Amazon.com

The Dead Zone is based on a novel by Stephen King, directed byDavid Cronenberg (Scanners, The Fly) and produced by Debra Hill (Halloween, The Fog). Such a trio of horror vets would be expected to come up with an evening of shocks and gore, but The Dead Zone is a surprise. While it has great atmospheric eeriness and undeniably scary moments, The Dead Zone is at heart a sensitive and thoughtful portrayal of main character Johnny Smith's dilemma. Christopher Walken, king of the vaguely creepy, plays Smith, a man who awakens from a five-year coma with the very mixed blessing of second sight. At the mere touch of a hand, Smith is unwillingly launched into scenes of past and future terror. (Director Cronenberg is said to have fired blanks from a .357 Magnum just out of camera range to keep Walken's flinching spontaneous.) The Dead Zone wisely takes its time telling the story, and thus allows for some great performances. Walken gives a rich portrayal of the conflicted Smith, and Colleen Dewhurst and Tom Skerritt both do welcome turns in smaller roles. The most fun of all, though, is clearly being had by Martin Sheen, who gives a spirited performance as a complete sleazebag. --Ali Davis ... Read more

Reviews (66)

The PRINCE of KING'S Cinema translations!
First-off: I'm not a fan, but acknowledge Stephen King's preeminence among horror writers. Of half-dozen horror novels I've read, my favorite is NEEDFUL THINGS, a wicked Americanization of FAUST's legend. I've more enjoyed...because of eclecticism manifested....straying-off the path with THE RUNNING MAN onto THE GREEN MILE. King could use an editor however; his books aren't sold by the pound.

THE DEAD ZONE, in my estimate, is singular as King's movie masterpiece. Characterization carries the story from tragic beginning to sad, evocative climax. Phasers-not-on-stun master, David Croenberg...SCANNERS; VIDEODROME; THE FLY... deserves plaudits for restraining usual, often grotesque flamboyance. But the show "goes" with Chistopher Walken, playing JOHNNY SMITH. The "Dead Zone" refers to a faculty of Smith's brain...jolted into function by a near fatal car crash...that makes him CLAIRVOYANT.

The excellent cast includes Brooke Adams (as "lost" sweetheart);
Herbert Lom (as psychiatric mentor); Anthony Zerbe (as concerned parent of a reclusive son...Simon Craig...whom Johnny saves from drowning; Colleen Dewhurst (as devoted mother to the town's sexual predator and serial killer);
and Martin Sheen (as Greg Stillson: would-be President of the United States who...in perverse moment of ebulience in power... will start WW III in Nero-like act of self-glorification).

A complicated plot focuses on "blessing"/curse of psychic powers on Johnny. It approaches tragedy (DZ is not a "horror" story") because Walken is superb in refusing to "melodramatize" his most unwanted "celebrity" status as "Who wants to be Psychic?" hero. He hates the "freak quality" it confers; as well as having cost TRUE LOVE.
Again, I think the book was too long; King telegraphed Johnny's heroic confrontation with the American Anti-Christ. However
the film's pacing...particularly pursuing the serial killer...jolts. All...(sometimes Sheen is overly DEMON-strative as Prime Candidate of the Demagogue Community)...actors contribute qualities of NORMALCY King as writer so magnificently exploits to HORRIFY. Perhaps THE DEAD ZONE is really our USA still(son) pretending to be NORMAL when it isn't; with "President Greg" waiting (in THE WEST WING?) to prove it. Again: this is MOVIE KING...or at least crowned PRINCE of cinema efforts...

Intriguing Character-Driven Film
Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken), a young teacher, has been in a coma for the last five years as a result of a car accident. When he suddenly awakens, he finds that the world around him has completely changed. The love of his life, Sarah Bracknell (Brooke Adams) has married another and he has received the dubious gift of second sight. Johnny finds that when he touches another person, he can see their future. Distraught and unable to bear the ramifications of his gift, Johnny retreats into himself and lives alone in a small town in the country. He tutors children in his home to make ends meet and tries to avoid physical contact when at all possible. However, as opportunities to use his gift come up, Johnny finds that he cannot resist. First there is the rapist/murderer, then there is the young boys' hockey team falling through thin ice, and finally there is an obsessed politician (Martin Sheen). In the end, Johnny must make the choice between doing what is right or continuing to endure his bleak, loveless life...

Director David Cronenberg did a wonderful job adapting this Stephen King novel. It is not a horror story like many of King's books are, but a wonderful story about a man's inner landscape. Christopher Walken was fabulous as the self-tortured lead character and I felt that I knew exactly what he was going through, even though he never said anything. He was also ably supported by other actors, including a conflicted Brooke Adams as his love interest and Martin Sheen as a characteture of a smarmy politician who takes kissing babies to a whole new level. Shot almost entirely in a bleak, gray, cold winter, the settings were perfect for this film and really let you focus on the characters. A wonderful movie to curl up at night with.

The Best King Adaption!
John Smith (Walken) leads a humble, but fulfilling life as a teacher, has a sweet girlfriend and an all around normal life until, in his words: "God through and 18-wheeler at me." After a 5 year coma Johnny wakes up to find he knew is a different place and that he is a different person.

I've seen The Dead Zone in bits and pieces many MANY times on TV, but surprisingly never sat down and watched it from beginning to end. Well, one night I popped this baby in and realized what a dumbass I had been. The Dead Zone is simply an unforgettable thriller and quite possibly the best film based on a Stephen King novel. Our hero in this film is the everyman, a man who lives humbly and happily. A man with a lovely girlfriend and would-be wife who is respected in his community. Everything is good in his little world until one rainy night when he has a run in with a big truck that puts him in a coma for 5 years. When Johnny wakes up he finds the world has changed. His girlfriend is now married with child, his job is gone, and his body is shot. AND on top of that he can predict the future of those he touches. Mostly predicting death and destruction, but occasionally seeing the past. This new ability is considered a curse at first. As though God played a cruel trick on him, but after saving a little girl's life, solving a series of brutal murders, and saving a boy from drowning, Johnny considers his gift a blessing.

Just as Johnny begins coming to grips with his abilities he meets Greg Stillson (Sheen), a candidate for a senator and very dangerous man who dreams of becoming president. After seeing some kind of Hitler-esque prophecy Smith sets out to change the future, even if he has to sacrifice himself.

The Dead Zone is of course based on the book by Stephen King and is directed by David Cronenberg who's best known for making sexually surreal thrillers. This is definitely Cronenberg's most straight forward and best film. Shot in the fall, covered in bleak gray skies, and snow, the atmosphere of The Dead Zone couldn't be more perfect. The small town adds a sense of isolation that forces Smith to take digs at a new location at the half way point of the film to get his back together. Cronenberg's usual bleakness is here, but in this film is means something is crucially needed not just for the sake of atmosphere.

Christpher Walken is riveting as Smith, one of his best performances. The tragic everyman, who didn't ask to be anything special, but when it came down to crunch time the guy wagered it all to save the many. A truly powerful exercise in selflessness. Brooke Adams is great as Smith's would-be wife, now torn between her feeling for him and her new love. Great performance! Martin Sheen is a good villain, but takes his character a bit over the top at times. Herbert Lom is good as Johnny's friend/slash doctor as well.

The Dead Zone can be looked upon as a depressing tragedy, but I don't consider it to be that way. The finale speaks volumes about selflessness, seizing your potential and not pissing away your true gifts. The finale while sad is more chilling and unforgettable, not a tragic fate, but a product of ultimate sacrifice.

The Dead Zone is simply a brilliant film, an unforgettable journey, and one of the most fulfilling films I've seen. A true classic and one film that deserves it's place in cinema history. Check it out!

Cronenberg in his best movie!
Exciting adaptation of the Stephen King novel . It turns around a man who uses physic powers to solve multiple murderers and perhaps avoiding the end of the world. Christopher Walken as always , perfect for the role. Cronenberg once more in one of his most challenging works, but he wins all the way. Notice this is a little crossroad of The Green Mile fifteen years after.

OH JOHNNY WHERE HAVE YE GONE?
David Cronenberg took a definite twist from his usual shock-laden films when he helmed THE DEAD ZONE. One of King's best books, this is also one of the best adaptations of his books. Beautifully filmed with an expert talented cast, THE DEAD ZONE is a heartbreaking look at Johnny Smith, a young man who loses five years of his life lying in a coma. When he awakens, the girl he planned to marry has already wed, and has a young son. He is physically handicapped and sentenced to a world he doesn't know or understand. Christopher Walken gives one of his finest performances as Johnny. Beautifully understated and poignantly touching, Walken creates a Johnny you will never forget. And what a fine cast he has to support him: Brooke Adams as his love Sarah who still loves Johnny but knows there is no hope for a future together with him; Martin Sheen as the preening, dangerous Senatorial candidate with a predicted itchy finger; Tom Skerritt as the frustrated sheriff who seeks Johnny's help; Colleen Dewhurst as the mother of a serial killer who knew his crimes; Herbert Lom as Walken's doctor and mentor, who tries to help Johnny adjust; Anthony Zerbe as the father who wants so much for his son to function normally in his world; and Nicholas Campbell as a deputy hiding a horrifying secret.
The stark winter landscapes add to the chill and there are horrors here, but they are the horrors of not belonging, of loving someone you can never have.
A brilliant film and a must for King affecionados and lovers of compelling psychological thrillers. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Richard Gere works in a Chicago steel mill at the turn of the century, but must flee the city after accidentally killing a man. Heading for the wheat fields of Texas, he packs up his girlfriend (Brooke Adams) and his younger sister (Linda Manz). Instead of a better life, they head straight into tragedy when a wealthy farmer (Sam Shepard) falls for Adams. Believing him to be dying and expecting to inherit a fortune, she agrees to marry him. Their plans change when Shepard fails to die and Gere takes matters into his own hands. Aesthetically flawless, this film about a romantic love triangle is diminished by the small scope of video. Originally shown in 70mm, it is an eye-catching period piece that won its cinematographer, Néstor Almendros, a 1978 Oscar. Texture and color are the unbilled characters in this tragic tale, and are just as important as the players. The story, sadly, fades somewhat when compared to the glory of the visuals. --Rochelle O'Gorman ... Read more

Reviews (48)

As Silent films where.
Elegant, and exuberant images, combine with the right music produces the real cinematograhic result, which is what this film is about. Nestor Almendros does (as always), a lightnig that is both exquisit and smooth,he won the Academi Award for this picture. Terrence Malick directs this piece with a tremendous undertandig of that very simple but very beautiful story (1978 winner Cannes Film festival, best director).
Days of Heaven has the tradition of the very first silent pictures, the music carries the emotional line of the story, with images so beautiful and dream like, that resembles every ones ideal first kiss. This DVD edition captures the beauty of the film with it's fine transfer, but, nevertheless, the studios have the capasity to make better works in transfering such presious materials. Details and sound in this case demands a much profund atention, so they can deliver versions worth of the quality of this kind of pictures, and Days of Heaven is a little jewel that deserves the real treatment.

GREATEST AMERICAN FLICK?
I first caught "Days of Heaven" on a lousy VHS tape which was basically inaudible and muddy. And yet it had the power to resonate in my mind weeks and months later. Well, what a gorgeous transfer it's received on DVD -- stunning, in fact! The colors are vivid, the picture razor sharp, and the soundtrack lush. "Days of Heaven" is not a silent film, although it could be. Instead what we have here is a director so comfortable with his material, so sure about his intentions, that he allows the story to unfold almost effortlessly before our eyes. You may never care much for editing and pacing, but after seeing "Days of Heaven" you will. Scenes last mere seconds, yet tell us everything. Building layer upon layer. Is it some form of poetry? Or magical level of artistry? It's both. And the acting is a dream. Superb, understated performances. A film to be watched over and over. Look for the fire and water symbolism, especially. Then look deeper.

Heartbreaking - the most beautifully shot film of all time
How fitting it is that the best movie Richard Gere has ever done, and will ever do, is the one where he probably talks the least. Of course, dialogue isn't what's so breathtakingly beautiful about Days of Heaven, one of the forgotten greats of all time. It's the cinematography (maybe the best of all time, sorry I left this off my list, folks), the sad story that runs through the film, and the overwhelmingly aching tone that just resonates from every frame. Days of Heaven is a quiet, meditative film that flies under the radar in emotion and volume for most of the time. The film roams over the open fields of its locale, half-listening to conversations (even important ones) as maybe the watchful eye of God. I saw this movie once before and bought it on a whim, and am convinced more than ever that most great movies don't reveal themselves totally on the first, or even second time. On viewing #2, I can't get Days of Heaven out of my mind. It's a beautiful, sad little tone poem that resonates more than most explosive, violent movies of the '70's. You're missing out if this one isn't on your shelf. GRADE: A+

A masterpiece of cinematography conveying emotion.
I'm sure many of you have seen 'Road to Perdition.' And I'm sure many of you can conclude that the visuals are important to the film because of a lacking in obvious emotional strength. This led to the film's first weakness in that it relied too heavily on the distractingly brilliant cinematography to make up for the uninteresting, often cliched father-son story director Sam Mendes chose to focus on rather than the more interesting and original version of the father-son tale (between Tom Hanks, Paul Newman and Daniel Craig). But in 'Days of Heaven', the muted emotions are toned down for a reason.

The film surrounds a love triangle between a little girl's brother (Richard Gere), his lover (Brooke Adams) and her terminally ill farmer husband (played by Sam Shepard, who she married for the purpose of inheriting his money after his inevitable death). But this story isn't being told from the perspective of those three adults, but from the perspective of that little girl (played by Linda Manz, who hauntingly provides a voice-over of stunning power) who is, at the time, naive and unaware of the deeper regions of each adult's psyche. She is retelling a part of her life and coming to terms with it.

Many of the emotions and strong story points of the love triangle are, with dialogue, rather succinct. But what expresses the emotion is not their speech, but the landscape and nature itself. For instance, there is an intense moment of furious anger, and the oncoming danger is represented by a swarm of disgusting locusts, while the anger is presented as a thriving, uncontrollable power by an equally uncontained fire sprawling across the Texan prairie. Terrence Malick did a masterful job in realizing the power of telling the story from the little girl's perspective, taking advantage of a great cinematographer and a great landscape.

I recommend this film to painters, fans of romance, fans of generally wonderful cinema and to fans of brilliant cinematography. It may seem overlong to some depending on how you like the mood and emotions of a film to be expressed. But nevertheless, it's one of the greater movies I've seen in a while; not one to be missed.

A Great Film (RE: the DVD transfer only)
This film should really be given the attention it deserves but it appears that this copy is the best we'll get for some time to come. I'm not going to review the film as others have already done this.

I'm only commenting on the transfer - on my DVD player (Pioneer DV-434) at approximately 7:31 there is a digital-glitch that freezes the frame for a split second (the player does NOT go into SEARCH but continues counting properly thus, I place the blame on a poorly encoded transfer - where was their Quality Control?) then, the sound drops out for approximately 2-3 seconds (and the DOLBY DIGITAL indicator on the DVD player also goes out). I notice digital-compression NOISE on the audio track during ALL narration and on nearly ALL audio dialog UNLESS the music or sound-effects mask the noise. You expect this on VHS but on DVD?

I WOULD NOT HESITATE TO PURCHASE THIS FILM, regardless... it IS, as many others have stated, a masterpiece...

As with the films of Godard, Kurosawa, Buñuel etc., you must give yourself over to the directors' vision as auteur. Trust, and you'll be rewarded. If you enjoy films such as: "Last Year At Marienbad", "Vagabond", "Contempt", "Belle De Jour", "The Hired Hand" you will, most likely, enjoy this one.

p.s. Just to be sure it was NOT my DVD player, I sent my first DVD back to Amazon.com and they sent another copy - it performed exactly the same.

You may find it interesting to look up "Days Of Heaven" at imdb.com and click on DVD DETAILS for a more technical analysis. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Jack Finney's classic science fiction novel has been the basis of three big-screen adaptations, beginning with the 1956 chiller Invasion of the Body Snatchers and most recently as 1994's underrated Body Snatchers. This acclaimed 1978 version from director Philip Kaufman (The Right Stuff) is every bit as creepy as the '56 original, and it fits perfectly into the cycle of paranoid thrillers that thrived in American movies of the 1970s. Kaufman stylishly directs from an intelligent screenplay by W.D. Richter, while Donald Sutherland and Brooke Adams lead a distinguished cast (including Jeff Goldblum, Leonard Nimoy, and Veronica Cartwright) and must fight for survival as the population of San Francisco is systematically cloned by alien "pods" from a distant, dying planet. The atmosphere of dread and paranoia grows increasingly intense as the complexity of the alien invasion is gradually revealed, until nobody can be trusted to be who they appear. Finely tuned performances enhance the film's eerie atmosphere, highlighted by moments that will lurk in your memory long after the movie's over. MGM's DVD release includes a full-length audio commentary by Kaufman, a "pod culture" retrospective, Body Snatchers trivia, production notes, and the original theatrical trailer. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (47)

As good as tops the '56 version
This was an unusual picture indeed. It also came out at an unusual time. Too much loaded with science fiction to be horror and too suspenseful and downright scary to belong to the sci-fi genre, 'Invasion...' strikes the viewer as being a fresh idea even today, notwithstanding the fact that it's really a beefed-up remake of an original. Sutherland fits the role of the prime protagonist public health inspector like a glove while Nimoy does the same for his part as the agent of evil. The story opens up a little slowly but that adds to the effect. When it becomes apparent what the pods do and, more importantly, the gross-out fates of the unfortunate 'originals' (the humans whom the extragalactic spores duplicate), enough of the movie has passed for the viewer to appreciate the sheer enormity of the depicted crisis. Where Siegel's '78 version has the edge on the original lies in the fact that there are more chills and a feel wholly alien to the first version, a flavour doubtlessly borrowed from the jarring, siege mentality that can be found in earlier films like 'Night of the Living Dead'. This is a very powerful film which appears to have been swept under the carpet of the popular psyche thanks largely to its reputation as a 'B' picture and also to its small standing when put beside the likes of the mainstream of sci-fi flicks being made at the time (as if you need me to mention titles here). Even so, 'I.o.t.B.S.' mark 2 is helped along by some clever devices indeed. Aside from the nauseatingly organic vividness of the SFX, the nature of the movie's antagonists lends immensely to the horror. The question of 'who is a duplicate and who's left who is still himself?' comes to burn in the mind of the viewer before even half the film has played out. It's a thinking man's picture, this and it's that which amplifies the fear factor to levels almost too excruciating to bear. After all, it is a large idea that the film is driving at and it was good to see that encased in a large picture laid out on a good budget. Great performances all round (especially from Veronica Cartwright in her last pre 'Alien' picture'), wonderful SFX and a good long run at just under two hours easily give this version the drop on the 1956 original. A nice bleak ending hammers the last nail through the palm and leaves the viewer crucifed on an apocalyptic note. Definitely a much-overlooked classic that's too full of working components to be constrained to a cult following. This one needs to be more than a rental only.

Bashful's DVD Summary #021
Best:

1) The production values are higher and the acting (with the possible exception of Kevin McCarthy) is better than the 1956 original.
2) We get more information, this time, as to where the aliens came from and how they function.
3) The beginning realization scenes are fairly suspenseful and the later chase scenes are pretty exciting.
4) The alien's growth stages and high-pitched voices are scary.
5) There's a trivia booklet in the case and a commentary track on the disk.

Worst:

1) The movie is SO quiet much of the time (no soundtrack) that it might put you to sleep if you aren't really engrossed.
2) The first half of the story is slow as the suspense builds up almost too gradually.
3) Donald Sutherland's afro hairstyle was just plain bad (ha).
4) Leonard Nimoy's leisure suits were even worse (double ha).

Recommendation:

This one is every bit a classic as the original and it will appeal much more to younger people. It's also a must-have for any serious sci-fi/horror movie collector.

Don't go to sleep
One of the creepiest movies I've ever seen. Instead of the humanoid-appearing aliens so typical in most sci-fi films THIS movie goes in the other direction by portraying the aliens as seemingly harmless plants, which adds a rather terrifying irony to the proceedings. What these plants do once near a sleeping person (or animal) has to be seen to be appreciated because the special effects here are unsettlingly real.

All of the actors do a splendid job in portraying their characters, from the quirky and nuerotic Jeff Goldblum to the intuitive and resilient Veronica Cartwright. The stolid but slightly off-beat Donald Sutherland, to the emotionally suspicious Brooke Adams. All are terrific here!

Another thing that makes this movie so suspenseful is the masterful use of paranoia, which starts on a low simmer, building gradually, till by the movie's end everything is turned up to a heart-pounding, raging boil. All along the way you're virtually on the edge of your seat.

So the next time you're out walking and find a rather strange looking plant growing amongst the shrubbery, think twice before bringing it in your home.

But why worry, it's only a plant - right???

4 1/2
Most remakes are a joke but this one was pretty good! I gave it minus half because it's not the original but captures the eerieness of the story very well. The cast here is good and the creepy atmosphere is updated and good. If a completist as I am get this along with the original.

Excellent remake of creepy classic!
Philip Kaufman shows off his directorial skill in this effective, stylish remake of the suspense classic set in contemporary (albeit 1978) San Francisco.

Sutherland, Goldblum and Cartwright deliver excellent performances as the last hold-outs against an alien invasion. Just enough action and special effects to compliment the well paced mounting suspense.

DVD offers commentary track which also proves interesting. The only glitch for me is how non-aliens can get away with blending in with the aliens, if they don't/can't speak the special alien "language." ... Read more

Amazon.com

And sometimes they come back... for the franchise!Aaaaaaaaargh! Though a TV movie franchise is a somewhat subliminal thing.This double-feature DVD contains one movie based on a story by Stephen King, and another movie based loosely on the first movie.More of a variations on a theme than a continuance.In Sometimes They Come Back, Tim Matheson is made to relive a boyhood tragedy that claimed the life of his brother when the group of bullies who waylaid him in a train tunnel way back when come back from the dead to settle an old score.Convincingly scary as this is, side B is even better, having upped the ante from the demonic bullies of the first movie to the satanic worshippers of the second.This time it's Michael Gross who needs to learn that you can't escape your past, having as a kid thwarted the satanists who claimed the life of his sister, and who lately have returned to kill his mother and are now after his daughter.The effects are great here, with a standout being the formation of a demon from a pool of blood.One of the Arquette clan, Alexis Arquette, as head of the satanic ritualists (Vinnie Barbarino meets Marilyn Manson), is a kind of special effect all by himself, grinning and mugging with uncontained glee at the most splatter-heavy moments.Followed by a sequel, Sometimes They Come Back... for More. --Jim Gay ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Good movie, bad dvd transfer!
This is a great movie that is based on a rather strange short story by the master himself, Stephen King. The original short story was very short and had a "strange" ending. This movie, i my opinion is better than the story by far. The original short story I think is only 20 or 30 something pages and lacks alot of characterization. This movie fills in the giant hole that is in the short story. And believe it or not, this made-for-tv movie has great acting. The boys who play the hoods are pretty convincing--especially Richard Lawson. The story is about a teacher named Jim Norman who moves to a new town in whicch his brother was killed by a group of hoods in about thirty years earlier. He keeps having dreams about them that are haunting him. One day on of his students ends up missing and one of the dead hoods from the 50's is seating in his seat--for every person they kill another one comes back. Student after student keeps being killed and another after another hood returns to class for revenge. Th only way that they can be stopped is if they have a final confrontation with Jim back in the tunnel that claimed the lives of his brother and the hoods. The results are awesome. On another note the DVD isnt very good. The transfer doesnt seem to do the justice. The picture messes up every once and a while and sometimes i noticed that the words seem to not match their mouth! The sound is awesome though. Thank you for your time.

A masterpiece!!!!
Wow!!! What a great movie. This is my favorite movie of all time. Sometimes they come back is so well thought out. The story is heartbreaking and startling on some scenes. Although, you can't help but to laugh at those killers at times. The laughs!!!! You'll never forget the hoods's laughs.
Jim Norman goes back to his hometown years after he and his family fled when he was just a kid. The horrible death of his older brother drove he and his parents to live elsewhere. Although, since this was the only teaching job open, Jim has returned once again. The horrible day when his brother was harassed by 4 gangsters that soon led to three of the hoods's deaths is played over and over again in Jim's mind, for Jim's brother lost his life too. Jim is constantly haunted in his dreams but soon he is haunted literally. The 3 departed gangsters return one by one to finish "unsettled business".
This is a must see film. Every actor was so good at their part. It seems like you're there and all through the movie, you're on edge for Jim and his family as he deals with the figures on his past.

A Great Movie For Horror Lovers
This Movie Is Great! Both Of Them. I Like Both Of Them. I Thing The People Who Like "Sometimes They Come Back" And "Sometimes They Come Back Again" Should Try "Sometimes They Come Back For More"

A perfect 10!
This movie was extrememly fun and exciting. Although it's considered horror, to me it was just pure action and entertainment from start to finish! I love the way 3 cool greasers from the '60s come back in the '90s and are exactly the same as when they died in '63. How cool those greasers were and the way all the other kids marveled at their charisma in the classroom was cool! It was also cool how that kid Jimmy became a man and then stood up to them. Those greasers and their hotrod were so cool. This movie is an A plus! Rock on Stphen King!

I love this thriller
Sometimes They Come Back, a thriller tim matheson plays Jimmy Norman plays a teacher from Chicago , returns to his old town after 20 years ,where his brother Wayne was murdered by a gang of hooligans in a spooky train tunnel the hooligans get killed by the train in the car and they want revenge, now 27 years later Richard Lawson, North , and Vincent all come back one by one to his classroom after the murders of innocent Hs students. and then attack his house and go after his son with the ghostly black hotrod and want to replay the whole thing over again i liked this movie i bought it .really cool movie , highly recommended and really good. ... Read more

Reviews (25)

We've Been Hit By A Ghoooooooost Ship
God bless the kind folks at Blue Underground who like these midnight horror flicks as much as the fans, and have the funds to put them out on dvd. Shock Waves is one of the many fun titles they have released. I originally saw this movie on USA when they had a show called "Saturday Nightmares" back in the late eighties. This movie's always been a favorite of mine coz of it's concept and because of Peter Cushing. Just the idea of the Nazis screwing around with science and the supernatural to make zombie soldiers is creepy-and it's not too crazy a notion to assume they actually might have tried that. I've always like the whole stranded on an island concept for some reason. Plus, I'm not a big fan of the water, so the fact that all this chaos emerges from the ocean adds a little depth(Get it? Depth? Ocean? Water?)to the scariness for me. Yeah, it's cheap, the acting is mediocre(except Cushing of course), it's corny at times, but it has something. The look of the zombies, the way they move, the way they stare at people.......it's creepy. Cushing makes too early of an exit as well as Carradine, but what can ya do? For a "zombie" film there is a surprising lack of gore, but that's no big deal coz the movie goes more for the suspense angle, and succeeds most of the time. Roger Waters samples this film for a song on his Amused To Death album. That's bizarre. I guess Roger Waters likes Shock Waves as well. Could Roger Waters lead you astray? NO! So watch this.

From the Depths of Hell's Ocean Comes...Nazi Zombies!
On a desolate, nondescript Caribbean island, shipwreck survivors are surprised to discover that an eccentric old German doctor resides there in an abandoned and dilapidated hotel. They soon learn, however, that the old Teutonic medical man is more that just eccentric; he's a former S.S. officer who has continued with the experiments assigned to him by Der Führer. And it isn't long before the castaways find themselves battling for survival against a corps of amphibious Nazi zombies!

This off-the-wall, low-budget horror film is just as goofy as it sounds, but it's still pretty good fun. And believe it or not, it actually spawned a bizarre sub-genre of Nazi zombie films that includes 1981's THE LAKE OF THE LIVING DEAD (a.k.a. ZOMBIE LAKE), 1981's NIGHT OF THE ZOMBIES, and 1983's THE OASIS OF THE LIVING DEAD (a.k.a. BLOODSUCKING NAZI ZOMBIES), to name just a few. None of its cinematic offspring quite reach the guilty-pleasure or cult status of SHOCK WAVES, though.

British horror icon Peter Cushing portrays the former S.S. officer, his interpretation somewhat reminiscent of his turns as Dr. Frankenstein in the films that came out of England's Hammer Studios in the 1960s and early 1970s. Actor John Carradine, a familiar face in American horror from the 1930s through the 1980s, appears in the minor role of the captain of the shipwrecked vessel. Carradine's character dies early in the film, however, so the two great horror veterans never get to share any screen time. A very unfortunate missed opportunity, as such a pairing certainly could've pushed SHOCK WAVES just a smidgen closer to notability.

Actress Brooke Adams has a prominent role as one of the shipwreck survivors. (Indeed, the story actually unfolds like a sort of flashback as her character thinks back to the experience.) Genre fans will recognize her from such films as the 1978 remake of INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, the 1983 film version of Stephen King's THE DEAD ZONE, a cameo in Larry Cohen's 1985 horror satire THE STUFF, and many others.

The edition of SHOCK WAVES on DVD from the folks at Blue Underground is pretty good. Considering that the film was shot on 16mm and blown up to 35mm, and taking into account the fact that the disc was digitized from the director's personal copy of the film (the only complete version known to exist, according to the DVD jacket notes), this transfer--in anamorphic widescreen at the film's original aspect ratio of 1.85:1--looks quite good. In fact, when compared to the crappy video versions previously available, it's easy to forgive the minor filmic artifacts and the sometimes soft details.

And the DVD has some great bonus material, too. The best is the feature commentary with director Ken Wiederhorn, make-up man Alan Ormsby, and filmmaker Fred Olen Ray. The trio are delightfully glib and candid, offering lots of humorous and informative anecdotes regarding their experiences in making low-budget horror. There's an interview with star Luke Halpin, who offers some info about his costars and some of his memories about making the film, and there are also a few radio spots, a television spot, and the film's theatrical trailer.

As far as films go, SHOCK WAVES is not the best that Blue Underground has to offer, but it's nonetheless one of those fun guilty pleasures that fans of schlocky low-budget horror will want to add to their DVD collections.

SHOCK WAVES
AN EXCELLENT,ENTERTAINING CLASSIC!VERY CREEPY AND SCARY.WELL WORTH THE PURCHASE.CHECK OUT THIS A+ MOVIE YOU WILL DEFINITELY ENJOY!!!

"And now they have returned"
Once again, William Lustig's company Blue Underground released another cult classic film on DVD. This time around, it is the 1977 zombie flick "Shock Waves." Zombie pictures are usually quite formulaic; some unexplainable event-a plague, virus, radiation exposure, military project gone horribly awry, or some similar disaster of epic proportions-results in the deceased rising from their graves to wreak havoc on the living. Over the top gore is the usual result from interactions between ravaging zombies and their hapless living victims. George Romero started the modern fascination with the undead in his black and white classic "Night of the Living Dead." More films followed from Romero and from other directors. For instance, Lucio Fulci scored points with his ultra gooey 1979 "Zombie." Recently, Danny Boyle of "Trainspotting" fame attempted to rework the formula in "28 Days Later" by having his creatures falling victim to an extreme rage type virus. "Shock Waves" is different from these films in that there is no gore, the dead have not risen en masse to destroy humanity, and these zombies are not interested in consuming their victims. Surprisingly, "Shock Waves" carries a 'PG' rating.

A group of vacationers on a charted boat encounter trouble when a strange weather condition sends the boat off course. The captain of the vessel (played by John Carradine) downplays the entire incident in an attempt to soothe his passengers' frayed nerves, but even he is slightly worried about what's going on. His navigator Keith (Luke Halpin) expresses concern, too, especially when the boat nearly runs into an abandoned freighter in the middle of the night. As for the passengers, only Norman (Jack Davidson) makes a lot of noise about being lost at sea. The other travelers, including Norman's wife Beverly (D.J. Sidney), Rose (Brooke Adams), and Chuck (Fred Bush) seem to take it all in stride. When that wrecked freighter floats by, however, the tension ratchets up considerably. For one thing, the two boats touched just enough to push our group's ship onto a coral reef. Stranded without a radio-Carradine's character inexplicably tossed it overboard when it would not work-the crew and passengers row to a nearby island. There they find an abandoned building inhabited by a threatening former SS commander (Peter Cushing) who tells them a weird story about the freighter now sitting on the rocks offshore.

According to this ex-military officer, he was in charge of a special division of the SS during the war called Der Toden Korps, or the Death Corps, an outfit composed of criminal elements of society turned into some sort of living/non-living soldiers by German scientists. The results were horrific, and as the war ended Cushing's character sank his vessel rather than turn these odd hybrids over to the Allies. Now, it seems the soldiers have risen from the seabed and returned to their commander. The remaining crew and passengers of the charter boat are now caught on an island populated by zombies clad in military uniforms and wearing dark goggles that have the ability to function underwater. These very creepy looking zombies for some reason wish to destroy everyone on the island. It is going to be very difficult to get off an atoll without a boat, and phones are out of the question. The people trapped in this situation will need to use their wits if they want to survive.

Nothing in this summary gives away important aspects of the movie. In fact, you will learn most of this information from the film's short introduction and from the trailer included as an extra. What the trailer will not give you is a sense of the film's creepy atmosphere and claustrophobic environment. Aside from the performances, which are all great for a low budget thriller, it is the island, the zombies, and the musical score that raises the goose bumps on your arms. Setting the story on a small tropical island completely out of touch with the rest of society imbues the film with a distinct sense of isolation, an isolation the filmmakers punch up on a routine basis with lingering shots of the vacant sea and the empty terrain of the island. Moreover, the zombies are downright ominous. This particular bunch of SS soldiers was trained to fight and live underwater, so when they arrive on the island they tend to move in and out of the ocean. There's a great shot of the Toden Korps "waking up" and rising out of the sea that recalls to some extent Nosferatu rising from his coffin in F.W. Murnau's classic film. And don't forget that music! A more brooding synth score would be difficult to find. It has that late 1970s and early 1980s feel to it without sounding cheesy. These three elements make the movie; so much so that I hardly missed the gore that usually accompanies any true zombie film.

The movie has a few plot problems. How, for example, is it possible for zombies to remain underwater for thirty years yet their uniforms are still intact? Too, the Rose character figures out how to stop the zombies yet no one else seems interested. The only thing mentioned is a vague reference to the SS soldiers despising the light. If I knew how to survive in a situation like this, I would tell everyone around me how to do it. Still, these problems don't hamper the overall effect of the movie. The Blue Underground DVD contains a short interview with actor Luke Halpin, a commentary track, a trailer, television and radio advertisements, and a detailed gallery. The transfer quality, although in widescreen, isn't very good. Colors are hazy and washed out with significant grain marring the picture. It's surprising to see a Blue Underground transfer of less than stellar quality. Horror fans should pick up "Shock Waves" in a hurry. It's a nice addition to your zombies run amuck collection.

Good plot for a B-movie
During the war with Nazi Germany several Allied units reported coming across SS units that were virtual killing machines and would fight only with their barehands. It would seem that Nazi scientists experimented on the bodies of German soldiers killed in action. The individuals of course were the absolute worst sort (sadists, murderers, war criminals, etc.) and that is saying alot seeing it is Nazi Germany! These individuals were given a unit entitled Toten Korps ala the Death Corps. This experiment had some success but these quasi zombie like SS soldiers were uncontrolable and were pulled off the battlefields for further study. As the war was drawing to a conclusion the last remaining squad of Toten Korps was put to sea to await further orders which never come. The commander (Peter Cushing) scuttles the ship. The ship and her 'cargo' are condemened to the ocean floor....for now anyway!

The movie starts off many year later with a boat load of tourists and crew who happen to ram the old wreck stirring up its 'cargo.' The crew and passengers take refuge on a nearby deserted island populated only by the former SS Commander Peter Cushing who is in hiding. Naturally the SS zombie soldiers lay siege to the island and begin picking off the crew and tourists.

That is Shockwaves in a nutshell. The plot is great and it is what makes this movie. The acting is good for a B movie and it does create an erie atmosphere. I would recomend it because it is unique. This is not a run of the mill zombie flik with buckets of gore and pathetic special effects. This is , again, a well done B-movie! Thumbs up on this one! ... Read more

Reviews (22)

A cute movie and a nice addition to your BSC collection!
This is a very nice and easy going movie that gives a great look at Ann Martin's classic book series. I have to agree that even though Schuyler Fisk is a good actress (she's Sissy Spacek's daughter) she just didn't capture the character and confidence that Kristy has in the book series. Kristy in the movie is whiny and unsure of herself and apologetic. Kristy in the book series is loud and bossy, ever-so-confident and headstrong.
However, the movie is a pleasure to watch over and over again. Rachel Leigh Cook shines as Mary Anne; quiet, reserved, and lovely. Plus Claudia, Dawn, and the rest of the club members were acted well. The movie is not just based on a single BSC book, but chooses to concentrate mainly on the relationship between Kristy and her Dad. She and the other club members also run a summer play camp, which they do many times in the book series, and it features true girl situations, from boys to bullies, from anger to laughter, from trouble with babies to cranky next door neighbors. The ending was cute and is the best part, definitely because Cokie gets what she deserves! For a BSC fan, this movie is very satisfying. Overall, a great movie that shows how fun true friends really are!!

fun movie
I've always been a fan of the Baby-Sitters Club books and the video series, so I enjoyed seeing this movie. In this film, we find the group of girls starting a summer day camp for kids. Kristy is trying to cope with her estranged father's sudden return, Claudia fights to get through summer school, Stacey has a mad crush on a 17-year-old guy, Mary Anne faces challenges with the school snob who's trying to steal her boyfriend, and, most of all, all 7 of them struggle to get through trust issues and such so that they can remain friends. Overall, it's a pretty good movie--very entertaining and a fun film to watch if you're a fan of the books. However, there is one thing about this movie that I never liked ever since I saw it for the first time, and that's the casting of Schuyler Fisk as BSC President Kristy Thomas. In the movie, Kristy seems a little too cowardly and whiny, which is totally against her personality. I loved the girl who played Kristy in the video series. She showed the character as a tough and take-charge tomboy--just as she was meant to be. Schuyler Fisk did do a pretty good job in the role, but the personality of Kristy was completely changed. Other than that, it's a good movie. Fun for everyone. Get it now=)

BSC
Yes, the dialogue is corny, Mallory and Jessi get shafted (practically no lines for Jessi at all), and the tv series was much better. But this isn't a terrible movie either. I was a huge fan of the books as a kid, but hadn't seen this movie until my little sister rented it recently. I expected terrible acting, but Rachel Leigh Cook (of She's All That) really stands out as Mary Ann, and Larisa Oleynik (10 Thing I Hate About You, The Secret World of Alex Mack -what a great show!) and Schuyler Fisk (Orange County) do well too. Ellen Burstyn's appearance, while a bit random and very corny, is entertaining. The only one I wasn't impressed with was the actress playing Stacy. There's a whole lot going on in this movie, as each of the five older babysitters gets a least some subplot to herself, but it all ties together pretty well. There are some genuinely funny moments, and some more serious issues as well (Kristy deals with the reappearance of her deadbeat dad, who wants her to keep his presence a secret from her friends and family). While the movie will be most appreciated by younger girls, I think that people like me who grew up in the nineties will get a kick out of it too, with it's dated clothing, music (that awful rap scene!), pop-culture references, and of course, the babysitters themselves (and in their original form, great for those of us who remember the times before Dawn was replaced by Abby and similar blasphemous changes made).

Dawn And The Huanted House,#2
The story starts when the BSC were on their way to Claudia's house.They stop by a huanted house on a hill and they spot a spooky woman on the window,and when the woman sees them ,they head for claudia's house .The BSC gets new clients,3 kids,and Mary Anne And Stacey get the job.Willy,the oldest of the 3 kids,has a telescope, and he spies on Mrs Slaid (supposedly the witch), and he sees a girl,and he tells Stacey. Stacey looks through the telescope and sees Cluadia!U will be surprised by the great anding!

If you loved the series...
You'll love this movie. I used to be hooked on the BSC books years ago when I was in middle--and even the beginning of high school. I saw this movie the day it came to theaters. It involves Kristy's dad coming by and trying to be a part of Kristie's life..while she (and Maryann) try to keep it from her mom. The other bsc members get a little jealous that the two are so secretive but Maryann doesnt want to break their trust. Claudia is in a dilemma..if she doesnt pass her course in summer school...she will have to leave the bsc per her parents wishes. Stacey is involved with an older boy. Cokie Mason (yep shes in the movie!) is always in Maryann's hair and will stop at nothing to get Logan. All this and they still have to keep the kids under control at the summer camp the bsc has organized. And yes..you will find a lot of the kids mentioned in the books..ie..Karen, Suzy, Buddy, Nina, Rosie, etc.. You wont be disappointed. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A good mystery
I have read several plot analysis written by the "pros" and they seem to be all wrong. There is no terrorist on the plane. The story is about a letter that is found in the first class airport lounge after an international flight has taken off. The letter states that there will be murders before the flight lands. The best part is the "WHO IS THE KILLER" set-up. Farrah is in one of her first roles and just as lovely as ever. Adam Brooks talent was not shown enough. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

My Fav movie
I am so excited this is coming on DVD!!This has been one of my fav movies for years. I have seen it like a 100 times. I remember stumbling on this video when I was 17 and thought independent movies were the best. This movie dealt with real life teenage issues, unlike the new teenage wave of movies. Ione Skye is so good in this film, as well as Faruza Bulk. They face the hidden pain, of not having a father, in their own ways. One acts out for attention of boys, and the other searches for a mate for their mother while on the sly looking for their real father.
Allison Anders is such a unique filmaker, I thank her for making this film. People think its a little depressing but I think it's the opposite. The mother may always look bleak but she is a struggling single mother, how is she suppose to look? I think its refreshing and very familiar to many young people with dreams. Like Shade she loves Spanish movies and dreams of so many things. I think most people can relate to her when they were that age.

an all-time great movie about mothers and daughters
This is one of the most emotionally true movies I have ever seen. I saw it as a teenager, with my parents, and the next time my mother and I had a fight, it ended when we realized how much we sounded like the characters in this movie and both just started laughing. Gas Food Lodging features the best performances I have ever seen by both Ione Skye (who was also great in Say Anything) and Fairuza Balk, who shows a much greater acting range here than you might suspect if you had only seen her in more recent movies like "The Craft" and "The Island of Dr. Moreau." Almost every single character in this movie is fully realized and well acted, and the story successfully negotiates a wide range of emotions, from the joy of falling in love to feelings of exclusion and loss. Although this story could have come out feeling sad or depressing, I don't think it does; rather, it's bittersweet and all the more memorable for facing up to difficult things.

A forgotten gem...
Before 'Thirteen' and 'American Beauty,' there was 'Gas Food Lodging.' I can remember when I first watched it some ten years ago. Not expecting much from this almost unknown indie flick, I was clued to the screen for the next hour and a half. While its story of an overworked single mother struggling to raise her two daughters was nothing new, something about it just shined. Like a diamond, it sparkled with a crisp innocence and yet cut with a hard edge. Growing up in a similarly barren environment like Laramie, New Mexico, it wasn't difficult to connect with this film.

Ten years later, this film still packs a punch. Despite its flaws which have become more obvious over time, Allison Anders' film still hits home with its gritty power.

Its strongest attraction is its very plausible portrayal of life in the middle of nowhere. Brooke Adams plays the single-mom waitress fighting to hold her family together, while her daughters search for a way out of their loneliness. Frustrated with her oldest daughter's rebellious ways, Adams' character wears the face of constant helplessness. For those of us who have undergone the same, their screaming parent-child tirades are painful to watch. Ione Skye's Trudi, the wayward 'bad girl' who hides her scars with boyfriend after boyfriend, is the highlight of the film. At times touchingly wounded and at others, screechingly impossible, Trudi embodies the chaos of growing up. Her withdrawn and innocent little sister, Shade (Fairuza Balk) fills up her father void by spending her afternoons watching Spanish tearjerkers at the near-empty town cinema. When she finally follows her heart and falls for somebody from the wrong side of town, you end up pulling for her.

Sparing nobody, all of Anders' characters carry deep wounds. No heroines nor heros here. Victims of a shattered home and a bleak future, all three women struggle to break free and find their little slice of happiness. While the 'men always leave' undercurrent of the film comes across heavy-handed at times, Anders refreshingly refuses simple answers. While most of the men in the film DO fall under the 'loser' category--weak and self-destructive, Anders is careful to be balanced. James Brolin is great as the washed-out ex who, despite his aw-shucks cowboy charm, does nothing to win back his girls. Fatherhood for him means giving a few bucks (his girlfriend's nonetheless!)to Shade. Yet, what saves 'Gas Food Lodging' from being a depressing man-bashing polemic is that all three women eventually find partners who, although far from being flawless, stand by their women.

Anders couldn't have picked a better backdrop for her film. The spartan beauty of the New Mexican desert mirrors the sharp edges and bleak prospects of her characters. Moreover, J. Mascis' (Dinosaur Jr.) soundtrack perfectly underscores the sorrow and loneliness of the film. The songs are great by themselves, but together with the desert sunsets and tumbleweed trailer parks, the end-result is magic.

While not a perfect film, 'Gas Food Lodging' is still a rare treat for those lucky enough to stumble upon it. For those looking for a tightly-acted and moving family drama, 'Gas Food Lodging' won't disappoint!

Watch both the widescreen and pan-and-scan versions.
There is quite a bit of artistry here for such a low-budget film. Both the widescreen and pan-and-scan versions have their faults as well as their good points.

The widescreen version shows much more of the brilliant cinematography. The dreary desert, the railroad station, even the trailer park really come alive here. On the other hand, during the famous sex scene in the acid-trip cavern, the picture is cropped right above Ione Skye's breasts, whereas in the pan-and-scan, there is a full view.

This has led me to wonder if this is a "false" widescreen -i.e., the film was shot with standard, @16:9 cameras and cropped to make it look widescreen even if it never was, as Disney did with Peter Pan. It would be nice if standardized and accurate information about aspect ratio was printed clearly on all DVDs.

By the way, the MOVIE is one of the best tearjerkers I've ever seen. The performances are perfect, as is the script. The picture is beautiful. Of course if I actually had to live in a desert trailer park, I don't think I'd be so impressed with the scenery.

I'm glad I was dragged into this "chick-flick".
Normally, I have to be tied to a chair to watch this sort of movie. But my girlfriend at the time made me watch it and it really got to me.

Unlike the sappy drivel you find Sandra Bullock or Julia Roberts starring in, this movie is very depressing (in a good way) and painfully realistic. There is no hunky guy to sweep the heroine off her feet at the end. These girls and their mother have a hard time throughout and the bleak landscape of New Mexico only adds to the sadness. Bergman would have a hard time making such a melancholy film. The best man AVAILABLE (at the end, you'll know why I emphasized that word) in the movie is a nerdy satellite TV installer. The others are deadbeats, drunks, lechers. When Shade finds a boyfriend from the other side of the tracks, you can't blame her since the boys and men from her part of town are such lowlifes.

The language and emotions in this movie are VERY raw and no punches are pulled.

A few scenes stand out from all the sadness. When Shade (Fairuza Balk) is with her new boyfriend, it seems so sweet and innocent. First love is usually the cruelest, but this time it's the one really good thing to happen. The mother's courtship by the satellite guy is also a break from the bleak scenery.

Most of all, it's two scenes with Trudi (Ione Skye) that stand out. In one there is no dialogue, just the sound of a guitar being strummed. Trudi is waiting and longing for her boyfriend to come back for her. She is holding a fluorescent rock he gave her. Her face is lit by the afternoon sun as a train passes by in the background. This scene is a reflection of love and anticipation, since she is obviously thinking of him. However, it is also sad because you get the feeling he may never come back.

The other scene takes place in a cave lined with fluorescent rocks. Trudi and her geologist boyfriend drive out to look for some sort of rare rock. In the cave the two grow closer and in an almost psychedelic sequence, Trudi bares her breasts in a way that "offers" them to her lover. He seems hesitant at first but then makes love to her. The scene is primeval, almost Adam and Eve-like, as though they are the first man and woman on Earth. It is also very erotic! Ione Skye never looked more beautiful and the weird bluish light reflected in her face and on her breasts from the cave wall is hauntingly beautiful and dreamlike. Afterward, she tells him a painful personal secret. It's amazing how many emotions are conveyed in such a short scene.

So much of the movie reflects sorrow, regret, longing and anger that these scenes stand out all the more.

Allison Anders is a true artist. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Good movie, bad dvd transfer!
This is a great movie that is based on a rather strange short story by the master himself, Stephen King. The original short story was very short and had a "strange" ending. This movie, i my opinion is better than the story by far. The original short story I think is only 20 or 30 something pages and lacks alot of characterization. This movie fills in the giant hole that is in the short story. And believe it or not, this made-for-tv movie has great acting. The boys who play the hoods are pretty convincing--especially Richard Lawson. The story is about a teacher named Jim Norman who moves to a new town in whicch his brother was killed by a group of hoods in about thirty years earlier. He keeps having dreams about them that are haunting him. One day on of his students ends up missing and one of the dead hoods from the 50's is seating in his seat--for every person they kill another one comes back. Student after student keeps being killed and another after another hood returns to class for revenge. Th only way that they can be stopped is if they have a final confrontation with Jim back in the tunnel that claimed the lives of his brother and the hoods. The results are awesome. On another note the DVD isnt very good. The transfer doesnt seem to do the justice. The picture messes up every once and a while and sometimes i noticed that the words seem to not match their mouth! The sound is awesome though. Thank you for your time.

A masterpiece!!!!
Wow!!! What a great movie. This is my favorite movie of all time. Sometimes they come back is so well thought out. The story is heartbreaking and startling on some scenes. Although, you can't help but to laugh at those killers at times. The laughs!!!! You'll never forget the hoods's laughs.
Jim Norman goes back to his hometown years after he and his family fled when he was just a kid. The horrible death of his older brother drove he and his parents to live elsewhere. Although, since this was the only teaching job open, Jim has returned once again. The horrible day when his brother was harassed by 4 gangsters that soon led to three of the hoods's deaths is played over and over again in Jim's mind, for Jim's brother lost his life too. Jim is constantly haunted in his dreams but soon he is haunted literally. The 3 departed gangsters return one by one to finish "unsettled business".
This is a must see film. Every actor was so good at their part. It seems like you're there and all through the movie, you're on edge for Jim and his family as he deals with the figures on his past.

A Great Movie For Horror Lovers
This Movie Is Great! Both Of Them. I Like Both Of Them. I Thing The People Who Like "Sometimes They Come Back" And "Sometimes They Come Back Again" Should Try "Sometimes They Come Back For More"

A perfect 10!
This movie was extrememly fun and exciting. Although it's considered horror, to me it was just pure action and entertainment from start to finish! I love the way 3 cool greasers from the '60s come back in the '90s and are exactly the same as when they died in '63. How cool those greasers were and the way all the other kids marveled at their charisma in the classroom was cool! It was also cool how that kid Jimmy became a man and then stood up to them. Those greasers and their hotrod were so cool. This movie is an A plus! Rock on Stphen King!

I love this thriller
Sometimes They Come Back, a thriller tim matheson plays Jimmy Norman plays a teacher from Chicago , returns to his old town after 20 years ,where his brother Wayne was murdered by a gang of hooligans in a spooky train tunnel the hooligans get killed by the train in the car and they want revenge, now 27 years later Richard Lawson, North , and Vincent all come back one by one to his classroom after the murders of innocent Hs students. and then attack his house and go after his son with the ghostly black hotrod and want to replay the whole thing over again i liked this movie i bought it .really cool movie , highly recommended and really good. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Cuba, don't bother
I love movies, books and music...anything about Cuba and other caribbean cultures. This movie was awful! The acting is bad, the story is bad. Don't waste your time unless you need a nap. As great at the movie Havana is, is how bad the move Cuba is.

Impressions.
*Cuba* may be the best movie you've never heard of. The setting is 1958, just before the final collapse of the Batista regime. Sean Connery stars as a British mercenary with the odd name of Dapes, whom Batista's colonels hope will help them to stamp out Fidel Castro's revolutionaries. However, Connery pretty much figures out -- almost as soon as he arrives -- that Batista's cause will be lost, and so his attempts to guide the incompetent military are rather half-hearted. He's much more interested in reviving a love affair with an old flame, Brooke Adams (surprisingly glamorous, but with an on-again, off-again accent). Problem is, she's married to the profligate son (Chris Sarandon) of one of Cuba's wealthiest industrialists . . . and it's a lifestyle that rather fits in with her imperial demeanor. (She runs the cigar factory and the rum distillery while her husband gets drunk and chases the skirts of the hired help.) The movie does not pretend to be a terribly accurate account of the Cuban Revolution. What director Richard Lester goes for instead are impressionistic sketches of the land, its people, and its culture. All the stereotypes are here, lovingly rendered: the fat, pompous jefes; the sultry women; the tacky gringo culture superimposed on the place for the visiting American businessmen (one of whom is the always-welcome Jack Weston, in a terrifically sleazy performance); the cigar factories; the prostitutes; the skinny kids playing street baseball; posters of politicos; languid bathers poolside; tropical drinks with the little umbrellas . . . get the idea? The movie succeeds spectacularly in delineating the death-throes of a way of life. Havana in particular seems deserted, denuded of people: even blonde American strippers can't find an audience. *Cuba* is a poignant, and at times funny, daguerreotype of a nation filled with ghosts, just on the cusp of revolution.

historical drama
very few of us now a days, know of the incidents and life in cuba and why fidel castro took power, from a corrupt gangster style goverment of the baustista goverment.
sean connery plays a british mercenary, trying to scope out the situation for the in power goverment , and re-live a old fling
with a old flame from north afrika, ww2 days.
chris sarandon plays the handsome husband of brooke adams, who's family is that of the elite and powerful.
see this movie and undersatnd the life that once was.

Stands the Test of Time
This movie is on any list of my family's 10 favorite movies. We saw it in the theater when it was new, and hoarded the homemade videotape made from a TV broadcast, which was a major event in this household. Finally on DVD - it's wonderful that now we can see it in both widescreen and non.

The film rewards repeated viewing, since eventually you realize that all the comic business ties in with all the main plot lines. I think this mixture of relevant-to-the-plot background comic bits throughout a film must be Richard Lester's forte, since he does it so well in all of his movies. Here the comic bits are superb - there really are no loose ends!

Every character, every actor is wonderful, even the bit parts. Jack Weston gives one of the best performances of his life. It lingers in the imagination as THE picture of life at every stratum in Cuba at the end of the 1950s, even though (as has been observed in other reviews) the locations were really in Spain. The colors, the ambience, even the music - wonderful.

It's obvious to me, anyway, that this movie stands the test of time...it has survived to be reborn in DVD format. Thank goodness! - Because it deserves to be remembered and enjoyed.

Let's hear it for the location scout!
This awful adolescent drivel is saved only by Sean Connery and the breathtakingly accurate scenery. The late 50's interiors are dead on and throughout the movie, I kept wondering, how on earth did they get permission to shoot in Cuba? Of course they didn't - it was shot in Spain.

Despite the interesting atmosphere and backstory, the story itself isn't cohesive and there are holes in it big enough to hold one of Batista's white baby grands.

Perhaps the story would have held if the female lead had more strength. Brooke Adams portrays Alejandra Pulido with a here-again, gone-again Spanish accent and a weakness that betrays the character as written. ... Read more

Description

A star-studded trilogy of romance and drama - each story presents a provocative look at life and love, molded by the creative touches of three talented directors: Norman Jewison, Peter Bogdanovich and Jonathan Kaplan. "Soir Bleu" stars Alan Arkin as Tully, a circus clown in love with the beautiful, but abused, wife of the circus manager. During the touring company's last performance, Tully finally decides to act on his love with tragic consequences. "Song of Songs" features George Segal as middle-aged baker, Ted, with Brooke Adams and Sally Kirkland as the women in his life - one is his wife and one is his mistress. In a comical twist of fate, Ted learns the difference between true romance and passion. "Language of the Heart" is set against the exquisite backdrop of the ballet world of the 1920's. A beautiful young ballerina and a talented street musician realize the fulfillment of their love and dreams through the hand of the wise Maestro (Michael Lerner). ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Are you kidding me? This was LAME!!!
I WANT MY 96 MINUTES BACK!!!! REALLY LAME HORROR FLICK!!
I don't know what it is about the quality of horror in the early 90s...but this is a good example of how it can go terribly wrong. If this film had been made in 1981 or 1971..or heck, even 1961 it could have had a good kitch factor...instead it's an overly stylized attempt at what a good 80's Slasher actually is.

The one star rating is for the casting of Lisa Kudrow (I think she's super cute as a brunette!)...and Comedian Kathy Griffin as a Lesbian Co-Mother-To-Be!!
The remainder of the movie gets a BIG ZERO!!!

Having a baby can be a scream
Director Rodman Flender film doesn't have the resonance of great horror. At times it barely rises above an exploitation title, being hindered by gross out effects and the developing ridiculousness of the screenplay by Henry Dominic. The narrative reads as Rosemary's Baby redux with a dash of David Cronenberg and The Boys from Brazil.
After a forboding prologue where a pregnant woman is made to suffer because she drips blood onto her kitchen floor as she eats raw meat, we meet Brooke Adams who has been referred to the in-vitro centre where James Karen is a specialist. Of course, any doctor played by James Karen is automatically suspicious, and soon Adams becomes paranoid about the child she is carrying. Dominic has the sense to make Adams not the only pregnant woman, and also gives her access to a couple who have a child from the prodecure, which allows for her to have alternate opinions, though the points scored off the lesbian couple seem mean, though Adams' husband is conveniently out of town when things start going wrong. Luckily Flender delivers the best scene in the film for the climax, when Adams follows the sound of a baby crying and supplies a shock payoff. However after this highpoint, we plummet.
We get a grossout mage of the fetus moving a digit in the same shape as Adams' drawing, a laugh from the use of a Baby on Board sign, the low gag of a saccharine TV presenter turning shrewish off-camera, and the most disappointing setpiece when Brooks is being interviewed live and has an hysterical turn - for this Flender goes camp with the crew screaming for a re-run. The prologue deprives us of a shock, but later we get a second one even if in a ludicrous context involving a baby POV and the father's reaction. There is also an early gratuitous and long sex scene, a low impact Alien-like set, and the ending is too obviously left open for the sequel.
Adams' cracked beauty and individual voice add something to her role, and when she cries amongst stuffed baby toys she manages to convey a moment of pathos, even if she isn't as skilled, lyrical or vulnerable as a Mia Farrow. Also note this is another early role for Lisa Kudrow in her long black hair period.

scared the plasma out of me
I recently underwent surgery. The hostpital's movie channel showed "The Unborn," and I figured "what the hell, I'm not going anywhere. Might as well watch it" (and the intravenous machines I'm hooked up to won't allow me to reach the TV.) Well this was the scariest thing I've ever seen. My heart raced at such a pitch that my plasma drips exploded. What a movie. Brooke Adams was wonderful; better than Mia in Rosenberg's Baby. If you like your horror "on the rocks," THE UNBORN is for you.

Excellent horror.
Brooke Adams vs. psycho fetus created by wacko doctor James Karen in an attempt to breed superhumans. Good suspense, good acting and good scares. Docked a star only for the absurd fetus-killing-victims-one-by-one plot development. A must see if you like horror.

scared the poop out of me
oh oh ... i made a poop when i saw this movie ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A good mystery
I have read several plot analysis written by the "pros" and they seem to be all wrong. There is no terrorist on the plane. The story is about a letter that is found in the first class airport lounge after an international flight has taken off. The letter states that there will be murders before the flight lands. The best part is the "WHO IS THE KILLER" set-up. Farrah is in one of her first roles and just as lovely as ever. Adam Brooks talent was not shown enough. ... Read more

Description

A small-time con artist and his computer expert best friend concoct an ingenious plot for the perfect bank robbery.But the ultimate heist takes some very unexpected turns in this surprising crime comedy. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

a miss
After watching the great Pretty Poison (1968), I decided to investigate into director Noel Black's other material. I heard this was supposed to be one of his better films. Mistake. In the tiresome genre of bank robberies this offered nothing new and went on at a slow pace. I like Donald Sutherland but his character was boring. I think the movie would have been better if it concentrated on his friend more.

Pretty Dang Cool!
This is a fun 70's comedy heist film. Donald Sutherland is outstanding as always. It is not a perfect film, but for what they were trying to accomplish they hit bullseye big time, baby.

Check out this flick! The commentary by director Noel Black is quite cool too. Later, gators. ... Read more

Description

Beneath the living, beyond the dead, they rose from the depths of hell's ocean! In the dark days of World War II, the Nazi High Command ordered its scientists to create the Death Corps, a top secret race of indestructible zombie storm troopers--un-living, unfeeling, unstoppable monstrosities able to kill with their bare hands. No member of this horrific SS unit was ever captured by the Allied forces--and somewhere off the coast of Fl