Reviews (17)

Unlikely subject soars as Art.
While the theme surrounding AGNES OF GOD (virginal nun giving birth, baby is found murdered) may seem trite (or, even more sadly, of little interest) for modern filmgoers, the movie itself is a triumph of style over substance. Not that there's anything really wrong with John Pielmier's award-winning play or its adaptation for film--in fact, most of it is quite literate. But what elevates the film to near-greatness is the work of Norman Jewison, probably one of America's most underrated directors, and the inspired casting of Jane Fonda and Anne Bancroft, two of the world's great actresses, and the brilliant, Oscar-nominated (and Golden Globe-winning) performance of Meg Tilly as the beset young novice.
Fonda is simply great (though probably miscast) as the psychiatrist trying to unravel the secrets of Agnes and her convent, receiving little help from the Mother Superior (Bancroft, also Oscar-nominated as Best Actress) or her colleagues, who simply want a quick, dismissable verdict to a non "p. c." court case. Fonda's character has some demons of her own to fight along the way (including a church-disavowed abortion and a sister who died in a convent), but so, we find out, does Bancroft's character. The convergence of these events answer some of the questions surrounding the birth, while leaving others appropriately open to speculation (like religion itself).
The direction and cinematography create a real feeling of cloister and serenity, and the lovely music by veteran Georges Delerue also contributes to the haunting effect of the movie. Whatever your views of the topic might be, the movie is a stunning success. Highly recommended for discerning viewers.

A trio of actresses inspires wonderment
Several weeks ago, I reviewed the 1973 film CATHOLICS, and made the point that it would be best understood and appreciated by Roman Catholics. AGNES OF GOD, released in 1985, is a picture for which the same might be said.

Meg Tilly stars as a young woman who's recently given birth to, and apparently murdered, her baby. No surprise there, except that she also happens to be a young nun, Sister Agnes, tightly cloistered in a French Canadian convent. Agnes has no memory of the deed, so Jane Fonda plays the court-appointed psychologist, Dr. Livingston, tasked with unearthing the facts of the matter. Who was the biological father? How did he breach the convent's walls to gain access to Agnes and impregnate her? What were the circumstances of the birth and killing? Anne Bancroft plays the head of the religious house, who apparently knows more than she's telling. Livingston won't be stopped, and the Mother Superior is indomitable. It's a case of the Irresistible Force meeting the Immovable Object.

All three actresses give exceptional performances in a film that pivots around two key elements of Catholicism, the doctrines of the Immaculate Conception and the Virgin Birth, as well as the phenomenon of the Stigmata. There's even a lighter moment as the Fonda and Bancroft characters discuss what sort of cigar might have been the favorite of certain of the Apostles. (Can you envision Peter smoking a big stogie?)

It's been argued that the picture, while undeniably excellent, was ultimately unsatisfying. I think such a conclusion misses the point, which is that some things, like the Immaculate Conception and the Virgin Birth, will never be proven facts, but must be accepted on faith by those so inclined. And, not all movie endings are necessarily tidy, nor should they be. Sometimes, the conjecture one is left with is the point of it all.

Strong Woman Stuff
This is a movie for women who want to see women in strong vibrant rolls. The performances of Jane Fonda, Ann Bangcroft and Meg Tilly are outstanding. The movie leaves several key issues up to the audience to decide what they think, faith or no faith doesn't really matter, the movie is a fantastic and stands by itself.

Hard to Nail This Film Down
Explaining Jesus Christ is hard to nail down. Analogously, interpreting this film is hard to nail down. I would expect to see wide variance in interpretations, and that is all right. We Americans love to disagree, and we defend the God given rights to disagree without malice.

Jane Fonda, Anne Bancroft, and Meg Tilly all play outstanding roles in this film. The supporting cast (e.g., Guy Hoffmann, Winston Rekert) is brilliant as well. This film has elements of a great movie such as humor, a message(s), gripping drama, suspense, and haunting music.

I have seen this movie more than 100 times. I believe that Sister Agnes experiences an Immaculate Conception in this film; furthermore, I believe Sister Agnes was "crucified." He (God) chose Agnes to give birth to His child. Why Sister Agnes? A number of reasons can be conjectured; however, speaking as a Mathematician and Computer Scientist, I can't attach a mathematical certainty to any of these reasons. For example, is God warning us? Afterall, very few people believe in God today. So God, for example, may have chosen Agnes to bear His child in order for Agnes to give birth, say, to a holy person whose purpose is to warn those outside of God's flock to adhere to the teachings of God. Unfortunately, Agnes fails God by paradoxically murdering His child because she felt unworthy of bearing God's child. So did God make a mistake?

The true beauty of the movie from my perspective is that I'm always left after watching this film with feelings of serenity, tranquility, and a heightened belief in God.

Britt W. Barrett
Senior Computer Scientist & Mathematician

Postscript: It would be interesting to know what Reverend John Trigilio Jr., PhD, ThD, one of the co-authors of "Catholicism for Dummies" has to say about this film.

Salutation to the Virgin Mary:

Ave María, grátia plena, Dóminus tecum, benedícta tu in muliéribus, et benedíctus fructus ventris tui Jesus. Sancta María, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccátóribus nunc et in hora mortis nostræ. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.

Believe it or Not
The movie in its entirety is an unresolved investigation of a psychologist Dr. Martha Livingston on a murder inside a mystery within a miracle in the convent. To be honest, i enjoyed the film but it was quite interesting to conclude that the character played by Jane Fonda is justified to her quest of knowing the truth behind the mystery by using the methods of science, but at the end...what had happened to her investigation, does she truly found the answer she was looking for...or she was just affected by the holy and symphathetic character of Meg Tilly (as the young novice)? The movie still remains a mystery to unravelled if your are more on scientific side like Livingston but to the one who is religious, no methods of science can explain the miracle of God for a person like Agnes.

This film is also an excellent example of science and religion collition. A movie that speaks of the stroing points and weaknesses of both fields. The movie speaks like this, There are some things that one cannot be explained scientifically...it's beyond our capacity to know it and sometimes, we must accept our limitation and start a leap of faith. ... Read more

Description

Dana (Victoria Foyt) and Sean (Stephen Dillane) are strangers, yet they have a strong sense of belonging together. They also have no interest in upending their lives and long-term romances, so they part instead of following their hearts. But love may not be so easily denied. ... Read more

Reviews (40)

The very best that Jaglom has yet created!
I caught this film recently on "WE" cable network and was glued to the tv and completely drawn into Deja Vu's world - I felt as if I were living Dana and Sean's story. I have seen several of Mr. Jaglom's films but this is absolutely the best he has ever created. Vicoria Foyt and Stephen Dillane were so wonderful and believable (the whole supporting cast was so perfect especially Vanessa Redgrave) I must agree with so many of the reviewers who stated that this movie has now replaced Casablanca for them. Ditto for me! This movie has something to teach us all about settling for less than true bliss. Then again, I believe that very few of us ever meet our true love/soul mate. But the whole premise (of true love, serendipity, fate, the choices we make, the consequences we must live with) was beautifully and hauntingly handled in this film. Thank you Mr. Jaglom, for a new classic.

Dillane makes it all worthwhile
Deja Vu is an intriguing film that is flawed but worth seeing, chiefly for the brilliant acting of Stephen Dillane and the original, compelling premise of the story.

Unfortunately, the lead actress, Victoria Foyt, brought the film down a notch in my eyes. She is whiny and annoying, and doesn't have the kind of compelling presence the part requires. But then again, she is director Henry Jaglom's wife, so I guess she was a shoo-in!

I liked how the characters had to wrestle with their situation - while their attraction was immediate and undeniable, their loyalty to their existing relationships caused them to wrestle with their consciences and really delve into the importance of love, fate and personal fulfillment.

I had not seen Dillane's work before seeing this film, but have since found his acting to be of consistently high caliber. He does not look like a traditional leading man, but has a magnetic, thoughtful quality that is quite compelling.

Deja Vu is an interesting, quirky film, that could have been truly memorable with a different lead actress, some script tightening (hearing the actors exclaim "What are you doing here?" over and over becomes really grating after a while)and editing, but it is still an enjoyable film that is well worth seeing.

Less than it could have been.
After the terrific reviews, I had expected better.
The Idea is indeed a good one, but the lead actress is... awfull (I'm sorry to say it, but there it is.) She is whiny, complaining, selfish, and just generally irritating.
While watching the movie, I just kept wondering why any of these people would want to spent time with her, let alone, seek her out or leave their wife for her.
To say something good about the film, the filming locations (Paris, Cliffs of Dover, etc.) were excellent and beautiful. And the rest of the cast could act and was wonderful!

DEJA VU: Have you met the love of your life?
If you're a hopeless romantic, then this is the movie for you! Not only does it examine the lifestyles we choose or settle for when it comes to love, but it also deals with the inner struggle we experience between our heart and mind when falling in love, and how coincidences can(if we let them)transform our lives. I promise you that the very last scene of this movie will melt your heart completely.

Deja Vu
Waited a year for this great movie to come out in DVD letterbox (widescreen)...what happened? Normal aspect ratio cuts off people at the edges! When a conservation is going on with facial expressions you miss alot. I'm disappointed! I'm sure the director/producer knows what I'm talking about. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A pre-superstardom Russell Crowe brings enough leading-man wattage to this modest Canadian drama to light all of Manitoba. Set in the prairie country above Minnesota in 1942, For the Moment's wartime romance stars Crowe as Lachlan, a rakish Australian pilot signed on to the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, which trains fliers for combat duty. With an average life expectancy of the program's graduates no more than six weeks, Lachlan wastes no time wooing the attractive and lonely Lill (Christianne Hirt), wife of a farmer-turned-soldier serving overseas. The two fall in love, and their touching if secretive affair serves as a counterpoint to a more public, and tender, romance between the town's prostitute and Lachlan's commanding officer. Writer-director Aaron Kim Johnston eschews bathos for a graceful, even stately, tone to his tale of loneliness and loss. The staggeringly charming, dashing Crowe, however, makes For the Moment compelling. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (36)

loved it
I loved this movie and it broke my heart at the same time. I fell in love with the Russell Crowe caracter at the same time that the Christianne Hirt caracter did. From the beginning I was afraid that the end would have to be just the way it was and should have been prepared but when it actually happened, when she said goodbye, knowing that he may die and she would never see him again I found myself crying with her. There were many unpredictable and interesting twists in this movie and I give it my highest rating: I'll watch it again many more times, and probably fall in love and cry each time.

Above average (3 1/2) from here on in the Spree
Opinions, here's mine. This is a foreign film, foreign as in they consider film an art form not an industry (thanks Sam Mendes)

This is a story of another time, where the pace people lived at was different than now. That fact needs to be apparent from the beginning of the film. The Pachelbel Canon is a beautiful choice for flying music when you don't have a big budget.

I liked these characters. I felt for their situations and understood how you could get there. Top of my list of scenes: Russell Crowe reciting "High Flight" it was done beautifully. I'd like to see and hear him do Shakespeare.

One of the other reviewers said they felt the character of Lill was "wooden". Was she? Or was it her character trying to resist Lachlan? I felt like she knew, from the beginning, she could never give in totally to him . In just a few weeks he'd be gone, like her husband, who she had loved too. So, was she "wooden" or was she just saving a part of herself so she could survive sending these people she loved off to war?

I did enjoy "Waltzing Matilda".

On the whole it was a sweet movie more of what you would have expected from the 1940's... and wasn't that the idea. They threw in more current concerns as homosexuality and racism which makes it more 1990's. Nice film.

...Better Than Stamps
This movie is the saddest, most romantic movie I've seen since Zeffarelli's "Romeo & Juliet". First, let me say that I love Russell Crowe and anything that he does, but this movie showed a side of him I just loved-cute, cocky, spouting poetry and singing with his wonderful Aussie accent. You can't help but love him! The movie starts out bright and happy with Lachlan and Johnny, soaring in a Tiger Moth to Pachelbel's Canon, going to meet Johnny's girl. Lachlan is drawn to her married sister. Lachlan's take on life is that it's a collection of moments, that stay with you forever. I couldn't agree more. As the movie goes on, the spector of war looms over the characters and reality sets in. The ending will break your heart and never fails to make me cry. Watch it with someone you love.

Finally the whole movie!
If you are a Russell Crowe fan or a fan of the movie you can finally purchase the entire film on dvd from Amazon. I would not recommend purchasing the used dvds without contacting seller as previously this dvd was missing several whole scenes...this re-release is complete. A wonderfully done movie ... it is sad and sweet. A snapshot of one of the lesser known sides of WWII. The characters are endearing and funny, the plot moves along well and there is some wonderful photography. For Crowe fans his recital of "High Flight" is worth the purchase, not to mention a young Mr. Crowe at his most charming. NOt for those looking for an action war movie it is most definitely for the romantics out there.

Russell Crowe finds love.
Russell Crowe made this film just before his United States of America debut in L.A. Confidential (1997). Very nice and beautifully-filmed film set in West canada in 1942. Pilots-in-training find love with very nice women. Russell Crowe plays "lachlan" who is from Australia. He begins a nice friendship with a women (Christine Hirt) on a farm. it becomes a tender, forbidden romance. Lachlan wanted love and found it, even if it was for the moment. Incidentally, Russell Crowe found love too. In 2003, he married Danielle Spencer, whom he worked with in The Crossing (1990). They now have a newborn son. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

The Soundtrack Problem
All the complaints about the soundtrack on DVD are quite true. However, if you use a 5.1 surround sound system, the sound is quite all right. BUT the sound comes out from the rear speakers only!

They need to try again
I saw this movie when it came out in the 70's and it's a great movie, but the sound is so low on the DVD that even at full volume, it is inaudible. I had it replaced and the second one was the same way. Until they get this fixed, don't waste your time and money.

Inaudible soundtrack dooms this Dorian Gray
As much as I would've liked this film, my enjoyment was ruined by a bad DVD transfer that had a horribly inaudible soundtrack. When this occurred on my replacement DVD, I had to come to the conclusion that this was a flaw of MPI, who distributed this disc. While they present a great product in the Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes films, they do nobody any favors with this slipshod transfer. It only gets the one star for the solid visuals, but unless you want to crank your TV volume at full blast to even hear a bit of the soundtrack, this is a product that I recommend avoiding.

"Could It Be Oscar Wilde's Tortured Soul?"
I am so glad that Oscar Wilde's genius prose was made into movie form. The cast is excellent. I have always loved John Karlen. I started watching him when the daytime horror-soap "Dark Shadows" was popular. He, along with Shane and Nigel, give a too true- to- life portrayal of Wilde's mixed characters battling their own curses and demons that life seemingly has bestowed upon them. However, it is not exactly circumstances which mold us into who we are, but our choices and how we handle conflict. I had one of my English classes watch this movie so that they could see that everything we do and say eventually makes us who we are, and we can never undo or repair the damages of ill deeds, greed or lust. It's a frightening thought. Sometimes it's more difficult to take the hard right than it is to take the easy wrong, as Al Gore so brilliantly suggested in his 2000 Democratic Convention speech. The fact that man would literally sell his soul for youth teaches us that our priorities are still out of order. The conflict of man versus himself is the power point of this book/movie. Sometimes we truly are our own worst enemies. While the character Dorian continues to do as he pleases despite hurting others, his portrait changes, grows old and reveals all of his past sins. This effect is pure genius, and it really makes one stop and think about his/her own life and choices. Everyone should watch this movie at least once a month....it's that powerful and meaningful. I also believe that Oscar Wilde saw himself in many of his characters. He had a difficult life along with the world judging him harshly, but he too made choices that cost him everything. In conclusion, sometimes the hardest thing in the world is self-reflection. ... Read more

Reviews (26)

A Sandler CelebraSHON
For me, Saturday Night Live stopped being funny enough to watch about the same time Adam Sandler left the show. This collection of Sandler moments is a little uneven and fails to include some of my favorites, but there is still plenty of great comedy to be found here. You get performances of such Sandler classics as The Chanukah Song, Lunch Lady Land, and a less famous little Christmas ditty (but, alas, no Red Hooded Sweatshirt song), not to mention his Springsteen performance of Dancing in the Dark alongside Courteney Cox. His Operaman persona is well represented with performances scattered throughout the 87 minutes of comedy mayhem. Cajun Man puts in an appearance, as does Lucy the Gap sales girl. The Canteen Boy segment is rather hard to forget, featuring the icky advances of Scout leader Alec Baldwin to Sandler's innocent persona. Proving that this comedy remains timely, Iraqi Pete shows up to draw the jeers of an American audience. There are a couple of skits of the typically inane SNL variety that seemed out of place here: the house-sitting and New York restaurant guide commercials; it is actually Chris Farley who manages to extract significant humor out of these otherwise unimpressive offerings. The selection from The Denise Show is very funny, but I would have favored the final one featuring Nicole Kidman as the better choice. I was very happy to see one of Sandler's Halloween costume suggestion skits included here; as funny as this selection is, though, I was a little disappointed that it was not the very first one-that was one of the funniest things I have ever seen in my life. All in all, there is something here for every Adam Sandler fan; it is a tribute to his comedic genius that there was not enough room on this tape to include all of his fans' favorite moments from the show.

Please God, give me cancer now!
This is probably funnier than all of AS's films, and that is saying a lot! From the Zagat's skit (the book is gone, but the mouth keeps on!) to the now classic Schmitts Gay commercial, it really is the BEST of Adam Sandler, the best in the series. The Denise Show was a skit I don't remember, but it's funny as hell. (here's the part of the show where I absolutely lose it!) and of course Canteen Boy is another great one. (Alec Baldwin-a great SNL host) The Operaman montage is hilarious (I especially love the two Pearl Jam bits, the Al Gore song, and of course the Demi Moore "dry-humpo!" song) Cajun Man is in here, as well as the Hannukah song. Of course, the now classic "Bellissima!" skits are untouchable, and the Gap girl skits are hilarious. It's very hard to pinpoint the best skit on here, but I would say a tie between Canteen Boy and the Operaman montage. Opera Man, bye bye!

Omigod! It's The Best Of Adam Sandler!
While not as versatile as Dana Carvey or Phil Hartman, Adam Sandler had his own special brand of humor that made him one of "Saturday Night Live's" must - watch comedians during the early 1990s'. Relying more on characters than impressions, he had an intense flair for physcial comedy, something few castmembers were good at.

For a solid 70 minutes of laughter, this dvd can hardly be beat. All of his most popular charcters are here - "Canteen Boy" (in a rather memorable sketch with Alec Baldwin), "Cajun Man", Lucy the Gap girl and , of course "Operaman". Also, there's more than a few one - time characters who make their appearnaces. "Iraqi Pete" seems is hilarious, though has eerie echoes of what's going on in the world today. The bellboy from the "Room Service" sketch (actually, he also appeared in the "Il Cantore" sketch) is also funny. My favorite is Hank Gelfand from the "Zagat's" sketch, though Chris Farley actually does better than him here.
And of course, there's the music: "The Hanukkah Song", "Present Song" and "Lunchlady Song" (though in this one, Farley once again outshines him). Plus, there's his hilarious costume suggestions ("I'm Backwards Man").

I suggest this dbd. I guarantee you'll laugh your pants off. Here's hoping tha Lorne Michaels gets his stuff together and asks Sandler to host the show again soon.

Magnifico
During the years 1986 to 1991, a few new comedians joined the cast of NBC's "Saturday Night Live". Dana Carvey, Mike Meyers, Kevin Nealon, Dennis Miller, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Chris Rock, Victoria Jackson, Phil Hartman, John Lovitz, Julia Sweeney, Chris Farley and a host of others built what is arguably the only ensemble to rival the first five years with Gilda, Dan and Chevy. Another comedian who joined the show around this period was Adam Sandler, then a struggling comedian who (as one reviewer pointed out) had already starred in one movie called "Going Overboard".

"Saturday Night Live - The Best Of Adam Sandler" is an excellent compilation of some of his zaniest characters (and some in which he plays himself singing a song or giving costume suggestions to the unfortunate ones who couldn't find one for Halloween. There are 20 skits here, so I'm going to just the name a few of my favorites.

"Zagats" is my favorite. A bewigged Sandler acts alongside Chris Farley and David Duchovny (both in drag) as an elderly Jewish man who is celebrating his 35 th anniversary with his wife Bev (played by Farley). Sandler's insults and one - liners ("Give me cancer now, God") are among his best work. Liken him to Mr. Roper from "Three's Company", only Jewish.

"Canteen Boy" is a rather provocative skit, with not - so - subtle allusions to sodomy and homsexuality, with Alec Baldwin as a scout master pining for a more than a little uncomfortable Sandler. Very racy, but extremely funny stuff.

Finally, there are four different "Operaman" skits. Here is where you'll hear Sandler zing such notorious figures as Amy Fisher, Lorena Bobbit, George Bush, Hilary and Bill Clinton, Brad Pitt, Tom Hanks and a hilarious song about Pearl Jam in which Operaman expresses his non - gay crush on Eddie Vedder. John Lovitz and Glenn Close also pop as Operaman's brother and his sister - in - law.

Other skits like "The Denise Show", "Grandma" and "The Herlihy Boy"are equally funny and memorable. For me, the only skit not included that I wish they did was "Operaman's Lotto Ticket". But this is still an essential collection, especially if you are a big Sandler fan.

Not the best of Adam Sandler, but still fun for "SNL" fans!
During the early to mid-90s, a few comedians ruled NBC's "Saturday Night Live," and they got future film careers out of it all. Dana Carvey, Mike Myers, Adam Sandler, and now even Rob Schneider have all gone on to fruitful film careers, with Carvey finally getting back in the game (hopefully) after heart problems (though "Master of Disguise" didn't help him too much). Other funny comedians such as Kevin Nealon and Phil Hartman, though equally funny, never got very far. Nealon made some cameos in his fellow "SNL" friends' films ("Happy Gilmore," "Master of Disguise," "Anger Management"), while Hartman was shot by his wife before he got anywhere at all.

Adam Sandler has probably gotten the most out of "Saturday Night Live." He appeared in one film prior to his casting on "SNL." It was a film called "Going Overboard," and it is a true cinematic disaster. After "SNL," however, he has appeared in such flicks as "Billy Madison," "Happy Gilmore," "The Waterboy," "The Wedding Singer," and last year's "Punch-Drunk Love," in which he displayed his true feelings behind the goofy boy persona.

"Saturday Night Live: The Best of Adam Sandler" is a compilation of his greatest moments on the famed television show, ranging from skits involving original characters such as Canteen Boy and Operaman, to the host of "The Denise Show" and The Herlihy Boy Homesitter.

I stumbled upon this DVD while I was at my video store picking up another "SNL" DVD. I was happy because I like the early 90s segments of "Saturday Night Live" much more than the recent episodes, especially now that Will Ferrell has left the show. I was pretty excited that I had found it.

Which is why I was a bit disappointed. I liked this collection of his so-called "greatest moments," but I can't necessarily say that I've seen nothing better. In fact, some of the skits on this DVD are not that funny after a while. The Herlihy Boy Homesitter gets old pretty fast, and while I liked "The Denise Show," I recall seeing a much funnier sequence of the same fake TV show with Nicole Kidman as a guest star - and it was funnier than this one.

Thinking back, I didn't laugh a whole lot at all the skits. They weren't as funny or outrageous as those included in this year's "The Best of Will Ferrell." Is it because Adam Sandler himself isn't funny? Many people think so. I think he's good at what he does. I like his goofy comedies like "Happy Gilmore" because they put a smile on my face (though he's far from being a great comedian at all). Also included on the DVD is the song that inspired his animated feature film "Eight Crazy Nights," as well as Iraqi Pete (an odd skit but pretty funny). I had already seen a few of these skits on television before, including that involving Kevin Nealon and guest star Kirstie Alley being bothered by sex-craved Italians in a hotel.

My favorite skit, however, would have to be one that has Michael Keaton paying Chris Farley to keep an eye on his frail grandmother while he goes back to his room with a girl for a half hour. The grandmother (played by Sandler with a wig) wants Joey (Keaton), and she doesn't want anything to do with Farley. Farley tries to help her with everything but "she" screams and claims he's attacking her. Keaton comes out and beats up Farley a few times in the process. Funny stuff, but still a long shot from anything extraordinary.

And just as with "The Best of Will Ferrell," I am disappointed in this DVD's length. 73 minutes is short for a collection such as this. I understand that it originally aired on television, and with commercials it runs to a full 90 minutes. However, why not make it a full two hours with commercials? That would mean the DVD, without commercials (of course), would run closer to 90 minutes than 70. Or why not include a batch of extra "Best Of" scenes for the Special Edition DVD? That would interest many more buyers.

There are also no special features on this DVD, save one single photo gallery that scans through a handful of snapshots from the skits for about thirty seconds. The new "Best Ofs" contain dress rehearsals, outtakes, Conan O'Brian interviews, and photo galleries. I suppose there wasn't much footage left over since Adam Sandler's skits were filmed before DVDs and Lorne Michaels never thought of saving some deleted scenes and so on and so forth. But it would have been interesting to have more than a photo gallery. Maybe even trailers for some of Sandler's movies?

Strictly speaking, it's not an overblown Special Edition DVD like so many nowadays. It is basically exactly what it says - a collection of his best moments. No real special features, no commentaries, etc. Just the same as the TV broadcast only on DVD format. I guess that's OK.

If you're a fan of "Saturday Night Live" or Adam Sandler, I recommend picking up this DVD. However, if you want a good laugh, I recommend picking up "The Best of Will Ferrell" or "Dana Carvey," which I am told is hilarious and is next on my list. Steve Martin is always a good bet, too, but you may have more trouble finding older episodes - not many people care for them anymore. I'm still waiting on "The Best of Dan Aykroyd," "Chevy Chase," and "Gilda Radner," to name a few of many....

"Saturday Night Live: The Best of Adam Sandler" runs 73 minutes, and includes many different skits. It is not rated and contains some sexual content and language. Its single bonus feature is a photo gallery. ... Read more

Amazon.com

If you've never seen an aviation movie before in your entire life, you'll be blissfully ignorant of the fact that Memphis Belle shamelessly (and yet gloriously) incorporates just about every cliché in the flight-movie handbook. If you're a big fan of aviation movies--especially movies about World War II bomber crews--you'll be glad that the genre's clichés have been handled with such professional flair. As it follows the crew of a B-17 bomber on its final and most dangerous mission over Germany, Memphis Belle may be little more than a slick and highly authentic presentation of familiar thrills and characters, but it's a rousing piece of entertainment. Featuring an ensemble cast of fresh faces who've since enjoyed thriving careers (including Billy Zane, Sean Astin, Eric Stoltz, D.B. Sweeney, and Harry Connick Jr.), the movie exists as a fitting tribute to the men who fought and often died in the air over hostile territory. It's the Hollywood version of a 1944 wartime documentary made by legendary director William Wyler (whose daughter served as one of this film's producers), and as such it's a bit contrived and melodramatic. And yet, this exciting movie is almost certain to grab and hold your attention, offering an honorable reminder of the bravery and integrity that were crucial ingredients of any bomber's crew. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (66)

Twelve O'Clock Medium...
If you can penetrate (like a B-17 cutting through cloud cover) all the character cliches and a certain old-fashioned hokey aura, you'll find a harrowing depiction of daylight bombing, circa 1943. What you won't find is an accurate account of the real Memphis Belle's 25th mission, or anyone resembling the actual men who flew her that day.

Matthew Modine captains this fictionalized crew, with support from resentful co-pilot Tate Donovan, dishonest bombadier Billy Zane, panicked navigator D.B. Sweeney and wiseacre belly gunner Sean Astin. Tailgunner Harry Connick, Jr. gets to display his vocals and piano skills in a musical number, dedicated to waistgunner Eric Stoltz, that stalls the film in the early going.

While the real Memphis Belle experienced a somewhat less dramatic run to a different target, this film's mission is to depict the aerial terrors of that year in Europe, when American airmen suffered more losses than any other branch of our armed forces. Direct hit! Massive B-17 formations thunder across the sky, flak rips planes apart, and in one chilling moment, an enemy fighter slices one bomber in half, and our heroes hear the panicked screams of its doomed crew over the radio.

The battle scenes are horrific, and the character scenes are just horrible. It's not that the acting is of poor quality; it isn't. It's that each crewmember faces some sort of hackneyed personal crisis and comes through in true cliched fashion, which somewhat cheapens what the real crew experienced. It's literally one thing after another, a bombing run as group therapy. The film relies exclusively on stock Hollywood types, rather than human beings. Plus, Sweeney's fearful character does a disservice to the real Belle's navigator. Modine comes off best, with his youthful appearance and dedication, as he admonishes his crew not to shout their targets over the intercom. John Lithgow has the thankless task of portraying the coldblooded PR officer who's more concerned with publicity tours than the men's welfare, or their mission's stategic/tactical importance.

Despite its failings as a "true" story, this is a film worth watching. Not until "Saving Private Ryan" would a film surpass "Belle's" depiction of nerve-wracking combat.

Great Hollywood Introduction to Vital American History
A little background. First of all, there really was a plane called the Memphis Belle. It is traditionally considered the first B-17 to complete the obligatory 25 missions and survive. If you are going to learn about the real 'Memphis Belle', I highly recommend you watch the William Wyler documentary, made during World War II, that chronicles the story of the actual plane and its crew. You may also want to read the book that came out in the past year called "The Man Who Flew the Memphis Belle" about the Belle's pilot, Robert Morgan, because it is a fascinating book about a man who went on to fly B29's in the Pacific after surviving in Europe. And to watch a movie that accurately chronicles the trials and tribulations of bomber crewmen in Europe in WWII, I recommend "Twelve O'Clock High" and "Pistol Packing Mama".
That having been said, I must add that most air veterans think that the 1990 "Memphis Belle" movie is unrealistic, and in many ways they are right. However, I have done enough research to appreciate that the film is a great way to get introduced to the exploits of the brave aircrews who flew over Germany in World War II. It is an entertaining film. I think the director would have been much better off NOT calling the film "The Memphis Belle", because the story is mostly fiction. So why did he/she do so? It was put out by the daughter of William Wyler, who made the original movie, in part as a tribute to her father. Thus the name.

The actual pilot of the real Memphis Belle was asked about the movie, and said that it appeared to him that the writers had taken everything that had happened to the crew over all 25 missions and compressed them into one hellish mission. Indeed, the crew deals with about every in-flight emergency imaginable on mission twenty-five. This is one exciting piece of film.
Roger Freeman, one of the great air historians, also served as an advisor on the film. The film got a lot of things right, too, in addition to the gaffes that many air vets notice.
The joy of seeing three of the surviving B-17's flying together again in this movie is worth the price, in my book.
I recommend the movie with the caveat that it is not FACT, but historical fiction, and recommend that if you like it, that you not stop until you see the real "Memphis Belle" video from the forties and also read Robert Morgan's book. You will come away with renewed and increased admiration for the brave men who flew missions in the war to save the world. These men flew knowing full well that each mission could well be their last. They flew no fewer than 25 such missions at war's beginning when the odds were terrible, and as many as 35 by war's end. This movie is a fitting tribute to their sacrifices.

Almost Realist
This is the first of a line of movies depicting shear guts in the face of a real enemy. Afterwards came the likes of Platoon, Saving Private Ryan, Thin Red Line, The Windtalkers, Blackhawk Down and We Were Soldiers.

Memphis Belle gets a bit schmaltzy in the beginning, focusing on the crew and not the reality, but the scenes of flying into the fire makes you respect the guts that generation displayed.

I really thought that using the actors (all around 21 to 25) was a great touch, and made me sit back and think about what I was doing at that age (Nam) and what my dad was doing (WWII). Whew, take a bunch of amped up young men and throw them into harms way. I wonder if older, more comfortable men would have done that?

And I thought flyboys had it easy. Everyone directly engaged was slugging it out. My Uncle used to say that the papers in WWII wouldn't focus on both fronts simultaneously, if the European campaigns were having a fight, the Pacific theator was talked about briefly or that the Marines were doing okay... he said that wasn't the case, everyone was fighting hard to stay alive, not just to win the war. From the individuals perspective it was a matter of survival, not glory. The glory came later.

Great movie!
This is a movie that I was introduced to when I was young. It really made me appreciate what men like the ones in the movie did for our country. It also turned me on to WWII aviation as well as movies that go for the heart. I would recommend this movie to anyone.

See how many familiar faces you can spot.

World War II in the air.
If all you know about World War II is Hitler and the Marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima then this movie will help show another side of the war. Not everyone who died in World War II did so in a foxhole or on the beaches of Normandy. Many young men met their fate in the statosphere, some by themselves and others with their crews. Memphis Belle is a great movie on showing how men fought and died at thousands of feet above the ground in the war against Hitler and the German war machine. Although not entirely acurate on how the Memphis Belle flew its last mission, this movie shows just how special this bomber crew was. Also it shows just how lucky the crew of the Memphis Belle were in being the first B-17 in the Eighth Air Force to finish 25 missions and complete their tour of duty. This movie is a great tribute to the men who flew this bomber as well as all the men who gave their lives for both sides in the sky over Germany. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

A Great Movie
I think Bogus is a great movie. I never saw it in the theater because I didn't like the title and I think obviously a lot of other people felt the same way I did about the title and didn't go see it for that, too. Albert (Haley Joel Osment) has to go live with his godmother, Harriet (Whoppi), that no one knew existed until Albert's mom was killed in a car accident. At first, Harriet doesn't like the idea of him coming to live with her and what seems to bother her most is that he is white and she's black. His mom's death was very sad for him and then going to live with some stranger in New York probably made everything worse. So Albert ends up metting an imaginary friend, Bogus, that no one can see but him. Even though I dont like the title, the movie makes up for it and everyone should go see it cause it is a great movie!

Bogus
Anyone who loved Haley Joel Osment in all his other roles will definitely love him in this! He's a little boy who loses his mother and ends up going to stay with his Godmother, Whoopie Goldberg, who normally is one of my Favorite Actress's, but in this movie I thought she was pretty cold hearted. Who could not love such a Sweet Little Boy. But thanks to Bogus, Gerard Depardieu, he changes her around to appreciate and love this wonderful and amazing boy. This is a movie that warms your heart, and makes you want to go and give your own children lots of love, or anyone else's. Haley Joel Osment once again gives a 5 Star Performance.

Bogus is, simply
a nice, sentimental family film. Worth watching.

FIRST OFF, THE PERSON WHO
says Whoopi didn't want the kid because he was white is a moron. Race had nothing to do with it, you complete cretin. She didn't want him because she didn't know how to deal with kids.
That being corrected, this film has its heavy-handed, corny and hammy moments, but it's truly touching and charming overall. Worth watching and yes, you probably will shed a tear or two, despite telling yourself you won't.

Childhood memories...
lol it's funny I was trying to figured out what the movie was called when the invisible friend slides under a women and says "eeuu cob webs"....lol wierd thata that movie comes out on DVD just as I try to remember it and finally found it. I loved the movie. not a big fan off Woopi but the boy and the friend are great ... Read more

Reviews (26)

Finally...................but could be better.
Finally a film about Neil Young and Crazy Horse, but I have to agree with 'Young and Disjointed' (previous reviewer). I LOVE Crazy Horse. Neil and the Horse are by far one of the greatest live bands ever. But these are nowhere near their best performances. This movie seems to have been filmed mainly during the 1996 Broken Arrow tour. The band seems bored and Neil appears to be already moving on to the next thing but is stuck finishing this tour. There are some great moments but not enough to make this a GREAT film which it could be if performances from every era of Neil and the Horse were shown, such as some Danny Whitten gigs, Tonights the Night tour, Rust Never Sleeps tour, more of the Zuma tour. How come the great footage of 'Like a Hurricane' from 1976 all of a sudden cuts to the end of the 1996 live version just as the 1976 version starts to mesmorize? It's things like that that make the film disjointed. It could be so much better, and I think Neil knows it.

Crazy Horse & Jim Jarmusch: the wierd turn pro. . .
For the Rusties and anybody who wants to see what ordinary guys who happen to work in Rock & Roll do for a living this is a fine film. Jarmusch has inveigled himself into the band and comes off as one of the strangest people in the film (albeit that a groupie/fan/nutcase in one clip clearly is a brick shy of a load).

This is an avant garde film of working-man rockers and it shows what 30 years together means to these men ... if only by scratching the surface. Neil & Frank (Pancho) come across as very human and, quite frankly, I believe that this film contains about as much information about their lives and personal business that anybody outside the group ought to have access to. I know that these men have worked hard to stay honest to their muse, they don't back down from nobody and they do get up in the morning.

this is a masterpiece
One bandmate jestingly complains that some artsy filmmaker from NYC can't get to the essence of Crazy Horse (and what they've gone thru for 30 years) , but Jim Jarmusch gets as close to it as you can in 107 minutes. The band members open up, each individually interviewed in a basement with a washing machine in the background, in their hotel rooms, and on the tour bus. And the concert footage from different eras is often stunning. Some of the complaints below are essentially that the film is non-linear but these critics miss the point because this is an artists depiction of fellow artists and the artists he's depicting are masters of the psychedelic experience. It's NOT supposed to be linear. My favorite parts were Jarmusch's visual dipictions to go along with the music (far better than any MTV videos), they are simply stunning compositions, they are as true to the music as can be, they add to the music. This is a must for those into the artistic psychedelic experience. Roll one up, have a few bottles of wine, strap yourself in and enjoy the trip!

By the album instead
Although die-hard Neil Young fans will no doubt embrace every song in the movie, casual fans may become a bit bored. The song selection here does offer a few choice cuts that are not on the live Neil Young album of the same name, such as the rarely heard "Stupid Girl". And that's a good thing. However, a couple of cuts on this video, such as the the brash and tired "F*&kin Up", may make you reach for the remote.

As for the "documentary" side of things, the interviews between the songs tend to quickly become dull. Fans will learn nothing new, and casual viewers may be confused as to who these people are that are being referred to. The guitarist Poncho states snidely (and I am paraphrasing here), "You think you can learn everything about this band from this short documentary?" Then the camera cuts away leaving the viewer with nothing at all. Later in the film, he says almost the exact same line to the camera, perhaps forgetting that he said it before. The answer clearly is, "No, I won't learn very much at all from this documentary."

A saving grace for the video comes in a few short clips of documentary footage from the '70's and '80's. These clips show the band sometimes unaware of the camera, sometimes hamming it up. They're a great depiction of Neil Young and his band in their prime. They also represent everything a documentary film should be. Sadly, there are too few of these moments in this film.

The director does manage to sneak himself into the picture several times, along with the name of his production company (I think they're even in the trailer.) This should make it easier to avoid his documentaries in the future.

Buy the DVD "Rust Never Sleeps" if you want a concert movie, or buy the album "Year of the Horse" to get the music from this film instead.

Amazon betrays its buyers again
The video is fine. But Amazon's "marketplace" provider, a company in Canada, sent me a FRENCH version. When I pointed out the order had specifiec ENGLISH, they apologized for their error. Per their instructions, I return-mailed the FRENCH video June 28, almost 9 weeks ago. They claim the mail hasn't arrived and refuse to send me the correct ENGLISH version until the mail gets through Amazon won't do anything to help, nor will they let me post my "feedback" on the transaction. They claim I'm not allowed to post feedback after 60 days pass. I love Neil Young, I hate Amazon. I'll never shop here again. Watch out for the "A-Z guarantee." It's worthless. Their customer service employees probably used to work for Enron. ... Read more

Reviews (148)

One of the best animated movies of all time
The story of the animated film is similar to that of the first book, but contains parts of the second book. Dozy Alice is so silly she follows trouble by chasing a talking rabbit down hs hole. At the bottom, she drinks an unknown substance which helps her get through a talking door into Wonderland. Here she meets the Dodo, TweedleDum and TweedleDee (who tell her the story of the Walrus and the Carpenter), the Talking flowers (watch out for the snobby Iris!), the Caterpillar and the Cheshire Cat. She even has un-birthday tea with the Mad Hatter and the March Hare. However, Alice gets caught up in a game of croquet with the Queen of Hearts, and later a trial. The whole thing becomes such a nightmare, Alice realises she's had a dream while she dozed off.

Firstly, I don't know why loads of people think this film is cheesy. I know Alice isn't for everyone, but when you look at the other films made based on Children's classics by Disney (eg- Jungle Book, Hunchback of Notre Dame), you'll see it's more faithful than those films to the original. However if you have read the books and haven't seen this film, some characters are missing (eg- Duchess, Mock Turtle, Knave of Hearts, White Knight). This may just think that Disney has ruined this classic forever. They haven't. It's the best adaption I've ever seen.

Although I actually have the PAL version, I suppose the movie is just the same over in North America. The best bits are the Walrus and the Carpenter, the garden of singing flowers and flamingo croquet. And the Mad Tea Party is still the funniest part of a Disney classic. So buy this movie. Wether it's a video tape or DVD.

(I also live near Carroll's birth place!)

Disney's 13th Animated Masterpiece!
Following the success of Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland is snother Disney gem, this colorful,classic animated feature tells the adventures of young Alice in a rather odd way since it doesn't really follow the book by Lewis Carroll, but still, makes a wonderful and entertaining film. Although it was not well-liked when it was first released, it is considered today another one of Disney's greatest masterpieces. The colorful characters will make you laugh from beginning to end. It is hard to say who is the wicked villain in this film, since they all play a role in making Alice's day in wonderland not very pleasent, starting from the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, the Chessire Cat and the Queen of Hearts, who just wants to see someone's head roll.

This new Masterpiece Edition DVD set brings Alice in Wonderland to a more deserved release than that previous Gold Collection, which brought very little bonus features. The masterpiece edition does bring many more bonuses, and one of my favorites is that "Virtual Wonderland Party", in which children can enjoy a little while in a fantastic tea pary. Really great! This DVD also has the greatest cover art, I love it. 5 stars!

Follow the white rabbit Neo - no sorry, I mean Alice
I just spent a couple of hours looking at this wonderful movie and the extra features. The aptly named Masterpiece Edition is worth every penny, and like The Matrix, should be included in any movie collection, whether you have a child to hide behind or not.

Beautifully adapted and animated from Lewis Carroll's highly imaginative, high-trippin' classic, the imagery and illustrated puns amaze and amuse, especially the little things like the rocking-horse fly, the bread-and-butter flies, the vultures, the pencil and hammer birds, the momeraths, and the bird in the tree (Queenie Leonard) yelling "Ser-pennnnnt !"

The animators drew each frame based on the portrayals by the actors voicing the parts, and the stand-outs are Kathryn Beaumont as Alice, Ed Wynn as the Mad Hatter, Verna Felton as the Queen of Hearts, Bill Thompson as the White Rabbit, and the very flexible and versatile J. Pat O'Malley as Tweedle Dum, Tweedle Dee, the Walrus AND the Carpenter, in one of the best scenes in the movie.

With fourteen songs, this is the most musical Disney around, but unfortunately, the songs are not very easy to sing along to, making me sound like William Hung every time I try to impress people with my thorough knowledge of the lyrics.

There are lots of interesting tidbits in the extras, such as the discarded Cheshire Cat song, and the fact that one of the songs was later re-worded for Peter Pan. There are other links between Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan, but you'll have to watch the extras to find out just what, cause I'm not telling.

For those who don't want to watch the previews at the beginning of the DVD, just press "Menu" and get plugged directly into Wonderland.

Amanda Richards, July 18, 2004

Disney-ized
One of my fav children's books gets Disney-ized. I find that this version is simply AMAZING! Yes, there are LOTS of drugged out images (ie..the caterpillar is smoking an opium pipe, she eats mushrooms to get bigger or smaller etc) but its a magical story and its told VERY well by the Disney guys. Not to be missed, grab it before its out of print.

It stinks!
This movie is nothing like the original book, skip it and watch the Hallmark version instead. ... Read more

Description

Writer-director Neil Jordan's breakthrough film is a brilliant, noir-infused love story. Bob Hoskins (who snagged an Oscar nomination for his performance) plays George, a small-time loser employed as a chauffeur to an enigmatic, high-class call girl. His fascination with her leads him on a dangerous quest through the sordid underbelly of London, where love is a weakness to be exploited and betrayed. Criterion is proud to present Mona Lisa in a Director Approved special edition. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

LONDON, SOHO, GEORGE AND SIMONE
Firstly I would say that if you have in your library John Mackenzie's THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY, also available in the Criterion collection, and Neil Jordan's MONA LISA, you already have a good specimen of what the British cinema was able to offer in the eighties. A fabulous actor, Bob Hoskins, is present in both movies; he won the best actor prize at the 1986 Cannes Festival for MONA LISA.

Neil Jordan began his career as a writer and is, in my opinion, one of the most interesting film directors nowadays. It's always challenging for the common viewer to watch a movie directed by a former writer. One often wonders why the director has left his books for the cinema. Some of these ex-writers use the camera as if they were handling a pen and the result is dreadful. Or too intellectual. Fortunately, with MONA LISA, Neil Jordan has created a stunning visual world and George and Simone's night wanderings through the London underworld an unforgettable cinematographic journey.

MONA LISA develops a lot of themes that will touch you in a way or in another. The different levels of the movie are so well mingled in the story that you will be able to watch MONA LISA several times and still discover little pearls hidden by the brilliant director. At the end of the movie, I just wanted to check the sound quality of the commentary track recorded in 1996 by Neil Jordan and Bob Hoskins and I found myself trapped into MONA LISA for an immediate second screening.

Apart from the commentary, this Criterion DVD offers the theatrical trailer and a one page written Neil Jordan commentary.

A DVD for your library.

another Bob Hoskins classic
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

In this movie, Bob Hoskins plays the role of George, a man recently released from prison who takes a job driving a prostitute to her customers. George has been shunned by former colleagues and his ex wife and struggles to make a living.

The film has good acting and is very well photographed. Again with having first seen Bob hoskins in the film, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" and having seen that film an uncountable number of times before seeung him in other films, it is hard to see Hoskins in any other role.

The film recieved an R rating in the US for violence, profanity, and brief female nudity. This DVD has been approved by director Neil Jordan and has 2 special features. There is a theatrical trailer and audio commentary by director Niel Jordan and actor Bob Hoskins which was originally recorder for the laserdisc edition in 1996

I suppose I'm a philistine, but I did not like it
I saw "Mona Lisa" because some critic I read said that it along with "The Long Good Friday" are very fine British crime films.
I saw and loved the "The Long Good Friday." The story was great and so was Bob Hoskins. So I plunked down the cash for "Mona Lisa."

What a disappointment it was. The acting is good, but the storyline manages to be simultaneously flimsy and exceedingly unpleasant. I like watching movies that take me away from reality, not ones that rub my nose in sordid things like the Soho vice world. As for being a crime drama, you probably could learn more about the British underworld by surfing the Internet for a few minutes. Other things I would knock it for is not ever explaining why the heavies in the film are trying to kill the hooker and Hoskins. Finally, Michael Caine may play a bad guy, but I think that he appears in all of five scenes, and that is not nearly enough screen time for him to make his presence felt.

If you love downbeat stories, rent this film from Blockbusters. Don't waste your money buying it like me (I'm giving mine away).

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE A GOOD FILM?
Can you make a good film? Maybe. Can I make a good film? Maybe. Can any of us make a good film? Maybe. What does it take to make a good film? Well, if you have a good screen play, great actors, knowledge of film making, a bit of luck and some talent, you may succeed. This film had it all and that is why it came out just fine. Of cause there were a few shortcommings but they were so little that I did not care about them. I liked the film in general and everything about it so much that I thought that the shortcommings just gave it a little extra flavor. Good show and I reccomend it to everyone.

An introspection of London's dark side
Mona Lisa is an atmospheric , bitter and at the same time romantic film which grows on you as time goes by . Jordan displays London's underground society in a dark yet strangely tangible way . Hints and secrets are being constantly unfolded here with a sharp sensitivity . Life has let down our heroes . They rarely smile , even less often relax and enjoy themselfs . Their worries don't let them do so . There's a bizzare chemistry between Hoskins and the extremelly underrated Tyson which is undeniably affecting while Caine is also perfect as the pimp whose demands never seem to end . ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Hilarious
When one sees the opening sketch, "Total Bastard Airlines", one is suddenly reminded of the wit and humor that "SNL" skits once possessed...This is the first "Best Of" dvd to be devoted to more than one cast member. Here, 5 cast members get their due: Adam Sandler, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Chris Rock and Chris Farley. And it stays true to the title, showing each cast member at their raunchiest.

Sandler seems to get the most coverage, appearing in about half the sketches. His are probably my favorite. I enjoyed every minute of his sketches, from "Operaman" to "Canteen Boy" to "The Hanukkah Song", I laughed my pants off. I only wish they'd included "Cajun Man" and "The Present Song".

Spade gets some coverage as well. In addition to a well - thawed "Hollywood Minute Montage", he captures the audience with his witty sarcasm in "Total Bastard Airlines" and the one in which he plays Dick Clark's snotty receptionist who is able to absorb catchy comebacks from Roseanne Barr.

Scheider does not appear that often, but when he does, you can't help but laugh. He seems to be at his best when he is doing his famed Richmeister (makin' copies) sketch with Sting. But he's even funnier in "The Gap Girls" and "Orgasm Guy".

Unfortunately, Rock and Farley do not get as much coverage, but when they appear, they steal the show. Rock's "Nat X" and editorials are some of the freshest and rawest humor "Saturday Night Live"'s writers ever came up with. Farley outshines the rest with his interview wuith Jeff Daniles and his chubby Gap Girl.

It's especially funny when more than one cast member works together in the same sketch. Schneider and Sandler have a ball playing sex - crazed Italian waiters pining for Kirstie Alley at "Il Cantore" alongside a showstoppingly funny Dana Carvey. And Sandler and Farley are just to funny for this world in the uproarious "Zagat's".

I recommend this dvd to just about every "SNL" fan in the world. It features some extremely funny stuff, some of which is all too underrated. I hope to see a dvd in the future devoted to women of "Saturday Night live", like Jan Hooks, Molly Shannon, and Tina Fey. ... Read more

Description

Twelve-year-old Danny Walker is shocked to learn that the small Minnesota town he just moved to can't celebrate Halloween because of a local curse. With the help of his recently deceased (but still kicking) Uncle Fred, Danny must battle an army of prankster ghouls rising from the ground to break the curse once and for all - and bring back the magic of Halloween. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Family Halloween Film.
WHEN GOOD GHOULS GO BAD is a made for television movie, based upon a R.L. Stine story that first aired a few years ago on the Fox channel. The movie is narrated by and stars Christopher Lloyd as the patron of his small town. He has everyone call him Uncle Fred, including his own son and grandson and is a town legend. Uncle Fred used to own the chocolate factory that was the town's bread and butter. However, after a tragic accident involving a baking kiln that Uncle Fred had donated to the local high school, he shut the factory down and the town has been struggling ever since. However, with the accident at the school there also came a curse, that the town was to never celebrate Halloween again or else the young man who was baked alive would come back from the grave to destroy the town. Twenty years pass and Uncle Fred's son and grandson move back to town, wanting to celebrate Halloween. However, the townspeople won't have it. Then strange events start to happen and things go from strange to just plain bizarre.

WHEN GOOD GHOULS GO BAD is a good family Halloween movie to watch together. There isn't anything too scary and much of what could be frightening is tapered with a good sense of humor. The story is easy to follow and the acting is fairly well done for a made for tv flick. Christopher Lloyd is always a joy to watch and if for no other reason, this movie is worth watching for his performance. There aren't a whole lot of deep messages in the movie, though it does have a lot to say about the importance of family and staying connected (in more ways than one). Happy Halloween viewing.

Zombies keep coming out of the ground. YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!
Curtis Danko made a statue so scary that it can burn somone's eyes out! So nobody dares to look underneath it.

Good
Good fun Halloween movie takes place in a town where nobody celebrates Halloween, or even says the word Halloween because of a past tragety. The movie is about about a boys grandpa who dies after having a "Halloween" (getting hit on the head by a pumpkin) and comes back, as a good guy.

nott scary enough
This was not scary enough for me. i mean, it was a kid show But i expected Curtis (the bad guy) to be ReaLLY scary. He turned out to be nice. This movie was funny cuz it was like Night of the Lving Dead, but it just had the ghouls really funny looking and they acted stupid. The beginning was boring but the end was a real funny thriller

A Pretty Funny Movie
I first saw the movie on t.v. one night and I had to buy it. The story is about 'Uncle Fred' dying and returning from the grave with other zombies to get people to start celebrating halloween again because they stopped paying attention to the holiday becauseof a so-called curse that was put on the town twenty years before. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is a seamless continuation of Peter Jackson's epic fantasy based on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. After the breaking of the Fellowship, Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) journey to Mordor to destroy the One Ring of Power with the creature Gollum as their guide. Meanwhile, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) join in the defense of the people of Rohan, who are the first target in the eradication of the race of Men by the renegade wizard Saruman (Christopher Lee) and the dark lord Sauron. Fantastic creatures, astounding visual effects, and a climactic battle at the fortress of Helm's Deep make The Two Towers a worthy successor to The Fellowship of the Ring, grander in scale but retaining the story's emotional intimacy. These two films are perhaps the greatest fantasy films ever made, but they're merely a prelude to the cataclysmic events of The Return of the King. --David Horiuchi ... Read more

Reviews (1869)

Stupendous!
"They don't make movies like that any more." This is reference to Cecil B. DeMille's spectacular remake of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. I mention one of the few universally acclaimed film epics of all time because with THE LORD of THE RINGS-THE TWO TOWERS,
Director Peter Jackson has staked unchallengable claim to motion picture immortality. Visually the movie is staggering in technological excellence. It seamlessly combinines sweeping photographic grandeur with superlative integration of CGI and modelwork(Claymation & Superdynamation)that humbles even the work
of IL&M, and would have made Ray HarryHausen proud.

Thematically, the story is truly grand and has raised film making--again--to the level of Mythological. Those familiar with Tolkien's literary epic--with rare exception--have been astounded by this director's monumental artistry in cinematically incarnating one of the greatest "stories" ever written.The cast(humans;creatures; monsters;)is brilliantly essayed.(Sean Astin deserves particular recognition as Frodo's "guardian" friend, SAMWISE). The complex plotting is clearly delineated;and ACTION(quest development;battles; epic romance interludes)ranges from apocalyptic to majestic. THE LORD of THE RINGS-THE TWO TOWERS magnificently continues what was begun in THE FELLOWSHIP of THE RING. Peter Jackson has created a unique work of film making that is both artistically wonderous and breath taking entertainment.It is a stupendous achievement.(10 Stars)

Incredibly, once again, Peter Jackson does the impossible
From gliding through the Misty Mountains and reliving Gandalf's battle with the Balrog to the Battle of Helm's Deep, the climactic scene of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, I think that, even though Frodo Baggin's (Elijah Wood) quest is still unfulfilled, a group of hard-working New Zealanders have once again created an epic adventure confection of a movie, full of fantasy, courage, imagination and flair. J.R.R. Tolkien would not have been disappointed.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, since is a continuing of a story, doesn't stop to introduce us to the quest or the characters from the first part, The Fellowship of the Ring. Beginning right where the first left off, Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) must continue their quest to Mount Doom and destroy the evil One Ring. Hunting them done is the rascal Gollum (Andy Serkis) but promises to lead them in to Mordor secretely. In Fangorn Forest, captured hobbits Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) escape from the Orcs and are rescued by Treebeard (voiced by John Rhys-Davies), an ancient ent.

Meanwhile, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) enter the country of Rohan. After the miraculous return of Gandalf (Ian McKellan), the four see King Theoden (Bernard Hill). But the king isn't doing too well. He's doing practically everything his servant Grima Wormtongue (Brad Dourif) is telling him. Wormtongue is in league with Saruman (Christopher Lee) and therefore is kicked out of Rohan. Aragorn, Gandalf and Theoden must discuss Rohan's plans to counter Saruman and Sauron.

Saruman is preparing for war, as we've also seen in The Fellowship of the Ring. He has been crossing orcs with goblins, breeding the dreadful Uruk-Hai to launch against Men of Gondor and Rohan. Gondor has it's own problems holding off Sauron's evil army. It all comes down to Saruman against the country of Rohan: A war of 10,000 Uruk-Hai against hundreds of Rohan people. Can Men claim a victory against Barad-dur and Orthanc, the union of the Two Towers?

The Two Towers, for me at least, had a quicker pace and sharper sense of movement than the more-episodic Fellowship of the Ring. Peter Jackson easily presents a film that will keep your attention for the full three hours. In many ways, The Two Towers is a much livlier film than it's predecessor. It takes a deeper look into it's character's own problems, dreams and future, covering many subjects: The war for Rohan, the war for Gondor, the war for the ents, and possibly the most important, the fate of the One Ring.

If The Fellowship of the Ring was a beautiful-looking movie, The Two Towers easily surpasses it visually. With the use of a program called MASSIVE, Peter Jackson and company takes flawless computer animation and simplistically adds it to real-life to create a stunning world. The Battle of Helm's Deep is one of the most memorable scenes of all time, while it uses a fantastic blend of live-action and computer animation. I say it's already got the Best Visual Effects Oscar in the bag. Not just because of the CGI, but with the camera trickery to make the hobbits small and the great backdrops.

I am appalled by the number of reviewers saying that this isn't faithful to Tolkien's book. Everyone should know that books and film are two different media, and should be treated as such. Many things in Tolkien's story would've gone horribly wrong on screen. As Peter Jackson said, if you were to film LOTR page by page, faithful to everything, what you would get is a mess. Many don't realize that what works in a book will NOT work on film. Be happy that you actually have a LOTR movie. Many filmmakers would not have been up to transferring Tolkien's story to the big screen. Jackson did make a few unnessesary changes, but he's a brave filmmaker to actually take on LOTR and still make something this good. Quit whining.

It might need a bit more humanity, but I'd say the chemistry between characters is much more alive and vivid in The Two Towers than with The Fellowship of the Ring. The relationship shared by Gollum and Frodo, or more importantly, Gollum and Sam, works wonderfully. Aragorn trying to convince King Theoden to go to war and the characterization involving Gimli was exceptionally. The Return of the King will see a lot more of this.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers continues Tolkien's trilogy with very few missteps. It is on every count as good as the first, and in many ways, even better. It could possibly be the most sinister film ever, a banquet of monsters and beasts. It's doing so much better at the box-office than the first, and it easily surpasses it in spectacle. It's still unclear how it will do at the Oscars. Being a sequel, it might not get nominated for Best Picture. However, I'd say it has already sweeped the technical awards. It certainly deserves it.

This is the best of the three!!
Usually, the second movie in a trilogy is the weakest. It doesn't have the freshness of the first movie or the finality of the final movie. The Two Towers, however, is the exception to the rule. For lack of a better phrase, it rocks!!! The extra material included in this extended version DVD really fleshes out the movie. After you watch it you'll wonder why Peter Jackson left it out; it makes the movie complete. The fight scenes at Helm's Deep are great, and you forget that a lot of what you're seeing is computer generated. Several new characters are introduced, but you feel like you've known them all along. The best part of the movie is the addition of a Boromir/Faramir scene. Of course, I could be biased. I love Boromir (Sean Bean). This movie is a cinematic masterpiece. It's great!!!

Excellent
Not just pasting in deleted scenes, this version was assenmbled from scratch with additional material that add to the depth of this movie. THIS is the version to buy for watching at home.

You haven't seen LOTR until you've seen this!
OMG! I love this movie so much, I never put it back in the case...it's always in the dvd player. If you at all liked the original theatrical version, you HAVE to get the extended version. The addded footage completes the story and fills in character developement. And you HAVE to listen to the cast commentary. Dom and Billy are hilarious. And the bonus disks are well worth the money. Forget that...added Viggo footage makes it WELL worth it. Plus, the box is beautiful. ... Read more