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525,244 | 4,445,210 | 44,198 | 9 | Artwork And Dream-Like Visuals Elevate Story | It's pouring out and traveler Porky is looking for some refuge in the storm . He wonders if the people in " that quaint old castle " on top of the nearby hill will put him up for the night . En route , he sees a sign that says , " Beware of the Leprechauns . " What nonsense , Porky thinks . Upon entering the castle , he meets " Seamus O'Toole , " caretaker of the " Clarey Castle . " " Seamus " is really two leprechauns standing on top of the other . They are " O'Pat " and " O'Mike " and they think Porky has come to steal their pot of gold . What happens after that , with the magical green shoes , is bizarre with dream-like sequences . There are some very cool visuals . The artwork in here is just beautiful , start-to-finish . Most of these cartoons in the " Looney Tunes Golden Collection " are restored to bold , bright colors and give the excellent artists who drew these animated short subjects their due . |
522,798 | 4,445,210 | 396,171 | 9 | Well , It Certainly Is Original And , Despite The Ending , I Found It Fascinating | Wow , this is really a bizarre story with an ending that probably will turn off 98 percent of viewers who stick with this two hours , 147-minute film . I'm not sure what to make of it , other than totally understanding if people are left unsatisfied after watching this movie . As I said , I'm not sure how to interpret it as I just finished it minutes ago . It leaves you almost stunned . Rather than judging that finale and having to use spoilers , let me just comment on the first two hours of the film , which I found utterly fascinating . If I wasn't such an admirer of photography , art and special-effects , I doubt I would have found the movie so appealing because the story is " not for everyone . " However , thanks to stunning French city and countryside scenery , 18th century period and beautiful women it enhanced the story to me . Yet , regardless of the visual treats , the story was so unusual it still would have held my attention . There are enough reviews here so that to go into the story in detail isn't needed except to say this is an " original . " I'm not familiar with any other story about a man who has such an extraordinary sense of smell that he can perform olfactory miracles and then , because of it , uses it to turn into a mass murderer . This is weird , really weird , but captivating to say the least . Ben Wishaw , who plays the lead character " Jean-Baptist Grenouille , has a face that is perfect for this role . His emaciated body , which survived a brutal childhood existence from the moment he was born also makes his character all the more credible . The looks of shock and awe on this man's face throughout the picture also add to his believability . He was mesmerizing with his haunting expressions . Dustin Hoffman and Alan Rickman provide " name " actors the film but it's Wishaw's movie , all the way . I can only recommend this movie to those who share similar interests in cinematography and who like a " different " story but there are so many things in here - especially the ending - that could offend so many people , I would be hesitant to recommend this to the general viewer . I'm going to go look for the book at our local library . I'm curious how that version compared to the screenplay . |
527,362 | 4,445,210 | 304,141 | 9 | My Favorite Of The Harry Potter Films | I thought this was excellent . . . . better than the first two Harry Potter movies combined and better than what has followed . . That's my feeling , and I'm still sticking to it . This was just great fun , right from the opening . In fact , the early bus scene is the best in the film . Overall , the movie didn't have as mean an edge to it as the others , although it has a number of scary moments ( which might have warranted a PG-13 rating ) . That was fine with me . I got tired of the dark , nasty and / or annoying characters of the first two films , and especially the irritating blonde wise-guy kid . I give this major points for cutting his role down . Even Alan Rickman's character softens . In other words , there is no despicable villain to hate throughout the film , which I thought was refreshing . Instead , we just go through one adventure after another until the final surprise ending . Along the way are a lot of fun special effects and scenery , some humor ( Emma Thompson is a hoot as an eccentric tea-leaf reader ) and some fantastic 5 . 1 surround sound . I wish all the Harry Potter films were like this one . |
525,184 | 4,445,210 | 513,472 | 9 | Good To See Gail Davis ( Annie Oakley ) Again ! | My first look at this show in 50 years was fun right off the bat . The opening of this show every week was one of the best and dramatic of all the westerns . Gail Davis as " Annie Oakley " was just terrific , too , an extremely likable , pretty woman who embodied the " good " in the good-vs . bad days of ' 50s TV westerns . If the first few lines of this episode were indicative of others ( I can't remember ) then this wasn't some sweet , little kids western . The obvious bad guy , noticing the marshal still trailing behind asked by his partner if he intends to do something about it , replies : " I never did see a tin star yet that would stop a rifle bullet . " Well , that guy and the marshal get into a gunfight and both are shot . The marshal is only wounded . The other bad guy gets away . Accordiing to " wanted posters , " he looks almost like Deputy Sheriff " Lofty Craig " ( Brad Johnson ) . With a mustache , Lofty could pass for him . So , with the idea of catching the other guy who is part of a counterfeit ring , Lofty , Annie and her brother " Tagg , " go up to the Sonoma County Fair . They believe that by posing as the shot criminal , Lofty can draw the others out . Annie , of course , will be needed for her marksmanship . Tagg ( Jimmy Hawkins ) provides humor for the show by trying to duplicate a professional magician . I don't know if this episode is typical of the others , but if it is , this is a show that is still good and I'd like to see more . This was a fast-moving 26 minutes . Annie ain't ' bad on the eyes , either ! This episode was part of the " TV Guide Presents Classic Westerns Vol . 4 " DVD . |
525,644 | 4,445,210 | 1,002,989 | 9 | Great Songs , And A Nice Tribute To Jim Croce | Jim Croce , a singer from the early 1970s , had a bunch of hit songs ( eight ) in a short span ( two years ) and then died tragically in an accident . He was only 30 years old . In this television-for-BBC concert , released on DVD about five years ago , Jim performs many of his great songs . In addition to footage of this made-for-TV concert , we also see him performing in other televised appearances , mostly , I think , from the U . S . A . Wherever the setting , this disc gives you a very nice , intimate look at this talented man . It's hard to believe these were done over 30 years ago , and that he's been gone that long . What you get is mainly a pleasant , small atmosphere with the artist and another guitarist singing a bunch of Croce's songs and Jim casually discussing some things about his career . He has a pleasing way of telling stories and had a very popular way of singing very interesting and sometimes very humorous songs . Those songs sound just as good today as they did 35 years ago . For a sincere , loving tribute to a wonderful artist and just plain nice guy , this is highly recommended . |
522,981 | 4,445,210 | 94,862 | 9 | The Original ' ' Chucky ' ' Still The Best | This is a truly interesting horror flick that was so popular that sequels have been coming out ever since , none of course matching this one : the original . The film builds up suspense in the beginning and then takes off once " Chucky " comes to life . It almost takes half the movie for that to happen . It stays intense from that point and certainly keeps your attention . The only change I would have made was to the end the movie five minutes earlier , but they tacked on something that wasn't needed . The doll's owner " Andy , " ( Alex Vincent ) is a cute little kid and Alex does a decent job of acting while Catherine Hicks is fine as his mom . A familiar face in the ' 80s , Chris Sarandon , adds his talents as a detective . Instead of all the stupid sequels , I would have preferred to see a remake done , now that special-effects have made such great advances . For instance , at least with the VHS I have , Chuckie's lips aren't even in sync with the dialog ! He walks a little too wooden-like but the other special-effects were just fine . Nothing is to be taken seriously , anyway . It's just a silly voodoo-type story ( you should hear the explanation of who " Chuckie " is ) and just played for a scary horror film . On that level , it works because it IS scary . |
526,618 | 4,445,210 | 114,681 | 9 | Now Here's A Strange And Fascinating Story | This is a different story and definitely interesting . The movie is listed as a comedy but it's more of a drama . Yes , the comedy is there but it's dark humor and there is violence and tragedy here . Nicole Kidman is very good as the beautiful and ruthless blonde who has big television ambitions . I don't know if I ever saw Kidman look this pretty , which is saying a lot . Matt Dillon co-stars and is excellent , too , as are the two young no - name actors , Joaquin Phoenix and Allison Foland . Ironically , Phoenix , has become a big star , most recently playing the legendary Johnny Cash in " Walk The Line . " When this movie came out , few people knew him . Illena Douglas gives an underrated performance and I always enjoy the odd Dan Hedaya . Anyway , if you want to see something different in the way of a story , this movie falls in that category . |
526,419 | 4,445,210 | 44,048 | 9 | Trying To Keep It Clean | Is there anything more pleasing for Jerry to hear than Spike threatening Tom with sentences that start , " If you do this ( or that ) I will tear you limb from limb ! ? " At that point , Jerry knows he will see his nemesis get torn to shreds by the big bulldog . He'll make sure whatever " that " is , will happen . I always said Jerry had a sadistic streak in him . In this story , the threat is not to keep Spike's little boy " Chip " clean . Spike had already given his beloved little dog a bath and Tom inadvertently had gotten him dirty again . If it happens again Spike promises to pulverize the cat . Jerry , of course , overhears this and gets to work . He gets help from lady luck and some dumb moves by Tom . Tom's ventriloquist act was the highlight the cartoon : absolutely fabulous comedy bit , one of the best I've seen in this famous series . |
525,507 | 4,445,210 | 26,283 | 10 | Partners - For About A Minute ! | Popeye and Bluto actually are on the same team ? Well , it doesn't last long - about a minute ! These two adversaries , deep-sea divers in this story , are pouring over a treasure map and trying to figure out what's the best way to sail to find it . Their main concern seems to be sharks and barracudas in the waters surrounding where they think the treasure lies . Bluto pronounces the fish " bara-cooties . " Popeye shakes hands and says , " We have a deal : 50-50 . " Bluto agrees but within seconds pictures having 100 percent of it and starts trying kill our guy ! ! Holy smokes , is this guy is greedy AND brutal ! Bluto beats him up , takes the map and leaves on his boat , waving the map and laughing , " Fifty-fifty . Toodle - dee-doo ! " You know Popeye is going to go right after him and he does , rowing his own tugboat because the tugboat isn't going fast enough ! Man , people forget Popeye was incredibly strong even without the spinach . Of course , Bluto was even stronger because he almost always pulverized Popeye until our guy could eat his greens . Anyway , what happens here on the sea and underneath it with the treasure all is funny - good stuff . Olive is helping Popeye and Wimpy ( that traitor ! ) is helping Bluto . Not only do the two boys battle it out but they have to fight off the sea creatures below . This is a lot of fun to watch , to say the least . Once again , we get some excellent artwork . The details show a lot of work went into there early black-and-white episodes , far more than in latter day ( i . e . 1960s ) Popeye cartoons . This really looks good on the restored new Popeye : The Early Years DVD package . Obviously , the people who worked on these cartoons for the DVD put a good effort into this , too . The shipwreck underwater scenes look fantastic ! This cartoon and the others have never good better and are highly recommended . |
523,091 | 4,445,210 | 372,784 | 10 | Outstanding Batman ' Prequel ' | This latest Batman film disappointed a lot of people . . . . but not me . I appreciated it because they didn't overdo the violence , didn''t have a stupid romance angle to muddy up the real story , and fount it an interesting history of how Batman became Batman . The first hour of this " prequel " dealt with his origins . If you're a fan of the comic book stories and the other Batman films , this part in the film should not bore you . It was like a documentary to me , about a topic I was interested in . In fact , on the second viewing I enjoyed this even more . Christian Bale did a fine job as the latest Batman . It's too bad there have been so many actors playing this role , ruining the continuity of this latest series . I hope Bale continues with a few more efforts with this character . It was nice to see Michael Caine in the role of " Alfred . " He was excellent and the stabilizing force of the story . Katie Holmes did not have anywhere near as big a role , or romantic one , as I expected , and that was fine with me . I just enjoyed looking at her face , leaving it go at that . Gary Oldman was also interesting as a low-key young detective Gordon who would go on to become Commissioner Gordon in all the other episodes ( but , once again , played by another actor . ) The film ends with what would be the beginning of the first Batman , featuring " The Joker . " After having seen all the Batman films several times , I now think is the best of them all . . . . perhaps an unpopular choice , but that's my opinion . Don't let the naysayers keep you from watching this movie . You might be missing the best of the Batmans ! |
523,226 | 4,445,210 | 482,173 | 10 | This Is Rock ' N Roll Heaven ! | Wow ! When i first watched this is the spring of 1999 , I had tears in my eyes for much of the concert . On the second viewing , five days later , I still had moist eyes . This was almost too good to be true ! I couldn't believe what I was seeing and hearing . Now that I've watched this numerous times , I don't get emotional but I still love it . This is old-time rock ' n roll ( " rockabilly , " to be exact ) at it's best with rocking short songs that if they don't make you tap your feet and get just about everything else moving on you , then you check yourself for a pulse . Only a couple of the 17 songs are slow , and they are decent , but the last few songs really cook and that's basically what this is - an hour of feel - good rock . Carl Perkins , one of rock's early but lesser-known pioneers , still can sing here ( he died a few years later ) and play his guitar well . He also comes across as a genuinely nice guy . Perhaps that is what drew George Harrison out for his first concert appearance in 15 years . Perkins had tons of respect and love among rock musicians . Ringo Starr is here to sing and play some drums ; Dave Edmunds , a good friend of Harrison's and a decent performer in his own right , is here . So , too , is bass player Lee Rocker , who is animated and fun to watch . . . . and then there is Eric Clapton , who is simply outstanding and even has Perkins shaking his head almost in disbelief at his guitar playing . The finale was Perkins ' famous " Blue Suede Shoes , " and was really nostalgic with the host and then several of the other performers taking turns singing it . You could just feel the warmth between Perkins and all his guests . They loved the man . This is just rock ' n roll heaven ! |
523,944 | 4,445,210 | 737,802 | 10 | Great Start To A Classic TV Series | Not having seen this show in over 40 years and having loved it as a young teen , I couldn't wait for the DVD to finally come out with Season One . I am sorry it's only half of the opening season , but at least it's a start . This was great to watch , right from the beginning , because , for those like me who have forgotten or for new viewers , it gives us the background of all the major players . We get quick profiles of the men who were called " The Untouchables , " beginning with the leader " Elliot Ness , " a role that brought a lot of fame to actor Robert Stack . Stack had already starred in several melodramas in the mid ' 50s but this TV series really made him a star . His right-hand man on the show , " Enrico Rossi , " wasn't on the team right away , as I re-discovered watching this . Rossi ( Nicholas Georgiade ) was an assistant barber , who witnessed a brutal massacre in his shop and then had " the moxie , " as Ness put it , to confront one of the thugs and be willing to testify against Frank Nitti . Ness is so impressed he hires Rossi shortly afterward on a conditional basis . The opening episode re-unites us with Bruce Gordon as Nitti , " The Enforcer " as he was labeled . He's the chief villain since Al Capone has just been put in jail . We see Nitti try to take charge over the other three major hoods , but is stopped by the much smarter bookkeeper " Jake Guzik " ( Nehemiah Persoff ) , who persuades Nitti and the two others - " Phil D'Andrea and Fur Sammons " - not to make the mistakes Capone made . They'll keep Capone's chair empty ( hence the title of this episode ) and run things smarter as a group . Meanwhile , Ness and his boys try to figure out how to get Nitti charged in the murder . That's difficult because the other witness , the head barber , won't testify he saw anything . How can they get Nitti ? If not this crime , maybe on tax evasion , or maybe they can start the crooks to mistrust each other . That's the theme for the rest of the program : how to send Nitti and his boys to jail . It also was fun to see guest star Barbara Nichols who plays " Brandy LaFrance . " If that name doesn't suit the roles Barbara played here and in many other TV programs and movies , nothing does . |
526,101 | 4,445,210 | 105,112 | 10 | A Super Thriller | This is an outstanding thriller , a movie I have always enjoyed watching since it came out . Apparently a number of people also did since a few sequels followed featuring the main character ex-CIA analyst " Jack Ryan , " played by Harrison Ford . Sean Bean was excellent as the revenge-obsessed villain , a member of a " splinter group , " as its labeled not really an IRA extremist , but one too out-of - control for any group . Ford is the man best able to stop him and the film is very interesting start-to-finish and smart enough not to overdo the violence . Suspenseful is probably the best word to describe the movie as Bean goes after Ford's family . Anne Archer , as Ford's wife , along with the rest of the cast , actors such as Patrick Bergen , James Earl Jones , James Fox , Richard Harris and a young Thora Birch make this a well - acted movie . This is simply one of the best thrillers I've ever seen and almost every scene is interesting . |
523,967 | 4,445,210 | 43,979 | 10 | Animal House | We're at the " Spinsters Arms " hotel which also has a " no pets allowed " sign outside , and we see Granny trying to enter without the house detective noticing she has a covered birdcage with her . " Don't worry , Tweety , I'll get you in somehow , " she tells her bird . Soon , another old lady is telling her pet , Sylvester , the same thing ! ( I guess I forgot about Sylvester's owner , whom you rarely see . ) Both old ladies are successful . Tweety is singing away in room 1001 and Sylvester , staying next door in 1002 , hears him and thinks " meal . " You know that the rest of the way is going to be the usual : how does the cat get the bird and , as usual , Sylvester comes up with some amazing ploys that are fun to watch beginning with an anonymous admirer's note . The action really accelerates in this one as the old bulldog we see a lot is also at the hotel and a few other surprises , all making the house detective about lose his mind . Really funny stuff with chase scenes reminiscent of the old silent film comedies . |
525,585 | 4,445,210 | 281,686 | 10 | A Real Shock - It's Good ! | I laughed when a friend suggested this movie . " Yeah , right , " I answered , eyes rolled up . " Well , " he finally said a few weeks later , " Here , just look at it . Take my copy and bring it back . " " Okay , " I answered , " what do I have to lose ? " Obviously , I was shocked . This has to be one of the all-time surprises I've ever encountered in movie-watching . Who would have thought this film was this good ? Talk about " original ! " This is about as original and entertaining as they come , and , as I have stated in several other reviews , entertainment is the name of the game . . . . so I have to rank this film right up there with my favorites . I refuse to detail the story because the more you explain what it's about , the stupider is sounds and the less likely you will give it a shot . I will say Bruce Campbell does a fabulous job of imitating Elvis Presley . In fact , he is the best I have ever heard , speaking-voice-wise . Ossie Davis is also a hoot as the old black man who thinks he's President John F . Kennedy . See ? I can't say more , because it gets worse , story-wise , the more you explain . Just trust me that if you appreciate dark humor with some horror thrown in , you'll love it . It's a bit sleazy and the language is very rough , so be ready for that . I guess you could say this " is not for all tastes . " You have to be a little warped to enjoy this , but most of us are to some degree . Be also be ready for one of the oddest films you've ever seen . |
524,510 | 4,445,210 | 902,999 | 10 | Amazing Time Travel Cartoon Which Should Have Won The Oscar | I love time-travel stories and this was wildest I've ever seen . The only problem was that it was only a seven-minute cartoon . Man , this was so good and so much fun , I'd love to see a feature-length film done by the guys who make this fabulous " Scrat " cartoons . These additions to the " Ice Age " feature movies are just terrific . Here , Scrat the squirrel discovers a time machine buried in the ice near where he lives . He discovers that by hitting the machine in one spot , he instantly ( and his favorite acorn ) travels to a new time and era . The story accelerates as it goes on , with Scrat getting into one disastrous situation after another quickly hitting the machine to get away . It's amazing how many places he travels in such a short cartoon but all of them are not only funny but beautifully drawn . As with Ice Age , the animation is absolutely spectacular . I think there are just two " Scrat " cartoons , one accompanying the DVD of each Ice Age film , but I could watch hundreds of these . They are so well done , it's hard to describe . I agree with those who say this should have won an Oscar . I saw the winning one and this is superior , entertainment-wise . |
523,937 | 4,445,210 | 885,614 | 10 | So Far , The Most Interesting Episode Of The Season | Most of the CSI shows try to grab you with some sensational opening shot , and this one certainly does as a man's parachute fails and he crashes to his death in the middle of Manhattan . The thing is , he was a professional and someone caused this death to happen . It's especially puzzling when a bunch of dead racing pigeons are found on the ground with the victim ! Soon , we find a racing pigeon owner dead in his rooftop coop , with a wound that looks like someone put a buzz-saw to his neck . " Mac " and the crew finds out the guy was in the FBI's witness protection outfit . The secondary story involves a super-rich family that had a lavish birthday party for their 16 - year-old girl where daddy's big present was a new $60 , 000 car . Unfortunately , at the unveiling daddy was in the driver's seat and dead . When the CSI team comes to investigate , they open the car door and a cobra inside strikes and bites Lyndsay ! An ambulance comes for her but we discover quickly that she will be fine . Soon , we find out the girl's brother put the snake in the car as a prank . This episode , as you can tell reading all of this , is full of odd occurrences , one weird finding after another and very , very interesting . No sense going into all the facets of these crimes but this is a highly-recommended , maybe the best one of the season so far . |
527,436 | 4,445,210 | 52,618 | 10 | Deserved All The Honors | Wow , what can you say about a film that won 11 Academy Awards back in the days where the best films actually were honored , not the garbage they salute today . In other words , this film lives up to its reputation and has to be ranked as one of the most memorable movies of all time . Nobody who ever saw this film ever forgot the chariot race , for instance , perhaps the greatest action scene filmed without special effects . This can be a very sad film as well . I doubt if I've ever watched this without a few tears in my eyes at certain points . The scenes with hero's mother and sister suffering with leprosy are still some of the most heart-wrenching scenes I've ever witnessed on film . They can just tear you apart . The combination of drama , action and romance , along with very involving storyline is aided by an incredible soundtrack , once again one of the best ever put on film . The more one hears this music , the more was is moved by it . To fully appreciate the cinematography in this film I recommend you purchase the recently-released 4-disc DVD special edition which also includes the first rendition of this story , the silent movie " Ben-Hur : A Tale Of The Christ . " That was name of the book , by the way , the second part of the title being left off the 1959 movie as Hollywood slowly began deemphasizing Christianity in films . However , there is a reverence for Jesus Christ in this film , which should be there since it's a key element of the storyline , even though most folks forget that . In summary , this is about as good an example as ever found of what is labeled an " epic " movie . It's an incredible story transferred memorably on screen . |
525,337 | 4,445,210 | 26,210 | 10 | Fantastic - Really Good Sight Gags | After the first few minutes it looked like this was going to be a fairly weak Popeye cartoon but - wow - it got terrific and stayed that way until the end . The attraction : a lot of legitimately funny and clever sight gags . There is no Bluto in this one , which is a nice change-of-pace but we have a villain , a mustachioed-guy who looks like the old silent-era villain " Oil Can Harry " who would tie up women and leave them on the railroad tracks . Here , this villain is handcuffed early on by Wimpy , who is a cop , believe it or not . However , predictably , Wimpy is inept and quickly he loses the criminal he has handcuffed to him when he gets distracted by - you guessed it - hamburgers . The crook just happens to have a coat full of skeleton keys and other escape mechanisms so he splits and heads for the nearby Popeye's Pawn Shop That's where the real fun starts and I wouldn't want to spoil it . Suffice to say you see a lot of wild scenes between the criminal , Popeye and Olive and some duels you can't believe . The name of this cartoon refers to all the various weapons these guys use in their duels . To this day , this is a very original material which I haven't seen on any other cartoons . |
523,468 | 4,445,210 | 352,248 | 10 | ' Seabiscuit ' In Human Form | Wow , this was an involving story and the best boxing movie I think I've ever seen , and I've seen most of them . It's an old-fashioned underdog rags-to-riches sports story about a very likable hero , heavyweight boxer James J . Braddock , played fantastically by Russell Crowe . This is another " Seabiscuit , " meaning a true-life tale of longshot going up against extraordinary odds . More than the boxing , however , this is a great family story of a devoted husband and father and a loving , supporting wife and mother . That's the crux of this biography , more than the boxing angle . Nothing but the highest of morals and ethics are espoused by our hero here , who would starve himself rather see his children miss a meal , while teaching his kids honesty and unselfishness and doing whatever it took to take care of his family . Renee Zellweger also shines as Braddock's wife . After a string of some sleazy roles , it's nice to see Zellweger play this type of character . The two make an inspiring couple which is refreshing to see in this age of cynical film-making . This is another reason why I label this an old-fashioned story . The primary subject's strengths , not flaws , are emphasized . Is it exaggerated ? Probably , but I have no complaints seeing a good guy look better instead of worse . One gets tired of the modern-day age of the " anti-hero . " It's nice once again to see a good man propped up instead of shot down . The third major character in the film is " Joe Gould " ( Paul Giamatti ) , Braddock's trainer and loyal friend . Unfortunately , he spits out the Lord's name in vain so many times I lost count , the only objectionable aspect of this film . But Gould was the kind of friend every guy would want . Craig Bierko gets fourth billing as Max Baer , the reigning heavyweight champ whom Braddock has to beat to get the title . Now here is where I would not be surprised if his movie character was nothing like real life because Hollywood has to have a " bad guy " to counteract the " good guy " so here it is Baer , the last obstacle in the way of Braddock's quest to be heavyweight champion . Whatever the real Baer was like I don''t know but I know Bierko does a great job in this role . The boxing scenes , supervised by real-life Hall Of Fame trainer Angelo Dundee , are lifelike and well-done . Crowe did a wonderful job of imitating Braddock's ring style . The story isn't the only thing that is entertaining . Visually , this is a wonderful treat for your eyes . It's simply beautiful and director Ron Howard really excelled in capturing the 1930s Depression era with some beautifully muted colors . The sets are fantastic and the clothing , cars , buildings , etc put you smack in the middle of the 1930s . There are great production values in this film and the DVD does it all justice with a fabulous transfer on widescreen DVD . |
524,790 | 4,445,210 | 650,607 | 10 | The Wildest Wedding Ever | This is a wild story that begins with an obnoxious cameraman assigned to photograph a wedding threatening someone on the phone . Minutes later , he is clubbed over the head with a rock and dumped into a mud bath . It's the same wedding that Natalie has to go to the next day as it is her brother being married . It seems Natalie comes from very rich parents , ones who have alienated her and ones whom she doesn't associated much with . Nevertheless , she's there and with Randy as her date because he's the only guy she can get after her real date canceled out at the last minute with an appendicitis . Anyway , not long after they are there , Randy gets run over by a car . The act was deliberate . Then , the corpse pops up after a woman goes in for mud-bath . Wow - what next ? Obviously , this was a very entertaining episode full of interesting scenes . Ashley Williams was fascinating as Teresa , the woman marrying Natalie's brother . |
527,467 | 4,445,210 | 122,690 | 10 | Fabulous International Cast Just One Of Many Good Things | Here's another of my favorite films , movies that get better and better with each viewing . One thing I've always enjoyed here from the first time I saw this movie is it features the best ( and longest ! ) car chase scene I've ever seen on film . But the movie is far more than just spectacular car chases ( there are two incredible ones , not just the one noted above . ) . It offers an interesting story that remains interesting with each viewing . That's because it's a bit confusing , a la " Mission Impossible , " so each time you see it , you figure more and more out . There also are tons of twists to this crime story . It also features a wonderful international cast " American Robert De Niro , Frenchman Jean Reno , Britain's Sean Bean and Natascha McElhone ( both of whom are better playing Irishmen , as they do here ) and Swede Stellan Skargsgard . All of them are top-flight actors , as you know . As a bonus , I get to see Olympic skating champion Katarina Witt , from Germany . eAlso , it's directed by John Frankenheimer , a man who makes some of the most entertaining films I've ever watched . Speaking of watching , De Niro and Reno are my two favorite guys to watch in this thriller . The French scenery - rural and urban - is also terrific . The action is not overdone and the only scene in the film I didn't care for was the gruesome one in which a bullet is taken out of De Niro . It's just too detailed and unpleasant to view but , with a DVD , can be skipped rapidly . The soundtrack also is outstanding . The Chinese instrument that plays here and there is fantastic . I've heard it before in a couple of Yanni concerts . This is a high quality crime movie and is very highly recommended . This was the first DVD I ever bought ( in 2000 ) and I couldn't have gotten by DVD collection off to a better start ! |
523,753 | 4,445,210 | 167,139 | 10 | The Forerunner Of ' Unplugged ' Concerts | I remember seeing this when it was televised on MTV - the only time I ever watched a complete show on that network . It was a pleasure to get it on DVD later in the ' 90s and watching it on tape for several years . It's always enjoyable to watch and listen to , even though I've viewed it many times almost over 15 years . The more you watch this , the better it gets . With some good speakers , you can hear all the instruments which is a big advantage to the DVD format . The sound made some low-key songs really come alive . This is a nice mellow-sounding concert and most of the songs grow on you . It's presented in such a classy form that it provides something different : blues / rock ' n roll in a quieter format . This was so successful that other performers copied it with their " unplugged " concerts . There are many familiar faces with Clapton here and I particularly enjoyed Chuck Leavell on keyboard . On " Old Love , " he gives one of the better piano solos I've ever heard . Leavell is best-known as the keyboard man for the Rolling Stones . Meanwhile , percussionist Ray Cooper is the most fun guy to watch . It's doubtful a drummer ever had as much fun as he does in concerts , especially when he's showing off with the tambourine . All the band members from Clapton on down look like nice guys who are thoroughly enjoying themselves in this concert . . . . . and it shows in the music . One of Clapton's best ! |
522,311 | 4,445,210 | 113,107 | 10 | I Wish More People Could See This | This is one of the great " unknowns " in the movie world : a great film seen by very few people . I'm still waiting for the DVD but not holding my breath . Thankfully , my VHS is still good . But like anything good , we'd like to share this with others and most people have never heard of this movie . For those sensitive souls who enjoy a fascinating portrait of an unusual person or persons that is both sad and uplifting , this is your ticket . It has both , in spades . . . . . a haunting film you can't forget . It's a tragic tale yet has a happy ending of sorts and leaves you feeling satisfied . What it is , and I can't remember if it is based on real-life situation , is the story of a woman who has a dwarf for a son and what happens to the two of them , beginning in France , moving to Ireland , over to the United States and then back to Ireland . Along the way , the mother , played so sadly by French actress Anne Parillaud ( the original La Femme Nikita ) , gets involved with two men : Gabriel Byrne and Matt Dillon . All three of these adults are really interesting , likable people , but nothing like the dwarf , who is played magnificently by two actors . Alan Pentony plays " Frankie " has a child and a more lovable kid would be hard to find . Corbin Walker does a great job of playing the adult " Frankie . " Trust me : you will not forget either of them . Walker narrates the film , telling it mostly in flashback style , from his best-selling book . In addition to his mom and the two father-figures in his life , is a short story of Frankie's love affair with astronomy and the stars , hence " Frankie Starlight . " The only profane character in the movie is the book publisher who has two short scenes . That , and two quick sex scenes , give it the " R " rating . Otherwise , this is wonderful old-fashioned storytelling , the kind that makes you really care about the characters . |
522,918 | 4,445,210 | 87,781 | 10 | The Ultimate Sports Fantasy Movie | This is THE classic sports-Walter Mitty-fantasy movie , with an ending that may seem corny to cynical critics or those who prefer the book , but was perfect for me and a lot of other people . Granted , I am a little biased in my review since the movie was made in the area in which grew up . Having made many trips to the ballpark in which the movie was filmed , and to the old-fashioned soda shoppe where Robert Redford and Glenn Close re-unite , this movie was special to all of us in Western New York . It always a kick , too , ( and a bit odd ) to watch the final scene since the opposing pitcher is a personal friend . I think I would have loved this movie regardless of the " home-field advantage . " It's an interesting , involving story that has you really rooting for Redford's character . To have actors like Close , Robert Duvall , Richard Farnsworth , Kim Basinger , Wilfred Brimley , Darren McGavin , Barabara Hershey , Robert Prosky , Joe Don Baker and others in the " lineup " doesn't hurt , either ! The cinematography is beautiful , too . That was something I never really appreciated until after several viewings . There are some wonderfully subdued brown and golden hues in here . This is very pretty motion picture . All the characters - the good and the bad , and there are plenty of both - are fascinating . It's also nice to see an actor in a baseball film that actually knows how to throw , hit and field a baseball . This is a great , old-fashioned storytelling . |
526,780 | 4,445,210 | 1,178,742 | 10 | ' It Ain't Over ' Til The Bearded Fat Lady Sings ' | It's lines like the one I used in the subject head that help make this program so consistently entertaining . It isn't just a true-life crime story ; it's humor , sarcasm , cynicism and overt bias you either love or hate that all make these " Confidentials " fun to watch . Sometimes they are maddening and frustrating but they are almost always entertaining . The reason the writers added " bearded " to the expression " It's not over until the fat lady sings " was that this was a story about carnival workers and a crime that took place in their community in Gibsonton , " a small , sweaty town between Sarasota and Tampa . " This is the place the " carnies " stay when their traveling season is over , a place to call home . This is a place , as narrator Paul Winfield states , " where ' normal ' is not a word heard often around town . " Here , you might have an elephant in the back yard of your neighbor , or a tiger , or a giant or a dwarf . . . . . or a man who has lobster claws for hands and feet . More specifically , you might have Grady Stiles , " Lobster Boy , " at one time , residing with his kids . That was fine for everyone in town ; they loved Stiles . He was a great guy , they all said . That is , all but his family . No , they painted him as a horrible wife and child abuser , a mean drunk who got violent after he began drinking . That's the story , in a nutshell : his wife and son plot to have Grady killed one night because they simply can't take his beatings anymore . The son has two of his friends help with one doing the actual killing . The mom , Mary Teresa , hires a high-profile lawyer and it looks like the jury might sympathize with her plight . What happens at the trial is really bizarre , at least the key part which was a home movie of the " Lobsterman " in action . Even though I attached the " spoilers " warning , I won't say for fear of ruining this for anyone who hasn't this strange episode , one of the odd ones of this TV crime series . With a cast of characters as odd as the old freak shows at the circus , this episode is different from " normal . " |
527,456 | 4,445,210 | 113,071 | 10 | First Knight Is First Class | A very pleasing all-around movie is how I found this Knights Of The Roundtable-type story and a good one for DVD , even one that's been on disc for quite some time . For an early DVD , this was a real treat for the ears with some great rear - speaker sound . The story , however , not the sound , was the main appeal of this film for me . The three main stars in this movie were very appealing : Richard Gere as the cocky-but-good guy Sir Lancelot ; Julia Ormond as Guinevere and Sean Connery , aptly cast as King Arthur . He certainly looks and acts the part , as does Ben Cross as the villain , Prince Malagant . This is a straight adventure story , too , with none of the hocus-pocus sorcery baloney who often see in these King Arthur stories . This is beautifully filmed with a city of Camelot that is awesome to view . Nice values in here , too , with - gasp - the importance of prayer mentioned . No wonder so many reviewers out there hated this message . This is simply a classy , great adventure and highly recommend to literally everyone who values a nice story that has values . |
523,985 | 4,445,210 | 964,487 | 10 | Three Excellent Stories | This was an excellent episode with some memorable finishes . The Unit is in Jerusalem where they are being quizzed on how to combat a suicide bombing attack on Washington . The clue to figuring out " the answer " is to study ancient history . Bob , the college grad , leads the study by examining an old Roman military situation . It actually gets a little complicated but is somewhat interesting . The suspenseful part involves " Mr . White , " who is really Unit member " Charles Grey " ( Michael Irby ) who was off on a sexual escapade with a gorgeous Israeli agent out in some ancient ruins . Unfortunately for those two , they wind up being interrupted by terrorist bombers who are going to blow up a school bus full of kids the following morning . How do they stay undetected and then stop these guys ? That's the main part of this episode . In a third story , back at the base , Tiffy and her daughter accidentally wind up in possession of a very rare coin worth thousands and thousands of dollars . They have a bit of moral dilemma as to whom the coin really belongs to , and that turns out to be a very interesting story with a big twist at the end . |
525,504 | 4,445,210 | 26,573 | 10 | It's Really Coney Island And It's One Wild Ride ! | Bluto The Great does it all - at least at the Mardi Gras , where signs are all over proclaiming that Bluto will walk a high wire while swallowing 20 knives . Then , he's dive 100 feet in a " thimbleful " of water while shaving at the same time ! Wow , that's what I call a great act . Before that , he even entertains the big crowd around him by singing , " I Am King Of the Mardi Gras . " Popeye is nearby singing " I Am Popeye The Sailor Man " but he has no crowd listening to him , except for Wimby eating a hamburger . Both songs are the same melody ; just different lyrics . One of the lyrics Bluto sings mentions " I am the king here at Coney , " meaning Coney Island , off New York City . There is a big amusement park with a roller-coaster in the background . So . . . . is the New York or is it New Orleans ? Did Coney Island host a " Mardi Gras Day " or was this a mistake ? I suspect the former , just a day at Coney celebrating Mardi Gras . At any rate , the cartoon offers a little of everything : songs , humor and a ton of sight gags , from tattoos that come to life to some incredibly wild magic tricks to an amazing three-minute chase scene on the big coaster . All in all , as you can , tell was an extremely entertaining Popeye episode . |
527,258 | 4,445,210 | 61,086 | 10 | Extremely Funny ' Inspector ' ' Effort - Maybe The Best | This was an outstanding episode , maybe the best of The Inspector that I have seen so far ( out of about a dozen ) . There is a purse snatcher on the loose and the Commissioner wants him captured because the crook had the audacity to steal his wife's purse ! Deux-Deux has the idea of the Inspector dressing up as a woman to then nabbing the thief when he tries to grab " his " purse . The Inspector gets all dressed but then thinks twice about looking like a woman and tells Deux-Deux he will have to do it . Before he gets his female clothes off , however , things begin to happen and the fun starts . Without spoiling anything , I'll just say this turned out to be a great slapstick-like story with The Inspector , the Commissioner and the Commissioner's wife all getting involved with some very , very good sight gags . This one always is beautifully drawn . It's on the DVD " The Pink Panther Classic Cartoon Collection , Vol . 6 - Inspector Cartoons . " Don't miss this one ! |
525,068 | 4,445,210 | 810,095 | 10 | Nothing Tops This Is , If You Like SRV | I read someone say once that if you really want a composite of what Stevie Ray Vaughan was all about , musically , all you need is this DVD . I totally agree . I have a half dozen SRV discs or tapes but nothing tops this . You get two concerts , one on each disc . The first is the " controversial " 1982 concert at Montreux ( in Switzerland ) and the other is the 1985 return trip to Montreux . The first was " controverial " in the reception Vaughan and his band received during and immediately after the performing : booing ! It is shocking to hear . I've never heard an artist booed on a disc put out for public release , but it's in here . ( There were a lot of cheers , too . ) Of course , the booing and catcalls were totally unwarranted . The band was excellent and Stevie was tremendous , but the crowd was expecting what they had heard all day : quiet , acoustic blues guitar . When SRV turned up the amps and did his thing , some of them didn't like it . Nonetheless , I liked it and chances are you will , too , if you are a fan of his , or simply blues / rock . What I liked best were a couple of his long , slow numbers , such as " Dirty Pool . " On that disc is a documentary , with band members Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon , discussing that ' 82 concert and what happened afterward . Jackson Browne also gives his take on his participation in helping out SRV and the band . It's pretty interesting . By 1985 , the crowd knew all about SRV and gave him a great reception and he put on the best show , perhaps , I have ever seen him ( and the band ) do - just electrifying . In fact , there are four straight numbers - Tiny Pan Alley ( a . k . a . Roughest Place In Town , Look At Little Sister , Voodoo Chile and Texas Flood - that are done so well that I had tears in my eyes . That is THE best version Vaughan has ever done on the Jimi Hendrix number ( Voodoo Chile ) and you have to just see and hear this to believe it . SRV pulls out all the stops , doing things with a guitar I've never seen before . Trust me on this one : this is the Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble DVD to get , above all others . |
527,257 | 4,445,210 | 61,142 | 10 | An Outstanding Episode Which Takes Us Around The World | This was an excellent " Inspector " cartoon , maybe the best one I've seen so far out of a dozen . It featured fantastic artwork and a fun story as our two guys - Inspector Clouseau and Deux-Deux - literally traverse the globe in search of a secret agent . That " secret agent " has an important message to tell the Inspector , which could save his life . Each time the latter and his pal go to a city , something happens and they have to rendezvous somewhere else . Finally , they meet in a hut in the jungles of Naiorobi , only to find out the " agent " is a different kind of agent ( who is a takeoff on British actor Terry Thomas , an actor who became well-known in the 1960s . ) It's on the DVD " The Pink Panther Classic Cartoon Collection , Vol . 6 - Inspector Cartoons . " Note : June Foray did some quick voice-work in here as a Marlene Dietrich-type spy . Unfortunately , she only had one quick scene . |
524,461 | 4,445,210 | 43,479 | 10 | Fantastically Funny and Good Artwork , Too | The graphics set this one up . We see decked-out cowboy Daffy Duck riding on a beautiful horse and the screen reads : " Western-type hero . " Following him is Porky Pig riding a donkey . It says , " Comic Relief . " Then , after some Monument Valley-type scenery , we see " Lawless Small Town . " The sign says , " Snake-Bite Center : population 350 , which quickly changes to 349 followed by another sign that comes out saying , " sheriff wanted . " The next thing we see is the cemetery where the sign reads , " Population : 23 , 472 , 987 sheriffs . " You get the picture . This is a rough town where the small ice-cream booth is called " Custard's Last Stand " and horses are even shooting each other ! Daffy is going to clean up this " one-horse town . " Well , he does . . . . . . sort of . This is one of the funniest cartoons I have ever seen - just fabulous . Great artwork , too ! |
526,222 | 4,445,210 | 43,481 | 10 | Scout's Honor , This Is Another Very Good Droopy Cartoon | You have to laugh just looking at Spike here in the opening scenes of this Droopy cartoon . In this story , he's apparently a hobo and he's been kicked off a train . He has a little derby on and is smoking a half-cigar . After getting the boot , he winds up next to some Boy Scout and overhears that the winner of a contest between these two finalists will get to meet the President of the United States . Oh , boy - that's for him ! One of the finalists , of course , is Droopy . The other one is , well , it doesn't matter because Spike quickly grabs him , puts on his little uniform ( Spike looks like he's wearing what young girls wear today - half an outfit ) and is ready to battle Droopy for the big award . ( Odd that nobody notices the change in scouts ! ) Spike does the usual , trying to sabotage Droopy at every turn . We get funny scenes involving lightning , wild life photography , Spike imitating a " damsel in distress " in one scene and later , an old lady crossing a street and a baby on the top of the " Umpire State Building " as the action switches from rural to urban . One funny line ( there isn't much dialog in Droopy cartoons ) after Spike is burned to a crisp : " Hey , Blackie . Any more babes in there ? " |
526,995 | 4,445,210 | 342,965 | 10 | He Should Have Just Left Things Alone ! | This also is known as " Scrat's Missing Adventure . " Scrat's obsession with his having his nuts organized just right turns out to be his undoing in this crazy animated short , included in the " Ice Age DVD . " This little squirrel became a big hit in the feature film and was awarded with a much bigger role in the sequel . He's now part of the Ice Age gang , if you will . This bonus short shows that he had built up quite a collection of acorns in a hollow tree . But , for some strange reason - call it " perfectionism , " that last acorn won't stay put where it is supposed to be . It keeps popping out . Instead of just leaving it as it is , which wouldn't have changed anything , Scrat goes out of his way to make it all look good . . . . . and disaster is the result . What happens when his little nest of acorns is disrupted is too wild to describe here . It has to be seen to be believed . Of course , it's outrageous but it's a cartoon , and it is fun to watch . P . S . I viewed it a second time after writing the above review . . . . and enjoyed it even more . This time I really appreciated all the funny noises Chris Wedge made , as Scat the squirrel . |
522,763 | 4,445,210 | 35,813 | 10 | The Is Classic Stooges - Tons Of Gags | Get the tools ? What tools ? " The tools we've been using for the last 10 years ! " " Oh , those tools . " Sound familiar ? Well , that's just one of my lines used in the popular Three Stooges film . The first four minutes of this are full of " carpenter " gags with the classic scene in which Curley almost saws Moe head with a buzz saw . Moe takes a real beating , plummeting at one point through the floor to the next one . When he gets upset , Larry says , " Aw , you only fell 14 feet . Whaddya getting sore for ? ? " While beating each other up , a man enters th room and tells them the police have accepted their applications to be detectives , so they report to the station . At the same time , the local paper's headline reads , " Mysterious Burgarlies Panic City - Police Shakeup As Ape Man Strikes Again . " The boys begin their search at night for the ape man-crook at the " Gysom Good " antiques store . In the dark and spooky store , Curly gives us some of his classic routines , such as the cat and the rocking chair , and the hat on his foot with Curly thinking it's a person ( much better seen than briefly explained ) . The chase scene with the gorilla , the real crooks and our three boys is hilarious . There are a lot of puns used in this story , and Moe uses a lot of funny insulting names to his two partners . Curly calls the ape " a real chininy-panzee ! " This is another of the better Three Stooges Classics . Of the DVDs I have of them , each with six episodes , this one - " Cops and Robbers " - is one of the best . |
525,274 | 4,445,210 | 104,691 | 10 | One Of The Greatest Adventure Films Ever | This was one of those movies I didn't expect that much when I first saw it so I was pleasantly surprised . Since then , it has skyrocketed to nearly the top on my list of all-time favorite films . I can't think of too many other adventure films that are better . Just a great , great movie . It boasts an interesting story filled with intense characters , beautiful scenery , a fantastic score , good action and a nice romance . So . . . . there is a lot to like about this Michael Mann-directed film . The action scenes are quite realistic , and border on being almost too prevalent , to be fair . However , even if it may be a little too intense or frequent , the action is always interesting and varied , from all-out assaults to individual battles . The story takes place in Eastern New York State but , in reality , was filmed in beautiful Smokey Mountain areas in Asheville , N . C . This movie looks spectacular and with an epic , sweeping soundtrack is quite a feast for the eyes and ears . The eye candy includes a handsome leading couple : Daniel Day-Lewis and Madeline Stowe . Wes Studi is mesmerizing as the " bad guy . " If you liked him in " Geronimo : An American Legend , " you'll like his work here . If you are fairly young and only know Michael Mann through his crime movies like " Heat " or " Collateral , " please check this earlier film out . It could be Mann's best , which is saying a lot . |
525,180 | 4,445,210 | 35,832 | 10 | The Endearing Little Hound Off To A Great Start ! | I love the opening to this cartoon ; an introduction , if you will , to the great character named " Droopy . " Here he was called " The Happy Hound " but that changed quickly into the name we Droopy fans are all familiar with . Anyway , we see a bunch of dogs racing out of " Swing Swing Prison , " chasing an escaped convict . Trailing the pack is a very slow hound , who turns to us with his very downcast voice , asks , " Hello , are you happy people ? You know what ? I'm the hero . " Then , he just slowly saunters away . That's his introduction to us . Bill Thompson does a fantastic job with our hero's depressing-sounding voice . One of the most endearing aspect of these cartoons is Droopy giving asides to us , the audience . They're almost always hilarious . An early example in here : he and another dog bark at each other and the other dog walks away . Droopy turns to us and explains , " Just dog talk " and moves on . The gag in this story is the escaped convict being dogged by Droopy everywhere he tries to hide from the cops . The dog appears out of nowhere , even hundreds of miles away - in a flash . ( You really have to see it to appreciate the humor . ) This isn't just a cartoon which provides sight gags . It has that , plus a lot of puns , funny " asides " to the the viewers , comments on people and society , a sexy woman who gives us a good song . . . . just a ton of entertainment from start to finish . Even when the jokes are corny , they admit it on screen to us ! |
522,244 | 4,445,210 | 140,352 | 10 | Just Great Film-making . . . . . . Period | Not always , but usually a Michael Mann-directed film means good things for movie buffs , and this is no exception . Tremendous acting highlights this movie about a behind-the-scenes look at a " 60 Minutes " story of a man who blows the whistle on a tobacco company . Al Pacino , as the TV show producer " Lowell Bergman , " Russell Crowe as the whistle-blower and tobacco scientist " Dr . Jeffrey Wiegand , " and Christopher Plummer as " Mike Wallace " all are riveting in their performances . They are intense characters , as are many of the supporting characters in this involving film . There is little action in here but a ton of tension in the first hour of this long ( 158 min . ) film . The story held my interest even when the tension left , thanks to the acting , the great cinematography , involving music score . . . . well , just about everything . It's simply a well-done movie , similar to Mann's " Heat , " except without the violence . The only negative was the obvious Liberal bias , but that's not surprising being it's about " 60 Minutes . " I wasn't surprised when Ken Starr got a cheap shot , for example . This film bias could have been a lot more blatant so I'm not complaining . Obviously , they went a overboard in their stand against the tobacco industry , repeating the same damaging scenes over and over . However , I appreciated they didn't shrink from pointing out how the network was covering its own behind even though it was hurting its most successful program . Photographer Dante Spinelli did an incredible job making this look fantastic despite the fact that there was no great scenery or exotic sets . As mentioned , this is just great film-making . What else can you say ? |
527,542 | 4,445,210 | 1,338,677 | 10 | What We've Come To Expect From ' Sid ' - Laughs | Sid the Sloth , a hilarious co-star in the Ice Age animated feature films , stars in this short . . . . . and doesn't disappoint . This is one funny sloth , and one humorous and clever cartoon . We get a " cameo " from " Scat , " too , which is always a good thing . Also , the artwork is spectacular , at least on Blu-Ray . This really looks fantastic . Sid's a camp counselor here and - you guessed it - a pretty inept one . The kids are wise-guys but Sid has a few zingers , too , giving one kid " a merit badge for whining . " John Leguizamo does his normal superb job of voicing " Sid . " He has a couple of his children doing voice-work in here , too , according to the ending credits . In the end , we find out how Sid was instrumental in forming the Grand Canyon . I kid you not . I saw this as a bonus feature on the " Horton Hears A Who " Blu-Ray DVD . If you have the DVD , don't miss this feature ; you'll really laugh . |
522,855 | 4,445,210 | 871,442 | 10 | The Best-Looking and Sounding Concert On DV | Two words describe this concert and DVD : " THE BEST ! " On tape here is the final night of the Roxy band's reunion concert in October of 2001 in London . This , like lead singer Bryan Ferry's 1989 Newton concert tape , is fabulous , featuring nothing but great songs , great musicians and great visuals . This concert is even better - in fact , the best concert DVD ( or tape ) I have ever watched , and I've seen maybe 50-75 . I watched this 10 times in the first month I owned it . I've watched in now for several years and still think it's great . In a nutshell , I have such a high opinion of this DVD because it combines great music with tremendous visuals . If there is a better job of filming an indoor concert , I'd like to see it . The editing , sharp picture , dazzling colors and fun performers / musicians and dancers are a real treat . The concert features the Roxy Music band's regular performers for many years , meaning Ferry , guitarist Phil Manzanera saxophonist Andy MacKay , pianist Colin Good and drummer Paul Thompson . ( Although the documentary said it had been almost 20 years since those guys were all together ) . Added to the mix are guitarist Chris Spedding , and two great - looking and extremely talented female musicians , Julia Thornton ( percusssion and keyboards ) and Lucy Wilkins ( violin and keyboards ) . Thornton is stunning to look at it - a real knockout - and Wilkins is fun to watch with her dancing when she isn't playing an instrument . Also , a third female addition , Sarah Brown , is great on vocals and I'm sorry she didn't do her solo on " Jealous Guy , " as she did on the CD . Zev Katz provides solid bass play but is a low-key guy who stays in the background . In addition to his singing , Ferry shows talent on keyboards , harmonica and whistling ! Each musician is outstanding and given opportunities to show his or her talent . Manzanera has the most guitar work and solos but I loved Spedding's one featured solo on the best of all in the concert . The steady beat , thanks in large part to Thompson's strength on drums , and mellow-ish music all make for a unique sound unlike any other I've ever heard . I don't think these guys were as good when they were young but they've honed talents and now excel in the instruments they play . They ( the regulars ) are all probably in their mid 50s . Combine that with the great camera-work and you have a concert on DVD that is hard to beat . If only they all were filmed this well ! |
527,519 | 4,445,210 | 971,465 | 10 | The Tongue , The Mafia & The Sandman Make For A Shocking Story | The Golden Tongue ? " The Chicago Horse Mafia ? " " The Sandman ? " Yup , there all in this odd true-life crime story that took 20 years to solve and still hasn't had total closure as the murder victim still hasn't been found . She - Helen Brach - was also the richest lady ever to just vanish off the planet ( or at least , the USA ) . Since this is a story of the love of money - greed - let's start with " The Golden Tongue . " That would be Richard Bailey , named so for his talented ability to sweet-talk rich older ladies out their money . Bailey made a career of it . Once asked how he could be intimate with all of these older , unattractive-but-rich women , Bailey answered : " I just shut my eyes and think of money . " Bailey , a con man from way back , looked like he hit the jackpot when he met Mrs . Brach , who inherited 20 million dollars when her husband - the founder of Brach's Candies - died in 1970 . Bailey met Brach in ' 73 , got her into his confidence and then fleeced her out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in the horse business . These are equestrian horses and the area is Barrington Hills , just north of Chicago and known as " horse country . " You'd think you were in Kentucky since the scenery looks the same despite being a half-hour drive from the hustle-and-bustle of Chicago . Unfortunately for the area , the " Chicago Horse Mafia " had been running things for quite awhile which mean a lot of scams . The two main ones were selling poor horses to naive millionaires ( Bailey's specialty ) and killing poor-performing horses to get the insurance money . Events were rigged and horse people from the East and West generally avoided this area because of the reputation it had . " The Sandman " was part of this mafia . He was the guy that killed a lot of horses , electrocuting many of them in ways you don't want to know about . It's pretty disgusting . Anyway , in the long run - condensing this fascinating story - Tommy Burns , a . k . a . The Sandman - got caught with his criminal activity elsewhere years later and wound up spilling his guts to law enforcement . When the dust had settled , 23 people , including a number of well-to-do citizens in Barrington Hills , were found guilty of various crimes . The trial took place in the mid 1990s - about 20 years after Mrs . Brach disappeared . What exactly happened to Helen Brach ? Well , when she finally got wind of Bailey's crookedness and how she had been taken for so much money , she confronted him and was going to spill the beans to anyone who would listen . . . . . and people would listen to a lady like Mrs . Brach . The only problem is that one February morning in 1976 she disappeared . All traces of her , to this day , have never been found . Who would believe that equestrian horse events - not horse racing - could be this rife with corruption , and in such a magnificent area as Barrington ? This was a shocker . |
522,312 | 4,445,210 | 113,277 | 10 | One Of The Best Crime Films Ever | I really believe this is one the great crime movies of all time . It has some drawbacks that wouldn't make me recommend this for family viewing - tons of f - words by Al Pacino and a few bloody scenes , but as far as a fascinating crime story : wow ! This movie made modern-day history because it was the first time two of the great actors of this generation - Pacino and Robert De Niro - finally acted together in the same film . Those two didn't disappoint , either . They were great to watch and one of the huge highlights of the film , to me , was when they faced each other in a simple conversation over a cup of coffee . That conversation has always fascinated me , no matter how many times I've heard it . It was such a " landmark " scene that It's even the subject of a short documentary on the special-edition DVD . As with the conversation scene , the shootout segment in the streets of Los Angeles still astounds me no matter how many times I see it . The other action scenes are intense and memorable , too , and the cast in here is deep . This isn't just Pacino and De Niro . It's Val Kilmer , Ashley Judd , Jon Voight , Diana Venora , Natlie Portman , Tom Sizemore , Amy Brenamann , Wes Studi , Ted Levine , Mykelti Williamson , on and on . Put that fabulous cast under Michael Mann , one of the best directors in business , add a great soundtrack and interesting camera-work and you have a great film . At three hours long , it never bores one and at same time , doesn't overdo the action , either . I read one critic criticize this film because of the time taken to examine the personal lives of the main characters , but you can't have three hours of nothing but action . The only scene I felt went on a bit too long was the ending chase at the airport , but that's nitpicking considering the film as a whole . This is just one of those movies where a great cast and director live up to their billing . |
523,545 | 4,445,210 | 60,885 | 10 | Very Humorous Dialog Makes This One Of The Better Series Episodes | Very clever dialog is the highlight of this " Inspector " cartoon . The conversations between The Inspector and his partner Deux-Deux are very good - with the running gag of " si " versus " oui " - but the conversations between the two main villains are even better . In this one , we have a big clam and his lobster partner . If that sounds ridiculous , it looks even more so but in a good way . To see a clam , " Captain Clamity , " with arms and legs ( one a peg-leg ) and smoking a big cigar and wearing a sailor's cap is pretty funny . When he gets nervous , he breaks out in " pearls " and spits them up . Yes , this cartoon is very weird . His partner , " Crab Louie , " is really a big lobster with big red claws . Those two characters are good with puns . The clam and the lobster are smugglers aboard a big ship . The Inspector and Deux-Deux are in a little rowboat , going out to meet the boat and grab the thieves . The rowboat is the main focus of the sight gags in this cartoon . This was only my second look at these Pink Panther-spin off cartoons and I can only hope the rest of them in this DVD collection are as entertaining as this one . ( Note : now that I've completed watching them , I found out most weren't as good as this one , but there are some excellent ones . ) You can see them all on the disc called " the Pink Panther Classic Cartoon Collection , Vol . 6 - Inspector Cartoons . |
522,816 | 4,445,210 | 60,907 | 10 | Ya Gotta Love This Dog ! | The is an excellent Pink Panther cartoon , definitely in the top echelon . Even though it was frustrating at times , as this poor innocent dog kept getting blamed for things the Pink Panther did , justice prevailed in the end . Along the route , it's simply a story of the Panther exacting revenge for the Little White Guy interrupting his sleep out in the park . The PP is way up in the branches trying to sleep with the man and his dog set up camp below . Soon , the man is in his hammock snoring away . The snoring interrupts the Panther's sleep and the cartoon from that point is a series of events in which he gets back at the guy for his snoring . How the dog gets involved is the funny part of each skit in this cartoon . He's the star of the animated short . You'll just love this dog ! |
522,971 | 4,445,210 | 351,283 | 10 | Lived Up To Good Reputation - Funny , Colorful | Here's another recently-made animated film that has two outstanding characteristics which make it a winner : 1 - consistently funny humor that adults can enjoy , and 2 - beautiful , bold colors . When a movie is both fun to hear and to watch , I have very few complaints . This movie provides a lot of enjoyment with more jokes perhaps that adults would laugh at than the kids . I can't say that for sure , since I watched it by myself . . . . but I sure got my share of laughs This is a tale of four zoo animals that wind up in the wilds . To be more precise , they go from the big zoo in New York City to the wilds of Madagascar , an island near Africa . Wherever these " guys " are - the lion , zebra , hippo and giraffe - they are entertaining . Ben Stiller and Chris Rock , voicing the lion ( " Alex " ) and zebra ( " Marty " ) , respectively , are the two main characters . Jada Pinkett Smith's hippo ( " Gloria " ) and and David Schwimmer's hypochondriac giraffe ( " Melman " ) provide solid support . The main thing is that all the characters , including supporting ones , are likable and funny in their own way . Every character is quite different . The story movies exceptionally fast so the hour-and-a-half is easy to watch . Maybe the best thing I can say is that I heard a lot of good things about this before watching it , and it lived up to its hype . That's not easy to do . |
526,436 | 4,445,210 | 35,575 | 10 | Cagney's Favorite . . . . And It Shows ! | James Cagney recalls in his autobiography that this movie was his favorite , largely due to his love of dancing . He was one of the great " tough guys " of all time on film , but dancing was his passion , he noted . It shows here . This was " a labor of love , " to use a cliché , and it's obvious how much fun he was having in this film . His hoofing talent also was obvious . He was good , very good . In fact , for the audience , most of this movie is pure " feel good . " Almost all the characters are nice people , the story is inspirational and nicely patriotic and the songs are fantastic . If you pick up the two-disc special-edition DVD that came out several years ago , then you'll see this film in all it's glory . The transfer is magnificent and really brings out the great cinematography . I never realized how beautifully filmed this was until I saw this on DVD . The story is simply the biography of George M . Cohan , the writer and Broadway star of many , many hit plays and hit songs . Unlike today's biographies , this is a very positive story about a man who brought patriotism alive during World War I with such inspirational songs as " It's A Grand Old Flag " and " Over There . " For some of us , listening to these songs can bring a tear or two . Cagney is his normal riveting self and Joan Leslie certainly makes an appealing female lead as Cohan's wife . The great Walter Huston plays Cohan's father . I've always found Huston to be an actor of great presence . In this movie is a very , very touching deathbed scene with he and Cagney . So you have a little bit of everything here from drama to romance to comedy to music and Cagney is the glue to fits it all together beautifully . One of the great classic films of all time . |
526,576 | 4,445,210 | 668,874 | 10 | Good Stuff - A Must For Fans Of This Film | How do you get grown men to cry ? Have them watch " Field Of Dreams . " How true are host Peter Gallagher's opening statements about this emotional fantasy / baseball film that is more about fathers-and-sons than the sport . What I liked about this TV episode / DVD bonus feature , covering this sentimental hit movie , was the information given on the author of the book upon which the movie is based . I also appreciated hearing about all the struggles Phil Alden Robinson went through to have this book put on film . It was amazing the amount of work he put into transforming this book into a successful movie . W . P . Kinsella wrote " Shoeless Joe , " and this movie is based on that book . An unknown author at the time , this program tells us all about Kinsella and has the author , now a gray-bearded older gentleman , discuss his work , too . It's all good stuff . I read the book 25 years ago , discovering it way back shortly after it had been published , so when the film came out I was already familiar with Kinsella's work ( plus another baseball book he had written . ) What I didn't know , of course , was how difficult it was to get this film made . I think Robinson did an incredible job , taking a very good book and making it into an even-better screenplay . This is one of those rare cases , in my opinion , where the movie is better than the book . Weather conditions - the worst drought in 62 years in Iowa - didn't help , either , nor did finding a studio that would back this story . Kudos to everyone connected to this film . I know they have all been rewarded many times over for their efforts . It was noted near the end of this feature how many people have had their lives actually affected by this film , specifically fathers and sons being reunited . For fans of this movie , this feature is a " must . " Please check it out if you own the DVD . |
522,575 | 4,445,210 | 272,864 | 10 | Only SRV Could Do Hendrix Justice | Included on this DVD is footage from two concerts , two appearances on television's " Austin City Limits . " I thought this was easily the best of the three Stevie Ray concert tapes ( DVDs ) I've seen . All of them are good , however . Most of this is from the 1989 concert but I enjoyed the three songs from the ' 83 concert the most . They seemed to be the most intense and the most impressive . The latter adjective mainly describes his work on " Voodoo Chile . " To my knowledge , Vaughan is the only guitarist to successfully imitate the late-and-great Jimi Hendrix . ( Although SRV's vocals aren't as good . ) After 40-some minutes of rocking blues and rock , there is a change-of-pace and beautifully done jazz instrumental called " Riviera Paradise . " Featured on that piece is keyboard player , " Reese Wynans , " who does an outstanding job . This is a feel-good , great music and most of it would make for a good aerobic-workout music , too . |
525,774 | 4,445,210 | 26,109 | 10 | Grampy Is A Hoot ! | Betty gets a telegram from Grampy to come over to his house " for a little party " and " come right over and bring the gang , " he adds . " Ohh , " she shrieks , and puts on her hat and heads right over . As she is singing about " Gramy's house " while strutting down the street , she is joined by people who overhear her lyrics and tag along . They literally drop everything ( i . e . piano ) and follow her . The rest of the cartoon shows the amazing inventions in Grampy's house and , believe me , they are a hoot to see and hear ( such as the clever way he produces music for the party . ) This is great stuff - a " feel-good " cartoon , if I ever saw one . |
524,494 | 4,445,210 | 113,497 | 10 | Maybe The Best Ever For Just Pure Entertainment | Among the thousands of films I have viewed , this movie would rank near the top for sheer entertainment . That's not saying it's the best-made or most intelligent or scariest or funniest or features the best effects , etc . etc . But combine all those and you have a film that's tough to beat when you're looking for 100 minutes of escapist fun . The film features some wild computer-enhanced special effects that were new to its day , but now about 10 years later , it's no big deal . In fact , some of it , such as the lion , look pretty hokey compared to the stuff that's out there now . To me , it was story that was the lure , anyway , not the special effects . Because it's so much fun , this is one of the fastest-moving films I've ever viewed . The time flies by . It's not to be analyzed or given much thought , because it's so ludicrous . You just go along for the wild ride in this fantasy-adventure and get a bunch of laughs and thrills along the way . That's one of the big attractions of this of film : the excellent combination of adventure and comedy . Are there annoying things in this movie ? Sure . To me , it was Bonnie Hunt's occult beliefs and too many OMGs and the overdone character of the hunter ( Jonathan Hyde ) . Other than that , I loved the film the first I saw it and every time afterward . I've probably viewed this movie as much as any , simply because it was so entertaining . Robin Williams , David Alan Grier and the two kids , Kristen Dunst and Bradley Pierce , were all great people to watch and share this adventure with . Now THIS is entertainment ! |
523,719 | 4,445,210 | 95,800 | 10 | Possibly The Best ' Animal Film ' Ever | Almost 20 years later , this remains the best of " animal " movies I've ever seen - where there is little dialog and animals dominate the screen . The amazing photography with the bears , the stunning cinematography overall and the great landscape ( British Columbia ) all make this a visual treat . Even better , it's an interesting story and has remained that with each of the viewings I've had of this film since discovering it in the mid ' 90s . It's a solid adventure story , and the little bear in here is lovable . The " bad guys " ( the hunters ) aren't really all that bad , either . The bears ' performances are fascinating , simply amazing . It must have taken incredible patience to film this movie . Outside of a couple of " damns , " there is no profanity and , I would think , is a great film for any age person to see . Highly recommended . |
527,160 | 4,445,210 | 148,286 | 10 | When London Was The Center Of Rock ' n Roll | The Beatles were a gift from God , says Tom Petty . This episode , fittingly , begins in Liverpool , England , the " home " of the Beatles , the most famous rock group of all time . In the very early 60s , there was a band called " The Quarrymen " which had , among others , John Lennon . To make a long story short , outsider Paul McCartney met him , began writing songs with Lennon , joined the group . . . . the rest is rock n ' roll history along with George Harrison and later Ringo Starr all became ultra-famous as the re-named Beatles . By the way , we are shown a commentary next to the building where the Quarrymen played . In that plot is a tombstone with the name " Eleanor Rigby . " We witness a 1963 concert of the Beatles doing " Twist and Shout " and the girls going berserk . Tell me something : why to 10-15-year-old girls scream at concerts ? Do they still do that ? You can barely hear the bands in this episode with these young females screaming their lungs off during the song , weeping and even fainting . It's absurd ! Whatever , more Beatles history ensues , such as The Cavern Club and Brian Epstein . " Beatlemania " was the thing , though around 1963 , especially when they first arrived in New York City . Nobody had ever seen crowds like that at the airport ! By the mid ' 60s , London was the capital of rock ' n roll , not just with music but with wild clothing stores on Carnaby Street and all the music clubs . Anyway , some other nostalgic songs enjoyed on this segment included The Beach Boys ' " I Get Around ; " The Temptations ' " You Make My Life So Sweet ; " Herman's Hermits ' " Something Tells Me I'm Into Something Good ; " Peter and Gordon's " " A World Without Love ( a song written by Lennon and McCartney ) ; " The Kinks ' " You Really Got Me ; " and a 17-year-old Marianne Faithful doing " As Tears Go By . " It good to see Marianne today discuss performing at that young age . By that time - the mid ' 60s - the Americans started countering with their own popular groups . We see The Supremes performing " You Can't Hurry Love ; " The Lovin ' Spooful doing " Do You Believe In Magic ? ; ' " The Young Rascals with " Good Lovin ; The Byrds with " Turn ! Turn ! Turn ! ; " The Mamas And The Papas ' " Creeque Alley ; " and that back to more British groups with The Who's " Can't Explain ; " The Hollies ' " Carrie-Ann " ( which really was Marianne , dedicated to Marianne Faithful ) and The Spencer Davis Group ( with Steve Winwood ) with " Keep on Runnin . ' More British groups broke out after the Beatles success . We watch a few examples , such as Gerry And the Pacemakers doing " Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying ; " Eric Burdon and The Animals with their haunting " The House Of The Rising Sun ; " The Searchers , " Needles and Pins . " ( The Searchers tell us here on this disc that they were named after the John Ford / John Wayne film of the same name . ) The Rolling Stones , " Around and Around " arrived in the US a month after the Beatles and the teen screaming and mania continued , even if " they are so ugly they are beautiful , " as one girl puts it . We see the Stones perform " Around and Around " and " I Can't Get No Satisfaction . " Boy , Mick Jagger looks young . Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane fame , had an interesting point about how all the English bands seemed to be so much better . " That's because we only saw the best of the British bands - the ones good enough to make it over here . Meanwhile , in America we saw all the good and the bad bands . " Later , the British begin to get edgy with The Who and lead guitarist Peter Townsend smashing his guitar at the end of each concert . . . but that's for a later episode . Meanwhile , the " Motown Sound " in Detroit takes off , and that's the next episode in this series . |
524,572 | 4,445,210 | 148,284 | 10 | Series Gets Off To An interesting Start | In the opening segment of this first-of - 10 episode set , a bunch of recording artists describe rock ' n roll . I like best what guitarist Rick Osasek of " The Cars " said : " Juvenile delinquents played rock ' n roll in the ' 50s and wore leather jackets ; in the ' 60s hippies played it ; in the ' 70s there was juvenile delinquents but that was an old word so they called it ' punk ; ' then they cleaned it up with New Wave and they put on a tie . . . . . . but it's all about music and songs , ya know ? Whatever songs are popular at the time . " For the remainder of the hour , we see and hear presentations by a number of singers , some extremely famous like Michael Jackson , Bruce Springsteen , The Rolling Stones ( ' 64 - wow does Mick Jagger look young ! ) , Jimi Hendrix and more . Personally , the ones I enjoyed the most were Elvis Presley singing " Money Honey ; " Muddy Waters doing " Got My Mojo Working ; " Buddy Holly on " That'll Be The Day ; " Little Richard doing a gospel number and later " Ready Teddy ; " Ruth Brown's " Mama , He Treats Your Daughter Mean ; " Louis Jordan's " Caledonia ; " Joe Turner's " Shake , Rattle and Roll ; " Ray Charles on " I Got A Woman ; " Chuck Berry's " Mabelline ; ' Pat Boone doing " Tutti Fruitti , " and Billy Haley and The Comets , " Rock Around The Clock . " I thought I knew R & R history but had forgotten that Jordan was the real " father of rock ' n roll " in the 1940s . I was surprised to hear Jagger say he and Kieth Richards liked country music as much as blues . Speaking of the British , it was a bit shocking to see how Bill Haley was so big in England , provoking riots and everything ! The longest and nicest tribute in here was for Ray Charles , who could sing anything and make it sound special . |
525,380 | 4,445,210 | 261,062 | 10 | Extremely Clever And A Lot Of Fun | The songs and the " history " of the " California Raisins " are shown in this half-hour video . . . . and it is very funny and entertaining . The California Raisins are claymation characters that it made it big with commercials on television . This " documentary " is the " story " of the animated group - some fake history of these likable raisin characters . The " history " shows how the group was formed and played ' 60s and ' 70s R & B songs , then becoming famous , as mentioned with a few television commercials in the 1980s . What's great about this are two things : the music and the humor . It takes a number of viewings to catch most of the funny visuals and hear all the puns in this short tape . It's presented more as a regular TV program would be , with commercials interrupting it , news bulletins , promotions , etc . It's very clever material . I remember all these old rock ' n roll classics , and they sound even better with these " guys " doing it ! This is good stuff , and I wish they could put it out , with all the other TV commercials , too , on DVD . |
523,434 | 4,445,210 | 43,037 | 10 | Texas Tom Is One Smooth Dude ! | Tom is lying around on the porch at the Dude Ranch when he uncovers Jerry under a flowerpot . While Jerry races away , Tom lassos him , the rope even going around the corner of the building ! Suddenly , a station wagon roars up and out comes a beautiful cowgirl , er catgirl . . . . . whatever . . . . Tom is smitten , big-time ! Tom runs back in the house and gets his best cowboy duds on and starts strutting in front of the girl , trying to impress her . He pulls out his tobacco and papers , has Jerry lick the paper , pulls out his gun and shoots it to light the cigarette . He then blows a smoke ring that says , " Howdy . " Wow , is this dude s-m-o-o-t-h ! ! Tom then serenades her ( with the cows singing the chorus ! ) . Man , he's pouring it on . Jerry , however , is ready to puke watching this spectacle . He decides to put an end to it . . . . and how ! Poor Tom takes a beating , especially from an irate steer . All in all , there are numerous laugh-out-loud scenes in this animated short - really good stuff . Great music , too , with amusing lyrics in some of the songs . |
522,820 | 4,445,210 | 104,812 | 10 | Memorable and Haunting . . . . . A Hidden Gem | Did you ever feel you " discovered " something or somebody : a real gem that none of your friends knew about ? Well , that's the way I feel about this film , a real sleeper than few people have ever heard about . When they see it - at least the friends I've shown it to - they enjoy it , too . This is an excellent romance story that's quite different , quite touching and quite haunting . This is one of the few movies that actually cost me some sleep after I first saw it one evening . The two main characters are " half-breeds , " Avik ( or " Holy Boy " ) is an Eskimo - white man and " Albertine , " an Indian-French female . Both are well-played as kids and as adults . The filmmakers did an amazing job finding two kids who really look like the two adults probably would have looked like when they were young and with the same voice inflections and accents . As adults Jason Scott Lee and Anne Parillaud are memorable . So is the cinematography , particularly the Dresden bombing scene which is simply jaw - dropping . Warning : the movie is heart-wrenching at times with not a happy ending , but I think that helps make this film so memorable , so haunting . Even the music is haunting . This is a strange , mystical movie . Either it's going to mean very little to you or it's going to be something special you'll want to see a number of times . |
523,547 | 4,445,210 | 421,459 | 10 | Soundstage : Chris Isaak ( 2003 ) - Excellent Singer & Comedian | I'm very familiar with Chris Issak's voice , having owned a half dozen or so of his CDs , but I had never seen him perform until " Soundstage " DVD . It exceeded my expectations in that I never knew Issak was such a comedian . The guy is hilarious ! Most importantly , he sang well and did some of this best songs . The only bad part of this DVD is that it is so short : the program is only 46 minutes long , enough for about 11 numbers . This guy is such a good singer and so entertaining between songs that I wish this concert was longer . I've read that people who attended this remarked it was longer but cut for this disc . When I told a good friend about this DVD , he remarked he has seen Isaak twice in concert and said they were two of the best concerts he's ever attended . They were a lot wilder and risqué than the material shown on this made-for-TV disc ( which he had also seen . ) Anyway , the songs we hear are : American Boy , Wicked Game , Go Walking Down There , Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing , Courthouse , Somebody's Crying , One Day , San Francisco Days , Forever Blue and Super Magic 2000 . The most fun was " Baby Did A Bad , Bad Thing " because Isaak did a great job with the song and added some great humor to it . |
524,972 | 4,445,210 | 923,999 | 10 | The Long Wait Was Worth It - A Fabulous Concert ! | Well , I certainly waited a long time for this ! I expected this DVD out around 2000 since the first concert tape was out n 1994 and the second in 1997 . Then , after attending his concert live n 2003 in Buffalo , k I thought that a DVD would be our for sure later that year or 23004 at the very latest . Anyway , when it finally came out late in 2006 , I wasn't disappointed . Most of the songs , thankfully , are new material . How much other new stuff I heard in the three-hour Buffalo concert that wasn't on this DVD , I don't know but I'm not complaining . There are a couple of surprises in here , such as two solo violinists , a dulcimer player , and a flashy harpist-singer . The other new people I knew sin ' 97 I had seen in that Buffalo concert . A shock was not seeing violinist Karen Briggs on this DVD . She had always been a staple in Yanni's tour concerts in the past 10 years and - next to the Yanni himself - the key performer and most recognizable one in past DVDs . I don't know what happened to her . However , Sayaka Katsuki , from Japan , who replaced her , is just fine . Katsuki and Armenian violinist Samvel Yervinyan make a dynamite duo , with the Russian being the best of th two , I think . He is fantastic . Both of them do a number of solos , in one song trading off each other . I really enjoyed the sound of Dan Landrum on hammer dulcimer . That was a nice addition to the orchestra . Still the most versatile and best musician in the entire band is Pedro Eustache , who was with Yanni in his 1997 concert in China and India . He's gained some weight and some hair since then but is still animated , talented and fun to watch . You can tell he's Yanni's right-hand man . Not far behind is keyboard player Ming Freeman , another holdover from the China concert . Trumpet player Ramon Flores was a nice surprise . I'm not a big fan of that sound , but his playing is tremendous . All the soloists are excellent . I like them all , and could go on and on . The two female singers , Alfreda Gerald , who has always been with Yanni , and newcomer Michelle Amato , both excel . Longtime drummer Charlie Adams - who played with Yanni in the first Acropolis concert DVD but not on the second , was back , but , for the first time , did not have a solo or at least one that was included on the DVD . Of the new songs , th driving-beat , fast selections seem to be the best and generate the most enthusiasm among the crowd ( and me , too . ) Songs such as " Rainmaker , " " On Sacred Ground , " " Playtime , " " For All Seasons " and " World Dance " will all have you tapping your feet , moving your hands , etc . They are great feel-good songs and perhaps the trademark of these Yanni Orchestra presentation . Of the older songs , the re-make of " Nostalgia " was tremendous , thanks to the added dramatic violin work of Yervinyan . This is just a fabulous concert , filmed in Las ? egas sometime , I think , in 2005 . I watched this 7-8 times the first two months I owned it and loved it more and more each time . I just hope the next Yanni DVD doesn't take another 9-plus years to be released . |
526,066 | 4,445,210 | 395,479 | 10 | Great Message Uniquely Presented | This is about as a nice a message as I have ever seen presented in a cartoon , and it's presented in a beautiful manner . This is just plain fun to watch but even better to hear . The message is sung and the rhyming in the lyrics is just tremendous , really enjoyable . In less than a handful minutes , we are shown and given a wonderful mini-sermon , if you will , on how to handle bad situations and life in general . There also is a plug for skin color making no difference in your attitude , either . This might be the only cartoon I ever watched , and then replayed it a few minutes later . It was so good , I wanted to hear / see it again . There are some profound words of wisdom in this , sung in a catchy ditty . The animated short is offered as one of the features in the DVD of " The Incredibles . " |
525,938 | 4,445,210 | 113,897 | 10 | Rock's Wild , Crazy & Most Memorable Period | Fortunately , I don't think most of the rock stars of this psychedelic era ( or the present ) had that snobbish attitude we hear in the opening minutes of this great episode . I'm referring to Bono's elitist opening lines : " I think that was the difference with the ' 60s is that people didn't care to explain themselves , " says Bono . " If people didn't get it by then , they weren't invited . " As one who went through this " hippie era , " this Episode Six sure brings back memories . This was a time like no other time in history . And nowhere , as it is pointed out in this episode , was it more demonstrated than in San Francisco ( with London a solid second ) . San Francisco has maintained its Far Left attitude , too , to this day . Paul Kantner of The Jefferson Airplane sums up a lot of the atmosphere and culture of the times here , with some interesting observations . He got the most air time among the interviewees , so the producers of this series apparently felt he had the best things to say about his era . Everyone interviewed here was " anti-establishment . " When seen interviewed in the late ' 60s , they were all actively promoting the use of drugs . " The more people who turn on , the better , " says the Grateful Dead's Phil Lesh . He's almost straight-looking compared to " Wavy Gravy , " one of the Merry Pranksters , who was still around for the later interviews for this Time-Life series . He still looks nuts . ( Read Tom Wolfe's " The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test " to find out who the Pranksters were . ) Sadly , a number of these rock stars overdid the drugs and died . The losers were us , the rock fans . Imagine what unique sounds Jim Hendrix could have given us the last 35 years ? In fact , this topic is discussed in the last five minutes of this show . David Crosby admits the messages of the ' 60s - although a lot of them good - did go wrong regarding drugs . All of them - and us - miss the music talents of people like Hendrix , Jim Morrison , Janis Joplin , Keith Moon and others who all overdosed and paid the ultimate price . Jerry Garcia has a number of interviews here , and he's always interesting , too . His guitar sound also is very much missed . The way people looked and dressed was a shock back then , and still looks a bit outrageous , when you see them as shown here on this DVD . It was a chaotic period , as Kantner notes , but it sure produced some great rock ' n roll music and an extremely colorful era . I thought I knew most of what went on with all the festivals , beginning with Woodstock , of course , but I admit I did not know of all the hostility at the huge Isle Of Wight concert . That was pretty shocking . Fans booed , hissed , ranted , raved and were mad protesting that the performers , promoters and such were " capitalist pigs " for charging money for the concert . Apparently the mindset among this new culture was that everything was free - free love , free drugs , free concerts , etc . It was odd to see a tearful Joni Mitchell and a few others on stage trying to deal with the hostile crowds . Overall , it was fascinating to see a lot of these rock icons of the ' 60s and early ' 70s reflecting about the era now in these 1994 interviews . What I hated to see was that every one of these singers had a cigarette in his or her hands . Warning to those people wanting to show their kids this episode : there is quite a bit of nudity and Peter Townsend of the Who gives us a lot of f-bombs . Snippets of the following songs and performers were seen on this disc : " Somebody to Love " by The Jefferson Airplane ; " Tell Mama " by Janis Joplin ; " China Cat Sunflowers " by The Grateful Dead ; " Foxy Lady " - Jimi Hendrix ; " When the Music's Over " - the Doors ; " Up on Cripple Creek " - The Band ; " Street Fighting Man " - Rolling Stones ; " I Feel Free " - Cream ; " Baba O'Riley " - The Who . From the famous Woodstock concert , we see footage of " Handsome Johnny " by Richie Havens ; " Fixin ' to Die Rag " by Country Joe and the Fish ; " Soul Sacrifice " - Santana and " Suite : Judy Blue Eyes " - Crosby , Stills & Nash ; " Down By the River " - Crosby , Stills , Nash & Young ; " Big Yellow Taxi " - Joni Mitchell ; " Voodoo Chile " - Jimi Hendrix and " Touch of Grey " - The Grateful Dead . Overall , this is a very intense part of this 10-disc series and probably the most entertaining of the lot . |
524,867 | 4,445,210 | 304,956 | 10 | Great Music That Will Endure | This concert was so successful that it led to another one several years later . What the long delay in the third video is , I have no idea but Yanni fans are getting impatient . This and the following " Tribute " tapes / discs are SO good it's been tough waiting for the third . There is a big different between Yanni's work with his small group and when he performs with a big orchestra , and this was the first evidence of that . I've watched this video / DVD now for over a decade and it's still some of the best music I've ever heard - and seen . The colors from the purples , reds , yellows , etc that change all the time on the historic Acropolis site are beautiful , almost as beautiful as the music emanating from the musicians . You can always tell Yanni's personal musicians from the rest of the orchestra : they are dressed a bit different and all have the long hair ! The most visible and electric of them all is violinist Karen Briggs , who just astounds with her playing . I never get tired of seeing her play . Here is a woman with great talent and style . She hams it up a bit , but who cares ? Speaking of hams , no one seems to mug in the spotlight more than drummer Charlie Adams , but he's so likable no one minds . He draws a big laugh in the middle of his long , impressive solo . Enjoyable , too , are the solos by bassist Rick Federrici and pianist Julie Homi , whose cat-like looks mesmerize me . There is not a bad song in the bunch in this incredible concert . I hate to sound cliché-like , but this music is so good , so classy , it will endure for a long , long time . Music like this never goes out of style . |
525,234 | 4,445,210 | 265,459 | 10 | Another Example Of A Comedian Who Can Be Effectively Serious | Robin Williams once again proves how good comedians can be at serious drama roles . Williams is especially good at playing creepy characters , as he has done several times in the last decade . Here , he plays " Sy , the photo guy , " a lonely employee in the photo department of a suburban Target / Walt-Mart / / K-Mart-whatever who lives vicariously through a nice family , whose family pictures he has developed and printed for years . So , when Sy discovers the husband of that family is cheating , he takes it personally . . . . and gets involved . This was a fascinating portrait of a deranged man and a wonderfully photographed movie . The colors in here are astounding at times and the camera-work innovative with some neat angles . The suspense of the story builds and builds one gets that old film-noir feeling of impending doom . This has a different ending , though , than most old film noirs , not exactly what the viewer might think will happen . This is a film that , as far I know , never got much publicity , but it's a gem . Williams is outstanding in his role and the hour-and-a-half you invest in this movie flies by . |
524,780 | 4,445,210 | 44,842 | 10 | You Can't Beat These ' Little Red Riding Hood ' Spoofs ! | I have to say : almost every cartoon I have seen which was a takeoff on the famous " Little Red Riding Hood " tale has been very clever and funny . . . . . and this one is no exception . Instead of the usual cast of characters , we have " Teeny , " the little mouse playing " Red " and Sylvester The Cat playing the big , bad wolf . The action takes place inside house , not in a forest , but the artists make the interior almost look like a forest . So , not only is the story humorous and pretty smart , but so is the artwork which really looks gorgeous with this Golden Collection Volume 5 " restored " version . As good as this looks , though , it's still the jokes that make this such a winner . A lot of kids wouldn't get some of wise-guy humor , which is definitely geared toward making adults laugh , and some of it is topical , too , for anyone familiar with the early ' 50s . " Red " was a wise-guy little rodent and Sylvester , was . . . well , Sylvester , who usually is pretty entertaining . I think Looney Tunes hit its peak in this period ( 1948-1954 ) with incredibly good material , and this cartoon is a prime example of good they were at this time . |
522,636 | 4,445,210 | 148,543 | 10 | Tons Of Sight Gags Make This ' Flip ' Cartoon A Lot Of Fun | There are more sight gags in here than you could ever hopefully expect in a seven-minute cartoon . It's just great stuff ; some of the best from UB Iwerks and his early Flip The Frog cartoons . I looked at some of the Volume One DVD of " Cartoons That Time Forget : The UB Iwerks Collection " and thought many were just " fair , " but this " Volume Two , " so far , is fantastic . This is the third Flip cartoon I've seen on this DVD and all three are wild and fantastic . The first two minutes of this one could easily be called , Flip the Paper Boy as we see all kinds of disasters that befall him as he tries to see newspapers on the street . Soon , an old maid comes by and offers him a nice big coin if he'll watch a baby in the carriage while she goes inside and shops . ( It was a MUCH more trusting world 75 years ago ! ) . What happens with Flip and the baby has to be seen to be believed ! You get chases , an assortment of wild animals , Turkish baths , tonics that make you turn into a superman , on and on . . . . . just insane things that happen one-after-the-other . Writing about this can't do it justice . If you enjoy insane cartoons where it is non-stop lunacy , you'll love this . |
523,463 | 4,445,210 | 781,636 | 10 | An Intense , Emotional Story | Mac is sitting in his office when he gets a call . The caller states he committed a murder awhile ago and stashed the body in the north end zone at Giants Stadium . He can't get that memory of the victim's screams out of his head and needed to confess . He hangs up and puts a gun to his head and kills himself . Wow , what an attention-getter to start this episode . Mac goes to East Rutherford , N . J . , and with cooperation from the police and CSI there , finds , indeed a skeleton buried deep in the end zone . The big story here is that Danny Messer of the CSI team is implicated in this murder and Mac must find a way to clear his name . This is a very intense story with an emotional ending . A second story as Danny and Stella checking out a murder of a bank CEO , found dead in a hotel room , apparently stabbed to death . There is a message on the bathroom mirror making this look like " a crime of passion . " This is a very seedy story and took away from the first one , which should have been the focus of the entire episode . |
525,390 | 4,445,210 | 482,857 | 10 | Very Impressive , Realistic & Involving Western | I can only hope they someone keeps making Westerns because the few that have been made the last few years have been outstanding . This one , a TV miniseries , is just great . I can't enough good things about it . I saw it recently on DVD . It was a three-hour film . I thought I read somewhere that it was four hours , so I don't know if this version has been down . I only know what I saw , and I liked about everything I saw . Looking at the IMDb reviews here before making a rental helped me out a lot . It prepared me for a slower film . In other words , I knew what to expect . . . . . and that helped . I didn't expect a rough film with a ton of violence and nasty characters , language , etc . What surprised me was just how interesting a film this was for being three hours long and not having a lot of action . I attribute this to the dialog , the acting , characters you care about and the wonderful cinematography . It's hard to beat the scenery in a nicely-filmed western . The words coming out of the two stars of the picture , Robert Duvall and Thomas Haden Church were extremely believable material . These guys were tough , but not abrasively - macho , compassionate but not sappy . As " Prentice Ritter " and " Tom Harte , " respectively , they fascinating to watch . I liked what they said throughout the movie and they were extremely believable characters . They looked and talked the part . This story is different because it's mainly about helping five young Chinese women , who are destined for prostitution , slavery and who knows what else . Ritter and Harte didn't volunteer for the job ; it accidentally came upon them as they were escorting horses North for a nice payday . The two men showed wonderful compassion for these girls , despite the fact they slowed their mission down and had a problem with communication . There has to be some villains in a western and we have them here with " Big Rump Kate " and others but they are not overblown and we don't see so much of them they they get annoying . For a Walter Hill film , this was astonishing in how low-key it was told . We also get a bit of a romance , just a glimpse between Duvall's character and one played by Greta Scacchi ( " Nola Johns " ) . It has a different kind of ending to it , one I didn't expect and one that will emotionally affect you . It simple terms : this is a nice movie , a good story about good guys doing a good deed for the right reasons . Watching them do it , under adverse conditions , was almost a privilege . A big thank you to all involved with this movie and giving us fans of this genre hope that it isn't completely dead . |
525,304 | 4,445,210 | 265,662 | 10 | They Did This Sports Movie Right | I love it when they actually do a sports story well . So many in the past have been so hokey it was embarrassing to watch . Not this one . It's just a genuinely nice movie , an old-fashioned type of story - and based on a real-life guy to did exactly what Dennis Quaid did in this film . He plays a high school coach who is talked into trying out , late in life athletically-speaking , to become a pitcher in professional baseball . Eventually , he reaches his goal of making it to the Major Leagues , even if it was a very brief stint . All the characters in here are nice people , the kind you root for , from Quaid to the players on his high school team , to his little boy ( Angus T . Jones , now somewhat of a star on television . ) Quaid is believable in playing Jim Morris because , unlike actors in the past in sports films , he knows how to throw a baseball . He looks like a pitcher , a guy who could fire it 90-plus miles per hour . And , most of this film is true , as testified by the real-life pitcher in one the documentaries on the DVD . So , if you're looking for a nice , inspirational true life sports film , you can't wrong with this one . |
523,646 | 4,445,210 | 443,543 | 10 | One Of The Classiest Films You'll See All Year | First of all , let me say this was a beautifully-filmed movie , just gorgeous from first to last frame . That gets big points with me . Just as impressive was the story , a fantasy-mystery - romance-drama combination set in Vienna , Austria , around the turn of the 20th century . It is a story that should keep most viewers intrigued all the way and perhaps surprised quite a bit at the end . Edward Norton does his normal job of making you fascinated with whatever character he's playing , this time a magician with almost supernatural powers : " Herr Eisenheim . " The character he plays , and the tone of the movie in general , is pretty low-key with next to nothing in ( on screen ) violence or profanity . It's simply a classy film and a modern-day one that older folks would very much enjoy as well as younger adults . Paul Giamatti also is very interesting as the police inspector , torn between his allegiance to the villain crown prince and to the truth and what is the right thing to do . The movie , however , belongs to Norton . In a nutshell : good stuff , classy film . I haven't talked to anybody yet who watched this and didn't like it . |
523,319 | 4,445,210 | 44,797 | 10 | Outstanding Twist On A Familiar Theme | Even if the the story is a familiar one - a cat told to get rid of the mice in the home or he's history - this was an outstanding Looney Tunes cartoon with a different main character . Here , we have " Dodsworth , " a fat and very lazy cartoon , whose philosophy on life is summed up near the beginning . After being lectured , he says to himself , " What a revoltin ' development . I don't mind an honest day's work as long . . . . . as somebody else does it . " He comes up with the idea of tutoring someone else to catch the mice for him since , as he says , nobody in the Dodsworth cat family has ever had to stoop to catching mice for a living . His first pupil is this cute little kitten . How Dodsworth uses the kitten and what kind of kitten it turns out to be is hilarious . There is some very inventive material here . Both the kitten and all the mice were very entertaining . A familiar actor from the ' 50s and ' 60s did the voice of Dodsworth : Sheldon Leonard and Bea Bernaderet , also a familiar name , voiced Dodsworth's lady boss of the house . Many times the endings to these type of stories are abrupt or a little bit lame . . . . but not here . The ending is terrific , making this one of the better cartoons I have seen on this Spotlight Volume 4 two-disc DVD . |
526,533 | 4,445,210 | 36,022 | 10 | Great , Great Piece Of Americana | This is a unique drama , one of those unusual dramas where there are no villains , no evil people . Yet , it's not a sweet-and-sugary movie , either . It's simply a " slice of life , " as they say , or " Americana . " In the case , about life in a small California town during the middle of World War II . It is very true to the book written by William Saroyan . The story features genuinely nice people who trust one another , respect one another , have manners , read the Bible and say their prayers , do what they are told and apologize if they are nasty . . . . not exactly what you've seen in films in the past half century . Although the film is a bunch of vignettes featuring a number of characters , Mickey Rooney is the central figure and I wonder if he ever was better . He is outstanding in here . I never realized what a good actor he was until I saw this movie . Frank Morgan also was memorable in here , and I usually didn't care for the roles he played many times . But here , he's very serious and honest and real . The " slices of life " include Rooney and his family , school friends , his job as a telegram delivery boy ; Morgan and his drinking problem ; James Craig and his romance ; Van Johnson and his army buddies and Jackie " Butch " Jenkins and his little friends . Also of note are three young military men making an appearance , actors who became well known by the end of the decade : Robert Mitchum , Barry Nelson and Don DeFore . Donna Reed , Fay Bainter and Marsha Hunt add the female touch and a big dose of wholesome beauty . This has a deep cast , as you can see . There are other recognizable actors in here , too , such as " Alfalfa " ( Carl Switzer ) of " Our Gang " fame . This picture of " Americana " is so innocent compared to today , it is almost shocking . A kiss was a big deal ; nobody locked their doors at night ; the girls went out on blind dates with the soldiers and all treated each other with respect . It's a very sentimental film , which is another reason I like it . It's a sad comment about film critics who think that " sentimental " is a dirty word , but even those cynics still had praise for this film . It's so well done that it's hard not to praise it . See for yourself . |
524,326 | 4,445,210 | 44,571 | 10 | Duck ! Duck ! - One Of The Best T & J Cartoons | This is one of the best Tom and Jerry cartoons I've seen , definitely rated in the top echelon . It has a very funny character in this little duck , who keeps getting shot and injured by Tom and repaired by Jerry and it has outstanding artwork . I rarely comment on the drawings in T & J cartoons , but you can't help appreciating the beautiful art in here , right from the opening scene . The tale of the little duck , and Jerry's efforts to save it , are both hilarious and touching . Many times I wind up rooting for poor Tom in these Tom & Jerry cartoon since Tom many times takes undeserved abuse . . . . but not this time . In particular , the comic bit with Tom and the anvil is outstanding . Nobody could root against this poor little , green-headed duck who - I guarantee - you will just love . |
524,322 | 4,445,210 | 44,620 | 10 | Very Clever , Very Funny | This is a story I have seen elsewhere but I can't remember in which cartoon . The premise is the same : the little hero saves a dog from pain and the dog promises to be his guardian . In here , all Jerry has to do is ring a little bell and the dog will immediately come to his rescue and pulverize anything that's bothering him . You know who that will be - Tom ! However , a new leash law on dogs may have given Tom a new leash on life ( ouch . . . . . sorry ) . A few memorable sights include : Tom's head turning into a gum-ball machine ; Tom testing the length of the leash on " Butch , " to see if he's safe a certain distance away . ( After the dog is tormented - with great sight gags - the dog gets clever and erases the " boundary " line and makes it closer , unbeknown to the cat . ) Very clever gags in here make this 1952 Tom and Jerry entry a real winner . |
522,417 | 4,445,210 | 120,873 | 10 | Very Worthy Sequel To A Great Film | This is an outstanding sequel to an outstanding movie The Fugitive ( 1993 ) . In this film , the focus is on the team that was searching for Dr . Richard Kimble in the first movie . That team was led by Tommy Lee Jones , who won an Oscar for his performance , which probably helped spur this sequel . It worked , as Jones and company ( Joe Pantoliano and others ) are just as much fun to watch as they were in The Fugitive . There are many similarities to the latter , especially in the first third of the film , featuring some tremendous action scenes . Instead of a train crash , we have a plane crash . Instead of Harrison Ford on the run , we have Wesley Snipes . In both films , you have such an involving story that the two hours fly by . U . S Marshals , being the newer film of the two , has better sound and even better special effects for the action scenes . As spectacular as was the train crash in The Fugitive , the plane disaster in here is even better . The same goes for a few other scenes . There is more action in this film . Normally , I don't need that but it's so well-done here , it's fine . . . . fun to watch . The Fugitive is still one of my all-time favorite movies . If you were entertained by it as well but are wary of sequels , you needn't be here : this is excellent . |
523,853 | 4,445,210 | 482,571 | 10 | Just As Intriguing The Second Time , Too ! | I've seen this film twice now - about a year ago and then yesterday - and thoroughly enjoyed it both times , even the second time when I remembered some of those fantastic twists in the last half hour . Sometimes it's even more fun to view a film like this when you know a few things , because earlier scenes take on new meaning . It's not an easy film to totally digest , even with two viewings , because that ending has some mind-boggling revelations . Without having to resort to spoilers , let me just say the story is extremely interesting , the acting very good , the period pieces fun to view and it's a pretty clean movie so grandma can also enjoy it , too , without language or sex concerns . Basically , it's a story about obsession between two magicians in the last decade of the 19th century . They continually try to top one another and things get nasty along the way . Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale are both fun to watch in those roles , as are Michael Caine and Scarlett Johansson in supporting roles . This is one movie guaranteed to have you thinking about it when it's over ! |
524,440 | 4,445,210 | 36,775 | 10 | Justifiably At The Top Of Most Film Noir Lists | This is one of the best-liked classic films of all time and I am among that large group of fans as well . I am still waiting for a DVD to come out that will give this film the treatment it deserves . Few movies have ever had dialog this entertaining . . . . . at least the conversations between Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray . I think it's a big appeal to this movie , except to younger folks who look at it as " cheesy . " I read the book , Double Indemnity written by James Cain , and was surprised that the film's snappy dialog was not in it . This is one of the rare times when the movie was far better than the book . That's not a shock after you find out that literary giant Raymond Chandler and Hall Of Fame director Billy Wilder combined to write the screenplay , For a murder / suspense story , there is very little action , almost none , yet there are no boring lulls . The three main actors - Stanwyck , MacMurray and Edward G . Robinson , are what make this so good . MacMurray's narration is fun to hear as he tells the story in flashback , from the beginning by dictating into an old Dictaphone to his co-worker Robinson . The latter is almost mesmerizing in his performance , the way he delivers his lines . He can even make a speech about something as boring as insurance and still keep you riveted to the screen . Stanwyck was no sex symbol ( at least to me ) but she looked great here in the most seductive of 1940s clothing and , like Robinson , has a distinctive voice and accent that keeps your attention . This film was the inspiration for the 1980 movie , " Body Heat , " starring William Hurt and Kathleen Turner . That , too , was a very , very good movie . . . . but not many films are in the class of this one . |
524,443 | 4,445,210 | 36,727 | 10 | Oh , The Help These Days . . . . . It's Deplorable ! | Don't you just love it when the Stooges totally trash a high-society party ? That's just one of the many crazy scenes in this one . This particular Three Stooges film might have more gags per minute than any of the many they made . It's unbelievable ; non-stop lunacy , led by Curly's antics , for 17-and-a-half minutes . It may have been near the end of the great Curly's career but he was never more energetic and full of all his physical slapstick and silliness as he was here . He did about physical bit he was famous for , from the snapping fingers on his face , to slapping his head , to all the step dances . I was exhausted after watching this guy . He was fantastic . Symona Boniface was perfect as the rich socialite Mrs . Van Bustle . If you can't recall what this woman looks like , try to think of Margaret Dumont , the Marx Brothers foil . That's her quote at the top of this review . Another actor who always was playing either a butler ( as in here ) or a crook in the Stooges films was Bud Jamison . He was hilarious in many Three Stooges efforts . All the boys - including the now-very baggy-eyed Moe - seemed to be at the top of their game in this feature . All of them do what they do best , and many times over here in this story in which the boys pretend to be newsmen out to get a scoop . I have no idea how many gags were in here , there were so many . This is simply great stuff : one of the Three Stooges ' best films . The underrated Larry also made me laugh a number of times , with just the look on his face . I don't want to leave him out . P . S . I never seem to get tired of the bird-in-the-bird sight gags , which the Stooges used many times . They always make me laugh out loud . Here , a parrot winds up inside a turkey . |
524,873 | 4,445,210 | 44,339 | 10 | Gtranny Goes To The Dogs , And Sylvester Pays The Price | Tweety and a little mouse are in cages at a pet shop , right in the front window . Sylvester is just outside the window and is licking his chops . Obviously , he has to figure out how to get these " meals . " Right from the first gag , in which the cat throws a brick at the window , is spotted by a cop and races to stop the brick before it hits the glass , this has a lot of the usual hilarious scenes . Tweety is " sold " and delivered to Granny's house where the real fun now occurs , as Sylvester follows the truck and is in for the shock of his life . In this Tweety episode , instead of Granny owning one big bulldog , she has an entire backyard full of them ! What a shock when Sylvester discovers this ! There are some fantastic scenes involving Sylvester and all those dogs as he has to get by all of them to get to Tweety . The bit with Sylvester on stilts was extremely clever . |
524,990 | 4,445,210 | 941,929 | 10 | You Wouldn't Want To Meet Either Of These Two Creatures ! | This was my first look at this series the Animal Planet Network's new " Mutual Of Omaha's Wild Kingdom " has in which they pit two animals against each other . It's not literal - there is no " match " in which the two animals actually fight each other , but they make it a contest with 10 categories . They grade each animal on which is better in each category and then total up the scores to see who is the winner . This contest had two big and scary contestants : the hippopotamus verses the Nile Alligator . The place : Zambia , Africa . The following 10 categories comprised this " Rumble In The River : " 1 - Weapons ; 2 - Feeding ; 3 - Locomotion ; 4 - Climate ; 5 - Size ; 6 - Parent Power ; 7 - Teamwork ; 8 - Natural Born Killers ; 9 - Enemies ; 10 - Final Showdown . Some of these categories may not sound like much , but they were very interesting . Some of the memorable scenes or statements : The hippo can open his huge mouth with jaws almost 180 degrees apart and a few of his teeth are two feet long . . . . . If his breath doesn't kill you , his teeth will ! . . . . . . The hippo can run 30 miles per hour if it needs to sprint . Not bad for a 7 , 000-pound animal . . . . . Climate greatly affects the alligator . It needs heat , which is why you see them bathing in the sun for hours . If cold , the reptile almost loses its eyesight . . . . Alligators are much better team players . . . . . Hippos are very aggressive and kill at least 200 people each year . Gators kill at least 100 . . . . . The Nile Alligator can hold its breath up to one hour underwater . . . . . the greatest threats to each or members of their own species . These involve almost all the fights ( i . e . hippos vs . hippos ) but the biggest threat to their existence are humans , of course . There are about 150 , 000 hippos left in the wilds and about a half million of these alligators . . . . . Only one in 50 baby alligators survives . Many times other gators eat all the young . Who wins ? Watch the program ; it's an absolutely fascinating one . You will never forget some of the images you see of these two scary beasts . Just hope that you never run into either one of them ! |
522,789 | 4,445,210 | 191,992 | 10 | Clapton & Co . ' s Best Work | I have a lot of Eric Clapton DVDs , VHS concert tapes and , of course , CDs and this " 24 Nights " holds a special place among all of them . It might be the pinnacle of Clapton's fantastic career . This is so good I have the DVD and the two-disc CD . There are four segments to this concert , filmed over several days and I am partial to the second and third parts : the blues songs and then the nine-piece band numbers . Together , they are 51 . 5 minutes of some of the best music I have ever heard . The bluesy " Running On Faith , " the opening song of the disc in segment one , is a great start , a song that gets better and better over the years . On part two : the blues numbers , I particularly liked Clapton's guitar work on " Have You Ever Loved A Woman ? " Not bad having Buddy Guy and Robert Cray as your backup guitarists , either ! I found the 9-piece segment to be my favorite with one song alone - " Pretending " - having two of the greatest solos ever by Clapton . If that song doesn't get your blood moving , nothing will . " Old Love " has some nice solo work by pianist Johnny Johnston , bassist Nathan East and of course , two more by guitarist Clapton . I've always enjoyed Eric's two female backup singers Katie Kisson and Tessa Niles and Kisson is really great with her solo at the end of " Wonderful Tonight . " The final segment , featuring a complete orchestra , has two great opening numbers and finishes with the only number I didn't care but , by then , I have more than my fill of great blues and rock ' n roll . However , it's still fun to see everyone dressed in black tie and evening gowns , anyway . This concert never fails to amaze every time I watch it and hear it . |
523,410 | 4,445,210 | 59,825 | 10 | A Different Kind Of WWII Movie , And One Of The Best | This is one of my all-time favorite war movies , always rated in the top three since I first saw it years ago . I rate it so high because of four main things : 1 - Wonderful black-and-white photography ; 2 - an interesting cast led by two great actors , Burt Lancaster and Paul Scofield ; 3 - An intelligent , different kind of war story revolving around stolen works of great art ; 4 - Just the right amount of action . Not only the blacks-and-whites look good but the grays , too . The nighttime train shots with the white steam coming out is just spectacular . You can feel the grease and grime on these railroad men as the work on the train . The person best exemplifying that is the Frenchman Michel Simon who plays " Papa Boule , " the engineer who begins the train trip and then is shot after being discovered sabotaging it . What a great face this man had ! He , Lancaster and other grimy railroad men with soot all over their faces give this a real authentic feel . Most of the cast is either French or German but if you have a hard time understanding a few lines , you can put on the English subtitles if you are playing the DVD . This is a pretty long film but it doesn't have many lulls , especially the train starts to roll . I have viewed this a number of times and have never been disappointed with it . Director John Frankenheimer gives some interesting commentary on this , too , so you might to check that out on the disc . |
523,887 | 4,445,210 | 52,189 | 10 | The Wolf May Not Have Stolen The Sheep , But He StoleThe Show | This was very , very good , and only a weak ending in the last minute prevented this from being one of the best Droopy cartoons I've ever seen . It still ranks pretty high , thanks to " the wolf , " who is flat-out hilarious in here . The wolf is after the sheep , guarded by Droopy , the fearless Sheepherder . The wolf , that southern gentleman with the strong accent and humorous dialog , reminded me of the poor coyote in the Road Runner cartoons . Both of them tried every trick in the world to get their prey , only to have all the schemes backfire . The sight gags in here are terrific and the wolf makes a number of funny cracks as well , even in defeat . |
522,691 | 4,445,210 | 1,065,626 | 10 | This Gives You A Great Feel For Memphis And It's Blues Artists Over The Years | I liked this episode because you get a real taste of what it was ( and is ) like for a musician on tour , traveling thousands of miles on a bus . You get a feel for Memphis , a nice history of Beale Street , and a great feel for what it's like to be a blues artist back in " the old days " and " now " in that city . We get extensive looks at a relatively-unknown Bobby Rush and what he goes through and the little places he plays and then we get the contrasting " king of blues : " B . B . King , and his experiences . King is treated like royalty wherever he goes . It's quite a contrast , although B . B . certainly paid his dues over the years . It's just has Bobby has not stopped paying them . Some make it to stardom ; some don't , but once , as Rush says , the blues are in your blood you're not going to stop singing and playing . He's pretty lively for a 60-plus-year-old guy ! The scene with Rush and the woman in his act who shakes her booty has to be seen to be believed ! We also see quite a bit of another man who is well-known in Memphis but not so much outside of that city : Roscoe Gordon . He came across as a wonderful guy and I felt bad when they mentioned he died shortly after one of the last scenes in the documentary . |
524,155 | 4,445,210 | 1,065,625 | 10 | Great Episode For Those Of Us Who Love British Bluesmen | I've seen this twice , and I could watch this episode in this 7-part documentary many more times , too . Of course , the fact that British ( and a couple of Irish ) guitarists and blues artists are mostly my favorites , explains why I loved watching and hearing this on TV and on now on DVD . I mean , for starters , what guitar fan doesn't revel in seeing Jeff Beck perform ? He's amazing . Beck and all the other British musicians , as it's pointed out a few times here - and verified by the great B . B . King - brought blues to the attention of the North American white kids . If it weren't for guys like John Mayall , a lot of guys like B . B . and Albert King , Albert Collins , John Lee Hooker , etc . , etc . , probably wouldn't have become famous . The British have done the same with early rock ' n roll , or " rockabilly " as it is labeled , and kept that alive , too . They must really appreciate music in the U . K . Well , I do , too . In this episode are some of the greats of the those British bluesmen , like Mayall , and Eric Clapton , Tom Jones , Lonnie Donegan , Georgie Fame , Stevie Winwood , Peter Green , Mick Fleetwood , Van Morrison and a whole lot more . He doesn't do " blues , " was I was glad Abert Lee was included in this episode , too . Few people can " pick " as well as Albert . Most of these people are interviewed but aren't performing in here . However , some do and they are really good - Beck , Jones , the " Abbey Road musicians , and " Lulu . " Wow , there's a name ( Lulu ) I haven't heard in 40 years but this woman is some blues singer . She was a shock . It was also great to see footage of many of these performers idols , such as Muddy Waters , Big Big Broonzy , Sister Rosetta Tharp and many more , some of them performing with ' 60s stars like Mick Jagger of the Stones . All of it is great stuff ! |
522,851 | 4,445,210 | 36,547 | 10 | Extremely Good ; Well - - Deserved Academy Award Winner | This is a Tom & Jerry " war " cartoon with Jerry in the war mode pulverizing hapless Tom . Right from the beginning when he's tossing " hen-grenades " ( eggs ) to the end , he's using all kinds of objects as warfare . There are bunch of clever references to war slogans but modified , such as " That Friendly Rat May Tell The Cat " as one of the old warnings to use to give folks about being careful who you talk to , etc . Jerry , complete a bottle-cap for a helmet , also dive-bombs the poor cat , riding paper airplanes with firecrackers , until he's finally shot down but he parachutes with a bra and lands safely . He even uses smoke screens by dragging a bag of flour along the ground . - whatever he can think up to win the " war . " It's all clever and very funny . This is non-stop action with a patriotic ending . I have no argument about this winning an Academy Award for best animated short . |
523,723 | 4,445,210 | 801,865 | 10 | An Involving , Sad Story | A Navy-Marine corporal " Price " has been found dead in central park during Fleet Week . A highly-decorated combat veteran . . . . and there are no signs of a struggle ? Mac , Danny and Flack take the case . It turns out to be a puzzling case . The shocker is the second case . A charred body is found inside a car , an obvious torch job with someone trying to burn the body , not the car . Forensics discover it's a female and she had been severely beaten to death before the fire . Stella , Sheldon and Lyndsay investigate . A re-construction of the face reveals the stunning discovering that the victim is " Aiden Burn , " the CSI member from last year's show . Who killed her and why ? Needless to say , this part of the show is very intense and personal . This was an excellent episode and , as someone who liked Vanessa Ferlito ( " Aiden " ) and was sorry to see her leave the program last year , also a very sad one . |
524,465 | 4,445,210 | 36,508 | 10 | LT Writers Spoof Themselves | We see something unusual right off the bat in this cartoon : a quick picture of something that isn't animated . In this case , it's a giant hamburger . That's what one of two starving guys on a raft out in the ocean sees , instead of his partner . The other guy soon is hallucinating , too , seeing food where human body parts are ! Thankfully , they are spared from these gruesome things as they spot an island and race there in their suddenly-speedy raft . Bugs Bunny , probably the only living thing on the small island , spots this ravenous duo and quickly sets his brain in motion . How he does NOT become dinner is the focus of this story . Along the way are some funny bits with graphics regarding language translations . It's also interesting that the two LT writers are the guys characterized in the cartoon ! Good for them ! It's always good to be able to laugh at yourself , so kudos to Michael Maltese and Tedd Pierce . I agree with the reviewers here : this is a classic cartoon , full of inventive sights that are guaranteed to make you laugh . No sense describing all of them . Suffice to say all three main characters are good in here . The ending's a little sappy , but it's hard to get everything perfect . |
522,507 | 4,445,210 | 1,360,788 | 10 | Review Of The Blu-Ray Disc | Wow is the first word that comes to mind in trying to describe this concert footage of Jeff Beck at this London jazz club , " Ronnie Scott's . " I have seen Jeff Beck play guitar a few times here and there over the years , but never more than a couple songs at one venue . Now , I pretty much have an idea of all his guitar-playing talents . . . . . . and it's even more awesome than I had guessed they would be . This review , thus , is for people not all that familiar with Beck's talents . If you already are , you've already bought this DVD . In this concert , you see Beck play everything from jazz to blues to rock to ballads to " space music . " The camera-work is very good in that you really get a good luck at Jeff's ability on the guitar . You see how he produces some of his amazing sounds . You'll also see what a great band he has put together . Vinnie Colaiuta on drums , Jason Rebello on keyboards and Tal Wilkenfeld on bass are all exceptional musicians and fun to watch . All four members of this group can be seen constantly smiling and really enjoying themselves . A great addition to the Blu-Ray disc , and a reason to buy it , is the bonus material beginning with the seven-song rockabilly set with Beck and The Big Town Playboys . These guys do a great job of sounding like the late ' 50s rockers like Gene Vincent and Carl Perkins . It ends with a great sax solo on the old Bill Doggett number , " Honky Tonk . " In addition , there are interviews with everyone all they're all interesting . . . . . really . This Blu-Ray disc is worth the extra money and highly-recommended . |
527,376 | 4,445,210 | 59,598 | 10 | The Most Incredible And Funny Fly I've Ever Seen , And The Best Sound | The beginning of this Pink Panther cartoon certainly was different . Inserted in the animation were real-life , black-and-white pictures of various action scenes on an animated television set . We see a sleepy-eyed Panther with his remote control changing channels . ( I don't even remember having remote-controls back in the mid ' 60s ! ) . On the floor is a bunch of junk food ( with potato chips misspelled as " potatoe . " ) Anyway , the idea is the Panther is exhausted and wants some sleep . He goes to bed , begins to sleep but his loud snoring wakes himself up . Then , the big gag of the cartoon , after going back asleep again , a buzzing fly wakes him up and torments him . This fly is awesome ! After being booted out of house , he knocks on the door and gets back in ! Later , he finds another clever way to get back inside and dive bomb our trying-to-sleep hero . Still , later he finds an even-more totally outrageous way to get back in the house . Each time it gets funnier . For the first time ever , I appreciated the sound in here more than anything . The fly , the Panthers laughs , the fly's laugh , the noises made by fly as he did various things . . . . . all of them are extremely funny . This is a terrific PP cartoon ; one of the best . |
524,391 | 4,445,210 | 24,947 | 10 | The First Totally Wild & Crazy Popeye Cartoon | Can you Take It is one of the wildest Popeye cartoons I've ever seen and easily the most frenetic of the early ones . In fact , I think it's safe to say this is one most entertaining and different " adventures " Popeye ever had . The cartoon following this also was insane , so it looks like Popeye's outrageous humor began with this effort . After dropping off Olive at her place of work , a hospital , Popeye notices on a sign on the place next door : " Bruiser Boy's Club - Can You Take It ? - We DARE You To Join " Well , macho Popeye isn't going to turn down that challenge . Great sight gags when Popeye meets Bluto , president of the club as they exchange brutal hand shakes and blowing smoke in each other's face . ( better seen than explained ) . Bluto then says , " OK , boys , put him tru da woiks ! " Wow , it's unbelievable after that . Popeye goes through his medieval-like torture place that has to be seen to be believed . This is pretty sadistic and brutal , but the bad guys wind up taking their deserved lumps . I won't say more than that , except this is extremely entertaining with an edge to it . |
524,641 | 4,445,210 | 86,034 | 10 | Bond As Indiana Jones | Was there ever a James Bond like this one ? Oh , there were better Bond stories , no doubt , but I do doubt there were any more entertaining than this one . In " Octopussy , " we get more of an Indiana Jones-type adventure story than the usual spy farce . In fact , there is so much adventure in here it gets tiring , to be frank . It's almost too much . . . . but it is a lot of fun along the way . The best part of the film isn't the wild adventure , either : it's the humor . This has more laughs in it - stupid and clever - than any Bond film I can recall . Roger Moore , Maud Adams , Louis Jordan , Kristina Wayborn , Steven Berkoff and Kabir Bedi must have had a lot of fun - and been worn out - making this film . By the way , itt's always interesting to see the intriguing Adams . This and " Goldfinger " are my two favorites of the Bond series , and I'm glad to see so many others here share that opinion . |
522,337 | 4,445,210 | 94,847 | 10 | Possibly The Best Cartoon I've Ever Seen | I have seen a lot of funny cartoons , but very few which brought a big smile to my face the entire duration of the film . I just could not believe how good this was , from the hilarious animation - mainly " Mr . Johnson , " to the clever jokes that are in here one after the other after the other . Kudos to Cordell Barker for his story , direction and animation . It's an unbelievably entertaining . story of guy who finds a little yellow cat on his welcome mat outside one day , and how this cat literally destroys the house and the owner . It also shows the many attempts the man makes to get rid of the cat but , as the title say , he keeps coming back . I can see why this was nominated for an Oscar . What I don't understand is why it didn't win . I don't know how you can make a cartoon any betterThere is a DVD out , named " Leonard Maltin's Animation Favorites From The National Film Board Of Canada . If for no other reason than this cartoon , purchasing that DVD would be worthwhile because this animated short is one of the best ever made |
573,310 | 4,532,636 | 73,812 | 1 | Makes Even the Who's Music Sound Bad | Really , a pretty hopelessly bad movie . I can't imagine any but the most die-hard Who fans liking this , and even then it might try their patience . The music doesn't even sound good in this rock opera about a traumatized boy who becomes a pinball sensation . There might be a point to the story , but God knows what it is . It's filled with people who can't act , and showcases Ken Russell's direction at its over-indulgent worst . It's really not much more than a random series of images set to music by the Who , that maybe would be cool if you were stoned out of your mind while watching it . Otherwise , just listen to the original concept album and leave the T . V . turned off . |
573,367 | 4,532,636 | 147,612 | 1 | Gives a Bad Name to Independent Cinema | Happiness is a film that has nothing to say to me , as it's about a version of America I don't recognize and have never seen . Director Todd Solondz , whose style and choice of subject matter could best be described as repellent , seems to think all Americans are living miserable , fractured lives and anyone who's not is lying about it . This is an ugly film filled with ugly characters doing ugly things , that ultimately has very little to say . Solondz may have fancied himself a new and daring artist at the time of this film's release , but showing a cum shot on film does not a groundbreaking or profound movie make . Todd Solondz belongs to a small group of filmmakers ( Lars von Trier is another ) who primarily want to use cinema as a device to drive people away , making one wonder why they want to make movies at all . I hate this movie . |
574,055 | 4,532,636 | 361,309 | 1 | A Terrible , Pointless Movie with a Wasted Cast | A whole bunch of talent is wasted in this dismal film that wanders all over the place but goes nowhere . Mark Ruffalo , Naomi Watts , Laura Dern . . . . come on ! If you've got a star roster like that and can't come up with anything better than this film , your right to make movies should be revoked . This is one of those films about a bunch of late-thirty-somethings who have too much time on their hands and spend all of it whining about how miserable they are . The problem is that none of them are likable , and we're not given any reason to care about any of them , so it's much like going to a party full of a bunch of people you don't know and will never see again , complaining about lives you know nothing about and will never need to . If I found myself at a party like that , I'd want to leave and go get ice cream or something , which is what I wanted to do while watching this movie . |
573,660 | 4,532,636 | 411,705 | 1 | Has It Been 9 Songs Yet ? | This is the question you may find yourself asking repeatedly throughout this dismal movie . It takes talent to make even graphic sex scenes dull , so I guess in that regard Michael Winterbottom is a talented film maker . This movie sucks , plain and simple . It wants to be too tasteful to be outright porn , yet the explicit sex is absolutely the only thing of interest in the movie . However , you'd do better to rent a good old-fashioned porno if that's what you have the hankering for , because the sex scenes in this are so fragmentary as to be frustrating . As for the rest of the movie . . . . wait , REST of the movie ? Hah . Let's see , there are some songs performed live . . yippee . The male character , called " Brian " for want of anything better to call him , wanders around Antartica doing his job ( whatever that may be ) , and ruminating about how icebergs are like relationships , or people , or something . I'm sure Winterbottom thinks there's a point to this movie , but if that's the case , he's either delusional or incredibly pretentious . As for the girl , " Lisa , " she opens her mouth every so often to deliver a line that proves nothing but how gratingly annoying her character is . If you filmed my life for a week , you'd have a movie about as boring as this . No , I take that back . My life is more interesting than what's shown here . At least I go to work , eat , go to the gym , leave the house , walk the dog , sleep . There's some variety to my routine . These two people grow to dislike each other , but if all I did was have sex , go to a concert , then come back and have more sex , ad infinitum , I'd probably hate the person I was with too . And to top it all off , the whole movie is filmed in digital video and looks like crap . Strike three . |
573,442 | 4,532,636 | 83,564 | 1 | Did John Huston Lose a Bet ? | What possessed John Huston to make a film version of the popular stage musical in the first place is beyond me , but if he was going to bother to make it , what possessed him to make such a gormless , clunky mess of it is inexplicable . " Annie " is simply dreadful . It has none of the movement and flow a musical should have , much of the score has been altered for the worse , and it's completely lacking in charm . A talented cast led by Carol Burnett and Albert Finney ( ! ) do what they can , which is very little with Huston fighting them every step of the way . |
573,710 | 4,532,636 | 757,361 | 1 | A Repugnant Film | A typical conversation from " Margot at the Wedding " might go something like this : " You were always so pretty . " " WERE pretty ? Does that mean you don't think I'm pretty anymore ? " " Why are you responding with all of this passive aggressive hostility ? I was just trying to pay you a compliment . " " You know , I was noticing earlier today that you have really bad body odor . Does that ever bother you ? " " You're such a bitch . " And that's it . Scene after scene of dialogue like this , spoken by one unlikable character to another unlikable character , until you feel like the only possible way for the movie to end satisfactorily is for all of the characters to be impaled on something very sharp and preferably jagged . Noah Baumbach made an auspicious debut with " The Squid and the Whale , " but with " Margot at the Wedding " he makes the mistake of assuming that one person's morbid neuroses are inherently interesting to another . We don't learn anything about these characters , we don't care about them , and we don't like them . You tell me - - do you want to sit through 90 minutes of that ? |
573,596 | 4,532,636 | 479,884 | 1 | Worthless | Crank is 50 minutes of some of the worst film-making I have ever seen . Why 50 minutes , you ask , when the film's running time is 87 minutes ? Because that's all I could get through before I gave up on a piece of trash that didn't even deserve that much of my time . There are hundreds , nay thousands , of films out there that I'd like to see , and life is way too short to waste on something like this . I can't believe anyone save the most imbecilic of gangster thug wannabes could enjoy this film . I kept picturing a bunch of square suburban white kids watching this in their parents ' basement and giggling over how naughty it is . The film is self-concsiously envelope pushing in a juvenile sort of way , and it tries for a tone of outrageous humor that's painfully tortured . But there's absolutely nothing funny - - and much that is actually quite disturbing - - about many of the scenes that are played for laughs , like an inexplicable one where a bad guy is getting a blow job while feeding pieces of raw meat to angry dogs , or another where Jason Statham's character pretty much rapes his girlfriend in the middle of a busy market until she's so turned on that she joins in voluntarily . Garbage . |
573,591 | 4,532,636 | 795,421 | 1 | Relentlessly Awful | If this aggressively , sadistically cheerful movie does not make you want to jab a fork into your eye within the first two minutes , then you and I should probably never get together for drinks . A stage musical based on the songs of ABBA was probably an unnecessary endeavor to begin with , so a movie based on that stage musical is unnecessary to the second power . But was that any reason to inflict a film this terribly made and relentlessly un-entertaining on its audience ? Who was director Phyllida Lloyd trying to punish anyway ? " Mamma Mia ! " the movie ! retains a single monotonous ! tone of mania ! that I think is supposed to be wacky but instead comes across as deranged . I didn't think I could be embarrassed by a Meryl Streep performance , but this movie proves that there's a first time for everything . Streep mugs and writhes and jumps up and down on beds and emotes to pointless songs shoe-horned into a vapid plot to the point where I just wanted someone ( the grip , the script supervisor , anyone ) to shoot her and put her out of her misery . But the misery inflicted by Streep's performance is nothing compared to the misery endured having to listen to Pierce Brosnan sing ABBA songs in the style of Bruce Springsteen . Wonderful actresses like Julie Walters and Christine Baranski are asked to behave like fifteen-year-old girls ( which is the only demographic I can even come close to seeing this film appeal to , by the way ) . Other nightmarish images flash across my eyes when I think back on this movie , like a phalanx of male dancers wearing scuba flippers and a fleeting glimpse of Stelan Skarsgaard's naked ass . Everyone looks like they're having a good time , but I wouldn't be surprised if they were doing so at gunpoint . What's next , a musical based on television commercial jingles ? |
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