Reviews (34)

One of the best of the genre!
This is easily one of the most outstanding pieces of film noir ever made. Ralph Meeker, (An actor who usually played bad guys.), plays a very anti-heroic Mike Hammer.

The Mike Hammer that Meeker portrays is greedy and sadistic. He takes great pleasure inflicting pain on others, and stepping on as many toes as possible to get what he wants. With a lead character as trashy as the one Meeker portrays you can only imagine how cold-blooded the rest of the people in this movie are.

"Kiss Me Deadly" is one of the more rarely seen classic detective pictures; this is a shame. From the very first shot of this picture, you can feel the crime-detective genre being pushed and beaten into directions no one has ever seen before.

There are some people who did not understand the ending of this picture. It's simple: "Be careful what you go looking for, you might not like what you find."

This is one wonderfully stylish, suspensful, and unusual motion picture. You owe it to yourself to check it out!

Kiss Me Deadly
Condemned by censors, panned by critics, and banned by the Btritish when it was released in 1955 KISS ME DEADLY is today universally considered one of the definitive and perhaps most perfectly realized films noirs ever made. Director Robert Aldrich and screenwriter A.I. Bezzerides, both having a mutual contempt for right wing pulp novelist Mickey Spillane and all he stood for, nevertheless smartly capitalized on the extraordinary success of the author at the time, basing their film on Spillane's book of the same name while taking such drastic liberties with his story, characters, and ideologies that the finished product would be nearly unrecognizable to serious Spillane fans. This point seems to be forshadowed, as film noir scholar James Naremore has pointed out, in the weirdly reversed opening credits which seem to stand Mickey Spillane on his head.

The movie opens with divorce detective Mike Hammer(Ralph Meeker) forced to pick up a barefoot and naked-under-a-trenchcoat Christina Baily(Chloris Leachman in her first screen role)who, as we soon find out, has escaped from a mental institution and is running down the middle of a remote California road at night. When Hammer is quickly run off the road by gangsters who torture Christina to death and nearly kill Hammer himself his interest is sparked. Hammer smells something big and the cut of something big is...well, big. He decides to give the divorce work a rest and devote himself, his adoring secretary Velda(Maxine Cooper), his Greek mechanic friend Nick(Nick Dennis), and anyone else he can get to do his dirty work for him to this new mystery. The film is rich with Cold War fear and nuclear paranoia as all the characters relentless focus of selfish greed is on "the great whatsit", the mysterious glowing box of material stolen from a nuclear testing facility. Mike Hammer's detective is totally enjoyable to watch although a distinctly unfavorable and immoral character. He whores out his secretary, Velda, without remorse to adulterous husbands to wrap up divorce cases, gets his innocent friend Nick killed by involving him in the case, is a markedly poor detective, and sadistically enjoys physically punishing those who get in his way.

KISS ME DEADLY is fundamentally wrapped up in the definitions of the film noir genre, containing all the elements--a stark opening sequence on a dark road, destructive manipulating femme fatales, low-life cheap gangsters, dark expressionistically lit night-time scenes, a vengeful (or greedy?) quest, maybe the best, and most anti-, anti-hero of the noir canon, and a dark mood of hopelessness.

An absorbing film
Besides the fifty years difference fact since this film was made, it's worthy to remark the clever script in that black decade that permeated the minds of so many artists all around the world.
This film , undoubtly belongs the film noir genre , but goes far beyond and becomes a clear warning about the implications of dealing with such dangerous weapon in the underworld.
In this sense, the dramatic wrenchs produce interesting and new events that feed and redefine the film noir for that historical moment. Don't forget the Cold War and the dark clouds of fear and hopeless still surrounded the mind and soul of many people in USA.
Watch this film . Robert Aldrich , with this film defined his artistic personality in the American Cinema.
And other movies directed by him , specially "In cold blood" , gives us important clues about his world's sight.

A classic...but oh, so grim.
Kiss Me Deadly is stylish and moves along nicely but whichever ending you choose, its unrelenting in its grimness.

I disagree that Meeker portrays Mike Hammer as a bad guy. He gives everybody what they've got coming; its just that he enjoys it.

Don't want to give away the ending but let's just say it has more in common with science fiction than film noir. Those expecting a happy ending should get a different DVD.

One of the great P.I. noir films, with the restored ending!
Robert Aldrich's 1955 detective thriller, "Kiss Me Deadly," came at the end of the American classic film noir cycle, and shows the genre at its most violent, surreal, cruel, cynical, and visually bizarre. It's the last great explosive moment of the classic era of film noir -- and I do mean explosive. This is one detective film, like "Chinatown," which you won't soon forget.

Aldrich and screenwriter A. I. Bezzirides took on Mickey Spillane's popular P.I. Mike Hammer, but aside from keeping the basic plot outline of the original novel, they completely changed the nature of the character in a very reactionary move. Spillane's Mike Hammer is a New York detective-avenger, a self-righteous vigilante who deals out justice when the paralyzed forces of the law can do nothing: he's a vicious knight on a mean-spirited quest to right wrongs through brute force. (The title of the first Hammer novel, "I, the Jury" pretty much sums up his attitude.) The movie relocates Hammer to Los Angeles and turns him into a shallow con-artist who only cares about his car and his looks. He's a lousy detective too, relying on knocking people around for information, often innocent inoffensive folks, and never really paying attention to the important details of the case. His detective work is entirely matrimonial, where he and his 'assistant' Velda put the squeeze on couples to blackmail them. Hammer's motto is simple: "What's in it for me?" Ralph Meeker is perfect in the role, looking as if someone carved him out of slab of meat.

No doubt, in this story Hammer is in way over his head...if only he knew it. He picks up a nearly naked girl (Cloris Leachman in an early role) who throws herself in front of his sports car. Later, they're run off the road, and faceless gangsters torture her to dearth and leave Hammer for dead. Hammer sets out to find out what's up; not because he cares what happened to the girl, but because he sniffs out big money and he'd like to get the guys who wrecked his sports car! Hammer finds himself in a violent quest to locate an object that everyone desires: a package called 'The Great Whatsit.' The Great Whatsit isn't a meaningless red herring or Hitchcock McGuffin, however. Its contents are the great surprise of the plot, and the perfect exclamation point on a movie taking place in a chaotic world that seems to be falling apart. I won't tell what the Great Whatsit is (and shame on the reviewers here who have!), but...oh wow!

And this brings us to the issue of the ending, and the only extra on this disc. (Don't worry, I'm not going to spoil the ending.) For years, "Kiss Me Deadly" had a mysteriously abrupt finale that many people praised for its surreal, weird quality. This was how I first saw it. However, in 1997 the original ending was discovered in Aldrich's personal print of the film by editor Glenn Erickson and film noir scholar Alain Silver. Apparently, an accident involving a careless projectionist snipped off part of the ending, so what we had enjoyed and critiqued for years was actually a mistake! The new ending shown on this disc fortunately doesn't change the tone of the film: it's still pretty astonishing, filled with a brilliant use of light and sound effects. However, there's still something about that abrupt ending that gets to people. The DVD contains the option to watch this original abrupt ending so you can make up your mind which one 'feels' more right to you: what the director intended, or the mistake that many embraced as a stroke of brilliance.

No matter which ending you like, "Kiss Me Deadly" is a fabulous piece of brutal crime cinema. The photography is amazing, filled with weird and surreal images and crazy camera angles. The performances are all dead-on: Meeker's ugly Mike Hammer; Albert Dekker as the sinister and poetry spouting Dr. Soberin; Wesley Addy as Hammer's police acquaintance Pat, the sole voice of reason in the mess; Paul Stewart as a smarmy L.A. gangster; the late Jack Elam as freaky thug; and Gaby Rodgers in the film's strangest performance as the distant, weird, but ultimately very dangerous (to every living thing on the planet!) Lily Carver.

If you love detective films and film noir, "Kiss Me Deadly" is a great must-see classic. For a 1950s film, it is surprisingly violent and far ahead of its time. And either end will leave you shivering in shock. If only they had the guts to end films this way today! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

so so so funny
I could not stop laughing its adam sanlers version of kings of comedy very funny good thing to watch whiel your eating not really for seating down and watching it like a film or by urself its better if your having a party or something to put it on. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Often overlooked, Broadway Danny Rose has developed a cult following among select Woody Allen fans; Chris Rock, of all people, says it's one of his favorite films. Allen plays a devoted talent agent for acts whose talent is, shall we say, marginal. But one of his clients, a faded singer named Lou Canova (Nick Apollo Forte), suddenly has a chance to perform for a record executive. Nervous, Canova insists that Rose bring his girlfriend to the show--unfortunately, his girlfriend is Tina Vitale (Mia Farrow), the wife of a big-time mobster. (Farrow's performance is superb and unlike anything else in her career: loud, brassy, and comically obnoxious.) Part caper, part-show biz satire, Broadway Danny Rose would make an excellent companion to Paper Moon; both are a delightful combination of nostalgia and cutting observations about human nature. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (13)

stepco reviews broadway danny rose
In every Directors collection of films there is what as known as a sleeper.Woodys is not the same title I just for go mentioned it is however Broadway Danny Rose. This Film Is Woody At his best this film is so funny that when I showed it to my best friend he could not stop laughing, and he could not breath from laughter.Rent It buy it you must see this movie.Danny Rose,Woody Allen plays a loser manager with horrible acts that no one else will manage he some gets the mob after him well need I say more. I gave this move my best rating and a copy in every format.

"never took a lesson"
when a bunch of famous comics sit around a deli and tell stories of broadway danny rose, woody allen acts out the vignettes and visually delivers their punchlines. mia farrow literally wears him out so allen has to stay sharper than usual making this allen's best in my books. strongly reccommend.

An overlooked classic
This gentle and affectionate comedy is full of genuine warmth, something Woody's work does not always have.

Sandy Baron narrates the story of Danny Rose, a likeable but blundering Broadway agent whose acts include a blind xylophone-player and a balloon-folder. Danny emerges as a hero-figure who stands up for the little guys and makes a difference in his own way, including in the life of a barely recognizable Mia Farrow.

Witty, surreal and engaging, Broadway Danny Rose is a minor classic in the Allen canon, and not one to be glanced over.

2 times a charm
After my first viewing of Broadway Danny Rose, I was extremely dissapointed. I just didn't "get" it. I did not think it was about anything, and that it contained none of the humor, wit, and philosophical musings about life that Woody had so perfectly achieved before and since (see Annie Hall or Hannah and Her Sisters). I couldn't have been more wrong.

I decided to watch the film again, to determine exactly what about it that so many people loved so much . I was truly mystified. But during that second viewing, I really began to soak in the message about the lovable "loser" Woody plays, not to mention the fact that I couldn't stop laughing! How could I have missed this stuff before? This is Woody at his most subtle best, in a masterpiece comparable and perhaps even surpassing Manhattan (another one that took me a few times to appreciate).

Bottom line: if you are looking for pure slapstick, watch Bananas or Sleeper. If you are looking for a deep, thought-provoking drama, watch Crimes and Misdeameanors. But if you are looking for a subtle charmer that deals with the little problems of life in an original, compelling way, watch Broadway Danny Rose (and Manhattan).

Could be Allen's Best Film
This movie is more subtle in it's humor than Woody Allen's earlier work but in my opinion it is one of his funniest and finest films. The Danny Rose character is a lovable mensch who is armed with a collection of family anecdotes and philosophy to suit any occassion. Allen is hysterical in the role of a fast talking yet struggling talent agent representing a variety of acts that are going nowhere. His big chance is an Italian lounge singer who had a hit record in the 50's. The singer is in love with the widow of a mafia 'juiceman" (played to perfection by Mia Farrow). When Danny Rose is sent to pick her up and escort her to a show at the Waldorf chaos ensues.
The story is presented as a reminiscence told by one of a group of older Jewish catskill resort type entertainers who are gathered at the Carnegie Deli in Manhattan trading Danny Rose stories.
One of the obvious strengths of this movie is the authentic NY patois whether Jewish or Italian. The scenes with Mia Farrow and Allen are extremely funny.
The film is in B&W. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Michelangelo Antonioni's L'Eclisse rolls over you and wraps you in its stylish embrace.The plot, such as it is, follows Vittoria (luscious Monica Vitti, The Red Desert) as her engagement falls apart and she slowly falls into a giddy but anxious affair with Piero (Alain Delon, Le Samourai, Purple Noon), a trader in Rome's stock exchange. Like Ingmar Bergman (Scenes from a Marriage, Persona), Antonioni examines the nuances of human relationships--but where Bergman is dense and dialogue-driven, Antonioni is spare and visual (there's maybe a page of dialogue in the first fifteen minutes of L'Eclisse). Every frame is like an exquisite black and white photograph, yet there's nothing static about this movie. It's fluid, sleek, and graceful, achieving its own kind of visual music.L'Eclisse contrasts opposing elements: Light and shadow, noise and silence, laughter and death, love and money, desire and dissatisfaction.Critics often describe the movie as a portrait of modern alienation, but they focus too much on Vittoria herself; while she finds her own life wanting, all around her Antonioni's camera captures a much larger world, full of as much vitality as despair, as much hope as loss. This is a movie essential to anyone's understanding of what movies can be. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (143)

The most original and creative film of 2002
This year's most original and creative movies, The Rules Of Attraction, in a certain sense, "rules" A must see for anyone in college, for thats the basis of the film. The movie follows three main characters, Sean Bateman, (the brother of American Psycho's Patrick Bateman), Paul, and Lauren. Sean is a drug dealer who is recieving love letters from a woman throughout the movie, and runs into many different sexual and drug related situations. Paul is bisexual, (although men is what he's mostly looking for), hes gotta crush on Sean, but Sean will only smoke w/ him, he has no interest in him sexually. Lauren, whos still a virgin and whos boyfriend has been in Europe for quite a while, decides maybe she should pursue other men, one of those men being Sean.
The film has a very creative style in inrtoducing its main characters, the first segment, which is really the end of the film, follows each one during a party, one at a time, then reverses literally to follow the next character, its really quite amazing, and probably a lot less confusing watching it than reading it. Go see it, its more than a movie, its an experience.

Attractive Rules
Cult director Roger Avary ("Killing Zoe") adapts the material from one of Brett Easton Ellis` books and provides an enticing and addictive cinematic experience in "The Rules of Attraction".
The movie focuses on 3 college kids who are emotionally hurt and the only way to deal with the situation is spending their time around drugs, sex, parties and little else. The directing is edgy and stylish enough, pherhaps even a bit too hip for it`s own good, but excellent nonetheless. There are a lot of jump/ reverse moments in the narrative to make it interesting, as well as multiple story perspectives, split screens and an unique, cretive way of connecting sound and image (the soundtrack is just great and sets the mood properly). At times, it recalls some "Trainspotting" or "Pulp Fiction" moments (Avary co-wrote the latter, by the way).
Sean (played by James Van Der Beek) is a character one love`s to hate, a selfish, crude and arrogant guy who eventually gets a hold on himself as he becomes more and more interested in Lauren (Shannyn Sossamon), a smart, late virgin who is expecting for her boyfriend to return from a trip to Europe. Paul (Ian Somerhalder) is a bisexual guy who recently dated Lauren and starts caring deeply about Sean, who rejects him. So, we have a circular plot who`s simple in a way but is told in a refreshing manner, so it never becomes tiresome. Sure, there are some apparently meaningless scenes but as a whole they make sense and help to develop the characters, who are more than what they first seem (although we never get to know them properly, since "no one knows anyone").
The movie offers an interesting look at a part of college experience, showing a darker, cynical and bitter side of teenagers and young adults that isn`t seen in the most common, dumbed down and predictable teen flicks out there. This mixes heavy dark comedy with sad moments of loneliness, despair and alienation. There`s sex, drugs and rock n`roll, but it isn`t really a case of style over substance. Sure, it has style and is visually compelling, but it`s also meaningful and though-provoking, especially in the poetic, gothic-like moments of the third act. One of the best teen movies of the last years, alongside "Ghost World" and "Donnie Darko".

even better than the book
this movie was awesome it did a great job of showing the characters emotion and expressing what college life (even if it is a pretty wild version) is really like. This movie does a great job of showing the same event through other people's point of view finally a movie that understands that life has more than one point of view

What was the point?
After watching this film, I wondered "what was the most obnoxious part of this movie"? Was it at the drug dealer's house? Was it the gay guys' dinner with their mothers? Or maybe it was the overly long and inflated "whirlwind" tour of Europe through the eyes of, perhaps, the most despicable person in this film?

All of these characters are deplorable and shallow. One reviewer said they felt sorry for the girl who was sending the purple letters! Why? She does herself in for a guy that she doesn't even know and has made no attempt to talk to!! Following their lives leaves the viewer feeling empty. They are all emotionally and ethically bankrupt. Why should we care about these characters? What is the point here?!

It is truly sad that Brett Easton Ellis has gotten rich writing pathetic drivel such as this. He has truly hoodwinked a lot of people who are easily shocked. Richard Avary and Ellis is a good combo though-- because both are masters at creating exploitative, sensationalist garbage with no heart.

2 stars for the acting only.

They should have never made this awful film.
Directed by Roger Avary ''The Rules of Attraction'' is one of the worst movies of 2002 and there have been a couple.

The movie stars James Van Der Beek from ''Dawson's Creek'' as Sean Bateman, a drug dealing slanking student who basically by his own words is a ''social vampire'' someone who leeches of others, and sinks his fangs to those naive and weak enough around him. The best example is near the beginning where Sean is telling us through a couple of brief flashbacks about the pathetic situations he has been involved in. He then seeks to forgot about his problems like some individuals by consuming himself with alcohol and then finding a cheap girl to sleep with. His prayers get answered when he meets a young blonde who is obviously a little drunk as well. Anyhow fast forward 5 minutes and then we are introduced to a whole slew of pathetic characters. There is the homosexual character of Paul (Ian Somerhalder) who basically likes to sleep with any boys around him. I doubt think gays would have liked this character either. I have seen in many films vile heterosexual characters but dare I say it, Paul is the first vile homosexual character Ive seen in film (another good reason that the movie shouldn't have been made let alone a novel)

Supposedly this horrible movie was taken from a novel by Bret Easton Ellis and I could only shudder to think how bad the book is if the movie of this calibur is taken from a novel. In fact looking at another site it doesn't quite know how to qualify the movie. It has the movie itself listed as a Comedy/Drama/Romance/Thriller? lol

Back to the movie, we see a couple of the stupid situations Mr. Bateman is in. Apparently he has a drug pimp (some weak little 17 yr old white boy) who think he is a big shot because he carries a gun. Anyhow, this pimp wants money from Sean (apparently they have some sort of partnership going where this guy gets his own cut of the drug money). Sean can't pay the money but he comes with a way to get it by swindling a couple of rich preppies who want to get high....lol

Then there comes this sick twist in the film, Paul sexually loves Sean and Sean is interested in this girl Lauren Hynde (Shannyn Sossamon) supposedly because she is pure and sweet (which is not what I heard in the novel).
Anyhow, Sean Bateman well to put in a blunt is real nilist, he likes to turn everything into crap plain and simple. The movie itself takes one direction (to sicken us with one hideous character after the next and shows their selfish stupid actions)
and pretty does until the very end. Speaking of which, the ending itself is written on the wall halfway, it's not surprising, it's a sad ending to a sad vile film.

''The Rules of Attraction'' also has done nothing for the cast either, James Beek hasn't done a movie in 2 yrs and none of the other actors except maybe Kate Bosworth who has a short role as Kelly (friend of Lauren) has gone anywhere.

The only good thing that I think comes from watching such a stupid movie as this, is that it shows that even in 2002 American directors still seek to make incredibly bad movies hoping that audiences will dig them, they won't and I didn't dig this movie at all.

Another horrible movie with James Van Der Beek which started a couple of years ago with his weak movie ''Varsity Blues''.

I did get the blues watching this movie (pun intended). Van Der Beek is just not a good actor at all, all he has is good looks but not much acting depth. So stay away from this movie. Dont fork any money into buying it, but if you still want to see how bad it is rent it. ... Read more

Description

The work of two great American artists merge in Short Cuts, maverick director Robert Altman’s kaleidoscopic adaptation of the stories of renowned author Raymond Carver. Epic in scale yet meticulously observed, the film interweaves the stories of twenty-two characters struggling to find solace and meaning in contemporaryLos Angeles. The extraordinary ensemble cast includes Tim Robbins, Julianne Moore, Robert Downey, Jr., Jack Lemmon, and Jennifer Jason Leigh—all giving fearless performances in one of Altman’s most compassionate creations. ... Read more

Reviews (38)

Loved it!
I saw this movie when it first came out and found it SO engrossing! While long, the film keeps your attention the whole time, and I thought every plot line was totally intriguing. I recently saw "Magnolia" and felt disappointed that it wasn't as good as "Short Cuts", although the potential was there. Jennifer Jason Leigh's character sticks in my mind, particularly when she's doing phone sex while diapering her baby! It was absurdly dark scenes like that which made me think Altman had a great knack for observing human nature. I thought the whole cast was excellent and I loved the way the stories intertwined. To the reviewer who thought the earthquake was out of place, I think they misunderstood the whole device as a way of tying everyone together - 'we're all in the same boat' so to speak. I left feeling better about this whacky, often tragic world we live in. It makes you think a lot about how we relate to those around us, whether we ever meet the people we interact with on a daily basis or not. Brilliant!

okay
Minus the critical acclaim, buzz, influence over films like Magnolia, Short Cuts, on its own, is a mediocre movie. Despite the best efforts of around a dozen talented actors and a director who obviously knows his stuff, Robert Altman, this movie is an exercise in redundancy and misery. Many of the stories fail to make a worthy case as to why they need to be told in a movie.

However, Short Cuts has a few scenes so brilliant and affecting that they are worth the rental (or purchase price) alone.

The intersecting storylines tell a story about a group of fishermen who discover a dead body, a grieving family (Andie MacDowell), a married couple with skeletons in the closet (Julianne Moore and Matthew Modine) a drunkard and his waitress girlfriend (Tom Waits and Lily Tomlin), a depressed cellist (Lori Singer) a philandering cop with a wife and family back home (Tim Robbins and Madeleine Stowe) and a sketchy make-up artist and his girlfriend (Robert Downey Jr. and Lily Taylor).

The incredible number of stories and stars may seem mind-boggling, but it's the least of the film's problems. In fact the strong acting and richness of the collective stories are the film's high point.

All the actors are great in one way or another, but Julianne Moore's performance is stunning. Jack Lemmon is similarly incredible. These two have to be seen to be believed.

However, with so many stories, all of them won't measure up to high quality. Short Cuts main problem is that a whole lot don't measure up.

By the way, there's a lot of nudity in this film, profanity, sex, and overall depressing material.

AN ACRID BUT INTRIGUING BANQUET OF CLIPS FROM EVERYDAY LIVES
Altman's singature classic with twenty two characters and ten nearly distinct tales. Imagine the ingenuity required to interweave all of that into a seamless whole, but Altman manages the feat deliciously.

While the individual threads may coax discussion, it is their blending that enables a variety of perspectives. Most of them are poignant, for instance the life of a pool cleaner and his wife who vocalizes orgasms on the phone in her job as a tele-sex worker while changing her kids' diapers. Or the life of a couple whose son has been in a tragic accident that brings their lives to an abrupt halt. Etc.

Be warned, many of these vignettes, while very tautly scripted and cleverly screenplayed, remain "unresolved," which may not work for some viewers. Personally I feel that films like this are more genuine reflections of the world in which we live: people often don't change, questions are frequently left unanswered, and unbecoming things do happen every day.

It's a pure pleasure to find a movie that weaves such a deep and intelligent tapestry of human lives, with all their idiosynchratic travails and triumphs. An absolute gem for you to own, not just rent.

why is 'short cuts' not out on DVD?
the greatest masterpiece of the '90s is STILL not out on DVD. filmmaking like this doesn't come along often enough.

Altman's finest hour? (or 3 and a half)
I think this ties nashville as his greatest work. i was blown away and cannot wait to own the DVD. 3 plus hours just fly by with excellent performances all around, and wonderful music courtesy of annie ross, the ow note quintet and all other contributors. ... Read more

Amazon.com

With each passing year, this 1980 miniseries becomes more for those who have read Ray Bradbury's landmark novel. The three-part, nearly five-hour series keeps its brainy science fiction roots; this story (and the 1940s novel) is not about laser battles and exciting action pieces. Bradbury's novel is galvanized by the cold war nightmare: at the end of the 20th century, an earth teetering on world war begins to colonize Mars without much knowledge of the new world. Hard science is left for other stories, and director Michael Anderson (Logan's Run) keeps this retrofitting: for example, astronauts arrive on a breathable Mars in leisure suits. The space travel effects are clunky, but the action on Mars--with Assheton Gorton's geometric sets and simple props--are far more effective. There are Martians there, as the unprepared first Earthlings learn. Later, as the planet is quickly colonized, the remaining Martians are near specters--bringing awe and fear to those they encounter. Master sci-fi writer Richard Matheson (I Am Legend) smartly streamlines Bradbury's episodic stories, giving a central role to Col. John Wilder (played by Rock Huston, leading a plethora of solid, yet B-list actors). For those in love with cerebral science fiction, they can enjoy this dated but curious sci-fi miniseries; for those of think sci-fi began with Star Wars, beware. --Doug Thomas ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Hudson Rocks Martians on DVD
The 1980 television adaption of Ray Bradbury's book, The Martian Chronicles, spanning 293 minutes, in three parts, The Expeditions, The Settlers, and The Martians, stars film great, Rock Hudson, Darren McGavin(The Night Stalker), Bernie Casey(The Gargoyles, Revenge of the Nerds), Roddy McDowall(Planet of the Apes) and Fritz Weaver(Marathon Man, Tales from the Darkside), to name a few. The mini-series attempts to encapsulate the saga of Bradbury's jaunt to Mars and how Earth people would greet Martians upon first contact and visa versa. The British(Fries Entertainment) production lacked in impressive special effects compared to theatrical releases of the time(Star Wars, Logan's Run), but made effective use of makeup and contact lenses for the Martians, as well as an other-worldly, spiritually soothing soundtrack for the title's name-sake, although much of the music sounds dated by today's standards. MGM's 2 disc set seems to be devoid of any extras, similarly to MGM's recent and slightly disappointing DVD release of the apocalyptic tele-movie, The Day After(1983-Jason Robards;The UK version of The Day After has a running commentary track with director, Nicholas Meyers), but hopefully will maintain the color and crispness of the VHS three-tape set(Fries Classic Collection), not to be mistaken by other incarnations recorded at EP, and should actually be improved upon with the DVD format. The Martian Chronicles is slated to be released on DVD in its original mono soundtrack with English, French and Spanish subtitles. Despite any extra material, MGM, however, has thankfully authored this film to DVD for posterity, and I look forward to adding it to my collection. ... Read more

Description

Episodes: "Time Enough at Last" (Ep. 8, November 20, 1959) - A bookworm (Burgess Meredith) yearns for more time to read--then a nuclear holocaust leaves him alone in the world with lots of time, plenty to read, and one ironic twist! "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street" (Ep. 22, March 4, 1960) - Inexplicable events cause the residents of quiet Maple Street to erupt into rioting. The residents suspect an alien invasion has occurred. If so, where are the alien monsters? "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" (Ep. 123, October 11, 1963) - A salesman (William Shatner) recovering from a nervous breakdown spots a gremlin on the wing of his plane. When he attempts to alert the others, his nightmare truly begins! "The Odyssey of Flight 33" (Ep. 54, February 24, 1961) - Flight 33 picks up a peculiar tailwind and is blown off course. After apparently correcting the problem, the flight arrives at its destination--a billion years ahead of schedule! ... Read more

Reviews (17)

This is definitely the BEST volume in the DVD collection
No matter how many DVDs they put out with episodes of "The Twilight Zone," they cannot put out one with better episodes that Volume 2. "Time Enougth at Last" is THE quintessential Zone episode, adapted by Rod Serling from Lynn Venable's short story. Burgess Meredith, in what was surely his most recognizable role, plays Henry Bemis, a mild-mannered, myopic bank teller who only wants to read, but can never get away from this shrewish wife and demanding boss. But then Henry has the fortune of being in the bank vault reading a book when the world is destroyed by a nuclear war. Directed by John Brahm, no "Twilight Zone" episode ever backed a more unforgettable ending. "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street" finds neighbors turning on each other as unexplained events fuel their fear that human-looking aliens have infiltrated Maple Street (filed on MGM's "Andy Hardy" street). Claude Atkins and Jack Weston head a strong cast in this classic written by Rod Serling and directed by Ron Winston. "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" stars William Shatner as poor Bob Wilson, who has left a sanatorium only to take a plane flight where a gremlin keeps trying to sabotage the engine. Written by Richard Matheson, who wrote the original short story, "Nightmare" was directed by Richard Donner, who went on to be a film director of some note. "The Odyssey of Flight 33" is the only sub-classic episode on this disc. The story by Serling, directed by Justus Addiss, is of a plane that picks up a freak tail wind that sends it back in time. John Anderson as Captain Farver leads the excellent cast that makes this rather far-fetched idea utterly believable.

There's a man on the wing!
This is a superb compilation of some of the best Twilight Zone episodes ever made.

This DVD includes the following episodes: "Time Enough at Last", "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street", "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet", and "The Odyssey of Flight 33".

"Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" is my favorite episode. William Shatner is a passenger on an airplane who sees an alien on the plane's wing every time he looks out the window. However, he's the only one who sees the alien - every time he yells to the stewardess or other people, the alien disappears. Everytime he sees the alien, he yells "there's a man on the wing! " It is such a great episode - it made William Shatner the star he is today!

Also, be sure to look for Burgess Meredith in "Time Enough At Last" before he was known as "Mickey" from the Rocky movies.

My only complaint is that there are not more episodes on this disk. I don't understand why CBS didn't release the episodes on a season-by-season basis.

One of the Best Twilight Zone DVDs
This second volume of Collection One might be the best of the entire Collection. "Time Enough at Last" and "Oddyssey of Flight 33" features two excellent stories with amazing and unforgettable endings. Another classic is "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," featuring William Shatner, who plays a man recovering from a nervous break down. His flight with his wife proves to be horrific. "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street" is a classic exploration into social psychology and mob mentality when a gang of residents on a quiet street are convinced that an alien invasion has occurred.

This second volume is well written with wonderful acting by Burgess Meredith and William Shatner. Highly recommended!

another great DVD
Vol 2 had even better episodes that Vol 1.

Time Enough At Last- Loved it! One of my favorite episodes actually. I felt very sorry for the guy. (*****)

Monsters are Due on Maple Street- Another great episode. Very surprising on who the monsters were. (****)

Terror at 20,000 feet- Uh, didn't care too much for this one. I got a little bored watching it actually. A lot of people seem to like this one though. (**)

The Odessy of Flight 33- another great and entertaining one. (***)

Your Next Stop is¿
Besides the TV Plays that you will buy this for, there are some DVD goodies (extras.):
Special "Inside the Twilight Zone" Section Written by Marc Scott Zicree
Biographical info on Rod Sterling
History of the Twilight Zone
Cast information
A season-by Season commentary
They claim to be digitally re-mastered yet there are still a few glitches and snow.
Episode 8 "Time Enough at Last" November 20, 1960

Henry Bemis (Burgess Meredith) has a healthy interest in reading; he is surrounded by people that underestimate its worth. He is conspired against by the bank president and even his wife. He works in a bank and spends his afternoons in the vault catching up on his reading. I will say no more as you and Mr. Bemis are about to enter the Twilight Zone.

Burgess Meredith will be found in several of the Twilight Zone episodes and again as the narrator of the 1983 Twilight Zone movie.

Episode 22 "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street" March 4, 1960

The typical neighbors, like Claude Atkins and Jack Weston, are out doing neighbor things like mowing their lawn. They stop to hear a weird sound and see a strange light. It is assumed to be a weird meteor. All of a sudden the power goes out and nothing works no phones, no cars, nothing. This is the last moment before the real monsters came out.

Episode 123 "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" October 11, 1963

Mr. Wilson (William Shatner) is a salesman that is recovering from a nervous breakdown he had in an airplane. He is on his way down in a propeller commuter plane. You know something is amiss with him as he realizes he is next to the emergency window, over the wing. Of course his psychiatrist, Dr. Martin, would not let him fly home unless he was well. In the middle of an electrical storm, he looks out the window and I will say no more as you are about to enter the darkest part of the Twilight Zone.

This episode will be included in the 1983 movie with John Lithgow playing Mr. Wilson.

Episode 54 "The Odyssey of Flight 33" February 24, 1961

An international Jet flight, Global 33, is heading for Idawiled airport. On the way they get a sensation of great speed and go through some unknown barrier. Captain Farver (John Anderson) looses all external electronic guidance. He goes down for a closer look. I will not say anything more as you have now entered the Twilight Zone.

I wonder if we have a current remake, would Global 33 lose global positioning. ... Read more

Reviews (26)

Woody Allen Does It Again: Hilarious Documentary
1983's "Zelig" was written and directed by Woody Allen. This is of course years after 1977's Annie Hall and so Woody Allen's comic talent was already established. Woody Allen's witty, intellectual humor is most prominent in this film which he directs as if it were a documentary. It's entirely in black and white, except for the contemporary scenes of interviewed characters, there is footage from the 20's, 30's and 40's, including footage of Adolph Hitler making a speech at a Nazi rally. Woody Allen plays Leonard Zelig, a shy, unassuming little man with an identity disorder. He cannot truly be himself because he becomes transformed into his surroundings. When he is around Jewish rabbis, he becomes Jewish, when he is around African-Americans, he becomes black, when he is around overweight people, he becomes fat, etc. This miracle of biology earned him the title of the Chameleon or "The Changing Man". Mia Farrow, who coincidentally was romantically linked with Woody Allen at this time in the 80's, plays the role of Zelig's love interest Dr. Eudora Fletcher. Eudora Fletcher takes a genuine interest in Zelig and examines him psychologically through hypnosis. The scenes of their sessions are extremely funny but then again so is much of this movie. Woody Allen is the first Forrest Gump, being as funny and awkward, at least 10 years before Tom Hanks did it in the 90's. Zelig is so loved that he is hob-nobbing with all the greats of the time- Charlie Chaplin, William Randalph Hearst, Fanny Brice, F. Scott Fitzegerald and Zelda, etc. The music for this movie is appropriately cartoonish and Charleston/Jazz Age style. There is one dance segment called The Chameleon and another with the voice of Betty Boop singing "Chameleon Days". Witty dialogue, lots of humor and visual jokes, it's a movie that is sure to delight you.

Remember when Zelig was as popular as Lindbergh?
Before there was Forrest Gump shaking hands with John F. Kennedy there was Leonard Zelig interrupting a speech by Adolf Hitler. This 1983 faux-documentary from Woody Allen tells the tale of a strange little man who wanted so badly to fit in that he was able to change like a chameleon to blend in with his surroundings, whether that meant being a musician in a black band, a psychiatrist in a mental institution, or a member of the Nazi party. Mia Farrow co-stars as Dr. Eudora Fletcher, who not only treats Zelig with her radical psychiatric theories but eventually falls in love with the lovable loser, saving him from those who want to put him on display so people can watch Leonard turn Chinese, French or obese. Cinematographer Gordon Willis deserves a lot of the credit for "Zelig," creatively aging his film to blend with the archive footage that has Leonard rubbing elbows with Fanny Brice, Charles Chaplin and Rudolf Hess. This "documentary" includes "contemporary" interviews with Dr. Fletcher (Ellen Garrison) and other figures in the life and times of Zelig as well as comments from critics such as Susan Sontag and Saul Bellow ("He touched people in a way that they perhaps did not want to be touched..."). I also must commend the unique narrative style provided by Patrick Horgan, who delivers the sly narration with the driest sense of humor ever recorded. My favorite section of this film is when Zelig becomes the national craze of the moment, to be celebrated and exploited by dolls, games and puzzles, songs like "Leonard the Lizard," and even a Hollywood movie. "Zelig" is a much more subtle documentary parody than either "Take the Money and Run" or "Spinal Tap." Truth, fiction and absurdity are blended seamlessly in this film, which is that most rare creature, a "charming" Woody Allen movie that is a much more enjoyable experience than reading "Moby Dick."

I've always loved this little gem of a film
Some critics said it was too long, and the joke ran thin. To me that describes Forrest Gump. Some critics thought it was a no-concept movie. To me that describes Forrest Gump. To me this is Woody as a virtuoso filmmaker, though not the sort that Tarentino is pegged. The film makes a very true point about fame, about nostalgia, and most of all about conformity in a world that's always proud to show off its nonconformity (note the opening montage about how this was "the jazz age") but which is at bottom hopelessly conformist. Forrest Gump, with its aw-shucks philosophy and cliche-embedded script, didn't dare tackle such weighty issues. But this movie does. But if you don't GET them, as many critics didn't judging from the reviews, this film will to you seem too long. My biggest complaint is that maybe it's actually too short. I would have liked to see some of its themes explored more--admittedly tricky in the narrow confines Allen imposed on himself with his documentary structure.

Here Allen runs the range of tricks to film, but they're not computer tricks (exactly). To age his film he actually scuffs it. To achieve the sound of tinny 1920s sound he records his pop songs (wonderful parodies of the real music of the time) on authentic 1920s equipment. Most of all, in sort of a post-modernist irony that is currently so hip but was fresh in 1983, he features interviews with trendy intellectuals who both reinforce and parody their academic personas by appearing on camera.

Unlike Spinal Tap, which was sometimes a little too broad in its humor (much as I love that movie) and unlike Bob Roberts, which gave us "offscreen" conversations we could plainly hear (from people who wouldn't be body-miked in real life) just to extend the narrative, this movie to me strikes the perfect of rabid satire and just-bare plausibility. Unfortunately, Woody's DVDs tend to be skimpy on extras--director's commentary would be nice, or maybe a "how they did it" documentary. But Woody these days is about as socialable as a hermit crab. He's also not making films this good anymore. Pity, because no one else does comedy quite the way he does--or did.

One of the foremost films of Woody Allen
Allen was in a surrealistic mood when he made this film. The powerful content about Zelig in the thirties is a bitter gaze about a disfunctional , a low level person , an example of the mass media rank can become.
The film is abolutely delightful with countless laughable situations . But the remaining message after the movie has finished still turns around in your memory.
Oscar Wilde wrote this funny but clever sentence . The fashion is easy to define ; it's what will become old fashioned tomorrow.
This could be a smart joke . But I link with Zelig , because Zelig is a human being who wants to be accepted by the world , but lacks of center . So these countless characters mean a trial and error behavior , just for achieve this goal .
And notice that Allen is original because he seeks and goes to the origen of the things.
And this film overcomes this limit.!

Yes, It's Allen's "Citizen Kane"
Loved this when it came out. And after watching it again I was determined to post a review and compare it to the Orson Welles masterpiece. Then I saw someone had already done so! I'm glad that I am not the only one who feels that this film can be mentioned in the same sentence as Kane.
I was going to point out that it is every bit as original, well writen, acted, photographed and edited as "Citizen Kane." And a whole lot funnier. ... Read more

Amazon.com

You've never seen a sex comedy quite like The Decline of the American Empire. That's because there's no sex in this comedy--just a lot of entertaining talk about it (and a few discreet flashbacks). The speakers are eight Montreal academics. For most of the film, the men--Rémy (Rémy Girard), Claude (Yves Jacques), Pierre (Pierre Curzi), and Alain (Daniel Brière)--fix dinner while talking about sex. The women--Dominique (Dominique Michel), Louise (Dorothée Berryman), Diane (Louise Portal), and Danielle (Geneviève Rioux)--work out while talking about sex. That evening, they all gather for dinner... and talk about sex. The Decline of the American Empire made the reputation of writer-director Denys Arcand, but his greatest success would arrive 17 years later with The Barbarian Invasions. In that 2003 Oscar-winner, Arcand revisits the lovably loquacious characters from the first film, all of whom are older, wiser--and just as obsessed with sex. --Kathleen C. Fennessy ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Fun, uneven, choppy
"Decline of the American Empire" is a difficult movie to define, mainly because it straddles both European and New World cinematographic tendencies (i.e., ponderous and talky on the one hand, ponderous and talky about sex on the other). Briefly, it's the story of four or five friends who, with one exception, discover that their relationships are declining and disintegrating because they come to know more and more about themselves and their lovers. Is it supposed to be some complex metaphor that somehow ties back in to the movie's title? That's never really clarified or implied. But the diologue is fun (Quebecois French, English subtitles), and the characters aren't sympathetic enough to make you feel sorry for them, so enjoy this film as an offbeat comedy-drama-farce.

Witty snapshot of relationships among decadent academics
When I first saw this film I was a faculty member at a Canadian universty- the insights on society and relationships are hilarious and ring true.

A pithy, straight to the heart view of people and humanity.
One of the warmest, coolest and most bracing films I have seen. I cried with laughter and sadness and realisition at a film that is refreshingly bold about human weakness and strengths. Very funny, stirring, sad...true. SEE THIS FILM. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

This 1966 masterpiece by Michelangelo Antonioni (The Passenger) is set in the heady atmosphere of Swinging London, and stars David Hemmings as an unsmiling fashion photographer hooked on ephemeral meaning attached to anything: art, sex, work, relationships, drugs, events. When a real mystery falls into his lap, he probes the evidence for some reliable truth, but finds it hard to reckon with. Vanessa Redgrave plays an enigmatic woman whose desperation to cover something up only seems like one more phenomenon in Hemmings's disinterested purview. This is one of the key films of the decade, and still an unsettling and lasting experience. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (92)

Interesting film, but................
Okay, here's the truth about this film. If you are not into slow-plot movies, then you won't like this movie. Sometimes while watching the movie you wonder whether there is a plot at all. I had read the short story "Blow-Up" by Julio Cortazar which this movie is based on before watching the movie. And I thought that the plot of the movie was minimized greatly to show quiet scenes. All one really remembers of this film is watching this good looking guy (Hemmings) wrestle around on the floor with a couple of naked models, Hemmings developing pictures and looking at them over and over again until he realizes what he has been looking at all along (a dead body)..and a bunch of mimes in the end playing tennis with an imaginary balls.

Okay, so the first time you watch the movies it can be quite boring unless you are in the right mood. But the second time I saw it it was on DVD instead of VHS and the pictures and scenes are so fun to look at that you finally realize what director Antonioni was creating...A pituresque film...The plots become more interesting...

But here's the next thing..You should watch this film alone...This is not a good date film....Because you may be in the mood to watch it...but she might not...All I know is that this is a film you really have to be in the mood for. It can really make a date crumble...This should be seen with an sophisticated, intelligent person...

Julio Cortazar's story was mainly about a man who takes a picture and becomes obsessed with a woman he has photographed. After examining the picture day in and day out he finally realizes he has been staring at her because she seems to be staring at something...And then he realizes that she is looking at something laying on the ground some distance away...A body... Antonioni's film uses this plot in his film but expands on it with imagery and the story of this swinging 60s man.

Anyway, watch it, on DVD of course, cause it looks better, definitely worth owning if you like this kinda stuff.

A tad inflated.
Very influential "art" film of the 1960's, directed by Michelangelo Antonioni. At first blush the setting seems to be Swinging London, but the city is curiously abandoned: empty roads, empty parks, empty cafes. Is this by design? Or merely illustrative of Antonioni's lack of funds? And those who DO populate the city seem more like art-house ideograms rather than Swinging Londoners. In other words, here somber, there somber, everywhere somber somber (e.g., mimes; zombies watching a Yardbirds concert; a painter who doesn't even pretend to know what his paintings mean . . . and such). This isn't London; it's Resnais (slightly more frenetic Resnais). The worst that can be said of the movie is that it probably hasn't aged well . . . starting with David Hemmings' white jeans. Viewers who were born any year after this movie was made will respond to the mini-orgy scene and the pot-party scene with an exasperated, "Oh, so what!" and get bored fast. But it's important to recognize Antonioni's daring, perhaps especially if what titillated Sixties' audiences seems tame in 2001. In large measure, Antonioni (and other avant-garde auteurs, of course) opened the doors to freer cinematic expression with movies like *Blow-Up* -- and all on the coattails of MGM, in this case! And while the Sixties "commentary" is now hopelessly dated, the way our fashion-photographer hero stumbles onto an unseen murder is ingenious, and the presentation of it is worthy of a master. I also love that spooky park, with its ceaselessly whispering trees. All in all, a fun "puzzle picture", tailor-made especially for college grads. Not by any stretch one of the era's more rigorous masterpieces -- such as the director's own L'Avventura -- but still important.

WARNING - DEFECTIVE AUDIO
DESPITE LOTS OF EFFORT, TROUBLE-SHOOTING, AND ASSISTANCE FROM HIGH-TECH-PROFICIENT FRIENDS, I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO GET THE AUDIO TRACK FOR THIS FILM TO PLAY. I HAVE HAD NO SIMILAR PROBLEM WITH ANY OTHER DVD I OWN OR HAVE RENTED. SO BE WARNED, DO NOT PURCHASE THIS DVD UNLESS YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN THAT YOUR DVD-PLAYER WILL PLAY IT. [Ironically, all the other special features on this DVD, including the trailers and a voice-over commentary track, have fully-functional audio tracks. It's just the main feature - THE FILM ITSELF - that has no audio!]

The Antonioni step
A phothographer (David Heminngs) gets a slapshot and he believes there's a murder in that picture.
The reality is elusive , and watch about your senses seem to reveal you . Nothing is like it seems . The hidden message underneath the script .
Antonioni has beencalled the master of the silence . And in this case , in his first american film he challenges our ancient beliefs , what we usually mean as common sense . What's the truth and where does it begin our disturbed or prejuiced perceptions about the real world . Obviously there's a bit message aboutthe drugs world in this statement.
The ending sequence in what we see? a mude tennis game is not pnly a sincere tribute to the timeless genius of the mimo art - Marcel Marceau - , but a clear reference about we state as truth many times what other senses vaguely pretend establish .

Movies as litmus tests
Another film that brings out the moral venality in Amazon "reviewers". I particularly love the one who was "forced" to watch it in a friend's film class & found it a "waist" of time. Let's see...the waist is where things ingested pass through on their way to the digestion process. But I doubt he was being that profound.

Then there are the ones who find the film dated, London too empty & the main character a horrible nasty. Well folks, it's true there are no friendly wizards, cute goblins or funny ogres in this one, so it may taste like harsh medicine to some. But Blow-Up was a real slice of the 1960s, take it or leave it. Not just the "life-style" (clothes, decor & behavior) which is perfectly rendered (& is probably what dates the film the most) but the sheer fragmentation of time & space, of event & response. This was Antonioni's particular area of expertise: space & emptiness filled with random human collisions supposedly suffused with "meaning".

Well, we certainly have adopted different attitudes today, haven't we? Everything with its socio-political subtext. The big problem, I think, with a movie like Blow-Up is that it doesn't easily let you pick which Side to Be On. It's very European in that way (Old Europe, to use current parlance).

Hey folks, when you look at a De Chirico (you should, you know), do you find the streets too empty, the perspectives too stark & arbitrary? ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Sexual Satire
1975's Shampoo is a satirical look at the sexual revolution of the late 60's and on the politics of Richard Nixon. The film takes place on and around Election Day, 1968 in Los Angeles. Warren Beatty stars as George Roundy, a hairdresser who, it seems, ends up sleeping with everyone he does hair for. Goldie Hawn is his girlfriend Jill, who is pushing him to open up his own shop. He ends up soliciting start up funds from Lester played by Jack Warden who meets him on the behest of his wife Felicia play by Lee Grant. George is sleeping with Felicia and as it turns out he used to date Lester's mistress, Jackie, played Julie Christie and also ends up sleeping with Lester's daughter Lorna played by Carrie Fisher in her first movie. The movie pokes fun at Mr. Beatty's own image and he plays the role as dimwit who knows he's not too bright, but doesn't care. The film is definitely dated as it was a comment on Watergate, but the performances are first rate. In fact, Mr. Beatty is the weak link in the film and Ms. Grant, Ms, Christie and Mr. Warden are all stellar. Mr. Beatty was the producer and co-writer and he received a best original screenplay Academy Award nomination and Ms. Grant won the award for Best Supporting Actress.

Beautiful transfer!
Cheers to Johnny Depp, Sandra Bernhard, and Julianne Moore for citing this almost forgotten '70's classic as one of their all time favorites. To most, Shampoo is looked at as a Beatty vanity project, a dated box-office hit, or just dull and not worth your time. It's a shame because it's one of the best films of its time and is probably the last example of a sex comedy having any sly wit, sophistication, or style. The character of George (Warren Beatty) is based on Manson family victim Jay Sebring -a close friend of Beatty's- and his quest for maturity and respect cuts through the dozens of meaningless, in-your-face type comedies of today. No, it's not an overbearingly gross, laugh-'til-your-side-aches ride with lots of gratuitous nudity and forgettable one-note characters; the film builds at a carefully constructed pace and -using humor as an undercurrent and beautifully soft neutral colors as its visual look -packs a slight emotional wallop at the end. It's as close to an American art film comedy as you're going to come.

The collaboration of screenwriter Robert Towne (Chinatown) and director Hal Ashby (Harold and Maude, The Last Detail, Coming Home) is a small dream and together they create some beautiful magic: the subtlety of Towne's very funny dialogue never becomes monotonous like a bad Broadway farce and Ashby's camera allows a viewer to discover hidden depths in Goldie Hawn, Carrie Fisher, Jack Warden (Oscar nominated), and Lee Grant (Oscar winner). All the performances are first rate but Julie Christie as George's true love interest steals the movie with those wonderfully expressive eyes and her classic drunk scene. (One of the best visual jokes in the movie is the backside of the black cocktail dress she wears at the election dinner.)

I owned the Criterion laserdisc version of Shampoo and saw a great print on the big screen but this digitally remastered DVD treatment is nothing short of fabulous. The visual look of Shampoo is very important since as the story gets deeper so do the colors (watch the scene where George cuts Jackie's hair in her bathroom while they both glow in the fading afternoon light) but you could never tell from the VHS tape copies or even on its scatter-shot television appearances. This transfer does the film justice but unfortunately there are no special features whatsoever. A making-of documentary or even a commentary track (with the exception of Jack Warden all the principal actors are still alive) would have made this edition a great feature in your library. It's still worth buying but also just a bit of a letdown. Regardless, you can view Shampoo as either a lumbering, relic-like snapshot of its time or a morality tale with depth, humor, and some class. A richly rewarding viewing experience awaits the viewer who sees the latter. Enjoy!

One Fairly Fine Film
"Fair is foul, and foul is fair," say the Three Witches in _Macbeth_, and the principle holds true for the film _Shampoo_. Released in 1975, and one of the leading members of what are now being called "70s films," _Shampoo_ is the story of George Roundy, hairdresser in beautiful and sun-blessed City of Angels. Perhaps no other film in Hollywood has been placed into more capable hands -- Hal Ashby, the remarkably disciplined but expressive director (as in Roundy's rides on his motorcycle through the Hollywood Hills); Robert Towne, veteran screenwriter who won an Oscar for _Chinatown_; and Warren Beatty, one of Hollywood's greats, and swordsman of renown. The film follows Roundy as he enjoys what he seemingly enjoys most, the company of women, and as he seeks to start a business, his own hair salon. But in the film, as the Three Witches say in _Macbeth_, fair is foul, and foul is fair -- which is to say that in _Shampoo_, roles reverse and appearances deceive. Roles reverse in the central characteristic to Roundy -- his enjoying the company of women. For in Roundy's world, the courter has changed to the courted, and the courted, the courter. Why it is, or even whether it must be or ought to be is perhaps fit for another discussion -- but it seems hard to argue, to this reviewer, that the traditional role for a guy in courtship is to be the courter, and the traditional role for a woman, to be the courted. In Roundy's world, however, things somehow have got reversed. He does no courting -- he doesn't stop his movement seeing an angelic brunette walking down the sidewalk and chase her down, he doesn't time his exit from a bank to catch an arresting blonde on her way out. He does no courting. For it is women who court him. He's walking into his shop and a woman slams on her brakes and bats her eyes for his attention, he's waiting for one of his "friends" (most likely how he'd introduce her to someone) at her house and, while he's killing time, her daughter comes on to him. So in Roundy's world, things have got themselves reversed. The cause of the reversal is significant and important to understanding Roundy. Roundy's very existence is you might say "half free-will" -- half free-will because on nearly any matter, he is only forced to make half a decision. For in constantly being courted, he is essentially being offered decisions for approval or rejection. In being constantly sought-after, half of his decision-making process is completed for him. His life is thus a whirlwind -- from an observer's point of view, he might be seen to do things in a roundabout fashion. And so he ends up having sex with the young daughter, Lorna (played by Carrie Fisher), of one of his friends. How does such a thing happen? Because he's only ever forced to make half a decision. And yet in Lorna's courting him, which she does with vigor, there is a lesson as well. For she comes on to Roundy by saying, "Wanna f---?" And to this Roundy agrees. However, when one of his friends courts him by indirectly asking him to fix her hair, he turns her down. And so a lesson to be seen here, as well, is that as Roundy has a thousand and one offers at any one time, he takes the most direct and most clearly communicated. Thus roles reverse in _Shampoo_. But appearances deceive as well. Perhaps appearances deceive in no better way in the film than in the manner that Roundy is forced to act in order to start his business. For Roundy secretly has his own master whose altar he must kneel before -- the bank. In seeking to start his own hair salon, he must do the courting. He must go to a bank and apply for a loan. It is he who is doing the approaching, it is he who conforms to the standards his master will demand of him. Indeed, no longer is it one of his friends who is putting on just the right top or just the right perfume for Roundy's approval, but it is Roundy who is putting on just the right jacket and putting his raffish hair in just the right place for the approval of his master -- a bank manager. Tellingly, he invites none of his friends along with him to the bank -- he's aware of his reversed role, and he doesn't like it, but there is nothing he can do about it. Denied his first attempt at a loan, he must later go see another banker, Lester (played by Jack Warden). Lester is the husband of one of Roundy's friends. And here too appearances deceive -- for Lester believes Roundy to be gay, and so Lester would be quite shocked to learn that Roundy is enjoying the company of his wife. And indeed appearances may so deceive in this world that the end is a deception itself. For the end of _Shampoo_ is often seen as bleak and despairing -- Roundy in shock as the only person he decides he can trust, leaves him, and breaks his heart. But is Roundy's heartbreak forever? It's hard not to look a few months into the future and see Roundy motoring along Mulholland Drive on his motorcycle, a friend of his speeding up beside him in her car, flagging him down, smiling devilishly out of her car, asking him if he wants to f---, Roundy suppressing a smile, glancing around. Glancing at what? At nothing. Roundy shrugging, and then Roundy off on his motorcycle tailing behind the girl in her car, having already mended, or if not mended, at least forgotten -- maybe! with hope! -- his heartbreak.

Wouldn't It Be Nice?
Yes it would if we could get Hollywood to produce films that are timelessly fresh as the great "Shampoo". ............. Warren Beatty is unforgettable as George, a shameless womanizing cad of a hairdresser, who effortlessly beds every woman that crosses his path. They usually do that at his salon, as they all wait for George to "Do" them, in more ways than one! .............George naturally has several girlfriends who he tries to keep from knowing about the others, but of course they all find out. Goldie Hawn is just adorable here in her little velvet brown baby doll dress, and exudes a helpless little girl type charm from every pore. She lives with George, when he's not with various others. Lee Grant is his married lover, whose husband Jack Warden is the patsy. He plays his role quite sympathetically. There is Julie Christie as the girl who George really wants, and the only one who doesn't want him. Now that IS realistic cinema. There are other quickies of course. A not to be missed young Carrie Fisher scores some real "Love" between tennis lessons before her mom gets "done" by George when she arrives home, and finds her daughter took her appointment! George goes about his day to day activities, without a hair out of place, no matter how often, or how many women try to seduce him. A drunken Lee Grant creates a memorable scene when she visits George under a table they are seated at with several other people. For more, YOU need to watch! .............What is interesting here, besides the wonderful flavor and mood of the late sixties captured in the music, free love attitudes, fashions and mod ambience, is that it took place in 1968 and was released in 1975. It covers the election eve of 1968, the whole start of the Nixon era, released at the end of the Watergate era. Maybe that can be called dated now, but it gives you a real flavor of what the world of politics and attitudes were. It is interesting and very unusual to see a film that is set in a time period, so close to the actual era that just preceded it. There is less than a decade between the 1968 era theme, and the films release in 1975. For this reason, it was perfect for it's day, and in my opinion remains so today. .............. There are way too many wonderful moments to list here. If you haven't seen this film, you are truly missing a classic piece of what made the late sixties and mid seventies so special. If you didn't live it, here is a film that will give you a great vcarious feeling that you did.

an MBA degree in less than two hours !
------- not nearly as salacious as valley of the dolls, but far more human. nor is it as zany as earthgirls are easy. it absolutely nails the slightly drug-hazed days of the '70s, but doesn't forget that business has to make a profit. kind of a male fantasy (but also kind of a female fantasy - warren beatty is as beautiful a guy as one'll ever see . . .) without all the in-n-out of the skin-flicks.

Big ... Read more

Amazon.com

Dario Argento's sequel to Suspiria, his first and to date only American hit, is an even more incoherent nightmare fantasy. Laden with symbolic imagery and fantastic explosions of death shot in candy-colored hues, it's a bloody feast for the eyes. Mark (Leigh McCloskey), an American music student in Rome, rushes home to New York after a frantic phone call from his sister only to find an empty apartment and obscure clues about a supernatural presence in her spooky building. It all has something to do with the mysterious Mater Tenebrarum, one of the "Three Mothers" of Argento's murky mythology, and the fun house of an apartment house she inhabits, complete with a fully furnished underwater ballroom, miles of secret tunnels flooded in red and blue light, and hidden passageways under the floorboards. Meanwhile, there's a killer running around stabbing beautiful women for who knows what reason, a crippled bookseller attacked by rats, and a homicidal hot-dog vendor in Central Park. Why? It's best not to ponder such mysteries--Argento obviously isn't as concerned with making sense of his meticulously staged murders as he is with lighting them with just the right hue. Dramatically it's inert, a parade of quirky but faceless victims dispatched with elaborate care, but it's beautifully designed and executed, a spectacle of elaborate set pieces and magnificent decor orchestrated with a complete disdain for narrative logic.--Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (40)

Dario throws a sharp dagger and misses
OK, nobody watches a Dario Argento movie expecting a great plot. Its just the immense style and care he handles his movies with. So just about everyone can easily lose track of the plot and concentrate on the gracefully-staged killings and highly original (sometimes outragous) story elements. The problem with INFERNO is that (despite the fact it has some nice Argento touches, some great scenes involving an underwater chamber and an old man getting eaten by an army of rats), the plot is so thin that in this case you tend to somewhat ignore SOME of the Argento trademarks and start wondering what the hell is going on!

An American music fan returns home from Rome after getting an urgent call from his sister. By the time he returns, she's already dead so he handles the case himself finding the SUSPIRIA-type killer which somehow relates to an evil myth.

INFERNO isn't really such a bad film. With horror maestro, Mario Bava giving it his last shot with the special effects (he died the same year), the film has some kind of punch and, though it is fairly slow, it feasts the eyes with some nice imagery but as I said, it just DOSN'T MAKE SENSE. Argento helped Bava's son, Lamberto on DEMONS five years later which I found a little bit more fun.

More Supernatural Mayhem From Argento
Dario Argento's INFERNO, the sequel to the great SUSPIRIA, is the director's most difficult film; it was hard for him to pull this one off and it took a lot of time. In the end, however, it was all well worth the effort. INFERNO establishes its link to SUSPIRIA in the beginning, as Rose Elliot (Irene Miracle of MIDNIGHT EXPRESS fame) reads the book "The Three Mothers" by one E. Varelli, an architect and alchemist who built three houses for the Three Mothers, who are really evil beings who rule the world through sorrows, darkness and tears. Rose, in fact, might live in one of those dwelling places, a hotel in New York, which is the dwelling place of Mater Tenebrarum, Mother of Darkness. (SUSPIRIA covered Mater Suspiriorum, Mother of Sighs/Sorrows.) Anyway, her brother Mark (Leigh McCloskey) comes to New York and gets caught up in the weirdness that ensues.
As I said before, Dario Argento had a real difficult time filming INFERNO. He bypassed the witchcraft of SUSPIRIA in favor of alchemy for this story. Fortunately, he had help from another Italian horror legend: Mario Bava (TWITCH OF THE DEATH NERVE, BLACK SUNDAY, SHOCK), who filmed an amazing underwater sequence in the beginning which is a sight to behold and is really scary. Some think that the music student with the cat (Ania Pieroni of TENEBRE and Fulci's HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY) in the scenes in Rome is a representation of Mater Lacrimaurum, Mother of Tears; if that's so, what a great setup for the third film that would have been. While not as mind-blowing as SUSPIRIA, INFERNO is a wild experience in its own right and has an equally awesome music score (here by prog-rock vet Keith Emerson) and scary imagery and lighting reminiscent of an EC Comic book.
BTW: Have you noticed any similarity between this and Fulci's masterpiece THE BEYOND? I mean there's the house that maybe concealing some sort of evil, there's the gruesome murders at random, and there's the awesome score! Anyway, you have to see THE BEYOND, and I'll explain why in another review. But give INFERNO, Argento's purest film, a try but watch SUSPIRIA first so you'll understand this movie better!

Se