Amazon.com

Like a Hardy Boys mystery on steroids, National Treasure offers popcorn thrills and enough boyish charm to overcome its rampant silliness. Although it was roundly criticized as a poor man's rip-off of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Da Vinci Code, it's entertaining on its own ludicrous terms, and Nicolas Cage proves once again that one actor's infectious enthusiasm can compensate for a multitude of movie sins. The contrived plot involves Cage's present-day quest for the ancient treasure of the Knights Templar, kept secret through the ages by Freemasons past and present. Finding the treasure requires the theft of the Declaration of Independence (there are crucial treasure clues on the back, of course!), so you can add "caper comedy" to this Jerry Bruckheimer production's multi-genre appeal. Nobody will ever accuse director Jon Turtletaub of artistic ambition, but you've got to admit he serves up an enjoyable dose of PG-rated entertainment, full of musty clues, skeletons, deep tunnels, and harmless adventure in the old-school tradition. It's a load of hokum, but it's fun hokum, and that makes all the difference. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (263)

Entertaining movie!
Imagine a cross between "Indiana Jones" and "Mission Impossible" and you have some idea of what's in store for you with this movie.Nicholas Cage plays the current generation of a family which long ago was given the secret of the location of the Knight's Templar treasure.Succeeding generations of the family have hunted for the treasure with no success.Cage takes the hunt one step further and discovers that vital clues are on the back of the Declaration of Independence.Unfortunately some of the men who were originally helping him look for the treasure have decided that they want it all to themselves and they plan to get to the Declaration before he does.Throw in a beautiful government agent and an amusing sidekick and you have all of the ingredients for an entertaining evening.Enjoy!

A Fun Movie
I liked this movie. Lots of adventure, history and it reminds me of the Indiana Jones Trilogy. Some of it is a little formulaic and you might roll your eyes when 200+ year old torches light up like they were made yesterday, but the story is intriguing and gets your attention. If you don't know the story line by now it involves Cage as Benjamin Franklin Gates whose Family has been convinced about a massive treasure older than colonized America, hidden away during the revolutionary years. Through each succeding clue he finally learns that there is a map on the back of the Declarition of Independance, the only drawback is his partner has turned on him and is going to steal it for himself. No on in the government will listen to him, so Gates decides he'll steal it first to protect the document and the treasure. Lots of High-Tech action, spooky Mason intrigue and history, although some of it is a little questionable. All in all, definetely recommended.

Accomplishes An Entertaining Goal
One of the first things taught at journalism schools is that most "news stories" are to be written at a 6th grade level of education - the editorial page is the place for more erudite discussion.National Treasure is written at a level that would make the "average" person think "hey, that's pretty clever!", keeping in mind that the "average" person might not know that Benjamin Franklin wrote anonymous letters to newspapers while a teenager under the name "Silence Dogood". (He wrote hundreds of OTHER letters under other fictitious names as well and, given the piddling state of education in the U.S. I'd guess that the "average" person doesn't know that Old Ben was also "Poor Richard" or even know what his almanac was all about.) But I digress. Some people love to trash things that they think aren't up to their level, and so "National Treasure" didn't receive stellar reviews from the professional critics. I think it's safe to say the movie wasn't made for professional critics.

It's an entertaining little adventure and anyone who claims that it has no clever parts must be very clever indeed.Much of the movie is a historical scavenger hunt that the founding fathers have laid out for the person who can decipher the clues - with the treasure of the Templar Knights at the end of the rainbow.One of the first clues is carved into the stem of a meerschaum pipe. The stem of the pipe detaches from the carved bowl, andhas raised etchings.Our hero figures out that these etchings are intended to be used like an ink stamp, so he pricks his finger to use his blood as ink and rolls the pipe stem out to reveal the next clue.I thought that was pretty clever.

The hero, Benjamin Franklin Gates, is the Grandson of John Adams Gates, and the Gates have been thought of as the mad scientists of American History because every generation has handed down the story of the hidden treasure and spends decades of their life trying to find the treasure, or at least get other historians to take them seriously.The plot takes them to Washington (to steal the Declaration of Independence in a concise little caper that's at least as clever as the one in "After the Sunset", and THAT was SUPPOSED to be a "caper" movie.) Ben has an assistant named Riley who serves two purposes: to add clever little comments like "so who wants to go down the creepy tunnel first?" and to provide someone that Ben can give exposition to: such as who Silence Dogood was.Diane Kruger is the love interest - a Washington Ph.D. who works at the National Archives.She's the pretty face used to represent all the keepers of the Declaration of Independence.Sean Bean is a rival treasure hunter and the movie goes to great lengths to show that Heroic Ben is only after the treasure for it's historical significance while Bean's Ian is only out for the money.Harvey Keitel plays the FBI agent who becomes interested after the Declaration is stolen, but he's little more than a plot marker himself.A couple of times he gets to say "SOMEBODY's going to prison."

Hmmmm... Will good Ben or Evil Ian be the one going to prison?Will Ben and company find the magnificent treasure? For the answers to those questions check out National Treasure.... but is it too much of a clue if I tell you it's a Disney movie?

Fun for the WHOLE family!
It is very unusual to find action films in today's society that is appropriate for kids and adults alike. That is just one reason that I was thrilled to see National Treasure. It has the wit and humor one would expect from a Disney film as well as a lot of action and adventure thrills, but steers clear of gratuitous language and violence. If you like "Indiana Jones" or "Pirates of the Carribean", this film is a must see. Be sure to bring your kids, though, because they're sure to love it too!

national treasure
this is avery good movie, i watched it last night. the things that ben(nicholas cage) does are hard to predict and the story has many twists. i would recomend renting this movie because it is not as goodf the second time around and there after because you now what is going to happen ... Read more

Amazon.com

Like a Hardy Boys mystery on steroids, National Treasure offers popcorn thrills and enough boyish charm to overcome its rampant silliness. Although it was roundly criticized as a poor man's rip-off of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Da Vinci Code, it's entertaining on its own ludicrous terms, and Nicolas Cage proves once again that one actor's infectious enthusiasm can compensate for a multitude of movie sins. The contrived plot involves Cage's present-day quest for the ancient treasure of the Knights Templar, kept secret through the ages by Freemasons past and present. Finding the treasure requires the theft of the Declaration of Independence (there are crucial treasure clues on the back, of course!), so you can add "caper comedy" to this Jerry Bruckheimer production's multi-genre appeal. Nobody will ever accuse director Jon Turtletaub of artistic ambition, but you've got to admit he serves up an enjoyable dose of PG-rated entertainment, full of musty clues, skeletons, deep tunnels, and harmless adventure in the old-school tradition. It's a load of hokum, but it's fun hokum, and that makes all the difference. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (263)

Entertaining movie!
Imagine a cross between "Indiana Jones" and "Mission Impossible" and you have some idea of what's in store for you with this movie.Nicholas Cage plays the current generation of a family which long ago was given the secret of the location of the Knight's Templar treasure.Succeeding generations of the family have hunted for the treasure with no success.Cage takes the hunt one step further and discovers that vital clues are on the back of the Declaration of Independence.Unfortunately some of the men who were originally helping him look for the treasure have decided that they want it all to themselves and they plan to get to the Declaration before he does.Throw in a beautiful government agent and an amusing sidekick and you have all of the ingredients for an entertaining evening.Enjoy!

A Fun Movie
I liked this movie. Lots of adventure, history and it reminds me of the Indiana Jones Trilogy. Some of it is a little formulaic and you might roll your eyes when 200+ year old torches light up like they were made yesterday, but the story is intriguing and gets your attention. If you don't know the story line by now it involves Cage as Benjamin Franklin Gates whose Family has been convinced about a massive treasure older than colonized America, hidden away during the revolutionary years. Through each succeding clue he finally learns that there is a map on the back of the Declarition of Independance, the only drawback is his partner has turned on him and is going to steal it for himself. No on in the government will listen to him, so Gates decides he'll steal it first to protect the document and the treasure. Lots of High-Tech action, spooky Mason intrigue and history, although some of it is a little questionable. All in all, definetely recommended.

Accomplishes An Entertaining Goal
One of the first things taught at journalism schools is that most "news stories" are to be written at a 6th grade level of education - the editorial page is the place for more erudite discussion.National Treasure is written at a level that would make the "average" person think "hey, that's pretty clever!", keeping in mind that the "average" person might not know that Benjamin Franklin wrote anonymous letters to newspapers while a teenager under the name "Silence Dogood". (He wrote hundreds of OTHER letters under other fictitious names as well and, given the piddling state of education in the U.S. I'd guess that the "average" person doesn't know that Old Ben was also "Poor Richard" or even know what his almanac was all about.) But I digress. Some people love to trash things that they think aren't up to their level, and so "National Treasure" didn't receive stellar reviews from the professional critics. I think it's safe to say the movie wasn't made for professional critics.

It's an entertaining little adventure and anyone who claims that it has no clever parts must be very clever indeed.Much of the movie is a historical scavenger hunt that the founding fathers have laid out for the person who can decipher the clues - with the treasure of the Templar Knights at the end of the rainbow.One of the first clues is carved into the stem of a meerschaum pipe. The stem of the pipe detaches from the carved bowl, andhas raised etchings.Our hero figures out that these etchings are intended to be used like an ink stamp, so he pricks his finger to use his blood as ink and rolls the pipe stem out to reveal the next clue.I thought that was pretty clever.

The hero, Benjamin Franklin Gates, is the Grandson of John Adams Gates, and the Gates have been thought of as the mad scientists of American History because every generation has handed down the story of the hidden treasure and spends decades of their life trying to find the treasure, or at least get other historians to take them seriously.The plot takes them to Washington (to steal the Declaration of Independence in a concise little caper that's at least as clever as the one in "After the Sunset", and THAT was SUPPOSED to be a "caper" movie.) Ben has an assistant named Riley who serves two purposes: to add clever little comments like "so who wants to go down the creepy tunnel first?" and to provide someone that Ben can give exposition to: such as who Silence Dogood was.Diane Kruger is the love interest - a Washington Ph.D. who works at the National Archives.She's the pretty face used to represent all the keepers of the Declaration of Independence.Sean Bean is a rival treasure hunter and the movie goes to great lengths to show that Heroic Ben is only after the treasure for it's historical significance while Bean's Ian is only out for the money.Harvey Keitel plays the FBI agent who becomes interested after the Declaration is stolen, but he's little more than a plot marker himself.A couple of times he gets to say "SOMEBODY's going to prison."

Hmmmm... Will good Ben or Evil Ian be the one going to prison?Will Ben and company find the magnificent treasure? For the answers to those questions check out National Treasure.... but is it too much of a clue if I tell you it's a Disney movie?

Fun for the WHOLE family!
It is very unusual to find action films in today's society that is appropriate for kids and adults alike. That is just one reason that I was thrilled to see National Treasure. It has the wit and humor one would expect from a Disney film as well as a lot of action and adventure thrills, but steers clear of gratuitous language and violence. If you like "Indiana Jones" or "Pirates of the Carribean", this film is a must see. Be sure to bring your kids, though, because they're sure to love it too!

national treasure
this is avery good movie, i watched it last night. the things that ben(nicholas cage) does are hard to predict and the story has many twists. i would recomend renting this movie because it is not as goodf the second time around and there after because you now what is going to happen ... Read more

Amazon.com

Like a Hardy Boys mystery on steroids, National Treasure offers popcorn thrills and enough boyish charm to overcome its rampant silliness. Although it was roundly criticized as a poor man's rip-off of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Da Vinci Code, it's entertaining on its own ludicrous terms, and Nicolas Cage proves once again that one actor's infectious enthusiasm can compensate for a multitude of movie sins. The contrived plot involves Cage's present-day quest for the ancient treasure of the Knights Templar, kept secret through the ages by Freemasons past and present. Finding the treasure requires the theft of the Declaration of Independence (there are crucial treasure clues on the back, of course!), so you can add "caper comedy" to this Jerry Bruckheimer production's multi-genre appeal. Nobody will ever accuse director Jon Turtletaub of artistic ambition, but you've got to admit he serves up an enjoyable dose of PG-rated entertainment, full of musty clues, skeletons, deep tunnels, and harmless adventure in the old-school tradition. It's a load of hokum, but it's fun hokum, and that makes all the difference. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (263)

Entertaining movie!
Imagine a cross between "Indiana Jones" and "Mission Impossible" and you have some idea of what's in store for you with this movie.Nicholas Cage plays the current generation of a family which long ago was given the secret of the location of the Knight's Templar treasure.Succeeding generations of the family have hunted for the treasure with no success.Cage takes the hunt one step further and discovers that vital clues are on the back of the Declaration of Independence.Unfortunately some of the men who were originally helping him look for the treasure have decided that they want it all to themselves and they plan to get to the Declaration before he does.Throw in a beautiful government agent and an amusing sidekick and you have all of the ingredients for an entertaining evening.Enjoy!

A Fun Movie
I liked this movie. Lots of adventure, history and it reminds me of the Indiana Jones Trilogy. Some of it is a little formulaic and you might roll your eyes when 200+ year old torches light up like they were made yesterday, but the story is intriguing and gets your attention. If you don't know the story line by now it involves Cage as Benjamin Franklin Gates whose Family has been convinced about a massive treasure older than colonized America, hidden away during the revolutionary years. Through each succeding clue he finally learns that there is a map on the back of the Declarition of Independance, the only drawback is his partner has turned on him and is going to steal it for himself. No on in the government will listen to him, so Gates decides he'll steal it first to protect the document and the treasure. Lots of High-Tech action, spooky Mason intrigue and history, although some of it is a little questionable. All in all, definetely recommended.

Accomplishes An Entertaining Goal
One of the first things taught at journalism schools is that most "news stories" are to be written at a 6th grade level of education - the editorial page is the place for more erudite discussion.National Treasure is written at a level that would make the "average" person think "hey, that's pretty clever!", keeping in mind that the "average" person might not know that Benjamin Franklin wrote anonymous letters to newspapers while a teenager under the name "Silence Dogood". (He wrote hundreds of OTHER letters under other fictitious names as well and, given the piddling state of education in the U.S. I'd guess that the "average" person doesn't know that Old Ben was also "Poor Richard" or even know what his almanac was all about.) But I digress. Some people love to trash things that they think aren't up to their level, and so "National Treasure" didn't receive stellar reviews from the professional critics. I think it's safe to say the movie wasn't made for professional critics.

It's an entertaining little adventure and anyone who claims that it has no clever parts must be very clever indeed.Much of the movie is a historical scavenger hunt that the founding fathers have laid out for the person who can decipher the clues - with the treasure of the Templar Knights at the end of the rainbow.One of the first clues is carved into the stem of a meerschaum pipe. The stem of the pipe detaches from the carved bowl, andhas raised etchings.Our hero figures out that these etchings are intended to be used like an ink stamp, so he pricks his finger to use his blood as ink and rolls the pipe stem out to reveal the next clue.I thought that was pretty clever.

The hero, Benjamin Franklin Gates, is the Grandson of John Adams Gates, and the Gates have been thought of as the mad scientists of American History because every generation has handed down the story of the hidden treasure and spends decades of their life trying to find the treasure, or at least get other historians to take them seriously.The plot takes them to Washington (to steal the Declaration of Independence in a concise little caper that's at least as clever as the one in "After the Sunset", and THAT was SUPPOSED to be a "caper" movie.) Ben has an assistant named Riley who serves two purposes: to add clever little comments like "so who wants to go down the creepy tunnel first?" and to provide someone that Ben can give exposition to: such as who Silence Dogood was.Diane Kruger is the love interest - a Washington Ph.D. who works at the National Archives.She's the pretty face used to represent all the keepers of the Declaration of Independence.Sean Bean is a rival treasure hunter and the movie goes to great lengths to show that Heroic Ben is only after the treasure for it's historical significance while Bean's Ian is only out for the money.Harvey Keitel plays the FBI agent who becomes interested after the Declaration is stolen, but he's little more than a plot marker himself.A couple of times he gets to say "SOMEBODY's going to prison."

Hmmmm... Will good Ben or Evil Ian be the one going to prison?Will Ben and company find the magnificent treasure? For the answers to those questions check out National Treasure.... but is it too much of a clue if I tell you it's a Disney movie?

Fun for the WHOLE family!
It is very unusual to find action films in today's society that is appropriate for kids and adults alike. That is just one reason that I was thrilled to see National Treasure. It has the wit and humor one would expect from a Disney film as well as a lot of action and adventure thrills, but steers clear of gratuitous language and violence. If you like "Indiana Jones" or "Pirates of the Carribean", this film is a must see. Be sure to bring your kids, though, because they're sure to love it too!

national treasure
this is avery good movie, i watched it last night. the things that ben(nicholas cage) does are hard to predict and the story has many twists. i would recomend renting this movie because it is not as goodf the second time around and there after because you now what is going to happen ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Great entertainment if you like Wall Street, etc.
People who complained that this movie doesn't compare to the book should relax a little. Any movie that's based on books cannot do the book justice in less than 2 hours. If you have 3 hours a la Lord of the Rings or 4 hours like the A&E production of Pride & Prejudice, then maybe and I would have adjusted my rating accordingly.

But this movie is under 2 hours and managed to take a very complicated topic in Leveraged Buy-Outs (LBO's) in one of the biggest LBO's of our time in RJR-Nabisco and manages to make the story very entertaining. It flows quickly and I had no trouble following what's going on.

The acting is superb; Jonathan Pryce played Henry Kravis as a cold, calculated and ruthless corporate raider (whether Kravis is like that in real life I don't know) and James Garner did a nice job as F. Ross Johnson. Overall, if you like wall street type movies like Wall Street with Michael Douglas and Charlie Sheen, I would highly recommend this movie. In fact, I like this better than Wall Street.

Infamous LBO and Characters Interestingly Depicted
In the wild and wooly 1980s, leveraged buyouts (LBOs) -- financed predominantly through the issuance of junk bonds -- reigned supreme. James Garner gives a nice performance as CEO of RJR Nabisco, F. Ross Johnson. After reluctantly meeting with KKR's LBO guru Henry Kravis (portrayed masterfully by Jonathan Pryce), Johnson figures it would be best to go his own route to accomplish the buyout; after all, Johnson wants to retain his autonomy and Pryce would unlikely allow this to happen.

An all-out power war ensues, with Johnson working with Shearson Lehman Brothers pitted against Kravis and the powerhouse Drexel Burnham Lambert (mysteriously downplayed).

The performances are great and the storyline moves fast and holds your interest. Not to be missed if the dynamic world of finance is your thing. A very different movie than Wall Street both cinematically and contextually.

Stars James Garner, Jonathan Pryce (really, really good), and Peter Riegert.

I could see this movie over and over
This is a great movie, particularly for someone interested in true stories of corporate behavior. Several of my finance professors when I was pursing my MBA recommended this movie. I was not disappointed.

Due to a high volume of profanity, this movie is not appropriate for young children.

Not as great as the book, but a DELIGHTFUL farce
The book this movie is made from is a masterpiece of business literature. It is impossible to make that wonderful book into anything less than an extended documentary or a several part mini-series. That being admitted and set aside, this is a very good and very funny movie. Amazingly, it tells a lot of the actual story as you can cram into a standard movie format.

It is bitingly funny and like all satire that truly bites, it is funny because it is based on truth. This movie condenses the RJR - KKR competition into something like a farce (as it seemed in the papers at the time). Some may object to making such a huge deal into something of a joke, but c'mon, this whole deal had a large dose of the absurd about it. How else could they have played this story in two hours?

And it is has the additional benefit of being educational for business students. You will see how managers misuse shareholder money by treating it as if it were their own (agency costs). You will see planeloads of money poured into bad projects (NPV). You will see naked greed, inept investment advice, and broken trust (corporate ethics). You know, late 20th century American business! It is funny, dramatic, and a bit touching, for example, as they fly the sick pooch home on his own private corporate jet. (Which some deny every happening, but it has entered the realm of legend - so whether it happened or not it has become something like a kind of truth.)

James Garner is terrific (he almost always is) as is the whole cast. It really is a delightful movie and that is almost miraculous given how deadly boring this topic could have become.

But don't forget to read the book!

If you read the book, it's a disappointment.
If not, it can be funny even to laymen. Obviously, it's practically impossible to transfer everything from the book to movie. So don't expect too much, Wall Street guys. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Way before she grabbed an Oscar nomination for her searing performance as a world-weary prostitute in Leaving Las Vegas, Elisabeth Shue was known as one of the squeaky-clean actresses of the '80s. Having made a splash in The Karate Kid and the '60s-nostalgia TV series Call to Glory, Shue cemented her good-girl reputation with the charming but badly titled Adventures in Babysitting. Set in the John Hughes-style suburbs of Chicago, the titular adventures follow babysitter Chris (Shue), who agrees to watch the Anderson kids (Keith Coogan and Maia Brewton) when her boyfriend cancels their anniversary date. All is quiet on the home front until Chris is called upon to rescue her best friend (Penelope Ann Miller, also doing good-girl duty) from the seedy downtown bus station. She can't leave the kids, and she can't leave her friend alone in the big bad city, so she packs everyone in the station wagon and heads into Chicago. Screwball craziness begins as they encounter car thieves, knife-wielding gangs, gun-toting truck drivers, and, worst of all, Chris's duplicitous boyfriend. It's hardly mature entertainment, but Shue makes it work; when she wins over the audience at a blues club with her improv singing, you'll be won over, too. In his directorial debut, Chris Columbus (who later when on to helm the sap-fests Mrs. Doubtfire and Home Alone) gently skewers the suburbia white-bread mindset of the main characters, and plays up the comedy over the schmaltz with a subtlety of which he now seems incapable; the near romance between Shue and Coogan is played lightly and adorably. Look for brief appearances by art-house faves Lolita Davidovich as a college party girl and Vincent D'Onofrio as an unlikely savior. --Mark Englehart ... Read more

Reviews (72)

My Babysitter was NEVER this Fun!
Elisabeth Shue is Chris Parker, a normal seventeen year old who begins the night with an ordinary babysitting job, sitting two normal suburban children, Sarah and Brad. After her friend - Brenda (Penelope Anne Miller) -- calls from a bus station in the city (Chicago), stating that she has runaway from home and needs Chris' support, Chris takes off to the city with Brad, Sarah, and Brad's friend, Daryl. What should have been a 30 minute ride to the bus station turns into a run through the city as the group of four encounter car thieves, weird mechanics, and a place where nobody leaves without singing the blues.

Adventures in Babysitting is THE fun movie of the 80s. Well, THE fun movie that doesn't contain little monsters, goonies, or Tom Hanks. As we follow the quartet through Chicago, we are introduced to hilarious scenes and crazy antics as they get themselves in the middle of a car heist, a cheating wife and her enraged husband, and many more. I must say that one of the biggest highlights of the film is the Blues Bar scene where Elisabeth Shue and the kids absolutely have to sing before leaving the bar. It's great.

The films is full of great characters. Elisabeth Shue is vibrant as Chris Parker, the babysitter gal. Her interaction with the kids was great, and she handled her leading status with ease. Maia Brewton is little Sarah who offers a lot of the laughs in the movie. She was awesome - I wonder where she is now? Keith Coogan and Anthony Rapp (Rent! Mark in Rent! I love Rent!) are Brad and Daryl, and both stay true to their roles and make them entertaining. But did anyone else want to occasionally strangle Anthony Rapp for that laugh?! We also see the likes of a young Penelope Anne Miller and Vincent D'Onofrio in cameo roles. Although Miller's role is a bit bigger, and very hilarious.

Although the DVD release is bare, without even a nice trailer to suit a fan, we do get a nicely widescreen anamorphic presentation with nice picture (Although there are signs of an aged film) and good audio.

Adventures In Babysitting is definitely one of my favorite 80s movies. For the fact that it's a great, fun, and crazily adventurous comedy.

Don't Mess With This Babysitter!
In the tradition of the "Goonies," Elisabeth Shue shines in her first starring role as Chris, whose day starts out on a bad note. After her boyfriend cancels their date, Chris decided to babysit for a couple who are in dire need for her services. In care of charges, Brad and Sarah, Chris believes this will be an ordinary job, however trouble comes knocking, first when Brad's pest of a friend, Daryl comes to stay over, and then when Chris' best friend is stranded at the bus depot in downtown Chicago.

What follows are a series of madcap adventures that take these suburban kids into the heart of the city. After their car's tire goes flat, the Chris and the kids must find a way to find their way back home and go help her friend at the same time. However, when they run into a car-theft ring headquarters, their night won't be the same again.

Featuring a wonderful cast including many actors unknown back then (Penelope Ann Miller as Chris' friend; Vincent D'Onofrio as the mechanic, etc.), "Adventures in Babysitting," marks the directorial debut for director Chris Columbus ("Home Alone"; "Stepmom"; the upcoming "Harry Potter" film adaption) who does an excellent job of making this film work. His ability to stretch character limits works well here, as he is able to place the kids in nearly impossible scenarios. The most memorable scene in this film that captures Columbus' imaginative directing features Sarah scrawling the windows of the towering building in downtown Chicago where her father works at night. As she scrawls the windows in fleeing from a member of a car-theft ringleader, she sees her parents at their party from the outside. Who could have thought of such a funny way of seeing your parents at the wrong place and wrong time?

Similar to other amazing average-day adventure films such as "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," and the "Goonies," - "Adventures in Babysitting," is still as entertaining today as it was over a decade ago. Truly this is one of the late 1980's hidden comedic gems.

WHEN THE SHUE FITS
ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING is a wonderfully entertaining film from the late eighties that still resonates almost 20 years later. Chris Columbus (the future director of the first two Harry Potter films) brings us a series of vignettes resulting in Elizabeth Shue's Chris Parker babysitting for the precious Maia Brewton and the mooneyed Keith Coogan. Shue is marvelous; Coogan and Anthony Rapp are delightful; and little Maia is appropriately cute and loveable. Penelope Ann Miller as the nearsighted Brenda is a riot...especially when she picks up a stray "cat" at the bus station.
Of course, the primo scene is the "nobody leaves till you sing the blues" with Albert Collins. Shue's transformation as she gets into the "Babysitter Blues" is priceless.
This is one feel good movie, and in spite of some of its profanity, a film everyone should enjoy.
It's a minor classic to me!!!

Excellent movie...not too many great DVD features, though
This is an 80's classic! I have always loved this movie...and I was pretty shocked when I found out that Anthony Rapp...aka Mark in RENT is in it! That was soo cool, especially since I liked his character alot. If you've never seen this movie, you should check it out, but if you're going to buy it, unless it's to add to your DVD collection, I'd stick with VHS.

stray dog
if i've said it once, i've said it a million times: keith coogan, where are you? this 1987 flick is hysterical! ya think? ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Mixed bag or results, but interesting and good!!
My feelings are mixed about this movie. From what I have read in the professional reviews of this movie, the opinions are just as mixed. In sum, it is a movie that will hopefully give one something to think about at its surprising conclusion.

Simply put, THE HUMAN STAIN is pretty much a revampted telling of an old tale that has facinated white audience since forever and opened wounds and insulted some black audiences. But, it stands apart from all its other predecesors out of the Hollywood movie machine in a good way that makes it worth seeing in that it's lead character played by Anthony Hopkins isn't stereotypically sympathetic and has depth. Still, his manipulative, cannibalistic and criminal Hannibal Lector has more integrity than his Coleman Silk.

The great and admirable Anthony Hopkins plays an aging professor with a dark secret who is accused of a racial slur by a student. Through a series of flashbacks, his secret is gradually revealed to the audience--his being a black man passing as white-- as he tells his story to a reporter and begins an affair with a young illiterate janitor on campus, Nicole Kidman. This young woman has a few secrets of her own like a possessive and obsessive husband.

Plotwise, I think the only minor flaw in the story will be that involving Kidman's charater's problems. Only a little, they interrupt the real focus of interest of Hopkins's Silk.

Though another trite tale of the mulatto, at lease the characters are 3 diminional thanks to writing,Hopkin's, Kidman's and the supporting actors performances(e.g. Gary Sinise, Ed Harris and Wentworh Miller--the young black man who plays Hopkins in his youth, and Anna Deavere Smith whose scenes and words to her son the young Silk are not fogettable, even Oscar worthy). Coleman Silk turns his back on his family and people to enjoy all the privileges and power of having white skin. Instead of challeging prejudices, he enforces and caters to the very prejudices that deny him to be treated fairly as a black man.

At the movies conclusion one is forced to asked if anything has really changed for the better in real life. From what I have noticed in popular culture, the media and all the answer is.....

Though the majority of black Americans like the characters played by Wentworth Miller and Anna Deavere Smith are a racially and culturally mixed people regardless of the complexion of skin ,or, whether both parents are black American or one parent is white or whatever, there are still those who will run as far away from being labeled black as they can get and declare themselves as separate but equal instead of challeging old inherited ideas of bigotry. Political correctness has warped into a new mask to hide self-hatred and racism. There are versions of Coleman Silks that still exist today, both dark and fair skinned, in the black community--even other non-black communities. Society still hasn't shed all its prejudices for those it looks upon as having the wrong skin color ,or, set of parents.

MORE WEAKNESSES THAN STRENGTHS -- TOO BAD
The movie tries to tell the story of Coleman Silk, originally a poor kid from1930s East Orange who has remade himself into something else -- College Dean Silk [played by Anthony Hopkins], a brilliant classics professor. But then, a chance comment in class -- actually referring to two of his class cutting students as "spooks" (not knowing that they are African-Amrecans) opens Silk up to charges of racism, and his sudden attraction to a cleaning lady [Nicole Kidman] adds an element of class consciousness as well.

It's a complicated story, presented with lots of flash backs and flash forwards, made more complicated by a secret the film reveals fairly early on. Because what the people accusing Silk of racism don't know is that he himself is black -- and has been successfully "passing" for white, for more than half-a- century.

The movie's scripty wrestles with enormously complicated issues.
THE HUMAN STAIN succeeds, but only partially. Hopkins seems an odd casting choice at first, but he turns out to be ultimately the
right one -- is the stubborn Silk; Nicole Kidman is Faunia, the raw-boned cleaning woman he falls in love with. Robert Benton, of "Kramer vs. Kramer" directs, and novelist and sometime director Nicholas Meyer did the screenplay. One big problem is that how does a very lights sknned black kid born and rasied in New Jersey wind up with an aristocratic British accent? Hmmm?

Audiences fascinated with the issues THE HUMAN STAIN touches upon -- class and sex, race and identity -- are better off searching for material that delves into them deeply. This story is not the Great American Novel but it does boldly confront the great American issues.

The casting, is partly to blame for this fiasco. The unmixable Hopkins and Kidman probably was supposed to produce a big box-office draw. As the priapic Silk, the usually excellent Hopkins is too stiff, lacking the animal charisma to gulp down Viagra to frolic in bed with Faunia. Talk about lack of chemistry. You can more readily imagine her with Harris' certifiable loony character. And the usually excellent characters delivered by Kidman, in this film simply looks too glamerous to be cleaning toilets and milking cows, especially with her porcelain skin and tousled ringlets.

And so, the film overreaches at times, and may not be as powerful as the material deserves. However, THE HUMAN STAIN is not exactly a failure.

Flawed but Interesting
During WWII, millions of Jews whose only crime in the eyes of some where their being
Jewish. Thousands to over millions were sent into concentration camps where few
survived and many were murdered, even the innocent of innocent, the children. Those
Jews who managed to escape did so by fleeing to hopeful safe harbors in other countries,
or, they passed. Far from passing to gain material wealth, power, and a share in the
decadence of the predominant group, these Jews simply sought to survive and see
another day. One cannot help but admire those who spent the rest of their lives,
whenever possible, challenging racism and bigotry and injustice.

The titled character in the HUMAN STAIN is far from being admirable and sympathetic.
Coleman Silk is a black man who chooses to pass as white to enjoy the privileges of
being white. He doesn't care to fight the injustices that deny his people their humanity,
but instead chooses to cater and bow down in honor and the keeping of such injustice
against his own people. Ironically, at the time he passes, those Jews who where unable to
pass were being killed, entire families. Even more ironical, Silk chooses to pass as
Jewish. He turns his back on his family, even after his mother in the movie pleads with
him in what has to be the best emotionally intense moment in the movie. Seemingly
without much conscious to morals, Silk starts his life new as a white man without anyone
ever suspecting him as being anything other than this. He marries a white woman, begins
a career as a college professor, lives the American dream of freedom without roadblocks.
Life is pretty good until his wife dies and two black students accuse him of using a racial
slur against them which is accidental and unintentional, but Silk so long denying his
heritage does not realize the power and mistake of the word he has used. At this point,
his mask begins to fall off and his past comes back to haunt him and it is not forgiving.

The main problem with this film is the way the story is told. The makers would have
done better to tell the story from the perspective of the young Silk instead of the old Silk
who is played by Anthony Hopkins. Moreover, the character played by Nicole Kidman,
who Silk begins a May/December relationship with in the midst of the Clinton sex
scandel with a young intern, seems to pollute the storyline and burden it down. Kidman
plays her part well, as the entire cast is excellent, but her character should have been
exercised from the story on the big screen all together. It is the young Coleman Silk and
his family who are the really interesting characters deserved more time on screen instead
of only being seen in flashback scenes.

The press for this movie was a lesson in the racial divide that is growing in the U.S. The
press took more of an interest in seeing how quick the guy who played young Silk,
Wentworth Miller, would distance himself from being black than they did in the moral
questions raised in the movie or book of the same name by a white man. Sadly, they may
have gotten what they wanted. I hope that I am wrong. I would take great pride in being
wrong!!!!! and offer an apology for the misunderstanding of Miller. Rather than
understanding the diversity of the black American community, that is, that black
Americans are a multi-cultural people whose blood roots extend not just in Africa but
also Europe and even Asia and all those places in between, regardless of the complexion
of skin or of the skin or race of one or both parents--the cause of the huge color spectra
among black Americans and blacks from North America to South America--, and, that
black Americans are a people proud of their ancestry in all its diversity regardless of what
only a handful of extremely bigoted afro-centralist don't want admitted and many white
Americans refuse to take time to learn and understand, the press has played to its own
blind and ignorant liberal bias that divides blacks Americans into dangerous social stratas
of ethnicities. For his part, Miller, who doesn't deny his heritage like he has done in
playing earlier roles in his career until the HUMAN STAIN, has shown a proclivity not
to correct his interviewers and has legitimized their prejudices that the one drop rule of
blood applies to all but a few of black Americans who have one non black American
parent, political correctness at its most perverse and dangerous. Miller doesn't
understand or doesn't want to understand that he is legitimizing racist fallacies.

To those who choose to watch the movie, or even, read the book, keep in mind that the
story is written from the view point of those or one person not in the know to all the
nuances, diversity, complexity, pride, heartache and tragedy, joy, sometimes
embarrassment, anger, struggle, bloodlines, and stories to the black American community
no matter how sympathetic and understanding they claim to be.

It's Stained Alright
What in god's name was Robert Benton thinking? Or Sir Anthony? Or Gary Sinise? Was Ed Harris after the Oscar he was denied last year? This film is a perfect example of a wonderful combination of artists put together & creating a monumental cinematic disaster.. Gary Sinise(narrating here)sounds like he was awakened from a deep sleep, had a microphone shoved in front of him & handed the script to read from. Anthony Hopkins looks like he can't wait for it to be over. I wonder if when he studied acting, he ever thought he'd have to do a scene where he half-heartedly discusses the joys of Viagra. I'm not sure what Nicole Kidman's character was supposed to be...watch her closely..sultry? sexy? femme fatale? I don't think she did either.. This DVD should be free with ANY purchase...Disastrous.....

A man's stormy, unhappy life's journey
This film is certainly enjoyable and worthwhile if you can accept the premise that Anthony Hopkins' character has buried his secret for his entire adult life and now confesses all to his spunky, unlettered lover Faunia [Nicole Kidman]. The movie is told in many flashbacks and will be hard to follow for those who don't pay close attention. Professor Silk's problems at his college that lead to his tribunal before the faculty and subsequent resignation are filled with irony but it doesn't seem that it is Hopkins who bears the insecurity, shame and humiliation of being in denial all his life as much as Wentworth Miller does who plays the younger Coleman Silk. The vignettes tell tragic and unhappy stories but reveal the Silk family as proud and dignified and they are represented by a wonderful cast of talented actors. Hopkins and Kidman, as expected, are great as partners in a May-December affair. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The United States of Leland isn't a whodunit. The opening scenes of Matthew Ryan Hoge's unusual murder mystery make it clear that Leland P. Fitzgerald (The Believer's Ryan Gosling) is the killer. But why did he kill? Now that the deed is done, Leland is staying in a detention center. Everybody, but especially new teacher Pearl Madison (Don Cheadle), wants to know why he killed the mentally challenged brother of girlfriend Becky (Jena Malone). After all, Leland seemed to genuinely like the kid. Leland is just as confused (and can't remember committing the act), but he reveals more and more clues as he gradually opens up to Pearl. His estranged novelist father Albert (Kevin Spacey), meanwhile, just wants to spin another bestseller out of his son's story. Writer-director Hoge doesn't provide any easy answers in this compelling, complicated look at teenage depression. Featuring music by the Fire Theft's Jeremy Enigk. --Kathleen C. Fennessy ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Ryan Gosling will compete with Johnny Depp
I predict that the 2005 Oscar race will invovle at leats these 3 men- Johnny Depp for Finding Neverland ( just by speculation), Jamie Foxx for Ray and Ryan Gosling for USoL. Now since nobody gives johnny depp the credit he deserves (Edward Scissorhands, Benny and Joon) he won't win because of the fact that ray charles has just since passed and the movie will be sooooo touchy-feely that the academy wont resist, but Gosling should win. His performance captivated me and when i left the theater, i had myself (a die-hard Johnny Depp fan of over10 years) questioning whether i should start being more of a Gosling fan. He should have won for the Believer, too. If you like johnny depp, you will like the quirkiness of Gosling and his baby-face!

Kevin Spacey's Sequel to American Beauty
I have rarely witnessed such depth of thought and feeling in an American film. This one made every other American film I have seen recently seem superficial. Kevin Spacey seems to be on the brink of being the premier artistic commentator on suburban family values. What a fresh approach to try to explore the deep thread of unhappiness within the American Dream. Teenage Leland's motivation for killing the unfortunate child (for whom he has the greatest sympathy)is not anger, which is cable TV's perpetual answer, but sadness, sadness at the human condition. This movie puts me into Dostoyevsky's world and I never expected this in American film. Every character is sympathetic because their real and not conventional feelings are revealed. I have not seen such astonishing humanity in a long time, if ever. Maybe in Boys Don't Cry but this film does not have the lurid overtones, just the quiet but overwhelming feel of humanity denied in a materialistic American culture.

Fantastic Work
Contrary to what any random self-proclaimed person of thought would try to spout, this film is glorious. It's full of various thoughts drawn together, and it provides a unique story that is provoking. To begin to summarize the story wouldn't do it justice, at least not in my words. Highly recommended, from the same producer of Requiem for A Dream and Waking Life.

Various people claim to be offended by the movie, though if one can be truly morally offended by a movie, they clearly have more significant issues to deal with.(... ) And any number of therapists my try to refute various pointsi n the film, but they, as many others, apparently missed the train en route to receiving their little ol' diplomas.

Top notch film, definitely worth seeing.

Excellent movie
I enjoyed this film. While some parts of the film are a bit slow, the cast comes together wonderfully. I think the mis-reviews don't understand that the dullness in some of the characters is not bad acting, its the awe from the crime. Spacey managed to pull off a cute performance, and even, are you ready for this? Chris Klein had his best performance yet. That is a directing accomplishment on its own. Best movie I've seen so far this year, and can't wait for the DVD.

Lame, contrived, and stupid - I'd give this turkey 0 stars
Watching The United States of Leland tonight, I was still hanging on by the tiniest thread at the halfway point in the movie. Sure, I hated what I was seeing, despised every hoity-toity, derivative word of dialogue, and wished I could slap the puppy-dog grin off actor Ryan Gosling's tortured little face, BUT I had nothing better to do at 10:20 on a Friday night. That is, I was hanging on by a thread until it sunk in what a hilarious movie it really was...and then the laughter came. And it wouldn't stop. I would look up on the screen, see two characters about whom I cared nothing, listen to their angry-13-year-old girl dialogue (this movie was written by a grown man, mind you) and then torrents of snickers started flowing. And kept flowing. Ladies and gentlemen, The United States of Leland stands as the first movie where I've had to leave the theater to get myself together - and it's a drama about a senseless murder and the lives that it affects.

Ryan Gosling has the kind of fiery intensity inside of him that can either be brought to brilliant fruition or squandered like there's no tomorrow, and it becomes very obvious within the first moments of Leland that the latter will be the case. Every comment, every gesture, every action that his title character makes stems back to this wounded puppy dog look that he plasters on like it's something profound. He stares out windows, he looks deep into a fishtank, the dude contemplates everything - but what comes out in voice-overs that guide the film is the drivel of an angsty teenager who hides under his bed and scribbles emo lyrics into a journal. The main problem with the main character of the film here is that this dude does some serious stuff - murdering a retarded child - and some kind of understanding of him (I don't ask for much) is really needed to ground the film. Writer/director Matthew Ryan Hoge, though, makes him this cypher who tells his maudlin, Dawson's Creeki-esque story to a little journal while he's incarcerated. A particularly funny little gem of bad screenwriting is the first thing he pens: "I know what they want from me."

And we're supposed to care about the people in this movie who walk in and out of it like just what they are: badly written characters. There's the retarded kid who gets about 10 seconds of screen time, so who really cares that he's dead? Then there's Leland's girlfriend, played by Jena Malone, who battles a heroin addiction and likes having boys whisper "Everything's going to be okay" into her ear. Oh, and Kevin Spacey pops in for a cute little cameo as a jerk famous writer (who happens to be Leland's father). Then there's Don Cheadle, who plays a teacher in the jail who takes a selfish interest in Leland, therefore giving him the opportunity to spout whiney, pointless drivel about all the sadness in the world and how he sees it in everyone. There are some other characters, like the rest of the family of the dead kid, but who cares about them because they get tossed around in the movie like the director has no idea what he's doing. Oh wait! He doesn't!

Why is this movie so bad? Well, I think I have it figured out. There are bad movies, like Anger Management and Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde - and I dislike them with a passion. They may have a little something to say, but what they really want you to see is Jack Nicholson farting naked in bed and a cute little chihuahua that matches its owner. This movie, though, wants to explore real issues, and that's where it commits the gravest sin of them all - wanting to discuss real things about life, but exploiting them to the max just to write cheesey dialogue that sounds enlightened. The sensless murder of a retarded child is not an issue that should be taken lightly, and I really think that this movie could have been put in the right hands (with a COMPLETELY different script) and been meaningful. Director M.R. Hoge and producer Kevin Spacey, though, care about nothing more than taking some difficult subject matter and then manipulating you, the viewer, with background guitar music and awful acting. And it's laughable. That's right - hilarious. It's such a trainwreck it's almost unbelievable anyone even gave this the greenlight. Let alone talented actors (and Spacey as a producer!!!) who are so much better than this disgusting script and maudlin plot development.

I honestly didn't know how this disaster could have possibly ended, but it didn't disappoint, let me tell you. The final plot tie-up of the film elevates it to even more horrible than the the American Beauty, Dawson's Creek rip-off that is. A supporting character who had hardly been developed at all throughout the movie comes in and completes the course of the action and then Gosling finishes up the movie with some ham-handed monologue that, in so many words, tries to bring some kind of justification to his actions. And it offended me. At first, I thought it was a stunted script. Then I realized it was an unintentionally funny movie. And finally Leland becomes a morally offensive, despicable wreck of a movie that should have never been made. By the end of those excruciating 108 minutes, I had laughed myself out of the theater, tried to touch my nose with my tongue, and attempted to crawl into the fetal position. Oh, I also hoped that some natural disaster would tear the roof from the Drexel and send me sailing into the night far away from the movie. You'd be surprised how close I am to touching my nose with my tongue - at least those 108 minutes weren't a complete waste of time. GRADE: F ... Read more

Reviews (52)

Lone Star - conviction, love, unpretentious insight
First I would like to thank John Sayles for his unique style.

A somewhat sleepy Southwest Texas border town provides the backdrop for this most unusual film. There is nothing uncommon about the demographic mix here: Anglo, Hispanic, Mexican, Black, yet Sayles hand creates an unforgettable experience through the use of warts-and-all character development and beautiful insight.

I realize some may have issues with the regional nature of this film but make no mistake, having lived most of my life in the Southwest, I can name actual persons that closely match each character in this film.

Chris Cooper plays the part of Sam Deeds to perfection. Recently divorced, Chris returns to Rio County as its new Sheriff, following in his legendary fathers' footsteps. As Chris states in the film, 'I spent the first 15 years of my life trying to be just like my old man, and the next 15 trying to kill him'. For those who do not have larger-than-life fathers, Cooper's portrail is a direct hit. For those who do, I need not say anything.

Although the plot revolves around the discovery of the remains of long-dead Sheriff Charlie Wade, this film is about conviction and human frailty, not solving a murder. An example of the wisdom of Sayles is when Otis Payne, bar owner, explains to his black-and-white thinking Colonel son Chet Payne, poignantly played by Eddie Robinson that most blacks in Rio County patronize both his bar and the church. And Sayles holds true to these words. With the exception of Charlie Wade's character, each shares strengths and weaknesses, frailty and prejudice, practicality and remorse.

Sam Deeds and Elizabeth Pena as Pilar Cruz fit together wonderfully as high-school sweethearts who are reunited after Sam's divorce. Convictions play heavily into both characters: Sam's ambivalent feelings toward his fathers' graft and political gain, Pilar's fight against a canned school curriculum. Sayles wisely points out that people of conviction are not perfect but are special. And when two special meet and fall in love, it is for a lifetime. Circumstances are not on their side, which makes their love affair that much more poignant. The few moments they are able to share are full of deep emotion and affection, just as they should be.

To be honest, my life has so closely paralleled Chris Cooper that this film is extremely difficult for me to watch. But that does not diminish its beauty and insight. For those not from the Southwest, I'd recommend watching at least twice to become familiarized with the cultures. And for those preoccupied with happy endings, you may wish to skip this film entirely.

Simply the best indie film in years...
I saw this movie when it was first released, and then again this week-end on TNT. It's one of the best films I've seen and I plan to purchase it for my library.

It doesn't have a lot of action and the plots develop slowly, but, like In the Heat of the Night, there is not one throw-away scene.

I've never seen Kristofferson so evil...his work was real enough to be very, very scary. I liked Chris Cooper and Frances McDormand is a riot in her all-too-brief scene as Cooper's strung-out ex-wife.

I live in a small town in east Texas and I know people like the Sheriff, Big O, Buddy and the others.

The plot twist at the end might be a bit off-putting for some, but, to me, it just added to the quality of the writing, directing, acting and drama.

This is a movie to be savored. Do not expect action, car crashes or surrealistice special effects. It's a film about real people facing real issues and doing their best to right some very bad wrongs.

Enjoy!

Stereotypes
There's something so "Plastic, Benjamin" about a scripted debate on race relations. Somebody tell John Sayles that drama comes first. His political inclinations are so important they blot out the sun. Remember, "To Tell a Mockingbird?" It never felt preachy. Why? Because Greg Peck had a meaty role and his position was clear. "This will not stand," a Lincolnesque moment. Chris Cooper is one sad sheriff trying to live up to his legendary dad. The town is a boiling pot of Anglo, Mexican and Afro-American potations. They shout at each other, they cuss, sort-of, but then they all sit around and express their feelings. Subtle, this ain't. That's why the movie feels like it's taking three hours to tell a ten-minute story. Who killed the bad sheriff? Kris Kristofoson is one of those redneck bad guy-racists that come out of Hollywood without motivation. This script won an academy award back in 96. There are incestuous stories, stereotypes, town histories intertwined, but I still can't figure if the sheriff and the schoolteacher can overcome that last revelation.

A Quiet Masterpiece...
...and one of my favorite films because of it's intermeshings of mood, plot and character. I have always considered that the American 'norm' is one frought with brutal people made into heroes because the history books tell us that they were heroes; also, that maybe's man truest nature is of brutality and cruelity...and history, again, washes things as clean as laundry done for Sunday morning. Anyhoo, that's what this movie speaks to, how brutality affects the Rio County area so much that many secrets have somehow bonded the folks living in this ant farm of a community. Note how there's a sub-theme of competition and struggle, man versus whatever (rattle snake skins, longhorn skulls, soldiers preparing for battle, the after hours gambling) where a 'winner' must be declared.' You will dig this one because it will have you thinking about it for a long time aferwards..

An Examination of History
Lone Star is about history and how history can either be a prison or how it can set us free. The characters in the movie start out bound by their history. Their histories, familial and cultural, determine a course of action for the characters living in present day Rio County. By the end of the movie, these characters have come to grips with their own personal history. Their personal history no longer dictates their actions.
Sam Deeds is the current sheriff of Rio County and is plagued by his legendary father, who also was a sheriff. Sam is a reluctant sheriff and was elected by the townspeople who hoped he would be like his father. Sam's investigation into the murder of Charley Wade is driven by his history with Buddy: he's not interested in learning the "truth" but instead to shatter the legendary status of his father. The revelations through his investigation help to form a more complete history of Buddy Deeds for Sam; he no longer has the skewed and inaccurate picture formed from his own personal experiences with Buddy Deeds.
Col. Delmore Payne works his way up through the structured institution of the U.S. Army as a way to forget his estrangement with his father. He tries to instill this discipline in Chet's (his son) life. Col. Payne wants to be a strong influencing force in his son's life to compensate for his father's lack of involvement in his own life. Chet develops his own relationship with Col. Payne's father, Otis, and thus brings Otis back into his father's life. By the end of the movie Col. Payne is beginning to form a relationship. Once he lets go of the history between him and his father, he becomes a more of a father and less of a disciplinarian to Chet.
Mercedes Cruz, mother of Pilar, is an immigrant from Mexico trying to free herself of her dirty Mexican past and assimilate into American culture. She has become the most successful Mexican-American businesswoman in the town. She owns a Mexican restaurant and always scolds her workers when they speak Spanish instead of English. She lives near the Mexican border and has a good view of Mexicans trying to cross the border illegally. Anytime she sees this, she calls the Border Patrol to report them. This is in direct contrast to her own past, where she crossed into the U.S. as an illegal immigrant. Her moment of "freedom" comes when she helps the fiancée of an employee. She breaks her leg trying to cross the river into the U.S. and Mrs. Cruz calls in a favor to a local doctor.
The romance between Sam and Pilar is the most controversial example of history colliding with present. Sam and Pilar were high school sweethearts and were reunited after Sam came back to Rio County. Through the course of his investigation into the murder of Charley Wade, Sam stumbles across some explosive history that could change their relationship permanently. This is controversial and sure to spark extreme opinions, but I think their final decision follows in the theme of the movie. They break free of the chains of history to try and forge ahead in the present. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Undercover cop Jeffrey Cole is doing "God's" work, and he is losing his religion. God is Dwayne Gittens, whose neighborhood benevolence masks his thriving Cincinnati (a refreshing change of scenery) drug trade. Cole, a rookie fresh out of the Academy is "ready for the big score" and is charged by his mentor to "bring God and his angels down for good." But the higher Colerises in Gittens's organization, the deeper he gets. Omar Epps redeems himself after The Mod Squad witha gripping and empathetic performance as the increasingly conflicted Cole.After scoring as the comic relief in Deep Blue Sea, LL Cool J gets down to business as Gittens, the master of his domain who rules with an iron hand (and, in one particularly nasty sequence, a pool cue), but is also capable of compassion and charity. As Cole's concerned superior, Stanley Tucci avoids the bluster usually associated with this stock character. Pam Grier, whose career should have gotten a Viagralike pop from Jackie Brown, makes the most out of her thankless role as a fellow officer who finds herself in a climactic standoff with Cole. In Too Deep briefly loses its focus afterCole is pulled from the case. He takes photography classes and becomes involvedwith a model (Nia Long). But fans of TV's late, lamented Wiseguy, the unjustly neglected Deep Cover, and Donnie Brasco will find Cole'a anguished odyssey compelling. --Donald Liebenson ... Read more

Reviews (23)

In Too Deep! Awesome Movie!
In Too Deep is about an undercover cop (Omar Epps) who could get more far in to the drug game then any other self respsecting cop could. He hangs out with the famous drug dealer God (LL Cool J)and is planning to take down one of the biggest drug deals in the history. Great movie, some language but it's tight! It's not really a ghetto movie, it's more of a real life movie but it's awesome man! RECCOMENDED

In Too Deep
In Too Deep is a great movie! It would definetly get 5 stars if it weren't such a blatant rip off of Donnie Brasco. Omar Epps is amazing as an undercover cop caught up in his risky assignment. LL Cool J is beleivable as his criminal foil. If you liked Donnie Brasco than see this movie, it is the modern urban equivalent.

It could've been much better but LL COOL J was great!
LL COOL J was great playing the sometimes good sometimes bad DON of the ghetto.
Omar Epps is usually one of my fav's but he comes off as kind of a place character but he does okay, however he did a million times better in the great movie FIRST TIME FELON.

The plot of the movie isn't too good I think that the ending was really weak, and a bad ending can destroy a good movie.

The is alright to watch, but there are better movies outthere.

Deep
This film was DEEP. I have not seen it in a while, but plan to see it again. This movie is when I realized LL Cool J would not be a rapper turned actor that would end up in actors oblivion. This man had me HATING him, and I love me some Cool J. Omar Epps plays a cop who goes undercover, and has to gain the trust of a big drug lord (LL Cool J). The movie kind of reminded me of Deep Cover a little. It had that element of is he still a cop or is he a thug now element. The film is not great, but good enough to keep you interested.

Dark but good.
LL Cool J calls himself god in this movie, and is like the godfather of queensbridge. Its a burden for god cop jamal played by omar epps to catch one of the most recognizable villans of the 90s. Not only was ll one of the most biggest star of the 90s, but his charecter was taken into prespective by critics worldwide. Good movie for action thriller lovers ... Read more

Reviews (3)

From Evening World News this movie is so cool.
I remember hearing about this movie from the news and I missed watching the movie until now this move is very cool and it keeps you glued to the screen. I highly recommend this dvd.

It's the "War of the Worlds" as presented on TV...
As the reviewer below mentioned, this made-for-TV movie is loosely based on Orson Welles's famous radio broadcast in 1938. The broadcast was based on the classic 1898 novel "War of the Worlds" in which seemingly-invincible, octopus-like Martians invade and lay waste to England before suddenly dying from a simple Earth virus. Welles took this sci-fi story and turned it into a disturbingly realistic, minute-by-minute radio news broadcast of Martians landing in the New Jersey countryside and then moving towards New York while destroying everything in their path. Welles intended for the broadcast to be a ratings-boosting Halloween "trick", but many people thought that it was a real news story and panicked, packed up their cars and families and headed for the hills to escape the Martian "invaders". In "Without Warning", CBS-TV attempted to do what Welles did on CBS radio decades earlier: present a frighteningly realistic TV News broadcast of an alien invasion of the Earth. The two-hour movie is presented as a genuine news broadcast - there's the typical TV newsroom you see on CNN or Fox News; there's the team of anchorpeople giving updates (to add to the realism Sander Vanocur, a real reporter who's covered Washington politics since President Kennedy, was hired to play the anchorman); and there's the "live" satellite feeds from around the world as the evidence rapidly mounts that the Earth is being visited by not-so-friendly aliens. And the story is at least as frightening as the Welles version so many years ago. Originally, reports come in of a large UFO that's been shot down by the Air Force; an entire town in Wyoming suddenly disappears, with empty cars lining the streets and people's half-eaten dinners sitting on their plates; a zombie-like little girl is found talking what appears to be "nonsense" (it's actually a message from the aliens), then a missing skier in Europe turns up spouting the same gibberish; then large asteroids are spotted heading for the Earth's major cities, poised to destroy them; and the US military in a hurried press conference announces their plan to destroy the asteroids before they hit the Earth. I won't give away anymore of the plot (the ending is a real chiller), but this fast-paced film grabs hold of you quickly and doesn't let go until the very end. I saw this movie by accident when it originally aired, and although I wasn't "fooled" (I'm a big fan of Orson Welles' original broadcast, so I knew it had to be fake), this film nevertheless is chilling to watch in its realism. If there ever is an alien invasion of the Earth (which I doubt), then this movie probably gives an accurate portrayal of how the TV news media would cover it. Highly recommended!

It's what you've been waiting for!
This is the television movie that stirred up a lot of trouble for CBS in 1994. Despite repeated disclaimers every commercial break, many viewers really thought this was real. Sound familar? It should. The style is loosely based on Orson Wells' War of the Worlds radio cast, where the story is told through breaking news coverage.
I worked at a CBS affiliate and scared people kept calling wanting to know if it was real.
Anyway, this is a fun movie. It is not HAMLET and is a bit over the top at times. But if you get into the spirit of things you might occasionally feel a chill go up your spine. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Excellent Sequel To The 1981 Hit Comedy.
Arthur 2 On The Rocks is an underrated sequel to the original. To me...I thought that this one was in fact better then the original, because it had a very good screenplay and great sense of humor...not just the drinking jokes from the original, but much more situatiuon comedy, which the original lacked. Plus, this one has a much more complex and smooth plot, that wasn't as confusing as it worked with the original.

On the Rocks...Rocks
On The Rocks is a delightful experience. Young millionaire playboy learns that there is more to life than money. A hilarious sequel to Arther, Number 2 is even better. Much more down to earth comedy, with a sober twist. Thanks Dudley, you've done it again!

not so great as the first one, but still a good movie
This movie , altough is not a masterpiece like the first Arthur, is still a good entertainment. The carachters are so charming that you can enjoy a sequel, even a pollitically correct like this one(arthur trying to quit drinking). There's also a new theme song by christopher cross.Watch it and judge yourserlf.

They should outlaw test-bombing
This movie was a total bomb; it was a failure in all cinematic categories. All the major players from the first movie save one (Jill Eikenberry who played Susan) return to star in this one, but whatever they did wasn't enough to save the picture. Sometimes, the best things you do are the things you don't do; this film is a prime example of that situation.

A mistake
This was a movie that should not have been made. Arthur's behavior in the first flick was amusing. Here it becomes increasingly tiresome, and you begin to question his wife's sanity at putting up with it. The cast tries (Liza looks great), and it's lushly produced, but they should have better left alone. Gielgud is wasted, although he does get the film's best line. ... Read more

Description

Directed by Academy Award winner William Friedkin, THE HUNTED follows FBI agent Abby Durrell (Nielson) and her new recruit, L.T. Bonham (Jones) - a specialist in deep-woods tracking, as they team up to track and hunt down trained assassin, Aaron Hallam (Del Toro), who made a sport out of fatally shooting deer hunters in the forests outside Portland, Oregon.Using his well-honed nature skills to locate Hallam, Bonham soon finds himself and his partner lured into a gut-wrenching game of cat and mouse. With ruthless precision and murderous skill, Hallam remains one step ahead of his pursuers as Bonham and Durrell try to outwit him in the natural and urban wildernesses before Hallem turns them into his next victims. ... Read more

Reviews (120)

The Hunted-Pointless and Confusing
The Hunted, an inert and bizarre thriller from director William Friedkin who use to direct and appreciate good movies. Tommy Lee Jones and Benecio Del Toro star in this incredibly senseless film, I only gave it three stars for the great action.
The film unfortunate to say is not very suspenseful, it's rather banal and unsurprising.
Basically, Jones, plays a commander of an elite special forces unit which use brutal tactics involving knifes and other such weapons. Toro is a lead student in his class and is commended for his great work. Soon during a secretive mission in Kosovo, he after completeing the missions successfully he loses his mind and essentially goes mad. He targets deer hunters whom he thinks are CIA agents trying to nail him. He's very surreptitious and cautious and so no one can catch me or so he thought. Soon the cat and mouse games becomes an intense deadly and fairly gruesome knife game which could be depicted from many horror films.
Toro is an expert when it comes to being a killing machine. Jones's primary objective is to catch him and of course execute him. An excellent knife fight is staged pretty much at the end of the film between Toro and Jones. All in all, the $6 used for the film ticket would've been better for charity. I mean that film wasn't atrocious, but it wasn't an amazing film. Personally
I think Tommy Lee Jones, is desperate for money, and so is Friedkin and Toro. This film should've immediately come to tape,
but it's a bit late for that. The only thing I can recommend about this film is the enthralling action, but one must have the stomach for the gory and graphic knife fights.
The Hunted is rated R for Strong Bloody Violence (which is indeed true) and Some Language. The violence is excessive but is considerable. I would recommennd only to fans of action and possibly fans who admire stupidity, cause that's all you'll get from this movie. See if you must, you should probably see it right away though.

A very well acted & directed action/adventure flick.
Aaron Hallam (Benicio Del Toro), has went off the deep end using his special forces killing techniques to fillet hunters who kill with "irreverence" as some sort of social statement. Now it's up to the man who taught him L.T. Bonham (Tommy Lee Jones), a professional tracker and good ol' boy to bring him in.

The Hunted is simply a fun, sometimes silly non-stop action extravaganza low on story, dialogue, character development, and overall plot and heavy as a sumo wrestler on visceral, fast paced, beautifully choreographed and even more beautifully photographed action sequences.

Staring in Kosovo, in what can only be described as a vision of hell on Earth, we meet Hallam a special forces op/assassin who witness brutal mass murder at the hands of some tyrannical military force. After his mission is carried out Hallam returns to the world and is given the silver star. He then disappears into the woods and begins to carry out his crusade for animal rights, or so we're supposed to believe even though the details are hazy. There's also a moment where Hallam says he was set up, but that's quickly forgotten along with his animal rights stance and we're left to believe that the guy just snapped. Tommy Lee Jones is brought in as is the case in all these movies where only a retired agent/cop/tough guy can bring down this new threat, a threat he helped create. After a brief, very brief, ploy by a shady government official Bonham jumps aboard to help bring in "his boy." From there we're treated to chase after chase, hand to hand combat after knife fight and it's all breathtakingly captured by William Friedkin of The Exorcist fame. A man whose made a name for himself by filming amazing car chase sequences. So who better to call the shots on The Hunted, which is really one amazing chase sequence after another, than Billy himself who pulls everyt