Reviews (51)

Desrves more than 5 stars!
This video was recored live in Central Park on September 19, 1981. I think it deserves more than 5 stars. I think is the greatest video that ever was. Simon and Garfunkel sing infront of 500,000 people. It contains 2 extra songs that were cut from the album; The late great Johnny Ace, and Late in the evening(reprise). Durring The Late Great Johnny Ace, a duranged fan jumps on stage after Paul sings about John Lennon being shot. Paul gets real scared and the bouncer comes and grabs the kid and takes him away. The highlight of the evening I think is when Paul sang 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover. Art sings an OK version of Bridge over troubled water. Paul and Art play with an amazing backing band too. Also much of the dialogue that was cut from the record, is restored on the tape. Things such as intro's of songs, Paul introduces the band, and Paul had a speech about fireworks. I think it is great and you should buy it. You can't be considered a Simon and Garfunkel fan without it.

Simon and Garfunkel - The Concert in Central Park-superb
This dvd is much more than entertainment.this dvd presents simon and garfunkels life works in just under 1 and a half hours.The picture quality is not superb dvd quality but considering it was filmed and recorded in 1981 the best job in mixing it has been achieved. There are some great renditions of the classics such as mrs robinson,scarbourough fair,feelin groovy,sounds of silence and the boxer. The camera work and sound is spectacular and you really get a sense of what the atmosphere must have been like for the audience in this historic event. a spectacular performance by 2 elite singer/songwriters.All though there are no special features this is a must have for simon and garfunkel fans or fans of th 60's. Many peopel and even Art himself suggest that this was not his best performance but i beleieve he is exceptional and it is shown when singing such songs as scarbourough fair and bridge over trouble water in particular.

Simon and Garfunkle - Revisited.
I was happy to see Simon and Garfunkle in concert on their recent "Old Friends" tour, and was more than pleased by the performance of two men who, by all rights, should've been retired and not in the best of vocal form. The afterglow of the Philadelphia show led me to acquire this DVD from the 1981 Central Park reunion show. Since most of the songs from the current tour are reflected by the Central Park set list, it was worth it for me.

This DVD is actually better than I originally remember from watching it on TV. Maybe I was just too wrapped up in my new wave years (I was a junior in college at the time the album was released), but both men were in strong form vocally. It also meant that, as a greatest hits sort of show, all the bases are essentially covered. Even the Paul Simon solo material comes across as well matched (in particular, "American Tune" which rings truer in the post 9/11 world as it did back then). The instrumentation is a bit dated, Richard Tee's keyboards especially, but that's more the fault of the times than of performance.

And the performances here are superb. Oddly, the one major musical flub from the disc is "The Late Great Johnny Ace." It was Simon's tribute to John Lennon and is when a fan charges the stage, distracting Simon from the microphone. Art Garfunkle is relegated to only one solo hit here, and naturally it's "A Heart In New York." Just as "counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike" gets a huge outburst of applause (it did here in Philly, too), "Heart" brings the crowd to express itself with exuberence.

On the other hand, when Art begins to sing "Bridge Over Troubled Water," it's hard not to notice that he can still sound like the folk singing choirboy of the sixties, and even more so for "The Sound of Silence." Despite all the infighting, back biting and legendary arguments that Simon and Garfunkle have shared over their career, there is no denying that - as a duo - they created magic. After 20 years, I'm glad "The Concert In Central Park" is in my DVD library.

There are a few minuses: A serious lack of extra features. Jamming two songs into one chapter, and not just once but six times. Crappy liner notes/graphics. The fact that you can still sense the personal tension between Art and Paul. (They were supposed to produce an album entitled "Think Too Much" together after the tour, the resulting album was Paul's "Hearts and Bones.")

PS: I eagerly await the inevitable "Old Friends" concert CD and DVD, and would also recommend Paul Simon's "Concert In The Park" from 1991.

Great concert - but there's still a significant cut
All of the reviews say it all. Except - in my hazy memory of watching the concert on TV I recall a song called "Citizen of the planet" being performed, which I now find out is a "new release" from S&G. Can anyone remember this song being performed in the Central Park concert?

To Correct Some Misconceptions
The other 4 and 5 star reviews speak for themselves. I'd like to correct a few misconceptions about this DVD, though. Anyone who thinks that "The Late Great Johnny Ace" in not included on the DVD has not watched it all the way through. Although not listed on the tacklist, it comes on right after "A Heart In New York". Another criticism was over the inclusion of seven Paul Simon solo tunes. Paul Simon wrote almost all of S&G's material. In my book, any Paul Simon song that Art sings on is a S&G song. By that standard, there are only two Paul Simon solo songs. Plus Art sings solo on two S&G songs and his own "A Heart In New York". So I think it evens out pretty well. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Great early Nichols
Another great early Nichols. He was on one mean ... streak I tell ya. Virgina Wolf, the The Graduate, Catch 22, and then this film. Which is: Very well done, Very mature, extremely confident in it's telling, thought provoking, well acted, well written, etc.

Jack Nicholson and Art Garfunkle star as best buds in this story that follows their sexual encounters from college to middle age. That's really it. No other action takes place in this movie that doesn't have something to do with, yup, Carnal Knowledge. Good title too. Don't you think? Just grabs you.

Like Catch 22, which I just saw, this movie is all about great framing and long one takes. Even though this movie takes place almost completely inside and is very much like a play, it is very cinematic. Nichols always has the camera in the right place, or at least an interesting place. The structure of the film is also so interesting. It just pops around from sexaul encounter to sexual encounter. And it addresses the whole spectrum...: first love, to marriage, to adultery, to apathy, to..well, it covers a lot. And though it tends to focus mainly on the negative, which can be a little bleak, it sure is real.

At times it can be a little slow and a little tedious (you sort of feel Nichols getting a little TOO into some of these long takes), but this remains a very good, intelligent, unflinching movie. Check it out.

B, B+

This film tells the truth. Controversial at its time.
This film tells the truth. Not such an old film, the mature adult situations are still happening today even in this decade. Very controversial film of its time. Almost was not released and could not be shown on Network TV at all. Finally in the mid-1980's it was finally allowed to be shown on the then-independent KTLA Channel 5 Los Angeles tv station. Hard-hitting drama about two male roomates. One man (played by Art Gurfunkel as "Sandy") is more sensitive to woman while the other man played by Jack Nicholson feels so macho he must have more than tweleve women a year. When Art falls in love with Candice Bergen (she plays a virgin) it starts as a good friendship until Jack Nicholson buds in. He secretly makes a phone call to her without Art knowing. Jack dates Candice and she loses her virginity by the macho man who can get any woman he wants anywhere, anyway. (So why, Candice?) When Jack talks about his "girlfriend", Art dos not know it's the same woman he loves. When Candice decides to break it off with Jack, Jack becomes a cad and thinks he can break it off first. Well, Jack now has to keep his mouth shut whenever Art and Candice are in the same room together with him. Jack finally comes to the realization that he is getting older and can't get as many woman as he used to. He feels bad when he sees Candice and Art together (metal break-through finally!) Then, the sizzling Ann-Margret enters the picture. Who becomes the more mature man? Who is given LOVE, not just LUST & LEAVE. Some men will find this film a bit hard to swallow. Some women who see this film will say "AMEN!" by the end of it. There is a lesson to be learned here. Get the message of the film. Carol Kane and Rita Moreno are also in the cast. No special features on this DVD. Wide-Screen and Full-Screen available on either side of DVD.

Coming to the screens of film schools everywhere...
What I found so impressive about this in the early 70's is a mystery--unless it's Ann-Margret's statuesque figure. Most of the dialog is better suited for writer Jules Feiffer's stylish cartoon characters. Even Jack Nicholson can't keep this tub afloat, although it's fun to see mannerisms and intonations which were used to perfection only 3 years later in the incomparable "Chinatown."

Hard to believe this film is more than 30 yrs old
Carnal Knowledge spans 30 years in the lives of two college friends, guys played by Jack Nicholson (you won't believe how young he looks) and Art Garfunkel (yes, one and the same). Jack Nicholson plays a tax lawyer with the hots for women who are, shall we say, well-endowed. Garfunkel plays the more temperate guy, a doctor who has quiet affairs. As they go from youth to middle age, the movie, revolutionary at the time and wonderfully directed by Mike Nichols, follows their paths, examining how their attitudes toward women and sex are a reflection of their life values. It's not a pretty picture, and despite the titillation of the title, it's not even particularly sexy. But it's worth seeing, even if only for the way in which it is viewed as a pioneer film of the early 70s, a time in which long-held Hollywood traditions were giving way to more adult-style movies.

Excellent
Mike Nichols was on a roll after "The Graduate" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" "Carnal Knowledge" is his most intimate film, and one of the most daring of the 1970s. Its frankness in dealing with young men's sexual psychology has not lost its edge after thirty years. On top of it all, it gives us Nicholson's first truly great performance. The early scenes between him and Garfunkel are fresh and sincere. Spanning some three decades of their friendship, we see how their attitudes towards sex, and women in general, shape their lives. Both actors do a fine job of communicating the gravity of those years, and the most devastating scene is the one where Jack delivers a long and furious tirade at Ann-Margret. "I don't want a job, I want you," she says, to which he replies, "I'm taken...by me!" Brutally honest, yes, but because we've seen what comes before, it's perfectly logical. These men are still affected by the innocence of their younger years, but that innocence is violently clashing with their adult understanding (or lack thereof)--the understanding that the personality is in perpetual motion, and that it becomes difficult to keep up. The movie is often bleak in its settings and its subject matter, but the characters are very real--they challenge you to challenge them. Their dysfunctions may enlighten you, and there is nothing bleak about being enlightened. Oh, and Ann-Margret achieves bombshell status with this movie, playing a woman who at first seems to be the answer to all of Nicholson's fantasies. "Bye Bye Birdie" it ain't. ... Read more

Reviews (35)

For a movie: BEST MOVIE Compared to book: NO CONTEST
I read 'Catch-22' first, and it instantly became my favorite book (as soon as I finally got through it). When I heard of the movied version, I was estatic, but in wonderment. How can such a complex book with no linear structure ever be adapted to movie form? My expectations were high, but weary...

First of all, casting was excellent. Alan Arkin played a perfect Yossarian, as well as Jon Voigt as Milo, and so on. The settings were great, really convincing from what I read from the book.

As far as the comparison to the book. If it stands true for one instance, the book is worlds better than the movie. As a reader, you get so much more out of Joe Heller's sardonic universe. The complex plot, the meticulous descriptions (in which he used words I never knew existed...either have a dictionary with you when you read 'Catch-22', or have a vast vocabulary!), and all the rest...

The movie does attempt to follow Heller's complex plot structure, hopping back and forth to unravel plot points with each pass. The movie does this well with Yossarian's epidemic with Snowden. Most of the ingeniously clever dialogue is brought to the screen, but that's what makes the book/movie so great.

At any rate, I highly recommend this movie, as well as anything from Joe Heller...the best writer of the 20th century.

an excellent dvd
"Catch-22" is a beautifully designed, shot and executed movie that, in the end, doesn't really work. However, it's too elaborately staged and too ambitious to be considered a "bad" movie. And the extra features that accompany the DVD help the film transcend a "thumbs up/thumbs down" rating.

First and foremost, it looks amazing. I loved this film when I initially saw it on tape in 1990, but it was only recently that I was able to see it in a widescreen format -- letterboxing reveals what a brutal disservice pan-and-scan does to the compositions of "Catch's" 2.35:1 aspect ratio. If you've only seen this movie in fullscreen, you haven't really seen this movie.

The transfer is also incredible. I'm so used to seeing the grainy print of my VHS copy that I hadn't realized how great a lot of the cinematography is. The use of front-projection during the air-combat scenes is astonishing and the detail and color really surprised me.

But the main reason to get this DVD is the commentary. Director Mike Nichols is joined by Steven Soderbergh to talk about "Catch-22" and through their discussion, one really gets a sense of how Nichols (who had just directed back-to-back hits with "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" and "The Graduate") took on this project with the best intentions and inspiration... and quickly got swallowed up by the massive project and even bigger budget. Soderbergh is, in my opinion, one of the best directors doing commentary these days (he gives a perfect mix of technical details and storytelling) and he really knows his "Catch-22" ---though I find it a little incredible that he never noticed the changing portraits in Major Major's office, as he claims while watching the scene.

This movie is a great mix of Fellini, Laugh-In, Welles and Salvador Dali. Some may feel there's not enough Joseph Heller here but it would take a mini-series to cover all the bases of such a deep, rich novel. At times, this movie can try your patience (like most Catch-22's often do) but it's definitely worth seeing and hearing in this new format.

A change
I take back most of the things I said. This is a great movie, and Milo is good.

A good film that should have been better
First, I was upset to see that the Hungry Joe's character from the book was all but not used, and that he didn't even die because of the cat, but instead suffered Kid Sampson's death from the book. Now...

I do admit, this movie is better than I thought it would be. I'm especially happy with Bob Newhart's Major Major, the Chaplain, and Major Danby. My only problem is that many of the characters aren't portrayed to the best of their abilities, considering how well the book fleshed them all out. The best example is Balsom's take on Colonel Cathcart. In the book, Colonel Cathcart is prim, proper, and insane. In the movie, he is simply a crude, crusty old soldier, reminicent of Ernest Borgnine in "All Quiet on the Western Front." Though he is good when interacting with Dreedle. Orr is good in this, but maybe just a touch creepier than he should be. Milo is just wasted, and a little bland. Orson Welles is surprisingly good, but that is in direct effect of the good writing of his scenes.
Alan Arkin gets off to a slow start, but becomes very good as the film picks up speed. The Snowden films are great.

My main problem with the film, however, is that two very important characters from the book are completely and utterly not in the movie: Clevinger and Dunbar. Clevinger, while only in the first few chapters of the book, had a lot of very interesting things to say about Yossarian's behavior, and would have just been a good character to have. Dunbar, on the other hand, actually had a very large part in the book, serving as Yossarian's side-kick. He also delivered the classic monologue about boredom being the key to a seemingly-longer life. A great piece of writing that would have worked well with the rest of the film.
All in all, I suppose the main thing that would have made this movie better is an extra half-hour, so that more of the classic scenes could have been used. But still, surprisingly good.

It's not the book - what movie is?
I read Catch-22 many years ago. Loved it. I've seen Catch-22 the movie several times. Loved it. But they are different. You are not going to get every nuance of the complex, convoluted book into the movie, but it is a good approximation. The movie works on its own, mostly due to the collection of oddball characters and circumstances. The long list of big named actors did a good job. However, the cinematography may be the star, here. As an "anti-war" comedy, this ranks near the top.

The reasonably-priced DVD has a so-so commentary by director Mike Nichols with Steven Soderbergh. ... Read more

Reviews (25)

"A little party, then MEXICO!!"
The more people say they hate this movie, the more I love it.
But I must warn you, this is not the uncut version or even the director's cut. To get that you need to find the Laserdisc collection that came with commentary, extra "dirty" scenes(which are great btw) and the package-only 24KT musical score by the wonderful Graeme Revell. I really loved the music composed for this film, and it's terrible that this is the only way you can obtain this great score. The commentary is quite insightful, J Sands pops in for a bit to chat about it with Jennifer. For her 1st film, I thought Jennifer did a superb job handling everything from the actors, to the lush sets, editing, etc. Fenn, Paxton and Sands are all in prime form here, I really couldn't ask for anything more!!
Enjoy, and scream for "HELENNA!!"
DMSR

Whatever Happened to Julian Sands?
Poor guy got stuck in this movie. That's what. After watching A Room With A View I immediately bought Boxing Helena. Big mistake. Even renting it would have been a waste of money. I heard from friends it was a horrid movie but I was going to watch it with an open mind. At least if it was bad I could stare at Julian Sand, hear his wonderful accent ane be content. No....this has got to be the worst movie made. Some of the scenes were downright laughable. When Sherilyn Fenn get her legs run over by the car....the way the scene played out made me and my roomates burst into laughter.

Couldn't control my giggles at Bill Paxton with a mullet overacting in every scene. Julian Sands character was such a wimp. In his case, hamming his performance up might have been better in this movie. Didn't care for him at all, even with his sexy accent. Sherilyn Fenn, I was wishing Julian Sands character would take our her lungs.

(...)

The ending....it could have been ten times better without that silly dream sequence.

And don't get me started on the sex scene. Julian Sands kissing HElena Bonham Carter at the end of A Room With A View was ten times sexier than the scene in Boxing Helena.

If I could give it less than 1 star I would. I wondered why after seeing A Room With A View, how come I haven't seen him in anything else. After watching garbage like Boxing Helena I understand. Must try and find another good Julian Sands movie now, if there is one to be had besides A Room With A View. Boxing Helena was not it.

Haunting and evocative film
Approximately 3/4 of the way through this film, there is a wonderful scene between Julian Sands' character and the Fantasy Lover/Nurse played by Nicolette Scorsese. The background music is from Enigma's Sadeness Pt.1 and this one scene alone makes viewing the entire film worthwhile.
On an entirely different note, this film boasts small supporting roles by, of all people, Art Garfunkel(Simon & Garfunkel)and Kurtwood Smith(Red from That 70's Show and Clarence Boddicker from Robocop). What a world!!

A DUD!
First and only time director Jennifer Chambers Lynch (daughter of David Lynch) tries following in daddy's foot steps, the result is a faulty misfire of a movie without an ounce of quality or value. To add insult to injury the performances are just as bad as the direction. Passing on this script and project was the best thing Kim Basinger ever did. Was it the director's fault, the actor's fault? Well maybe. But I think the whole promise was a bad idea.

Buy This Now
This is an amazing movie in every way. After watching it, I want to find a girl with no arms or legs to date! Hot! ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Wonderful way to introduce your children to songs you love
This is a family DVD for us. My children (8 and 12) love watching this concert and singing along with the songs. Heartwarming performance and wonderful sound recording. A perfect entertainment for the entire family.

Artie, the magnificent "boy singer"
This is an outstanding concert. Artie's purity of voice reflects his soul! It sounds like an adult version (does adult mean anything?)of a boy singer from Westminster Abbey or Kings College. Something of an angel in the best european tradition! El Condor Pasa, with a wonderful prelude bringing to us back to our natural innocence, and Bright Eyes are superb. Bridge over trouble Water is perfect. Absolutely beautiful, Art, you really went after Plato's image of perfection.
Are you down an out? Are you loosing hope in this worl?
Please get this concert!
Santiago Zuleta.
Bogotá, Colombia.

Garfunkel standing alone...with many others
Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel sang together so long I initially had some difficulty getting used to either one all by himself on the stage. It's just good to see Art doing fine. Wonderful feelings ooze out while watching him "fan out" and enjoy the "openness of development of life." So skillfully pieced together in this audiovisual pleasure are the ever-lasting reminiscences he allows us of time and music shared with Paul, and his distinctive creativity now shrouded in a sense of independent perfection.

across america
what a voice! art's vocals have never been better and his band on this dvd offering is superb. i'd have liked to see the songs "i will" and "i only have eyes for you" included in this dvd since these were part of the concert and were included on a couple of the cd versions of this concert. oh well, it still is a keeper. especially haunting is the many visions of the world trade center. just watch art and james taylor sing "crying in the rain" against the backdrop of the twin towers....unbelievable! it is indeed a fitting tribute to our innocence and the victims who will never be forgotten. thank you artie!

2 songs less than DVD
It does not include "I Will" (which is on the US cd) or "I only have eyes for you" (which is on the UK cd). It does, however, have "Cecilia", which isn't on either cd. And more banter with the audience and interview bits. ... Read more