Reviews (2)

Finally, the complete series is quickening to dvd
This show was sometimes great entertainment to me. Basically a dimestore romantic-adventure novel brought to life. I think the producers were mostly successful with providing something for everyone. The shows ranged from brilliantly written, to definitely a bit cheesey. The dvd collection is better than the vhs, however questions did arise quickly about it's quality. I think it was the 2nd episode on disc one, when the disc appeared to be sort of freezing up for a minute. I hit FF for a second, and it was fine again. ( This was with a brand new dvd player ) Since that occurance, I have not yet run into any other problems; although I've only watched 1/3 ofthe discs. I did have a couple other little gripes about these dvd's, but nothing too serious. I would have preferred more than three episodes on a disc...a typical season for ex. has NINE discs-three unfolding booklets of 3 discs, which all fit into this 1/2 box...I wasn't too crazy about that at all. There is however a lot of content within them if you like bloopers and interviews and watcher chronicles...I do and I don't.. I mean, it's tough enough to watch all 6 seasons..I really don't need boxes hoggin up all my shelf space just so studios get extra market value-which is also why it took em so long to go over to dvd's, and why it's off the air. Nevertheless, I do still appreciate the Highlander phenomenon. It's solidly entertaining while it also demonstrates virtues that I like. I can live without the Duncan Macleod boxer shorts though, and the pillows with kissy lips, and the rest of the merchandising extraveganza. THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!

The Best series ever made
It's jam pack with everything a fan really wants, and the best part you can go form your favorite episode to another. 2 tumbs up!!!
... Read more

Reviews (151)

A great factual account of Pearl Harbor... to a fault.
There's no denying the grand effort that went into making this historical presentation of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Taking accounts of both sides of the war equally, made respectively by both United States and Japanese production crews, Tora! Tora! Tora! is a great documentation of how the attack really occurred. Unlike the recent Pearl Harbor film, which tries to tell the historical story (with many flaws), a love story and a disaster story, Tora! Tora! Tora knows what is meant to be, and strictly follows the historical angle.

Unfortunately, this dedication to fact is the films major weakness. There are no real characterizations of any of the major roles, no central character the audience can connect with, either on the American or Japanese forces. This lack of a so called staring role (which both sides should have had) makes the film feel more like a documentary then a movie. What characters the film does center on are all flat and rather uninteresting. Not to mention poorly acted.

Despite this, the film provides a great understanding of how the attack really occurred, and gives a wonderful visual feast of the disaster. For 1970, when this film was released, the visual effects are outstanding. Definitely worth at least one viewing, more if you're a World War II buff.

The Definitive Pearl Harbor Film -- Not To Be Missed
A unique collaboration between American and Japanese filmmakers, "Tora, Tora, Tora" remains the definitive Hollywood portrayal of the tragic events of December 7, 1941. Perhaps the greatest compliment ever paid to this film was provided by none other than Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay, the "masterminds" behind the disastrous "Pearl Harbor", who stated that "Tora" played too much like a documentary. Well, how about that? No meandering love story, no Hallmark script, just cold, hard facts. "Tora" places us smack dab in the middle of a lethal chess game played by politicians in Washington and Tokyo throughout the Fall of '41. The political stalemates and blunders which inevitably lead to war are the meat and potatoes of "Tora". The climax is, of course, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor which is masterfully and accurately re-created. Vintage airplanes and actual ships are seemlessly juxtaposed with miniature models. The results are a spectacular cinematic experience which still holds up by today's standards. (Digital effects didn't exist when "Tora" was released in 1970.) Several big names-- Joseph Cotten, Martin Balsam and E.G. Marshall -- assume starring roles, yet wisely let the story be the "star" of the film. Credit the filmmakers for steering the focus toward the "event" without getting sidetracked in typical Hollywood fashion. To objectively portray the events of Pearl Harbor through the eyes of both sides, while keeping finger-pointing to a minimum, was no small task. In turn, the ability of the viewer to experience the preparation and strategy of both sides makes "Tora" truly unique. This is an important film which treats a monumentally tragic event with the respect and accuracy it rightfully deserves. Essential cinema -- not to be missed.

Superb!
After seeing Das Boot for the first time recently, my interest was piqued for another WWII movie. I remember when Tora! was in the theater while I was in high school...and that I had no interest in seeing it at the time. This is a serious-minded, fact-based film of epic proportion. It has similarities to Das Boot in that part of the story is told from the US enemy's point of view. And, oddly enough, I found the structure of the film to be somewhat reminiscent of The Deer Hunter, or even King Solomon's Mines [1950], in that there is a long, detailed build-up of the story prior to any action sequences. And once the action arrived, I sat there thinking, "How did they do this?" Especially considering the fact that this was 1970. But the biggest reward for me is the story itself, and the non-Hollywood way in which it is told here. No one would get financial backing today for a film of this expense coupled with such a non-fiction approach.

The Best Movie Ever Made About Pearl Harbor
Tora! Tora! Tora! is the single best movie ever made about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It features excellent performances from such actors as James Whitmore, E.G. Marshall, Jason Robards and Martin Balsam. The special effects are far more convincing than what's in modern movies. It also has some of the best movie music of all time. Best of all, the movie shows the sheer complacency on the U.S. side that enabled the Japanese to successfully mount the surprise attack.

Tora! Tora! Tora! is far superior to any other movie ever made about Pearl Harbor. In fact, it is one of the absolute best movies ever made about World War II. It is a classic motion picture in its own right.

On a scale of 1 to 5, it really merits a 10.

Should have been 5 if...
...this movie, which got awesome air scenes and very well documented background info (politic, diplomatic, and military), had been a couple of minutes longer at the end of 1st part. And showed how Roosevelt, who was informed of the results of the (fantastic) Intelligence work -they even could pin the time of the attack- decided to keep it under wraps: so that, without any prior warning, the damage would be maximum, and the shock upon American people would be such as to suppress the reluctance they still got towards entering the war. One of the best examples of "The end justify the means". The Pearl Harbor story could as well have as title "They were expendable". ... Read more

Reviews (249)

"It's a kind of magic"
This movie is a real gem. I don't really understand why critics were so hard on it, much less do I understand why a few people here are insulting the movie itself (I know the DVD transfer was bad, so I relate to those people) or why the movie was so cheap, then again, the quality of the transfer of this movie would explain it. But this movie is excellent in all aspects. It's unique, and it unfortunately has had its glory destroyed by lousy sequels and TERRIBLE TV shows.

In terms of the acting, contrary to what other people claim here, Christopher Lambert's performance is first rate, and I think it a shame that he has subsequently appeared mostly in bad 1 1/2 star flicks and hasn't since had a real breakthrough in movies. Sean Connery adds real style to the movie with his acting, but it's a shame that he's in there for such a short time. Clancy Brown is as sinister as ever as Kurgan.

The visuals and effects are great by any standard and the swordfighting scenes are excellent

And WHO could possibly diss the rocking musical score by Queen? With such a strong opening theme ("Princes of the Universe") a truly emotional ballad ("Who Wants to Live Forever") and their smash hit single ("A Kind of Magic") just to name a few, you can't go wrong. If you learned about this movie just by being a Queen fan, and first watched the movie out of interest in their score (my situation), you're in for a real treat.

To fans of this movie who were disappointed by the latest transfer, My only suggestion is to wait a while for the Highlander Immortal Edition which will be released April 16, 2002. It promises better sound and picture quality, the uncensored Director's Cut, Commentary, and plenty of Queen material including music videos to their songs from this movie which are musical and visual masterpieces (I've seen them). Plus it's in anamorphic widescreen format, and anamorphic seems like a good way to go especially for a movie like this.

In any case, this movie is a winner and magic in it's strongest form. There can be only one.

There can be only one!
The wait is almost over! The first (and the best, as rated by most) movie in the Highlander saga is about to be released as a 2-disc set with completely new Dolby Digital and DTS audio mix and a much better video transfer. The previous DVD versions of the movie lacked the audio-visual quality, most dvd fans crave for. In fact, in my opinion the movie really deserved a good audio mix, for it is packed with some great music by Queen and I hope the new version contains an isolated music track as well!

The Immortal Edition will be packaged in a limited edition tin box, a feature Anchor Bay Entertainment is known for. With a second disc full of extras, this edition is a release no Highlander fan should miss.

"There can be only one", and it seems this is THE ONE!!

Enthralling Nonsense
That's about the only way to describe "Highlander." It's a B-movie in every sense yet has enough good in it to make it entertaining to watch. I guess that's why it became such a cult classic.

The story centers on a young Scotsman named Connor MacLeod who resides in New York City under a different name. Connor is actually one of the few men on Earth who have the special gift of immortality. These immortals can be killed if beheaded by another immortal and throughout the ages these elect men have been hunting each other down in the hopes of becoming the last immortal on Earth, which would give him a gift of high enlightenment, a gift that can be dangerous if in the wrong hands. Connor is on the run from an immortal goon, the Kurgan, who has been after him since the 1500's. It eventually comes down to Connor and the Kurgan as to who will be the one that receives the special gift.

Something that certainly doesn't work in favor of "Highlander"(and helps make it B-grade) is the fact that the movie has not aged very well. Compared to the action movies of today, this flick looks corny. The special effects are pretty cheesy and the whole production design feels outdated. The acting was, for the most part, not too memorable. Christopher Lambert doesn't do a good enough job of making his character of Connor MacLeod engaging. He makes for rather uninteresting hero. There were only two noteable performances I saw here. One was Sean Connery, who makes a nice little impression playing Ramirez, the man who first tutors Connor when he discovers that he's an immortal. But Connery only gets about 20 minutes of screen time and this hinders him from making a bigger impact. The other standout I saw was Clancy Brown, who plays the Kurgan. Brown makes his character the perfect bad guy giving him the "qualities" of vile, mean, and creepy. In short, he's a guy you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley. I have to say that "Highlander" has quite an interesting concept. The idea of immortals hunting each other down to gain an ultimate power is nifty (if somewhat hokey) and director Russel Mulcahy executes it just well enough to make things entertaining, with the swordfights between the immortals becoming the highlight points.

Overall, I really can't say "Highlander" is a great film but at the same time, I can't dissuade you from seeing it either. Who knows? You, like many others, may have that "kind of magic" that will turn you on to this cult classic. The only way to know is to check it out and see what happens.

High level action and fantasy.
HIGHLANDER was undoubtedly among the best of the medieval/fantasy/Dungeons and Dragons sort of movies that proliferated in the 1980s. The choice of the brooding Christopher Lambert was perfect for the part of the Highlander, Conner MacLeod. There is a quiet intensity to his acting, and it works well here. Sean Connery, as his mentor and fellow-immortal, Ramirez strikes just the right balance of swashbuckling and seriousness. His acting is perfect. (So what else is new?)

For me, however, Clancy Brown's Kurgan steals the film. His physical features and bug-eyed grin are dead perfect! And his way over-the-top performance, at times, makes you a little afraid of his character, but he makes you laugh, as well. The confrontation between Kurgan and Conner in a church is a great balance of wit and tension.

The battles in Scotland, at the beginning of the film, and the mayhem in the streets of New York City at the end are priceless. My favorite moment: Kurgan steals a car and takes Conner's love interest for a ride. As he careens through the potholes and traffic, he quietly sings "New York, New York". Now I know where all our cabdrivers take their lessons from. HIGHLANDER is a great piece of quality mind candy that actually tackles some deep issues.

CLASSIC
This is a classic we should all have it ... Read more

Amazon.com

For the Hollywood remake rule, which dictates that an update of an older film be inferior to the original in almost every aspect, The Thomas Crown Affair stands as a glorious exception. The original 1968 film, starring a dapper Steve McQueen and a radiant Faye Dunaway, was a diverting pop confection of mod clothes and nifty break-ins, but not much more. John McTiernan's new version, though, cranks up the entertainment factor to mach speed, turning what was a languid flick into a high-adrenaline caper romance. Thomas Crown (Pierce Brosnan) is now a man of industry who likes to indulge in a little high-priced art theft on the side; Catherine Banning (Rene Russo) is the insurance investigator determined to get on his tail in more ways than one. If you're thinking cat-and-mouse game, think again--it's more like cat vs. smarter cat, as both the thief and the investigator try to outwit each other and nothing is off-limits, especially after they start a highly charged love affair that's a heated mix of business and pleasure.

What makes this Thomas Crown more enjoyable than its predecesor is McTiernan's attention to detail in both the set action pieces (no surprise from the man who helmed Die Hard with precision accuracy) and the developing romance, the witty and intelligent script by Leslie Dixon (she wrote the love scenes) and Kurt Wimmer (he wrote the action scenes), and, most of all, its two stunning leads (both over 40 to boot), combustible both in and out of bed. Brosnan, usually held prisoner in the James Bond straitjacket, lets loose with both a relaxed sensuality and a comic spirit he's rarely expressed before. The film, however, pretty much belongs to Russo, who doesn't just steal the spotlight, but bends it to her will. Beautiful, stylish, smart, self-possessed, incredibly sexy, she's practically a walking icon; it's no wonder Crown falls for her hook, line, and sinker. With Denis Leary as a police detective smitten with Russo, and Faye Dunaway in a throwaway but wholly enjoyable cameo as Brosnan's therapist. --Mark Englehart ... Read more

Reviews (279)

"'Think you can get me ?"
High quality DVD !

As I watched again and again the (new) Thomas Crown Affair, I realize I came to enjoy it more and more. Dense entertainment: action, tumultuous and steamy romance, inspired direction from McTiernan ("Die Hard", "The Hunt for Red October"), and appropriate musical score. Good performances from Brosnan, Russo and Leary. A tour-de-force for Rene Russo ("tougher" in her portrayal of the insurance agent than Faye Dunaway in the original affair), considering the fact that in real life she is very much unlike the character she plays in this movie (see Russo's press and TV interviews). Kudos for Pierce Brosnan - much better and diversified delivery here than in all his three James Bond impersonations. (The wonder of the last 007, "The World Is Not Enough", is Sophie Marceau - not just good looking, but a good actress !)

No, I am not saying we should ever go out steal Manet, Monet, Degas, ... as a passe-temps, but, we do like this film because no matter who we are, deep-down in our subconscious mind lies the desire to be successful, which, somehow means being wealthy enough to allow us to indulge, satisfy all our needs, whims, and caprices, to be "rewarded" with an absorbing and adventurous life.

Pierce Brosnan and Renee Russo's affair is, perhaps, more alert, technical, and graphic (adapted for the 90's) than the original one involving Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway. I have distinct praise for the 99 rendition of this fantasy, but I believe Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway are better actors (watch their other films), and their 68 performance is just better. Do not trust me ! Watch both films on DVD or VHS, and decide. Steve McQueen has presence, is sure of himself (that is what makes a man sexy !), and Faye Dunaway does not have to wear a see-through dress to make us feel she is sophisticated, beautiful, and desirable. The dialogues there are shorter, sparse, and to the point. Exquisite direction (and good use of the split-screen tech) from Norman Jewison teaming with Michel Legrand who raved us with the Oscar winner "Windmills of My Mind". The 68 "chess seduction scene" (subtle touching, teasing, warm eyes) has no equal in the 99 film, and the "chemistry" between the characters played by McQueen and Dunaway is more intense.

There is more entertainment packed in the 99 film, while there is more film in the 68 entertainment ! Enjoy both affairs !

The Caper Sizzles While the Romance Fizzles
This breezy remake of the 1968 original "Thomas Crown Affair" is a slick, enjoyable, and occassionally clever caper film. But the film suffers from several shortcomings that detract from it's initial promise. But it's mostly the film's wrong-headed romance that stops the action dead in its tracks.

I've never seen the first "Thomas Crown Affair" so I have nothing on which to judge this film but on it's own merits. Where once stood Faye Dunaway and Steve Mcqueen, we now have Rene Russo as the sultry insurance investigator Catherine Banning and Pierce Brosnan as high-living billionaire Thomas Crown. Both actors are good in their respective roles, especially Russo who basically steals the show from Brosnan and everyone else around her coming off as both smashingly smart and sexy. Unfortunately Brosnan and Russo share no chemistry and generate no heat. This subsequently renders their romance sequences together, from passionate love-making in Crown's apartment to basking in the sun light of a sandy island beach, all the more uninteresting.

But the problems don't stop there. Russo and Brosnan's characters also never seem really interested in each other in an emotional sense. Throughout the entire film I never felt Catherine Banning's interest in Crown stretched beyond revealing him as a crook. Her only purpose for sleeping with him or accompanying him to his island getaway always seemed to be just killing time.

But that's not to say the movie is without it's bright spots of which it has plenty. The actual caper is a cleverly devised one, and whenever time isn't being wasted on romance the movie is often highly entertianing and genuinely interesting. Still, so much time is wasted with Crown and Catherine jetting around for recreation that the final twist isn't nearly as astonishing as it should have been, simply because we've lost track.

All in all, "Thomas Crown Affair" is a glossily-textured, gorgeous-looking package. It's not a bad film by any means, and has alot of terrificly played sequences. There's a general lack of suspense and drama but it's still entertaining enough.

I'm a sucker for romance and intrigue (shhh)
I am such an avid movie watcher that I rarely feel inclined to watch a movie more than once. Well, let me admit to not only having bought the DVD, but to having watched it numerous times!

I love the sound track of the movie and will be doing my own remake--going Duo Discus glider riding with my significant other ;).

The love scene is wonderful, the chemistry between the actors works like a MIT Lab experiment and the whole movie is simply spot on.

I recommend it highly!

Russo At Her Best!
I won't go into the plot of this movie, most buyers will already know it anyway. The DVD transfer is superb. This is the only movie I've ever seen where I liked Pierce Brosnan and thought he was cast properly. What makes this movie for me, though, is the performance of Ms. Russo. She is the perfect combination of sex and brains. Her wardrobe is amazing and she knows how to wear it! There are some slow parts to this movie, particularly the tropical part, but overall it's a keeper.

The Two Crowns
I have been a huge fan of the original Thomas Crown Affair since I first saw it while in the military in 1969..... and bought this "re-make" because I heard so many good things about it. I must say that honestly there are good points in BOTH films. I never quite bought the fact that the original Crown had McQueen's character robbing a bank.... so stealing the "Monet" made much more sense to me. I also thought the story was improved upon in the new version and I was more satisfied by the challenge Bronsnan's character found in Russo's bluntness. On the other hand, the sumptuous music score by Michel LeGrand in the early film was superior to the weak, lackluster and frangmented score that Bill Conti created for the new one. I also think I preferred the sensuous and sexy elegance of the fire between McQueen and Dunaway to the overtly sweaty lust that Brosnan and Russo desparately share. HOWEVER.... I must say I did enjoy BOTH films and find each beautiful and entertaining in their own ways.

(...) The ART of the earlier version is a unique and compelling one and makes that film so fascinating to watch in widescreen! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Jeremiah fans have been clamoring for the release of the show on DVD (it originally aired on Showtime), and with 19 episodes and a passel of special features spread out over six discs and totaling nearly 15 hours, they are unlikely to be disappointed.

Based on a series of graphic novels by Hermann Huppen, the show takes place on an Earth where, some 15 years earlier, a hormonal virus killed everyone who was past puberty. It's an intriguing premise, but one that creator J. Michael Straczynski (best known for his work on "Babylon 5") and his team haven't exploited to its fullest. The slow-moving, 90-minute pilot episode explains little of the internal logic of this post-apocalyptic world; how, for instance, did these young folks, the oldest of whom were only 12 or 13 when "the Big Death" wiped out six billion people, manage to survive, educate themselves, and learn skills and trades without any adult influence in a society that's in shambles? It would be fun to know more.

Still, the show's ideas are provocative, and the work of co-stars and TV stalwarts Luke Perry as the title character, a hero with a conscience, and Malcolm-Jamal Warner as his more cynical sidekick, is good. Jeremiah, to its credit, doesn't rely on special effects, production design, costumes, or sets to carry it. That means the burden is on the ongoing themes (Jeremiah's guilt over his younger brother's death and his search for the maybe-mythic "Valhalla Sector"; the threat of the plague returning in an even more virulent form; the attempts to rebuild civilization) and individual stories, which are frequently compelling and smart (especially "Things Left Unsaid," the two-part season finale, a cliffhanger that offers many possibilities for future seasons), even while favoring talk over action.

The special features occupy disc 1, along with the pilot, and include deleted scenes, production sketches, and commentary on the pilot by Perry (who also executive produced) and Warner. If you're looking for superior sci-fi escapism, however, try Farscape or Stargate SG-1, to name just two. --Sam Graham ... Read more

Reviews (16)

More great JMS work...
I think jeremiah (based on a series of graphic novels by hermann huppen) is an excellent show, and another example of JMS at his best. Although some of season 1 fell a little flat (mostly scripts NOT written by JMS), it is still an excellent show for any that like long, arc based entertainment. I was actually impressed with Luke Perry and Malcolm-Jamal Warner, and I never thought in a million years I would say that. The stories are entertaining, and sometimes frightening (Firewall, Tripwire, etc.) Most importantly, it sets the stage for what has so far been an outstanding season 2. As a HUGE JMS fan, I can't wait for this set to hit shelves.

Not quite up to par with J. Michael Straczynski's Babylon 5
As an ardent fan of J. Michael Straczynski's Babylon 5, I was eager to dig in to this series. I'm also a "Post-Holocaust" genre enthusiast, always looking for better examples of this poorly-treated area of Science Fiction.

I normally don't bother to write 3-star reviews, but Jeremiah was a mixed bag that demanded comment. While composed of excellent story-telling and a rich background, the series suffers from too many "Duh, Ralph!" moments. I've never seen on screen a more realistic and vibrant "End of the World" setting, nor such a fine set of lead and character actors for same.

Yet the writing quality and direction fails to match. It's never really explained, for example, why Vahalla Sector doesn't shut-down and/or annex Thunder Mountain, which is run with a charming idealistic ineptness. Early on, it's clear that Vahalla Sector is aware of Thunder Mountain's current operations, structure, strategic value, and undisciplined security. They could have seized it in 15 minutes, but don't. Instead, they're checked in a couple of unconvincing Star-Trek-Next-Generation-like moves taken by Thunder Mountain. When they finally take decisive action, you're left wondering why Vahalla Sector didn't act 6 months earlier.

Also jarring are the too-often times that Jeremiah & Kurdy -- otherwise written and acted intelligently -- are bushwacked because they won't carry firearms. Yes, yes, I understand the pacifistic motivations (though the two never hesitate to snag weapons from the baddies and plink away). But show me why the pair weren't killed and left in a ditch after their first couple of captures.

The action scenes are hit-and-miss, ranging from gripping & visceral down to "A-Team" in quality.

While the Post-Holocaust world of Jeremiah is displayed with a believable mix of cruelty and kindness, old and new, it's not shown enough. We know from Babylon 5 that JMS can do stunning special effects with a miserly budget; this aspect is on a back burner in Jeremiah. What FX there are, they are at least good... or better. Jeremiah is story-driven, which I applaud, but that's no excuse to ever skimp on the background.

I think it boils down to: I found myself sympathetic to Vahalla Sector, and would have ended up rooting for them if they weren't so naughty. I don't like my good guys to be bumbling, cute, and waaayyyy too lucky. "Jeremiah" is intriguing and watchable, but flawed.

Wayne Gralian
Wayne's World of Books / Krakow RPGs
www.WaynesBooks.com

One Of TV's Best Attempts At Reality
I never watched this show before I bought the DVD's. I know, a big gamble, but boy, it's been worth it! Jeremiah is a superb mix of harsh reality, character driven plot, great writing and fine acting that quietly immerses you into their world. And it doesn't hype its' warning message, "This may be our future". Disregard any review that's comparing this to other works. It stands alone. Unfortunately, it seems that the shows future is in jeopardy. Only the Good Die Young!

Good Sci-Fi fair
When the series originally ran on the showtime network, I was only able to watch the pilot, for some reason. I really got into the show by watching the pilot movie, and really wanted to see the rest of the series. This Box-set is the perfect way to view the season in it's entirty.

The series itself is a mix of a couple series that have come before it. It has elements of firefly, stargate sg-1, dark angel, and Mad Max, but adds its own originally to it. But the one downside that I have found of this series is that a few people (at least in my group of friend) cannot stand Luke Perry, and if that is you, you should not even try to watch this, because no matter what anybody tells you this is definatly Luke Perry's show.

Jeremiah-Season 1
One of the best series put out. If you like Stargate series, you WILL like this one as well.
The character development between the 2 main leads is great to watch. 2 strangers learning to understand and respect each other. The humor gets better, and its nice to watch the relationship grow. ... Read more

Amazon.com

If Coleman Francis had never existed, he would have been invented by the writers of MST3K just for the perverse enjoyment of ridiculing him. Here the director of the jaw-droppingly inept The Beast of Yucca Flats tries his hand at a jailbreak film, which takes a surreal veer into an American invasion of Cuba apparently hampered by military budget cuts ("Once all seven of them are in place, the invasion really begins") before ending up in an American tungsten mine. Why? Who knows, but the bots have a ball skewering the film with some of their funniest comments ("I want to hurt this movie but I can never hurt it the way it hurt me") and Mike Nelson becomes so disturbed he turns into Carol Channing. Believe it or not, costar John Carradine rasps out the theme song "Night Train to Mundo Fine" (which was the film's original title). --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (70)

The Hour After......
THE DAY AFTER was to be THE made-for-TV anti-BOMB fable. Released in 1983 as "secular" film of Revelation...BEYOND IMAGINING! hyped TV promos...it was greatly disappointing. This is partially because of asinine Talking Head discussions predicting national traumatism of youthful viewers. (Legions of counselors were dispatched like a priesthood...T-Group/Mass for the masses...to enable psychic healing.) The crassness of ratings-war ploy failed "to protect" a vunerable public from a movie that lacks wallop...nuclear or otherwise.

Director Meyer seems to be going through the motions. As do many fine actors (led by Jason Robard and John Lithgow)in the ensemble cast. Technically the film is adequate. The NUCLEAR STRIKE sequence effects are good. But the DAY AFTER War Day suffers from the same "listlessness" that characterizes the pre-Attack segment. Problem? The movie, in my estimate, lacks moral and "military" compass. The War Scenario positing Soviet invasion of Western Europe though the Fulda Gap...followed by text book NATO "tactical" nuclear response...is curiously unmoving. (The Escalation Narrative is ambiguously conveyed by cliched use of intermittent News announcements). This is the Time of Terror. Relegation of "reasons" for WW III to backgound noise neither sustains tension, nor provokes reflection this movie purportedly intends. The satirical characterization of THE PRESIDENT (probably intended as Reagan) is as transparent as it is indign for a film of such serious matter. (Recall: Peter Sellers' roles as President and RAF Wing Commander/SAC liaison in DR. Strangelove were played with deadly seriousness; without meretricious irony.)

Yes: Nuclear War is bad (wrong......INAPPROPRIATE!). But: THE DAY AFTER...unintentionally... conveys moral vacuity by lack of dramatic force or commitment (cf: THE MISSILES OF OCTOBER; or 13 DAYS). Though set in Kansas, this is a Hollywood "adventures of World War III" piece of slick, PC amorality that blames no one for anything, nor accounts for its own flacid nihilism. 20 years later this film is ...in my obviously critical assessment...a "Wonderland" curiosity. Technically and dramatically competent in execution THE DAY's impact is decisively low yield. Watch it and be "entertained". But it is not an illumating, frightening or stirring-to-rage STATEMENT. It's just a big TV movie whose "effect" will be forgotten...by most viewers...THE HOUR AFTER

The ultimate anti-war movie
Probably the most heartbreaking scene in "The Day After" is the one where four missiles bearing nuclear warheads zoom into a crystalline blue sky on a glorious spring morning from a hidden bunker in Kansas, while doctors and nurses at a nearby hospital watch in shock as the impact of what those missiles mean gradually hits them.

Watching this film, we pray that scene never comes true; if it does, we can kiss the world goodbye. "The Day After" is probably the most gut-wrenching anti-war film ever made. It's set sometime in the last quarter of the 20th century; the decades-long cold war has turned burning hot, and the news broadcasts are turning hourly worse. We are in Lawrence, Kansas, the center of the United States, following the routines of ordinary people as they try to go about their lives while the world around them is going to hell -- a doctor and his wife, a farmer and his family, including his young daughter two days away from her wedding, a graduate student, a cynical college professor, and a young soldier about to be separated from his wife and baby. The hostilities between Russia and the United States, meanwhile, have gone beyond the point of no return; and the decision is made: nuke 'em. We watch the missiles being launched; we feel all the horror of the impending counterstrike, and then three stark words from an officer at the missile base: "We have incoming." Incoming doesn't begin to describe it. Two nuclear warheads hit nearby Kansas City, and the world explodes. The resulting scenes of destruction are unbelievable; and yet, they are all too believable. If the wrong finger hits the nuclear button, this could someday happen.

The immediate scenes leading up to the nuclear strike are as compelling as the hit itself: shoppers at the supermarket grabbing up everything edible off the shelves; people bolting out of a college stadium in a panic dash for cover; a young bride-to-be coming downstairs to the family's fallout shelter carrying her wedding dress and her childhood teddy bear, the look of stark terror in her eyes competing with the realization that she will never wear that dress in any wedding; and her mother, grimly going about her business of making beds and tidying up the house, being carried kicking and screaming to shelter, refusing to accept the realization that her life as she knows it is finished. And after the devastation of the nuclear strike, as ashes continue to rain down from the sky for days, we realize that those who died in the attack may have been the fortunate ones; the survivors are left to face a horrible slow death by radiation sickness, starvation and anarchy.

Nicholas Meyer didn't direct this film for shock value, although the shocks keep coming and don't let up; in smaller but telling ways he makes us feel all the devastation of total war. At the film's end, one of the survivors asks, "Is anybody out there? Anyone at all?" His guess is as good as ours. There are no redeeming moments in this movie. From the minute the first button was pushed, everything is gone.

It's been said that "The Day After" is a dated film, but this is true only in the sense that the cold war, as we knew it from 1945 through the 1980s is over; as long as there are nuclear weapons around and anyone fanatic enough to even contemplate using them, it's a film with telling immediacy. When the film was first shown, some viewers asked, why didn't they say who started the war? Meyer shows us that the question is moot; no matter who started it, there will be precious few survivors left to point fingers. We emerge from watching "The Day After" emotionally devastated, drained, realizing that in a nuclear war, everyone, even the victors, will be the losers.

Still packs a multi-megaton emotional wallop
This made for television film first aired nearly 25 years ago while the Cold War was on - and it still packs the same sobering multi-megaton emotional wallop as it did back then. The story and scenes of human and animal tragedy and suffering will haunt for days afterwards. It's very good early 1980s period piece that fairly accurately depicts the rising Cold War tensions early in the Reagan administration.

In a reprise of the Soviet blockade of Berlin two decades earlier in 1961, the plot begins with a Soviet blockade of access points between East and West Germany, following by the massing of troops on the border between East and West. When the Soviet bloc troops move across the border, NATO responds by unleashing tactical nuclear weapons on the invading forces, destroying two German cities in the process. The Soviet responds by targeting a NATO regional headquarters in England. It rapidly escalates from there to a major exchange of MIRVed ICBMs, including electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapons that detonate high in the atmosphere and knock out all electrical and electronic equipment.

All of the European developments are depicted via fast paced news reports and bulletins coming into a worried American heartland on what would have been an otherwise typical early September weekend as people went about and planned their lives. One of the more chilling scenes vividly depicts the contrast between normal life and unfolding nuclear exchange. Two children innocently watch television, unaware of the gravity of the situation, as their amorous parents slip upstairs for a quick interlude before breakfast. Suddenly a TV bulletin interrupts to report the use of tactical nuclear weapons in Europe. The scene then shifts to a nearby Strategic Air Command base as klaxons wail and B-52 crews scramble to get their planes into the air. The film is set in Kansas City and Lawrence, Kansas. Jason Robards puts in a fine performance as a doctor and the central character.

Ensemble cast shines.
The Day After (Nicholas Meyer, 1983)

Recently, motivated by a strong desire to see Threads again, I've been going through a kind of craving for nuclear-holocaust-flick nostalgia. Seeing The Day After again was my first foray back into the world of atom-bombs-blowing-stuff-up. I hadn't seen it since its original television broadcast more than twenty years previous, and was surprised at how well it holds up.

The excellent ensemble cast is headed by the late Jason Robards (Magnolia, Enemy of the State, etc.) and John Lithgow (Shrek, Third Rock from the Sun, etc.) as a doctor and scientist, respectively, at two college campuses in the midwest in the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust. (Said nuclear holocaust happens, as one might expect, early in the film, but not as early as you might figure; unlike modern-day films, stuff made a quarter of a century ago actually took time to build its characters before getting into the plot.) Also along for the ride are Robards' right-hand nurse, played by JoBeth Williams (Poltergeist); a family whose house was close to one of the bombed missile silos, the Dahlbergs; Lithgow's right-hand man Aldo (Stephen Furst of Animal House fame), oh, we'll just run down some names: John Cullum, Bibi Besch, Steve Guttenberg, Lori Lethin, Amy Madigan, Jeff East, Dennis Lipscomb, Arliss Howard... you get the idea. This may have been a made-for-TV movie, but didn't shirk on the starpower. Also, look for uncredited appearances by Wayne Knight (Seinfeld's Newman), David Kaufman (Presidio Med, Pearl Harbor), John Lafayette (various movies based on Tom Clancy novels), and the late director Herk Harvey (in his first screen role since Carnival of Souls twenty years before, and the last before his death in 1996). Meyer and co. didn't scrimp on the casting budget.

It shows. The whole thing is exceptionally well-acted, though sometimes it's a bit tough to believe these folks are really as devastated as one would think survivors of an all-out nuclear war should be (and that a house situated right next to a bombed missile silo would still be standing just because Steve Guttenberg happens to be hiding there provides a moment of unintentional humor). Robards is probably the best at communicating this, especially in the movie's final scene. The makeup job on Robards was also not scrimped on; by the end of the film, he could be something out of a Romero film. For that matter, the makeup crew did an all-around fantastic job; by the end of the flick, Steve Guttenberg was unrecognizable. (I have heard it opined-- well, okay, inside my own head-- that perhaps he should have kept the makeup on when doing Three Man and a Baby.)

The point was brought up in a recent discussion that perhaps those born after the early eighties will probably be too young to really grasp the terrors of the Cold War to those of us old enough to remember "Duck... and Cover!" So perhaps not the best flick to get your kids to thinking about how bad off you were in the old days (for that, use Threads), but it's definitely worthwhile on the nostalgia-trip angle, or if you just like watching Jason Robards act with an equally fantastic cast around him. ****

Life As We Know It Ends...THE DAY AFTER
The made-for-TV film THE DAY AFTER was enormously controversial when it was originally broadcast on ABC in November of 1983, primarily because it was promoted as being the first film to accurately and realistically depict a nuclear holocaust and its aftermath. Political right-wingers didn't like it because they believed such a film would deter support of a strong U.S. military and a large nuclear arsenal. Those on the left were concerned that it might promote the idea that a full-scale nuclear war could be survivable, thereby INCREASING support of the right-wing's push for a strong U.S. military and a large nuclear arsenal. And both sides were worried that the film would be too graphic for the prime-time position in which it was slotted to air. In fact, much of the controversy was vehement enough to worry the sponsors, so consequently not a single minute of commercial time was sold for the part of the film following the depiction of the nuclear war--the last half of the show was aired commercial free!

Socio-political controversy aside, THE DAY AFTER is a very powerful and compelling drama. In the tradition of great SF and horror films, it takes a real-life potentiality--in this case, nuclear holocaust--and portrays it as graphically and as realistically as possible, thereby allowing viewers to vicariously experience the nightmare. For this film, said nightmare takes place in the small towns surrounding Kansas City, one of the ground-zero targets for the enemy's hydrogen bombs. But the real horror of it all is not the bombing itself. The real horror is being a survivor and having to suffer through the aftermath with things like radioactive fallout, nuclear winter, contaminated food and water, political anarchy, and the like.

Portraying survivors from various walks of life, the highly talented cast--which includes big names like Jason Robards, JoBeth Williams, Steve Guttenberg, and John Lithgow, to name a few--does a fantastic job running the gamut of human emotion as their characters come to grips with the traumatic and devastating situation. The excellent script for THE DAY AFTER was written by Edward Hume, a respected TV writer best known for his work on series greats like THE FUGITIVE, CANNON (which he also developed), and THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO. And the film was directed by the venerable Nicholas Meyer, who has directed other SF greats such as 1979's TIME AFTER TIME, 1982's STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN, and 1991's STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY, and who has written the screenplays for other greats like 1976's THE SEVEN-PER-CENT SOLUTION (having previously written the novel), 1986's STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME, and 1987's highly acclaimed FATAL ATTRACTION. With such great talent behind it, it's not hard to defend the claim that THE DAY AFTER is ONE of the best films, if not THE best film, made specifically for TV.

The DVD from MGM is a no-frills disc, meaning that it is without bonus material, but it does offer a nearly pristine digital transfer of THE DAY AFTER in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1. And the asking price is very reasonable (especially with amazon.com's discount), so lovers of great films and good drama have no excuse for not having this gem in their collections. ... Read more

Reviews (42)

Best Ever!
Jumping Jack Flash must be my all-time favourite film - it is the only one I can watch over and over again without getting bored. Whoopi Goldberg was hilarious in this film (but then she is a wonderful, natural comedian who can also bring tears to the eyes when needed). Whatever she does, she does well and puts so much feeling into her work. Needless to say she is also my favourite actress. Keep up the good work, Cheers, Blue Wren.

Outrageously hilarious comedy
Whoopi Goldberg shined in this film. The plot, characters and laughs all worked together to create a truly remarkable and fun movie. Lots of very hilarious scenes and sticky situations. The perfect balance of comedy, action, drama, supsense and romance. Recommended for late nights and rainy afternoons.

PLEASE put this on DVD!!!
PLEASE read the other reviews of this movie because they express everything in my heart about this film. Whoopi...you are just totally incredible in this movie. Your timing...your delivery of lines, your "aura" in the role, it's impecible I can't believe that this film is not on DVD yet, AND I hope when they DO release it that there are OUTTAKES and special features galore. This is truly my FAVORITE comedy of ALL times. You, Whoopi, have captured the best of all of the comedians of our time in this film. I loved this from the first because I am a bigtime computer fanatic. I started on mainframes and sent messages to friends and co-workers LIVE and it's SO real it's scary. SOMEONE at the top is missing it (or they are holding out on us and hopefully preparing a DVD with lots of special features).

Dogs barking can't fly without umbrella!
I am so excited one of my all-time favorites has finally been released on DVD. "Jumpin' Jack Flash", along with "Ruthless People" are my two favorite 80's movies. I must respectfully correct one reviewer and report that there is a theatrical trailer on the DVD. But some of the scenes were cut out of the film, and that was a bit of a disappointment because they looked real funny. Full screen & wide screen are available. Everyone has seen this movie so I won't detail it, just wanted to say it is great!

DVD at last!
JJF is one of those excellent 80's comedies that has begged for a DVD release for some time. I presumed the delay was because Fox were preparing a bunch of extras to add to the DVD, but not so. JJF has finally arrived on DVD, and despite there not being a single special feature (not even the trailer), it is still worth owning! Would have been nice for Whoopi to do an audio-commentary. A nice 5.1 surround sound has been given to the soundtrack, and the widescreen anamorphic is nice to have after years of watching the video cropped version. I will say that the DVD transfer is not sharp, but acceptable considering the film's age. JJF is Whoopi at her finest. She plays a bank computer operator who starts receiving help messages on her screen from a spy. It's one adventure after another from then on. Please remember .... it's a gas, gas, gas! ... Read more

Reviews (23)

"For this particular quilt the theme is: where love resides"
How to Make an American Quilt is a nice comfortable movie, and unlike so many other films belonging to the 'coming of age' genre, it doesn't leave the viewer feeling emotionally drained. It is also unusual in that it attempts to breach the generation divide in its appeal; however its success in this respect is debatable.

Finn is 26 and, hoping for some peace and quiet in which to complete her Master's thesis, she heads for her great-aunt's house in small-town Grasse, California. She also needs time to mull over a marriage proposal from her boyfriend. This is an entrance cue for a smoulderingly handsome strawberry farmer (in an unnecessary plot complication) to hinder Finn's contemplations.

Great-aunt Glady-Joe lives with her sister, Hy, and their constant bickering is portrayed with sensitivity and humour by Anne Bancroft and Ellen Burstyn. The two sisters belong to a quilting group, who are in the process of creating Finn's wedding quilt - thematically titled 'where love resides'. This evokes something different for each of the women, all of whom - in artificially contrived tete-a-tetes - explain to Finn the story behind their contributions to the quilt. The viewer is transported to a time when these elderly women were young, and through them we (along with Finn) learn that times may change, but affairs of the heart will always be unpredictable.

These dalliances in the past are refreshingly piquant; unfortunately this is countered by the film's occasional heavy-handedness. The symbolic crow that leads the women to their true love has all the subtlety of a flashing neon sign. Ultimately however, even if it does perhaps tie up the loose ends too thoroughly, the film will leave the viewer pleasantly satisfied.

Wonderful Tear Jerker with an All-Star Cast
"How to Make an American Quilt" is one of my favorite "chick flicks." And hopefully labeling a movie as a "chick flick" doesn't immediately damn it into some lesser category. When I want to curl up in a quilt on a rainy day and sip hot cocoa and watch a movie, "American Quilt" would be a perfect choice. This is one of the few times when I liked the movie far better than the book--which I read second.

In "American Quilt," Finn (Winona Ryder) comes to spend the summer with her grandmother Hy (Ellen Burstyn) and great aunt Glady Jo (Anne Bancroft) in Grasse, California. Her plan is to finish her master's thesis while considering the marriage proposal of her long-time sweetheart, Sam. Finn's inability to stick with a project--she's changed thesis topics countless times--seems about to derail her relationship with Sam. Amazon.com's main review criticizes the movie adaptation of the Whitney Otto novel for focusing too much on Finn. I thought that Finn's attempt to sort out her feelings about relationships, while talking to the other women in Hy and Glady Jo's quilting group, sewed the story together quite well. As Finn is pondering whether a modern, intelligent woman can preserve a sense of self within a marriage, one by one, her grandmother, aunt, and their friends share the stories of their marriages or their most significant relationships. Older women sharing their life experiences to help guide a younger woman rang very true to life.

Poet Maya Angelou turns in a surprisingly powerful performance as the leader of the quilting group. Her story of how, as an unwed mother, she came to work for Hy and Glady Jo's mother, is one of my favorites. She holds her own with this great actresses. Bancroft and Burstyn are wonderful as sisters whose love for each other has endured, despite betrayal. Samantha Mathis, as the young Sophia Darling, is stellar as the diver who can't wait to shake off the dust of her small town and explore the world, and who discovers that realizing such dreams aren't so easy.

As a quilter, I absolutely loved the various quilts seen in the movie. I appreciated the detail of including fabrics seen in the flashback scenes into the blocks that each woman contributes to the friendship quilt.

--Delightful film--
Starting with the title, which is terrific, I also liked the great cast of actors who were chosen for the film. The story begins when Finn (Winona Ryder) comes to spend the summer with her grandmother (Ellen Burstyn) and her aunt (Anne Bancroft) at a grand old house in California. Finn is a graduate student who wants to spend the summer working on her thesis. She also needs a break from her boyfriend who wants to marry her. She's very indecisive about everything in her life, and I honestly found her part to be a little boring. The best parts of the story are about the friends that her grandmother and aunt share and their involvement in a quilting circle. The quilting ladies are all quite different and through flashbacks we're given a glimpse of them as young women and the love or lack of love in their lives. Jean Simmons plays one of the women, and I was delighted to see her acting again. I loved the scenes where the quilters, are working around a table in the lovely old house. The set designs were beautiful and perfect for the story.

At a certain point in the film, we come to find out that the theme of the quilt is "where love resides." Every quilter is making a block from her own experience in life. Finn also learns that the quilt is her wedding gift.

HOW TO MAKE AN AMERICAN QUILT is an enjoyable movie. I think that the individual stories could have been a little more informative, but all things considered it's a wonderful movie and worth seeing.

sensitive and human
I quilt, my other half is an artist. We both viewed this " simple film " and both found a true delight about the emotions and sometimes confusions of the complexity of love. A finefilm for those that can understand love is delightful but at times so complex. A lovely movie that shrares hope beyond love, love beyond dreams!!

FANTABULOUS
This movie is phenomenal. It stars Winnona Ryder as Finn, a young woman about to be married, who is writing a thesis on the interpersonal relationships that are intertwined with in the making of an American quilt. The people that she is writing about are a group of women who have been quilting together for many, many years. They have assembled with the goal of creating a wedding quilt for Finn. The group is comprised of her grandmother, her aunt, and several of their oldest and closest friends. Each woman is charged with designing a single square of the quilt that represents for them "where love resides". As the women work on the quilt they use the opportunity to counsel Finn about her upcoming marriage. They give their own views on what is important in life; on what their experiences have taught them, and why they have made the choices in life that they have made. While they are together, working on the quilt you learn about the relationships and experiences that represent love for these women. At the same time you learn about the hardships and the tribulations that they have experienced both individually and within relationships with one another. This is a movie that explores the nuances of family, love, birth, death, marriage and friendship. This exploration is handled beautifully. The separate stories are woven together, as their lives are, and as the pieces of the quilt are. The movie on the surface is a simple story of several women's lives and their experiences. As you watch, and look deeper you begin to understand that there is profound meaning and an explicit symbolism in each scene and every moment. Each part of this movie was thought out and carefully considered. It is a pleasure to watch and you find your self deeply involved with these women as you travel full circle in their lives. If you have not seen How to Make an American Quilt you must, it should not be missed. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

A Painless Art History Course - and mystery
UNCOVERED is a ten year old film, popular in its co-producing countries of the UK and Spain, and is finally available here for those who want to see 'early Kate Bekinsale'. The story weaves around an art restorer (Bekinsale) who finds bizarre clues in the underpainting of an old Flemish master painting that is being prepared for sale by a once rich/now destitute family. The art restorer has been raised by a fey gentleman who turns out to be part the current family requesting the restoration. As she carefully uncovers the surface of the painting and has it xrayed, she finds clues to a mystery of a murder, a murder that slowly is recreated around her. This is a good little mystery whose solution is tightly pigmented in a rather beautiful painting and a game of chess, which is the centerpiece of the painting. The cast, including Kate Bekinsale, is good if a bit campy: John Wood, Sinead Cusack, Paudge Behan, Art Malik, James Villiers, Michael Gough. But the real star of the film is the beauty of Barcelona, Spain - the setting for the story. Gaudi is everywhere! The lighting is gorgeous and the cinematography excellent. There are things with which one can quibble, not the least the techniques used by the art restoration advisors, but the one major fault with this film is the sound track. The music is abominable and the ambient sound is so loud that it sounds like a home movie instead of a professional production: you have to strain to hear the dialogue over the street sounds outside the rooms. Still in all, this is an entertaining movie, worth a watch.

Good movie
This movie has a good plot, good actors, plenty of mystery and the beauty of one of my favorite actresses: Kate Beckinsale. Maybe it's not one of those movies with plenty of violence, chases and a lot sex (...), but it's an interesting movie. And made in the best city of Spain: Barcelona.

A nice murder mystery
I must agree with the first two reviews. This is an interesting little murder mystery with the fetching Ms. Beckinsale as an art restorer caught up in a centuries old murder mystery based on a painting. Only problem is, someone in the here and now is using that same painting to do some murders of their own.

It's a light and breezy kind of amateur sleuth flick. You could do a lot worse, and if you're a fan of Kate Beckinsale, you'll enjoy this film. Except perhaps for Kate's unshaved armpits (the film is set in Europe). And yes, there are some scenes of Kate "uncovered".

A Very Clever Under the Radar Murder Mystery...
Released in 1994, Kate Beckinsale plays the main character in this convoluted murder mystery. She's living in Barcelona and has just graduated from College and is working at home restoring a painting that looks like it was created some time in the fifteenth century. She gets a knock at the door and a delivery man gives her an infrared overlay that she had taken of the entire painting and she looks at it closely and discovers that underneath a layer of paint there lies an inscription which mysteriously says in Latin "who took the knight?" Of course, looking at the painting which is of two noblemen playing a game of chess with a young woman sitting in the background, using that interpretation of the Latin inscription it looks like the painting is a playful scene where the younger man on the left has stolen the knight from the board and the older man is crouching over the board and in a crotchety way is saying "what happened to the knight?" while the younger man is making eyes at the young woman in the background. Kate's character takes the overlay to her friend, an art dealer to look at and interrupts her friend getting, ahem... serviced by the husband of the woman who is the neice of the man who owns the painting. Kate's character shows the overlay to her friend and convinces her friend to take her to see the owner of the painting to ask him if they can have it tested to see if that inscription underneath the layer of paint is an original one. They visit the owner and tell him about the inscription and the owner tells them that the inscription really should be translated as "who killed the knight?" instead of "who took the knight?" and from then on the entire meaning of the scene being played out in the painting takes a more ominous tone introducing the first murder victim in the story: a knight represented in the painting from five hundred years ago.

Based on the book "The Flanders Panel" by Arturo Perez-Reverte who wrote "The Club Dumas" which the movie "The Ninth Gate" was based on, it is no surprise that there are a myriad of nuances that are included inside this story that make references to or are based on the intricate artwork from the high Gothic period right before the Renaissance. The world in which the painting was supposedly made is a Machiavellian world of intrigue, doublecrossing, cutthroats and murder. After the commissioner of the painting realizes that his friend, the young man in the painting, has been killed and because of forces outside of his control he's not able to publically accuse the murderer, he asks the painter to alter the painting in such a way that it depicts who the murderer is, but in a secret code. The code of course is played out in miniature in the chess game the two men are playing and in it each piece represents different players in the plot and eventually by hiring a young man to play the game itself backwards Kate's character is able to figure out who actually did in the end kill the knight in the past. Pretty soon, pieces from a very fancy chess set start to pop up outside of her door and she soon finds herself in the middle of her own little murder mystery as people in her own life start to drop like flies mirroring both the pieces that pop up in front of her door and the pieces that are taken if the chess game in the painting were played out to its logical conclusion. The chess game itself is a microcosm of the intrigue that occurred back in the fifteenth century and of the intrigue that is going on in the present. By going backwards, the young man Kate's character hires is able to figure out what happened in the past and by going forwards with the game itself from where the painter left it off in the fifteenth century the young man is also able to predict who the likely candidates for murder are going to be in the near future. The plot itself mirrors the chess game to a tee to the amusement of the audience to the point where one ends up thinking about which characters in the movie are represented by which pieces in the game and also how would the drama of the chess game where one piece can viciously take hold of or slaughter another piece be played out in real life.

In my opinion, this is much better than the movies you'd see Kate Beckinsale play characters in today. From her choice of movie roles today compared to back when this movie was made one sort of has to wonder where her career priorities have turned to lie. If you disliked the blander, more commercialized and more static roles that she's played from more recently then you might not like this movie that much; but if enjoy a good thriller with a cleverly written thoroughly amusing plot then this is probably the movie for you!

Decent movie
Just watched this movie on DVD. The main attraction of this movie is obviously the beautiful Kate Beckinsale. If you don't like Kate Beckinsale (hard to imagine) then this movie will be a drag. Otherwise, this movie is a decent enough movie with a plot and cast that will keep you interested. I am giving it three stars since I like both Kate Beckinsale and Art Malik. ... Read more

Amazon.com

With its series-finale episode, Dawson's Creek summed up its six-year run on the WB Network with a sweet and sad tale of reunion and farewell for old friends, soul mates, and lovers.The friends are now 25 and living new lives: Dawson (James Van Der Beek) is in Hollywood executive-producing The Creek, obviously based on his own life and considered "the new hit teen soap at the WB"; Joey (Katie Holmes) is a book editor in New York with a serious beau; Jen (Michelle Williams) is a single mother; Pacey (Joshua Jackson) is the relatively respectable owner of the reborn Icehouse Restaurant; and Jack (Kerr Smith) is teaching at the high school and struggling with his relationship.A wedding brings everyone together in Capeside, but tragedy strikes, and the remaining friends are left to consider their lives and what they want to do with them. Whether or not you agree with the final choices, of course, probably depends on who you've been rooting for.

The extended cut of the finale runs 104 minutes, about 16 longer than when it was broadcast in May 2003.Unlike deleted scenes on movie DVDs, each addition seems like a useful part of the story, and the DVD borrows a helpful feature from the Lord of the Rings extended editions by designating on the chapter menu which scenes are new or extended.Some differences are minor, but there are significant new scenes with Joey at work, Joey and her boyfriend (Jeremy Sisto of Six Feet Under), Joey and Dawson's reunion in Capeside, and Pacey's conversation with old flame Andie (Meredith Monroe).

As they did for two episodes of Dawson's Creek: The Complete First Season, creator Kevin Williamson (who co-wrote the finale) and executive producer Paul Stubin provide a commentary track in which they discuss the new scenes and which characters were originally intended to end up together.There are also four scenes that were filmed for the original pilot presentation (not the finished pilot shown in season one) then reshot. There's a small but important difference in the last scene, Pacey meets Tamara Jacobs in a different video store, and Dawson's dad is played by a different actor before the role was recast with John Wesley Shipp. --David Horiuchi ... Read more

Reviews (97)

All Good Things Must Come to an End
I caught the series finale on the original air date on the WB. It was both fantastic and heart breaking. It brings the 6 friends back for a wedding. But soon the heart warming reunion turns sour with the news of a friend harboring a heart breaking secret. When the secret is revealed it makes the friends look at themselves.

When Jen tells her daughter to believe in God, is the most powerful scene in the whole show. This coming from a girl who would avoid churches and any mention of God. Jen has difinitely changed throughout the six season on the WB.

Joey resides in NY with her current boyfriend. But when she makes an unexpected return to The Creek, old feelings rise up again. But in the end she gets what she wants without feeling guilty about hurting anyone else.

Although this show is called Dawson's Creek, I don't believe that means Dawson should get the girl. Although he doesn't get the girl, he gets a highly sucesessful show and gets to meet is all-time favorite film maker.

Pacey still gets in trouble with older women, and owns the new Ice House. Pacey is another example of a character that has changed throught the airing of this show. He goes from a troubled-slacker, to someone who has things figured out, for the most part.

Jack finally gets his man! But in the end loses the most important person in his life, Jen. They were, in my eyes, soulmates. Not as lovers, but as life long friends. He is also in a relationship with a secretly gay man (Who knew is would be Deputy Doug. Didn't he claim to be a straight man all these years?)

In the end, they all get what they wanted. And figured some things out along the way. Joey made the right choice. Pacey was the right man for her. He made her happy, and they both had strong feelings torward eachother. Dawson was her soulmate, as a friend. He got what he wanted either way.

We left these 6 friends on TV, but we now can have them on DVD!! GET THIS DVD!! This will be a great UNCUT version of what was aired. Andie should have been apart of the airing of the show, but we still get to see what she turned out like on the DVD. I wish they could have brought all the rest of the characters through out the years back, like Audrey, Drue, and Gretchen. But either way, it is a great ending to a GREAT show!!

Pacey and Joey: True Love
First of all i have to say that I have been a Dawsons Creek fan since the first episode. Granted there were some episodes i didnt really like, i watched them anyways. I never missed one. I think that the finale show was brilliant. Honestly, you can't tell me that Dawson and Joey just make a terrible couple. They are best friends and have always been best friends. You can't throw them at eachother and make it work. When they were together when the show first started, they spent more time trying to come up with reasons why they should be together, than just being happy together. All Dawson did was complain about everything and cried like a little baby. Come on, i know that all the girls around the world would agree with me that they would rather be with a guy like pacey. A guy who acts like a real man. Pacey and Joey have always found a way back to eachother. Plus, he was her "first". At the ski lodge, is when i knew pacey and joey were meant for eachother, just by the way she was talking to him, and also i knew when he turned that girl down because he knew he loved joey. Yeah, Pacey turned a girl down... for true love. One of the best episodes was when Joey left Dawson that summer to go with Pacey. Right there tells you that she loves him more than anything, and most of all more than Dawson. Joey and Pacey ending up together was the best way to end the show not just because it gave the fans a twist, but because its true love, and true love conquers all. great ending to and awesome show!! great job kev

Best Series Finale of Any Show I Have Ever Seen
When I saw this episode when it first aired, I was blown away. It was the best 2 hours of television that I have ever seen.

It takes place four years in the future, which I thought was a great idea. It let us see our favorite characters in the real world after college, and it was good.

Joey's now an editor, Jack's an English teacher, Dawson is the writer and director of his own show The Creek, which was based on the indepedent movie he made during the second season of the show. Jen is a mother to a beautiful baby girl, Amy. It's said that her boyfriend knocked her up and then left her. I would assume that the boyfriend wasn't Jensen Ackle's character, who we last saw her with because he seems like too nice of a guy to do that, but they never really say who it was.

The gang is in town for Dawson's mother's wedding, and the first hour has to do with the death of one of the cast, which is very heartbreaking, I cried many times, while the second deals with the love triangle that is Pacey, Joey and Dawson.

I loved the finale when it aired in May, but when I heard that there were deleted scenes in the dvd, I had to buy it even though I had the other on tape. It was well worth it, if just for the return of Meredith Monroe as Andie. The best addition was at the very end when they show clips of all of the most important scenes of the last 6 years. It's very touching.

I would definitely recommend buying this whether you saw it when it aired, or if you have yet to see it.

It is an excellent episode.

All Good Things Must Come To An End...
All in all, the series finale for Dawson's Creek is quite satisfying. Excellent performances, interesting storylines/scenarios, suspense, sheer conflict and resolution. In terms of entertainment, it portrayed what a true finale should be. It brought things full circle and didn't seem rushed. One thing did irk me, though, and this bothers me with any show: the re-writing of history (example: Joey always knew? Um, I thinketh not..) It truly is an issult to viewers who've watched a show non-stop. It's sloppy, and very poor writing. But nothing's perfect, and the finale definitely could've been a lot worse considering the last few lackluster seasons of 'DC'. It closed things out, at least. Maybe not in the best way, nor with the best tactics... but closed it out nonetheless.

Huge Disappointment
It was bad enough that in the beginning, after Joey's longtime feelings for Dawson, their first kiss and their move into a relationship, she starts having doubts and breaks off the relationship.

But we could let this pass in the name of teenage angst, or "let's find new plot twists to make show interesting".

But ending the show with Pacey and Joey getting together, when there was so much magic and chemistry between Dawson and Joey, is just bad writing.

We watch these types of television shows to escape, and to get the happy ending that we perhaps did not get in real life. The main guy always gets the girl.....But more than that, Dawson and Joey, that was something special....

Had this been the ending I would have bought all the seasons. As it is, I will not waste my money. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The up-and-down career of director John Milius had no finer moment than The Wind and the Lion, a dandy adventure tale. It's based on fact:An American (played by Candice Bergen) and her two children were kidnapped in 1904 Morocco by a Berber tribe, an international incident settled by President Theodore Roosevelt's "big stick" military muscle. The film's sweep and swagger are unabashedly old-fashioned, even as Milius occasionally pokes fun at the grand characters. Some of the peripheral material is sloppy, but as long as Milius keeps his sights locked on the two powerful protagonists, he's dead-on:Brian Keith makes a gutsy Roosevelt, and Sean Connery is in splendid form (with Scots accent in place--got a problem with that?) as the dashing Berber chieftain. Perhaps overshadowed by John Huston's The Man Who Would be King the same year (Huston plays advisor John Hay in this one), Wind makes a marvelous companion piece. --Robert Horton ...