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363,028 | 4,888,011 | 60,806 | 7 | accelerate yourself | Once again , Wile E . Coyote is after Road Runner . I notice that this time , he doesn't try to trap Road Runner as much as accelerate himself . But sure enough , it still ends in disaster for him . Will Wile E . ever succeed in catching that bombastic bird ? ! Or better yet : why doesn't he just give up ? I will say that " Out and Out Rout " isn't my favorite cartoon involving these guys , but it has its moments . Maybe it is just another litany of WEC chasing RR throughout the Southwestern United States , but how can you not love what happens to him ? Nothing particularly new , but still lots of fun . I guess that Road Runner was really " driven " at the end . |
364,687 | 4,888,011 | 35,646 | 7 | Hubie and Bertie debut in a setting resembling a cross between a Dali painting and an earlier Chuck Jones cartoon | As always , Chuck Jones's wise-guy mice Hubie and Bertie ( making their debut ) play tricks on an unsuspecting feline . While " The Aristo-Cat " has a fairly routine plot , the background catches my attention . The slanted angles look more like what I would expect in a Salvador Dali painting ( Bob Clampett used Daliesque angles to a great degree in " The Great Piggy Bank Robbery " ) . But it's not just the angles . The colors - resembling those in Jones's " The Case of the Missing Hare " - obscure all perspective . This has to be the least pleasant place for a cat to attack a dog , believing the dog to be a mouse ! So this is far from a masterpiece , but the background should draw interest . Even more than the fact that it's Hubie and Bertie's debut . Jones branched out their personalities in " Mouse Wreckers " , " Cheese Chasers " and " The Hypo-Chondri-Cat " . |
365,183 | 4,888,011 | 104,511 | 7 | a bloody good time | It may surprise some people to learn that the man behind " Animal House " and " The Blues Brothers " directed a vampire movie , but it's true . And it's not a bad movie , either . Portraying sexy French vampire Marie ( Anne Parillaud ) killing Pittsburgh mafia people but accidentally letting one ( Robert Loggia ) live - thereby letting him turn more people into vampires - the movie takes some interesting turns . This is the sort of flick that would easily make anyone respect creatures of the night . If I was Anthony LaPaglia's character , I would be only too happy to help her out . OK , so maybe this movie seems a little silly , but I still hold that it's impossible not to like . John Landis always has some interesting ideas . Also starring Chazz Palminteri and Angela Bassett . |
363,152 | 4,888,011 | 264,796 | 7 | Kevin Kline's continuing saga | Life as a House is one of those movies that looks like it should be a total stinker , but actually comes out quite good . Architect George Monroe's ( Kevin Kline ) life is going down the tubes . He's totally alienated from his ex-wife Robin ( Kristin Scott Thomas ) , while his son Sam ( Hayden Christensen ) has gotten addicted to drugs . To crown everything , George is plagued with guilt from having injured someone in a car wreck . So , George decides to build a house as a metaphor for his life . While some people find it a little strange , he clearly has some good intentions for everyone . Kevin Kline has been my favorite actor for some years now , and " Life as a House " reinforces that . Some parts of the movie may be a little sentimental , but it's overall pretty good . |
364,026 | 4,888,011 | 104,452 | 7 | this house is a home for everyone | Steve Martin is his usual uptight wacko and Goldie Hawn is her usual ditsy blonde in this story of a screwy woman invading an architect's life . Martin and Hawn are the perfect comic teaming ( it's surprising that they didn't co-star earlier ) , and there are some great scenes here . If one thing's for certain , we can pretty much always guarantee that Frank Oz will turn in a good movie as a director ( he truly does here ) . So check it out . You might just feel like building your own house after watching it . Also starring Dana Delany , Julie Harris and Peter MacNicol . Yeah , that was a good ethics lesson in that one scene . |
365,487 | 4,888,011 | 53,211 | 7 | New Orleans of the past | In one of the stranger Pepe Le Pew cartoons , the famous skunk comes to New Orleans , where Fabrette the cat is looking for a lover . Pepe is of course perfect except for his scent . What I mean about " Really Scent " being one of the stranger cartoons is that Pepe comes to understand that he smells terrible . What made these cartoons great is that he always believed himself to be irresistible , despite the obvious fact that he repelled everyone . So why have him realize that he stinks ? Oh well , at least they also have Fabrette change herself . Not a bad cartoon , but not the first one that I would recommend ( as a director , Abe Levitow just couldn't equal Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng ) . And of course , this cartoon is also a look at the New Orleans of long ago , before Hurricane Katrina irrevocably changed it . I know that that's not related to the events portrayed in the cartoon , but I notice it . |
363,858 | 4,888,011 | 104,467 | 7 | I read the novel on which this was based . | Hyenas is based on Friedrich Durrenmatt's play " Der Besuch der alten Dame " . In it , an old woman returns to her home town , which has fallen into disrepair . She offers them a large sum if they will take revenge on the man who caused her to lose her virginity . Above all , it was interesting to see a Senegalese spin on the story . Obviously , we don't often hear much about Senegal . Of course , another aspect is the story's metaphors . There are two men who have been castrated and blinded . This is a metaphor for inter-war Germany : the reparations demanded by the Allies destroyed Germany economically , and then the German people didn't realize what the Nazi government was doing . Moreover , when the main character sees what everyone is trying to do to him , he goes to the authorities but can't get any help from them ; this is like the Jews going to the authorities but to no avail . These are the sorts of stories to which we should all pay attention . |
364,106 | 4,888,011 | 496,806 | 7 | Carl Reiner loosely resurrects Alan Brady | As with " Ocean's 11 " , the best parts here are everything leading up to the heist ( I haven't as yet seen " Ocean's 12 " ) . I guess that I've always thought that the coolest parts of elaborate plots are the plots themselves rather than the result . Just earlier this month , I went to Las Vegas to see Cirque du Soleil's " Love " ( a visual production of the Beatles ' songs ; I highly recommend it ) , so it was fairly interesting to see the sites here . I interpreted Willie Banks's ( Al Pacino ) hotel as the real symbol of Las Vegas : disgustingly giant so as to fulfill one's own hubris . All in all , " Ocean's Thirteen " is some pretty neat entertainment . Steven Soderbergh has certainly proved himself a capable director during these past few years . Playing their roles from the earlier movies are George Clooney , Brad Pitt , Matt Damon , Don Cheadle , Andy Garcia , Casey Affleck , Scott Caan , Bernie Mac , Carl Reiner and Elliott Gould . In fact , Carl Reiner's character reminded me of his earlier Alan Brady ( the boss on " The Dick Van Dyke Show " ) . The bald Alan always wears a wig , just like Reiner's character here wears a wig as part of his disguise . The new cast members are Pacino , Ellen Barkin , Eddie Izzard and David Paymer . |
364,372 | 4,888,011 | 43,376 | 7 | once a sadist , always a sadist | I've long wondered why the Termite Terrace crowd tortured Sylvester so much . In " Canned Feud " , his owners go on vacation and leave him locked in the house . He has plenty of cans of tuna , but a nasty little mouse keeps holding the can opener out of reach , forcing Sylvester to come up with all sorts of unpleasant gags to try and get it . So why would a mouse want to be a sadist ? Your guess is as good as mine . Of course , these cartoons were chock-full of sadists ( or at least characters with a New York side ) : Bugs Bunny , Road Runner , even Tweety himself . If nothing else , it goes to show that these cartoons weren't really intended for children ; they were created to get shown before feature films in the cinema . Anyway , it's not a bad cartoon , but I've seen better . |
365,903 | 4,888,011 | 78,721 | 7 | 10 out of how many stars ? | 10 isn't really the sort of movie that I feel that I can just straightforward review , as it has its ups and downs . The plot of course has composer George Webber ( Dudley Moore ) going through his midlife crisis all obsessed with the hot young women , thereby messing up his relationship with girlfriend Samantha ( Julie Andrews ) . I guess that if the movie has any problem , it's the casting of Moore . From everything that I've ever heard , it sounds like he was kind of worthless and undesirable to be around . Granted , in this movie he does a passable job as George , although it's hard to tell whether the movie is romanticizing or ripping at the LA lifestyle . As for the movie's famous scene - Bo Derek in her swimsuit - I don't know what else to say . She later spoofed that scene in " Tommy Boy " , but I don't know what else she's done recently except appear at the Republican National Conventions . And who on the set of " Mary Poppins " would have ever guessed that Julie Andrews would eventually star in this ? Among the really funny scenes in my opinion are the wedding ( and the events leading thereto ) , and what happens when George identifies himself as a Brit . In a way , Dudley Moore was expanding on his character from " Foul Play " . Still , I think that we're probably doing Blake Edwards a favor if we remember him more for the " Pink Panther " movies . Also starring Dee Wallace ( yep , ET's mom ! ) , Brian Dennehy , and that guy at the end was character actor Don Calfa ; you're sure to have seen him somewhere . |
363,679 | 4,888,011 | 53,131 | 7 | I choose : " nun " of the above ( just kidding ; it was a good movie ) . | The Nun's Story is the sort of movie that we really view differently nowadays . I mainly say this because while Sister Luke is in the Congo , people talk about witch doctors and call the local men " boys " ( among some other cringe-inducing things ) . Moreover , the process of entering the convent looks really unpleasant ; whoever came up with that process must have been a total crackpot . But overall , this is a pretty good movie . Audrey Hepburn , gorgeous as ever , does a great job showing Sister Luke's inner conflict as she tries to deal with this life that she has chosen . It's just that the whole nun lifestyle looks rather undesirable . And why do they make the nuns wear their heavy habits in the tropical Congo ? Anyway , this is certainly a movie that I recommend . I will admit that because the movie is clearly quite full of itself , you may feel tempted to make the sorts of comments that Mike , Servo and Crow make at the crummy flicks on " Mystery Science Theater 3000 " . For example , when Sister Luke is sailing to the Congo and admits that it was a sort of flight , I said : " Flight ? ! You're not the Flying Nun ! " But mostly , it's a really good movie . A solid classic . But how could it not be , starring the woman from " Roman Holiday " and directed by the man behind " High Noon " ? Also starring Peter Finch ( yes , the guy who was as mad as Hell and not going to take it anymore ) , Edith Evans , Peggy Ashcroft , Dean Jagger , Beatrice Straight ( also of " Network " ) and Colleen Dewhurst . I know , it's rude to talk like that about someone else's religion , but I mean really . |
363,395 | 4,888,011 | 43,322 | 7 | something that we can all " bear " | The three bears ' cartoons from the Looney Tunes crowd aren't in my vocabulary as much as Bugs Bunny and his ilk are , but the two that I've seen ( " Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears " and this one ) I really like . " A Bear for Punishment " portrays Father's Day , and so Ma and Junyer try to make Pa happy . . . all the while irking him due to arch-incompetence and excessive affection . They should have just left the guy in peace ! So , Chuck Jones had every reason to be proud of this cartoon . One can imagine how much fun voice artist Stan Freberg must have had turning Junyer into his dopey self . Really funny . I wonder why Junyer is twice his father's size . |
363,468 | 4,888,011 | 313,162 | 7 | looking back on things | OK , so the Oscars seem to get hyped just a little more each year . And I was rooting for " Gosford Park " to win ( come on , Robert Altman had deserved an Oscar for years ! ) . That said , I guess that it was high time for an African-American to win Best Actress . Contrary to the previous reviewer , Halle Berry's role in " Monster's Ball " was far more original than Nicole Kidman's in " Moulin Rouge " ; I never would have thought to nominate the latter for anything , especially in a year that saw " Mulholland Dr . " . Among the things that I had predicted was the stuff about the September 11 attacks ; I knew that they were going to say something about freedom . Yeah , yeah . Robert Redford should know better . But contrary again to the previous reviewer , Whoopi Goldberg is not the worst host ( among the past hosts was Bob Hope , for whom I have no respect ) ; I really liked her jab at John Ashcroft . So , although I wouldn't have given " A Beautiful Mind " Best Picture , " The 74th Annual Academy Awards " still pleased me ( I have to admit , I enjoy the Oscars more than my own birthday ) . And the day after , as my parents and I were hiking around the dwellings in Bandalier , New Mexico - it was spring break - I was thinking to myself that when Jim Broadbent won his Oscar , that most people watching were asking " Jim who ? ! " I wonder whether or not Woody Allen will ever attend the Oscars again . |
365,878 | 4,888,011 | 113,613 | 7 | man who came to supper | One of the blackest comedies of the 1990s portrays a group of left-wing activists murdering right-wingers at dinner . Yes , very grim , but they know how to keep everything in good taste the whole time . Probably the funniest character in the movie is Ron Perlman as a Rush Limbaugh type on TV ( he calls for a return to the Reagan era ) . Admittedly , " The Last Supper " isn't any kind of masterpiece . I guess that they could have improved it some by looking into how these various individuals on both sides of the political aisle arrived at their views . But otherwise , it sure pleased me . Some of the ill-fated conservative characters made my skin crawl . Also starring Cameron Diaz , Courtney B . Vance , Annabeth Gish , Bill Paxton and Charles Durning . |
364,556 | 4,888,011 | 104,850 | 7 | The first Chevy Chase movie that I ever saw . . . and it's in Movie Madness's horror section . | If you're walking through Movie Madness's horror section and see a Chevy Chase movie , you may think that it's either a joke , or that you're dreaming . Well , it's serious . " Memoirs of an Invisible Man " was actually the first Chevy Chase movie that I ever saw ( and I even saw it in the theaters ) . Chase plays San Francisco stock analyst Nick Halloway , who becomes see-through after an accident . His only hope is documentary maker Alice Monroe ( Daryl Hannah ) , but CIA agent David Jenkins ( Sam Neill ) has his eye on Nick ( not literally , of course ) . Much of the movie has Nick running away from people . Some scenes are just straight comedy , like his dream of undressing . But most of the movie portrays the grim world that Nick is forced to inhabit . Maybe this was an allusion to the malaise that had taken over the country during Bush Sr's presidency . I wouldn't call this John Carpenter's best movie ever , but I did find it interesting , if only to see Chevy Chase in a non-goofy role . |
364,017 | 4,888,011 | 43,255 | 7 | worth seeing ( pun intended ) | In " Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man " , detectives Bud Alexander ( Bud Abbott ) and Lou Francis ( Lou Costello ) have to protect a man framed for murder . This becomes proportionally easier once the man gives himself an invisibility serum . Some of the best scenes are when Lou watches him disappear , when a cop sees ( or , rather , doesn't see ) the man driving a car , and even a scene where Lou accidentally puts a bunch of people to sleep . The end scene is also a shocker . These movies sometimes seem like they were just excuses for everyone to goof off . If so , then they did well . This one was also helped by the fact that it didn't have any songs , which sometimes weakened A & C's movies . Really funny . I guess that I'll have to see this again , now that I know that Fred Mertz appeared in it . |
364,726 | 4,888,011 | 910,936 | 7 | express yourself crazy | Some people's complaint about " Pineapple Express " is that the end scene goes on too long . My criticism is that it focuses a little too much on high action . But no matter , this movie is still a laugh riot from beginning to end , as a pair of marijuana-obsessed goof-balls ( Seth Rogen and James Franco ) have to go on the lam after one of them witnesses a murder . It's the sort of movie intended as completely silly , and it succeeds in every way . A latter day Bill & Ted , if you will . If I thought that the movie could have done anything differently , it was Ed Begley's and Nora Dunn's characters . I felt that it should have developed their characters a little further , even though they only appeared briefly . Otherwise , this flick pleased me very much . A real hoot . Not in the same league as a Cheech & Chong movie , but still really enjoyable . Also starring Gary Cole and Rosie Perez . |
363,022 | 4,888,011 | 95,927 | 7 | Happy 60th , Sally ! | A few years before Sally Field and Tom Hanks played mother and son in " Forrest Gump " , they played stand-up rivals in the light comedy " Punchline " . I will say that this isn't the funniest movie that I've ever seen , but it's great just for the tension between the performers , some of the stand-up jokes , and for Tom Hanks's definition of the rectum ; you have to agree that his name for it is a lot more descriptive . So , this movie probably won't give you any kind of religious experience , but it's a fun way to pass time . Also starring John Goodman and Damon Wayans . Oh , and in case Sally Field is reading this : Happy 60th birthday ! I'm in Russia right now , and yesterday , I went to Verkhoturye , where they have a convent . As a semi-birthday present to you , I said that the convent housed a flying nun . I know , you don't like that moniker , but I had to do something . Thanks for everything . |
363,050 | 4,888,011 | 87,260 | 7 | Jim Carrey eventually found fame and kept it ; plus , I see a tiny link to current events . | In the grand scheme of things , " Finders Keepers " is one of those silly comedies that they cranked out in the ' 80s . This one has a scam artist ( Michael O'Keefe , of " Caddyshack " fame ) accidentally getting mixed up in a wacky larceny case on a train after he has to escape the cops and a roller skate team in 1973 . You see , he thinks that a coffin on board the train holds a man killed in Cambodia , but it actually holds an exorbitant amount of money stolen by a woman believed to have been kidnapped . If that sounds overwhelming , just wait ' til you see what happens on the train ! The point is , this movie makes no pretense about being completely goofy . Probably the main reason that anyone would notice it nowadays is the presence of a pre-fame Jim Carrey as . . . well , I might spoil a major part of the movie if I explain it . But one can see a slight hint of the roles that would later make him famous . Speaking of the present day , there's a link in " FK " : Watergate . Throughout much of the movie , we hear about Pres . Nixon ( Nickerson ? ) , the Watergate investigations , and how Spiro Agnew may not last in his position . Agnew was of course replaced by the recently deceased Gerald Ford . Personally , I believe that Ford doesn't deserve the praise that he's been getting ( what really did he do besides fall down ? ) . But anyway , this is a pretty funny movie . You're sure to like it . Also starring Beverly D'Angelo , Louis Gossett Jr . , Pamela Stephenson , Ed Lauter and Brian Dennehy . Back when Richard Lester was directing The Beatles ' movies , who ever would have guessed that he would direct this flick ? |
363,479 | 4,888,011 | 831,884 | 7 | not " In the Bedroom " or " Mystic River " , but approaching them | I didn't know what " Reservation Road " was about when I started watching it . Not knowing the plot makes the movie hit you more . After an unfortunate event , the two families involved ( neither of whom knows who the other is ) inadvertently become more and more intertwined . Each time that another link gets revealed , you know that you're getting closer and closer to something ugly . The characters , although not the best that I've seen in movies , were certainly worthwhile . Ethan Learner ( Joaquin Phoenix ) remains totally despondent about his son's death and the fact that the killer hasn't been caught . Ethan's wife Grace ( Jennifer Connelly ) wants to move on with her life and finds it regrettable that Ethan obsesses on one topic . Dwight Arno ( Mark Ruffalo ) , who caused the accident , spends most of the movie bothered by his actions and wanting to right the wrongs , but worried about what might result . At times , each of the characters come across as somewhat repulsive , but you still understand why they behave as they do . Some people might liken this movie to " In the Bedroom " and " Mystic River " . " Reservation Road " certainly deals with similar themes , although I wouldn't actually put it in the same league as those other two . This movie seems a little bit more sensationalistic , and as though it's trying to do the same as the other two . But overall , I thought that it's a good movie , and I would recommend it . Also starring Mira Sorvino and Elle Fanning . |
363,744 | 4,888,011 | 26,029 | 7 | Can you guess what the 39 steps are ? | Back in the days when Alfred Hitchcock was still making movies in his native England , he made the slick - if somewhat confusing - " 39 Steps " . This one has Canadian tourist Richard Hannay ( Robert Donat ) getting involved in intrigue while in England . Getting handcuffed to the perplexing Pamela ( Madeleine Carroll ) only complicates matters . Probably the most interesting aspect of this movie is about the 39 steps themselves . What are they ? I can't tell you or it would give away the plot . But let me tell you : that end scene really comes at you . All in all , Hitch created another classic here . Maybe " The 39 Steps " won't change your life or anything , but it is another installment in Hitch's filmography . Pretty interesting . |
364,138 | 4,888,011 | 26,064 | 7 | performance-enhancing drugs : the original version | With all the talk that we often hear about athletes using performance-enhancing drugs to win competitions , Friz Freleng's " Along Flirtation Walk " becomes all the more interesting . It starts out with a dance in Plymouth Rock College - which reminded me just a little of the dance in " The Way We Were " - a college for chickens . The next day , there's the big game against the Rhode Island Reds . It looks like it's going to be football , but it turns out that they're laying eggs . That's when the cheating starts , as the Reds ingest billiard bills so that they keep laying . More surprises lie ahead . I know , the people making this cartoon probably never intended for anyone to interpret anything about athletes taking drugs . It's just that I always like to associate the portrayals with things about which I hear in the news . If that makes me a weirdo , then so be it . All in all , an OK cartoon . |
362,957 | 4,888,011 | 95,953 | 7 | Good , but the best movie of 1988 ? | Personally , I don't know whether I would have given " Rain Man " Best Picture for 1988 . It was a good movie , but I don't think the best one from that year ( I would give that distinction to " A World Apart " ) . The plot of course has yuppie Charlie Babbitt ( Tom Cruise ) meeting his autistic brother Raymond ( Dustin Hoffman ) and taking him on a trip across the country . Over the course of the movie , we see how Raymond's autism affects him and his surroundings , but also makes him able to do really hard math problems ( granted , the numbers mean nothing to him ) . All in all , this is a pretty well done movie . Maybe not a masterpiece or anything , but worth seeing nonetheless as a look into a certain part of society . |
364,917 | 4,888,011 | 69,753 | 7 | mispronounced quite often , but Carroll Baker made some cool stuff in Italy | During the late ' 60s and early ' 70s , Carroll Baker expatriated from the United States and made some horror flicks in Italy . Among these giallo movies was " Baba Yaga " . It portrays a fashion photographer ( Isabelle De Funes ) getting involved with an otherworldly older woman ( Baker ) . The title identifies who she is , but people unfamiliar with Slavic mythology may not know who that is . Baba Yaga is a witch in Slavic , especially Russian , folklore . Depending on which story , she can be good or evil , but they usually portray her living in a house standing on chicken legs . We in the west usually mispronounce the second part of her name : we say YAH-gah , but it's actually yah-GAH . But let's not get off topic . I liked this movie . It was sort of half horror , half look at the mod culture in early 1970s Italy ( although it seems like all the giallo movies back then showed it ) . And of course , there's plenty of eroticism to go around ; as far as I'm concerned , Carroll Baker embodies ( pun intended ) eroticism . Quite cool . Also starring George Eastman . |
365,896 | 4,888,011 | 78,341 | 7 | things may happen , but memories last forever | Summer of My German Soldier was one of the many TV movies that became a staple of the small screen in the 1970s ( others were " Brian's Song " , " Sybil " and " Someone's Watching Me ! " ) . It portrays a Jewish girl ( Kristy McNichol ) befriending a German POW ( Bruce Davison ) in WWII-era Georgia . One of the things that the movie shows is that many of the German soldiers weren't really Nazis , but were just drafted . Watching the movie , I got a real sense of how things must have been in the South back then ; I mean , can you imagine being a Jewish person accused of supporting the enemy ? So , I certainly recommend this movie . I believe that it's always important to show the things portrayed here . Occasional overacting keeps the movie from being a full-scale masterpiece , but they usually do quite well . I hope that the movie eventually comes out on DVD . Also starring Esther Rolle and Michael Constantine ( the " My Big Fat Greek Wedding " patriarch ) . |
364,274 | 4,888,011 | 52,782 | 7 | Uri Geller , Kim Cattrall and Ricky Nelson | I saw " Ercole e la regina di Lidia " ( called " Hercules Unchained " in the USA ) on " Mystery Science Theater 3000 " . The movie itself is actually quite cool , but " MST3K " makes it even cooler . The movie basically has the muscle-bound - and often well-oiled - Greek hero ( Steve Reeves ) drinking water of forgetfulness and getting seduced by Queen Omphale ( Sylvia Lopez ) . Mostly , it seems like an excuse to show scantily clad women . I guess that even ancient Greece was a male chauvinistic fantasy ! But seriously , the " MST3K " version is the one that you gotta see . You can probably guess what sorts of things Joel , Servo and Crow say . Specifically , they sneak in mentions of Uri Geller , Kim Cattrall and Ricky Nelson . How else to keep sane while watching these cheesy flicks sent by Dr . Forrester and TV's Frank ? Yes , you know what Hercules and the queen were doing when not on screen . Seriously , a buff hunk and a hot babe . How could they not do it ? |
365,535 | 4,888,011 | 69,715 | 7 | Jane Austen's horror story | If you saw individual random scenes from this movie and didn't know the title or plot , you might end up assuming that it comes from a Jane Austen novel or something . But " - - And Now the Screaming Starts ! " is nothing like that . Oh sure , it's set in England over 200 years ago and deals with a rich guy getting married , but Jane Austen's stories didn't center on curses affecting families . The plot has aristocrat Charles Fengriffen ( Ian Ogilvy of " Witchfinder General " ) marrying young Catherine ( Stephanie Beacham ) and bringing her to his estate in rural England . Once she arrives , strange and horrific things begin occurring . Yeah , it always does seem to happen like that . Still , one has to admire how they set the story up so that you can never be too sure about who's doing what to whom . But for me at least , what's really neat here is when the main idea gets revealed : you think that you now understand everything , but there's still a surprise waiting for you ! Does the movie have any problems ? Well , I thought that Peter Cushing wasn't used as much as he could have been . For that sort of supporting role , they probably should have cast someone else ( then again , Cushing brought a really neat dimension to the movie ) . But overall , I thought that this wasn't a bad movie . I would trust Hammer and / or Amicus to turn out something worth seeing , and the latter doesn't disappoint here . And if I may say so , Catherine was really hot ! Also starring Herbert Lom ( that's right : Commissioner Dreyfus in the Pink Panther movies ! ) , Patrick Magee ( the wheelchair man in " A Clockwork Orange " ) and Geoffrey Whitehead ( Malcolm McDowell's brother in " The Raging Moon " ) . |
362,869 | 4,888,011 | 35,528 | 7 | Bob Clampett moves into his really wacky phase | Following some mildly risqué opening credits , we get treated to a series of spot gags on a farm , often relating to World War II . One features a baby bird who looks like the early version of Tweety in " A Tale of Two Kitties " . The part about the swallows and San Juan Capistrano seems to predict Robert McKimson's " Swallow the Leader " . It was around this time when Bob Clampett's cartoons started getting truly wacky . His cartoons in the late ' 30s had made use of his affinity for shape-shifting , but during WWII he went all out and pretty much became Termite Terrace's star director . While his spot gags didn't quite reach the quality achieved by Tex Avery , he definitely created some funny ones . All in all , " Wacky Blackout " is certainly worth seeing . While Sylvester and Tweety are known as Friz Freleng's characters , Bob Clampett debuted Tweety . |
364,777 | 4,888,011 | 113,497 | 7 | I guess that life is a game of chance ! | You know the drill : young Alan Parrish gets sucked into a board game called Jumanji , returns when a brother and sister are playing 26 years later , and has to battle the animals that wreak havoc on the town . It all seems pretty simple , but they play some neat tricks with it in the movie . As the adult Alan , Robin Williams is more subdued than usual , but still makes the character admirable . With good support from Bonnie Hunt , Kirsten Dunst , David Alan Grier , Bebe Neuwirth , Jonathan Hyde and Patricia Clarkson , this is a pretty interesting movie . I will admit that the monkeys looked pretty fake , but we can't dwell on that in this movie ; the point is to enjoy oneself while watching it . Oh and one more thing : from " Jumanji " , I learned the difference between alligators and crocodiles . |
363,662 | 4,888,011 | 43,128 | 7 | just like Hollywood | Before Hollywood biographies centered on drug abuse and such things , " What's Up Doc ? " portrayed Bugs Bunny telling his life story from childhood - " I knew I was different , and then it hit me : I was a rabbit in a human world . " - up to his career in entertainment . However , it seems like there's a little less in this cartoon than the Looney Tunes cartoons usually showed . But I'd say that it's strength lies in its portrayal of the lack of employment in Hollywood ( which I've heard is actually around 95 % ) , and how it forces individuals into self-degrading work . I always get the feeling that whenever the Termite Terrace crowd made cartoons spoofing Tinseltown , they were probably basing the cartoons on their personal experiences . Maybe I can't prove that , but I just get that feeling . So , it's not the greatest cartoon , but worth seeing . I don't know whether or not you're rooting for me , so now I have to go . |
365,588 | 4,888,011 | 397,101 | 7 | New Orleans , RIP | The Skeleton Key is the sort of movie that one might expect to be the manifestation of pure idiocy : a movie star's daughter in a flick about a creepy house . But this one has some neat twists and turns , with a very surprising ending . New Orleans caretaker Caroline Ellis ( Kate Hudson ) takes a job as a caretaker for disabled Ben Devereaux ( John Hurt ) in the countryside . Ben's wife Violet ( Gena Rowlands ) explains to Caroline some of the house's history , but Caroline finds out more as the movie progresses . And the answer to it all is closer than she realizes . Overall , there's nothing particularly special about this movie - except that it may have been the last major movie that featured New Orleans before hurricane Katrina . But the flashbacks and camera angles give it a really cool feeling . You might check it out if possible . |
362,661 | 4,888,011 | 364,961 | 7 | you gotta admit , Nixon really was a crook | Richard Nixon ( or as I like to call him , President Pinocchio ) brought American politics to an unprecedented low ( unfortunately , Tricky Dick was not the last one to do that ) . His escalation of the Vietnam War , his " dirty tricks " campaign to spy on protesters , his assassinations of Black Panthers and American Indian Movement activists , his overthrow of Chile's government , and Watergate , pretty much destroyed the idealistic view of " good government " . So , it's not surprising that someone would want to assassinate him . In " The Assassination of Richard Nixon " , Sean Penn plays Sam Bicke , a disgruntled salesman who is going through a divorce and losing his job . After seeing Nixon's policies play out , Sam takes it upon himself to assassinate the president by crashing a plane into the White House . Maybe that conjures up memories of September 11 , 2001 , but Penn gives a gritty performance to the point where you can't help but completely agree with Sam's actions . |
364,142 | 4,888,011 | 113,409 | 7 | read , they say | First , I will say that the events portrayed in John Carpenter's " In the Mouth of Madness " are some of the most outlandish things ever to grace the silver screen . Second , I will say that I'm glad that it's like that : this movie is supposed to be outlandish . I've liked every John Carpenter movie that I've seen , and this is one of them ( of course , I can't vouch for the ones that I haven't seen ) . Portraying a horror novel affecting people in evil ways , they throw in anything that they want . Are there any parts of the movie where they got just too far out to merit any credit ? Maybe one such scene is the part where Sutter Cane ( Jurgen Prochnow ) tears himself open , but what happens to John Trent ( Sam Neill ) right after that more than makes up for anything unrealistic in the movie . And then , what he discovers about Hobb's End raises the stakes even further . So , while the plot line may border on complete nonsense , they keep it cool by not taking anything too seriously . Worth seeing , if only once . And remember this movie the next time that you decide to read a book ; it might just save your life . I bet that back in the days when Charlton Heston was starring in movies like " The Ten Commandments " and " Ben-Hur " - not to mention participating in civil rights marches - he never imagined that he would co-star in a movie like this . |
362,633 | 4,888,011 | 104,802 | 7 | nice intro to mambo | When I watched " The Mambo Kings " , I knew little if anything about that kind of music , so it sort of made the movie even more of a treat to hear it for the first time . In fact , I try to imagine living in New York in the early ' 50s and hearing the brothers bring their music to America for the first time ; it must have been an experience unlike any other . But no matter , Armand Assante and Antonio Banderas did a really impressive job in their roles . It's no accident that this movie started Banderas on the career path that he's had ever since . Is this the greatest movie of all time ? Not by any stretch . But I , for one , always like to learn about new types of music , so I have to give the movie credit for that . I recommend it . Also starring Cathy Moriarty and Desi Arnaz Jr . |
364,813 | 4,888,011 | 52,885 | 7 | not gone tamale ( or ever ) | Once again , Mexico's rodents call upon Speedy Gonzales to fetch them cheese from Sylvester . In this case , the cheese arrives on a ship that Sylvester is guarding . And of course , no matter what kind of trap Sylvester sets , Speedy uses it against Sylvester ( including something involving Limburger cheese ) . What makes " Here Today , Gone Tamale " particularly interesting is what Sylvester does at the end . One thing about these cartoons is that I actually find them funnier nowadays than when I was younger , as I not only understand the characters ' personalities ( Bugs Bunny is an acerbic New Yorker , Daffy Duck is a blow-hard , etc ) and what the cartoons were spoofing ( " Duck Dodgers in the 24 Century " was spoofing sci-fi flicks ) , but also what the titles were spoofing ; it speaks for itself in this case . But that's just a side note . It's a really funny cartoon . |
362,902 | 4,888,011 | 274,166 | 7 | James Bond as a moron | OK , so " Johnny English " is basically a stupid movie . BUT IT'S SO HILARIOUS ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Rowan Atkinson plays the title character , a dim-witted secret agent trying to stop French villain Pascal Sauvage ( John Malkovich doing a ridiculous accent ) from becoming king of England . Of course , the whole thing is an excuse for English to get into one embarrassing situation after another . . . and meanwhile get to know sexy Lorna Campbell ( Natalie Imbruglia ) . Yes , this is very much a movie that they only intended to be silly . Rowan Atkinson's character is essentially Mr . Bean as a spy ( and talking more than usual ) . Even if it is a pointless movie , you're sure to love it . |
363,688 | 4,888,011 | 60,287 | 7 | One can do a lot with an obscure movie . | Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round is probably mostly of interest to us nowadays due to Harrison Ford's bit part as a bellhop . Apparently , after the movie bombed , a producer told Ford : " Kid , you ain't got it . " Of course , Ford went on to star in the " Star Wars " and " Indiana Jones " trilogies , so he clearly had lots of " it " . Anyway , the movie casts James Coburn as ex-con Eli Kotch , plotting a heist in LAX while the Russian prime minister is visiting . Coburn seems to be mirroring his Derek Flint character , right down to being surrounded by hot babes ( specifically Camilla Sparv and Nina Wayne ) . The good ol ' Cold War , when the US and USSR could play all sorts of tricks on each other , and there were plenty of beauties to go around . Overall , " DHOAMGR " isn't a great movie , but it's worth seeing . You may notice that playing Mrs . Kirby is Rose Marie , better known as Sally on " The Dick Van Dyke Show " . Nina Wayne . Hubba hubba . . . |
364,485 | 4,888,011 | 373,861 | 7 | an interesting look at a culture that we rarely see | I have to admit that I don't know much about Mongolia , even though I've known about it for most of my life ( when I was young , I had a puzzle that was a map of the world , so I learned Mongolia ) . So " The Story of the Weeping Camel " is an interesting little look at this culture . The movie focuses on a group of nomads whose camel ignores her calf , and they have to hire a musician to get the camel to change her mind . It was especially eye-opening that this was a German-Mongolian co-production . I wouldn't expect Germany to make a movie about the relationship between a camel and her calf . But what do I know ? It's a really interesting movie . |
364,284 | 4,888,011 | 44,984 | 7 | half a century later , the oil itself would have to be the star | While " Oily Hare " has its plot , the idea of a Texas oil well is what catches my attention . The unctuous - or should I say " oily " - tycoon here is exactly the type who would have forced the Cajuns off of their land in Louisiana , just as he tries to do to Bugs Bunny . And we see how much the oil industry affects policy today . Of course , I've probably gone too far in analyzing this cartoon . I'm sure that it was intended as crazy entertainment , and it certainly entertains . When they start playing Raymond Scott's " Powerhouse " is when you know that you're in for something really cool , and boy are you ! Anyway , a pretty funny one . |
364,655 | 4,888,011 | 60,228 | 7 | Mayor Carmine , I don't think it's right that you should extort money from the college . . . but do act in horror flicks | Chamber of Horrors is one those obscure movies , probably available only at Portland video / DVD store Movie Madness . It portrays serial killer Jason Cravette ( Patrick O'Neal ) on his way to jail when he has to cut off his hand to escape . So , he returns to Baltimore and resumes his murders . Yes , the plot is pretty routine , but this movie is unique . The star is Cesare Danova , better known as Mayor Carmine DePasto in " Animal House " . Does that give the movie a feeling of silliness ? Maybe , but the movie mostly feels very neat . Also , the judge is played by Vinton Hayworth , aka Gen . Schaeffer on " I Dream of Jeannie " . So Bluto Blutarsky and Jeannie are linked by a hook-handed maniac ! Go figure ! But overall , this movie is a real treat . Fans of 1960s camp will surely love it . And it might just save your life one day . . . A murder mystery in Baltimore . I try to imagine if one or both of Baltimore's two famous sons ( by whom I mean Barry Levinson and John Waters ) had directed this movie . Hmmm . . . |
365,807 | 4,888,011 | 113,819 | 7 | a real aphrodisiac | As " Mighty Aphrodite " shows , Woody Allen really works best when he goes for straight comedy . In this case , he and wife Helena Bonham Carter adopt a boy who turns out to be a genius . When Woody searches for the boy's biological mother , she turns out to be an air-head prostitute ( Mira Sorvino ) . Yeah , it doesn't really sound like much of a story , but it is . The Greek chorus telling the story really helps the story ( it's sort of like " Oedipus " ) . And you're sure to like the cacti . This isn't Allen's greatest movie by any stretch , but definitely worth seeing . Also starring F . Murray Abraham , Olympia Dukakis , Jack Warden and Peter Weller . The remote control . Ha ! |
365,390 | 4,888,011 | 94,631 | 7 | interesting allegory | Alien Nation portrays the future , when aliens have come to the Earth and become the second class citizens , so to speak . Then , human Det . Sgt . Matthew Sykes ( James Caan ) and alien Samuel " George " Francisco ( Mandy Patinkin ) have to join up to stop alien William Harcourt ( Terence Stamp ) from taking over . Much of the movie seems kind of silly ( namely Sykes ' one-liners ) , but they know how to pull it off without letting the movie get ridiculous . I think that my favorite part was when Sykes and Francisco learn what each other's names mean . The movie is a little strange , but definitely worth seeing . You might say that the aliens replace African-Americans as second class citizens . |
363,938 | 4,888,011 | 209,163 | 7 | You kids have it easy . You only have to kill the mummy twice . Back in my day , we had to kill him thrice . | Mostly a rehash of the original , but this time , there's the Scorpion King ( The Rock ) to shake things up a bit . I actually saw this movie in Spain , so the one-liners were often hard to translate . But overall , we now know that movies from the 1930's are to be remade in the 1950's-1970's with a sense of camp , and then remade in the 21st century as crosses between David Lean-style epics and Harrison Ford action flicks ; not only " The Mummy " , but also " King Kong " comes to mind . But now that Brendan Fraser has starred in a Best Picture winner ( " Crash " ) and Rachel Weisz has won Best Supporting Actress for " The Constant Gardener " , I expect no more mummies . And one more thing : why did the Scorpion King get his own movie ? I never saw it but heard that it was just an excuse for buff men to flex their muscles . It was actually released the same weekend as " My Big Fat Greek Wedding " , which of course is much more well remembered . No surprise there . |
362,592 | 4,888,011 | 51,525 | 7 | So what do we think of it nowadays ? | Obviously , when " The Defiant Ones " first came out , it was probably a revolutionary idea : a white man and a black man chained to each other escape from a chain gang and have to put aside their differences to survive . I guess that nowadays , we look at it and feel that they were trying to look good by portraying social issues . No matter , it is a pretty good movie , and Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier do an intense job as John " Joker " Jackson and Noah Cullen , respectively . Not to sound wimpy or anything , but the movie does have a good point in affirming that if we want to accomplish our goals , we do have to accept each other . Stanley Kramer did always have some good ideas for movies , with this one , as well as " Inherit the Wind " , " It's a Mad , Mad , Mad , Mad World " and " Guess Who's Coming to Dinner " . |
365,057 | 4,888,011 | 87,004 | 7 | a different turn for John Sayles | In what may have been John Sayles's most Hollywood-style movie - and I use that description loosely - an alien slave ( Joe Morton ) lands in Harlem and tries to escape two bounty hunters ( the director and David Strathairn ) from his planet . In the process , even though he can't talk , he starts fixing video-games ( unintentionally , natch ) . It just goes to show that you don't need an exorbitant budget to make a good movie about extraterrestrial life . Maybe not Sayles's all-time masterpiece , but worth seeing , partly as a look at people's everyday lives . I'd recommend it . Make all the white people disappear . Yeah . . . |
365,811 | 4,888,011 | 94,642 | 7 | Yvonne DeCarlo , RIP | Yvonne DeCarlo's death a few days ago brings to mind her varied career . She may be best known for playing Lily on the comic-horror TV series " The Munsters " , but in the movie " American Gothic " , she went for straight horror . The movie portrays some young people flying out over the Puget Sound - on either a sunny or overcast day ; the setting kept changing - and having to land on an island when their plane conks out . The island turns out to be inhabited by a family . Ma ( DeCarlo ) and Pa ( Rod Steiger ) are practically Amish , their daughter Fanny looks only a little younger , and sons Woody ( Michael J . Pollard ) and Teddy don't do much . But this family isn't what they seem . Every member seems like s / he has some nasty plans , and the outsiders had better not trespass . There were some pretty gross scenes here , but I liked how they played everything out . Especially what Cynthia did at the end . I couldn't have predicted that even if I'd tried ! So , it's mostly your average slasher flick , but still quite enjoyable . I wonder what Grant Wood would have thought had he known that the name of his famous painting would one day get used for this sort of movie . |
362,567 | 4,888,011 | 280,590 | 7 | as it turns out , some millionaires have made the mistake that Preston Blake makes | Since this remake of a classic movie is an Adam Sandler flick , you can pretty much predict most of it , namely the fact that he can get aggressive and that one character eventually reveals something embarrassing about himself . But otherwise , you're sure to have a good time . As an earthy goof-ball inheriting a massive fortune and turning the business world upside down , Sandler makes the most of his role . In supporting roles , Winona Ryder , John Turturro and Steve Buscemi have some great moments . Obviously , " Mr . Deeds " isn't any kind of " Citizen Kane " - style masterpiece , but it doesn't pretend to be ; and let's face it , this movie easily beats any Jean-Claude Van Damme movie for smarts . Nice , goofy fun . Also starring Allen Covert , Peter Gallagher and Jared Harris . |
363,083 | 4,888,011 | 404,163 | 7 | If things do get as intertwined as many movies portray , don't say that they didn't warn us . | I've noticed that in the 21st century , there's been a surge in movies portraying several people who , although they may never meet , are all connected by something : " Traffic " , " Syriana " , " Fast Food Nation " and " Babel " . Now , there's also Mark Rydell's " Even Money " , depicting several people linked by gambling addictions . There's Carolyn Carver ( Kim Basinger ) , a writer ignoring her family and spending all her time in the casino with prestidigitator Walter Markowitz ( Danny DeVito ) ; Clyde Snow ( Forest Whitaker ) , a handyman trying to help his son become a basketball player ; and Augie ( Jay Mohr ) , who has taken some very wrong turns in his life . But in control of everything is slime-ball Victor ( Tim Roth ) , intent on rigging the upcoming basketball game . I should say that I didn't find this movie to be as good as the aforementioned intertwined-story films , as the aforementioned ones dealt more with political issues . But I thought that it was worth seeing as a look at the underbelly of life in general ( is that a lame description ? ) . And an ugly look at things it certainly is . Victor is one guy whom you hope that you never have to meet , but it's still possible to admire him somewhat . At times , every one of the characters made my skin crawl just a little bit . All in all , an OK movie . Also starring Ray Liotta as Kim Basinger's husband , Kelsey Grammar as a detective , and director Rydell at the end . PS : Mark Rydell also directed Bette Midler's movies " The Rose " and " For the Boys " . |
362,975 | 4,888,011 | 265,459 | 7 | Never doubt Robin Williams ' sinister abilities in movies . | Following the sappy box office duds " Jakob the Liar " and " Bicentennial Man " , Robin Williams probably decided that he needed to do some darker roles . Therefore , you might say that 2002 was his comeback year : he not only did his first tour in fifteen years ( which I saw ) - he also made some good movie choices , with " Death to Smoochy " and " One Hour Photo " ( I still haven't seen " Insomnia " ) . In " One Hour Photo " , he plays photo developer Sy Parrish . Sy seems like a pretty routine person . But beneath that nondescript exterior lies something totally different . Sy has been developing the Yorkins ' pictures for a long time , to the point where he is getting very interested in them . And by " interested " , I mean " a lot more interested that most people would prefer " . By which I mean that he's starting to spy on them . Yes , it all sounds pretty creepy , but the movie does end on a good note . No matter how you interpret it , it just goes to show that no one truly knows anybody . And anyway , it was good to see Robin Williams doing a new kind of role . |
365,396 | 4,888,011 | 36,261 | 7 | Sooner or later , probably all opera pertains to this . | I have to admit that this is the only movie version of Gaston Leroux's classic novel that I've seen . The plot of course has abused musician Erique Claudin ( Claude Rains ) getting acid thrown on his face and thereafter haunting the Paris Opera House , and in the process helping beautiful starlet Christine DuBois ( Susanna Foster ) get famous . Having not seen any other versions ( nor read the novel ) , I can't compare it with anything else . But I can say that this version was quite well done . Maybe the cast doesn't do any profound interpretations of the characters , and maybe there aren't any filmic elements , but the movie is certainly worth seeing . Although above all , I recommend Brian DePalma's " Phantom of the Paradise " . |
365,355 | 4,888,011 | 36,282 | 7 | that's all , folks ( for B & W Warner Bros . cartoons , that is ) | The final black and white cartoon from Warner Bros . features a plot line that we've seen many times : cat tries to eat bird , bird turns out to be nasty little dude . Believe it or not , " Puss n ' Booty " came before the Sylvester-Tweety pairings ( Sylvester hadn't even yet debuted when this one came out ) , so if anything , those copied this one ; in fact , they remade it as " I Taw a Putty Tat " and cast Sylvester and Tweety . Some of the shots - such as looking down from inside the birdcage - reminded me a little bit of POV shots from movies like " Rear Window " , but maybe that's just me . While I do prefer the Sylvester-Tweety pairings for cat-canary rivalries , I do have to give this one credit for starting the genre , and for giving Bea Benaderet her debut . Worth seeing . |
365,025 | 4,888,011 | 36,279 | 7 | loose lips sink fools | True , " Spies " is a WWII propaganda film , so it portrays the Germans and Japanese - and maybe the Italians ; I couldn't quite tell whether or not the cartoon portrayed them - mercilessly . But other than that , it's a real hoot , as that quintessential idiot soldier Private Snafu has a secret and tries to keep it hidden but accidentally spills it , leading to an attack by the Axis Powers . So as long as we understand what it shows , then we can really enjoy it . I guess that if nothing else , the cartoon does bring up the question of whom we can trust during wartime . But it's worth seeing just to hear the Dr . Seuss rhythm in it . Pretty funny . |
365,174 | 4,888,011 | 60,390 | 7 | Or Celsius ? | Probably when people hear of Ray Bradbury's novel " Fahrenheit 451 " , they nowadays think of Michael Moore's documentary " Fahrenheit " . Both have similar topics , namely the suppressing of information and reliance on brainlessness . Francois Truffaut's only English-language film is very well done , with Oskar Werner as the book burner starting to question his job . The parallels to the current state of affairs remain important , as society today seems to be one that does everything except burn books . Does the movie have any problem ? Well , I can't tell whether or not Julie Christie is mainly there for looks ( and believe me , she had those ! ) , especially since she plays two roles . Also , the whole end sequence sort of comes across as funny , which I felt seems out of place in such a story . But otherwise , I thought that it was a very good and topical movie , and I certainly recommend it . In fact , I would recommend that you stop reading this review and go read a book . You may not be allowed to for much longer . I wonder why people always give the paper-burning temperature in Fahrenheit instead of Celsius . |
364,270 | 4,888,011 | 44,842 | 7 | cats live such dangerous lives | OK , so fairy tales and bedtime stories are some of the easiest to make fun of , and " Little Red Riding Hood " may be at the top of the list . Before " Little Red Rodent Hood " , the Termite Terrace crowd had already made " Little Red Riding Rabbit " , and they later made " Red Riding Hoodwinked " . This one portrays a mouse's grandmother telling him the famous story , and the mouse imagines it with himself as Red and Sylvester as the wolf . You can probably guess what sorts of things he does to Sylvester ; naturally one trick involves dynamite ( they loved their TNT , didn't they ? ) . So , this is far from the best Looney Tunes / Merrie Melodies cartoon ; having seen " Duck Amuck " and " What's Opera , Doc ? " , I expect really clever , high quality from them . But it's OK in a pinch . Currently available on the Looney Tunes website . Yeah , nobody whistles Dixie anymore . |
365,830 | 4,888,011 | 113,670 | 7 | Ahme , Mr . Dawes , and one of Mexico's three | Many years after I saw Alfonso Cuaron's movie adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's novel " A Little Princess " , it surprised me to learn that the cast includes Liesel Matthews ( Harrison Ford's daughter in " Air Force One " ) , Eleanor Bron ( Ahme in " Help ! " ) and Arthur Malet ( Mr . Dawes in " Mary Poppins " ) . It's certainly a good story , as a little girl struggles to maintain her dignity and imagination after getting enslaved in a girls ' school in WWI-era New York . Of course , I reckon that the movie wouldn't appeal to very many people above the age of 14 . The look into Indian culture was certainly a good one ( the Ramayana is India's equivalent of " The Odyssey " ) . PS : what I mean by Mexico's three is that Alfonso Cuaron ( who also directed " Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban " and " Children of Men " ) , Guillermo Del Toro ( " Cronos " and " Pan's Labyrinth " ) and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu ( " 21 Grams " and " Babel " ) are known as Mexico's three really famous directors of the 21st century . |
364,305 | 4,888,011 | 71,663 | 7 | more internecine than you realize | In one of his most eye-opening roles , James Coburn plays a US diplomat in England who gets hired to be one of the president's cabinet members . But several people know too much about his sordid past , so he decides to make sure that they don't reveal anything . So , he devises a plan to have each of them kill each other . But it turns out that they're ahead of him . " The Internecine Project " has a very ' 70s look , with the pre-digital secret technology ( which , combined with London's dreary nocturnal environs , gives the movie a more mysterious feel ) . Seeing how this movie came out during the Watergate era , I wonder whether it was playing off of people's growing suspicion of the government . But even if it wasn't , it still comes out really well . It does more to show what a great actor James Coburn was . Lee Grant , Harry Andrews and Ian Hendry also star . |
362,998 | 4,888,011 | 113,677 | 7 | the perfect role for Steve Buscemi | We should all know by now that Steve Buscemi is the unofficial king of indie flicks , and " Living in Oblivion " is possibly the best example . He plays the director of a very small movie - something right up his alley - who has to put up with the various problems on the set . We've seen this sort of story before , you say ? Well , remember that Buscemi barely has to do anything to make the movie good ; his pop-eyed gaze pretty much acts all on its own . If absolutely nothing else , this movie is a good look into the work that people have to put into making movies . Of course , I think that we need to consider it for much more than that . This movie has something for everyone , in my opinion . Also starring Catherine Keener , Dermot Mulroney , James LeGros , Peter Dinklage and Kevin Corrigan . |
364,382 | 4,888,011 | 113,690 | 7 | looking back on it | Knowing that " Lord of Illusions " is directed by the same man who brought us " Hellraiser " , you would probably expect two hours of torture scenes . But Clive Barker has a real treat in store for you . This movie is not a series of torture scenes , but a descent into the unknown . And a cool one at that . The movie begins several years earlier when a cult leader named Nix ( Daniel Von Bargen - aka Commandant Spengler on " Malcolm in the Middle " ) was killed by follower Philip Swann ( Kevin J . O'Connor ) . In the present , New York detective Harry D'Amour ( Scott Bakula ) comes out to LA and gets to know Swann and his wife Dorothea ( Famke Janssen - of " Goldeneye " and " X-Men " fame ) . But D'Amour has no idea what's about to happen , because some of the cult members want to resurrect the cult . And this will require certain accidents to happen . I can't really do justice to this movie by trying to explain it . Barker makes such an interesting use of mind-bendingness that you have to see it to understand it . Just see if you don't come away with your mind blown . You may never believe your eyes again after you see this . And I also would like to say that Famke Janssen is kinda hot in this movie . |
363,691 | 4,888,011 | 389,121 | 7 | I guess that since I don't know much about Natalie Wood herself . . . | . . . then I'll have to take this movie's word for it . " The Mystery of Natalie Wood " did actually do a pretty good job showing her life and death . Justine Waddell , as Natalie Wood , does look almost exactly like her . As for some aspects , I never knew that her mother Maria ( Alice Krige ) pushed her so hard to be famous ( or pushed her at all ) , or that Ms . Wood got raped when she was young . As for the death scene . . . well , I guess that Natalie Wood's death will remain a mystery , and they had to choose something to portray . Probably taking a cue from " Reds " , director Peter Bogdanovich interviews some people who knew her ( most notably " West Side Story " co-star George Chakiris ) . A well-done biography , if nothing else . |
362,735 | 4,888,011 | 343,354 | 7 | possibly the root of some of " Weird Al " Yankovic's songs | I don't usually like 1950s short movies , as they tend to constitute milquetoast approaches to complex issues ; " Mystery Science Theater 3000 " makes them worth seeing . But I found " Ain't It Aggravatin ' " pretty funny . It portrays botched attempts to park , and then to build a patio . Watching what happens here , I thought that it looked like the sorts of irritating situations described in " Weird Al " Yankovic's songs . I mean seriously , a parking job trashing other cars , and then an Insp . Clouseau-style attempt to build a patio ? So , it's no masterpiece by any stretch , but still a fairly neat look at the irking situations that really can arise in one's life . The kind of stuff that Gilligan would probably do , if I may say so . |
363,228 | 4,888,011 | 192,455 | 7 | Let's point the finger , shall we ? | Picking Up the Pieces is one of those nonsense stories that gets morphed into something really neat . In this case , Sheriff Tex Cowley ( Woody Allen ) tries to bury the body of his wife , but accidentally leaves her hand above the ground . I should identify that her hand has the middle finger sticking out . When a blind woman stumbles upon the hand , she regains her vision , and then the hand starts performing all sorts of miracles . Yes , it's a totally outlandish idea , but they do some really funny stuff with it . I especially liked the scene with " Ortiz " . One might say that this movie looks at the interconnectedness of everything . Maybe . But overall , I'd say that it's an excuse to have fun . And it sure is something to see Woody Allen in a small Texas town . Also starring Sharon Stone , Cheech Marin , David Schwimmer , Maria Grazia Cucinotta , and Kiefer Sutherland . |
365,128 | 4,888,011 | 404,032 | 7 | a worthy exorcise video | The title may make " The Exorcism of Emily Rose " sound like another cheap " Exorcist " rip-off ; after all , there have been plenty of those . Even the reminder that the movie is based on a true story could seem like an excuse for the people behind the movie to feel good about themselves in case the whole thing came out crappy . Ah , but there is a major surprise in store for us . Don't get me wrong : there is a girl suspected by some of being possessed by the Devil . However , this is not the same thing as " The Exorcist " . You see , in this case the girl died during the exorcism , and so the priest is on trial for negligent homicide . So , the movie focuses on the trial , and how it forces people to consider various possibilities of what happened . Demonic possession and a trial ? Is that really possible in one movie ? Not only is it , they do a very interesting job with it . I will say that some of the scenes sometimes seem a little silly , but they are also intense . You just might feel like you are getting possessed , even though the whole concept seems far-fetched . As for the trial scenes , they bring up the issue of what all one should consider when reviewing a case . Certainly demonic possession isn't something that we would usually count as a probability , given our understanding of mental illness and epilepsy . But is there any chance of it ? The movie doesn't tell us what to think ; if anything , it's something to think about , which is part of what makes the movie better than one would expect . As for the cast members , Laura Linney does a top-notch job as the defense attorney ( which isn't surprising , given her performances in " The Truman Show " , " You Can Count On Me " and " Kinsey " ) . Tom Wilkinson is also quite good as the priest ( also not surprising ) . Also starring are Campbell Scott , Colm Feore , Mary Beth Hurt , Henry Czerny and Shoreh Aghdashloo . So check it out . It just might save your life . |
362,570 | 4,888,011 | 320,355 | 7 | film must change with the times | I had known a little bit about the 1960s change in cinema , but " Reel Radicals : The Sixties Revolution in Film " lays it all out . Probably the main aspect that comes to people's minds is the emergence of sexuality on the screen , as shown by the likes of " Midnight Cowboy " and " Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice " . But the overall change was a shift away from the 1950s eye candy to more serious topics : race relations ( " To Kill a Mockingbird " ) , the Cold War ( " Dr . Strangelove " ) , the generation gap ( " The Graduate " ) and overall political upheaval ( " Medium Cool " ) . One thing that I wish that they could have gotten into was when movies from that era had a seemingly apolitical plot as the setting for political commentary . For example , " It's a Mad , Mad , Mad , Mad World " may look like a wacky comedy , but really seems to be a parable of greed , showing how people will do anything for money . For the most part , though , I thought that the documentary did a swell job with its topic . It all brings to mind the fact that the 1960s cinematic shift away from escapism led to 1970s cinema focusing on the fruits of the ' 60s movements , then escapism ( particularly high action ) resurfaced in the ' 80s , and then the indies rose in the ' 90s . It still remains to be seen what specifically 21st century cinema will inhibit . All in all , worth seeing . I might also note that people talk about TV experiencing its major change in the ' 70s , with " All in the Family " and " Sanford and Son " . I would say that there actually was a little bit of a shift in the ' 60s . Aside from shows like " Bewitched " , " Gilligan's Island " and " I Dream of Jeannie " having a semi-psychedelic look , these shows often contained situations where people from the older generation would come across something unfamiliar , and look ridiculous when they tried to explain it ( after all , people not taking part in what happened in the ' 60s couldn't even begin to explain it ) . That's my take on things . But I digress . Definitely a documentary that I recommend . |
364,079 | 4,888,011 | 373,926 | 7 | I guess that in international relations , there are no good guys , no bad guys , and no middle ground ; there is only moral nihilism . | Silvia Broome ( Nicole Kidman ) is a UN interpreter who is fluent in the fictional African language of Ku , spoken in her fictional native country of Matobo . When she returns to her office one night to retrieve something , she overhears some men plotting ( in Ku ) to assassinate the president of Matobo . Now that it looks like someone is probably after her , US agent Tobin Keller ( Sean Penn ) is assigned to protect her . From there , we learn that every character knows more than they are revealing . What I determined most while watching " The Interpreter " was not whether it was a good or bad movie , although I did like it . It seems that when you reach certain degrees of international relations , there are no good guys , no bad guys , and no middle ground ; there is only moral nihilism . We learn that for years , Matobo was ruled by the white minority while the black majority lived in desperate poverty . Then , current president Edmund Zuwanie led a revolution that brought the black population to power . Unfortunately , he turned into a dictator . Among other things , he murdered Silvia's family . Whether or not Silvia wants revenge is not the point ( but she does admit : " I don't care for him . " ) . The point is that no character can be truly classified one way or the other . As for what the movie said about the United Nations as an organization , it didn't take a solidly pro - or anti-UN stance , although it leaned towards pro . Like I said , the point overall seems to be that you can't go totally one way or the other . |
364,421 | 4,888,011 | 265,343 | 7 | my big fat Hindustani wedding | I have to admit that I don't really know much about East Indian weddings , so what I saw in " Monsoon Wedding " was totally new . Focusing on the various events and revelations surrounding a wedding in India ( no , this isn't a South Asian version of " My Big Fat Greek Wedding " ) , the movie is really something . I will say that as for director Mira Nair , I liked her " Mississippi Masala " better , but this one is still interesting . We may think of Indian movies as over-the-top musicals , but this shows that there are other kinds of cinema coming from the subcontinent . The only cast member whom I recognized was Roshan Seth ( you may remember him from " Gandhi " and " Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom " ) . All in all , a pretty neat movie . |
365,027 | 4,888,011 | 44,868 | 7 | equal to all forms of revenge | As long as we understand that " Magical Maestro " contains some politically incorrect scenes , we can enjoy it for the purely crazy , as a sadistic magician plays all sorts of tricks on a snobbish opera singer by changing the guy's persona every couple of seconds . I think that my favorite one was the little kid . I believe that it was the Klingons on " Star Trek " who declared " Revenge is a dish best served cold . " Maybe the magician doesn't go quite that far , but he sure has some funny things up his sleeve ! It just goes to show that while Tex Avery may not have been as clever as the people behind the Looney Tunes / Merrie Melodies cartoons , he certainly had some great ideas . Worth seeing . |
362,763 | 4,888,011 | 71,598 | 7 | I will forever remember Art Carney as Harry ( I've never seen " The Honeymooners " , and there's apparently no reason to see it ) . | Road movies always make for interesting stories , including " Harry and Tonto " . In a role that won him Best Actor , Art Carney plays retired New Yorker Harry Coombes , who decides to go on a cross-country tour with his cat Tonto . Harry not only visits his son and daughter ( Larry Hagman and Ellen Burstyn , respectively ) , but also manages to live life to its fullest , come what may . Among other things , this movie shows that regardless of what we may assume , old folks still have it even at their age . I guess that when I'm as old as Harry , I'll have to go on a cross-country tour . Who knows what there is out there . |
365,009 | 4,888,011 | 273,923 | 7 | Orange ya glad that you saw it ? | It seems that most of the country - and maybe other places on earth - consider Orange County to be the most pathetic place imaginable , as the domain of Disneyland , the John Wayne Airport and Richard Nixon . Well , you're in for a surprise here . The movie " Orange County " portrays teenager Shaun Brumder ( Colin Hanks ) . He lives well-off with his parents ( John Lithgow and Catherine O'Hara ) and stoner brother ( Jack Black ) . Anyway , Shaun is trying to get into college when the guidance counselor ( Lily Tomlin ) sends the wrong transcript . Most of the movie has Shaun trying to fix this with some very unexpected occurrences ! Overall , this is basically an excuse to be goofy , but Jack Black really carries the movie . I know that an obvious problem with the movie is the clear nepotism , as it's directed by Lawrence Kasdan's son and stars Tom Hanks's son and Sissy Spacek's daughter ( as Shaun's girlfriend ) . But as long as we understand that , we can appreciate the movie for what it truly is : pure , unadulterated fun . Also starring Chevy Chase , Garry Marshall , Harold Ramis , Ben Stiller and Kevin Kline . |
363,908 | 4,888,011 | 373,889 | 7 | Now I see : they're portraying totalitarianism . | Whereas it's been a few years since I read the novel on which this movie is based , I had forgotten a few things , so the movie refreshed my memory . Obviously , any book-to-movie adaptation is bound to have at least a few flaws . " Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix " certainly can't equal the book exactly , but I really like Imelda Staunton's role as fascistic Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Dolores Umbridge ( I assume that if you're reading this , then you know what that class is ; if not , then read the books first ) . This vile woman , dressed like a slightly drabber version of Jackie Kennedy , makes it her goal to overthrow Albus Dumbledore and totally seize control of Hogwarts , engaging in all manner of torture when she deems it necessary , all the while sporting an unctuous smirk . Maybe it's just me , but I derive that this installment in the series is an indictment of totalitarian regimes . Of course , I might just be reading too far into the movie . I figure that the main purpose is probably to get enthralled in the magic , and it's hard not to get enthralled . Admittedly , the younger stars come across as a little silly , as they try to be funny but can't really get it down . No matter , the adults all know what they're doing . A scary but delicious addition here is Helena Bonham Carter as death eater Bellatrix LeStrange . Looking sort of like Elvira , she turns Bellatrix into the sort of character whom we would expect Bonham Carter to play in a Tim Burton movie , and she does this to a tee ; I almost felt scared watching her on screen . Overall , while the movie does have its flaws , I recommend it . I consider it a solid addition in the series . Reprising their roles from the previous installment ( s ) are Daniel Radcliffe , Rupert Grint , Emma Watson , Richard Griffiths , Fiona Shaw , Michael Gambon , Maggie Smith , Robbie Coltrane , Alan Rickman , David Thewlis , Brendan Gleeson , Gary Oldman , Ralph Fiennes , Jason Isaacs and Warwick Davis . Not but a few hours after I watched the movie , I heard a report on the news about a newly released tape divulging the extreme hostility that Richard Nixon felt towards George McGovern , even after winning re-election . Well , Dolores Umbridge is even worse . |
362,814 | 4,888,011 | 36,052 | 7 | size does matter | I notice that " Jack-Wabbit and the Beanstalk " is one of a couple of cartoons in which Bugs Bunny's opponent is a total klutz - complete with a voice like George from " Of Mice and Men " - whom Bugs could clobber without even trying . But even though the giant here is an easy target , it's impossible not to like the wacky series of events ( or the literal ear drum ) . There's one other thing that I notice . This cartoon contains an obvious WWII theme , as the brainless giant claims to be more powerful than Bugs but obviously isn't ( much like the Nazis claimed to be ) . If this is what's going to happen to the US given the current state of affairs . . . well , don't say that they didn't warn us . But I digress . It's a pretty funny cartoon . Other such characters were Beaky Buzzard ( " Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid " ) , Junyer Bear ( " Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears " ) and Pete Puma ( " Rabbit's Kin " ) . |
365,075 | 4,888,011 | 44,721 | 7 | Sylvester must always ' roo the day | Apparently , Benny is so retarded that he believes that all other cats are named George ( in Speedy Gonzales's debut " Cat-Tails for Two " , Benny co-starred with a feline named George ) . In " Hoppy-Go-Lucky " , he and Sylvester are looking for mice , but come across baby kangaroo Hippety Hopper . So , Sylvester - believing HH to be an over-sized rodent - engages in a series of schemes to try and capture the big guy ; oh , and the whole time , Benny thinks that Sylvester is slacking off . That guy's gonna accidentally break someone in half one of these days . So , it's pretty silly , but always a pleasure to watch . I wonder why Sylvester always has to suffer so much . |
365,537 | 4,888,011 | 36,050 | 7 | they all knew of each other's existence in their metaphysical , animated world | One of the many Merrie Melodies cartoons that entertained American moviegoers during WWII , Bob Clampett's " An Itch in Time " portrays a hobo flea settling on Elmer Fudd's dog . The little guy turns into a real sadist while making a home on the dog's back , but Elmer warns the dog : " One more scwatch and I'll give you a bath ! " Meanwhile , the flea is setting up dynamite on the dog ! And that's not the end ! I noticed that in one scene , Elmer is reading a comic book featuring Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig . Obviously , Elmer and Bugs frequently co-starred but Elmer never co-starred with Porky ( unless you count the very short " Any Bonds Today ? " ) . But to me , the thought of Elmer reading about these other famous characters from his same genre stresses the metaphysical nature of his world , as though he knew of their existence within his universe even though they don't appear in this cartoon . Of course , I'm probably going too far in my analysis . I'm sure that the cartoon was intended as pure entertainment , and it certainly entertains . As for the " I might get to like this " line , it sounds as though that was something that the censors wouldn't have allowed but somehow missed ; I , for one , don't actually know what it was supposed to sound like . Was it something sexual ? As for the end , had I thought that I'd seen everything , I would have been tempted to look for more , rather than do what the cat did ( although it was a neat trick ) . The guys behind these cartoons sure had a thing for TNT , didn't they ? |
365,228 | 4,888,011 | 71,282 | 7 | not-so-gay Paree | Before Peter Weir got really famous , he made this strange but worth seeing flick about a small town in Australia whose local economy centers on car wrecks , and how they draw an outsider in . " The Cars That Ate Paris " doesn't star anyone whom you would recognize , and there's no big action scenes here , but that actually gives the movie a more realistic feeling . I should identify that this is not a movie for those with short attention spans . It's not likely to stick heavily in your memory the way that most of Peter Weir's movies do ( it's certainly not my favorite of his movies ) . But still , it's something to check out as a historical reference if nothing else . " I can drive ! " You'll probably feel like you can too . |
365,508 | 4,888,011 | 114,069 | 7 | There always has to be a disease , doesn't there ? | Outbreak isn't any kind of masterpiece , but worth seeing nevertheless . Portraying the army trying to contain a deadly virus brought by a monkey smuggled into the country , the movie seems especially relevant , what with bird flu and all . A particularly disturbing scene takes place in a movie theater , when a person coughs and the camera follows the particles catching on everyone's lips as they laugh , unaware of the fate that awaits them . The always dependable Dustin Hoffman plays as intense a role as ever as the colonel in charge of trying to control the virus . Rene Russo , Morgan Freeman , Kevin Spacey and Cuba Gooding Jr . also play their roles very well . Donald Sutherland's menacing looks are perfect for the kind of character whom he plays . All in all , Wolfgang Petersen directs another good one here . |
362,699 | 4,888,011 | 443,543 | 7 | he lived in turn-of-the-century Vienna but never met Sigmund Freud | In " The Illusionist " , Edward Norton plays a magician who uses his tricks to upset the power structure . Whenever he performs his tricks , he reminds us how one can never be totally certain about what's real and what isn't . I guess that the correlation is that Austria-Hungary has a status quo - in that it's run by straight-laced aristocrats - and this magician is changing it ; showing that the status quo doesn't have to be , if you will . But even without that aspect , it's still a pretty fascinating movie . Even though Eisenheim is a fictional character , one has to wonder what it must be like to be in his audience and witness his tricks . If anything lessens the movie at all , it's that the woman - loves - someone - outside - her - social - circle premise seems pretty routine ( and why do the characters in these movies always have English accents ? ) . But overall , I really liked it and I recommend it . Also starring Jessica Biel , Paul Giamatti and Rufus Sewell . I wonder why they didn't incorporate Sigmund Freud into the plot . I bet that he could have had some comments about illusions . |
363,580 | 4,888,011 | 71,269 | 7 | No doubt Altman based this on his own experience . | California Split portrays compulsive gamblers Bill Denny ( George Segal ) and Charlie Walters ( Elliott Gould ) . By compulsive , I mean that these guys gamble on EVERYTHING . Needless to say , it occasionally gets them in trouble , to the point where they have to go in for a final showdown . Robert Altman actually used to have a gambling problem , so I'm assuming that he based this movie on what he experienced during those years . Anyway , it's as relevant today as it was in 1974 , a look into the gambling world . Segal and Gould do a good job , as does the supporting cast ( including a then-unknown Jeff Goldblum ) . |
363,685 | 4,888,011 | 114,168 | 7 | it makes sense to set this in Texas | Maybe it's a cliché to cast Jeff Goldblum as a nerd in " Powder " , but the movie is actually worth seeing . Portraying an albino teenager ( Sean Patrick Flanery ) upsetting his Texas town via his mental abilities , the movie really gives you a feeling of the Lone Star State . I will admit that a story of people ostracizing a different kind of person has been used many times before , but the whole thing about the title character's mental abilities made this one unique . All in all , this is a movie that I recommend . I noticed that the cop looked like Pat Buchanan - and acted like him too . The aforementioned cast members , plus Mary Steenburgen and Lance Henriksen , all do quite well in their roles . I sure didn't see that ending coming . |
365,302 | 4,888,011 | 129,332 | 7 | Feeling hungry , anyone ? | When " Ravenous " first came out , a lot of people thought that it was really gross . But when you think about it , the movie actually has a pretty interesting story . During the Mexican-American War , Capt . John Boyd ( Guy Pearce ) gets transferred to Ft . Spencer , where he meets Col . Ives ( Robert Carlyle ) . The only thing is , Ives has some very ( with a capital V ) strange eating habits . And he intends to show Boyd at any cost . I guess that the movie was mainly pretty good because it showed how a person can get driven to cannibalism in desperate situations . As a vegetarian , I'm not sure whether or not I would , but the movie sure made a good point about it . Pretty impressive . |
364,879 | 4,888,011 | 381,849 | 7 | the mild / wild / gnarly West | So , there arrives another addition to a movie genre believed by some people to be practically extinct . I , for one , didn't even know that " 3 : 10 to Yuma " is a remake until I read IMDb's description ; westerns from the ' 40s and ' 50s are the types of movies that I usually avoid . As for this movie . The most interesting aspect is that , as was the case with David Cronenberg's " A History of Violence " , I ended up wondering whether or not the son is headed down the same direction as his father . But for the most part , I can't see much difference between this western and the average one . You see , " High Noon " was very likely an allusion to McCarthyism kowtowing ; " Shane " was the original story of a total stranger defending a family from thugs ; the spaghetti westerns gave the first accurate portrayal of life in the old west ( gritty and dismal ) ; and " Little Big Man " was the first movie to side with the Indians ( and of course " Blazing Saddles " totally trashed the genre ) . But to this movie's credit , it does show the Chinese working on the railroad , which is what really happened . Overall , it's worth seeing , but I wouldn't recommend it above most other movies . Starring Russell Crowe , Christian Bale , Gretchen Mol and Peter Fonda . Imagine that : Peter Fonda went from " Easy Rider " to a remake of a western . |
362,583 | 4,888,011 | 44,762 | 7 | climbing ever upward | So I guess that Bud and Lou just liked to mess with classic stories ( although they did have some interesting results ) . In this case , they're baby-sitting a bad boy , and Lou tries to read him " Jack and the Beanstalk " but falls asleep and dreams that he's Jack and Bud's the butcher , and they climb the beanstalk to rescue the prince and princess from the giant ( Buddy Baer ) . I think that my favorite scene was when Lou was trying to make the giant an omelet , and . . . well , I'll let you see what happens . As this was an Abbott and Costello movie , they did have a few unnecessary songs , but other than that , it was pretty funny . For other interpretations of the classic story , " Bewitched " and " Gilligan's Island " both had episodes portraying it . |
363,729 | 4,888,011 | 36,015 | 7 | Scots do often shorten Alexander to Sandy | One of Norm McCabe's cartoons from his very short tenure as a director at Warner Bros . - he took over Bob Clampett's unit when Clampett took over Tex Avery's , and then Frank Tashlin took over the unit - " Hop and Go " looks like a possible precursor to the Hippety Hopper cartoons . The cartoon portrays a dimwitted kangaroo named Claude Hopper ( his voice is provided by Pinto Colvig , most famous as Goofy in the Disney cartoons ) . A total sucker , Claude never realizes what a pair of sadistic Scottish rabbits are using him for their own personal entertainment ! One of the rabbits is named Sandy . I hear that the Scots do often shorten Alexander to Sandy . Anyway , it's an OK cartoon for the brief entertainment that it provides . McCabe never really got a chance to develop a theme or style in his cartoons - the famous Looney Tunes directors all developed their own styles - but the few of his that I've seen certainly have made me laugh . This one did . Worth seeing , although it probably did function more as a place-holder when it came out ; 1943 saw the release of such greats as " A Corny Concerto " , " Super-Rabbit " , " Pigs in a Polka " and " Porky Pig's Feat " . |
364,446 | 4,888,011 | 78,915 | 7 | an interesting compilation | In " The Great American Chase " , Bugs Bunny traipses through his house and tells us the story of chases . To make his point , he shows us several classic cartoons ( some starring him ) dealing with situations involving hot pursuits . Well , not all of them have chases ; some are there just for fun . Bugs remembers how Chuck Jones sent him into space , where he met Marvin the Martian ; then how Daffy Duck and Porky Pig tried to colonize Planet X and had to contend with Marvin the Martian ; how Daffy ( as Robin Hood ) had a very hard time recruiting Porky ( as Friar Tuck ) ; how Daffy's scenery frustratingly changed every few minutes ; how he , Bugs , ended up in a bullfight ; how he and Daffy dug into Ali Baba's cave ; how he and Elmer Fudd acted out " The Ride of the Valkyries " ; how Wile E . Coyote tried and failed to eat him ; and finally , how Wile E . decided to try something a little more his size , by which we mean the Road Runner . The Wile E . Coyote / Road Runner chase is really the best part of the movie . Overall , it's a pretty neat compilation of classic cartoons , and I liked the scene where Bugs remembers his " fathers " ( Mel Blanc , Chuck Jones , etc . ) . |
365,069 | 4,888,011 | 59,911 | 7 | branching out | For years , Wile E . Coyote had unsuccessfully chased Road Runner , and Sylvester had unsuccessfully pursued Speedy Gonzales . With RR racing against the Fastest Mouse in Mexico , it's no surprise that WEC and Sylvester try to catch them . . . whether they cooperate or get on each other's nerves . I should identify that despite the overall plot , " The Wild Chase " is not a particularly original cartoon . Many of the traps were lifted out of previous cartoons . I also felt that the cartoon ended sort of abruptly . But in the grand scheme of things , I liked the idea of what would happen if these two most accelerated Looney Tunes had to race against each other . If it brings up the continuing immigration debate in our country ( a Mexican and an American as opponents ) , then so be it . This is still a pretty interesting cartoon . |
363,325 | 4,888,011 | 113,972 | 7 | acceptable | Johnny Depp continued his interesting streak ( preceded by " What's Eating Gilbert Grape " , " Ed Wood " and " Don Juan DeMarco " ) with " Nick of Time " . He plays accountant Gene Watson , whose daughter gets kidnapped . The kidnappers ( Christopher Walken and Roma Maffia ) give him a envelope and tell him to murder the person on the photo within the next hour and 15 minutes or his daughter dies . It raises the stakes when it turns out that they want him to assassinate the governor ( Marsha Mason ) , and there's a conspiracy at work . I will admit that this movie isn't really anything special , but happening in real time heightens the suspense . Also starring Charles S . Dutton . |
363,552 | 4,888,011 | 71,360 | 7 | major combination | What makes Francis Ford Coppola's " The Conversation " ( released the same year as " The Godfather Part 2 " ) especially impressive is the combination of things that the movie constitutes . One important aspect is that in the ' 70s , there were released many movies involving suspicion of the government - " The Parallax View " , " Three Days of the Condor " , " All the President's Men " and " Capricorn One " - resulting from the Vietnam War , government spying on citizens , and Watergate . Therefore , this story of a surveillance expert ( Gene Hackman ) having a crisis of conscience was particularly relevant , especially nowadays with the current surveillance scandal . As for the more lowbrow aspect , the casting of Cindy Williams and Harrison Ford seems like advice from Coppola's buddy George Lucas ( who cast them in " American Graffiti " the previous year ) ; or maybe that's just conjecture . But no matter what the case , this is certainly a movie that I recommend . In times like these , movies dealing with these topics become practically a requisite for the survival of democracy . Also starring Teri Garr and Frederic Forrest . |
363,522 | 4,888,011 | 106,307 | 7 | much to derive | I'm guessing that Emir Kusturica probably wanted to flee his native Yugoslavia after what happened there in the early ' 90s . In this country , he made one of the most surreal movies that I've ever seen : " Arizona Dream " . Looking at the container , you may get a little befuddled by the cast - or just as easily take interest in it : Johnny Depp , Jerry Lewis , Faye Dunaway , Lili Taylor and Michael J . Pollard ( I lost respect for Vincent Gallo when I learned that he's a Bush supporter , so I didn't include him here ) . But the movie's actual plot is what will probably make you feel like your head is swimming . It focuses on young Axel Blackmar ( Depp ) , who moves to Arizona where his uncle Leo Sweetie ( Lewis ) wants him to take over the family business . But when elderly Elaine Stalker ( Dunaway ) and her daughter Grace ( Taylor ) enter Axel's life , nothing will ever be the same . A previous reviewer posed the question ( positively ) : how to make sense of what is unfolding here ? I have to agree . A melange of Inuit hunters , a weak imitation of " North by Northwest " ( acted out by Gallo's character ) , and a super-surreal plot , seems like it would be a comedy . But this movie is serious , and some scenes are rather grim . Anyway , it's not a great movie , but worth seeing , if only once . I still do wonder what was the meaning of that fish . And if I may say so , Faye Dunaway is still pretty hot . |
364,708 | 4,888,011 | 79,013 | 7 | Remade as 1990's " Havana " ? | There have been many stories of people going to countries on the eve of a revolution and finding out why there's a revolution . " Cuba " is kept afloat by strong performances . Sean Connery plays Maj . Robert Dapes , sent to Havana to help Batista fight the revolutionary army , but he soon figures out that the revolution is clearly going to succeed . In the process , he meets Alexandra ( Brooke Adams ) , an old flame now married to a philandering cigar factory owner . I guess that overall , there's nothing here that we haven't seen before . But the way that they filmed it gives one the feeling of a society about to explode . Also starring Jack Weston , Hector Elizondo , Denholm Elliott , Martin Balsam , Chris Sarandon , Lonette McKee , and Alejandro Rey ( aka Carlos Ramirez on " The Flying Nun " ) . Worth seeing . One more thing that I have to ask is whether or not Sydney Pollack remade this as " Havana " . The two movies don't have the exact same plots , but they're certainly pretty close . |
364,246 | 4,888,011 | 44,578 | 7 | These , I say these guys got seemingly no reason to fight , but it's funny that they do . | Somehow , I say somehow the worst things always seem to befall Foghorn Leghorn . In " The EGGcited Rooster " , he has to sit on his wife's egg and not leave it , or else . But when Henery Hawk - dressed as The Last of the Mo-hawk-ens - enters the fray , Foggy naturally sends him to harass Barnyard Dog . Guess what all ends up happening ! Why did Foggy always have the worst luck ? Who knows . The point is that his blustery attitude , and desire to play nasty tricks on Barnyard Dog , always get the better of him . And Henery's pride at being a chicken hawk - in this case , it means a chicken who eats other chickens , not a warmonger who never served in the army - always benefits him . So it's a pretty funny cartoon , despite the stereotyping of Indians . As it's not available on any video or DVD that I know of ( at least not yet ) , you can watch it on YouTube . |
365,861 | 4,888,011 | 113,957 | 7 | not too realistic , but what it portrays should be a cause for concern | When " The Net " was first being advertised , the ads made it look ridiculous . Then , when I saw it , it was actually quite good . Angela Bennett ( Sandra Bullock ) spends her days working on the computer and has never gotten to know her neighbors . Then , through a series of events , her identity gets erased by a cabal of shadowy people , and she can't prove that she exists . Some parts of the movie are a little bit far-fetched ; you'd probably know which parts if you saw the movie . Still , it's a good look into what the existence of the Internet may have wrought on unsuspecting people . I do recommend it . |
363,866 | 4,888,011 | 79,020 | 7 | How do things result when we apply Russian ideas to Mexico ? | If you know about Sergei Eisenstein's " Que Viva Mexico ! - Da zdravstvuyet Meksika ! " , you probably know that Eisenstein ran out of money and left the movie incomplete , so collaborator Grigoriy Aleksandrov organized the footage as close to how Eisenstein envisioned it . I personally thought that it was a fascinating movie , but one of many films where they throw so much at you that it's really hard to digest . Knowing that Eisenstein met with the execs at Paramount Pictures but didn't see eye to eye with them , I get the feeling that he may have made this movie in part to indict US involvement in Latin America . As we Americans were supposed to view our southern neighbor as the land of sombreros and senoritas , he wanted to show that there was a more serious-intellectual side , and of course the indigenous aspect . In my opinion , the combination of the Day of the Dead sequence and the rebellion at the end really constitute the movie's strength , sort of like the rebellion in " Battleship Potemkin " . Much of the rest of the film consists of very exaggerated facial expressions ( the Russians love those , don't they ? ) . But either way , I still recommend the movie as an important installation in cinematic history , exactly the sort of thing to show in film classes . If anything surprised me , it was that they were allowed to show nudity ; I always sort of assume that no major movie in any country was allowed to back then ( but don't get me wrong : some of those women were really hot ! ) . |
365,721 | 4,888,011 | 157,503 | 7 | one shot | Drop Dead Gorgeous is one of those movies that might leave a bad taste in your mouth , but also a sweet taste in your mouth . Portraying a beauty contest involving a lot of nasty tricks , they're not trying to be cute with this movie ; they're trying to bite everything right where it hurts , and they succeed . I , for one , wouldn't be surprised if many beauty pageants involve the stuff portrayed here . So , it's debatable whether or not we call this a gorgeous movie or a drop dead movie , but I wish to assert that it is worth seeing . Their accents will probably remind you of " Fargo " , and Kirstie Alley's character is likely to make your skin crawl . Also starring Kirsten Dunst , Ellen Barkin , Allison Janney , Denise Richards and Mindy Sterling ( Frau in the Austin Powers movies ) . Lutefisk . Ha ! |
364,396 | 4,888,011 | 192,175 | 7 | if past and future really could meet . . . | Prehistory and the space age finally come face to face in this cartoon , as Elroy Jetson's time machine takes the family back to the stone age , where they meet the Flintstones . Then , lo and behold , the Flinstones accidentally get sent to the future , leaving the Jetsons in the past . As anyone might expect , both families have a hard time trying to cope with these new environments . " The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones " is pretty interesting . Granted , it's mostly intended for children , but I would suspect that practically anyone could like it . And overall , seeing what both families experience makes one content to stay in the present , even if the present isn't perfect . A real treat . |
363,271 | 4,888,011 | 121,766 | 7 | So it's complete . | You may have heard how " Star Wars : Episode III - Revenge of the Sith " ends , so I'll just talk about a few aspects . The line " Either you're with me or you're my enemy " sounds a lot like " Either you're with us or you're with the terrorists " ( although George Lucas wrote the script before September 11 ) . But I would have said a long time ago that George W . Bush is basically the same as Darth Vader . In some way , maybe the movie is sort of a video game , but that one line made it really good . Ewan McGregor , Natalie Portman , Hayden Christensen , Ian McDiarmid , Samuel L . Jackson , and Christopher Lee certainly do the best with their roles . Acceptable for what it is . |
363,281 | 4,888,011 | 44,659 | 7 | They'll use certain settings for anything , won't they ? | OK , since " Gift Wrapped " is set around Christmas , we can safely assume that Granny and Tweety are being good , while Sylvester and the dog - presumably named Hector - are being naughty . The main humor here is seeing how Sylvester uses the presents to go after Tweety . . . and when the dog appears unexpectedly ( come to think of it , I could occasionally guess when he was going to appear ) . Everyone likes to use Christmas as the setting for something unusual ( or would all this count as usual ? ) ; " Gremlins " did a really neat job with that . I figure that the cartoon mainly functions as a place holder in between the really great cartoons ( 1952 also saw " Operation : Rabbit " ) . So this is an OK , not great addition to the pantheon of Sylvester / Tweety cartoons . Passable . |
365,475 | 4,888,011 | 51,411 | 7 | that frontier life was something else | Usually , when movie characters utter their movie's title , it's deliberately campy ; or if it's not , then the movie's pretty idiotic . Not so with " The Big Country " . It is actually an epic masterpiece . James McKay ( Gregory Peck ) is a sailor who moves to a Texas ranch in the late 1800s . This is a totally different environment for him , and so not only does he have sort of a hard time adjusting , but his very presence may be turning some people against each other . Some " big " movies were epic to the point of being leaden , but not this one . " The Big Country " always has something good to say about whatever aspect . And Carroll Baker , Burl Ives , Jean Simmons and Charlton Heston all provide some good support , with near perfect direction by William Wyler . This may have been Wyler's best movie ever ( " Ben-Hur " actually was epic to the point of being leaden ) . |
364,698 | 4,888,011 | 60,086 | 7 | Bound to happen sooner or later | Having gotten a lead role in " The Ipcress File " , Michael Caine got the role with which I believe that he remains best associated : ladies ' man Alfie Elkins . Alfie traipses around London , having flings with various and sundry " birds " , to the point where he starts seeming like a sexist pig - although it's probably debatable whether he is one . One might say that he loves every one of these women , or that he's just doing this for fun , but either way , it just may all come crashing down on him . On one level , " Alfie " is also a look at Swinging London . There's the ubiquitous clothes and hairstyles , among other things . As for Caine's female co-stars , there's Shelley Winters , Millicent Martin , Julia Foster , Jane Asher , Shirley Anne Field , and Vivien Merchant , to name a few . Lewis Gilbert directed two other really good women-related movies : " Educating Rita " ( also starring Caine ) and " Shirley Valentine " . |
365,589 | 4,888,011 | 289,765 | 7 | Yes , what is her name ? | Obviously , " Red Dragon " only got made because of " Hannibal " ' s success , but there seems to be more of an element of fear here than in the latter ( which focused more on gut-wrenching violence ) . Once again , the famous cannibal ( Anthony Hopkins ) has to help a detective ( Edward Norton ) find a killer ( Ralph Fiennes ) . As you may imagine , there are some pretty nasty scenes throughout the movie . If the movie has any problem , it's director Brett Ratner . It's just a little hard to take a suspense thriller seriously when it's directed by the man responsible for the " Rush Hour " movies . But other than that , there's a really intense surprise in this movie . You're sure to like it . Also starring Harvey Keitel , Emily Watson , Mary-Louise Parker , Philip Seymour Hoffman , Anthony Heald and Ken Leung . Oh , and one more thing : there's something REALLY interesting at the very end . |
364,042 | 4,888,011 | 79,073 | 7 | 1979 : " Dracula " vs " Love at First Bite " vs " Nosferatu the Vampyre " | OK , so this is mostly another movie in which the title character goes around drinking blood , but it's not a bad movie by any stretch . Frank Langella plays the Count , with Laurence Olivier as Prof . Abraham Van Helsing , Donald Pleasance as Dr . Jack Seward , and Kate Nelligan as Lucy . As it is , that cast makes for something really interesting : Frank Langella was Whoopi Goldberg's beau for some years ( Dracula hooking up with Whoopi Goldberg ? ) , Laurence Olivier had played a man looking for Nazi fugitives in " The Boys from Brazil " the previous year and was now playing a man looking for a vampire , Donald Pleasance had played Dr . Sam Loomis in " Halloween " the previous year , and I best remember Kate Nelligan as Mercedes in the TV version of " The Count of Monte Cristo " . What a combination ! Also , 1979 saw three Dracula movies : this one , " Love at First Bite " and Werner Herzog's " Nosferatu the Vampyre " ( which I consider the best Dracula movie ever ) . The things that we see in life . All in all , " Dracula " is definitely worth seeing . |
364,809 | 4,888,011 | 35,872 | 7 | Animal House goes to war | In one of the many Looney Tunes WWII-themed cartoons , a cat invades a house inhabited by mice and gets them to appease him . But when it becomes clear that he has no desire other than to eat them , they see it as their patriotic duty to defend themselves . What I mean by associating " The Fifth-Column Mouse " with " Animal House " is that not only is the house inhabited by non-human fauna , but that dog-looking tank was sort of like the Deathmobile from which John Belushi emerged dressed as a pirate . I'm probably the only person who would think that . Heck , I'm apparently the first person reviewing this cartoon . Do I like it ? Well , I consider the cartoon worth seeing . It's an OK , not great cartoon . Featured in " Bugs and Daffy : The Wartime Cartoons " . |
365,317 | 4,888,011 | 120,877 | 7 | people can take a bite out of various aspects | John Carpenter was once known as the master of horror ( or at least part of the new wave of directors in the ' 70s ) , but more recently seems to have been regarded with some scorn , with most critics saying that his movies got totally trashy . To tell you the truth , " Vampires " looks like it's trying to be trashy . Specifically , it looks almost like Carpenter got a bunch of people together to party , they filmed it , and added a bunch of gore in post-production ( I admit that I just made all that up as I thought about it ) . But anyway , this movie is a pretty amusing romp , as James Woods leads a group of hunters trying to stop a centuries-old vampire ( Thomas Ian Griffith ) from finding a relic and becoming fully immortal . None of the overwrought pomp from " Bram Stoker's Dracula " , just pure unadulterated fun ; absolutely no pretense whatsoever . Definitely the sort of movie that you watch with best buds . Also starring Daniel Baldwin , Sheryl Lee , Maximilian Schell and Tim Guinee . Back when Sheryl Lee played Astrid Kirchherr in " Backbeat " , who would have ever guessed that she would later star in a John Carpenter movie ? |
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