Reviews (34)

A Matthau Gem... Shall We Say "Diamond?"
The great Walter Matthau (all saggy jowls) plays Buttermaker, an ex-pitcher turned pool cleaner who tools around all day on his jobs in a chop-top station wagon with a cooler of beer in the backseat. A local businessman talks (with money) Buttermaker into coaching a youth-league team of castaways. Seems this is one community that takes its youth league baseball seriously. A little too seriously.

What follows is the familiar plot of a bunch of underdog kids coming together as the "Team Nobody Believed In" and contending for the championship against a team that represents everything that's wrong when parents spoil simple pleasures for their children (the Yankees, coached by Vic Morrow, in a neatly-observed performance). Look, I don't know if "Bears" even did it first, but this movie certainly does it best, and without the labored sentimentality of its progeny.

"Bears" never turns cartoonish. It captures just the right atmosphere- slanting, late afternoon sunlight during the games, the bikes parked behind the dugouts, the post-game chants. The kids, led by Tatum O'Neal and Jackie Earle Haley all perform well, and each has a sharply defined personality. Even Morrow, as Buttermaker's antagonist, isn't portrayed as bad or evil- just a guy with misplaced priorities that make him act like a jerk.

But Matthau makes this movie, conning kids into making martinis for him and cleaning pools while he regales them with increasingly drunken stories of his baseball glory days... until he passes out on the mound in a litter of beer cans. Matthau plays Buttermaker as a modern day loser who discovers (eventually) he still has a better nature.

Bright, smart and funny, "The Bad News Bears" is a joy to watch, full of quick-witted exchanges and even heartbreak. If you've seen one too many "Mighty Ducks" flicks, do yourself a favor and watch this one. It goes down as smooth as one of Buttermaker's ice cold ones on a hot afternoon.

And look for that kid who played Eddie in "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" as Morrow's son and the Yankees' star pitcher. He has a ballpark epiphany that's true and heartbreaking. Just another aspect of this marvelous little movie.

Good News for the Bad News Bears
A great movie that hits it mark..unfortunately sprung two terrible sequels. THE BAD NEWS BEARS is a social commentary about when kids are taken out of the sandlot (which is more fun when kids are left to play among themselves) and organized by adults to play little league baseball and the result is chaos. Walter Matthau in one of his signature roles as coach Buttermaker (he even reprised the role in a parody of the film on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, in the now classic and hilarious BAD NEWS BEES sketch). Matthau is hilarious as the drunken, ex-big league ballplayer/pool cleaner hired by one of the parents to coach a bunch of losers in a competetive and elite Los Angeles little league organization. The kids are innocent, but honestly brutal in their depiction. Standout performances from Jackie Earl Haley (BREAKING AWAY)as Kelly Leak, the motorcycle riding punk who is also a great athlete, Chris Barnes as tough little Tanner Boyle (who supposedly takes on the whole seventh grade when he is humilated in the embarrassing first game loss), and of course Tatum O'Neal as the tough girl pitcher whose curve ball breaks 2 feet. All this works on a level of a family movie, but some situations are adult oriented. Watch the film on network television and it is butchered beyond recognition. On DVD and cable, it it way better because you see why some of the situations occur. One example is the scene when pitcher Joey Turner (Brandon Cruz -tv's COURTSHIP OF EDDIE'S FATHER) throws at the head of batter Engelberg (Gary Lee Cavagnaro) and you'll know why. Actor Vic Morrow continues his string of bad guy roles even in this film as Coach Roy Turner and even the Yankees (a metaphor for elitistism) is used as a name of one of the teams as the arch rival of the Bears. Overall, entertaining and authentic with great casting.

Dear Luper
Dear Luper Ronsogni makes me sick, he cant even pitch nobody thinks we can win, ps I saw a good movie the other night, youd like it. Your friend, tanner boyle

I Loved This Movie!
I remember my mother taking me to see The Bad News Bears when it was playing in movie theaters, I was about 10 1/2 years old and I loved the movie and thought it was a lot of fun to watch and I thought that the cast was great, Tatum O'Neal, Walter Matthau, Vic Morrow, Jackie Earle Haley, etc and when HBO started showing The Bad News Bears I watched it to many times to count. I see some reviewers have complained about bad language but honestly I have heard much worse langague in movies that are being made these days and I still have to highly recommend The Bad News Bears.

Classic, realistic, non-syrupy story of Little League
Don't listen to other reviewers who impose today's political correctness on a movie that came out in 1976. My parents took me to see this film when it came out (I was nine) and it was a good film. It has lessons about winning, losing and sportsmanship. It touches upon characters we all know: the winning coach (played wonderfully by the late Vic Morrow) who values winning above all else - even his own son. A realistic film from the 1970s, reflecting divorced parents, precocious kids, bullies, all of it is in here. Above all, it is a positive statement about self-respect and accomplishment. While Matthau's ways of coaching would probably be protested today (i.e., giving the kids beer after the final game of the season) it was seen as true to his character and one of the funny touches. Some of the material is mature but it may spark some positive conversations in a family. It isn't watered down, squeaky-clean family fare that people expect today, but it does have a good message and is fun. Excellent performances by a great cast, realistic baseball playing (sometimes painful) and great moments. A classic 1970s film that is often overlooked. ... Read more

Reviews (66)

Surfing through Warhol's '80s
Painter Julian Schnabel made his film directing debut with his impressionistic biography of his late friend and fellow '80s Warhol hanger-on, Jean-Michel Basquiat. A charismatic, young heroin addict, Basquiat started out as a graffiti artist who called himself SAMO (as in samo bulls--t) and, depending on where your aesthetic tastes fall, his success represented either a great rebirth of artistic orgininality OR yet another sign that the American art scene was becoming a victim of trendiness. The same, of course, was said of Schnabel at the same time. Luckily for myself as a viewer of this film, I'm in the former camp. For the latter group or the growing number of people who see, "I don't know nothing about art but I like what I see," as the height of critical thinking, this film probably isn't for them.

Told in a freeform fashion, Schnabel's vision of Basquiat's life is rather uneven. The story is occasionally rather muddled (Basquiat's rise from homeless drug addict to prodigal Warhol son seems to come out of nowhere) and plotwise, Schnabel is rather conventional in his structure -- Basquiat reaches the heights of fame and forgets all of his former friends before being redeemed at the end. (His own eventual death of a heroin overdose isn't shown beyond a title card at the end credits -- though the film strongly hints it was related to his own depression concerning the death of Andy Warhol.) However, the film is also blessed with occasional flashes of genius that make this a film that is worth watching. Not surprisingly, Schnabel has a strong visual sense and he uses his limited budget to his advantage, capturing a strange sort of grimy fantasy world. Some of his enigmatic images are haunting. Basquiat continually sees an image of a lone figure surfing whenever he looks up to the sky. Why does this child of New York have this surfer in his head? No explanation is given or really needed. The surfer just happens to be there, just as Basquiat's artistic talent just happened to be there -- unexplainable but definitely real.

Schnabel also proves himself to be a capable director of actors. The film is full of cameos from the actors who always seem to show up in independent, art cinema and at first sight, the cast list looks a little self-conciously hip. At the same time, the celebrity casting somehow works brilliantly. Early on in the film, Basquiat stares through a window at the Warhol crowd standing in an art gallery. That "crowd" is made up of David Bowie, Dennis Hopper, Gary Oldman, and several other recognizable faces and its somewhat jarring to see all of these familiar actors gathered together -- just as it was probably jarring for Basquiat to stare at the "icons" of his world. Plus, for the most part, these actors all give strong performances and don't just coast on their image. Bowie, especially, surprised me as Warhol. Its not a deep performance but at the same time, he never allows the artist to become a fey caricature. Parker Posey is wonderfully haughty as gallery owner Mary Boone while unusually restrained work comes from unexpected sources like Dennis Hopper, Paul Bartel, and Willem DaFoe. Christopher Walken has a wonderful cameo as a pretentious interviewer and nicely satirizes his own intense image. Of the supporting cast, the four strongest performances are given by Clare Forlani (who has never been allowed to be a strong and sexy as she is here as Basquiat's lover), Michael Wincott and a pre-traffic Benecio Del Toro (playing early friends of Basquiat -- Del Toro especially has some hilarious monologues early on), and Gary Oldman who is basically playing Julian Schnabel and brings a wonderfully arrogant glee to his scenes. (A highlight, late in the film, is the image of Oldman dancing with his daughter in front of one of Schnabel's trademark epic canvasses).

The best performance and the linchpin that holds the film together comes from Geoffrey Wright who found his first taste of fame playing the doomed Jean-Michel Basquiat. Wright, quite simply, is a revelation. He brings a touch of childlike vulnerablity to a character who isn't always extremely sympathetic and manages to add a much needed cohesion to Schnabel's uneven composition. His scenes following Warhol's death are especially haunting. Much as Schanbel's second film introduced many of us to Javeir Bardem, Basquiat serves as an introduction to Wright as well. When Wright sees his surfer, you don't wonder what a surfer's doing above the New York skyline as much as you share Basquiat's (and Wright's) excitement at what possibilities the future might hold.

Deep movie about a shallow art scene.
Basquiat (Julian Schnabel, 1996)

Schnabel has made two films in five years. I'm still wondering why the man hasn't yet been immortalized. Less talented directors have gotten stars on the Walk of Fame for less accomplishment than Schnabel showed with his second film, Before Night Falls, alone. His first, Basquiat, is damned close to being as good, and yet it fell almost completely below the radar of American cinema upon its release, despite a stable of talent so broad it's almost ludicrous.

Schnabel (played in the film by Gary Oldman, incidentally-- and Schnabel's real-life family plays Oldman's family in the film. heh.) gives us the story of Jean-Michel Basquiat, one of the brightest lights of New York's avant-garde art movement in the seventies and eighties before his 1988 overdose. Basquiat himself is played by the always-engaging Jeffrey Wright (recently seen giving Sam Jackson trouble in _Shaft_), and while the film never fails to center on Basquiat himself, Wright's brilliantly low-key performance seems almost a backdrop for a slew of A-list actors in minor roles (Willem Dafoe, Christopher Walken, Dennis Hopper, Tatum O'Neal, etc.) and up-and-coming stars who have since gone on to eclipse even Wright (Benecio del Toro, Courtney Love, Vincent Gallo, Linda Larkin, Caire Forlani, Michael Badalucco, et al.). But the show is truly stolen by David Bowie as (a believable, believe it or not) Andy Warhol. Bowie doesn't do a whole lot of acting, but when he does, he's usually wonderful at it (viz. The Hunger, Christiane F., etc.). He takes it to new heights here, and Bowie and Wright give a sense of the friendship between Warhol and Basquiat that does far more in far less screen time than most buddy movies could dream about. Of course, that may be because Schnabel, an artist himself, is a virtuoso at conveying the shallowness of the New York art scene. What's more, he manages to do so without turning Basquiat into a shallow film. Not an easy task, by any means.

Fantastic all the way around. **** 1/2

abysmal twaddle about egocentric junkies
Good performances can't save this self-indulgent tale of yet another artist whose out of control ego is supposed to be interesting to the viewer. Even the scenes of his "creative process" are meaningless, and no better than watching a wall being defaced by spray paint; somehow we are made to assume Basquiat is an inventive genius, when what the screen shows us is a man who has no respect for anyone (for instance, there is a scene where he goes to a lovely home for dinner, and urinates in the hallway), no gratitude to those who help him become famous, and is more interested in self-promotion than art.

It has a stellar cast of character actors, among them David Bowie, who shines as Andy Warhol (and is sporting one of Warhol's actual wigs), and Gary Oldman as "Albert Milo", which is an alias for artist and writer/director of this film, Julian Schnabel, and uses Schnabel's paintings, including one he made for Basquiat (the one he shows Jeffrey Wright/Basquiat saying he painted it for a friend who died).
The reproductions of Basquiat's work were also done by Schnabel.

Will Basquiat's work be known 100 years from now ? I doubt it; though it is lauded now, I believe time will reveal it to be no more than glorified graffiti.
For superior films on other self-obsessed, but far better artists, see "Pollock" or "Surviving Picasso", for a humorless depiction of substance abusing bores, an aimless script, and jumpy editing, this is your film. Total running time 1 hour and 46 minutes.

Watch and listen
I'm totally ignorant of art, but this film is very exciting especially in Jeffrey Wright's scenes with actors Claire Forlani, Michael Wincott, and Benicio Del Toro. The way Basquiat's success changes his relationship with his girlfriend and friends and the way he seemingly unwittingly uses people and is also used by people makes for great entertainment. I'm not sure about the Andy Warhol scenes, and nothing much is learned of the relationship between he and Basquiat, but I enjoyed the reunion at the end between Basquiat and his pre-fame best friend Benny. My two favorite scenes would be the one where Basquiat ruins his girlfriend's painting sparking a wonderful argument and the scene between Basquiat and Benny in the car when Basquiat accuses Benny of being a racist. Benicio Del Toro's response is awesome in this scene: "What gives you the audacity to even think that..." I really appreciate the fact that Jeffrey Wright's performance does not allow Basquiat to become merely a symbol for oh-so-cool self-destructive artists. At times he is sweetly sympathetic and at other times he is very irritating and self-righteous. What I think is tragic about the film's Basquiat is that he is constantly being judged based on his race and set apart rather than being embraced solely for his artistic talent. Although Schnabel is an artist himself I don't feel the film is a visual film, it is visual/audio similar to Scorcese's Mean Streets but without that film's violence. The music soundtrack is so important and the songs are so well chosen that it feels like many of the scenes were filmed to fit a specific song. The wonderful soundtrack includes songs by The Pogues, Tom Waits, Van Morrison, Miles Davis, and John Cale. I especially like the use of the songs Fairytale of New York and Summer in Siam by The Pogues and Hallelujah by John Cale. Great music fills plot holes and connects fragmented scenes together. For me the dialogue is very musical as well, especially as delivered by such uniquely talented actors. This film can be watched many times without becoming boring, and therefore I recommend owning it.

Too fragile for the World / Excellent Film
Basquiat is an amazing true life story of a man too fragile for the world. Jean Michel Basquiat posessed a child like quality that made people want to help him and an innate charisma that made people want to be around him. This is a man that was almost too creative for this world a tortured soul who could not deal with fame Julian Schnabel captures that in this film. This movie really depicts his struggle with fame. Basquiat wanting fame / recognition so badly then finally reaching it & not knowing how to or can't deal with it. The acting is phenominal Jeffrey Wright is amazing he is Basqiuat in this movie to the exact detail. David Bowie plays a great Andy Warhol. The cinematography and symbolism in the film is incredible there's a scene where Basqiuat is walking down the street and sees on a billboard a man surfing catching a wave which pretty much symbilizes his drive & wanting to be at the top. This film also captures that exciting time in the early 80's where art met music & fashion when artists were the superstars. Sad story of an eccentric man whose talent was exploited & became more of an image then a soul. A must see I own it on VHS one of my top 10 favorite films, the soundtrack rocks too. ... Read more

Description

Adapted from the novel "Addie Pray" by Joe David Brown, PAPER MOON is set in the Midwest during the Great Depression, and follows the story of Moses Pray (Ryan O’Neal), a happy-go-lucky con artist who travels through the Midwest on a mission to swindle money out of innocent widows.While attending a friend’s funeral, Pray is called upon by two elderly ladies to deliver the daughter of the deceased, Addie (Tatum O’Neal), to her aunt in Missouri.Soon learning that the 9-year-old is almost as mischievous and manipulative as he is, Pray and Addie develop a father and daughter routine that increases their credibility as well as their income.Now, the devious duo set out on a series of misadventures involving crooked cops, bootleggers, grieving widows and a Carney dancer named Miss Trixie Delight (Kahn) who adds a little spice to their routine. ... Read more

Reviews (40)

It's Only A Paper Moon Sailing Over A Cardboard Sea...
Adapted from the matchless novel "Addie Pray" by Joe David Brown, Paper Moon is set in the Midwest/dustbowl during the Great Depression/Roosevelt era. One-of-a-kind directing by Peter Bogdanovich, beautiful black & white cinematography, a great musical score with snippets of old time radio shows like Fibber McGee & Molly, Jack Benny and a host of others.

Real-life father & daughter duo, Ryan & Tatum O'Neil team up in this gem of a movie.

Ryan plays Moses Pray. A slick, sliver-tongued, gold toothed, travelling huckster & who always has a new con to turn up his sleeve such as door to door Bible selling to recently widowed women, bootlegging, short changing, and a "car swappin' wrasslin' match" between Moses and a very young Randy Quaid. Tatum plays Addie and garnered the coveted Oscar for her performance at the tender age of 10. Addie decides to get in on many of the cons and becomes quite a prolific short change artist. Addie decides on her own to take Moses' last name and travel with him under the guise as his daughter. In one of the best scenes in the movie they deal with whether or not Addie is Moses' illegitimate daughter. That scene is set in a diner while drinking NeHi's and eating Coney Islands. Addie is sure that Moses is, indeed, her father as she states, "We got the SAME jaw!" Moses responds and says, "I know a lady who has the jaw of a bullfrog but that doesn't mean that she's the damn things mother!" Addie asks Moses, "You meet my mamma in a barroom?" (implying that her mamma was a prostitute). Moses comes right back asking Addie, "You think that just because a man meets a woman in a barroom means that they get a baby?" Ryan and Tatum's bantering repartee is natural, hilarious and touching all at the same time.

The Prays fall "prey" to a con played on them (well, Moses anyway) as the film progesses, by a hootchie-cootchie sideshow carnival dancer/prostitute named Miss Trixie Delight, adeptly played by Madelyn Kahn who was also nominated for an Oscar. The sneaky and a little jealous Addie deals with Miss Trixie in her own time and also helps out Miss Trixie's maid, Imogene and gives her money to return back to her family.

This is a great family movie with a touching father/daughter story to share. No nudity, few "cuss" words, and an all-around crowd pleaser whether you are 6 or 106. I don't mind telling you that this is my favorite movie of all time and I have viewed it upwards of 100 times. I still laugh, cry, and go through a multitude of emotions no matter how many times a watch the film. Certainly, a hallmark of a great cinematic masterpiece! Happy Watching!

A perfect movie?
It is hard to find any fault in this movie. Filmed in black-and-white, is uses great depth of field so everything, including the Kansas landscape and people in the deep background, is in focus. Many scenes are in one shot, and go for minutes without a cut.

Tatum O'Neal earned her best supporting actress Oscar as a "mature" youngster who ends up on an adventurous road trip to a relative's house, driven by a cheap con-man played by Tatum's father, Ryan O'Neal.

A few other notable actors make an appearance - namely Randy Quaid (briefly) and John Hillerman (several key scenes). Madeline Kahn was nominated for best supporting actress as well.

The DVD has a great picture quality, some nice behind-the-scenes stuff, and a commentary by director Peter Bogdanovich.

It's rated PG for some (funny) language.

It's not my favorite all-time movie, but could be in my top-10.

An easy 5 stars.

Quiet, subtle, excellent and funny
What a great and fun movie! Tatum O'Neal steals the show here; she definitely deserved the Oscar for her great portrayal of the way-too street smart for her age orphan (maybe) Addie Pray (Loggins). Adults and kids can enjoy this together without much fear of the admittedly seedy subject matter -- con artistry, prostitution, racial exploitation, the corruption of youth, etc. You can't help but root for Addie all the while knowing that Moses will never be a good father, role model or successful "businessman."

The black and white cinematography recalls classic Margaret Bourke-White Depression-era photos as well as "The Grapes of Wrath," but without the need for Prozac or counseling. The soundtrack is comprised of Thirties pop radio standards that fit perfectly without calling too much attention to themselves.

Madeline Kahn is a scream as Miss Trixie Delight, John Hillerman excels in two roles: a sheriff and his brother, a local bootleggar, and P.J. Johnson is great as Trixie's maid, Imogene.

I loved it when I first saw it as a 12-year-old. I still love it now. So will you.

How could anyone not love this movie?
Paper Moon is without a doubt Ryan O'Neal's best performance. His daughter Tatum absolutely STEALS the show. The Academy Award says it all. Back then the Oscar meant something, now the whole thing's become a joke. But Paper Moon will always be one of my favorites. You really get the feel of the Depression era Midwest. All the sets, costumes, and music authenticate this. I've never gotten that "Grapes of Wrath" feel from any other movie that's been produced since the forties, and that's not just because it's shot in B&W. This movie also will keep you in stitches as Moses (O'Neal) slowly discovers how clever a little con artist Addie (Tatum) really is. Her wit and sarcasm would make this movie equally entertaining if you turned off the picture and merely LISTENED to it. It's that good. I also adore Madeline Khan and Trixie Delight IS a delight. This movie is in my top twenty and I recommend it as a "must own."

tatum oneal as addie
ive read a few people comment on how tatum isnt a great actress but you have to keep in mind that tatum oneal was very young in this movie.
in all this movies been one of my top 3 movies since i was a small child. if your a big fan of Paper Moon id suggest seeing matchstick men. it just came out.. ... Read more

Description

A family of bears is shocked to discover a young girl in their house when they return home. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Goldilocks & the Three Bears
This was one of my favorites, when I was growing up. It's funny, entertaining and one of my favorite fairy tales of all time. If you like the story books, you'll love the movie just as much or maybe even more. I love and own most of The Faerie Tale Theatere movies and this one I've been searching for quite some time. I found it and bought it on Amazon.com

TWO THUMBS UP FOR GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS!
This is just what I expected a Faerie Tale Theatre production to be like. From mischievous young Goldilocks (Tatum O'Neal), to the friendly forest ranger (Hoyt Axton), to the three playful bears (Alex Karras, Brandis Kemp, and Donovan Scott), the movie is wonderful. This is a charming and humorous retelling of the story of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears." It teaches a lot about friendship and caring. It shows how quickly an enemy can become a friend. I also like the fact that they add new parts to the story, such as certain scenes that involve the parents of Goldilocks (Carole King and John Lithgow), and more experiences with the bears. It makes the movie more interesting, and not just the same old story once again. All of the acting is very well done. Tatum O'Neal is exactly the kind of person you would expect Goldilocks to be: she's kind, curious, spunky, and of course, she has curly golden hair. In fact, the whole movie is very well done! I would definitely recommend getting this video for you and your family to enjoy over and over again! ... Read more