Reviews (664)

Rob Reiner Weaves His Best In Fanatsy!
THE PRINCESS BRIDE is directors Rob Reiner (A Few Good Men, Stand By Me) third feature film ever. It was based on a book written by Academy Award Winner William Goldwin (Misery, Maverick, Chaplin) who wrote this book for his children in 1973. After almost 15 years, and several studios, MGM decided to back it up and make the finished film.

It fun, it's funny and has adventure and romance, monsters and villains. It also has some of the best performances of an ensemble cast in a fairy tale ever. Robin Write-Penn (Then Robin Write at 19 years old) (Forrest Gump, Unbreakable) starring as Princess Buttercup who has fallen in love with a farm boy-turned Pirate, Cary Elwes (Twister, Robin Hood: Men In Tights, Quest For Camelot) and is seeking the kidnapped Princess from three renegades played by Wallace Shawn (Toy Story, Star Trek Deep Space Nine). The late Andre The Giant (Trading Mom) and an astounding performance by Mandy Patikin (Yentel, Alien Nation, Chicago Hope-TV ). Christopher Sarandon (Nightmare Before Christmas, Fright Night, Just Cause) and Christopher Guest (This Is Spinal Tap, Best In Show) head up the evil King and sidekick roles. The chemistry between Cary and Mandy is phenomenal. They are seriously funny in a sarcastic and monotoned way. The swordplay is the best I have seen since Errol Flynn.

What makes this movie special and energetic is the magic of fantasy with a splash of you have to believe in True Love for all this to work and for your happiness to be real. Shot entirely on location and with a minimum of a budget the movie is wonderful to watch and look at. A GEM for all the family - literally.

The DVD extras include three behind the scenes documentaries and lots of production photos. Very well put together and filled with interesting comments and antique dotes from all the cast and crew. There's even a behind the scenes home movie view of the production thanks to Carry Elwis himself. Of the trailers and production posters show you more of movie making and what it takes. The audio commentary by Rob Reiner is comical and very interesting. There is also a commentary by William Goldwin which gives you a lot of insighjt to the production. This is a great addition to the family film collection. (10-27-02)

"My name is Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!"

Director: Rob Reiner
Format: Color
Studio: Mgm/Ua Studios
Video Release Date: March 7, 2000

Cast:

Cary Elwes ... Westley
Mandy Patinkin ... Inigo Montoya
Chris Sarandon ... Prince Humperdinck
Christopher Guest ... Count Tyrone Rugen
Wallace Shawn ... Vizzini
André the Giant ... Fezzik
Fred Savage ... The Grandson
Robin Wright Penn ... Buttercup/The Princess Bride
Peter Falk ... The Grandfather
Peter Cook ... The Impressive Clergyman
Mel Smith ... The Albino

Carol Kane ... Valerie
Billy Crystal ... Miracle Max
Anne Dyson ... The Queen
Margery Mason ... The Ancient Booer
Malcolm Storry ... Yellin
Willoughby Gray ... The King
Betsy Brantley ... The Mother
Paul Badger ... The Assistant Brute
Sallie McLaughlin

A storybook stable boy turns pirate and rescues his beloved who is about to marry a dreadful prince.

The story is told by the Grandfather (Peter Falk) to his cynical (at first) Grandson (Fred Savage).

The story is a love story with all of the elements of a fantasy fairy tale. Westley (Cary Elwes), the good guy, is opposed by Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin--"My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father. Be prepared to die!"), at first, and then wins Westley's admiration. Another opponent who becomes a co-conspirator, is Fezzick (Andre the Giant). Buttercup/The Princess Bride (Robin Wright Penn) is the princess who needs rescuing.

There is a lot of good tongue-in-cheek humor involved, and even though it is understood that this is a story told to a young boy, there is nevertheless a good level of tension involved.

This is a fun movie.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre

author of Handguns and freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books

What a marvelous movie... I waited too....
long to buy this movie -- my boys loved it the first time they watched it. It is timeless, a great comedy, wonderful lines.....
A great addition to our movie selection!

A family comedy funnier than this? Inconceivable!
For millions of television viewers who grew up during All in the Family's groundbreaking run (before it became stale in the post-1977 seasons), Rob Reiner will always be remembered as the Meathead, a.k.a. Archie Bunker's ultra-liberal, atheistic, and argumentative son-in-law, Mike Stivic. But Reiner, whose father Carl is one of America's best comedic writer-actor-directors (The Dick Van Dyke Show, Your Show of Shows, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid), is far more than just a good actor with one famous role, for after he left Norman Lear's flagship comedy series after six seasons, Reiner the Younger followed in his father's footsteps to become a well-known and well-regarded actor, writer, producer, and director.

One of Reiner's best films is 1987's The Princess Bride, a witty-yet-sweet comedy/fantasy written by two-time Academy Award-winning screenwriter William Goldman, who adapted his own novel about the beautiful maiden Buttercup (Robin Wright), whose true love, a young farmboy named Westley (Cary Elwes), goes off to sea to seek his fortune, telling Buttercup that he would come back for her.

But when Buttercup learns that Westley's ship has been attacked by the Dread Pirate Roberts she swears she will never love anyone again, an oath she keeps even when she accepts a marriage proposal from Florin's Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon), a handsome yet somewhat shady fellow who probably could give Machiavelli some lessons in, well, Machiavellian diplomacy. His plan is simple: take over as King of Florin as soon as his father passes away, get bethroded to a beautiful engaging commoner, then stage her kidnapping and demise to incriminate the neighboring rival kingdom Guilder and start a war.

Aided by the equally heinous Count Rugen (Christopher Guest), Humperdinck hires a trio led by the too-clever-for-his-own-good schemer Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), the revenge-obsessed Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin), and Fezzik (Andre the Giant), a brawny hulk with a heart of gold and a fondness for rhymes. The three manage to kidnap Princess Buttercup, but before they reach the Guilder-Florin border they run into an unforeseen obstacle: a dashing swordsman dressed in black.

Goldman's clever way of grabbing the audience's heart and funny bone is to present this fairy tale with a framing story of a 1980s grandfather (Peter Falk) who visits his sick grandson (a pre-Wonder Years Fred Savage) and reads the tale of The Princess Bride to him, following a long family tradition.

Reiner gets wonderful performances not only from the major cast members, but also from Billy Crystal and Carol Kane, who play Miracle Max and his wife Valerie in a short but hilarious scene. He approaches the fractured fairy tale as a comedy/romance/swashbuckling adventure, poking gentle fun at the conventions of all the fantasy/medieval adventure films of the 1930s and '40s without being obnoxious or too sardonic. The result: a film that overcame box-office failure (it had a brief and unprofitable theatrical run in the summer of 1987) by becoming a home video success. (This is not unique to The Princess Bride, either. 1939's The Wizard of Oz was no box office champ when it premiered; only when it became an annual TV staple in the mid-1950s did Oz become a family classic.)

The 2001 MGM Special Edition DVD presents The Princess Bride in its original widescreen format, and features a director's commentary track by Reiner, a writer's commentary by Goldman, English and Spanish audio tracks, a new documentary on the making of the film ("As You Wish"), plus theatrical trailers and two original featurettes.

As Vizzini might have added, to try and find a funnier family film is absolutely inconceivable.

An Awesome Movie (Review by Jennifer Baker)
The Princess Bride is an excellent movie, and though at first viewing may seem pretty simple, it has much deeper meeting, but it may take more than one viewing to see this. First of all, it teaches the all-too-true, and sometimes overused lesson that good will prevail over evil. This is shown in Inigo's avenging of his father's death and Westley's rescuing of his true love, escaping his encounter with death, surviving "The Machine", making it through the fire swamp, battling the ROUS's, wrestling a giant, swordfighting with a Spaniard, and out-witting a Sicilian. (whew!) However, if you look closely, and watch this movie at least 100 times (which I have), then you will come to see that there is a lot of symbolism in The Princess Bride. Whether Buttercup is wearing blue (sadness) when she is getting married or red (danger) when she is kidnapped,the symbolism in this movie shows just how detailed this movie really is, which in turn makes it all the more fun to look for and watch. So in conclusion, The Princess Bride is a swashbuckling fun time for the whole family!!!!! ... Read more

Reviews (247)

Kidnap the Sandy Claws!
This is my favorite animated film and in my opinion the best to come out of the Burton/Elfman team. The plot is... well... "different": The denizens of Halloween Town kidnap Santa Claus and have their way with Christmas. i.e. make a complete mess out of it. The visuals are spectacular (if a little dark) and the music and songs are wonderful and fit right in with the action. Regarding the "family appeal" of this movie: just keep in mind that this is a Tim Burton creation (Beetlejuice, Sleepy Hollow) and therefore it is dark, a little scary and the humor is on the sarcastic side. Oh, and if you absolutely can't stand musicals, then this movie will either make you a believer (like it did to me) or will put you off.

About the DVD edition: I've seen this movie in the theater, on TV, on VHS and now on DVD and I must say that the DVD edition had the best sound quality. They could have included some bonuses (a "the making of..." type of feature is really missing) but the excellent sound and decent picture quality was good enough for me.

Go ahead and give it a try, especially if you're a Burton/Elfman fan!

Fantastic, wonderful, and moving...
I've not seen this movie in a very long time, and it wasn't until just recently that I revisited it. The Nightmare Before Christmas' title sounds like something from a horror movie, but it certainly isn't one. Sure, everything looks grim and creepy, but that's just the setting. The story of Jack Skellington feeling as if everything is a routine for him and wants to experience something different was kinda touching, as is with the songs he sings to himself in the film. The music is creepy at times and is beautiful when needed, and it's all composed by Danny Elfman; who in turn also wrote the songs, and does Jack Skellington's voice. TNMBC was skillfully animated, using the stop-motion style, which most likely took them quite a while to finish. The end product looks pretty good too, especially for a movie released back in '91. Tim Burton has always been one of my favorite directors, and this film didn't let me down. Not only did it bring back some nice childhood memories, but it also made me feel good in the process. Those parents who aren't sure of showing this film to their kids because it may scare them, at least consider that the movie has NO violence either than a stitched-up lady jumping from a building, but she doesn't get harmed as she puts herself back together. If your kids can handle the creepy looking monsters and creatures, by all means let them watch this movie. They most likely will never forget it.

the best christmas and halloween movie ever
wellllllllllllll.the guys from halloween land go to x-mas land and kidnap santa and do x-masup thier own way.its animated or something so no stars per say.this one is for some kids and not for others.the sensitive types need to be in bed.it is another one of tim burtons abselute masterpieces.there are basicly 2 kinds of movies.your julia robetrs-sell out-hollywood-junk and movies that actualy required some thought.so anyone with an imagination will like it.this is themost over the top and wild x-mas movie ever.

Spellbinding
This movie is beyond enchanting, delving into the realms of spellbinding. I never thought that an animated film could be so stunning with its cinematography mixed with the music. That's the amazing beauty of Tim Burton's world: it's filled with contrasts. In particular is Sally (voiced by the Canadian goddess Catherine O'Hara) the ragdoll who externally is not the most beautiful thing with her stitchings and patched clothes, but internally she is pure and filled with love for Jack. Even her singing (again Catherine) sounds like an innocent child, straight tone (no vibrato) and a flowing, velvet soprano.
The world of Halloweentown is dark, but filled with beauty and rich melodies straining through (by the genius Danny Elfman). The construction of the film is so perfect making Halloweentown filled with browns and blacks whereas Christmastown is bright and cheerful, joyful as we expect Christmas to be and the real world is somewhere in between. All of it pulls together beautifully to create a timeless story and the most magnificently filmed ending with Sally and Jack in the snow.
Just proves the genius of the film makers.

yuck
Why does "everyone" love this movie? It's not that good. Not at all. I saw this when I was four and I absolutely hated it when I found out they kidnapped Santa Clause. The zombie girl taking her head off at one point in the movies was pretty gross too...yuck. I don't reccomend this film. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A gripping true crime yarn, a juicy slice of overheated New York atmosphere, and a splendid showcase for its young actors, Dog Day Afternoon is a minor classic of the 1970s. The opening montage of New York street life (set to Elton John's lazy "Amoreena") establishes the oppressive mood of a scorching afternoon in the city with such immediacy that you can almost smell the garbage baking in the sun and the water from the hydrants evaporating from the sizzling pavement. Al Pacino plays Sonny, who, along with his rather slow-witted accomplice Sal (John Cazale, familiar as Pacino's Godfather brother Fredo), holds hostages after a botched a bank robbery. Sonny finds himself transformed into a rebel celebrity when his standoff with police (including lead negotiator Charles Durning) is covered live on local television. The movie doesn't appear to be about anything in particular, but it really conveys the feel of wild and unpredictable events unfolding before your eyes, and the whole picture is so convincing and involving that you're glued to the screen. An Oscar winner for original screenplay, Dog Day Afternoon was also nominated for best picture, actor, supporting actor (Chris Sarandon, as a surprise figure from Sonny's past), editing, and director (Sidney Lumet of Serpico, Prince of the City, The Verdict, and Running on Empty). --Jim Emerson ... Read more

Reviews (61)

Entertaining - An Improvement From Lumet's 'Serpico'
Well-done, tense drama of a botched bank robbery in Brooklyn in which two misfits commit one absurd blunder after another and turn a criminal act into a three-ring circus, what with the police, crowds and the media swarming upon the bank to observe the comedy of errors.

Al Pacino is superb as Sonny who wants the money to finance a sex-change operation for his transsexual lover (well done by Chris Sarandon). Aiding and abetting Sonny is half-wit Sal (John Cazale in a solid characterization) who chooses Wyoming as a foreign country destination for a safe haven. Charles Durning scores as Detective Moretti who spars with Sonny throughout the afternoon and arranges "safe" passage for him and Sal to JFK and their would-be flight to freedom. There are snippets of dialogue from the 1956 feature film, "The Lone Ranger", that is heard in the background during the hostage standoff inside the bank. Ironic because the Ranger's law-and-order message falls on deaf criminal ears during the commission of the felony.

Sidney Lumet's Oscar-nominated direction is sharp throughout. Based on actual events, "Dog Day Afternoon" is another great winner from the 1970s, Hollywood's second Golden Age. 5 stars out of 5.

Exhausted
Al Pacino plays a bisexual bank robber in love with a man who needs a sex change. Al is in his twenties for this film, at the beginning of his career, around his first Godfather film. He is not the stoic mobster in this flick. He is sensitive, screwed up, and angry. I've never seen Pacino this vulnerable. Brooklyn is exploding with post-Vietnam trauma. The cops are stupid and clumsy. The neighborhood kids are high and bored. The new TV culture is on the street making the botched robbery a classic hostage study, a Stockholm Syndrome of American stupidity. The acting is so good; you swear you're watching a documentary. The fat wife is screaming. The idiot mother is crying. The gay lover is sprung from a mental hospital. America is at war with itself in 1972, panic in the streets. Sidney Lument has created a flawed masterpiece of suspense with the Oscar winning script by Frank Pierson. My two complaints: not sure why the wonderful character actor John Cazale (he died so young in real life) was considered so dangerous. The film was forty minutes too long with screaming phone conversations.

ONE OF THE GREATEST MOVIES EVER MADE!
This has got to be one of the greatest films ever. The story, the plot, the acting is just amazing. Al Pacino is an original in this film. Once you watch it once, you will want to watch it over and over again. Great movie to watch on a hot weekend, summer afternoon.

+1/2
"Dog Day Afternoon" is the true story of Sonny and Sal, two first-time bank robbers whose failed hold-up suddenly becomes a massive media event and hostage situation. These men, both veterans of the Vietnam War and open homosexuals (though not extrafilially involved), must face a war zone of life-threatening obstacles in their spontaneous decision to flee the country. Fantastic, yes, but excellent acting by Al Pacino, Charles Durning, and James Broderick makes this narrative startlingly real. Accessible to the average viewer, "Dog Day Afternoon" will find particular interest to ex-convicts, bank tellers, and all seeking a military burial.

Classic Film--Lousy Transfer
As usual, another major studio has done a lazy job of transferring to dvd with "less-than-optimum" elements. Warner is known for bad transfers, a problem which they also had when they were in the laserdisc (another "hi-end" format) business. I am amazed they didn't even bother to include the "making of" which is included on the VHS TAPE--FOR GOSH SAKES, GET WITH THE PROGRAM! ... Read more

Reviews (105)

Back! Back! Back, foul demon of the night!
I loved watching this movie. Roddy McDowell was excellent in this fim as Peter Vincent, "Fearless Vampire Killer". Yeah, right. If this is what made him so famous on screen, why was he living in a small, cramped, and cluttered one bedroom apartment with a job hosting horror flicks on a show that scraped the bottom of the barrel in ratings??

As for Chris Sarandon, this is the best I've seen him look in a long time, especially in his vampire make-up. What's so attractive is that he is so suave when he seduces Evil Ed into taking his hand. The way he kidnapped Amy was classic too. Dandridge's 'attraction' to Amy was almost otherworldly, if a somewhat typical throwback to the B-Movies of the 1950's.

I especially liked when Charlie, the typically sex-starved teenager, gets curious and discovers his neighbor, Jerry Dandridge's secret. It's really funny when he tries to convince the policeman of a murder. Even Amy thought he was cracked.

Yes, the plot holes were there as far as the script, but at least no one was dumb enough to stand in the path of the vampire screaming. This is what gave the movie strength, despite the troubles with plot. Peter Vincent did stammer and cower after he visited Charlie's neighbor. It's amazing how he rebounds though.

I've seen the second installment of this movie and prefer this one to that one.

A modern-day vampire classic! Not to be missed!
"Fright Night" is exactly that--a night full of the very best frights! Directed and written by horrormeister Tom Holland, "Fright Night" tells the very stylish tale of Charlie Brewster and his next-door neighbor. What's the significance of that coffin in the basement? Why are there gorgeous females entering the house and then exiting...in a body bag? Charlie wants to find out! So, he solicits the help of "vampire hunter," Peter Vincent, played to the hilt by the late/great Roddy McDowall. Holland keeps the action moving at a frantic, fun pace--and this is easily the best mix of laughs and horror ever put on celluloid. Forget "Scary Movie" and "Scary Movie II," ad nauseum. This is the real deal! And the DVD is flawless, a beautiful print! Ya know? I think I want to watch it, again!

the best horror movie
this is no doubt the best horror during the eighties. i watch quite a lot of horror movies due to the fact that they are my favourite kind of movie. Although i watch horror movies they never seem to scare me but "fright night" has been the 1 and onli that has scared me. It is a brilliant film to watch. Hope u have the same pleasure as i did

Sleeper cult classic
As of this writing, there are over 105 reviews, and easily more than half of them have given this film five stars. That says a lot about this completely enjoyable, suspenseful nugget of mind candy. Roddy McDowell turns a splendid tongue-in-cheek performance as a horror movie t.v. emcee who is way beyond his prime, and is now enlisted by a couple of teens to fight real a vampire. Chris Sarandon as the vampire, Jerry, does a terrific job as a super-smug bloodsucker.

Much of the plot is nothing new: teens discover mayhem; adults don't believe teens; teens begin to endure in-fighting; the mayhem grows more menacing; teenage girl falls victim to mayhem; unlikely courage and heroes emerge to save the girl and the town. But that doesn't matter. The true strength of this film is its ability to draw from these conventions and make it turn and twist on themselves. And the humor that's drawn out keeps the pace lively while setting you up for more horror. This same formula worked for another relatively unknown film, "Return of the Living Dead."

FRIGHT NIGHT will guarantee you a fun night! Give it a view!

Popcorn never tasted so good
Anyone settling in for the night with some snacks and a couple of friends would not fail to enjoy this movie. It is a gruesome, slightly campy horror romp that hardly gets anything wrong. It's a great deal of fun.
Charlie is a normal teen; all he wants out of life is to get some nooky from his girlfriend and maybe pass his trigonometry test, too. But Charlie has a new neighbor who likes to drain the blood out of prostitutes, and he can't just sit by without doing something about it. Yes, he discovers the guy next door is a vampire, and of course no one believes him.
The cast is perfect. The wonderful, underrated Chris Sarandon plays the dapper vampire, whose name (Jerry!) isn't all that scary, but he still manages to serve up plenty of menace. Charlie is capably played by William Ragsdale. Reluctantly assisting Charlie in his crusade are Amanda Bierce ("Married...with Children") as his whiny girlfriend, Stephen Geoffreys as his goofball buddy Ed, and Roddy McDowell as a has-been TV horror flick host who talks the talk but is too cowardly to walk the walk. Geoffreys in particular is priceless. He is easily the most entertaining character in the movie, especially after he encounters Jerry in an alley late one night (in a haunting, surprisingly sympathetic scene). When the "vampire hunters" finally make their stand at Jerry's house, all hell breaks loose.
Gore galore, laughs and scares... All I can say is, have fun! ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Screenwriter William Goldman's novel The Princess Bride earnedits own loyal audience on the strength of its narrative voice and its gently satirical, hyperbolic spin on swashbuckled adventure that seemed almost purely literary. For all its derring-do and vivid over-the-top characters, the book's joy was dictated as much by the deadpan tone of its narrator and a winking acknowledgement of the clichés being sent up. Miraculously, director Rob Reiner and Goldman himself managed to visualize this romantic fable while keeping that external voice largely intact: using a storytelling framework, avuncular Grandpa (Peter Falk) gradually seduces his skeptical grandson (Fred Savage) into the absurd, irresistible melodrama of the title story.

And what a story: a lowly stable boy, Westley (Cary Elwes), pledges his love to the beautiful Buttercup (Robin Wright), only to be abducted and reportedly killed by pirates while Buttercup is betrothed to the evil Prince Humperdinck. Even as Buttercup herself is kidnapped by a giant, a scheming criminal mastermind, and a master Spanish swordsman, a mysterious masked pirate (could it be Westley?) follows in pursuit. As they sail toward the Cliffs of Insanity...

The wild and woolly arcs of the story, the sudden twists of fate, and, above all, the cartoon-scaled characters all work because of Goldman's very funny script, Reiner's confident direction, and a terrific cast. Elwes and Wright, both sporting their best English accents, juggle romantic fervor and physical slapstick effortlessly, while supporting roles boast Mandy Patinkin (the swordsman Inigo Montoya), Wallace Shawn (the incredulous schemer Vizzini), and Christopher Guest (evil Count Rugen) with brief but funny cameos from Billy Crystal, Carol Kane, and Peter Cook. --Sam Sutherland ... Read more

Reviews (664)

Wonderfully funny movie
What a funny movie!! This movie will have you laughing all the time. I'm not a fan of fantasy type films but this one is the exception. You'll catch yourself repeating a lot of the sayings even after the movie is finished. This movie is suitable for all ages.

A lot of fun, a great movie to watch at sleepovers.
Do not take this movie too seriously, or the plot will totally reach you as being sexist, sappy, and lame. However, when you watch it with a light heart, you appriciate the humor and quirky characters. Princess Buttercup is being forced to wed the totally creepy Prince Humperdink, and must trust two eccentric characters ( a giant and a Spanish swordsman) and her true lover, Westley to her rescue. If you think that sound sexist, just relax, because this is just a fun movie that you're not supposed base your life on. The characters are hilarious, and you will find yourself mouthing lines from it days afterwards.

One of the best movies of all time!
Rob Reiner has created a masterpiece of fantasy and comedy, it tells the story of a boy meets girl then the girl becomes a princess for a cruel prince while her boyfriend must come to her rescue in a magical land filled with large brutes, monsters, theives and miracle-workers.

A perfect movie every age will enjoy, the DVD Special Edition is great, it's got better picture and sound quality, not to mention a handful of great extras.

Also recommended: The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Wizard of Oz, Return to Oz, The Neverending Story, Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back, Black Cauldron, Sleeping Beauty, Legend, Matrix, Making Contact and Star Trek II.

"You seem a decent fellow. I hate to kill you"
The Princess Bride (as of 31 October 2002) commands 86th place on the Internet Movie Database's 'Top 250 Films' list, which rather begs the question: WHY??? It is a somewhat alarming thought that there are only 85 films in the world considered to be superior to this mish-mash of action and syrupy sentiment held together by cheesy acting and wobbly scenery. Admittedly, there are some elements of the story which are really rather good, including the large variety of perils our hero (Westley) and heroine (Buttercup) must face; the shrieking eels, cliffs of insanity and fire-swamp are original and nasty pitfalls awaiting the unwary.

Unfortunately viewers must wade through a lot of dross for these occasional rewards and the plot is a perfect example of this. A grandfather is reading his rather peevish grandson a story about two young lovers with somewhat unlikely names. Buttercup's sweetheart (supposedly killed by pirates five years ago) is in fact still alive, cleverly "disguised" with a black blindfold and an incredibly silly little moustache and pigtail. But Buttercup has become engaged (against her will) to the nasty Prince Humperdinck. This of course is a cue for multiple sword fights and near death experiences as the soulmates prove that true love will conquer all.

Apart from the notable exception of Christopher Guest who plays Humperdinck's sidekick Count Rugen with a deliciously understated sadistic malice, the acting is largely overcooked. Perhaps this is just as well; if the viewer's attention is monopolised by the actors, they will be less likely to notice the bendable swords and polystyrene rocks. This is not to say that the film isn't entertaining - it would certainly while away a rainy Saturday afternoon - but to accord it the status of a classic is inconceivable.

A classic favorite!
"The Princess Bride" is definitely one of my all-time favorite films. I used to watch it all the time as a child, and to this very day I still love it. "The Princess Bride" is about a grandfather from the modern days (Peter Falk), who tells a bedtime fairytale to his grandson (Fred Savage) about a young peasant man from the Middle Ages, Westley (Cary Elwes), who falls in love with a young woman named Buttercup (Robin Wright Penn), just as she is about to be bethrolled to the prince of her kingdom, Prince Humperdinck (Chris Saradon). To keep Buttercup from falling in love with Westley, Humperdinck, along with two dimwitted sidekicks, plot to kill Westley. When he is banished from the kingdom and totured by orders of the prince, Buttercup thinks he is dead so she ends up marrying Prince Humperdinck. But then Westley escapes the torture and comes back to save Buttercup from the evil Prince Humperdinck. Now, Westley and Buttercup are off on a journey to free themselves from Humperdinck's power.

The acting from the entire cast is absolutely superb. The storyline is funny, light, and excellent. The special effects are top-notch (as far as the late 80's technology goes), and it's just a wonderful film for all ages. It has everything a good fantasy film should: comedy, romance, action, and drama. The special edition DVD is okay, with extras that include commentary by the film's director, Rob Reiner, and the author of the book the film is based on, William Goldman. Other DVD extras are interviews from the cast, exclusive footage during the shooting of the film, and two original featurettes. The DVD is available in wide screen format.

I highly recommend "The Princess Bride"... ... Read more

Amazon.com

The Nightmare Before Christmas
For those who never thought Disney would release a film in which Santa Claus is kidnapped and tortured, well, here it is! The full title is Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, which should give you an idea of the tone of this stop-action animated musical-fantasy-horror-comedy. It is based on characters created by Burton, the former Disney animator best known as the director of Pee-wee's Big Adventure, Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, and the first two Batman movies. His benignly scary-funny sensibility dominates the story of Halloweentown resident Jack Skellington (voiced by Danny Elfman, who also wrote the songs), who stumbles on a bizarre and fascinating alternate universe called... Christmastown! Directed by Henry Selick, this PG-rated picture has a reassuringly light touch. As Roger Ebert noted in his review, "some of the Halloween creatures might be a tad scary for smaller children, but this is the kind of movie older kids will eat up; it has the kind of offbeat, subversive energy that tells them wonderful things are likely to happen." --Jim Emerson

James and the Giant Peach
Roald Dahl's modern classic for children becomes a delightful combination of live-action footage and stop-motion animation by the team that made The Nightmare Before Christmas--director Henry Selick and producers Tim Burton (Batman) and Denise Di Novi. The story concerns young James (played for real and through voiceovers by Paul Terry), who is orphaned and left in the charge of two cruel aunts (Miriam Margolyes and Joanna Lumley). Rescued by a mysterious fellow (Pete Postlethwaite), James ends up inside a giant peach, drifting over the Atlantic Ocean in the company of a gentleman grasshopper (voiced by Simon Callow), a fast-talking centipede (Richard Dreyfuss), an anxious earthworm (David Thewlis), a matronly ladybug (Jane Leeves), and a sexy spider (Susan Sarandon). The collection of actors and their creepy-crawly alter egos are a delight, especially when some of the song-and-dance numbers (tunes written by Randy Newman) get everyone going. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (123)

Classic horror!
A maniacal man's spirit somehow gets into a new and popular kind of doll called a Good Guy. Little does anybody know that one of these "Good Guys" may actually turn out to be an evil serial killer with its main victim being a 6 year old boy.

I remember back when I was a kid, me and my mom used to go to the video store and rent tons of horror movies. While we were in that period of our lives, one of our favorite horror series was always the "Child's Play" movies. In this original movie, you'll learn the story of Chucky, the doll that turns out to be unlike any other.

I've always been a fan of slasher horror movies such as the "Friday the 13th" and "Nightmare on Elm Street" series. While "Child's Play" might not be half as bloody and maybe not as popular, it takes the formula of the two series that I just mentioned, and it does a great job of it.

"Child's Play" involves a lot of conflict between people for about the first hour, with hardly any suspense or upbeat horror, but once you see Chucky show his true side, "Child's Play" becomes very suspenseful, even more entertaining, and even scary.

My favorite film of the series would have to be a toss-up between "Child's Play" and "Child's Play 2." If you haven't ever seen any of the movies in this series, I recommend watching "Child's Play" first so you can learn the overall plot. If you like great horror movies, I whole-heartedly recommend purchasing "Child's Play." You will NOT be disappointed!

A good attempt...
This is pretty good. I mean, it sets a good scene, and the suspense when it finally picks up is good. The downside is the pacing. The movie goes along very slowly and of the playing time of around 90 minutes, I'd say 65 or so was dry, boring moments. That aside, the acting is pretty lame -- Catherine Hicks and Alex Vincent are the exceptions. But Maggie's fall out of the window looks particuarly fake.
All that aside, the movie is good. I mean for a late 80's flick, the SFX deliver pretty well. Chucky looks a little less realistic than in the next couple, but he really is spooky. The movie was a good concept.
A good starter to a great series. Yes, you should rent or buy it.

Ready for a horror - ific night?
This DVD is the first of the Child Play series and is by far the best. Chucky, a sadistic, smart and persuasive doll who has been possessed by the ghost of Charles Lee Ray is the star and is actually a pretty freaky looking doll. The young boy Chucky needs to hurt/kill in order to obtain his body is played by a wonderful (young at the time) actor Alex Vincent, a very intelligent first move.
There are a few good scares in this first one, unpredictable since it's the first, a good start and a must see for horror fans. Chucky will sure be a classic of our times.

"The 80s" is not a viable excuse for a bad movie
It had been years since I'd seen this film (1988), and honestly, I don't recall what my exact impressions were then, although I do recall thinking that the antics of a murderous doll had some fright value to it.

What a difference a decade and a half makes.

After seeing a poster for Seed of Chucky, I decided to rent Child's Play again just for kicks. The ridiculousness of the 80s-style horror film was evident. The adults in this film, even one who made "detective", are either ignorant simpletons, or a hysterical woman. (This is as opposed to a strong woman who believes in her child. Nothing quite like perpetuating stereotypes.)

The "car chase" scene sums up the movies infantile nonsense quite well. Chris Sarandon's character (detective Mike Norris) is driving, and Chucky has snuck into the back seat. He first tries to choke Sarandon to death, but upon having his face burnt by a cigarette lighter that still happens to be burning hot although several minutes have passed since its last use, he gives up and resorts to trying to stab Norris through the seat. Here's a question: why not just take that knife, reach up to Norris's cranium (he was able to do so, as he was choking him earlier), and sever Norris's spinal cord? That would be too simple, and, of course, would ruin the rest of the story. Instead, Chucky tries to stab Norris through the back seat, and upon failing to miss such a large target (triangulating where Norris's back should be, based on the location of his head and shoulders, shouldn't be difficult), decides to crawl under the seat and start an attack against Norris's genitals. In the end, Chucky is foiled, and Norris escapes with his life.

A final word on the ending. It became a rule in the 80s that even when the killer was dead beyond all possible reckoning - even in relatively intelligent films like Die Hard - the killer came back for another go at things. This is no different, and should not give away the ending. I mean, it's 1988. Shouldn't Chucky fully recover from being burnt to toast, and then shot into tiny pieces? It only makes sense.

Good Guy or Killer?
When young Andy finally gets the doll of his dreams for his birthday, he doesn't know that his mother bought the doll from a peddler in the alley behind the department store where she worked. His mother didn't realize that the doll came from a burned down toy store where the notorious Lake Shore Stranger Charles Lee Ray was gunned down.

When Andy is left with his mother's friend Maggie, she is mysteriously thrown out of the apartment window to her death. No one believes Andy when he tells them the truth: "Chucky did it" Andy's doll turns out to be Charles Lee Ray, who moments before he died transferred his soul to the doll using voodoo.

When Chucky finds out he has been in the doll too long and is now turning human, he is told the only way to get out of the doll is to transfer his soul to the first person he told his true identity to, who is, you guessed it, Andy.

Now Andy and his mother must stop the notorious killer before he takes Andy's soul forever.

An edge of the seat thriller! This is the best one of the series. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Sam Peckinpah's final film has a lot to recommend it, including a complicated story derived from a Robert Ludlum novel but laced with Peckinpah's hard questions about loyalty and the balance between civilization and basic instincts. Rutger Hauer stars as John Tanner, a television host with strong criticisms of America's cold-war conduct. Looking forward to a weekend of socializing with old friends (played by Craig T. Nelson, Dennis Hopper, and Chris Sarandon), Tanner is approached by a CIA agent (John Hurt) who tells him his friends may be Soviet agents. Tanner agrees to let the spy agency set up surveillance in his house; it turns out there is more to the agent's claims than meets the eye and Tanner's weekend eventually erupts into violence. Osterman is not Peckinpah at his best (though, typically, the director was under siege from production politics), but the maestro of montage certainly worked in some extraordinary action sequences. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Swan song for Peckinpah
Although at times confusing (unless one is really looking hard), THE OSTERMAN WEEKEND is a pretty good final film for one of the cinema's most controversial directors, Sam Peckinpah. It is his statement on the Cold War, courtesy of Robert Ludlum's 1972 novel, and has many of those well-staged action sequences that make later imitators like Quentin Tarantino and John Woo look like rank amateurs.

Rutger Hauer stars as a controversial L.A. talk show host with a penchant for tearing down government officials for their hackneyed explanations of U.S. policy towards the Soviets. He is anticipating the arrival of three old college friends (Craig T. Nelson, Chris Sarandon, Dennis Hopper) and Sarandon's and Hopper's wives (Cassie Yates, Helen Shaver) for an annual get-together.

But then, a CIA operative (John Hurt) throws a monkey wrench into things when he presents evidence that seems to indicate that Hauer's friends are working for the heathen Soviets in an attempt to sabotage America's germ warfare program. Hauer thus allows Hurt to set up surveillance equipment around the house to monitor their friends' doings. Then things get very hairy, complicated, and, not surprisingly, somewhat violent.

Despite having the usual difficulties with his producers, who were (like many others) penny-pinching, Peckinpah managed to make the most out of his final cinematic effort. The incredible shootout between Hauer, Nelson, and the CIA assassins in Hauer's back forty is Peckinpah at his prime (one would never suspect that in reality he was slowly dying when he made the film). Burt Lancaster turns in a hideously frightening role as the right-wing director of the CIA whose anticommunist paranoia (not too much unlike Sterling Hayden's in DOCTOR STRANGELOVE) sets the film's events in motion.

Finished off by a fine Lalo Schifrin score, THE OSTERMAN WEEKEND is a solid and efficient espionage thriller, worthy for at least one curious look.

Very disappointing
I read the book and enjoyed it back when it first came out, but I never saw the film in its theatrical release. I read the reviews here and figured it would be worth a try. Big mistake!

I usually enjoy films based on thrillers, even if they are not totally faithful to the book. But in this case, the film failed on a much more profound basis than simply taking some liberties with the plot. A thriller, whether it's a book or film, should at the very least provide some thrills, and it's here that the film falls far short of the mark.

Even though the movie was made in 1983, it is one of the most dated films I've ever seen. I'm not just talking about the outdated room decor and fashions, I mean the whole look and feel of the film. It looks as if it were shot in the early '70's. This sense of being very dated and amateur-ish is underscored by the music, a strange concoction of seedy pseudo-techno and cheesy jazz that would be more at home in a porno film.

The screenplay is painfully dull, with none of the suspense of the novel. Production values are tacky and below the standards that one would expect even in a TV-movie of the same era. Some tight editing could have improved the situation significantly, but instead we repeatedly end up gazing at someone's face far longer than is necessary. It's almost as if the director wanted to go for a sort of retro-Euro look for the film, but he didn't come close.

The various "high tech" devices, mostly video cameras and monitors throughout the house where the action takes place, look ridiculously outdated. This wouldn't be so annoying if the director had not insisted on zooming in for a close-up almost every time someone touches a push-button, as if to tell the audience, "See, I'm all up-to-date with the latest new gizmos". The movie is filled with shots of people pushing old-style backlit clear plastic pushbuttons that used to adorn those boxy desk phones and were also used on some of the very first VCRs. Some of this stuff would have looked dated even in 1983.

Peckinpah is apparently best remembered for his penchant for violence and his use of slow motion in depicting violent scenes. There are admittedly several excellent sequences where he uses slow motion very effectively: a car/truck collision early in the film (totally unnecessary to the plot, but well done nonetheless) and several other scenes at various moments, but not enough to salvage the film.

What is so unfortunate is that the cast was made up of very capable actors, many of whom have given much better performances with other directors. If you compare this movie to "Marathon Man" and "Three Days of the Condor", both made in the mid-1970's, they have aged much better than "The Osterman Weekend". They move more quickly, they keep you in suspense, and you actually care about the characters. By the time people started getting killed in this movie, I couldn't have cared less. Another fatal flaw is that this movie is totally lacking in humor of any kind. There are some nasty sarcastic comments, but they are not funny, or even particularly intelligent.

Anchor Bay does an outstanding job of providing a quality video transfer for this turkey. Even more impressive is the remastered 5.1 soundtrack, which is surprisingly realistic and is one of the few things that makes the film watchable. The second DVD contains the director's cut of the movie, presented in full screen and without the remastering of the theatrical release. I could not bring myself to watch it (this is definitely not a film to be viewed more than once), but at least the die-hard fan will have both versions to view. There is a nicely done booklet with more information about Peckinpah and his films than I needed to know, but again, credit is due to Anchor Bay for giving the movie a much better presentation than it deserved.

Sam's Cut Falls Short
If you are mainly going to purchase this movie to see Sam Pekinpah's original cut you will most likely be disappointed. The film quality of the original cut is about equal with a bootleg VHS tape (it's also full-screen). Extremely disappointing and painful to sit through.

The Osterman Weekend
A great swansong to a dying man plagued by his personal demons.
This is not classic Peckinpah admitedly, however this is great viewing. The action scenes for 1983 are up there with any (good) John Woo movies of later years. Rutger Hauer, John Hurt and Craig T Nelson are very watchable. This is defientely worth a second look.
The very rough cut on the 2nd DVD gives this film a more ambigious feel.
Like the train wreck of A man Apart, it shows that test screening clearly does not work!

i hope this is the beginning....
it's daft, tired and hollow... But i find this Peckinpah movie quite entertaining, but i've just taken an oppurtunity to say the following:

I hope this is the beginning of a 'Peckinpah collection' from anchor bay, a double disc edition of his most neglected masterpiece 'Bring me the head of Alfredo Garcia' would be greatly appreciated. I find 'Convoy', 'The Getaway', 'Junior Bonner', 'The Killer Elite' and 'Cross of Iron' all either tedious, revolting or both. They are all available, but not Peckinpah's last real achievement, strangely a film derided by even some of those that write books about him. It's time this ugly but wonderful, totally unorthodox love story was given a new life on DVD, restored. It's both the most typical and atypical film Peckinpah made. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Have to get for fans!
Tales From The Crypt was the best TV show ever. Now we get the 2 movies in 1 set. Only bad part is there are no special features. Which woulda been cool. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Just Cause is a film that relies on phony plot twists and steals openly from any other thriller that it can remember. If there was a drinking game requiring players to drink during every cinematic "homage," you'd be tanked after Just Cause's first 45 minutes. Take one case of racial injustice, place it in an exotic, exquisitely photographed location (the Florida Everglades), and bring in an outsider, played by a bankable star, to save the day. Make sure nothing appears as it seems. Add a couple of plot twists, some over-the-top character actors (Ed Harris, shamelessly riffing on Hannibal Lecter), stir, and serve. The big name in this case is Sean Connery, who plays a Harvard law professor summoned to the swamps by an apparently innocent death row inmate (Blair Underwood), who swears he didn't rape and kill that 11-year-old girl. He says he confessed because maverick psycho-cop Tanny Brown (Laurence Fishburne) made him play a solo game of Russian roulette. He says his Serial-killer neighbor on death row (Harris) committed the crime. Connery buys it, the audience buys it, and how could they not? Director Arne Glimcher (who made the lackluster Mambo Kings) coerces everyone with simplistic plot manipulations. Characters are given no depth, and the actors are pawns moved about like pieces on a Clue gameboard. --Dave McCoy ... Read more

Reviews (15)

What Evil Lurks
There's more than the alligators lurking in the swamplands of the Everglades in this thriller. It's hard to know who to trust as a Harvard law proffessor(Sean Connery) who hasn't even had a case in 25 years, reopens one of a convicted killer(Blair Underwood) in Florida. There is evidence to support that his confession was beat out of him, and the proffessor intends to prove it.
Don't take anything for granted in this chilling mystery as the list of suspects grows. There's the tough lawman(Laurence Fishburne),the psychotic serial killer(Ed Harris) over in the next cell,and you may even suspect the alligators in the swamps for a while. There are many twists and turns that will have you wondering who done it? The prof's wife (Kate Capshaw)is even invovled. Lots of action, lots of gripping suspense to keep you glued to your seat. You wont want to miss a minute of it.
The cast listed above all do marvelous work in this film. But I must also mention that the legendary Ruby Dee makes a superb appearance, as well as Kevin Mccarthy and Hope Lang.
So let's talk about the DVD. Fabulous! Wonderful widescreen picture. The swamps never looked so clear. Colors looked perfect.Nighttime scenes were all perfectly visable. The sound in the Dolby Surround 2.0 was actually very good, probably could have been perfect in the 5.1 with all the action though. Don't look for any special features,this DVD has only the language selection of French.It's a great film to add to the thriller section of you DVD library(even without the extras) So Look out for those alligators and enjoy.......Laurie

A Team of Great Actors Try.. Yet Ultimately Fail.
Sean Connery, Laurence Fishburn, Blair Underwood, Kate Capshaw and Ed Harris make the Best of Bad Material in "Just Cause", a Thriller that Too closely resembles a whole bunch of Better Thrillers.

Sean Connery stars as Paul Armstrong, a Harvard Law Professor, who is very Anti-Capital Punishment. When a Women comes to him, claiming her Son has been falsely sent to Death Row for Murder, Paul can't help but get involved. He heads to the Little Southern Town were it all took place, and begins his Own Investigation. He Inevitably runs into local resistance, namely the town sheriff, Tanny Brown. (Lawrence Fishburn) When Others also start to believe Armstrong may be right, Tanny is never swayed.

"Just Cause" never really gets Boring, but it doesn't get to Exciting either. Ed Harris' Hannibal Lector-ish performance is a High point and Lawrence Fishburn brings Welcome Tension to the Proceedings. Connery is as good as ever, though he isn't given much to do, Acting wise. Blair Underwood is Very Convincing as the man on Death Row, he convinces the audience as Easy as he convinces Connery. Kate Capshaw is the Weak Link in the Acting Department, and it's Not Really Her Fault. She plays Connery's wife... The Age difference isn't as extreme as Some ("A Perfect Murder" or "Entrapment") but they are Just Not Convincing together. They Actually sound like a Divorced couple when they speak to each other.

The Thrills are Pretty Tired, but they serve their Purpose. The Ending looked Hacked, Changed and Rushed all in one. You Get the Feel it has been Tampered with due to Test Screenings. Arne Glimcher's Directing is Utterly Average, everything happens like Clockwork, leaving Little opportunity to Surprise. It's as if he was watching Dozen's of Better Thrillers and yelling to the crew, "Ok, A Body has to Appear Now... Followed by a... A Shadow in the Bushes."

In Conclusion, Some Great performances, Good Thrills, Average Directing and a Tired old plot. If you don't mind these kind of Short-Cummings, you'll Probably enjoy yourself. Genre fans will probably enjoy it Even More.

No thrill thriller
A flat by-the-numbers who-do-it kind of mystery movie. The actors gave fine performances, given the script they had to work with. But the story lacks intrigues. Characters are not memorable. The action sequences are perfunctory. The major mystery this movie offers is why apparently the director was OK with all these shortcomings.

Don't bother to try to guess ahead of the movie, as many would like to do with a mystery. This movie just isn't worth your effort. Otherwise in the end you might have the frustrating feeling that you've given the movie more thought than the filmmakers appeared to have done.

just a waste of time cause it is
you'd think that Laurence and Seanny would be more careful on what they do know a days., though Fishburne 4 years later did The Matrix, that helped out, but otherwise this is a stink pot thriller with bad acting. Blair Underwood is the killer in this pic and he gets killed by an alligator, hmmmmm and also shot. theres also a skinheaded Ed Harris who's really gay. dont be fooled, I wasnt. its pure ...garbage

Do not rent this movie
One of the worst movies(with a budget)which I've ever seen. The movie is all over the place for fear of offending any segment of the viewing audience. It's supposedly anti-death penalty and police brutality, and yet Sean Connery's character, a crusading Harvard Law School professor and death penalty opponent, winds up siding with a policeman who sticks a .38 in a murder suspect's mouth and plays Russian roulette with it. The death row inmate, played by L.A. Law's Blair Underwood, is freed, only to be eaten by an alligator. The plot is based on a coincidence stemming from Connery's character's marriage to Kate Capshaw's character which is wildly improbable. The best thing about "Just Cause" is Ed Harris' portrayal of a psychotic death row inmate, although even that is a bit over-the-top. ... Read more

Description

In LIPSTICK, Chris McCormick (Margaux Hemingway), a high fashion and cosmetics model is brutally raped by her younger sister’s music teacher, Gordon Stuart (Sarandon).After pleading not guilty to the crime and being found innocent by a jury, Stuart finds a new victim in Chris’s younger sister and his own student, Kathy (Mariel Hemingway).Now even more enraged by the recent turn of events, Chris takes matters into her own hands as she seeks revenge for the crimes committed against both herself and her sister. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

I'm torn! Not a GOOD movie and a bare bones DVD ...
This was a 1976 drama that probably killed Margaux Hemingway's career as an actress and model, but oddly enough launched her younger sister Muriel into the spotlight! It's a rape drama about a victim (Margaux) who's rapist goes free (Chris Sarandon), and then attacks her younger sister (Muriel) and then all hell breaks loose!

The movie itself is a guilty pleasure - a potboiler melodrama done quite stlyishly, but somehow offensive and not well acted. Would fit in well with a double bill with EYES OF LAURA MARS! The fashion sequences are unique, and also the modern dance is neat to watch. And Margaux running in heels and a red sequin dress with a hunting rifle is a sight to see! I put it on my list of bad movies that I love. It has a SHOWGIRLS sensibility! Tried hard to be artsy and meaningful, but in the end was just too over the top to be anything but camp.

The DVD has a great transfer, but NO special features at all. Not even a trailer! Pity because Margaux died mysteriously, and this is her biggest movie. Memories of her would be welcome as well as why the movie was made. Credits show that a former DA of LA was an advisor, so somebody was trying to say something!

There's something about this movie ...
It's far from being the best film ever made, but LIPSTICK has some special quality about it. Let's first look at the exceptional performances from the cast:

Chris Sarandon - plays the school teacher of the younger sister (Mariel Hemingway) who rapes the older sister first and then the younger sister after being acquitted of the first crime. He really comes across as the creep he is intended to. You grow to hate him, which is the point.

Mariel Hemingway - her acting debut in which she shines. A great performance.

Ann Bancroft - plays the lawyer convincingly. An all round great actress.

Margaux Hemingway - the lead actress, and real-life sister of Mariel (unfortunately died tragically in mid 90's). Not a great actress by any means but she had her moments in the film. Pity about her voice. She was actually a model in real life then, rather than an actress.

The film bombed upon release in 1976 possibly because audiences couldn't accept Margaux trying to switch to acting. These days, such a movie would go straight to TV.

It is worth seeing at least once - The younger sister's performance is that good.

DVD SUMMARY - a bare bones release saved by an impressive transfer (and widescreen anamorphic too!). No trailer included.

strong stuff
This is one of my favourites from the 70's and it's great to see it finally appear on dvd. This is a hypnotic combination of cheesy exploitation and hard hitting drama that keeps you hooked right up to the explosive finale.
Margaux Hemingway is fantastic as the model who receives the unwelcome attentions of psychotic music teacher Chris Sarandon. Sarandon's character has to be one of the most loathsome ever put on film.
Mariel hemingway delivers a curiously affecting performance as the glamour model's younger sister.
After having only seen this before on UK tv in a cut version this nicely presented disc is a welcome addition to my collection.

Worst Movie Ever
...and boy am I glad it's finally on DVD. Can't wait to get my copy!

Delicious Trash
Oh how I love this film! Margaux is divine as a high fashion model who is raped by her teen sister's school music teacher! Well she is not just raped, she is completely brutalised! I swear some of those scenes looked a bit too realistic. Chris Sarandon is absolutely devilish in the role of the sadistic rapist. He doesn't just physically overpower Margaux, he also attacks her mentally. After the deed is done he slyly begs of her to "not do this with anyone else." During the trial he also torments her with late night calls playing selections of his Phillip Glass inspired music. While the subject matter is serious the film is also high camp & truely hilarious! In an emotional (or as emotional as Margaux can get) courtroom scene she shouts out "he tried to kill me with his c**k!" Let us also not forget lil sis Mariel who gets attacked at the end of the film...after a high speed chase through the Pasadena Design Center! This pushes Margaux over the edge so she grabs a shotgun and goes after Sarandon with a vengeance! After pumping him full of bullets she just keeps pulling the trigger...it is AMAZING! Francesco Scavullo must be so proud. ... Read more

Description

Goldie Hawn "is golden in her best role since Private Benjamin" (CBS-TV) as a Washington waitress who joins the state department, sending global diplomacy into a tailspin. Year: 1984 Director: Herbert Ross Starring:Goldie Hawn, Chris Sarandon, Richard Romanus ... Read more

Reviews (14)

CLASSIC GOLDIE!
Goldie accidently saves a middle-eastern politician from a gunshot,and is suddenly thrusted into the media,becomes a media darling,and hired on by the U.S. Govt.,who try to "sell" her(without her knowledge) to the man she helped save,to become one of his MANY wives,in exchange for some Nuclear bombs. Not only does this film take shots at the stupidity of the media,and the shaddy dealings of our own Government, it is an abosolutly funny funny movie! Goldie is HILLARIOUS as Sunny Davis,cocktail waitress,turned media hero. One of my all-time fave Goldie Hawn movies,this one's a definate keeper! HIGHLY RECCOMeNDED

GOLDIE BEING GOLDIE...
This is an offbeat little film that showcases the ever adorable Goldie Hawn, who plays a cocktail waitress thrust into the spotlight when she singlehandedly thwarts an assassination attempt on a visiting Emir from a strategically placed, Middle Eastern country. Having taken a bullet in the butt during her heroic fight with the gunman, she becomes a media darling overnight, as she is a breath of fresh air. The media and the public gobble her up, while the White House staff, aware of her effect on the public, hire her to work in the protocul office. Unbeknownst to her, she is being used politically, and has been underestimated by the staff with whom she works. When she becomes aware of what is going on, she turns Washington on its head, and, in the process, completely changes her life. Good things do happen to good people. A cute movie, with a good cast, though not that many laughs.

one of those decent 80's comedies
Protocol is one of those movies that you can watch one day and find humoress but then not remember much about it for a long time this is like most 80's comedies. Goldie Hawn puts up a great preformance and you got to love Goldie Hawn after all she is kate hudson's mom and man is Kate Hudson hot

Protocol
A great feel good movie. Except that the quality of the DVD. It flickers threw the first hour. I think they could have put more effort in the manufacturing.

Novacaine for the Brain
Protocol, Goldie Hawn's attempt at Ms. Smith Goes to Washington is a light and fluffy comedy requires little thought during this little comedy. There is a good girl (Hawn) and a bad woman (played by the under rated Gail Strickland) who decides to sacrifice Hawn for the sake of international affairs. The only "odd" bit of casting is that of Chris Sarandon who aside from looking (and acting) like a department store mannequin offers little to the story.

This may not be the best film that you will ever see, but on a rainy day, it beats watching golf or bass masters. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Excellent TV movie.
"David's Mother" is a superior TV movie in which Kirstie Alley stars as a dpressed single mother of a mentally challenged teenage son in Manhattan. Stockard Channing has a very good supporting role as Kirstie's sister, who tries to play matchmaker for Kirstie.
It's good to see a good-quality female-driven TV movie get released on DVD. I wish they'd release Kirstie's other terrific TV movies on DVD- like "Suddenly" in which she plays a waitress who gets hit by a bus, and "Family Sins", in which she teaches her foster kids how to shoplift. They also need to release Stockard Channing's extraordinary TV movie "The Matthew Sheppard Story" on DVD.

Alley's Performance Makes "David's Mother" Worthwhile!
This film aired on CBS the same year as Bette Midler's "Gypsy" Miss M and Ms. Alley were both nominated for an EMMY in the Best Actress catagory. Kirstie Alley took home the award! In my heart I wanted Bette to win but, I can see why Kirstie won! Not just because this is the type of role that usually wins an actress an EMMY but, because Ms. Alley brings something fresh to to an already overused made for TV formula! A much put upon mother rises above her station in life and realizes what is best for herself and her family. In the hands of another actress the role of Sally Goodman (Kirstie Alley) would be 92 minutes of long faces and heavy sighs! Instead we see a full human being beyond even what the writer could have thought! The script (written by Bob Randall based on his play "David's Mother") is filled with emotion that is all carried by the mother and well, David (Michael Goorjian in his EMMY winning performance) who doesn't speak one word yet speaks volumes with his silence. However, many of David's scenes are destroyed by lingering close-ups which make us (the viewer) pitty and in most cases laugh at David. I think this could have been avoided if the director had chosen the cut from David's reactions sooner. The director David Allan Ackerman who so brilliantly directed "Me & My Shadows: Life With Judy Garland" seems out of his eliment here. The film is very heavy-handed! The supporting cast Sam Waterston as the to good to be true boyfriend, Stockard Channing as the concerned older sister, Chris Sarandon as the cowardly ex-husband and Phylcia Rashad as the do-gooder social worker serve no other purpose than to react to the main characters. These are excellent actors and they are given no moments of their own to shine. That's another problem with the script as well as the direction.
The DVD contains no special features other than Full screen, scene selection & digitally mastered.
Excellent picture quality for a low cost DVD
Overall, not a bad film, just flawed! No fault though of the very talented cast. The fault lies firmly in the hands of the film makers! The performance of Kirstie Alley make it worth the price of the DVD! It's worth a look! ... Read more

Reviews (35)

Underrated brilliance
I never understood why so many people hate this movie. Even Fangoria called it 'abysmal'. But I consider it a worthy follow-up to the delicious Demon Knight. It has brilliant acting: Dennis Miller is a treat as smartass private eye. Angie Everhart is not only the hottest female vampire in years, no, she even proves that she can actually act. Corey Feldman has one of his very few good roles. But who really chews the scenery is Chris Sarandon (Fright Night), one of the most underrated actors ever: His performance as a TV preacher alone makes this movie worth watching. Only Erika Eleniak is rather miscast. And watch out for Demon Knight veteran William Sadler (another underestimated actor) as mummy. The make-up F/X are not only unbelievably gory for an R-rated movie; they're so excellent they even surprise genre buffs who thought they've seen it all. The characters are wonderfully weird, and although there's loads of black humour in it, I'm glad Bordello of Blood never turns in a fun-splatter movie and still provides some chills. Even if you heard it's awful: Give it a try! It's more than just another vampire movie and has more imaginery than all those new teen horror films that Scream spawned together. I just hope there'll be a final part to the Tales from the Crypt full-length-feature trilogy.

Vampire Prostitutes
Bordello of Blood is the second Tales From the Crypt movie, and I found it very enjoyable.

Unlike the first movie (Demon Knight) this movie did not start out with the television show's opening. It opened more like a movie than an extra long episode.

Bordello of Blood is the story of a down-on-his-luck private investigator (Dennis Miller) looking for a missing teenager. The search leads him to a funeral home that is a front for a bordello run by vampires. Miller's client tells him to drop the case but he really needs the case to succeed if he is going to get his license back. Miller investigates and plays a very savvy investigator who doesn't fall for anyone's lines and is not surprised by what he finds. Added to this is television evangelism, the lore of vampires and their origin, and the key from the first movie.

The action is similar to the series with the same tongue-in-cheek humor (possibly even more so). I particularly liked the investigator's resourcefulness in eliminating the vampires (a long-range, large-capacity squirt gun filled with holy water) and the vampire applying the SPF100 sun block.

If you like Tales From the Crypt, there is no reason you will not like this one.

The reason Tales from the Crypt died
While the first film was a solid, self-contained horror flick with a touch of humor and a fair amount of sophistication and imagination, Bordello of Blood falls apart under poor direction and a far too free-spirited nature. While it is a failure as a sequel it manages to entertain only as a brainless timewaster.

Dennis Miller does his best with the weak material and ad-libs a lot of humor. A little too much, taking the film even further from it's already vague ambitions. But worry not, his humor is still free and easy, unlike his cryptic (no pun intended) football commentaries. Erika Eleniak is marginally engaging and Corey Feldman is well underused. The weakest performances come from Angie Everhart as the ancient vampire Lillith and Chris Sarandon as the outrageously stereotyped southern TV evangelist. It's these performances that keep the film eternally low brow.

It's sad that Tales from the Crypt totally died after this movie but the powers behind it went on to found the Dark Castle production company (check out those movies they're actually quite scary and effective).

This new version of Bordello of Blood is by Universal and is presented in it's proper aspect ratio of 1.85:1 anamorphic and is in Dolby 5.1. The cheapo snapper case has been replaced by a sturdy keepcase and a new cover art. The only new extra is a trailer.

Tales From The Crypt Presents - Bordello of Blood
When a Private Investigator (Dennis Miller) is hire by a church-going, sexy concerned sister (Erika Eleniak) to find her bad-assed brother (Corey Feldman) the case turns into a bloodbath. When they finally find her brother he is found in a local mortuary which tends to have funerals in the mornings and a whorehouse at night. The whorehouse is run by a vampire (Angie Everheart) whose over 1,000 years old. Full of comedy, gore and (of course) sex, Bordello of Blood is very satisfying and has the ability to entertain multiple viewings. The film also co-stars Chris Sarandon. The DVD isn't much. It only have a Theatrical Trailer.

Picture: B
Sound: B-
Special Features: F

Gorey and fun horror romp
The second (but hopefully not last) Tales From the Crypt film, Bordello of Blood is as nasty as it's title implies. Full of scantily clad vampire women and loaded with a surprising amount of gore for an R-rated movie, this film is pure trashy horror fun with comedian Dennis Miller playing a private eye who stumbles upon a bordello full of vampires being funded by an evangilist (Chris Sarandon). Plenty of toungue-in-cheek dark humor, hot babes, and wild gore; Bordello of Blood doesn't hit the same greatness as Demon Knight, but it doesn't try to either. Also featuring Erika Eleniak, Corey Feldman, and Angie Everhart as the mouthwatering vampire master. ... Read more