Reviews (3)

Surprise Surprise
Just finished watching Back in the Day and I honestly have nothing but good things to say about the movie.While I'm sure it will come as no surprise that Ving did his thing what was very surprising is how well Ja performed.James Hunter,the director, needs to be given credit not only for a well written and shot movie but also for coaching that performance out of Ja.This is one for the collection, not to be missed.

I LOVE THIS MOVIE! VINGVINGBABY!
VING DID HIS THANG!
I LOVE THE SCENES IN THE MOVIE!
YOU GET MY POINT? (SMILE)

I DON'T LIKE JA RULE'S MUSIC BUT, HE DID A WONDERFUL ACTING JOB!
5 STAR MOVIE *****

THANKS BET! FOR SHOWING IT LASTNIGHT!
THEY HAD IT FIRST BEFORE THE STORES!
GO BET!!!!!!!!

HOW DID THEY PULL THAT OFF?
IT COMES OUT MAY 24TH

Ja Rule at his best!!!
I just finished watching Back in the Day.I thouroughly enjoyed this movie.I don't care what is said about Ja Rule, but this guy has a natural talent.You can't fake natural talent.I think he's a great addition to films!Ving Rhames did his thing too.What did you expect?He's a veteran!I give much props to each and everyone who had anything to do with this movie...they did a wonderful job!!!EXCELLENT!!! ... Read more

Amazon.com

The "Forget it, Jake, this is Chinatown" line in this well-cast contemporary noir comes near the story's end, when a female truck driver tells wounded fugitive-cop Harry Collins (Ray Liotta) that the desert town of Phoenix--built on sand and sustained by diverted water--has "no right to exist." Well, that would explain the sense of blurred virtue and vice portrayed in this film, the tale of a detective with a gambling problem and his three partners (Anthony LaPaglia, Daniel Baldwin, Jeremy Piven) manifesting varying levels of corruption. Written by Eddie Richey and directed by Danny Cannon, this expletive-rich and violent movie immediately strikes one as yet another Tarantino knock-off. But a handful of genuinely original ideas and scenes, aided immeasurably by a terrific cast that almost seems to lunge at the roles (including Anjelica Huston as an angry bartender who could let herself drift into an affair with Harry), keeps this drama on track. Yes, the plot does include an obligatory screwed-up heist mishandled by the male principals (wearing animal masks--how original!). But in the hands of Liotta and his pals, it all seems well worth it. Nice marks, too, for Tom Noonan's weird portrayal of a cruel bookie, Giancarlo Esposito's poisonous work as a loan shark, and Kari Wuhrer's all-too-brief scenes as a faithless wife. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Good Flick
What happens when all the cops are bad, but in different degrees. Liotta is as corrupt as they come, but he's got a soft spot. Good action, good flick.

God is this movie awesome
I'm so happy I have this in my dvd collection. Ray Liotta is a great actor of our time. We should all appreciate his presence onscreen. Want to watch another incredible performance by Ray: Watch "NARC".

Spellbinding.
Okay, to start off, this movie uses a Tarintino plot ... . LA Confidential was the obvious inspiration. Back to the movie, this movie was amazing and Liota was incredible.

Dreadful collection of cliches
A boring, predictable film with every plot and visual cliche in the book. I simply got tired of the pointless, meandering plotline. Halfway through the film, I realized that virtually every single scene change began with someone lighting a cigarette, and it then became humorous and ridiculous to watch the cliched cigarette lighting routine every 30 seconds.

A yawnfest, I only watched the whole thing because there was nothing else on TV.

Where's RAY LIOTTA's Oscar for this one!
RAY LIOTTA is an incredible and intense actor and this movie showcases his talent better that any movie I've seen. And that's saying a lot. I have to say that RAY is one of the most underated actors to have ever graced the Silver Screen. Everyone should see this amazing movie. RAY was cast as the lead character in this film and rightly so. (He was also co-producer.) His 'Harry Collins' as a cop with a gambling problem lets us see a person losing his self-respect but still living by a code of ethics that won't let him welsh on a bet. Right there you know this guy is setting himself up for big trouble, which finds him, in spades (so to speak). Damn, this man can act!! As we watch him resort to ever desperate measures to get out of the mess he's in, you hope against hope that his bad luck will turn. Not helping matters are his cop buddies who even offer to whack his bookie, Chicago, for him! He declines the offer. He's got a better plan. Why not rob Louie, the loan shark instead? Yeah, why not? How do you think it's going to turn out? (For more information on this movie, check out the AllLiotta.com website. Not only is there a review but lots of pictures as well.) ... Read more

Reviews (2)

very good movie
this movie is a really good thriller, it keeps you on you toes throughout the whole movie. If you like thriller movies then you will love this one.

There is a mystery to be solved.
Bridgette Wilson is beautiful and fascinating as a surrogate mother with a hidden agenda. The mystery is her motive. I thought it was a real challenge to try and keep straight in my mind who was the mother of the baby. Beware of being mislead by the last line in the movie. Adoption is NOT less complicated than surrogacy. ... Read more

Description

In this sequel willy has rejoined his whale family, or pod, and is living in the pacific northwest seas. Jesse and Willy meet again when an oceanic disaster separates willy, his brother and sister from the rest of their pod. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Good subject, lousy implementation, worse than the 1st.
I have to ask some of the people who RAVED about this movie if they actually were awake during the whole thing...

The computer generated graphics can not compare to real whales, sorry. I'm a big fan of computer generated images, but not this time.

The story is stretched to levels of disbelief that I didn't believe imaginable.

It's not horrible, but it's not as good as the first movie.

Kids will love it more than adults, that's for sure.

The subject matter is great. I love a good eco/bio movie any day but it could have been done better.

The little bit of budding romance was actually done reasonably well.

Net: I own it, only cuz the wife bought it. I wouldn't have. I've seen it twice, but other than that, it's tough to get through it without laughing. I know, I'm probably much too critical on this one, but hey, sometimes ya just gotta say "YO."

You might want to rent it before you think about buying it.

The Adventure Home Brings It Home!
Sure, everyone is going to make fun of Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home because everyone thinks Willy got home, right? No way! This movie is way rad, better than the original. Although it is a bit predictable (and silly), it has a strong plot, young love, that same 'save the whales' message, the cute Jason James Richter, and real suspense at the end. We learn that an older, girl-crazy Jesse (Richter) has a little brother (Elvis) that must come stay with the Greenwoods (Annie and Glen, Jesse's foster family) after Jesse's biological mom dies. You'll probably remember that in Free Willy Jesse was looking for his mom. Anyway, they all go camping and visit Randolph (the Native American guy that worked at the Whale Park and helped to free Willy). Jesse sees Willy for the first time in years (calling him with the harmonica tune from the original) and meets Nadiene, Randolph's God-daughter. She shares a love of orcas, and all is well until there is a terrible oil spill threatening Willy and his family. But thats not all! Feeling neglected, Elvis runs away but overhears the oil company owner's plans for Willy and his family-to catch and sell them. Then, while Jesse, Elvis and Nadiene are helping the whales to safety, the oil spill catches fire and they are nearly killed.

The acting is a little, well, over-the-top, but it's a great movie. It features another Michael Jackson song and Jesse with his harmonica and guitar. You will dig it, no matter what age. It's my favorite movie and I'm 16! (also check out Free Willy 3: The Rescue)

Better than the original
this is better than the original even though the original is awesome, this one is just has better

Better than the original
I love this one, better than the original.Better story and Better plot.

Good Movie, the first one was sooo much better
its a follow-up. its definatly worth watching. i think the third movie was a bit much but it was nice to see what was happening to jesse. the first one was alot better. it was about the connection between an orphaned boy and whale and how they freed eachother. it was an amazing movie if you exclude the michael jackson video at the beginning but i usually just fast forward through that, no harm done. the second one is a good investment though if you loved the first one. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Poorly put together
Although it's a plot that has seen plenty of recycling (more or less conning a con) I was looking forward to The Hollywood Sign because it features three of my favorite actors: Tom Berenger, Rod Steiger, and Burt Reynolds. What a disappointment. Berenger appears at first to be recycling his character from Eddie & The Cruisers and then lapses into what has to be one of the worst performances he's ever given. Steiger mumbles his way through scenes like Marlon Brando - a terrible shame that this had to be one of his last screen performances. The only one who acquits himself if Reynolds, who does a fine turn as a washed-up actor, although it does make you wonder just how much "acting" he was really doing. He's very funny, but the scene where he watches a film from his younger days was poignant but bordered on becoming precious.

The DVD I received had some of the worst sound quality I've ever encountered and when I replaced it, experienced the same problems. I tried two different players as well in case it was a mechanical flaw, but apparently it's the way the disc was mixed. God awful. Berenger sounds like he's in an echo chamber half the time and the soundtrack more often than not competes with the dialogue. I'm sure that interfered with my judgement of the film overall but it's hard to ignore.

Flawed, but still entertaining and quite funny in parts.
If I could give this 3 1/2 stars, I probably would. It was flawed--the plot was far-fetched, and our main characters make some nonsensical or dumb decisions at times. But I still found myself laughing at quite a lot of scenes in this movie.

Three washed-out actors (Tom Berenger, Burt Reynolds and Rod Stieger) become involved (through a series of bizarre events and unbelievable coincidences) in trying to scam some wiseguys out of stolen Vegas money. They hope to use the money to finance their own movie, so they can finally get some acting work again.

The plot is pretty lightweight, and mostly done for laughs. It is mostly (in my opinion) a wicked and sometimes dark send-up of the Hollywood system, and how fickle and shallow it usually is. As a native of L.A., I guess I appreciated these pokes at the system, and felt they were deserved. I've seen many people struggle to make a go in Hollywood.

The movie's pace is adequate, but lags a few times. The actors sometimes chew the scenery a bit too much. But the last portion of the film is quite amusing. These three actors have to play the part of a lifetime--they have to convince some real-life gangsters that they are cops. This part of the film has some truly hilarious moments, as each actor takes their turn "improvising" and almost blowing it, over-acting, acting badly, and hoping the gangsters don't catch on. Pretty funny stuff.

I liked all three of the main actors in this movie. Tom Berenger is closest to being the "straight man" in this story--he does a good job reacting (with horror, astonishment, etc.) to the antics of the other two guys. Burt Reynolds overdoes his part at times, but he's still quite funny and his character is amusingly bumbling and poignant. Rod Steiger (in one of his last roles, alas) is outstanding, in my opinion. He's got an excellent comic sense and I really enjoyed seeing him shine in this role.

Jacqueline Kim plays a cohort in crime (and Berenger's ex girlfriend) and she was likeable in her part. The rest of the supporting cast was good and effective in their roles as well.

I guess because I didn't expect too much from this film (a few of the reviews I'd read were lukewarm) I was very pleasantly surprised. It is funny. Perhaps derivative, perhaps with a flawed script, but still, it has more than a few funny moments. Tom Berenger, Burt Reynolds and especially Rod Steiger are very good and worked really well together. I think this movie is worth seeing just to see them all interact with each other--I have a feeling they had a lot of fun making this movie.

I feel that I can recommend this film, as long as it is understood that it is flawed, but worth it for the good parts. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

OK Gangster Movie
This movie is only OK compared to others that are available. It is hard to understand in places because of the English accents. Much less violence than in most gangster pics.

Don't Bother
If you a fan of either gangsters movies or Al Capone this you make think is the right movie for you. WRONG! This movie has nothing to do with Al Capone. All it's about is three guys from Liverpool, England and they try too go into bootlegging and Boxing. When I rented out from my local rental store I thought I would like it, being a fan of both gangster movies and Al Capone. I was bored to tears. The film is boring. If you still want to know if Al Capone is acuterly in it then he is, but only after forty five minutes and doesn't make many apperences. Besides he looks nothing like Al Capone and they didn't even try too make an effort, unlike the Untouchables. The story isn't even remotely accurate, they don't even think of putting the real names of Capone's real henchmen in. This isn't realy a gangster movie, I've seen pletly of them to be able to tell you that. It' s more like a boxing movie. Thats all the film boils down to. A man who goes to what looks like Chicago but looks more like London or even Glasgow, and goes into so called bootlegging by selling 3 bottles of gin. He then somehow goes into boxing and then Al Capone's son is kiddnapped by a dwarf gangster,the boxer saves the day and steals one of Capone's so called henchmen's girlfriend. They move to Texas and live happily ever after. Sure it's sounds an ok story to you but I hate it. Don't waste you money on it. If you want to a proper gangster and it's to do with Al Capone and is true, then you should see Al Capone 1959 with Rod Stieger. Its a hell of alot cheaper and worth it money. ... Read more