Reviews (68)

How do idiots get inside business like this?
The media of the vicious attacking bloodhounds at FOX have demonized the American press with a claim to fairness for nearly a decade, and finally we have a solitary predication that may drive the beginning to the end of the tower of damage they've amassed to public viewership for far too long
Yes, there are the radical right wingers who don't want real news because only lies can support their overall claim.
The point is MOST of us want the real honest TRUTH from our news and I think we can change that.

The funniest thing thing about this movie is the majority its 2 hours is archived footage from FOX. The inflamatory hate-speech they spew, interviews they censor, false claims and half truths they report are shown the exact way Murdoch broadcasts them 24/7. And this an indisputable thing FOX can neither defend nor find an excuse.

It's no wonder about FOX's tirade during the eve of the film's release on how biased its rivals are, swearing to it that if the film sells hot off the shelves they will go after their rivaling networks with all the fury they've got *true*

A Fair network wouldn't be so preoccupied it has to attack other networks. That negates its claim to be "news" entirely

A fair news channel could Actually be able to to counter this documentary's argument instead of having to resort to boasting the same claim against its rivals

It reminds me of a bully who beats up all the small kids, and when the day comes he gets roughed by another boy his size, he not ony cries and whines to the principal, he says it was for no reason!

Well at least they're not suing again, as we saw all the good that did. How unsustaining is Fox? I looked up, as actually typed, "Faux News" on google and sure enough the first link to come up is the official FNC website. That's a sign of desperation and having no merit as a news channel

I have to give my blessing to Greenwald. This is impressive work. Note you can't miss his other movie, "Whole truth about the war in Iraq," a stunning visual look at the lies and lies, and more lies used to push the public and lawmakers into this immoral war.

Outfoxed is not associated with John Kerry. It's not funded by the Democratic Party. The Right Wing elites wants you to believe this movie has ties with MSNBC, CNN, NY times, LA times, or the Washington Post. Nothing can be further from the truth. The film was produced by a non-partisan independent thinker and funded by an 'independent media', and it's only they who can claim responsobilty, or more importantly, take the fall over any speculation that comes. FOX's "journalists" have habitually been imperious critics towards those who exchange information and over certain subsidies towards polical engagement. Certainly nothing unethical about the National Republican Party being the biggest benefactor to FOX. Or media tycoon Rupert Murdoch prevailing as the solitary creator and manager to the strategist network

They present facts which are supportive to the Repub-Neocon base, meanwhile discarding news which sounds to them 'ulterior.' They are so assuming to arguments which contradict their absurd reasoning, it would be as if having to unpreach to the choire. Not to mention lie through their teeth if they think they can get away with it; "don't kill the messenger!"

The integrity of jounralism is not to carry out hearsay. It's to review, be accurate, factual, rational

Bias in a film that tells the God honest truth is a critique of society.

Bias incoporated as a news source that claims to fairly report a balanced medium of news, which in reality imparts a agglomeration of dishonesty and fraud, ultimately becomes an Orwellian form of mind control

I believe FOX News is dangerous to society

For an even closer, more in depth look into the media establishment check out the DVD, "Manufacturing Consent - Noam Chomsky and the Media" a perilous, extremely insightful and intellectuall peice of work that will change forever the way you think about news. While Fox is certainly evil and uncomparable to it's colleagues, their is a growing bias to new aged conventionilsm in the news media as it moves toward sensationalism and censorship, and away from reality. Coporate greed is hungry for profits, profits unimaginable to an average person, and the media is in their hands already. This documentary was produced in 1993 and his predictions of what was to come of media ownership by the Elite was farfetched a decade ago, but today it seems his case is understated. Nearly the entirety of our news channels, papers, and other publications are owned right now by 6 corporations. 6! It was 12 before the new millenium and now... it is 6! See this film, it will ASTONISH you.

FNC never had credibiltiy. Will anything change now?
The media of the vicious attacking bloodhounds at FOX have demonized the American press with a claim to fairness for nearly a decade, and finally we have a solitary predication that may drive the beginning to the end of the tower of damage they've amassed for far too long to American viewers.

Yes, there are the radical right wingers who don't want real news because only lies can support their overall claim.

The point is MOST of us want the real honest TRUTH from our news and I think we can change that.

The funniest thing thing about this movie is the majority its 2 hours is archived footage from FOX. The inflamatory hate-speech they spew, interviews they censor, false claims and half truths they report are shown the exact way Murdoch broadcasts them 24/7. And this an indisputable thing FOX can neither defend nor find an excuse.

It's no wonder about FOX's tirade during the eve of the film's release on how biased its rivals are, and swore to it that if the film sells well they will go after the other networks will all they've got

A Fair network wouldn't be so preoccupied it has to attack other networks. That negates its claim to be "news" entirely

A fair news channel could Actually be able to to counter this documentary's argument instead of having to resort to boasting the same claim against its rivals

It reminds me of a bully who beats up all the small kids, and when the day comes he gets roughed by another boy his size, he not ony cries and whines to the principal, he says it was for no reason!

Well at least they're not suing again, as we saw all the good that did. How unsustaining is Fox? I looked up, as actually typed, "Faux News" on google and sure enough the first link to come up is the official FNC website. That's a sign of desperation and having no merit as a news channel

I have to give my blessing to Greenwald. This is impressive work. Note you can't miss his other movie, "Whole truth about the war in Iraq," a stunning visual look at the lies and lies, and more lies used to push the public and lawmakers into this immoral war.

Outfoxed is not associated with John Kerry. It's not funded by the Democratic Party. The Right Wing elites wants you to believe this movie has ties with MSNBC, CNN, NY times, LA times, or the Washington Post. Nothing can be further from the truth. The film was produced by a non-partisan independent thinker and funded by an independent media. Bias in a film that tells the God honest truth is a critique of society.

Bias incoporated as a news source that claims to fairly report a balanced medium of news, which in reality imparts a agglomeration of dishonesty and fraud is a form of mind control

For an even closer, more in depth look into the media establishment check out the DVD, "Manufacturing Consent - Noam Chomsky and the Media" an extremely insightful and intellectuall peice of work that will change forever the way you think about news. SERIOUSLY good film

Conglomerate News Network
Well done documentary, but not entirely true. ALL news networks are biased, and their slogans are all misleading. CNN calls itself the Most Watched News Channel, when FOX NEWS beats it in the ratings fairly often -- often enough to discredit that claim. All the major news networks are owned by conglomerate corporations such as AOL-Time-Warner, therefore, all are biased. Plain and simple. Get a grip, folks, all news media outlets are the same, so stop demonizing Fox News (the way you claim they demonize others) for its conformity.

Entertaining and rather informative
I ordered this movie because I believe that The Fox News Channel is doing a great disservice to America by preaching fair and balanced news. In a society where people are easily misled, documentaries like this are sometimes needed in hopes that some citizens will actually discover the truth.

Yes, this movie is biased, because it is reporting on a biased news station.
One cannot compare the movie to the television station itself because the video accepts itself as one sided. This is their argument: Fox News should admit its true agenda.

The makers of this movie are infuriated. They have every right to be. The conservative trickery is not even covert. It is plain to see, and it is ridiculous.
The filmmakers are presenting a theory and backing it up with evidence. This is something that FNC knows nothing about; facts and evidence. They are an opinion station with flashes of news.

There were a couple great moments in this film, and I think it is worth the 10 bucks they charge for it.
I have minor problems with it though...
#1, The DVD has only 1 scene. That means if you get 30 minutes into it, then have to leave, you have to fast forward all the way to where you were. It's basically like having a VHS tape. Quite annoying.
#2. When will people learn that the only way to shut conservatives up and still get our message across is to paint an equal portrayal of events?? Being biased sure works, but it gives those goofy republicans something to pick at.

Overall, I recommend it for anyone interested in the propaganda of the media in general, and for those who think that the Fox News Channel is actually news.

Please, if you are reading this, realize that the only way to uncover the truth about things is to read about them. The television gives you a sugar coated version for bedtime. Don't believe what you hear just because it is on TV.

Pretty lopsided
I saw this at a moveon.org event in California. It's obvious this film is of the preaching-to-the-choir type. It's intent is not to be revelatory in any way since the presentation is so lopsided. An independent thinking person can't take their argument seriously. You never hear an opposing point of view so of course their case is a slam dunk. In addition, you can just watch the channel yourself and see how slanted their news coverage is or isn't. You don't need a movie to tell you how to think.

Because of this lopsidedness, the movie is also pretty boring. There's no debate or controversy inserted. It's basically, Fox has a right-wing agenda, see, Fox has a right-wing agenda, see, Fox has a right-wing agenda, see... ad nauseam. It would have been more compelling and persuasive if they allowed Fox to respond.

Unfortunately, the majority of the clips used to state their case are of pundits, like Oreilly and Hannity, which is a bit specious since these guys are supposed to have an opinion. Whether their analysts tend to be conservative or not is a 'who cares' kind of point. We are already know it's an opinion.

I give it two stars since it can be irksome and rile people up (regardless of your political leanings). It irked me mostly because the whole movie practices nearly everything they accuse Fox of doing - presenting information in an unfair and unbalanced way. ... Read more

Reviews (34)

Watch this and judge for yourself
Throughout the last eighteen months, the Bush administration has been trying to make Americans believe that there were legitimate reasons for going to war in Iraq. Most of the arguments dealt with misleading use of the available intelligence reports and with trying to link Saddam Hussein with Al Qaeda, blaming Iraq for September 11. Although most of the people that were involved in the investigation and in the decisions following the tragedy were aware that there was no real evidence as to Iraq's involvement or as to Saddam having nuclear and chemical weapons of mass destruction, an effective "advertising campaign" was put in place with successful results. A good part of the American population was convinced that war was the only option.

In this documentary, the testimony and opinions of several experts in the topic are presented and the conclusion can only be one: the public was unethically misled. The interviewees range from former CIA agents, to UN weapons inspectors. The conclusion is unanimous and the interviewees point out clear examples that prove that Bush, Cheney and Powell knew that they were misleading the American public.

This is a short documentary (a little less than an hour) that presents facts in a clear and efficient way. Everyone should see it and draw his own conclusions about what were the facts that lead to the Iraq war, especially now that Clarke has come out in the open with allegations about this topic.

A must see for conservatives.
I would like to preface my statements by saying that I supported George W. Bush in the 2000 election and I am still a strong supporter of the war on terror. The clear and present danger represented by terrorism is something Americans must never loose sight of. This movie was brought to my attention by a friend of mine at work who's politics are very far to the left. He begged me to see it and judge for myself. I refused thinking it was just one more piece of partisan nonsense offered up by disgruntled Clintonites. He challenged me by saying that the lion's share of people interviewed on the disc were ex D.O.D. and C.I.A. with distinguished service records. I reluctantly agreed to watch.
After my first viewing I was forced to reconsider everything I believed about the war in Iraq. I find it very hard to argue with men who have spent decades in diplomatic and defense positions, some of whom served George W. Bush's father so well in the first Gulf War. As a conservative I feel a real disconnect from this so called "Neo Con" movement. I still haven't decided if I can hold my nose and vote for Kerry in November, but thanks to this eye opening film, I'm sure I won't be voting for the man I voted for in 2000. Everyone should see this movie.

Disturbingly Funny
Every American should see it - Democrats and, especially, Republicans.
Point-by-point explanation of all the lies and deceptions.
It is amazing that people in high office can lie so well with a straight face.
I always knew the Iraq war was the biggest lie ever in the history of the US, but this documentary helps make the case.
The sad part is, most Americans will not see this movie, because they are truly brain-washed.

Bush's Cowardice!
Bush is no leader, just a Texas coward who likes to play dressup on aircraft carriers. Not a bad guy, but he should have stuck to hanging out at the frat house or the country club with his drinking buddies. Sure would have been a favor to the nation.

It is not leadership to take this nation to war on the basis of lies -- then lie about lies -- cover up the biggest mistake a president could ever make -- then say you'd do it all over again. Which part, Mr. Bush? No surrogates please. You keep avoiding or attacking people who might ask the hard questions.

Bush decides. You Comply. Yes, this film is from the same source as the more recent gutting of the neo-fascist Fox Propaganda Network -- the Bushy boy's bully SS of the airwaves. Take a look at "Outfoxed" and you'll realize -- if you have a brain and can think -- that Rupert Murdoch is out to destroy America values and beliefs through lies disguised as news.

What Bush declared was the cause of the war, what he claimed was the proven existence of WMDs, turns out to be a total crock. So is most of the rest of what of what we've been told -- and most of what the right wing is putting into circulation now. The little talking points spread by a White House afraid of truth. It's important for them to muddy the waters. Talk about gay marriage, Chappaquiddick -- anything but that we have a president who took us to war for a reason that was a total crock of horse manure. Buy lots of attack ads.

Oops, we're sorry? Not, Bush did not even have the cojones for taking the responsibility. He passed the buck. It wasjn't me. It was the CIA. He's almost as confused about a misguided war based on lies as he is about where he was when he was supposed to be serving in the Air Guard. Cowardice.

The Right Wing dominated media cheerleaded for what the Fox Fascists called "America's New War" without ever questioning the utter shallowness of what little evidence that was offered -- evidence that turned out to be forged, invented, exaggerated, lied about, tainted. It was everything but the truth. It would have taken the merest gesture to discover the truth -- and the layers of deceit.Bush doesn't take calls from Chalabi and, typical of a coward, writes him off as a friend of Laura's.

This film uncovers a lot of this. Yes, it includes opinion, but the facts are laid out there for any rational, red-blooded American to see how we're being betrayed by the right wing nutjobs rejabbering Rush and Faux. Mr. Bush and his people knew where the WMDs were? That's what they said. That's what Rummy said, again and again. That's what Powell told the UN was established, provable fact, not guesswork. Well, that was just another little mistake on the way to killing thousands upon thousands of people. Rummy said Iraq wouldn't need rebuilding --precision weapons, you know! Way over a hundred billion hard earned American tax dollars the place is a shambles, we've put a new strongman in place and Bush is doing the Baghdad boogie. Just not fast enough to save any American lives.

This country's wealth of good intentions, respect for freedom and tolerance -- what the world once thought the best of us -- is being destroyed so that these cretins can use their wars to guarantee the Bush succession. These people are war criminals and traitors at worst, damned fools at best. This documentary starts you down the path toward understanding.

The real question? Why haven't we impeached and removed George Bush form Office? And why haven't we gone after Neil Bush, Jeb Bush and the others for their influence peddling and sucking up to foreign governments against our national best interest (peculiar for people who on an official level have destroyed every alliance we had).

IF you're going to defend this war, made a vicious attack on this factual film -- and you're just another chickenhawk, draft-dodger, just shut up and go away into your hole. We learned some hard lessons in Vietnam. Bush and his entire crew ducked their service. Bush was AWOL and too privileged to even show up for meetings.

Impeach Bush! Do it now. And if he steals this election as he did the last one, then it's time to start impeaching power-hungry Supreme Court justices such as Rehnquist and Scalia. And Bush!

You don't think, by the way, that Janet Rehnquist got her job as an Inspector General at HHS based on her competence do you. Or Scalia the younger on his legal acument?

The Rehnquist daughter was forced to resign last year for unethical conduct that provoked the most negative GAO report of its type -- and it was requested by a Republican Congress. Why? That's how bad she was.

This administration is as powermade\ and corrupt as any that have ever come along in this country. Bush is a nice amiable guy on some levels. It won't hurt him to retire to Crawford and act like he has something to do.

Bush lies! Americans die!
This is a good film with a lot of soundly argued fact and opinion. It does not do scattershot. It makes logical points and offers substantianting evidence.

No rational human being would launch a senseless invasion based on half-baked, third hand "intelligence" from a CIA that is being pushed to compensate for its numerous failures. We will never know the full truth about the pressure Cheney put on the CIA, but we know many, many responsibile analysts saw a runaway freight train crushing anyone who did not belly up with the party line.

Bush and his people state a casus belli. It has proven to be utterly and unredeemingly false. A war like World War II and Bush like Churchill? Give it a rest. No great president -- or the barely adequate -- reaches like that. D-Day? The German Army was a first rate bunch of bad asses. Saddam's army was virtually toothless --our troops took care of that -- and when it came to the real test, no one made any plans for the occupation army. Troops died for that stupidity and venality. Our American troops and many innocent people died -- serving no purpose but as cannon fodder for yet another Bush campaign based on lies, deceit and a relentless quest for family power and glory.

Our Secretary of State makes official statements at the UN that were not true. Deliberate? Maybe not by Powell, but the buck has to stop somewhere. And, as the great Harry Truman said of his White House, the buck stopped there. LBJ understood that. He stood down. And what Bush has done is so much worse and far more deliberately calculated. Away with him.

You don't blame the CIA for bad intelligence. You fix it -- encourage honest analysis. It needs to be done. But it is hard for the man who ignored warnings about bin Laden to make those changes. Instead, the CIA is just a scapegoat for criminal decision making by an inadequate man who was a draft dodger and the next thing to a deserter, one who has seen to the destruction of the files that show just how rotten he is.

We get a nutty president inventing reasons for the war -- after the fact And, having killed thousands of people he says he'd do it again.

If this country was acting normally, the Republican Party would be looking for a new candidate who could represent the mainsteam -- instead of this war criminal. The Texas nut faction doesn't represent us generally and certainly they don't represent the best of the nation.

Our country has been humiliated by this president. We have exposed just how short our reach of power can be. Our foreign relations have been damaged beyond belief. The "coalition" is crumbling before our eyes as people make their distaste for Bush felt.

This film cuts to the chase and lays out the facts. True believers change their facts to fit their opinions. Pay attention to the facts here and you might be enlightened if you actually got an open mind. We need to find common ground and that can't be done with a president who looks for wedges with which to divide us. A president who lies, then takes us to war on the basis of those lies and does not have the common decency to be embarrassed. ... Read more

Reviews (149)

Merely the Ultimate Musical
I've watched "Xanadu" probably about fifty or sixty times - or more. I've worn out two VHS videos, and am now, even while typing this, watching my Xanadu DVD. I can't believe that anyone would call this undiscovered wonder of the world "wimpy" or "anemic". This movie deserves its current status as a cult classic.

The Stars. I'll have more to say about Gene Kelly later. Olivia Newton John, still on the top of her conversion from Country Western to Pop Rock, never sounded or looked better. Her ability to seemingly switch back and forth on a moments notice from her old image of sweetness and nice to her new image of almost a dominatrix was great. Her combination of any boy's fantasies with a girl you could take home was wonderful. Mike Beck does a good job as "Sonny" - the modern-day version of Danny McGuire, although, in comparison to Kelly and Olivia, he looks kind of flat. But who could hold a candle to that caliber of actor or actress?

The scenes. The scene where Danny dances with Kira and ends up with her in his arms ("Whenever You're Away from Me"), followed by a similar scene with Sonny and Kira minutes later in the movie ("Suddenly"), only help to reinforce the Deja-Vu like sense of wonder that permeates this entire film. We are treated to this sense of deja-vu over and over again. The scene where the Big Band era meets the rock-and-roll era still gives me a thrill. Olivia Newton John's singing blends virtually perfectly with Electric Light Orchestra's symphonic sound, but heavy rock influence.

The musical numbers. Done by Electric Light Orchestra and Olivia Newton John, they include the pop hits "Xanadu" and "Magic", as well as: "I'm Alive", "All Over The World", "Dancin' Round and Round", "Suspended in Time", "Whenever You're Away from Me", "Don't Walk Away" and "Suddenly". Imagine, if you can, a blending of the best of the 30's and 40's Big Bands with the best of the 70's and 80's rock and disco. Now imagine it on the same stage - blended almost perfectly. That =is= what happens in this movie.

The dancing. What can anyone say about Gene Kelly that hasn't been said already? Watching Gene trip the light fantastic with Olivia was worth the price of admission all by itself. This was, I believe, Gene Kelly's last movie, and it is a fitting send-off to his long career. It was kind of fun to see him as a clarinet player and construction company boss. He doesn't look the least bit "silly" - it's easy to see where he could have been Kira's love interest back in the 40's. It was appropriate to see Gene's character called "Danny McGuire" as that was actually the name of one of Gene's characters in another movie.

In addition, to cap off this film, Don Bluth did the animation for a wonderful sequence ("Don't Walk Away") where Kira and Sonny are transformed into fish and birds. This provides a perfect sense of surreal to Sonny's and Kira's developing love.

This movie means more than its outer shell of "a muse is sent from 'heaven' to help with the creation of a disco roller derby". It means it's OK to have dreams - because a dream is a wish your heart makes. The emphasis, told in various ways, that you should always follow your dreams, is a message that needs to be emphasised today. Both Danny's dream of opening a new club, and Sonny's dream to do something more than his boring job of painting recreations of album covers are fused together by Kira (or should I say "Terpsichore"? :-) into a single dream that they, with her help, make a reality. Do a search on the Greek Muses and you'll find a lot of the inspiration for this movie.

If there really is a real Xanadu, I would love to go there. If there never really was a real Xanadu, there should be. This still ranks as one of the most underappreciated musicals ever. Get it. You will not be disappointed.

The movie bites big time - but the music is awesome!
Xanadu is a hard film to review, because, as a movie, it is a terrible piece of dreck. As a music video it works just fine and even succeeds immensely at times.

Originally conceived as a disco movie, the producers decided to cash in on the popularity - at the time - of roller skating, so they made the movie - at the last minute - a roller disco film. Throw in Olivia Newton John and Gene Kelly and you've got: DISASTER!

The plot of the film is so transparently thin that it falls apart several times throughout. The dialogue is so agonizingly bad that even Gene Kelly (a man not known for his acting but his dancing) must have been embarrassed by it.

As the male romantic lead, a little known actor by the name of uh, just a minute I'll think of it.....was cast on the heels of his turn in the highly successful fantasy gang film: The Warriors. Michael Beck (the actor's name) can't act, can't sing, and can't dance...... so he was cast in the lead of a musical? Huh?

Newton John plays a Muse (of the old Greek mythology variety) who comes to life off of a wall painting - why we just don't know. She decides to glom onto Michael Beck's character (an architect who wants to create the most fabulous nightclub ever - Xanadu). And that, folks, is the plot of the movie. Oh, that, and apparently John's Muse was once the inspiration for Gene Kelly's character back in WWII. Huh?

Anyway, if it weren't for the producers wisely employing Electric Light Orchestra, The Tubes, and Newton-John, then this would have been insufferably bad. As it is, the movie has some really fantastic moments of musical fun. There's an interesting mixture of styles when The Tubes performs with a pseudo-swing band from the 1940's. Then there are Newton-John's songs throughout, which were orchestrated by ELO. The title song is possibly the most fun because it is where Newton-John met her former husband Matt Lattanzi (he was a dancer in the sequence). However the sequence employs the whole roller disco thing (not terribly effectively) and feels forced and just looks terrible!

However, as I said earlier - Xanadu works as an extended music video - something that was not in true existence at the time - it would happen about a year later on MTV.

Xanadu was made in the very late 1970's and released in 1980 and just happened to hit theatrers when disco was becoming reviled and New Wave was the latest sensation. Also by 1980 roller disco was VERY passe. Xanadu laid a big old egg (although I've read that it did fairly well at the box office on Newton-John's Grease fame and general popularity alone).

Get the DVD and select the song chapters and you'll have a great time watching this. Don't bother actually watching the film.

Love the movie, but DVD transfer quality is so-so.
I really enjoyed this as a kid (10 yrs old when it was in theatres). I even have the LP soundtrack somewhere. So I was excited to buy the DVD. On the nostalgia level, it doesn't disappoint. Great scenes with Gene Kelly, Olivia Newton John, and the real star of the movie -- the Pan Pacific Auditorium in LA, an art deco landmark that burned down years ago. But technically, I think Universal did a lazy job. The sound is wimpy and muddy, which is disappointing. These awesome ELO songs should jump out of speakers, not struggle out of them. The picture quality is also substandard: it looks like a 3d generation videotape (except with the ability to freezeframe). If you're like me, you'll hold your nose and buy this, because it's the only game in town. It's unlikely that Universal will go back and remaster this for another DVD release (but who knows?). Overall, it was a great late-night, flashback DVD to watch, and I'll definitely watch it again, as time goes by. One final thing: don't expect toooo much from the DVD extras. Other than the film trailer, all you get are static text bios to flip through.

A CULT CLASSIC and an EXCELLENT SOUNDTRACK
When this big budget Olivia Newton-John vehicle hit the silver screen, it actually did make money at the box office. However, because of the high expectaions of the film's star, Olivia Newton-John's performance in "Grease", it was called a bomb, which, financially it wasn't. It also became one of the top selling videos in 1981 in days when Vhs and Betamax both ruled the markets! The soundtrack went #1 and has 5 hit songs spun off of it, and it later gained a bigger following when it hit the movie channels! Critics hate this movie, but I don't care! I LOVE IT! Olivia Newton-John is so gorgeous and sings some great tunes as well as dances it up with Gene Kelley(in his final movie role). Michael Beck, however, falls flat on his face, showing no charisma and terrible acting chops. But Olivia and Gene pick up the slack, thankfully, and the end result is a very glitzy, campy,yet dazzling old fashioned musical tinged with 80's songs by Olivia, E.L.O. and The Tubes.Light on plot, heavy on song and dnace and special effects, Xanadu is fun for the entire family. Just don't expect anything more than to be entertained and you'll love it!

Roller-Disco epic from the 70's! Outrageous!
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You have to wonder what they were thinking when they decided to re-make the Rita Hayworth film "Down to Earth" as a roller-disco musical epic starring Olivia Newton John.

It's interesting, but when you realize that the running time of this film itself lasts longer than the actual fad of roller-disco did, you have to wonder why they bothered!

Gene Kelly seems lost in a musical nightmare, and the production numbers seem to scare him silly. It's as if he wonders how he got on the soundstage at all.

The music is cute, the production numbers are a perfect example of 70's excess, and the story is ridiculous.

All in all, I think it's a guilty pleasure to watch. Just don't tell anyone you enjoyed it, because they'll probably make fun of you.

A perfect double-feature evening would be to watch this along with "Can't Stop the Music" starring the Village People. (Read my review on that one!)

To quote Olivia Newton John: "Xanaduuuuuuu, Xanaduuuu-uuu-uuu!" ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Farrah can act? Who knew...
This movie is historically significant since it was one of the first movies to portray domestic violence in a realistic fasion; where situations often turn into a "kill or be killed" scenarios.
It is also one the few films (few? I think the only film) where you can actually see Farrah, "I'm now as loony as a bedbug", Fawcett display her acting abilities. In fact, the whole cast does a pretty good job.
The Burning Bed is actually one of the few "men bad, women good" movies that tries to be honest in its portrayals of people in abusive relationships.

This movie will open your eyes.
In health class, I watched the Burning Bed to learn about spouse abuse. I learned so much with this touching story and I've never been a big fan of Farrah Fawcett until now. Her acting was incredibly moving and I give her a lot of respect to take on this tough role. Go see this movie and it really makes you think about this abuse and the many other women who still experience it.

Farrah's Best!
If Farrah didn't receive an award for this movie, she was seriously robbed! She must have researched the subject of wife abuse thoroughly right down to the humiliation seen on her face and the sheer terror that whatever she said could possible cause yet another smack. Superb acting!

Good,but it was the usual "men bad,women good "movie
This movie was good,but it was the usual,run-of-the-mill "men bad,women good" movie.Like "Enough",the acting was good,but the storyline was just another "abusive husband" thing...

GREAT~~~~
This movie was GREAT. The book was alot Better then the movie was.~~~ ... Read more

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Vincent D'Onofrio is one of our most aggressively commanding actors, and he makes a good choice to impersonate Yippie activist Abbie Hoffman. All loping, shambly charm and occasional frenzied explosiveness, D'Onofrio's Hoffman is close enough to the real thing that, just like the Yippies themselves, he appears magnetic and forceful to the already converted, but a fraudulent, egomaniacal hambone to everyone else. (Even those unimpressed by D'Onofrio's indulgences can only admire the simmering commitment Janeane Garofalo brings to the role of his wife Anita.) Which is more than you can say for Robert Greenwald's unfocused hagiography, which should manage to pull off the rare feat of displeasing anyone no matter what their opinions of Hoffman. Racing through the years with the greatest-hits flippancy toward a life unfortunately all too familiar from movie bios (see Abbie try to levitate the Pentagon! Nominate a pig for President! Battle loneliness and depression while on the run from the cops!), Steal this Movie plays more like a lecture than a happening. Even the most obvious points are hammered home with the type of bone-headed didacticism that does more to grate on an audience than win it over. Lest we miss a thing, there are occasional voice-overs by a badly impersonated Nixon and J. Edgar Hoover to explain exactly what's going on. The film plays with all manner of actual footage and FBI surveillance photography, but the mix of styles is more chaos than anarchy; the boxy, amateurish camera work drains all possible giddiness from even the most rapturously absurd of Hoffman's pranks. Straining with clumsy urgency to capture the tenor of its subject, Steal This Movie gets the self-righteousness down but misses out on the passion, and the liberating spark of play. --Bruce Reid ... Read more

Reviews (7)

True To Life
Only recently got to see this movie - was drawn by the cast of stars, and really enjoyed the movie overall. Painted a very true to life portrayal of a couple that everyone envied, who couldn't keep their hands off eachother when they dated in high school and how after time and kids, the spark in their marriage is threatened. Jeff Daniels is always fun, and Susan Sarandon is one of my favorite actresses. This is good movie.

Sometimes A Movie Comes Along That Surprises You!
Isn't it funny how sometimes a film can mirror your life. I came across this movie on the Encore channel this weekend and tuned in because of the title. I stayed with it because Don Johnson looked so great, at his peak I would say. I finished it because of the story, touching, telling and true to life.

Finally: a great film as it was meant to be seen
Wiley and Sandra Boon (Johnson and Sarandon) were high school sweet hearts, the ones who were admired and loved by everyone, the perfect couple. Some years and three children after, Wiley realizes how bored and sad he is because of what his life has become: boring and sad. At least that's what he thinks. He decides to leave the house to find himself, we could say that what he finds out is that that life was the one that he longed for, but that's simplistic as hell. So, while he is out there thinking how it was that he fell out of love, his best buddy Sam (Jeff Daniels) has finally found the one girl he's looked for all his life -or is she?. This 1988 film starred Don Johnson in the best work of his career (so far) and Susan Sarandon in some kind of post-Springsteen characters story (theirs was the idyllic marriage, they were the king and queen of high school) and they are now trapped in the routine of marriage. Bruce Springsteen wrote in one of his songs that heroes are the ones who raise children and make families happy, so, here it is, a great, well acted, better written heroic story that will show you what married life really is.

Totally believable movie
I just saw this movie and was blown away by the story line. The best acting I have ever seen, Don Johnson is perfect in this role and I was never a fan before. Great, gotta see flick.....

$1.50 is about what it's worth!
Don Johnson is biting mad at his wife, but for no apparent reason. Elizabeth Perkins seems to be in love with Jeff Daniels, but won't marry him, again for no understandable reason. And Susan Sarandon wears these horrible, really large frame glasses. Yikes! These are good actors, but they are lost in an incoherent script. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Speaking evil of "Hear no Evil"
This move isn't horrible, it isn't the worst movie I have ever seen but it left me feeling flat. While some would compare this to the classic "Wait Until Dark" it never comes close to the quality of that film.

The plot centers around the rarest coin in the world. Everyone wants it except for Marlee Matlin, inevitably, it ends up in her possession. This movie has the typical cop on the take, unknown reporter trying to make a name for himself, good guy drawn in by the damsel in distress, and best friend of the heroine along to show that this whole business is dangerous.

The characters are not well developed, and none really earned any sympathy from me. The bad guys were laughably bad (albeit with a taste for opera) and thuggy. even the main characters seemed to never be committed wholeheartedly to the events around them.

The ending might have been a real shocker to those who did not follow the movie closely at the beginning, but to the rest of us it was just marking time waiting for the closing credits to roll.

A Classic
Amazing... The ending was a complete and total surprise. It's a classic. Everyone acts good. The plot is quite unpredictable, and I like that in movies... See this movie, and it's well-rounded performance will not disappoint you.

Nail-biting suspence!!!!!
This movie was really good. I liked the way the protagonist of this movie tries to figure out what they want from her, and how she can stop them. All throughout this movie I was wondering what was going to happen to the main character, and I was on the edge of my seat. It had so much suspence, and if you view this movie, you will see it for yourself the way it never lets up and delievers heart-stopping performances by all the actors. This was just a really good movie!!!! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Shattered Spirits
This film depicts substance abuse, domestic violence, co-dependancy in the family. Very powerful, very accurate.

Tough Love, straight up!
"Shattered Spirits" is the best movie I've ever seen in a High School Health Class.

Martin Sheen stars as an alcholic father, while M.I.F. Hall-of-Famer Melinda Dillon desperately tries to hold the family together in the wake of dad's inebriated rampages.

The film is pretty good (if vaguely TV-movie-ish), particularly when Martin Sheen tells his son that he's going into a bar to meet a buddy, and comes out six hours later! Was the "buddy" named Jack Daniels?

However, I did resent watching the movie a bit--I sat next to the class cutie, and we'd struck up a nice little in-class friendship. So for three days, the lights were off and we weren't allowed to talk. Thanks a lot!

Even so, it definitely opened up an important discussion about alcoholism. I have a weakness for Newcastle Brown Ale, but I try to remember the lesson in moderation that Martin Sheen taught me.

This will sneak up on you!
This film was first shown on TV at the boomtime of recovery when Betty Ford was pushing for recovery for families affected by addiction. The story portrays a middleclass family hiding dad's (Sheen's) alcoholism and sliding down the slope of denial. The reactions of the family to crises and the roles they each fall into are so accurately done that the viewer can get way into his/her own alcoholic upbringing and pain before they are aware of it.
I have shown this at several gatherings and it never fails to shake some people up seriously. Kids are especially vulnerable in their teen years. But entire families can get very agitated during the viewing.
So I would recommend that anyone showing or viewing this film be prepared to deal with some extreme reactioons for several days afterwards. Don't just show this and send your guests home. Instead have a discussion and a followup trip to a meeting of Alateen, Al-Anon or AA.
BUT SHOW IT!

Shattered Spirits
This was an excellent movie. The acting was superb & the Directing was great! I hope that it helped many people to see & understand what ANY addictive behavior can do to everyone; families, friends, & themselves. Just a footnote--I hope people enjoyed seeing my cat in this movie as it was filmed just across the street from our home in Simi Valley. :) Also, I would love to have an AFFORDABLE copy of this great film. Thank You :o)

Very Accurate and cathartic for Alcoholic Families
The story is full of those disturbing yet common events which plague families struggling with Alcoholism. The folks who consulted on this film (Claudia Black for one - Authoer of some of the best recovery books for kids) did a great job of keeping the alcoholic insanity just high enough to really affect anyone who grew up with an alcoholic parent. The scenes are well constructed and the outcome is not sugar coated. ONE WARNING...don't just show this to a group or a friend or a bunch of kids thinking they'll like it. There will need to be some help and comfort offered. Some people will discover their own alcoholic and/or abusive past for the first time During the showing. Find out where there are Al-Anon, Alateen, and AA meetings BEFORE you show the film. But SHOW IT! ... Read more

Description

Monica teaches, Steve's a photographer. They've dated more than two years. They're arguing, and she leaves for her apartment, only to return in a few minutes to say they should stop seeing each other. A few days later, they're back together, but within two hours, he takes offense at an off-hand remark, and the separation starts in earnest. They see other people, then, out of the blue, Steve asks Monica to marry him. She says yes, and a time of ecstasy begins: they interview strangers, asking them what makes a marriage work, and she moves in with him. Then comes the wedding, and when Steve freezes, anger rends the relationship again. Can harmony return? ... Read more

Reviews (31)

Not a lot of story, but the scenery is great!
If you love either Salma Hayek or Russell Crowe, buy this film.

It didn't win any awards, because it's a "B" movie, but I've paid for and watched a lot worse. Crowe and Hayek worked hard at being a couple in love and it's fun to watch. It's almost as if they were on opposing roller coasters, one at the top while the other was at the bottom.

Good movie but they should have kept the original VHS cover
have you seen the original VHS cover? it screams sexy! When they converted the movie to DVD they made it seem sad. just go to the VHS version and take a look. There's a shot of sexy salma lying on a bed talking on the phone in a tight top giving you come hither looks! Also a nice romantic shot of the couple. the front cover text reads
When the sex is great.
When the passion is intense.
When the love is strong.
It's time for...
Breaking Up

now that's sexy!

The DVD on the other hand is sad, sad, melancholy. two forlorn lovers. they have that same shot on the VHS version, but it's on the back on the box, not the front cover. They completely removed all the text. Also on the disk itself they show them arguing. this is sexy Salma. I don't want to see a picture of her arguing on the disk!(there is some of that in the movie, but there is also a lot of making out!) They kept a slightly different shot of them on the inside cover, but it's not exactly the same powerful shot used on the VHS cover. Also they say something like
"Rich in both comic asides and emotional fisticuffs, Crowe and Hayek are perfectly matched"
matched? fisticuffs?! what happened to the sexy stuff?
I have noticed they are getting rid of a lot of the sex appeal in movies that used to be acceptable and commonplace when they convert a movie to DVD now(2004). politically correct.
just show their heads. They frown on showing anything too sexy now. Unlike prior to the mid 90s when it was ok to show sex appeal.
But the DVD picture quality is great, so that is a fantastic improvement over VHS . Good movie.

Salma Hayek is simply gorgeous!!!
This movie is so lame on so many different levels I cannot begin to write about them without taking a deep breath for the long journey ahead. I'll go a little ways, then turn back. First off, there is no genuine chemistry between the two lead actors, although they try very hard to mask this fact, and nearly succeed in a few scenes. What this film lacks it tries to make up for with numerous sexual situations, most of which seem staged, not passionate and unpredictable. Okay, but there are two especially memorable scenes: the first is set at a coffee shop and it has a well thought out back and forth tracking shot that comes off nicely; the second is a surreal moment when Russell Crowe's character is imagining Salma Hayek's character having amazing fantasy sex with her new male interest. But after those scenes fade the movie spirals downward through forced melodrama. But Salma Hayek looks stunningly beautiful, so that's how I made it to the end.

Not goo enough to buy
I really like Russell Crowe and Salma Heyek in this movie, but it was just too boring to buy. I definately thought the ending was the best part though.........because the movie was over. If I could I woudl SO ask for my money back. Although the movies offers some steamy hallucenations, it's not worth the time and effort to watch movie. Trust me, DO NOT BUY THIS MOVIE!... Rent it from blockbuster or something.....

Wish there was no dialogue with this...
Russell Crowe is yummy, but what is up with his accent? This is a movie to be enjoyed with the sound off, because the dialogue is very painful to hear. ... Read more