinematography , I don't know . Perhaps it was the elaborate sets by Cecil B . DeMille that caught people's attention . If you are a fan of classic films , this is one to definitely check out . |
523,311 | 4,445,210 | 79,437 | 6 | The Good & Bad Of ' The Last Embrace ' | This film certainly had a memorable scene with a man clinging for his life with Niagara Falls below ! It's always stuck with me , even though it has been a long time since I've seen the movie . I've been waiting for this to be released on DVD so I can see it again , but as of now it's only available in Region 2 . It might be fun again just to see veteran actors Christopher Walken , Mandy Patinkin and John Glover in a film made 30 years ago . Director Jonathan Demme has done some interesting films since then , too . Most of the story involves " mysterious " people chasing others and if I went into it in any detail it would ruin things for anyone who hasn't seen it . That's especially true because there are so many twists and turns in this story . However , to be frank , I think Hollywood has overdone " conspiracy theory " movies , of which this is one . I also think the profanity could have been lowered in here , especially by Roy Scheider's character " Harry , " and the film would still have been just as intense . What I really appreciated , more than the actors or story , frankly , was the photography and Demme's direction . There were a lot of really interesting camera angles , shots that zoomed in an out and other gimmicks that I usually fall for . There were enough of them to carry the first hour , at least . Living not too far from Niagara Falls , I was glad to see that in the climactic finale . |
526,956 | 4,445,210 | 70,680 | 6 | OK , But Not One Of Burt's More Memorable Films | Although this was a fast-paced pretty interesting crime story , it was not memorable , which is probably one reason there are so few reviews here . Burt Reynolds was perfect for ' 70s film world of film in which just about anything was shown or heard now that all the restrictions were removed . Burt , as he did in this film , would sleep with any girl that came along . In one scene , Reynolds enters a bookstore , sees the clerk has a " nice pair of boobs , " so they have sex immediately right at the store . Only in the sleazy ' 70s of Hollywood ! ( Or in most men's dreams . ) Actually , Burt excelled in films that combined action and humor , which this has but not enough to make this one of more-remembered movies . However , it does have very little nudity despite the above paragraph and no blasphemy . The best part of the movies might be the final action scene which provides two laugh-out - loud scenes . |
522,982 | 4,445,210 | 26,276 | 7 | Wise Up , You Fool ! ! ! | This is a strange movie , perhaps because there is so little of a story in it , and at the same time keeps your interest through different visuals and witnessing a woman in action who seems to lack any kind of conscience or morals ( hence , the title ) . By " different " visuals , I mean that many scenes are congested , if that's the right word . You have to look through streams of confetti , tree branches , vast crowds , or whatever on at least 33 percent of the movie . Few shots are clear ones , except closeups of the star , Marlene Dietrich , or the two men involved with her , Lionel Atwill and Caesar Romero . This is especially true in the first 10 minutes of this 80-minute film in which we view a chaotic carnival going on in the streets of Spain . The DVD picture , however , was sharp and overall this is a good visual film . Many scenes reminded me of shots you'd see in film noirs , a decade or more after this movie was made . Much of the story is told in flashback as Atwill , an older man , sits down at a table and tries to talk young-stud Romero out of getting involved with the evil " Concha " ( Dietrich ) , recounting the horror stories he endured while trying to woo that woman . Dietrich plays one of the most shallow people you will ever see on film . She only uses the older man to get his money ( gosh , do women do that in real life ? ) and discards other men like one would a chewing gum wrapper . She treats Atwill like dirt , cheating on him at every opportunity . She makes no secret of it , hurting him deeply each time , but the poor sap keeps coming back for more ! In fact , he usually comes back begging ! ! From a man's point , it's almost maddening watching this movie . I wanted to reach into the screen , grab Atwill and slap him , saying , " Wake up , you fool . " His absolutely pathetic weakness with this woman was frustrating for me to watch . Dietrich is so devoid of character , she's almost mesmerizing to watch . I can't believe some of the cold , callous remarks that slip off her tongue as if they meant nothing and she had said that a million times . Maybe she had . The film is aptly titled as the devil is described in the Bible as someone who can make harmful things look the most alluring to us . That seems to be the theme in this film : man is weak and a beautiful woman can make him do things he will regret . Atwill's " Pasqualito " ( as Concha calls him when she wants something ) is the supreme example . Despite all the warnings , Romero's character chases after the woman , too . Atwill becomes instantly jealous when he hears about it ( he can't quit her no matter what he promises ) and a duel ensues . At the very end , we get another big surprise from Dietrich . |
524,578 | 4,445,210 | 52,549 | 7 | To Beverly , Bruce & Lon : ' See You Later , Alligator ! ' | The very good last third of this film and an outstanding ending made this movie worthwhile for me to watch . One has to be patient in some of these classic films , as many of them begin rather slowly . . . . . but there is a reward if you stick with it . This story is told in flashback as a woman " Joyce Weber , " played by Beverly Garland ) is given an injection and relates to two doctors the amazing story of what happened to her and her missing husband . Garland did well and looked terrific . She was a little over 30 years of age at the time she made this film . Sadly , she just died a few months ago ( as of this review ) at the age of 82 . She has a long resume of movies and TV shows . Lon Chaney plays a goofy role , a man who is obsessed with shooting alligators after one had the nerve to eat his hand . He makes a play for Beverly in one scene , trying to get her drunk and have his way with her . Can't blame the poor slob . Bruce Bennett , who plays the main doctor here , also died recently , passing away at the age of 90 in 2007 . Bennett did some great 1940s films like " Mildred Pierce " and " Dark Passage , " plays the main doctor . George Macready , whose best days were behind him , too , ( " Gilda " is my favorite film of his ) is the other doctor , who is there to witness " Joyce's " story as it is told under some sort of truth serum . Lesser-known Richard Crane plays the " Paul Crane , " the alligator man . The title of the film is a bit misleading . " Alligator People " imply plural - more than one , but there really is only one alligator man in this film , and he only looks like a guy with a bad sunburn and acne ! At the end , though , Crane dons a rubber suit with an alligator head that will have you howling - in laughter , not fear ! The other alligator-men are only shown as patients lying in their beds . It's all part of a man-plays-God experiment in which the good doctor is trying to help people who are desperate straights . Without giving the last 25 minutes away - which was very good - along with particularly excellent ending that had some intelligent twists to it - suffice it made up for the earlier slower moments . |
523,966 | 4,445,210 | 737,811 | 7 | Great List Of Guest Stars , But Needed More Zip | Walter Winchell sets this episode up right in the beginning with a narration that explains that " Geographically , Chicago always had its North and South side . In the early 1930s these terms had a very special significance . They referred to the territories of rival gangs . . . . . . the line of demarcation was never clearly drawn and territories overlapped and were often in dispute . The result : gang wars . " After the last one , a newspaper writer , Jake Lingle , gives the details of it and is shot the next day . It is first time that the mob has killed a reporter , and the public is furious . This then , is the story of what happened afterward . Jack Lord ( Hawaii Five-O ) , Charles McGraw and John Beradino , three famous actors of the 1950s and 1960s ( McGraw goes back to the film noirs of the late ' 40s ) are guest star in this episode . None of them play " good guys . " although Lord's character proves otherwise in some respects . He's the most interesting of the people in here as the double-dealing " Hagen , " who winds up working for Ness but not liking it . It turns out the newspaper guy who was killed wasn't on the up-and-up , either , but Ness and boys race for time before the public hears about that , hoping to capitalize on the furor of the murder . Overall , an episode that should have been better considering the premise and the interesting guest stars . It's main fault : too talky . |
524,851 | 4,445,210 | 650,626 | 7 | A Lot Of Funny Little Things , But A Somber Story Overall | This had its funny moments , as almost all the shows had , but overall left a bad taste in my mouth , perhaps because we are forced to see an unpleasant situation with a character we like . . . and the story isn't over . Capt . Stottlemeyer ( Ted Levine ) is having marriage problems . His wife is acting very distance , strange and the captain doesn't know why . It even looks like she's seeing another man , especially after a new cop in the precinct brags about fooling around with her . Meanwhile , there is a case to be a solved and that involves a homeless man living in a junkyard , a crime boss , two murders , a pet mouse , anger management classes and other assorted interesting things . Unfortunately , even though that is the bulk of the program , Levine's marriage is really the issue here and it's not a pleasant ending . Frankly , I wish these crime shows would stick to just that instead of having to including soap opera stuff here and there , but they admittedly add a strong human element to the stories and characters . |
525,460 | 4,445,210 | 737,853 | 7 | The Beginning Of ' The Numbers Game ' | The time is Oct . 19 , 1932 : the depth of the Depression in the U . S . , which was a perfect time for gangsters to offer " the numbers . " For desperate people , looking for any kind of unforeseen hope , a little financial break even for a day or two , this lure to put money down on a number from 0 to 999 was tough to resist . The mob made an absolute fortune on this . Their take was 40 percent , so the profit had to be big . Elliot Ness ' objective , of course , is to break this number's game . He's hoping a friend of fellow agent " Martn Flaherty " ( Jerry Paris ) will help him do so , but Marty is not happy about leaning on an old friend . Nonetheless , when an old man kills a racketeer in a rage over a wrong number , Ness knows more than ever that something has to be done about this new crime gimmick That , and the fact that many people spent their family's bread money to gamble it away on " numbers . " Jay C . Flippen and Darryl Hickman play " Al " and " Phil " Morrisey , respectively . They are father-and-son numbers runners and they are the key to the storyIt's a decent episode but like a lot of these that I am re-visiting 40 years later , a lot slower than I remembered . It's just that times have changed and movie and TV shows are faster - paced than they were in the 1950s and ' 60s |
522,868 | 4,445,210 | 26,257 | 7 | One Dollar For A Trip To The Moon & Back ! | This must have looked pretty spectacular to audiences at the theater in 1935 . The color animation is pretty good and it just has a lavish appearance to it and , as far as I know , most material on screen was in black-and-white , including cartoons . We begin by spotting a big heart-shaped sign which advertises " Honeymoon Express To The Moon . " It is next to a big rocket ship , which looked , by the way , very cool . This was the era of Flash Gordon , wasn't it ? It reminded me of his old ship . Hey , you can't beat the price for the trip : $1 to go dancing on the moon . Such a deal ! Cows , elephants , insects , giraffes , etc . , are all on the ship , ready for a night of dancing . They are still in the wedding gowns and tuxes . The male giraffe tells his bride that this is a good place for necking and then she , with her longer neck , gives her Mae West impression with " Come up and see me some time . " Other than that , there wasn't a lot of humor in here . One of the brides - a cat - was left at the gate , so to speak , so the husband pines away on the moon . The music , which plays a large part of this , is right out of the early ' 30s Busby Berkeley musicals , except we had about eight couples dancing instead of hundreds . In all , a curiosity piece but not funny and only mildly entertaining . The ending was awful and unsatisfying . |
527,452 | 4,445,210 | 112,851 | 7 | Can You Say ' Preposterous ? " ( But Lots Of Fun ) | There are so many adjectives one could use describing this film , I wouldn't know where to begin to start . I'll just try to limit them to a few . The headline here states one of them . Others could be " ludicrous , " " fun , " " amusing , " " stupid , " etc . You get the idea . Robert Rodriguez took the profits from his first film , " El Mariachi , " and continued on with the story now with more funds , so he made it glossier , more explosive , added some name actors and , of course , way overdid it , making it almost a cartoon it is so outrageous . He continued this with the third film , " Once Upon A Time In Mexico " which is even more of the same . If something worked subtly the first time , filmmakers think that to improve on it is by bombarding the audience with it the next time . They don't know when enough is enough and , boy , does that apply to Rodriguez . He does keep you entertained , though , once you check your brains at the door and begin watching the show . However , all this excess makes it lose any credibility " El Mariachi " might have built up with the first show in this trilogy . Whether the movie is really dumb or its just tongue-in-cheek humor by Rodriguez , it has super-style and fun to watch . Talk about stylish ! No wonder Quentin Tarantino and he are good friends and the latter has a guest appearance in the film . They both love having fun with the cameras . The first eight minutes let you know what you are in for : outrageousness . It's an 8-minute scene at a bar involving a story told by Steve Buscemi . It's one of the highlights of the movie . Antonio Bandaras and Selyma Hayek are the " good guys " but they aren't exactly Billy Graham and Mother Teresa . If they are the good guys , you can imagine how evil the " bad guys " are ? Speaking of them , two of the toughest - looking hombres in the business are chief among the villains : Joaquim de Almeida and Danny Trejo . Some of the action scenes are so outrageous you laugh out loud . My favorite was a guy shooting rockets out of his guitar case ! As that tells you , it's just a wild ride : 103 minutes of south-of-the-border Rodriguez-Tarantino lunacy and despite what may sound like a bunch of insults , I always have fun watching this movie . |
522,708 | 4,445,210 | 43,943 | 7 | Who Gets ' The Bird ? ' | Tweety is outside , shoveling the snow out of his bird's nest , mumbling that he shouldn't have wished for a white Christmas . In one building , Sylvester cleans off the window and spots Tweety while in an adjacent building , another cat - an unnamed orange feline - does the same . They both pound on the doors to have their respective owners let them out . They race from opposite directions and arrive at Tweety's nest at the same time . From that point on , it's a battle to see who gets the bird . A short time later , the orange tabby thinks he won , but swallows a mechanical dunking yellow bird by mistake . That scene might have been the funniest . Tweety looks like a goner a few times but always seems to come out unscathed while the two cats beat the crap out of each other . In all , nothing super but entertaining and a nice DVD transfer . The colors are bold and the picture sharp . |
525,820 | 4,445,210 | 130,121 | 7 | Grant & Caan Lift Lighthearted Mob Spoof | This was an entertaining comedy , similar to several other films I've seen in which an innocent-appearing nice guy gets caught up in the middle of a mob family . ( i . e . Matthew Broderick in " The Freshman . " ) In this film , it's Hugh Grant who winds up in mobster James Caan's clan . The latter isn't known for his comedy but he's good at it . Sometimes just the facial expressions on Caan's face brought out big laughs with me . Joe Viterelli is perfect for any Mafia-type story , as is Burt Young . It was a little strange , though , to see Young look like such a shriveled up old man . Jeanne Tripplehorn provides the romantic interest in here . My only complaints were too much usage of God's name in vain , especially for a comedy , and the typical on again-off again marriage plans you've seen so many times in movies for many decades . Overall , however , a good lighthearted comedy that should please a lot of people . |
525,089 | 4,445,210 | 147,652 | 7 | An Ironic Story | Irony might be one way to describe this little fairy tale about a king who has a rip in his pants and goes to a local tailor to get if fixed . Meanwhile , a giant ogre has apparently been terrorizing the town . Fixing the pants , having bees get into the king's pants , having the king trapped in a pond ready to be killed by the ogre and then having the bees come back and get rid of the beast all tie in together in this strangely-compelling cartoon . I didn't find myself laughing at anything in this cartoon , yet it was pretty fascinating . It certainly made me stick with it to see what crazy thing would happen next and how all of this could somehow lead to a happy ending . That ending , by the way , is a nice one but also has a strange element to it ( which I won't spoil . ) Don't expect laughs , but don't pass this UB Iwerks " oldie " up , either . It offers a very interesting story . |
524,260 | 4,445,210 | 405,159 | 7 | Well-Crafted But Ludicrous , Insulting Story | GOOD NEWS - Interesting , right from the start . . . . nicely filmed . . . . . . an involving story with a female lead character you really care about with a fine performance by Hilary Swank , and the always-entertaining Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman as the male leads . The story , whatever one's view of the topic here , is well-crafted and certainly one you remember . BAD NEWS - Talk about an agenda ! Who produced this film ? Dr . Kevorkian ? Hollywood's Liberal agenda for this year must have been euthanasia because this picture , as good as it is , is not Acadamy Award Best Picture material . The championship fight scene , too , is ludicrous , in that the " bad girl , " if this was real life , would have been disqualified - period : no if , ands or buts . And - having a priest say the " f-word ? " Give me a break ! There's an example of yet another liberal " agenda . " - make a cleric look bad whenever possible . OVERALL - A severely flawed film but definitely interesting and worth seeing if for nothing else than provoking a good discussion on and pros-and-cons of the main subject matter ( which ain't boxing , folks ) . |
523,677 | 4,445,210 | 132,347 | 7 | Lightweight , Goofy & Fun | This was different , that's for sure . Just look at the cast ! Talk about oddballs . William H . Macy and Ben Stiller were the stars , although a bunch of actors almost share the spotlight , in this farce about superhero-wannabees . The most outrageous was played by Paul Reubens of " Pee Wee Herman " fame . There is lots of humor , garish colors and no lulls . It's a pretty entertaining , lightweight comedy with nothing but goofy characters , all of whom want to be heroes a la Superman , Batman , Spiderman , you name . They have talents in strange areas , however , that the real heroes don't ( and don't want to ! ) . It's silly , but you know that going on . It's also a film you can watch in installments and not really miss any continuity . It's a long movie for one so hectic , so taking a break here and there is okay . The language was tame so kids could enjoy this , too . In fact , I don't recall any swearing in here , except the guy in the theater next to me who kept uttering , " What a dumb , f - - - ing movie . " I thought it was fun two hours but I'd rather watch it on DVD and take a few breaks . |
523,136 | 4,445,210 | 26,116 | 7 | Obviously Dated , But A Nice Look Back At The Products Of The Times | This cartoon gives Eddie Cantor a plug , making into " Eddie Camphor " who jumps out of a billboard and sings " Merrily We Roll Along . " The caricature emphasizes Cantor's big , rolling eyes . Soon nearby posters promoting certain products of the day begin to come alive with song and dance . Old Maid Cleaners are singing , Russian rye bread loafs start dancing , penguins from " Old Cold " cigarettes ( Old Gold , if I remember correctly ) , etc . There are a lot of them throughout the cartoon , many of them familiar and still around ( Arm & Hammer baking soda , Wrigley's Gum , Pall Mall cigarettes , etc . ) . They aren't the actual product names , just as Eddie's name is changed , but many are recognizable . Anyway , it's very dated but it's in color which is pretty good for 1935 and its looks decent . It's not really but it's " cute " and interesting . The first 60 percent of this is strictly a musical , and then it changes into a worm , bird , cat and dog cartoon , each one being pursued by the other , in that order . This animated short is part of the features on the " Captain Blood " DVD . |
523,167 | 4,445,210 | 52,722 | 7 | A Pleasant , Feel-Good Film With A Touch Of The Old Blarney | Boy , this is about as Irish as it gets : accents , terminology that is foreign to most other people but fun to hear , leprechauns , pots of gold , three wishes ( no more ) , other magic , Irish jigs and a few songs , lush countryside with plenty of green . . . . . and a lot of good-natured blarney . It's old-fashioned , innocent fun , with a love story thrown in the mix . The latter involves a very young-looking Sean Connery . It's a shock to see him when he was in his late ' 20s , and even more of a shock to hear him sing , too ! Three years later , Connery hit the jackpot ( acting , not singing ) playing James Bond in " Dr . No , " and the rest is history . In this Walt Disney film , he plays " Michael McBride " who winds up falling for " Katie O'Gill . " The latter is played by Janet Munro , a pretty woman who had the opposite screen success of Connery . After staring in a few of these Disney movies in which she played wholesome girls , she did an about-face and played unhappy and edgy characters and that , it turned out , was a poor choice . Alocholism then led to the tragic misfortune of contracting a fatal illness which killed her at the age of 38 . The lead character , " Darby O'Gill , " is played very convincingly by Albert Sharpe . He was definitely the " character " of the story . This movie is a nice , feel-good film filled with a laughing horse , the good guys winning over the bad , a few dramatic moments , singing and dancing " little people , " and an assortment of Irish delights . I think kids would still like this film , even though it's dated with the special-effects , but that's to be expected . After all , the film is almost 50 years old . It has a pleasant feel to it and should still entertain folks today . |
523,142 | 4,445,210 | 26,135 | 7 | Untalented & Unwanted . . . . . Until The End | A rooster , dog , cat and donkey all get the heave-ho from their farmer owner . Actually , the old man isn't all that mean ; the animals sleep on the job and deserved to get booted . They all cry the blues when the farm owner boots them in the butt but then things perk up when they notice a choir nearby singing . People throw coins from above and the singers go away happy . The animals figure , hey , let's try that gig , too . The trouble is , they're brutal at that , too . Instead of coins , people throw pots , pans and the kitchen sink at them . However , they may have little talent and aren't good workers , but they prove to be loyal to the farmer as we see in the dramatic final third of the story , which helps elevate this old cartoon from poor to fair . This cartoon was viewed on a DVD called " Cartoons That Time Forget : The UB Iwerks Collection Vol . 1 . " |
523,470 | 4,445,210 | 281,820 | 7 | With Subtitles , Better Than Bob | This was a re-make of the 1955 film noir , " Bob LeFlambeur , " which I also own . That was black-and-white and made in France while this is 2002 movie in color with English-speaking actors . Usually I'll take the original over the re-make but not in this case . . . . with one major consideration . In order to like this film , I had to play the DVD with the English subtitles on because many of the accents were just too tough to decipher and if you can't understand the dialog , it gets a bit frustrating . The story is confusing enough as it is , so , if you have a similar problem as I had , play this with the subtitles . If there is such a thing as colorful film noir , this would be it , with many splashes of the neon nightlife of France , inside and outside . Story-wise , if you're confused you are not alone . After two viewings , I still haven't totally figured out the twist at the end . The dialog tries to be snappy mid-40s Raymond Chandler stuff and sometimes it's great , other times it's affected . Overall , however , it ' s fun . Nick Nolte delivers most of the clever lines . The young girl in here , Nutsa Kukhianidze , is intriguing new face , as was the case with Isabelle Corey in " Bob . " This movie gets a lot of negative reviews from professional critics . Don't trust them ; give this a look . |
522,874 | 4,445,210 | 141,008 | 7 | A Strange Romance In ' Pussyville ' | This story takes place in " Pussyville . " I am not making that up , nor am I touching that line . Similar to Felix The Cat in looks , we have " Master Tom " as the main figure in this story , which has literally no sound nor sound-effects , just title cards , courtesy of " Paramount Magazine " and a few comic-strip balloonsBasically , the story is Master Tom wooing a female . Their " trysting place , " as the card puts it , is a garbage can . We also see what happens when " the cat's away , " as five mice trash the house . They're funny to watch . Without saying more , the ending of this cartoon is really unexpected . It literally made my jaw drop . Overall , this is extremely primitive and dated but so bizarre that you can't take your eyes off it . It was part of the Popeye The Sailor 1933-1938 DVD set . Look for it under the bonus feature , " From The Vault . " |
524,466 | 4,445,210 | 61,390 | 7 | Different Story & Artwork | This is really different , an animated that you would think has to be really funny with the people that made it , guys like Chuck Jones and Frank Tashin , Paul Frees and Maurice Noble . . . . but it isn't . It simply is a comment on being who you are , and perhaps a dig or two on our industrialized , impersonal society . Whatever the intent , there is one thing for sure : this is different . One could made the same analogy with an alligator and the state of Florida . One day it's a swamp ; the next thing you know it's nothing but concrete and condominiums . Huh ? That's the scene here as the bear hibernates , wakes up and now he's in the middle of a big city and then , inside a factory where nobody believes he's a bear . Why would they ? Why would a bear be in a factor ? What happened to the open land where he lived ? Everyone has questions in here . However one interprets this story , I enjoyed the artwork and the modern style of it in this cartoon . Like the story , the artwork is very different from the Looney Tunes we are used to seeing from the 1930s through the 1950s . In some respects , it is very ' 60-ish looking , a la The Pink Panther cartoons . Whatever it is , if you own the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Three , don't overlook this extra cartoon that is listed under " From The Vault . " |
524,679 | 4,445,210 | 141,039 | 7 | Reversing The Attitude On Cats | Felix wanders near a fish market , but the owner comes out and beats him up ( this is brutal ) and kicks him across the street to another eating establishment . There , Felix walks in and observes a guy pigging out on his spaghetti . Felix pleads for some food , like a dog , but the man only throws him a gob of hot mustard . ( Man , there are mean people in this cartoon . ) Poor Felix's mouth is on fire and he races out of the diner , hopping up and down in pain . He runs away , finds a pond and drinks it dry ! He continues his walk and overhears a bunch of anti-cat speech coming from City Hall . He peeks in the window , sees the mayor making a proclamation " Therefore be it resolved that we starve these feline pests out of our town . " Wow , I told you the people here are nasty ! Felix shakes his fist and says , " I'll get the gang and we'll see about this . " The rest is Felix and his thousands of feline allies vowing to make life miserable for those people and to restore cats to their rightful status , which they do in a humorous way . This is a pretty solid Felix cartoon , enjoyable all the way . |
525,738 | 4,445,210 | 43,800 | 7 | Two Stories In One , With Lots Of Familiar Jokes But Still Entertaining | This one took a different twist at the end , even though the movie as a whole had very familiar Three Stooges gags in it . ( By 1951 , our boys were nearing the end , as we knew them with Curly or Shemp . ) It was a like a two-parter ; the first part dealing the Stooges being cowboys and the second part being a horror-type movie . Out west , we have the same saloon jokes and scenes and the handsome-but - inept townie who thinks he's the Lone Ranger but is all wannabe . ( Jock Mahoney reprises the role he did in an earlier Stooges film in which he was " The Arizona Kid . " ) Then , with five minutes to go , we get the always-familiar ( but always fun ) guys - dressed up-in-scary costumes-chasing-the Stooges - around-several rooms angle . For me , it's the latter that I enjoyed best . For some reason , I never get tired of seeing the guys get spooked by spooks and all the slapstick that goes with it . Early in the story , we see The Stooges as vagrants . There is actually a " wanted poster " on them : 50 cents each or three-for-a-dollar ! They escape out west to a town called Peaceful Gulch and are mistaken for lawman . ( Don't ask . ) |
523,938 | 4,445,210 | 87,747 | 7 | Robin Williams : Talented ( And Strange ) | Robin Williams became famous , I think , for his stand-up comedy , like his idol Jonathan Winters , but do you realize how many movies this guy has made over the years ? He's really become quite a film star and is especially good playing against-type as a criminal or simply as a wacko ( see " One Hour Photo ? " ) Anway , this was an early Robin Williams film in which he plays a Russian musician defecting to the United States . He ( " Vladamir Ivanoff " ) first hides out in a big store in New York City before being taken in as an immigrant by a black guy ( can you say PC ? ) Williams does an outstanding job speaking Russian , by the way , as opposed to most English-speaking actors . There really isn't much of a plot here , just slices of life , if you will , some of it with the usual Liberal promiscuous ( i . e . " I'm a liberated woman and if I stay the night , don't misinterpret that I want to get involved with you , " the Italian tells the Russian . I can think of a few more accurate descriptions that the word " liberated . " ) All in all , despite the premise and talents of Williams , this was only so-so . It kind of runs out of steam halfway through and it's hard to maintain interest in the final 40 percent of it . Actually , I like Williams better when he plays more serious roles like this although I'm not sure if he himself was ready to play it straight this early in his career . He's just too tempted in this film to produce comedy . He's a talented and very strange guy ; this film reflects that . |
525,788 | 4,445,210 | 405,469 | 7 | After A Great 50 Minutes , film Flounders In Final Half-Hour | At first , this appears to be a rip-off of " Madagascar , " with New York City zoo animals leaving the comforts of " home " for the wilds of Africa . However , it is a totally different story and feel to it , more serious and sentimental than " Madagascar . " Personally , I like " serious and sentimental " but not in animated movie , at least not to the degree it was in here . I preferred the other " NYC zoo " film to this one because " The Wild " lost almost all of its great humor in the last 20-30 minutes . The first 50 minutes of this film was spectacular . I was thinking , " Wow , another great animated film . How many is that in the past year or so ? " The jokes were excellent , the characters mostly funny and the animation superb . The dark , rich colors in here are magnificent . This is a beautiful movie ! The minor characters are the best in here : the snake , koala bear and squirrel . Eddie Izzard , Richard Kind and Jim Belushi , in particular , are great in their voices of these characters . The two crocodiles that the wandering zoo animals meet in the sewers are hilarious . They produced the biggest laughs , at least with me . The major characters : the lion ( Keifer Sutherland ) , his cub ( Greg Cipes ) and the giraffe ( Janeane Garafolo ) were all a little too much on the serious side . Speaking of serious : the last third of this film totally switched gears . I wonder how this went over with very young kids and their parents ? It got too serious , frightening in spots ( for little ones ) and then the usual corny Disney ending . It's too bad : this could have been super if they had just continued doing what was working the first 50 minutes . |
523,709 | 4,445,210 | 994,669 | 7 | The Ant Hil Gang As Boy Scouts Pretty Funny | Today's grueling first leg of races stretches from Lulu , Louisiana to Deepintheharta , Texas . Dick Dastardly first bad deed , once he takes an early lead , is to open a corral and let the cattle stampede across the road . Unfortunately for him , he's the only thing that is stampeded . Plan B has him inform the local sheriff that the " Ant Hill Gang " is nearby so the latter races off to the woods to hide . They reappear dressed as boy scouts - or " wood scouts , " as they are called here , and fool the stupid sheriff . It was pretty funny seeing a bunch of heavily-bearded guys dressed in scout uniforms . In fact , that was about the only funny sight gag in the bunch in this episode , which was kind of lame in the humor department . The second race of this twin-bill has the wacky races rolling their way through West Virginia en route to the finish line to Wheeling . I liked the alliteration on the series villain when they announce who's in what place early on : " it's that disciple of deceit and degradation Dick Dastardly . " The latter then turns to the unseen narrator and says , " You left out ' despicable . ' " While racing in fourth place , Dick''s lowdown plan in this one is a big magnet to get rid of the three racers in front of him . First , the magnet peels off the metal wheels of one racer and then takes off the boiler of the Arkansas Chugabug . " We're stranded like a catfish on a mud bog , " moans the hillbilly driver . His partner , Blubber the bear , steals something from a nearby barn and converts the vehicle to " windmill power . " Last up is Peter Perfect and the magnet takes about the whole car . Now Dastardly is in first , but not for long as is magnet trick does his own vehicle in . How that happens , you'll have to watch . Later , DD tries to keep everyone from climbing a steep hill , and then go through all tunnel and other places . Let's put it this way : he tries about everything in this episode . Sadly , none of the humor , by and large , in this one was very good . Generally speaking , this show was for the kiddies , not adults . The latter can endure these by enjoying some of corny old expressions , neat-looking cars , and decent artwork and sometimes-funny sight gags |
526,874 | 4,445,210 | 994,671 | 7 | From Baja To Kentucky , Mud Holes To Apes | We begin in the " rugged peninsula of Baja , California " where the racers are racing toward " the sleepy little Mexican village of Enchilada-by-the-Sea . " Well , at least they got Baja right ! Decent sight gags include the cavemen's amazing " Boulder Mobile ; " The " Gruesome Twosome's " remedy for an overheated engine ; Dick Dastardly's balloons which are in the form of steers and later the Twosome's use of a dragon to dry up the mud ( see next paragraph ) . The major part of the story , as it usually is , revolves around a plot by Dastardly to sabotage the rest of the races . In this case , he tries to slow them down with a big mud hole . Some of the other racers sink ; others find clever ways to combat the problem . I always enjoy how the " Professor " works his way around problems . He and his auto is my favorite in this show . The second race has the entrants racing toward Krazy Kreek , Kentucky . How they go from Baja to here in successive episodes doesn't make sense but , hey , it's a cartoon . I enjoyed the sight gags of Dick Dastardly underwater with his roto-route router ( boy , this show can't give us enough alliterations ! ) and how the racers figured out how to manage despite the bridge being out . The headline refers to Dastardly's bad deed here of using " King Klong , " the largest gorilla in captivity , to his advantage . The big ape was being transported when the truck had a flat tire and the driver was fixing it . Dastardly happened to come along and got an idea . He laughs and says to himself , " Boy , does that start the old wheels to turning in my evil mind . " He uses " my power over dumb animals " to sabotage the others . . . . . well , sort of . |
526,362 | 4,445,210 | 87,800 | 7 | A Frightening Start | Well , this was the beginning of " Freddy Kreuger , " who certainly became famous in the horror movie genre . Of those horror films that spawned numerous sequels ( this one , Halloween , etc . ) this was the best of the " opening " shows . It definitely is frightening . It has the usual crude teenagers , some gratuitous sex and wild Krueger scenes and is probably best-noted for showing Johnny Depp's film debut . Boy , does he look young ! He looks about 16 years old , as does Heather Langenkamp , who went on to play in several more of these Nightmare stories . This was the only movie in which she was foul-mouthed . Nice to see Rony Blackley , too . Wes Craven certainly started this series off with a bang . |
524,676 | 4,445,210 | 26,510 | 7 | Not Really Funny , But Memorable For Several Reasons | Yes , this is Porky Pig's debut , although it certainly is not an attractive first look at the stuttering porker . Porky and a couple of other " kids " are all part of school musical and recital and Porky's bit leads off the show . He recites a rendition of Longfellow's " The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere , " or at least starts to but it quickly becomes Tennyson's " Charge of the Light Brigade . " Mostly he just sweats while trying to remember his lines . I liked the sound effects help Porky received from offstage and the fact that even though his classmates unleashed the dogs on him , they did give him good applause ! " Ham and Ex , " two little singing dogs , get my vote for " best in show , " which also featured " Miss Kitty " reciting " Mary Had A Little Lamb , " and the piano playing " Oliver Owl , " whose tune is greatly enhanced by a fighting dog and cat inserted into the piano by a mischief-making fellow student . This one really isn't much for laughs but overall , it's " cute " and it's in color , which is pretty good considering it's made in 1935 . In fact , the graphics and the color restoration are excellent for 1935 and it's a collector's piece of sorts being that it's Porky's debut . It is the lead-off cartoon on Disc 3 of Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol . 3 . |
522,378 | 4,445,210 | 61,044 | 7 | Looking Like Superman And Acting Like Superman Are Two Totally Different Things | Perched up in a tree , the Pink Panther is relaxing and reading a " Superguy " comic book . He imagines , as most of us males have at one time or another , of being a Superman-type guy . He finds a costume ( and a phone booth ) and now looks the part . The problem is acting the role ! He tries various heroic deeds , always trying to save or help the same old lady . . . . and the poor woman ( and her automobile ) takes a beating . I liked the joke early on in which he slid the flattened woman under her front door . Most of it was pretty good , with the usual fitting ending . This was an entertaining cartoon marred only by the insulting laugh track which is totally unnecessary in a cartoon ( or anywhere , for that matter ) . I wound up turning the sound off the last few minutes . |
523,251 | 4,445,210 | 35,035 | 7 | Popeye's Duds Too Small For Big Bluto | I think the funniest part of this cartoon was seeing Bluto dressed in Popeye's sailor outfit . The pants came up to his knees , like knickers , and he looked pretty funny . Bluto's Army digs , meanwhile , were about eight sizes to big for Popeye . Why did they switch uniforms ? Well , it wasn't Popeye's idea . He was just strolling by the Army Tank Corps tents all dressed up with a handful flowers walking to his date with Olive Oyl . Bluto , inside the barracks and wanting to get out for the day , lures the dumb sailor guy in , mugs him , and takes his clothes . Soon , a tank drill is ordered and Popeye winds up inside the big vehicle . . . . and trouble ensues . Within several minutes , he leads the rest of the group through the city streets and trashes the vehicle . . . . but all works out in the end . How does that happen ? Well , you'll have to check out Disc 2 of Popeye The Sailor Man Volume 3 . |
526,408 | 4,445,210 | 862,568 | 7 | The Green River Killer | Most murder cases , it is said here in the beginning of this program , have about 200 pieces of evidence . The " Green River Killer " has over 10 , 000 . It is the longest-running and most prolific case of a serial killer in the history of the United States . The program , however , didn't out to be as dramatic or interesting as that opening statement was , although it wasn't boring , either . It just detailed the first few murders of this man who raped , strangled and then killed women in the Seattle area beginning in 1982 . Imagine that poor guy who saw the first victims . He thought they mannequins placed at the edge of a bank on the Green River . He went over to get a closer look . Soon there were five dead bodies with the same MO . That included all of them being prostitutes . The police went to the area where these women hung out but couldn't get anyone to talk . They either didn't trust police enough or were too drugged out to remember seeing anyone suspicious . The following month , The Green River started dumping bodies in waste grounds , instead . His eight victim was not a prostitute . He was trying to throw off the police . By the end of 1983 , the body count was up to 15 and the next year , the task force to catch him had been increased to 40 detectives . Still , there was no evidence linking police to any one guy and , despite everyone in the Seattle area looking for him , the death toll kept climbing . By 1987 , police finally had a prime suspect , a guy named Melvyn Foster , but he turned out to be innocent , making the police really look stupid , and also making them more cautious by not wanting to make that kind of mistake again . All of this worked toward the killer's advantage . . . . . although , finally , thanks to advances in DNA detection by the mid 1990s , the cops looked like they might have their man . Each serial killer leaves his " signature , " something he or she does that no one else does . In this case , the killer left a small stone in each dead woman's vagina . Thanks to that DNA work , and semen samples and minute speckles of spray paint on the victims , police finally arrested Gary Ridgway for the murder of four people . ( I'm condensing the story , reporting the highlights of this TV program . ) It is a shock to many people when they see what this prolific killer looks like , who later admitted he killed many more , even showing people were some of the graves were located . Of course , that was to aid his plea bargain to escape the death penalty . It is estimated , however , he might have killed up to 70 people . This case went on for slightly over two decades until this guy was sent to jail for life . After watching this , I just shook my head in amazement wondering how this Ridgway could kill so many people without police catching him . He has more " confirmed " murders than anyone on record in the USA . Some people in Washington State don't understand why a mass murderer like this hasn't been executed , in a state that allows it . Ridgway resides in Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla . |
526,033 | 4,445,210 | 34,829 | 7 | Bugs Is Right : Elmer Is A Jerk | Elmer reads that one can hypnotize " dumb animals " so when he's out hunting one day ( and reading the book at the same time ) , he comes across a bear . Lo and behold - it works ! He puts the bear to sleep and has him float around like a canary . He then realizes this is his chance to finally capture the elusive Bugs Bunny . However , Bugs , as well know , is anything but a " dumb animal , " and turns the tables on dumb Mr . Fudd . By the way , does Elmer's laugh annoy anyone else out here ? It annoys me . This is one guy I don't mind getting the short end of the stick when it comes to Bugs Bunny's mayhem . He's right on when he calls Elmer " a jerk " in this story . The last third of this picture is excellent , however , when Elmer turns into a rabbit and asks Bugs , " What's up , doc ? " He then drives Bugs crazy . That's one thing about these cleverly-written cartoons ; the smarter Bugs doesn't always prevail , as we see in here . |
524,820 | 4,445,210 | 26,481 | 7 | Not Much Of A Story , But It Was Still Fun | Beans , one of Boston Beans ( according to him ) gets rudely rebuffed from entering " Warmer Brothers " studio . In fact , he gets thrown out twice , once at the entrance in his car , and later , bodily given the heave-ho out of the studio . There is no real story here , just Beans getting into the studio , accidentally getting in the way , accidentally pulling a switch and bringing the Frankenstein monster to life , and then dealing with him . The " story " has a very abrupt ending . Humorous moments included the dancing camera on tripod ; bartender playing music to cash register keys and the monster eating the camera , spitting it out and adjusting his jaw . Although there wasn't much to it , I enjoyed it . The scenes were fast-moving and you have to keep in mind this was made over 70 years ago . This was part of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 3 DVD . |
523,889 | 4,445,210 | 264,464 | 7 | Pretty Interesting Look At An Impersonator | This is kind of an odd story , another one of those based-on-a-true life tales . This was hyped up a little too much for me because I expected more than what the film delivered . However , it was still a decent yarn about a kid who impersonated people in different professions and forged checks along the way . He did all of this in his teenage years . Leonardo DiCaprio plays his normal cocky role while Tom Hanks is the straight - and-narrow looking FBI man on his trail . Although not a tense thriller , the movie holds the viewer's interest throughout the 2 hours and 20 minutes with the last half hour being the most interesting , capped off by a satisfying ending . The only thing I didn't enjoy watching was DiCaprio ( as " Frank Abagnale " ) taking advantage of genuinely-nice girls . This guy was no hero , believe me . |
526,126 | 4,445,210 | 34,881 | 7 | Lake Makes The Film Fun | This is a fairly humorous story with decent special effects , especially considering it was made over 40 years ago . The key ingredient for success in this film was Veronica Lake . She's known more for her peekaboo blonde locks and for starring with Alan Ladd in several hit movies , but Lake was a good comedienne , too . Susan Hayward does well playing a snotty woman and Cecil Kellaway always plays an interesting character . Frederic March plays opposite Lake and I wish I hadn't read Lake's biography in which she explains how much she hated March . In made the love scenes lose a lot of impact when I learned how " forced " those scenes were . Oh , well . It's still a nice , lightweight comedy , nothing special but entertaining for the most part . . . . . but it helps to be a fan of Veronica Lake , which I am . |
524,044 | 4,445,210 | 105,323 | 7 | A Speech Everyone Likes | This was a different type of story with excellent acting by Al Pacino , who makes a speech at the end of the film that many people think is one of the coolest speeches they've ever heard on film . Pacino's character , " Lt . Cl . Frank Slade , " is a turnoff for awhile because he's so gruff , but he grows on you and becomes fascinating to watch as a blind man who doesn't act like a blind man . Chris O'Donnell , as " Charlie Simms , " plays the opposite : a nice , young college kid whom Pacino winds up taking under wing . The only part I didn't care for was the beginning with Charlie's obnoxious friends , but that ties in later with Pacino's memorable speech . A different kind of story , marred only by a little too much profanity . If you haven't seen it , I recommend checking it out . You'll enjoy it |
526,202 | 4,445,210 | 96,163 | 7 | More Of A Character ( s ) Study | This is the original version of " The Vanishing , " with the American re-make coming out six years later than this film did . This version - the original - is considered to be , by far , the better of the two by almost all critics . Having seen both versions , I agree but not as strongly because I don't think this film is all that good , either , at least not as good as I was led to believe . Instead of a kidnapping-crime story , this was more of a character study of two people : a man obsessed with finding his abducted girlfriend , and a deranged killer , the man who took her . That " study " made this different from the other film and from a lot of crime movies to begin with . The ending here also made this a bit different . Summary : it's okay , but not anywhere as good as you might be led to believe , but I would still recommend it . I saw it twice . |
523,273 | 4,445,210 | 60,736 | 7 | Simple Story . . . . . And It Works | Boy , this is about a simple an action story as you're going to find , but it works , and has its interesting moments . Almost the entire film is devoted to a safari guide / hunter being chased ( for the kill ) by members of a angry tribe . Those tribe members had been insulted by an obnoxious member of the safari group and this good-guy guide ( Cornell Wilde ) has to run for his life . Along his escape for survival , we , the viewers , are treated almost to a National Geographic-type tour of the African jungle with many wild animals , crocodiles , poisonous insects , snakes and - the most species of them all : naked women ! The film looks dated here and there but it's now over 40 years old . There is not much English dialog in here , but it's not needed . |
522,453 | 4,445,210 | 295,701 | 7 | Diesel Is Decent As Latest Macho-Hero | Vin Diesel is a pretty good guy to play these new action-heroes . Like " The Rock , " he's a big , muscular macho guy who men can look upon with some respect and the ladies can fall for . Unfortunately , a number of these testosterone-filled action films , including this one , are somewhat moronic in nature . However , they are undeniably entertaining . You can always depend on one thing in these type of movies , from the " biker movies " of the ' 50s to today's films : the hero will always be a rebel against authority and any laws of the land . Also , an even more-recent theme is to have the government actually employ the rebel to get the job done because their men are unable to accomplish what this ultra-tattooed macho man can do ! It's so much garbage , but it has its moments and Diesel still is a likable hero of sorts . Like Arnold Schwarzenegger before him , and Steven Seagal , Jean-Claude Van Damme , Chuck Norris and then " The Rock , " these kind of muscle-men have fairly clean mouths and at least some ideals . For pure action , the movie succeeds because , in the end , it does entertain which is the name of the game . |
524,252 | 4,445,210 | 18,064 | 7 | A Stitch In Time Saves Koko | Artist Max Fleischer draws a spool of thread and a needle . The needle then penetrates a blank canvas and , stitch by stitch , we see Koko the Clown being " drawn . " Very clever . There is always a new and innovative and method of introducing Koko in these old Fleischer brother Koko The Clown " Out of the Inkwell ' silent animated shorts . Soon , we see real-life shots of Max with a needle and thread trying to rescue his creation who is stuck in the canvas . Later , a dueling match ensues between Max and his creation . The artist keeps score , with an inning-by-inning count you would see on a baseball scoreboard . After three " innings , " Koko leads Max , 3-0 , but the Max goes nuts and scores 182 straight points ! Koko gets his revenge , though , and more than evens the score . How , I won't give away , but the animated short offers a good mix of animation and real-life action and it gets pretty wild ( with a kitten involved ) . |
522,363 | 4,445,210 | 25,610 | 7 | Lots Of Interpretations | Boy , is this film interpreted differently , depending on which critic is discussing it . Overall , however , most of them - including me - like this movie and find it interesting . Today's critics like to use this film as a boost for socialistic or Commununstic causes , but that's baloney . One could easily do the opposite and use this film as an analogy to the early Christians , too - people who banded together pooling their talents and possessions for the good of the whole group . This was a simply of story of America during the Great Depression with a bunch of people out of work , so they try to make a living by turning themselves into farmers and making a go of it together . Tom Keane and Karen Morley star in here , playing husband-and-wife . Morely played a very upbeat , sweet lady who was joy to watch . Keane's acting was strange . At times it bordered on raw amateurism . He also looked , with the wild expressions , as if he were back doing a silent film . The rest of the cast was solid , from the Swedish farmer to the tough guy who turned himself in to the police to help the rest of the group . Overall , a good film and worth watching , whatever your politics . |
523,245 | 4,445,210 | 87,414 | 7 | Good points ; bad points | I just watched this movie for the third time , and for the first time on DVD . I then read the reviews on this website . The reviews all contained good points but I was surprised at two things : 1 ) Very few reviews were from the United States . It appears that Europeans and Australians are far more aware of this film than we are here in America , which is our loss ; 2 ) ( Spoiler ? ) Nobody mentioned or questioned why hit man John Hurt did NOT kill Laura Del Sol . In real life , there would have been no hesitation by the professional killer : she would have been eliminated quickly . . . . . and , of course , the story - had it been real - would have ended quite differently from the film . Outside of that last point , I thought the film contained real characters exhibiting many of their strengths and weaknesses . Unlike most gangster films of the past 35 years , this one had little action and concentrated more on the principal characters . It would be too talky for most young audiences of today . Other highlights : Nice Spanish scenery and flamenco soundtrack . Good opening instrumental by Eric Clapton . Interesting to see Roth in one of his earliest roles , although it's been a familiar one for him : an annoying punk . An ending that wasn't predictable . One disappointment : Why wasn't this DVD presented on widescreen ? Why was this formatted-to-TV ? The transfer isn't bad but with the great scenery , why couldn't we see it all ? There is no excuse for that . Summary : a good , solid film but more for mature adults who don't mind a slower pace and can appreciate a lot of subtle things . |
523,540 | 4,445,210 | 60,843 | 7 | Colorful Travel Scenery Is The Highlight | This was mildly entertaining . There aren't really any laugh-out-loud jokes but it's interesting to watch our two good guys - The Inspector and Deux-Deux - travel from Paris to Egypt to Mount Kilimanjaro and then back to France . The scenery and artwork with it are very colorful and fun to look at , and make up for the so-so gags . It's mainly the two guys trying to catch a mysterious " Mr . X " and their inability to nab him . There is a surprise ending here , appreciated by all but Clouseau . This cartoon can be seen on the DVD " The Pink Panther Classic Cartoon Collection , Vol . 6 - Inspector Cartoons . |
524,172 | 4,445,210 | 43,365 | 7 | Bugs a . k . a . ' The Masked Terror ' | We are in a packed arena waiting for the World's Heavyweight Wrestling Championship to take place between the champ , " The Crusher , " a snarling , growling beast of man with rippling muscles on his muscles , and " Ravishing Ronald , " the denatured boy ( whatever that means . ) . Ronald comes out in the best Roman tradition : on a platter , eating grapes . He has a mascot named " Bugs , " who tells us , " Hey , it's a living . " In no time The Crusher literally makes a punching bag out of Ravishing Ronald . Bugs , " Yikes , there goes me bread and butter . I've got to do something . " What happens afterward , as Bugs becomes " The Masked Terror , " is mostly funny . The stitching scene was kind of stupid but the rest of it was typical outlandish Bugs humor . |
523,452 | 4,445,210 | 43,387 | 7 | Fighting For The Right To Relax | Tom and Jerry " ham " it up in this one , fighting for the right to take a snooze in the nice hammock outside . Tom is all set for a catnap when he hears Jerry already on the hammock snoring away . He gets rid of the mouse , but that's the start of trouble . You know who gets the worst of this battle . Tom gets sliced and diced , let's just put it that way . I didn't find any laugh-out-loud sight gags but it kept my interest and I did enjoy each character dealing with a parade of ants . That probably was the the most innovative joke in here . You wonder : does Tom ever win any of these " battles ? " |
522,711 | 4,445,210 | 43,274 | 7 | Colorful Characters & Story , But Would Kids Be Entertained With It Today ? | This was a colorful take on the famous story , both in animation and in story content . Overall , it was a fun movie with interesting , strange characters following each other as " Alice " chases after a rabbit in " Wonderland " ( although that name is never mentioned in the film . ) . The songs in here are nothing noteworthy , but at least they didn't go on too long . For a short film - 75 minutes - it's good " escapist " fare and not a bad way to spend an hour-and-a quarter . Any longer than that , for classic animated films , would be too long , because they didn't have the humor and slam-bang action scenes modern animated films possess . I would imagine kids of today would be bored by this , compared to what faster-paced stuff they see now . . . . but that's no criticism of this movie , just about attention spans have shortened . |
523,794 | 4,445,210 | 104,522 | 7 | Here's An Odd Irish Tale | I always remember this movie for the shock of seeing a horse trying to live an apartment . Now , there's an unusual sight ! I revisited this film last week and for a second and an overdo " ride " with these mystical Irish gypsies and their strange . By the way , I hadn't realized how nicely filmed this was until I saw it on 1 . 85 : 1 widescreen DVD . Also to my surprise was that it wasn't the happy , family film I had remembered . There are many moments of frustration , sadness , violence , injustice , ete . It's hardly a bunch of fun times . The language is such , too , that I wouldn't recommend this for little kids , unless perhaps in Ireland where everyone seems to use Jesus ' name in vain frequently , even kids . It's still a story , basically , about two kids trying to capture and then keep a white horse , which is taken away from them . The cops ( some crooked , as filmmakers love to show ) , the crooks and family are all out over the countryside looking for the boys and the horse . In between , their father slowly comes to grips with the death of his wife some seven years earlier , a tragedy he has never been able to deal with correctly . The best character and the most fun to watch is little " Ossie , " played by Ciaran Fitzgerald . He's the one most-attached to the horse and the wee one has some of the best lines in the film . |
526,431 | 4,445,210 | 190,865 | 7 | Great Sound & Stunts , So-So Story | When I saw this shortly after it came out on DVD , it got high marks just for the spectacular sound alone . It had some of the best rear-speaker sound I had ever heard . It was a showpiece for DVD players at the time . The movie is interesting with it's main fault being a common one : overdone action at the end . Along the way , however , it has many almost jaw-dropping scenes and some spectacular mountain scenery which looks great on the sharp DVD transfer . The stunt work in here is also incredible . Martin Campbell , the same director who did The Mask Of Zorro and Goldeneye , is good at producing eye-popping action scenes . The dialog at times is juvenile , but it could have been worse . The profanity was lower than expected , too . How accurate is it concerning mountain-climbing ? Probably like most films : totally inaccurate , at least that's what a mountain - climbing expert told me , and I believe him . All in all , however , a far better film than I expected . . . . . strictly for the entertainment . |
523,210 | 4,445,210 | 190,590 | 7 | Mixed Emotions Message-Wise , But Extremely Entertaining | This may be the only film that is blatantly anti-Christian that I still give a high rating , simply because it was so entertaining . Hopefully , some of the religious digs were tongue-in-cheek and not meant in a mean-spirited way , but I'm not sure , especially considering who made it . I DO know this was fun to watch and hear , except for the excessive usage of the Lord's name in vain with George Clooney as the main culprit . The music in here is super , led by the catchy " Man Of Constant Sorrow , " performed by Gary Tyminski . I also loved " Soggy Mountain Boys " humorously sang and presented by the three main characters : Clooney , John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson . Those three guys were hilarious , particularly Nelson with his rubber-faced looks . Audibly , the entire soundtrack is outstanding , under the direction of T-Bone Burnett . I wound up buying the CD as millions of other people did . Fantastic music . The way this was filmed makes it visually fascinating , with scenery enhanced by computer graphics and all-time great Roger Deakins in charge of the photography . All the people in this movie are wacky , as are the people who made it : the unfortunately clever-but-biased Coen brothers . The parade of wild characters , wild scenes one after the other and the three likable leads ( yeah , even the profane Clooney ) make this an extremely fast-moving 103-minute movie . |
523,509 | 4,445,210 | 391,150 | 7 | Loved The Hopper-Type Drawings | Even a pizza slice with wiggling insects in it is better than food with 0 percent fat in it ! That's the thinking of our " fat cat " in this animated short . The cat discovers his dry food is diet cat food with no fat , and is not happy . He spots a slice a pizza hanging off the kitchen island , and most of the cartoon is the feline's efforts to get that slice of pizza . It's not howling funny but the artwork is beautiful , a sort-of muted Edward Hopper painting look to it , and the story is interesting with a unique and unexpected ending . I saw this on a DVD called " Computer Animation Extravaganza , " done around 2001 . |
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