Amazon.com

A Japanese auto company is persuaded to take over an abandoned factory--and abandoned U.S. workforce--in a small rust-belt town in Middle America. Alas, this wonderful idea for a culture-clash comedy goes pretty much to waste in Gung Ho. Michael Keaton gives his most relentlessly obnoxious performance as the fast-talking shop foreman who never stops BS'ing his Japanese employers, his work buddies (George Wendt and John Turturro among them), his girlfriend (Mimi Rogers), and himself. There's a trumped-up crisis in every reel, and a great deal of double talk about whether the Japanese are workaholic freaks or the new, true inheritors of the old American get-up-and-go. Director Ron Howard and screenwriters Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel had made the enchanting comedy-fantasy-romance Splash only a couple of years before; they probably thought they were concocting a Frank Capra-style fable here, but, far from having a beautiful mind, this movie is strictly sitcom mentality from top to bottom. --Richard T. Jameson ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Great Movie
A great comedy and a fun movie to watch. This movie shows how the clashing of two cultures can lead to some very funny moments. Michael Keaton gives an outstanding performance helped by a teriffic supporting cast. The American and Japanese auto workers learn to get along and put aside their differences to help each other. This movie is all about working as a team and getting the job done right. A comment to the last reviewer:If you want to see reality I suggest you do not watch movies. Cinema is fiction and the director's interpretation of reality. This is a great movie and does not disrespect the japanese in any way.

Working Class Man
This movie was released in Australia as 'Working Class Man' and I believe that it even had the Jimmy Barnes hit dubbed into the sound track at the end of the movie.

Thoroughly enjoyed the movie and encourage anyone who has not seen it to have a look and judge for themselves.

From an Australian point of view, still too American, perhaps some fun made of the Japanese, but like I said, judge for yourselves.

A fun movie
This is a guilty pleasure. Unfortunately, like many Paramount transfers, this is too soft and not vibrant; a real dissapointment (sometimes I would swear it is also out of focus...but that may be in the original masters).

Gung Ho
This is one of my favorite movies. I think, while a comedy, it really does hit the head of the nail about the mentality of auto industry. It is very original and the story is interesting enough that the movie flies by. Check it out.

A fun movie about a tough time in America
This movie gives a glimpse of how America came to terms with its economic fallibility. In a way, it was prophetic becuase so many American companies have partnered with Japanese companies in just this manner, and had the same kinds of growing pains. Ron Howard gave a touchy subject his magic, and Gung Ho! is a hilarious and delightful story.

Some people find the movie a simplistic version of an American-Japanese culture clash. Don't be such a fuddy-duddy! Good comedies don't portray reality, but they make us THINK about reality, which is much more important. In that aspect, Ron Howard and his talented cast did a great job. ... Read more

Description

After five successful years of living and working together, a couple decide to get married.But what they don't count on is how to survive the honeymoon -- especially one that involves meeting each other's family. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Great flick! I'll second the other five star reviews.
But if you're looking for the scene where Goldie is briefly topless in the shower, forget the DVD. Either the widescreen format cut it off or this is the later edited for TV version. Stick to the original VHS tape version.

One of the few Goldie flicks I like
This is a sweet movie about what happens when you add the pressures of family, unspoken expectations, and travel to a new marriage. no matter how well you think you know one another...

Best Friends
Funny, sad, heartwarming. I'm happy to see that Amazon has this movie for sale. The Patty Austin/James Ingram music gives a lovely air to this touching story.

Enjoyable, but drags a bit...
Burt Reynolds and Goldie Hawn are two of the most likeable actors in Hollywood, so it's natural that a movie that places them on-screen together is bound to be great, right?

Well, for the most part.

Yes, the two do have a natural chemistry, and the premise of the movie is decent enough. But as the movie progresses -- and as their characters' love affair begins to disintigrate -- the laughs get fewer and farther between and you might find yourself wanting to see what's on TV. However, if you fight through the lulls that dominate the middle-third of "Best Friends," you'll be rewarded with perhaps the best part of the movie -- the end. Ron Silver is great as a Stephen Spielburg-ish director, and seeing Burt and Goldie make up is worth watching the grueling break-up.

Funny, heartwarming and irresistable
Heartwarming, funny and touching story of a couple where woman (Goldie Hawn) is afraid that marriage will destroy their already loving and stable relationship. Goldie Hawn and Burt Reynolds are both great. I loved this movie. It was very funny at times because it was very realistic and true-to-life. Very entertaining movie! Watch it, you won't be sorry (men and women can enjoy it). ... Read more

Amazon.com

Showdown in Little Tokyo is a 1991 martial arts action-comedy that, in pitting Dolph Lundgren and Brandon Lee as L.A. cops against Japanese drug dealers, plays like a B-movie Tango and Cash or Lethal Weapon 2 (both released just two years before). Between career highs in Rocky IV (1985) and Universal Soldier (1992), Lundgren looked as if he might make it big at the box office, and clearly wanting to be the new Schwarzenegger he is here directed by Mark L Lester, who had earlier helmed Ah-nold's Commando (1985). In the event both actor and director headed for straight-to-video territory, while Lee (Bruce's son) went on to The Crow. The 75-minute running time suggests the studio lost confidence and seriously cut the movie though, as the space between the action is filled with nothing but cringe-inducing dialogue, thriller clichés, and Lundgren "romancing" Tia Carrere, it still makes sense. Basing its title on John Carpenter's 1986 fantasy-comedy Big Trouble in Little China and anticipating Rush Hour (1998), Showdown in Little Tokyo alternates between crude tongue-in-cheek moments and action so ludicrous it's unintentionally hilarious . A camp disaster that simply defies belief, this is so-bad-it's-good entertainment. --Gary S. Dalkin ... Read more

Reviews (29)

Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991)
I'll admit it, this movie is one of my guilty pleasures.

While I'm not the biggest fan of seeing Dolph Lundgren running like a girl through an old used car graveyard wearing only skin-tight Spandex shorts, I do have a soft spot in my heart for the ironic humor and martial antics of the late Brandon Lee, along with the gorgeous/naive character played by the stunning Tia Carrere.

This movie does not excel in any one particular category: the action is decent, the story is simple but well laid out, the acting is good, and there is enough nudity to keep things interesting (although I'm sad to say that Tia uses a body double for her scenes of nekid frolicking).

But the complete package turns an otherwise average "Showdown" into the slick, neon-lit, buddy cop action movie that makes this one of my favorite movies of the early 90's!

Great action movie
With Dolph Lundgren and Brandon Lee as the heroes and Tia Carrere as the love interest, nothing can go wrong. The plot is standard, the bad guy killed the hero's parents. The hero grew up became a cop and found the bad guy. But the movie is quite entertaining and you can watch it over and over again. The DVD is in full screen only and the picture is a bit grainy but quite clear and bright. The Dolby Surround sound is OK, nothing fancy typical of Warner's ... budget DVD series. Since a special edition (this year is the 10th anniversary) is very unlikely, this is the only one you can get. Get this DVD if you are an action movie fans. You won't be sorry.

One last note: it is sad to see Brandon Lee career ended so early when he was up and rising after "Rapid Fire" and on the way to his fame in The Crow. There are only a few Brandon Lee's movies out there and this DVD certainly worth adding to your DVD collection even for the sentimental reason.

Non stop action and lot of fun
This film is so naive, full of mistakes and too short. I love it!!! Dolph never looked better, and of course Brandon's moves are great as always. The plot is simple: two caps in Little Tokyo figting against japanese mafia and one of them is looking for his personal revenge (Dolph, of course). The greatst thing about this film is that Dolph is the one who is born warrior and live by samurai codes, and Brandon doesn't have a clue about his culture! Martial arts are on the level and there is a lot of funny moments (such as the scene where Brandon told Dolph that he has the biggest d..k he had ever seen on a man!!!). Also, there are many mistakes (tatoos are wipping off, doll in the car instead of man...), but it's doesnt't matter. This film is very cool and you must seen it!

GOOD MOVIE TO LOOK AT IF YOU EVER GET BORED
TWO COPS [DOLPH LUNDGREN AND BRANDON LEE, THE DECEASED SON OF BRUCE LEE] GO AFTER THE YAKUZA IN THIS VIOLENT LIITLE MARTIAL ARTS ACTIONER. AS ALWAYS, THE ACTING IS MEDIOCRE. BUT, THE ACTION MAKES UP FOR IT. HAS LOTS OF EXPLOSIONS AND LOTS OF NUDE SCENES TO KEEP THINGS LIVELY. THIS SHOULD PLEASE MOST MARTIAL ARTS FANS.

yeah..whatever..doesnt add up
Lee and Lundgren partner up and take down the badguys..Lundgren gets the girl played by Tia CArerre and then kills the badyguy at the end with the help of Brandon Lee.....bad script..bad acting..though Lee gets some few good fight scenes he cant save this one from being a dud....a dud like Lundgren..Lundgren cant act is all im saying..and if you people think so..your all weird in the head...Lee's worst movie..RENT THE CROW DAMNIT!!! or at least The Legacy Of Rage ... Read more

Amazon.com

A vast improvement over its immediate predecessor, The Karate Kid III, this appealingly understated 1994 drama features a compelling performance by Hilary Swank, who would later win a Best Actress Oscar^® for her work in Boys Don't Cry. Swank plays 17-year-old Julie Pierce, the recently orphaned and troubled granddaughter of an old war buddy of Miyagi Yakuga (Noriyuki "Pat" Morita, the lone holdover from the previous Karate Kid films). Harassed at school by adolescent boys under the sway of an evil coach (Michael Ironside), Julie reluctantly finds refuge in the calm teachings of Mr. Miyagi. While the film's violence is as contrived and silly as that of the other KK features, the script provides exotic compensations via a subplot set in a peaceful Buddhist monastery. Still, it's Morita's crafty professionalism and Swank's emotional authenticity that makes this film more watchable than anyone might have expected. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (20)

The Next Karate Kid- Less of the Karate, More of the Kid!
"The Next Karate Kid" is the fourth and as it stands final Karate Kid movie. Released in 1994, a few years after "The Karate Kid Part III", this movie no longer focuses on the Karate Kid Daniel and his relationship with his Karate teacher Mr Miyagi. It is unexplained but suffice it to say the original karate kid has grown up. In "The Next Karate Kid" we follow Mr Miyagi's relationship with a teenage girl named Julie and watch as she becomes the next karate kid.

Julie (played by Hilary Swank who went on to win an Oscar for "Boys Don't Cry") is being bullied by boys at school who are following the violent teachings of their coach. Mr Miyagi (played by Pat Morita from the original Karate Kid movies) comes into her life and helps Julie learn courage and self respect through the use of karate and belief in oneself.

In comparison to the other three Karate Kid movies, "The Next Karate Kid" is a lot less violent. The Karate Kid has been increasing the violence with each movie, but has gone the other way with this one, and is all the better for it. There is a lot less of the karate and a lot more of the kid! No longer does the karate kid become about the next fight scene or the major karate move taught by Mr Miyagi. In "The Karate Kid" Danny learnt the crane, in "The Karate Kid Part II" Danny learnt the driver punch and in "The Karate Kid Part III" Danny learnt the Miyagi family kata. These special moves were used at the end of each movie. In contrast, with "The Next Karate Kid" Mr Miyagi teaches Julie the tiger kick, but she doesn't need to use it in the final fight. In fact in this movie Mr Miyagi has the final fight. No longer is fighting the driving force of the movie, and I'm sure that's something Mr Miyagi would agree with since he hates fighting anyway.

Here in "The Next Karate Kid" we are able to focus on the characters. And from that we can really feel for them when the fight scene does come. So if you are looking for a real karate action movie I suggest another movie. The fight choreography itself is sometimes a little poor, but it is all done by the same choreographer as the original Karate Kid movies so maybe he was just having a bad day. Mr Miyagi also appears to be having a bad day, because although he wins his fights fairly easily, he does look very old when fighting. I'm sure he used to kick higher and not lose his balance in the previous movies.

Hilary Swank is truly fantastic as Julie. Hilary Swank makes you believe in Julie and her actions are perfectly credible through Hilary Swank's performance. Mr Miyagi is almost as much Mr Miyagi as he always was. I say this because some of what Mr Miyagi says is questionable. He says lines like "If must fight, win!" Not entirely sure Mr Miyagi would say that. Anyway this is down to the writing and not the wonderful performance from Pat Morita.

For me, the movie did end kind of suddenly since I was expecting a bigger fight at the end. However this is based on my experience of the other karate kid movies. This fourth installment is very understated so be prepared for that.

In conclusion, "The Next Karate Kid" is great and I'm glad it's on DVD.

Fine movie but really not the series's sequel
If you love the Karate Kid series, you probably like the original casts, and you want to know what's going on with them after the first, second, and third sequels, and so on. You feel being with them and share their adventure one after anothers. That's what the series for. In this "The Next Karate Kid", Miyagi is the only one from original series casting. Although this movie is good and great performance from Hilary Swank (the new karate gal named Julie), it really does not fit in the series. It is more like a side story for Mr. Miyagi but mainly focuses on the new karate gal Julie. I'm a bit disappointed.

¿Fighting no good, but if fight, must win!¿
The Next Karate Kid

Miyagi Yakuga (Noriyuki "Pat" Morita) is called on for help, by the widow of an old war buddy.
She doesn't know what to do with her pretty but rebellious teenage granddaughter, after the recently orphaned girl was put in her care.
Meanwhile the girl, Judy, has her own troubles with a gang of local thugs at her school, led by a sadistic sports coach, while keeping her pet, a lame hawk hidden in the school grounds.
Her own love interest, a boy named Eric, is involved in the same battle with the gang called the Alpha elite.
Mr Miyagi knows just what to do, and the first thing is to teach Judy some self-discipline and inner calm.
The best line in the movie comes from Mr Miyagi, and isn't it the truth?

'Fighting no good, but if fight, must win!'

weeeeeeeeeee
This is 10 times better than Karate Kid III, and worth watching if only to see Hilary Swank. She's adorable in this movie.

YEAAAHHH....
This wasn't a bad movie--it wasn't the best either. Yes I will watch it when it's on tv, but other than that I can do without it. Opposed to what others have said, i think that KK3 was better than this one. To me that one had a lot of emotion. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Ann Jillian offers a strong performance.
Also known as GIRLS OF THE WHITE ORCHID (1983).
This film is not for children to see. Mature Adults Only.
Cast: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Thomas Byrd, Mako, Carolyn Seymour, Richard Narita, Soon-Teck Oh, Ann Jillian, Yvonne McCord, Philip Charles McKenzie, Leslie Wing, John Hancock.
Jeffifer Jason Leigh is a young lady, Carol, in Hollywood who works as a waitress. She is lonely for her boyfriend (Thomas Byrd) who is in the military. She decides to answer an ad for singer/dancer. She gets the job in Tokyo, but she has no idea what she is about to happen to her. She gets to sing in a nightclub (if you can call it that), but behind the curtain she has no idea yet it's a prostitution ring. The dancers and singers are expected to "be of service" to the Japanese clientele.
Marilyn (Ann Jillian) who is one of the more experienced dancers, tries to give Carol some comfort, but yet tells her how the business is. When the girls refuse to "please the customers" and they want to go back home to the states, the girls are made to "disappear". They are never seen of again. It is said, always said, that they were sent to Osaka.
Can Carol escape before it's too late for her?
This film was originally shown as a Network television movie. The cable version and this DVD version, includes scenes of nudity and adult content.
Ann Jillian offers a strong performances in this film.
I saw this film several times when I was younger not really thinking about the film to seriously. It was just a film to put on. But now some 20 years later, and now I'm middle-aged, this film is a bit disturbing to watch. But there is a message here in this film, and one will taken. Perhaps this is why the actors agreeed to do this film.

Oh god I can't believe I own this movie!
If you haven't seen a movie with Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ann Gillian, and Mako in it, this is your movie. Keep in mind that half of the dialogue is in Japanese but there are no subtitles. Also keep in mind that there's a near-rape scene and lots of toplessness. This is not Jennifer Jason Leigh's best movie. In fact I would bet that she would rather forget this film shot twenty years ago, as would most who worked on it. The best thing about it is its name. Oh, but there are no martial arts in the movie. Sorry.

ANN JILLIAN STEALS THE PICTURE!
Ann Jillian delivers an award winning performance in this movie that co- stars Jennifer Jason Leigh. It's worth the price just to see Ann Jillian as a red head, wow!!!! she's hot and so interesting to watch, you NEVER catch her acting. Jonathan Kaplan, the Director did a good job and he also directed "Heart Like A Wheel", I give this 5 stars! ... Read more

Amazon.com

A minor TV venture for director Jonathan Kaplan, whose penchant for themes sensitive to the plight of women in extremis informs even this lesser work with a heartening sympathy for its characters.Jennifer Jason Leigh plays a naive, would-be singer named Carol Heath who, through the machinations of a sleazy agent (Philip Charles MacKenzie), signs away a month of her life for the chance of being a nightclub singer in Tokyo.Only once she's there, she finds herself pressed into sexual service by her real employer, the yakuza.Not that she succumbs to the pressure to perform in that other capacity.That's her problem.Because others in her predicament, having refused to serve, wound up on the title's "Death Ride" (the pre-video title was Girls of the White Orchid).The plot is standard thriller fare, taken from a true story, and somewhat redeemed by Kaplan's no-nonsense direction and his affinity for stories of women in trouble.Indeed, along with Leigh's finely realized naive-girl performance, Death Ride to Osaka's main interest may lie in the resonance it has with Jonathan Kaplan's later, more accomplished films.Although it does lack the ambiguity that helps make The Accused interesting, similar themes of abuse are explored.Ditto for Brokedown Palace, its naive young girls in treacherous paradise and legal closed doors making Death Ride look like a dry run for Kaplan's later film. --Jim Gay ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Ann Jillian offers a strong performance.
Also known as GIRLS OF THE WHITE ORCHID (1983).
This film is not for children to see. Mature Adults Only.
Cast: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Thomas Byrd, Mako, Carolyn Seymour, Richard Narita, Soon-Teck Oh, Ann Jillian, Yvonne McCord, Philip Charles McKenzie, Leslie Wing, John Hancock.
Jeffifer Jason Leigh is a young lady, Carol, in Hollywood who works as a waitress. She is lonely for her boyfriend (Thomas Byrd) who is in the military. She decides to answer an ad for singer/dancer. She gets the job in Tokyo, but she has no idea what she is about to happen to her. She gets to sing in a nightclub (if you can call it that), but behind the curtain she has no idea yet it's a prostitution ring. The dancers and singers are expected to "be of service" to the Japanese clientele.
Marilyn (Ann Jillian) who is one of the more experienced dancers, tries to give Carol some comfort, but yet tells her how the business is. When the girls refuse to "please the customers" and they want to go back home to the states, the girls are made to "disappear". They are never seen of again. It is said, always said, that they were sent to Osaka.
Can Carol escape before it's too late for her?
This film was originally shown as a Network television movie. The cable version and this DVD version, includes scenes of nudity and adult content.
Ann Jillian offers a strong performances in this film.
I saw this film several times when I was younger not really thinking about the film to seriously. It was just a film to put on. But now some 20 years later, and now I'm middle-aged, this film is a bit disturbing to watch. But there is a message here in this film, and one will taken. Perhaps this is why the actors agreeed to do this film.

Oh god I can't believe I own this movie!
If you haven't seen a movie with Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ann Gillian, and Mako in it, this is your movie. Keep in mind that half of the dialogue is in Japanese but there are no subtitles. Also keep in mind that there's a near-rape scene and lots of toplessness. This is not Jennifer Jason Leigh's best movie. In fact I would bet that she would rather forget this film shot twenty years ago, as would most who worked on it. The best thing about it is its name. Oh, but there are no martial arts in the movie. Sorry.

ANN JILLIAN STEALS THE PICTURE!
Ann Jillian delivers an award winning performance in this movie that co- stars Jennifer Jason Leigh. It's worth the price just to see Ann Jillian as a red head, wow!!!! she's hot and so interesting to watch, you NEVER catch her acting. Jonathan Kaplan, the Director did a good job and he also directed "Heart Like A Wheel", I give this 5 stars! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Ann Jillian offers a strong performance.
Also known as GIRLS OF THE WHITE ORCHID (1983).
This film is not for children to see. Mature Adults Only.
Cast: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Thomas Byrd, Mako, Carolyn Seymour, Richard Narita, Soon-Teck Oh, Ann Jillian, Yvonne McCord, Philip Charles McKenzie, Leslie Wing, John Hancock.
Jeffifer Jason Leigh is a young lady, Carol, in Hollywood who works as a waitress. She is lonely for her boyfriend (Thomas Byrd) who is in the military. She decides to answer an ad for singer/dancer. She gets the job in Tokyo, but she has no idea what she is about to happen to her. She gets to sing in a nightclub (if you can call it that), but behind the curtain she has no idea yet it's a prostitution ring. The dancers and singers are expected to "be of service" to the Japanese clientele.
Marilyn (Ann Jillian) who is one of the more experienced dancers, tries to give Carol some comfort, but yet tells her how the business is. When the girls refuse to "please the customers" and they want to go back home to the states, the girls are made to "disappear". They are never seen of again. It is said, always said, that they were sent to Osaka.
Can Carol escape before it's too late for her?
This film was originally shown as a Network television movie. The cable version and this DVD version, includes scenes of nudity and adult content.
Ann Jillian offers a strong performances in this film.
I saw this film several times when I was younger not really thinking about the film to seriously. It was just a film to put on. But now some 20 years later, and now I'm middle-aged, this film is a bit disturbing to watch. But there is a message here in this film, and one will taken. Perhaps this is why the actors agreeed to do this film.

Oh god I can't believe I own this movie!
If you haven't seen a movie with Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ann Gillian, and Mako in it, this is your movie. Keep in mind that half of the dialogue is in Japanese but there are no subtitles. Also keep in mind that there's a near-rape scene and lots of toplessness. This is not Jennifer Jason Leigh's best movie. In fact I would bet that she would rather forget this film shot twenty years ago, as would most who worked on it. The best thing about it is its name. Oh, but there are no martial arts in the movie. Sorry.

ANN JILLIAN STEALS THE PICTURE!
Ann Jillian delivers an award winning performance in this movie that co- stars Jennifer Jason Leigh. It's worth the price just to see Ann Jillian as a red head, wow!!!! she's hot and so interesting to watch, you NEVER catch her acting. Jonathan Kaplan, the Director did a good job and he also directed "Heart Like A Wheel", I give this 5 stars! ... Read more