Reviews (26)

Home on the Range
"Home on the Range" may be the last hand-drawn Disney feature for the foreseeable future. Disney is going the way of computer animation and forsaking the old ways. That being said, "Home on the Range" represents Disney's animated films going out with a whimper. Well not a bad movie, it is not a great one either. It falls somewhere in the "who cares?" range, and will probably be easily forgotten.

The Patch of Heaven ranch is facing foreclosing, and the owner will not sell her cows because they are like family. The cows get the bright idea to track down Alameda Slim, a wanted outlaw, and collect the reward that just so happens to match the amount needed for the ranch.

The voices are middle of the road too. Roseanne Barr voices the main cow, and she is just as obnoxious sounding as ever. Judi Dench gives us a British sounding cow, and Randy Quaid voices the bad guy. The songs are average as well.

In the end, kids will probably enjoy it, but it may wear on adults patience. Some adult humor is sprinkled in (giving the film a PG rating), but it actually seems out of place. The best bet on this one would be to wait until it comes out on video.

Home on the Range
This is NOT for kids. This NOT a kid movie. Funny, but why make a utter (pun) joke into this movie.

Ummmmm............
Well, traditionally-animated movies by Disney went out not with a bang, not with a wimper, but something along the lines of a giggle, and with Home on the Range, the once proud Walt Disney Studios enters the frightening world of burp-and-bathroom-humor kids' movies.

The House That Mickey Built seemed to just copy themes from other films and make a new movie out of them: the basic premises (save the farm, would-be heroes) have been seen several times before. Humor goes to the dogs....er, cows, with crude humor (including a Disney limit-pushing quirk at udders). The animation, aside from the ocasionally gorgeous backgrounds, is pure lazy, and the cartoon cattle bear little resemblence to real livestock.

In conclusion, Disney needs to take a hint from Pixar and get back to doing what it does best: making original and entertaining movies for the whole family.

Destined to become a Disney Classic
This is an excellent film for young and young at heart alike. I really enjoyed it. The animation was very good as was the score. I understand that this may be the last animated Disney film to be drawn frame by frame by their talented artists. That is truly a shame. I thought the animation in this film was truly nostalgic. If this is to be the last hand-drawn full length animated feature by Disney than I will cherish this film. It deserves it.

Not the best, but far from the worst.
The state of animation at Disney is no where near as awful as most critics would have you believe. However, what is awful is that the company is abandoning the traditional animation market, a market that single-handedly saved the company in the early 90's. The final traditionally animated movie from the company was "Home on the Range" and it's obvious that the company simply didn't care anymore. Fortunately, the filmmakers did. "Home on the Range", while far from the delirious heights of the best Disney movies, is still a fast-paced entertaining film with bright visuals and vivid characterizations. Interestingly enough, the movie that most resembles "Home On the Range" isn't another Disney movie, it's "An American Tail: Fievel Goes West". Both movies have a very similar color scheme and are more comedy than old-fashioned western. "Home on the Range" may not make your spirit soar, but it provides some solid laughs and a very enjoyable outing at the movies. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Troubled twentysomething Craig Sheffer is haunted by violent dreams of serial killings and nocturnal invitations by misshapen creatures who live in a misty, mysterious land called Midia. Adapted and directed by Clive Barker (Hellraiser) from his novel Cabal, this tribute to the magical creatures of the night plays like a Jungian reinterpretation of classic myths with a modern twist. Nightbreed are the dead reborn as monsters of legend, fantasies, and nightmares who form their own outcast society in an underground city beneath an Alberta graveyard. Visionary horror director David Cronenberg steps in front of the camera to play Sheffer's unscrupulous psychiatrist, an eerie, unsettling character whose dark side is hidden under a soft-spoken manner and an eerily calm and controlled voice.

Barker has a rather unsubtle approach to this fantastical Holocaust metaphor: every human is a victim, a hick, or a bloodthirsty monster, and the climactic witch-hunt is all gore and spectacle. By contrast the bestial society of outcasts has a kind of natural, innocent savagery that turns protective when the tribe is threatened. Cool-looking beings of bright colors, latex masks, and outrageous bodysuits, they band together like some extreme mutant superhero team with anger-management issues. Barker could use more attention to details (what happened to the so-called mystic properties of his shape-shifting monster heroes when the guns were drawn?), but there's an undeniable charge to his modern take on myth and magic. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (36)

Mystical, intelligent and imaginative...but
Framed as a killer by unstable pyschiatrist (David Cronenberg), Aaron Boone (Craig Sheffer) runs away to a graveyard called Midian, a place where "the monsters live" so his sins can be forgiven. Then once becoming one of them, he realises its his duty to save them from their enemies...man! Clive Barker's second feature as director is, like HELLRAISER, interesting, visually compelling and entertaining. But its flavour of cheesy comedy (that of course works well at times) takes over its gothical horror premise which makes the film a bit too hard to get into.
This is the first time NIGHTBREED has been released on DVD and fans of the film are in for a treat. The picture is presented in widescreen and although shows some level of grain at times (especially around Midian), its rich in colour and contrast and is overall nice and clear, the soundtrack is a remastered Dolby 5.1 which sounds as good as can be expected, a theatrical trailer (as usual) and cast and crew biographies. So, although limited in extras, the films presentation is a welcome treat for its DVD debut. Director's cut is rumoured for 2002 release.

Fun Horror film
I'm rating this film a 4 out of 5 within its genre.

Nightbreed answers the question: Where do monsters come from?
Directed by Clive Barker, celebrated author, who also happened to pen the source material in the form of a short story titled, "Cabal," "Nightbreed" is a luxuriously imagined film. Unfortunately, Barker's premise that men are monsters and monsters aren't what men make them out to be, becomes laughable because the human "villain" characters are far more two dimensional than the "monstrous" ones.

I've heard it said that this story (and the film) are an allegory for heterosexual treatment of homosexuals ( this idea is given more credence when you realize that Barker came out of the closet several years back). Whether or not that is the case, the film is really quite enjoyable and fun.

Aaron Boone is having nightmares where he is a serial killer. His shrink doesn't seem to be helping any. He dreams of a city of the dead called Midian and when he awakens he goes there only to end up getting killed. But that's not the end for our intrepid hero. He is reborn as one of the creatures of Midian - a place where the "monsters live."

Because he is seen there after his death, the humans wage a war against Boone and the typically reclusive monstrous residents of Midian.

With some extrapolation, Barker reveals to us the source of the imagery of Satan that we have, as well as vampires, witches, and all other sorts of monsters. To his credit, Barker's Nightbreed is not simplistic in its approach or its story. There are many layers and the film, though done on a small budget, appears to be much more expensive than it is.

Though the ending is clearly designed for a sequel - alas none has ever been forthcoming. It's really a shame, because this film really does warrant a good sequel.

All in all, actors, director, writer, etc. are really top notch in this film. Craig Sheffer does a fine job in this film as he has in many others (and it makes me wonder who he ticked off, because I think he should have gone much farther than he has). Even reknowned horror director/writer David Cronenberg takes a large role in this film.

Check this film out for some real "scary" fun!

WILL DVD EVER EMBRACE THE TRIBES OF THE MOON?
Clive Barker's film NIGHTBREED is not your standard exercise in horror, but rather a surrealistic trip into a fantasy world laced with elements of the genre his work is generally attributed with. As opposed to the typical monster movie, this film's story presents a moralistic flip-side...the monsters from our darkest fears are actually good in comparison to the prejudice humans who seek to destroy what they do not understand.

The movie is an adaptation of Barker's own novel, CABAL, and interestingly enough it both succeeds and fails in presenting his original story. The film actually improves upon the presentation of the monsters. The book never really fleshed them out in any way other than giving them names, never bothering to go into any types of description. Barker as a director has a very visual eye though, and the film is beautiful to look at. One can only imagine what he could do with a larger budget! Director David Cronenberg is on hand to play the notorious Dr. Decker, and he does a very good job in a role that seems to have been made for him. Composer Danny Elfman provides a unique score for the movie as well that retains the feeling of having ventured into another world. The awesome wall hieroglyphics seen during the film's opening credits, which tell the history of the Breed, were created by none other than famed conceptual artist Ralph McQuarrie! The film was an ambitious project at the time and was touted as being the most expensive horror film to date. It was budgeted at $11 million, which may be considered expensive for a "horror" film, but is actually relatively cheap (even back then) for a story of this scale.

Unfortunately, the monsters themselves are a big disappointment overall. Yes, the main characters are well done. The monstrous Peloquin is everyone's favorite. Boone, the porcupine-like Shuna Sassi, the broken stone god Baphomet, and the devilish Lude are all nicely designed monsters. The remaining monsters are all made up of simple freaks of nature with twisted mouths or faces, different skin color, or simply individuals that are simply into acting weird and perverted. Kinski's moon shaped head is simply laughable, as are many of the goofball designs presented here. The denizens of Midian, being a city where the monsters go, should have at least somewhat represented a few more creatures of legend such as werewolves or vampires to name a few. The book describes ghostly apparitions that burst forth from the tombs and fly off into the night sky during the finale. That would have been really great to see. Sadly, it never happens in the film. A campy element infiltrates the proceedings from time to time, which dulls the effect of the overall proceedings. A more serious take throughout would have made a world of difference!

The movie veers off into a different direction several times as opposed to the book. Some of these diversions are actually an improvement to the original story, while some are not. By the end, several key developments are completely different, such as certain characters who survive in the book die in the film, and vice versa. Mr. Barker has often spoke of continuing both the books and the film adaptations, but one has to wonder exactly how he could have done so when key elements at the conclusion of this introductory story are so different from book to screen! It would seem to me that this series would have ended up being completely different entities altogether in their respective mediums had they both continued. Even in light of the missing twenty minutes of footage that has yet to be restored to the film, these changes would still be evident for the most part.

This DVD release by Warner Brothers is extremely disappointing. First, they offer up only the theatrical preview as a bonus supplement. Second, the film is not presented in it's true widescreen format. I just compared it scene by scene to my laserdisc and the DVD is definitely presenting us with the full screen presentation, which features black bars covering the top and bottom of the picture in order to mimic the widescreen format. I bought this DVD to see the film in widescreen for the first time since theatres, but I got cheated, What exactly is the point of doing this?? Well, at least they were good enough to clean up the picture, remaster the soundtrack in Dolby Digital 5.1, and give us an interactive menu! I hope that one day in the future Fox Studios will see fit to grant Clive Barker the chance to restore his original vision in the long rumored director's cut of the film. Mr. Barker deserves this chance, as do his fans!

The movie gets 3 ½ stars, this DVD release gets 2 stars!

A Bad Scareless Monster Fest!
Why? I ask myself...do people like this wretched, dated, forgettable, nonfrightening, poorly written and horrendously acted film. Who knows and who cares. For intellectual Pygmies only.

" Where the Monsters Roam"
Night Breed

Night Breed is an imaginative movie from the bizarre mind of Clive Barker. The very depth and originality of this movie will blow your mind. The twisted story takes place in a land where the monsters roam. Midian. It is about a man who is murdered and goes to Midian and then word slipped about Midian and people are coming to destroy it. So he has to save it. The twisted plot evolves horror with love and revenge. Imaginative creatures come and go leaving you thinking hard about this film. This movie has many different things in it like romance, horror, and of course fantasy. Night Breed express's many emotions and showing not all monsters are bad. The constant feeling of stress is brought to you through the strong acting. The gore and effects are great and make you enjoy the movie even more. The acting is superb with great performances by Craig Sheffer as Aaron Boone. Many people dislike this movie but I enjoyed it overall there are a few flaws (Confusing Moments) but I look past that and give this move an 8/10
Score: 8/10
By: Snuggle
Suggestion: Fantasy and horror fans unite and check this one out.
Rating: R ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Who could?
Flawed? Definitely. No movie that attempts so much could be anything else.But in the midst of chaos and carnage are some gentle moments,which are even more startling because these carachters are,with the exception of Nick Nolte,not self-aware. He is a good guy who does a favor for a buddy and lives to regret it. Tuesday Weld ,at first glance, is fragile to the point of annoying, but there is more to her than we immediately see. The only weakness in the film is during the climax, which seems like a coked-up producers idea of a great finale-in any other movie it would be great, but these people deserve more than a POW finish, and happily,they are allowed one after all the fireworks. That the lead actors are all so messed up is the greatness of this film,because all are capable of being so much more, and , when pushed, become so much more than we, the audience, thought they could be. Searing. More pain than should be experienced. No really-watch the movie.

A different "Vietnam" film
I saw this movie in Tokyo, Japan and it was rightly titled "Dog Soldiers" obviously because for Japanese moviegoers the title "Who'll stop..." didn't make much sense. I was so excited after seeing this movie I took another friend to see it the following weekend. I don't know why people pan it, it's one of Nolte's best films. The film really captures the era; 60's, Vietnam, drugs, music, etc. I've been waiting for it to come out on DVD...finally!

Ray Hicks Lives!
Converse: "They say this place is where you find out who you really are."
Hicks: "What a bummer for the gooks."

"Who'll Stop the Rain" is a great movie, but I don't see why the book's title "The Dog Soldiers" wasn't used.
The book, of course is a classic, one that I truly enjoyed.

The movie moves faster, cuts to the chase, and is very lean storytelling. There's not a lot of superfluous stuff, just a sequence of events that brings each of the characters into a quagmire of his or her own making.

I recommend this film to anyone who might be interested in some of the spinoff effects the Vietnam war brought to America.

The only problem I have with the movie is the use of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Hey Tonight" during the firefight towards the movie's end. Not only does the music not fit the scene, it was not recorded or distributed until 1971 or 1972, a year or two after the story's real time frame.

In that context, some music by Moby Grape, Grateful Dead, or Jefferson Airplane would have been more appropriate.

Not a great film. But I loved it anyway.
This 1978 film is a fast paced action-packed adventure story. It's not real and not supposed to be. But it kept me intrigued for more than two hours. And that's saying a lot.

The film starts in Vietnam, where Nick Nolte is a merchant marine. When his good buddy, Michael Moriarity, a disillusioned journalist, asks him to smuggle two kilos of heroin to California, Nolte reluctantly agrees. Tuesday Weld is the journalist's wife and she's the one who's supposed to get the package. But things go wrong and Nolte and Weld start playing a cat and mouse game with some bad guys who are supposed to be rogue cops. Moriarity has his share of troubles too; he's abducted and painfully mistreated by the bad guys. From there on the story is simple, but the action kept me so busy watching that it didn't really have to make sense.

Nolte is cast as the lead, but it didn't challenge his acting abilities very much. He's the righteous tough guy who's had a bad life and refuses to be stepped on. There's a lot of scenes of him with his shirt off. He looks good, but I couldn't help thinking that if this were filmed today, he'd have a lot more definition to his muscles. Tuesday Weld is a druggie housewife and most of the time she's awfully sleepy. Michael Moriarity, however, is supposed to be weak. That's a harder role to play. And he does it well. There's a great soundtrack of seventies music which moves the action along, and some original special effects. There's a lot of violence and hard drugs. Also, as it was filmed in the 70s, the atmosphere of that time is captured perfectly.

This is not a great film. It's implausible, the story is weak, and the acting not exceptional. And yet, I loved it. And I can't quite understand why. It's not for everyone of course. But I do recommend it.

Good book, terrible movie
I had recently read Robert Stone's book "Dog Soldiers" and thought it was very good. I had heard that this movie was a forgotten minor classic and since I like both the book and Nick Nolte, I thought, "How bad can it be." Well, I hated it! Key events from the book were cast in a different light that completely changed the whole point of the story. The acting was for the most part weak, though Nick Nolte did wring as much as he possible could from the script. Michael Moriarty's character was weakly portrayed, and, again, in the book he is a much weaker and less sympathetic person, though his character is much more fleshed out. All the strengths of the book (strong characterization, flashes of humour among other things) are missing. Skip this and read the book instead ... Read more

Amazon.com

It's easy to understand why the late, great screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky removed his name from the credits of Altered States and substituted the pseudonym Sidney Aaron. After all, Chayefsky was a revered dramatist whose original source novel was intended as a serious exploration of altered consciousness, inspired by the immersion-tank experiments of Dr. John Lilly in the 1970s. In the hands of maverick director Ken Russell, however, Altered States became a full-on sensory assault, using symbolic imagery and mind- blowing special effects to depict one man's physical and hallucinatory journey through the entire history of human evolution. It's a brazenly silly film redeemed by its intellectual ambition--a dazzling extravaganza that's in love with science and scientists, and eagerly willing to dive off the precipice of rationality to explore uncharted regions of mind, body, and spirit. William Hurt made his bold film debut as the psycho-physiologist who plays guinea pig to his own experiments; Blair Brown plays his equally brilliant wife, whose devotion is just strong enough to bring him back from the most altered state imaginable. From the eternal channels of sense memory to the restorative power of a loving embrace, this movie rocks you to the birth of the universe and back again. And while it's clearly not the story that Chayefsky wanted on the screen, the directorial audacity of Ken Russell makes it one heck of a memorable trip. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (46)

Nice DVD Remaster of Award-Winning Sci-Fi w/ Great Cast!
A sci-fi favorite of mine, this Academy Award winning film had fallen into obscurity on the video shelves, but is now back with all its original impact in a sharp, well-colored remaster with a brilliant digital 5.1 rendering of the Oscar-winning soundtrack. Ken Russell directs one of his more accessible films (compared to, say, THE DEVILS) based on the novel by Paddy Chayefsky, who, in a move remeniscent of Stephen King on THE SHINING, had his name taken off this movie because he didn't like the director's interpretation of his subject matter.

The film boasts a high-quality cast of young actors from William Hurt in his major film debut to John LaRocquette in the small role of an X-ray technician. Whoever cast this knew whom to select from the period's roster of young talent. Charles Haid, frankly, has never been more impressive as the fast-talking and brilliant skeptic and Bob Balaban is outstanding and self-assured in the role of the supportive friend who forgives Hurt his eccentricities but worries that he may be going crazy. Blair Brown is sexy and appealing and frequently nude as Hurt's just-as-brainy wife anthropologist, and one of the most interesting aspects of this movie is the dialog between these two intellects from the moment they first begin their sizzling sexual liason through their matter-of-fact decision to marry, then divorce, then finally redeem their relationship -- while nearly losing Hurt's character to his high-risk experiments.

Among other interesting subplots is Hurt's spiritual ambiguity since his father's fearful death, Hurt's notion that schizophrenia and related conditions may be "altered states" rather than diseases, Blair Brown's pragmatic decision to love Hurt's character, and marry him, despite the fact that he appears not to be wired to love her in return.

For the sci-fi fan there is the once-removed-from-reality premise that man may be able to physically alter his reality through changes in consciousness, whether via the isolation tanks Hurt utlizes in his experiments, or through complex hallucinogenic drugs he researches after an experience with an obscure indian tribe in Mexico. The special effects and the special make-up for Hurt's "throwback" missing link are first rate for their time and still look fairly stunning today. One of the things that impresses me about this movie is that the hallucinatory sequences, while wowing us in a post-psychedelic kind of way, also make sense in terms of the protagonist's life and experience; far more than just kaleidoscopes, the content of the montages are grounded in the story, rather than detouring us from it with eye candy. Ken Russell's religious viewpoint plays a part in the choice of imagery here, but the symbols of crucifixion, the beast and the Bible do not seem intrusive or sensational because they fit seamlessly with the Hurt character's internal struggle.

For the student of sociology, this movie offers a peek into the "turned on" 60s idea that drug experiences actually led somewhere -- a notion we now know to be tragically false. But at one time there was speculation that some drugs "expanded the mind" and deepened the life experience, either in terms of increasing one's understanding of the meaning of life or in some fashion maturing one's personality. The only reason this movie still works today is because the movie makes clear that in some tribes, there are substances that are traditionally and successfully used in spiritual rituals, and it is one of these that Hurt uses, in combination with sensory deprivation techniques, to try to get in touch with his own "genetic memory", for lack of a better term.

Again, this movie has much to recommend it, and the DVD release makes possible an experience in the home viewing much like we enjoyed in the theater on first run. Popularly priced, I snapped it up without hesitation for my collection and was rewarded with a very nice presentation of an old favorite. Not much in the way of extras here, just trailers and some text screens for cast, crew and background, but it's still a value, and you get to see the whole 1:1.85 image.

Alterations
The sci-fi film Altered States, is on the one hand, a landmark for the genre, while at the same time, it's not quite a classic either...

Research scientist Eddie Jessup (William Hurt, in his first film role) believes other states of consciousness are as real as everyday reality. Using sensory deprivation, then adding powerful, hallucinogenic drugs, he explores these altered states and endures experiences that make madness seem a blessing.

While Altered States features a solid cast that also includes Blair Brown, as Jessup's wife Emily, Bob Balaban as Arthur Rosenberg, and Charles Haid as Mason Parrish, Professor of Endocrinology at Harvard Medical School, as well as stunning visuals. Thanks to problems with script and the original novel's author Paddy Chayefsky displeasure with the way things were being done, the film does have a certain amount of choppiness to it at times--covered up by those effects I mentioned earlier--the impact of the film is less than it could have been. Director Ken Russell fortunately uses his best asset, the cast, to their full potential.

The DVD has very limited extras. There are only a few production notes and the theatrical trailer on the disc. On the technical side, the film boasts a soundtrack remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1 that sounds awesome. Viewers can watch Altered States in either the full-screen or widescreen formats.

The DVD is recommended, but the film's fault lies in covering up its weaknesses with albeit good looking eye candy.

Dont Believe The Hype!!!!
I'd happily soak up endless gallons of SWAK with my tongue, rather than watch this festering pile of crappola ever again!!!

Intriguing albeit silly at times
My mother recommended this film to me and I found it was definitely worth watching at least once. The premise is that a brillant scientist desires to transcend our human limitations and conducts experiements using himself as the subject in isolation chambers. He visits a Spanish speaking tribe who offer him a potent drink that has halluncinatory side effects and it is extremely freaky to see the healthy, tan tribe members turn to ghost white ash when the scientist glances at them under the influence of the drink. The visual assault certainly is stunning and I thoroughly enjoyed explosions of fire, religious scenes, crazy images a wild imagination would reel out. I found it diffuclt to sympathize with the scientist because his desire to pursue his experiments overrides his commitmment to traditional values such as family. He does manage to change into a fierce, primitive creature that reminded me of a cross between a rabid wolf and a prehistoric caveman. The change lasts a short while before he reverts to his human form, however, his skin tends to shudder and undulate helplessly after his first regression and he watches in interest. It's a good movie to see at least once because it explores a realm not dealt with often and the often outright silliness of the film downplays any terror one might be consumed by otherwise.

Something you should know about Altered States
by most reviews on here, i bought this DVD thinking it was some movie about the psychedelic trip of an experimental scientist and all the good fun he had with going back in time. FALSE. im going to be a little bit of a spoiler here, so if you dont wanna know exactly what the movies about, dont read the rest of this.
altered states is about a scientist/psychologist who is wandering about the reality of schizophrenia. that maybe its a connection that is not of insanity, but pure gift of the mind (my theory from day one). so he ends up in this dark water tank with some f-cked up voodoo LSD or sumthin from mexico. he goes back in time and evolves into an ape-man. he escapes from the tank and kills a man and eats a goat to be found sleeping naked (returned to his human form) in the zoo. his wife agrees to let him try it again. this time, it makes his face bubble up and deforms his entire body. the light and gas from the tank (how the hell it got their? some supernatural sh-t i guess) knocks out his wife and 2 scientists. the wife awakes, finds her husband, the experimenting scientist, in a swirling portal and he is screaming with an extremely disfigured face/body. she saves him from the portal of nothingness and they go back to the house only for him to turn into the deformed master of nothingness again and make her one of them (some fire girl---accident by the way), then he saves her from her nothingness. he tells her he loves her and thats the end.
yes, the movie has some trippy drug sequences but thats not what its about, really. its very impossible. i thought i was in for some good ol psychidelic fun and a guy with altered states of conciessness. i gues thats what i get for buying a movie before i see it. ... Read more

Description

This musical adaptation of the Studs Terkel book examines the average worker's viewpoint--showing that he or she is anything but average. Based on a series of interviews with real working people--construction workers, waitresses, firemen, secretaries and cleaning women--"Working" is both an exploration of the individuals' occupations and a lament for lost hopes and dreams. This musical adaptation was conceived by Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin). A must for all musical theatre buffs. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Buy This Right NOW!
Wow, this movie has it all! Patti Labelle, James Taylor, Rita Moreno, Barbara Barrie, Barry Bostwick and many more familiar faces appear in this wonderful 1982 musical which aired on PBS. With Book by Studs Terkel and Music by a list of artists including James Taylor (Millwork) you can't go wrong with a story about the working persons struggle through everyday hardships. In this filmed musical, Studs Terkel acts as a narrator who interviews people with different jobs, a construction worker, paper boy, housewife, hooker, secretary, boss, etc. This movie is for anyone who has ever punched a time clock, a co-worker, or a cow...or anyone who would like to. The section with Patti Labelle singing about cleaning ladies is worth the $ alone. Just to mention a great add on to this is the "Working" soundtrack available on CD here, it's not the same production but its worth it. The company who released this video, Broadway Theatre Archives has a list of other PBS plays and musicals, also try the video of "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide when the rainbow was enuf."

Mediocre at best.
This PBS production for American Playhouse is basically just a filmed version of the songs and monologues that make up the Broadway musical WORKING. Unfortunately, the film lacks most of the energy or the excitement of the live version. There are still some wonderful performances, most notably Rita Moreno as the Waitress singing "It's An Art", Eileen Brennan as the tired factory worker, Barbara Hershey as the prostitute, Patti Labelle as the cleaning woman and Barry Bostwick as the steelworker singing "Fathers & Sons". Overall, the acting is stronger than the singing (except for in Labelle's case,where the opposite is true) and the actors, while well cast, are not helped by awkward transitions and poor directing.

The big cast musical numbers that open and close the show are totally lacking in energy, mostly due to the fact that they are stagnant (no musical staging), probably because the director didn't know how to film movement.

This is only interesting for those who want to have a record of the material (songs and monologues) that comprise the show.

It would be nice if someone were to film a stage production of this show and edit it properly. That would make for a much more interesting viewing.

Hey Somebody, Don't You Want To Hear...
The story of my life? So begins one of the most underratd musicals ever. With a simple message, "Everyone has a story." This is a TV adaptation of a musical based on a book by Sociologist and pundit Studs Terkel available by the grace of God for the first time on DVD. I knew the play from high school and was anxious to see it on film. It's a fairly reliable adaptation of the play, except that it omits two very fine songs and is kind of simply set up (it was PBS after all).

For those unfamiliar with the book or the musical, Working is based on a series of interviews Terkel performed with people from all walks of life. The book was subtitled "People Talking About What They Do All Day And How They Feel About What They Do." Composer and Lyricist Stephen Schwartz (with help from the likes of James Taylor and Craig Carnelia) adapted the interviews (which were verbatim from these peoples' mouths) into a musical.

Now let me adress a common concern right here. "I don't like musicals." Something like that is simply impossible to say. It's like saying "I don't like soup." You can't. There are too many different kinds of musicals (indeed soups) to say that you hate them all. Do you hate bright and sunny musicals like "Meet Me in St. Louis" or lavish dance numbers like "42nd Street" or quasi-historic grandeur like "Camelot?" In Working the musical performances are limited to singing at the camera, or singing off camera.

And the singing is performed by some wonderful people. "Rocky Horror's" Barry Bostwick as the Steelworker, Scatman Crothers as a Parking Lot Attendant called "Lovin' Al: The Wizard," "West Side Story's" Rita Moreno as a Waitress who feels like an artist, Charles Durning as a retiree, Patti LaBelle as a Cleaning Woman and James Taylor (mentioned above) as a Trucker. Highlights include Bostwick's stirring ballad "Fathers and Sons" Moreno's "It's an Art" and the highly affecting "Me and My Machine" performed by an unseen vocalist during the Millworker scene.

People who do these jobs, might be inspired by these completely true stories. And people who interact with these people might be inspired as well. Inspired to spend a few brain cells thinking about the guy who put his car together, talking to the telephone operator who's been having a hard day, showing respect for the cleaning woman, you even see hookers in a new light.

"Hey somebody, don't you want to hear the story of my life?"

Could have been better
...- the production is flat & lacking in energy (especially in the chorus numbers "See That Building" & "I Hear America Singing/All the Livelong Day") and sets look cheap. And some of the actors are miscast or can't sing very well. It would have been much better filmed in performance with an audience instead of an empty studio.
I happen to have done this musical & like it, but this is just an OK production. Fans of the show will want to buy it as it's the only "movie" version available.

There are standout performances - Barbara Hershey as a vulnerable hooker, Eileen Brennan as an exhausted millworker, Edie McClurg as a perky operator, Charles "Hill St Blues" Haid as the mischievous "gas man," Charles Durning as a retiree, and James Taylor adds a nice touch as he sings something he actually wrote for the show ("Brother Trucker").

But there are also annoying, jarring or boring performances, like Beth Howland as the housewife & Didi "Grease" Conn as a receptionist - both of them breathy & nasal.

Some actors push it too hard - seems like most were cast because they were the "hot A list" for the moment (i.e. the late 70s) which makes the show a little dated. It would have been better casting some unknowns (but great singers from Broadway). So "Where Are They Now?" - Eileen Brennan? Barbara Barrie? Beth Howland? Didi Conn? Matt Landers? Vernee Watson-Johnson?

Good thing they didn't make an album of this soundtrack - its thin singing & orchestrations pale in comparison to the original cast album of 1978, which has much better singers (like Bob Gunton & David Patrick Kelley) and there's more excitement, feeling & fullness in the songs.

Interesting note: Lynne Thigpen (cast as receptionist) & David Patrick Kelley (playing an activist Copyboy complaining about his capitalist newspaper) are the only ones from the original Broadway cast to make it into this broadcast, originally shown on PBS ~1982. On Broadway, Kelly sang the soaring ballad "The Mason," which very unfortunately was cut from this version. Pigpen sang "Cleaning Women."

Okay, people..........you're missing the point..............
First off, the reason that they are all "staring at the camera" is because this is filmed in a documentary style. As if all of the people are being interviewed about their lives and jobs.

Great performances by an all-star cast. Eileen Brennan ("Clue," "Murder by Death") gives a WONDERFUL performance, but unfortunately does not sing her character's "Millwork" song herself. Patti LaBelle sings the [...] out of her "Cleaning Women" song, but does not seem all that emotionally involved in the proceedings. Barry Bostwick gives a touching and brilliant performance, delivering a heart-wrending rendition of "Fathers and Sons." Rita Moreno stops the show, and other wonderful performances given by all.

The sets are rather like "Sesame Street for adults," but I personally find it to be very affective and theatrical. Semi-realism with some flat, 2-dimensional pieces thrown in there for you to remember that this is--after all--a theatrical piece (despite all of the realism in the documentary-style acting and film-making).

All in all, this is a BEAUTIFUL piece. A show about REAL human beings, telling their lives and stories in a non-linear way. Few musicals about real people are out there (only Sondheim's and Kander & Ebb's pieces, as well as I DO! I DO!, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, and RAGTIME come to mind), but those that are are very affective and are truely quite moving.

However, my one MAJOR let down: Craig Carneila's beautiful song "The Mason" is not in this film. ... Read more

Description

Ed Harris and Anne Heche star in Agnieszka Holland's provocative mystery that explores the spiritual phenomenon behind miracles, and the doubts and desires of a priest who has lost his faith. Father Frank Shore is a church-appointed spiritual detective whose job it is to investigate claims of miracles. An investigation leads him to a woman who challenges his beliefs. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

You Can't Miss It
The question I keep asking after renting The Third Miracle is how could have missed it in the theaters. I mean, it's one of the best movies I have seen in many years. You don't have to be a person of faith to see a priest suffering the horrors of hell in his heart and mind when everything he sees and touches doesn't make sense. That is, until his bishop puts him to work to find out if a fervent woman who lived in her parish convent was truly a saint. It takes three miracles to declare that a person obviously has a special relationship with God in Heaven, and the priest can prove only two. Ed Harris is wonderful, the hearing by cardinals and bishops is certainly fair and within our reach, compared to the images most people have about the power of the hierarchy. It's just a marvelous movie. Go see it.

By the way, the third miracle is right there in front of our eyes..but I won't spoil your enjoyment of a great mystery story. Jim Crosson

Miracle of Miracles
The process of "making" a saint is an unusual topic for a film and Agnieszka Holland makes the most of it by bringing it down to the human level in "The Third Miracle." And Ms. Holland is very lucky indeed to have two of the finest actors as her humans: Ed Harris and Anne Heche. Harris plays a priest whose job it is to verify the "saintability" of Heche's mother. There are several plot lines swirling around in the film including Harris' committment or lack thereof to his religion, the miracles themselves and who they happen to as well as the process of making someone a saint. What sets "The Third Miracle" apart and above most films is the manner in which the relationships are scripted. A script is the backbone of any film and the words are its'fingers and toes. "The Third Miracle" is an extremely hearfelt movie and an obvious labor of love to all involved. Order it NOW.

I thought the baby was the 3rd miracle too!
My movie-type,wishful thinking of the miraculous would have been to have the 3rd miracle be the birth of Roxanne's baby girl from the unconsummated union between Father Shore and Roxanne. I see there's one other wishful Amazonite out there who agrees. Yeah, that would have been a great line "She has your eyes." Then his mouth dropping open, with a very appropriate rejoinder of "Oh, my God!" But try explaining "that" miracle to the church committee!

But as another viewer said the unmentioned and understated 3rd miracle could well be Father's Shore recovered faith and Roxanne's ability to love again and have her own miracle from God, a child for her to "never abandon."

Though I was a bit confused, supposedly the 1st miracle is the little gypsy girl's prayer (Roxanne's mother) stopping the bomb from landing, the 2nd being that twisted/crippled young man straightening out, and 3rd being Roxanne's mother (when older) bringing the druggy teen back from near death at the hospital.

And by the way, who was that grief-stricken lady, being consoled by Father Shore, at the teen's death bed? The drunk, abusive mother who used to burn her little daughter with cigarettes?!

Or was that twisted young man a hoax? I didn't get that scene in the resturant with him and his mother, who were working there. Why were they so non-committal, because it was a hoax or because Father Shore was known as the "miracle killer?"

And what was the incident that caused Father Shore to lose his faith and be named "the miracle killer?" The details are never mentioned.

That's what kept me from rating this 5 stars.......too many frustrating, unaswered questions for a movie to be satisfactory in the end.

Email me with any comments about this movie. Thanks!

Yes, miracles do happen!
I am a Roman Catholic and I understand the whole, lengthy and deeply exhausting investigative process surrounding beatification and canonization. I also know that non Catholics and non Christians don't understand it and may even think that the Church arbitrarily elevates anyone it wants to Sainthoood. This film, "The Third Miracle", does a fairly good job exploring the canonization process in a feature film. Granted, times and themes have changed since "The Song Of Bernadette" won the Best Film Oscar in 1944 exploring the "Marian Miracle" theme, but it is reassuring that this type of screenplay still makes for a moving and haunting film. Sadly, the film did not get a lot of promotion or ballyoo even though it was marvelously produced, had high production values and featured superb performances by Ed Harris, Anne Heche and a host of other notable supportng players. Ed Harris is truly one of the screens most riveting actors and even his smaller screen parts are unforgettable for their realism, intensity and strength. Anne Heche is perfect as the wayward, doubting daughter especially in her meetings with Father Shore.

My only criticisms, and they are mild, involve the smoking, drinking clergy portrayed and their seeming love of socializing and the "good life". Also, the ending was too unexplained and it left you somewhat dangling as to how Roxanne acquired her child. Was she married? To whom? Was the child adopted? Where was the husband? It would seem that Father Shore and Roxanne would have had something more profound to say to one another after such an emotional and harrowing experience.

In summation, many believers and non believers, those of strong faith and those who have doubts about their beliefs, will take something different away from this film. I would only add that we will never understand God's ways. To those who believe no proof is necessary. To those who don't, all the proof in the world is irrelevant.

Dick Bobnick

Entertaining Attack on Catholic Church
The performances of this film are excellent. Ed Harris hits such diverse levels as the Catholic priest questioning his faith. Anne Heche has nice orange hair, deep blue eyes, and looks marvelous. The cinematography is excellent with the darker interior scenes and the flashbacks with their blue tones. The DVD does not offer a lot of extra materials unless you'd like to have language subtitles.

Two things about this picture bothered me. The first is the attack on the Catholic church. One person commented that this is the church that "exonerates pedofiles and questions miracles." However, I think one must distinguish between the group religion and real religion which is personal and lives within the individual believer. Harris does a masterful job of showing this conflict. But it is the group attack that turned me off. The film's point of view seems to assume that the group should work with the speed of the individual. The velocities are quite different; so I found this an unaffair attack upon an easy target.

The second problem I had was that the film didn't seem to go anywhere. For me, the film fizzles at the end. We go for a long time on the story then hit the "1 year later" cut and finally the "3 years later" cut. This seemed to mute the ending rather than build to one. This was not an episodic tale; so a climax would have been nice. Of all the Amazon reviewers, I guess I'm the only one who wondered if that was the priest's baby that Heche brings in the last scene. It would have been more interesting if she'd said something like, "She has your eyes."

Although this film doesn't quite work, it's still interesting enough to spend some time with. Pictures dealing with faith are few and far between & to be cherished when they do come along. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Left open ends
I'm a huge fan of Spader but this was not one of his best. Some parts of the plot was difficult to follow because it was boring and my mind kind of wandered off. The problem I have with this film is the use of the "Vietnamese" woman to carry out the plot. Not only was it bad for the film, it gave (...)viewers like me a bad taste in my mouth once the movie was over. The woman looked nothing like (...)and she was just a medium to add (...)and violence into the film. Plus, her fate was left untold after the trial. There's nothing realistic about this movie and Spader's character is not very likable though he's suppose to play the good guy.

This movie wasn't really great...
I found this movie to be a little too drawn out and confusing, but James Spader did a fairly good job with his role (even though his more recent works are much better). One good thing about this film was the beautiful scenery, colors and lighting in many of the scenes. I just couldn't get into this movie...James Spader's acting abilities were just not at their best in this picture.

A great,, sensual film about New Orleans and the south...
Storyville has always been one of my favorite films, and now it is finally coming to DVD. It is an interesting and stylish brew, much as if Tennessee Williams was channeled by David Lynch as told to Woodward & Bernstein. The story revolves around Cray Fowler, a young ne'er-do-well scion of old south wealth, played by James Spader, attempting to unravel a family mystery about his father's suicide, the submerged dealings of the past that built the family fortune, and the present day intrigues of his family and his uncle's drive to have Cray Fowler elected a state senator.

Behind all this is a wonderful cast of characters and a standout performance by Joanne Whalley as a district attorney and former live in lover of Spader's character. Whalley does a fantastic, sensuous southern accent, and the relationship between Whalley and Spader is understated, ironic, and high on heat and barely restrained lust. Just great stuff.

The film is helped immensely by filming on location in New Orleans and southern Louisiana, and the visuals really conjure the Big Easy in heat, of summer and otherwise.

A notable supporting role is that of Spader's estranged wife, a dim witted, greedy and vivacious southern debutante type wonderfully played by Justine Shapiro, who went on to wider fame as the host of the Lonely Planet travel series.

Great fun, very sensual and a wonderful and vastly under appreciated film.

Holds one's attention
Essentially the misadventures of a young man (Spader), acting rather stupidly, this mystery drama at least keeps one watching throughout its running time. It's a semi-thriller about a rich, southern young lawyer running for congress, attempting to uncover the web of deceit that has been spun around him by opponents unknown, following off from his father's death. Spader gives a terrific, ultra cool performance as the hotshot lawyer and is given strong support all round, notable from Jason Robards. Director Frost (who worked with David Lynch on the cult TV series, "Twin Peaks") keeps the plot moving along at a moderate pace, but one can't help but think it could have been better if the plot had revolved around something more substantial that Spader's whim.

Talented actors alive and well in "The Big Easy"!
The past is very much alive and not forgotten in New Orleans. This is one theme of this movie. It also provides an insight as to the sordid business of politics in Louisiana. Solid work from James Spader and from some "Hill Street" actors together with a fantastic soundtrack make this film a great one! Do not miss it! ... Read more