Reviews (39)

Anti-human allegory
Not everybody will be able to understand and enjoy Lars Von Trier's first film in his "Land of oportunities" trilogy, "Dogville". It is long, unusual, intelligent, sarcastic, strong, tense and even violent, among other things. I'll try to explain these adjectives in the following paragraphs.

"Dogville" is long. Very long. Almost three hours in length, divided in more than ten chapters, showing a young lady, Grace (Nicole Kidman, good as ever) reaching a small and self-centered mountain town, named Dogville. Grace, at first, stirs the sameness in Dogville's citizens' lives, trading shelter and food for a job as a housemaid in the many houses of the village; then, as time goes on, Grace will be the cause of great troubles and disagreement. The viewer must have patience, because the movie is long; it is not, however, boring. Von Trier takes his time and explores all the features he wanted to portrait in his film.

"Dogville" is unusual and intelligent. I'ts unusual because of the setting. The little town of Dogville is nothing but a stage. The many buildings (the houses, the church, the mine, and such) are marked by white paint in the floor of the stage, like a blueprint that we may open atop a table. And that's why the movie is also intelligent; as the buildings have no walls, the viewer is able to see everything that goes "on stage", even if the scene is focused only in one or two characters (but the characters act as if Dogville was a common town, with walls on their houses). This way, the viewer feels almost like in a theater. The viewers are part of the play: they have, somehow, in a distant manner, to interact with the characters on screen. The viewers themselves become citizens of Dogville.

"Dogville" is sarcastic, strong, tense and violent. For sarcasm, the title Von Trier self-imposed to his trilogy: America, land of oportunities. In fact, what happens on Dogville could happen anywhere in the world, for the story deals with selfishness, intollerance, distrust and prejudice, emotions prone to every human being. Von Trier shows that, if the United States want to be the new "center of the world", they will have to deal with their own "ghosts in the closet", before attempting to judge other societies. That's why this is a strong movie: it deals with things that most people are not ready to consider being part of their own self behaviour. It's easy to judge others, but it's hard to accept others judging us, or for us to judge ourselves. "Dogville" is tense and violent (and even ugly) because of how the characters act, and because, while watching the movie, we consider that we may not be so different from the characters at all.

"Dogville" is a very well constructed movie, with an excellent script, great (stereothyped) characters played by effective not-mainstream actors (Paul Bettany, Patricia Clarkson, Stellan Skarsgard, among others) and a provocative direction. One of the great movies of 2003.

Grade 9.4/10

A lot of bite to this movie
I'm glad to see this movie has finally made it on DVD and VHS in the States. It took a long time to do so. Lars von Trier follows up Dancer in the Dark, with an even darker view of small town life in America. In this case, we find a town quite literally at the end of the road, buried in a hollow somewhere in West Virginia, where the denizens are reduced to having to pick up the scraps left behind by others and live out a marginal existence. But, in its midst there is a dreamer, Tom, who at first appears to be the moral bellwether of the community. He tries to convince the community to take in a fugitive, evocatively played by Nicole Kidman, and finds that he has to make certain concessions in order to do so.

This film unfolds on stage in a highly theatrical telling, lending to the story the strong sense of a parable. Von Trier has assembled an impressive cast including old favorites Lauren Bacall and Ben Gazzara. The story builds slowly, with some fascinating twists and turns before reaching its shattering climax. It reminded me a lot of Shirley Jackson's classic story, The Lottery, but seems to owe more to the small town vision of Sinclair Lewis and Thornton Wilder.

I suppose some will be turned off by von Trier's disturbing view of small town life, but this film is masterfully handled, and shows what an accomplished director he is, drawing the most from his actors, in particular Nicole Kidman.

"Are you for us or against us?"
Every so often, a director appears who seems determined to antagonize and challenge his or her audiences. One such filmmaker would be Lars von Trier, the creator of such uncomfortable viewing experiences as "Breaking the Waves" (in which Emily Watson's character had conversations with God and played both roles) and "Dancer in the Dark" (featuring Bjork as a guileless, nearly blind factory worker who winds up on death row, thanks to bad luck and poor communication).

His "Dogville," a parable about how community spirit can either elevate or destroy people, is lengthy chronicle of Depression-era America that's played out entirely on a large, sparsely furnished soundstage. Nicole Kidman, Paul Bettany, Lauren Bacall and others play their scenes not on actual sets, but inside chalk-drawn rectangles meant to symbolize various locations. While Kidman's character Grace Margaret Mulligan talks about finding herself in "a beautiful little town in the midst of magnificent mountains," all the viewer can see is a bunch of scattered chairs, a few wooden arches and a blank white scrim that serves as the backdrop. Locations with such picturesque names as Raccoon Road and Elm Street have no raccoons and no elms to offer.

This is, obviously, at heart a theatrical piece that's heavily dependent on lighting, sound effects and, more than anything else, the passion of the performers to put it over. For many viewers, "Dogville" will be nothing more than a curiosity piece that quickly exhausts the patience; for others, it may be a mind-bending experiment in determining exactly where stagecraft and the art of film can intersect.

It could all have been insufferably pretentious -- and at times, it comes perilously close to being exactly that -- yet the movie does have its own bitter humor, a few vividly etched characters and a kind of offbeat flavor that's admittedly an acquired taste.

Unfolding in nine chapters (plus a prologue), "Dogville" is the story of Grace, a pale young woman who hides behind her dishwater-blonde hair and tries exceedingly hard to please everyone around her, often to her own disadvantage. She stumbles into Dogville (population: approximately 15) after escaping some gangsters and she hopes to find shelter in the backwoodsy hamlet, even though the inhabitants don't seem to have much of anything to spare.

Local philosopher and would-be intellectual Tom Edison (Bettany) takes an immediate interest in the soft-spoken stranger, but most of his fellow Dogvillians (including Patricia Clarkson as a prissy sort, Phillip Baker Hall as a sickly physician, Jeremy Davies as Tom's dopey buddy and Chloe Sevigny as a curly-haired cutie) cast a wary eye in Grace's direction, at least until she volunteers to help out around the place. Suddenly, everyone is quite fond of her -- and why not, when she's willing to work for free? -- and Grace finds herself laboring day and night for mostly thankless bosses. "There's an awful lot to do here in Dogville, considering no one needs help," Grace muses, as she scurries from task to task.

In von Trier's eyes, the residents of Dogville represent not just the stereotypical "ugly Americans," but the very ugliest America has to offer: On the average day, they're merely suspicious, hostile and greedy, but when something really gets them worked up, they're capable of every kind of abhorrent behavior, including the enslavement of the weak and sexual humiliation.

Despite the vaguely 1930s setting, "Dogville" is very clearly designed as a skewering of the jingoistic, anti-foreigner sentiments that swept certain corners of the U.S. in the months following the 9/11 attacks. In the story, the community's happiest times come, not coincidentally, around July 4; not long afterward, circumstances cause most of Grace's new "friends" to turn on her. Even the children Grace has taken care of resort to blackmail to get what they want, as the adults begin barking slogans like, "Are you for us, or against us?"

Kidman, in a performance as emotionally stark as any she's ever given, makes Grace's journey achingly real, even though everything around her is deliberately artificial. Initially, Kidman and von Trier had planned to collaborate on a trilogy of stories following Grace's misadventures, but Kidman has since pulled out of that project. Considering what the director puts her through in "Dogville," it's not hard to guess why she didn't sign up for more.

Priceless lesson.
All angles of Von Trier's genius bursting in this movie have been more or less thoroughly explained in the previous posts. I'd just like to add one thing that wasn't much talked about, yet I thing it was the crown jewel of this movie.

Yes, the movie is a brilliant study of characters and (dark) human nature, but more importantly it gives viewer a priceless lifetime lesson. It displays a battle between moral purity, youthful idealism and unaware-of intellectual arrogance on one hand and pure-and-simple concept of responsibility on the other. It is in fact this battle that squeezes and twists our stomach throughout the whole movie; it is this opposition which, in all its clarity, finally unveils itself in the final dialogue. Intellectual exchange of argument defines the "winner". And leaves the viewer contemplating, speechless in awe.

A masterpiece that raised the bar of cinematographic creativity on a brand new level.

Flawed Masterpiece from Von Trier
I don't want to repeat what a lot of the reviews have said. Yes, Von Trier has done an excellent job, the set was a brilliant choice to film on, and the acting is all excellent. I just wanted to point out a few flaws I felt the film had.

First, it did not have to be 180 minutes long. I understand the long time Von Trier took to introduce us to the town of Dogville, because it made everything that followed in the story more powerful because of the understanding we had for the village and it's characters. However, Von Trier proved his point again, and again, and again. I felt between the two and a half hour point and three hour point that a lot could have been cut. The story lost its fury and steam through that half hour. It felt like rambling, and it could have been condensed in the screenplay to still showcase everything the filmaker wanted to.

Next, one of the reviewers said that critics "pounced" on this film for being anti American and gave it bad reviews. They didn't. Most reivews of Dogville are positive, and those that aren't clearly state problems with the film, and not the anti Americanism in it.

Finally, I felt like Von Trier took all this time, three hours to be exact, to construct this pretty darn good cry out against humanity, and not America, and then after the powerful ending the credits just let me down. I felt like Von Trier took all that time creating this masterpiece, only to side swipe it with a cheap jab at America. Those who say it's not anti American need to review it again. The end credits play over homeless people to the tune of David Bowie's I'm Afraid of AMERICANS. HELLO, thats a big clue people! The film itself is not anit American I believe, but the end credits really let you know what Von Trier thinks. The end creidts also felt like they had no relation to the film. After watching the bare bones scenery, set to classical music, the glam rock Bowie tune did not fit at all. It was cheap, sloppy, and unfortunate that it degraded such a fine piece of cinema. Bad choice Von Trier. It quickly numbed the sting I felt after the actual film ended, instead of letting it stay.

Overall, see this film if you are curious about it. It is a mini masterpiece from Von Trier, but a flawed one at that. ... Read more

Reviews (30)

GRITTY DRAMA
After spending time in prison for auto theft, Leo (Mark Wahlberg), decides it's time to go the straight and narrow.

Returning home from prison, Leo, takes a job at his uncle Frank's (James Caan) company working on contracts with the New York City subway system.

Once on the job, Leo, meets his uncle's top guy (Joaquin Phoenix), and before long, he realizes his uncle is involved with corruption, and payoffs.

"The Yards" is a gritty drama that sports an excellent cast;Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix, Charlize Theron, James Caan, Ellen Burstyn, and Faye Dunaway. Although, slowly paced, the film puts a smart, and interesting spin on big city corruption. Very much a character driven film, "The Yards" will disappoint those looking for fast action. But anyone looking for an intelligent, well acted movie will be pleased with this one.

Nick Gonnella

Who Cares?
Okay so Mark Wahlberg just got out of jail and it is obvious from the lighting and the tone that he will quickly do something that could land him back in the can. But what will it be? His old best friend is Joaquin Phoenix and he usually plays a sordid character and his new uncle is played by James Caan, a nortorious good guy. So how could Walberg find trouble around these guys? Let me kill the suspence...there isn't any.

This movie was trite and boring. On one hand I have no idea how James Gray got this cast on this film. Perhaps they read a different script than the one they actually made the movie out of. On the other hand once they committed to the film the performances were good. Especially from the female supporting actors, Faye Dunaway, Ellen Burstyn, and Charlize Theron. They played the women who had to put up with the men. Wahlberg, a good actor who has picked some bad films, is solid here, as is Phoenix and Caan. I would not totally dissuade people from seeing this film, but this is pretty much a vehicle for someone who has a taste for these performers. I thought it was a yawn.

GRITTY NOIR THAT MOODILY TRIPS ON ITS HACKNEYED LINE
Ten minutes into the film I was drawn into the noirish pace and presentation, and a theme of how inconvenient life is when someone who's tainted as an ex-convict wants to straighten himself out. The feeling of paranoia is well achieved, partly because of the brooding score and very well-toned cinematography.

But what kills the movie is its derivative story -- the strinking semblance to Godfather, City Hall, Heat, James Caan's own The Thief, and about a hundred other crime capers is hard to overlook. To make matters worse, the plot is also sloppily constructed such that it can't resolve itself without losing its grip on the tension that it creates.

James Caan is sharp as he brings his snakey charm into the role, come to think of it, all actors do very well to maintain the general grit, including a power-crazed Joaquin Phoenix and the good-hearted criminal Wahlberg.

But about halfway through the movie the denouement already peeped out, making the rest of the proceedings merely a formality. Probably a decent rental for anyone who likes crime procedurals with family businesses going over the top in tandem with public officials, but not exactly an astounding achievement in cinema.

TRAIN OF THOUGHT
Director James Gray has elicited some marvelous performances from a really eclectic cast: Oscar winners Ellen Burstyn and Faye Dunaway play domestic characters with the professional verve they always bring; Oscar nominees Charlize Theron, James Caan and Joaquin Phoenix are superb in their roles as Wahlberg's cousin, best friend and uncle-in-law; and then we have Mark Wahlberg, Steve Lawrence and Tony Musante rounding out the cast. This is Wahlberg's shining moment; he has none of the macho bravado usually associated with him, and his performance is complex, multi-faceted and courageous. Caan is also brilliant, and someday he'll get the Oscar he deserves. Phoenix also shows great emotional depth in his role as a borderline sociopath. Theron proves that she is not just a pretty face, but a capable and engaging actress. The film's slow pace is in line with the psychological nuances of the film. I'd never heard of it until I saw a trailer on another video. An outstanding film. Highly recommended.

Fascinating character study though clearly not for everyone
Some films simply seem to divide people. The Yards is such a film. As the plot has been hashed over in these reviews many times, I won't go into it. What I will say is that The Yards almost perfectly captures it's subject matter. Everything about the characters, the locations, etc. FEELS like modern day Queens a little bit south of the right side of the tracks.
Mark Wahlberg, as the central character, gives what I think is the performance of his career. The melancholy and regret that he brings to his character, who has recently been released from prison for a stupid, youthful "crime of exhuberance" will draw in anyone who likes getting inside the head of strong, silent characters.

This is a complex psychological drama without a single loud bang or crash, so those who require such pyrotechnics to be entertained will probably be very bored. Having noted that, for those who can slip easily into the rich interplay of about a dozen different perfectly acted characters and into a realistic and fascinating description of one aspect of modern day organized crime, the Yards is a real treat. Every character, no matter how minor, has an arc of their own, and every character, whether ostensibly "good" or "bad" can be understood and sympathized with. Far from black or white, The Yards lives in shades of gray, much like we all do.

Recommended. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

James Caan and Robert Duvall star as a pair of CIA operatives in the Bay Area; when Duvall sells out Caan, he cripples him instead of killing him. But Caan fights back, working himself back into shape and back into service to protect a visiting dignitary who is targeted for assassination. It all leads to a solid shootout and martial-arts battle aboard the mothballed fleet in the North Bay. Economic and spare, this is one of director Sam Peckinpah's lesser efforts, but still features his skillful direction of action scenes. An intriguing cast includes Arthur Hill, Mako, and Bo Hopkins; this may be the only film that features both Burt Young and Gig Young. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (13)

"Give me the gun. I'm gonna shoot him anyway."
This was a good action movie with plenty of bullits and some martial arts mixed in. Caan gave a good performance. Two things kept me from giving this 5 stars. First a scene where Gig Young keeps a nervous Arthur Hill in the office doing paper work is moronic, and second, this movie screamed for a expanded role for a female character. The actress who played Caan's love interest was unattractive and void of talent. When you watch a movie like this you almost have to have some nudity and gratuitous sex to give you a reason to watch it a again and again. Oh well. What did work was the team of Caan, Burt Young, and Bo Hopkins...no one was Rambo but no one was an idiot either.

THE KILLER ELITE
A warped genius of a director sleepwalks this half decent action thriller. You can tell Peckinpah had no enthusiasm making this film, it still boasts some good cheographed action scenes.
For example a great sequence of a botched assaination attempt, mixed with some slow motion martial arts. James Caan and Robert Duval are playing there roles purely for laughs. Watchable but no Straw Dogs.

Easily one of the worst movies ever
If you ever wonder why James Caan, despite being an amazing actor, hasn't had that great a career, this meltdown is a great place to start. Keeping with that theme, Robert Duvall's seems to have survived because he's only actually in about four scenes in the entire movie. I have to hand it to whoever wrote the great blurb on the back of the DVD, because the dubious title alone makes it easy to take a pass on it.

Pass I should have done. Really, the whole idea of this was bad to begin with. The opening credits encompass the guys placing a bomb with children playing in the background, and yet when the thing goes off, the building is actually in a light industrial area with no children around to speak of. Very weird. The purpose of blowing the place seems to be to spirit away some defector with a bad accent, which doesn't make any sense either. The first ten minutes the sound was really badly mixed, so it was hard to tell what they were saying . . . and it got worse from there. Caan gets shot up, then obligatory "invalid recovery" sequence begins, through which I fast-forwarded zestfully. And then I gave up for a couple of days, never intending to finish it, but one gets bored.

Protecting some generically Asian guy was the focus of the rest of the plot, which allowed for some generic ninjas to be introduced into the mix. The ludicrous scenes of ninjas stupidly charging into Uzi fire ensues after a lot of FAST-PACED, BREAK-NECK (yeah right) car chasing and lots of conversation. The heroes even start laughing at the stupidity it at one part, along with the audience.

Bad editing, direction, script, acting, concept, music, etc. Many reasons why nobody's ever hear of it. I wish my local video store would be more discriminating in their selection. This is easily one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Avoid.

Skip This And Watch STRAW DOGS Again
This wretched, utterly boring ninjas-on-the-loose fiasco has all the markings of a lowbudget mid-70's drive-in cheapie--ugly cinematography, incoherent plotting, large body count and comically inept slow motion action set pieces. There are plenty of movies from this era every bit as bad as THE KILLER ELITE but what makes this particular title stand out from the rest of the lowly bunch is that it was directed by Sam Peckinpah, one of America's greatest film artists.

Peckinpah had managed to work a great deal of magic out of similarly banal thriller material a few years before in THE GETAWAY, thanks to his trademark rapid fire editing of some furiously violent suspense sequences; that film also benefited from a typically cool performance from the charismatic Steve McQueen. With ELITE, the director clearly didn't care at all and shot everything as quickly and perfunctorily as possible. He appears to have forgotten even his most rudimentary of cinematic skills, clunkily filming everything with a generic, TV-Movie obviousness. Peckinpah isn't helped at all by James Caan and Robert Duvall, two normally fine and powerful actors who, undoubtedly due to their vaguely defined characters, give frankly dull performances that completely fail to draw us into the proceedings. The end result is a film that is easily tied with CONVOY as Peckinpah's most infuriatingly awful effort; its truly sad seeing such a major talent waste himself away on such utterly substandard rubbish.

Its a real shame that this film would inexplicably get a proper DVD release while absolute masterpieces like THE BALLAD OF CABLE HOGUE, BRING ME THE HEAD OF ALFREDO GARCIA, CROSS OF IRON and PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID continue to languish in the vaults.

Confusing Action Melodrama
It's hard to tell who is after who in this badly edited mess! The only saving grace in this espionage "thriller" about the CIA trying to guard Asian political-exiles are the stars (especially James Caan. If it wasn't for him, I'd give this film only one star!) The dialogue is good, but then, good lines should enhance the story. (What story? This movie is mixed up about it's plot!)

And where did Sam Pekinpah get the ridiculous idea that ninjas would come right out in the open & charge gun-wielding killers, with swords in hand?!! First, if ninjas were still in operational existence, they'd update themselves. (See "You Only Live Twice." This James Bond film has ninjas, with machine guns!) The historical ninjas used guns. (When the Portugese introduced firearms to Japan, ninjas quickly included muskets into their arsenal.) Lastly, ninjas are notorious for ambushing their opponents. (That's why they wear black! It's so they can't be seen at night!) Peckinpah showed Mexican revolutionaries armed with machetes getting the jump on gun-armed, but sleeping, professional killers in "The Wild Bunch." Well, that's how ninjas in historical times would have done it & if Peckinpah had any respect for martial-arts, that's how he should have featured the ninjas: Gun-armed & ambushing, not out in the open & charging!

This was touted as a martial-arts extravaganza, but it's really Peckinpah's sarcastic answer to the '70's martial-arts movie boom. Martial-arts weren't meant to go up against guns, any more than boxing is. Nobody says that boxing is useless! I think Peckinpah was just too drunk to get his research right!

"The Wild Bunch" & "Villa Rides!" are my favorites, but "Killer Elite" is just a waste of time! ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Magnificent
This is perhaps Meg Ryan's best role as she delivers a truly emotionally scarred and self-forgotten Kay. Ryan's portrait of her character is so real it's scary.

Dennis Quaid is also on one of his best performances, though at the end seems a little off, but not by far. Excellent work.

Gwyneth Paltrow is memorable as she blends into the story so naturally and sharply that eventhough her character is vague in the storytelling, she shines like a true star.

James Caan is scary. He acts so naturally that you wonder if the guy is really like that. He is a solid good artist.

Bottom line: everything comes together (acting, story, photography, pauses) to produce a unique and rare jewel of a movie. If you like movies that make you think and reach deep into the soul, you gotta see it (and probably own it, I know I do).

...
What I like so much about "Flesh and Bone" is that it's so unlike most other Thomas Newman scores but it also predates the movies we have came to love like "The Green Mile", "Shawshank Redemption", "American Beauty". Up to that point Thomas had not quite formed a style that we could distiguish him with, that would indentify him with the movies he scores. He beautifully captures the mood and atmosphere with melancholy and sadness and at the same time disturbing and haunting. Not a typical Hollywood score when instruments such as autoharp, bowls, bells, mandolin, marxaphone, bowed string, processed dulcimer, steel guitar, rod and plate assembles, birds, insects and vehicles along with the orchestration are heard. There is a ambience within the music that blends so well with the setting of the movie, the wheat fields of Texas.

uneven, but watchable
This tale of murder and mayhem sat in the backwoods of texas isnt always easy to follow,. For starters, the two lead characters played by then lovers ryan and quaid, seem oddly mis-matched, he like he isnt really into the role at all, and she is just plain not gritty and hardened enough for this film.

James Caan is deliciously evil in this film, and viewers might get a kick out of a younger Gwyneth Paltrow as Caans young girl friend and companion. She has a small semi- nude part as well.

There is a nice shot of her and Mey Ryan out in a wheat field towards the end of the movie with their blone hair waving in the breeze.

But for all it could have been the film just never comes together fully. Still, thats just my opinion you may like it.

Good for "some" occasions, especially if you're a writer.
This music was perfect for the dark film that embodied it, yet, it is not quite the Thomas Newman we've all come to love and admire. I remember watching the film and somewhat becoming enchanted with the score, not knowing it was Newman but having a pretty good guess that it was. After I found out it was him, I decided to buy it(and I see I might have been in the minority on this decision). Word of caution, I could not find a place on the net to sample this music so you'll have to go by the film alone. If I were to compare this score to other Newman films, I'd be hard-pressed to find a suitor. One score that comes to mind is the Green Mile. If you like music that makes you think, tracks #6, #10, #11,#18, #21, and #23 will do. All in all, though, this score is not for those folks who fell in love with other Newman scores like How to Make An American Quilt, Little Women, Fried Green Tomatoes, or Meet Joe Black. It is, to put it plainly, The Green Mile on a very bad day. Even so, I gave it 3 stars because although hard to hear at times, it is very influencial music, especially for a writer like myself who gets inspirtation from music, and this score does just fine for my more morbid writings. If you're brave enough to buy this cd, I wish you luck but don't be surprised if you fall in love with it or throw it in the nearest trash can. It's that kind of score.

Boring & Stupid!
Why are people saying this movie is a thriller? It was so boring and pointless I had to make myself stay and watch it to the end. I'm not going to waste my time and write a detailed account of the movie. I'll just say that it was VERY dissapointing and Gwenyth Paltrow (or however you spell it) is UGLY and OVERRATED! ... Read more

Reviews (32)

Why, Barbra? Why??
This is a disjointed, embarrassing, histrionic hodge-podge of a movie that never comes anywhere near to capturing the magnificent La Streisand's glory days of 'Hello, Dolly!' and the sublime 'Funny Girl'.

There are several reasons for this, though none are to do with the performances given by the leads; Streisand reprising her role as Fanny Brice does what she can with a truly lousy script, ditto James Caan as her hapless second Husband, Billy Rose.

Why 'Funny Girl' fails so badly is the fact that it seems to have had eighteen different writers, producers and directors working on the project at any one time. At one point, early on in the movie, Fanny complains of Rose's show that 'the whole damn thing is overproduced' - ironically, a metaphor for 'Funny Lady' itself. Musical numbers are shockingly produced - 'Clap Hands, Here Comes Charley' looks and sounds like a singer in great pain, while Barbra's showcase songs 'Great Day' (embarrasingly racist) and 'Let's Hear it for Me', while beautifully performed, are hideously shambolic mish-mash affairs of direction and choreography, or lack thereof.

The script, too, is second-rate. Why is Fanny a big bee-yotch all of a sudden? When did the hard-nosed businesswoman come along to replace the sweet, funny Fanny of the previous movie? She's too mercenary now, all shares and profits, and her femininity doesn;t really begin to show until the 'Isn't This Better?' moment (a beautiful song, and an even better performance), but this is towards the film's end, and by that stage we're just plain tired of Bitter Barbra.

Bearing little to no resemblance to its predecessor, 'Funny Lady' is a terribly poorly-produced movie, full of beautiful songs and really awful visuals. Buy the soundtrack instead.

An entertaining album of standards and original songs.
The 1975 sequel to "Funny Girl" in which Barbra Streisand made her screen debut, "Funny Lady" boasts a soundtrack with standards and newly-written tunes by Kander and Ebb. With her voice at its peak, Barbra Streisand interprets this grab-bag of songs with great verve and tenderness, mixing feeling with meaning. Whether Fanny Brice is onstage doing her Yiddish shtick in "Blind Date" or contemplating her emotional relationship with Billy Rose (James Caan) in "Isn't This Better?", the songs hit the right note. What's entertaining about this album is the vividness of the performances not only by Streisand, but also by James Caan and Ben Vereen; the listener can enjoy the songs without having seen the film. If you like melodies, bravura dramatic singing and comedy numbers, this is the album for you! Close your eyes and you'll be back in the good old days when the songs were part of the film's story, not just an excuse for a soundtrack.

ADORABLE! I LOVE IT!!
This is a fabulous movie. I still think "Funny Girl" is better, but I adore this film. One of Ms. Streisand's best! "FIVE STARS!"- Naomi Judd, "Star Search"

"See, Billy, in a tutu, I can be funny."
The 1968 film version of FUNNY GIRL was an absolute masterpiece, and as perfect as a musical-comedy film can be. A sequel to this classic was not something that was ever needed to be made, but since the original was so successful (FUNNY GIRL was the highest-grossing film of 1968) and well-loved, it was pretty obvious why producer Ray Stark wanted to make this follow-up so badly. It took awhile, but he eventually convinced Streisand to sign on and reprise her role as Fanny Brice, with Herbert Ross (who had staged the musical numbers in the original film and had directed Streisand in the box office hit THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT) set to direct. Although the film was generally well-received by most critics and proved to be another big box office hit, many fans of the sweet-natured original did not care for the slightly more harsh and cynical tone of this follow-up, and it has since fallen out of favor with many Streisand fans.

While no film could ever recapture the easy charm and beautiful sentiment of FUNNY GIRL, FUNNY LADY is highly entertaining when viewed on it's own terms. Streisand plays the now-hard-bitten Fanny with a depth and maturity that is very different from her characterization in the first film, but almost equally as stunning. Many viewers often complain that James Caan was badly miscast as Billy Rose. While Caan is physically wrong for the role of the short, unattractive Rose, he still comes across as oddly likable, and he has a nice comic chemistry with Streisand. Roddy McDowell is fun as Fanny's assistant, and veteran hoofer Ben Vereen brings down the house with a incredible, almost gravity-defying dance routine. Omar Shariff also returns for two very effective scenes as Nick Arnstein, the man Fanny will always love, but can't seem to live with.

Though Streisand is in terrific singing voice, the song score is a bit more hit-and-miss. The period standards that Streisand vividly performs (particularly the bittersweet "More Than You Know," the gospel-infused "Great Day," and the heart-wrenching "If I Love Again") are absolutely fantastic, however, the heavily-promoted original songs from Cabaret composers Kander and Ebb are a major disappointment. The intended show-stopper "How Lucky Can You Get" is fine number that is made memorable by Streisand's scorching performance, however, the remainder of the original songs ("Blind Date," "Let's Here It For Me") are pretty forgettable despite Streisand's impassioned vocals. Fortunately, these few mediocre numbers (and the rather predictable narrative) are flaws that are very easy to forgive. No, FUNNY LADY doesn't hold a candle to FNNY GIRL, but the film remains a fun and enjoyable ride that should entertain those who loved the original.

About the DVD: The picture quality is excellent - a bit more edge enhancement than there was the FUNNY GIRL DVD, but still great. The sound is also terrific, but I wish Columbia would have at least included the film's original trailer.

A Worthy and Cruelly Underappreciated Sequel
After reading so many negative reviews of this movie, I was surprised to find that I actually loved it. To refute:

She is bitchy because she has been bruised. Notice upon another rewatching of "Funny Girl" how Fanny slowly but surely learns to cover up her pain and anguish through her constant performativity. Whatever innocence was left in her is gone after Nick walked out the door. "Funny Lady" is a worthy sequel because, psychologically, it starts where the last movie leaves off. Fanny must learn to love again. The reason you don't see "sweet Barbra" until the train sequence is because the movie is ABOUT the re-emergence of the sincere woman.

Pay attention to the kinds of lines the writers of both "Funny Girl" and "Funny Lady" give to Fanny Brice. This is the same woman. Only older. Wiser. More bruised. And to those of you who call the movie "cliché," I wonder if you missed the ending.

Is the movie overproduced? Yes. Is it poorly written? No. I would argue that this movie very nearly merits its original in quality, but because it very sincerely tackles the problems of maturity, the problem of Life After Love, its themes may be too complex for those looking only for another tragic love story.

As someone who knows the power of First Love, I found this movie honest and moving, worthy in nearly every way to its prequel, and though there's not enough room in this space to defend it fully, I count myself among those prepared to do so.

The DVD gets four stars because there are no special features. ... Read more

Reviews (42)

real football action
People have been critical of this film, but I'd like to talk about those of us who have played the game, been in the programs, and know that what this movie portrays is in many respects the truth nowdays in the business of college sports. The football action is some of the best that Hollywood has put on the bigscreen. My friends and I love this film, as it shows what we have lived. We sympothize with even the un-lovable charactors. Latimer does some terrible things in the movie but we know what pressure is like, the injury to the biggest bada$$ on the field hits close to home with any athlete, and keeping ones "edge" is convincing yourself that you are indestructable, invincible. The best football movie out there, still. Whoever says this movie doesn't hit home has never strapped it up and laid hat. Well worth the buy, need more on DVD!

When I was a kid I thought it was good
When I first saw this money when I was in middle school or something I thought it was really good. It's still a good flick but more because it's just funny. Vladimir is just hilarious to me now and I can't see how any grown man takes him seriously. I love how he has barbells under his bed so he can get some curls in after he shoots up -- "No problem!" Personally I didn't like the game scenes but I'm pretty picky -- I did not think they were choregraphed well so if you watch/play a lot of football Omar Epps looks like a pretty bad running back. Other funny moments: Michigans quarterback after they win, "place at the table", just about the whole movie actually. Also the obligatory quarterback-throwback-pass confuses the defense, as usual -- they must not watch football movies! Still that said, it's a good flick, pretty exciting, and most people will like it.

Great Movie For Football Fans
This is an excellent movie for football fans. It is the most realistic football movie I have seen. The Program is a most believable depiction of college football and college life for the players. I played college football and feel that I am hard to impress as far as football movies go. The Program impressed me!

Two Great Movies
The Program is, in my opinion as a former football player, the best football movie of all time. I used to watch it to get worked up for a game. No jokes, no exaggerations, just real college football. True, all the drama is a bit much in one school, but ESU (the college in the movie)acts as a microchosm for all of college football. Very exciting guy flick with just the right amount of romance for the girls. Still though, total guy flick.
Con Air is much the same. Total action guy flick about a prison break on a flight of cons, but with some non-forced romance from the sensitive hero just tryin to get home to see his wife and baby. He was of course, wrongly imprisoned and is on the flight because he made parole.
Rarely can you find a better combo of movies.

Best football movie ever
If you look through the other 39 reviews, the majority are 5 star ratings and that's all you need to know!!

Excellent movie from start to finish. Some hard facts to swallow (steroids, back handers etc...)
But that is the reality of this movie. As a amateur football player here in Ireland,
it thought me alot about team work and especially how to play hard hitting football.
We all watch this great movie before games to pump ourselves up.
It's not just a must see, It's a must BUY!!
Has to be released on DVD soon.

"STARTING DEFENSE- PLACE AT THE TABLE" ... Read more

Description

Charlie Proud is a troubled, hot-headed teen who is offered anultimatum by his school principal, Mr. Dewitt (James Caan) – suspension or work for thetown "crazy lady" So starts the uplifting story of the journey The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie(Gena Rowlands) takes Charlie on through the harvest season in her backyard, wherefriendship and trust are grown. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Saved by Gena Rowlands
This is a fairly common story of a troubled teen coming of age. The problem is, there isn't much for him to come to age to, as there's nothing terribly new or original. In other words, it's a dreaded "retread".

The plotline was weak, and Charlie's (Kevin Zegers) travails with the "bad boys" in the beginning, which were supposed to introduce us to his harsher personality, were silly and unbelievable. Regarding these "bad boys", they looked more like the geeks they were teasing. I wouldn't have been intimidated by any of them in high school, even if I was a Freshman and they were Seniors.

Gena Rowlands saved this film from obscurity, as did Kevin Zegers, though to a lesser extent. He's clearly trying to add depth to his acting career, and that's terrific. There's still some room for him to grow. Gena Rowlands is *always* terrific. Her warmth infected and graced the entire film.

For all it's failings, it was still an emotionally evocative film at times, with one profoundly moving event at the end of the film. And Charlie did experience growth, which helped him put his family back together.

However, that's the biggest problem I had with the film. Without giving anything away, Charlie wasn't the person that needed to put that family back together (regardless of the silly contrivance that was written in to make it seem as such). It was the mother and the father, because both are pretty horrible people on the inside, but all we see is a father played as a typical jerk, and mother played as a typical drunk. Again, nothing fresh or original about their characters.

Truly Moving!
While the storyline is a bit weak and seems scrambled, Gena Rowlands and Kevin Zegers (who plays the troubled teen) are superb! They both light up the screen with powerful, moving character acting that is unlike most films today. As the story plays out, the troubled young man has to struggle with anger and resentment towards his abusive parents all the while trying to find his place in this world and meaning of life. After a series of poor choices and getting caught, his school principal gives him the choice of being expelled from school or to pay penance for his actions by helping out Mrs. Ritchie (Gena Rowlands) and her two metally challenged sons. Mrs. Ritchie turns out to be an ailing old woman who hasn't quite got over her husband (who sometimes makes angelic appearances just at the right moments) who previously died.

As the movie moves forward, both characters learn valuable lessons from each other, and Zegers' character learns how to bring his family back together. While the acting is dynamic, the movie would be a complete flop without Zegers and Rowlands. The storyline isn't real solid and often leaves too many open questions. Yet, the film is well worth watching simply for the sake of watching the two great actors give life to dying characters. Truly one of my new favorites but only because of the acting. Worth seeing!

Excellently Acted
This is a surprisingly emotional and captivating flick. I found this movie to be somewhat cliche at times, but the fact is, I didn't really mind. The simple story and lovable characters drew me in and held me. Gena Rowlands in the title role was, as always, engaging and lovely to watch. The other actors did a fine job as well, but I was particularly intrigued by the rather convincing portrayal of Mrs. Ritchie's mentally challenged son by an unkown actor named Jeremy Raymond. This is a fine movie that can be enjoyed by all, I would strongly encourage everyone to check it out.

A Must for All Libraries
A truly fine movie exploring the problems of teen peer pressure, confusion, identity and the need to belong. Gena Rowlands does an exquisite portrayal of a fine "sage" who indirectly comes to the age of a young man in crisis. Kevin Zegers does a marvelous job portraying the troubled teen who is caought in a lifelong struggle of being honest with those around him. A great FAmily MOvie and a wonderful teaching tool.

Very Moving
This movie is wonderful. Its about a troubled teen with really bad parents who has trouble at school. His principle gets him a job with this old lady called Mrs. Ritchie. If he works for her as her handyman helping her in her garden then he won't get kicked out of school. I won't tell you anymore other than it is very good. Kevin Zegers performance is wonderful and this is a very touching movie. Buy it!! ... Read more

Reviews (38)

IT'S SLIGHTLY BETTER THAN YOU'D THINK
To tell you the truth, I wasn't really expecting too much from this movie, it IS a romantic comedy, but not expecting too much is the best way to not be dissapointed.

Hugh Grant plays an auctioneer who wants to marry his girlfriend played by Jeanne Tripplehorn. The only problem is she wants to protect him from her family, who happen to be mobsters, most notable James Caan.

Hugh Grant's clumsy, stuttering style serves him well here because he is faced with a number of uncomfortable situations. He and Caan do fine work in the movie although Caan's character becomes weaker towards the second half of the movie. Tripplehorn is ok, in a role that only required her to be ok.

The rest of the mobster cliches, I mean cast, are made up of people who at one time or another have been or will be on The Sopranos.

The movie does have some funny moments, like when Caan teaches Grant to talk like a wiseguy, although that wears thin soon. But in the end the movies uneven tone between lighthearted romantic comedy and some violence ultimately keep it from being too memorable

Nice romantic comedy.
This film combines romance, comedy and the Mafia quite well. Hugh Grant is romantically involved with a beautiful girl whose father (James Caan) is a NYC mob figure. She tries to hide it from him, but eventually he finds out and becomes innocently involved with her father and the mob. Enjoyable flick.

IT'S NO "ANALYZE THIS", BUT FUN ROMP THRU A DOOZY SITUATION
Witty theme, darker than you'd expect and with some dead-serious undertones (Burt Young's character, for example, is *scary* without a trace of humor) but this is totally appropriate in context and gives the movie a punch that many comedies lack. Hugh Grant's comic timing took me by surprise, as did Jeanne T's convincing rendition of a mafia don's daughter. James Caan was actually the reason I picked this DVD up and did not regret it. Very worthy spin for an evening if you like atypical comedies in general or mafia comedies in particular.

Hugh Grant Provides Lots of Light-hearted Fun !!!
Whenever I find an unfavorable review for this film it really mystifies me. This is one of my favorite comedies!! Hugh Grant does his usual excellent job since this story serves as a PERFECT vehicle for his familiar cinematic personna. There are definitely some unforgettable scenes here...I'm talking about the botched up marriage proposal of course, and who can forget the part where James Caan has to teach Grant how to talk like a gangster?! There are soooo many laughs-- never a dull moment and a great bargain for such a fun movie! If you like Grant, this DVD is a must have! If you don't, then you cannot recognize a truly charismatic performer when you see one.

Fun.
Another great movie with Hugh Grant. I loved the parody of the mafia mobsters. All the things that are being played out so seriously in films like 'The Godfather', are being parodied in this film. ... Read more

Amazon.com

In Lady in a Cage, Olivia de Havilland plays an aging, wealthywidow who is recuperating from a recent hip operation and is forced to use anelevator to get from one story of her home to the other. While she's headed forthe upper story of the house, a power failure occurs that leaves her stranded in the elevator car 12 feet off the ground. The elevator's alarm bell arouses the curiosity of a passing wino, who comes in and helps himself to the widow's wine cellar. The transient and a friend beginlooting the house until they are one-upped by a trio of feral, neobeatnik thugs (led by a very young James Caan). All the invaders merely ignore the widow's pleas for help as they toss her house in an orgy of violence. The thugs torture and kill the wino and hold his friend hostage along with the widow, until the tables are turned on them once again. For 1964, this is a surprisingly harsh and overwrought movie, easily 10 or 15 years ahead of its time; its nasty view of human nature and graphic violence led to its being banned in Britain entirely. James Caan, in his second movie role, is chillingly convincing as the pack leader whose violent streak comes as casually as, say, tying his shoelaces. Fans of Paul Schrader, Scorsese,or Tarantino films should especially take notice: Lady in a Cage is a nerve-racking viewing experience, one that still packs a noxious punch, with anending that's a real jaw-dropper. --Jerry Renshaw ... Read more

Reviews (30)

Intense Campy Fun
I love this movie.It's sort of like a whacked-out version of "Panic Room."The DVD presentation looks very good.But come on Paramount, when are you going to start living up to the standards set by Warner Bros.?This film is crying out for a campy commentary, or a featurette, a trailer, something.We are all glad that this is finally available on DVD at a resonable price and that it looks so darn good, but start including Enhanced Content on your DVD releases.Please!!!

LADY IN A CAGE - One of the great camp shockers of the 60's
At least four films deserve to be enshrined in the "camp shocker" hall of fame:"Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" (Davis and Crawford), "Die! Die! My Darling" (Tallulah Bankhead), "Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte" (Davis and De Havilland), and the just-released-on-DVD, "Lady in a Cage," with Olivia de Havilland. The cage is a private, in-home elevator. De Havilland is trapped between floors during a power outage, and a number of low-life characters enter her home to steal, terrorize and make our caged lady's life a living hell. The young James Caan is one of the really bad guys, and the wonderful Ann Southern is one of the exploiters who ends up being terrorized by Caan and company.The titles are 60's brilliant and the film score does the suspense proud. De Havilland is over-the-top hammy in many scenes and quite good in others;that's the beauty of these shockers when they have serious performers of a certain age and era doing a little Grand Guinol number. This one runs a tight 94 minutes and the time really flies, which is a tribute to the skill of director Walter Grauman. Here's a wonderful black and white camp shocker that is quite creepy in retrospect. De Havilland, who is around 88 today, is the only surviving female lead of the four films I mentioned above. I would have loved to see Davis, Crawford, Bankhead and De Havilland on Inside the Actor's Studio discussing these masterpieces of the macabre, because they truly don't make actresses or films like these any longer. Give "Lady in a Cage" a try.You'll be glad you did.

HOLIDAYOFTERROR.....
On a sweltering July 4th, a careless power failure traps a wealthy woman recovering from a broken hip in her home elevator. Her son has just left for the holiday and when she sounds the alarm, she unwittingly summons the scum of the earth as the town celebrates outside. First a wino gets in eager to rob her house and sell the goods to a fence, then he brings his hooker friend in to help him stay sober long enough to pull off the job. But three psycho hoods crash the party and terrorize everyone while the trapped woman is forced to watch helplessly. Olivia de Havilland plays the woman at the mercy of mindless thugs James Caan, Rafael Campos and a spaced out Jennifer Billingsly. Jeff Corey is the wino and Ann Sothern is the hooker. All are excellent in this truly gripping suspense thriller. As if watching the mayhem weren't enough, a letter from her son is found by the thugs and read aloud---revealing the true nature of their relationship as Caan mercilessly taunts her with it. Strong stuff from 1964 and surprisingly rough. Filmed in b&w, this just adds to the starkness of the story which takes place in bright daylight. As much a commentary on the dehumanization of society as a thriller, one watches as the animals run amok and the human is caged. The ending is pretty graphic for the time as well.Worth watching and very recommended.

Suspense and surprise
I love this movie. I discovered it on t.v. at 3 am back in the early 90's.

If you like Olivia DeHavilland and James Caan(a young), and love suspense movies this is a great movie.

I can't wait to add this to my dvd collection.

This movie is about an old lady that has to use an elevator to get up and down her stairs. She has a slight problem when the elevator gets stuck and is unable to get anyone's attention that will help. All she gets is some unwelcome help. If you enjoyed 'Whatever Happened to Baby Jane', 'Single White Female' or 'Hand that Rocks the Cradle', this is the movie for you.

All Olivia DeHavilland fans should also watch the movie that one her an Oscar, 'The Heiress'.

Why is it so hard to find some of these movies on dvd?

The ultimate Late Night Movie ! ! !
I love this film... On one hand its quite brilliantly done... on the other hand, its morbidly sick and twisted. It is both a classic thriller, yet campy at the same time too - - ... and although the "angry juvenile deliquent", "slobbering whino", "'50s mother" and "knife wielding latino" stereotypes date it ridiculously, the disonant music and camera shots and music turn a "Donna Reed" house into the ultimate modern world gone mad... Clever "Ed Woodian" type use of stock footage, mixed in with some interesting camera shots and catchy dialogue make this a highly under-rated cult classic... The opening, seemingly disjointed sequences also let you know you're in for something quite different, though by the end they all pull together... though I missed that point the first few times I saw the film.- - Bizarre at times, yet told with the coolness of an Alfred Hitchcock film (or atleast an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents" or "the Twilight Zone") this is one film that can endureendless rewatches.... I LOVE IT !

If you like this film, one other immediately comes to mind : Whatever Happened to Baby Jane ! ! ! ... Read more

Amazon.com

For Ursula Le Guin's devoted following, the 2002 remake of the 1980 film based on her novel may not be the stuff dreams are made of. This new adaptation omits some of the original's most memorable developments (the racially equalized "grays" and the alien invasion). Lucas Haas stars as George Orr, a "little lost boy" haunted by his dreams, which, he claims, alter the present unbeknownst to anyone but him. James Caan (more menacing than was Kevin Conway in the original) costars as the self-promoting Dr. Haber, the therapist assigned to treat the suicidal young man. This "very productive relationship" most benefits Haber, who attempts to manufacture George's dreams "to fit some useful function." The requisite unforeseen consequences ensue. Lisa Bonet is ravishing, but less impressive as George's skeptical public defender who may be the girl of his dreams. The foreboding mood is enhanced by Angelo Badalamenti's score, which recalls his haunting work on Twin Peaks. --Donald Liebenson ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Worse than video!
Where do I begin. Let's start with the sound quality. If your listening through headphones, don't bother using the left earcup, there's nothing there. The right cup is filled with overpowering analog hiss. I could barely hear the dialog. It's not letterboxed or widescreened, it's full screened, or rather left hand justified. If there is any action where the camera has to move quickly to follow it (and there is), the pixils rudely take over. What a mess. If you're a hardcore Caan fan, perhaps you'll suffer through this. The majority of the movie is narrated by some 35 year old woman attempting an 89 yr. old voice. How does it end? I don't know. At around 23 minutes, my DVD crapped out and my player was audibly struggling to find a track. The only difference between this DVD and my DVD of "Boy in the plastic bubble" is "Bubble" at least played till the end. I just started a new catagory on my DVD shelf. The trash can right next to it.

OLDIE BUT GOODIE
A wronged Indian women and a framed cowboy take their revenge on a small corrupt town, razing it overnight. Absolutely, payback time on the range! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Jane Fonda's acting is really Watchable
The script seems to come apart during the later part of this movie. The time frame also seems to be a bit mixed up. The layout of the plots should be in early 1900s instead of 1945, before the WWI instead of WWII. Jane Fonda's acting is a totally blow-away, very natural and realistic. James Caan actually looks pretty vague in this movie but a very likable person. Ranching scenes are wonderfully done but showed you how tough the life on the ranch could be. Watchable, but not great at all.

Dark and hauting western.very underated
This is another fine example of a very underated film release during late 70s ,starring the legendary James Caan , the always superb Jane Fonda and jason Robard in a truly great villian role.They dont make this kind of film anymore.Buy the DVD and judge yourself.Dont expect to see a slam bang action western,there is a fist fight and gun fight but fast and stylishly done by the director.A cinematic masterpiece

Compromises some Performances
An okay movie that could have been a great one. Certainly, the cast is not to be faulted. "Julia" co-stars and co-Oscar nominees Jane Fonda and Jason Robards again ignite sparks as cattle ranchers battling nature, economic changes, and - most notably - each other in the closing years of World War II; James Caan offers one of his most sensitively understated performances as the newcomer who becomes embroiled in their conflict. And the supporting cast is beyond reproach. There's fine work from stage and screen veteran George Grizzard, Jim Davis (Jock Ewing on TV's "Dallas), and Mark Harmon; and a particularly touching performance by the marvelous Richard Farnsworth as Fonda's aging sidekick and former mentor. Other big plusses are some gorgeous locations and stunning set decorations, all beautifully photographed by cinematographer Gordon Willis.

Now ... if only the film editor had been more alert! Because Willis' breathtaking camerawork eventually turns out to be a near-fatal liability in the wrong hands. There are many instances in which the film needs to cut to a series of close-ups or at least a medium shot of the actors so that the audience can stay connected to the human drama; however, the editor remains resolutely focused on the grandeur of the scenery, leaving the viewer emotionally distant and uninvolved. This problem is compounded by the inappropriateness of Michael Small's musical score. Too often the music seems to be desperately competing for the viewer's attention, always at the expense of the actors and the screenplay. Halfway into the two-hour running time, the unrelentingly majestic visual and aural backgounds were becoming annoying irritations; before the closing credits they had developed into full-fledged nuisances.

On balance, I have to admit that the film is worth a look ... especially in the widescreen format offered on the DVD release. The disc includes the Original Theatrical Trailer (which, by the way, does offer some great editing!), and a very high quality film-to-video transfer with clear, crisp sound. If only the film could be recut and rescored, then reissued as a "Director's Special Edition". Unquestionably, there's a pony buried somewhere underneath this mess! **-1/2 stars

A Western Movie Collectors Dream
This is an ideal movie for home theatre. I grew up on a working ranch and Richard Farnsworth, James Caan and Jane Fonda are totally convincing as cowboys and cowgirl. Jason Robards is utterly evil in this movie. I've liked them all in several other movies but none are as good as this one. The breathtaking backdrop and a really well written story combined with an excellent array of talent makes this one of the treasures of my western collection. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A total waste of time....
If I could give this movie a -1 star rating I would emphatically do so.

With a poorly written script, mediocre acting (not the least of which is James Caan doggedly referring to sailors as "soldiers"), inacurate uniform details and an amazingly incompetent misportrayal of both Clayton Hartwig and Kendall Truitt this is easily the worst movie I have ever seen.

I have often watched "real life dramas" made into movies and wondered how much is true and how much is "Hollywood". Well - I can say with absolute certainty and first hand experience that this movie is 99% Hollywood and 1% Truth.

If you really want to know about what happened aboard the USS Iowa and why it may have happened you are much better off reading the book, "A Glimpse of Hell" (which still has its faults and problems, of course) and forgetting about this farce of a movie.

Who am I? I am GMG3 Kendall Truitt's ex-wife and I lived this movie. Take my word for it - this movie stinks!

Very Good
A very good movie overall. An outstanding view of men standing up for what they believe in the face of those that would oppose them and ruin their careers.

James Caan turns in a fine performance as the Captain of the USS Iowa and Robert Sean Leonard another fine performance as the ensign that sometimes opposes the Captain and questions the Navy, even though his father is a Navy legend. These two strong personalities clash over the explosion on the Iowa and its causes.

The men of the Iowa have their own ideas of how to impress the Captain, who is on a career upswing, possibly the next Admiral and they hope to ride his coat tails. The mixture of their ideas and the Captains seeming aloofsness to his men make for a disaster when while trying to stretch the limit of the machinery a gun turret explodes. Many men die but the Navy seems content to brush it under the rug.

But the question remains, was it a horrible accident or a dereliction of duty. The facts presented here weigh in on both sides of the argument. What is the final choice? What happens when the brass get involved? Will they find a scapegoat? Will they hold someone accountable? Or will they use the faulty machinery excuse? Was there a cover-up? A whitewash? Or does the Navy tell you the truth?

Watch this excellent movie to find out.

A dramatization of the mysterious explosion on the USS Iowa
Told from the point of view of a young ensign on the ship, it attempts to show that the Iowa was a dilapidated ship whose command structure was ignorant of anything except self-promotion. Fearing that newer high-tech gadgets would make its own guns obsolete, the gunners take increasing risks in an effort to come up with more spectacular results. Possibly they took one risk to many or possibly there was a mechanical failure but something went tragically wrong and killed 47 people. To this day there are many unanswered questions about the incident.

I did not find this movie to have any spirit, nor did it succeed in showing any new plausible theory about how the accident happened or why the Navy would think that a cover-up would be in its best interests.

There were no special features on the DVD of note. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

aka "VIVA LAS NOWHERE"
Frank Jacobs (Daniel Stern) is not the most fortunate guy in the world. A struggling songwriter who is married to a borderline psycho Helen(Patricia Richardson) and operating a run down hotel in the middle of nowhere; Frank's existance seems to be a perpetual dead end. But he soon sees an opprtunity to reverse his bad fortune when at the local nightclub he meets a country western singer, Julie (Lacey Kohl) who is married to a has-been music star named Roy (James Caan). Frank sees Julie as the perfect opportunity to get his songs published. Roy is none too pleased at his wife for this and this leads to them having an argument, which ends up with Frank offering to let Julie stay at his place for the night. As you'd have guessed by now, Helen flips her wig at this so in a fit of rage Frank kills her and buries her in his garden, then sets off with Julie to seek fame and fortune. But nothing goes as planned; although the blood and bone fertiliser of the human kind is doing wonders for Frank's tomatoes...
Also known as VIVA LAS NOWHERE, DEAD SIMPLE is a cliched movie directed by Jason Bloom; who made BIO-DOME, one of the most moronic and excruciating movies ever made. This is an improvement. But unfortunately this black comedy thriller coasts for a while on the power of its stars, then limps towards the finish line in the final act. Worst of all, there's plenty of godawful country western music; which gives the DEAD SIMPLE special appeal for backwoods hicks, rednecks and slack-jawed yokels. The good cast is wasted, and DEAD SIMPLE is further proof that James Caan's career is sinking further into direct-to-video hell, no matter how good an actor he is. DVD also includes the trailer.

Goofball noir
This film is a real puzzler. It's meant to be a comic noir but the elements don't completely mesh. Is there a femme fatale? Yes. Is there an innocent man caught up in noir circumstances? Yes. Is there actual comedy? Yes. So what's wrong?

For those who really love noir, the problem is that the stakes are just not high enough. This is more like an American, winking-an-eye-at-you-because-you-know-none-of-this-is-serious-anyway noir. It's cartoon noir. The acting is OK. James Caan is OK. Daniel Stern is OK. And so on. But it's all so superficial it just kind of goes by and then, poof, the movie's over.

Both comedy and noir work best when the stakes are high enough to cause the main character(s) to undergo a serious change in attitude or lifestyle, etc. For example, in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, a great comedy, Steve Martin undergoes a radical change when he submits to Michael Caine's tutelage. In Double Indemnity, a great noir, Fred MacMurray undergoes a dramatic change when he falls under the spell of Barbara Stanwyck.

But here in Dead Simple, there just isn't that kind of intense need for our hero, played by Daniel Stern, to undergo any real transformation at all. There are some funny scenes--excellent black humor--involving corpses in the garden of an isolated motel, (hence the three stars), but nobody really has much to lose.

This is slacker noir. Even James Caan doesn't have a whole lot to do except flip his huge ponytail back and forth a few times. He's been in other indie films that make MUCH better use of his talent; for a great example of this, see Flesh and Bone where he has a great script to work with and turns in a smashingly good performance.

Yes, the hero falls for the femme fatale. But that doesn't last long enough to mean anything. Yes, there are murders, but they're really "so what" deaths. The presence of twin Patricia Richardsons is another OK element that doesn't really add much to the mix. Throw in the desire for country singing stardom and you can possibly see what a goofball noir this is.

Could have been a whole lot better.

Julian from ?
Great film. Daniel is great. great comedy, thriller very suspensful. james Caan is great also

I REALLY enjoyed the film
I'm a fan of noir in general and of comic noir in particular, so it won't surprise you that I REALLY enjoyed the film. Im fact, I really can't think of any recent direct-to-video release that I've liked more. I rented the video on a flier, mostly because of the cast. The core of the film is the plot twists, which work exceptionally well - I had to stop the video twice (when the wife is shot and for the electrocution scene) just to catch my breath. The obvious comparison is with the Coen Brothers work, but I was also reminded of WILD THINGS and CLAY PIGEONS. It's beyond a crime that utterly worthless crud like TOMCATS and RUSH HOUR II makes it to the multiplex and this film is relegated to a video only release. It would easily make my top ten of the year - and I'm a pretty mainstream person with tastes pretty much the same as people like Roger Ebert. I'll recommend it to all my friends and keep my eyes peeled for the director's next release. Oh, and the music is actually good - good enough to stand on its own -- and I'm not a big country fan. Overall: BRAVO! And thanks! ... Read more