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An actual comedy!
What an enjoyable film! Funny from start to finish and full of little visual laughs. Leave it to the French (or British, or Italians) to be heartwarminly politically incorrect. Just go see it. | 1positive
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A film for teenagers!
This film has been recreated over and over through all these years. The plot is very elemental(As a amatter of fact, In the early nineties Jean Claude van Damme made his apperance in "Lionheart" exploring a very similar device). A draft resister female runs away from his implacable chaser in the opening sequence, and so she will decide to take a bus which suffers a regrettable incident (just at Christmas eve: let it snow, let it snow in Hard to die 2) with a member of a bunch of outlaw jackals on their motocycles in the middle of nowhere. The rest of the bunch will undertake a ceaseless plan of revenge and the violence will make its appearance until the last shot.Most of violent sequences were filmed at night. But in general the film goes turning down until becomes unbearable because its predictability. | 0negative
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Ensemble Cast Would Make a Great 1-Hour TV Drama/Comedy
Calvin's Barbershop is the "Black man's answer to the country club." Located in South Chicago, it has stood for forty years as the neighborhood meeting place. The "chairs" appropriate a melange of characters that keep the place jumping from all different directions. Calvin, the shop's reluctant heir wants the shop gone--he wants to rid himself of what he sees as a money pit rather than an asset. Eddie, the shop's veteran barber, shoots his mouth off as one would expect of the local elder statesman except his little truisms do not necessarily smack of sage advice. Rather, they are outrageously amusing anecdotes designed to knock the deity status out of such cultural luminaries as Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., Rodney King, Jesse Jackson, and, oh, yes, O.J. Simpson. Terri, the shop's only female haircutter is a get-in-your-face diva with a philandering boyfriend. She is loved not-so-quite-from-afar by the sweet faced West African who sweeps the floor, quotes Pablo Neruda love poetry and leaves red roses on top of her locker. Jimmy, the college boy, thinks his educational aspirations ranks him at a higher level than Ricky, the twice convicted felon. Both dis the shop's only white haircutter--in a bit of amusing reverse discrimination, this poor guy's whiteness insures he is never requested for cuts by the shop's more color-conscious patrons.The plot is driven by the robbery of an ATM machine from an Indian's convenience store located across the street from the barbershop and Calvin's decision to sell the shop to a loan shark for $20,000. As the scenes shift from the action at the shop to the hysterically funny activities of the two bumbling theives, we eventually see the connection between the two events and the larger connection that the barbershop has to the barbers, the patrons and the neighborhood.This day-in-the-life technique would work fabulously as a one hour per week television comedy drama modelled along the lines of CBS's short-lived Italian-American venue, "That's Life". "That's Life" was also thought to be stereotypical, but somehow despite this critical representation it managed to be funny and warm and depict real family life and values instead of politically correct blurred viewpoints that distort reality rather than promote truth. "Barbershop" has that same potential---do see it, it comes highly recommended. | 1positive
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Anti-PG-13 folks rejoice; there is yet another enjoyable R-rated romantic comedy that is both vulgar and sweet
Bringing out the ugly! What really makes this film great and uncomfortable and funny is how it lets us see ourselves. In only a few moments Ben Stone is transformed from sweetly funny stoner into a shouting, mean-spirited, insensitive child. Pete retreats selfishly from a wife, Debbie who suffocates him with insane, but strangely familiar, expectations. All the players at some point become irrational, and this is where Alison (Hiegl's character) escapes criticism. Because she is pregnant, any outburst, any unmotivated action is easily excused, and ironically, she may have the fewest anyway. She's still Izzy fromGrey's Anatomy - The Complete First Season, but without the self-righteousness. She's the superlative and a little hard to identify with, but in a good way.Despite Rogen's and Hiegl's competence, it's the little characters that really make this film shine. Leslie Mann, Alison's older sister, somehow seems like both a potentially wonderful mother and potential basket case. She teeters on greatness and disaster and I love and identify with her for it. Jason Segel, whose turn on CBS's How I Met Your Mother is nothing short of phenomenal, shines here as a slacker friend, unfoundedly cocky, and somehow endearing. He effortlessly controls the screen. Most wonderful, though, is Paul Rudd's Pete. I've never seen a character like him animated on the screen. After attempting just now several times, it's impossible to describe what's with this character. I guess there's a kind of absent, off-hand responsibility to him that just makes for compelling screen time. An Oscar worthy performance that, sadly, will never manifest in a nomination because of the kind of movie this is.The film is undeniably funny on all levels. There are jokes ranging from the sophisticated pokes at pop culture, to the almost mandatory fart joke. I will say, that even the fart\poop references manage to be original and hilarious. Is the humor crude? Yes, and somehow not quite inappropriate either. We're eavesdropping on funny people with their most intimate friends. Thank you Mr. Apataw for letting us listen in! | 1positive
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Dude, you just got patty-slapped...
I used to skate when I was in junior high and got fairly good at it until I got more into basketball and quit skating. Seeing this movie and the history of the culture/phenomenon of skating as it exists today made me pick it back up again. The director's style I wouldn't normally care for (I didn't like it in the movie "Thirteen"), but it works very well in this movie. Victor Rasuk as Tony Alva is awesome (he needs to get more roles). The movie is really good at depicting the story of the Z-boys fairly accurately (I believe the Sid storyline was partially fabricated - except for the end). The movie is inspiring - watching the Z-boys take over the sport, and sometimes sad - watching Jay, Stacy and Tony split up. The end of the movie is perfect tho. Anyone who has ever been into skateboarding, or thinking about getting into it, should check this movie out. | 1positive
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More Propaganda
The director/writer immediately admits his biases straight away by saying he was indoctrinated as a kid, and now believes in the "loving gospel", whatever that means. He then tries to convince the predominantly Christian audience to be more human to their fellow humans. He does this of course, through extraordinarily labored jokes, obvious denial of massive cultural stumbling blocks (i.e.- priests raping children), and a sort of "hey guys, we're all cool, right?" tone throughout the movie. It's tired, it's cheap, and it certainly won't win any atheists over. Speaking of which- where are they in the discussion?Not to be found, as it turns out. There's a clip of college kids proving their knowledge about Darwinism, something ANYONE who went to public school should understand. The Christians don't understand Darwin (Oh, God bless them!). He goes to biblical colleges, talks to Christian radio show hosts, and even talks to goddamn Rick Santorum, but no atheist was interviewed explaining where their morality comes from, or how their lives can be complete without irrational belief.Effectively, this documentary fails to complete the task with which it charges its audience- be loving, understanding and more Christ-like. This movie is propaganda with a thin veil of "cool" draped over it so it'll play at the youth rallies. | 0negative
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Cute moments but overall a horrible crass comedy
The trailer to 100 Women made it seem like this would be a lighthearted rom com however, the humor was gross and obnoxious. This movies strong point was how it poked fun at both genders. Some of these were hits and some were awful but a few funny and intelligent points were made. The movies overall message was that men and women need each other and that men are nothing without women which was sweet, but the path to this conclusion was long and disgusting. I saw this movie for free with a promo credit which makes me feel better because I only wasted my time. It was interesting enough to finish and even provoked a few laughs, but some of the movie was so gross I had to look away. It was the same type of raunchy gross humor often seen in comedy's like Euro Trip and The Hangover, but it was poorly executed and over the top (gets his tongue stuck in his girlfriend while performing cunalingus for example). I spent most of my time just listening to the film while doing internet searchs in other windows. This movie was about as vulgar as Hangover part 2, so if you like that sort of thing give this a try. | 0negative
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Not what I bargained for
Just finished watching this with my 2 year old Barney fanatic daughter. I bought it thinking it would get into more of the process of going on vacation, maybe explore some different locales, etc. It's more like a 51 minute episode about how butterflies go south for the winter, which bums Baby Bop out, because "Monty" the butterfly is her friend. So, true to BB form, she whines and complains and the whole gang ends up going to "Mexico" (which is actually just a shabbily decorated set) to find the other butterflies which Monty somehow got separated from. The whole thing kind of lost me as about 5 minutes in, I started to sing a little non-Barney song in my head. My daughter lost interest, too, which is odd. The movie, from what I could gather, is about butterflies, and sort of Mexico. And the word vacation was used, but not in the context that I expected. For a more "adventury" type story, we liked "Barney Celebrating around the World" much better. Save your money, you can learn as much Spanish from an episode of "Dora." | 0negative
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WEAK!!!
Absolutely the worst James Bond movie ive ever seen!! Whenever I think of James Bond films I think of suave men, beautiful women, great cinematography and great music scores. This is Low Budget Bond!! | 0negative
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Nothing but hype
I agree that the unknown can be scary, but The Blair Witch Project is about nothing, and nothing is boring. Frankly, I believe that people who say they like this film are most afraid of admitting they were suckered in by the hype. | 0negative
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The sound is bad - wait for the repressing!
I love South Park as much as the next person, but the sound on this set is absolutely terrible, especially on the first disc - it goes from loud to almost inaudible and back. I found it incredibly distracting, especially since I love this show. I called Paramount, who admitted there was a problem and that they're working on repressing the set (sidenote: they took my number down but have yet to call me back regarding a refund).Long story short: wait until you're sure the problem has been fixed before spending your money. | 0negative
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Terrible trash
"Renegade" is one of the worst tv series I've ever seen, with terrible writing and very low, low budget. Forget it. | 0negative
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Mixed Emotions
Well Jane is definately easy on the eyes and the opening scene is nice. However, there is really no story/plot line and no real purpose to the movie at all. The special effects are so bad its almost good. Parts of the movie are worth seeing, overall I wouldn't waste your money. | 0negative
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Don'T waste your money.
I will watch a somewhat bad movie if I rent it. However I couldn't watch this one it was that bad. | 0negative
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This is a horrible, horrible movie.
I made the mistake of seeing this movie in the theater tried hard to get my money's worth. It was impossible. The dialog was so contrived and mindless. There was not a laugh to be had and the chemistry between Kinnear and Holly was nonexistent. | 0negative
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Missing some listed extra features, the rest is simply ok
Slingshot's DVD Edition of this classic is a mess. It includes the original Kodascope 65 minutes tinted cut transferred from supposedly the only known 35mm prints (even though I think some reels are from 16mm source). Image quality is good, but not excellent, even though this is expected from a 1925 movie, no problems with that. The problem is that this release includes a list of extra features that are NOT in the actual disc. Examples:- The cover says "2 Audio Tracks: Music & Sound Effects or Music Only". FALSE: There is ONLY the Music & Sound Effect track.- The cover says "Little known fascinating insights about The Lost World are revealed in an in-depth essay by Scott McQueen". FALSE: There is no essay by McQueen to be found.- The cover says "A special still frame supplement presents rare production stills and recreates the legendary missing scenes from the original 10-reel version". FALSE: The still frame section only includes blurry stills from the shooting of the movie and NOT a single picture from the missing scenes.- The chapter list inside the cover lists Technical Notes, a Ray Harryhausen Letter and an article about Willis O'Brien. NOT ON DISC either.I have contacted Slingshot about this but I have got no reply. How disappointing from a (supposedly) professional company. | 0negative
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Maybe the best show on TV
Quite simply this is the definition of a can't miss television show. Breaking Bad has the perfect balance of comedy and drama, without becomming a dramedy relic like Dawson's Creek. Breaking Bad follows cancer stricken Walt as he continues to support his family, albeit without their knowledge, by cooking meth. Brian Cranston is remarkable as the science teacher turned genius meth chemist, Giancarlo Espisito plays a great sociopathic fast food entrepeneur/drug kingpin and Bob Odenkirk is absolutely perfect as sleazy lawyer Saul Goodman. Season one was great, but season two was even better. If you're not sure whether or not this show's for you, quite thinking and start watching. Amazing. | 1positive
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Hitting its stride
Season 1 was groundbreaking, but season 2 is when it got really good. The April Fool's joke was a good way to start it off, even though most people didn't think it was funny. This set includes such classics as Chickenlover, The Mexican Staring Frog Of Southern Sri Lanka, Chickenpox, and Prehistoric Ice Man, but my favorites are Clubhouses and Gnomes.This set should be owned by every South Park fan with a DVD player out there. | 1positive
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Fun yet, well fun!
It is a good take on the whole documentary, real-world type of style with comedy and Sci-Fi that I like. There is a lot of times when things that are low-budget look like crap, but this is not the case, as a matter of fact you can see the quality consistently improving from each episode on. I highly recommend this series of shorts, they don't take long and get right to the point, no fat in these episodes at all.And from a photographic point of view, it's beautiful. You can tell from the first season they were really trying to find that look that fit the series and they have definitely nailed it in this one. With the cliff hanger, I hope there will be a third season. | 1positive
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Depressing
This is a depressing and confusing movie. Nothing like what I thought it would be from the DVD cover! It was painful to watch such morose children. The dad was villified although it seemed to me that he was guilty of nothing more than being annoying. What kept me watching was wondering what the mom was up to, but that turned out to be so weird it was beyond my understanding. And what was the deal with Eliza on the floor in the hotel room? A spiritual experience? Not a movie to recommend at all. | 0negative
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troma releasing it on dvd
Great movie. saw it when I was about eleven on showtime. Troma announced it will release this movie in the fall on DVD. | 1positive
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Last Chance Texico
Someday, young Molly (Madeline Carroll) is going to rule the world. Least, viewers can hope that she'd keep her idealism and her enthusiasm.She's got a tough job raising her father, Bud (Kevin Costner) who's frankly had a few too many long ago. She's the one who gets him up, does the meals, cleans the house, keeps the budget.All Dad has to do to shine in her eyes is vote in the presidential election. But he mucks that up and like always she has to do it for him...Who'd have thunk Bud's vote would be the one that would swing the whole election? Texico isn't even on the map, but we've got the President (Kelsey Grammer) and his opponent Greenleaf (Dennis Hopper) doing their darnedest to please one man who hasn't a clue.The film might be funny if Molly's living conditions weren't so abhorrent and the pandering to the electorate like one extended political commercial.Still, young Molly kept me watching. I honestly didn't care about the election or her Dad. This film frankly could use a lot of help, but Madeline Carroll is one aspect I would not change.Rebecca Kyle, March 2009 | 0negative
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Insane!!!
This movie was funny plain and simple but there were parts for example the part when one of the guys [defecated] inside a plumbing store, Steve-O's ... rockets and the ... snowcone were the funniest bits I had ever seen! This is a must have dvd with outtakes and behind the scenes footage to keep the laughs rolling for nearly an hour after the main feature. Great for after party gags! | 1positive
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It's fun
I was excited when I first heard the premise of this show last fall and I have to say it got me from the beginning. I think of it as a cross between the Bourne films and a Judd Apatow production. Also if your into the show you should check out the comic books, online and in print, they give another clever dimension to the series. | 1positive
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Romantic Comedy 4 Film Favs
Definitely a chick flick. A good value to get 4 movies with one shipping cost. | 1positive
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A Film That Truly Earns it's 1 Star
I read many of the reviews on Hollow Man before renting it, but I stupidly thought the FX could make up for a really bad plot and acting...WRONG! The FX are good but your four dollars would be better spent re-renting Total Recall or even Starship Troopers. Kevin Bacon has never been worse, surprising after he was so good in Stir of Echoes, it's not so much his acting because he's only visable for the first half hour, but the dialogue is atrocious. Elizabeth Shue is one of the worst actresses ever, she just got lucky with Leaving Las Vegas (they could have cast a circus chimp and it would have got raves because of Nick Cage), but her true colors come through here. Besides the talentless cast, the plot is simply non-existent. Sebastian just decides to go crazy half way through the movie, OK?! If you are even considering buying this movie, please take your 20 Dollars and flush it down the toilet right now. You'll get more satisfaction from watching it spiral down the bowl than you will from watching this trash. | 0negative
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Consistently fresh...
...describes the overall tone of Numb3rs, a unique attribute for a mature series. Although the basic formula hasn't altered since Season 1--FBI Special Agent Don Eppes recruits his mathematical genius brother, Professor Charles Eppes, to help solve crime--the human element of the series has evolved as characters have developed and become more complex. Season 5 featured several pivotal character events--Charlie's security clearance is restored, the process of which prompts a journey of self-examination for Don, a journey which bravely includes an exploration of his Jewish faith (a facet to his character which helps set him apart from other TV cops); David receives a promotion to Don's second-in-command, which fleshes out the differences in professional approach between him and Don, and creates tension between him and partner Colby; Don suffers a near-fatal stab wound as a result, in part, of a miscalcuation of Charlie's, which leads Charlie to question his own purpose in life; and Amita is kidnapped, which ultimately deepens her romance with Charlie and prompts a season-ending marriage proposal.The interpersonal relationships of the characters remain at the core of the storytelling, with character and plot each informing the other, particularly that of the Eppes family. The continuing influence of executive producers Tony and Ridley Scott can be seen throughout this season, from the dramatic and visual intensity of episodes like "Thirty-Six Hours", in which the team races to save lives following the collision of two trains, and "Jacked", in which a tour bus is hijacked, leading the FBI team through a series of surprising plot twists which, even after repeated viewings, catches the audience by surprise, to the cinematic and romantic feel of "Angels and Devils". The series continues to be enhanced by a great score and soundtrack as well.To the writers' credit, Numb3rs doesn't need to resort to high-tech bells and whistles to tell a compelling story. Lower-key episodes such as "Frienemies", "Arrow of Time", "Chinatown", and "First Law" provide insight into character and pose evocative philosophical questions, while "Disturbed"--the series 100th episode--recalls the pilot episode and treats the show's loyal fanbase to a goody bag of trivia (including a Michael Rooker mention, a nod to the original unaired pilot in which Rooker played an FBI agent). The supporting cast are given moments to shine, and even take a lead role, in episodes like "Thirty Six Hours", "Cover Me", and "First Law", underscoring the strength of the ensemble cast. The quality of guest stars remains high, with names such as Lou Diamond Phillips, Keith Carradine, Henry Winkler, and Colin Hanks making recurring appearances (and it was fun for me to see a childhood favorite, Emergency's Kevin Tighe, in "Charlie Don't Surf").The extras are the best since the Season 3 disc, and include the popular Crunching Numb3rs segment, the hysterical blooper reel, and footage of the 100 episode celebrations. Also included are deleted scenes from "Thirty-Six Hours" and a handful of episode commentaries featuring actors, directors, writers, and guest stars, all of which provide informative behind-the-scenes glimpses into what seems to be a surprisingly cohesive and close-knit family of creators. This series seems to be evolving itself, creating story as it goes along, and I hope it continues for many seasons to come. | 1positive
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Today you get bored...
...unless you don't watch this. The only explanation (which is no excuse) is that Seagal is dead, and nobody cared to let him know......What a pity... | 0negative
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Can't wait to watch it!
I already had seasons 1-4. I needed season 5 to complete my set (until other seasons come out, of course). I havent started season 5 just yet. But I plan on starting it with in the next couple of weeks and i cant wait. Dexter is the best show ever!! I LOVE IT! | 1positive
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Hilarious!!
A parody of American Pie from gay perspective .. The movie was enjoyable and entertaining. Couldn't keep myself from laughing over and over again. | 1positive
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Avoid at all costs
If you have Amazon Prime it's free to watch, so nothing to lose except time. Do not pay for this stinker of a movie though, it has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. In fact I have wasted even more time writing these sentences. | 0negative
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Hondo
The best John Wayne western not directed by John Ford or Howard Hawks, "Hondo" shows the Duke at the peak of his powers. Helmed by John Farrow (Mia's dad), the film is stunningly photographed, with a tight, trim story brought to life by a luminous Page (in her film debut), the ever-reliable Ward Bond as Hondo's friend Buffalo Baker, and Michael Pate as Vittorio, the Apache chief. Also look for James Arness in a pivotal role- he'd go on to make his career in Westerns on TV's long-running "Gunsmoke". | 1positive
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Watching a dog lick itself is more exciting than this movie
What in the hell could anyone like about this movie? The best part of the movie is when it's over! Don't see it, rent it or buy it.The only reason I gave it a star is because Amazon made me. | 0negative
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Vincent D'Onofrio
I thought this movie was utterly boring, and even moreso when I heard some of the director's commentary of his motive behind some of the scenes. Frankly, the only reason I even saw it was to enjoy Vincent D'Onofrio's performance, because he is a very talented actor. If you are an avid D'Onofrio fan then I recommend renting it on DVD and at least watching the scenes he is in. The visual affects were entertaining as well. | 0negative
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Speed 2: Snooze control
Thankfully Keanu Reeves didn't show up for this awful snooze-fest sequel, leaving Sandra Bullock to try and salvage some dignity, and director Jan DeBont proves that Speed was a once-off. One of the worst movies I've ever seen, and that includes Batman and Robin. | 0negative
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A Winner: A 21st Century Classic!
A fascinating early 21st century fable and one of the most beautiful American movies to come along in ages. Michael Gondry is blessed with a cast that seems to have trusted his direction and was equally responsive to every idea presented, and fearless executing every moment.Jim Carrey is offered his best role to date and he not only doesn't disappointment he proves himself to be me more than clownish cartoon characters he too frequently (and easily) settles into. It is a remarkably affecting and touching performance.Kate Winslet is once again the chameleon and her Clementine while initially straightforward and uncomplicated beguilingly shows how many facets this character has behind her. It's a fascinating portrait.The remainder of the ensemble, the art direction, sound and every other aspect of this movie set a standard for the new century. I hope we're up to it! | 1positive
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Witty romantic-comedy is good despite Roberts...
I saw this movie for Hugh Grant. I thought it was funny, light-hearted, and a good feel-good love story for pretty much everybody. Heck, even Julia Roberts, who I loath with a passion, wasn't too bad. The plot is your standard modern-day fairy tale. Average Joe (or Hugh, in this case) meets big-name celebrity, hits it off with her, and soon falls in love. The plot is predictable, but original nonetheless. I really liked Will's (Hugh Grant) friends and family, who are all humorous in their own ways. I laughed out loud many times, especially at a scene in which Will is pretending to be a reporter for a magazine called "Horses and Hounds." When he asks the actress a question about horses in her film "Helix," she graciously reminds him the movie is set in space. The humor is very subtle and that's why it works so well. "Notting Hill" isn't a movie for everybody. If you're looking for a gunfight atop a speeding train while a stinger missile is headed right for the hero's head, you might want to miss this one. But if you're of the female gender, or a guy who wants to be fair to his date but entertained at the same time, "Notting Hill" just might be the film you're looking for. Unless your date wants to see a noseless giant slashing helpless high school cheerleaders with a machette. If that's the case, could I have her number? Just asking. | 1positive
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Lisa B
I was highly disappointed with this. Not the content, but the fact that it was only around 16 minutes long! I rented this thinking that I'd be able to view all 3 sections listed. NOT SO! I felt pretty ripped off after renting it...VERY DISAPPOINTING!!! | 0negative
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Straight to the junkyard.
What's irritating about *Riding in Cars with Boys* is that it has a relatively fresh, important story to tell, and then proceeds to irremediably muck it up. Based on the life story of someone called Beverly Donofrio, the movie involves the trials and tribulations of a young New Jersey woman hijacked by teen pregnancy. Ms. Donofrio's life, from the evidence presented here, should not be played for laughs, but that's precisely what "crowd-pleasing" director Penny Marshall attempts. Marshall fails. Miserably. We watch in sadness as Donofrio attempts to better herself and fail due to her shackled circumstances . . . we watch in disgust as her husband becomes, quite out of the blue, a full-blown heroin addict . . . we watch as her son at the age of 4 or so develops the presumably life-long resentment at his mother's resentment of HIM . . . no laughs, folks. And yet we're continually subjected to a dim sort of slapstick (Donofrio's attempt to abort her child by sliding down the stairs while her parents watch TV in the living room is fairly representative). Doubtless, Marshall hasn't figured out that the elements that make a "crowd-pleasing" movie are usually the very elements that make a bad movie. If nothing else, the "big finish" ending, with Mom and Son finding dramatic "closure" after Big Speeches, testify to Marshall's lack of art. By the way, neither the washed-out photography or the unconvincing performances help. There's a true story here, but it was hijacked by Hollywood, in much the same way its subject was hijacked by the proverbial bun in the oven. | 0negative
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Great movie, but bad DVD!
"My Man Godfrey" is one of my all-time favorite movies. But check your TV listings and record it from the TV. It will be one of the rare times when a late-night TV rerun gives you a more complete movie and better quality than the DVD. This DVD has at least one missing scene. One very important scene is when Irene goes to Godfrey's room and Godfrey tells Irene that she must never enter the butler's room again. This is a crucial scene because later when there is jewelry missing everyone rushes into Godfrey's room, but Irene stands outside at the doorway. Another bad thing about the DVD is the picture is all washed out. This very excellent five-star movie is a 2-star DVD. | 0negative
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Amazing pilot! Gotta see more.
I can see why it's received so many awards. Great writing and performances! Language and nudity content is very offensive to us but those aspects help define characters so well that I can appreciate their inclusions in the script. It's the first series I've bought from Amazon and well worth the price for me and my wife. | 1positive
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Oh dear.
This movie feels as though it was written for a high school curriculum in health and family explorations. It lacks depth and insight. Kathleen Turner is a great actor and does her best to pull along a dull and predictable storyline; but the film seems shallow. Her performances in Serial Mom and War of the Roses as well as the great The Accidental Tourist show her ability to play a complex character and intriguing mom. She continues to be a great and accomplished role model for all those in the arts. This movie is simply a misstep. It happens every now and then even to the really great ones. | 0negative
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Ok...
This movie was ok... My favorite part was when Gage got hit by the truck... I know it's mean, but it was hilarious!!! It's pretty weird, but it's ok... You still have to admit it was funny when Gage got hit by the truck! Ha! | 1positive
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See this Movie!!
I love this movie! Can't recommend it enough - beautifully rendered, artfully crafted, and the perfect balance of comedy and bittersweet - far better than anything spoon fed out of Hollywood.And you don't have to take my word for it . . ."Lundgren's screenplay beautifully juggles the story's alternately comic and poignant elements and renders all three main characters with surprising depth." Hollywood Reporter"Lundgren has a light touch and a weakness for wistful indie lullabies; it is the former that gives this classic coming-of-age film its distinctive ring." - Village Voice.Check it out. | 1positive
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Could have been lived without.
Really, it's a horrible film. I loved Lilo and Stitch 2 Stitch has a glitch, but this? Valiants better, thrash this, due to its lack of Pacha, Kuzco and nothing that made the original the best comedy of 2000. | 0negative
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Great emotional movie
A great movie showing the respect fellow military personal show their fallen brothers. The film shows several points of view, all from inside the military community. A much needed voice in a world that often confuse traditions and respect with politically charged emotions. I salute the effort. | 1positive
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Absurd, But On The Other Hand, Really Long...
Peter Jackson wanted to try to remake King Kong, and it is an exhausting try. If you wait to see it on Video, you will not have missed anything; the film simply does not work.It has lots of homage's to other films: "Jurassic Park," "Romancing the Stone," "Dances with Wolves," "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom." Unfortunately, all these elements conspire - despite technical advancements - to leave the audience wondering if Peter Jackson has anything original to present.O.K., petite blonde starlet learns to love a hairy ape; but so what? Can their relationship develop into anything meaningful? Can it be sustained for any length of time? In the absence of an outside threat, is there anything to hold it together? Even in the hands of Peter Jackson, the answer is a resounding "No".The only sense in which their relationship works is when Kong is killing something that is threatening her. Other than that, there relationship is one of stares. In scene after plodding scene, Jackson has the gorilla and the starlet look longingly in each other's eyes. Then they look dewy-eyed some more... One is reminded of the Spinal Tap lyric, "And it feels so real, you can feel the feeling..." In a clumsy way this is supposed to suggest a meeting of the souls, but this doesn't work. One no more senses real chemistry here than when Anakin whined to Padme about his sorry life.Then there are the unanswered questions: Setting aside how incontinent Gorillas can be, how long does the starlet plan to spend living in Kong's hand? How long does Kong think he can run around with his new toy before he breaks her? Why does the starlet treat her rescuers so ungratefully in trying to save her from a rotten island that, had she'd known better, she never would have traveled to?Perhaps sensing that many in his audience are not going to fall for this drivel, Jackson tries to shore-up the film with a parallel plot line that is pure video game. Perhaps the movie's tag line should have been, "Come for the Ape, stay for all the other weird jungle crap."By the time you reach the end of the third hour, you are just hoping the stupid gorilla will be attacked by the planes, and quickly die so you can get back to your life where things move a little faster. No such luck. Instead there are more long stares of longing, and a bunch of improbable heroics. Some has suggested that the film would work better if edited. I'm not so sure. Too many millions of dollars are up there on the screen, and if the dragging scenes were tightened, the effects-heavy subplots would become incomprehensible unless whole sequences were chopped out completely.In the end "beauty" doesn't kill the beast; it simply dies of old age, with a tired audience looking on. | 0negative
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trite, ridiculous, and stupid!
This movie was as dull as dull gets! Sorry Jack, you're just not convincing as a charming old fart who can "reel-in" the twenty-somethings with the fight and personality (lack there of) of a farm raised trout! Diane Keaton's character, supposedly a sharp counter-point to her competition (youth, beauty and naivette) was unconvincing. Instead of genuine wit and eruditeness, the script gave her trite and expected lines. We, the audience, were treated to multiple scenes of Diane et.al., laughing at her witticisms which she silently mouthed as the music swelled. I suppose we were supposed to believe that at these times at least, Diane was clever. At least Diane isn't a plastic-surgery addict -- it was nice to see a mature woman looking her age! | 0negative
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BAD BAD
I'm a huge fan of Dragon Ball, I was really excited about this movie but I was a little doubtful about this movie and it really turn out to be a REALLY HORRIBLE AND BAD MOVIE for much I have to say. So if you're planning in buying this movie I say don't it's not worth a penny, FOX did this just to rip people and insulted the Dragon Ball Franchise as well as Akiro Toriyama creator of the Series. So for anyone interest on this movie don't buy it save your money get something better this movie doesn't deserve this. The Plot on this movie is has no sense, there's alot of questions that leave you thinking or doubting even if you know Dragon Ball you get thrown out of the movie with no answers of what's going on, the special effects look really cheap they didn't take this movie seriously. So Overall just save your money get something else but don't get this like I said before not worth a PENNY, FOX just doesn't know how to do movies. | 0negative
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Best movie this year
I absoulutley loved this movie. I will definatley buy this dvd the day it comes out. This movie was not that scary but it had some scary parts like the way Paris Hilton died, that freaked me out. | 1positive
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Not the best of the genre
This film was ok for what it is, but not DeCoteau's best. Not nearly enough boys-in-boxer-briefs scenes! If you're looking for a flick in the homo-horror genre, definitely get Voodoo Academy (the DVD); it's the best of the lot. Brotherhood 1 and 2 are both okay. | 0negative
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Simply Fun
This one ain't brain candy. But it's one of the most fun movies I've seen in a while. It doesn't pretend to be anything profound or artsy. In fact, it's pretty much what you would expect given the cast. It's surprising to find Eastwood directing something like this. In fact, this is referred to a bit in the DVD features. The requirements of making a special effects movie (like CGI) don't sound like they would fit well with Eastwood's directing style which tends to have an almost exclusive focus on actors and story (and possibly a less than obsessive attention to detail). In other words, in making this kind of movie the work goes slowly and Eastwood likes to work quickly. But as it turns out, this is actually one of the better special effects movies, possibly because they generally take a back seat to the story.If you want to see a movie that is simply fun, moves quickly (great editing) and particularly if you like Eastwood or Tommy Lee Jones, this movie is great. But don't expect to see 2001: A Space Odyssey or the Seven Samurai. | 1positive
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It's called gratuitous
If you are a psychopath that enjoys blood, torture, flying body parts and the most crude, sub-mammalian depictions of sexuality I've ever seen, this is your show. Especially if you don't care that the writing sucks and the acting is worse. Characters that you don't give a damn about... it's all there. Perhaps the writers were trying to show just how unevolved we were as a species as recently as the Roman Empire. This is a complete waste of time. I could barely make it through a single episode. I want my time and my money back! I guess Starz is far behind HBO, Shotime, and AMC in producing quality programming. | 0negative
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GAME OVER.
Stay Alive is piece of garbage. Bad acting and even worse plotline, these bored 20 year olds play a violent video game called Stay Alive. After they play the game, the players start dying and bunch of nonsense ensues. Stay away from this b film, you'll thank me later. | 0negative
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" Don't ever smile like that at anyone, except me "
Thomas Mann's controversial novel is the basis for the film "A Death in Venice. " Although in the book, the hero is an author, in the film the director Luchino Visconti who also wrote the screenplay, transforms him into a Composer. As such, the Author/Composer, Gustav Von Aschebach (Dirk Bogarde) on the verge of mental exhaustion is a burned-out artisan. After a long and successful career now seeks the peace and tranquility of a less hectic life. He decides to go on vacation to Venice where he hopes to rejuvenate his dwindling ambition. However, while staying at the picturesque seaside resort, he captures the attention of a beautiful young teenage boy, Tadzio (Björn Andrésen) who eyes him with curious interest and is immediately smitten by him. Although Gustav is captivated by the wondrous youth, he nevertheless must find some private time away from the boy's governess (Nora Ricci), while having to cope with a invading plague which seems to have infested the city. The movie dialog, like the novel remains subtle as are the few brief encounters between the boy and the artist. In the end. the audience unlike the book is hampered with innuendos and imaginative flights of fancy. Their affair is never given opportunity and if not for the brief resolution in the book, the film allows only the possibility of 'what if.' Nevertheless, one can sympathize with the hero and wish him a moment's peace to obtain that which is forbidden, elusive but definitely criticized by prying eyes. Great story and a Bogarde Classic. **** | 1positive
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Entertaining If A Bit Violent
Mel Gibson and Danny Murtaugh feed well off this original of the Lethal Weapon series. Their contrasting styles really lead to many funny lines and crazy scenes. The violence can be a bit much at times and the final fight scene is a bit far fetched. The movie is not meant to be taken to seriously. It is interesting how this dynamic duo escape their predicament and catch the bad guys in the end. Gary Busey is very believable as the lead drug dealer. Its a winner in my book. | 1positive
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no good
This is so dumb, seems like a huge wastrel of time. I would not recommend this to anyone. Too bad i actually paid for this.... sucks.... | 0negative
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Ghost of a Movie
The official title of this movie is John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars. The flamboyant director has done this in the past. I used to think this practice was entirely due to ego. In this instance, I hope it was just part of an effort to sell the picture. Surely, no sane person would want his or her name closely associated with a movie as bad as this one.My philosophy is that nobody in the movie business bats a thousand. No star has ever made only hit movies. No director, even the most revered, has ever had every single project universally praised. The process is all part of the game of life. Carpenter is no exception. His Assault on Precinct 13 [1976] is a low budget cult classic. In 1978 he made Halloween, one of the most successful independent movies ever made. He went on to make some pretty cool movies, including Escape from New York, The Thing and Starman. Lately, he has been on a losing streak [Vampires, They Live], and Ghosts of Mars is definitely the low point.The time is 2176, We have colonized Mars and have almost completed giving it an Earth-like atmosphere. [I doubt this is a feasible scientific possibility, but it is a way to make the movie without the actors having to run around in space helmets.] The society there is a matriarchal one, although no valid reason for this is ever given.Lt. Melanie Ballard [Natasha Henstridge] is part of a team that has been dispatched to a remote mining town to bring back Desolation Williams [Ice Cube], who has been arrested for robbery and multiple homicide. When the team arrives, the town is strangely quiet. It turns out Williams may be a robber, but he's no killer. The culprits are the unseen entities which are [you guessed it!] the ghosts of Mars.Because audiences have been exposed to so many of them, it is hard to make a sci-fi horror film these days without a huge budget, which is obviously something Mr. Carpenter did not have. To compensate, he uses mainly one set and throws every trick he can afford - fires, explosions, battles, and legions of murderous zombies. The result looks exactly like what it is -- actors running around leaping through the air, grunting and screaming profanities on an orange-lit stage set. As a result, it never casts the illusions necessary to keep an audience interested.Compounding the problem is the use of props that are laughable. We are supposed to be 175 years into the future. We have colonized Mars, changed its atmosphere and set up huge mining operations. Yet the actors run around using big walkie-talkies that rarely work right, ride on a train that uses a human engineer, and peer into TV monitors that would look retro back here in 2001.The cast contains some good actors. You might not know this if you hadn't seen them before because they have little to do except grimace, look concerned and say to each other "Are you okay?" every couple of minutes. | 0negative
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awesome awesome awesome
This series is effin awesome. One of my favorites along side of weeds. I love vampires and this series is definetly one of the most unique. I have read all of the books that are currently avalible and am trying to wait patiently for the tenth one which unfortunatly wont be out until may 2010 . I suggest u read the books, they only get better. If u love vampires u will absolutly love sookie stackhouse. Most of the time people say the books are always better, and they are, but trueblood is pretty much just as good as the books which in my opinion says A LOT! love it love it love it!!!!!!!!!! | 1positive
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We love this series!
Complete first season on Blue Ray for a great price. Gave to my husband for Christmas. Will definitely purchase season 2 as soon as it's released. | 1positive
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Disappointing!
We own several videos and DVD's that show spectacular scenery and have awesome music. THIS is not one of them. We purchased this DVD after reading the back cover, expecting to see the beauty of America's National Parks. What you WILL see is a scant few seconds of scenery, followed by endless images of the orchestra and musicians. It was so irritating that I started counting the seconds that scenery was shown and then how much time was spent on the orchestra. When it got to 6-8 seconds of beautiful scenery (just enough so that you started to relax and enjoy it) only to be followed by 25 seconds of musicians in the studio, we turned it off. It was not relaxing. It was irritating. I was actually surprised that someone with an appreciation of the outdoors would devote so little time to showing it! Don't waste your money. Desert Vision is a far superior selection if you are looking for beautiful imagery with a soothing music background. | 0negative
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The Voice of Kiefer Sutherland is not Enough
All we hear is the voice of Kiefer Sutherland. Kiefer is good but he can't save this movie that is played out in very bad taste. Every other word seems to be a four letter word. It made the movie very uncomfortable to watch. What a shame because the idea behind the plot was very good. Children should not watch this movie. | 0negative
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A Great movie, but not for the faint-hearted.
If subtle, off-beat humor mixed with sex, prostitution, and violence is your thing, then this is the movie for you. It's a realistic (as far as I can tell) story of a confused young boy, with dreams of becoming a famous Hollywood actor. His Father wants him to work for the family business, and has him trapped. He sneakily tries to use his Father's business to fulfill his own dreams. The acting isn't top notch, but believable (what d'ya expect for a low-budget movie). The plot was very different and entertaining, and the movie had me welded to my seat. Give it a shot...you'll see. Not recommended for those cold nights with the fireplace going and snuggling up next your honey, playin' kissy-face-huggy-bear. Unless your sick, sick, SICK! --By the way, a great soundtrack, too. | 1positive
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UTTER RUBBISH
I bought this dvd on as the reviews it got were good. After watching it I was very very dissapointed. It is the most boreing, far fetched movie I have ever seen. Basically, the USA is invaded by Russian and Cuban troops. A group of teenagers escape and start a war with the invading forces. They survive for months. The Russians chuck everything at them including gunships but they still cant defeat the kids. These kids call themselves the "wolverines" and one part of the movie which really made me laugh was when the kids attacked the Russians and some of the troops cried out "help help its the wolverines" I cant understand anyone who can honestly say they really enjoyed this movie. I have seen more exciting episodes of the Muppet show. If you like a film with good action, lots of excitement and great acting, stay clear of this tripe. If the film had no swearing in it and less blood, a 5 year old MIGHT find it a good film. | 0negative
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An AMAZING Romantic Comedy
This is just an awesome romantic comedy. Elisha Cuthbert is gorgeous and does an amazing job. Movie is heartfelt and at no point is it corny. Love the characters and how everything plays out. Just perfect! :-) | 1positive
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Rip off!
As I was watching this movie, I could not help but feel like I have seen same type of movie before. I could not put my finger on just why I was getting this feeling until I saw this scene. It's the scene where this guy was on the bed dangling his right arm off the bed for his dog to lick his hand. Then, he saw the words "humans can lick too" on the mirror. I immediately remembered watching I believe the movie Camp Fire Tales (I don't know if I got the title right), which was put out back in 80s or 70s I think. This Urban Legend Bloody Mary totally ripped this Camp Fire movie off! I felt cheated out of my mondey I telly you. Anyways, this movie was a total nonsense. Former Urban Legend movies had "who done it among the people you know" surrounded the story. The killer always was someone who was alive, so you just had to figure out which was the killer and why they want to kill others off. This movie Bloody Mary version was all about some ghost killing the people off. You know this very earlier in the movie, so they were no mistery surround the movie, which made it very boring. The ending was very predictable, which I figured it out half way through the movie. After watching this movie, I wanted to get my money back from the rental store. I have watched many bad movies before, but never felt like I wanted to get my money back. But, this movie has a lot of ripped off scenes from other past horror movies, so I felt like I was watching all the past movies that I already seen all over again. What a waste of money and time! | 0negative
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Unwatchable
This is a sorry excuse not just for a movie but for a direct-to-video or really any form of entertainment. Poorly thought out, "written", "directed", acted (you would be rooting for the characters demise throughout if there were actually anything out there to root for) and edited. Great marketing campaign on the web made this movie into the hype-monster it became. As for those woods they were lost in, I've seen scarier backyards..... | 0negative
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Hellzapoppin
Copy of this film made from a terrible print. Some innovative technical tricks ahead of it's time but humor (1941) does not hold up at all. | 0negative
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Boring, Bad acting and Storyline!!
The only redeeming feature of this flick are the special effects and costuming!The rest of this movie sucked. The acting was bad, monotone, and one dimensional..... No depth of character.The fight scenes were badly choreographed, phony looking and fake. Too many of the fight scenes in "Ultraviolet" were poorly reminscent of "The Matrix" and "Aeon Flux", and made this movie feel like a shoddy imitation in comparison. Both "The Matrix" and "Aeon Flux" were far superior movies in in terms of plot, acting, special effects, fight sequences and more.Ending of this movie wasn't great either, nor very creative. Found it difficult to want to watch this movie through it's end result.Don't waste money or time renting or buying this movies! | 0negative
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Streets of Fire Diane Lan
Amid a brooding rock & roll landscape,the Bombers motorcycle gang,led by the vicious Raven Shaddock (Willem Dafoe),kidnap diva Ellen Aim (Diane Lane). Her hope for rescue lies with unlikely heroes: soldier of fortune Tom Cody (Michael Pare) and his sidekick,the two-fisted beer-guzzling, McCoy (Amy Madigan). Joined by Ellen's manager,Billy Fish (Rick Moranis),the trio plunge headfirst into a world of rain-splattered streets,hot cars and deadly assassins.Excellent Diane Lane as Ellen Aim - Top MovieStreets of Fire is a rock & roll shotgun blast to the senses. | 1positive
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old yeller
movie came in on time. however, it did not have a case with it. it was just the tape and that is it. | 0negative
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Boring, depressing and just bad
The first season had me hooked. I needed to watch episode after episode and spent whole weekend afternoons doing so. Well then I was so happy to find the second season and jumped in with enthusiasm. That enthusiasm quickly took a dive into just plain boredom. By the last episode I ended up fast forwarding through most of it just looking for small glimpses of interest. These bothered me most:Jenny: I did not like any of the characters. At ALL. But Jenny was by far my LEAST favorite. She was always whining or crying or being depressed and being weird and going through weird fantasies in her little writing world. Oh, and saying the eff word does not make you cool. It just looked wrong coming out of her mouth. Just watching her made me want to stop watching altogether.Random characters: Ivan, Laura, that woman Jenny was dating at the beginning...they all made brief appearances and then just got booted for some reason or another just like that. I was starting to like Ivan and the relationship he had with Kit but then that was all messed up.Everyone has serious issues and needs to shut up: Alice can't choose between men and women. Jenny is whining and crying. Shane pushes girls who really like her away. Tina is mad at Bette for half the season. I get that problems create drama but it gets so OLD after two or three episodes of the exact same thing.Overall, I was really disappointed and I won't be wasting my time watching the next several seasons that somehow made it to TV. | 0negative
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The Real Dukes Would Have Run Away............
This movie was nothing like the tv show. It was totally disrespectfully to all the dukes and especially boss hogg. Am I really supposed to believe that after all this time Boss Hogg grew? I mean they couldn't find someone to match the size of the original Boss. And Rosco in this movie was just creppy and not funny at all. In all of hollywood they couldn't find a funny guy to play Rosco. Jessica's portrayal of Daisy was horrible; and to tell you the truth she did not fill out the shorts that well either, SHE HAS NO BUTT!!! Do not waste your money to buy this movie. Rent it if you like, but don't buy! | 0negative
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(
If you have insomnia, rent this movie. It'll cure it. Definitely one of the worse movies of the year. There's a Biography special on A&E; that was a thousand times better. What you have here is basically a movie with where profanity and sex replaces the story. But that's what Hollywood does when it doesn't have a decent script: replace it with special effects or cuss all night long. It's as if pre-pubescent teens were in charge of making this movie. On the positive side, Charlize Theron can act. And from what I've heard, it didn't take much makeup to make her look like she does in this movie.I kept shutting the DVD player off throughout this movie. At one point I shut it off to watch the news. Then I was fast forwarding a lot. Finally I gave up and just stopped watching.I was familiar with the true story behind this movie. So I was annoyed when the director had so much material to work with, and instead wound up with this mess. I remember the real serial killer once had sex with her brother and was kicked out of her house in her early teens. But you wouldn't know that from watching this thing.I give this movie one star because it's the lowest Amazon allows. | 0negative
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The Mechanic needs some work
I'm actually surprised to see so many 4 and 5 star reviews of this movie which, I suppose, makes me happy: at least a few people got what they wanted from this film. For me, it was decidedly unimpressive, especially given the slew of superior Statham flicks out there. The Mechanic doesn't mess with what makes other Statham films enjoyable - Jason has played the stone-faced elite killer so often that he inhabits the role effortlessly - but a muddled and uninteresting plot, a lack of character development and a tacked-on ending mar what should have been another pop-corn flick filled with cool guy swagger and cockney one-liners.It's a shame really, especially given the supporting cast. Donald Sutherland and Ben Foster both turn in good performances, especially for this grade of movie. Foster in particular seems intent on squeezing as much character in between the lines of the lack-luster script as he can. He brings a silent intensity to his role that is appropriately unsettling, and it really is a pity that the Mentor-Pupil relationship between his character and Statham's was lost in the pursuit of action-sequences and forced "grittiness" (care of a few meaningless scenes of street wandering and overzealous camera work).Ultimately, The Mechanic feels like a movie trying to be something dark and serious, somewhat of a departure from the straight to the action template of most Statham vehicles, and completely devoid of the dry wit Statham has proven he can bring to the table. This would have been an interesting premise, but for some reason the film's creators (or editors, or producers) ignored a readily available source for this angle and instead injected it artificially at every opportunity. What you end up with is a series of events you don't care about because you're not given enough of a reason to do so. People are betrayed, re-betrayed and triple-betrayed, but it doesn't matter because you're never given the sense that any of the characters cared about each other to begin with and you're ultimately left wondering why any of them even dealt with one another.So...shrug. It's not totally worthless, but it's hard for me to find anything in The Mechanic to recommend. Skip it. | 0negative
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Take This Waltz
I purchased this video given the character names involved in the production. Not my best choice the movie was painfully long and equally boring. | 0negative
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scarry!!!
i bought this movie for my mother and it scared the hell out of me!!! so worth it if u want a scary movie night but sleep with a light on!!!!! | 1positive
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Complete Bull Sh*t
Im so glad I didnt waste my money to see this at the theatres, luckily I saw it on t.v. Its about a group of students in the future that find Jason frozen in some room and later thaw him out and of course he comes back to life and kills everyone. Thats basically it.(...)It looked like a cheap porno movie with blood and guts. Dont get me started with the robot chick near the end of the movie wear she turned terminator, that was THE dumbest thing I have ever seen. This is a complete disgrace to the Jason movies, but thats just my opinion. | 0negative
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Good thing they all get ONE star...
This pointless drivel nearly spoiled my whole evening. God only knows how angry I'd have been if I had gone, in my car, to a cinema to watch it, instead of renting it. And if I'd taken someone I liked????... the mind boggled.Isn't it obvious to everyone that this kind of stuff won't wash? They were still making movies about the Cold War when that great non-event was long over. Jack Lemmon once appeared in a film about "Hippies". Someone will always bring these things to us I suppose.Watching Michael Douglas burn his books like this made me want to do the Nazi salute at him. How can he agree to do such a deeply ignorant film? Is he so short of cash? | 0negative
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Disappointed...
This film had the chance to be scary, but fell short of the mark.My daughters and I are horror film buffs, we were excited from what we saw in the trailers.To say the least the trailer was better put together than the film.Great concept, short on execution. | 0negative
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awful!
Wow, a waste of money and time! This was the stupidest movie I've ever seen. No plot, no entertainment, just pure garbage. We didn't even want to finish watching it, but did because we thought the ending might be worth waiting for - it wasn't. The only reason I give it 1 star is because there is no -5 star rating. | 0negative
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Boring rehash of far better movies.
I really disliked WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU. It's a thoroughly generic "gritty crime drama" that has not one original moment and not one single character to root for or even find any originality in. The only thing preventing this from being a one-star film are the authentic Boston locations and the fact that Mark Ruffalo and Amanda Peet are in it. Their talents are wasted...but I just like both these actors.Ruffalo and his good friend Ethan Hawke have been petty crime thugs in the lower middle class neighborhood since they were kids. Doing little "errands" as kids led them to a life of doing slightly bigger, more dangerous errands...but it's all quite petty. Robbing delivery trucks seems to be their big thing...usually by first paying off the driver so that there's no risk of gunplay. They make little money, and Ruffalo, who is married to Peet and has two small children, becomes more and more anxious. Hawke is single and more volatile, but Ruffalo is more tortured, and thus turns to drugs for comfort.You can predict almost every development of this movie. They try to strike out on their own. They get arrested. Ruffalo's marriage is full of fights. The urge to go straights butts up against the realities of trying to make a decent living. The film is populated with one clichéd character after another. Ruffalo is the troubled guy who has a decent core. Hawke the dangerous loose cannon (yes, think Affleck & Renner in THE TOWN). Peet is the wife who stays for no good reason. The one troubled kid who pushes dad away. The older petty-crime boss who works out of a bar. The veteran cop keeping an eye on things. The older ex-con who serves as an AA sponsor. It just goes on and on.As does the movie...it drags to a silly conclusion. The movie begins with an armored car heist going wrong, but before we see the whole fallout, we jump back to the beginning. Yet when we get back to the big heist, it's a big letdown. There is virtually no other action in the movie. It's all moping around in bad weather.Poor Amanda Peet has the worst of it. We get NO sense of her character...she's either yelling at Ruffalo or bedding him, or giving him meaningful looks. We have no idea why she's with him or why she stays. Hawke gives a very generic performance...it's the grimy Hawke of so many other movies like BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD. Ruffalo, who is such a charismatic and easy performer, flounders here with an under-written role that gives his character no real room for development. The character changes, true, but it's all arbitrary.I blame it on the script by actors Brian Goodman and Donnie Wahlberg, who also appear in the film. All they are doing is rehashing far better crime movies. And I wouldn't even mind a predictable rehash so much if there was any pace, any character to grip me or any thread of plot that lasts more than two or three scenes. The movie is episodic and lazy.I guess watching the movie didn't kill me, but it sure didn't make me stronger. Avoid! | 0negative
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Off the beaten path
Although the term "butterfly effect" was originally coined by Edward Lorenz, it wasn't used in popular fiction until Ray Bradbury's story "The Sound of Thunder" in 1952. The phrase is a metaphor for how one small change in a complex system (say, the death of a butterfly) can have unforeseen far-reaching effects.If the movie based on the short story of the same name adhered strictly to Bradbury's story it would have been a very short film. Instead, the movie takes liberties with time travel by demonstrating how "time waves" revert the present timeline to the alternate reality hinted at in the story. The film addresses a lot of the incongruous details in the short story.The premise of both mediums is that time travelers use their advanced technology not to change the world but for cheap voyeuristic thrills. Rich people spend fantastic sums of money to kill dinosaurs in the past. In the short story the hunters are paranoid about accidentally changing the future (which implies that time is linear) so they travel through the past on a floating path, shoot only dinosaurs that will die of natural causes anyway, and then argue about removing the bullets. But if you take the Butterfly Effect to the extreme, doesn't merely breathing the air change things?The movie tries to deal with the obvious logic fallacies by treating time travel like space travel. The hunters are in hermetically sealed suits, they fire weapons with frozen-nitrogen bullets that melt, and they too stick to the floating path. The guns won't even fire without the leader of the Time Safari, led by Travis Ryer (Edward Burns) firing first. But central to this story is that greed trumps all; in the future the government is strapped for cash and keeps the Time Safari business on a short leash.Sound of Thunder is at heart a story about consequences. Instead of dealing with time travel, or exploring the corruption of a for-profit organization abusing time for petty purposes, the film turns into a bizarre apocalyptic future survival adventure in which humanity has turned into dinosaur-baboons, baboon-bats, and sea monsters. Worse, the three critters I just mentioned are all better rendered than the dinosaur hunt (in the film, an Allosaurus instead of a Tyrannosaurus). Which is a shame. The tension leading up to the Allosaurus kill is the foundation of the rest of the movie, and it stumbles badly.As the film struggles to find a satisfying conclusion, it ends by violating its own timeline rules. All these measures taken to avoid changing time contradict revisiting the same timeframe. Time is either linear or it isn't, you can either revisit the same scenario again and again (and therefore the film must show you meeting yourself) or you can't. Sound of Thunder is a time travel movie with no clear idea on how to handle time travel.Sound of Thunder gets a lot of things about the dinosaur safari right. Unfortunately, as soon as it steps off the path of the original short story, it loses its way. | 0negative
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Entertaining but lacking
I was disappointed in this film as a whole. There were elements of it that impressed me, such as Robin Williams' performance as a psychopath. The cinematography and the lighting were good as well. The events lacked. This film didn't have much purpose. It was only an hour and a half, and it didn't live up to its potential. This could have been a great film if it had given the viewer more to think or talk about. It was just weak. This is not something that most kids would enjoy. They would be bored while waiting for Robin Williams to crack a joke, and its R rating reflects sexual content, including some nudity, and profanity. One Hour Photo was okay. It just was not a thriller that stands out among thrillers. It was weak. For a good psychopath movie, watch The Silence of the Lambs. | 0negative
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suprised
At the time this event happened, I was young, therefore uniformed what was really happening, as most of Americans were misinformed.To see later the Presidents that took office after Kennedy, and to know their past dealings, I know why our country is in the shape it is today, and why. This tape was very informative and well put together. This will become a permanent tape to my libary collection. As history goes, sooner or later it will repeat itself. I would highly recommend to watch this so to inform you about your past history in this nation of ours. | 1positive
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Ripped Off Story with Poor Production Quality
The tale of evil children in a community has been done many times over and this version is amongst the worst for the following reasons:(1.) First, usually when children turn out to be evil killers the viewer is given some history and development as how this could take place. In this case there was none - no explanation; just kids being killers except at the end some kids that had no connection with the entire movie appear out of nowhere and stand like little zombies in a forest. That's it! Producers are thinking - money sequel.(2.) Second, the story is totally unbelievable in showing parents as easily misled and then overpowered by nine year olds. There is some unclear suggestion that one or more of the kids can telepathically control the other kids - boring old '60s ripoff, and if so why not control the parents! Vague, script writing.(3.) Third, no horror in a horror story! The filming and editing was so poor that you see nothing horrific happening until the event is over and then you see little e.g. a cat is the first to go (another idea ripoff) but all you see is a collar and a bit of blood on the ground; mom gets her ending with a pencil through the eye but unless you stop frame the movie to see those prosthetic 2 seconds you don't see her again; dad gets a hook in the head and what you get is a bloody body lying on the ground for a couple of minutes and if you stop frame the movie you get 3 seconds of prosthetic scalp pulled away; another dad dies in a car and you see nothing except the standard broken windshield and a bit of blood on the ground.(4.) Fourth, that's it - that's the movie. The only children in this movie are the people who produce such stolen vacuous tripe. | 0negative
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C- Though still worth a look
This is the worst of the scream movies but still has its moments. The story line is somewhat thin but does complete a few loose ends from the other two. Parker Posey has to be the most whiney actress I have ever witnessed. This movie is worth watching once or twice but not near as good as the other two. I won't spoil the ending even though I would like to so I can explain my disgust with it:) Oh well, the dvd is cool none the less(my local circuit city screwed up and put it on sale a week early) The picture and sound are great and they finally release a scream movie with some decent extras. This movie is worth a look due to the fact that it does end the popular trilogy(or so they say I already have heard about a scream 4 with a new cast) The fact is that these movies make money and they will make them forever until they don't. I would give this a C- because of its disappointing ending and the terrible actress Parker Posey. I have seen other movies by her and she isnt bad there but here she is awful. I guess that would be my whole review except that I have two beefs about this trilogy. They should not have killed Randy and the ending of scream 3 is a major disgrace to the trilogy(yes I know I have said that alot:) | 0negative
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Yeech!
Sorry, but I found the jarring juxtaposition of medieval jousting with 1970s pop tunes too much to take. Plus the plot didn't keep my attention. After about 40 minutes I turned it off. 'Nuff said..... | 0negative
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Here comes 'Dodo'
DVD-R mfrs. such as SYNERGY offer no commentary, deleted scenes, subtitles or other bonus features. Dubs are "best available source" and can vary from very good to only fair.The diminutive star of HERE COMES TROUBLE, William Tracy bears a resemblance to stop motion animating pioneerCharlie Bowers. He also looks a bit like a young Jack Haley. This HAL ROACH comedy that was distributed by UNITED ARTISTS was one of their last before the company shifted almost completely to television production.Although Tracy is good here, co-star Emory Parnell is absolutely outstanding. His coordination with complex physical "business" is really surprising. In one highlight, Tracy (as 'Dodo' Doubleday) gives his news editor boss 'Windy' Blake (Parnell) a cigar that was a gift to him (Dodo) from the office joker. Blake lights it, steams over some nonsense, slams his office door and the glass shatters. We see Blake glaring at the door from within his office and suddenly the cigar explodes, shredding into a perfect daisy pattern. Parnell's reaction makes this moment quite hilarious.The story is straightforward--Windy is being blackmailed by burlesque star Bubbles LaRue (Woodbury). He sends annoying future son-in-law Dodo to the theater with enough cash to buy LaRue's incriminating diary. While Dodo is visiting her dressing room, negotiations are interrupted by a knock at the door. He hides in the washroom so Bubbles can see who it is. A man with a pistol forces his way into her room and as Dodo cowers in the john, the unseen assailant kills Bubbles.The balance is a frantic 'who's got the diary?' skirmish, with two bad guys, plus the cops and Windy, chasing Dodo all over the stage and wings during a show in progress. The audience thinks their struggles are part of the night's entertainment and have a fun time watching trouserless Dodo swing across the stage on a rope, plus other bits of physical comedy. This chaotic sequence is reminiscent of the climax of Buster Keaton'sSPEAK EASILY(1932).Despite having fallen into obscurity, "Here Comes Trouble" is a little gem of a farce that's well worth seeing, thanks to a most able cast, a fast pace and some good sight gags.Parenthetical number preceding title is a 1 to 10 imdb viewer poll rating.(5.5) Here Comes Trouble (1948) - Wiliam Tracy/Joe Sawyer/Emory Parnell/Betty Compson/Joan Woodbury (uncredited: Margaret Roach/Charles Middleton/Stanley Prager) | 1positive
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Not What I Expected
There is just too much focus on sex in this film. The adherance to historical accuracy is viseral at best. I watched it once but won't be watching it again. | 0negative
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Jack is awesome as usual!
Some critics don't think this season is as good as some earlier seasons. That may be so, but the tension and suspense are still great! Buy it...you'll like it. | 1positive
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No Deposit, No Return; No Widescreen=No Sale
I give up. Disney DVD releases several titles on DVD this week, some in widescreen format with crisp, beautiful new transfers, while dumping others on us in bowdlerized full-screen prints. Unfortunately, the one title I most wanted, 1976's "No Deposit, No Return," belongs to the latter category. As a result, Disney DVD lost a sale. No widescreen = no sale, no matter how much I want the film. Period.For undiscriminating types who don't care if they're ripped-off or not, "No Deposit, No Return" is a typical '70's-era Disney trifle with a great cast of veterans (David Niven, Darren McGavin, Don Knotts, Barbara Feldon, Herschel Bernardi, Charles Martin Smith and Vic Tayback) pulling out all the stops to enliven a mediocre script that, incidentally, contains one of the biggest plot holes I've ever seen in a Disney movie (back to this later). Fortunately, director Norman Tokar (a Disney regular) and the screenwriters throw everything in but the kitchen sink to create a freewheeling comedy that has more than its fair share of laughs. So even though "No Deposit..." pales in comparison to great Disney laugh-fests like "The Love Bug" and "The World's Greatest Athlete," it is still entertaining and will hold the kids' interest for all of its 112 minutes.How's this for a contrived plot? Jay and Tracy Osborne (Brad Savage and Kim Richards) are poor little rich kids who attend a typically Disneyesque boarding school while their magazine editor mother (Feldon) globe-trots on business. Excited that they will be spending Easter vacation with her, they are crushed when Mom cancels and whisks the pair off (along with their pet skunk (!) Duster) to Los Angeles to spend the week with their despised Grandfather Osborne (Niven), who likes them about as much as they like him (meaning, not at all). At the same time, Duke (McGavin) and Bert (Knotts), a couple of luckless but kindhearted safecrackers, are trying to crack the safe at L.A. International Airport, but botch the job and set off the alarm. Meanwhile, Duster gets loose and causes pandemonium in the airport. In the confusion, Jay, Tracy, Duster, Duke and Bert end up in the same taxi, tailed by Grandfather Osborne in his limo. When Jay and Tracy figure out that Duke and Bert are harmless crooks, they con them into thinking they're homeless and letting them spend the night. The kids then work up a bogus kidnapping scheme and mail a ransom note to Grandfather Osborne (who has his butler keeping an eye on them from across the street) and con Duke and Bert into going along with it, figuring they'll split the money, and Jay and Tracy will go to Hong Kong to join their mother while Duke and Bert pay off the menacing loan shark (Tayback) they're in debt to (which is why they tried cracking the safe in the first place). Whew!What follows is "Ransom of Red Chief" territory, with Osborne refusing to pay the ransom and the quartet continually dropping the ransom amount. It isn't until someone tips off the local police (represented by Bernardi and his by-the-book rookie partner Smith) that Grandfather Osborne has to start playing the game and making an attempt to get the kids back. What follows is scene-after-scene of typical '70's era Disney slapstick, including the Disney equivalent of the classic "Bullitt" and "French Connection" chase scenes (played for laughs, of course), as the entire cast chases each other around half of L.A. and the entire harbor area in a freewheeling slapstick car chase. Of course, everything ends in predictably warmhearted fashion.Actually, were it not for the cast, "No Deposit, No Return" would be D.O.A. But Knotts is typically hilarious, McGavin a perfect straight man for Knotts, Bernardi and Smith bicker amusingly and Richards and Savage (straight off their famous roles in "Escape to Witch Mountain" and "The Apple Dumpling Gang") are cute and professional, unlike some of the other cloying non-actor child stars of the era. As for Niven, he is an absolute delight and plays wonderfully off his sophisticated image to get some genuine laughs. Feldon shows up late and scores points as a mother who leaves a little bit to be desired.As for the production, the opening cartoon-credits sequence and theme music are rather boring compared to the bouncy themes of "The North Avenue Irregulars" and the Kurt Russell college comedies. And, like all other Disney films of the era, it plays like a live-action cartoon in which the reality of the era plays no part whatsoever (Watergate? Vietnam? Jimmy who?) It's basically by-the-numbers stuff, though admittedly entertaining.As for the plot hole? Okay, here goes: If Grandfather Osborne is a millionaire and doesn't want the kids around, and Jay and Tracy would rather go to Hong Kong than spend time with him, then why not just ask Grandfather Osborne for the money so they can go to Hong Kong and be with their mother? If he doesn't want to be bothered with them, then why would he say no? It's simple: then there would be no movie.I just don't get it. Lousy titles like "Cat From Outer Space" and "Hot Lead and Cold Feet" get widescreen treatment, while great films like "Darby O'Gill" and "Follow Me Boys" languish in full-screen prints. Even "No Deposit, No Return" deserves better. So, the verdict: "No Deposit, No Return" gets **1/2 while the DVD treatment rates *. As I said before, I give up. | 0negative
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Great movie, but not as good as the original.
"Magnum Force" is a great film, but not as good as the original "Dirty Harry." "Magnum Force" is definitly better than the last three "Dirty Harry" movies ("The Enforcer," "Sudden Impact," and "The Dead Pool"). Vigilante rookie cops are killing the top criminals of San Francisco. The only things that keeps this one from being equal to "Dirty Harry" is the style in which it was filmed in and the script. The locations in San Francisco were not used as well and the script is just a bit mediocre, though still good. Still, this is an entertaining movie and it also has a political side to it. It tells that even though Harry Callahan does break some rules to get justice served, he still is not a vigilante, and still vows to 'uphold the law.' The villain is Lieutenant Briggs (Hal Holbrook) and though he is a good villain, he's not as good as Scorpio (from the original). If you're a Clint Eastwood fan, like me, and have not seen this, I highly recommend you see or get this, and all of his other movies. | 1positive
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The best misunderstood movie of all time!
I saw this movie when I was a little girl and it scared me to death. You would think that I would have outgrown it, well I have'nt! This movie still sends chills down my spine. From the time the massacre starts in the diner, 'til the very end (Iwon't give it away for the few who have'nt seen it), this movie will have you on the edge of your seat. This movie is a must have for any di-hard horror movie fan! | 1positive
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Awful. Don't waste your time.
Do you ever get a movie, put it in the dvd player, hit play and five minutes into it just know it's going to be awful? Then you try to convince yourself that it will get better, it just has to, right? And then at the end of the movie kick yourself for wasting your time on a truly lousy movie.That about sums up my experience watching Letters to Juliet. The acting was terrible, the characters one dimensional, and the plot silly. A truly awful movie. | 0negative
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Just could not get into it.
Boring excursion into Tokyo lacks a funny bone that could have been needed to keep this movie running along but it get bog down with too much drama, and too much head scratching on what is going on. Bill Murray is fine but he needs to get back to real comedy, Not this. | 0negative
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Great movie, horrible DVD!
Please, save yourself some aggravation and wait for Miramax to release an official Region One DVD! Peter Jackson's luscious cinematography, originally screened in 2.35:1, when cropped to 1.33:1 is enough to make you cry. Audio is poor two-channel stereo, and there are no extra features. I purchased this Canadian import over a year ago because I love the film, but I've watched it only once because of its inferior quality. Have patience! | 0negative
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Why?
Only redeeming value is the great musical score which eventually became the theme for The Next Generation TV series! | 0negative
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Excellent
Finally such an amazing movie appears on DVD! It is no wonder Ingrid Bergman won the Academy Award for this film. She is spectacular as an abused wife, driven mad by her husband.The ONLY reason I gave it 4-stars is because you can get it cheaper somewhere else. The actual publisher's list price is $14.99 and I'm not entirely sure why Amazon offers it for almost $2 more. This is the same with the Masterpiece Edition Alice in Wonderland. Amazon lists the price as $29.99, but in stores the list price is $24.99. Curiouser and curiouser. | 1positive
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The Funniest Movie I've Ever Seen!
Troma strikes again! This film is so funny you will have tears running out of your eyes. This film must define B movie! If you liked The Toxic Avenger, this is even better. The sequels are funny too but aren't as good as this classic. Fans of toilet humor will die during this. The best characters are the Cretins gang running amok in the high school, selling weed grown in the nuclear plant which is only a half a mile away. The call the weed an atomic high! The funniest thing about this gang is the fact that they used to be the Honor society. It don't get much better than this. | 1positive
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