Reviews (66)

Brokedown Movie
Claire Danes is the only thing that kept this movie going. She is so eye-fetching and compelling as an actress, that you just want to reach out and touch her. But, what a lousy ending. It had potential. The scenario is an all too familiar one, two good-looking American girls find themselves trapped in an Asian prison with seemingly no way out. But, this isn't a jailbait movie, it attempts to address the issue in a serious way, a la Midnight Express, but unfortunately falls flat on its face.

The characters are so unbelievable (except Danes of course). Fathers who allow their daughters to rot in jail. A private American lawyer hanging out in Bangkok who wiffs of second-hand Graham Greene novels ready to bail out the girls for a price. A friendship between the two girls that you really have to question in the face of what happens to them, and an ending that will leave you totally exasperated.

I don't suppose this was based on a true story. Rather, the director seemed in search of some gravitas and needed to concoct an ending that would carry with it the emotional weight he imagined would be the case in such a situation. But, it is simply too incredible to believe that Danes' character would sell herself in this way.

amazing talent
this movie tells it like it is, its dramatic, and very well acted. It shows strangth, power, friendship and betral.
its amazing

Wonderful Movie
Many negative reviews seem to be under the misapprehension that this movie is about something which it is not. Something that, if it were to incorporate those elements, would completely change the character of the film--turning it from a story about friendship, character, and life's little events to one about the horrors of the foreign prison.

This film is not about prison or about life in prison. It is not about drug smuggling. Criticizing it on this is like saying that Pirates of the Caribbean is a horrible movie because it doesn't represent an accurate portrayal of shipboard life.

It is a stunningly beautiful and well done (at points artistic) portrayal of the depths of friendship and the strength of human character ("if you are lying..."). The sets and acting are wonderful, the examination of the Thai legal system seemed fair (regardless of whether those are the actual conditions in prison, I am not qualified to judge nor do I care for the purposes of this film), and there were several underlying moral questions without clear answers.

Which is another thing: this movie doesn't leave you with all of the answers. Nothing is left accidentally dangling, but there are several things left for you to chew on.

Exotic lands are only fun until...
Sure, the movie was not (from what I know) completely accurate in terms of the conditions of Thai prisons. And I do agree at times the prison seemed so sunny, too friendly, too cheerful, etc to be realistic. But I think that the plot is that of a tale of friendship as much as it is of serving time in a Thai prison.

Most importantly, I think that anyone who is a first time traveler or planning on backpacking throughout Southeast Asia really should see this film. Darlene and Alice were typical girls from USA Suburbia. They had just finished school (like many who are about to do a gap year or some backpacking) and went to Thailand because it was exotic, different, faraway... They really didn't know much about Thai culture before they set out.

Sadly, they stayed in Thailand for much longer than they had planned to -- locked up in a women's prision (probably Lard Yao), for carrying drugs. Without devulging the plot, it is fair to say that they were innocent.

Again, another harsh reminder that if you are heading to Southeast Asia (or really any developing area), you need to be really careful. Watch this, read Sandra Gregory's "Forget you Had a Daughter," and don't try anything stupid (or don't be coerced, tricked, etc). Southeast Asia is a wonderful place, and you will have a blast. Just know that there are consequences if you are caught with anything.

Reason I didn't give it a one star
Warning -semi-spoilers

Okay, there is one reason I did not give this film a one star. If a young teeny bopper adolescent girl crazed over Claire Danes can learn a lesson about flying off to an unknown place without understanding that country's laws, and stop thinking it's so cool to go away with her best gilfriend and live it up in another exotic locale...then all is not wasted.

Otherwise...this movie was really sad. Not as entertaining as the commericals lead me to believe. The girls were too incredibly naive and arrogant while in another country. Depressing stuff. ... Read more

Reviews (36)

Excellent Performance by Jodie Foster
This film is pretty much a run of the mill made for TV flick up until the startling, graphic rape scene. However this distinction must be made. First, TV movies just weren't made about this subject until after this film came out--it opened many doors, and for that it should be applauded. Second, Jodie Foster gives an excellent performance and provides an unflinching look at how rape can ruin a victim's life.
Also, this film deserves credit for portraying the victim as a strong willed character who is far from perfect-and it sends the message that flirting with someone does NOT mean that you deserve to be raped. And I applaud the fact that this film doesn't take the extreme view (hello Lifetime channel) that all men are pigs who either enjoy victimizing women or don't see anything REALLY wrong with doing so. On the contrary, this film has many likeable male characters (even one who helps the victim with her case, despite the fact that one of his friends raped her).

Though it's not perfect, there are many redeeming qualities to this ground breaking film.

Brilliant Foster
Based on a true story, "The Accused" is a wrenching, harowing portrait of a woman from the "wrong side of the tracks" who is raped by a group of men in a bar's back room. Jodie Foster's first Oscar winning performance is a wonder to experience - she is mesmerizing in the role, both as a victim and protagonist. She plays her character Sarah to perfection, with the right combination of bad-girl guts and unequivocal sorrow. Her eyes tell volumes about the woman, so that the audience feels for her despite being willing participants in the actual rape sequence. Did Sarah ASK for this abuse, the actress seems to ask us? Certainly not is the answer we come away with, yet Foster makes Sarah a real, human character, not the martyr-like victim presented in similar docu-dramas of the same type. In doing so, she accomplishes a rare thing - straddling the thin line between Sarah's tough exterior and inner nurturing. A lovely, calibrated performance from one of the world's best actresses.

Compelling yet Harrowing
Jodie Foster won an Oscar for her portrayal of Sarah, a young woman from the wrong side of the tracks, who is gang raped in a bar after a drunken night out. Foster delivers a mesmerising performance as the traumatised victim fighting for justice against a system that has labelled her as 'worthless' due to her previous lifestyle. Kelly McGillis plays the district attorney who initially lets Sarah down and agrees to a plea bargain that Sarah doesn't want. When the realisation hits of what she has done, she fights to ensure the perpetrators of this brutal rape are brought to justice.
This is never an easy film to watch. The crime is too violent and the emotions too raw for that. The audience is left with a feeling of unease at the brutality of the crime and at the judicial system that is supposed to protect the innocent.It is however, a compelling film due to the outstanding performances of the lead actors and it cannot fail to touch and move the most hard hearted of viewer.

An Unforgettable Learning Experience
Jodie Foster and Kelly McGillis star in the unforgettable 1988 film "The Accused". Its plot of a young woman, Sarah, getting raped and struggling to get past it is emotional through every second. Its hardhitting scenes, namely the rape scene, hold enough power to hit audiences' hearts like nothing else. Such events express truth in the court system about rape cases. It teaches audiences that it's difficult to convict rapists, even with a lot of evidence. The emotional stance of the film is true. The trauma and fears during and after is expressed to the fullest. Every struggle keeps audiences interested in every event, leading to a surprising conclusion. Its certain graphic scenes were necessary to film to show the issue's depth. The details prove that the writers researched rape to its fullest, which deserves them tremendous respect.

Jodie Foster's Oscar winning role (Best Actress) as Sarah is one of her career bests. She performs with every drop of heart and soul that adds to the film's powerful message. Kelly McGillis's role as Sarah's determined lawyer is wonderful. However, she was wrongfully overlooked by the Oscars for Best Actress. As a real-life rape victim, she used her own life experiences as influence for her performance quality. It resulted highly powerful. All other actors, major or minor, also performed their roles wonderfully.

"The Accused" is a great film for everyone to watch. This is sure to touch many viewers for a long time. Afterwards, keep the film playing for a few more seconds after it ends. The rape statistics shown are interesting, yet shocking.

hard-hitting but forced
the accused is a gripping tale of one woman's fight for justice. jodie foster pulls out a brilliant performance, the movie is hard-hitting, disturbing and very evocative. however at times it seems a little forced and unnatural. a lot of it is due to the inept acting of kelly mcgillis who gives a horrible performance.

the story raises a lot of questions about how we perceive people by what comes out first, without looking beyond the external appearances. however this could have been a much better film if handled a little more sensitively.

most of the performances are downright horrible and the rape scene shown only at the end seemed a little forced and unnecessary. despite all these flaws the movie is touching and is worth a watch if you're willing to spend a serous 2 hours.

A disturbing 7 out of 10 ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Don't call th police!!!!!!
This is a very suspenseful film that is probably Kurt Russell's best & most believeable performances, the film begins with Russell as a self-employed business man who it seems works out of his home putting deals together, Madelyn Stowe is perfect as Russell's wife, & they live a pretty normal life in the L.A. suburbs, then a theif breaks in & holds Stowe hostage with a knife after Russell has a confrontation with him, the man escapes & Russell & Stowe do what any couple would do, call the police & report the incident, Ray Liotta(fresh off GOODFELLAS) is seen here a one of two cops who show up to take the report, it is clear that he is smitten with Stowe & soon befreinds them, at one point him & Russell become close in that Liotta surprises Russell by catching the man who broke into the home, Russell, still angry about the incident is given a chance for payback courtesy of Liotta, but refuses when Liotta gives him the go-ahead for beating the guy, Liotta instead does the deed & Russell senses that Liotta is not all there & decides to cut all ties with him, this is where the worst in Liotta comes out, we discover that he is a loose cannon that even his partner knows but does little to intervine, until Liotta threatens Russell, Liotta messes with Russell in many ways, such as messing with his credit cards, his business deals, & even at one point intruding on him & Stowe as they have sex, he even sets Russell up for a drug bust as a way to get to Stowe, soon Russell is making bail & it is a race against time as he must save his wife from Liotta who at this point is obsessingly deranged, (...)Liotta performance is chilling & one of his best so far.

a creepy highly provocative thriller
kurt russell and madeline stowe play a normal husband and wife when suddenly there house is broken into by a theif. so they call the police played by ray liotta and his partner. and as soon as madeline stowe comes down the stairs and ray liotta looks at her that way you can tell he has problems. so ray liotta starts following them around all over and wants the wife so he frames kurt russell and puts him in jail so that ray liotta can be with madeline stowe. but when kurt gets out it will be a showdown between him and ray. rated r for strong violence,language,sexuality and nudity.

russell's great, liottas nutty and stowe is sexy
theres greatness and nuttyness and sexiness to this movie. great performances by the leads,especially Russell and Liotta, man they bash heads in this one and Liotta is surprisingly scary. and Stowe barring in that one scene when Liotta walks in on this is great

great film
to chris in new zealand,madeline stowe wallows ??you must be from mars,madeline stowe carries the film she's the most realistic actress iv'e ever watched,i felt like i was in danger
a superb film and fine performances all round

Now this is a suspenseful thriller!!!
This movie has all the right elements, and creates one entertaining and suspenseful movie! Ray Liotta was just remarkable in this movie, and those interesting eyes of his makes you think you are looking into the pools of insanity! The movie is so suspenseful, I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the conclusion... which didn't let me down for a second. This is one excellent movie, and I highly recommend it. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

This is my favorite movie
Chimps are featured, but only to keep us from defensively noticing that the movie is really talking about our deepest experience as humans-- the transition from mute wonderment, through learning and loss, into competence and self-reliance. The story seems to meander as Matthew Broderick replaces Helen Hunt as the main human character, but by the end you can tell that the script was written with the greatest of care and skill.

This Film is from 1987 not 1968.......
This Film you present here is from 1987. Project X from the 60's is a 1968 film about a spy who brought back from cryogenic suspension after being almost killed in a plane. Please let me know if I am wrong or correct this mistake on your page

One of Broderick`s Best.
Matthew Broderick gives one of his best performances of his career in this funny, touching, sad story about about army recruit been choose to teach and take care of the chimps but the real problem, he find out the army using the chimps for radiactive about if they can survive ,if they are flying the plane without knowning they could die.

Good Cast including Helen Hunt and William Salder. This Is Broderick`s Best With War Games, Ferris Bueller`s Day Off, Glory, The Lion King(Voice Only), Election and his underappreciate films are The Cable Guy and Godzilla. Grade:A.

Forever Awesome
This movie was my favorite when it first came out. I had fogotten about it then I saw it on tv and I haven't seen it at stores so I came here to find it. You have to watch this movie, Its great!! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Few subjects for film are as fat with moral and emotional complexity as human infertility, and the 1989 Immediate Family is an interesting, serio-comic example. Glenn Close and James Woods star as the Spectors, an aging, professional couple who can't conceive on their own. After meeting an unmarried and pregnant 17-year-old girl named Lucy (Mary Stuart Masterson), the Spectors decide to care for her until she hands over her baby to them for adoption. Everything goes according to plan until Lucy and her boyfriend (Kevin Dillon) make the bold decision that they don't want to part with their child, leaving the Spectors twisting in the wind until collective love and wisdom find a way out of this predicament. Directed by Jonathan Kaplan (The Accused), Immediate Family has an honest appeal and attractive performances, but is also noteworthy for its counterintuitive casting of a fiery Woods as a bland, conventional lead. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Two Thumbs Up!
Immediate Family is about a wealthy couple who have every thing they ever dreamed except...a baby. After several failed attempts a getting pregnant the couple find an unmarried teen couple who are about to have a baby but know they cannot support it. This is a mixture of drama and suspense and a film that the whole family would enjoy. Rent it today!

Immediate Family
I believe this video portrays what a young mother goes through about the tough desicion of what she should do for her baby. I believe any one who watches this video will be touch.

Nice Film
This is an entertaining and touching film. It is at times very predictable, and the movie takes a condescending and stereotypical approach to teen birthmothers, but ultimately it is a good film, well worth seeing, and certainly entertaining.

I loved it from beginning to end
I really enjoyed this movie. Being a parent I can understand the longing to have a child and not being able to. Up until the time that I saw Immediate Family I had never seen Woods and Close in this type of role. They were great. I also loved the music. If you're sentimental like myself, pull out the hankie. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

LOVE FIELD
Michelle pfeiffer is a delight to see. from the hair to the accent!!!!! the black man was supposed to be played by denzel washington at that time, but it didn't materialized. But to be fair the black man was convincing. the story has many plots, but for me the best is her obsession with the kennedys during the first part of the movie. Just bad that toward the end the plot concentrated on the man and michelle's escape from the police and for me its not very interesting!!!!! But still the movie is engrossing, you just have to pay attention. After all you have Michelle Pfeiffer on the screen, you won't get bored!!!!

Excellent! A movie that will make the audience think.
I will always wonder why this movie did not get the attention it deserved. Perhaps people still shy away from the racial issue. Whatever the answer may be, it is a terrible pity, since it was probably Michelle Pfeiffers best performance ever.
Moreover this movie, centred around the growing affection between two people from different cultural and racial background brings the racial isssue closer to the public then any other movie I have ever seen.
Excellent acting, a good script and the controversial subject treated with a sublety that in no way distracts from its importance make this the top movie in it's genre

Why Michelle Pfeiffer is the best.
Hollywood wouldn't know a great character driven movie/script if it hit them with a MACK truck,this film should have received much more attention. Michelle Pfeiffer should have won the Oscar for her role and talent breathing life into the child like naive Texan, Lurene. The "very blond" hairdresser from Dallas deals with her reality by viewing her life through the eyes of Jackie Kennedy. Even down to owning the clothing patterns for Jackie's wardrobe and dealing with her own life's regrets through Jackie's eyes, it is destiny that she attend the President's funeral to give support to Jackie. On her journey she encounters a black man with his own regrets and problems, along with his young daughter Jonell, "Joan Ellen". As their paths meet, so do a variety of crisis that brings their point of views together. Racial observers looking at Lurene and Paul funny because of their acquaintace with each other, but the childlike Lurene doesn't understand why. This is definately a treat to watch, and as a native Dallas/Fort Worth Texan, I vow that Michelle nailed the character Lurene as very believeable, from the accent to her viewpoint as a Texan in the 60's...with a special touch of course. Treat yourself and watch this movie!

A Great Film
I can't begin to understand why this film was ignored by audiences everywhere, but I am glad I had the opportunity to watch this film. Love Field is about a woman obsessed with Jackie Kennedy and she has to meet her when she and JFK arrive at the Dallas airport. Later on in the picture, Michelle Pfeiffer's character leaves her husband and on the way meets a father and his daughter and befriends them. It may seem like a 'simple' movie, but Love Field is a touching film worth your time.

A Heart-felt story. One of Pfeiffer's best.
Love Field is a wonderful film about a confused relationship between a man and a woman. The acting is fantastic, the script is great, an the direction is inspired. Pfeiffer definitley deserved her nomination for this great film. I loved every minute of it. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

YEEEEEEAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
Now this is a movie!!!! I've been watching this movie for as long as i can remember, and for me and my brother, this is like "Friday" where we know every comical line, when the music starts in the movie. I can never get tired of this movie, it has it all. A funky-ass soundtrack from the star himself, a lotta pimps-ho's money, chases, shootouts, drama....everything. Isaac Hayes should have made more like this. This is the bomb!!!!

Black Moses and Lt. Uhura Together!
This is one of the better Blackploitation flicks. Hayes is very believable as a streetwise dispenser of justice. It's funny to see Nichelle Nichols, a picture of intelligence and sophistication in the original "Star Trek" series, play a hard bad woman here. The relationship between Turner and his larcenous girlfriend is a trip as well.

Truck turns em' out - dig it!
Isaac Hayes plays an ex football star turned bounty hunter named Mac "Truck" Turner. After he and his partner kill a violent pimp named "Gator", all the pimps get together and a contract is put out on Truck by none other than Gator's woman (Star Trek's Nichelle Nichols). When all the little fish fail to kill Truck, the biggest pimp of them all, Harvard Blue (Homicide's Yaphet Kotto) makes an offer to have it done but for a big price. Does he succeed? What do you think?

Director Johnathan Kaplan's (Unlawful Entry) "Truck Turner" is a great part of the blaxploitation genre and of action films in general. Isaac Hayes makes a great action hero and I wish he had made more films like this. Isaac and his band also provide for one of the funkiest soundtracks ever, maybe more funky than the one he composed for "Shaft". The film is exciting from beginning to end and Truck finds time to romance his lady and to make some jokes in between. One of the funniest scenes is when Truck and his partner go to pick up a prisoner from a military base and they have to break through the check point. When the security guards start shooting at Truck's car, he hopes they shoot his left tire out because he needs a new one real bad. Guess what, not only do they shoot the left tire out but they have to put the new one on for him! The rest of the time you will be laughing when you hear all the words that Nichelle Nichols has learned since she was Lt. Uhura on Star Trek!

*Also recommended with Isaac Hayes: Escape From New York (1981) and I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988) and if you can find it, Three Tough Guys (1974) which also stars Fred "Black Caesar" Williamson

A Top-Notch Blaxploitation Flick!
When I bought this DVD, I was expecting a run-of-the-mill blaxploitation movie. It turned out to be much more! Isaac Hayes is smooth & tough as Truck Turner, a no-nonsense bounty hunter. I'm surprised that Hayes didn't a make many more movies like this. He's more interesting than some of the better-known blaxploitation stars. I'd rank this near the top of the heap (a notch or two below movies like SHAFT and ACROSS 110th STREET). This is a great choice if you're looking for a good shoot-em-up . . . with an attitude!

One of the best of its genre
If you have a sense of humor, and you must if you like Blaxploitation flicks, this is one of the most enjoyable. Invite some friends and have a big laugh...The pimp outfits are to die for.... ... Read more

Reviews (2)

OK
this would have been terence hills big break to make him famous in the states and canada....but what was that????? that wasnt a terence hill movie....it was a 70s love movie.....not like the trinity series or my name is nobody.....rent his other films please... but dont get me wrong i liked this movie but not his type

Wrongheaded vehicle for comedian Hill
This is one of those American produced films that showcase a European star (in this case, Italian Terence Hill) with the idea of promoting his fame in the US while ignoring everything that made him famous in his home country (like a Jackie Chan film with boring American fight choreography). Terence Hill became known for his slapstick comedy spoofs like "They Call Me Trinity" and "Crime Busters" but there is practically no slapstick here; just a 70's chase film with practically nothing to distinguish it from a dozen others (except that it has fewer chases than most!) Check out Hill's other films instead. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This was one of those little movies in the early 1980s that had to struggle to reach audiences because the studios weren't sure how to market it. That's a shame because it had in Bonnie Bedelia an appealingly gritty leading lady. She plays real-life drag-race driver Shirley Muldowney in a biopic about Muldowney's uphill fight to make it in what was at that point a man's sport. Beside battling sexist attitudes, Muldowney also has to cope with issues of career-vs.-family, as well as the struggle between romance and competition when she falls for another driver (Beau Bridges). Heart Like a Wheel was directed byJonathan Kaplan, who seems to havemade a career of films that have trouble making it to the marketplace. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (7)

EXCELLENT!!!!!
I SAW THIS MOVIE ON HBO IN THE 1980'S WHEN I WAS A KID. IT WAS A PRETTY GOOD MOVIE ABOUT A WOMAN BECOMING A SUCCESSFUL RACER. I THINK THAT THE MOVIE WAS GOOD AND THE ACTING WAS SUPERB. AND I DID WATCH THIS MOVIE OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

Not an accurate depiction
Some good action scenes, but historically innacurate.Cha Cha's halo is a little tarnished in real life.

What A Woman!
What a great movie! I have watched this movie over and over since I was about 9 years old...What an inspiration Shirley Muldowney was!Great movie, awesome racing, wonderful acting!!Three cheers for CHA-CHA MULDOWNEY!!

Heart Like a Wheel
Simply put, this move rocks.If you are or ever have been a fan of drag racing this movie should appeal to you.

A historically impacting drama
This little gem of a movie has inspired so many people to achieve their goals in life. Everyone has seen this movie but no one wants to admit that they have watched it over ten times. A notorious time filler for HBO in the early 80's, Heart Like a Wheel is an epic drama with major historicalimpact. I raise a glass to you Shirley and may your heart and wheel spin asone. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Ann Jillian offers a strong performance.
Also known as GIRLS OF THE WHITE ORCHID (1983).
This film is not for children to see. Mature Adults Only.
Cast: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Thomas Byrd, Mako, Carolyn Seymour, Richard Narita, Soon-Teck Oh, Ann Jillian, Yvonne McCord, Philip Charles McKenzie, Leslie Wing, John Hancock.
Jeffifer Jason Leigh is a young lady, Carol, in Hollywood who works as a waitress. She is lonely for her boyfriend (Thomas Byrd) who is in the military. She decides to answer an ad for singer/dancer. She gets the job in Tokyo, but she has no idea what she is about to happen to her. She gets to sing in a nightclub (if you can call it that), but behind the curtain she has no idea yet it's a prostitution ring. The dancers and singers are expected to "be of service" to the Japanese clientele.
Marilyn (Ann Jillian) who is one of the more experienced dancers, tries to give Carol some comfort, but yet tells her how the business is. When the girls refuse to "please the customers" and they want to go back home to the states, the girls are made to "disappear". They are never seen of again. It is said, always said, that they were sent to Osaka.
Can Carol escape before it's too late for her?
This film was originally shown as a Network television movie. The cable version and this DVD version, includes scenes of nudity and adult content.
Ann Jillian offers a strong performances in this film.
I saw this film several times when I was younger not really thinking about the film to seriously. It was just a film to put on. But now some 20 years later, and now I'm middle-aged, this film is a bit disturbing to watch. But there is a message here in this film, and one will taken. Perhaps this is why the actors agreeed to do this film.

Oh god I can't believe I own this movie!
If you haven't seen a movie with Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ann Gillian, and Mako in it, this is your movie. Keep in mind that half of the dialogue is in Japanese but there are no subtitles. Also keep in mind that there's a near-rape scene and lots of toplessness. This is not Jennifer Jason Leigh's best movie. In fact I would bet that she would rather forget this film shot twenty years ago, as would most who worked on it. The best thing about it is its name. Oh, but there are no martial arts in the movie. Sorry.

ANN JILLIAN STEALS THE PICTURE!
Ann Jillian delivers an award winning performance in this movie that co- stars Jennifer Jason Leigh. It's worth the price just to see Ann Jillian as a red head, wow!!!! she's hot and so interesting to watch, you NEVER catch her acting. Jonathan Kaplan, the Director did a good job and he also directed "Heart Like A Wheel", I give this 5 stars! ... Read more

Description

Dimension Home Video presents REFORM SCHOOL GIRL, a sexy story of survival about a good girl who gets caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Aimee Graham ("Brokedown Palace") stars in this first-rate feature as pretty teenager Donna, who ends up taking the fall when her bad-boy friend steals a car and gets into trouble. Sentenced to an all-girl reform school and forced to leave her little sister unprotected, Donna enters a yearlong nightmare filled with abuse and scandalous liaisons. With her boyfriend threatening to hurt her little sister if she turns him in, Donna must grow up fast! ... 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

Amazon.com

A minor TV venture for director Jonathan Kaplan, whose penchant for themes sensitive to the plight of women in extremis informs even this lesser work with a heartening sympathy for its characters.Jennifer Jason Leigh plays a naive, would-be singer named Carol Heath who, through the machinations of a sleazy agent (Philip Charles MacKenzie), signs away a month of her life for the chance of being a nightclub singer in Tokyo.Only once she's there, she finds herself pressed into sexual service by her real employer, the yakuza.Not that she succumbs to the pressure to perform in that other capacity.That's her problem.Because others in her predicament, having refused to serve, wound up on the title's "Death Ride" (the pre-video title was Girls of the White Orchid).The plot is standard thriller fare, taken from a true story, and somewhat redeemed by Kaplan's no-nonsense direction and his affinity for stories of women in trouble.Indeed, along with Leigh's finely realized naive-girl performance, Death Ride to Osaka's main interest may lie in the resonance it has with Jonathan Kaplan's later, more accomplished films.Although it does lack the ambiguity that helps make The Accused interesting, similar themes of abuse are explored.Ditto for Brokedown Palace, its naive young girls in treacherous paradise and legal closed doors making Death Ride look like a dry run for Kaplan's later film. --Jim Gay ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Ann Jillian offers a strong performance.
Also known as GIRLS OF THE WHITE ORCHID (1983).
This film is not for children to see. Mature Adults Only.
Cast: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Thomas Byrd, Mako, Carolyn Seymour, Richard Narita, Soon-Teck Oh, Ann Jillian, Yvonne McCord, Philip Charles McKenzie, Leslie Wing, John Hancock.
Jeffifer Jason Leigh is a young lady, Carol, in Hollywood who works as a waitress. She is lonely for her boyfriend (Thomas Byrd) who is in the military. She decides to answer an ad for singer/dancer. She gets the job in Tokyo, but she has no idea what she is about to happen to her. She gets to sing in a nightclub (if you can call it that), but behind the curtain she has no idea yet it's a prostitution ring. The dancers and singers are expected to "be of service" to the Japanese clientele.
Marilyn (Ann Jillian) who is one of the more experienced dancers, tries to give Carol some comfort, but yet tells her how the business is. When the girls refuse to "please the customers" and they want to go back home to the states, the girls are made to "disappear". They are never seen of again. It is said, always said, that they were sent to Osaka.
Can Carol escape before it's too late for her?
This film was originally shown as a Network television movie. The cable version and this DVD version, includes scenes of nudity and adult content.
Ann Jillian offers a strong performances in this film.
I saw this film several times when I was younger not really thinking about the film to seriously. It was just a film to put on. But now some 20 years later, and now I'm middle-aged, this film is a bit disturbing to watch. But there is a message here in this film, and one will taken. Perhaps this is why the actors agreeed to do this film.

Oh god I can't believe I own this movie!
If you haven't seen a movie with Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ann Gillian, and Mako in it, this is your movie. Keep in mind that half of the dialogue is in Japanese but there are no subtitles. Also keep in mind that there's a near-rape scene and lots of toplessness. This is not Jennifer Jason Leigh's best movie. In fact I would bet that she would rather forget this film shot twenty years ago, as would most who worked on it. The best thing about it is its name. Oh, but there are no martial arts in the movie. Sorry.

ANN JILLIAN STEALS THE PICTURE!
Ann Jillian delivers an award winning performance in this movie that co- stars Jennifer Jason Leigh. It's worth the price just to see Ann Jillian as a red head, wow!!!! she's hot and so interesting to watch, you NEVER catch her acting. Jonathan Kaplan, the Director did a good job and he also directed "Heart Like A Wheel", I give this 5 stars! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Ann Jillian offers a strong performance.
Also known as GIRLS OF THE WHITE ORCHID (1983).
This film is not for children to see. Mature Adults Only.
Cast: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Thomas Byrd, Mako, Carolyn Seymour, Richard Narita, Soon-Teck Oh, Ann Jillian, Yvonne McCord, Philip Charles McKenzie, Leslie Wing, John Hancock.
Jeffifer Jason Leigh is a young lady, Carol, in Hollywood who works as a waitress. She is lonely for her boyfriend (Thomas Byrd) who is in the military. She decides to answer an ad for singer/dancer. She gets the job in Tokyo, but she has no idea what she is about to happen to her. She gets to sing in a nightclub (if you can call it that), but behind the curtain she has no idea yet it's a prostitution ring. The dancers and singers are expected to "be of service" to the Japanese clientele.
Marilyn (Ann Jillian) who is one of the more experienced dancers, tries to give Carol some comfort, but yet tells her how the business is. When the girls refuse to "please the customers" and they want to go back home to the states, the girls are made to "disappear". They are never seen of again. It is said, always said, that they were sent to Osaka.
Can Carol escape before it's too late for her?
This film was originally shown as a Network television movie. The cable version and this DVD version, includes scenes of nudity and adult content.
Ann Jillian offers a strong performances in this film.
I saw this film several times when I was younger not really thinking about the film to seriously. It was just a film to put on. But now some 20 years later, and now I'm middle-aged, this film is a bit disturbing to watch. But there is a message here in this film, and one will taken. Perhaps this is why the actors agreeed to do this film.

Oh god I can't believe I own this movie!
If you haven't seen a movie with Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ann Gillian, and Mako in it, this is your movie. Keep in mind that half of the dialogue is in Japanese but there are no subtitles. Also keep in mind that there's a near-rape scene and lots of toplessness. This is not Jennifer Jason Leigh's best movie. In fact I would bet that she would rather forget this film shot twenty years ago, as would most who worked on it. The best thing about it is its name. Oh, but there are no martial arts in the movie. Sorry.

ANN JILLIAN STEALS THE PICTURE!
Ann Jillian delivers an award winning performance in this movie that co- stars Jennifer Jason Leigh. It's worth the price just to see Ann Jillian as a red head, wow!!!! she's hot and so interesting to watch, you NEVER catch her acting. Jonathan Kaplan, the Director did a good job and he also directed "Heart Like A Wheel", I give this 5 stars! ... Read more