Reviews (15)

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

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

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

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

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

Amazon.com

Directed by Norman Jewison and adapted by Donald Margulies fromhis Pulitzer Prize-winning play, this acclaimed HBO production offers awelcome antidote to the superficiality of mainstream Hollywood. Withthe same attention to emotional detail that he brought toMoonstruck, Jewison establishes a delicate balance of anguishand bittersweet humor, reaching peak intensity as two couples confrontthe aftershocks of infidelity. Dennis Quaid and Andie MacDowell playthe steady pair, committed to surviving every marital peak and valley.Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette are splitting up, divided by hisinfidelity and forced to reevaluate connections to their long-termfriends. While Jewison and cinematographer Roger Deakins expertlytranslate the stagy material, the revealing, nonjudgmental quality ofMargulies's dialogue inspires excellence from this quartet ofunderrated actors. Funny, painful, and full of truth, Dinner withFriends presents marriage as an organic work in progress, never tobe taken for granted, and never guaranteed. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (9)

A "Thinker"
This movie amazed me. After the credits rolled, I sat there thinking that I should probably just start it back up and watch it again. What a surprising, detailed portrayal of self-deception. The way we can live with lies and not realize it at all. And manipulate others so that they reinforce those ways we are deceiving ourselves. Whew. Great acting from all four. Great story.

encompassing. . .
This film is a flawless treatment of four people's views of one universal abstraction: love (and the commitments it entails). Refreshing dialogue, encompassing performances (particularly Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette), and beautiful framing combine to make a terrific and demanding film experience.

A thought-provoking and reflective film about relationships
This was a remarkable work of art. It was quite obvious that everyone involved was emotionally invested in the project.
First of all, kudos to the playwright; I'm always impressed when male writers can capture the female psyche with expertise and intuition and translate it to a three dimensional character. Expect nothing less than completely truthful revelations about what women are like, or what they can become, in long-term relationships. It may be painful for some people to watch because many of us in this society go through our relationships with blinders on; a lot of couples live in denial. Hopefully this film will foster some degree of understanding, compassion, and discussion in its viewers.
Secondly, the cast was nothing less than extraordinary. Because of the rich dialogue, these actors were finally given a chance to show a great deal of range. Dennis Quaid's performance was simply incredible; he surprises me all the time by outdoing himself with each new role. It's a testament to how often women underestimate men and their complex needs and desires within a relationship. A couple of the scenes involving Dennis Quaid's and Greg Kinnear's characters are the most heart-breaking because they reveal a great deal of wisdom that tragically, they cannot manage to impart with their wives. Toni Collette and Andie MacDowell are equal to the task of playing against the two male leads. There is a great deal of humor, warmth, and chemistry between all of the actors.
I highly recommend this film to anyone who is interested in understanding the opposite sex. There's an important lesson to be learned as well: when it comes to relationships, we are all active participants and we need to learn to take accountability for our actions. Especially those we inflict on our loved ones.

Good dialogue movie with good dialogue!
As an accidental rule, I love movies with 6 characters or less; the ones stripped down so that each characters personality can come through in a way that can not be enhanced by effects, special settings or other frills.

I've watched this movie twice now and I can already say that I've picked up on several of the many, I'm sure, nuances here. Four characters, two mairrages, one divorce and each is remarkably done. I especially appreciate that none of the characters (even Kinnear's adulterous character, which he seems typecast for now) is presented as flawed, spirited and in a way, noble. Gabe (Dennis Quaid) is heartbreaking as he has taken back-seat in a mairrage to a strong woman (McDowell) who, while wanting, nay demanding, her husband talk to her more, always manages to tell him how stupid the things he says are. Also the contrast between the pairs is phenomenal. Tom is the confident divorcee, Gabe is the soft-spoken married one. Beth is the free-thinking, and maybee too free-thinking, now single, artist, and Karen is the organized and 'moralistic' married woman, trying all-too-hard too hold a friendship between the four together.

Whether you are 21 or 71, married or single, male (well...maybe) or female (for my part, I am a 26 year old, happily single, male), parts of this film will speak to us all. Whether it's Tom's frank talks with Gabe about his wife's refusal for even basic physical contact, Gabe's rebuttal about the joys of mairrage and growing old with a sweetheart, Karen's dream about "the two us's" or Beth's attempts to remain aloof and free from it all. You may laugh, you'll certainly cry, you'll probably scatch your head, you'll pick a character to hate and find out you werer wrong, and you'll pick a character to love and find out you were right.

Pretty good.
Enojyable, thought-provoking movie, but with some major flaws. Firstly, the characters - though engaging - are unrealistic. Andie MacDowell and Dennis Quaid are of course the so called hero's of the film, but A.M. is so annoying that you find it hard to side with her. Greg Kinnear is great as always as is the lady who plays his wife (though she's not terribly appealing either). The movie seems, not intentionally, hell-bent on portraying women as being nagging and annoying, though they do it subtlely enough so that you don't realize whats going on while you're watching it. The guys on the other hand are sympathetic and genuine. This might sound strange considering the movie is a character annalysis, but once you get past the characters themselves the movie is actually really good. The characters are unrealistic and annoying, but their situation is so intriguing and perpetuating that they could have cast Adam Sandler, Carrot Top, Jeanine Gerafolo (spelling?) and Andie MacDowell in it and it still would have been engaging. In short you can't help but imagine yourself in their situation, and so the movie, a very short way into it becomes about you. Its very interesting how they managed this, and perhaps thats not the case for everyone, but thats how i felt about it. Whatever. ... Read more

Reviews (90)

The best contextual musical ever
Norman Jewison's "Fiddler On the Roof" is the story of a poor milkman living in tsarist Russia, which in the outskirts of Russia. This is one of the most original musicals, based on the stories of Sholom Aleichem. Played by Chaim Topol and Norma Crane as Tevye and Golde, the acting of this role of parents of five daughters in an orthodox Jewish family is done brilliantly. Tevye's misquotings of the bible is hilarious. The songs in the movie are outstanding and poignant. Starting from the beginning with "Tradition", with violinist Isaac Stern doing his magic, every song has its uniqueness.

Each of his three older daughters choose a different path. The first one refuses to marry the person chosen by the father as she in love with the tailer Motel. The way Tevye cons his wife into agreeing for this wedding is one of the funniest pieces of the movie. The characters chosen are unique and beautifully portrayed. The song before this, "Matchmaker, matchmaker" is beautiful. The way Yente, the matchmaker looks at the youngest daughters as though they were caravans wares is extremely funny. The second daughter Tseitel chooses the revolutionary who is against the Tsar and wishes communism. The song in the bar "To life, Le Chaim" is unusual and shows the way the Jews and the Christians can get along in a limited manner. The third daughter chooses a gentile.

Though this is a musical, the acting, story and the character portrayal is deep. Songs range from comic like "If I were a rich man", to haunting, "Sunrise, sunset", to sad and lonely, "Little bird". Though being Jewish will help one understand this movie better, it is not a necessity. The screenplay is wonderful. The particular one that I like is when Avraham comes and tells that there are bad things going on in the world. Another person says, "Why should I break my head about the outside world, let the outside world break its own head". Here Tevye says, "He is right, if you spit in the air, it lands in your face." Then the revolutionary says, "Nonsense, you cannot be blind to what happens outside." Then Tevye says, "You know, he is also right." At this time Avraham points to the revolutionary and the other person and says, "He is right and he is right, they can't both be right." Now Tevye looks at Avraham and says, "You know, you are also right."

When the Jews are evicted, it is extremely sad. They console themselves saying that their village Anatevka was not exactly the garden of Eden. This song, "Anatevka", is sad and heartbreaking. They have so little but still love it. It reminds one that happiness is something of the inside and has nothing to do with material possessions. This movie is a classic and a timeless masterpiece. It might be difficult for some people to understand due to the history of Tsarist Russia and its pogroms and the context, otherwise, to date it is my favorite musical.

One of the greatest musicals of all time...
Fiddler on the Roof is a cinematic masterpiece. Originally a musical, this movie is an amazing adaptation that remains faithful to the original, while at the same time not making it seem "theatrical" to the point where it looks contrived. The characters are played perfectly with Topol (who plays Tevye, the poor village milkman) taking the highest honors.

Fiddler on the Roof is simply a timeless story, even if it finds itself placed in czarist Russia. The story revolves around Tevye, a poor Jew living in Russia and his struggle to stay true to his faith (and ideals) in a world that is rapidly changing. This film follows Tevye in his journey to meld his rich Jewish past with the modern world that surrounds him. His arguments with himself ("On the other hand,...") are priceless and allow us to relate with Tevye as he struggles with his heritage (the pogroms), his financial status ("If I Were a Rich Man") and his family (his daughters are entering marrying age).

Ths music is wonderful. The songs are poignant and easily remembered. I guarantee that you'll wind up singing/humming "Tradition" or "If I Were a Rich Man" days after watching the movie. The movie itself is humourous at times, and sorrowful the next and the storyline is deep, but is not a damning social commentary. The cinematics are also extraordinary, with the film being shot "on location" in Zagreb, Yugoslavia.

This is an ideal family movie, and I can remember watching (and loving) this movie at an early age. I'm glad I purchased this movie for my DVD collection, as it will become one of my most watched (and sung to) films. The box comes with only a single DVD, but is double-sided and contains additional footage, an additional song (cut at production) and a commentary on the movie itself.

Fiddler on the Roof
IT was absolutely amazing. Everything about it! The backround and effects were amaxing and it was a very touching story with absolutely wonderful actors and unforgetable songs. SPECTACULAR!

An excellent film, except for the cover art
I love this movie, but was highly dissaponted with the ugly cover art design. They should have stuck to the original poster art. Anyways, the music is great, and it is good to see such movies being restored on DVD.

The best of all musicals.
I agree with HeadbangerDuh in every sense. This is the best of musicals. While some other musicals amy be corny, boring, and downright dumb, Fiddler shows humor, interest, and is educational. Although part one is funnier, part two I feel is richer, and more full, not as goofy. This is probably the best film of the century. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Directors Sidney Lumet, Alan J. Pakula, Sydney Pollack, and NormanJewison astutely documented the political pulse ofthe '60s and '70s with such films as Prince of the City, The Parallax View,Three Days of the Condor, and In the Heat of the Night. Lumet and Jewison havecarried their cinematic social consciousness into their past two decades of filmmaking as well. In Country (1989) is Jewison's mournful look at oneAmerican family's struggle to survive the aftermath of Vietnam. The film is based on Bobbie Ann Mason's bookand it was Bruce Willis's first effort tobreak out of his Moonlighting and Die Hard mold by tackling the dramaticallydark role of Emmett, a Vietnam veteran whose flashbacks of battle horrorhave pushed him into isolation from the world. His niece, Samantha (Emily Lloyd),lost her dad in the war, and these two unlikely people form a bond based on apast Emmett can't escape and a future that looms bright and beautiful forSamantha. What Jewison does best is evoke the sense of hope that was once held by theforgotten survivors of that terrible war. InCountry ambitiously struggles to pull all of its threads together, and while this is a wonderful character study, it has a messy, meanderingstructure that never quite gels or answers thequestions it poses. Yet there's no denying that the climactic closing sceneshave a poignancy and power that will bring tears to anyone watching. --Paula Nechak ... Read more

Reviews (15)

A Simple Movie With a Powerful Message
In Country is one of my all-time favorite movies. The plot to the movie is simple enough--a teenage girl who's just graduated from high school is wanting to find out more about the Vietnam War and about her father who died in the war before she was born. The movie quickly becomes so much more. You find yourself truly caring about these characters and what they went through in Vietnam. Bruce Willis does an exceptional job playing the young girl's "mentally alienated" uncle. The movie is really about the importance of family and the bonds that last beyond the grave. The ending is so powerful that it leaves me in tears every time.

bruce willis hogs the movie...give emily some movie time
A good attempt at post war but failed in many ways. the past faze shots are so fake its unbelieveable. ...the best post vietnam is 'born on the forth'. NOT this movie. Bruce Willis plays a Vet but the acting was overdone that it look fake. It works for DIEHARD, but not here. The part is beyond him as he tries to get all the attention, as well as screen shots. Emily Lloyd didnt get enough time thanks to the almighty bruce demand to be the center of attention. The ending is somewhat touching but the rest is boring and a waste of time. Save ur time and money by watching Born on the Forth.

take care all

Tough for Viet Nam Vets
While I agree with other reviewers that this movie has some serious structural and dramatic defects, Willis' performance and character effectively capture much of the discomfort, ambiguity, sadness and displacement of returning Viet Nam veterans. I am one, and this movie is one of the few which accurately captures those feelings without apology, caraciture or political agenda. If only for this, it's an important movie, although not really "enjoyable" to watch or comfortable for Viet vets.

Good movie, lackluster DVD
This is one of those movies best seen on a lazy Sunday afternoon with nothing else to do. It is a thoughtful character study that creeps up on you and really gets under the skin.

Bruce Willis wisely downplays all of his usual acting schtick (much like he did in Terry Gilliam's Twelve Monkeys). He delivers a truly heartfelt performance as an emotionally damaged Vietnam veteran. Pay close attention to what he does in this movie -- he uses his very expressive face to convey a wide spectrum of emotions that brings across the inner turmoil that is going on in his character.

In Country is told from the perspective of Emily Lloyd's character. She is a naive, young girl who wants to know more about the war that took her father away from her and can't understand why her father's friends are so unwilling to talk about their experiences. This is her best performance of her, so-far, short career.

But, let's be honest, this film belongs to Willis and deservedly so. He's the kind of actor who needs a strong director to reign him in and Norman Jewison is that kind of a filmmaker. He really gets a wonderful performance out of Willis that is wrenching, funny, sad and everything in between.

This an excellent character-driven film set in small-town America much like the equally underappreciated Robert De Niro-Ed Harris drama, Jacknife. In Country examines how war not only effects those who fought in it but also the people around them after they return home.

Sadly, the DVD has nothing in the way of extras (a commentary track by Jewison or the book's author, Bobbie Ann Mason, would have been nice) and is also presented in pan and scanned mode. Too bad.

worst movie about vietnam ever
this movie is so full of horrible acting, idiotic writing, and pathetic southern accents that I forgot I was watching a movie about vietnam veterans. the movie bastardizes what should be a solemn moment- when the hillbilly family visits The Wall while discussing barbeque for lunch. I am from Kentucky and I do not know anyone who speaks the ways these idiots do; i noticed in the credits that they had a dialect coach whom I hope is out of a job! Samantha is so full of annoying energy you don't even get the feeling that she is affected by her dad's death- she speaks about it at the dinner table with her grandparents while smiling and passing the mashed potatoes and gravy! did this actress have any clue what the movie was about? the battle scenes look like they took place at someone's lake house, not the in the jungle. to say the movie is oversentimental and trite is an understatement. bruce willis serves no purpose in this movie except to remind you it's about a veteran, not just about his hick niece who jogs all over town and dreams about going to the mall someday. to sum it all up, this movie is not about the pain left from the vietnam war. it is about who can do the worst accent, yell "woo hoo" the most times, and make the most obvious stereotypical references to southern culture. this movie is an utter joke. i threw it in the trash after i saw it, and have resumed my pledge to never watch another bruce willis movie again- or any movie with the other actors/writers/directors. I would recommend this movie to anyone who wants to watch and make fun of one of the most hideous movies ever made, if it were not for the fact that it is about supposed to be about such a serious topic-vietnam. ... Read more

Description

A star-studded trilogy of romance and drama - each story presents a provocative look at life and love, molded by the creative touches of three talented directors: Norman Jewison, Peter Bogdanovich and Jonathan Kaplan. "Soir Bleu" stars Alan Arkin as Tully, a circus clown in love with the beautiful, but abused, wife of the circus manager. During the touring company's last performance, Tully finally decides to act on his love with tragic consequences. "Song of Songs" features George Segal as middle-aged baker, Ted, with Brooke Adams and Sally Kirkland as the women in his life - one is his wife and one is his mistress. In a comical twist of fate, Ted learns the difference between true romance and passion. "Language of the Heart" is set against the exquisite backdrop of the ballet world of the 1920's. A beautiful young ballerina and a talented street musician realize the fulfillment of their love and dreams through the hand of the wise Maestro (Michael Lerner). ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Denzel's Performance Overcomes Films Flaws.
Norman Jewison has officially become the new Stanley Kramer with Hurricane. Jewison has made preachy, dull, message pictures like 'In Country' or poor adaptations of stage plays like 'Agnes of God' or over-long and not as good as they should be wanna-be-classics like 'Fiddler on the Roof' or utter misfires like 'F.I.S.T.' And He's also helmed some well liked films like Jesus Christ Superstar, Rollerball, And 'Justice for All', 'Other People's Money' and 'Best Friends.' He's also the director of Moonstruck and the original Thomas Crown Affair, The Cincinatti Kid, The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming,

His best films: 'In the Heat of the Night', and 'A Soldier's Story' have a winning combination of pure Hollywood gloss, and well captured realistic details which manage to deal with controversial subjects in entertaining and engrossing ways. They pretend they aren't preaching to the audience, but wind up leading them down paths toward somewhat liberal politically correct views. Nothing wrong with that. Artists often have agendas and why shouldn't screenwriters and directors, particularly when often the agenda involves dealing with or over-coming racism with understanding, compassion, tolerance and love.

It's also worth noting that more often than not the lead and/or supporting actors in Jewison films give wonderful performances for which they are nominated and sometimes win Academy Awards for.

The Hurricane is not the best film Norman Jewison has made, but it is certainly a worthwhile one. He uses Rubin Hurricane Carter's story to again tell us that "words are mightier than swords and love really does conquer all". It's not the most earth shattering of messages but it certaintly bears repeating.

Denzel Washington's powerful performance overcomes the films considerable, though predictable flaws. And much of it works very well. Several scenes would have been drastically improved if they were cut short by about 15 to 30 seconds to avoid some unnecessary last lines of dialogue or reaction shots which denuded the scenes impact or even made the scene feel like it was following a television friendly structure and we're cutting to a commercial now.

There were however several moments which were caught perfectly. Jewison can be very good at choosing moments to add just the right kind of emotional impact to a scene. A well placed shot of some clouds in a sky has deep meaning when it's connected properly to the right character at the right moment.

Unfortunately, Jewison can also be very heavy handed in re-stating the obvious. An establishing shot which lingers on the scales of justice just isn't necessary for instance.

The film has one foot firmly planted in the traditional Hollywood type biographical film, which keeps it's story fairly simple, easy to follow and with clearly drawn lines of right and wrong, good and bad, fairness and injustice etc. etc. Yes most everything in the film has been overly simplified. i

Sure, we see that Rubin was an angry black man full of hate. We also see he's a boxer who channels that energy into his sport. And while he doesn't begin the film as a completely sympathetic character we know enough of the story almost immediately that we get to know the film version of Rubin from a very particular viewpoint. It's not uncommon for movie biographies to do this though. Most movie biographies frame their subjects in the best of lights of course, but the film pretends to be balanced. It's not. The error here is that it thinks it has a duty to try to be somewhat balanced and so when it fails to do so, you have got to consider it a flaw.

I would expect, since it is not a documentary there would be inconsistencies and inacuracies. And that many liberties will be taken with real life characters. In truth there were a group of 7 Canadians along with Lezra (the young african-american boy who befriended Rubin), whose efforts wound up re-opening Carter's trial in the mid 80's which lead to his release. In the movie the seven are turned into a composite character of three Canadians and we aren't sure if the two guys are sleeping with the one woman, or if they are indeed friends, business partners and roomates. It's referred to as a commune a couple of times, but communes are made up of more than three people. You can quibble about many minor details in the film, but the film's message is positive and it's an effective and entertaining film.

I think for most, the film will work beautifully. It will be upon a second viewing that one can choose to let the films flaws bother them a great deal, or to easily over-look them because the films story and message is an important one to remember.

I'm happy to report the DVD is full of worthwhile extras. The obligatory Behind the Scenes featurette is better than most because we get to see and hear the real life Rubin Carter and Lezra.

There are also several deleted scenes, nicely introduced by Norman Jewison who comes across as a pretty friendly if slightly condescending film-maker who found it difficult to cut some of the scenes he shares with us from the film. None of the scenes were absolutely necessary and a few have the same flaws as many in the film do (not ending a few seconds earlier to make things sharper and less t.v. movie-ish), but these are indeed pretty good scenes .

Chris Jarmick, Author of The Glass Cocoon with Serena F. Holder-a steamy cyber- thriller ...) ... Read more