Reviews (257)

Volume 2 Delivers The Goods (4 Stars)
Kill Bill Vol. 1 might have been action driven and fast paced, but Vol. 2 was not. The slower pace made room for better focus on dialogue though. There are still great fight scenes, but not as many as there were in the first movie. Tarantino hit his stride with this movie. Die hard fans should go out and see it. The movie is two and a half hours long, but it's totally worth sitting through. There are great new characters (most notably Pei Mei) and it does a great job of filling in the holes that were left in Vol. 1(like Uma's screen name). Memorable scenes would be Uma Thurman being buried alive and her fight with Elle Driver in the trailer home. Easily one of the best fight scenes ever. Then there's Bill, played by David Carradine. He was probably the most engaging character in the whole movie. While I was disappointed in the way he died, it totally made sense. Overall, Kill Bill Vol. 2 definitely meets all expectations with its great dialogue and awesome fight scenes. Be warned though, the fight scenes aren't as fast and furious as the first movie. Nor are there as many. But that's not bad because it plays to Tarantino's strength: dialogue. If you liked Vol. 1 or if you're into karate flicks, you'll love Vol. 2. But if you didn't like Vol. 1, you'll like Vol. 2 even less.

Better than Vol. 1
If cinema is ever in need of edgy freshness, then Charlie Kaufman is the man to turn to. But when that need arises and has to be fused with humorously offbeat style then Quentin Tarantino is the Kaufman of directors. Or is Kaufman really the Tarantino of aspiring writers? It doesn't matter. In any case, what truly matters is that Tarantino continues to inject that richly abnormal talent of his into his latest piece "Kill Bill: Volume 2."

Four years after being betrayed by her former boss Bill (David Carradine) and shot in the head at her wedding, The Bride (Uma Thurman) wakes up from her coma and thirsts for revenge. After dispatching Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox) and O-Ren (Lucy Liu) in "Volume 1," this previously retired assassin is back in "Volume 2" to finish off the rest of Bill's Deadly Viper Assassination Squad and ultimately, kill Bill.

"Volume 2" is definitely the heart of the two movies. Saturated with intense fighting scenes "Volume 1" ended with a bitter sweetness as The Bride seemed completely undeveloped as a character. But "Volume 2" complements the first movie nicely as the action takes the passenger seat and Tarantino concentrates on storytelling, fleshing out The Bride's character. There's actually emotional depth involved now, revealing The Bride's relationship with Bill as well as her motives for leaving an assassin's life.

Thurman is wonderful as The Bride, playing along with Tarantino's take on Hollywood cheesiness to executing some intense dialogue scenes that transition between emotions within seconds. Tarantino is obviously extracting all the skills he can from Thurman, and the end result is worth every squeeze: she pulls off acrobatic feats and heavy dialogue in the same two hours with seamless changeovers.

Carradine also does such a marvelous job of portraying Bill to the point that it becomes frightening. Carradine's subtleties are what form this character and by the end of it all it becomes clear just how insane of a character Bill is: he philosophizes about death while making sandwiches and questions past relationships with a menacing sword in hand. The low and relaxed tone that he carries through the movie makes it feel like Carradine isn't even playing anyone, he's just slipping this character on like an old, comfortable shirt.

But it's not just the characters that make Kill Bill so special. The first installment is wonderful in paying tribute to Japanese anime, folksy spaghetti westerns and an overall homage to "old school" Asian kung fu flicks. Tarantino again draws various sources from 70's pop culture to showcase the quirks of "Volume 2." Whereas the first movie displays Tarantino's knowledge of Asian cinema with wire-wearing kung fu, with unrealistic squirting samurai-movie colored blood included, "Volume 2" solidifies that homage to the full extent.

Perhaps the single greatest movie moment of 2004 is in "The Cruel Tutelage of Pai Mei," the film's chapter in which the origin of The Bride's abilities is discovered. Tarantino brings out all the stops on this one. From the stereotyped supercilious personality to the superficial white facial hair, the character of kung fu master Pai Mei (Gordon Liu) is the absolute embodiment of a 70's Chinese kung fu flick. After this scene, it's obvious that Tarantino is on the edge of oddball insanity, right there with brilliance on the other side.

Like the chapter of Pai Mei, the rest of Tarantino's film combines everything campy and corny with his bizarre sense of direction. And everything rationally ridiculous here somehow ends up as abnormally gorgeous.

Superb second chapter
A radiant bride-to-be (and mother-to-be) who calls herself Arlene takes a few minutes out of her wedding rehearsal to talk to her former boss (and ex-lover) about the peaceful new life she's planned. She tells him she'll be working in a record store where she'll get to "listen to music all day, talk about music all day. It's really cool. It's going to be a great environment for my little girl to grow up in."

"As opposed to jetting around the world, killing human beings, collecting vast sums of money?" her one-time employer asks.

Yes, Arlene is actually The Bride (Uma Thurman), a.k.a. Black Mamba, one of the Deadly Vipers Assassination Squad (D.I.V.A.S., for short). And, yes, the man with whom she's sharing her future plans is Bill, the enigmatic, shadowy D.I.V.A.S. commander who never showed his face in "Kill Bill, Vol. 1."

Bill, played to diabolical perfection by David Carradine, is visible throughout "Kill Bill, Vol. 2," and that's only one of the many changes between the first and last installments of writer-director Quentin Tarantino's epic saga of revenge and retribution. "Vol. 1," which took place largely in Japan, was a magnificently gory, almost operatic homage to the Hong Kong and Japanese cinema of the 1960s and 1970s; "Vol. 2," set primarily in Texas and Mexico, is considerably more controlled -- although no less stylish -- and moodier, paying tribute to the unconventional Westerns of director Sergio Leone and, in its black-and-white flashback sequences, recalling such late-1940s/early-1950s thrillers as "Gun Crazy" and "The Big Heat."

No one ever accused Tarantino of being shy when it comes to laying out his catalog of influences.

Cinematographer Robert Richardson's all-seeing camera swoops, slithers and moves stealthily around each scene, just like our unstoppable heroine, then throws in some extreme close-ups that feel like a fist between the eyes. Editor Sally Menke and production designers David Wasco and Cao Jui Ping do wonderful work as they recreate everything from "In Cold Blood" to the washed-out-looking, jumpy Chinese chop-socky films of the 1970s.

But far from being merely imitative, "Vol. 2" features a few breakthroughs for its creator as well. A prolonged sequence involving a character who is pummeled, drugged and buried alive is one of the most gripping episodes of Tarantino's career, and The Bride's apprenticeship to merciless martial arts master Pai Mei (Gordon Liu), a deceptively wispy-looking type with a strong chauvinistic streak, is outrageously hilarious. "Your so-called kung fu is really quite pathetic," Pai Mei taunts as The Bride tries -- and fails -- to impress him with her moves. "Like all Yankee women, all you can do is order in restaurants and spend a man's money!"

The finale of "Vol. 1" was a blood-drenched, wickedly hilarious free-for-all, with The Bride dispatching scores of would-be hitmen in a showdown in a Tokyo nightclub, but the last half-hour of "Vol. 2" is a shocker of an entirely different kind, as Tarantino aims for the heart instead of the funnybone. He tried something somewhat similar in the bittersweet wrap-up of "Jackie Brown," with mixed results. He's much more successful this time out, partly because he's created a steadier build-up to the crucial emotional crescendo (set to a marvelously trippy remix of The Zombies' "She's Not There") and partly because the tension Carradine and Thurman generate in the pivotal scene, as bloodlust collides with memories of happier days, is utterly riveting.

Tarantino's cast fills out a classic rogues' gallery, dominated by Carradine's Bill, a psychotic who conceals his sadism beneath a calm, paternalistic exterior. Daryl Hannah's one-eyed Elle Driver and Michael Madsen's Budd, both of whom were briefly seen in "Vol. 1," get ample opportunity to prove their worth as antagonists of The Bride. The face-off with Elle, in particular, is so delightfully demented only Tarantino could have conjured it up.

Was the director wise in turning "Bill" into a double-bill? Absolutely. For one thing, he must have realized he had made an extravaganza that would have been too intense and certainly too emotionally exhausting for most audiences to process in a single four-hour sitting. Also, he obviously knew he had a second half that would be well worth the six-month wait.

"Gargantuan -- always liked that word; so rarely have a chance to use it in a sentence," the icy-hearted Elle murmurs at one point. Try this on for size: The frenzied, funny and unabashedly ultraviolent "Kill Bill" saga represents a gargantuan achievement in action cinema.

Can a movie possibly get any better than this?
First I'd like to say that Quentin Tarantino is the best film maker that ever lived period. I would say that KILL BILL VOL. 2 is the greatest film since Casablanca. This is by far my favorite of Quentin Tarantino's films. This is a must own Dvd. Buy this awesome mind-blowing classic movie today.

This movie should not be see by the stupid ones
YES YES MAN I THOUGT THAT THERE WAS NOT TOO MUCH STORY BEHIND THE 1ST VOL IT WAS GREAT BUT SOMETHING WAS MISSING IT WAS THE AWESOME STORY OF THE 2ND. IS LIKE WATCHING A SPAGHETI WESTERN BY SERGIO LEONE BUT BEING DRUNK.BUT STILL I DONT KNOW HOW SOME PEOPLE TALK SO MUCH CRAP ABOUT THE 2ND VOL.IS PROBABLY THAT THEY MISSED THE POINT THAT IS VERY SAD MAN.THAT'S WHY THIS MOVIE IS NOT SUITED FOR THE DUMBASSES.WHEN YOU SEE THIS VOL YOU WILL DEICIDE IF YOU ARE A TRUE TARANTINO FAN!!!! ... Read more

Reviews (486)

Rob Zombie does it again
"House of 1,000 Corpses" is one of the more unique horror movies filmed. It combines 70's style horror movie, modern blurry effects, and porn movies. The set creaters creatively built the house and the gas station, giving the audience the extra pleasure. Though the style may be a little elaborate for the location for real life, but it's important for story expression. This movie teaches other B-movies how to allow one's mind to flow during production and writing. Hiring only unknown actors was clever. Well known actors would have ruined the effect. The heavy rock music and the old-time jazz creates a new twist rarely heard in horror movies. This combination allows the killers to look glamorous withour glamorizing murder.

Rob Zombie fought long and hard to convince movie companies to release this movie that he wrote and directed. Many felt that it's too gory to appeal audiences. After watching this, one will realize that it was worth the fight. Those sensative to graphic nature may not find pleasure in this. Otherwise, one will not be disappointed, but one will be surprised when completed. Fans are recommended to watch "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" afterward as they will discover one of Rob Zombie's movie influences.

Mixed Feelings
When I first heard about this movie I was so excited, so excited I wrote a paper about it's soon to be release as an essay for school. Now, Im a big fan of Rob Zombie, look at my name, but he let me down on this one, I still gave it 4 stars though. It was interesting but I expected more from the man with Zombie in his name. It wasnt gorry enough for my likings plane and simple. It's not a bad movie, I suggest you getting it, I did, because it has a very interesting plot/story line, plus its from the sick and twisted mind of Rob Zombie himself. I also heard that he's comin out with some more movies of his which I am just as excited to see.

Cult Classic
When a group of teenagers get locked up in an old house with a bunch of physcotic people, they start being murdered in grisly fashion and there is no escape.
What makes this movie so frightning is the imagiery and i thought that the last scene was so F*&#&! scary that i almost wet my pants.
Overall this was a great movie, totally gory but its definatly a movie to watch in the dark on a rainy day if you want the crap to be scared out of you

average!
just an average old b horror type movie! nothing really cool except for the special effects.
No story!
but should still watch it!

one hell of a fukin movie
i just finished watching this movie and i loved it, it was very orginal and also quite sick. I have read numerous reviews posted on this site saying this is unoriginal and a great dissapointment , these comments posted by people who probably havent even heard of rob zombie yet alone have no idea what the mans all about so shut your fukin mouths before you dare say your dissapointed just because your like the pussy critics who cant handle anything violent and/or original. anyways for those interested in this movie based on your fanship of the great Rob Zombie than this movie may well be for you, all i can really say about this movie is that its really differnt from anything you've ever seen, it has a good running time, great characters and a brilliant soundtrack that is alive and rippin through the whole film. reccomended. ... Read more

Reviews (167)

Dynamite Cast + Good Fun = Excellent Film
First off: "Jackie Brown" is not a disappointment. After the surprise success of Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" in 1994, everyone was looking for him to fail on his next attempt. Sorry, friends, but this just isn't the case. In many ways, "Jackie Brown" is a more enjoyable ride. After repeated viewings of "Pulp Fiction" and "Reservoir Dogs," one can easily pinpoint the weaknesses in Tarantino's style. He uses similar references to '70s action and blaxploitation films, he uses relic music hits from the same era, and he even uses similar character names (Marvin with no ear, meet Marvin with no head). The violence is always there, and the incessant use of profanity is always there. But "Jackie Brown" is different from these previous efforts. There's no appearances by either Harvey Keitel or Tim Roth; instead, the film is headlined by the queen of the '70s blaxploitation flicks, the eternally sexy Pam Grier. The supporting cast includes Robert Forster, a staple of cheesy B-movies, Samuel L. Jackson in a return to the world of Tarantino, and the very interesting threesome of Michael Keaton, Bridget Fonda, and the ever-versatile De Niro to round out the cast. So what, besides the cast, makes the film such a knockout? While the profanity level has been toned down, Tarantino's script loses no edge and maintains a constant freshness and sense of humor. Grier has never been much of an actress, but she's always had a certain charm, and she uses this charm effectively in "Jackie Brown." Forster gives his most memorable performance here, playing the role of Max Cherry with complete control and positive cool. Fonda is great as Melanie, and Keaton has a blast playing ATF agent Ray Nicolet, but De Niro steals the show as Louis Gara. De Niro has one of his better supporting roles here, and he makes the most of it. Louis is something of a dimwit, but only De Niro could inject the character with as much humor as he has here. The film, at 154m, is probably too long and overindulgent, but Tarantino presents us with an interesting plot, and some equally interesting subplots to boot. The most effective of these is the relationship that builds between Grier and Forster; there is an attraction there, but the insecurities of each character prevents this from ever reaching a climax. The film is colorful, has solid (but not brilliant) direction, and, aside from some serious lapses in logic, the script flows seamlessly. And guess what? There's no guest appearance by the man himself, who must have realized after "From Dusk Till Dawn" that, while he may be a writer and a director, and actor he is not. "Jackie Brown" reveals the limitations of Quentin Tarantino, but the film is still a riot, and one of the most entertaining of 1997. That's more than I can say for James Cameron's "Titanic," which fails on all levels for me, despite what the critics say. "Jackie Brown" delivers a knockout punch. It's great to see that some Elmore Leonard novels are finally getting the big-screen treatments that they deserve.

Fond-a Weapons
Jackie Brown: rated R, 2 hours and 40 minutes

Jackie Brown is an incredibly well played movie about guns, drugs, and money. Half a million in cash is up for grabs, and the only way to obtain it is by figuring out who is playing whom.
When Jackie (a stunning Pam Grier) is caught at an airport carrying a veritably large sum of money and a bag of crack, the outline of the story is formed. Jackie is held in custody facing possible time in prison, when the deceptive Ordell, played by black talking Samuel L. Jackson steps into the picture. Ordell hires an honest bailbondsman, Max Cherry, to release Ms. Brown. While Ordell takes care of business, we see behind-the-scenes conversations between the spaced out Robert De Niro, as Lewis, and the dim-witted Bridget Fonda, as Melanie, two of Ordell's main connections. Jackie becomes caught between two sides, both with equal objectives. Ray (Michael Keaton), the cop that apprehended Jackie earlier is after small time arms dealer, Ordell, and Ordell is pulling Jackie into his scheme of acquiring the cash. Meanwhile, Lewis and Melanie have their own plans of taking the money. Jackie can't afford to get into any more legal trouble, and if she doesn't cooperate with the man she owes her freedom to, she will be killed, which sets the stage for the perfect swindle.
Quentin Tarantino, creator of Jackie Brown, is master of 'film noir', and adds an interesting perspective to one scene in particular. Jackie is forced by the feds to frame Ordell, and according to Ordell, she is supposed to double-cross them. Caught in the middle, Jackie must fake an exchange of marked bills, in order to seem loyal to both. The switch is shown through three different viewpoints, adding greatly to the effect. The first time, Jackie is shown leaving the bag of money in a dressing room. Next, Lewis and Melanie are shown actually making the exchange, with the real bag of money left behind in the dressing room, and a suspicious Max Cherry watching. Lastly, Max Cherry watches as Lewis and Melanie swap bags, and the actual bag of cash left for him to pick up. By doing this, the big picture is seen through bits and pieces. Tarantino deserves much credit for its ingenious execution, and Jackie Brown in its entirety is recognized as a success, with phenomenal acting by the whole cast, primarily Pam Grier.

Great! Awesome! Fantastic!
Nobody and I mean nobody makes movies like Quentin Tarantino. JACKIE BROWN is one of the greatest movies of all time. Personally, This is my favorite of Quentin Tarantino's films. So get your copy of JACKIE BROWN today!

Not bad, De Niro is fun
Jackie Brown is certainly not Tarantino's best but it is amusing. As in pretty much every movie Samuel L Jackson plays a pretty important part as a gunrunner. He lives in a LA house with the very hot Bridget Fonda. A friend who just came out of jail lives with him and helps him. This is absolutely the funniest character in the movie, played by De Niro. He is a little dumb, lazy and slow but funnily played.

Key to the movie is Pam Grier as Jackie Brown, the smartest person in the movie because she can play both sides, the feds and the criminals and ends up with a lot of dough.

Not a super movie and with 150 minutes definitely too long, but still fun.

Not quite PULP FICTION, but certainly worthy Tarantino
I love Quentin Tarantino. You watch him speak about his art in interviews, and while I realize what I'm responding to might simply be a cleverly-wrought public persona, his energy and enthusiasm for his craft is just so infectious that one cannot help but be energized too. That energy certainly carries over into his movies, and while he may not be the most thrillingly visual director, his undeniable gift for dialogue more than compensates in his films.

PULP FICTION, as of now, is my favorite movie; the dialogue sparkles with wit, and I could hear those lines over and over again without ever getting tired of them. JACKIE BROWN, his follow-up to PF, is just as good as PF, if not quite its superior. Many complained upon its release that this movie was too sluggish and slow-moving (the above Editorial Review calls it "decaffeinated"). Sure, the plot of this movie certainly could become a taut, exciting thriller under another director's hands. But clearly writer-director Tarantino isn't aiming merely for action-movie thrills. He is also focused on his characters, particularly with the two older characters, Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) and Max Cherry (Robert Forster), two characters who have an unspoken attraction to each other that brings an intriguing undertone to a majority of the crime story. If Tarantino takes his time developing his characters and laying out the plot...well, the characters' dialogue is consistently full of life; the characters are interesting (and the performances terrific across the board, particuarly Forster's); and the convoluted plot, when it kicks into high gear, is a source of fascination as well. Watching it, I hardly ever felt that it was too slow for its own good: I was too fascinated by what I was seeing and hearing to notice any possible deficiencies in pacing. (Another Elmore Leonard adaptation, Steven Soderbergh's OUT OF SIGHT, took a similarly leisurely approach to its crime plot, and it worked just as well in that film, too.)

In short, JACKIE BROWN is an underrated Tarantino masterpiece. It may not be quite the film PULP FICTION is (since it had a more palpably energetic feel to it, despite both films' running 154 minutes), but it is certainly a worthy follow-up. ... Read more

Description

Two-Disc Special Edition:
* Digitally remastered with THX certified sound
* Commentary by George Lucas and co-writer/sound effects editor Walter Murch
* Theatre of Noise sound-effects track with branching segments to 13 master sessions with Walter Murch
* 2 New documentaries: "A Legacy of Filmmakers: The Early Years of American Zoetrope" and "Artifacts from the Future: The Making of THX 1138"
* George Lucas's original student film "THX-11384EB"
* "Bald": 1971 production featurette
* Five new trailers from the 2004 theatrical release
* Original theatrical trailer ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Owes a debt to several writers, but makes a better movie.
THX 1138 obviously owes a debt to literary works like Huxley's "Brave New World", Ayn Rand's "Anthem" and "Atlas Shrugged" and Orwell's "1984". The movie directly borrows elements from all four books, but since those four works can be said to have created an entirely new sub-genre of futuristic political allegory in science-fiction, these similarities are forgivable in the same way that any space opera using recognizable methods of space travel are forgivable. Certain things become the conventions of a sub-genre and their use is not only permissable, but almost expected.

Given that, take THX 1138 (plus Logan's Run and a few others) as examples of talented writers and film-makers walking in the shoes of giants to produce meaningful and entertaining products.

THX 1138 is a better movie than Logan's Run or any film adaption of Huxley or Orwell's work (Rand herself has never been adapted in film, save one neutered film version of The Fountainhead). In truth, the student film version Lucas originally did is MUCH more powerful than the watered-down big-budget version (though the characters were better developed in the longer version). Maybe Lucas can do a Director's Cut release to capture the grand sense of liberation in the student film, but with the production values of the theatrical release.

Great memories
I saw this movie in the theater when it first came out with my dad. One of the few movies I remember going with him. The car chase was burned into my meory. I haven't seen it since, and yet that chase scene remains with me. But it was the mood of the film, the use of light and shadow, emotion, sound, that makes it stand out for me. I was looking for it just last week and was disappointed it wasn't out. So I'm glad it's finally going to be released!

I hope the director's cut makes it just like Lucas wanted it originally, and not with his "refined" sensibilities. I'd like to see it through his eyes back then.

Has eveybody been fooled?
In my entire life I have never met anyone who liked this movie. And by like I mean, "I sat down to watch THX1138 last night and Lord that's a good movie! I never get tired of looking at that one!"
I made a similar comment this week in front of a group of people and someone came to it's defense with a rousing, "It wasn't THAT bad!"
It wasn't THAT bad is the kind of comment we all make when we come to the defense of filmmakers whom we like but movies which we don't particularly care for!
This whole, "It was ahead of it's time," and "It's a Forgotten Gem," is just ludicrous.
Lucas put a bald man in a white room, filtered in weird sounds, suggested torture, mental as well as physical, and suddenly everybody started to say "Well it's art, and if you don't like it it's only because you don't understand it!"
I understand this movie just fine.
The big white room isn't visionary, it was just a way for Lucas to deal with the very low budget he had to work with. In poor man's theater people sit on chairs that don't match, pretend there's a table between them, pretend there's a bottle of wine, glasses to pour the wine in, wine to taste... People watching this kind of theater don't go around saying "it's brilliant, by not having real wine they're making a comment about reality!"
No, they're making a comment about how we need to support amateur theater more!
If you look at the new Star Wars films you know that the last thing Lucas wants is empty space. Every corner of the screen if filled with buzzing ships, screaming aliens, shooting stars. This is not a man who took a minimalist approach because he was trying to make a statement. This is a man who took a minimalist approach because he was nobody at the time, no one would give him any significant amount of money to make his film, so he made due with what he had. Nothing. By filming in an empty white space, he was able to put all his money into that short car chase at the end of the film instead.
Can anyone honestly explain to me what a car chase is doing in a film like this anyway? I can, it's Lucas' fascination with speed, as evidence in things like the trench scene in Star Wars, the speeder-bike scene in Jedi, and over and over again. Lucas loves speed, and if he'd had any kind of budget for THX138, believe me it wouldn't have been just one race car peeling away at incredible speed, the film would have been wall to wall cars.
No walls, no decor, no nothing. I can almost hear the students saying, "Oh God, look how sterile and colorless the future is. These people have lost their very souls!" And Lucas, laughing to himself in a corner and coming back with, "Yeah, that's it! That's what it means! I meant to do that!"
Lucas was a young man when he made this. Originally a student film, it is the boring and pompous kind of crap that only a student would have the balls to make and only other film students would waste their breath defending.

It was later expanded into this feature length film, with the help of Francis Ford Copolla (who obviously fell for the bald man in a barren world trick like everyone else), a name which of course leads everyone to think that it must have some merit.
When I first saw THX I was all excited because, still being a young man and an avid Star Wars fan, I was expecting a "lost gem." Instead I got this long, muddled, incomprehensible cautionary tale (I think calling this low budget bore-fest a cautionary anything is elevating it to a status it does not deserve).
When I saw it later as an adult I thought I might have a different opinion of it since I had changed my mind about so many other movies I had seen when I was young. But nope, it's still boring.
This story is okay to watch once. I can imagine it was much better as a student film since it was shorter, and there really isn't enough material here for a feature, which is why it breaks down so badly.
The value of a DVD after all is in how many times you're going to watch it, and THX1138 is simply not the kind of movie I can imagine anyone saying they've seen 42 times.
The bonus' will be interesting, though Lucas has become so full of himself over the past few years that he's become insufferable to listen to.
the other day, someone asked me what was wrong with Lucas. Why is he changing the Star Wars films. Doesn't he know what they mean to the fans.
I mentioned he was so secluded on Skywalker Ranch, surrounded by people who practically worship him and think he's a genius, that he'd lost touch with reality and he has no idea how the fans really feel.
The person laughed, and wanted to know what Lucas did on Skywalker ranch anyway.
I said he probably walks around looking at all the knick-knacks he's collected over the years and says things like, "Oh my, I am a creative guy, aren't I?"
Love of Star Wards doesn't men you have to praise everything Lucas has done. THX1138 is not his best work, is not visionary, and is not even particularly interesting.
If you've never seen it borrow it from a friend before you waste money on it. If you're interested in the bonus features, which I admit I am, rent it and watch them. This is simply not a film worth owning, watching more than once, or discussing in any conversation involving serious, important works of cinema.
And, what's even more disturbing, people are saying that Lucas has added CGI to this film as well, just like he has in Star Wars. Perhaps when we get back to that white room it won't be so white anymore!

A Minimalist Epic
I first saw this incredible film in a local theater in Long Beach, California in 1971, while still in the U.S. Air Force. I was expecting a "shoot-em-up" science fiction diversion... but was I ever amazed. Just three years before I saw Kubrick's masterpiece "2001: A Space Odyssey" and thought no other film could touch my soul like that movie could. I think this film hit those same visceral roots within. Like "2001" there is little dialog, and much of the verbage in this film is heard through computer, robot or intercom noise that "first viewers" might dismiss... however, every word in this film is vital in telling the story of THX and LUH.

Robert Duvall is superb in the title role, as is Donald Pleasance and character actor Don Pedro Colley.... but the real surprise is Maggie McOmie in her only movie role. She is totally convincing as the strangely beautiful LUH, THX's love interest. Every frame of this film is a work of art... each one is like modern art... visceral, haunting, unforgettable and brilliant.

This is a film to be experienced.... and with repeated viewings, new clues open up, and you begin to wonder where these people come from, and where they are headed.

This is not a film for those with limited attention spans... it is not about "quick cuts" and simple solutions. And this film was not made in 2004, but in 1971, keep that in mind when you realize this film shows technologies we take for granted today long before they were a reality.

The sets for this film were largely REAL locations in San Francisco and Oakland, by the way. The escalators in the school for boys is actually still in Golden Gateway Center near the Embarcadero. The still-under-construction 16th Street BART station is the realm of shell dwellers. The shopping center is the San Raphael Civic Center Building by Frank Lloyd Wright. It is amazing to visit most of the same locations today since they remain looking relatively the same. To me, the use of these actual and unaltered locations point out that this film is not about a future society at all, but was rather a metaphor for the state of our society in 1971. Viewed from that point of reference, the film's panorama is truly on-target in more ways than one.

I understand the "Directors Cut" will restore the film considerably. This will be thrilling, since I have always felt the film should "move slowly" as one chrome robot says in the film and allow the viewer more access to this frightening but fascinating world. I look forward to this new DVD release!

Stupid and Pointless
Lucas makes the entire world seem like a terribly boring place in THX-1138. I personally hate this film, but I'm sure there are others who like it alot. If you're interested in seeing it, then go ahead, but from the point of view of a huge Sci-Fi buff, this film doesn't cut it. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

The Forbidden Dance
It could have been named The Forbidden Subject, since that's the point of the movie. Anything about the environmental havoc being wreaked on the Amazon is a rare statement, especially if it suggests 'tree hugging.' Well, there you are, in the opening scene the Princess hugs a tender sappling just mowed over by land-raping Petramco. The whole point of their Forbidden Dance competition is to raise awareness of the American Public to the destruction of the land and Ozone layer. That's providing they win the competition and get the air time. Big if! It's a great and talented effort both in dance and style by Laura Herring and Jeff James. Well worth the time, and we won't blow the finale.

Give me a break!
This is a bad movie, with a bad direction, bad actors (at least in this movie), bad story and belive me, this is not lambada (some musics are, but the dance is not)

And for the reviewer below, you must start knowing REAL women 'cause Laura is NOT sensual, she's completely ridiculous (in this movie)...

Cheesy fun!
The Forbidden Dance is a fun movie; badly acted, horribly directed and cheesy, yet strangely engrossing and loveable. It tries to be serious, but fails for the most part because everything about it is so dated. Yet, it is energetic and lively, with upbeat songs and very HOT dancing. You'll ultimately find yourself addicted, without knowing why. Fans of Laura Harring (Mulholland Dr.) should definitely seek this out to see her in an early role. It is much better than the similar Lambada, released in theaters on the same DAY in 1990!!! As fun trivia, Lambada producers sued successfully to have the word "lambada" removed from "The Forbidden Dance"'s official title, though only "The Forbidden Dance" uses the song "Lambada" which launched the short-lived dance craze. The title is now used for the DVD release.

Lambada all night long!
I really enjoyed this movie, i think it'd be even better if remade with newer actors but it still had me interested! I recommend it to anyone over the age of..oh..12 or 13 because after all it is a sexual dance.

Looking for the soundtrack to Forbidden Dance 1990
The movie, actors and most of all the music in this movie was superior and I have been trying to locate a soundtrack to this movie with Kid Creole. He has a wonderful rythem and beat to the music performed in this movie FORBIDDEN DANCE.

IF ANY ONE HAS A SOUNDTRACK TO SELL PLEASE EMAIL ME AT VKF1023@AOL.COM. ONLY THIS SOUND TRACK WILL DO. I'VE BOUGHT OTHER LAMBDA SONGS AND THEY DO NOT TOUCH THE SOUNDTRACK TO THIS MOVIE LIKE KID CREOLE DOES. THANK YOU! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Walker (Lee Marvin) strides through Los Angeles with the steel-eyed stare of a stone-cold killer, or perhaps a ghost. Betrayed by his wife and best friend, who gun him down point-blank and leave him for dead after a successful heist, Walker blasts his way up the criminal food chain in a quest for revenge. Did he survive the shooting or return from the grave, or is it all a dying dream? The question is left in the air in John Boorman's modern film noir, a brutal revenge thriller based on Richard Stark's novel The Hunter (remade by Brian Helgeland as Payback), set in the impersonal concrete and steel canyons of Los Angeles and eerily empty cells of Alcatraz. Walker kills without remorse, guided by shadowy "informant" Keenan Wynn, whose own agenda is carefully concealed, and assisted by Angie Dickinson, as he desperately searches for someone, anyone, who can just give him his money. But if Walker is an extreme incarnation of the revenge-driven noir antihero, the modern syndicate has been transformed into a world of paper jungles and corporate businessmen, an alienating concept to the two-fisted, gun-wielding gangster. Boorman creates a hard, austere look for the film and fragments the story with flashes of painful memory, grafting the New Wave onto old genres with confidence and style. Haunting and brutal, Point Blank remains one of the most distinctive crime thrillers ever made. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (26)

This is where 40's noir went in the 1960's
No, it's not full of Raymond Chandler style simile's.No, there's no voiceover.There's no Bogie or Bacall, but Lee Marvin is more believable taking on the syndicate in this movie than Bogie could ever be.And Angie Dickinson serves quite nicely as replacement eye candy for Lauren Bacall, thank you.The soundtrack is very good, too.

The depiction of the corporatized mob is also brilliant.Carroll O'Connor is excellent as the surprisingly energetic mob middle manager.

I saw an interview with Schlesinger in which he said that Lee Marvin completely improvised his silence in the scene where he meets up again with his girlfriend.He was supposed to say some fairly standard things ripping her for leaving him but decided it'd play better not saying a thing.It does.

July 5, 2005 DVD release!!!
I have heard that this movie will finally find its long, long, long overdue release on DVD in July, 2005.

I can't rate the transfer or the sound or the extra features (which reportedly include a commentary and two vintage featurettes), but I can give 5-stars to whomever made this happen.Hell, you can get "Payback" on DVD. You can get "Point Break" on DVD. You can even get the totally unrelated 1998 movie "Point Blank" on DVD.You should at least be able to get "Point Blank" with Lee Freakin' Marvin on DVD.

I realize this is a film that has had many release dates that haven't come through, but I'm hoping this one happens.I've heard that Boorman does a commentary with Steven Soderbergh.Soderbergh's one of my favorite commentators, even when he's talking with another director about that director's movie (his track with Mike Nichols on "Catch-22" is one of my favorites).

A Subversive Noir Masterpiece!
"Point Blank" fans take heart----a DVD version is promised in 7/05, supposedly complete with a commentary by John Boorman & Steven Sonderburgh(sp.?).The movie is among the greatest noirs ever made, with a pitch-perfect cast.One persuasive theory about the film is that the whole story actually never happens, but is instead a last dying revenge fantasy running through Lee Marvin's brain as he checks out on Alcatraz Island.Hence, the sequences where Marvin will swoon unexplainably into near-unconsciousness (his character is named "Walker" as in "sleepwalker"), Marvin being framed by the huge excavator digging out a grave in a graveyard, & various other hints along the way that he's actually a dead man, with the final sequence being cut short inconclusively as the camera pans across San Francisco Bay back to Alcatraz Island where the whole movie started, possibly indicating that Marvin has finally died along with his final fantasy.Very intriguing, tantalizing stuff!Hang on, folks, the DVD is on the way!

WHERE IS THE DVD???
This is probably the best post-noir film ever made.The DVD has been promised since at LEAST 2004, early in the year.WHERE IS IT??

Are there legal problems, as is the case with another great film, O Lucky Man?That film is so snagged in legal problems that a DVD of it looks completely unlikely EVER.Is that the case with Point Blank?

Sorry for the rant.

What makes this post-noir film so great is the big three--plotting/writing, acting, directing.Based on The Hunter by Richard Stark (Donald Westlake), Point Blank has Lee Marvin as a whipsmart thief, shot by his partner in a doublecross and left for dead, recover and seek revenge.True this is not exactly an original storyline.But director John Boorman knew exactly what Stark was trying to do and, true to the writer's name, made the film a lean, stark portrayal of revenge.

Who better to carry out a plan of revenge than Lee Marvin?No one; at least, no one in 1967, the year this film was made.Marvin nails his role like no one else has done in any neo-noir film, and it's also great to see Carroll O'Connor, long before his All in the Family days, as a nasty piece of work with whom Marvin tangles.John Vernon's also on target as one of Marvin's enemies and Angie Dickinson supplies just the right sizzle for what she has to do in the film.

Hands down, the best American crime film of the 60s, the fact that Point Blank is STILL not on DVD is a total embarrassment to the film industry, and to the studio who owns the rights to it, whoever that may be at this time.

Hopefully if enough people raise a squawk, things will change.

Rock solid noir, and a model for all kinds of films since then.Interestingly enough, the remake, Payback starring Mel Gibson was, in my estimation, not a bad film at all.But for the real deal, this is it.

A debt is always a debt!
In the underworld language the honor is much more than as simple world. The term implies in many cases an absolute respect and ethics . whenmember of the band is sent to prison under weird circumstances and his assigned part is $ 93.000, you really should think it over specially if this man comes back hunger for greed and fury.

Lee Marvin is perfect as the rough guy who will make these codes maintain its right profile. To my mind this is not only one of the most famous films of the noir films of the late sixties but besides one of my top cult movies ever filmed. Boorman as you know is a real master in what direction concerns and this picture will prove it.
... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Pam Grier, the voluptuous queen of blaxploitation movies (and the foxy title character of Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown) reigns supreme in this kick-ass action flick. Bodacious nurse Foxy takes the law into her own hands after her main squeeze is murdered in cold blood. The standard revenge plot of Foxy Brown moves along on fast-forward, and the violence ratio (some of it quite gruesome) is high. Director Jack Hill, a master of the low-budget drive-in movie (Switchblade Sisters), made Coffy with Pam Grier the year before. This one's not quite as much fun, but it is decidedly kinkier, and the parade of 1970s fashion crimes is mind expanding. At one crucial moment Foxy saves herself by pulling a concealed revolver out of her mighty Afro--absolutely one of the high points of blaxploitation cinema. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Beautiful...but deadly!
Ahhh, this movie is a lot of fun. Lots of action, snappy dialog, and loads and loads of funk. All of this and Pam Grier...a beautiful woman who wasn't afraid to show it...this is your basic revenge story, with Foxy going after the drug syndicate that killed her boyfriend and her brother. What's really funny is this syndicate is mainly comprised of a creepy female leader, her pretty boy, philandering, racist boyfriend/number 2 in charge, and two sadistic, incompentent henchmen. Not much of a gang, but they do manage to throw in a few more guys here and there. All in all, a fun movie of this genre, better than most. To miss this one "would be a tragedy of the most diemensional proportions."

A Kick in the Head
Ignore all the blather about "blaxploitation" and "camp", this is two-fisted B-action movie with an involving story, a kickass performance (from Ms. Grier) and joltingly brutal scenes of action violence.
Getting a hoot out of the period costumes and attitudes is great, but anyone who enjoys a fierce action film will probably be blown away by this flick, which plays like an episode of 'Starsky & Hutch' directed by Paul Verhoeven. At times it seems that the sleazier and more violent a scene gets, the more craft and skill writer/director Jack Hill brings to it. What audiences thought about it at the time of its original release can only be imagined, but almost any modern viewer is likely to be stunned as Foxy goes up against a degenerate bunch of sleazoids and realistically (and literally) takes them apart.
Still strong to this day, 'Foxy Brown' makes most modern action flicks look like episodes of 'Matlock'.

Dis movie rox my sox cause dat pam gurl is in it....
i love pam gurl cause she is the hottest black gurl alive and i am black too and i rarley get to see da hot gurls........TARA BANX AND PAM GRIET ARE DA HOTTESTA GURLSA IN DA HOLLA ENTIRA PLANETA! will u marry me kizzol.....i love u gurls......i love da part with dat guy and that part with that other person!!!!..

EAT ROX MAI SOX MAHON!!!1

THE ORIGINAL FOXY BROWN !!!!!!-"SUPERBAD!!!!!!
YES , COMPARED TO TODAY'S FILM STANDARDS , THIS FILM WAS CHEAPLY MADE WITH OVER THE TOP 70'S FASHION-AND POOR ACTING TO ADD-BUT A CLASSIC ! NONETHELESS- IT FEATURED THE SUPERSEXY AND BEAUTIFUL PAM GRIER- THE MOVIE STARTS WITH THE TANTALIZING GRIER DANCING TO THE "THEME FROM FOXY BROWN" AND THEN THE STORY OF REVENGE FOR HER BOYFRIEND AND BROTHER'S DEATH-FOXY GOES UNDERCOVER AS A HIGH PRICE CALL GIRL SERVING JURY DUTY-THE END OF THE FILM IS EXPLOSIVE AS FOXY SPORTS ONE OF THE BIGGEST AFROS EVER SEEN ON FILM! "A PIECE OF THE 70'S IN A TIME CAPSULE CALLED DVD"-A CLASSIC NOW AND AMAZINGLY EFFECTIVE IN IT'S TIME-BEAUTY, ACTION AND COMEDY - WHAT MORE COULD WE ASK FOR?

Bodacious
This movie flat rocks. I love Black explotation movies, and this one is near the top. Pam Grier has so much sex apeal and attitude
she takes over this movie like a run away train. Loads of fun. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

THE Movie That Set the Style of 70s
All of Pam Grier movies in the 70s, "Coffy" is the most famous. She deserves it; watch this movie, and you see what so-called blaxploitation films are all about.

The fast-paced "Coffy" starts with a dynamite opening, in which Pam's character Coffy lures her enemy into a nasty surprise, and she blows away poor fool's head with a shotgun literally. Then, her mission of eradicating drug racket goes on until a very bitter ending. There are actions, fighting, nudity, and battling girls at a party where Pam uses most unexpected weapon -- salad! Frankly they look rather bland by today's standard, but good soundtrack by Roy Ayres is still wonderful.

Probably the most interesting thing about "Coffy" is its gorgeous 70s fashion: music, clothes, and hairstyle. even if you find its story a little stale, you never get tired of watching dresses, glasses, hats, and everything -- they are so big! And surprising thing is that the film to certain extent reflects the political condition of those days (see how a black congressman address a speech about drug issues among Afro-Americans).

"Coffy" is one of the movies that set the style of the 70s. Those who are interested in that period should watch it (and the original "Shaft") once.

Vigilante action with Pam!
Pam Grier is Coffy, an inner-city nurse whose younger sister's life has been destroyed by illicit drugs, and who is now out to avenge her by killing the drug dealers. Her method is to lure the dope pushers by offering them her sexual favors, and then blasting them with a sawed-off shotgun!

And what man can resist such a statuesque beauty? Many a dope pusher meets his Maker after making it with Coffy. Pam Grier has some outstanding nude scenes in this movie, and that alone makes this DVD worth the price, but director Jack Hill's commentary is an interesting bonus. This DVD is a must-have for every Pam Grier fan!

One vengeful mama.
For a blaxploitation movie this one isn't too bad, thanks largely to Pam Grier. She is one tough lady in this interesting retooling of "The Bride that Wore Black," only in this case it is little sister who Coffy is seeking vengeance upon. There is plenty of violence and nudity to thrill, but the movie actually develops a story and posits the moral question whether vengeance is justified if criminals can't be brought to justice. Ultimately, Coffy enters the world of prostitution, posing as a sultry Jamaican bombshell, to get the top crime boss in the city. The movie is vintage 70's with luscious babes lounging around swimming pools, garish interiors and love-inducing fireplaces. Too bad Pam Grier had to wait such a long time to get the plum role of Jackie Brown, building her fame on Jack Hill movies.

Errors and omissions
From the information from other sites I am to believe that this is not an 'Anamorphic/16:9 enhanced' DVD. Foxy Brown is. All Region 2's in the MGM Blaxploitation-series are...

They call her Coffy and she'll cream you!
This was a pretty enjoyable movie, but I have to admit that I enjoyed Foxy Brown just a little more. This movie is basically about Pam Griers' character getting revenge on those who have hurt her and her family. She starts out with lower level pimps and pushers, and workers her way up the power structure to the head sleezebags. The one thing that didn't really sit well with me was the way she portrayed the moments of remorse her character felt about what she was doing. I am not saying that a person who becomes a vigilante wouldn't have these feelings, but I just didn't really buy it coming from her. I know, I know, maybe I am delving too deep into the character, but if they're going to go there...anyway, it didn't make me enjoy the movie any less. And it's always nice to see as much eye candy as there was in this movie. Pam Grier is really hot and made most of the other women in this movie look kinda dumpy. To sum it up, it's a fun movie, some minor slow points, but it kept me interested throughout. If funk with a dash of groovitude is your bag, then this movie is for you. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Director Jack Hill, a protégé of the originalschlockmeister, Roger Corman, knew his way around a low budget and ashocking subject. Women-in-prison films were nothing new in 1971, butThe Big Doll House had it all--sex, violence, nudity, a sadisticguard, and a sexually frustrated warden--and served it up with anabundance of cheapjack energy and tongue-in-cheek humor. The beauty ofHill's movies lay in the way they could appeal not only to the hordeswho would go see them at drive-ins but also to the true trash-cinemafans who could appreciate his offbeat sensibilities. The plot is ratherhoary, with a new inmate discovering the corruption of the prison setup,complete with a drugged-out psycho, a cellmate informer, and a guardwho delights in torturing the women with poisonous snakes. The girlsput their heads together and begin to devise a way out of theirtropical hellhole, but not before disrobing several times and having aknock-down, drag-out fight in the muddy rice paddy where they're forcedto toil all day. The Big Doll House, like some of Hill'sother movies, was shot in the Philippines, with the cast and crew making upplot elements and dialogue in near-guerrilla filmmaking. Though theislands were a cheap place to produce movies in the '70s, the workingconditions were boot camp-like. Where The Big Doll House reallysucceeds is in its mix of titillation and action, a fast-pacedcombination that makes it one heck of a fun exploitation movie towatch. It's also worth noting that this movie gave the great Pam Grierher first real starring role; she would become a Jack Hill regularbefore moving on to more substantial roles. --Jerry Renshaw ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Big Doll House equels Big Fun
Wow....I just finished watching this movie and it is a real jem. Ladies in prison flicks are cool but this one takes the cake as far as campy goes. Here are some of the things you will experience if you watch this flick.
1. Tons of 70's babes with tight skimpy outfits on.
2. More babes with skimpy outfits on.
3. Homosexual prison gaurds
4. Homosexual prison warden
5. A Philipino Revolution
6. More 70's babes with tight outfits on.
7. A woman hanging by her ponytail as punishment for trying to escape
8. Mud wrestling
9. Crazed women inmates imprisoned in an cage with other crazy wild women (they act like animals....funny!)
10. Inmates who want to be "raped" by men, because they haven't "had any sex in a very long time".
11. More sex starved female inmates in tight outfits.....especially one very "hot blond babe" who begs for sex!!
I must admit this is by far the funniest and sickest movie I have seen in a long time. The plot centers around this band of revolutionaries who want to take over thier country by force. They come up with the crazy idea of breaking into an all "womens prison" and freeing the women who will help them with the revolution.(This is the first time I have ever seen anyone break "into" a prison.) Not much of what goes on makes any sence but it sure makes for one hell of a laugh riot. Roger Corman impressed me again. I have only seen one other Roger Corman movie "Bucket of Blood" and I have to admit that this film is stranger and funnier than "Bucket". As I was watching this film I kept asking myself "Is Roger Corman for real?... is he trying to be serious or trying to be funny?"....the script is a zany hoot and the film kept my attention all the way through. I recieved the VHS version and there was 2 spots where the audio did not sync up to the film, this error actually added to the wierdness of the flick. The entire movie had that "made for T.V" feel to it. There is some nudity and bad launguage but the contentnt is so bizzare and offbeat that it deserved a "R" rating. I highly recommned this film for the cinema nut who thinks he has seen it all. You will not be dissapointed!.....the highlight of the film is when halfway thru the movie you find out the prison guards and warden prefer men sexually over women...gay prison guards!!!!.....this twist in the scipt is just TOO FUNNY!!........buy it today....you will thank me!!

Judith Brown & Pam Grier!
What a combo. 'Ladies in Prison' movies is the best idea next to breast implants, and we all know Pammy don't need those. Nudity, violence, one liners, sex, and the great cat-fights. Pam is the star, but Judith don't take no back seat! When farmer man wants to feel Pam's melons through the bars, he get's more than what he bargained for. Talk about plowing. All these characters pop up again and again in the 'Pam Prison' series. SOmetimes she the prisoner, sometimes the warden, and sometimes the revolutionist. Why does every 'woman in prison' film have to have a revolution anyway??? Well no matter, Pam and Judith like I said are a pair that can't be beat!

Scantily Clad...and Behind Bars..!
A CLASSIC. Pam Grier is sublime.

A Fast-paced Exploitation Classic
While not the first or last of the so-called "women in prison" movies, The Big Doll House is certainly one of the best.

A fast-paced exploitation classic from the Lord of the Schlockmeisters, i.e., Roger Corman, The Big Doll House stars Judy Brown, who is taken to a remote island prison and meets fellow jailbirds Pam Grier (!), Brooke Mills and Roberta Collins; Grier and Collins seem to run the entire prison themselves, while Mills plays Harrad, a psycho junkie who makes an art out of hallucinating. Sid Haig is the dominating warden who uses poisonous local snakes to torture the inmates.

All in all, a tongue-in-cheek blend of sex, comedy and violence from a more creative time in American cinema.

The Big Bird Cage was next.

Pam Grier stars in a "Women in Prison" action film.
While any movie starring Pam Grier is worth watching, the Big Doll House is a particularly entertaining entry in the "Women in Prison" film genre. Produced by the great Roger Corman and filmed in the Philippines, this movie features all the violence, mayhem, and nudity one expects in a 70's "Girls Behind Bars" flick. It also has the added bonus of a great scene where Pam Grier and another woman fight it out in the mud of the rice fields (where the women are forced to toil). Don't miss it! ... Read more

Description

* Digitally remastered with THX certified sound
* Commentary by George Lucas and co-writer/sound effects editor Walter Murch ... Read more

Description

The seductive innocence of Lolita, the savage hunger of a Black Widow and a taste for blood! Lon Chaney, Jr. plays the caretaker for a family who is inflicted with a unique genetic disorder--one that causes them to regress mentally to a state of savagery and cannibalism. When distant cousins arrive with the intention of "taking over," an utterly bizarre night of horror follows. ... Read more

Reviews (29)

"It's not nice to hate" this movie!
Imagine if the Addams Family were cannibalistic and really killed people and Wednesday tried to seduce her relatives. That's Spider Baby in a nutshell. Lon Chaney Jr is fantastic as Brunno, the family chauffer and caretaker of the Merrie children, who suffer from Merrie Syndrome, a disease which causes mental deterioration, and consequently killed the Merrie children's parents. It only affects the Merrie family, as it is the product of generations of inbreeding. Anyway, the childrens' Aunt & Uncle stop by unexpectedly with their lawyer so they can take control of the estate and the children. This movie isn't shocking of gory, but it is a sick little gem that no fan of bizarre cinema should be without. This movie will go straight to the top of your favorite movie list! Do yourself a favor and get a copy before it goes out of print!

Yeah Baby, Yeah!
I discovered this DVD a few weeks ago whilst browsing Amazon. I had'nt seen or heard of it before and simply bought it on a whim. It now ranks as one of the most enjoyable movies in my collection. 'Spider Baby' is in a different league to most other B-movies. The production is lifted by excellent direction from Jack Hill and by a very capable and likable cast. The real surprise for me was Lon Chaney's performance as the family chauffeur. I'd half expected to see a washed up old horror star sadly trying to emulate his past glories (a la Bela Lugosi in 'Plan 9 From Outer Space'). Instead, Lon Chaney treats us to one of the best performances of his career (honestly!) and shows what a great professional he was. The movie benefits from a marvellous musical score, including the opening theme which is sung by Mr Chaney himself. It really does have to be heard to be believed. The storyline is surprisingly slow paced and there is little on-screen gore or violence. Most of the horror occurs off camera and the film relies on the weird characters and strange goings on to keep viewers capitivated...and it succeeds brilliantly!

On the technical side, picture quality is fantastic - exceptionally clean and sharp with very little sign of wear and tear. The sound is single channel mono and is also very good. The film is presented in its original widescreen 1.66:1 ratio. This is a good size even if you don't own a widescreen set - the movie looked great on my standard size 1.33:1 TV. The DVD also features an interesting commentary by the film's writer and director Jack Hill. Jack has a very easy going style and gives lots of behind the scenes info on the movie, cast and crew. Spider verdict : a thoroughly enjoyable tongue-in-cheek horror that comes highly recommended.

Catch This One! You'll Eat It Up...
How does one describe SPIDER BABY? Well, take "The Addams Family", add "The People Under the Stairs", toss in "Arsenic And Old Lace", blend in a tablespoon of the attitude of "Little Shop Of Horrors" with just a pinch of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", and stir violently. That comes about as close as I can get to describing it. Jack Hill has created a macabre masterpiece, full of frights and fun from beginning to end! The Merrye family have "Merrye Syndrome", a rotting of the brain, caused by generations of inbreeding. The kids Virginia (Jill Banner), Elizabeth (Beverly Washburn), and Ralph (Sid Haig) are real cut-ups! They've been isolated in a big, secluded house on a hill, watched over by Bruno (Lon Chaney Jr.) for their entire lives. Now teenagers, things are about to change. A pair of distant relatives (played by Quinn Redeker and Carol Ohmart) have come, with sleazy lawyer in tow, to take control and institutionalize the children. Unfortunately for these invaders, they don't know just how crazy the kids really are. They are also ignorant of the fact that these siblings are cannibals! If they had known, they would never have spent the night! SPIDER BABY relies on a cool story, great acting, dark humor, and creepiness to overcome it's microscopic budget (just think of all those mega-budget stinkers over the years). It's an ensemble effort that pays off. Buy it now...

Excellent
I was lucky enough to catch this on a big screen at the Cleveland Cinematheque a while ago. SPIDER BABY is an ominous study of hereditary evil that's not afraid to elicit laughter
along with its frights. Wonderfully warped in every way.

"Ralph's allowed to eat anything that he catches"...
Also known as THE LIVER EATERS, and subtitled THE MADDEST STORY EVER TOLD (a variation on the DeMille movie); this 30th Anniversary DVD of Jack (FOXY BROWN) Hill's horror classic SPIDER BABY is a real treat. For a movie addict like myself, discovering this is like having Xmas come early.
Hill's script deals with an imaginary medical condition known as "Merrye's Syndrome", a "rotting of the brain" a disease so awful many authorities are in denial of its existance. The result of inbreeding, the sufferer experiences age regression, which is to say as the body grows, the mind gets younger. SPIDER BABY tells the story of "that fateful day ten years ago" that Merrye's Syndrome was wiped out forever.
Despite their name, the Merrye family are anything but and make the Addams family look like the Cleavers by comparison.
Horror legend Lon Chaney Jr has one of his best roles as Bruno Schlocker, the Merrye family's new chauffeur- though unknown to him the previous driver was "webbed" by Virginia Merrye (Jill Banner), one of their cute but deranged daughters. As if that wasn't enough the poor chap also had his ears hacked off with a pair of carving knives. What a lovely young lady. The other psychotic daughter is Elizabeth (Beverly Washburn) also cute, but suffering from radical brain rot. And last but not least is Ralph (Sid Haig) an unfortunate fellow who stalks and kills domestic cats, which the Merryes then roast and serve to their guests; who are told they're eating rabbit. Ironically, the Merrye family are all vegans because.... nope. No spoilers.
During dinner one of the guests asks Bruno: "Isn't Ralph a vegetarian too?" to which Bruno replies: "Yes, but Ralph's allowed to eat anything that he catches".
DVD extras include Commentary by Jack Hill: which is actually worth listening to (Unlike some bloated commentaries by Hollywood egoists and talentless film makers); filmographies for Hill and Lon Chaney Jr; plus footage of the 30th Anniversary reunion presented by archivist Johnny Legend as well as an additional 8 minutes of previously unseen footage.
A must have for cult movie buffs; SPIDER BABY is a true original and four decades on it retains its creepy fascination. Buy it and let the SPIDER BABY weave its macabre web on you!! ... Read more

Reviews (7)

dis movie rox mai sox mahon!!!!!
DIS IS DA PAM GURL MOVIE...........SHE IS DA BEST GURL IN PLANET CAUSE SHJE LOOX HOT WITH GOOD LOOKIN HOTTAS.................DA BOMB MAN DA BOMB!!!!!I LOVE DAT GURLS MOVIE............MARRY ME

The Big Influence In Life
It's hard to describe the impact this movie has had on my life. I've been considered a bit of a flossing prodigy and I've had a hard time living up to such expectations. This movie, though, set me straight.

What you're going to get from Black Mama, White Mama is a straightforward statement on race relations in the United States. We have two women in America. Both have children. One is black and one is white. It's about the struggles that each have as powerful women in a male dominated society. What it's like to be a strong black woman. And what it's like to be a strong white woman... in a society where you're automatically labeled a B*tch when you tell others what to do and why you don't like them much... it's called being straightforward.

Anyway. Black History Month shouldn't just be about MLK, Jr. Or Malcolm X. It should be about powerful movies like this one, that make a strong statement about race relations between women in America that have children and have to get up everyday and get out of bed and use the bathroom and drink O.J. from the carton.

Enjoyable Ride With Cool Girls Under the Hot Sun
Though an entry of 'Soul Cinema Collection,' "Black Mama, White Mama" does not belong to so-called blaxploitation films. "BMWM"'s idea clearly comes from "The Defiant Ones" and here we see an incongruous pair chained to each other, on the run from the prison for women.

Women's prison? Yes, as avid movie fans know, we have a minor genre dealing with women's prison. Its formula has been the same: cruel wardens, violence among the prisoners, the rigid rules that donimates them, etc., and before the hit of "Coffy," Pam Grier had to serve about two years in this genre. By the time of 1970s the genre has become famous (or notorious) for its violence and nudity, and both stars here also are thrown into women's prison on an unnamed island just after the opening credit. So you know what you see in the next shower room scene.

Thankfully, the prison sequences are not long, and Pam & Margaret soon manage to escape, chained together by the hand, and run and run and ... well, the rest is, as you expect, lots of set-pieces: shootings between guards, gang, and revolutionary guerrillas (!) They are mildly entertaining, especially when Pam is on the screen, but as a whole too familiar to get excited. Still, several scenes are momorable: both stars disguised as nuns, and a very unique way of giving a false scent to a chasing dog by giving a pooch Margaret's underwear. And check out their clothes, especially Pam's (red one); they always look too clean for runaway prisoners!

"Black Mama, White Mama" is worth a look for Pam Grier fans because it seems a miracle now that she survived those Grade-B films to finally be praised by her portraying Jackie Brown with her dynamite performance 24 years later. Another interesting thing about "BMWM" is that the story is co-wriiten by Jonathan Demme, who one year before "BMWH" produced and also co-wrote the same kind of film "The Hot Box," which incidentally features Margaret Markov. (For the record, in another film "Arena" Pam and Margaret both appear.) Demme himself is to direct another women-in-prison movie called "The Caged Heat," his first feature film, in 1974. A long way to "The Silence of the Lambs," isn't it?

Steamy jungle saga with Pam!
Pam Grier is the black mama and Margaret Markov is the white mama in this "homage" (let us not say "rip-off") to the old 1958 Tony Curtis-Sidney Poitier classic The Defiant Ones, in which two escaping prison inmates are chained together, and must overcome their loathing for each other and work together in order to gain their freedom.

In this version, director Eddie Romero (of the Blood Island trilogy) has, instead of a black guy and a prejudiced white guy, a black hooker and a revolutionist white girl, which allows for cat-fights and nude scenes, as well as the chase through the Philippine jungle. The two escapees are pursued by the cops, a drug lord, a bounty hunter, and a guerrilla leader, all with their own motives for catching the runaways.

This is another bare-bones DVD from MGM which has only the movie trailer and a scene/language selector for bonus features. (Well, you do see Pam Grier's bare-bones, so that's not so bad!) The image quality is not the best, though. Still, it's worth its price for Romero/Grier/women-in-prison fans.

Black mama White mama, two hot mamas!
Now this be a movie! On an unnamed Carribean Island our heros Grier (prostitute)and Markov (terrorist) are bused into a female prison. Watch female guards get themselves off while watching playful inmates shower. If a prisoner 'plays good' with the head guard they get out of work. Pam don't like having to pull other people's load, gets into a messhal fight with Markov. They are put into the sweatbox together. There is only room to stand, and they must lean their physiques against each other to stand, because the walls are too hot to touch.

Later they are chained together for interigation because they both have information on two separate parties (druglords and a terrorist group planning to take over the island). While enroute they escape with the help of a terrorist ambush. While on the run, and chained together, Grier wants to go to one side of the island to get her boat and stolen cash, while Markov wants to go to the other side of the island to get the weapons her terrorist friends need.

High points 1) they dress as nuns while on the run 2) a lot of nudity 3) The rhinestone cowboy Puerto Rican bounty hunter who is as much out of place on that island as is a snowball. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Practically a nonstop brawl between pirates and anybody who gets in their path, this lighthearted, high-energy 1976 movie set in 18th century Jamaica is short on an actual story but thick with stunts and swordplay. Robert Shaw stars as the bawdy, swaggering pirate Red Nel Lynch, whose lusty crew of thieves comes to the aid of Lynch's right-hand man and close pal (James Earl Jones), then helps a beleaguered noblewoman (Genevieve Bujold) whose father and property have been seized by a local tyrant (Peter Boyle). Plot details are pretty much relegated to filling in the spaces between rollicking scenes of flying fists and gleaming blades, and a sort-of love story between Shaw and Bujold never gets the chance to go anywhere for all the orchestrated scuffling. Boyle's performance as a Basil Rathbone-style villain has got to be the least persuasive role of his career, but there are compensations, particularly Bujold's feisty turn as the heroine and a kooky scene in which Shaw and Jones amuse each other by trading dirty limericks. Directed by James Goldstone (Winning). The DVD release includes production notes, cast and filmmakers' bios, a theatrical trailer, and Web links. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (19)

A Longtime Favorite
The first time I saw Swashbuckler was when it was released in the theaters. I was 12 years old and fascinated with the lives and exciting journeys of these pirates. Robert Shaw was exceedingly handsome as Captain Ned Lynch with his arrogant swagger and Irish brogue. The rest of the cast was every bit as wonderful and I went back to see the movie three times. I saw the movie again on TV about 10 years later but was never able to find it until last year on the Internet. This movie has it all - action, suspense and a lot of well-placed, dry witted comedy. I would recommend this movie to anyone looking for some fun and old-fashioned adventure! I'm also going to purchase the soundtrack to listen to while sailing on my own boat!

Excellent
This was a great movie for it's time. Romance but not going overly with it. The cast is remarkable. Everyone was famous or went on to later fame. James Earl Jones did a wonderful job as did Robert Shaw in one of his best works. I recommend it for anyone who wants to have fun while watching a movie. Believe me it is fun.

If you like "Pirates of the Carribean", you'll love this!
Caught this film on HBO in the late 70s and have loved it ever since. The tree of the plot is your typical pirate script, but it is leafed out by twists of humor and wit - subtle and otherwise, excellent acting and wonderful photography. There's even a bit of mysterious kinkiness, mostly focused on a small part very well done by a pre-Oscar Anjelica Huston.
Robert Shaw is handsome, sexy and funny as "Red" Ned Lynch. Genevieve Bujold is marvellous as a beautiful, gutsy, spirited woman who, though she needs Lynch's help, is every bit a match for him. Other memorable contributions are made by James Earl Jones (sexy and fit) and Geoffrey Holder (notable as the voodoo Baron in Live and Let Die and as long-time pitchman on the 7-Up ads). The booming baritone voices of these two could rattle windows. Beau Bridges, Peter Boyle, Kip Niven and the aforementioned Huston ably fill out a high-quality cast.
If you want a movie that will entertain, amuse and delight both men and women and isn't the 'same old same old', this is definitely a pirate's "treasure."

Grandest Pirate Movie Ever!
I saw this movie when it first came out way back in the day. I was 7. This one stuck with me. I remember by little brother and I re-enacting the scenes in the movie, especially when we got those plastic souveneir pirate swords from the Thanksgiving parade. I was thrilled to find this on DVD. I snapped it up right away and shared it with my family. My sons loved it as much as I did. It was great seeing it again, and being older, I understood the plot better. I am a big fan of pirate movies. This is hands down my favorite. Get this one!

Still one of the best times I've ever had at a movie!
I also first saw this movie back in 1976 when it was first released in the theatres. I bought the VHS tape as soon as it was available (paid $100 for it, too!) and now intend to add the DVD to my collection. Robert Shaw was one of the best and most versatile actors in the business, and here he added yet another memorable character to his repertoire - that of Captain "Red" Ned Lynch, a dashing, swashbuckling, lusty pirate, trying to free the people from the evil tyrant Lord Durant (played by the wonderful Peter Boyle). Together with his friend Nick Debrett (superbly played by James Earl Jones), they take us through an exciting and adventurous tale that has everything - action, romance, lots of very subtle humour (don't miss Beau Bridges as Major Folly, one of the best characters in the movie), and a magical score that will take you back in time. I've lost track of how many times I've watched this movie over the years, but it's one you can watch