Reviews (182)

certainly memorable
Life as a house is a brilliant movie. There is never a dull moment. Although it does not have war planes crashing at every second, it still keeps your attention. The story is about a divorced man (Kevin Kline)who has drifted from his family and from his son espcially. His son visits him on certain weekends and doesn't like it too much. Then the dad finds out he is going too die soon so he wants to do the things in his life that he has put off for so long, like rebuilding his beach shack and reconnecting with his lost son, Sam (Hayden Christensen). Hayden Christensen turned in a beautiful performance and he really makes you feel what the character was feeling. Sam is somewhat of a case. Certainly not the kind of kid your parents wanted you hanging around. It will surely be a long time before I forget this film, not only because of the wonderful story line and intense drama, but for the wonderful Oscar deserving performances also. Espcially by newcomer Hayden Christensen(Anakin Skywalker in upcoming Episode 2). He really portrayed his character, Sam, perfectly. He is an outstanding actor; not just for a newcomer. He really gets your attention.
Life As A House is one of the best films I have ever seen. It was certainly a memorable film.

A good movie that might have been great
Have you ever watched a movie, totally engrossed, walked out of the theater satisfied that your hard-earned money was well spent, went to sleep, and then woke up the next morning with the sneaking suspicion that someone had pulled a fast one on you? This was my reaction to Life as a House.

Wonderful, engaging performances by Kevin Kline, Kirsten Scott-Thomas and Hayden Christensen make it an enjoyable experience despite the overcrowded, mediocre screenplay, which often resorts to cheap and unnecessary tricks and clichés to tug on our emotions. An early scene involving George (Kline's character) and a compassionate nurse is one example. Another involves an awkward subplot with an angry neighbor and a building inspector. Like many things that happen in Life as a House, it adds nothing to the story, and detracts from the characterizations and struggles of the main players. And the final scene! Well, please. Don't get me started.

Still, despite the flaws, the movie is sweet and enjoyable. After all is said and done, a good movie that might have been great with a better screenplay.

Wonderful
A person walks away from this movie thinking how lucky he or she is to just be alive! Bravo! Kevin Kline's best performance except for "Sophie's Choice."

Life is a house, not American Beauty
First of all, Life As A House is pretty much like American Beauty, only better. Hayden, from Star Wars 2, portrays the teenager in a very dysfunctional family, while Kevin Kline plays his father. Like American Beauty, it seems like the whole block is dysfunctional, and they pretty much are. Yet, when Kevin Kline is diagnosed with cancer he decides to build the house he has always dreamed of, and in doing so try to reconnect with his son. I personally feel that although this is a very typical picture of teen angst and family dysfunction it is shown in a fresh new way, and one that actually connects with the audience.

good movie
this overall was a very good movie. hayden christensen was excellent in it, as was kevin kline. i would have given it the full 5 stars, but some parts were a bit melodramatic. besides that, this movie was both funny and sad, put together with a great cast to produce a very good movie. i would probably give it 4 1/2 stars but thats not really an option. ... Read more

Reviews (33)

Critics? HA!
Go figure..if you pay attention to "editorial reviews" for this little movie, a person would never waste a dime to see it.....but this is AMERICA and we ignore critics!!!! (Read the other customer reviews, they couldn't be any more opposite the opinion of our "critics". Hundreds of times they've hated a movie and it's been terrific, whether at the box office or when it hit video)

Perhaps there's not enough here for these two to bite into, but Mr. Maltin and Mr. Keogh should be less nasty and critical of this film and criticize something else....Patton, Full Metal Jacket, Platoon, whatever....you can leave this little movie alone...It's for kids, guys. Amusing, while not too heavy except some violence regarding the apartment building with some smashing and burning, which of course is repaired by the "little guys". Small flying saucers, "little guys" as Jessica refers to them, zoom all over New York secretly repairing "stuff" that's not perfect......silly yes, but who cares? It's a fantasy..... Go with it for goodness sake. Hume Cronyn (Frank Riley) and real life wife, Jessica Tandy (Faye Riley) act together in too few a number of films (Cocoon and its sequel, are a couple). Each character in the movie has his/her problems, each prays for a little help and gets it in this most curious way, feeling God answered them in this way.

It's a fantasy....don't be expecting oscar performances from anyone. Jessica thinks the local fire bombing hood, Carlos, is her deceased son, who was in a car wreck years before. She suffers from altzheimers and so doesn't remember he's dead. Referring to Carlos, as Bobby; all the while he's trying to burn their building to ashes. Elizabeth Pena, (Marissa) is a very pregnant, single female trying to exist day to day with hoodlums harassing her every coming and going at the building. She finds her knight in shining armor, Mason, a not too productive resident painter, and he ends up with our lonely Marissa. It's predictable, but OK.

Frank McRae, ex-boxer, has been punched one too many times while professionally boxing, yet somehow manages to title the movie during one of his only speaking lines.....figure that one, but that's how the movie got its name, they planned it that way!

This film may not one win any oscars, but 95% of the movies I'd bother to review, I own; this is one of them and I like a good feeling when I finish a movie.

Cute Film
When you think about it, there aren't too many movies with a premise like this one. I mean, robot aliens who resemble UFOs that can procreate, raise families, and repair anything at super speed? Pretty unusual.

Something else unusual is that the plot doesn't focus on the robots but the humans who are each trying to hang on to their little piece of home. The robots offer assistance to the main characters and add some comic relief, but the story centers on the human element. The story is well-told and unfolds at the right pace. I thought the acting was also pretty good.

There's one last thing worth mentioning. I notice that the video quality has an odd fuzziness to it. It's barely noticeable and not terribly distracting but potential viewers should be made aware of it. Personally it did nothing to detract from my enjoyment of the movie.

This film was made in 1987 so don't expect the special effects to be impressive by today's standards. Remember that, suspend disbelief, and you'll find *Batteries Not Included to be an entertaining experience.

Not Enough Batteries Could Power This Lame Film
Another film produced by Spielberg in the vain of "Disney-esque" family fare (i.e. HARRY AND THE HENDERSONS, GOONIES). "Close Encounters" is shrunk down to cute little "tonka toys". The gimmick in *BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED is that the aliens' spaceships (of various shapes for degree of personality) are the characters. You don't see the aliens inside controlling the flying saucers (just like you couldn't see the truck driver in Spielbergs' DUEL). The plot is as old as an OUR GANG short. An evil landlord is about to evict a diverse group of stereotypical poor residences from his tenement slum and the mini-aliens arrive in time to save the day to fight the landlord and his evil henchmen. The actors are then directed to act bewildered, angry, awe-inspired, laugh, cry, and hug each other, around the special effects-laden-E.T. spaceships...(yaaawwwnnn...zzz...zzz!). The title of this movie should be renamed to *ORIGINALITY NOT INCLUDED...or...*ACTING NOT INCLUDED...or...*DIRECTION NOT INCLUDED...or...*BRAINS NOT INCLUDED..or...!

Belongs in every children's collection
... whether or not you have kids. It has some moments that might make a four-year-old cling to an adult, but every kid I know likes it. No guns, no bloody fights, no chases, and it still holds their interest.

There's plenty here for an adult - "dotty grandma" isn't a completely comic character here. She's not just a tragic figure of senility, either, though she's some of both. Mostly, she's just making her way through each day the best she can, and better than people seem willing to believe. Most of the other characters are similarly on the edge but muddling by well enough, with a little help from their friends.

I honestly can't call this a science fiction movie, despite its SF elements. It's sweet (almost sappy) and funny, the poor-but-honest folk win out over the thugs and evil corporations, and they all live happily ever after. Well, for now, at least.

If there's ever a list of "most under-rated movies", this one gets my vote. I like it.

A sentimental little beauty from Spielberg
This 1987 little sentimental ditty was utterly irresistible to the public, even as critics panned it as too schmaltzy. It concerns a squadron of little UFOs who arrive on the room of a NY apartment building, one which is about to be razed as soon as the owners can manage to evict the quirky bunch of tenants. The tenants include Hume Cronin and Jessica Tandy (always and forever a winning pair) as well as a guy who plays a mentally (or emotionally - or maybe both) disabled man who speaks only in set phrases from commercials or TV jingles or product tags, such as that of the title: Batteries Not Included. As the tenants band together to save the lives of the little aliens, including a spine-tingling scene in which one gives birth, the aliens come to the rescue of the folks in danger of eviction - and the tenants, previously a disparate bunch, come together to form a community.
Heartwarming. Great family entertainment ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Wonderful adaptation of the Chaim Potok novel.
This movie version of the famous novel about the friendship that develops between an Hasidic boy and an Orthodox Jewish boy remains faithful to the book in all important respects. The cast, headed by Rod Steiger and Maxmillian Schell, is excellent. Robby Benson and Barry Miller play the two boys, and are so wonderful in their roles that it's difficult to imagine anyone else doing them. Rod Steiger as Reb Saunders is perfect in every respect- right down to the Yiddish accent. His dance at the wedding of a couple in his congregation is one of the most expressive moments I've ever seen in motion pictures. The dignity, the extreme sorrow, and the great joy of being alive and human are all there. The only weakness in the film, if you can call it that, is the choice of Maximillian Schell to play Reuven's father, Professor Malter. He gives a fine performance, but there is no way anyone would believe he was a Jew. It's distracting, given that Professor Malter becomes a dedicated Zionist in the face of the decimation of the Jews in Europe. I am far from saying that Max is a Nazi, looks like one or talks like one- only that we can tell that he is German but it's hard to see any Jewishness in his performance at all. However, the movie is over-all excellent, if a bit talky, and belongs in the collection of any Jew or literary cognoscenti.

A Touching Film About The Hassidic Lifestyle
This 1982 film, based on the novel by Chaim Potok, himself a Jew,
is a moving and detailed adaptation. Stars Robbie Benson and Rod Steiger. I saw this film on PBS channel 28. The Jewish soul of
this film shines through beautifully and sadly, effectively using Hassidic clothing and glimpses of the lifestyle, which is
oddly at variance with the rapidly modernizing New York City of the World War II Era. Robby Benson delivers a fine performance
as the American young man who befriends a Hassidic Jew and assimilates the Jewish lifestyle. Their friendship is rocky at best. His Jewish friend has been raised by a strict father who
upholds the traditonal and orthodox way of life (he's even got him engaged to another Jewish girl)ad shuns modern thinking. He is against the Zionist movement which sought to make Israel its own free state, but the Father in this film believes only God and his Messiah can deliver them. Never has a movie been more embracing of the Jewish faith and old traditions than this movie.
Hebrew music is authentically used. The overwhelming sadness and horror hits you when they feature clips from the slaughter of thousands of Jews in the Holocaust during Hitler's Nazi regime in Europe.

With a sad, reflective mood and a long run of time, this film does seem to be straight from the equally long novel. But it's a great film and I recommend anyone who is a fan of Potok or Robby Benson the actor. The relationship between the boys and the difference between their fathers- one father is old-fashioned and fiery while the other is peaceful, but modern. It's a look at the difference between the two distinct worlds. In the end, the Jewish boy who always wanted to practice psychiatry, is allowed by a father who finally consents. It's a moving and poignant film. The acting and the script, lifted from the book, is quite good. Why did'nt this get any recognition in the Oscars of 1982 ? Or did it ? This film is before my time but it's superb and I feel it's Oscar worthy material. You will see what I mean.

Very moving
I just saw The Chosen on TV. I had seen it once before but watched it again. It is a fascinating and well-acted story of the friendship between two teen-aged boys, a Chasidic Jew, and an observant, but secular Jew.

One reviewer complained that Maximilian Schell was too German to play a Jew. I found him very believable as the Zionist father of one of the boys. Rod Steiger as the Orthodox Rabbi was amazing. I didn't see the opening credits and couldn't guess that he was playing the part. Steiger usually chews the scenery, but here he is very restrained and moving as the father who sacrifices closeness with his son for the boy's own good.

This is a film with many levels that bears watching over again. I have not read the book, and others here have said it is better. Movies are a different experience, and this one is very good.

ahhhh, yes.
This movie was written with all of the feel-good kind of action that this man can muster. Robby Benson, go, go for me and eveyrone who must be subject to this kind of primordial browbashing. It throws me for a loop when I see it in action and by all means, it just makes sense.

Good Adaptation.
'The Chosen' the film is a good adaptation of the book. It brings the mood and athmosphere of that era. The best scene is when the father lets go of his son in the ending. Very touching just like the book. ... Read more

Reviews (113)

Still no DVD for one of the greatest crime movies in history
This is Friedkin's masterpiece and one of the greatest crime movies of all time, still horribly underrated since its box-office (half-)failure in 1985. It's even more underrated than the (good) novel it's based upon, written by Gerald Petievich, a former FBI special agent. And it's so underrated that there's still no DVD of this film released, despite its high success in VHS. Frankly, I don't understand...

Everything is surprising, everything is amazing in this movie: the first roles played by unknown - but far from bad - actors, the dark atmosphere of L.A., described as a decadent, upside down city, as fake as Masters' counterfeited bills, the haunting soundtrack composed by the Wang Chung band - hear 'City of the Angels', 'Dance all Days' and 'Wait' -, a strong editing by Bud Smith, a great photo by Robby "Paris, Texas", "Ghost Dog" Muller and of course a superb directing, despite the low budget.

As underrated as the movie, William Petersen, in his first leading role (four years after an appearance in Michael Mann's first movie, "Thief"), is perfect as a 'kamikaze' cop, who breaks the law to revenge Jim Hart, his master, partner and friend. His confrontation with great Willem Dafoe, as the charismatic, cool, pervert gangster, is the most interesting aspect of the movie. After "To Live and Die in L.A.", Petersen played Will Graham, the very first 'profiler' in movie history (created by Thomas Harris in his cult novel, "Red Dragon"), facing Hannibal 'The Cannibal' Lecter in Michael Mann's "Manhunter". And after that - and despite his starring status in blockbuster series 'CSI' -, nothing, not one single main part in movies... Can this be explainable? The car chase (the one of the 20th century!) is perfectly shot and edited, with plenty of malice, easily beating the ones in "Bullitt" and "The French Connection". But the most surprising film is that final sequence, showing the main character shot in the face... a unique plan in history.

This is a masterpiece that frankly deserves a DVD release, more than all the zero movies released every year. I got it in VHS and I've been waiting for many years now. But we have to say that William Friedkin doesn't need such a release: the DVD of his "Exorcist", still among the top list about thirty years after the film came out in theaters, seems largely enough...

Such a shame. All we can do is 'Wait', as the Wang Chung band singer says in the end...

It is about time!!! GREAT MOVIE
Richard Chance ( William Petersen), is a member of the Secret Service who loves to live on the edge, and play by his own rules. Eric Masters ( Willem Dafoe) is a master at creating counterfiet cash, and is at the top of the agency's most wanted list for killing Chance's long time partner. Now Chance is willing to do whatever it takes to take Masters down, and the line between cop and criminal is starting to run thin. Both Chance and Masters waver on both sides of the law, as they take us on a cat and mouse chase through the streets of L.A. that is extremely suspenseful and never lets up!

"To Live and Die in L.A.", has to be one of the most suspenseful and action packed crime films that I have ever seen. Director William Friedkin is best known for the films "French Connection" and "The Exorcist". However, this has to be his best film. This is the first crime film that I have ever seen, that deals solely with the Secret Service, and NOT the FBI, CIA, or the police. That alone, makes it original. Not to mention the fact, that this is the only crime film, where the hero of the story has traits of a villan and is vulnerable. Some of Petersen's actions are actually questionable. William Petersen is an outstanding actor , and I have enjoyed all of his films. Secret Serive Agent Richard Chance, is one of his best characters by far because he loves to live on the edge, and plays by his own rules. Willem Dafoe is amazing in everything he does, and Eric Masters is one of his best roles. Masters is the story's villan, who is cold, calculating, highly intelligent, charming, and extremely ruthless! You don't know whether to like the guy, or hate the guy. John Turturo and Dean Stockwell are also both outstanding in their roles. This film also has one of the most surprising and disturbing endings that I have ever seen. The soundtrack is also amazing. It is basically a Wang Chung's Greatest Hits CD. Wang Chung is one of the best 80's groups of all time. Every song used is perfect, and really drives each scene.

In my opinion, it will be extremely difficult to find a crime film better than this one. Everything about it is perfect. The story is EXTREMELY original, the acting is phenomenal, the overall suspense will keep you on the edge of your seat, and the soundtrack is amazing. All I can say, is that it about time that this film was released on DVD. An absolute must buy!!

Living And Dying Again
Director William Friedkin, the man who brought us The French Connection and The Exorcist, fell into a bit of a slump after those box office successes. To Live And Die In L.A. was the shot in the arm he needed. And while the movie is not perfect, it's still very good, and worth your time.

When a notorious, highly sophisticated counterfeiter murders his partner, Secret Service agent Richard Chance (William Petersen) launches a furious vendetta to capture the man responsible. But master counterfeiter Rick Masters (Willem Dafoe) is always just one step ahead of Chance. Clashing with one bureaucratic road block after another, Chance is forced to break the rules in order to obtain enough cash for a sting operation, in the hope of bringing Masters down. The risks he takes soon spiral out of control though, leading to a wave of violence with moral reprecussions, taking Chance down to a morally ambiguous road from which there may be no return.

One of the things that makes To Live And Die In L.A. work is the fact that the hero isn't exactly a saint. In fact, he can be as "dastardly", as the villian of the film, doing things that are just as awful. Petersen goes to those darker places and gives a great perfomance. Based on Gerald Petievich's novel, the script, written by Friedkin and Petievich, allows for plenty of drama and action. As director and the "father" of the modern car chase, Friedkin almost tops the one he crafted for the aforementioned film, The French Connection...Almost.

For its DVD debut, MGM has put together a nice special edition, complete with some fine extras. The talky audio commentary from Friedkin is a good...but I wonder if it wouldn't have turned out better if Petersen sat in for it as well? The 30 minute documentary,"Counterfeit World: The Making of To Live and Die in L.A." is a nice retropective--some info from the commentary is repeated here though. There's also a deleted scene and the very controversial alternate ending, that caused a stir at the time in '85, for all to see in a featurette. A photo gallery and the theatrical trailer top off the bonus material.

As I said at the outset, To Live And Die In L.A., is well worth a look, for both fans and newcomers alike.

DVD Edition leaves out too much of the original! Beware!
Having seen the movie To Live And Die In L.A. many times on VHS, I was very anxious to own a copy on DVD. Clearly the picture and sound quality have been improved.

However, what I did not expect was for the studio to cut out so many important and pivotal scenes that are essential to develop the story and its characters.

They have BUTCHERED this film when they re-produced it on DVD, and I feel like I have been ripped-off.

I sincerely hope the producer and distributors of this DVD are notified of this gross error in judgement and re-edit the film to include the key scenes that were omitted.

It is truely a shame that they have ruined such a terrific movie classic!

YAY
I actually bought my dvd back in January, and it was a case of me walking by telling my friends about this movie (which they had never heard of) and lo and behold, there it was!!! I saw this movie probably a year after it came out and was VERY EXCITED to see it finally released on DVD (i could never find the VHS version anywhere anymore).
This has got to be one of my favorite movies of all time ( i have been a William Petersen fan since this movie and Manhunter) and the soundtrack score just adds to it! I do plan on ordering the soundtrack very soon! This is one of those movies that if you have seen it, you have a great appreciation for it. Too bad it didn't get the respect it deserved for it's time, but for those who do remember it and love it, continue to enjoy it!! I know I will! ... Read more

Reviews (71)

Cool Vampire Flick
Catherine Deneuve and David Bowie were cast well as an evil vampire couple. Susan Sarandon was also good in her role as a scientist. The film is about a vampire couple, Miriam(Deneuve) and John(Bowie). John, out of nowhere, starts aging very rapidly and has no idea why. So, he seeks the help of Sarah Roberts. Sarah Roberts (Sarandon) is a scientist who is studying the aging process. However, Sarah is unable to help John and he eventually dies.

Sarah is very interested about John's aging problem. So, out of curiosity, she visits Miriam (John's wife), and they form a sexual relationship. Immediately after Sarah and Miriam make love, Sarah feels very ill and has these weird urges. The movie was pretty entertaining for the most part, and I gave it three stars because I had a hard time understanding what was going on by the middle of the movie. You'll like this one if you like sexy horror movies.

Underrated and refreshing vampire flick
Director Tony Scott's (in his directorial debut) unique visual flair is the highlight of this early 80's film which takes a different look at vampires. David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve play John and Miriam; a luxurious vampire couple who prey upon young club-goers for blood, but when John begins to age rapidly (yes, vampires can age as well as walk in the sunlight in this film), Miriam finds a new mate in a scientist John had met who is studying the aging process (Susan Sarandon). The Hunger isn't your usual vampire flick, but that is quite a good thing here and is part of what makes The Hunger so unique. The film is horrifying, erotic, tragic, and darkly humerous sometimes all at once, and those looking for a different kind of horror or vampire film should definitely check this film out.

Sensual Feast Not to be Missed
This movie evokes sensuality, not just from the sexual scenes, in fact those are incidental to the haunting music, the flapping of dove's wings in the attic, the crumbling of aged bodies - all this behind the veil of the music. Then there is the poinancy of the lifestyle the characters are seduced into and the inevitability of that lifestyle. This is my favorite vampire movie of all time and on my top 10 movies of all time. Once you have seen the movie, you will understand my review.

Vampire Vogue
This is director Tony Scott's treatise on style. From the opening in a "new wave" club (featuring Bauhaus' "Bela Lugosi Is Dead") to the closing shot on a balcony overlooking Manhattan, appearance is everything. This is an observation, not a complaint.

The cast is uniformly good. Catherine Deneuve is hard and glamorous. Susan Sarandon is open and, um, hungry. David Bowie is, well I won't spoil it for you but the performance is fine.

Music is deftly used throughout the film. The Bauhaus sets a tone of dread and anticipation. The Shubert piece is haunting and sorrowful and used so well it suggests more depth than the movie possesses.

The "Flower Duet" from "Lakme" was used here before it became a cliche and it's used well--Deneuve uses it to seduce Sarandon in a scene that is probably the most erotic that I have ever seen (coming from a gay man that is quite a compliment).

The themes of aging love and the quest for more life (Harold Bloom would be proud) still work. The cult of "Donnie Darko" would do well with this one. Also fans of both sitcom TV and performance art will enjoy the cameo from Ann Magnuson.

Not quite a classic but well worth your time.

FEAST!
FINALLY ON DVD ! ONE OF THE MOST ELEGANT AND startling movies ever made about 'Vampires' rivalled perhaps by 'Interview with a Vampire'?

DENEUVE, BOWIE, SARANDON trio in this forbidden tale of superior elegance and [give or take] possibly one of the most sensual scenes on screen ever seen [between Deneuve and Sarandon].

Trouble is Deneuve is this ancient vampire - the embodyment of elegance and culture - she takes a lover every two hundred years - seems they last briefly - like cut flowers - then age rapidly but don't die. So into the coffin with the remains .... so she has quite an entourage of sarcophogi stashed upstairs in her New York pad. She also selectively teaches music - perhaps selecting another mate?

Bowie is the current companion - suddenly stricked by 'the age' -Sarandon is the doc. specilizing in the 'reason behind age' .... Sarandon slowly discovers the secret ......

This one's a guilty pleasure - worth watching over and over again - splendid cinematopgraphy [very hazy], artsy costumes, and a great classical score to boot.

Rivalled only by DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS - another super elegant piece of wit with Delphine Seyrige [could be Deneuve's double!]

Watch out for those ANKH's though! ... Read more

Description

This 2-disc set contains the entire first season of 22 fullepisodes including the pilot!Get ready for romance and hilariousbickering in the Big Apple.Join Jamie and Paul Buchman (Academy Awardwinner Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser) as they navigate marriage in this 6time Emmy Award winning series. ... Read more

Reviews (55)

An Awful Way To Treat a Great Show...
While "Mad About You" would go on to become one of the definitive sitcoms of the 1990s, its first season was a little rocky. To be certain, much of the later greatness could been seen (especially at the beginning and end of the season), but rotating characters and a few truly awful episodes made for a rocky start for this series.

The first season showed that Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt had great chemistry together as newlyweds Paul and Jamie Buchman, but many of their friends had difficult beginnings - especially Paul's friends Selby (who disappears by episode 13) and Ira (who appears, initially, as an even less-likeable version of the eternal bachelor Selby). The episodes that really stand out from the season are the ones that deal with Paul and Jamie's newlywed issues - how they met, whether Paul should give up his old bachelor pad, their first anniversary - but there are also some truly unfortunate episodes from the season, especially Jerry Lewis' execrable turn as an eccentric billionaire. Likewise, the first episode featuring Paul's father shows only a little of the depth that his family would later have. All that aside, though, the first season is definitely strong enough to want to buy - unless, of course, you look at the discs from a technical perspective.

While the price for the series is great, I would happily have seen them add another ten or twenty dollars to the price tag to have another disc. Not only is the set devoid of any extras (save multilingual tracks), but the compression of 11 episodes on to each disc makes each look impressively bad on a laptop or HDTV system. On a normal TV from six feet or more away, it looks fine, but I pity the person taking this set with them on an airplane flight.

All in all, it'd hard not to be disappointed in this release. I'm always glad to see more TV series released in full-season formats on DVD, but presentations such as this make you very disappointed in the companies that release them. Maybe Columbia-Tristar will get the hint for Season 2 and put out a much better release. It would be a shame to see them stop with this season just because they did a bad job with it technically.

The First Season
I recently bought the first season of "Mad About You" on Amazon.com. A great buy - all 22 episodes on two great discs, in fantastic packaging, and what a fabulous price! I just hope they keep releasing the seasons as it would be a shame not to.

This is a great show, and as I've only ever seen the first season, I'm not aware of the discrepancies many have mentioned between it and the latter seasons.

Essentially a claustrophobic (but in a good way) sitcom featuring 2 neurotic New Yorkers in love, slowly but surely finding their way through the pitfalls of the first few months of marriage. It can be somewhat annoying at times, and over-talkey, but essenitally it is a charming little show.

The weakest episode of the first season is 'The Billionaire', featuring a loud and extremely irratating guest appearance by Jerry Lewis, this is an unfunny and basically boring episode - although guest star Steven Wright along with the regular cast do their best to make it work; unfortunately, Lewis just blows them all away with his attention-seeking performance.

'Pilot' is a great episode, a nice introduction to the series, and paralells well with the finale 'Anniversary' (Jamie and Paul - played by the excellent Helen Hunt and the very funny Paul Reiser respectively - have sex on their kitchen table again, leaving their friends in the living room).

'Swept Away', 'The Man Who Said Hello', 'Weekend Getaway', 'Sofa's Choice', 'Sunday Times' ... and more - they're all excellent.

21 fantastic episodes (and even the awful Lewis episode has one or two moments) in a great collection. More please!

Oh and by the way, best line of the first series, issued by Jamie regarding Connie and Warren: "It's like a David Lynch version of WHEN HARRY MET SALLY". Excellent, and so very true!!

A true classic of 1990's comedy
The early years of Mad About You were some of the finest half-hour comedies around in the 1990's. It was refreshing to see a series about a young couple who were going through the early stages of a marriage, as opposed to so many series about well-established marriages. Paul (Paul Reiser) and Jamie (Helen Hunt) were two very well fleshed out characters that you could believe in, and more so when they went through all the little ups and downs a real life couple goes through. (i.e. buying a couch as a couple as opposed to as single people) And while not everything about the show was their realistic (the size of their apartment), you believed these really could be two real-life people.

The fact you were watching a show about newlyweds though was reinforced even more by the other married couple on the show, Mark (Richard Kind) and Fran (Leila Kenzle). This was your established couple. The couple who had gotten over the initial romance of the first few years of marriage, had had a child, and were now dealing with how to keep their marriage still interesting. Without giving away to much about the first season though, their characters probably had the most significant character arc of the first season as they end up in a much different place in their lives at the end of the season.

A contrast was also added for Jamie's seeming perfection in the form of her older sister, Lisa (Anne Elizabeth Ramsay). A serial dater with more perceived psychological problems than you could shake a stick at, she was almost like the Anti-Jamie. She was a great character, and luckily used in moderation. If used much more then she was, she could have quite quickly irritated the viewers.

The first season was not all smooth waters though. The character of Paul's best friend, Selby (played by Tommy Hinkley) never seemed to mix correctly with the rest of the cast, or really fulfill any purpose. For some reason though, when they reinvented the "trouble making" character as Cousin Ira (John Pankow), it worked like a charm. I hate to blame Mr. Hinkley, but you have to wonder why it didn't work.

While the show is top notch, the DVD presentation leaves something to desire. Non-existent extras is a notable flaw. At least some commentary tracks would have been nice. The most notable flaw though is the order of the episodes. While episode 2 being shown as episode 4 is somewhat forgivable, the reversal of episodes 21 and 22 is not. If you buy this set, make sure to flip the last two episodes, because as presented, the fake 21 references the fake 22 heavily. So again, make sure to watch 22 and THEN 21.

While I give the show itself 5 stars, I can only give the DVD set three.

Whoo-hoo
There's nothing like staying at home and watching Mad About You, no matter what season it is. I can't wait for the third season to come out.

Good!
Mad About You was one of my favorite sitcoms in the 90s and I think the first season was pretty good and I think Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt are terrific as Paul and Jamie and I recommend this show. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Derivative fluff from 1987, made tolerable by its bawdy exuberance and an appealing performance by Michael J. Fox, who was still enjoying TV stardom and the career momentum he earned by traveling Back to the Future. Here he plays a Kansas farm boy who dreams of scoring big in New York City, but reality turns out to be brutal to his ambition. When his uncle (Richard Jordan) gives him a mail-room job in the high-rise headquarters of a major corporation, Fox occupies an empty office and poses as a young executive, winning the attention of a lovely young colleague (Helen Slater) and having an affair with his boss's wife (Margaret Whitton). Sporadically amusing as a yuppie comedy and rather off-putting as a wannabe sex farce, the movie's still recommendable for its lively cast and a breezy style that almost succeeds in updating the conventions of vintage screwball comedy. Whitton is a standout performer here, so you may wonder why her comedic talent has been underrated, apart from a good role in the first two Major League movies. This may be little more than a big-screen sitcom, but it's not without its charms. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (19)

It's Michael!
"The Secret of My Success" owes all its minimal success to the casting of Michael J. Fox, one of the most likable screen presences in all of film history. In "Back to the Future," he was the overwhelmed high schooler who accidentally traveled back in time to 1955 and had to find a way back. In "Teen Wolf," he was the highschooler turned into a werewolf. In "The Hard Way," one of the best cop-buddy films of all time, he was the eager-to-please Hollywood actor trying to do some good-natured research.

All his roles fall back on the Sweet Guy persona. In "The Secret of My Success," he plays Brantley, a Kansas boy who makes the big move to the Big Apple, where he lands a job at his uncle Howard's (Richard Jordan) firm. He gradually makes his way up the ladder as a mail boy, but his real break comes when he is mistaken for a higher-up and tries to woo hard-to-get girl Christy (Helen Slater), a beautiful co-worker of the company who buys Brantley's job position.

Simple premise, but it becomes all the more entangled when Brantley has to run back and forth between different job positions, changing clothes in the elevator and getting in a heated affair with his uncle's wife (played by Margaret Whitton), the kind of lady who doesn't take no for an answer.

The film's amorality is what struck me on multiple viewings. It sort of seems dirty and unclean -- Brantley's a farm boy but he's eager to get in a romance with his aunt. The casual sexuality of the film is what, ultimately, makes it sort of disturbing, and also sort of memorable, as odd as that may sound.

Fox shines in the lead role, and with any other actor the film would simply fall flat on its face. And, to be honest, a film like this could never be made nowadays -- I can imagine Jim Carrey in such a role, but the outcome would be wholly different. The eighties were an entire generation of comedy unto themselves. A lot of people love the comedies from the eighties because so many were made with so little thought and yet a lot of heart, kind of like "The Secret of My Success." Its mediocrity is what drives it, amazingly, but also its heart, and so many comedies nowadays lack the heart of the comedies from the eighties.

I come back to "The Secret of My Success" a lot, probably because I saw it on TV when I was younger and it's been in my head ever since. It's a routine film that's hardly recommendable, but I actually enjoy it a lot the more I watch it, and it has a kind of frenetic comedic energy that most of the films of the genre are lacking nowadays.

The script, by Jim Cash nd Jack Epps Jr., seems as though it were one from an earlier decade. It has a delightful sweetness to it that's simply not unnoticeable.

I understand how many would dislike this film. The critic Roger Ebert gave "The Secret of My Success" 1.5/4 stars upon its inital release in 1987. I can't say I wouldn't have, either, if I were in his shoes. But comedies, over time, sort of grow on you, and this is one of those cases.

It's not as good as "Back to the Future," or "The Hard Way," but it's a lot like Fox's "Teen Wolf" (1985): fast-paced, extremely routine, cliched, flawed, and lots of fun. Don't miss this one, even if it isn't exactly the pinnacle of comedy.

Fluffy, delightful, fun.
I think a good test of how good or bad a movie is, is by how long it feels. Some 90 m. movies feel like three hours and vice versa. Secret of My Success feels like a half an hour. That's pretty good.

Brantley moves from Kansas to NYC in order to make it in the corporate world. Problem: he gets laid off even before he starts. He's a trooper, though, and doesn't want to run home with his tail between his legs so he goes to his Uncle Howard for a job. It's not exactly what Brantley envisioned as he is stuck in the mailroom. Using corporate bureaucracy against itself, he manages to swing a job as a vice-president. It gets pretty funny from there as Brantley tries to maintain two identities without being found out. The elevator scenes are priceless!

This movie is the definitive eighties comedy. Michael J. Fox gets to showcase his screwball comedy antics and the rest of the cast is equally fine. Helen Slater stands out as a female executive that manages to break through the glass ceiling only to be pressed up against it and fondled by the smarmy CEO. "Auntie Vera" is also a hoot as the sex-starved wife of Uncle Howard.

The DVD doesn't offer too much in the way of extras, but that's okay because the movie alone is worth having on disc. Get this one right away.

QUIRKY COMEDY FROM THE EIGHTIES
A fairly strong recommendation for a charming feel-good entertainer about a young gun making it to the top, starting of course from the mail roon. We might as well have called it "The secret of how I succeeded without really trying". The script is thus obviously doozy and relies on some major implausible situational gaffes, but the energy of Michael Fox and the brilliant comic timing of Margaret Whitton as his aunt makes it all borderline credible. Plus, the snappy final half hour is the best part of the film, with some thoughtful romance thrown in for good measure. I guess we all have a hint of Bradley (Fox' character) buried in ourselves. A fun rental to lighten things up.

New York here we come
this is a graet Michael J fox movie. its about a man who is liveing to lifes. he gets a job in new york at his uncles company as a mail boy. then he makes himslef out to be a new employee with a desk job and a secrotery. that may be confusing but trust me is a good movie. If you like Michael J fox i would say go rent it or buy it

Michael J. Fox's performance makes up for some big holes
It has dawned on me that I have probably used "The Secret of My Succe$s" as an example in class more than just about any other film ever made. Part of the reason is that most students have seen this film, so I am likely to get nods of recognition more than if I mention "Battleship Potemkin" or "Citizen Kane." This 1987 comedy tells the story of Brantley Foster (Michael J. Fox), who heads from his family's farm in Kansas to the Big Apple to put his business degree to use, but all he can get is a job in the mail room of a firm owned by a distant uncle (Richard Jordan). Brantley comes up with a short cut but there comes a moment when he has to step up to the plate and impress a group of potential investors with a brilliant idea. We see Brantley explain but his idea to an enthralled group of rich businessmen, but...WE HEAR NOTHING. The script by Jim Cash & Jack Epps, Jr. and AJ Carothers ("and" does not mean the same thing as "&" in Hollywood) could not come up with anything good enough to carry the scene so they just turned up the music and figured if we had enjoyed the movie to that point and if we liked Michael J. Fox then we would just buy this and proceed to the happy ending.

Contrast this with the movie that might be the one I mention second most in class, "The Karate Kid," and the great scene where Mr. Miyagi explains to Daniel-san that "sand the floor" means a whole lot than he ever imagined. That is the sort of scene that makes an entire movie, and "The Secret of My Success" has a big hole where that scene should be. There are more holes in this film, which allow Brantley to create the persona of Carlton Whitfield, a young executive in a previous empty office (being in the mailroom has its advantages in such a scheme) and provide a fairy godmother in the person of his Aunt Vera (Margaret Whitton). Meanwhile, Brantley (or Whitfield, depending on your perspective), is interested in Christy Wills (Helen Slater), who is introduced in the most erotic display of drinking from a water fountain in the history of American cinema.

This is Michael J. Fox's movie and his engaging performance forgives most of the film's faults in this mindless comedy (mindless in that you will like the film if you mind the holes in it less). Actually, I was amazed to really see how many stupid things happen in "The Secret of My Succe$s," but I still like Fox's performance. If nothing else, this film is a reminder that Fox was a gifted physical comedien. The world of business does not come out looking well, but then it is hard to find too many movies in the past twenty years that make you think kindly towards big business. ... Read more

Book Description

Mystery?! Well, it shouldn't be, but Connie and Dylan have gotten caught up in a mystery movie and suddenly every visitor to Whit's End looks suspicious to them.There are laughs and chills galore as Eugene tries to temper things with reason, while Connie and Dylan are positive that a stranger stranded by a storm is actually an escapee from a nearby prison!It's all downhill from there as the misguided trio learns a valuable lesson about the power of things we put into our minds.

Reviews (4)

If you haven't seen it, please do
Gets better every time I see it. One of the best movies made in recent years hands down.

nice ending
It is amazing how the mind works when it is in jeopardy. I became a fan of Glenne Headly in this movie.

A superb thriller/drama with a terrible miscalculation
Alan Rudolph's Mortal Thoughts is a drama about murder, not movie murder where a hitmen shoots a guy dead with rock music on the soundtrack, but real-life murder, where the killer/killers have a crises of conscience, act with shock, disbelief and paranoia.

The film is set around two couples, James (Bruce Willis) & Joyce(Glenne Headly)and Cynthia(Demi Moore) & Arthur (John Pankow). The film starts out as a pitch black comedy, with Bruce Willis giving an excellent performance as the loud, abusive and downright nasty James. His wife Joyce played by the lovely Glenne Headly is a neurotic who is constantly half kidding her best friend Cynthia about how she would like to kill him. The whole movie is carefully framed with a detective (Harvey Kietel) asking Cynthia questions about one or several crimes. Slowly the flashbacks reveal the events as if they were happening in real time, and the film's momentum builds to a point where it becomes an unbearably tense drama.

The murder or murders in Mortal Thoughts are not commited by a movie-physcopath, but people who have lost their nerve. Throught out the film they have to clean up after it, hide evidence and virtually go insane in the proccess. It the documentary like portrayel of the murders and the first rate acting that makes this film so much better then the countless other murder mysteries you may have seen.

The film however does have one major flaw. After slowly revealing its cards with tense intorrogation scenes the ending is a complete cop out. Without giving anything away, I will say that after working so hard on revealing the facts in the detective's questioning, the truth is unveiled by us seeing the thoughts of one of the major characters. This is not only cheating, but it also leaves a second major crime unresolved.

Despite this, I highly reccomend you see this film. It has a certain truthfulness that makes it more unerving then many serial killer movies.

This is a great suspense movie!
I have watched this movie twice and enjoyed it very much. It really surprises you at the end! ... Read more

Amazon.com

George A. Romero monkeys with nature in this gripping and fearful tale based on the novel by Michael Stewart. Allan Mann (John Beghe) is a law student who's hit by a truck while jogging, leaving him a quadriplegic. Luckily, his scientist friend Geoffrey (John Pankow) is experimenting with capuchin monkeys, making them smarter with injections of human genetic material. Geoffrey arranges with Melanie (Kate McNeil)--who's working on an experimental program that matches monkeys with paraplegics to perform guide-dog functions--to train his prize subject, Ella (Boo), to act as Allan's helper. Allan is paralyzed from the neck down, confined to a wheelchair he moves by working a lever with his mouth. He's really vulnerable. Ella can fetch things and do errands, and a real emotional bond develops between Mann and monkey. Too strong a bond, it turns out, as Allan begins to experience dreams from the monkey's-eye view (capuchin-cam), Ella's boosted intelligence giving her the residual benefit of a telepathic ability in which the monkey begins to act out Allan's subconscious rage. Allan's nurse, former girlfriend, doctor, even his mother are terrorized by the creepy capuchin, leading to a showdown between Ella and Allan himself. With Allan trapped in a house, alone with a super-intelligent and malevolent monkey, there is plenty of suspense to make you rip holes in your upholstery. But perhaps even more tension could have been wrung out of this story if Ella had been more sympathetic (being as she was the victim of a scientific experiment gone bad), her wicked antics the acts of a kind of exterminating angel. Performances are brilliant by both Ella and Jason Beghe, who turns in one of cinema's most accurate and intelligent depictions of a high-level quadriplegic character. --Jim Gay ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Romero's best
I never cared too much for Romero's zombie movies, but I've always thought "Monkey Shines" is an extremely good movie. -His best, actually. It's a brilliant script, and the acting is superb. A very suspensful movie from start to finish. I have the first of its two DVD releases from MGM, but unfortunately the piture quality is not all that sharp (-only slightly better than VHS, I'd say), and therefore no more than acceptable. This is not the first somewhat sloppy disc from MGM, so they better shape up if they want happy costumers. -In their defense I must add that I haven't seen the newest edition, but this Hitchcock-like thriller deserves to look a lot better than this.

One of the forgotten gems of the 80's
"Night of the Living Dead" fanatics will disagree, but in my opinion "Monkey Shines" represents George Romero at the top of his game. (Okay, I love "Creepshow", too.) It is one of the most well-crafted suspense movies I have ever seen. It takes a potentially ludicrous scenario and knocks your socks off with it. A quadriplegic law student named Alan (excellently played by the underrated actor Jason Beghe), develops a psychic bond with his nurse-maid monkey, Ella. Alan understandably has a short temper and no sense of humor about his condition; he's not aware, however, that the confused but well-meaning Ella has been acting upon his violent revenge fantasies. It all comes to a head one dark and stormy night when Ella finally goes over the edge and menaces her master endlessly, despite vain rescue attempts by his pals.
How many ways can a little monkey torment a grown man? Plenty, it turns out, if you can't move like Alan. His claustraphobia and terror are wonderfully and effectively splashed across the screen by both Beghe and Romero's camera. The supporting cast, especially the two actors playing his overbearing mother and his best friend Geoffrey (forgive me, I can't remember their names at the moment), is superb. And if the suspense-packed final 30 minutes of this movie don't give you goosebumps a-plenty, you'd better check your pulse.
A couple flaws:
1. An overly cheesy ending preceded by a lame "final scare" (which I hear was forced upon Romero by the studio).
2. A bizarre sex scene which induces either head-scratching confusion or incredulous laughter.
3. The whole "mad scientist" aspect of the plot: WHY exactly does Geoffrey's intelligence-boosting potion wind up linking Ella to Alan psycically? Not explained.
But these flaws are far from fatal. They can be easily ignored, in favor of the immense enjoyment factor of the movie as a whole. Spooky, suspenseful, and frequently touching, it's a great "popcorn" movie. Bravo, George!

Killer Psycho Monkey
This is actually one of the funniest movies ive ever seen in my life. From the killer psycho monkey to the man in the wheelchair, this movie will have you roaring in laughter. Although this movie is disguised as a horror, it is actually a comedy(not meant to be a comedy.) When you see this little monkey kill someone it is so funny that if your parents walked in on you theyd think you are on drugs because you are laughing so hard at something so stupid.But this is whats so great about the movie, its so stupid that its funny. I mean they never even explain why this monkey testicals kills people, it just goes on a killing rampage and doesn't stop until it feeds it thirst for blood. This is definately a must see movie.Everyone who talks negatively about this movie is either blind or has no sense of humor.

The greatest movie since Tremors
I was blown away by this movie. This is a very artsey movie and the screen play is fantastic. I laughed through a lot of the movie, but it was filled with suspense. I recommened this movie to everyone, it is a great movie. Yale is better then Harvard Will, yes it is.

Holy Monkey!
This was the funniest movie I have ever seen and should definitely be re-released in the movie theaters so the younger generations can experience the wonderful tale of "Monkey Shines." While select scenes are a tad on the vulger side (a.k.a. the sex scene--what was that!?)the rest of the movie is burned in my mind forever as the best movie ever to play in the theater.
P.S.-Shout out to the swim team-I know all of you truly love "Monkey Shines" ... Read more

Amazon.com

In 1978 Italy, anarchy is in the air as the Red Brigades keep the country in a state of terror. Reporter David (Andrew McCarthy) moves blithely among the mayhem; after all, he's an American citizen and untouchable, right? When the manuscript for his political novel, patterned after the Brigades, falls into the wrong hands, it draws the unwelcome attentions of the Brigades, the police, and aggressive American photojournalist Allison (Sharon Stone) and lands David in hot water. Director John Frankenheimer took an overworked plot and made the best of it, though McCarthy is a bit puny as David. As would be expected in a Frankenheimer effort, though, the action segments shine with lithe editing and Frankenheimer's instincts for composition and camera work. The riots and chase segments make use of Rome's cityscape, calling to mind Euro-thrillers of the period. Stone is compelling as the foolhardy photographer, with some torrid sex scenes with McCarthy. Though not on a par with The Manchurian Candidate or Seven Days in May, Year of the Gun is a decent action film that goes a long way toward capturing the political and social chaos that was '70s Italy. --Jerry Renshaw ... Read more

Reviews (5)

The Movie is Better than the Book
This is one of those occasions where the film beats the book.

The greatest enemy of this movie has nothing to do with the film. It has to do with the fact that how many viewers will care enough about Italy and its communist 70's problems.

Dialogue is dialogue unless its written by Ed Wood. The twists in the plot are enough to keep you watching. And you may even be surprised.

Polical films require the viewer to accept some amazing coincidences, the kind of coincidences that occurred in "The Day of the Jacket," which is referred to in this film also.

The film didn't and wouldn't win an award, and who cares who the director is. The novel was thin also, but again, there is no international intrigue, just an American caught in a duplicious situation.

Caution!
This DVD does not have english subtitles for the Italian dialogue. Some minor plot points are not clearly expressed because of this (Unless of course you are fluent in Italian). The old VHS versions have the english translations.
The film itself suffers from its flaws. The plot is a bit convoluted but still acceptable. Andrew McCarthy, John Pankow, and Sharon Stone all deliver somewhat lifeless performances. The already bland script is diminished by the poor delivery from the actors, and some questionable editing. The cinematography vacillates between bland and wonderful.
Despite all of its problems, I still manage to like this film. It is a must for any Frankenheimer devotee, also for any admirer of the wonderful Valeria Golino.

To tackle domestic terrorism
It is easy to knock this movie for its already mentioned shortcomings (not all of which are that serious). Yes, this is a real life story of the assasination of Aldo Moro fictionalized, courtesy of John Frankenheimer. But this is Italy in the 1970's, so why worry ?
Is there any contemporary U.S. director ready to tackle a domestic terrorism story ? David Lynch, perhaps ? "Matrix" hacks ? Coen Brothers ? I do not see any impulse in the contemporary Holywood to join the events forming the U.S. global
policy approach, just the customary bunk employing Vim Diesel
and his ilk. What a waste of dramatic potential... What a waste of all these writers hopelessly stuck in their cozy "cold war" track. It is all about a formula, isn't it ? It should be about "worldview", intelligent grasp of contemporary affairs, and, above all, about anti-Grisham revolt.. Once we abolish "Grisham" mentality, we edge closer to reality.Can these hacks retool in time, before the whole thing overtakes them because the "political correctness" ?? But I am afraid, the film-music composers will defend Grisham and his ilk to the death. The Cold War of old was good to the film music mainly, and also to writers who tried to emulate Tolkien, because the reality seemed to.
THEY WERE WRONG !!! All except Solzhenitsyn,for he knew what he was after.
My bet is - Clint Eastwood will likely come up with something that smacks of Globalpolitik and is also exciting. And the style will (and should) be ivolving Neo-Realistic amateur actors plus an inspired director combination, just like in Vittorio De Sicca or Lucchino Visconti times. Who needs Tom Cruise, Gwyneth Paltrow, etal., you know what I mean ? I myself could act in a film that means SOMETHING, but then I could not be in a movie where they would make me act phony, right ?
BUT, I watch these phony movies all the time and then I get out of the house and see how true to life they are. Do I dare to ask anyone anything ? They all assume we are on the same wavelength because of the media available to us all. How do I tell them that there is a short-wawe radio service that tells of different opinions, if you speak British English or Australian English or South-African English, not to mention if you speak or understand any other language. You would learn a bit more.

A Small And Forgettable But Decent Frankenheimer Movie
I rented this movie merely because I was in the mood for an action movie. "Year Of The Gun" is one of the more passable films that Frankenheimer has made in recent years.

In 1978, Italy is politically divided over the terrorist group The Red Brigades. An American journalist(Andrew McCarthy) is writing a fictional novel about The Red Brigades and the storyline coincidentally presages the actual terrorist plans of the group. The Brigades steal a manuscript of the novel and consider McCarthy to be a threat. As a result, McCarthy is on the run for his own life.

"Year Of The Gun" is a modest and unmemorable but decent Frankenheimer thriller. The acting is mostly wooden and the story has some logic problems. The film also features a very poorly executed bank robbery-sequence. As a Frankenheimer picture, "YOTG" doesn't come close to matching such great films as "Seven Days In May," "The Manchurian Candidate," and "Black Sunday." Nevertheless, "YOTG" actually manages to be one of the more decent thrillers that Frankenheimer has made in recent years. "YOTG" is only slightly inferior to "Ronin." The movie generates a reasonable amount of suspense. The picture also has none of the blatant ludicrousness that has plagued many of Frankenheimer's post-1960s films.

"YOTG" is a forgettable but decent time killer.

great idea, awful execution
What a shame that such an interesting idea for a story was botched so, so badly. The acting and dialogue are damnable, and certain segments are pretentious in the extreme. Thankfully most of the movie is bad in a very conventional way.

This is one film that I hope gets remade someday with more competence. Frankenheimer is usually reliable, but goodness me, this movie fails with a vengeance. ... Read more