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Not even the executives at Disney could have predicted the runaway success of this live-action movie inspired by Jay Ward's goofy 1960s cartoon character. Not only did George make a killing at the box office, but Disney's marketing wizards turned it into one of their best-selling videos. It's hard to begrudge the movie's success, even if this is the kind of mindless entertainment that caters to the lowest common denominator. In any case, it's obvious that kids love this movie, in which the idiotic George (Brendan Fraser) repeatedly swings into trees and attracts the attention of a lovely jungle explorer (Leslie Mann) who decides to call off her engagement to a wealthy snob (Thomas Hayden Church) in favor of the vine-swinging hunk with an elephant named Shep (that thinks it's a dog) and an ape named Ape (with a proper Brit voice provided by John Cleese). Filled with slapstick gags and some funny special effects, the movie can be a bit of a trial for adults, but it's a hilarious treat for its intended audience. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (76)

A review from Mr. Entertainment Lover
Hee Hee Hee.... What a silly movie! Yes it's dumb and stupid! Still that's what makes it so funny. I have it in my video collection to watch on a day I'm bored. In this film George falls in love with a beautiful women named Ursala. However her nasty mother and her mean boyfriend won't allow it. From then on it's madness and comedy that will keep you laughing. John Cleese does an excellent job as an ape named Ape and Bredon Frasier is good as the bumbling George. This is a movie for the whole family!

Pretty good for a kid flick...The Review...
Well, first off I would like to "admit", the first viewing of this film did not go over well with my friend and myself. I thought it was boring and just plain dumb. It lacked something I like to call, PLOT! Well, those times have changed and I have sort of soled-out! Just kidding, it is better than before, though weak in thought. I first saw the film when it was on television and now I rented it on DVD.

The movie stars Brendan Fraser who plays the title role, George of the Jungle. He is not really musculer but I guess neither was the original character. This film is like Dudley Do Right, but this is MUCH, MUCH better! If you are stuck having to pick which of the two to watch, see this w-a-y before you see Dudley Do Right. The film is about George of the Jungle, he looks for love in a girl named Ursilla, a woman from America and George just can not understand why he starts having all of these feelings for another person. His mate. John Clease does an OK job of playing the voice for the character An Ape Named Ape. Ape is George's mentor and guide through his life until he leaves the "Heart of the Jungle."

This is an over all good film, GREAT for kids. If I was a little youger when this film came out, I would of loved it. If you liked this movie I would suggest the following movies, Dudley Do Right also starring Brendan Fraser, 101 Dalamations both the original and the remake and a host of others.

Hoped I helped, Have a good one!

Ryan

This is so stupid you have to buy it
If you have labeled movie shelves at home, you'll have to cut this DVD into thirds. One 3rd would go in stupid, another in funny and another in classics. This movie is so stupid its funny and its extreme stupidity makes it a classic! Ha! Ha!

So stupid it's funny.
George, who I'm assuming was raised by apes, is the king of the jungle (lol, NOT). Somehow he manages to meet Ursula, who has a wierdo for a fiance, and George falls in love with her. She takes him back to the city and he does all kind of wild stuff.

Meanwhile, two poachers in the jungle run across Ape the talking ape and manage to capture him. So this brings George and Ursula back to the jungle so George can save his best friend.

So stupid that it's hilarious, but I'm sorry, I can never take Brenden Fraser seriously again.

where is the widescreen version???
I love this movie - the wit is funny, the sight gags are funny and the characters are endearing - very hard to do when you are creating a movie from cartoon characters. But where is the widescreen version?? The whole reason for buying a DVD is having the chance to see the movie as it was originally envisioned. If I want to watch full frame, I'll watch television. ... 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

Amazon.com

Like the book it isnamed after and based on, Permanent Midnight is a chronicle of downfall. Jerry Stahl, the story goes, showed promise when doing shifts as a porn writer for Hustler and Penthouse, and his promise landed him in the exact center of television's hottest shows of the 1980s. Alas, Stahl also brought with him a gargantuan appetite for drugs, most damagingly heroin. The film begins with Stahl, played by Ben Stiller, working in a fast-food chain on his way back to society from the drug-addled skids and recovery. He's lured away from work, where in a hotel room with Maria Bello (as Kitty) he begins detailing his fall from TV's top (where he wrote for shows like Alf and Moonlighting, among others). Director David Veloz does great work in leading viewers through the episodes in addiction and excess, making the action seem naturally odd. There are priceless shots of Stahl and his coke-smoking buddy on an upper floor of a high-rise smoking and leaping into the windows--which don't break, of course. Stiller does a classy job of staying monochromatically zoomed in on scoring and shooting dope. He's sweaty and freaked out at the right times and grimy and desperate, too. The movie's a sad one, with Stahl's journey taking him through an arranged marriage (which benefited him enormously) to the couple's having a baby to getting busted on a rare occasion alone with the infant. It's a visceral script, replete with lots of intravenous drug use and Stahl/Stiller creating a recurring motif out of shooting the bloody drawback from the syringe onto the ceiling, making a mad little scribble. --Andrew Bartlett ... Read more

Reviews (21)

A chilling and entertaining movie
"Albino Alligator" is a movie about three thieves that take a few people at a New Orleans bar hostage. The criminals don't really mean any of the hostages any harm, at least not until the police start to wait right outside the bar and the three criminals don't know what to do to get out with freedom still on their side.

"Albino Alligator" is a pretty good movie, especially when you consider that it was the first movie that Kevin Spacey directed. It's not the best movie of its kind, but it's not bad either. It all happens inside a bar in the basement of a building and the plot doesn't change much the whole movie, but it does have a few interesting twists that keep the movie from being boring. All three of the criminals do a great job in the acting department, especially Matt Dillon. The hostages, led by Faye Dunaway, also do a good job of acting. This movie is both chilling and entertaining, and I recommend anybody who likes movies that center around criminals and hostages to get "Albino Alligator."

Confusing, convoluted, and under-developed plot.
When a new screenwriter is trying to get his script made, the best way to draw attention (nee money) is to attach a star, someone with visibility, someone bankable. Surprisingly, I don't think stars really read a lot of scripts, certainly not all the way through, certainly not with a mindset toward how to make this into a good, completed film.

At the time this film was made, Kevin Spacey was hot, very hot. His performances in Seven, Swimming with Sharks, and The Usual Suspects had brought him not only rave reviews, but an Academy Award. His want to direct, this inherent heat, plus his ability to attract additional star power, namely Faye Dunaway, Matt Dillon, and Gary Sinise, and a spec script from a first time writer had the financial backing it needed.

Maybe Albino Alligator would have been a weak film in even the most accomplished hands, it certainly is a weak film in this first time director's. The premise is sketchy, the through line distorted and vague. Some of the characterizations seem forced, or contrived, as if, for example, Faye Dunaway (or Gary Sinise)'s part were quickly created or expanded to accommodate their agreeing to particpate.

Many good young film makers are making daring, exciting, edgy films right now. This is not one of them.

Say What....?
....the ultimo movie about a bungled heist job and the crooks are holed out somewheres is....Reservior Dogs. This has great actors in it...I enjoyed seeing, f'instance, Dame Dunaway...but, she, Sinise, Dillon, Mantegna, and perpetual co-lister Faison had a poor dialog to work with. Imagine if QT had written it. Or, my favorite tough guy screenwriter, David Mamet. Fortunately though, Spacey will have something to build on develop a director's repertoire...

Strong debuts from Kevin Spacey and Christian Forte
Strong, strong debuts from Kevin Spacey as director and Christian Forte as writer. Strong cast, except for Faye Dunaway, who is apparently still channeling Joan Crawford, or maybe Bette Davis. Sinise is a winner, as is Dillon. Nice to see M. Emmett Walsh still getting quality work. Has its share of "first-time director" problems, including a number of really awkward transitions and jump cuts right in the middle of the second act, but Spacey is a directing talent to watch for in the future. Too bad Forte didn't follow-up such a muscular debut with something equally well-crafted.

A Mixed Bag
Director Kevin Spacey leads a superb cast who do reasonably well considering the material. Don't get me wrong, the film's idea is a good one. But this script seems more suitable as a play, than a film. Being that most of the film takes place in a one room bar. Faye Dunaway is great, as well as Gary Sinise in a subdued role. But Matt Dillion's tough guy routine seems a little forced, and by the end of the film it's a little tired. However, this is suitable start as Spacey's debut. It's enjoyable too watch, especially if you let yourself sink into it, and try not too deconstruct it's flaws. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Just Shoot Me!
The title indicates a genre populated by movies such as "Armageddon" (seriously funny Bruce Willis) or "Deep Impact" (straight to the end of the World - almost). Well, only the title could indicate quality. The characters are cast in a grey, two-dimensional plot which offers nothing but repeated yawns. I actually didn't manage to view through in one night. As for technical quality on DVD: Forget it!

NOT RECCOMENDED
DO NOT CONFUSE THIS MOVIE WITH ONE BY THE SAME NAME ABOUT THE END TIMES. IT IS NOT THE SAME MOVIE. NOT A GOOD MOVIE, NO POINT TO IT.

You Have Got To Be Kidding!
Mindless, numbing garbage -- plain and simple. Don't get ripped off by wasting money on this completely ridiculous FLIM!

Possibly the Worst Sci-Fi Movie Ever Made!
A worthless plot combine with truly awful acting in the dazzling rendition of mindlessness. If I had anything to do with this ridiculous waste of celluloid I would shoot myself. It gets 1 star mainly because there is no selection for "zero". Pass this one up unless you need something to wedge a table leg.

ONE STAR IS TOO MUCH
I am a huge Sandra Berhard fan, but honey, this is the worst movie ever! Sandra is terribly miscast as a spaceship captain, and Laura San Giacomo is a horrible mess as a Shakespeare crazed computer terrorist. This is blackmail material for all involved! ... Read more