Reviews (30)

AIRPORT BOXSET
Airport 77 is probably the series best film. Second to Airport 75. The music score is great. To me the special effects were great. I didn't see any dumb effects. The cast was so fantastic. I am surprised some of them even come out of their shells for a movie but i am glad they did. Jack Lemmon heading the distinguished cast with Christopher Lee, Jimmy Stewart, Olivia de Havilland, Lee Grant & Brenda Vercarro.

A luxury 747 takes off from Washington DC packed with priceless art and lots of VIPs on their way to Steves (stewart) musuem where they will donate their part of the art. Grant as a drunk wife, de Havilland kindling old love and playing a hand, Lee planning for future living and dealing the with his drunk wife, Lemmon flying the big 747 and wanting to marry long time girlfriend Brenda Vacarro, Brenda Vercarro playing the head stewardess and girl friend to lemmon.

Bring out a boxset and a extra dvd with lots of info, bios and deleted scenes. And visit the AIRPORT DATABASE for lots of info and speak on our forum!

A lost treasure
This film, like all of the Airport movies is loaded with stars (something that a low-budget film could NEVER do today). Jack Lemmon, Jimmy Stewart, Lee Grant, George Kennedy, Olivia DeHavilland, Kathleen Quinlan, etc, etc...

While I must admit, the plot of the movie is rather fantastic, consdering a 747 hitting the water at 200 knots+ would break up. But, one thing that I am impressed with is the aircraft realism (the same goes for Airport '75). The production unit really went out of their way to represent the 747 in an accurate way. This film, along with Airport '75, utilized the American Airlines 747 flight simulators in Dallas, TX, thus providing the audience with a true-to-life cockpit environment. Therefore, this is a MUST for aviation buffs...

My only complaint about this movie is the quality of the DVD...Despite being a below-average transfer, it offers no special features or deleted scenes. Anyone who has seen the TV version of this movie knows that there is a lot of extra footage, especially in the beginning. Hopefully, there will be another release somewhere down the road...Maybe a collector's box of all the Airport films?

Airport '77 is all wet
Airport '77 is the story of bazillionaire Phillip Stevens (a slumming James Stewart) who is jetting some of his friends and colleagues and others on a luxury 747 to view his art collection which is going to become a museum, because, as we learn later...he has A FEW MONTHS TO LIVE!!! Unfortunately, some hijackers unleash some gas on the passengers and plan to swipe the artwork. But the plan goes awry when the plane crashes into the Bermuda Triangle.

Quite realistic, don't you think? The problem is the movie is boring. None of the characters make an impression. Let's see, there's the feuding couple with the wife who cheated on her husband, but that's never mentioned again; the old lady renewing a friendship with an old man; some kids who like to play Pong; a blind pianist who sings about seeing through "the eye of the beholder"; a bartender whose wife is about to give birth to twins, etc., etc. What are their names? I don't know, all I know is that they're bland characterizations meant to sustain interest before the big crash scene. Jack Lemmon is the pilot, and Brenda Vacarro is Eve, his love interest. They generate no heat at all.

To make a boring movie short, I just found this film bland and uninteresting. The big rescue scene is silly, and everything leading up to it is a waste of time. George Kennedy, who appeared in every Airport movie as Patroni, has about one minute of screentime here wherein he does nothing. Most of the movie is spent with people staring vacantly out the window, or squealing in pain. Much like the viewer would do.

The Sequels Have Never Been That Great
Since Arthur Hailey had his book "Airport" published which was later made into a movie in 1970, it became successful. The sequels that followed: Airport 1975 (1974) and Airport '77 (1977) did not have that big of a success, though the former fared better at the box office. I was not really that impressed with the latter in scientific terms. The plane crashes at sea and sinks to the bottom when only the forward cargo hold flooded. There was plenty of air inside the rest of the plane that, in reality, could keep it afloat for as long as it was available. The characters, like Airport 1975, overacted as well. Karen Wallace (Lee Grant) was an obnoxious alcoholic who was constantly rude to husband Martin Wallace (Christopher Lee) a professional scuba diver who drowns while accompanying Captain Don Gallagher (Jack Lemmon) to the surface to send out a mayday signal. She goes nuts and tries to open a door before she is subdued and kayoed by first stewardess and girlfriend of Gallagher, Eve Clayton (Brenda Vaccaro). There have been some sequels in the past that have meaning, but most are a waste of a movie watcher's time.

Quite primative,much room for improvement.
What can i say? There isn't much to say. A simple plot and not much to grab your attention, but some well known actors are present, so judge it how you will. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Murky and grim encounter with Christmas skyscraper fire.
I am afraid that this rather murky and smeary print of a most forgettable film does full justice to the original. Materials handled with a certain amount of class in THE TOWERING INFERNO (such as the flashback, the smoke-filled room, the heroic firefighter, etc) here receive short shrift. This is disaster by the book, with little sympathy for the participants, little compassion for the victims, and little effort in the effects.

The print from which this DVD is taken seems in dire need of restoration. Focus is foggy, color faded, images darkened, clips and frames missing.

And yet, if you are a disaster-film junky such as I am, this film at its modest price will be a suitable addition to your collection. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Glad it's being released.....but
I'm so glad these Gunsmoke movies are being released on DVD. But, can someone tell me why this wasn't released as a 3 DVD set and not indivdidual DVD's. Like the "Sarah Plain and Tall" 3 movie saga. It was released with all 3 movies together in one case. I'm pretty sure most people are going to purchase all 3 movies of gunsmoke. I'm thinking "SPACE", "ROOM" to keep all these DVD's that are being released or have been released. Not everyone has all the space in there home for so many shows being released on DVD. To the manufactures of these movies: Next time do a survey to find out what people would like. I sure would of liked all 3 Gunsmoke movies in one case (jacket).

MATT DILLON RIDES AGAIN.........
WITH THE OUTPOURING OF POOR PICTURES FROM THE WEST COAST WE ARE FORCED AT TIMES TO TURN TO WHAT USUALLY IS SECOND RATE ENTERTAINMENT IN THE FORM OF 'MADE FOR T.V.' MOVIES.
FEW OF THEM ARE WORTH YOUR TIME. JUST WATCH THE 'LIFETIME' MOVIE CHANNEL FOR A FEW HOURS AND YOU WILL SEE WHAT I MEAN.

BUT EVERY NOW AND AGAIN ALONG COMES A CUT ABOVE. THIS ONE IS ONE OF THOSE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN TELEVISION EFFORTS THAT ACTUALLY ENTERTAINS NICELY.

WESTERN FANS ARE ALWAYS THRILLED TO SEE JIM ARNESS UP AND AROUND AND BACK TO RIGHTING WRONGS. FOR AN HOUR AND A HALF YOU CAN THRILL TO MATT DILLON, RETIRED U.S. MARSHAL TAKING OUT THE TRASH ONCE AGAIN.

DILLON IS TRYING HIS HAND AT CATTLE RANCHING AND WHEN HIS SMALL HERD IS RUSTLED HE IS BACK ON THE TRAIL OF THE BAD GUYS AND FINDS HIMSELF SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE OF A RANGE WAR.
ARNESS IS SUPPORTED WELL BY VETERAN ACTORS MORGAN WOODWARD AND PAT HINGLE. THIS FILM HAS A 'PAY ATTENTION' MOODY SOUNDTRACK THAT IS ABOVE AVERAGE FOR SMALL SCREEN PRODUCTIONS.

AND JUST LIKE THE OLD 'GUNSMOKE' SERIES, THE WRITING IS EXCELLENT. THE DIALOGUE IS SHARP AND EFFECTIVE.

THERE IS JUST SOMETHING SUPERIOR ABOUT THE DELIBERATE 'CAN DO' ATTITUDE OF MATT DILLON. HE NEVER HESITATES TO DO THE RIGHT THING. HE DOESNT HAVE TO MEDITATE ON IT OR REGRET IT AFTERWARDS.

HE IS A SLIGHTLY FLAWED BUT ALWAYS WHITE HAT GOOD GUY. THIS IS SOMETHING WE NEED IN THIS 'AGE OF THE WIMP' DOUBTFUL 21ST CENTURY.

AT LEAST ONE PART IN THIS SHOW WAS MISCAST. THE YOUNG UNDECIDED COW THIEF WHO TURNS OUT TO BE A DECENT HAND COULD HAVE BEEN A LOT BETTER PLAYED. THE ACTOR PLAYING THIS PART DOESNT MAKE THE GRADE. HIS PUT ON COWPOKE 'TWANG' IS SEE THROUGH AND THIS HURTS THE OVERALL CREDIBILITY OF THE PICTURE
JUST A TAD.

BUT OTHER THAN THAT-
'GUNSMOKE; TO THE LAST MAN' IS QUALITY ENTERTAINMENT. LONG LIVE MATT DILLON!!! ... Read more

Reviews (35)

I hope the studio takes notice
I just felt I have to add my 2 cents and hope the execs at the studio notice what us fans are saying. We want to see the Magnificent Seven on DVD! The complete series please.

I absolutely loved this show and was disappointed when it was cancelled. While I understand these things happen sometimes I think it was unfair. It was a wonderfully entertaining show. I was drawn to it by Dale Midkiff, Ron Perlman and Andy Kavovit who I had watched on Time Trax, Beauty and the Beast and As the World Turns respectively. They were great to watch, along with Rick Worthy, Micheal Biehn, Eric Close and Tony Starke.

I never was a big fan of westerns, but this one was exciting, filled with equal parts action and humor. I was hooked from the get-go!

Well, I certainly hope us fans are noticed and we'll see this show released on DVD soon!

The Magnificent Seven Rule
The Magnificent Seven was the best western television series ever made. All twenty-three episodes provided drama, humor, and the comraderie missing in 'modern-day' television. Michael Biehn as Chris Larabee, Eric Close as Vin Tanner, Ron Perlman as Josiah Sanchez, Dale Midkiff as Buck Wilmington, Andy Kavovit as JD Dunne, Tony Stark as Ezra Standish, and Rick Worthy as Nathan Jackson...all gave believable performances. Robert Vaughn, Tyne Daly, Jeff Kober, among other, were wonderful guest stars. My heart broke when this series was cancelled a second time. I believe the pilot and entire series have earned a DVD. Extras would be much appreciated such as bloopers, behind the scenes, etc. If you've never seen an episode, you've missed out.

When will the wait be over?
I only saw the 'Magnificent Seven' TV series very sporadically in the UK - it kept getting 'bounced' from the TV schedules in favour of sporting events - but I was totally hooked on the episodes I saw.
The storylines were action-packed, humurous, moralistc and pertinent even to our modern world. The cast were awesome, and each talented actor was given the chance to shine either individually or as a collective. There was not a single weak episode made, and the writing and directing was superb too. In short, this superlative TV western series should never have been cancelled. But it was.
But what is perhaps an even greater travesty, is that the studio/owners haven't yet released the show on DVD. Surely this is a major oversight? I would love to own the complete series on DVD, and the show's universal appeal to young and old alike, means that my elderly parents also want to purchase the 'Magnificent Seven' TV series on disc.
I hope the show is earmarked for DVD release soon. It would make my year!

Do We Have To Beg? Please~!
Now, I do believe that we deserve to have our fav boys on DVD!! I really hope that the studio would release it, because there are lots of fans who are truely in love with the show, but haven't watched a single episode!! Well, take ME for an example, I've fallen hard for the guys only through reading their bios and reading couple of fics... and now, I consider myself one of the biggest fans!

I do believe that plenty of fans would be more than pleased once the Magnificent 7 get released on DVD, and more than many would hurry to get their own copy. So, speaking on the behalf of all the fans who hadn't had the chance to watch these boys do their magic, WE WANT THE SERIES ON DVD!!!

With no doubt, once you take as much as a glimpse of the show, you'd get hooked. It's one of the best series I've ever heard of (unfortunately, not watched), and the fans are growing in the speed of light and there's no wonder why! It would be more than great to get the series on DVD, and I plan to buy my own copy once it's released.

The Seven on DVD
Having recently caught most of the episodes on late-night tv here in the Netherlands, I've become a fan of this excellent show, and wonder why it was cancelled after only two seasons. I fear that the current preoccupation with reality tv has been the kiss of death to such quality productions . If any of you studio execs have an ounce of soul, you'll (1) get seasons 1 & 2 onto DVD (region-free?) (2) revive the show with the same outstanding cast. ... Read more

Reviews (34)

Excellent soundtrack. The Titanic is the Star of this one.
People watch this movie for the soundtrack. Forget the acting. the Titanic is the Star. Clive Cussler is a brillant author and Dirk Pitt is the all american hero (James Bond, Indiana Jones and Macgyver all rolled into one) who gets a little short changed in this novel adaption. Watch the watch movie, buy the soundtrack and then listin to it while reading the book.

As a movie, good...as an adaptation?Well, not so good...
Having seen this movie specifically because of my love of Clive Cussler novels, I cannot help but pile on the criticism of this movie as one of the more horrible film adaptations of a truly spectacular adventure novel.Why?Because those who made this movie, attempted to re-write what was virtually perfect ALREADY.

However...for those who have never read the book, this movie really CAN have some fun & adventurous moments.So why all of the negative comments?I have YET to see a really decent and faithful adaptation of a novel to the big screen.Why?Who can say other than of COURSE there are several reasons why specific scenes are difficult or downright impossible to recreate visually, either by budget limitations or special effects difficulties or is simply unnecessary to the plot.HOWEVER, with that said, when eliminating certain portions of a film end up literally changing such large sections of the storyline as to render it almost an entirely different story, you have to ask yourself WHY DO IT?For those who have read the sequel to Jurassic Park and seen the abysmal movie version, you have to wonder if they even made the movie based on the novel AT ALL.In the case of Raise The Titanic, this is yet another case of plot alterations so severe that it renders the movie almost frighteningly different than the book.

One MAJOR problem with the movie HAS to be the casting of Dirk Pitt.While I am not entirely sold on the casting in 'Sahara' (other than Penelope Cruz as PERFECTLY fitting as Eva Rojas), Titanic's Dirk was simply mis-cast entirely.Somewhat like picking Regis Philbin to be Indiana Jones...well maybe not quite THAT bad.The special effects are surprisingly well done, though.Unlike some films, as time goes by many movies which when first viewed seem to have fantastic effects, only to be seen decades later and you wonder at just how cheesey they look today, this film's effects manage to hold up rather well over the years.However for those of us who are Cussler-aholics, we still find the re-written script to be silly by comparrison.This ISN'T to say the movie is not worth seeing, especially for those who haven't read the book.I can appreciate the film for what it is, and even for what it was INTENDED to be, but I find it almost in-excuseable to rate this movie beyond 2 stars for how much of a horrific adaptation it made.

A little over a year ago I had the incredible opportunity to interview Clive himself, and I asked him specifically about this movie.He said he was so disappointed with how it turned out he vowed to NEVER again sell one of his books to Hollywood unless he had script approval, actor approval and director approval.Since it has been a VERY long time in between Titanic and the release of Sahara, you can see that it took Hollywood a consideraly long amount of time to finally wise up and allow him what he wanted.All things considered, I felt the elimination of the President Lincoln angle from the movie took quite a bit of the REAL fun out of it.

Will I pay to see another Cussler film if ever adapted for the big screen no matter HOW badly it is scripted?Probably.But I sincerely hope that before any Producer makes this attempt to consider one VERY important thing first:Remember WHY the book was so good to begin with.Don't mess with the original.Leave out only what is absolutely necessary and don't take too many liberties with the storyline.See how successful the Lord of the Rings movies were??They adhered to the actual story about 85% of the time and look at the incredible success it enjoyed as a result?Just something to think about.

10 years befoer it was found
I think that the movie was good even if the titanic in reality was broken into pieces, but the book was made ten years before they found the titanic, and well the movie needed to follow the book.

A classic in my dvd-collection!
I agree with one of the reviewers below though I haven't red the book (yet): it's far from the first screen-adaption not being faithful to the book it's based on, far from!

And this adventure-movie, that's all it tries to be, is extremely entertaining -so adventure-fans, haven't you given this one a chanse yet, well, then you've missed something - I guarantee!

The filming of the raising: all I can say is WOW!!! It looks real, though I must admit as a big fan of the movie some wreck-shots on the "bottom of the Atlantic", well, you can tell it is a model -but not all data-animation looks real today either, and that's a fact. This movie must have required a lot of hard work and planning.

I really enjoy "Raise The Titanic", every time I watch it - and I never get bored.

One more thing -the fabolous John Barry soundtrack. Worthy of an Academy Award (and this is serious), the music is so mighty -and the music alone makes this movie worth seing. Fantastic soundtrack!

It's not on dvd here on the amazon.com, I've checked - but it's released on dvd over here in Norway. It contains the trailer, no behind-the-scenes. But I was very happy the day I found it... again!

You can buy it on dvd on www.play.com (in case you're a fan, and would like to buy it). Trailer included. And Cast-biographies.

Recommended!

dissapointed
I was dissapointed that the movie left out so much great stuff that the book has to offer.I truly feel that Cussler was robbed of the finer and major points of his work.I also didn't like thier choice of actors for characters like Admiral Sandecker or Dirk Pitt.I hope in the new movie they plan onmaking McCaunahey decides to take the role if not Harrison Ford or someone like that. ... Read more