Reviews (259)

Who Ever THought of This Film was an Insane Genius
Whomever came up with the concept for this film needs very serious mental evaluation; A love story about a guy with scissors for hands? But perhaps we will put that aside for now becasue the movie is simply stupendous. Edward ScissorHands is one of my all time favorite movies, I assume this goes for many others as well, becasue i have never found someone who didnt like this movie. It appeals to the strange geek inside us all who just wants to be accepted for what he is. For an overview of the movie read the summary amazon has provided, i will talk only about the dvd. THe extras are quite neat with commentary tracks, production art, and best of all some old Burton shorts. Vincent is a great clayamtion thing about a kid trying to be vincent price, it reminded me of beetlejuice, visually. Frankenweenie is kinda dumb and boring, but its about a kid who brings his dog back to life. THe image clarity is fantastic, as is the sound on this disc. It has some really cool animated menus too. So go buy it. You might wanna see it first though becasue it is pretty strange. Bottom line is if you like Burton films, you will love this one. (I still have a little trouble seeing that kid from the breakfast club as a bad guy, but whatta gonna do?)

fantastic DVD, even better movie
Edward Scissorhands is quite simply the best fairy tale never told. This is Tim Burton in his eccentric prime, and his presence is palpable in every arena of this beautiful and personal film. The inventive art direction is perhaps the most memorable aspect of that presence, most notably in the pastel palette that covers everything from the ingenius solid-color costumes to the quaint neighborhood/town our characters inhabit.

The genius of this movie is more far-reaching than that. Everything fits seamlessly together--from Danny Elfman's quirky score to Stefan Czapsky's meticulous camera work to an entire cast full of nuanced performances... the list goes on and on. While this film's acting gem is Diane Weist in the role of the sweet and overly altruistic mother, Johnny Depp plays the titular role in a beautifully understated performance. Similarly, Winona Ryder wonderfully (and blondly) embodies young beauty and Alan Arkin turns in a comedic yet touching performance as the sometimes-overbearing father. The ensemble cast is flawless, complementing the quirky but ultimately realistic tone.

Perhaps the best aspect of this movie is that it achieves its goals with amazing subtlety--the overt themes of "being different", family, and (let's not forget) love are constantly driven into cliché these days, but Edward Scissorhands accomplishes it all with a snip, not a stab.

This 10th Anniversary Edition DVD is everything this movie deserves--insightful commentaries from Tim Burton AND Danny Elfman and an interesting featurette, along with the concept art, trailers, TV Spots, and scene selection we've all come to expect. (The Interactive 3-D Menus are priceless!)

This is just one of those positively timeless, life-affirming movies that belongs in everyone's collection.

A true work of art!
This has certainly got to be one of Burton's most imaginative creations. I can't remember a movie be that puzzlling, and yet so interesting and fun. Only Jonny Depp could prouduce such a voice, and performance. And that hair! Well, that was just the final icing on the cake. Let's face it. It's not easy to act the part of a lonly anodroid,and especially one that looked on with curiosity one moment and hated the next. Horror king, Vincint Price does a good job too as Edward's maker. Who is despreat for companionship. I laughed, I cried, then I laughed some more. All in all, this is not that bad of a movie.

A Beautiful Movie
I first saw this movie not so long ago and I fell in love with it. It is a beautiful story with very sad moments as well as exciting ones. Burton and Depp make a great team. This is one of the most moving movies I have ever seen. It tells the story of Edward (Depp), a person created by an inventor (Vincent Price)who passed on just before he had a chance to amputate Edward's scissorhands. Edward lived alone in a castle until sweet-hearted Avon lady Peg Boggs(Dianne Wiest)comes and takes him to her home to live with her family. A must see for Tim Burton fans and anyone who enjoys a magical time watching a movie. I have recently bought this DVD and I love it. I give Edward Scissorhands two big thumbs way up and 100 stars. I hope my review has helped you.

masterpiece
i just realised that "Edward Scissorhands" is one of my favourite films. it has so much power. Tim Burton's storytelling, it is magnificent. his imagination is so great. the way he portrays his characters is so unique. every character is very distinct. like characters in his other works: Jack Skellingon, Ichbod Crane, Edward Bloom, Betelgeuse. now let's talk about the acting. johnny depp was magnificent. you could sense his emotion, even though he barely talks, as he portrays a lost, innocent, confused child. his make-up is excellent too. yes, he does look like a freak. but he looks good. and Winona Ryder. she's such a good actress. and can you say "pretty?" and oh! the set design and cinematography. the use of colour to expose the contrast between the two worlds. the pastel versus the dark castle. and the town! oh my. it is a dreamland. did you know that it is an actual neighborhood in Florida? one more thing. Danny Elfman's score is superb! ... Read more

Reviews (69)

Jennifer Garner Shines!
There was a movie that came out a few years ago starring Tom Hanks called "Big." I never saw "Big" but I know what it is about nonetheless. It is about a boy who wants to be grown up or, well, big. He wakes up one mourning and he is still in the same year, except he is an adult. "13 Going on 30" is about a 13 year old girl who wants to be 30 years ago, and because of some magical wishing dust, she wakes up 17 years later looking like Jennifer Garner. The difference is that in "Big" the only thing that changes is Tom Hanks. Everything changes for Jennifer Garner in "13 Going on 30."

"13 Going on 30" is one of those movies where you know everything that is going to happen before you sit down. As the movie goes on, you could figure out all of the little things that are going to happen. There is nothing really new going on in this movie. What makes it good is the way actress Jennifer Garner handles the role. Jennifer Garner's last movie is "Daredevil," and in that film she was too busy fighting and having sex with Ben Afflick to really have a role. In this movie, it is her first leading role, and she is able to handle the film by herself. She is the main star, and not the co-star like she normally is. She also proves that she has a knack for comedy movies. I predict that we will be seeing more movies with her in them in the future.

The movie starts in 1987 and we meet Jenna Rink, who is a 13 year old girl who wants to be older. On her birthday, she invites the popular girls, including Lucy, to her party. They trick her in a very mean way, leading her to yell and get mad at her friend and next door neighbor Matt. She wishes that she was 30 years old, and her wish comes true after magic wishing dust sprinkles on the top of her head. The next day, she is a beautiful 30 year old in the year 2004. She has no idea what is going on, and whose house she is in, and who the strange man that is in her bathroom is. She finds out that she is the editor of her favorite magazine, and her best friend is that girl Lucy from when they were kids. Both of them work for Richard Kneeland. Jenna finds the grown up Matt, and learns that they have not been friends since the day of her birthday party, and have not even seen each other since high school ended. Matt isn't happy to see Jenna, and Jenna also finds out that while he became a very good photographer, she has become a very bad person that not many people like. More bad news happens when it turns out that a rival magazine is stealing their ideas. Jenna suddenly finds herself falling in love with Matt, and trying to save her company from being no more.

Another good part of "13 Going on 30" is Andy Serkis. Andy Serkis was not in this movie much, but his preformance was very well done. He played Gollum in "The Lord of the Rings The Two Towers," and "The Lord of the Rings The Return of the King." Him and Jennifer Garner probably saved this entire movie from being a flop. I like how Jennifer Garner acted like a 13 year old in her body. She did what Jamie Lee Curtis did in "Freaky Friday" which was another great preformance. I liked "13 Going on 30." It was not a great film, but it was an amusing way to spend two hours or so. I am looking forward to the next movies that Jennifer Garner makes.

ENJOY!

Rated PG-13 for some sexual content and brief drug references.

Surprisingly fresh and funny - old themes given a new twist!
Jenna Rink (Jennifer Garner), age 13, wants nothing more than to be "thirty, flirty, and thriving." But nothing prepares her for waking up one morning to find that her dream has come true. She stumbles out of bed only to find that she is in a strange house, and there's a naked man in her shower! Once Jenna manages to pull herself together, she sets out to discover just what's happened to her in the last 17 years, of which she has no recollection. She looks up her best friend from childhood, Matty (Mark Ruffalo), in hopes that he'll be able to help fill in the gaps. What she finds out, though, is that maybe, despite the fact that she's achieved all her childhood dreams, she's actually lost more than she's gained.

Now, the basic theme of the movie has obviously been used before - someone wishes they could jump to a different time in their life (either forward or backward depending on their goals), only to discover that once they achieve this, it's not quite all they had hoped for and they'd like nothing better than to just go back to the way things were before. But the plot is given several fun twists that keep it from feeling hackneyed. The '80s theme throughout the movie is a delightful touch, and Jennifer Garner's comedic timing is perfect, providing us with tons of genuinely funny laughs. Some moments had the whole theater in stitches! We also see Jenna discover some truths about herself and undergo transformations that are touching. The overall moral message is that true friendship is more important, and has more long-term rewards, than high school popularity.

All the actors did fantastic jobs. Jennifer Garner makes Jenna's character both touching and funny, and Mark Ruffalo is incredibly sweet and charismatic. The chemistry between the two is great. The show, however, is often stolen by the brilliant performance of Andy Serkis, who plays the adult Jenna's stuffy but loveable boss. You may know Serkis as the actor who provided Gollum's voice and actions in "The Lord of the Rings," and it's great to see him here in a more visible role. I'd definitely recommend this movie for a lighthearted weekend excursion. The ending is a little predictable, but it's done well and the overall effect is heartwarming. It's worth seeing in the theater, worth renting when it comes out, and even perhaps worth owning if you find you really like it. I certainly wouldn't mind seeing it again.

Flashback!
I saw this with my husband in the theater and we both loved it! It was an immediate favorite and we had to purchase it as soon as it came to DVD. The bloopers and extra cast footage is hilarious. I relived some of my own past memories all over again. The hair and the outfits made me feel like I'd gone back in time, and the movie truely makes you miss/enjoy being young and full of life. We definitely recommend this movie to anyone looking to have a few laughs and plenty of memorable moments.

Amazing Jennifer Garner!!!
I went to see this movie not only because it looked extremely cute and funny but also because I am an Alias addict and have numerous posters and collages of Alias and Jennifer Garner, however throughout this movie I did not think of her as Sydney Bristow, Jennifer Garner takes on the role of Jenna Rink so completely she IS Jenna. She is a remarkably talented actress and as a switch from somber Sydney Bristow we actually get to see her smile and laugh. It is a feel good movie that just leaves you completely happy. I've already ordered it and I can't wait to see the feauturettes and bloopers. I know we will see other great movies from Jennifer Garner!! (Hopefully one with Michael Vartan!)

13 going on fabulous
This movie was a surprise. I anticipated enjoying this movie, but I didn't realize that I would actually love it. I thought Jennifer Garner as Jenna Rink was refreshing, loveable and relatable. This is definitely a film that even the movie cynics can enjoy. Jennifer Garner will draw you in and the supporting cast is great. I have pre-ordered a copy for myself and will have this on my Christmas List to give to others. Great Movie! ... Read more

Description

Four Academy Awards(R)! Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, Sam Shepard and a stellar cast give soaring life to the glory years of America's space program. From Tom Wolfe's best seller. Year: 1983 Director: Philip Kaufman Starring: Sam Shepard, Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid ... Read more

Reviews (107)

A CLASSIC
It's great to finally see The Right Stuff appear on DVD as a special-edition. The sound and image quality is awesome, much better than the LD.

This is one of the greatest achievements in film, depicting the birth of the space program. It's difficult to think of anything wrong with the production.

The cast (many of whom at the time were not A-list caliber) is top notch, especially Ed Harris as John Glenn and Sam Shepard as Chuck Yeager.

The beginning, which chronicles the breaking of the sound barrier, is excellent. One particular scene has Yeager staring down the X-1 while on horseback; almost as if two living ceatures are involved in duel. The Oscar-winning score by Bill Conti brings tears to my eyes every time, especially the breaking the sound barrier and the final coda, which ends at Gordo Cooper's historic orbit.

Director Philip Kaufman (just look at his resume; what an incredible career, with Henry and June, Unbearable Lightness of Being and Quills among his films), brings a humanness and respect to his characters, and dots the script with bit of humor and tenderness as well. He depicts the Mercury astronauts as heroes, an aspect that unfortuantely has gone away. These men (and their wives) pushed the envelope to it's capacity, went to the top of the pyramid.

We live in a time in which we no longer look up when a plane passes overhead, where, instead of real people risking their lives to further technology and science, our heroes are born out of comic books or the sports pages.

The Right Stuff is truely a very special film! They don't make 'em like this anymore!

New Stuff
The Right Stuff is Phillip Kauffman's sprawling three-hour epic about the Mercury Space Program. Based on Tom Wolfe's amazing book, the movie is a visual stunner with a top-notch ensemble cast. Sam Sheperd stands out as Chuck Yeager, the first man to break the sound barrier. He portrays Yeager as a cowboy who flies jets instead of riding horses. Mr. Sheperd gives a cool and impressive performance. Ed Harris first sprang to attention with his performance of John Glenn. He gives a gentle and passionate performance and the scenes with his wife (who was hearing-impaired) are touching. Fred Ward gives a blustery and gruff performance as Gus Grissom who appears to be on the verge of cracking after his space launch goes awry. Scott Glenn adds a touch of humor to film as Alan Sheppard the first American in space. Dennis Quaid is brash and cocky as Gordo Cooper. This 20th Anniversary two disc special edition is an immediate upgrade over the original dvd, which was one of the first films to be released in that format. The film is perfectly suited for the dvd landscape and while the picture quality was excellent on the original release, the digital transfer adds depth and scope to the film. The real bonus is the 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound. The film won four Academy Awards and two were for Best Sound and Best Sound Effects and the remastered audio increases the powerful and majestic tones of the film in home viewings. The extras are great for any space program aficionados as there are interviews with the real life astronauts from the film.

well done
Hollywood has mostly ignored one of the most dramatic events of the modern age, the space program. It's been willing to lavish millions on sci-fi and fantasy but has been meager in detailing the real drama. Tom Wolfe's marvelous book has been captured in this film with the same blend of irony, whimsy, humor and real drama.
The astronauts were accidental heroes, men who never expected to be elevated to such a public Olympus. They were never what the PR machine promoted but they got the job done and eventually earned the heroic status they were automatically granted by the propaganda machine of the time.
An interesting film that genuinely manages to distill out the essence of the 'right stuff.'

The Greatest American Epic
The fact that "The Right Stuff" lost the Oscar for best picture to "Terms Of Endearment" is beyond me; this movie should have won. The fact that it wasn't a hit at the box office back in 1983 is also beyond me. We are talking about what I think it's the best American epic in all the sense of the word.
It's strange that a Venezuelan-born like me should talk about a movie like this, but I feel that "The Right Stuff" should have been a classic -well, it is for me. The story of the "Mercury" astronauts is portrayed marvelously by Philip Kaufman's direction, showcased beautifully by Caleb Deschanel's stylish photography, and supported by an incredible cast including Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, Barbara Hershey, Sam Shepard, Pamela Reed, Kim Stanley, and Veronica Cartwright.
In fact, I remember when I was watching that movie at home, and my late father asked me if a man that appeared on the screen was astronaut John Glenn because he looked just like him. Of course I told him he was an actor who was playing his role. That said, it's incredible to see how Ed Harris is perfectly cast as Glenn.
And I don't want to forget one of the reasons why I love this movie, and that's Bill Conti's spectacular music score. Of course it may sound a little like Holst's "The Planets", but I usually weep every time I listen to the main theme.
I'm glad that a special edition DVD of "The Right Stuff" has been released, with fantastic extras that include new interviews with the cast and crew, deleted scenes, and an incredible documentary on John Glenn. I'm also glad about it because I think that this movie should be rightfully appreciated not only because it deals with historical events like the breaking of the sound barrier and the first American astronauts, but also because, as I said before, this is a classic.

FABULOUS
"The Right Stuff", based on Tom Wolfe's book and directed by Phillip Kaufman, was a wonderful American story about the Mercury space program that told the tale of U.S. pilots just brimming with gusto, bravado and...the right stuff.

STEVEN TRAVERS
AUTHOR OF "BARRY BONDS: BASEBALL'S SUPERMAN"
STWRITES@AOL.COM ... Read more

Reviews (239)

Almost
Set against the backdrop of the American Civil War, Cold Mountain is mostly a story about both the kindness and the cruelty of ordinary people during difficult times.

It's also a love story.

Unfortunately, at least for this reviewer, I felt that the budding relationship between Inman (Jude Law) and Ada (Nicole Kidman) wasn't developed enough. Although they flirt and share a special kiss before Inman leaves for war, there just didn't seem to be enough of a bond between them for someone to risk their life returning home. (Perhaps this aspect of the film will be fleshed out more in an extended DVD version?)

Honestly, even at 2 1/2 hours, I felt like this epic film could have been a half an hour longer. There were plenty of interesting characters who deserved more screen time.

Up and coming actress Natalie Portman (Star Wars: Attack of the Clones) finally breaks out with an incredible performance as a single mother with a baby just trying to get by through the ravages of war. Even though her part was small, she still managed to convey the utter despair of her very sad character.

Cinematically, this film is breathtaking. In fact, the filmmakers have managed to painstakingly recreate the 1864 siege at Petersburg, Virginia complete with trenches, gaunt Confederates and even the Battle of the Crater. As far as I know, I don't believe this particular battle has ever been depicted in a major motion picture. As such, it was well researched and very authentic.

All in all, Cold Mountain is a good film. However, I believe it missed the mark of greatness by not developing the relationship early on between the two main characters. This detracted a bit from the aspect of Inman's long and perilous journey home. Was she really worth all of that?

In sum, if you're a fan of period Civil War movies like "Summersby" or "Ride With the Devil", then this film is certainly one for your DVD library.

Emotionally Cold Mountain
This story of one man's walk from Virginia to North Carolina in his attempt to return to the love that motivates him has - unsurprisingly - a somewhat rambling form. Somehow I think the rambling and episodic structure was probably better suited to a novel than to a mainstream Hollywood film.

In part "Cold Mountain" is based on Homer's Odyssey, with Jude Law as the Ulysses-like Inman, and Nicole Kidman's Ada Monroe as the Penelope who waits for him despite the attention of at least one highly unsuitable suitor.

The film's set before and during the American Civil War, and begins with a devastating battle in Petersburg, Virginia. Troops from the Northern Army mine the Southern front line. The resulting explosions demolish it to great effect, but all doesn't go according to plan, as the advancing Northern soldiers are caught in the crater made by their own explosions ... and mown down. That scene is writer / director Anthony Minghella's version of "Saving Private Ryan's" opening scene, and very much shows us that the movie isn't going to be about the glories of war.

"Cold Mountain" gets off to an excellent start, inter-cutting gritty battle scenes with Inman's memories of Ada, the woman he loves, and with whom he's shared little more than one hurried kiss. Ada is the daughter of Reverend Monroe, played by Donald Sutherland, and has received a fairly good education in Charleston. That means she hasn't learned how to do much of anything practical.

Inman, after suffering a bad neck wound, decides he is going to return to Ada whatever the cost, deserts the army, and begins his long trek back to North Carolina and Cold Mountain. Ada meanwhile is having to cope with the death of her father, the difficulty of surviving as a single woman, and the attentions of lecherous bad guy and home guardsman Teague, played by Ray Winstone. Her neighbours, including Sally Swanger (the excellent Kathy Baker) try to help her, but it becomes pretty clear she's not going to make it through the next winter without help, and that help turns up in the shape of the extremely practical and down to earth backwoods girl Ruby Thewes (Rene Zellwegger)

Although the film starts superbly, it gradually becomes disappointing. The grittiness of the beginning gives way to ever more Hollywood glamour as the movie goes on, particularly in the story of Kidman's Ada. Kidman gets prettier and prettier as times get harder and harder. Zellwegger comes on like Doris Day in "Annie Get Your Gun" or something out of "Oklahoma", and adds scrunched up funny faces to the mix. And the bad guys back at home turn into cardboard villains that might almost come from a spaghetti western, particularly the almost albino Bosie (Charlie Hunnam). And why are albinos always evil in movies?

Inman's story fares somewhat better. During his trek he encounters a variety of picaresque characters. There's a preacher (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman) who is initially about to murder his pregnant black mistress when Inman stops him. Jena Malone plays a girl who operates a ferry boat that will allow them to escape their pursuers, if they pay her enough. Giovanni Ribisi is hillbilly Junior, who in another nod to the Odyssey, lives with a bevy of sex-starved siren-like women. Natalie Portman is Sara, a single mother who Inman sleeps beside and then has to rescue from the attention of marauding Southern soldiers. And there's a strange gipsy woman who - particularly given that much of the movie was shot in Romania - seems rather like a refugee from one of the old universal werewolf movies.

John Seale's cinematography captures the din of war, the stunning scenery of Romania, and the quieter interiors, well. And, visually the film is helped much by the production design of Dante Ferretti, although I wonder if sometimes that too isn't a little too pretty. There's some good music, although the best of it is performed within the film, old American hymns, and folk music such as "Wayfaring Stranger". There's even a song composed by Sting and sung by Alison Krauss, which works better than one might expect it to. Gabriel Yared's more thematic soundtrack music seems rather less memorable.

Ultimately, "Cold Mountain" is marred by several weaknesses, one of the worst is that in its conclusion it's something of a shaggy dog story. It also suffers, like some of Minghella's other films, from a strange emotional coldness: neither Jude Law nor Nicole Kidman touches us as much as they should. Often the emotions surrounding the cameo characters are far more intense, particularly those played by Nathalie Portman and Kathie Baker.

But this is nothing new for Minghella. In both "The English Patient" and "The Talented Mr. Ripley" you wanted to feel somewhat more emotional about the characters than you actually did. In his first film "Truly, Madly Deeply" director Anthony Minghella struck a wonderfully poignant emotional note. With the move to Hollywood his films to have become much more focussed on about surfaces or spectacle, and that's a pity.

Like "Legends of the Fall" Cold Mountain" is ultimately an attempt to transform a sweeping and often gritty historical novel into a movie that's just far more glamorous than it should be for its own good. It's an interesting movie, but not a wholly successful one.

A waste of time
I absolutely hated this movie. Nicole Kidman is too old to play such a young character. The story started depressing and ended suicidal! I actually bought this dvd and after I watched it one time, I threw it in the trash. The only good thing about it was Renee Z's excellent rendition of a tough country girl. Only watch this movie if you like self-punishment.

Moving
Cold Mountain is a very good movie. The only problems I have with the movie is it takes so long to get into (but once you do it's so worth it) and the fact that they barely met and were already madley in love!

As a previous reviewer mentioned there is a very explicit love scene. It is my opinion that the love scene is so very important to the movie. You almost feel the love between the two. The movie would not have made such an impact on me without this scene.

Violence, OK but sex bad?
so it is OK to see people maimed and killed in horrible ways, but if two people have sex it is bad? Give me a break. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Robert Duvall's fascination with tango finds its expression in this labor of love, a film he wrote, directed, and stars in. Duvall plays a professional hit man on a job in Argentina. Forced to kill time instead of his target, he learns about tango, and meets a beautiful young dancer who teaches him the art. Seeing this precise, passionate dance, one feels no doubt it is worthy of Duvall's obsession. The hit-man plotline becomes less urgent as the movie goes on, and the director's loose, improvisatory approach makes for a certain sketchiness in scenes. But, like Duvall's marvelously odd The Apostle, the darn thing is intriguing. In leading lady Luciana Pedraza, Duvall has found a stunning partner--a slinky tango dancer and a beguiling actress. (One has no doubt she is worthy of his obsession, too.) This is a film from the "uneven" file, but like many such movies, it has its attractions. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (32)

Great performances, visuals, atmosphere
This film, directed by and starring Robert Duvall, is an odd hybrid between a suspense thriller and a dramatic character study. It also uses the sensual tango dance as a theme in itself. These elements do not always gel in this slow paced film, but I found it captivating all the same.
Duvall plays John, a contract killer who is sent to Argentina to kill a prominent general. He is reluctant to go, mainly because he doesn't want to miss his stepdaughter's birthday. His attachment to this young girl, which, the film suggests, may cross the line beyond paternal affection, is one of the many aspects of this complex character. If there is any point to the film that I could discern, it is that John is a person who lacks integration. It is Duvall's ability to portray this character that makes the film. He is moody, volatile, introspective and passionate, often in inappropriate ways. He is able to rationalize his violent profession by having the attitude that "it's just a job." When he sees a beautiful tango dancer (Luciana Pedraza, who also gives a great performance), he develops a new obsession. While stalking his victim in the streets of Buenos Aires, he gets to know the dancer and their often meandering conversations are some of the best scenes in the film. During the long stretches when there is not much going on, there is still a sense of lurking menace. John is in a foreign country and doesn't know if he can trust his employers. I actually appreciated the disjointed quality of the film, which might be a turnoff for some viewers. Real life does not always follow a formula the way most movies do, and it is refreshing to see events unfold in an unpredictable, haphazard way.

This is clearly an act of love for Duvall.
Robert Duvall is one of the best actors of the late 20th Century. We are aware of Duvall's versatility in movies in everything from "The Godfather" and "The Apostle" to "Gods and Generals." Few people outside the tango community know that he is a passionate tango dancer. It is obvious that this production was an act of love. This movie will probably not go into general release at your local theater. I really expect it to have a limited release. Notwithstanding that, my advice to you is to see it even if you have to drive two hours [one way] to go to a theater as my wife and I did recently. It was really worthwhile.

It is a movie that did not do well in the Toronto Film Festival in 2002. Because of that, certain portions of the film were re-shot in Buenos Aires. Even still, the movie provoked discussion on the Tango-L listserv. It has been criticized for its "weak" plot. I find the plot less complicated than Sally Porter's "Tango Lesson," and the style of dancing to be less of the "fantasy tango" style and more of the salon style that you see in Buenos Aires today. This movie will have definite appeal to milongueros and tango junkies, as well as some die-hard ballroom dancers.

I loved the dancing in the movie, and I really wish there was more of it. A few years ago, I was pleased to have seen some of the people in the movie dance several years ago at Duvall's farm in northern Virginia. This is the kind of dancing I like. I would love it if there were a "director's cut" of this movie available soon. I would be the first to buy it.

Where is Tango?
Where is Tango in this movie? Ah, yes, it's at the end, when the final credits appear. Everything else is just a bunch of extremely short clips, as if it were a TV commercial. Acting by all the characters is horrible. The plot is not too bad, but the script and editing are not good at all.

Yawn...
Obviously an endorsement for his girlfriend's passion...the tango. The dance scenes are the only thing worth watching. Unfortunately, Robert Duvall lacks the testosterone level to successfully portray an assassin, let alone dance the tango...Go Papito!

Fascinating
I was intrigued from beginning to end. It's laced with violence, moreso the precarious nature of being human, touching on nuances of community, human sexuality, relationships, psychology, and the meaning of dance. The Argentine tango is a fascinating culture in and of itself. Not for everyone, perhaps, but what is? Another fine film. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This earnest movie about a door-to-door salesman with cerebral palsy(based on the true story of Bill Porter) could have been cloyingly sweet,but a sense of humor and the clear, unpretentious performance of WilliamH. Macy keep it from drowning in sentiment. Door to Door followsPorter from when he first gets his job (by convincing a skeptical salesmanager to give him the worst route the company has) in the mid-'50s,to his brief retirement in the late 1990s, when door-to-door salesmenbecame outmoded by catalogs and the Internet. The depiction of how Porterbecame part of the lives of his customers may feel a little pat, but theportrait of Porter himself--particularly how his persistent independentspirit was also a wall between him and others--is honest and affecting.Also featuring Kyra Sedgwick and the great Helen Mirren as Porter'smother. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (31)

William H. Macy gives the perfomance of a lifetime!
It is hard to believe that William H. Macy did not get an Oscar for his performance in this film. The film tells the real life story of a door-to-door salesman named Bill Porter (Macy) who overcomes his challenges with cerebral palsy in order to become the company's most successful door-to-door salesman. Having overcome physical challenges, the movie shows the human side of Bill Porter as it shows the wall of self-independence he has erected and the friendships he develops, and almost loses, as he allows others who care about him to help him and become a part of his life.

This movie is funny, heart-warming, and endearing thanks to what I consider the best performance from William H. Macy ever. A must see movie!

Patience and Persistence
One doesn't see the classic DOOR TO DOOR salesman anymore. (The occasional youthful hawker of magazine subscriptions or Girl Scout cookies doesn't count.) But for more than 40 years beginning in 1955, Bill Porter walked the same sales route in Oregon for the (real-life) Watkins Company, which sold (and still sells) an esoteric mix of products from laundry soap to dog biscuits to condiments.

Porter was afflicted with cerebral palsy at birth. In this made-for-TV film, Porter (William Macy) explains its cause as the too assiduous application of forceps by the obstetrician who delivered him. As the film opens, Bill is attempting, at age 21, to land his first job as a salesman, the profession of his deceased father. Porter is encouraged and supported by his mother (Helen Mirren), who writes the words "patience" and "persistence" with ketchup on the outside of her son's brown-bag sandwiches after Watkins reluctantly hires the young man. To prove that he can do the job despite his disability, Porter has challenged Watson by offering to take the toughest sales route that nobody else wants. Soon after, Bill's mother begins to suffer the mental impairment that eventually lands her in an assisted care facility. Bill is now on his solitary own.

If it wasn't for Macy's performance, DOOR TO DOOR would just be another of those warm and fuzzy human interest stories that otherwise makes my eyeballs roll for its political correctness. Macy, who's cast in the lead too infrequently, turns in his best performance since FOCUS (2001) - perhaps better. The actor's depiction of Porter's handicap is a pointed reminder of the difficulties to be surmounted by one so afflicted, even including painful isolation from normal, male-female sexual intimacy and romance.

At the end of the film's credits, the audience is made aware of the fact that the real-life Bill Porter has a website. Out of curiosity, I signed onto it and discovered that it's actually a link to Watson's on-line shopping catalog. It left me wondering if I hadn't just been manipulated into watching a lengthy Watson promo. It's that vague feeling of having been conned that causes me to award 4 stars instead of the five otherwise due Macy's brilliant work.

Excellent
William Macy, like no other actor I think, can evoke such feelings of compassion. He is also plays a very likeable developmentally disabled person in this film. Bring a Kleenex box along when you view this movie. As a parent of a severely disabled autistic boy, I felt for the character who was limited in his coping skills but who tried and tried and tried to make his life meaningful and to help others through his job as a traveling salesman. Detractors may say Macy over acts, but I think his character makes a sterling point, that people can overcome their severe disabilities with perseverance and the constancy that evolves from the honesty of the human heart.

A+

Jeffrey McAndrew
author of "Our Brown-Eyed Boy"

Nice Uplifting Movie
This film doesn't aspire to be much more than it is - a simple, well acted movie that follows a very determined man who has cerebal palsy through his life and career and shows how he snuck in touched others lives along the way. The movie is quiet and unfolds slowly. If you are patient, it will grow on you just as Bill Porter slowly grew on his customers. Touching and inpiring.

A MUST WATCH
A must watch movie for all ages. William H.Macey portraits Bill Porter who has C.P. It is about the trials and tribulations he endures every-day . All that he wanted was a sense of belonging. Through his perseverance and determination he gets a job with "Watkins House Hold Products" selling their products door to door. A truly inspirationl account of one man's courage. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A showcase for bright young stars, Inventing the Abbotts aspires to be the kind of 1950s melodrama--like Splendor in the Grass--that was perfected by directors like Elia Kazan and Douglas Sirk. Calling on the strength of his earlier Circle of Friends, Irish director Pat O'Connor brings many of that film's admirable qualities to this similar ensemble piece (set in late-'50s Illinois), but it's held together by looser and weaker threads. And yet this tale of class division and forbidden love is sensitively written and beautifully filmed, highlighted by two young lovers at the center of an interfamilial conflict.

"Alice is the good daughter, Eleanor's the bad one, and I'm the one that just sorta gets off the hook." That's how rich girl Pam Abbott (Liv Tyler) describes herself and her older siblings (Joanna Going and Jennifer Connelly, respectively), whose father made his fortune in manufacturing. Working-class neighbor Jacey Holt (Billy Crudup) has "invented" Mr. Abbott as a villain whose wealth came at the Holts' expense and destroyed the reputation of Jacey's widowed mom (Kathy Baker in a fine but underwritten role). Jacey retaliates by callously bedding each Abbott sister in sequence, but his destructive behavior is countered by younger brother Doug (Joaquin Phoenix), whose love for Pam is sweetly genuine. Memorable scenes abound, and the film's period design is impeccable, but sluggish pacing and filigrees of plot make Inventing the Abbotts a faint echo of its '50s predecessors. The fine cast makes it worthwhile, however, and Michael Keaton's (uncredited) narration adds another layer of retrospective charm. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Things just get dragged out way too slowly in this one
Every once in a while there is a rude reminder that where I live is, relatively speaking, in the backwaters of the country. In 1997 I must have seen the trailer for "Inventing the Abbotts" a half-dozen times, but the film never came here, so I never had to actually decide if I would pay money to see it in a movie theater or not, although clearly I took my time in getting around to finally watching it. Of course, now the cast of "Inventing the Abbotts" is much more recognizable than it was back then, with Jennifer Connolly being an Oscar winner, Joaquin Phoenix an Oscar nominee, Billy Crudup having traded Penny Lane for a case of beer, and Liv Tyler becoming mortal to marry the King of Gondor. But it is not that difficult to think back to when they were relatively known faces.

The greatest strength of this film is the original score by Michael Kamen, which consistently gave scenes and moments of this film a power that was beyond what the script and the actors were providing. The story is about the Abbotts, a rich family in the 1950s living in a small Illinois town with three daughters, and the Holts brothers, Doug (Phoenix" and J.C. (Crudup). The former is the narrator of the tale, while the later is "addicted" to the Abbotts, attempting to blot out a grievance against the family by seducing the daughters. Doug is more fascinated with J.C.'s story than with his own, but it is Doug that is of more interest to us, especially with his affection for young Pamela Abbott (Tyler), which is momentarily forgotten for a while by his lust for Eleanor (Connelly).

Basically this is a film that gives every indication that Doug and Pamela should end up together and be allowed to live as happily every after as their tortured families and histories might allow, but J.C. and his obsession keeps getting in the way. Meanwhile some of the secrets hidden by each family are doled out bit by bit, completing the picture of the animosity that exists between the Abbotts and the Holts. Lloyd Abbott (Will Patton) knows all about marrying into a rich family, and he is not going to allow that to happen with his daughters, but he is just one of several roadblocks that stands between any of these characters and some home of happiness.

One thing for sure is that "Inventing the Abbotts" is set in a slower time. The pacing of the film is slow, the dialogue is spoken in slow and measured terms, the narration is redundant repetitive, and you become convinced we are never going to get to where the film should end because it will slowly grind to a complete halt. If it were not for our affection towards Pamela, Kathy Baker's performance as the boy's mom, and Kamen's score, I might have given up on this film, especially when Eleanor was shipped away by her father as soon as she had given the story some energy. But by that time we learn that J.C. has committed the greatest possible sin against his brother, I was at least ticked off enough to stay around for the end. The fault for this lies with director Pat O'Connor, especially since he showed in his previous effort, "Circle of Friends," that he can breath live into a story. However, he failed to do that here.

Engaging Story, Good Performances
The lives of two brothers living in a small town in Illinois are profoundly affected by an alleged incident which took place even before one of them was born, in "Inventing the Abbotts," directed by Pat O'Connor. The Abbotts are one of the wealthiest, most respected families in Haley, Illinois; Lloyd Abbott (Will Patton) is a successful businessman who, along with his wife, Joan (Barbara Williams), has raised three daughters, the oldest of whom, Alice (Joanna Going), is about to be married, while the youngest, Pamela (Liv Tyler), is about to graduate from high school. The Holts, on the other hand, are from the other side of the tracks, and Helen Holt (Kathy Baker) has had to raise her boys on her own. John (Billy Crudup), the oldest, was two-years-old when his father was killed in an accident, while Helen was pregnant with his brother, Doug (Joaquin Phoenix). There's no mystery about what happened in the accident; the bone of contention concerns what happened afterwards-- at least in the eyes of John, even all these years later as he is about to enter collage.

John and Doug's father, it seems, had been business partners with Lloyd Abbott, but after his death, a patent that Mr. Holt owned somehow ended up in Lloyd Abbott's name, making him a wealthy man, while the Holt's ended up in their current state of affairs-- not exactly poor, but barely making ends meet. And since his youth, John has been fixated with the Abbotts, especially their daughters, and one in particular, Eleanor (Jennifer Connelly). But as with most things involving an obsession, it only put John on a lifelong emotional road to nowhere.

Told from Doug's point of view, the story becomes a lesson in life; when to leave the baggage of things best forgotten behind and move on. Phoenix gives an affecting performance as Doug, who has an on-again-off-again relationship with Pamela, the one sister who is, "Just there," as she says (according to her, Alice is the "good" one, Eleanor the "bad"). He captures that sense of being at an age when uncertainty is the only absolute, and you feel his need to search and seek out that toe-hold on life that is often elusive to the young. There's an understated ring of truth in his portrayal that adds that depth which makes his character credible, and one to whom it is easy to relate.

Crudup delivers, as well, with a performance wound in introspective tension so tightly that there are moments when it seems almost tangible. He carries a burden-- that from which his obsession was born-- and it shows. John has so much going for him (the love of his mother and brother; good looks; intelligence), that watching him suffer so emotionally-- even at arm's length-- is sad to see, especially in light of the fact that it is so unnecessary. Still, some of his actions (especially one late in the film) are intrinsically almost too brutal to forgive; only so much, after all, can be buried amid rationalization. In the end, you feel for him, but only so far; and then you are compelled to do what he could not-- you move on.

As Pamela, Liv Tyler turns in a reserved performance that captures something of that same sense of confusion reflected in Doug's character. A bit more grounded, perhaps, but there is still that "searching" going on within her. Connelly, meanwhile, gets into her role as the"bad" sister with relish, exuding a self-assured sexual tension qualified with just enough restraint to make Eleanor a memorable and effective character. Going does a nice job, also, though by the nature of her character alone, she is bound to be somewhat overshadowed by Tyler and Connelly.

The supporting cast includes Michael Sutton (Steve), Alessandro Nivola (Peter), Shawn Hatosy (Victor) and Michael Keaton as the narrator. An engaging and often poignant drama, "Inventing the Abbotts" puts love, loss and confusion (one might say the mainstays of life) into perspective, and illustrates that how we deal with it all is not necessarily a matter of individual choice. Some, in fact, just may have to invent whatever it is they need to hang onto. At one point in the film, Doug says of his brother, "If the Abbotts hadn't existed, John would've invented them." And maybe that's the way it is; taking life as it comes and dealing with it the best way you know how.

steve
Only reason I saw this film was for Michael Sutton. He plays the character named Steve.
Very good movie!

Good Movie
I saw this movie five years ago when I was in Jamaica. The movie "Inventing the Abbotts" focuses on the typical 1950s family that rose to the American dream of making it big living in the suburbs. The Abbots, a wealthy manufacturing family, maintained the image of family values. Beneath the surface, the older sister had to marry because she was two months pregnant. And the younger sister was a [promiscuous girl] who was sent to a convent. Pam, the middle, is stuck in the middle. She lives between her family's expectations and her love for Doug Holt. Jacey, the older brother, sleeps with the older and younger Abbott sisters to get back at the father for tarnishing the mother's reputation. Doug's love for Pam is unconditional. Pam runs away because she is afraid of what others are thinking.
The movie was a good drama because it gave an in-depth look of America post-WW2. The dream that was supposedly a nightmare for both the elite and the working class. Each is struggling with the self, the community, and society.

A rare acting school for young actors
Few movies I've seen provide, 7 years after its making, a retrospective of great actors and actresses in the make. Just watch the movie and then fish for recent works with each of those young talents.

From Crudup to Joaquin to Tyler to Going to Jenniffer Connelly - what we see in Inventing the Abbotts is an amazing set of performers reaching to stardoom. I believe the film should be classified as mandatory in acting schools.

For the rest, I believe this script is as close to reality as it can get. A small town, a wealthy family, a classic rich/poor idiosyncratic drama, false assumptions which could ruin lives, hard working single parents, young daughters struggling with the coming of age, ... all quite well integrated into a movie which is delightful to see and to call your attention for preemptive judgement.

Joanna Going, Liv Tyler and Jenniffer Connelly are absolutely remarkable and beautiful. Yet the prize goes to Joaquin, for his amazing performance. ... Read more

Reviews (201)

The most poignant film of 1999
In 1985, John Irving penned an American classic about a young man's quest for belonging in the world besieged by World War II and self-doubt. The first script adaptations of the novel would have made for a nine-hour movie but being a daring writer, Irving trimmed it down to two hours of human heart and true nature. The result was one of 1999's biggest hits and a Best Picture Oscar nominee. Tobey Maguire stars as Homer Wells, the central character, who has been reared in an orphanage in rural Maine from infancy by a caring doctor named Wilbur Larch (Michael Caine in his superb Oscar-winning performance). For years, Homer has watched and studied the practices of Dr. Larch on pregnant women who either wanted an abortion or refused their babies. When he sees a chance to leave and explore the world on his own, he takes it and begins a self-quest for his true place in the world. Where he finds it is in the last place one would think, but it makes perfect sense once he discovers the true nature behind it. This touching film made me cry in the theater and it's a shame that not more people were willing to see this picture. It only stayed in theaters for about two weeks at a time. The children will steal your hearts and it is the loving performance from Caine that drives the film to its tearful and redeeming finale. Kathy Baker and Jane Alexander are well-cast as the nurses at the orphanage who stand by Dr. Larch no matter how hard things can get for him and his illegal practices. The film does not promote or demote the act of abortion but rather treats it as just a part of the story...and as a fact of life, that it is a woman's choice. Rachel Portman's beautiful and touching music score will move you to tears. Even though it was nominated for an Oscar, it still should have won. The heart of a film can be in its music and that applies here in every way possible. Caine received a standing ovation at the Oscar show when he won for Best Supporting Actor and spent over half his speech time acknowledging the work of his fellow nominees. John Irving also won for his screenplay adaptation of his own novel, the first time a novelist had ever won for adapting his own work for the silver screen since "Dances With Wolves" won for 1990. Outstanding on every level, this film is the pinnacle of the moviemaking industry for the 20th century, as if to offer hope on life and love and the lessons we need for the future, which would start with the 21st century. Don't pass up on this film. It is one of the greatest achievements from Hollywood in recent years.

A Heavy Subject But Great Acting
THE CIDER HOUSE RULES is a movie that deals with tough questions but does not provide any easy answers. It is based on a novel by John Irving and adapted for the screen by the author.

The story is mostly about life and death at an orphanage in Maine called St. Cloud's before and during World war II. In particular it is about a boy (Tobey Maguire) who is twice rejected by prospective parents and returned to the orphanage. He is then trained by the director (Michael Caine) of St. Cloud's to be his assistant as an obstetrician and gynocologist. With great sadness Maguire leaves St. Cloud's as a young man to see the world and ends up on the Maine coast where he works on an apple farm with migrant workers.

Because of the heavy subject matter the mood is often sombre and some of the incidents involving the orphans seem especially heartbreaking. Tobey Maguire is superb in the leading role as Homer Wells. Michael Caine is excellent as Dr. Wilbur Larch. The rest of the strong supporting cast includes Charlize Theron, Delroy Lindo, Paul Rudd, Erykah Badu and Kate Nelligan. Lasse Hallstrom is known as the director of several other fine films including CHOCOLAT and MY LIFE AS A DOG.

THE CIDER HOUSE RULES won Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor (Michael Caine) and Adapted screenplay. It also received Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Director (Lasse Hallstrom), Editing, Original Score and Art Direction.

Impersonal. Not what you'd expect.
Roger Ebert said it best:

"A larger question remains: Why is there such a muddle about the movie's subject? I left the theater wondering what the movie thought it was about and was unable to say. It's almost deliberately unfocused; it shows us many events without guiding them to add up to anything definite."

I got up from my bed wondering the exact same thing. A movie should never leave you with that big of a question. If it does, it did not accomplish anything, because it is as if it felt it had nothing to accomplish.

I was highly disappointed with this film. It just didn't work on so many levels. Lasse Hallstrome is probably my least favorite major director at the moment. It seems he exists solely for Miramax to hire him so they can produce another accessible --no matter how impersonal-- piece of crap such as this in order to garner Oscars and, in the end, more money.

Many have said it is an important film because it approaches family and abortion. But the family aspect was so sparse it felt non-existent for about 75% of the running time. And the issue of abortion is left at an unfortunately impersonal level, exploring whether or not Tobey McGuire's character Homer finds it moral to use the medical skills his confident Dr. Larch (Michael Caine) has taught him in order to help women with abortion without bringing the issue past Homer himself. It does not ever leave the television screen. You aren't left thinking about whether it is right or wrong, or whether it should be legal or illegal, the woman or man's choice. I would further my point, but I would risk spoiling the film.

I think the only thing I truly enjoyed about the film was Charlize Theron. Otherwise, 'The Cider House Rules' was bland and confused.

Excellent movie, well acted, great story, sad in places.
This adaptation of John Irving's book, features a terrific mix of younger and veteran actors; lead by Michael Caine, Jane Alexander, and Kathy Baker. With Tobey Maguire and Charlize Theron; among others, this movie has a perfect mix of drama, tearjerking emotions, and some very intense moments. While I originally bought the movie for Michael Caine, and to see the lovely Ms. Theron, the story was told well enough and acted well enough to sustain the movie. It is a first rate movie and I'd highly recommend it. I look forward to reading the book (I know it should have been the other way around). The "making of" feature helps to convey what emotions the actors, the director, and others; including Stephen King, of all people, felt in making and seeing the movie. Definitely worth looking at [refers to vhs; but I'm likely to be buying the DVD in future].

Not as good as the book
The book the Cider House rules is one of my favorite books. The movie didn't quite do it justice. Many of the sub plots are missing and the whole general plot is condensed into just one generation. Because of this many of the important themes are lost and Homer's ultimate decision doesn't seem as important or meaningful. Also, it only seems to skim over the love between Dr. larch and Homer; it is much more profound in written words. It would be a good movie if you have never read the book because then you don't realize what you are missing, but I would recommend reading the book instead of watching the movie. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Philip Kaufman's intimate epic about the Mercury astronauts (based on Tom Wolfe's book) was one of the most ambitious and spectacularly exciting movies of the 1980s.It surprised almost everybody by not becoming a smash hit. By all rights, the film should have been every bit the success that Apollo 13 would later become; The Right Stuff is not only just as thrilling, but it is also a bigger and better movie. Combining history (both established and revisionist), grand mythmaking (and myth puncturing), adventure, melodrama, behind-the-scenes dish, spectacular visuals, and a down-to-earth sense of humor, The Right Stuff chronicles NASA's efforts to put a man in orbit. Such an achievement would be the first step toward President Kennedy's goal of reaching the moon, and, perhaps most important of all, would win a crucial public relations/morale victory over the Soviets, who had delivered a stunning blow to American pride by launching Sputnik, the first satellite. The movie contrasts the daring feats of the unsung test pilots--one of whom, Chuck Yeager, embodied more than anyone else the skill and spirit of Wolfe's title--against the heavily publicized (and sanitized) accomplishments of the Mercury astronauts. Through no fault of their own, the spacemen became prisoners of the heroic images the government created for them in order to capture the public's imagination. The casting is inspired; the film features Sam Shepard as the legendary Yeager, Ed Harris as John Glenn, Dennis Quaid as "Gordo" Cooper, Scott Glenn as Alan Shepard, Fred Ward as Gus Grissom, Scott Wilson as Scott Crossfield, and Pamela Reed and Veronica Cartwright are superb in their thankless roles as astronauts' wives. --Jim Emerson ... Read more

Reviews (107)

A CLASSIC
It's great to finally see The Right Stuff appear on DVD as a special-edition. The sound and image quality is awesome, much better than the LD.

This is one of the greatest achievements in film, depicting the birth of the space program. It's difficult to think of anything wrong with the production.

The cast (many of whom at the time were not A-list caliber) is top notch, especially Ed Harris as John Glenn and Sam Shepard as Chuck Yeager.

The beginning, which chronicles the breaking of the sound barrier, is excellent. One particular scene has Yeager staring down the X-1 while on horseback; almost as if two living ceatures are involved in duel. The Oscar-winning score by Bill Conti brings tears to my eyes every time, especially the breaking the sound barrier and the final coda, which ends at Gordo Cooper's historic orbit.

Director Philip Kaufman (just look at his resume; what an incredible career, with Henry and June, Unbearable Lightness of Being and Quills among his films), brings a humanness and respect to his characters, and dots the script with bit of humor and tenderness as well. He depicts the Mercury astronauts as heroes, an aspect that unfortuantely has gone away. These men (and their wives) pushed the envelope to it's capacity, went to the top of the pyramid.

We live in a time in which we no longer look up when a plane passes overhead, where, instead of real people risking their lives to further technology and science, our heroes are born out of comic books or the sports pages.

The Right Stuff is truely a very special film! They don't make 'em like this anymore!

New Stuff
The Right Stuff is Phillip Kauffman's sprawling three-hour epic about the Mercury Space Program. Based on Tom Wolfe's amazing book, the movie is a visual stunner with a top-notch ensemble cast. Sam Sheperd stands out as Chuck Yeager, the first man to break the sound barrier. He portrays Yeager as a cowboy who flies jets instead of riding horses. Mr. Sheperd gives a cool and impressive performance. Ed Harris first sprang to attention with his performance of John Glenn. He gives a gentle and passionate performance and the scenes with his wife (who was hearing-impaired) are touching. Fred Ward gives a blustery and gruff performance as Gus Grissom who appears to be on the verge of cracking after his space launch goes awry. Scott Glenn adds a touch of humor to film as Alan Sheppard the first American in space. Dennis Quaid is brash and cocky as Gordo Cooper. This 20th Anniversary two disc special edition is an immediate upgrade over the original dvd, which was one of the first films to be released in that format. The film is perfectly suited for the dvd landscape and while the picture quality was excellent on the original release, the digital transfer adds depth and scope to the film. The real bonus is the 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound. The film won four Academy Awards and two were for Best Sound and Best Sound Effects and the remastered audio increases the powerful and majestic tones of the film in home viewings. The extras are great for any space program aficionados as there are interviews with the real life astronauts from the film.

well done
Hollywood has mostly ignored one of the most dramatic events of the modern age, the space program. It's been willing to lavish millions on sci-fi and fantasy but has been meager in detailing the real drama. Tom Wolfe's marvelous book has been captured in this film with the same blend of irony, whimsy, humor and real drama.
The astronauts were accidental heroes, men who never expected to be elevated to such a public Olympus. They were never what the PR machine promoted but they got the job done and eventually earned the heroic status they were automatically granted by the propaganda machine of the time.
An interesting film that genuinely manages to distill out the essence of the 'right stuff.'

The Greatest American Epic
The fact that "The Right Stuff" lost the Oscar for best picture to "Terms Of Endearment" is beyond me; this movie should have won. The fact that it wasn't a hit at the box office back in 1983 is also beyond me. We are talking about what I think it's the best American epic in all the sense of the word.
It's strange that a Venezuelan-born like me should talk about a movie like this, but I feel that "The Right Stuff" should have been a classic -well, it is for me. The story of the "Mercury" astronauts is portrayed marvelously by Philip Kaufman's direction, showcased beautifully by Caleb Deschanel's stylish photography, and supported by an incredible cast including Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, Barbara Hershey, Sam Shepard, Pamela Reed, Kim Stanley, and Veronica Cartwright.
In fact, I remember when I was watching that movie at home, and my late father asked me if a man that appeared on the screen was astronaut John Glenn because he looked just like him. Of course I told him he was an actor who was playing his role. That said, it's incredible to see how Ed Harris is perfectly cast as Glenn.
And I don't want to forget one of the reasons why I love this movie, and that's Bill Conti's spectacular music score. Of course it may sound a little like Holst's "The Planets", but I usually weep every time I listen to the main theme.
I'm glad that a special edition DVD of "The Right Stuff" has been released, with fantastic extras that include new interviews with the cast and crew, deleted scenes, and an incredible documentary on John Glenn. I'm also glad about it because I think that this movie should be rightfully appreciated not only because it deals with historical events like the breaking of the sound barrier and the first American astronauts, but also because, as I said before, this is a classic.

FABULOUS
"The Right Stuff", based on Tom Wolfe's book and directed by Phillip Kaufman, was a wonderful American story about the Mercury space program that told the tale of U.S. pilots just brimming with gusto, bravado and...the right stuff.

STEVEN TRAVERS
AUTHOR OF "BARRY BONDS: BASEBALL'S SUPERMAN"
STWRITES@AOL.COM ... Read more

Reviews (6)

There's more 'truth' to be found in an After-School Special
Sorry, this film is best left forgotten. Cornball to the extreme, but without the irony. Ray Liotta and Kathy Baker as romantic interests. It's enough to make you puke in your popcorn. One of the truly worst movie-going experiences of my life. Avoid!

Too true story of Veterans socalled health care
For those who have had close experience with VA Hospitals, this is more nearly a true story than most would imagine. Not every VA hospital is the same, some worse, some better but this movie was brought to my attention by a VA Physician who recommended that everyone see it (and believe it). Discussion with Service Officers across the country bear out the conditions as do reviews by various TV reporters. The movie is compelling with enough comedy to give a little relief and is well worth owning. We wore out our first copy loaning it out.

Unrecognized gem.
Article 99 (Howard Deutch, 1991)

Here's an interesting concept. Take a director whose career is rapidly fading, give him a star whose career is rapidly fading, and stock his film with rising stars. Think you can come up with a saleable product?

You can if you're Howard Deutch (Pretty in Pink) and Kiefer Sutherland (The Lost Boys). Article 99 was the last good film Sutherland made before the dry spell that ended with Dark City; Deutch is still looking for a comeback film. Sutherland is surrounded by then-rising stars who have since become household names, including Ray Liotta (fresh off the success of Goodfellas), Kathy Baker (a year before Picket Fences), Keith David (still best known for playing Childs in Carpenter's 1982 remake of The Thing), and Lynne Thigpen (who, come to think of it, still hasn't gotten the recognition she deserves). Put the lot of them in a VA hospital, as (all except David, who plays a sociopathic-but-likable Vietnam vet) they try to cut through all the red tape and just do their jobs, while the hospital's administrator (John Mahoney, now known as Frasier's dad) tries to hamstring them at every turn. It doesn't sound like a recipe for the kind of comedy Deutch is used to directing, but somehow it all works, with the doctors and the administration battling it out until things go just one step too far, as they usually do in movies. And it still could have fallen flat on its face if not for the very last scene, as the end credits begin rolling. It's a feel-good movie that doesn't allow you to feel good. Now THAT'S an accomplishment. *** 1/2

Extreamly Funny Satire
A great foundation of hilarious comedy by great actors and great casting. Poking fun at the politics of the Vetran's Hospitals. An excelent choice for watching again and again.

Accurately depicts WW2, Korea & Vietnam Vet's medical care.
Article 99 isn't the "action film" which many see it as, nor is it a true comedy. It's more of a satirical parody of what these vets go through when trying to obtain their "guaranteeed lifetime medical benefits". Bearing in mind that Vets of these eras did receive that guarantee in exchange for higher pay rates, it accurately depicts a portions of what these vets have to go through to receive the care FOR WHICH THEY PAID.

Most who have lived through those eras or who are frustrated with the lost promise- similar to a retroactive pay cut have a more precise understanding of the film. Vets of these wars & particularly those who have attempted to access the quality medical care promised them see may be able to view this film as highly accurate. The humor is ingrained in attempting to receive this retroactive benefit promise. The film's very accurate depiction & humor makes it almost sad by illustrating in view of the degradation that the Vet must encounter when trying to access their medical care, when needed.

It also illustrates the low status given to the Vet in attempting to access health care. I suppose if one really wants an accurate feel for this film, they should sit in a VA Hospital clinic reception area for 6-12 hours so as to see a doctor who will refer them to another to see in 2 months, or schedule a test 4 weeks off, with instructions to return to this dr thereafter. The unknowing viewer can walk though the clinic to discover that the Vet who saw the referral doctor and had the test 2 months earlier, will in many cases meet with "lost records" & the need for a rescheduled appointment. By the time of returning to see the origianl Dr., he/ she is usually no longer on rotation at this government hospital. So the Vet must start over from scratch with a brand new dr who knows nothing of him, and can't locate the test results. Of course, by the time these records are located, any negative results have probably caused medical deterioration. Add to this the fact that the Vet's follow up appointment may very often be rescheduled up to 3 months down the road. This IS the reality, which sprouts humor to the "insider".

For the young eager Dr/ resident, he too starts out highly frustrated & often must pull strings to accellerate the Vet's needed care. It's unlikely that one's VA doctor will be around throughout the Vet's entire diagnosis & treatment. So no one really works to assist the patient. This movie may be compared to "The Doctor" in view of a chronically or seriously ill patient who gets frustrated and often gives up attempting to receive the care that is not readily available.

It also can be compared to the legislature's recent desire to control medical care of private patients in order to assure that those not paying are treated.

I perceived the film as highly accurate in it's depiction of treating the Vet as though they were non- paying welfare recipients. In most cases, the doctors are too young to fully understand that these earlier Vets paid for their medical care in the same manner as one pays his medical insurance premium & co-pay's. The difference is that these Vets paid for their medical care by forsaking the pay they were due, and are thus, far from the Welfare spectrum. But permitting welfare recipinets to use these facilities now is another way of cheating the Vet, who now must apply for private insurance & is expected to pay the balances of bills out of pocket... someone must pay for those who expect FREE- NO PAY insurance & open- ended medical care, so the vet is financially penalized. It's not just the taxpayer now; it's the Vet... and he/ she is being cheated.

Perhaps it's a film which is difficult for anyone under 40 to fully understand since many equate the Vet with the welfare patient, and view both as living off the system. The unknowing viewer may also not fully comprehend the delivery of services, which were VERY ACCURATELY deopicted in the film. To understand, they need to accompany the Vet to an appointment at a VA hospital. First of all, it takes anywhere from 1-3 months to get in. Then after a 6- 13 hour delay, sitting in reception areas and losing pay at their jobs, the vet is seen by a young new Dr. He/ she may order tests, a follow- up referral with another department Dr & then a return visit.

Given the average 2-3 letters acknowledging a changed appointment due to overbooking, et al... the Vet often returns to find that the Dr. he saw is no longer at the hospital; the tests done- with no results providrd for 3-4 months are probably in his missing medical file, and the new dept dr. is unaware of the the Vet's medical history, problem or follow-up, so the dr then redoes an initial work up... Very often the Vet is disgruntled with losing 2 full days of pay and being nowhere further then when first coming in months earlier.

On the positive side, the young dr if viewing this film and others of a similar nature may gain some perspective into the the film's true-to-life merits. He may also learn for the first time of these Vets having paid for their medical during their active tour while in service.

I'm not a big Southerland fan, but do likr Leotta; yet the 2 did a good job in their roles here.

I'd recommend the film to 40 y/o plus adults & younger people who are unaware of the promises made to the older vets. These viewers may be able to view this scenario in the same light as accessing medical care which is dictated by a corporate medical group. Perhaps those who have dealt with the frustrations of attempting to access medical care via a HMO/ PPO may have some understanding here; if they have chronic or serious medical problems/ disabilities, their insight may be greater.

Yes, the film has some political overtones; but the VA Healthcare system is controlled by the government & thus politics are at the center focal point. This political influence is moving into private healthcare now, so a better under- standing may exist. In addition, anyone with a serious/ chronic medical condition has probably lived through these similar frustrations.

In sum, I found the film accurate, and unfortunatley predictable for this scenario. Although it's not new, those with some level of understanding of political influences in healthcare may in fact empathize with the vets who have no other options & may then find this film a good one. ... Read more

Reviews (259)

Who Ever THought of This Film was an Insane Genius
Whomever came up with the concept for this film needs very serious mental evaluation; A love story about a guy with scissors for hands? But perhaps we will put that aside for now becasue the movie is simply stupendous. Edward ScissorHands is one of my all time favorite movies, I assume this goes for many others as well, becasue i have never found someone who didnt like this movie. It appeals to the strange geek inside us all who just wants to be accepted for what he is. For an overview of the movie read the summary amazon has provided, i will talk only about the dvd. THe extras are quite neat with commentary tracks, production art, and best of all some old Burton shorts. Vincent is a great clayamtion thing about a kid trying to be vincent price, it reminded me of beetlejuice, visually. Frankenweenie is kinda dumb and boring, but its about a kid who brings his dog back to life. THe image clarity is fantastic, as is the sound on this disc. It has some really cool animated menus too. So go buy it. You might wanna see it first though becasue it is pretty strange. Bottom line is if you like Burton films, you will love this one. (I still have a little trouble seeing that kid from the breakfast club as a bad guy, but whatta gonna do?)

fantastic DVD, even better movie
Edward Scissorhands is quite simply the best fairy tale never told. This is Tim Burton in his eccentric prime, and his presence is palpable in every arena of this beautiful and personal film. The inventive art direction is perhaps the most memorable aspect of that presence, most notably in the pastel palette that covers everything from the ingenius solid-color costumes to the quaint neighborhood/town our characters inhabit.

The genius of this movie is more far-reaching than that. Everything fits seamlessly together--from Danny Elfman's quirky score to Stefan Czapsky's meticulous camera work to an entire cast full of nuanced performances... the list goes on and on. While this film's acting gem is Diane Weist in the role of the sweet and overly altruistic mother, Johnny Depp plays the titular role in a beautifully understated performance. Similarly, Winona Ryder wonderfully (and blondly) embodies young beauty and Alan Arkin turns in a comedic yet touching performance as the sometimes-overbearing father. The ensemble cast is flawless, complementing the quirky but ultimately realistic tone.

Perhaps the best aspect of this movie is that it achieves its goals with amazing subtlety--the overt themes of "being different", family, and (let's not forget) love are constantly driven into cliché these days, but Edward Scissorhands accomplishes it all with a snip, not a stab.

This 10th Anniversary Edition DVD is everything this movie deserves--insightful commentaries from Tim Burton AND Danny Elfman and an interesting featurette, along with the concept art, trailers, TV Spots, and scene selection we've all come to expect. (The Interactive 3-D Menus are priceless!)

This is just one of those positively timeless, life-affirming movies that belongs in everyone's collection.

A true work of art!
This has certainly got to be one of Burton's most imaginative creations. I can't remember a movie be that puzzlling, and yet so interesting and fun. Only Jonny Depp could prouduce such a voice, and performance. And that hair! Well, that was just the final icing on the cake. Let's face it. It's not easy to act the part of a lonly anodroid,and especially one that looked on with curiosity one moment and hated the next. Horror king, Vincint Price does a good job too as Edward's maker. Who is despreat for companionship. I laughed, I cried, then I laughed some more. All in all, this is not that bad of a movie.

A Beautiful Movie
I first saw this movie not so long ago and I fell in love with it. It is a beautiful story with very sad moments as well as exciting ones. Burton and Depp make a great team. This is one of the most moving movies I have ever seen. It tells the story of Edward (Depp), a person created by an inventor (Vincent Price)who passed on just before he had a chance to amputate Edward's scissorhands. Edward lived alone in a castle until sweet-hearted Avon lady Peg Boggs(Dianne Wiest)comes and takes him to her home to live with her family. A must see for Tim Burton fans and anyone who enjoys a magical time watching a movie. I have recently bought this DVD and I love it. I give Edward Scissorhands two big thumbs way up and 100 stars. I hope my review has helped you.

masterpiece
i just realised that "Edward Scissorhands" is one of my favourite films. it has so much power. Tim Burton's storytelling, it is magnificent. his imagination is so great. the way he portrays his characters is so unique. every character is very distinct. like characters in his other works: Jack Skellingon, Ichbod Crane, Edward Bloom, Betelgeuse. now let's talk about the acting. johnny depp was magnificent. you could sense his emotion, even though he barely talks, as he portrays a lost, innocent, confused child. his make-up is excellent too. yes, he does look like a freak. but he looks good. and Winona Ryder. she's such a good actress. and can you say "pretty?" and oh! the set design and cinematography. the use of colour to expose the contrast between the two worlds. the pastel versus the dark castle. and the town! oh my. it is a dreamland. did you know that it is an actual neighborhood in Florida? one more thing. Danny Elfman's score is superb! ... Read more