Amazon.com

Freeway is one of those movies that has the power to simultaneously amaze and disgust just about anyone who dares to view it. Like Seven, Kalifornia, and Natural Born Killers, it's a movie that could be called a product of our times, since it caters to our societal fascination with serial killers and outrageous psychopathic behavior. But make no mistake: director Matthew Bright isn't out to feed anyone's sickest impulse. This is a scathing satire in the age of Jerry Springer fistfights and "real" TV shows like Cops, in which the "I-5 Killer" (Kiefer Sutherland) meets a wayward teenager (Reese Witherspoon) on the freeway that provides his nickname. She confides in the man but soon discovers his gruesome intentions, and ... well, let's just say she effectively defends herself, only to find later that the killer (whose wife is played by Brooke Shields, no less!) has used the media to his advantage. Fine performances make this a provocative thriller, but it's definitely not for the innocent or squeamish. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (86)

Simply Hilarious Satire
I have a different sort of sense of humor than most people, so that may be the reason that I did not find this movie too violent or disturbing as some reviewers did here. They seem to be missing the point: this is SATIRE. The movie does not take itself seriously once, and that is what makes it so great. Everything is attacked here with acerbic wit, from tweaked out prostitutes to parole violations ("he most certainly does not have a gun, he's on parole, he hasn't owned a firearm in a long time") to welfare vouchers and wayward, illiterate teens to the foster care system and the media circus to serial killers and glue-sniffing jailhouse lesbians...this is a grab bag of American society at its rotten core and it works better than you expect it to.

Reese Witherspoon plays Vanessa Lutz with glee. You can just tell she has a ball with her character, and the lines she gets to utter are priceless. This is a movie where the dialogue will stick in your head long after the end credits roll. Keifer Sutherland also seems to enjoy playing the "Bad Wolf" I-5 killer Bob Wolverton, almost disturbingly so. The violence in this movie is not as explicit as many reviewers have stated. Freeway comes across more as a twisted comedy than a thriller, although there are some brief instances of violence.

The action flies by quickly and by the end, we don't want the ride to conclude. Freeway succeeds in all parts.

Tragically Funny
I can't believe Reese Witherspoon not only didn't win an Oscar for this performance, but that she wasn't even nominated. Now THAT'S tragic. This has to be one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. Every performance, from Witherspoon to Keifer Sutherland to Veronica Cartwright, is a tour-de-force. Witherspoons plays Vanessa, a modern day Red Riding Hood on a journey to meet her long-lost grandmother, running away from the Child Services Department after her alcoholic, drug-addicted mother [Cartwright] is once again arrested for solicitation. On her way, she encounters Sutherland, a child psychologist of dubious nature. There's the ensuing hilarity, poignant moments and satisfying resolution.

Why should you see this movie? Because it's downright hysterical. Reward yourself with a movie that you'll laugh through from start to finish and never skip through.

Life in the trash lane...
Freeway (1996), written and directed by Matthew Bright, takes the classic tale of Little Red Riding Hood, infuses it with part Jerry Springer, part America's Most Wanted to create a highly disturbing, yet often times satirical, dark look at our collective fascination with serial killers.

The film stars Reese Witherspoon as Vanessa Lutz, a somewhat illiterate 15-year-old California girl whose life is anything but a bowl of cherries. Her mother (Amanda Plummer) is a drug-addicted prostitute, working just outside the motel where the family lives, while her step-dad Larry, played by Michael Weiss (The Pretender), is a lecherous, alcoholic, drug abusing parolee who has spent more of his life in prisons than out. Trouble develops when Vanessa's mother gets arrested, along with her stepfather, and Vanessa is headed into the foster care system once again. Deciding to forgo the system, Vanessa escapes, trying to make her way to her paternal grandmother, a woman she's never met, but figures it's got to be better than the alternative.

Upon breaking down on the freeway, she meets Bob Wolverton (Kiefer Sutherland) who offers assistance in a ride. The man seems a bit too helpful (at least to me), but Vanessa takes Bob up on his offer. We learn Bob is some sort of councilor, and he begins to probe (figuratively speaking) Vanessa about her family problems, getting her to discuss more and more details. She trusts him initially, given that it is usually easier to discuss highly personal matters with a complete stranger than those closest to you, but, when Bob begins to get too explicit, Vanessa tries to walk away, to which Bob's true colors come through. You see, there's a serial killer on the loose, one whose target appear to be young women picked up on the freeway. As Vanessa determines that Bob is in fact the killer, she manages to escape, but not before shooting Bob a number of times, leaving him for dead. But Bob doesn't die...he's severely messed up, but doesn't die.

Soon Vanessa is picked up by the police, as Bob, now a victim, and his wife (played by Brook Shields) aggressively press for the prosecution of Vanessa as an adult. It's no surprise to Vanessa that the police are reluctant to by into her version of the events, seeing only a troubled youth who viciously shot and then robbed a man trying to assist her. As the authorities try to determine whether or not they can prosecute Vanessa as an adult, she manages to escape, and makes her way towards her grandmother's house, while the police, finding new evidence to support Vanessa's story, begin investigating Bob, who has since gone missing.

I've given you a fair synopsis so far, but I left out a lot of things, like the dark, comedic elements, the graphic violence, and the incredible amount of profanity. Reese Witherspoon does a wonderful job, presenting an interminably cute, yet violent and brutal when she needs to be, product of her environment. Her character seemed very similar to the one she played in a later film, Election (1999), except a lot trashier, but less devious. Kiefer Sutherland seemed to enjoy his role, presenting an initially suave exterior hiding a fairly hideous and disgusting individual, full of contempt and thoughts of uber-violence. His visage after suffering the attack from his would be victim nicely matched what I felt the character to be like on the inside, disturbing, disgusting, and intensely grotesque. The supporting cast including Dan Heyda, Bokeem Woodbine, and Brittany Murphy all add nicely to this intensely out-of-whack modern day version of the little girl in red and the big, bad wolf. One can't help notice influences of Oliver Stone's 1994 surrealistic nightmare Natural Born Killers within this film, and I wasn't surprised to learn Mr. Stone was actually an executive producer for Freeway. While lacking the intense, skewed, and sometimes confusing visual imagery of Natural Born Killers, Freeway does share it's darkly comedic elements, holding little back from its audience. As I said, the violence is more of the visceral sort, but I did notice in many instances the aftermath of the violence was shown, rather than the actual act as it happened. The amount of profanity seemed a bit extreme at times, but it was there for a reason (what that reason is, I am unsure). With elements in film like this, I am usually of the opinion that less is more, in that a subjective placement of such language in certain areas of the movie can create the shocking elements desired rather than large quantities spread throughout.

The quality of the print here looks very good in wide screen format, and the audio is excellent. Not much in the way of special features other than a commentary track by the writer/director and a theatrical trailer. The price for this DVD is certainly attractive, but know that it earns its' 'R' rating, and certainly isn't for everyone.

Cookieman108

"'Cause I'm p*ssed off, and the whole world owes me"
There is nothing sacred in FREEWAY. Movies like this get your friendly neighborhood "family values" handwringers drooling in righteousness. Oliver Stone was executive producer, which may be one reason why it feels just like an one of his movies. Yet I think its far better than the self-indulgent NATURAL BORN KILLERS (definitely superior to U-TURN). Its pretenses are much lower, and then there's Reese Witherspoon.

This is possibly her best performance; she definitely doesn't play it safe here. An endearing, sociopathic and illiterate 15-year old who "had an anger problem, but not any more." It's fun to think of the LEGALLY BLONDE fanatics renting this and being horrified at their princess turning tricks and having a black boyfriend. At the same time, she really does do interesting movies. ELECTION is way different, yet I think is a great companion to this movie with its dark, subversive humor. AMERICAN PSYCHO and CRUEL INTENTIONS are by no means good movies, but we're not talking Sandra Bullock's stuff here.

Anyway, FREEWAY is in its own class, taking urban white trash clichés in absurd and droll directions. Vanessa Lutz's prostitute mother, pederast step-father and their crack rocks are taken away by the County cops, and she just wants to get to grandmother's trailer park where everything will be okay. (Her dream sequence, with a trailer park paradise with kitsch giraffe statutes makes for an hysterical ideal) So she sets off, on the I-5 in southern California. She eventually falls into the hands of bourgeois child therapist and ambitious serial killer Bob Wolverton (Keifer), who manipulates her into talking about herself. This is one of the best parts of the movie.

Sutherland is fine as the wolf. The two detectives are hilarious. Dan Hedaya as the slightly bemused older guy, and Wolfgang Bodison as the patronizing young guy who Vanessa beats the crap out of at one point.

Strange moral debates constantly play out in the subtext of the movie, and I think enhance its humor. There are few well-written movies that even approach the black humor and socially sacriligeous quality of this movie. It's up there with REPO MAN and WAY OF THE GUN. Director Matthew Bright's commentary is pretty interesting, especially talking about the dynamics of filming on a very limited budget. Also, through his constant remarks about girls, girls' hair, Reese, and hints of his own perversions, he comes across as a very weird fellow on his own. So it is worth listening to if you're a fan of the movie.

A Very Deceiving Movie
The official Amazon.com review got this movie all wrong. Although it is kind of about post-Springer/Cops world, this is less of a social commentary as it is a dark comedy. There's so many good one liners ("Do you wanna get shot a whole buncha times?!") and just generally funny characters (the mildly-retarded yet aggressive lesbian). If it is a commentary on society, it's not commneting on the media, but on the modern-day family unit. An interesting note is that the picture Vannessa shows Bob of her father is actually a picture of a convicted serial murder Richard Speck.

All in all, a very funny, very odd little movie. I can't recommend it enough, especially for the great acting of Witherspoon and the typically bad acting of Brooke Shields. ... Read more

Amazon.com

If you don't think Austin Powers is one of the funniest movies of the 1990s, maybe you should be packed into a cryogenic time-chamber and sent back to the decade whence you came.Perhaps it was the 1960s--the shag-a-delic decade when London hipster Austin Powers scored with gorgeous chicks as a fashion photographer by day, crime-fighting international man of mystery by night. Yeah, baby, yeah! But when Powers's arch nemesis, Dr. Evil, puts himself into a deep-freeze and travels via time-machine to the late 1990s, Powers must follow him and foil Evil's nefarious scheme of global domination. Mike Myers plays dual roles as Powers and Dr. Evil, with Elizabeth Hurley as his present-day sidekick and karate- kicking paramour. A hilarious spoof of '60s spy movies, this colorful comedy actually gets funnier with successive viewings, making it a perfect home video for gloomy days and randy nights. Oh, behave! --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (451)

This Is My Kind Of Happeing And It Freaks Me Out
That's a qoute from Mike Myers in Ausitn Powers: International Man Of Mystery. I must say it's the funniest most clever comedy I've ever seen. Much better than Casino Royale. Myers plays the swinging secret agent of the 60's Austin Powers who is a groovy sexy fashion photographer by night and international man of mystery by night. He after his arch nemisis Dr. Evil also played by Myers, an uptight square out to take over the world. Dr. Evil freeze himself up in outerspace in 1967. Austin offers to freeze himself in case Dr. Evil ever returns. Thirty years later, in 1997 Dr. Evil was back and they must get Ausitn unfreeze Austin so he can stop Dr. Evil's sinister plan of world domination. Incredibly funny flick, even funnier if you've seen the James Bond series. Myers duo roles are both hilarious in their own way. The Movie also stars Elizabeth Hurley, Robert Wagner, Mimi Rogers and Carrie Fisher. Austin Powers is a must see for all ages. It's shagnificent baby, yeah!

Hilarious, influential movie gains little from DVD
I should note here that people who have not read many of my reviews might be insulted at the rating. I never give a DVD release of an outstanding movie more than three stars unless buying the DVD gets you significantly more than just seeing the matinee. In other words, the special features are worth two stars.

"Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery" catapulted Mike Myers onto the Hollywood A-list from the "former Saturday Night Liver trying to make it" list. Taking a broadside at James Bond lore and adding Myers own inherent goofiness along with a tragic period in fashion history gives Austin Powers, a British secret agent/fashion photographer/music star. Unlike James Bond, Austin is extremely goofy, bespectacled, possessed of wretched teeth, and bad at any game. Of course, he still gets the girl. His nemesis: the frequently funnier Dr. Evil, an obvious copy of Bond villain Blofeld. Dr. Evil's marginal competence provides an ongoing source of laughs.

The plot (as it were) centers around a bit of cryogenic time travel so that Austin is displaced out of his time, providing a (pleasantly) surprisingly small number of fish-out-of-water gags. The movie's real drive comes from the unique cast of secondary characters: Seth Green's Scott Evil, Mindy Sterling's Frau Farbissiner, Robert Wagner's Number Two, and the unforgettable Alotta Fagina (figure out who THAT is a parody of). Elizabeth Hurley is also in the movie, and seems to be a pretty good sport. While this movie would ultimately be outshone by its first sequel, it remains an influential and often-referenced work.

The DVD is a mediocre package. The commentary track is a dead air-rich bore, (I think Mike Myers and Jay Roach were new at this gig. The track on the sequel is much better) and the deleted scenes are better than average, which is to say mediocre. Most deleted scenes should stay so. Additionally, the transfer quality on these scenes is terrible.

AUSTIN POWERS THE FIRST TWO
VERY VERY VERY FUNNY, BUT WOULD LOVE TO HAVE IT IN FULL SCREEN VERSION.

Yeah, Baby
Austin Powers is one of the funniest characters to ever grace the screen. The spy spoof movie series is fantastic and it all started with this hit movie.

Austin Powers is pretty simple to follow. Dr.Evil(Myers)has escaped from his cyro-genetics and is now in the 1990's. He has plans for world domination and his evil empire is doing great since he was frozen 30 years ago. The world can't let Dr. Evil rule it, so Austin Powers(Myers) Englands greatest secret agent is unfrozen from his cryo state and sent to stop Dr.Evil. He is not alone as he has the beautiful Vannessa(Hurley) there to help him bring down Dr. Evil.

Mike Myers is a comic genius. Very few people in the world can match his comic intelligence. This movie is fantastic. Myers wrote the perfect script with this movie and it's hilarious. You have to love how much this movie spoofs spy movies.

When you think spy movies you think James Bond. The spoof of Bond in this movie is done to perfection. From the costumes, music, characters, it is all there. Other spy movies are spoofed in this as well like Our Man Flint. If you love spy movies you have to appreciate this movie and the way it pokes of fun of them.

I liked Elizabeth Hurley in the movie. She is absolutely gorgeous in the movie and this role works for her. She is to often a miscast in her moives and her sex appeal is suppose to carry her. It's not much different in this, but she fits the characters personality and this is the best role she has ever played.

I love all the cameos in this movie. Like all the great movies with former SNL cast members this movie is jammed full of cameos of Hollywood stars. You have Will Ferrell, Ceri Oteri, Rob Lowe, Carrie Fisher, and Tom Arnold to name a few. I get a kick out of it everytime I watch this, because I almost always see something new.

The DVD extras are good. There are some alternate endings and deleted scenes. There is commentary from Myers. The special features are decent.

This is a great movie. It's comedey at it's best and it has all the elements of the genre. It's one of the best ever made. If you love comedies you have to pick this one up and the same if you like spy movies. If you haven't seen this go get out from the rock you've been living under and prepare yourself for a good time.

Satire of all 'swings' Sixties
It would be worthless for me to repeat what other reviewers have said here before me, as regards the fun spoofy plot and the thoroughly enjoyable crass humor. I'll add that it's a bit of a classic, great fun especially if you already know Blow Up, early 007 movies, and A Hard Day's Night.

I just want to mention that the VHS issue has on it several extras... alternate endings and deleted scenes (including one of the excised Rob Lowe scenes, although not the one in which Lowe is shown as a henchman inside Dr. Evil's lair... Asian audiences got to see that version).

Good, silly fun, but too much sexual content for kids under 13. ... Read more

Amazon.com

In the moody prologue, amid a raging storm that evokes Hollywood golden-age high-seas swashbucklers, a foreboding scroll recounts the legend of one of the bloodiest pirates in the history of the Caribbean. Leave it to Disney to turn him into a fun-loving old prankster with a whimsical side. Peter Ustinov mugs shamelessly as the bombastic but harmless apparition who renounces his wicked ways to become the mischievous school spirit of the local college, much to the annoyance of straight-arrow track coach Dean Jones. Made in the heyday of Disney’s live-action family comedies, Blackbeard's Ghost is all haphazard but high-energy slapstick and squeaky-clean romance (courtesy of contemporary schoolmarm Suzanne Pleshette) performed with more gumption than grace, but there’s a nostalgic innocence to the whole overplayed affair. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (28)

IT'S ABOUT TIME!
I'm so glad that Disney finally came to their senses and decided to release this treasure on DVD. In my opinion, this is one of Disney's best. Starring Peter Ustinov, Dean Jones, and Suzanne Pleshette, this movie has comedy, action, and no worry of bad language or sex. Dean Jones plays a track coach who arrives in a new town, one with many tales and mysteries. Jones arrives at a hotel owned by families of pirates who roamed the area hundreds of years ago. The families are giving an auction to save their beloved, historical home from money-grubbing gamblers who tend to turn the hotel into a casino. When Jones suddenly finds himself bidding on an auction in competition with the football coach, he unwillingly wins a bed-warmer with a story, suposedly coming from Blackbeard the pirate. He soon discovers that he got much more than he bargained for! This wholesome comedy will keep a smile on your face all the way through, Disney fan or not!

Blackbeard's Ghost Should Have Stayed Away
While not a great moment in movie history, Blackbeard's Ghost is a fun film for families and stars the always-great Peter Ustinov. I had been looking forward to it's release on DVD as the print I had on VHS was so terrible, I felt surely that the DVD would offer a better print (and based on the quality of the prints on the recently-released Vault Disney titles I had purchased, I felt even more assured that it would). I was sooooo disappointed today when I received my copy of Blackbeard's Ghost. Of all of the DVDs I have purchased from a name studio, this has to be the worst I have ever seen. The print used seems to be the same as the one used for the old VHS I have. The picture contrast is terrible. The print itself is full of scratches and blemishes and the picture is very grainy. Worst of all it is presented in full screen (I seem to remember reading it would be widescreen when it was first announced), which leaves parts of the picture lopped off. An example of this is when Dean Jones' character is talking to a student while driving and the right half of Jones' face is missing while the left half of the student's is gone. The biggest example of the low quality of the print used is the opening titles. Since the film was not presented in widescreen (although it wouldn't have been too wide, I'm sure), the opening credits are "squished" up, with the picture being presented slightly off-center, leaving about a 1 1/2 inch black space up the left side of my screen. I know this film is not considered a classic by most, but I was hoping Disney would have thought it was and done better than this. Maybe some day they will.

Cute movie, Bad DVD
I enjoyed the movie. Ustinov was soo funny he made the movie for me. Of course the movie is pretty inane, but I knew that before I bought it. What I didn't know is that the DVD quality is the worst I have ever seen. The sound also had scratches and pops. The picture is faded and streaked. I like these kinds of movies, but I now look to the reviews before I buy Disney movies. For the cost I think they could restore them (and in general make them widescreen).

Pirates are cool!
I don't know why, but this movie never ceases to amuse me. The goofy pirate combined with 1960's Disney humor and Dean Jones just makes this movie so entertaining that you'll watch it over and over again. If you like classic Disney movies as much as I do, you definately need to add this one to your collection.

Video quality? Expected better...
This of course is an excellent movie - Ustinov is excellent as well as Dean.

However, I honestly expected better quality video from a re-released classic movie from Disney. The opening credits are truncated on the left side - it almost appeared that the opening credis were done with a hand-held video camera (someone with the wiggles of course). Tons of video artifacts exist throughout the movie (white dust, contrast problems, scratches, blooming, and washed out color etc.). It doesn't seem to have been given the "Snow White" treatment that other released products have gone through. ... Read more

Description

A survivalist is all that stands between two innocent college students and a family of cannibals. Original uncut classic. Year: 1996 Director: Jeff Burr Starring: Kate Hodge, William Butler, Ken Foree ... Read more

Reviews (71)

Only one that lives up to the original
The first TCM was one of the biggest horror hits of all time, inflicting pain and brutal terror upon its viewers. The 2nd installment was awesome, but was nothing like the original. The 3rd TCM actually lived up to the original, but after it's release it was long forgotten. You would think with Tobe Hooper not directing this movie, it would be a huge mistake, but actually, it was a good idea. None of the old family members are here, accept an older, greener grandpa, and of course, Leatherface. The house is different, but the inside looks similar to the original, but not much. Leatherface has a different looking mask, still made of human flesh though. The settings are: The desert, an old gas station, the texas woods in very thick darkness, and Leatherfaces (new) house. This movie has a whole lot of action. Lots blood and gore violence, on the unrated edition, gunshots, and lots of good chainsaw action. This is Leatherface at his best, so look closely, you might miss something bizarre!

R-Rated Version: This version, well, sucks. It has a whole bunch of perfectly good violence edited out. Watch the unrated version for true terror!

Unrated Version: If you are a horror/violence fan, you should know to always look for an unrated version of a good horror movie. This version of L:TCM3 is the bloody, gory, violent version only strong horror fans can view. Weak-hearted people, you have been warned!

The saw is family
Since New Line released their recent re-make of the The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, they finally had the good sense to release Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3 on an extra laden DVD. Undoubtadly the best, and sadly the monst infamous, sequel in the series, this installment finds two college students (Kate Hodge and William Butler) stranded on a Texas backroad being stalked and hacked up by Leatherface and his larger cannibalistic family. Ever since this film was released, it garnered a lot of criticism and bad press because of it's many attempts just to get an R rating. Well, here it is in all it's unrated gory glory, but for the life of me I cannot understand how the unrated version never got an R rating; I mean House of 1000 Corpses was gorier than that. The film also stars a pre-Lord of the Rings Viggo Mortensen as a member of Leatherface's family, and Dawn of the Dead's Ken Foree as a survivalist who is all that stands between the kids and the family. The DVD includes a documentary on the film, deleted scenes, and a commentary by director Jeff Burr and crew.

Wasn't as good as the original or 2
This film didn't live to the hype...Very Overrated..
I thought the Original was very creepy but this was alright..Leather faced looked horrible...Thats a bad thing..He looked stupid too.

I thought the plot was dull...Kina stupid...
The characters were alright....

The overall film was alright...Didnt do that good....

I give it 2/5 stars...

Very bad movie...

Later..

To Sum It Up
For everything the original was, this is the opposite. I don't even feel like reviewing this, so just to sum it up; Did you see the trailer for this movie? Yeah, the movie is just as crappy as the trailer.

wait, what...i missed it?
baaaaad movie....baaaad! lol its just so...bad...its kind of a spoof of itself...the story is so weak and the acting is so bad and theres no music! music is what makes a movie! music adds to the horror of a good horror movie...which this is definatly not! You barely see leatherface, and when u do see him, he doesnt even use his chainsaw!

no one will miss this movie...NO ONE! ... Read more

Reviews (170)

This movie was great, despite it's fictional entities
When I first saw this movie I was blown away buy it. Since then it has become one of my favorite movies of all time. Like many other people this movie gave me false ideas about Witchcraft, which I found otherwise as fictional. Even now as a practitioner of Wicca I still find it to be a great movie. This movie was made for entertainment purposes and not to persuade or disuade anyone one way or the other.

Fairuza Balk as Nancy was awesome. She played and looked the part so well and I don't think anyone could have done a better job. The movie is based around three teenage girls classified as the misfits of the school. They come together to form a small coven and cast spells one themselves and other people. Sarah is the newcomer who is quickly accepted into their circle. As the movie progresses things get out of hand and Nancy ends up way in over her head and it's up to Sarah to use her powerful inheritated gift of magick to stop her. I suggest this movie for anyone who wants to be thrilled.

Craft Services
The Craft is a solid, yet still somewhat predictable thriller, that tried to ride the surging horror wave started by Scream.

Sarah Baily (Robin Tunney) has always felt like an outsider all her life. So, when she and her Dad (Cliff De Young) move to a new town, she finds herself having to start fresh. As the new gal at St. Benedict's Academy, she immediately falls in with the high school's female misfits. But, this group of girls won't settle for being just powerless outcasts, that nobody wants to hang out with. Indeed, Nancy, (Fairuza Balk) Bonnie, (Neve Campbell), and Rochelle (Rachel True) have discovered just how much fun school can be if you have the skills to use "The Craft" and they plan to show Sarah the way.

Director and co scripter Andrew Fleming plays things pretty safe throughout the film. The tried and true horror formula isn't tested that much. Young and trendy stars populate the cast, with moments of humor and a few jolts, thrown in for good measure. The breakout performance for me here is Balk's sassy Nancy. She is one tough witch you don't want to mess with. She helps make the film better than it would be otherwise. As with any film about the wicken way, there's also a certain female "bonding" subtext that has to play itself out, as well.

The special edition DVD substitutes for the movie only edition from awhile back. The audio commentary from Fleming is a nice mix of the tecnical and on set trivia about the film. There are two making Of featurettes on the disc. The first,is a six minute EPK style prepublicity kind of thing, while the second is a 24 minute retrospective, produced for the DVD. Conjuring THE CRAFT features "new" interviews with Fleming, Robin Tunny, Rachel True among others, intermixed with on set comments from Balk and Campbell. This is well produced. Fleming provides commentary for the deleted footage that, doesn't really amount to much as far as the final version is concerned The entire film score from Greame Revell is preserved and given its due as an isolated music track. Talent files, as well as, theatrical trailers for The Craft, among other films top off the bonus material on the disc. Addtional production notes can be found inside the keep case.

The Craft is worth a dabble, with a *** and a half star rating, as long as your expectations are kept in check.

These Girls Know Their Rites!
Sarah Bailey (Robin Tunney) is the new kid in town, but even under the best of circumstances she has never been accepted by the popular crowd. At her new school, she falls in with a trio of other female misfits (Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell, and Rachel True) who, it so happens, are trying to learn witchcraft and form their own little coven. When Sarah joins them to make it a quartet, they slowly develop multifold preternatural powers and learn how to focus and use them. With such abilities literally at their fingertips, it's not too long until the little coven, initially formed for self-protection and companionship, becomes an instrument for personal gain and revenge. Sarah soon realizes that one of her friends is evil to the core, and fearful of what THAT one may do with the group's newfound powers, she decides it's best to resign from the coven and thereby weaken the magic abilities of the others. But the coven has different plans, particularly regarding Sarah....

The sleeper hit THE CRAFT (1996) could've easily been played for camp, but it is instead a story of modern urban witchcraft that is both literate and emotionally powerful. The success of the film is due to Peter Filardi and Andrew Fleming's tight, well-written script, excellent direction from Fleming, and outstanding acting from principals Tunney, Balk, Campbell, and True. The supernatural elements of the story are handled carefully and earnestly, and witchcraft or the belief in it is never ridiculed or treated derisively. This keeps the tone of the film somewhat dark and edgy, which in turn creates an uneasy, spooky atmosphere that cues the audience to the fact that this is a serious horror film. Fleming wisely keeps the special FX to a minimum until the story's climax on the final reel, and he instead emphasizes the relationships in this group of dysfunctional, angst-ridden girls, well knowing that the primary target audience--to wit, teenagers--will easily relate to these characters and their normal desires and fears.

The Special Edition DVD from Columbia/Tri-Star offers THE CRAFT in anamorphic widescreen at its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The digital transfer is very good, with minimal filmic or digital artifacts. The disc also features an informative commentary with director Andrew Fleming, 2 featurettes, deleted scenes, and more. THE CRAFT is a cool horror film that most fans of the genre will enjoy, and the very reasonable price makes it easy for fans to add this DVD to their collections.

Darkly peculiar, yet entertaining all the same
I was looking for entertainment and I found it in THE CRAFT.

So maybe it was filled with holes. Maybe it's a tad unrealistic. Maybe it doesn't portray Wicca with fair accuracy (not that I care about that). So it's flawed. So what?

That said, THE CRAFT is awfully entertaining and worth more than one watch - hence my umpteenth watch a few weekends ago. I especially appreciated Fairuza Balk's performance - just as much as gorgeous Robin Tunney's. It's a shame she's no Hollywood starlet today. A year or more ago I saw her in this dreadful movie called CHERISH, a truly tedious indie flick.

Tunney plays Sarah, newcomer to the neighborhood. After being shunned by the popular girls, a circle of peculiar witches take her beneath their collective wings. Nancy, Bonnie, and Rochelle all have supernatural powers and the rumor mongers have always been spreading gossip about them. (They are played by Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell, and Rachel True, respectively.) Now, it is time to get revenge on those who have wronged them - yes, revenge is the only remedy to their teenage angst and turmoil.

Each girl has a different situation. Rumors have been churning through the mill that Sarah Bailey slept with popular jock Chris Hooker (played by Skeet Ulrich, who later appeared with Campbell in SCREAM). Not only that, but he claims she sucked in bed, according to Nancy. Sarah had really been into Chris during their first date and after one kiss on a rooftop, he'd tried to take her back home with him. She'd declined and Chris had seemed a little disappointed. Still, Sarah never guessed he'd begin spreading lies about her. Now, she will get Chris, who snubs her in the halls, to fall truly, madly, and deeply head-over-heels in love with her. In fact, with Sarah's powers, he develops humorous stalker-esque tendencies.

Nancy Down's troubles mainly concern her homelife. Her father is a bum. She and her two parents live the stereotypical white trash lifestyle. Nancy uses her powers to give her father a heart attack (odd, yes...I know) and because of his death, she and Mrs. Down are left with a big 'ole sum of money. They move into a very nice apartment and are able to live quite comfortably.

Bonnie was involved in a terrible accident that left her permanently scarred - much of the high school knows about the disfiguring scars. She has a beautiful face but her scars inable her to wear certain clothes and she's oh-so self-concious about it. She undergoes a painful hospital operation that may or may not improve her condition - it does, thanks to her supernatural powers. :) Because of the operation, her mother and the doctors aren't all that suspicious. They just assume it to be the goodness of medical technology.

Rochelle's dilemma concerns racist Laura Lizzie (Christine Taylor), who is on the school's swim team with her. Laura makes it crystal clear that she can't stand Rochelle because she's black. Whenever Rochelle is at work perfecting her dives, Laura shouts out cruel remarks to distract her and she also calls her racial slurs in the locker room. Rochelle's spell causes Laura's hair to begin to fall out in huge clumps that leave bald patches all over her blonde head. Within days, she's totally bald.

But what you do to others in your spells comes back to haunt you. Times three. So now, the girls will have to deal with the consequences of their actions. Sarah must also deal with the fact that her three friends are turning on her and she must face the harrowing battle all on her own.

That is, if they don't kill her first.

With good performances and an exciting plot, this movie may appeal to fans of HEATHERS, MEAN GIRLS, and other movies in which the theme of all-girl friendships are stressed. Many critics took an intense disliking to this film, but it has been rather popular with many audiences, doing mildly well in the box office and on video.

Awesome movie
On her first day of school, Sarah is snubbed by the more popular girls and ends up becoming part of a circle of girls who are witches.

One by one, it goes through and shows each one of the girls problem. Bonnie was in a fire and left with horrible burn marks, Rochelle is the target of a racist clique, Nancy comes from a broken home, and Sarah is still haunted by memories of a suicide attempt. They all cast spells to improve their lives, and they work. Sarah makes a guy fall in love with her, Rochelle causes her harasser's hair to fall out, Bonnie overcomes her scars and Nancy ends up killing her jerk stepfather, resulting in her mother and her to inherit a bunch of money from him.

As the girls get deeper and deeper into the craft, Sarah realizes that they are taking everything too far. Bonnie has turned into a total snob, Rochelle's tormentor goes completely bald, Sarah's love spell has turned into dangerous obsession, and Nancy has completely turned power hungry. When Sarah makes her desire to leave the circle known, they will not hear of it. Nancy ends up trying to kill Sarah, resulting in one of the best fight scenes EVER.

Overall, some of the stuff referring to the craft in this movie is true. The quarter calls made by the group are actual Gardnarian Tradition quarter calls, and the threefold law is TRUE (I know from experience, lol) ... Read more

Reviews (92)

Great Movie- Truly Terrific
This wonderful movie by Director Penny Marshall asks the question: Are parents to blame for the wrong choices of their children?

"Riding in Cars with Boys" involves wrong and right choices. Because the class "Mr. Popular" insults the class "live wire" consolation is given by the class "drop-out" and the "live-wire", aptly played by Drew Barrymore is "knocked up." What do you do about that in the late 1960's. You marry the class "drop out" and deal with the results usually unhappily.

The results entail about 20 years of troubles, joys, disappointments, triumphs, and growing up experiences. This true story does not fail to satisfy. Barrymore is good, but so is James Woods as her caring but sometimes insensitive father (who may have saved himself a pile of troubles if he had just bought that bra she wanted for Christmas when she was 13.)

It spans the live of Beverly Donofrio from age 15 to age 35. Drew Barrymore does a very good performance at all ages. I've never seen any of her other work compare to this performance.

What we have here is a comedy-drama about relationships between parents and child and parent as child and child and best friends too. Touching and tender the movie is just right to bring back hilarious and not so funny memories of what it is like to and what happens to girls who go around, "Riding in Cars with Boys." and, too, what it is like and what happens to boys who go aound "Riding in Cars with... (you get the picture).

Drew Barrymore as a single mother
Drew Barrymore is Bev, a precocious young woman from a conservative working-class family in Connecticut. Bev is sassy but also has her sights set on escaping her sleepy Connecticut home and pursuing college and a career as a writer. That is until her unplanned pregnancy at 16. Forced to marry her baby's father, a jolly, if barely employed loser named Ray Hasek (Steve Zahn), it becomes clear that Bev's future is effectively squelched. The story is told in flashback by Bev's now grown son (who is visibly not much younger than his mother) during a car trip back to CT. (In our present, Bev has just completed her memoirs. But can't publish them until Ray agrees not to sue the publisher for the undoubtedly negative things the book will tell of him.). Though her friend Fay (wonderful though underused Brittany Murphy) becomes a teenage mother as well, the story glances over all but Bev's travails. Although the screenplay makes sure we're aware of the passage of time - the music, hairstyles and cars change, and Bev becomes a sulky frump - Bev's life remains painfully stuck in time as the world passes her by. (She's too pregnant to got to the prom; friends she discarded in high school are either on their way to college or have already graduated).

"Riding" is meant to be bittersweet, sort of like "A League of Their Own", but it's uneven. At moments the ordeal of single motherhood is sad, scary and funny at the same time, but the plot never works up to anything. No matter how much better Bev's life could get, nothing will give her (or her son) back years enslaved to an unwanted motherhood. Bev is meant to be intelligent, but she's too clueless about how to endure motherhood to become a mother. Her son bears a fair amount of resentment, having replaced Ray as the source of Bev's misery. Like Bev, the story uses and discards characters who don't serve its immediate needs. The flick wastes some interesting potential of having James Wood play Bev's conservative minded but loving father, the local police chief. At times he is both the greatest source and recipient of Bev's pain, but he disappears as a pivotal character soon after Bev's miserable wedding, only to make a last ditch appearance in the final few frames. Lorraine Bracco is similarly underused as Bev's mother. There are many funny bits, but on second thought, some seem a bit misplaced - like pregnant Bev trying to get herself to fall down the steps in order to induce an abortion. The movie also lacks an effective conclusion - the flashback concludes when Bev's son is about 8. At that point, Bev makes a desperate move to escape her dreary fate. With Ray gone, the boy turns on his mother and not only ruins her plans but drives away Bev's best friend. The end of the flashback occurs in the deep heart of a CT winter, yet nothing explains how these characters managed to pull their hearts and minds out of that bleak winter. Ironically, though Ray is useless as a person, his character is the only one to offer insight - near the film's end, and when he's been reduced to withered shell of his former self. If you're Drew Barrymore fan, you may want to go just to see your star done up as a prematurely middle-aged frump. Otherwise, you'll find the 2 hours dispiriting.

Why should we care?
The acting, cinematography, and overall filmmaking for this movie were fine. What I fail to comprehend, however, is why this movie was even made in the first place.

I found nothing special about Beverly Donofrio's life that would make me interested in hearing about it. In fact, the fact that she wrote a book about her situation (having a kid while still being a kid)--a situation that is in no way unique in this country--is illustrative to me of the fact that she never did grow up.

I'm not saying that this woman's life is not important, or that her struggles were not very real and tragic ones. However, how are they different from what hundreds of thousands of women go through in life? What supposedly makes her special? I can think of nothing except the fact that she was a terrible, self-absorbed mother, whereas most mothers are willing to make sacrifices for their children.

My life is nothing like Beverly Donofrio's was. I did go to college, and received my Master's degree before getting married. Then I had my family. And you know what? I still have to make sacrifices. That's what being a mother is about. Even though I got to do the things Beverly didn't get to do, there are still things I would like to do. Like voice lessons, violin lessons, dance lessons, even own my owm business. But I can't do these things, because if I did, I couldn't be a good mother. But then, I guess it was different for her because she didn't love her son; she just resented him and the burden he was to her. The only problem with her attitude is that, HE didn't make the choice to ruin her life--SHE did! And then at the end of the movie, she has the nerve to declare "I was a good mother!" Then I must be a saint.

I usually judge a movie by whether it makes me a better person having watched it. Not only do I consider that this movie was a complete waste of my time to watch, but it actually took something away from my life and made me feel dirty and low. I could never recommend this movie to anyone.

A moving story of mistakes, consequences, and perseverance.
I honestly wasn't expecting to be totally blown away by this movie. It didn't create much hype in theaters, and I only rented it now for two reasons - a friend recommended it, and I'm a fan of Drew Barrymore, so I thought I'd give it a try. I'm glad I did, as I absolutely loved it. Based on the life of Beverly Donofrio, as written in her memoir (which I haven't read, and cannot compare the movie to), this film tells the story of a girl who gets pregnant at the age of fifteen. Through a series of flashbacks and narration by Donofrio's adult son, we see her struggle to raise her child while still growing up herself. She is determined to make a life for herself against all odds. And oh what odds they are!

Guilted by her father into marrying the boyfriend who knocked her up, Beverly finds herself with a loving yet dim-bulb husband. He drinks excessively, routinely forgets things he should have remembered, shows up for work only when he feels like it, and ultimately succumbs to a drug addiction. Meanwhile, Beverly is estranged from her own parents, particularly her father, and is all alone save for her one loyal best friend. And when her friend is forced to move away, Beverly has only her son. And she was certainly not the best of mothers. When the tag line says "She did everything wrong," it's no joke. But somehow the two of them are able to keep going, and Donofrio's story turns into one of the most inspirational and heartwarming I have ever seen.

The entire cast was excellent, but Drew Barrymore was simply amazing. She must portray Beverly from the age of fifteen all the way up through thirty-six (a decade younger and a decade older than Barrymore herself at the time), and she does it beautifully. At each stage of the film, she nails down all the little nuances that define that partcular age. I think this is one of Barrymore's very best performances. Brittany Murphy also shines as Faye, Beverly's best friend. The two of them are a perfect match. Steve Zahn does an exceptional job as Ray, the husband. He manages to add a great sensitivity to his otherwise deadbeat character. Adam Garcia turns in a moving performance as the grown son, and James Woods does an excellent job as the father who truly does love the daughter who so disappointed him.

The whole film has a great realism to it that is touching. These are real people. They have flaws, and make mistakes. Boy do they make mistakes! But we can relate to them, because we've all made mistakes. Donofrio's ability to keep going, to pick herself up and keep striding forward until she makes something of her life is truly inspirational. And not only that, but there is a real humor to the film. Through all her mistakes, Donofrio is able to laugh at the absurdity of it all, and I think this is a large part of what got her through.

The DVD also has some nice extra features. In addition to audio commentary by Drew Barrymore, there is an HBO "Making Of" featurette in which we meet the real Donofrio and learn how her story was transfered onto film, and are given further insight into Donofrio's own life. There are also featurettes on the cars in the movie, the set for the house where Beverly and her son lived, and Donofrio's relationship with her son, as well as the theatrical trailers. This is a great story, and is executed to perfection. Even the soundtrack adds depth and feeling to the film. I'd highly recommend the movie to anyone, and intend to add it to my own collection.

Over 2hrs! 15th april 2004.
Over 2hrs and i never wanted it to finish. I am a mad drewbie fan, so i could sit and watch her films allday. Anyone who likes her, will enjoy this film i can garantee it. A MUST SEE ITS BRILL ... Read more

Reviews (111)

"John Carpenter's Escape from New York"
Escape from New York (R) *****/5
Kurt Russell, Ernest Borgnine, Isaac Hayes, Harry Dean Stanton, Adrienne Barbeau.
Directed by: John Carpenter.
Synopsis: A former war hero turned criminal must save the president, and recover his briefcase to save his own life when he is dropped in the criminal penitentiary of N.Y. City.
Special Features: Trailer
Review: One of the greatest films ever made, and the greatest vision of the future ever. John Carpenter's widely acclaimed success of a film. It follows Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken who has two bombs planted in him. He is given a chance for his freedom if he can rescue the president and his briefcase from the clutches of The Duke in the prison city of N.Y. Plissken the former war hero turned criminal goes in, and he must survive the terror town, complete his mission, and get back before the bombs go off. Kurt Russell forever shed his Disney image for this film. He is on the ball, with the performance of a lifetime, and he creates one of the greatest characters in cinema history. Borgnine is lovable as the cabbie, Hayes is a fantastic bad guy, Stanton is cool as usual, and the supporting cast gives it their best effort. Carpenter shines with his tiny budget. He introduces us to a world where anything can happen, and he unveils his world to us in spectacular form. He even filmed it in Saint Louis and made me think it was New York. As for the DVD? ...

Snake Plissken Escapes from DVD Hell...
A few years ago, MGM released a bare-bones DVD of EFNY and were rightly criticized for not including anything in the way of supplemental material. A glaring omission for such a beloved movie. The studio has more than redeemed itself with this new two DVD Special Edition that should please the fans.

There are two audio commentaries on the first DVD. The first one is with producer Debra Hill and production designer Joe Alves and focuses on production anecdotes and how the special effects of the film were achieved.

The second audio track is with John Carpenter and Kurt Russell, and is the one fans will enjoy the most. The two men joke and banter with each other like old friends and it is this relaxed, conversational tone that really makes this track such an enjoyable listen.

There is an excellent documentary entitled, "Return to Escape From New York" located on the second DVD. A treat for fans is all the new cast and crew interviews conducted especially for this documentary: the always radiant Adrienne Barbeau, the normally publicity shy Harry Dean Stanton and even the Duke himself, Isaac Hayes! They all speak fondly of their experiences on the film.

There is also a so-so a photo montage of how an issue of the comic book is put together, from rough sketches to its arrival in stores. In a nice touch, the issue that is shown is also included with the DVD.

"Snake Bites" is a collection of clips from the film scored to some atmospheric electronic music. This really isn't all that interesting and seems like unnecessary padding to fill out the DVD.

The other extra that has been eagerly anticipated by fans is the famous original opening of the film. Snake and his partner rob a bank and are caught with Snake being arrested and his partner being gunned down. This scene sets up Snake's arrival at the New York prison but Carpenter cut it because test audiences were confused by it. This footage was thought to be lost long ago. It is finally being presented in its entirety on this DVD. The footage is quite grainy but watchable and features an optional audio commentary by Carpenter and Russell (who had never seen the footage before).

Rounding out the disc are a nice collection of TV spots, a theatrical trailer, and a photo gallery with lobby cards, behind-the-scenes and production stills.

Escape From New York is a fast-paced action film that contains a dark, satirical edge that never falters, even right up to the film's conclusion. The DVD, with its wonderfully themed menus (done in the same style as the film), stunning transfer and top notch extras, ranks right up there with the excellent Big Trouble in Little China (1986) special edition set that came out a few years ago. This new special edition was obviously made with the fans in mind and this only enhances its value.

"You mean I can't count on you?...Good!"
What can I say.

Strangely enough, despite the fact that I am a child of the 80s (I was 12 when this movie first came out), I never saw Escape from New York until 6 weeks ago.

Then I was hooked.

Most people know the story. In the "future," (1988, haha) the US crime rate rises 400%. To combat this crime wave, drastic measures are taken. The United States becomes a fascist-like police state, and in 1992 New York City becomes the country's one maximum-security prison to house the worst society has to offer. Sealed off from the outside world by a 50-foot containment wall on all sides, Manhattan Island becomes a modern (or postmodern) Botany Bay. All bridges, tunnels and waterways surrounding the island are mined, and the US Police Force constantly patrols by helicopter, to ensure that no prisoners escape. Criminals unlucky enough to receive a maximum-security sentence are given a choice: be executed or be airdropped into the New York for life to fend for themselves. As the chilling opening narration observes, "There are no guards, only prisoners and the worlds they have made. The rules are simple. Once you go in, you don't come out."

Into this black pit of despair comes one S.V. "Snake" Plissken, played by Kurt Russell. A war hero (he won 2 purple hearts, one in Leningrad and one in Siberia - remember, the Soviet Union still existed when this film was made), Snake for unspecified reasons has turned to a life of crime. And at the film's beginning, the Law has finally caught up with Snake, and he is being transported to New York to serve a life sentence for bank robbery when Fate steps in.

On the same evening that Snake is brought to Manhattan Island to begin serving his sentence, the President of the United States (played by Donald Pleasance) is on his way to a peace summit when his plane (Airforce One) is hijacked by a terrorist posing as a pilot, and is crashed into the prison. (In today's post-9/11 environment, the hijacking scene, at least to me, is particularly chilling and I have a hard time watching it).

Miraculously, the President exits the plane via his special "escape pod" and he survives the plane crash...only to be taken captive by the "Duke of New York," played with beautiful understated menace by Isaac Hayes.

Police Commissioner Bob Hauk (played by Lee Van Cleef), has an idea: send Snake Plissken, trained combat veteran and specialist at "getting in quiet," into the prison to find the President and rescue him. If he succeeds, Snake will be pardoned for every crime he's ever committed in the United States. And just to make sure that Snake fulfills his end of the bargain, Hauk has the prison's chief doctor implant 2 explosives in Snake's neck. If Snake does not return with the President in 22 hours, the explosives will go off, and, as Hauk wryly notes, "No more Snake Plissken."

So the die is cast. Snake goes in...but will he find the President alive? Even if he finds the President alive, will he get out in time to have the charges in his neck neutralized? Watch it and see.

This film is entertaining on many levels. It's an excellently crafted story, complete with social commentary and irony. It's a dystopic vision of what can happen when we trade too much of our liberty in exchange for what we think is security - definitely another resonant theme in our post-9/11 reality. We clamp down on individual rights/freedoms, supposedly in the name of protecting the collective - and leave society's undesirables to prey on each other in an asphalt jungle hell. But then what are we? According to this film, we're only slightly less inhuman than the criminals.

And the DVD contains various extras and bonuses which are sure to round out one's Escape from New York knowledge. This includes the documentary film "Return to Escape from New York," which details the making of the film. There are also commentary tracks by John Carpenter and Kurt Russell, as well as by producer Debra Hill.

Another real treat is the deleted bank robbery scene (the original first 10 minutes of the movie). This scene was cut from the final film because, in Carpenter's words on the commentary track, premiere audiences thought it diminished Snake's character by "humanizing" him too much. I actually found that humanization to be a good thing, and thought that the Bank Robbery sequence helped to set context for the story.

Along the lines of the deleted bank robbery sequence, another potential flaw of this movie, at least in my opinion, is that we never really know much about the characters or why they are the way they are. In other words, there's not much in the way of character development or backstory. For example, we know that Snake is sullen, embittered and in general concerned for nothing but his own self-preservation (though occasionally flashes of humanity do show and when it comes down to it, he does the right thing). But why?

I've read that Mike McQuay's novelization of the movie sketches out some history for Snake's character (and for the characters of Hauk, Brain, Maggie, Cabbie and the President as well). It would have been nice to see some of that in the film, with subplots, flashbacks, etc. It would've made the story richer.

But, regardless, what is there is great stuff. The cynicism and one-liners will bring a wry smile to your face, especially when they come from good old snarling Snake. Check it out.

Snake Plissken; Add Him To Your List of Movie Heroes
There's always something bizarre, in a very cool way, about watching a futuristic movie set in a year we've already passed. It's very eerie. Released in 1981, "Escape From New York" opens to explain that in 1988, Manhattan Island was transformed into a Maximum Security Prison, surrounded by a massive wall from every angle; guarded by police, with landmines at every exit route. The film is set in 1997, when terrorists bring down Air Force One, president and all, right into the heart of the forbidden island. Luckily, the president has survived thanks to his escape pod, and a rescue team is immediately dispatched in an effort to retrieve him and his special cargo. The president carries with him a cassette tape (very futuristic, eh?) of recorded information that could bring peace to the currently warring nations, but the time left with which to use it in is short. The rescue team finds the escape pod empty, and is soon approached by a loony prisoner with a grim message. The president has been taken captive by the A-Number One inmate of Manhattan Island, The Duke of New York. This is a job for... SNAKE PLISSKEN!

Yes, Snake Plissken: war hero; the youngest man ever to be decorated by the president; and recently, bank robber. Before being condemned to join the other inmates of Manhattan Island, Snake is made an offer. Go in, come back with the president and the tape before the clock runs out, and get a full pardon. But to sweeten the deal, another card is played. Snake is injected with two tiny capsules into his bloodstream. If he doesn't make it back in time to have the capsules neutralized, they will explode and rupture his arteries, killing him immediately. The only thing Snake really cares about anymore is himself, so now he has no choice. He must fly a glider into the heart of the city, locate the president and his tape, and together, they must escape from New York!

John Carpenter creates another masterpiece with "Escape From New York." The city is turned into a truly intimidating, downright frightening environment, with every kind of crazy one could think of. Kurt Russel as Snake Plissken, creates one more of those wonderful iconic anti-heroes the likes of Bruce Campbell's Ash and Rowdy Roddy Piper's Nada; self-serving, gruff, and full of great one-liners, but always doing the right thing when it comes down to it. The always fun Ernest Borgnine is great as Cabbie, Harry Dean Stanton is perfect as Brain, and Donald Pleasance and Isaac Hayes are also well cast, as was the entire film. Carpenter's usually haunting music runs throughout, and the adventure and action is non-stop. A must have for all fans of the sci-fi anti-hero genre and apocalyptic future films. Sorry I can't comment on the Special Edition DVD, but I currently only have the bare bones edition. It sounds great though, and I definitely want to get it. Mine does include the theatrical trailer though, and it's very cool. Love those creepy theatrical trailers for sci-fi films of the late 70s and early 80s. "Escape From New York" was followed by a sequel in 1996, "Escape From L.A." Some (maybe most) may find the sequel overly campy, with too many special effects and too much comedy. I have to confess that I slightly prefer L.A., probably for those very reasons. I'm not huge on camp, but it seemed to work well with the material. The plot was fairly similar though, and both movies have GREAT twist endings.

One of the most important films in my life
Carpenter's 2nd best. The fact that I'm a loser who does nothing but sit in a room all day and watch movies all day and has no friends and dreams of making movies of his own some day. This is the 2nd most inspiring movie in my life No.1 is Halloween. No 3. is Ghostbusters No 4. is The Thing. and No. 5 is Big Trouble In Little China. I'm not really sure what to say because words can't explain how much I love this movie but I wiil say this Incredible movie very ahead of it's time amazing story, amazing cast including western legends Lee Van Cleef and Ernest Borgnine and my favorite actor of all time Donald Pleasence, Amazing photography by Dean Cundey who I think is the best of all time, the best character of all time (besides Michael Myers) Snake Plissken, best Director of all time and I really really mean that, very funny ending just amazing and believe me I really really mean that too. I will Never forget it. Well I'm gonna go watch some more movies I'm thinking about watching Prince Of Darkness or maybe Halloween 4 The Return of Michael Myers well so long. ... Read more

Reviews (261)

A True Terror Classic
When the onslaught of 80's slasher films was in high gear, most ripping off "Halloween", and "Friday The 13th", there were hardly any original frights in the bunch. " A Nightmare On Ellm Street" came along and changed that. This movie, like "Psycho", and "Halloween" before it, and "Scream" after it, changed the world of horror. Good horror films can still happen. A bunch of kids are having nightmares of a ghastly looking killer with knives for fingers. Is he for real?. Will they die if they sleep?. That is such a great, ingenious premise. The movie has several heart pounding scenes that will leave you holding on to your seat. It's that good. Robert Englund, as Freddy Krueger, helped create one of the most memorable and incredible cinema villains of all time. The movie always has that eerie feel and pull of a horrible, sweat soaked nightmare. Wes Craven is truly a master. Heather Langenkamp, as the heroine Nancy, is one of the all time great Scream Queens. This movie is frightening. If you don't like it, you must be an alien. A brilliant, legendary classic. Don't fall asleep!.

One, two...Freddy's coming for you....
Horror films usually have the reputation as being mindless slasher movies filled with half-naked (and invariably stupid) bimbos. I mean just how many times can someone trip over nothing just to be slashed to bits by some masked axe/knife-wielding maniac? Is "Nightmare On Elm Street" an exception to this rule? In a word, YES!

Wes Craven's masterful creation known as Freddy Kruger is more than just a disgruntled maniac looking for sex starved teens. He is clever and dark and witty and horrifying and well, creepy as hell. There is actually a story line to this movie. Freddy was once an actual person...a monster in his own right, that was destroyed (burned to death, no less) by the good people on Elm Street. An eye for an eye? Well, Freddy's not finished yet...he re-emerges as a nightmare for Nancy, the daughter of one of the people who burned him years ago. Only Freddy's more than just a bad dream as Nancy (wonderfully played by Heather Langenkamp)and her friends (keep an eye out for a very young Johnny Depp) soon find out. He has gained power through their dreams and has very real consequences in the waking world.

Make no mistakes, this is a horror film, but the thinking person's horror film. You want to unravel the mystery of this creepy nightmarish figure that seemingly can do or become anything. Craven keeps it real, while managing to keep it fascinating...something few horror movies can claim. Freddy himself, is never really revealed or completely seen until the very end. This adds a great deal to the overall darkness of this movie. This film is gory but somehow that is not the focal point. It also explores the characters, especially Nancy, who emerges as the unlikely role-model/heroine.

"Nightmare On Elm Street" is a good flick, period. It is smart, clever, creative, witty, creepy, dark and down-right SCARY. Kudos to Wes Craven and his most-original masterpiece. Freddy is a force to be reckoned with!

Good night, Sleep tight, Don't let Freddy Kreuger bite!
I must say that this is by far the most...Incredible thing I have ever seen!!! A lot of people didn't approve of it(when I was 6 I didn't approve of it but more on that later.) Because this movie had a low body count.(Find out wich one did on www.freddyvsjason.com) But even thought the BC was low, the Blood Count was phenomenal. Remember the scene where whatsherface was wrapped in that sheet with blood all around it? what about when that dude got pulled through the bed?(I hate to admit it but to make a long story short I didn't sleep in my bed till the next time I saw it!) But I wont spoil the movie for you 'First Timers'. But If you are a first timer, watch this movie by yourself in the middle of the night, door locked, lights off, (And maybe some rubber pants and a blanket! If you think it's that scary) Good night, Sleep tight, Don't let Freddy Kreuger bite!

Freddy Krueger was the Boogeyman...
Wes Craven provided the final truly great film of his directorial career with A Nightmare On Elm St, initiating yet another successful horror franchise that deteriorated quickly but made Freddy Krueger a viable part of North American horror film iconography.
In this film, the teen residents of Elm St. are tormented by recurring nightmares of a razor fingered, fedora wearing maniac horribly scarred beyond recognition. When the teens begin to meet untimely and gruesome deaths, it would seem that their nightmares have become reality. Child molester and murderer Freddy Krueger has returned from the grave to wreak vengeance on the offspring of the vigilantes who burnt him alive many years previous.
The film benefits from a great cast of notable actors such as John Saxon (Black Christmas, Cannibal Apocalypse), Robert Englund (Eaten Alive, Tv's V mini-series) and a pre-stardom Johnny Depp (Donnie Brasco, Pirates of the Carribean). Heather Lagenkamp is also terrific as the main protagonist Nancy, who takes it upon herself to stop Krueger's murder spree. Lagenkamp would return in Nightmare on Elm Street 3 and Wes Craven's New Nightmare.
The film offers a surreal tone that consistently blurs the line between dream and reality making for a unique and terrifying experience, the viewer never knows what to expect, quite a departure from the usual predictable slasher film.
In Krueger, Craven and Englund have fashioned a completely hideous and unforgettable villain. Far removed from the ridiculous caricature that Krueger would later evolve into in the many sequels that followed.
The film will also please gore fans as a plethora of gruesome effects are employed that far surpass those in either Halloween or Friday The 13th. The murders are very imaginatively orchestrated and original.
A Nightmare on Elm St. is a fast paced and very effective horror film that deserves to be seen. Too bad the myriad sequels failed to live up to the promise of this first outing. After this Craven would move on to more mainstream material like the mega-failure Deadly Friend and the hugely successful teen horror parody Scream.

Revolutionary Modern Classic
Director Wes Craven was inspired by a series of newspaper articles to create "A Nightmare on Elm Street." Children were suffering terrible dreams and in desperation, told their parents they were frightened of dying. Then, one by one, the kids started inexplicably dropping away.

And what better foundation to create a horror film? Craven decided that his generation's horror films weren't up to snuff, and tended toward the "slasher" genre that was becoming very popular after the release of "Halloween." He upped the ante by attacking vulnerable young people the only place they felt safe: asleep.

This is an effective and unsettling idea, and is executed with masterly precision. Craven knows how to create suspense while building strong, endearing characters the audience will actually care for. The dream sequences are put together very well, and while the special effects seem dated as compared to today's high-budget Hollywood standards, it is perhaps their gritty, slimy quality that enhances the fright factor.

Overall, the acting is fairly decent. Johnny Depp isn't quite the Johnny Depp we know and love yet, so don't get moist in the panties when you see his name. Heather Langenkamp is convincing as the innocent, virginal girl caught in a web of parental lies and secret cover-ups. But it's Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger who steals the show. Later in the "Nightmare" series, Freddy became a comedic character, and all the scariness was lost. Sure, his face became more mangled, and his style of slaughter grew sophisticated and detailed, but the true allure of the Freddy character is portrayed only in this film.

"Nightmare" revolutionized the modern horror film, and brought science fiction and horror one step closer to each other. This allowed writers and directors to take more challenging projects and demand an imagination of their audience. Like all good things, though, Freddy was sucked in by Hollywood and New Line Cinemas and turned into an absolute joke. It wasn't until the final addition to the straight-up Freddy series, "Wes Craven's A New Nightmare" that the fright and creativity was redeemed, as once again Craven took it to the next level of horror and surreality.

Not only is Craven masterful in his directing, the film is an enjoyable hoot. It's a fun and scary journey into the black heart of a ruthless serial killer -- and cultural phenomenon -- you cannot escape. ... Read more

Amazon.com

One of Woody Allen's best films of the '90s, Bullets over Broadway stars John Cusack as a virtual Woody surrogate, a neurotic, Jazz Age writer whose new play sounds wooden and unrealistic to a low-level mobster (Chazz Palminteri) assigned to watch over his boss's actress-girlfriend (Jennifer Tilly). When the hood starts contributing better story ideas and dialogue than what the official playwright can conjure, questions (not unlike those of Amadeus) about the price we pay to make art at the expense of other responsibilities are intriguingly raised. Palminteri gives a very interesting performance as the enforcer waking up to the desperate (and almost feminine) demands of his own creative psyche, and Dianne Wiest (who won an Oscar), Tracey Ullman, Jim Broadbent, and Jennifer Tilly are very funny together playing the ensemble cast of Cusack's play. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (26)

Don't speak, just laugh!
Oh Woody, Woody, Woody. When he is funny, he is one of the best comic writers around, and in this movie his writing is hilarious. What other auteur in the cinema today can poke fun at those little idiosyncracies that we all see in ourselves, and get away with it?
Our hero, in a rare departure is not played by Woody Allen but rather, John Cusack, who gives a subtle performance, rather than the over-the-top pisstake by Kenneth Branagh in "Celebrity". He is trying to get his latest play staged, and can only do so by accepting money from the Mob and having a mobster's girlfriend, with no talent, take one of his lead roles. The humour that ensues centres around each of the plays characters, from the fading diva played by Dianne Wiest to the compulsive eater played by the magnificent Jim Broadbent, as they prepare for the play's debut on Broadway. All the performances are spot on and the only criticism comes in the ham-fisted fashion that the film concludes with a mobsters shootout and its all too happy ending.
Nevertheless this is well worth watching to hear great comic lines and the splendid cast who deliver them.

Pure hilarity
As a die hard Woody Allen fan, I can honestly state that this is one of his best efforts. The characters are so incredibly good (dare I say delicious?) and the actors who bring them to life are equally exquisite. From Dianne Wiest ("Don't speak...Don't speak") to Jennifer Tilly ("Hey, Venus, where's that hooch?") to Chaz Palmentieri("You don't write the way people talk")to John Cusack ("I think I'll go now and get the psychiatric help I need"). The rest of the cast is equally marvelous, especially Tracey Ullman. She really is nothing short of brilliant in everything she does. This movie is just a delight throughout. It is truly droll and clever, never once loosing it's intelligence. The attention to detail is admirable, so much so that the film seemingly leaps out at you from the screen. I've seen this film more times than I care to mention and each time I find myself enjoying it more. Only Woody Allen could have devised such an ironic plot twist. He is, without question, the O. Henry of the cinema. One final note: No one, and I mean no one, can make New York seem more fabulous and intoxicating than Mr. Allen. All his films are love letters to this the greatest of American cities. This is to the person who accused Woody Allen of preaching through the Rob Reiner character: Give me a major break. He was spoofing the tendency of some over-indulgent artists to dramatize and take himself too seriously. Sometimes a cigar, my friend, is just a cigar. Don't read so much into things. It can sometimes get you into trouble.

Funny, funny, funny!!
And funny. Great casting, great script, funny dialogue and good directing. The wonderful thing about this whole flick -- Woody Allen decided NOT to be in it. One of his better decisions he's made in years. (Thanks for giving us a break and breather from your repeatible and stale roles Woody!) Don't miss this little-known gem.

Were they trying to make a movie that makes no sense?
I'm not stupid, but this movie made no sense whatsoever. I didn't understand one bit of the boring, mindless conversations, characters, their purpose, etc. And a plot..? Don't even ask. This "sophisticated" comedy (where they got comedy I'll never know as this wasn't the least bit funny) was dull, shallow entertainment. The theme I got out of this movie was "You're not always who you think you are." A theme that could have easily been told in half the time it took this long, dragged out film. Don't believe what the critics say about this. Siskel and Ebert rated it two thumbs up but what do they know? They gave Gosford Park (warning: stay away) the same rating (Actually, that last one was Ebert and Roeper, but they're basically the same). Take my advice and rent something that wasn't directed by Woody Allen. Every one of his movies I've had the nerve to sit through entirely (without falling asleep or turning it off), have been a complete waste of my time. I kept waiting for the ending thinking (and hoping) it would make the movie. It didn't. Those who enjoyed this movie obviously classify it as a work of art much like Shakespeare: boring, but a masterpiece nonetheless. The only reason to watch this movie (by renting it, NOT buying it) is to see the always brilliant Diane Weist in her Oscar-winning performance.

decent
this movie was enjoyable, but not the best woody allen i've seen. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Set in the expanse of the Sudan desert in the midst of holy war, Khartoum (1966) plays like an attempt to work the Lawrence of Arabia magic on the (mostly) true story of eccentric British general Charles "Chinese" Gordon in 1884 North Africa. The magnificent opening desert battle suggests David Lean's epic sweep, at least until the film settles into a more modest story of political games, military standoffs, and a battle of wits and wiles between two fierce leaders. Charlton Heston plays the wily Christian soldier as cocky, unconventional maverick, and Laurence Olivier (behind heavy make-up and a thick black beard) is almost as good as his cagey nemesis the Mahdi, the Islamic holy warrior on a mission of annihilation. More talk than spectacle, the film falls short of Lawrence but is nonetheless a compelling story of colonial politics, cynical maneuvering, and the unconventional heroics of another colorful British maverick abroad. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (27)

Problematic yet entertaining
Any film sporting a cast including Charlton Heston, Laurence Olivier, Richard Johnson, and Ralph Richardson has to be a winner, right? Errr, maybe. Take a look at the 1966 epic "Khartoum." It's got all the elements of a Hollywood blockbuster made in an era when big screen sagas dominated ticket sales. Bombastic musical score? Check. Big name actors? Check. Lush, atmospheric vistas beautifully and tastefully photographed? Check. "Khartoum" has all these elements, including a kingly run time of 134 minutes. So what went wrong? Depending on your viewpoint, everything or nothing. Personally, I sort of liked this movie about British General Charles "Chinese" Gordon's excursion to the Sudan to fight off an Islamic fanatic named the Mahdi. Then again, I've never seen "Lawrence of Arabia," the epic of epics I'm told this movie tried to shamelessly rip-off. I've got a degree in history, so I always like to sit down and watch Hollywood attempt to do historical pictures. My background, unfortunately, doesn't encompass nineteenth century British politics, so I had to look at the movie from a purely entertainment level. From that angle, "Khartoum" is intriguing.

At the beginning of the film we see a contingent of British army regulars and local Arab auxiliaries wiped out by the fanatical army of the Mahdi (Olivier). This Islamic warrior seeks to throw the British out of the Sudan, capture the Suez Canal, and then launch a jihad against the western world. Enter Prime Minister William Gladstone (Richardson) and his cabinet. These politicians are quite concerned about the Mahdi's militant overtures. The threat of losing their hold on the Suez could cause Gladstone to lose political power, and the public is having a field day about the lost army in the desert. Prime Minister Gladstone doesn't want to take a further risk by sending another army into the field. What will happen to him if that force disappears as well? Then Colonel J.D.H. Stewart (Johnson) comes up with a novel idea: why not send good old General Charles Gordon (Heston) down to the Sudan to straighten out matters? "Chinese" Gordon knows the ropes in the region since he helped abolish slavery in that part of the world a few years before. The Arabs just love this Brit, so why not make use of his talents to undercut the local support for the Mahdi? Gladstone rejoices, recognizing he has a way out of this sticky political predicament. He quickly convinces Gordon to undertake a secret mission into the Sudan.

Gordon knows the score, but decides to go anyway. Stewart goes along as an assistant and as a spy for Gladstone. The General and Stewart sail up the Nile to Khartoum, where they plan on arranging resistance to the fanatics. Things go awry almost immediately, as a former slaver whose son Gordon killed refuses to help the British. Then the Mahdi's forces box the General into Khartoum. The city faces food and supply shortages that require Gordon to launch a few small attacks in the desert while Stewart remains behind to fortify the city with a moat. After he meets with the Mahdi and learns how dangerous the guy is, "Chinese" Gordon realizes he'll need the help of the British if he wants to hold the region. Across the desert go the messengers, but Gladstone stonewalls in London, claiming Gordon went to the Sudan on his own accord and thus must fix the mess himself. The prime minister even goes so far as to accuse Gordon of exaggerating the threat facing the city. Eventually, Gladstone sends forces to save Khartoum, but gives the leader of this army strict orders to drag his feet. Lots of politics here, folks, but it all makes sense when you see it. Gordon stands tall at the end when the Mahdi launches a massive offensive against Khartoum. The final battle scene is an intense one and helped elevate my ove