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Harry S. Truman had a hard row to hoe as the 33rd president and he never enjoyed popularity while in office. Think about what occurred on Truman's watch: the bombing of Hiroshima, a nationwide railroad strike, the rise of the Southern States' Rights Party, integration of the armed forces, the ascendancy of McCarthyism, the early cold war, and finally the Korean Conflict and Truman's decision to fire General MacArthur. Few American presidents have been faced with more difficult and dangerous times than Truman. It wasn't until some 50 years later that Harry Truman, a farmer from Missouri, got his due appreciation in the history books.Truman follows the man from his beginnings as an artillery officer in WWI through his connections with Missouri's Pendergast political machine and onward to Washington.The always-excellent Gary Sinise is a perfect fit for the Truman character, having obviously studied the President's plainspoken Missouri twang and ramrod-straight bearing at great length.Diana Scarwid is also very good as Truman's long-suffering wife Bess; the film studies the relationship between the two in some depth, and also sheds light on the men who surrounded Truman in Washington. Truman's chief failing is that in its effort to detail 40 years of the man's life, certain historical events are given short shrift in order to fit them all in.Nonetheless, Sinise inhabits the character well; the scene where the President ruminates on dining alone in the White House (while Bess is back in Missouri) is a great, understated comment on the loneliness, isolation, and stress of the job. --Jerry Renshaw ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Sinise is Brillant!
I have watched this movie many times and have always felt better for it. I have always had a great respect for President Truman. Mr.Sinise's performance was heart-warming & captivating. He brought the essence of the character to life. The movie transports the viewer to his time and does not let go until the end (which, I found myself wanting to know more of the Trumans, post-White House). Diana Scarwid's portrayal of Bess Truman conveyed that the man who made some very tough calls in a nation's darkest hours had a woman of steel behind him. He made decisions that were unpopular and yet necessary. "War is Hell". Our 33rd President did what he felt was right at the time. He is in my estimation one of the most under-appreciated US Presidents and important historical figures of the 20th Century.

WHO SAYS HISTORY ISN'T INTERESTING!
Film biography is very ticky business. Directors are often tempted to to make their subjects out to be over the top martyrs, or self- importent gods. Frank Pierson avoids that trap in this wonderful look at our 33rd president, Harry S. Truman. The Truman we see here, as brought to us by the always wonderful Gary Sinise, is a very flawed human being. He's not sure of everything, and he makes his share of mistakes. However, he is also an honest, inteligent man, who works hard to help our country, and becomes one of our greatest presidents.Pierson's attempt to make such an honest movie is commendable, as is his wonderful recreation of America in the first half of this century. Rural Missouri in the 1920's and Washington D.C. in the 1940's are brought to us effortlessly. It is a delight to see such informative and interesting portrayals of great men like Harry Truman coming out in recent years. It is importent that we as Americans know about the great men who have served our country, and what better a way then through the movies?

Gary Sinise does it again!
This DVD stars Gary Sinise as Harry S. Truman and covers his life from when he is a farmer, through marrying Bess, up until the time he leaves the White House. Gary is terrific as usual and when he gets going as the older Truman on the campaign trail, he is dynamic. Also stars Diana Scarwid as Bess, who is usually in campy movies such as playing Christina Crawford in Mommie Dearest, but she is also very endearing as Mrs. Truman. There are some very cute points, especially when the Truman's move into the White House, the "first house they have ever had alone" and Mrs. Truman comments about how dirty it is! Not to be missed! One minor flaw - there are NO special features on this DVD.

One Small Complaint...
The wardrobe researchers should have paid more attention to the military uniforms worn by the real-life personages herein portrayed, particularly Gens. Marshall and MacArthur. Aside from that, this is an interesting movie condensation that should prompt viewers into reading more biographical information about Harry Truman. He and Sam Rayburn appear to have been the last two honest and honorable Democrats who ever drew breath.

excellent
this movie was a great portrayal of a man who was a good leader thru difficult times,it seems like the presidents before and after had a difficult time, but not like harry truman. his decission to fire general macarthur, was probably
the worst decision he made, but generally his difficult decisions were for the best interest of the people he served ... Read more

Reviews (7)

One Of Bronson's Best

I first saw this film in a theatre in Summer, 1976, and have since watched it on TV several times, awaiting the day the DVD would be issued.

It is easily said that this is not only one of my favorite Bronson films, but just one of my favorite films in general. There is an ambience or quality to this film that just reaches out to me. Everything just works.

The other reviews listed here sum up the movie pretty well. But I will say I am surprised that only one reviewer mentions in passing one role that helps make this movie, and that is the one played by Dana Elcar. Elcar plays a detective on the police force who is not only friendly to St. Ives, but somewhat protective by the latitude he offers. At the ending, it is of course natural that Dana Elcar's character is called in by St. Ives to help tidy up the messy details. Dana Elcar was a supreme actor both in the movies and on TV, and it is true tragedy that he ended life going blind.

If you enjoy Bronson movies, or laid back, cool detective movies this one is for you. Now, if I can just locate that great looking cafeteria in this movie I will be all set. Ray St. Ives sure knew where to eat, but never learned not to bet on the Los Angeles Rams!

One of Bronsons peak performances!!
I'm nearing the end on a quest to see all of Bronson's flicks and just came to St. Ives.For reference, I consider his best films to be The Mechanic, Hard Times, and Death Wish 1.I only wish I would have seen this one sooner.Kinda throws you off to see Bronson cast as a reporter but rest assured, there areplenty of people getting killed, falling from buildings, car chases, fights and VERY witty one liners to boot.Great story, great acting, super supporting cast and another fantastic score by the great Mr. Lalo Schifrin.I wish Lalo had scored more Bronson films, particularly the Death Wish series. Bronson really proved he can act here and it makes one wonder why he chose the Death Wish-type stuff for the entire last ten of his filmmaking years.Really a fine film and highly recommended!!Just make sure you see this film BEFORE you see Breakout, Death Hunt, Death Wish 3/4/5 or Kinjite.Let's get this on DVD Warner!!Now off to find out about The White Buffalo, 10 to Midnight and Murphys Law....

Above average Bronson flick...
Charles Bronson is Ray St. Ives, an ex-LA cop, turned struggling writer.A man who could use a decent payday to help offset his gambling losses and alimony bills.Excentric Abner Procane (John Houseman), has had some valuable ledgers stolen, and offers St. Ives a job as the go-between in the ransom process.

Things get off to a rocky start, when at the rendezvous at a laundromat, a dead man turns up spinning in a washer and no exchange takes place.Others are interested in the ledgers too, and as St. Ives investigates, attempts are made to get him off the case, and more bodies start turning up as well.Eventually he does get the ledgers back, and then becomes involved in an off beat robbery scheme.The plot works well up to a point, and then credibility begins to fade.The ending does wrap up the loose ends, and features a surprise or two, and a teaser.

It is amusing to see the usually upright Houseman, as a criminal type, dressing up in a "cat burglar" outfit for nocturnal activities.The rest of the cast is also interesting.Jacqueline Bisset, is a former cop in charge of Procane's security, and Maximillan Schell is Procane's psychiatrist. Underrated Dana Elcar is St Ives's buddy on the force.Also appearing are Harry Guardino, and Daniel Travanti, and as young hoods, Jeff Goldblum and Robert "Freddy Krueger" Englund.

Lalo Schifrin does some nice work on the score.And veteran J. Lee Thompson (Guns of Navarone) directs one of Bronson's better efforts.Worth a look if you get the chance.

Bronson's Best Acting Acheivement!
Charles Bronson shows the crittics that he can act in a more
complex murder/mystery than his usual tough guy revenge films
and do an outstanding Job. Bronson Plays Ray St.Ives a famous
crime reporter turned author who is in finacial trouble takes
a job offered to him by his lawyer to act as a go between and deliver a huge sum of money to those who have stolen incrimanating ledgers from a devious, eccentric old crime kingpin(John Houseman)So after failed attempts to deilver the money for the ledgers the exchange does get transacted but their are four pages missing from the ledgers than Bronson blackmails Houseman to take him on the mission to find the missing pages putting himself in danger. This is definalty one of the best films of the seventies and certainly one of the best films
Charles Bronson has ever done. Here he plays a smart,cool type
of indivdual who uses more words than his fists. Great cast
includes Jacquline Bisset a red head beauty just at the start
of her carrer played the femme fatele to a T. I'ts a shame Bronson didn't do more of these type of films because the man can
act beyond his usual tough guy exploits and he proves that in
this film.

Resist Your Impulse to Shut it Off....
...because this is a very funny movie, if you just give it a chance. My brothers taped this years ago, and took to watching it again. The first few times, the cheap 70s look it had made me beat a trail out of the room, but then one day I sat and watched it. And was surprised at how entertaining it is!

Bronson is a failed crime writer who, because he IS so down on his luck, accepts a job as a bag man to deliver a sizeable amount of money to those who have stolen the notebooks of a legendary old crime planner, John Houseman. He's an odd bird who sits in the dark sobbing at old silent movies while his pseudo mistress Jackie Bisset saunters about the mansion wearing the most appalling moumous. Houseman's doctor Maximillian Schell is on hand as well in the mansion, well characterized with a perpetual runny nose that must be blown. Things should go off smoothly, except that by the time Bronson appears at the laundromat drop off point, someone has stuffed a corpse in a dryer. Poses some difficulties, you might say, especially when the police just happen along and take Bronson in for questioning. And that's just the start of it. There will be a few more murders, a sexy scene or two with Ms. Bisset, and an exciting chase scene with Mr. Houseman through a drive-in movie as cattle stampede continuously across the screen. That's one of the details I like the movie for, incidentally: you can rewind it all you want, and you'll only see cattle on the screen, never any cowboys.

What makes "St. Ives" appealing is that despite its cheap look, every single performer is delivering a good performance. Nobody is walking through their part. There are some great lines too, as when Houseman is being somewhat confidential with Bronson towards the end, talking about how he disagrees with psychologists who equate a fear of death with a fear of impotence: "Besides, I've always BEEN impotent, so why should I fear it?"

If you want to smile to yourself a lot while watching a movie, then put a copy of "St. Ives" in the machine and let it roll. ... Read more

Description

When a U.S. submarine accidentally collides with an armed Soviet sub spying off the coast of America, it sets off a suspenseful chain of events that could lead to all-out nuclear war. Based on true events, this ' 'taut thriller' ' (People) raises the action stakes on a crisis that heated the Cold War at sea up to boiling point. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Take it or leave it
This movie wasn't bad, but it was by no means great. I found it quite difficult to follow the storyline, and the special effects were less than convincing (is it just me, or did they use the exact same shot of the Russian submarine, like, 5 times?) Some of the acting, Sheen and Hauer included, seemed forced.
The first 45 minutes of the movie were nearly unbearable, but towards the end, the pace picked up and it became more interesting. I even enjoyed the ending.

(Note: If you are buying this movie for the performance of Dominic Monaghan [as I admit I did], don't waste your money on it. He is hardly shown and has ONE line. Just a heads-up)

Hardly Serviceable
Little more than a serviceable introduction to the historical proceedings. Wooden acting all round. In fact, Sheen looks like he's sleepwalking (or punchdrunk) through the thing. Still, Hauer does manage to conjure some sympathy as the Russian captain who does his best to save all his men, though, regardless of what he does, he can't win back home with the Soviet officials. Otherwise, there are handful of interesting insights into submarine culture--if what we're seeing is an accurate portrayal.

Overall, Hostile Waters the feel of a mediocre (to bad) TV movie (which I'm assuming it isn't), including some particularly unconvincing special effects--to the extent that, though this was made in 1997, I would've guessed '87. It just looks that dated. Only Hauer and Sheen's haggard appearances are any clue that it was made later.

A missed chance
Having read the book first I really looked forward to the movie as a chance to dispel some of the strange ideas we have about Soviet sailors and to shed a little light on a very shadowy place in the worlds militaries.This chance was missed however by skimming over the cause of the events and failing to show the almost superhuman efforts the Rissian captain and crew went through to save the situation. Rutger Hauers performance as a consumate submariner and commanding officer are as close to reality as this movie comes. Surely a missed chance.

A BORING WHITEWASH; READ THE BOOK INSTEAD
Read the book, but DO NOT BUY THIS TRAVESTY! Worse than a made for TV oversimplification, this HBO film completely distorts and actually REVERSES essential facts of the true, exciting and important story detailed in the book upon which it is based (St. Martin's Press, 1997). Anyone with respect for the history of submarines and submariners should avoid this poor "dramatization." It isn't even a "taut thriller," as People Magazine was quoted as saying. It's just a boring whitewash of the actual events. Besides failing to show that an irresponsible cowboy US Submarine Commander (James Von Suskil of the USS AUGUSTA, the man and the ship both cowardly renamed in this low-budget stinker) recklessly caused the accident, they depicted the Russian Captian receiving a hero's welcome when he returned to the USSR, when in truth he was tragically court-martialed and imprisoned after taking necessary steps to save his crew and the eastern seaboard of the US! Why do people make movies like this, and why do actors like Max Von Sydow and Martin Sheen participate in covering up the misdeeds of a reckless US sub commander and the depraved indifference and cruelty of the Soviet Navy toward its own sailors. The simple truth of the book would have been far more exciting and enlightening. Shame on everyone associated with this little piece of anti-history!

Nice little submarine flick
Not "Das Boot," but don't overlook this one. Rutger Hauer gives an excellently controlled performance as the captain. No phony baloney. Very gripping towards the end. Worthwhile. ... Read more

Reviews (67)

One Man. One Masterpiece. One Very Big Mistake.
Mr. Bean makes it to the USA in this movie and, just like he does back home in England, he causes absolute chaos. He works as security guard in a London art museum and is assigned to escort the famous "Whistler's Mother" painting to an LA museum. When Mr. Bean arrives there, the museum owner and the curator mistake him to be an art expert and from then on the disasters begin. "Bean" had some very funny moments in it, however I don't think the Mr. Bean character was well -suited to this type of film. It's nothing more than a typical comedy with Mr. Bean thrown in it to generate some laughs (most of which are Americanized). Not only that but Mr. Bean is forced to interact with a lot of characters and stay in the confines a plot, which is not like him. Bean is at his best in the TV series, not an American comedy. But as I said, there were some hilarious scenes here. The part where Mr. Bean spikes a security guards coffee with laxative (and then takes the bathroom key with him!) was great and so was the scene when he wrecks up the painting. If you happen to be a Bean purist or a nonfan, you might not appreciate this movie. However, if you are a fan of Rowan Atkinson then do try this out.

Not for everyone
I suggest watching one of the tv episodes before taking this one in; if it doesn't appeal to you, don't bother. The humour here is somewhat different than the typical American humour. Actually, the biggest problem I had with this movie is how much they catered to the north american audience. They altered one of the best aspects of the tv show by giving Bean moral character. He's funniest when he has no regard for the chaos he creates; the viewer laughs at the consequences while Bean just carries on. Sure, that would have meant less of a plot line, but it would have been more daring film-making. Also annoying was the recycling of some skits from the show (again catering to NA audiences). I should note at this point that the version released in Canada was different than the one released in the US; the US version has more recycled skits from the show, I guess because they figured no one in the US had seen them. All that aside, there are some hilarious sequences. You'll either love it, hate it, or just not get it at all.

The art of a comedy.
I saw this film at the local theater when I was but a boy in 1997. Batman and Robin was a complete f***ing failure that year but I had something to bounce back on. And that was Bean. This movie was too hillarious for words. Rowan Atkinson is one of the greatest comedic masterminds of all time. He can take one simple mistake such as for example, sneezing on an important piece of American history like the "Whistler's Mother" painting and turning it into a full scale disaster involving paint thinner, breaking and entering, bathroom humor, and an incredibly moving speech and make it so frickin funny that you have to see it again. I must admit, I saw Bean 3 times that year and it got funnier every time. It's like a classic film such as Forrest Gump or Star Wars. Films like that get better and better everytime because you notice something new and it feels like watching a brand new movie. That's what makes movie watching so worthwhile. It starts to grow on you. But anyhow, Bean is probably one of the greatest comedies of all time and it only gets better because behind this great comedy there was an even greater television series. In 1998, the Fox family channel which is now ABC family swept into my cable company's channel list and Mr Bean was one of the shows that came on all the time. And it's even funnier that the movie. Some of the movie's bits came from the show such as Bean getting the turkey stuck to his head. If you buy this dvd which you should, buy the dvd sets of the tv series. But on a final note, this is one of the most hillarious films ever, so buy it.

Wow
Rowan Atkinson talks in this movie for a change!
It's one of the best comedies ever.
This time, mr.Bean is a caretaker at Royal National Gallery. As a matter of fact he's a sleeper as he sleeps all day long at his work place.
Since the chairman adores mr.Bean instead of getting him fired he sends mr.Bean to U.S.A.
This is where the trouble begins...:)

A must see movie

YOU WON'T STOP THE LAUGHTER!!
It seems that nationality has something to do
with how we enjoy humor. I expected to see a higher
rating given to this movie. For me, puertorrican, this is
the kind of humor I enjoy the most. This movie is terribly
funny - I simply has no words to describe it - just watch it
as soon as you can, you won't be dissapointed. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Great family movie
I thought this was a great family movie. While it won't hold the attention of the younger kids, older children will enjoy it. The acting is wonderful, especially the "young lass", what a great part for her. Too bad about the cynical review earlier, but that's what I expect from profession movie critics, they are out to pick apart the film itself, where I am looking for entertainment factor for myself and for my family. As for MY family, we thoroughly enjoyed the movie.

Great Nessie Movie
This movie is great! The speacial effects are great! The acting is great! The story is great! Ted Danson is great! That is all I have to say. I want to talk much more but I'd spoil it. See this movie.

Wonderful Music
Can anyone tell me where to find the soundtrack for this film?

kirsty graham is my cousin, do you know how I can locate her
It is one of my favourite movies of all time.Kirsty is my cousin and I am trying to find her. Can anyone help, without invading her privacy. I realize that is important.

Magnificent Film
This movie was brilliantly filmed and acted.It is a little known gem of the highest quality.It's ashame people can't get past the subject material, because it's a rare film that is this well written, acted or filmed. ... Read more

Reviews (68)

Inspirational
I have wanted to be a teacher for years now and watching movies like The Emperor's Club make me dream about teacher even more. The Emperor's Club is about a group of affluent teenagers at an elite private school with a teacher better than one can imagine. Kevin Kline is this teacher, and once again delivers with an amazing performance. Unfortunately after giving these students a year of his life, and making decisions based on favorites, he is struck with the harsh reality that some people, one student in particular, are ruthless and greedy. This reality strikes him on one more occasion as a slap in the face to him that some people never change. The Emperor's Club is not a movie just about how people cannot be trusted, but how people make mistakes, and how other people can forgive them for their mistakes. It is about learning, even teachers learning, lessons of life that everybody learns at some point. The Emperor's Club was fascinating film from pretty much every aspect. Although it reminded me of Dead Poets Society, the best film of this genre ever, I still thoroughly enjoyed it.

An engrossing tale, well acted by Kevin Kline
The Emperor's Club was one of the best films about a teacher that I've seen. It was a refreshing and rewarding movie because the story kept my interest without ever slipping into Hollywood's normal excessive sentimentality or easy plot turns. Kevin Kline was perfectly cast as a history teacher at an exclusive boy's school (Mr. Hundert, not "Herdunt"), and his struggles with a difficult student (Bell) didn't always unfold the way I thought they would.

Hundert faced various moral dilemmas during the story. The situations that led to those dilemmas and the teacher's decisions were both presented in realistic ways. Who knows how any of us would have have handled similar decisions? In fact, I saw the film with a teacher friend who remarked about the movie's accuracy, that indeed sometimes teachers must decide whether to grade a student higher than merited (to inspire) or give the appropriate grade and risk de-motivation.

The best thing about The Emperor's Club was the gracefulness and subtlety in how the story was told, epitomized by its untidy yet still satisfying conclusion. It's a movie that will lead to active discussions between moviegoers after leaving the theater.

Reaches for greatness--and misses
Finally, someone makes a movie like Dead Poet's Society! Well, no, not exactly. I'm a sucker for Kevin Kline, and it's hard to argue with his performance--or Emile Hirsch's--in this film. But the script screws the actors. This isn't a terrible movie--it's a pleasant enough way to pass a few hours--but the promise of the obvious comparisons to the Robin Williams hit makes it a disappointment. And just wait for the whammy that hits ten minutes from the end--a total repeat of the plot from the first half of the movie. The lesson, apparently, is that some folks never learn from their mistakes. Including Hollywood folk who tag good actors with a bad script...

Kevin Kline is a teacher
An excellent plot "with a twist", plus illuminated acting of Kevin Kline and a well chosen cast makes this movie a rewarding entertainement.

A DIFFERENT SHADE ON THE TEACHER-STUDENT THEME
For the first 15 minutes, I felt that the movie would walk that oft-tread road of teacher-student movies such as Holland's Opus, Finding Forrester, Dead Poets Society etc.

But in the end, it takes on a different contour than what I would have imagined through its course, so that was a welcome denouement.

The finishing twist is delivered with a flourish, and although I felt that the writer didn't quite have the guts to follow his story to its natural, cynical conclusion, the end was surely a bit unpredictable.

The story line, admittedly, is on a diet. But the script is taut. What really shimmers though is the acting. Kevin Kline is, as always, in top form, he neither underplays nor overplays his professor role getting everything just right, from his quiet, guilt-ridden introspection to the light comedy that results from a frivolous baseball game. And as the counterpart protagonist Emile Hirsch displays the arrogant bravado one expects from a bad seed student rather well.

All in all, I probably wouldn't see this movie more than once, but it's a worthwhile rental. Especially to watch with kids for some decent messages about morals, discipline, friendship, respect. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

A pretty good movie, but not about Santeria
"The Believers" is going to offend a lot of people, and with good reason. The movie portends to be about the "cult" of Santeria and the dangers it poses to non-believers; what the movie shows has little or nothing to do with Santeria. To give credit where it is due, one of the characters, on viewing the carnage, says that this is not Santeria, it's brujeria, which is Spanish for witchcraft; it's closer to the mark, but even brujeria, as far as I have read, doesn't make a practice out of the ritual sacrifice of small children. Santeria itself is a hardly a cult; it's a religion practiced or believed in by more than 100 million people in the Americas (it's closely related to Voodoo in Haiti and Candomble in Brazil); it's a syncretism between the Yoruba gods and the Roman Catholic saints, and it does not involve shedding human blood. That said, "The Believers" is an intriguing film about a police psychiatrist who comes to New York City with his small son after the death of his wife in a freak accident. He is called by the NYPD after one of their own apparently goes berserk, raving about "they" have his badge and "they" can get anyone. "They" turn out to be a group of lunatics who think they can take over society through their own twisted version of what they call Santeria, once they have achieved the ritual slaughter of three small boys by the summer solstice. They have already killed two; guess whom they are targeting as the third? There's a lot of blood and gore as the cult proves very adept at inducing everyone who gets in their way to commit unpleasant forms of suicide; the psychiatrist finds to his horror that one of his own in-laws is deeply involved in the cult after having sacrified his own young son, and after managing to rescue his child from being the cult's third sacrifice, the psychiatrist leaves New York behind and retreats to the country, only to find that Santeria has followed him. The ending is improbable, to say the least, but if you're interested in a movie with a lot of twists and turns, this one is fun to watch. Be warned, however, that its basic premise is flawed, and the film casts a serious and unwarranted slur on the religion of Santeria.

Very Disturbing, Especially if You Have Children
John Schlesinger (Midnight Cowboy, Marathon Man, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Day of the Locust) delivers yet again in this suspenseful, hair raisingly chilling account of Devil Worship.

True, it might have helped feed the frenzy of anti-Wiccan, look behind every repressed childhood memory for pentagrams and blood chalices evidence in numerous '80s court cases, but as cinema, it is a very powerful, scary flick. One can only empathize with what the parents, played by Helen Shaver and Martin Sheen, go through, in the course of the movie. Both are highly convincing in their parts and the script doesn't venture into the banal or the ridiculous, so we the audience are caught up in their dilemma. They are powerless over the forces of darkness, and it is that feeling of hopelessness and dread, which really digs deep into the viewer's psyche, particularly if one is a parent, him/herself.

It's an acuumulative "you are there," "imagine yourself in their shoes" experiment in terror. The result is one of the best horror films of the decade.

To give away anything in the way of plot would be a huge disservice to potential viewers. Suffice it to say that the acting is uniformly excellent. You're in the hands of a director who knows how and when to build suspense. At no point do you have to strain to willingly suspend disbelief. Shades of "Rosemary's Baby," but no wholesale lifting. Certainly a lot more believable than "Eyes Wide Shut" in the Devil Worshipping scenes. Belongs in every horror afficianado's collection.

BEK

Believable!!!
I loved this movie. I found it to be very well researched for it's content of Santeria and Brujeria. As someone who grew up around these religions I appreciated the authenticity. This was a scary, suspenseful and edge-of-your-seat, very well made movie.

It's like that saying, sometimes real life is scarier than fiction. Although, this is not one of those "based on a true story" type of movie, this movie was true to life in a lot of ways. Its' content reflected upon 2 very old religions that are very much alive and well in the U.S. and other parts of the world today.

Never underestimate the power of mind and intention (for good or bad) or the power of the universe.

2.5, really...
Martin Sheen stars in this almost-scary voodoo flick. The pacing is just a little slow, and they take too long to s...h...o...w... y...o...u... e...v...e...r...y...t...h...i...n...g... in the santeria and brujeria rituals involved. Still, it's an okay horror flick. But to think: later he became President Bartlett!

Good scares? You better believe it!
Of all the occult thillers that I have seen, this one is my most favorite. Not only does this intelligent horror film deliver the goods for nightmares, it carries a large cast of some very fine characters.Martin Sheen, Jimmy Smits, Robert Loggia and Helen Shaver are exceptonally good in their performances. However, the one that will stand out the most is the little known Malick Bowens. Bowens gives the film's villainous role such a demonic prescience, that it could perhaps scare Old Ned himself. This is a great film for those who do not spook easily and/or those with strong stomachs. However, it would be wise to forbid anyone under 15 to view this film because as I said before, it does not skimp on the details of ritualistic murders and supernatural occurences. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Snooze and Lose
Don't be fooled by actors like "Martin Sheen"! and "Sean Penn"! Sean Penn has a small dorkey part where he talks with a lame German accent. Martin Sheen is OK but this really is no better than a low budget movie of the week. I watched the clock more than the film. ... Read more

Reviews (539)

His Name Is Tony...
Actor Al Pacino gives a powerhouse performance in 1983's SCARFACE. Paciino plays Tony Montana, a Cuban refugee hoodlum, who quickly rises to the top of Miami's cocaine industry. On his way to the top, Tony uses any means at his disposal to get there, no matter who he hurts or betrays in the process. Pacino takes hold of the character and never lets you forget that he is "Scarface". The supporting cast is wonderful too. It features Steven Bauer, as Tony's right hand man, "Manny" Ray. Michelle Pfeiffer is Tony's girl, Elvira, and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, in a role early in her acting career, plays Gina, Tony's sister.

The hard-edged script for the film is written by Oliver Stone, who holds nothing back, as usual Directed by Brian De Palma, the movie doesn't flinch at all to tell its story. The film remains a favorite of mine and will leave you with quite a lasting impression. A "remake" of 1932's SCARFACE, in name only, the film is nearly flawless.

The "Collector's Edition" contains a feature length retrospective documentary, that is so well done, you almost forget that there is no commentary track. It is very comprehensive and covers all aspects of the film and its place in cinema history. There's also a number of deleted scenes and outtakes that were nice to see. These fine extras add up to one heck of a DVD for one of the best gangster movies ever made. SCARFACE should not be missed and comes highly recommended.

Nothing Succeeds Like Excess
Given the high-power talent behind the camera (Brian DePalma), in front of it (Al Pacino), and at the typewriter (Oliver Stone), SCARFACE should have quite a lot going for it. It does indeed, although I can't quite call this a GODFATHER-type masterpiece for certain reasons.

Ostensibly, this is a reworking of Howard Hawks' classic 1932 gangster pic about Al Capone. This time, the setting is Miami circa 1980, the contraband in question is cocaine, and the lead character, Pacino's Tony Montana, is a Cuban-born criminal who just came off the Mariel boat lift with 125,000 others that Castro let go, twenty percent of whom were known criminals. Pacino gets in on the ground floor with a local drug boss (Robert Loggia) and soon works his way to the top, doing just about everything to tick someone off--associates, enemies, cops, his wife (Michelle Pfeiffer), his sister (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), and the Colombian drug kingpins he has to do business with.

But in his cocaine-fueled journey to achieve the so-called American Dream, he neglects to follow two rules taught to him by Loggia: (1) Don't underestimate the other guy's greed; and (2) Don't get high on your own supply. He finally crosses the line in the end by alienating a Colombian drug boss (Paul Shenar) so much that Shenar sends assassins to Pacino's Miami villa. The result is a horrific and bloody shootout in which most of the assassins are rubbed out, and so is Pacino.

Without a doubt, SCARFACE continues to generate wildly divergent opinions, both pro and con. I for one had some trouble trying to stomach Pacino's Cuban accent at first, but then his ultra-charistmatic performance kicked into high gear, four-letter words and all. The film is very true to its essentials of showing how a certain segment of the Cuban boat people, a very SMALL segment, tried to latch onto the American Dream by trafficking in illegal narcotics and thus earning millions. Probably the most interesting thing about SCARFACE is the political view that Stone espouses in his screenplay: he seems to espouse a very Reaganesque view of the world of the 1980s (virulent anti-Communism; anti-Castro), but in truth he is severely critical of those very same policies that motivated Castro to send the worst of his worst onto American soil and thus accelerate this nation's drug problem.

SCARFACE does have its faults. It requires a lot of patience to sit through with a running time approaching 170 minutes, and I am not all that sure there is enough in there to sustain it for that kind of length. The film continues to be controversial in some quarters for its extreme (as opposed to merely excessive) violence; the chainsaw scene in an apartment, the hanging from a helicopter, and the ultra-gory shootout at the end rank as some of the most violent scenes ever shown on film. Only four other films in history challenge it in this respect: THE WILD BUNCH, SOLDIER BLUE, TAXI DRIVER, and SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. Finally, this film set a record for the greatest number of times the "F" word, or variations of it, are used; I lost count at two hundred. This IS a bit much, although it probably fits the reality of the situation it depicts.

On the other hand, DePalma, whose 1976 film CARRIE remains one of the touchstone suspense/horror films of all times, does make quite a lot out of Stone's wild and crazy screenplay--though surprisingly, for the violent scenes, he doesn't use slow-motion or montage that much, which would have earned him favorable comparisons with the legendary Sam Peckinpah. Just as solid is the camera work of John Alonzo, who worked on CHINATOWN and BLACK SUNDAY, among others. Giorgio Moroder's score is pretty good, though I do admit it gets a little cheesy after a while. And Pacino's performance is also high-caliber; just get used to his Cuban accent, and it works very well.

This film comes highly recommended, but with this warning: It is definitely NOT for younger audiences, it is rated 'R' for a lot of good reasons.

Best Movie Ever!!!!!!!!!
This is the greatest movie that was ever created! I could not beleive how great this movie was when I saw it. Not only the movie was great but great actors like Al Pacino. If you have any money don't spend it on anything else than this movie!

WOULD YOU KISS ME IF I WEAR THE HAT!?
This is one of the greatest movies of all time and the AFI top 100 movies of all time refuses to acknowledge it. Al Pacino deserved an oscar for his portrayal of Tony Montana, the movie deserved an oscar for something yet this movie is constantly overlooked by all critics, but the cult following that it has amassed is by far more telling of it's popularity than sheer box office numbers. ask anyone on the street and they'll tell you Scarface is one of the best movies ever made, and if they don't think so they haven't seen it. So sit back, crack some hennessy and alize, light up a cigar, and enjoy one of the best movies ever made!

Classic Gangster Flick
No matter what anybody says, this has to be one of the ten best gangster movies ever made, if not in the top three. If you are a fan of this genre, Scarface is a gourmet banquet of acting, action, dialogue and intensity. And if you don't enjoy this, all I can say is I'm sorry that you're missing out. The only reason I don't give this movie 5 stars is that I don't know what to make of Giorgio Moroder's cheesy sythn soundtrack and disco tunes. If you think in the context of the movie, that 80's Cuban drug dealers might like listening to really bad disco music ("...Rush, rush to the yeyo") then this music works in the confines of the Babylon nightclub along with the bad hair, clothes, Belzer's lousy comedy and the mime. But these songs, if they had to stand on their own outside the movie, would be totally ignored. I wonder if Deborah Harry ( then at the height of fame with her band Blondie) knew when she laid down the vocals for Moroder's muzak that this song was designed as junk to suit the movie or if she thought this might boost her singing career. If you account for the disco muzak as necessary "set dressing" for the Babylon it still doesn't excuse Moroder's cheesy synth soundtrack. How much better this movie could have been if it was scored by an accomplished orchestral composer such as Morricone or Williams. If you want more proof of Moroder's shortcomings check out the soundtrack of Metropolis. ... Read more

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Ghostbusters
Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis wrote the script, but Bill Murray gets all the best lines and moments in this 1984 comedy directed by Ivan Reitman (Meatballs). The three comics, plus Ernie Hudson, play the New York City-based team that provides supernatural pest control, and Sigourney Weaver is the love interest possessed by an ancient demon. Reitman and company are full of original ideas about hobgoblins--who knew they could "slime" people with green plasma goo?--but hovering above the plot is Murray's patented ironic view of all the action. Still a lot of fun, and an obvious model for sci-fi comedies such as Men in Black. --Tom Keogh

Ghostbusters 2
Much less fun than its predecessor, this 1989 sequel starts off on a bleak note by telling us our heroes from Ghostbusters have been on the skids for five years, and Bill Murray's lead character never did hook up with Sigourney Weaver's lovely symphony musician character. What's more, she has a kid by somebody else. Everybody's on an uphill climb, and Ghostbusters 2 never soars the way the first film did, despite having the same director, Ivan Reitman (Dave, Kindergarten Cop). The lame plot finds the boys attempting to prevent a disaster on New York City caused by too many bad vibes in the Big Apple. Yikes! Fortunately, screenwriters Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis have penned enough good one-liners to keep Murray busy, and if the ghostly special effects no longer surprise as they did in Ghostbusters, they're at least inventive. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (13)

WOW! A simply stunning DVD Set!
I've always loved the Ghostbusters movies, and these DVD really deliver! The first CD is loaded--and I mean packed--with goodies about the first movie. Everything from Director/Actor commentary to story boards to scenes with and without the effects for comparrison... it's all there! This set is worth the first DVD alone.

Enough about what features come with the DVD (like a couple of documentaries on the movie), and more about the movies themselves!

Who couldn't enjoy the laughter and the magic surrounding these two movies? Both are great fun and laughs. Some guys go into business catching ghosts... wouldn't we all love to do that?

How can I say more about an american classic? These movies are easily some of the best movies of all time. Any fan of the Ghostbusters should buy this DVD--trust me--it's worth every last penny.

Who you gonna call? GHOSTBUSTERS!
The Movies

The Original *****

Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, and Harold Remis play three scientists studying supernatural phenoema. But when they are kicked out of the university, they must find a way to still study the paranormal, thus the form the Ghostbusters. At first they are low on money and business is very slow, but they soon earn their fame and success. But when all hell breaks loose across New York City, the major and law enforcement turn to their only hope- the Ghostbusters.

The Sequel *****

Ghostbusters 2 was an excellent, faithful sequel that lived up to the standards of the original. Incorporating all of the original cast five years later; mostly all separated doing different jobs that correlate to their personality. Once again supernatural occurrences start to surpass the law enforcements comprehension, therefore they turn to the professionals- the Ghostbusters. This sequel is well worth watching and very enjoyable. Actually, this film is quite scary in some parts and aspects that add to it's features of comedy, suspense, and action. This sequel is definitely one you won't want to miss!

The DVD- Ghostbusters 1 *****

At first there were a large batch of defective Ghostbusters 1&2 DVDs released that had many glitches including one major problem: the inability for the DVD player to detect the second half of the film. ... The Ghostbusters DVD is impressive for it's release date: 1999. The features include:
Scene Selection
Subtitles
5.1 Dolby Digital
1999 Feaurette and Original Feaurette
Deleted scenes
Storyboards
Trailers
Production Photos/Conceptual Drawings
SFX Team Documentary
SFX Before and After (Multi-Angle)
Digitally Remastered
Widescreen Format
Many films released to present day don't even have the plethora of features Ghostbusters has! Any enthusiast of Ghostbusters will adore the special features and layout of the DVD!

The DVD- Ghostbusters 2 **

Limited features accompany this spectacular sequel that really deserved more than this vague DVD. Fans will be disappointed with the DVD's limited amount of features that only include:
5.1 Dolby Digital
Widescreen/Full Screen Formats
Productions Notes
Talent & Filmographies
Subtitles
The DVD is mostly giving the viewer the prerequisite features being: 5.1 Dolby Digital and Widescreen. One can infer that great amount of time and effort put into 1st movie and the short, vague DVD of the sequel.

Pros: 1. Ghostbusters is a great classic that one will want to see again and again.
2. Ghostbusters 2 surpasses a sequels stereotype (cheap and repetitive) it's exciting, funny, and even scary.
3. Ghostbusters DVD will fulfill fans expectations of the genre; numerous special features and an animated menu.

Cons: 1. Ghostbusters 2 DVD was vague, despicable, ... but it did include prerequisites. Fans will be disappointed with this DVD.

Pick Em Both Up!
Ghostbusters has always been one of my favs! And this DVD release has a been difitally remastered and includes a few newly done scenes! There not brand new scenes or redone completly, the scene is still there, it just has a bit of addition to the end battle with Goza and shows the building a bit more! You wont notcie it really!

Ghostbusters 1 is a great comedy that changed the way people looked at ghosts and ghost effects! These days the FX might look a bit dodgy compared to what they can do these days, but remember they didnt have the tech we have now back then, and this was breaking FX when these movies came out, and they defnitly did a great job with it!

On the first disc you get a few bonus features of trailers , deleted scenes, and a few extras, and of coarse your usualy auiod commentry!

The disapointing bit was I never heard the story of how Ghostbusters came about! Dan Akroyds brother really is an actualy Ghostbuster! They dont catch ghosts or do anything like in this film, but his brother is a paranormal investigator and thats were the idea for this movie began!

Part 2 is a movie that wasnt too bad. but it was not as good as the first! Far from it! But at least the same cast returned and there are far worse movies out there to say it was a bad movie! It may not contain any bonus features on that disc, but its still good to have the collection of both films!

Its a shame when in 1998 the go ahead for Ghostbusters 3 was cancelled. Bill Murry did not want to take place in it, at least they know that a sequll wont work without the original cast!

But these 2 movies are worth getting for your collection if you enjoy paronormal comedies!

Ghostbusting
These two movies are both, very funny. Peter, Ray, and Eagan both are scientists/doctors who seek out ghost. In none other then New York City but when the ghost start finding them. They get more then what they bargain for.

A box set so good it's spooky
Ghostbusters is just one of those movies that leaves it's footprint on our culture's collective consciousness. "Who ya gonna call" brings out an automatic response to anyone who lived during the 80s and even for many of those who were born after the 1984 debut of Mr. Stay-Puft and Slimer. The Ghostbusters (1984) disk has everything a die hard fan would want, yet has interesting info on the filmmaking process to keep the casual movie watcher occupied. It has several documentaries made during filming and a 15 year retrospective with cast and crew. The director/star commentary provides amusing anecdoetes with Reitman and Ramis' silhouettes a la MST3K. There are oodles of production photos, concept sketches and even before and after SFX shots. The only thing I regret it doesn't have is the music video performed by Ray Parker Jr.
Ghostbusters II certainly doesn't equal or surpass the original, but it is still an entertaining film in its own right. Definately worth buying for the film, but unfortunately, the second disk doesn't offer hardly any of the special features that the original has. Cast biographies and 3 trailers make up all this disk has to offer.
Both disks have a crystal clear picture and while the sound may not be up to par with more modern films, you can still hear the thrum of the proton packs and the rumble of the Marshmallow Man's footsteps with excellent clairity. ... Read more

Reviews (65)

Wars Abroad, Wars At Home
Clear And Present Danger is the third Tom Clancy novel, featuring hero Jack Ryan, to be made into a movie. The story deals with the war on drugs and corruption in the government. The end result is a better film than Patriot Games, taking its cues more from the original novel, than that film did.

Former CIA analyst Jack Ryan, (Harrison Ford) is asked by his mentor and friend, Admiral Greer (James Earl Jones) to take over for him, while he battles cancer. Ryan reluctantly accepts. When a friend of the President's (Donald Moffatt) is killed, Ryan learns that a drug kingpin (Miguel Sandoval) may be responsible, for the crime. As he briefs the President, forces inside the administration, are working to take the cartel out, even without any proof. Ryan must discover the truth, about who is working against him before it's too late

The cast also includes the great Henry Czerny as Ritter, a smarmy guy at the CIA who butts heads with Ryan, Harris Yullin as the National Security Advisor, and Anne Archer returns as Cathy, Jack's wife. Directed by Philip Noyce, who also directed Patriot Games, the film stays within the framework of the book. The movie also is detailed enough to keep fans of the book happy, while at the same time it is nicely paced Ford proves once again why he's so right for roles like this. He wears his hero hat so well. It is Czerny though, that makes things really interesting for Ryan and, he gives the film an extra spark or two.

As part of the reissued "Jack Ryan" series on DVD, Clear And Present Danger, contains a retrospective featurette on how the film was made. It's pretty good and does a decent job taking you back, to what it was like on the set. The standard theatrical trailer tops off the extras. I wish there was a commentary track to go along with the other stuff--or maybe some deleted footage-that would have helped.

Still the DVD is recommended over the "movie only" edition from a few years ago

Ryan, The Drug Cartels, And CIA Abuse
The third installment in the cinematic series based on Tom Clancy's CIA analyst Jack Ryan, CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER is a long but engrossing political action thriller that once again puts Harrison Ford, the thinking man's action film actor, in the role of Ryan.

This time around, Ford investigates the murder of a close friend of the President (Donald Moffatt) by Colombian drug cartel hitmen. When his mentor (James Earl Jones) falls ill due to pancreatic cancer, Ford is suddenly put in charge as deputy director of the CIA. He continues his investigation of the murders and ties them in with one particular drug cartel leader (Miguel Sandoval) with whom the murdered man had a little issue with ill-gotten money,....

But what Ford doesn't know is that, on orders from the revenge-minded Moffatt, his second deputy (Henry Czerny) and the president's national security advisor (Harris Yulin) have ordered a rogue officer named Clark (Willem Dafoe) in with a covert military team to put a huge dent in the cartel's activities. Dafoe and his team are successful at what they do, but the cartels retaliate with deadly results on Ford's friends in the FBI during a visit to Bogota. And when Ford finds out about the operation, he finds himself going down to Colombia a second time to help spirit Dafoe and the covert team out of harm's way.

Ably directed, once more, by Phillip Noyce (DEAD CALM; PATRIOT GAMES), CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER gives Ford another chance to prove his mettle in the action genre. The suspense and CIA intrigue are all laid out exceptionally well by Noyce and his first-rate cadre of screenwriters, Donald Stewart, Steven Zaillian, and John Milius. Jones is at his usual best as the now-dying Admiral Greer, and Anne Archer returns as Ford's wife.

But a performance really worth noting here is Czerny's as the unconsciously corrupt CIA deputy director Robert Ritter. About as uncouth and conniving a heavy as there has ever been in the movies, his performance is absolutely chilling and believable. It makes the whole notion of our government going beyong reasonable bounds even more credible than it already is.

Some will object to the film not pandering to Clancy's right-wing political points of view or his gung-ho pro-military stance, but that isn't necessarily what this movie is about. It does not condemn covert military action, but it does question the wisdom of sending men into a war zone where the risks are extreme, the reasons for such actions are vague at best, and there is no clear exit strategy. Such points are made extremely well in this film's action format; and for those reasons, it gets the highest marks.

Best Clancy Movie
Out of the four Tom Clancy/Jack Ryan movies, I think Clear and Present Danger is easily the best. Harrison Ford is one of my favorite actors, and even though he's made some dreck in recent years, his string of successes post-Star Wars and Indiana Jones reached their peak around this time.
The story of the film revolves around the U.S. war on drugs, attempting to stop the flow at the source of production in Colombia. To this end, Harrison Ford as Jack Ryan becomes caught up in the action along with the always-great Willem DaFoe as CIA agent Clark. Just about all of the actors in this movie are great, including Joaquim de Almeida, Donald Moffat, Henry Czerny (the slime dripping off his character might damage your TV), and Raymond Cruz.
Not only is this one of my favorite spy/government intrigue movies, but it's just flat-out one of my favorite movies. Great story, great actors, great movie. Highly recommended.

Not even close
Once there was a man named Jack Ryan. That's about where the similarities to the book end.

For what it's worth, I'm not a picky movie viewer. I'll watch nearly anything. So for me to complain about this movie means that something was really off-base.

As far as an action movie goes, it was passable. As far as the technological thriller that the book was, it doesn't even come close. There is no character development (never felt anything towards Ding), random changes in a character's persona (Clark goes from wanting to kill Ryan to making the chopper go back), thing missing that are important to the plot (downing of drug running planes), and things that were never in the book (yacht owner tied to the President).

To make what could be an extremely long review somewhat shorter, if you've read the book and are a fan of Tom Clancy, don't bother. If you're just looking for a film with " 'splosions," this might work.

The Best Jack Ryan on the Screen, and with Good Reason!
Harrison Ford isn't the person who wrote this story, Tom Clancy is. But, Harrison Ford is the perfect Jack Ryan, a spy with a conscience and a man who does the right thing not the expeditious thing. While this is not close to his biggest role or hit, he plays the character, Jack Ryan, as perfectly as he can be portrayed in a movie. He gives the right feeling to his character, the right indignation to wrongs done in the name of Patriotism and Justice, and portrays the right kind of patriotism to the fullest. But, the rest of the cast is also well played, including the good guys, Clark, Chavez, and James Earl Jones' character, and the bad guys, the President and his sleazy administration, as well as the drug dealers. Tom Clancy wrote a great book with this one and the book is well served by the overall excellence of the movie. I strongly recommend the movie to fans of Harrison Ford, Tom Clancy, and William Dafoe. ... Read more

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This mega-budget action epic flopped at the box office with a resounding thud, and it probably deserved that fate for not living up to its lavish potential. But Cutthroat Island has had a healthy shelf life on video, and digital video disc can only improve the film's potential as a spectacular guilty pleasure. Geena Davis plays Morgan, the swashbuckling daughter of an aging buccaneer who inherits one-third of a map to a secret pirate treasure. But the map is in Latin, and she needs a lowdown thief and scoundrel (and presumably a Latin scholar), played by Matthew Modine, to translate the map when they obtain the other two pieces. That's when the mayhem begins and the dashing duo race for the treasure against Morgan's scheming uncle (Frank Langella) and a hoard of greedy pirates. With wall-to-wall action ably handled by Davis's then-husband Renny Harlin, Cutthroat Island is more fun than its box-office performance would indicate. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (71)

Great swashbuckling fun!
This film features everything a good pirate flick should: stormy seas, a spectacular naval battle, a sexy pirate captain (Geena Davis) and buried treasure complete with a treasure map written in latin (the preferred language of pirates).

This is one of the few times I've seen Davis in a leading role; normally, she is a supporting actress. She pulls it off quite well, although in a couple of scenes her acting is a bit wooden. Frank Langella stands out as an old-salt, ruthless pirate while Matthew Modine is great as the movie's comic relief.

What really makes this movie worth buying, tho, is just how well done it is. The 17th century sets are lavish - you feel as tho you are back in the period in which the movie takes place. The soundtrack is riveting, and I found the sound of the DVD quite excellent. Not sure if they did anything different than they do with other DVDs, but it sure seemed like the audio was a notch above most DVDs - esp in the storm sequence.

This is the kind of movie that critics make a living off of by slamming. What does this mean for the rest of us? Why, it means that it's a fun time to be had by all! And may the movie critics goto Davy Jones locker...

A swashbuckling pirates tale!
When the piratess Morgan Adams (Geena Davis) loses her father, she becomes captain of his ship and crew. As her first act as captain, she decides to search for the treasure on Cutthroat Island. But the actual map for Cutthroat Island is in three pieces, one of which she got from her father. The other two are with her uncles, the cowardly Mordachai (George Murcell) and the evil Dawg Brown (Frank Langella). So Morgan, with the help of her crew and the somewhat untrustworthy thief, William Shaw (Matthew Modine), she sets off to take all the maps and find the treasure of Cutthroat Island.

A very entertaining movie filled with action, adventure, and piracy on the high seas, "Cutthroat Island" is a pure adventure movie. The plot is pretty mediocre, allowing as much action and suspense to be put in the story. It's your typical pirate story though, pirates must find, understand, and figure out the map leading to a mysterious island with hidden treasure of unthinkable riches. But throwing in a tough, hard-bitten, and beautiful piratess was a pretty nice touch, including a thief to provide some comic relief.

Geena Davis surprises me again with her talent in being able to play many different roles from a ghost in "Beetlejuice", a baseball player in "A League of Their Own", a mother full of heart in the Stuart Little movies, and now a piratess in "Cutthroat Island". She gets to give plenty of punches plus handle the cutlass with ease as she fights pirates, the military, and her uncle. She's definitely very cool! As for Matthew Modine, I had never seen him in any movies before but I found him astoundingly funny though he gets plenty of action. He in a way reminds me of Cary Elwes as Wesley in "The Princess Bride" with his sarcastic humor and boundless enthusiasm. Oh, it was also a special treat to see the young and sweet Christopher Masterson as Bowen. Though his role was small, he was excellent as a cabin boy with his obvious admiration and loyalty to his captain. He's probably more known as Chris Masterson, starring in "Dragonheart: A New Beginning" and also starring in the series, "Malcom in the Middle".

So if you're in the mood for a movie with giving off lots of action, energy, suspense, and swashbuckling, make time to watch "Cutthroat Island". Rated PG-13 for the action and fighting and also for some innuendo.

Excellent Story; DVD Just Doesn't Make the Cut
I caught this movie in the theater. I loved it. As soon as the DVD was released I purchased it with great enthusiasm. When I got home and played the DVD I discovered, to my great disappointment, that it is in the wrong format and displays with very poor quality. The video looks horrible. I returned the DVD for a refund.

Technical Details for the curious:
While this DVD offers both full-screen and wide-screen versions of the movie, the wide-screen version is not anamorphic. That means when you play it on your new TV it just looks bad. If you have an older TV and don't care about video quality you probably won't notice or care about this.

I just don't understand. If you're going to stick with VCR-quality transfers, why bother making a DVD. Oh, I forgot. A DVD disc costs pennies so it's cheaper than ever to dump trash on consumers. I'm so glad we have these forums to share this information.

Stop the trash talk!
4 and 1/4 Stars
I recommended this movie instead of Pirates of the Caribbean .... Given that, I have to defend it against the bitter nay-sayers. Don't get me wrong, Pirates had many positive aspects - Depp's performance chief among them; and yet, it was just too kid friendly (well duh, that's Disney). I whole heatedly believe that Cutthroat was as good, if not far better than Pirates. I would yield to the arguments that the acting here is a bit cheeky, and the editors could have been a touch more through. Beyond that, I don't know what the fuss is about. Maybe the other reviewers just couldn't stomach a (historically improbable) female pirate. Well, I think this movie was a lot of fun, but apparently there are some who didn't care for it. The best advice I can offer here is for all of you out there to watch it, and make up your own minds.

CutRate Bargain
Think of it: You can own $92,000,000 worth of movie making for one ten-millionth of the production price: that's like a nickel per explosion. Can you walk up to anyone on the street, hand them a quarter and say, "Please blow five things up for me"? Of course you can; sometimes someone might even blow something up. But with this movie, it's a sure thing.

This movie has its flaws. For the money spent to make it, you'd think someone would have thrown in some free looping so misinflected dialogue could be corrected. The chase and action scenes are rarely plausible (surely not every cannonball would have hit a powder keg). Whatever happened to the third ship that was at CutThroat Island? Wait, who cares? ... Geena Davis wears a corset.

The DVD menu system on this disc is very strange. When you choose "Coming Attractions" from the "Theatrical Trailers" menu, you're presented with a list of eleven movies; no trailers, just the names of eleven movies and tiny pictures of their movie posters. When you choose "Jump to a Scene" from the main menu, you're given a choice of only nine scenes (there are thirty in the movie, which you *can* manually advance to). Fortunately, the movie itself looks and sounds great. Frank Langella and Maury Chaykin turn in characteristically good performances, Matthew Modine and Geena Davis acquit themselves well if not perfectly, and Christopher Masterson (Francis on "Malcolm in the Middle") does pretty well for a 15-year-old.

While there are better pirate films out there, CutThroat Island isn't all that bad of a film. Granted, once in a while something will jar you out of your suspension of disbelief, but then Geena will walk by in her corset, buckling (or unbuckling!) her swash, and all will be forgiven. Don't expect too much and you won't be disappointed. ... Read more

Description

With his trademark unrelenting honesty and conviction, Arthur Miller examines a major Holocaust issue: the failure to assume responsibility and the consequent moral and social guilt of those who refuse to fight evil. Set in a detention room in Vichy, France during the 1942 German occupation, a number of people have been rounded up and are awaiting interrogation before being sent to concentration camps. It is soon obvious that they are Jews with false papers that will not stand up to close scrutiny. While individual stories flow past the juror’s eye, events soon focus on Leduc (Harris Yulin), a psychiatrist, and an Austrian prince (Richard Jordan), who recognizes his guilt of silent complicity and his failure to act responsibly while the Germans rose to power. Miller raises theoretical and ideological arguments and brings up the question of where responsibility lies. Notions of the nature of personal sacrifice, issues of personal blame, and a debate on how much each person is obligated to help in a larger crisis are addressed in this truly important and provocative television event. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Good Work from the Berkeley Theatre Archive
The action of this play takes place in a single room (and a single act), and this version makes no attempt to change this, so don't watch it if you're looking for filmic frills. That said, the set is well-done and the performances are very good, good enough, in fact, that it's hard to point out any particular standouts. (Star Trek fans will note the appearances of Rene Auberjonois and a very young-looking Andrew Robinson, billed as Andy Robinson, as Leduc the actor and the (German) Major.)

The BTA series was originally done for television, so the image quality is not great, but both picture and sound seem to be as good as "new."

Like all the Kultur DVDs of the Broadway Theatre Archive I've seen, this version has no extras to speak of. Aside from the program itself, there is a short of previews of other titles and a scene selection option. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This sprawling epic of bloodshed and excess, Brian De Palma's update of the classic 1932 crime drama by Howard Hawks, sparked controversy over its outrageous violence when released in 1983. Scarface is a wretched, fascinating car wreck of a movie, starring Al Pacino as a Cuban refugee who rises to the top of Miami's cocaine-driven underworld, only to fall hard into his own deadly trap of addiction and inevitable assassination. Scripted by Oliver Stone and running nearly three hours, it's the kind of film that can simultaneously disgust and amaze you (critic Pauline Kael wrote "this may be the only action picture that turns into an allegory of impotence"), with vivid supporting roles for Steven Bauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Robert Loggia. Universal's special edition digital video disc includes a documentary about the making of the film that features numerous interviews and several deleted scenes. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (539)

His Name Is Tony...
Actor Al Pacino gives a powerhouse performance in 1983's SCARFACE. Paciino plays Tony Montana, a Cuban refugee hoodlum, who quickly rises to the top of Miami's cocaine industry. On his way to the top, Tony uses any means at his disposal to get there, no matter who he hurts or betrays in the process. Pacino takes hold of the character and never lets you forget that he is "Scarface". The supporting cast is wonderful too. It features Steven Bauer, as Tony's right hand man, "Manny" Ray. Michelle Pfeiffer is Tony's girl, Elvira, and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, in a role early in her acting career, plays Gina, Tony's sister.

The hard-edged script for the film is written by Oliver Stone, who holds nothing back, as usual Directed by Brian De Palma, the movie doesn't flinch at all to tell its story. The film remains a favorite of mine and will leave you with quite a lasting impression. A "remake" of 1932's SCARFACE, in name only, the film is nearly flawless.

The "Collector's Edition" contains a feature length retrospective documentary, that is so well done, you almost forget that there is no commentary track. It is very comprehensive and covers all aspects of the film and its place in cinema history. There's also a number of deleted scenes and outtakes that were nice to see. These fine extras add up to one heck of a DVD for one of the best gangster movies ever made. SCARFACE should not be missed and comes highly recommended.

Nothing Succeeds Like Excess
Given the high-power talent behind the camera (Brian DePalma), in front of it (Al Pacino), and at the typewriter (Oliver Stone), SCARFACE should have quite a lot going for it. It does indeed, although I can't quite call this a GODFATHER-type masterpiece for certain reasons.

Ostensibly, this is a reworking of Howard Hawks' classic 1932 gangster pic about Al Capone. This time, the setting is Miami circa 1980, the contraband in question is cocaine, and the lead character, Pacino's Tony Montana, is a Cuban-born criminal who just came off the Mariel boat lift with 125,000 others that Castro let go, twenty percent of whom were known criminals. Pacino gets in on the ground floor with a local drug boss (Robert Loggia) and soon works his way to the top, doing just about everything to tick someone off--associates, enemies, cops, his wife (Michelle Pfeiffer), his sister (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), and the Colombian drug kingpins he has to do business with.

But in his cocaine-fueled journey to achieve the so-called American Dream, he neglects to follow two rules taught to him by Loggia: (1) Don't underestimate the other guy's greed; and (2) Don't get high on your own supply. He finally crosses the line in the end by alienating a Colombian drug boss (Paul Shenar) so much that Shenar sends assassins to Pacino's Miami villa. The result is a horrific and bloody shootout in which most of the assassins are rubbed out, and so is Pacino.

Without a doubt, SCARFACE continues to generate wildly divergent opinions, both pro and con. I for one had some trouble trying to stomach Pacino's Cuban accent at first, but then his ultra-charistmatic performance kicked into high gear, four-letter words and all. The film is very true to its essentials of showing how a certain segment of the Cuban boat people, a very SMALL segment, tried to latch onto the American Dream by trafficking in illegal narcotics and thus earning millions. Probably the most interesting thing about SCARFACE is the political view that Stone espouses in his screenplay: he seems to espouse a very Reaganesque view of the world of the 1980s (virulent anti-Communism; anti-Castro), but in truth he is severely critical of those very same policies that motivated Castro to send the worst of his worst onto American soil and thus accelerate this nation's drug problem.

SCARFACE does have its faults. It requires a lot of patience to sit through with a running time approaching 170 minutes, and I am not all that sure