Amazon.com essential video

From the moment that Prince Eric's ship emerged from the fog in the opening credits it was apparent that Disney had somehow, suddenly recaptured that "magic" that had been dormant for thirty years. In the tale of a headstrong young mermaid who yearns to "spend a day, warm on the sand," Ariel trades her voice to Ursula, the Sea Witch (classically voiced by Pat Carroll), for a pair of legs. Ariel can only succeed if she receives true love's kiss in a few day's time and she needs all the help she can from a singing crab named Sebastian, a loudmouth seagull, and a flounder. The lyrics and music by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken are top form: witty and relevant, and they advance the story (go on, hum a few bars of "Under the Sea"). Mermaid put animation back on the studio's "to do" list and was responsible for ushering Beauty and the Beast to theaters. A modern Disney classic. --Keith Simanton ... Read more

Reviews (136)

One of Disney's best!
This movie amazes me every time that I see it. Some of the Disney cartoon movies that are being churned out today are okay but not as good as movies like The Little Mermaid. It is such a beautiful movie and so tastefully done. I truly believe it's a movie for the young and the young at heart. It's all about falling in love and doing anything for the person that you love even risking your own life. The songs really touch my heart, the characters are so funny, sweet and lovable from Flounder the dumb and sweet fish to Sebastian the funny and witty crab to Scuttle the absentminded and crazy seagull. Ariel the mermaid kind of reminds me of what almost every young teenage girl is like, headstrong and just wanting to go out and follow her own dreams and having to grow up with a loving, but very overprotective and strict father and going against the schemes and plots of the evil Ursula but in the end after overcoming all the obstacles finally being with her true love forever. It is just a beautiful story and ever since I saw it when it first came out in the theatres with my mother it has grown on me and I have loved and cherished this movie ever since. The songs are everything from upbeat to romantic and the actors/actresses picked to do the voices for the characters are so talented and are just made for the parts. I fell in love with this movie and the characters in it in 1989 and am still in love with it today. The Little Mermaid: being transported from real life into the beautiful underworld of the ocean filled with mermaids/mermen, fish, and many more made me want to be "part of that world"

A true five star film.
I enjoy reviewing movies here on Amazon.com. I am pretty critical so I rarely give out five star reviews because I feel there are so few movies that really deserve a perfect score. However, Walt Disney's "The Little Mermaid" is such a film- a genuine, good hearted, crowdpleasing, five star artistic and entertainment masterpiece! I can't think of anything wrong with this movie. The animation was groundbreaking when it was first released, and it is still pretty stellar. The charactizations were perfect. Is there a more winning heroine in Disney's lexicon than Ariel? Who among Disney's villains can rival the dastardly and cunning Ursula the Sea Witch? The story, reworked from the Hans Christian Anderson classic, is heartwarming, romantic, and inspiring. And the music? Personally, I believe the music for "The Little Mermaid" to be quite simply the best ever written for a Disney movie, and the songs "Part of Your World," "Under the Sea," and "Kiss the Girl," rank among the best songs written for ANY movie.

I guess it's obvious that I really love this film. Therefore, it's ironic that when it was first released in 1989 I didn't even think of going to see it in the theaters. Afterall, I was 18 and Disney movies were for kids. It wasn't until my parents purchased the video for my younger siblings that I first saw this masterpiece and fell in love with it. It now ranks among my favorite movies. Over the years I've gotten some ribbing from friends over my attachment to this movie, but I don't care. A great movie is a great movie regardless if it is a animated feature or not, and "The Little Mermaid" is a great movie!

Disappointing DVD Transfer
save your $ on ebay auctions and wait for the platinum series release. this version's sound is excellent (dolby 5.1), but the bland/dull colors is a big disappointment. poor visibility, below average clarity and very dark throughout the entire movie. i've seen better second generation VHS recordings. this being a classic Disney release, it deserves a new high definition transfer like Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King (outstanding DVD's).

One of my all time favourites
This is one of the only Disney movies almost everybody loves. The reason? The storyline! It's a perfect movie. Ariel is a mermaid who falls in love with a human and wants to be one, Ursula is the evil octopus that transforms her while King Triton worries madly about his daughter's where-abouts. Prince Eric is Ariel's love interest, this is a very romantic movie and it will have you almost crying because it's so sweet.
Ariel's friends include flounder, a crab (Sebastian) and a seagul who make up interesting yet funny stories on the where-abouts of Ariel. In all, this is a beautiful tale and it's a definite MUST OWN.

Nostalgia
There was once a time in Disney History when the term "That movie underwater" didn't bring to mind a forgetfull blue tang, but rather a Jamacian Crustacian bellowing "Unda' Da' Sea!".

Now many people will argue that this is infact a Disney Classic, while others will argue it was just a mediocre effort. I however, am not sure where I stand on this film.

The Little Mermaid, the film that ended Disneys 80's menu, and as also one of the last to be based on a classic tale, is about a little mermaid, (Obviously) who, against her father King Tritents warnings, frequently goes above water, collecting human things (forks, mirrors, pipes etc.) She soon "Meets" a Prince, and falls in love, also against her fathers wishes. Add in a villian, and some funny side characters and you've got "The Little Mermaid".

This film dosen't do it for me, sadly. Because I've rarely watched it as a child, it has no nostalgia value, the back-bone for why I watch and love Disney Films. The animation is so-so, and the story isn't very strong. I sugest you rent this movie if you haven't already seen it, and then decide for yourself if you really want. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The 1987 debut season of the wildly popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' first animated TV series finally arrives in its entirety on this single disc. And while it's a pleasure to have these long-unavailable episodes in DVD format, the set's lackluster presentation and paltry extras also make it a disappointment for those hoping for a more expansive release. Volume One contains the five-episode "miniseries" that comprised the debut season and explained the Turtles' origins; the episodes are presented with opening and closing credits, though offered as single chapters on the disc. The "bonus" material is four episodes from the series' tenth and final season, which were largely unseen in the U.S. (though some U.K. viewers may have caught them). While interesting from a completist perspective, their inclusion clashes somewhat with the first-season episodes, as the series' look and tone had changed considerably by this point. And when combined with the disc's overall lack of quality picture and sound (video masters appear to have been used), Volume One represents something of a missed opportunity for TMNT fans; however, having the first season on a single disc may be an acceptable trade. --Paul Gaita ... Read more

Reviews (37)

at last! the original series on DVD!
This DVD is a must have for anyone who watched the TMNT in the 80'es!!!

At last, fans in Denmark can now also watch this great cartoon as it was ment to be seen! Our Danish public service station over here, TV2, aired the show around the same time as it ran in the UK, and unfortunatlly we also had to put up with the terrible versions of all of the episodes! All the need stuff and the word ninja was edited out in each and every one of them, and "the teenage mutant ninja turtles" were renamed "the teenage mutant hero turtles", terrible! and the only glimpses we got from the first season was the 72 minute cut version "how it all began"!

With this DVD release though, we can now enjoy this first season in it's full length with opening and end-credits included just like they should be!!

Sound and picture quality is great, although it annoys me a bit that the navigation menue does not include any animated secments or tmnt-theme music. Just the humm from my DVD-drive! Another thing which is not that great, is the inclusion of the bonus episodes. They should have waited to release these on the correct season dvd in the correct order!

The reason why I am giving this title five stars anyway, is the great version we're getting of the original five parter miniseries, really great!! Hopefully Artisan will release the intire series on DVD in the near future!!

Childhood Memories
More than 2 years ago i started thinking about the Turtles, and how i could watch them again. After trying to download some episodes on Kazaa, which never worked for some reason, i logged onto Amazon.com and, by coincidence, the original Ninja Turtles cartoon set had been released for only 2 days!

So far i have watched the first episode, looking at the animation and hearing the voices it is not entirely as i remembered it, you can see the show has aged compared to the latest cartoons of today. But this series for me is the memories of running home off the schoolbus to get home in time to see the show at 3:30pm. This show i am sure, will not appeal to the kids of today, but people of my age will fall in love with the turtles once again!

5 stars for the 5 original episodes
0 stars for the Bonus 4 episodes that i had a quick peek, ridiculous!!

teenage mutant ninja turtles rule !!!
the first 5 episodes are great but one thing bad is that they should've made the bonus episodes like one from season 8 called REVENGE OF THE FLY(last appearences of baxter the fly which he goes mad on revenge n turns every one in the city into mutant insects like himself). They also should put (turtles trek episode for bonus to cuz that's the last regular episode of long time enemy shredder where the technodrome gets destoryed)...

MY favorit teenage mutant ninja turtles character which is one of the bad guys is BAXTER STOCKMAN the fly, unfortionally they don't show him as a fly on DVD.

I already have a tons of ninja turtles VHS tapes, but I search though the whole tire internet an can't find REVENGE OF THE FLY, and TURTLES TREK episodes to buy or down load.

turtles trek is one season 9 on tmnt series.

But it was nice of them to put dregg on bonus episodes cuz I like him to, but I'm still dissappointed cuz there's alot of old skool ninja turtles episodes out there that I want to see, defenly the 2 I listed.

The new ninja turtles on fox 25 is a good show but not near as good as the old skool ninja turtles that I grew up watching.

3rd time reviewing it: clearing things up
OK, after reading some of the reviews that have been posted since my last one, I feel obligated to clear a few things up.

First and foremost, to anybody who keeps referring to this as the "original" TMNT: this cartoon series was NOT the first incarnation of the turtles! TMNT started out as a black-and-white, PG-13 rated comic book series created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman in 1984, 3 years before the original cartoon ever premiered. It was definitely NOT something for young kids to look at due to the amount of violence and general content of it, plus ALL the turtles wore red in that one, not just Raphael; the only reason they have different colored bandanas in the cartoon was so children could distinguish who was who. It was this series that about 90% of the first movie and the current cartoon are based off of.

Next, for those who are totally confused about Dregg: Dregg is an alien, meaning he's not from Dimension X. He's in no way connected to Shredder and Krang other than when he pulled them out of Dimension X in the hope that they could help him defeat the turtles in a 3-episode story arc in the last season of the cartoon. He didn't totally come out of the blue either; in the first episode of season 9, "The Unknown Ninja", Dregg makes his debut when his ship (the Dreggnaut) enters our solar system. He's a fugitive of war and trying to find gold (for what purpose I don't remember). One thing leads to another, and he and Hi-Tech make plans to sneakily conquer Earth, and of course the Turtles come to the rescue.

Now, what do I actually have to say about this particular DVD? Not much since I've already reviewed it twice below, but I will say this: given the reaction of some of the people who bought this and their disappointment with the content of the DVD, I have my own personal hopes that this was nothing more than a market field test to see how much people wanted to see this show on DVD. I think it worked out pretty well, which brings me to my suggessting to Artisan if they're reading this: give the show its proper "season set" treatment including a basic cover art layout that can be applied to all future sets, more appropriate bonus materials such as old toy commercials et cetera, and, while it might be impossible to do, a complete remastering of the audio and video, including replacing the modified/muffled version of the opening theme with the one where "Heroes in a half-shell" isn't distorted (it exists, I have it too).

This release still deserves all 5 stars regardless.

Now I remember why I miss childhood
As thrilled as I am to know that the golden egg of childhood television has been brought to my home, especially since it's in DVD format this time, I still have my share of complaints against the DVD itself. I don't know if some of these drawbacks were because of monetary problems or something else, because they seem like problems Artisan could have easily circumvented, but whatever the reason, it should be changed for the next TMNT DVD. And it really, really would be in Artisan's best interest to make another one of these DVDs. Fans who watched this show a little bit more than a decade ago and fans of the new series will always continue to purchase these DVDs as long as they continue to be released.

THE GOOD:
-I like the slip on cover. You don't see too many of those these days outside of Disney DVDs. But they did make it a little too tight...
-Some may complain about the simple, silly looking artwork, but it fits the DVD just fine. The silly, simple happiness of the cover captures the essence of the first season, if not the whole series. However, future season DVDs should have a different, maybe more exciting cover, like with Casey Jones/Krang/Shredder/etc. (this cover suits this DVD perfectly, though).
-The price. Another reason why I would buy ten of these DVDs (if there were ten) instead of two of the new TMNT DVDs.
-The original TMNT were brought to DVD!!! This mere fact makes this DVD better than most out there. PLEASE RELEASE MORE OF THESE ARTISAN!

THE BAD:
-The bonus episodes. Initially I was excited to finally see the tenth season episodes that I knew were not available on VHS (nor were shown on television), but it was way too early for these episodes to be released. First of all, none of the fans have any idea where this Dregg guy has come from, whether he is an alien or a Dimension X fiend, and what his connection to the Shredder/Krang is. I did like Lord Dregg, however. Introducing a down-to-evil-business baddie is a nice contrast to the silly Dimension X freaks (not that I don't love them or anything). They were out of order too...I watched the first bonus episode, then the second bonus episode, then I had to go back and watch the first bonus episode again just to understand what was going on. If they are going to release a small part of a saga few fans are familiar with, they can at least put episodes that follow each other one after the other and putting them in order wouldn't hurt either.
-Bad choice of bonus episodes. To elaborate on what I started saying above, there are plenty of better bonus episode choices they could have made. Such examples would include character fan-favorite (episodes) like "Slash" and "Usagi Yojimbo" (fans of the Usagi Yojimbo comics would love this, too). Those episodes are also not available on VHS. Whatever they do...they better not include the concluding episodes in the next DVD...because many fans would not feel like buying any DVDs they would release after that, since they know the ending.
-Why no special features? Is it because there were bonus episodes? If so, then I take this comment back: special features are NOT a better alternative to bonus episodes, at least not for the first couple of season DVDs. Still, an interview, some old commercials, movie/toy/cartoon advertisements, new TMNT previews would be greatly appreciated.
-Lack of subtitles. Yes, I can speak english just fine, and understand it too, but I still could have swore I heard "noobs" and "boob tube" being said in the first couple of episodes. Subtitles should not be a high priority should Artisan release another season, but they will definitely not hurt.
-Chapter breaks. Not only could you not press rewind from the beginning of one episode to see the end of the previous episode, but chapter breaks in general did not exist.
-Boring DVD menu. I didn't expect for them to put an episode as an intro, even so, they could have put the instrumental [original] theme song in the background if nothing else. Or, just, anything really. Too simple.

Maybe some of these flaws are because of the wonderful cheap price, maybe not, but if so, then Artisan should consider increasing the price $5-10 to make the DVD a little bit more exciting. I know I would put down that extra bit of money if the DVD was bettered somehow.

I am giving 5 stars to this release because it's the original TMNT and 3 stars to the DVD quality, so the average would make that 4. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Intriguing but a disappointment
Jazz aficionado Clint Eastwood's admiration for the legendary Charlie Parker is evident throughout "Bird," but it can't overcome a script that dwells on the great musician's self-destructive drug use at the expense of his musicianship. Why did Charlie Parker die at such a young age? The film answers that question rather explicitly. Why was Charlie Parker great? "Bird" tends to fumble when addressing that question. Still, Eastwood captures the smoky ambiance of Parker's nocturnal world very well, and the music is hard to fault. Though it is ultimately a disappointment, "Bird" is worth a look for admirers of both the director and his subject.

A MASTERPIECE OF JAZZ AND DRUG FILM NOIR.
Wow, I can't believe the negative reviews for this MASTERPIECE by Clint Eastwood. Being a big fan of Jazz, I've owned this film for many years in more than one incarnation, and have watched it more times than I care to tally.

Many reviewers said it's overly dark. Yep. Jazz musicians spend most of their time in dark smoke-filled nightclubs. So does BIRD. This is a great MOOD PIECE. It could also be called FILM NOIR.

Many said it doesn't establish why Charlie Parker was one of the greats of Jazz. In one particularly brilliant scene of writing in this film, Parker is talking about himself and the legend of BIRD to Red Rodney, partner in Jazz and fellow heroin addict. He talks about "going inside the melody" of Cherokee, a song he had played many times and was tired of doing. Parker decides to go around the melody with little notes and discovers his style. Thus, a whole new form of music called Be Bop is born. A superb scene.

Many reviewers said it dwelt too heavily on the negative aspects of Parker's drug abuse. This is true. However, heroin played a significant part in early Jazz music in this country. Heavily significant. A majority of the best and brightest Jazz stars were plagued by addiction for many years. Read Miles Davis' autobiography. He lists them all. Eastwood recognizes this in a scene where Parker is in Paris and is debating whether to return to the States. A fellow sideman is trying convince him to stay in France where he can make a decent living. SIDEMAN: "You can't make no living playing Jazz in the States." BIRD: "Dizz can. Duke can." SIDEMAN: "Well you ain't Dizz. And you certainly ain't Duke." BIRD: "So I kick." The Sideman laughs uproariously. BIRD: "I can kick." The Sideman laughs harder. The point of this exchange: the only successful Jazzmen are Duke and Dizzy because they may be the only ones not hooked on heroin. Subtle writing. A brilliant exchange that conveys so much about the world of Jazz. For some Jazz musicians, heroin was used in a creative context whether people will admit that or not. And drug and alcohol abuse DID kill Charlie Parker. Artists can be extremely self-destructive human beings.

Some said it wasn't accurate. Many film biopics use composite characters for dramatic effect and change some history for storytelling purposes. Films can't possibly contain a person's whole history. It's not possible. But BIRD conveys Parker's fame and troubles with amazing grace and skill.

Yes, BIRD is dark and depressing. It is also a brilliantly realized ART FILM. However, the timeline can be very confusing. I screened this for a friend, who was lost in the flashbacks. He did however, enjoy the film.

Another thing I love about the script, is that it portrays Charlie Parker as an articulate and eloquent man, as many Jazz musicians were at the time and still are. (Wynton Marsalis comes to mind.) Even in "the midst of my disorientation," Parker remains articulate. One of my favorite lines of dialogue is when Parker is waking up on the floor after passing out in a wealthy patron's house. She explains to him that he has passed out, and Parker retorts from the floor, "Very undignified of me." BEAUTIFUL WRITING.

I just had to chime in, because this film is an overlooked TREASURE. Forest Whitaker gives us probably the most amazing death scene I've ever witnessed on film. He should have won the Oscar for his performance. It was shamefully overlooked. Diane Venora is superb as are the rest of the cast. And as for Clint Eastwood; this is without a doubt, HIS BEST FILM. And one of my all time favorite flicks. Thanks Clint, for giving me many hours of enjoyment, and taking me back to a time I wish I had lived through, with this WORK OF ART. YOU are a TRUE JAZZ LOVER.

If YOU are A TRUE LOVER OF JAZZ or A TRUE LOVER OF FILM ART, YOU MUST SEE THIS POIGNANT PIECE OF JAZZ HISTORY. THIS IS SUPERLATIVE MOVIEMAKING.

This Bird doesn't fly
This movie was a disappointment for me. I had hoped to learn about a creative musician's life but that is not the story here. The acting is great but the threads of plot are just too disconnected. I suspect those who love this film know Mr. Parkers life so well that the holes in the story don't keep them in the dark the way I felt. Clint Eastwood directs this movie like my 15 year old son who doesn't understand how to show me something that he knows really well and I don't. That's the feeling I had watching this movie.

Unless you know Charlie Parkers life very well I'd pass on this movie.

Never forgot it
Forrest Whittaker is one of the best actors in Hollywood. It's a shame we don't see more of him but he had a triumph with Bird. Some critics have said it wasn't completely accurate. That's true. Bird spent his adult life as an addict and there's nothing romantic or touching about that. Bird's relationship with Chan wasn't as portrayed in the film but the full, unfiltered story of his life would've been more than most audiences could bear. This is the "lite" version, kind of like Lady Sings the Blues but it's still a great film that gives you an idea of it's subject's genius and it well worth the money.

Warning - DVD does not play in computers
I saw this movie a long time ago and liked it. Unfortunately,
the DVD is "copy protected" and will not play on most
computers unless you have CSS cracking software. Too bad.
I don't want to buy a DVD player just to watch a few DVD's
so I play them on my computer. But not this one. ... Read more

Description

Nancy Archer has had an alien encounter and it?s left her 50 ft. tall! Now she sees the men in her life from a new angle - looking down on them - and it?s time to fight back. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

cult movie in the making
Who the hell would remake the 1960's turkey starring Allison Hayes? HBO, that's who!

Daryl Hannah makes for the perfect new giantess in this fine update of ATTACK OF THE 50FT WOMAN.

In the tiny Western town of Archer, Nancy Archer (Daryl Hannah - SPLASH, STEEL MAGNOLIAS) lives under the thumb of her wealthy father, Hamilton, and her philandering husband Harry (Daniel Baldwin - KNIGHT MOVES, BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY). For years they have chipped away at her self-esteem, making her feel very small, but all that's about to change...

A chance-encounter with a UFO leads to Nancy growing into a 50-ft giantess, and she goes on a mission of delicious revenge against her louse of a spouse.

Needless to say, the material has not aged well. The creaky plot is slow-moving and only gets going during the last 15 minutes during the "killing spree" sequence. But no doubt this little film has it's appreciative audience, who love the film for what it is....a fun little piece of fluffy schlock!

With Frances Fisher, Cristi Conaway and William Windom.

They made 'em better in the 50s...
So I was browsing through the TV guide when I came upon a listing for ATTACK OF THE 50 FT WOMAN. Could this be that 50's science-fiction film that I've always been meaning to see but never got the chance? Well, turns out it was an HBO made-for-TV remake and, having just seen it, I can almost guarentee that I'll never watch it again...

The main problem with it is that the film is way too short on action and heavy on uninteresting soap-opera rubbish. Daryl Hannah does what she can with the material but I never at once felt sorry for the her, which is what the script tried to keep hammering in. In fact, for the first half of the film, we only get two brief glimpses of a flying saucers (both not very impressive... I still prefer Ed Wood's paper plates on strings). Finally, when Hannah's character starts growing, the narrative is given a brief jolt, but not enough to make it that interesting... It's basically just more of the same old but with Hannah getting increasingly bigger.

When the action finally does kick in near the end, it's not particuarly satisfying... I'm not sure how this compares to the 50s original but I doubt it's as ineptly staged and dull as this remake... Despite the title, the 50-foot woman here never really does any attacking... she just strolls down the street and we get a bunch of close-ups of people screaming and running around blindly... I'm not expecting her to act like Godzilla and smash the place up (although that would have been appreciated) but the way that these climactic scenes were handled were pretty disappointing. There's also a brief encounter with a pair of helicopters that produces similarly mundane results... Perhaps the best scene in the movie is when Hannah peers over a Drive-in movie theater where they're showing clips from the original ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN... It's a shame that I wasn't watching that one instead...

And that's the real problem with this film... There's nothing really all that satisfying about it, except for the novelty of watching a 50-foot tall scantily clad woman cause a curiously restrained amount of havoc, if you could even call it that... Daniel "the forgotten" Baldwin is fairly amusing as the slime-ball husband, but that's about it. Right before the credits at the end of the film, we get a few brief paragraphs on the characters and what happened to them after the film ended... The fact that I could care less about what was written there speaks worlds about my indifference to this film...

Better than the original.
Remakes can never compare to the original film. This one is the exception. I found the 1993 Attack of the 50ft woman to be much more entertaining and funnier than the original. Plus a lot of women can relate to the characters in this movie. The movie is mostly a statement about how mistreated women are around the world, yet it doesn't go too far and totally attack men and make them all villans like other feminist movies. Hannah who plays Mrs. Archer does a great job as a cheated and mistreated wife who never gives up on trying to save her relationship with her low life husband played by Daniel Baldwin. Hannah has an encounter with a UFO and then grows giant and eventually realizes that she is tired of being pushed around. There are many funny situations and characters in this remake. In my opinion, I thought that VICTORIA HAAS stole the show as she played a cute, tom boy, deputy named Charley. The most funniest scenes in the movie involved Haas(i wonder why she never came out with any more films). Well, this film is wildly entertaining. The ending was a little disapointing and didn't explain the scene in the beginning, but I still recommend this film.

Daryl Hannah finally hits the big time in this HBO remake
"Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman" finds Daryl Hannah in the titular role of this HBO remake of the 1958 exploitation cult classic. Director Christopher Guest goes whole heartedly for a retro Fifties look in this 1993 which tries to take the best parts (so to speak) of the original and enlarge the rest into a feminist allegory. Once again the story is about poor little heiress Nancy Archer (Hannah), who has been abused all of her life by men from her father, Hamilton Cobb (William Windom) to her swarmy husband, Harry (Daniel Baldwin), who is devoting his limited attention to local bad girl, Honey Parker (Cristi Conaway). Out driving around in the desert to relieve her sexual frustration, Nancy encounters a flying saucer that zaps her, thereby starting the growth process that will level off at the 50 ft. level (note: the original is "Foot" but the remake is "Ft."). The teleplay by Joseph Dougherty (who did his first script for "thirtysomething") borrows as much from "The Feminist Manifesto" as it does from "King Kong." What becomes important is that not even the U.S. military is going to stop Nancy from getting some much needed attention from hubby Harry. Sure, she could do a lot better than Harry, but that is not suppose to be the final payoff of this little feminine fantasy.

This remake does not have the same sort of tacky charm that makes the original so compelling. But there is still the great unanswered question from both of these films as to how the giant woman's underwear manages to keep up with her growth spurt. Daryl Hannah is a lot angrier than Allison Hayes was in the original, and it was the latter's decided sense of disinterest during the final rampage (along with the cloth bikini) that made it one of the enduring images of Fifties science fiction. Ultimately, this is more Guest's film as director, because the entire art direction and visual style of the film is as much a homage to the genre in the Fifties as the original storyline. The remake does not stand alone because there is too much that works off of the original to allow that to happen, so you have to have seen the 1958 version to fully appreciation this one. The main thing is that "Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman" does not take itself seriously, and that makes up for a lot of the film's shortcomings.

Attack of the 50ft. Woman
Nancy Archer (Darryl Hannah) is a rich but troubled young woman, who is married to a cheating lowlife who only stays with her for her money. One night, she is driving home by herself, when an alien spaceship lands on the road. She is irradiated by the ship and over the next few days, starts to grow taller and taller, until she reaches a height of 50 feet. She uses her newfound height (and power) to take revenge on those who have wronged her - especially her sleazy husband Harry (Daniel Baldwin) and the trashy, gold-digging bimbo (Christi Conaway) he has taken up with.

This HBO made-for-cable remake of the 1957 cult classic of the same name is updated with an even more feminist slant and has a more thoughtful (and clever) script. The effects and acting are still every bit as cheesy though. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Classic acting, classic directing
When I was younger, the appeal of SOB was seeing Mary Poppins bare her chest. Well, it's still great.
But when I got older, and really watched this film again, it was the incredible timing and acting chops of the entire cast that blew me away. The skewering of the Hollywood system this movie delivers is first-rate. It's fascinating seeing a film so greatly crucify the underside of Hollywood, when these days its so common knowledge the incorporation and bureacracy the film industry is. We have the internet and a million entertainment magazines now, its common knowledge how cut-throat it is. But in 1981 things were different and when SOB came out, it disappeared quickly it seems. It was probably too "inside" for general audiences to appreciate. Plus I'm sure the forces that be made sure to not trumpet a film which made fun of the people who brought it to screen.

If you appreciated the 'adult' humor of Blake Edwards other films such as '10', and 'Skin Deep', you must see 'SOB.' You have veteran actors tackling matters and situations that really apply to being an adult in the adult world. Mid-life crisis', integrity over indecency, getting older, standing up for principles as society seems to worsen around you...these themes run rampant in Edward's films. Its as though Edwards was the last 'Rat Pack''-ideaology director making movies about loveable drunks and womanizers who's hearts were in the right place, though we watch them comically learn life's lessons through trial and error choices. Good people dealing with the anxiety of getting older and realizing truths about themselves and the world, good and bad. But Edward's always presented it with a 'Boy's Club' mentality that, at least for me, made one hope to have such colorful characters as friends as I matured and got older.

To any prospective watcher of the film reading these reviews, I'd suggest one thing per your first viewing. Pay attention to the repoire between Felix (the suicidal director) and his cohorts Erving (the doctor), Cully (director friend), and Ben (Felix's wife/Julie Andrew's publicist). These guys are pros and the timing of the scenes they share is stellar , old-school, drinking pal ensemble acting. Especially as they 1-by-1 come by the beachhouse to see Felix and fall into their routine of spending time together (drinking and one-liners). These characters were partying Hollywood-style in the 50s and 60s and are now alumni of that classic generation, elders in the world of late 70s early 80s starlets and studios. They've seen it all and nothing shocks them. And boy do they still keep up.

Just lots of little moments, subtle nuances of comraderie that make this film a gem.

I've spent the last few years anxiously awaiting SOB on DVD, searching and contacting studios,websites, anyone who may have known something but to no avail. Suddenly one day it was just another title on a DVD site's "Upcoming Releases." I was ecstatic. I hope it looks and sounds as good as I imagine.

Wish Edward's would have done a commentary track for this, like supposedly he's done for 'Skin Deep'. Then again, maybe since most of the male leads of the film are deceased, it may have been tough for him to watch and reminisce.

Have you come to see her bare herself?
Well, Julie Andrews DOES bare herself in this movie--which is why some may first want to see it--but this film by her real life husband Blake Edwards (who also brought us The Pink Panther) does have some other very good qualities. The trouble is that the film-and the DVD itself--also have some potentially bad points.

On the bright side, we are treated to excellent performances by some very talented people including Julie Andrews, Richard Mulligan, William Holden, Loretta Swit, Larry Hagman--and more! These actors really worked! The story is comparatively simple: in Hollywood, director Felix Farmer makes a terrific flop of a movie and despite his many previous successes in true Hollywood style the studio, his wife (Julie Andrews) and everyone else are abandoning him. Yes, as another reviewer points out, some people in Hollywood try to shield them from reporters and publicity backlash--but they really don't succeed. Felix tries four times to kill himself until he realizes if they re-shoot the film as some type of pornography flick it will make millions and be the biggest money making film of all time. Everyone is afraid at first of taking the gamble; but they see Felix's idea may just well be right and then they all jump on the bandwagon in a brazen and crude greedy rush. When the film makes it even Felix thinks gleefully of the money it will make as he dies a premature death! The film therefore really lashes out at Hollywood greed and backstabbing. A good reminder to us all of how NOT to behave in life! The characters rush around so deeply concerned about money and JUST money that the film illustrates very sharply how shallow, greedy and cruel Hollywood "people" can be.

Then there are the potentially bad points. I say they are potentially bad because not everyone will think they are bad! The film does go downhill a bit because of Edwards' heavy reliance on slapstick to make the film funny. There are, as another reviewer points out, very few exciting extras on this DVD. I agree that it would have been great to have Julie Andrews discussing the scene where she bares her chest as well as her thoughts about the movie in general. An interview with Blake Edwards himself would also have been a really interesting extra.

All in all, this is a movie noteworthy for its attack on Hollywood politics, greed, corruption, game playing manipulation and shallowness. The actors worked their tushies off, too! I was impressed with their fine effort. The humor is fairly good, about a B+ in quality--although if you like slapstick (which is perfectly fine, of course!) then the humor grade goes higher. Nevertheless, the sound quality could definitely be better and there are few extras, however, so I give this DVD four stars.

Almost saved by Julie Andrews's secret talents
And I don't mean her bared chest. S. O. B. was Blake Edwards's attempt to get his own back after the failure of his film DALING LILI over a decade previously: in this film, a director (Richard Mulligan) has a complete nervous breakdown after his film starrign his famously wholesome movie star wife (Julie Andrews) fails at the box office: he tries to recoup his losses by reshooting the film as a softporn fantasia with his wife baring her breasts.

This film was considered wildly funny satire at the time of its release but has aged less well than you might expect. The Lew Wasserman-style Hollywood Edwards mocks was already on its way out when this movie was made in 1981: it reflects the Hollywood of the 1970s much more than the blockbuster-driven Hollywood that was already taking its place. Most of the actors (particularly Robert Preston, Robert Vaughan, and Loretta Swit as a shrieking harpy of a gossip columnist) seem to be having the time of their lives. Julie Andrews isn't very good in her scene throwing an Oscar at Mulligan, and she may wear the most hideous clothes ever in this film, but she redeems not only her performance but almost the entire movie when Preston has to make her high to ensure she can do her breatbearing scene: she's really, really funny whooping it up.

Smutty soft porn
I know that Julie Andrews was trying to make a statement as to how versatile she is and after Victor Victoria she showed the world how versatile she was, but did she have to make this film in between?
This showed a side to her that people who liked her didn't know about, the "i'm going to be modern and trendy and stay the box office draw, even if i have to bare my breast," attitude. She sings brilliantly in it but her acting is over the top, especially in the confrontation with Felix, when a bloke who's in bed is sick through a whole in the roof on Felixs head. The whole film is boring and over the top sexiness and Richard Mulligan, good actor that he is, does go over the top and starts acting like Jim Carrey on happy tablets.
Generally, i'd say rent it or see it on T.V and if you are a Julie Andrews fan then buy it but other that don't bother.

Viking Funerals and Hollywood
Blake Edwards's filmography is quite impressive. This is the man who brought us the Pink Panther films, The Great Race, Victor/Victoria, and 10. Edwards was the king of the 1970s, creating films that blended adult themes with memorably comedic moments. The filmmaker carried this approach into the early 1980s with S.O.B., a black comedy about the backbiting, cynical world that is Hollywood. This 1981 film fields some heavy hitters in its cast: William Holden, Richard Mulligan, Robert Vaughn, Julie Andrews, Robert Preston, Larry Hagman, Loretta Swit, Robert Webber, Stuart Margolin, Shelley Winters, and Robert Loggia all play parts, both big and small, in this movie. Look for a young Rosanna Arquette as one of the hitchhikers Culley (William Holden) picks up on the highway.

S.O.B. is a movie within a movie. Felix Farmer, played with brilliant alacrity by the late Richard Mulligan, never lost money on a picture until "Nightwind" came out starring his wife Sally Miles (Julie Andrews). Now Felix is on the outs with his studio head David Blackman (Robert Vaughn), his wife is divorcing him, and he just tried to kill himself. Since this is Hollywood, a whole host of publicists, agents, and advisors try to shield Felix and Sally from the critical backlash. As Felix stumbles around his beach house in a dazed stupor, his friends Tim Culley, Dr. Irving Finegarten (Robert Preston), and publicist Ben Coogan (Robert Webber) all arrive on the scene to lend a hand. Nothing seems to bring Felix out of his funk until he arrives at the realization that the only way to save his career is to reshoot his stinker by having wife Sally, who is a G-rated film queen, bare her all. When it looks like Felix might be on to something, everyone jumps on the bandwagon to make a buck or take some credit for the success.

I had hopes that this film was as funny as it was when I first saw it in the mid 1980s. It isn't, but there are still some great performances along the way. Mulligan is electricity as Farmer, adding even more gusto to his character here then he did as Bert Campbell in "Soap." Holden always does a good job as the weary soul that must witness the slow decay of those around him. Preston is great too as Finegarten, whipping out one-liners with great aplomb. The problem I had with the film is that it is almost too sad to watch it. Here are all these great actors giving one last gasp before passing into the great beyond. S.O.B. was Holden's last film, made before he hit his head and bled to death during a drunken binge. Preston died a few years later from lung cancer, and Mulligan died in 2000 from colon cancer. It is difficult, nay impossible, to forget this as you watch the film. The habits of the characters do not make it easier, either. Holden actually plays a drunk in the film, so knowing that he was one in real life makes it a tad painful to see it here played for laughs.

Another problem more noticeable with repeated viewings years later is the schizophrenia of the film. Edwards starts out with a bang, introducing the characters and establishing their quirky traits. After Felix buys the rights to "Nightwind," however, the movie morphs into a farce with slapstick elements. The latter half of the film still delivers laughs (Felix's last words concern bringing in another ten million at the box office, hardly what a normal person would think during their last seconds of life), but it doesn't mesh as well with the scathing first half. Add to this a mediocre DVD transfer, with some haziness and sunburns on people who shouldn't have them, and this adds up to a good, not great, film.

I would have liked to see more extras on this film. While Holden, Preston, and Mulligan are dead and therefore unavailable for comment, Julie Andrews and Blake Edwards are still alive and could have contributed many insights on a commentary track. Hearing Andrews discuss her topless scene would have been worth the price of the movie in and of itself. As it stands, there is a filmography of Blake Edwards plus the trailer for the film and that is about it in the way of treats. Taken as a whole, S.O.B. falls strictly into the "rent, not buy" category. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Great Movie
I really enjoyed this movie, i am a huge scooby doo fan. Only thing i didnt like about this movie was that it had scrappy on it, Other than that is was great. It had a great plot and great characters. If you are a scooby fan you will love this movie!

Worst Scooby Doo ever.
Eesh! What is this supposed to be? Shaggy and Scooby's solo outings usually make for good movies. But Ghoul School comes nowhere near the surprisingly good Boo Brothers or Reluctant Werewolf and is so far behind modern Scooby Doo animation. It really is the cheapest, shoddiest Scooby effort I've ever seen.

There isn't even a mystery, thus explaining the lack of the Mystery Machine (an ugly red van is the replacement). So why on earth they bothered to make this a Scooby Doo movie is puzzling if they weren't deliberately exploiting a popular character.

It's just all wrong! Shaggy gets a job in an all-girl (actually Ghoul) school teaching Phys. Ed. I'm sorry but when did Shaggy become a qualified Gym Teacher? There's some pointless story involving a volleyball competition with a Military School next door that isn't good enough to distract from the bore and then after that some old hag called Revolta turns up and turns them all into zombies. Uh...yeah.

Shaggy obviously saves the day but by this point I had dozed off. It bored me to sleep!

The 1.33:1 full frame picture shows how cruddy the animation is and the sound is plain old mono. Aside from the usual 'how to draw' extras this DVD also features a trailer that cheekily uses lots of footage of modern Scooby animation and mixes it with Ghoul School to make it look new. I wasn't fooled.

Don't buy this. Rent it for the kids if there is really nothing else.

A great scooby movie for the whole family
Yes I know that the rest of the gang are not in this one,but however I still find it entertaining. The 3 heros were very knid to help the girls get ready for the big volleyball game and I,m happy to say that the training and excercising made them win against the military school next door.However i,m kind of sad that the rest of the gang is not in this film,but it is still a great film to enjoy.

Boring and pointless
My six-year-old son is a huge Scooby fan so I have seen a lot of these episodes and movies. He enjoys the "old" Scooby as well as the "What's New Scooby Doo" series, and I must say that I do too. That said, this awful movie was not just aimless and devoid of any of the usual fun and humor, it was downright painful to watch. This might have been more palatable as a single half-hour episode, but I doubt it. Twenty-five minutes into the movie, my husband asked me how much longer we had to subject ourselves to it. Forty-five minutes into this thing, my son muttered to himself "I wonder when it going to get to the scary part!" I don't think it ever quite got there. Avoid this movie like the plague, and go for something else. Even watching the better videos over and over ad nauseum would be better than viewing this again.

I'm sick of this movie
This movie might seem funny and amusing the first time you watch it. I am not a very big scooby doo fan, and I have to put up with my parents making me watch this movie with my sister in order to stop her tantrums about five times a week.
The plot is extremely boring--you might expect more twists and originality in the plot in most scooby doo movies, and the characters were so.... I can't find a word to describe it.
What I mean to say is, if you have younger siblings who are mad about scooby doo and 'trying' films that have originality whatsoever, this is not the video to get. ... Read more

Description

It's the start of a Boo-tiful friendship when Scooby-Doo and Shaggy get up-close-and-spooky with some supernatural siblings in this all-new animated movie! After Shaggy's uncle leaves him a fortune in hidden jewels, Scooby and Scrappy join him for the ultimate scavenger hunt through the trap doors and tunnels of the haunted old Beauregard mansion! Terrified by the ghost of Shaggy's uncle, the gang calls in reinforcements -- the wild-and-ectoplasmic Boo Brothers, a phantom family of ghoul-chasing ghosts! Join them as they unravel the mystery in the all-new movie, SCOOBY-DOO MEETS THE BOO BROTHERS! ... Read more

Reviews (18)

A Classic Scooby/Shaggy/Scrappy Movie
"Scooby Doo Meets the Boo Brothers" is one of those classic late 70s/early 80s Scooby movies that stars just Scooby, Shaggy and "power-pup" Scrappy. Die-hard fans of Scooby will enjoy this, and the entertainment value for kids is high.

The guys are sent to Shaggy's deceased uncle's mansion and run into a trio of ghosts--the Boo Brothers-- who are the 3 Stooges of ghostville. The guys have to solve riddles and clues to find the uncle's trasure, while running from bad guys, half-brained neighbors, and an overdeveloped girl.

I don't think this one is as good as the new Scooby movies and I miss the rest of the gang. Kids will enjoy it though.

A Gem of a mystery!
I've watched this video countless numbers of times and yet I still love it. It doesn't have the whole cast-just Shaggy and Scooby but hey they're the funny ones. With the help of Scooby's nephew (Scrappy) this was one of the most interesting mysteries Scooby has ever had to solve.

Shaggy and Scooby make this really funny with their usual jokes and the Boo brothers add great excitement to the plot of the story. This video is really worth it and has even better pranks mainly due to the way Shaggy reacts when the boy-chasing girl comes to sight. It's one of the best Scooby Doo movies ever! All the unusual incidents are linked to the plot and if you're a Scooby fan-you'll love this I mean it even has a party for ghouls and ghosts (think of how Scooby &Shaggy would react). If you like this, make sure you don't but "Ghoul school". It's yet another edition with only Scooby and Shaggy in it but it's not as funny. They're not they're usual "scared freak" characters!

------Ahmed Mashhood

Above average old school Scooby Adventure
This entry suffers from the presence of Scrappy. It was made in the mid-eighties when Scrappy was at the height (!) of his fame (?). He doesn't do much in this so it's not that bad.

The story is about Shaggy (minus the rest of Mystery Inc.) being left a spooky mansion house in his uncles will. Conveniently said mansion is in the middle of a creepy swampland in the Deep South. The kind of place where there are always eyes watching from the trees.

As soon as he arrives, Shaggy has to deal with an annoying southern stereotype sheriff, a weirdo butler who wants to get his hands on the old uncle's hidden treasure, hickabilly neighbors and the ghost of his uncle telling to leave (then why did he give him the house?). There is also an escaped ape on the loose but even though only Scooby sees him (Shaggy doesn't believe it) he's just a big, cuddly monkey who wants to play.

The Boo Brothers are basically ghost versions of the Three Stooges. They're listed in the phone book as being experts in the busting of ghosts. This isn't a job they do well though, so Shaggy's payment at the end is a bit too generous.

There are some laughs to be had and the plot is mildly interesting but too many running jokes are just plain bad. The hillbilly neighbor joke becomes very boring and could have been done without. The animation is a bit dated, though it has enough modern touches (lens flares in car lights) to distract you from it. And I like the dark, decaying atmosphere of the swampland. The color pallet is mostly made up of dark blues and purples (the story takes place all in one night) and the backgrounds are not as generic as the earlier, cheaper TV shows.

For the average fan this is a worthy effort though I would just catch it on the Cartoon Network instead of forking over the cash, unless you're a Scooby completist.

The DVD is in 1.33:1 full frame, as drawn, with a Dolby Mono soundtrack that is unsophisticated but workable. The Region 2 release comes in a sturdy Keep Case but the Region 1 is still in a cruddy snapper. Extras are minimal childish fluff.

Scooby Doo Meet The Boo Brothers
Just replaced my VHS version with a DVD. A wonderful bonus area with a Shaggy trivia game and a music video that I hadn't seen on other Scooby Doo DVDs. By far the best of the original Scooby animated movies about Shaggy trying to solve the clues to the family fotune. You don't see them eatting as much as other Scooby works but they scares and thrills are there just the same.

Scooby Doo Meets the Boo Brothers
the best of the Scooby Doo clasic movies has all the hi-jinx you expect of the fraidy two-some without all the monster snacks you normally expect. The ghost busters who are real ghosts themselves are like the three stooges and the riddles of the treasure hunt makes it fun for the whole family. ... Read more

Amazon.com

You'd think a black comedy about murder, tackiness, and sexual perversionwould quickly become dated, but Eating Raoul (1982) feels surprisinglyfresh and delightful. When Mary Bland (Mary Woronov) gets assaulted by oneof the repulsive swingers from the neighboring apartment, her husband Paul(Paul Bartel) rescues her with a swift blow from a frying pan--only todiscover a substantial wad of cash in the swinger's wallet. Alure-and-kill scheme follows, which nicely fills their nest egg until aslippery thief named Raoul (Robert Beltran of Star Trek: Voyager,making his film debut) stumbles onto the truth and insists on getting ashare. When Raoul starts demanding a share of Mary as well, Paul has totake drastic steps. The key to Eating Raoul isn't the sensationalcontent, but the blithe, matter-of-fact attitude Bartel and Woronov taketo it; their sly underplaying makes the movie sparkle with wicked wit.--Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (30)

A CULT CLASSIC...
One of the funniest films of the 80's is Paul Bartel's "Eating Raoul" starring Bartel and cult actress Mary Woronov as Paul and Mary Bland, an old-fashioned "straight" couple with dreams of owning their own restaurant. Paul is a wine connoisseur working at a liquor store in a bad neighborhood and Mary's a dietician working in an LA hospital. They are bewildered and disgusted by their dead end jobs, crime and the amount of sexual deviants piling into their apartment building. They also don't have enough money to buy the choice property they've found for their dream restaurant. Paul loses his job and things really start to look bleak. But optimistic Mary has high hopes and these come to fruition when they kill a "swinger" with a frying pan who tries to attack Mary and find he has a lot of cash on him. Soon , they're in business thanks to a sexy add in a swinger's trade paper...luring "swingers" to their apartment with fake set ups, whacking them with the frying pan and rolling their pockets. Things are looking good until they meet Raoul, a shyster locksmith with an agenda of his own, a dog food connection...and an attraction for Mary. "Eating Raoul" manages to poke fun at everything and remain consistently entertaining evry time you watch it. The cast is energetic and funny and full of familiar faces: Edie McClurg, Hamilton Camp and many others. Susan Saigler as Doris the Dominatrix is especially funny. The Bland apartment is a delightful nightmare of "fabulous fifties' furniture" and other kitsch. The DVD looks good and Mary Woronov's incredibly long and tawny legs seem to fill up the screen. She's sexy yet the kind of girl you'd like to know. She's a thinking man's sex symbol and an excellent comic rolled into one. "Eating Raoul" may be this underrated and underused actress' finest hour. So for anyone who hasn't seen this, it's a rare ode to everything tacky and a very funny film. Enjoy and Bon Appetit!

Eating Raoul
Delicious black comedy about the Blands, a super-square couple who lure wealthy swingers to their apartment and kill them, which helps finance their dream restaurant. Sags a little here and there, but overall a bright, original, and hilarious satire.
I give the movie 5 stars!

You need to watch this movie!!
Paul Bartel -- a genius. Mary Woronov - one of the best (and, unfortunately, underappreciated) comedic actresses of our times. This movie pairs the two of them for the first time, and one of the best comic duos of all times had been born. Playing an uptight married couple trapped in a swingers world, watching Bartel and Woronov playing off of each other, and the various characters that come in and out of their lives, shows us why independent movies still shine far above most commercially/studio made movies out there. Get this movie -- better yet, buy this movie and add it to your collection. You won't be disappointed.

Love the movie, but could have been a better DVD.
I have waited long for the release of Eating Raoul for years to come to DVD. Now that its here, I have forgotten what a great and funny film it actually is. However, I wasn't expecting much as far as the DVD transfer is concerned (since I first saw it on a deteriorated VHS tape I rented and I would have liked anything even slightly better)but like the other reviewers stated, I don't think the anamorphic transfer is correct. It seems to look better when you watch it streched to fit a full screen television. The company should have done a better job putting this onto DVD and I could have waited longer for better package, mabye with some spceial feature to go with it. Besides the disapointing DVD, the movie is a comedy satire classic and its really great.

AVOID: Bad Transfer
This long awaited DVD is an incredible disappointment. The major problem that makes this unwatchable is that somehow this movie has been stretched horizontally to fit a widescreen TV. The result makes everything look distorted. I don't know what the original aspect ratio was but this presentation is an abomination. I tried running it on my computer software to manually adjust the picture dimensions. The film does appear to be wider than the standard screen size but not the ratio as presented on this DVD.

And to top it off the print appears to be something of the VHS quality (i.e. poor) with color and resolution deficiences. There appears to be a gash in the screen as if the video was shot from a movie screen with a tear in the top middle. The sound appears to have been mono that someone has doctored up by added fake stereo and reverb, then steering the dialog from side to side. Warning: Listening to this may cause sea sickness.

Sony should be sued for selling this junk. I probably will be returning my copy. One thing for sure: if you are unable to manually adjust the aspect ratio with a computer, do not buy this. I will be anxiously waiting for this to be remastered - this is a good and funny film. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Scooby scholars of the old-school set will find much in the ReluctantWerewolf to give them pause. For one thing, Scrappy and Googy, Shaggy'sgirlfriend, are subbed for missing members of the Mystery Machine gang, and foranother, instead of making like bananas and splitting from the monster at thecenter of a mystery, this crew slides, peel-style, into a strange circus ofbenign spooks, no meddling involved. The reluctant werewolf is Shaggy; he'sforced to finish first in a monster road race if he wants to rid himself of hisfangs and facial fur (a dirty trick played on him by Dracula). A truckload ofshenanigans, mostly screwball car tricks, ensue. Wacky wordplay works up ahandful of howls here, but not enough to make this full-length feature worthtuning into twice or, ultimately, rescuing from the Scooby-Don't pile. --Tammy La Gorce ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Scooby and Shaggy take a break.
I saw this like a hundred times when I was a kid and I did not think I would laugh at it as much as I did then. Especially considering this is old school Scooby animation and not the sleeker, brighter animation of recent years. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this. It's even better than Scooby's most recent adventure (The Monster of Mexico).

There is no Mystery Inc or Mystery Machine in this movie. It's just Shaggy (wearing a red shirt instead of a green one) and Scooby (and unfortunately, Scrappy, tho he doesn't feature prominently) and Shag's girlfriend Googy. Shaggy lives in an alarmingly large, mansion-esque house and is chosen by Count Dracula to become a werewolf so he can take part in a race for monsters.

Despite looking cute and cuddly as a Werewolf, Shaggy obviously doesn't want to do it but Dracula promises to change him back to human if he wins. What follows is a Scooby Doo version of the Wacky Races as insane customized cars battle it out on an anything-goes Transylvanian race-course.

The majority of laughs come from Dracula, ever so desperate to keep his wicked plan from falling apart and always making a complete idiot of himself.

It's also new to see Shaggy not jump into Scooby's arms every time he sees a monster. And this time they're real too , not just some guy in a mask.

I would definitely recommend this to Scooby fans and those who are just total Scooby completists (like me). It's very funny and totally rewatchable.

The DVD is in 1.33:1, as drawn and comes with a Dolby Mono soundtrack.

Delightfully Moronic
When this movie came out on DVD, I was tempted to buy it because I had vague recollections of liking it as a child. I was concerned, however, that it would turn out to be one of those things that doesn't quite transcend adulthood. Fortunately I had the opportunity to see it on TV recently and am now convinced that it is indeed worth buying. Not being a particular fan of classic Scooby, I had no problem with the scrapping of the traditional characters and plot conventions, although I'm sure this would disappoint many. The strength of this movie, to me, is it's complete absurdity. Shaggy is turned into a werewolf and, in order to regain his somewhat human form, must win a car race against several classic monsters. For reasons that were unclear to me, Dracula (who also announces the race with the aid of his ditzy girlfriend) is hellbent on preventing Shaggy and Scooby from winning. But not to worry, they have help--in the form of Scrappy and Shaggy's girlfriend Googy (how's that for a stoner name). Now we will all agree that Scrappy is really [not good], but fortunately he's not in this movie enough to get extremely annoying. Dracula's got pals, too: The Hunch Bunch, Crunch and Brunch. While the monsters and their cars and hijinks are entertaining, The Hunch Bunch is my favorite part of the movie. The bemonacled Brunch, who sounds curiously like Cary Elwes, seems intelligent, but he's just as stupid as the incoherent Crunch and thus ridiculous escapades ensue. Ultimately, and not surprisingly, a happy ending is attained and Shaggy, Googy, Scooby, and Scrappy return to domestic bliss. In short, this movie is [not good] and bad, but totally, totally fun.

Scooby Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf
A great classic Scooby doo movie than fans of old Hanna-Barbara storyline will enjoy. The only reason I give it 4 stars out of 5 is the one problem I always had with story concept. Dracula needs a werewolf but a midget werewolf is seen among Dracula's crew of monsters throughout the entire film. From kid to adult that always bugged me a bit. It a wonderful story where Shaggy wears his alternate red shirt and Googie his girlfriend is a great new character to the Scooby Universe. In them movie shaggy is turned into a werewolf and in Wacky Racers style have to win a crazy race to get changed back.

GREAT VIDEO
THis is arguably the bestScooby doo movie of all time!
I know somepeople don't like scrappy, which I don't understand. I like Scrappy. I think he makes these videos much better, he's a great, funny character if you ask me. Also in this movie, there is no mystery machine, Freddy, Velma, or Daphane. this may disapoint some people, but it doesn't bother me. I find Daphane annoying, same with Fred, and velma doesn't belong in this movie.
Oh, and about the mystery machine, sorry we're not in the 70's anymore. Shaggy has a car in this movie that is a million times cooler than the mystery machine. When you see the movie you'll find out. Fred, Daphane and Velma just don't belong in this movie. They're not neccesarry charactors anyway, beacause they solve mysteries and this movie isn;t a mystery!
In this movie Shaggy, Scooby and Srappy run into trouble when Shaggy is turned into a werewolf by the hunch bunch, who are count dracula'a assistants. In order to be changed back to normal, shaggy must enter and win the annual monster road rally in transylvania, but dracula isn't gonna make it easy! This movie is very comical and funny. It's much better than much of the garbage that's on TV today. I give this movie 2 thumbs up! buy this movie, and you won't regret it!!!!!!!!!

funny
shaggy got turned into a werewolf by count dracula and he was forced to drive in the monster road race to replace wolfie the werewolf who just retired to florida and won't be racing again and dracula promises to change him and send him scooby scrappy and googy back where they came from but he lied and wants shaggy to lose so he could remain being a werewolf forever he and the hunch bunch come up with tricks and evil plans and schemes ... Read more

Amazon.com

Based on the ever-popular Barry Manilow song, 1985's Copacabana is a light, innocuous hour and a half. Dime-a-dance girl Lola LaMar (Annette O'Toole) longs to showcase her talents at NYC's famous Copacabana club. She and bartender-songwriter Tony Starr (Manilow) meet cute and fall in love with visions of fame dancing in their heads. O'Toole's strong voice and sexy shimmers are showcased in "Man Wanted," while Manilow shines in "Who Needs to Dream" and "Sweet Heaven (I'm in Love Again)." When suave Rico (Joe Bologna) offers Lola a headliner at his Havana nightclub Tropicana, she jumps at the chance. Broken-hearted Tony stays behind singing the blues until he discovers Rico's intentions are not honorable. A big dance number and rescue ensue. But as in the song, there is a showdown at the end and Lola is left alone with faded feathers in her hair. Campy and clean, Copacabana gives musical fans a fix but leaves them wishing for a little more substance. --Dana Van Nest ... Read more

Reviews (12)

This Movie Is Manilow Showing Us Wholesome Fun And True Love
COPACABANA was made back in 1985 for ABC pictures and Dick Clark's production company. Dick approached the thwen famous Barry Manilow about his song Copacabana and actually making a story about it for the small screen. It works very well and has a bitter sweet quality to it. It stars Barry Manilow himself with Annette O'Toole (now on the WB's Smallville).

Directed by Warren Hussen, it tells the story of two aspiring performances meeting at a radio competition and then finding out they have much more than music in common. They strive to be who they are. Tony Star (Manilow) an aspiring writer and performer and Lola Lamar (O'Toole) a singer dance who's on;y dream is to perform at the Copacabana.

Along the way the evil Rico - and owner of another club in Havana tried to steel mis Lamar away. She finds who she really love is Tony and in the end - well. You'll have to listen to Barry's song and you'll know what happens.

The movie is tastefully done and Barry although not a great actor - pulls it off well. Annette is very good and broad in her performance. Other cast members include Estelle Getty, James Callahan and Joeseph Balogna. There are not many extra's, but the movie is still entertaining. A family film. P.S. See my other Manilow Music Reviews and I have seen him 19 times in Person on tour!(8-15-02)

Great Musical
This movie is great. This movie was broadcast on CBS originally in December 1985. Barry,Bruce and Jack outdid themselves on the songs and score. This movie runs a gambit of emotions. It is set in the 40's right after WWII. Two people meet,begin to fall in love, then interrupted by a third party. Lots of drama, action, romance and you never know what will happen next. A must have for any fan of Barry Manilow. This was his first acting experience as Tony and he is terrific. Of course, I am extremely biased. Friends of mine who watched it even though they were not fans, loved it. Who knew that Annette O'Toole could sing? She also is a wonderful dancer. Joseph Bolonga is wonderful as Rico. Great supporting parts done by Ernie Sabella as Mr. Gropper the owner of the Copa and Estelle Getty as Tony's mother.

Wonderful performances
Both Barry Manilow and Annette O'Toole do a wonderful acting job. The music is, of course, incredible. The video quality of the DVD is not as great as I would have expected but it's still good. If you're a Barry Manilow fan you will love this DVD, especially Who Needs To Dream and I'm In Love Again.

Love this movie!
I guess you'd have to be a true Manilow fan to really love this movie...the acting is not great (especially Mr. Manilow...sorry), but its a great story and fabulous music. I just found out this was available on DVD...I've been watching an OLD taped-from-TV version for years!

Copacabana on DVD is Great, but could be so much better!
I have wanted this movie for oh so many years!!! Ever since I first saw it on television. I love all the songs! It a cutesy movie with a thin plot, but the music is what Barry is known for and it will have you humming along! I wish there would have been some special features on this DVd version....it is pretty bare, but after waiting all these years, I AM VERY HAPPY WITH IT!!! Buy this one, you won't regret it! ... Read more

Amazon.com

To paraphrase the Green Goliath himself, Buena Vista's Incredible HulkDVD is a smash, providing 83 minutes of exciting sci-fi with enough action to satisfy Hulk novices, and scripting that hews to its Marvel Comics origin to please longtime devotees. The DVD compiles the first four episodes of the 1996-97 animated series, which outline the Hulk's origins, as well as the struggles of his human alter ego, Bruce Banner, to rid himself of the creature. The episodes also make fine use of Marvel's rosters of heroes and villains; in the two-part "Return of the Beast," the Hulk tangles with the Leader, the Gargoyle, and the hideous Abomination, while in "Raw Power," he's up against the malevolent ZZZAX; and in "Helping Hand, Iron Fist," he goes mano-a-mano with Iron Man and War Machine. Terrific performances (TV Hulk Lou Ferrigno provides the creature's voice) and extensive extras make this DVD a must-have for comic and cartoon aficionados. --Paul Gaita ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A Reasonably Complete Look At The Animated Hulk
This disc showcases the first four episodes of what I believe was a 13-episode single season (which wasn't followed up). The art is passable, above the level of GI Joe and Transformers, and closer to the animation in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ghostbusters or (if you remember this) Dino Riders series. The episodes are self-containing and don't really branch out and connect to other episodes (other than the two-part "Beast" story). There are other supporting characters other than the Hulk shown in this series, which makes it an interesting mix.

The extras are definitely worth your while. The 1966 clip is hilarious, especially in comparison to the recent movie and this DVD. Pay attention to the inappropriately paced and melodied opening theme song and the art, basically stills with large "Pow!" and "Bam!" type sound effects layed over, or shifting eyes. The trivia and the Stan Lee Soapbox should keep you entertained for a good 15 to 25 minutes, which also goes for the interview with writer Peter David.

At the end of your viewing session, you'll have a more complete understanding of what the Hulk is about and how things about the Hulk have evolved, kind of like a mini-documentary. Recommended for Hulk fans, 80s thru 90s cartoon afficionados, but not so much for anime fans or those who were disappointed by the live movie and have only a little Hulk knowledge.

First Four Episodes of the 1996-97 Series
This is a collection of the first four episodes of the 13-episode Incredible Hulk series from 1996-97. That said, you should be able to imagine the art and voice levels for this DVD. Funny enough, Lou Ferrigno of the 1970's series provides the Hulk's voice.

The art is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/ Ghostbusters/ Spider-Man/ Captain Planet-level. It's decent, but the Hulk looks more like an aging Frankenstein (his face comes off as pouty instead of mad most times). The series opens with the two-part "Return of the Beast," followed by "Raw Power" and "Helping Hand Iron Fist."

Hulk faces Abomination, The Leader and Gargoyle in the earlier episodes, and the more familiar War Machine and Iron Man in the last of the four.

A decent series that was cut off and never had true closure.

Awesome Series!
This was a great series. Now that the new HULK movie is coming out this DVD is coming out just in time.

Here are the bonus features:
Exclusive Interview With Award-Winning INCREDIBLE HULK Writer Peter David
"Inside The Hulk" -- Trivia Enhanced Viewing Option
Stan Lee's Soapbox
Bonus Episode From The 1966 Series -- "Origin Of The Hulk"/"Enter The Gorgon"/"To Be A Man"

All Hulk fans will enjoy this. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

20 Years latter
Under Fire is certainly a well made and well acted film. There is some real history in this movie as well. The most accurate history is that of the brutality of the Samoza regime. However, the directors shot the scenes of the Sandinistas through a rose colored lens.

When the Frenchman (played by Jean-Louis Trintignant) is about to be executed by the Sandinistas he says that Samoza is a butcher too, but in 20 years we will know who is right. It has been 20 years and we now know that the cause that this movie glorifies was a colossal failure. The fall of the Berlin wall made this film's perspective laughable. In recent years Nicaragua has been moving towards freer markets. So much for the revolution.

The passage of time has revealed the absurdity of how those who made this movie saw these events. Nolte, Harris, and Hackman delivered fine performances, but hindsight makes it hard to take this film seriously, as its producers obviously intended. You can watch these actors deliver fine performances in other films, so there is no need to entertain the absurd portrayal of Marxist inspired revolutionaries in Under Fire.

Danger, adventure and history. But romance is silly.
This 1983 film is about journalists in war-torn Nicaragua where President Somoza is losing his power to Sandinista guerillas. Nick Nolte, Joanna Cassidy and Gene Hackman are cast as the journalists. They all love the adventure of their assignments and view the wars as way to establish esteem by having a story on the cover of Time magazine. They're also involved in a love triangle. In the meantime there is the real trag