The Great American Western Limited Edition (84 Movies) (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)THE GREAT AMERICAN WESTERN LIMITED EDITION neatly combines the first 20 volumes of this massive collection into one neat package. With over eighty movies (plus a few documentaries), you'll have many weeks of rip roarin' action ahead of you with this one!
For a DVD set of similar dimensions, WESTERN CLASSICS 100 MOVIE PACK can't be beat! It has some of these titles, plus a whole lot more.
.
The following alphabetized program list includes 1 to 10 viewer poll ratings for each film, plus country of origin (if other than USA), years of release and their principal actors.
(6.3) Abilene Town (1946) - Randolph Scott/Edgar Buchanan/Ann Dvorak
(5.3) Against a Crooked Sky (1975) - Richard Boone/Stewart Peterson/Henry Wilcoxon
(6.5) American Empire (1942) - Richard Dix/Leo Carrillo/Preston Foster
(6.1) Any Gun Can Play (Italy-1967) - Edd Byrnes/Gilbert Roland
(6.8) Angel And The Badman (1947) - John Wayne/Gail Russell/Harry Carey
(5.7) Battles of Chief Pontiac (1952) - Lex Barker/Helen Westcott/Lon Chaney Jr.
(5.1) Bells Of San Angelo (1947) - Roy Rogers/Dale Evans/Andy Devine/Sons of the Pioneers
(5.8) Beyond The Law (Italy/W Ger-1968) - Lee Van CleefGordon Mitchell/Lionel Stander
(5.8) The Big Show (1936) - Gene Autry/Smiley Burnette/Kay Hughes
(5.5) Blue Steel (1934) - John Wayne/George "Gabby" Hayes/Yakima Canutt
(5.0) Boot Hill (Italy-1969) - Terence Hill/Bud Spencer
(5.9) Boots and Saddles (1937) - Gene Autry/Smiley Burnette/Judith Allen
(4.4) The Brothers O'Toole (1973) - John Astin/Pat Carroll/Hans Conried/Lee Meriwether
(6.6) Buckskin Frontier (1943) - Richard Dix/Jane Wyatt/Albert Dekker/Lee J. Cobb/Victor Jory/Max Baer/George Reeves
(5.5) The Bushwhackers - John Ireland/Wayne Morris/Lawrence Tierney/Dorothy Malone/Lon Chaney Jr./Jack Elam
(1.8) Cry Blood Apache (1970) - Joel McCrea
(5.0) The Dawn Rider (1935) - John Wayne/Marion Burns/Yakima Canutt (in support)
(7.3) Day of Anger (Italy/W Ger-1967) - Lee Van Cleef
(6.3) The Deadly Companions (1961) - Maureen O'Hara/Brian Keith/Steve Cochran/Chill Wills/Strother Martin
(6.9) Death Rides A Horse (Italy-1968) - Lee Van Cleef/John Phillip Law
(5.1) The Desert Trail (1935) - John Wayne/Mary Kornman/Paul Fix
(2.1) Fair Play (TV-1972) - Paul Ford/Robert Middleton/Terry Wilson
(5.8) Fighting Caravans (1931) - Gary Cooper/Lili Damita/Eugene Pallette
(5.9) Fighting Westerner ("Rocky Mountain Mystery") (1935) - Randolph Scott/Charles 'Chic' Sale/Ann Sheridan
(4.9) Four Rode Out (1971) - Leslie Nielsen/Pernell Roberts
(5.1) The Gatling Gun (1973) - Guy Stockwell/Robert Fuller/Woody Strode/Pat Buttram/John Carradine
(3.8) God's Gun (Italy/Israel-1976) - Lee Van Cleef/Jack Palance/Richard Boone
(6.0) The Grand Duel (Italy/France/W Ger/Monaco-1972) - Lee Van Cleef
(5.4) The Gun And The Pulpit (TV-1974) - Marjoe Gortner/Slim Pickens/Pamela Sue Martin
(4.7) The Gunfighters (TV pilot) (Canada-1987) - Michael Kane/George Kennedy
(5.1) The Hanged Man (TV-1974) - Steve Forrest/Dean Jagger/Cameron Mitchell
(6.0) Hell Town ("Born To The West") (1937) - John Wayne
(5.5) The Jackals (1967) - Vincent Price
(5.2) Jory (Mexico-USA-1973) - B.J. Thomas/John Marley/Robby Benson
(4.0) Joshua (1976) - Fred Williamson
(5.9) Kansas Pacific (1953) - Sterling Hayden/Eve Miller/Barton MacLane/Clayton Moore
(3.8) Kentucky Rifle (1956) - Chill Wills/Sterling Holloway
(3.3) Kid Vengeance (Italy/Israel-1977) - Lee Van Cleef/Jim Brown/Leif Garrett
(4.7) The Lawless Frontier (1934) - John Wayne/George "Gabby" Hayes
(3.8) Little Moon and Jud McGraw ("Gone With the West") (1975) - James Caan/Stefanie Powers/Aldo Ray/Robert Walker Jr./Sammy Davis Jr.
(5.6) The Lucky Texan (1934) - John Wayne/George "Gabby" Hayes
(5.0) The Man From Utah (1934) - John Wayne/George "Gabby" Hayes
(5.7) Mohawk (1956) - Neville Brand/Scott Brady
(5.3) My Outlaw Brother (1951) - Mickey Rooney/Robert Preston/Robert Stack
(6.4) My Pal Trigger (1946) - Roy Rogers/George "Gabby" Hayes/Dale Evans
(5.5) Naked Hills (1956) - David Wayne/Keenan Wynn/Jim Backus/Denver Pyle
(5.3) 'Neath The Arizona Skies (1934) - John Wayne/Sheila Terry/Yakima Canutt (in support)
(6.0) Northwest Trail (1945) - Bob Steele/Joan Woodbury/John Litel
(7.1) One-Eyed Jacks (1961) - Marlon Brando/Karl Malden/Ben Johnson/Slim Pickens
(5.5) The Outlaw (1943) - Jane Russell/Walter Huston
(5.9) The Over-The-Hill Gang (TV-1969) - Pat O'Brien/Walter Brennan/Gypsy Rose Lee
(5.0) The Over-The-Hill Gang Rides Again (TV-1970) - Walter Brennan/Fred Astaire/Andy Devine
(6.3) Pioneer Woman (TV-1973) - Joanna Pettet/William Shatner/David Janssen/Helen Hunt
(3.5) The Proud and the Damned (1969) - Chuck Connors/Cesar Romero/José Greco
(6.4) The Proud Rebel (1958) - Alan Ladd/Olivia de Havilland/Dean Jagger/Harry Dean Stanton/John Carradine
(5.8) Rage At Dawn (1955) - Randolph Scott/Forrest Tucker
(5.7) Randy Rides Alone (1934) - John Wayne/George "Gabby" Hayes
(6.6) Riders Of The Whistling Pines 1949 - Gene Autry
(6.0) Santa Fe Trail (1940) - Errol Flynn/Ronald Reagan/Olivia de Havilland
(3.8) Savage Guns (Italy-1971) - Robert Woods
(5.1) Seven Alone (1974) - Dewey Martin/Aldo Ray
(4.8) She Came to the Valley (1979) - Dean Stockwell/Scott Glenn/Freddy Fender/Jennifer Jones
(4.7) Sitting Bull (USA-Mexico-1954) - Dale Robertson/J. Carrol Naish/Iron Eyes Cody/John Hamilton
(6.4) Song of Texas (1943) - Roy Rogers/Sheila Ryan/Barton MacLane
(6.2) Springtime in the Sierras (1947) - Roy Rogers/Andy Devine/Chester Conklin
(5.6) The Star Packer (1934) - John Wayne/George "Gabby" Hayes
(6.3) The Sundowners (1950) - Robert Preston/Robert Sterling/Chill Wills
(7.7) Sunset Carson Rides Again (1948) - Sunset Carson/Pat Starling/Pat Gleason/Dan White
(6.5) To the Last Man (1933) - Randolph Scott/Buster Crabbe/Barton MacLane/Noah Beery
(6.2) Tulsa (1949) - Susan Hayward/Robert Preston/Chill Wills/Ed Begley
(5.0) Under California Stars (1948) - Roy Rogers/Andy Devine
(5.7) Utah (1945) - Roy Rogers/George "Gabby" Hayes/Dale Evans
(5.8) Vengeance Valley (1951) - Burt Lancaster/Robert Walker/Joanne Dru
(6.4) Wanted: The Sundance Woman (TV-1976) - Michael Constantine/Hector Elizondo//Katherine Ross/Stella Stevens
(3.9) White Comanche (Spain-1968) - William Shatner/Joseph Cotten
(2.2) The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West (1976) - Bob Denver/Forrest Tucker/Lori Saunders
(6.4) The Woman of the Town (1943) - Claire Trevor/Albert Dekker/Barry Sullivan
(5.0) The Young Land (1959) - Patrick Wayne/Yvonne Craig/Dennis Hopper
(6.3) Yuma (TV-1970) - Barry Sullivan/Clint Walker/Edgar Buchanan
PLUS--
Great American West (1973-doc.) - John Ford/John Wayne/James Stewart/Henry Fonda/Andy Devine (cameo)
Gunfighters (doc.)
Old West Cowboys (doc.)
Two episodes of "Cade's County" (TV-1971-72) starring Glenn Ford

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Sleeping Dogs Lie Review

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(More customer reviews)Who would have thought that Bob Goldwait was capable of writing and directing such a tender movie? Not me before watching this movie about what is takes to sustain a real relationship.
The movie starts out with an extremely disturbing sexual incident that thankfully takes place off camera (otherwise it would be rated "X"). We then watch Amy move past this youthful mistake and end up engaged to a young man who keeps asking her to share her dirtiest little secret. Amy wants to tell him since he has bared his soul to her and she doesn't want there to be any secrets between them but she's afraid he'll be disgusted. When they visit her dysfunctional family, Amy learns from her mother the sexual secrets she's been keeping and her mother's burden over keeping them all these years. Amy decides to tell and her fiancée is horrified and disgusted by her revelation. Unfortunately, he is not the only one who has heard her confession. Amy's tweeker brother happily uses her indiscretion to disgrace her in the eyes of their prim and proper parents who have fawned over her since childhood. The car ride home is filled with tense silence. Her parents are sickened by her past, her fiancée is appalled and Amy is disgusted with herself. The fiancée eventually forgives Amy but ends up insulting her by asking her to perform the same sexual act that he was revolted by in the first place. This scene is heartbreaking.
This movie seriously addresses the issues faced in all relationships. How much do you share with your partner? Are certain secrets best left buried? These and many more questions are answered in a thoughtful manner by none other then Bobcat, go figure............ This movie is worth viewing for its moving message about love and relationships but be warned, it contains crude sexual discussions.

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Bastard Out of Carolina (1996) Review

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(More customer reviews)Anjelica Huston's directorial debut is a stunning one. This film, based with loving care on Dorothy Allison's fine novel by screenwriter Anne Meredith, tells the story of a pre-teen girl growing up under horrific family surroundings in the 1950s American South.
Bone Boatwright, played with astounding sensitivity and guts by young actor Jena Malone, is subjected to unconscionable brutality and sexual abuse by her stapfather. Her mother, portrayed here by Jennifer Jason Leigh, is in deep denial of what is happening to her child, unable or unwilling to see what is occuring under her roof -- partly afraid of losing her husband, partly due to psychological trauma she most likely received when she was a child. This pattern of behavior is usually circular in nature -- victims many times become perpetrators or enablers when they become adults. Only intensive counseling and a deep determination on the part of the survivor can break this horrible chain.
Jena Malone turns in the performance of a lifetime -- and from one so young! If she can do this level of work at this age, what will she be capable of as her career continues? The entire cast is well-chosen -- this was a project about which they obviously cared very deeply. The performances they give here attest to that.
Meredith's screenplay is excellent -- very true to Allison's novel. Some parts were necessarily left out for considerations of film length -- the important thing is that Meredith was intelligent and respectful enough of Allison's work that she wisely chose not to add any elements on her own. Too many screenwriters make that mistake -- it's refreshing to see such a quality screenplay for such an important work as this.
Anjelica Huston must have been extremely moved by Allison's novel (an amazing book -- check it out) to have taken on a project such as this, one that she most likely knew would not be a box office smash. She shows great sensitivity to the material here -- there are some scenes that are necessarily brutal in nature, and they are filmed with both truth and dignity. This is an ugly story -- thank God she chose not to show it through rose-colored glasses. The more fine films on this subject are seen, the greater our chances as a people of understanding this shameful problem in our society. The more it is discussed and brought into the light of day, the fewer places there will remain for the perpetrators to hide. Those who don't believe things like this still occur are fooling themselves -- statistics show that over 70% of children in America are sexually abused in some degree. Think about that the next time you pass a school or a playground full of children, who have the right to be leading lives untouched by these predators.
I've read that Ted Turner originally commissioned this film, but when it was done refused to show it on his cable network. Too bad he lacked the courage to do the right thing -- and kudos to Showtime for stepping up to the plate and taking over. This is an outstanding film on a heartbreaking but vital topic -- and one that should be seen by more people. Heartfelt thanks to Anjelica Huston, and to everyone involved in bringing this wonderful novel to the screen.

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For Love of the Game (1999) Review

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(More customer reviews)Kevin Costner gives a very compelling performance as a baseball player at the end of his career. He is very realistic in the role and brings thought provoking issues to light. How do you decide to hang up your glove and leave a game that has been the most important thing in your life? It was great that he could personally do the pitching in this movie because it would have lost a lot of the realism and credibility if they had to use someone else.

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The Ruins Review

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(More customer reviews)This rather bleak film is actually well acted, but not well paced and has an ending that is fairly predictable based upon how the story boxes itself in early.
The story is about two couples who get caught up into checking out some ancient Mayan ruins meet up with some weeds that have incredible abilities. We get enough background on the characters to care about them and it helps that they are all rather appealing even if somewhat flawed. They are refreshing nice young adults who are not the stereotypes we've been seeing in horror films lately. Their interactions with each other are very believable.
They discover an old temple/pyramid and hike into up and into it to discover that the locals will not let them leave it for fear of spreading what lurks in the ruins. This is a clever low-budget way of keeping the action in one or two locations (on top of the ruins and in the ruins), however, it also greatly limits the direction the story can go in and, thus, makes it predictable. There is a generous amount of old fashioned horror bloodshed and very brief nudity that is not gratuitous in any way (for a change). The violence is of the strong R variety and definitely not for the faint of heart. The effects are minimal, but good as is the make up which is quite graphic.
This movie is certainly not all it could have been and borrows heavily from better films like The Descent, The Day of the Triffids, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but it is very nicely acted by young people we do care about and there is enough in the tissue paper thin plot to keep us interested for it's brief 90 minutes. There is adequate suspense, but it is often ruined, pun intended, by the director's focus on the grisly stuff rather than leaving a bit more to our imagination.
I had some fun with this film, my nearly sixteen year old son less so, but it isn't as bad as some think, but it certainly isn't as good as others think as well. It is simply an okay film and with some of its jarring images, it isn't easily forgotten.

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RUINS - DVD Movie

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Universal Soldier (1992) Review

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(More customer reviews)Dolph Lundgren. Jean-Claude Van Damme. It was only a matter of time before these two muscle heads appeared in the same film, right? Lundgren's claim to fame came with his role as menacing Russian boxer Ivan Drago in the fourth "Rocky" installment. He then went on to a lengthy career of low budget B movie actioners that have become increasingly irrelevant (and increasingly hard to find). Van Damme is a different story, although his career has likewise gone into what appears to be an irrevocable tailspin. He started out making kickboxing films, but his appearance in Albert Pyun's "Cyborg" helped him move into science fiction and gun heavy action flicks. Of the Van Damme films I have seen, I would say his best effort is director Peter Hyams's 1994 flick "Time Cop." Others would probably cite this film, "Universal Soldier" as Jean-Claude's finest hour. I disagree. While there is much here to entertain lovers of shoot 'em up action, there really isn't anything very original about the movie. Don't get me wrong; I found plenty to enjoy in "Universal Soldier," but I don't think the movie is the end all be all of lower budget action films as some do.
The gosh darned government is up to their old tricks again in "Universal Soldier." Back in the Vietnam War the military started a program to develop perfect soldiers, namely soldiers who would follow orders without question, possess no moral scruples, and ones that could tote around an impressive array of firepower. Problem is the soldiers have to die first before the program leaders can do their work. These reanimated troops, the most important of which are Luc (Van Damme) and Sergeant Scott (Lundgren), now ride around in a specially outfitted trailer fulfilling combat missions. For example, when a bunch of terrorists take over a dam and hold hostages, the military brings in these super soldiers to make quick work of the situation. Nothing is perfect, however, when dealing with a Pentagon program. Universal soldiers need fancy injections of some strange fluid to keep them primed. Their bodies are also quite susceptible to temperature fluctuations; so much so that keeping these guys on ice is a daily ritual. What else can we expect with a bunch of dead guys? Things would quickly get rather rank if you kept reanimated corpses running around in the desert for hours on end. Fortunately, operations leader Colonel Perry (Ed O'Ross) has everything firmly under control. Or does he?
Nope. Luc perished in Vietnam in an attempt to stop Sergeant Scott from committing a dastardly deed against the local populace. He managed to bring the crazed NCO down before expiring, but memories of the incident begin to reemerge in Luc's mind. Before you can say, "I will break you" Luc escapes from the program with the help of a nosy reporter named Veronica (Ally Walker) and Sergeant Scott goes nuts. What follows is predictable in the extreme as Veronica and Luc roam the landscape in an effort to find the man responsible for turning him into a zombie, Dr. Gregor (Jerry Orbach), and then return home to his dear parents in Louisiana. Sergeant Scott's new mission involves hunting down Luc in order to turn him into dog food. Hotels are shot up, vehicles explode, bodies cartwheel through the air, and the inevitable showdown between Scott and Luc properly--if predictably--entertains. The movie even throws in a humorous scene involving Luc chowing down on plates and plates of food at a diner before beating a bunch of locals senseless (he hasn't eaten in decades, after all). Will Luc survive long enough to meet up with the 'rents for a heartwarming reunion? Will Veronica live long enough to file the story of a lifetime? How many people will Sergeant Scott kill? Tune in and find out.
I enjoyed "Universal Soldier" immensely despite the numerous plot holes. For instance, the movie insists on telling us that Luc needs to cool off with ice quite frequently or else he begins to wear down like one of those wind up toys. The use of ice becomes rather slipshod later on in the movie when it is impossible for Luc to take a break from battling Scott. In fact, in several scenes we see Van Damme's character wheezing and moaning like a senior citizen only to return to full combat readiness a few seconds later. Hmmm. Moreover, how in the heck is it possible for a guy who died twenty years ago to eat solid food with no ill effects? Easy--the script insisted on it. But who really cares, though? It's not like we're watching this film to see marvelous performances or deep, intricate dialogue. "Universal Soldier" exists to show us lots of explosions and bloody carnage, and we thankfully get plenty of that. Sergeant Scott has a thing for killing anyone who gets in his way AND for carrying around necklaces made out of human ears, which definitely helps his character stand out in a crowd. Luc isn't above inciting a little mayhem himself as evidenced during his bone crushing fight with Scott. By the time the credits roll most action film fans will likely let out a sigh of moderate satisfaction over "Universal Soldier."
The Special Edition DVD contains plenty of extras, including an audio commentary with Van Damme and Lundgren, a making of feature, background information on the careers of both stars, an alternate ending that would have put the kibosh on the sequel had the filmmakers ran with it, and a bunch of action film trailers--"The Rambo Trilogy," "The Punisher," and a couple of others. Perhaps the most interesting thing about this movie is learning Roland Emmerich directed it. The success of "Universal Soldier" gave him enough clout to move on to bigger, but not necessarily better, films. I recommend watching this one and skipping the lousy sequel.


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The Day Time Ended Review

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(More customer reviews)The quality of this DVD is worse than my orignal 10 year old VHS tape. Movement of characters across the screen is jerky, sound is PCM 48Khz 16bit sick stereo (dialogue on left channel, music on right). Picture format is 4:3 Fullframe.
You might almost think you were watching a Pirate / Bootleg copy it is SO BAD!

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Little Ladies of the Night (1977) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is the Platinum release which was released in 2002, and was the first run of this movie on DVD. I have both the Platinum & the Brentwood versions of this DVD, and have noticed some differences in the two. First off, the Platinum release is packaged nicely. It comes in a clear jewel case, and the artwork is a little nicer than the Brentwood version. The Brentwood version is just in a regular keepcase. As far as picture quality goes, the Platinum version has a clear, more defined picture. Both the Platinum and the Brentwood versions have utilized the same master film, but the Platinum version is more defined and crisp. The picture on the Brentwood version is darker, and grainier looking. For the sound, there is no difference in the 2 versions. It's OK at the beginning, but by the 30 minute mark, the sound starts sounding muffled, and not very clear. Towards the end of the movie, there is a popping sound that occurs a few times. This is not a movie where you would crank the volume, or even listen to the soundtrack through a stereo system. The popping is quite loud, and may damage your speakers if the volume is turned high. Like many made-for-TV movies, the colour and film quality are not that great, but out of the 2 versions, the Platinum version is the one to get if you are a big fan of this movie.

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The Ballad of Jack and Rose Review

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(More customer reviews)Those familiar with Rebecca Miller's previous film Personal Velocity, an insightful triptych of three very different young women, will know that she's a director who's on the cutting edge of American independent filmmaking. But with her latest venture The Ballad of Jack and Rose; she seems to have really outdone herself. This astonishingly beautiful and perceptive tale presents, with an astounding veracity, themes of familiaral love, the loss of innocence, and the ultimate costs of idealism in a world where such ideals are no longer relevant or not even particularly welcome.
Boasting some of the best performances of the year, The Ballad of Jack and Rose opens with Jack (a fantastic Daniel Day Lewis) and 16-year-old Rose (Camilla Belle) sharing a tender and intimate embrace while lying on a Garden of Eden-like bed of grass. As they stare up at the wild blue yonder, one gets the sense that they're a complete, contained, and totally contented couple. It's not immediately clear how they are related to each other, but we soon learn that they are a chaste father and daughter. However, the ambiguity of their severely intense relationship quickly becomes unsettling.
It's 1986 and Jack and Rose are living on a remote East Coast island, the only holdovers from a utopian cooperative. Their world is self-sufficient, autonomous, and claustrophobic. They spend their days living off the land, and hiding out in a wooden, rambling shack that is nestled upon a windswept hilltop and over-grown with grass and wildflowers. Jack is originally Scottish, an old hippie, who came to America in the mid-60's carrying with him the hopes and dreams for a country that he thought America would become. An engineer by profession, over the years he has instilled in Rose a fierce intelligence, but also a wariness and distrust of the outside world.
Jack is dying of a bad heart, and he's angry about the world he cannot put in order; he also feels helpless about the beloved daughter who will soon be parentless. Rose feels as though she can't live without him, so when she tells him" When you die, I'm going to die" you know that she means it. Their problems are compounded when a slick land developer (Beau Bridges), who has begun building a lavish, modern subdivision, deliberately endangers the wetlands flanking the edge of Jack's property.
In an effort to get some domestic help and also to introduce Rose to the wider world, Jack invites Kathleen (Catherine Keener), his casual girlfriend from the mainland, and her two sons Thaddius and Rodney (Ryan McDonald and Paul Dano) to move in and assist with the household. But Rose, having been sheltered from influences other than her father, is not pleased to share her world with anyone new.
Rose is gradually becoming a woman, and she doesn't know how to be appropriate around new people. She's particularly upset that Kathleen is sharing her father's bed and dividing his attention. In an effort to get back at her father, she begins to solicit the attentions of Kathleen's boys, and sets in motion a series of events that forces Jack to confront the disorder and disappointment of his life.
Daniel Day Lewis brings total emotional heft to this role, vividly bringing to life the character's whole host of contradictions; it really is a tour-de-force of acting. His portrayal of a disappointed, bitter, but highly intelligent counter-culture type is fiercely earnest and totally empowering. Jack is a man of principle who is caught between his old world beliefs and a world that has long ago left him behind.
Jack is the epitome of a control freak who realizes, too late, that the depth of his devotion may well have poisoned his daughter. Camilla Belle brings to Rose a ferocious sense of the competitive; she's possessive, and potent, a seemingly innocent yet very willful seductress. She lashes out at her father and at Kathleen in a sequence of chaos-inducing maneuvers that can only bring heartbreak to the small collective.
The Ballad of Jack and Rose is a marvelously shaded mood piece that is probably more about issues and characters than it is about story. Miller has a languid, floaty, and wondering directorial style that lends itself well to this type of subject. Rhythmic and dreamy, both Day-Lewis and Belle respond to it all as if gasping in harmony. The film works on numerous levels - it's a statement about environmentalism, it's also a homage to a bygone world, but its mostly an intensely engaging and satisfying drama about a man who has been sidelined by the realities of life, and who could never live up to the ideas inside his head. Mike Leonard April 05.


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Oscar(r) winner* Daniel Day-Lewis (Gangs of New York) is "a joy to watch" (Newsday) as a defiant idealist in this "moving, often hilariouscoming-of-age story" (Vogue) from writer-director Rebecca Miller (Personal Velocity). Catherine Keener (Being John Malkovich), Camilla Belle (Practical Magic), Beau Bridges (The Fabulous Baker Boys), Jason Lee (Almost Famous) and Jena Malone (Saved!) co-star. Jack (Day-Lewis) and his 16-year-old daughter Rose (Belle) live in relative isolation on a beautiful island off the East Coast. When he invites his mainland girlfriend (Keener) and her two teenage sons to come live with them, it is Rose's first exposure to society - and sexuality. As worlds collide, the consequences will threaten not only Jack and Rose's way of life but also their unusually close bond. *1989: Actor, My Left Foot.

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Young at Heart (1954) Review

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(More customer reviews)If you are expecting a DVD that is a big improvement on the video, this will disappoint. But if you absolutely love the film, the DVD is still worth getting. Now, the film itself shows what a terrific chemistry Doris Day and Frank Sinatra had together, and makes one wish they had done more films together, and certainly sang more duets. Doris is superb and Frank deserved an Oscar for his portayal of Barney Sloane, as hip and deep a job of acting as anything James Dean ever did and Dean had made his first film this same year (1954). Sinatra was (and is) so underrated as an actor in the 1950's. Someone put it well, there is no Frank Sinatra in this film, only Barney Sloane.
This movie leaves you wanting more MORE of Day and Sinatra together - that is my only criticism of it! A wonderful film.

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Life As a House (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)Somebody once said that "life" is what happens when you're not looking. And it's so true. Too often we let the years slip by, and the important things slip right along with them; and it's only when something happens that we start to pay attention, and by then it's too late to do anything about it. The good news, however, is that as long as you're still breathing there's still a chance to make amends, or at least try to. You can try, not to make up for past mistakes (and we've all made them), but to make "today" count, which is what a man at a particular juncture in his life discovers and sets out to do, in "Life As A House," directed by Irwin Winkler, and starring Kevin Kline.
George Monroe (Kline) is an architect, a man who can design anything, with the exception of that which is the most important: His own life. He has a failed marriage-- now divorced for ten years from Robin (Kristin Scott Thomas)-- a failed relationship with his now sixteen-year-old son, Sam (Hayden Christensen), he's getting on in years and he's unhappy, which is driven home by circumstances involving his job and his health that make him abruptly sit up and take notice. His "house," literally and figuratively, in not in order. And he decides to do something about it. He's determined to tear down his old house and rebuild a new one, and he begins by arranging for Sam to come and live with him for the summer. And it will be a summer that will affect, not only George and Sam, but Robin, and a number of others, as well; a summer in which the trivial things of life are put on hold; and for once, the important things are embraced.
Working from a well written and insightful screenplay (by Mark Andrus), Winkler delivers a drama that is thoughtful and poignant (at times, even poetic), wonderfully acted and beautifully filmed by cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond. Rich in metaphor, it's an engrossing film that works on a number of levels, and will appeal to a wide audience-- many of whom will relate to George and his situation, others who will identify with Sam; and for some, it may hit strikingly too close to home. Whatever your personal situation is, it will fall somewhere within the emotional arc Winkler creates here; and if it doesn't now, it will eventually. Because, as this film so trenchantly points out, "life" happens. And the most important thing is knowing what to do with it-- if not the first time around, then at least before it's too late.
He received an Oscar for his portrayal of Otto in the comedy "A Fish Called Wanda," but Kevin Kline decidedly hits his stride in dramatic roles: As Nathan in "Sophie's Choice," Mack in "Grand Canyon" or Ben in "The Ice Storm," for example; and now here, as George Monroe. Kline brings George believably to life, with a performance that hints at who George was, but most importantly tells us who he is now. With understated subtly, he conveys his inner-most feelings in a way that enables the audience to make that all-important emotional connection with the character. He makes you feel as though you know him; and once you do, and once you meet Robin, it's hard to understand what went wrong between them all those years ago. One can only assume that somewhere along the line youth and a lack of focus took it's toll-- understandable in a world that bombards us daily with endless stimuli. And it's one of the subtle perspectives that makes this film so effective.
Kristin Scott Thomas gives a convincing performance, as well, as Robin, a woman who has moved on with her life, but in whom you can discern a certain dissatisfaction with her current situation. On the surface, her life seems agreeable, but we see through her portrayal that it is still lacking in some regard. She seems happy to some extent, but it's more like the unfulfilled happiness that comes when one has "settled" for something. You get the sense that what she has with her current husband, Peter (Jamey Sheridan), is somehow less than what she had with George, at least at some point or other. Thomas does a good job of indicating the complexities of her character, dipping beneath the surface to make what could have been a one-note character alive and interesting.
One of the real rewards of this film, however, is found in the wonderfully affecting performance of young Hayden Christensen, as Sam. With but a few TV appearances and a handful of unremarkable films to his credit (the exception being a part in Sophia Coppola's "The Virgin Suicides"), Christensen is virtually an unknown, but comes through with some extremely impressive work here. He not only finds, but manages to convey, that turmoil of confusion and need for personal identity that every teenager experiences, and he presents it quite naturally and effectively. There's nothing feigned or pretentious about him; the Sam he delivers comes from somewhere deep down inside, and working from the inside out makes him very real and believable. It's a performance that should jump-start his career, which is about to be catapulted into high gear/high profile status when "Star Wars: Episode 2, Attack of the Clones" hits the screen, in which he plays the role of Anakin Skywalker. And because of the magnitude of that film and all that goes along with it, he will never receive the acclaim he deserves, no matter how good a job he does in it; so it's important that he has this film under his belt, which demonstrates what a truly gifted young actor he really is, a fact that may be overlooked once "Clones" hits (which is what happened to Leonardo DiCaprio after "Titanic"). And Christensen's performance here is a big part of what makes "Life As A House" a winner.

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Confronted with life-changing news, a middle-aged architect seizes the opportunity to begin living life on his own terms as he builds the house of his dreams, and winds up rebuilding the world around him in the process

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House on Haunted Hill (1999) Review

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(More customer reviews)Say what you want about producer/director William Castle (The Tingler, 13 Ghosts, Mr. Sardonicus) but one thing was for sure...he knew how to fill seats in a movie theater, primarily by forcing some sort of direct interaction between the audience and the film (at least in his horror themed features). In House on Haunted Hill (1959), he utilized a technique he called `Emergo', which essentially featured a skeleton, suspended from wires, coming from the screen towards the audience during a specific part of the movie, the intent being to scare the pants off those in the theater. From what I've heard, it didn't sound like many were frightened, but it didn't really matter as Castle was a master at selling the sizzle, rather than the steak, as they say, and audiences flocked to his films...produced and directed by William Castle, the film features the merchant of menace himself Vincent Price (The Fly, The Tingler, House of Usher) in the first of two films he made with Castle. Also appearing is Elisha Cook Jr. (Shane, The Haunted Palace), Carolyn Craig (Giant), Richard Long (Ma and Pa Kettle), Carol `homina homina' Ohmart (Spider Baby), Alan Marshal (The Hunchback of Notre Dame), and Julie Mitchum (Edge of Hell), sister of actor Robert Mitchum.
Price plays Frederick Loren, an eccentric millionaire who, along with his wife Annabelle (Ohmart), has thrown together an interesting little party involving five, seemingly random strangers gathering at a haunted house with ten thousand dollars to each who dare stay through the night. In attendance, along with Frederick and his wife, is Watson Pritchard (Cook), whose brother, one of the previous owners, was murdered within the house, Lance Schroeder (Long), a test pilot, Dr. David Trent (Marshal), a psychiatrist, Nora Manning (Craig), a typist, and Ruth Bridgers (Mitchum), a newspaper columnist. Seems all have agreed to play Frederick's little game for one reason, they need the dough, and if some crazy rich dude is willing to part with his green for such a seemingly easy task, what the hay, right? Well, the guests arrive, introductions are made, and Frederick gives them the full lowdown. The secluded house is like a fortress (steel doors and bars on the windows) in that once they're locked in (at midnight, to be precise), there's no getting out until the caretakers arrive the next morning. Also, there's no electricity or telephones, and the nearest neighbors are well beyond yelling distance. After a tour of the house, highlighting where various grisly events occurred (including a visit to the acid vat in the cellar...man, this place has everything), a few drinks, and some scares (the ghosts seem to have a thing for Nora), Fredrick passes out some party favors in the form of loaded handguns (nothing like being drunk and armed), not that they'd do anyone much good if there are ghosts out and about...anyway, midnight is coming so if anyone wants to cut out of this ghoulish get together, they'd better get while the getting's good...
While not my favorite Castle feature (that goes to The Tingler), House on Haunted Hill is still a hoot and a half for all of its campy, good-natured fun. The one thing this film has going for it, above and beyond everything else, is Vincent Price. No matter how rotten the feature was (which wasn't the case here), Price always brought with him a real sense of class and sophistication to the proceedings, especially true of the number of Poe based films he and Roger Corman made throughout the 1960s for American International Pictures. The absolute best parts of this movie for me occur early on as Price's character is interacting with his wife, and we see the pair have an interesting hate/hate relationship...here's an example of their often snide and insinuating banter they engage in behind closed doors...
Fredrick: Of all my wives you're least agreeable...
Annabelle: But still alive.
Here's another bit...
Frederick: Do you remember the fun we had when you poisoned me?
Annabelle: Something you ate, the doctor said.
Frederick: Yes, arsenic on the rocks...
There are a few more excellent exchanges between Price and Ohmart, worthy alone of seeing this film. As for the rest of the performers, I had no real complaints. Elisha Cook Jr.'s character did get on my nerves after awhile, with his constant dour outlook punctuated by his persistent `doom and gloom' predictions. Drink some more booze, you rummy...seriously, all this guy did was talk about how the ghosts were going to come and take them all away. Perhaps this attitude was assisted by his excessive alcohol intake, but really, what's the point of accepting an invitation to spend a night at a house you believe you won't come out of alive? The money? Won't do you much good if'n you're dead, fool. If I was in that house I probably would have shot him just to be rid of him. At least I learned one thing...never invite Elisha Cook Jr. to your party and ply him with lots of booze as he'll turn into a real poison pill. I did like Ms. Ohmart, and not just because she was a smoking babe with a large rack, but because she held her own with Price, even if it was for just a handful of scenes. If you've got a hankering to see more of her, and you like ookie horror features, you should really check out another film she appeared in called Spider Baby (1968), featuring Lon Chaney Jr. There are a few, minor scares scattered throughout the film (a crusty crone, a disembodied head or two), but nothing that will make you soil yourself...some scenes will make you snicker, though, like the one where Pritchard chucks a dead rat into the acid vat, if only to demonstrate the acid is really acid. After some bubbling effects, a fully articulated rat skeleton bobs to the surface, indicating to those watching it truly is the real deal. Yes sir, that be some powerful acid...the movie may not be much for scares, but it does have plenty of atmosphere created by Castle's direction, groovy, cobweb laden set pieces, spooky music, and usage of the Ennis Brown House in Los Angeles, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, for the exterior shots.
It seems this film has fallen into the public domain (i.e. the copyright expired), as I see there are a number of DVD releases by various companies. I can't speak for those other releases, but the one I own, put out by Warner Brothers (it has a large headshot of Price in the lower right hand corner and Ohmart in a nightgown being menaced by a disfigured hand in the upper left), looks exceptionally good, and features both the fullscreen and widescreen formats, along with a excellent Dolby Digital mono audio track. The only extras included are a theatrical trailer for the film and subtitles in both English and French.
Cookieman108
By the way, this movie saw a remake of the same titled, released in 1999, oozing with high tech special effects. It was decent enough, but I still liked the original better.


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Studio: Warner Home VideoRelease Date: 08/22/2006Run time: 168 minutesRating: Nr

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Five Guns West Review

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(More customer reviews)Good story of The War Between the States west of the Mississippi River. Casting and plot development could have been better. There was a CSA Ranger outfit that operated from northwestern Texas into eastern New Mexico and southern Colorado which could have carried out the mission a lot better than convicts. But its good to see a story, seldon seen, of the war this far west.

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Pride & Prejudice (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)Okay, I am a rabid Frith and BBC fan of the miniseries, but I was very impressed with this adaption and found it refershing in it's grounded, youthful take on the story.
For starters, there is a very grounded nature to the presentation of the story. Some Austenites got their knickers into a twist because they thought it made the family and their circumstances too drab looking. But I loved it! The Meryton Assembly basically sets the stage for this grounded approach-the dancing looks a little heavy footed, the girls look sweaty, and you can't help but think that someone needs to open a window cause it looks awfully sweaty! But at the same time,it made the story come alive, like you were a fly on the wall, peeking in on Lizzy and Darcy and the rest of the gang.
Lastly, I loved the youthful take on the story. I LOVE Firth and Ehle as the '95 leads. They had this chemistry and sensual tension that was electric! But their take was definitely from a mature standpoint-like the way I'd act now as a 33 year old woman. Whereas Macfadyen and Knightley? Theirs is a more youthful, innocent, first love take that I just took to. Great chemistry, Lizzy's a little less cocksure, Darcy's a bit more unbalanced by this attraction, and it felt right in terms of age and stage of development with the actual characters in the book.
Great adaption, brisk storytelling, and a wonderfully irreverent tone by a fun director who knew it was a good idea to knock the pedestal off from under our Lizzy and Darcy, and let them be seen in a more grounded light. And ps-I thought Macfadyen, even though he doesn't have that big of a part, was a great Darcy!

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The greatest love story of all time lives on in the Pride & Prejudice 2-Disc Collector's Edition! The Academy Award®-nominated film based on Jane Austen's masterpiece novel has been repackaged and expanded to a 2-disc edition with all-new bonus features.Academy Award® nominee Keira Knightley stars as heroine Elizabeth Bennet, who upon meeting the handsome Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen), believes him to be the last man on earth she could ever marry. But as their lives become intertwined, she finds herself captivated by the very man she swore to loathe for all eternity. And now, their romance shines brighter than ever before in this must-own collector's edition of the film critics said, "Makes you believe in true love and happily-ever-after" (Stephen Holden, The New York Times).

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Signs of Life Review

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(More customer reviews)This film from 1989 explores values within a community of people who have worked together in a boat factory. The problem confronted in the plot is not the fact that the factory must close for lack of customers but rather how each of the co-workers must deal with that closing in the context of their personal relationships outside the shop. The acting/directing is flawless. Part of the plot hangs on a mystical solution, but it is handled well enough to make it believable. The values of the story like values in any human relationship are both bad and good, but the message is positive and possibly more important in terms of the art of film, the whole package is a wonderful entertainment. I recommend you see it for yourself.

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Grand Canyon (1992) Review

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(More customer reviews)Ten years ago when GRAND CANYON was released many people snickered at a movie so overblown with making the world (read Los Angeles) seem so seemingly cruel and unjust. Some of us found the movie poignant and apocalyptic, but I think the press barred the public from taking the movie seriously. Well, here we are ten years laater watching this well crafted movie, surrounded by even more cosmic madness than ever before. A lot of contemporary prophecy films such as this need to be more widely viewed if we as a culture, as a world, are to survive. Living in this tenuous time where most fingers are on triggers, whether they be personal guns or national weapons, private or public disasters, or just on the thin strings that contain sanity - now more than ever we can benefit from films such as this. Caring, finding solace in acts of kindness shared at times of direst need, and yes, even putting it all in perspective by returning to the natural positive phenomena such as the Grand Canyon seems like our only reliable way of making it. This Kasdan film has more fine performances (Kevin Klein, Mary McDonnell, Alfre Woodward, Danny Golover, Jeremy Sisto, etc etc etc) and drives relentlessly to a final ending of such beauty that even ten years later we can only say "Thank you " to Kasdan and crew.

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Creature 1985 Review

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(More customer reviews)I have never seen a rip-off movie try so hard to be original. Director William Malone sure tries hard, in both his directing and his script, but still fails to show any originality. Everything fromt he female lead to the actual design of the creature itself is a direct steal from Alien. With that said I have to say that Creature is actually one of the better Alien rip-offs that I have seen, and believe me there are plenty of Alien rip-offs out there. Most are very poor (Star Crystal and Dead Space come to mind), and though Creature itself isn't a great film, it actually comes out as one of the better of the bunch. Most of the cast actually try to pull this film off, especially the Stan Ivar and Wendy Schaal, but a few of the cast members come off looking really bad in the acting department. And what about Klaus Kinski? THat man was considered a great actor in his time, so what is he doing in Creature? Whatever the reason, I was still glad to see him and his short but memorable presence brings the film up in quality level. So is Creature a good film? No. Is it cheesy? Yes, though it tries hard not to be. Is it entertaining? You bet. A great midnight film that deserves a proper DVD release. Diamond Entertaiment gives us a nicely priced disc but the picture quality is only slightly better than the original VHS release from Media Home Video. Though the image isn't the best, it is far from unwatchable, and it can make a great entry into any sci-fi fans DVD library.
TRIVIA: THe film ahd a budget of $4 million and was titled The Titan Find in other parts of the world. The special effects crew went on to do the special effects for Aliens a year after working on creature. (I guess Creature was good practice for them)

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