Reviews (72)

A tragic love story you'll never forget
Writer-director Keith Gordon's "Waking the Dead" caught me off guard and - dare I say it? - moved me to tears. But what's almost as sad as the movie itself is that this 1999 release - which works beautifully as both a tragic love story and a psychological thriller - slipped in and out of theaters virtually unnoticed.

Based on the novel by Scott Spencer, the film opens in 1972, where we meet Fielding Pierce (Billy Crudup), a young U.S. Coast Guard officer with big political ambitions. He meets Sarah Williams (Jennifer Connelly), a secretary and political activist who works at his hippie brother's New York publishing house, and the two are smitten right away. But tragedy strikes ...

Without giving too much away, I will say that "Waking the Dead" cuts back and forth between the early '70s and the early '80s, producing a subjective, stream-of-consciousness narrative that manages to be compelling instead of confusing. Also, I liked the use of color and lighting to visually differentiate between the '70s scenes (warm earth tones) and the '80s scenes (cold, dark colors).

But unlike "The Matrix" and "Memento," which used subjective narrative to play head games with the audience as its central gimmick, "Waking the Dead" is after bigger game. The ambiguity surrounding Sarah underscores how deeply her memory haunts Fielding, the toll it has taken on his mental state, and how deeply they love each other, despite the cruel blow fate has dealt them.

The soundtrack also features lovely songs by Joni Mitchell ("A Case of You"), Lori Carson ("Snow Come Down") and Peter Gabriel ("Mercy Street"); alas, no soundtrack CD was ever made. The DVD also includes 45 minutes of deleted scenes, including a brief but engaging performance by Ed Harris, whose character only appeared onscreen (in TV footage, no less) for about 10 seconds in the final cut.

Just make sure you have a box of tissues and a wastebasket handy before you push "play." You have been warned.

"Words support like bone"
Both Jennifer Connely and Billy Crudup shine in this heart-wrenching film about lost love. I was particularly moved by Billy Crudup's amazing performance. It was filled with anger and confusion, longing and despair, but ultimately hope. His acting here is as good as any actor could possibly attempt; some of his scenes are so intense that they seem out of place with the rest of the movie, and only Jennifer Connelly ever keeps up with him. The remaining scenes show him numb with the loss of his true love. His performance is truly remarkable. There is also a "sex" scene between Jennifer and Billy that was pulled off so convincingly that it looked as though they actually were making love. The intensity they both bring to that scene is genuinely amazing. There is also another montage of scenes that takes place late in the film with the Peter Gabriel song "Mercy Street" played in full that is so perfectly placed it seemed as thought the song were written specifically for this film. Another remarkable moment. The pace is deliberately slow, the plot jumps back and forth in time, and some of the scenes seem staged for the benefit of Billy Crudup, but overall this is a moving experience. The writing is also excellent but sounds more like a play than a screenplay. However, this is a landmark event for Billy Crudup, and a completely different character than Russell Hammond in the film "Almost Famous." If you love great acting, look no further than this movie.

Superb, but as usual, less than the book it was based upon
I read "Waking the Dead" a few months before watching the movie. I was thus certainly biased in a certain direction in favor of the book.

Keith Gordon, who also directed the outstanding and under-appreciated films "A Midnight Clear" and "Mother Night", stays pretty much faithful to the original material by Scott Spencer. It's obvious that films are different than books and directors need a certain amount lattitude to change the story as needed. Gordon certainly left a lot of the story on the cutting room floor and that is, for the most part, not a problem.

What is the problem is that Gordon didn't flesh out Sarah's story and, as a result, offers a skewed ending that the book doesn't share.

Sarah and Fielding are not "opposites" as many suggest. They happen to agree politically. They're both "liberals." Where they disagree is on tactics. The problem with the film is that we don't really see enough of Sarah to understand just how different her tactics are compared to Fielding and why, ultimately, she chose to go away. The movie's ending is ambiguious about the fate of Sarah. Did she die or didn't she? The book shares some of this approach, but it strongly leans in the direction of Sarah having faked her death. In the book Fielding meets with a priest who states that Sarah is alive. And when Sarah and Fielding finally meet at the end Sarah explains how she is living underground and continuing her work. We're given, at least in the text, a reason why Sarah chose the path that she did. Gordon, however, mostly gives us Fielding's side of things. In the process he detracts from the central conflict and ends up with a rather wishy-washy ending.

I strongly recommend this film. The DVD has many interesting extras, including many deleted scenes and a commentary by Gordon. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be anything on the DVD from the original author, Scott Spencer. That's too bad because I think he could have added some really interesting insights about the story overall. And of course, read the book which is, as usual, even better than the movie.

Heartbreaking . . .
One of the few movies that caused me to burst into tears and weep like a baby. Losing someone you dearly love is rough and if you have experienced that this might be a tough movie to get through.

exquisitely heartbreaking
i find resonance with this movie. let's put politics aside. i find this movie beautifully and powerfully acted by both jennifer connelly and billy crudup. their pain and their happiness is a wave of emotion seldom seen on the screen anymore. i was truly taken and i cannot say that about many movies i have seen in my life. i rented it on a whim because i never had heard of it before. i am so lucky that i did. i find it a solid and sultry breath of thick air- life invigorating- an idealists and realists movie balancing on a fulcrum of believability. its two hours of antidote in a world sick with cynicism. ... Read more

Description

Two young girls who happen to look identical, bump into each other in the woods and decide to swap households so they can play matchmaker to their single parents. ... Read more

Reviews (50)

A fun family movie
Amanda lives in an orphanage where her only real friend is her social worker. Alyssa is the only child of a multi-millionaire. But one summer, they meet by accident and hatch a daring plan. They switch places and try to get Amanda's social worker and Alyssa's dad to fall in love before he marries an awful woman. But when the fiancée figures out what's going on, can the girls pull it off?

Granted, this movie is a variation of The Parent Trap. And while there were a few unexpected twists, there really isn't anything new to the plot. But the movie is incredibly fun. The first time I saw it I laughed so hard it hurt, and I was in college at the time. The movie creates humor from the premise, sometimes setting up jokes well ahead of the punch line. The Olsens do a good job with the acting. It's fun watching them basically play each other. The adults do a fabulous job with their rolls, making it easy to get lost in this world.

I have shared this movie with many friends since I first saw it, and they all enjoyed it. I highly recommend this entertaining film.

Fun, fun, fun!
This is my favorite Olsen Twins movie, and I'm an adult who can honestly say she enjoys it. I grew up on Full House and have always loved watching those two. They've done a lot of movies, and this one is my favorite. Supported by the charming Steve Guttenberg, the extremely funny Kirstie Alley, and a supporting cast that includes Philip Bosco as the sly and smart butler and Jane Sibbett as Clarice, the snooty, evil-plotting fiance of Guttenberg's character, this movie is sure to please any fan of Mary-Kate and Ashley. So the story goes kind of like this: look-alikes Amanda and Alyssa (Mary-Kate and Ashley, respectively) literally bump into each other while at a summer camp (that Amanda's a camper at and that Alyssa's extremely rich father happens to own). Once the two realize how closely they resemble each other, they hatch a plan to get Alyssa's single dad and Amanda's pretty caseworker romantically involved. Will they succeed, amidst foodfights, canoes falling over, and the interference of the conniving Clarice? This is a fun movie from beginning to end, with lots of visual treats (Andy Tennant Films--Fools Rush In, Ever After, etc.--always seem to have beautiful scenery), funny dialogue, and fantastic characters. There's exactly one slightly objectionable word (spoken by one of the Olsens), but I think only very conservative parents will have a problem with it. This movie is part Parent Trap, part Three Men And A Little Lady, and . . . basically just a really cute movie.

Double Your Viewing Pleasure With The Olsen TwinS :)
Even though i am NOT one for remakes.And this is a remake of the
classic Disney movie "The Parent Trap" but underneath a different name.This is one remake that is even better the original.The Olsen Twins are these days' Shirley Temple.Both on screen and the way they conduct themselves.We have gotten to meet them and trust me they are the same in real life.We been fans of the TwinS since fuLL house days.I only have to warn parents of one thing in this movie that Mary-Kate does suprise the viewer with the use of a somewhat "dirty word".I would tell you what it is but it would most likely not get posted.Its P*SSED.Ok from that you can tell.
If you don't want your kids hearing that then stay away.But remember they hear that and worse then that in school and can't stop them from going to school.But most importantly the TwinS deliver in this movie.We have been blessed now with 18 years of their sweetness and talent.We wish them all the best they deserve all that they got.And when child stars turn out as they did that is more then an achievement.Don't miss this movie.And as for the Twins this is their best and that is saying a lot.Sit back relax and laugh and enjoy and double your viewing pleasure with the Olsen TwinS : Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen......

Moi
The Movie isn't half bad. Kids will like it, but adults might be annoyed. To be perfectly honest, Ashley's acting is forced and very annoying at times; she sounds like she's trying to have a British accent, but fails.. Mary-Kate does a fine job. It's really hard to believe that Steve Gutenburg would pick Kirstie Alley over his fiance, too.
If you really like the Olsen Twins, then you'll like this movie. If you aren't, then don't go into this movie with high hopes.

Charming!
I'm not a hardcore Mary-Kate and Ashley fan but I'm not one of their haters and I actually like them, have liked them ever since Full House. I think It Takes Two is a sweet charming movie and I agree that it's like The Parent Trap meets The Prince and the Pauper and I'm surprised that not many people seem to have noticed The Prince and the Pauper angle of this story. Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen were pretty good and Steve Guttenberg and Kirstie Alley were good too and fans of the NBC sitcom friends will notice Jane Sibbet as Steve Guttenberg's nasty fiance. She plays Ross's first ex-wife on Friends. I would like for me and my family to have this charmer on DVD but Amazon doesn't list what the aspect ratio is and from experience I have found that usually means the DVD is edited into a pan and scanned format and I would rather have widescreen. ... Read more

Description

A group of unruly Ohio teenagers win a trip to Washington D.C., where they proceed to wreak havoc. ... Read more

Reviews (179)

The best of the "Chucky movies"
"Bride of Chucky" is in my opinion, the best of all the Chucky movies. Although it is not pure horror and suspense, Bride of Chucky still beats out the previous 3 Child's Play movies. The atmosphere is creepy and gothic, and there are a couple of gory death scenes. But the main appeal of this movie is its humor. I loved how Chucky and Tiffany played off each other.

I also thought that the music was perfect for this movie. Instead of using a creepy musical score, they used songs from Rob Zombie and other metal groups.

The features on the dvd were very good. The audio commentary with Jennifer Tilly (Tiffany), Brad Dourif (Chucky), and Don Mancini (the movie's writer) were both informative and funny.

I won't give the ending away, but let's just say that it was unexpected. It was gross and sick...but it was also a perfect ending that will lead to the next Chucky movie.

Jennifer Tilly bumps otherwise average movie up a big notch!
Although I am a horror fan I have never been a fan of the slasher genre and had never planned to see this movie, but I just happened to watch it by accident one night and was very pleasantly suprised.

What places this movie a cut above the usual moronic slasher flick is an OUTSTANDING performance by Jennifer Tilly as Chucky's "bride" Tiffany. I had never seen her in a starring role before, and the whole time she was on the screen I kept asking "Who IS this chick? She's great!!" and couldn't wait to look up her name in the closing credits. -- Definitely not the usual quality of acting you'd expect in this type of B-movie.

After she meets her demise and is transformed into a doll, the film becomes more predictable and gradually descends more to the level of your standard Chucky flick. The late great John Ritter's talents seem wasted here in a pretty cardboard role, and unfortunately the two teen leads are never more than the typical generic "kids in distress".

But director Ronny Yu does seem to have some notion of his film's place within the horror genre, and there's a wonderful and inspired nod to classic horror and "The Bride of Frankenstein" during Tiffany's transformation sequence. Nice little touches like this, and the fact that this movie does not take itself too seriously and often seems more like a parody of the slasher/Chucky genre, made it even more enjoyable for me.

I hear that Jennifer Tilly will also be involved in the sequel currently filming, "Child's Play 5: Seed of Chucky", which should make it interesting. But I actually wish they'd go back and do a PRE-quel to this movie, focusing on living woman Tiffany's life before bringing back Chucky. -- She is one deliciously twisted, mean and sexy momma!

This movie has not made me a Chucky fan, but it definitely has made a new fan of Jennifer Tilly out of me.

In conclusion, if you're looking for a fun, mindless and light movie just to waste a couple of hours on, this one isn't bad.

Stunningly BAD
This movie absolutely puts the rest of the CP series to absolute shame. It's just a slapstick movie with forced laughs and dry humor, and almost no horror. Gone is organization -- they threw in a plot involving an amulent, and Andy could be in hell for all we know. This movie really drops the CP series' quality and honestly, may be the worst movie I've ever seen. The plot is weak. The only plus is good acting, at least by Jesse (Stable) and Jade (Heigl). The movie isn't worth a buy; barely worth a rental.
I do give it credit for not having as many "bloopers" as the first three - editing's been done to the max. But there are a few that I won't mention. Still, the first three had plot holes. This movie technically, unforutnately, has no hole in the plot. It just introduces a new element, which is weak. I think they either could have left the CP then-trilogy alone, or just made something better. But I could see the CP idea getting lame anyway.
Leave it alone...

More funny
I like the Child's Play series and though I personally think the first one is the best, this one is good in its own way. Bride of Chucky has much more humour, a lot killings in more unique ways and an extra doll. If you like the Child's Play series, you will definitely enjoy this one but if you never liked the series, I doubt you will find anything enjoyable about this one.

Hardly a good movie but still a lot of fun to watch
Before Chucky turned killer doll, he had a girlfriend named Tiffany. In this movie Tiffany recovers the body of Chucky from a polive evidence locker. Chucky was pretty much torn to pieces in 3 so she sews him back together and uses the vodoo chant to bring his spirit back to the body. He returns just as evil as ever and horror/comedy takes up the rest of the movie.

This is not a good film. It is a horror movie that is so over the top on ridiculousness that it borders on comedy. I never thought I would see Chucky the killer doll, who I feared so much as a child, in a love scene. Seeing Tiffany the killer doll making cookies for Chucky while they're holding a couple hostage is quite amusing. The domestic dispute that develops between the dolls shortly after this is just hilarious.

This movie isn't for everyone. You'll enjoy this if you were a fan of Jason X, Freddy vs. Jason or the Evil Dead movies. If you have a dark sense of humor you'll probably love this movie. ... Read more

Reviews (39)

Very good horror film entry
Others put this film down comparing it to other less than imaginative horror films, but that is not the case at all. This is a film head and shoulders above the rest of the early 80's slasher films.Actually one of the best.The murderer in this movie is particularly vicious and cruel (that's what makes it way cool)obviously taking delight with each murder. (Notice the smile on the murderers face after one murder in particular?)Both funny and engrossing. Yes I agree with other reviews, the murders, at least some of them are imaginative , as well as clever.I liked the psychological bent of the film. A worthwhile way to spend an evening of video viewing. Give it a try.

Horror movie classic. Who is the killer? Best twists!
Here is another horror movie classic. College kids like this one. Melissa Sue Anderson (Little house on the Prarie) and a gaggle of other university students are being killed one by one. Each one of the students are a little on the crazy side, so no telling whom the killer may be. Her mom had died. Eventually her dad and herself move back into town and the family house. "Virginia" is really down and bothered. But she is making friends in school and considers herself to be in the Top Ten. Cast also includes Tracy Bregman (Days Of Our Lives, Young and the Restless, Bold and the Beautiful) and Glenn Ford (Superman [1978]). Can you guess who the killer is? This RCA home video print is not too good. The color is faded. The film being Canadian might have something to do with that. But this is a good film worth watching and good acting from Melissa Sue Anderson.

Highly Underrated Slasher
5 out 5 stars when it comes to slashers! Clever plot twists, inventive murder scenes, and a great build up to the ending. Plus: Melissa Sue Anderson is great as our lead character, Ginny. Worth a watch!

cheesy fun
okay so it isn't the best movie ever but it's fun and funny. i liked it.

You Say It's Your Birthday
Thanks to horror classics like Halloween, The Howling, and The Exorcist, the genre saw a resurgence in the 70's and 80's, not even matched by today's standards. More often then not though, most of them were just pale imatations of, the crazed killer stalking teens with raging hormones plot. Very few of these films broke away from the pack, comming up with a new spin, an exception is the mildly clever Happy Birthday To Me.

Thanks to severe head trauma, Virginia Wainwright, (Melissa Sue Anderson, who tried to shed her past role on TV's Little House, but hasn't done much since) part of her brain is damaged, to the point where she can't remember her recent past. When she returns to school at the Crawford Academy, she is welcomed into the Top Ten, a snooty social clique. Things turn deadly, as someone starts killing off the members of the group. With her 18th birthday approaching Virginia starts to doubt her own sanity, thinking that the killer's real identity, may indeed, be linked to her own forgotton past - or that she herself may even be the killer, acting out, during one of her blackouts.

Directed by Lee J. Thompson, who worked on the original Cape Fear and Battle For The Planet Of The Apes, elevates the film a bit, and makes you (almost) forget that it's really just a slasher flick. The interesting twist of the possiblity that the heroine may be the murderer is also kinda fun. The film is also given even more credability, by the prescence of the great Glenn Ford, as Dr. David Faraday. The script has all the familiar horror film cliches, of course but as I said, it's still got enough there to make it watchable and even fun.

Happy Birthday To Me is not yet available on DVD. Therefore, VHS will have to do for now. It may be hard to find a copy of it. If you do...Rent don't Buy...It's worth a look for horror enthusiasts *** and a half stars ... Read more

Reviews (59)

Try not to think about it
As is the case of most of Cronenberg's work, the plot of Scanners begins in a straight line, becomes murky, and then almost nonsensical, The Fly remake being the exception, but barely. That's not to say that Scanners wasn't enjoyable. The special effects really are what make the movie; the exploding head in the beginning has since become one of horror's greatest movie moments-it's that priceless. The acting, with the exception of Patrick McGoohan, is non-plussed and wooden, oftentimes just downright uninspired. Steven Lack has to be one of the most ironic and appropriate names for an actor that ever existed. At it's heart, Scanners is an action movie, there are plenty of scenes of tension that move the story forward; at no point will you feel very bogged down by exposition until you get to the ending, and then you will have whiplash from having had the whole story laid on you so fast. Many Cronenberg elements can be seen in this film: excessive violence, fatalistic outlooks from many of the characters, and Cronenberg's own patented pessimism, which seems to hover over every one of his films like a specter. Cronenberg is a marginal director, by that I mean that he doesn't take the easy road to get his message across to you. Many of his films are a lesson in hubris coupled with excessive power. Just don't try to take any of this with you when you watch Crash. There just was no excuse for that one. Enjoy.

Effemerol The Scanner Drug of Choice
Movie Summary: Cameron Vale is jerked from his life as a mentally ill homeless man and whisked away to a corporate building. There he is given a drug that stops the voices in his head. He is told that he is not insane but he is one of only a few people with special mental powers. He is a Scanner. The corporation and its head scientist Doctor Paul Ruth clean up and attempt to train Cameron. They then send out an under prepared Cameron into the middle of a scanner war to track down a very powerful scanner who has plans to conquer the world.

My Opinion: Almost all the reviews for Scanners call it a Horror movie. I don't agree. To me Horror suggests movies like "Friday the 13th" and "A Nightmare on Elm Street". Scanners has some gore which more than likely is what gets it the horror label. I found it to be an Action Thriller with major SciFi elements. It's also a detective/spy type mystery film. It's all these elements together that make Scanners interesting and entertaining. The plot gets a little confusing in the middle as Cameron searches for other scanners, but our confusion mirrors Cameron's and is intentional. As things progress everything becomes clear. Stephen Lack is excellent as the weird scanner hero. I liked him enough to go look up what other films he has been in. Patrick McGoohan and Michael Ironside also give great performances. Overall this is a very entertaining movie that I will watch more than once and recommend to others.

DVD Quality: Video: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.85:1 Sound: DD 2.0 Mono. For at least the last quarter of the movie the sound does not sync up with the video. Extras: Trailer only. This is a bare bones DVD with Audio problems, but it is offered at a VHS price.

What You Should Do: Buy the DVD if you are a fan of this movie or of Horror/ScFi movies in general. It's not a high quality DVD release, but the price isn't going to make your head explode.

Related Movies To Check Out: Three Days of the Condor, Reanimator, Bride of Reanimator

"I'm gonna suck your brain dry!"
From writer/director/auteur David Cronenberg comes another intelligent and visceral sci-fi/horror classic in the form of Scanners (1981), a film that takes a disturbing look at potential of the human mind within all of us, but only a few may actually possess. The questions posed are what if there were those out there who had the ability to read minds and control people actions just by thought? And what if those same individuals, scanners, as called within the film, also had not only the ability to read minds and control the actions of others with their mind, but also had the power to kill with the same means? The film stars Jennifer O'Neill (Summer of '42), the eccentric Patrick McGoohan (The Prisoner, Silver Streak), Michael Ironside (Total Recall), and Stephen Lack, who, by the way, is not only an actor, but also a world-renowned artist, having garnered much acclaim for his paintings.

As the film begins, we see a homeless man (Lack) wandering a mall, getting dirty looks from all the people he sees (hey hey we're the Monkees...whatever)...anywho, one woman in particular, in the food court, seems exceptionally offended by his presence, but she soon has other things to worry about as she suffers from some sort of brain freeze, like the kind you get when you drink something cold too fast, brought on by the homeless man...turns out our homeless man (in my day, they were called bums, but whatever), whose name is Cameron Vale, has psychic powers of some sort, and has garnered the attention of CONSEC (whose chairman looks a helleva lot like Ed Asner), a company that specializes in weapons, specifically Dr. Paul Ruth (McGoohan), who describes himself as a 'psycho pharmacist', whatever that means (I bet he's a lot of fun to hang out with on the weekends). Dr. Ruth basically recruits Vale in a effort to track a particularly dangerous and powerful scanner by the name Darryl Revok, who's supposedly head of an underground movement of scanners and who has also basically decimated CONSEC's program of exploring the weapons potential of scanners, as he seems to subscribe to a policy of if you have special mind powers, then you either join up with him or you get your head exploded. Along the way Vale meets with Kim Obrist (O'Neill), a sort of leader of a fringe group of scanners outside of CONSEC and Revok's control (not for long), and they soon find themselves fighting for their lives as conspiracies unfold, traitorous scoundrels exposed, and secrets reveals. What's Revok's ultimate goal? It's not that far-fetched, considering his abilities...

I enjoyed this film...there really wasn't too many lengthy visceral scenes, but what there was contained very graphic gore (s'ploding heads) that imprinted on your mind, and tended to stay with you long after the scene was over. One scene, in particular, when Revok deals with the scanner at CONSEC, the tension was thick as the pressure, on and off the screen, built up quickly, and resulted in the film's most spectacular and memorable sequence. Jennifer O'Neill is good (and very easy on the eyes, shabba doo), but I didn't quite understand her character's connections to the other characters in the film, other than her being a scanner. It almost seemed like a plot contrivance if only to incorporate an attractive female, not that I mind attractive females, but her scenes could have pretty much been removed without much loss to the plot. Patrick McGoohan is one of my more favorite actors and he plays his part very well as the mentor/trainer to Lack's character, sort of a Professor X, if you are familiar with the X-Men comics or movies. Lack provides a sort of disjointed performance, but I felt as if it was intentional, as it seemed to work really well within the movie and fit his character, one who's spent most of his life trying to deal with the problems associated with his special abilities. I thought Michael Ironside's character was great, as he plays the role of the sadistic heavy with a God complex so very well (except, maybe for his role in Highlander II: The Quickening...ugh, what a complete dog that movie was...). He reminds me a lot of Lance Henriksen, both good actors but rarely ever emerging from B-movie limbo. Maybe they need better agents. There was a certain amount of symbolism throughout the movie, the most noticeable being when Lack's character is following up on lead by contacting a reclusive scanner who is an artist living in a barn. One of his pieces is a giant, hollow head, and there's a scene where the two men are actually sitting in the head, talking about Revok. There seems to be some confusion about the ending, after the final confrontation, but I thought it was pretty clear, and provided a nice eerie touch.

MGM presents a nice wide screen anamorphic transfer, but some have commented on the certain parts of the film being out of sync, but I didn't notice. I was a little surprised there was so little in the way of special features given the cult following of the film and that of Cronenberg in general, with only a theatrical trailer available, but I suppose someday they will produce a special edition of sorts. I would have liked to have seen a director's commentary, or some production notes, but I am pleased with what's here.

Cookieman108

David Cronenberg's Scanners
The Scanners are a group of beings who have a power that they can bend,twist,mutilate,and explode other human beings,using the powers of their minds. There are two groups of scanners good and bad.One of the scanners Revok wants the scanners to band together for his evil purposes, he spends his time trying to locate his brother, a good scanner, Cameron and finds him for the ultimate showdown between the good and evil scanners. In between all this we get to see a couple heads explode.Not really among Cronenberg's best, but it's ok.

Let the Scanners scan you....!
This film is one of my personal new 'classics' of horror, although it's also a sci-fi film. The plot centers around a small group of 'mutants,' long before the 'X-Men' made them cool, who have the unique ability to scan the thought patterns of others, thus knowing what people are thinking. However, as always, not all mutants play nice, as actor, Michael Ironside, has a great role as the demented Revok, who likes to scan people's minds just a bit too long, leading one to lose one's head, as in the infamous exploding head scene! Revok leads his bands of rebel mutuants against the establishment, and only another Scanner with equal ability can stand in his way. Even though this film is dated somewhat and campy in parts, it's definitely entriguing and fans of gross-out effects will eat this film up! ... Read more

Amazon.com

The cult PBS comedy The Red Green Show stretches into a feature film with Duct Tape Forever, still very much about a batch of underachieving Canadian men and their high church of low expectations, the Possum Lodge. The longtime TV series, starring Steve Smith as flannel-shirted handyman Red Green, makes a comic virtue of Canuck self-parody and universal male ineptness.

"Whenever a man does a dumb thing," says Red, "it's better if he doesn't have an audience." Well, a lot of eyes are on Red, his geeky nephew Harold (Patrick McKenna), and the other boys after a rich man (Richard Fitzpatrick) drives his car into a Possum Lodge sinkhole and sues for damages. The solution: Build a giant, duct tape goose and enter it in a Minnesota contest for cash prizes. Of course. Co-creator Smith re-tools the show's self-deprecating essence and run-on joke about male incompetence into a winning movie. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Duct Taped Comedy
Anyone who likes the Red Green Show should take to this movie like duck to water. I admit, I found it a little odd seeing the gang in a movie for the first time. Those who are use to the show's format will have to adjust in order to appreciate the movie. I know with me the first time I viewed it I was not thrilled. But a subsequnt viewing made me enjoy it a lot more. I think Red Green is kinda like that. When you first view it you kind of dismiss it, but something draws you back none the less, and then it gradually grows on you like a fungus! Give this movie a chance to do the same thing. True, its a little silly and sentimantal, perhaps more so than the Show for sure, but that's the why movies are these days. Red and his characters actually have to sustain some longer scenes, and the production value is deffinitely better than what we are accustomed to on the show. Harold seems to be the main character who gets to evolve, just a little bit, and he gets his first kiss with the female cop which was a bit hooky, but thats the movies! I wonder if they have sheriffs in Canada? Thought it might be Constables more on the English model. Was not sure on that point, but one really should not ask these kinds of questions with Red Green! An added feature are the behind the scenes notes on the making of the movie where many amusing interviews of the charaters are shown. This could be a real plus for the viewer even more than the movie perhaps. Overall, Red Green fans should enjoy it. This is the kind of film with a built in audience. I would recommend first time viewers to see some of the shows before checking out the movie. That way they can understand the strange way that Red Green works. Otherwise, sit back, lower your standards and enjoy!

A must-have for any Red Green fan!
Suddenly, Red Green (played by Steve Smith) finds himself in a real bind, and this one not of his making. When an unscrupulous businessman sues Possum Lodge for $10,000, Red has ten days to come up with the money. Taking his nephew Harold's advice (yes, believe it or not), Red sets out for Minnesota, hoping to win the $10,000 third-place prize in the Duct Tape Contest. But, there's a lot in Red & Harold's way: a crooked cop, the businessman and his army, and...well...each other. Can they save Possum Lodge? No problem, eh?

This 91-minute movie, released in 2001, is based on the hit Canadian comedy show The New Red Green Show. Changing the format from the show, this movie puts Red and Harold on the road, facing numerous adventures in the real world. (If you can call that the real world!) This is a fun adventure, stretching the already wonderful characters - a must-have for any Red Green fan!

Possum Lodge Sticky Situation
It is rare to find talents that move from the small screen to the big screen and retain their qualities that make them enjoyable and add depth and content. (Red would respond "What show did that?").

However, in this instance Possum Lodge members make the leap onto the "silver screen" with an extended rendition of the wit and wisdom of Possum Lodge intact. (All 80 blank pages). Well, Ok. maybe it needed a little duct tape to hold the plot together, but didn't we all wish for a road adventure that would show how lodge members stick together to solve a problem?

I mean if we can't all come together for third place, what do we aspire to?

To appreciate this movie it helps to have grown up in Northern Michigan with my Dad and his friend assembling a log splitter in their garages with various spare parts instead of taking the short cuts and buying some fancified-whimpy-under-powered piece of junk from some store. Red and Harold bring to life a place I grew up in, including all of the things that keep life entertaining.

May Red and his group keep their stick on the ice and only change if they have to.

They may not be handsome, but they are entertaining!

I thoroughly enjoyed the extended, plot-infested adventure that took our lakeside looneys from the short sketches into extended investigation of the tape-bonding travels. Rate it five rolls!

SEX, DIRTY LANGUAGE, MINDLESS VIOLENCE
IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR SEX, DIRTY LANGUAGE, MINDLESS VIOLENCE - YOU WON'T FIND IT HERE.

MY WIFE HAD NOT SEEN THIS MOVIE BEFORE. ALMOST PEED HER PANTS, SHE LAUGHED SO HARD. ONE EXPRESSION CAME OUT SEVERAL TIMES. "THAT'S KENT". YES, WE KNOW A GUY JUST LIKE THAT. ACCTUALLY SEVERAL.

FOR SOME GOOD CLEAN HUMOR, IT IS WORTH WATCHING. THE WAY IT SHOULD BE. THE SIMPLE LIFE AT "POSSUM LODGE"

I DO NOT KNOW ANYONE I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS MOVIE TO.

If you love to laugh..
If you want to learn how to belly laugh all over again, how to root for the hero and boo the villian, in short, everything that makes entertaninment fun, GET THIS DVD.You will love it, over, and over again. It makes me want to look for Possum lake on the map, and see if if I could live there ... Read more

Description

Red Green made his television debut in 1979 in a two-minute guest appearance on a variety program. That was 11 years before the launch of The Red Green Show. Red’s ability to make success out of failure became an inspiration to his fans as well as to future securities executives. Twenty-five years after that first appearance, it’s time to look back and see how it all went so horribly wrong. Interviews with Red and the gang, photos, and video clips tell Red’s regret-filled history. Possum Lodge favorites who reminisce and appear in memorable clips include Harold, Buzz Sherwood, Dougie Franklin, Glenn Brackston, Kevin Black, and Bob Stuyvesant.

Also included, never-before-seen Red Green footage predating the hit TV series.

Extra Stuff on the DVD: 66 minutes of extended clips and a Red Green photo gallery. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Rare early appearances & classic clips!
This DVD first appeared on PBS as a Red Green Special. For the fans of the R.G. series who never saw Red Green's early appearances on other Canadian shows, and for those who saw them, these raw gems will be a joy to see. I call them raw because it really looks like they did the early routines without a script! Red is not as crisp as he is in the later episode performances, but he is still funny. This DVD starts out more like a study in the perfection of Red Green. I never thought I would use that word to describe Red.

Also included in the PBS special are classic clips from the Red Green show's entire run. If the clips in the show are leaving you wanting more, you can watch the complete comedy segments in the extras section of the DVD. Something you could not do watching PBS.

I would still watch the one hour special with Red's new introductions to the clips first, and then watch the extras to see the entire routines. The comedy holds up on multiple viewings and you get to see something more in the complete versions. You get a total of over two hours of entertainment. Even if you have all of the Red Green shows, you will still want this DVD for the early appearances!

I give only **** rating because I would have liked a commentary track or explanation of the segments in the extras section of the DVD.

Green with Envy
Okay, you have to be either Canadian or an American who watches PBS to know who Red Green is. If you do know him, you probably love him - for reasons that are not quite fully expressible in words. Red is the Canadian version of Tim Allen on Home Improvement -- only Red is a lot lazier and imcompetent than Tim ever was. Plus, Red has a far greater gang of fellow loonies and long-suffering relatives and spouses. Any contribution to the Red Green DVD library is to be very welcomed. For Americans, a version of this DVD appeared on PBS and gave us an insight into the early days of Red and his friends. I look forward to sliding the actual DVD into my player for the first time. Like Red's wife, Bernice, my wife will sit there patiently with me and laugh at the antics of a typical clueless male. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Sam Raimi created Darkman with a potential franchise in mind, and his original movie had enough flair to suggest a sequel was warranted. Unfortunately (or perhaps wisely--for Raimi), he handed over the straight-to-video sequel duties to rookie director Bradford May, and nobody bothered to come up with much of a screenplay. As a result,Darkman II plays like a bad pilot for a proposed Darkman TVseries, with Arnold Vosloo (best known as a villain in Jean-Claude Van Damme's Hard Target) doing his best to replace Liam Neeson in the title role. Sporting a dastardly scar and delivering lackluster punch lines as he kills his many enemies, Larry Drake returns from the first film as the villainous Durant, who wreaks havoc in his attempt to finance and manufacture the world's most destructive automatic weapons. As he supports the synthetic skin experiments of a like-minded scientist, the scarred hero known as Darkman thwarts Durant's ruthless plot, but the case proves costly for the intrepid crime reporter (Kim Delaney, pre-NYPD Blue) who allies herself with Darkman's efforts. Basically, this by-the-numbers plot serves as a tissue-thin vehicle for lots of explosions and gratuitous violence, and it's all about as inspired as a bad syndicated action show. Of interest only to those who were dazzled by the original Darkman, and even then it's a disappointment. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (30)

A first-rate follow-up. Recommended to any fan of Darkman.
Darkman is still living in as an outcast in the big city, and learns that the man who turned his life into a living hell is still alive and planning more villainy. So he once more employs his face-copying tactics in an attempt to find and bring down the crook.

Liam Neeson is nowhere to be found, but Darkman's downtrodden and sympathetic character is still as strong as ever. The film is filled with the kind of action, drama, little comic touches and occasional surreal images which made the first film a classic, and Durant is a genuinely intimidating villain who dominates his every scene.

One of the best comic book movies!
Darkman 2: The return of Durant is one of the greatest comic book adaptations ever made and a great sequel to Darkman. It has lots of action, a great script, and suspense like the first one. When I first watched it, I was very impressed by it because I thought that it would be a bad movie because of all the bad reviews about it. I guess I was wrong and so was everyone that gave it bad reviews in my opinion.
Anyways, this movie is truly great and has everything. For any real Darkman fan who is just dying to find out what happens next, this movie is very recommended. A must have! Loved it!

Impresive!!
Darkman 2: Return of Durant is a great movie and it successfully blends action, suspense, horror, and comic book fantasy into a great movie which is one of the best comic book adaptations ever made and a great sequel. Fans of these kind of movie will certainly love this movie and will find it a hit they'll remember. Loved it!

Another great movie!
This movie is a fun filled movie that delivers nonstop action and isn't one second boring! Brilliant!

A big surprise!
After I saw this movie I realized that it is not so bad as everyone described it to be. Although they changed the person who plays Darkman, this movie is still good and fun to watch more than once. It's a good movie! ... Read more

Reviews (18)

an overlooked movie for sci-fi buffs
Millennium is one of those movies that has a great story line and even follows through with budget and special effects (for it's time not bad) yet fails to draw the crowd because it's an intricate story of time travel that can be at times hard to follow and even slow. But if you still dig movies like Logan's Run or Communion, you'll probably enjoy Millennium.

It's a unique story of people far in the future who kidnap the bodies of people that are about to die. Their favorite source is planes that are about to crash. An official investigating discovers wrist-watches running backwards in the wreckage, and works with a physicist attempting to discover the truth about these visitors.

Millennium is a thinking man's scifi flick
This movie is actually better than what others might think. But it requires your complete attention, and for a generation of people who are used to in-your-face MTV type short-attention span stuff, then skip this flick. However, I have shown this DVD on several occasions to groups of friends, and everyone enjoyed trying to figure out what was going on, and were surprised as I was, when time - travel was implicated. Cheryl Ladd was quite good as a cynical flight attendant, and Kris Kristofferson was believable as a man burned out on his job. I only with Travanti had more to do. Still, I highly recommend this flick to people who like to think when they watch a scifi flick.

Interesting to a Point -- a Twilight Zone story w/o the feel
You've read the "official" review and to be honest, I don't wholly agree or disagree. First, I like both Kristopherson's and Ladd's performances. They fit the characters nicely. The replay of the same sequence from another angle answers all of the questions about what is going on, and is the only thing that turns a rather short, straightforward featurette into a full-length feature.

Conceivably, more time could have been spent investigating the wreckage (and similar wreckages) before revealing the time travelers from the future. Also, why don't they fix these ripples, instead of trying to escape them?

So there are some questions. If I could, I'd give this one 2-1/2 stars, not three, but I won't drop it all the way to two, mostly because no one else has done this exact story, unless it was Rod Serling in the original Twilight Zone series, but I don't think so... there are similar stories, to be sure, and time travel stories, but not in this combination.

Which puts this film into the "Twilight Zone" category for me. There are so many places where they could have made this one better, I have to wonder why no one has done a remake...

Still, it is part of my collection and if you are SF buff, then don't leave this off your list of films to consider without at least watching it.

MST3K would have had a field day with this!
This movie is *bad*. The "plot" makes no sense, and the ending even less. It is stupid, slow, insipid, and utterny nonsensical. I wish that MST3K had gotten ahold of this film; only they could have mocked it the way it so desperately deserves to be mocked. This movie is *that bad*.

And it's *boring*, too. Kristoferson and Ladd have absolutely ZERO chemistry. No, in fact, they have NEGATIVE chemistry. Kristoferson couldn't act is way out of this script, and Ladd ... well, jeez, what could one expect from an ex-Charlie's Angel?

It's also *ugly*. The costumes, set designs, and special effects would have been bad in 1989, and haven't aged well. Post-apocolyptic futures can look cool (ROAD WARRIOR) or even funky (12 MONKEYS), but here, it's just lame. And the first "effect" in the film--where two planes collide--is a sad effort of blue-screening that my high-school film club could have outdone.

Avoid at all costs. Waste no money. If your boyfriend or girlfriend owns it, break up with them; it will be less painful.

I have to go sanitize my home theatre now.

Not a famous film for good reason
How many movies do you know that replay the same scenes and can still hold the interest of the viewer? Not many, if any. However, the creators of Millennium decided that about one third of the movie should be the same scenes. Total failure. This is a case where the makers of the film underestimated the intelligence of the viewers, thinking that going through the movie twice was the only way viewers could keep track of the incredibly difficult concept of time travel.

Then again, if this was truly a good movie than we shouldn't be disappointed in seeing the scenes twice, since we could then enjoy good acting etc. Not so in Millennium. Kris Kristofferson looks grizzly with a heavy beard and has the skin tone of beef jerky. Cheryl Ladd plays opposite of Kristofferson as the time traveling tough women from the future who happens to know nothing about time traveling, she needs a personal robot to explain "the obvious" to her on many occasions. Maybe she forgot to read the script.

In this movie, the future is a place of rust, the present is a place of ignorance, and the viewer is left insulted. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

stunning period drama
Based on Danielle Steel's bestseller, VANISHED is a fine piece of frothy drama.

Marielle Delauney (Lisa Rinna), and her adoring husband Charles are savouring the delights of Paris in the 20's.But an accident that ends in the tragic death of their young son tears them apart.

Marielle moves to New York, under the employ of the dashing Malcolm Patterson (George Hamilton).Soon courtship and marriage follow, but the past still remains to haunt Marielle.

When Marielle falls pregnant, her estranged first husband is shocked and digusted at her, for having a second chance, still blaming her for their son's death.

When her infant son is kidnapped, Marielle learns that her ex has been arrested of the crime.In disbelief she searches for the answer to the disappearance with FBI agent John Taylor (Robert Hayes).

Fine romance, mystery and intrigue, with Lisa Rinna a richly glowing heroine.

Exciting and very touching !
Here you can enjoy Lisa Rinna (known as Taylor from Melrose Place) as the main character and George Hamilton in one of the most exciting and touching novel by Danielle Steel. Lisa Rinna is a very romantic and lovablecharacter who loses her first child by a teribble accident. She can't getover it and so her marriage gets destroyed. She finds another man she fallsin love with and she gets pregnant again. But her past seems to repeat...Watch it and enjoy "Vanished" and you'll find out that you bettertrust nobody ! ... Read more

Amazon.com

"If women don't find you handsome," goes flannel-shirted, fix-it guy Red Green's motto, "they should at least find you handy." Well, pretty to think so. Being handy is an elusive virtue at The Red Green Show's Possum Lodge, where Red and his dweeby nephew, Harold (Patrick McKenna) and friends routinely gather to make a shambles of simple repairs, science experiments, sundry hobbies, and such wild-eyed solutions to nonexistent problems as How to Get a Badger out of Your Pants. (The latter involves a length of ventilator hose and a tray of stale hors d'oeuvres.)

The eight choice episodes on this disc include the clever "The Network Deal," in which Harold's efforts to draw an American viewership to Red Green results in the casting of a blonde goddess to play Red's wife, and "The Wind-Powered Boat," featuring an extended conversation about Kenyan tiger ranches and Nylon-producing farms. You have to be there. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (6)

This Is What Red Green Is About
If you've missed these episodes or, like me, your taped copies have gotten so worn they no longer work, buy this DVD! (and the other 4 that have been released so far).

At first, I was sorta disappointed because the episodes are not in any order, you might get a first season ep followed by a tenth season epidode, then a 3rd, etc... but, no one says you have to watch them in the order they are on the DVD's... the thing is, this is the handiest way to get episodes.

The 8 episodes on this dvd are: The Wind-Powered Boat, The Salt And Pepper Shakers, Maple Syrup, Fire Brigade (my favorite on the dvd), The Beef Project, The Network Deal (my least favorite of all time), and The Science Fair.

I've been a fan since the first season, and have seen every episode at least 200 times over the years, Red Green got me through a lot of troubles in life, because no matter what, you can count on the guys at possom lodge to give you a laugh or two, and it's good to have these eps on DVD format. I just wish they had been released by season, instead of just, apparently, Steve Smith's favorite episodes.

A word from a woman
Most reviews about Red Green are by men. Not very many are made by 24 year old women from the USA's Deep South. At least, that's where I was living when I discovered Red Green on my local PBS station. I can count on one hand the number of television shows that will make me laugh until i have to wipe my eyes, every episode. This is DEFINATELY one of them. Unfortunately I live in a place with no Red Green now. I haven't met a single person who knows who he is, or about the show. But, I'm building my own collection now. So should you! There's something truly wonderful about getting your friends together and showing them something new, that makes them laugh their tushes off. Men and women alike!

Red Green:Stuffed and Mounted
If you enjoy Tim Allen, DO NOT WATCH RED GREEN! Red and his cast are 100 times funnier. I don't know if your Tool Time fanatics can deal with something that is actually funny. I would highly recommend Red to anyone who enjoys slapstick comedy(such as Red fixing his friends headlight in the 1st episode with a crow bar and power tools).

Home Improvement meets Monty Python in Canadian Northwoods
You can't go wrong with Red, Harold and the Gang. a chuckle a minute and a reality check for the "real guy" in all of us. Any Red Green title(book or video, etc) is a winner--As Red says, "remember I'm pullin' for you--we're all in this together" Keep your stick on the Ice!!!

Red Green is a great phisical and mental comedy series!
A while ago I was absent- mindedly fliping through channels and on my local PBS station, when I stumbled on Red Green. The show about men, cars, and the outdoors was an instant hit. The movies are just as good, But now you can watch it at any time! ... Read more

Description

An advertising executive battles a giant, intelligent rat that has invaded his townhouse. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Best comedy I've seen in a long time...
"I don't need to learn to manage my anger, I need people to quit ticking me off!" Red Green is the irascible old codger we responsible 9-to-5 types wish we could be. He takes on road rage, the Internet, and other sundry foibles of modern living with an acerbic wit and a calm self-assurance that there must be an easier way to get by--without working, if possible. And if you've ever had a do-it-yourself weekend project that ended up taking a month or more, you'll feel right at home with this handyman.

So Funny!
Red Greem Show is like the Man show except 100 times funnier. And I;m not even a man. What does that tell you!

A Great "Best Of" Anthology...
"Red Green" has sort of become "The Simpsons" of public broadcasting - a silly, semi-low budget series that shows life through the mirror of our own idiocies. Oh, and the series seems to never want to end, either. Featuring a lodge of men who run a weekly TV show, "Red Green" makes fun of men, life in Canada, confusion between the sexes, and bad, pointless hobbies. Somehow, though, it does all of this with charm and never seems to really grow old.

This follow-up to the original "Stuffed and Mounted" anthology also features eight episodes, but this time they're all packaged on one DVD. The episodes featured are Season 3's "Car Pool", Season 4's "The Owl Project", Season 5's "Men's Night On The Mountain", Season 6's "Sedgwick The Tenant", Season 7's "The Winter Carnival", Season 8's "Mad About You", Season 9's "Too Much Information" and Season 10's "No Duct Tape". Also, each episode features a short lead-in by Steve Smith (the actor/writer who plays the title character) reminiscing and giving behind-the-scenes information on each episode. A small character bios section of Red, Harold, Dalton Humphrey and Mike Hammer rounds out the disc.

For those of you who've never seen "Red Green", I recommend this as a good place to start. With one episode from each of Seasons Three through Ten, it gives a good feel for the history of the series and captures the camp and charm of the show quite well. For those of you that have, I recommend this disc even more: while many of the spots have been seen in the other "Best Of" video and DVD releases, there's still enough left not on video - especially with Smith's lead-in segments - to make it well worth getting. Here's hoping the producers get around to releasing season-by-season box sets like so many other TV series get these days. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

funny family entertainment
fantastic canadian style comedy enjoyable for everyone ... Read more

Amazon.com

Actor-turned-director Keith Gordon has crafted a touching love story that transcends time, political ideology, and even death. The movie opens in 1974 as Fielding Pierce (Billy Crudup) watches a TV news report announcing the death in Chile of three American activists, including Sarah Williams (Jennifer Connelly), his one true love. The story flashes back to when they first met, showing how he was always more conservative, with grand political aspirations, but the relationship worked because they both shared dreams of making the world a better place, one from inside the system and the other from outside. The movie also flashes forward to his life in the early '80s, when he gets tapped to run for Congress. He starts having visions of her, but he is never quite sure if she's a hallucination arising out of his stress, a manifestation of his political consciousness, an out-and-out ghost, or maybe she's still alive somehow. Whatever she is, his deep longing for her is making him crack up. Gordon smartly jumps the story back and forth in time, forgoing an "objective" reality in favor of a more subjective and emotional one. It is a structure based on memory, and that in tandem with the content is what makes Waking the Dead a very powerful film indeed.--Andy Spletzer ... Read more

Reviews (72)

A tragic love story you'll never forget
Writer-director Keith Gordon's "Waking the Dead" caught me off guard and - dare I say it? - moved me to tears. But what's almost as sad as the movie itself is that this 1999 release - which works beautifully as both a tragic love story and a psychological thriller - slipped in and out of theaters virtually unnoticed.

Based on the novel by Scott Spencer, the film opens in 1972, where we meet Fielding Pierce (Billy Crudup), a young U.S. Coast Guard officer with big political ambitions. He meets Sarah Williams (Jennifer Connelly), a secretary and political activist who works at his hippie brother's New York publishing house, and the two are smitten right away. But tragedy strikes ...

Without giving too much away, I will say that "Waking the Dead" cuts back and forth between the early '70s and the early '80s, producing a subjective, stream-of-consciousness narrative that manages to be compelling instead of confusing. Also, I liked the use of color and lighting to visually differentiate between the '70s scenes (warm earth tones) and the '80s scenes (cold, dark colors).

But unlike "The Matrix" and "Memento," which used subjective narrative to play head games with the audience as its central gimmick, "Waking the Dead" is after bigger game. The ambiguity surrounding Sarah underscores how deeply her memory haunts Fielding, the toll it has taken on his mental state, and how deeply they love each other, despite the cruel blow fate has dealt them.

The soundtrack also features lovely songs by Joni Mitchell ("A Case of You"), Lori Carson ("Snow Come Down") and Peter Gabriel ("Mercy Street"); alas, no soundtrack CD was ever made. The DVD also includes 45 minutes of deleted scenes, including a brief but engaging performance by Ed Harris, whose character only appeared onscreen (in TV footage, no less) for about 10 seconds in the final cut.

Just make sure you have a box of tissues and a wastebasket handy before you push "play." You have been warned.

"Words support like bone"
Both Jennifer Connely and Billy Crudup shine in this heart-wrenching film about lost love. I was particularly moved by Billy Crudup's amazing performance. It was filled with anger and confusion, longing and despair, but ultimately hope. His acting here is as good as any actor could possibly attempt; some of his scenes are so intense that they seem out of place with the rest of the movie, and only Jennifer Connelly ever keeps up with him. The remaining scenes show him numb with the loss of his true love. His performance is truly remarkable. There is also a "sex" scene between Jennifer and Billy that was pulled off so convincingly that it looked as though they actually were making love. The intensity they both bring to that scene is genuinely amazing. There is also another montage of scenes that takes place late in the film with the Peter Gabriel song "Mercy Street" played in full that is so perfectly placed it seemed as thought the song were written specifically for this film. Another remarkable moment. The pace is deliberately slow, the plot jumps back and forth in time, and some of the scenes seem staged for the benefit of Billy Crudup, but overall this is a moving experience. The writing is also excellent but sounds more like a play than a screenplay. However, this is a landmark event for Billy Crudup, and a completely different character than Russell Hammond in the film "Almost Famous." If you love great acting, look no further than this movie.

Superb, but as usual, less than the book it was based upon
I read "Waking the Dead" a few months before watching the movie. I was thus certainly biased in a certain direction in favor of the book.

Keith Gordon, who also directed the outstanding and under-appreciated films "A Midnight Clear" and "Mother Night", stays pretty much faithful to the original material by Scott Spencer. It's obvious that films are different than books and directors need a certain amount lattitude to change the story as needed. Gordon certainly left a lot of the story on the cutting room floor and that is, for the most part, not a problem.

What is the problem is that Gordon didn't flesh out Sarah's story and, as a result, offers a skewed ending that the book doesn't share.

Sarah and Fielding are not "opposites" as many suggest. They happen to agree politically. They're both "liberals." Where they disagree is on tactics. The problem with the film is that we don't really see enough of Sarah to understand just how different her tactics are compared to Fielding and why, ultimately, she chose to go away. The movie's ending is ambiguious about the fate of Sarah. Did she die or didn't she? The book shares some of this approach, but it strongly leans in the direction of Sarah having faked her death. In the book Fielding meets with a priest who states that Sarah is alive. And when Sarah and Fielding finally meet at the end Sarah explains how she is living underground and continuing her work. We're given, at least in the text, a reason why Sarah chose the path that she did. Gordon, however, mostly gives us Fielding's side of things. In the process he detracts from the central conflict and ends up with a rather wishy-washy ending.

I strongly recommend this film. The DVD has many interesting extras, including many deleted scenes and a commentary by Gordon. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be anything on the DVD from the original author, Scott Spencer. That's too bad because I think he could have added some really interesting insights about the story overall. And of course, read the book which is, as usual, even better than the movie.

Heartbreaking . . .
One of the few movies that caused me to burst into tears and weep like a baby. Losing someone you dearly love is rough and if you have experienced that this might be a tough movie to get through.

exquisitely heartbreaking
i find resonance with this movie. let's put politics aside. i find this movie beautifully and powerfully acted by both jennifer connelly and billy crudup. their pain and their happiness is a wave of emotion seldom seen on the screen anymore. i was truly taken and i cannot say that about many movies i have seen in my life. i rented it on a whim because i never had heard of it before. i am so lucky that i did. i find it a solid and sultry breath of thick air- life invigorating- an idealists and realists movie balancing on a fulcrum of believability. its two hours of antidote in a world sick with cynicism. ... Read more

Description

Classic episodes from The Red Green Show
From Possum Lodge, home of the last real men on the planet, comes a keeper for the home video trophy case. These eight classic episodes from throughout the first decade of the PBS comedy hit provide a generous helping of lodge wit and wisdom, learned the old-fashioned way—after trying everything else first. In his famous Handyman Corner, Red offers tips for harnessing male creativity without (too often) losing digits to runaway power tools. As Red likes to say: "Whatever this is, we’ve got lots more of it." EXTRA STUFF: Special introduction to each episode by star Steve Smith, character bios and episode selection

THE EPISODES:
THE TANKS WE GET—The lodge gets giant gas tanks for a fund raiser
THE SCHOOLHOUSE PROJECT—The locals get creative to keep out city slickers
THE NEW DOCTOR—Women pursue good health; men pursue good doctors
THE PETTING ZOO—A surplus of forest animals leads to another hare-brained idea
THE SPLINTER LODGE—Unhappy with Red, some members branch out
THE MAYOR RACE—Red runs for mayor of Possum Lake
THE BATTLE CALL—The men face off against their rival lodge
WHO WANTS TO BE A SMART GUY—Dalton competes on a TV trivia show ... Read more

Reviews (1)