Description

Subu makes pornographic films. He sees nothing wrong with it. They are an aid to a repressed society, and he uses the money to support his landlady, Haru, and her family.From time to time, Haru shares her bed with Subu, though she believes her dead husband, reincarnated as a carp, disapproves. Director Shohei Imamura has always delighted in the kinky exploits of lowlifes, and in this 1966 classic, he finds subversive humor in the bizarre dynamics of Haru, her Oedipal son, and her daughter, the true object of her pornographer-boyfriend's obsession. Imamura's comic treatment of such taboos as voyeurism and incest sparked controversy when the film was released, but The Pornographers has outlasted its critics, and now seems frankly ahead of its time. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

a very young work
This is a film that shows the potential of Shohei Imamura, but im afraid it does not fulfill it. The film trys to hard to be arty:the jump cuts and "creative" camera movement serve only to confuse and alienate the viewer.

Imamura is a master film maker, and this isnt a horrible film, but if you want to see his best, get "the Eel" or "warm water under a red bridge"

Quaint and Silly.
There is a case for decrepit cinematic 'crud' being universal. This is it. Get Ozu's "Tokyo Story" instead (out on Criterion). That is a piece of timeless lyrical cinema. This film merely confirms that risque cinema quickly loses its potency (losing it in favour of a ephemeral revolutionary stance). A Waste.

More fun than I ever expected...
The Pornographers explores fetishism and unusual sexual arrangements with the bravado of a contemporary film designed to titillate the jaded bourgeoisie at Cannes, albeit with significantly less nudity. It's real, quirky, humorous, and it has a heart - in addition to dealing thoughtfully with the racy topics at hand. Even the choppily edited dream sequences seem to add to rather than detract from the overall experience.

An artful and engaging piece of cinema far ahead of its time.

NO SKIN FLICK
Love'em or hate 'em, idiosyncratic films that dabble with subversive notions and stories of fringe people make some viewers uncomfortable. You either get it or not. For those who do, there are rewards.

Shohei Imamura's THE PORNOGRAPHERS (Home Vision Entertainment) is about "public service" amateur porn filmmaker Subu. He supports and sleeps with landlady Haru, who thinks her disapproving dead husband has returned as a carp. But really, Sabu lusts after Haru's daughter. Voyeurism and incest is kinky comic fodder for Imamura, who said he's interested in "lower human society and the lower parts of the human body." Not for every taste, but way ahead of it's time. If you liked this one, see if you can find "Down and Dirty."

I did not get it
I had to watch this in a class. I thought this was one of the worst movies ever. The movie was over long. I guess i'm just a dumb college student but i did not get this movie at all. The weird camera work made the movie even more confuseing. Like the shot looking though a fish bowl. The move seems to be about and old pervert that likes to make porn and try to sleep with his girlfriends daughter. Then he becomes frustrated with women and trys to desgin the perfect doll, i got this part of the movie and it was down right discusting and i'm not a partically moral person. I hated every minute of this movie, don't waste your time or money its long borring and discusting. sorry for the misspellings and bad grammar ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Could this be the funniest movie ever made? By any rational measure of comedy, this medieval romp from the Monty Python troupe certainly belongs on the short list of candidates. According to Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide, it's "recommended for fans only," but we say hogwash to that--you could be a complete newcomer to the Python phenomenon and still find this send-up of the Arthurian legend to be wet-your-pants hilarious. It's basically a series of sketches woven together as King Arthur's quest for the Holy Grail, with Graham Chapman as the King, Terry Gilliam as his simpleton sidekick Patsy, and the rest of the Python gang filling out a variety of outrageous roles. The comedy highlights are too numerous to mention, but once you've seen Arthur's outrageously bloody encounter with the ominous Black Knight (John Cleese), you'll know that nothing's sacred in the Python school of comedy. From holy hand grenades to killer bunnies to the absurdity of the three-headed knights who say "Ni--!," this is the kind of movie that will strike you as fantastically funny or just plain silly, but why stop there? It's all over the map, and the pace lags a bit here and there, but for every throwaway gag the Pythons have invented, there's a bit of subtle business or grand-scale insanity that's utterly inspired. The sum of this madness is a movie that's beloved by anyone with a pulse and an irreverent sense of humor. If this movie doesn't make you laugh, you're almost certainly dead.--Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (630)

one of the best comedies ever and dvd extras to rave about!
This is what dvds were invented for -- there are so many great features here! So in addition to seeing one of the funniest movies ever made, you can be entertained for hours with the extras, and the extras are terrific: subtitles in English, French or Spanish; audio track choices -- English (the original mono or a brand new full stereo version), French, a directors' (Gilliam and Jones) track or a commentary track with Cleese, Idle and Palin; a copy of the script overlaid on the film; a painstaking, hilarious Henry the IV-ish subtitle for those who don't like the film; a hard-of-hearing feature; killer rabbit easter eggs; animated menus using Gilliam's original animation; karaoke renditions of 'Knights of the Round Table', 'Sir Robin' and the 'Monks Chant'; a delightful 45 minute visit to the locations with Jones and Palin; an educational film about the 'other' uses of coconuts; Japanese versions of the French Castle and Knights Who Say Ni scenes, including references to the 'holy sake cup'; a 1974 BBC Film Night visit to a location site during filming; photos of tickets, press releases, reviews, posters, production stills and original artwork; trailers; cast credits (Palin played over a dozen parts!) with pictures of each character; a Lego knights version of the Camelot scene; pictures of sketches that were never used (a killer snail?!); a web link.

A lot of effort went into this special edition dvd, and it shows. I particularly enjoyed seeing Jones and Palin visit locations. They were in a jolly mood, their comments are interspersed with film footage, and they meet affectionate and funny fans along the way.

If you like this film you will love this dvd version; if you love the film, you wil adore this two-dvd set. An essential item for your collection.

Highest recommendation.

I Never Thought Looking For A Shrubbery Would Be This Fun!!
In the early 1970's the Monty Python troop (Michael Palin, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, and Terry Jones) stars from the immensely popular television series Monty Python's Flying Circus began producing, with the help of a fundraising concert headlined by Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd (You lie!! No, I didn't!), initial photography on what would later become (from all my extensive years of movie watching) the single most unforgivably sidesplitting, enormously irreverent, shrewdly perceptive, unremittingly uproariously aggressive, gruesomely hysterical, and endlessly quotable comedies EVER. Not even Mel Brooks's Best Efforts (The Producers, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein) comes very close to the revolutionary medieval merriment sustained in this royal purebred of cult classics. BAR NONE. No contest here.

Endlessly stockpiled with hauntingly hysterical sketches that will probably never leave your mind (no matter how hard you try) including, The Knights Who Say Nei, The Self-Abusing Monks (Eah aay ess eay dom eay nay), The Black Knight, The Trojan Rabbit, the Ever-Appearing Verbally Abusing French (I don't want to talk to you no more!!!), The Enchanter Named Tim, The Killer Bunny, The Bridge of Death (What is the capital of Hysteria?), The Old Woman Named Dennis, and so many countless more great sketches to include here that I'd die trying. Monty and Python and the Holy Grail remains an ever-enriching mirthful cult-classic that just seems to improve with age. Since Columbia has a bountifully hefty new special edition of the Holy Grail out now there should be no excuse, if you've never seen it (I think I'll go for a walk!!), just drop everything your doing (including Bringing Out Your Dead) and go experience this life changing movie today. You won't be disappointed, just tell them the Knight Not Appearing In This Film sent you, and they'll know what to do.

As for the options on the special edition here's a run-down:

Disc One: -"21st Anniversary" cut of the film running an extra 24 seconds; -Anamorphic Widescreen; -Dolby 5.1 track; -Original Mono Track; -Audio commentary with Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, John Cleese, Eric Idle and Michael Palin; -subtitles "for people who don't like the film" (you get the text from Shakespeare's Henry IV instead); -an "on-screen screenplay" feature which lets you read the screenplay as you watch the film; -"Follow the Killer Rabbit" feature;

Disc Two: "Three Mindless Sing-Alongs"; -"The Quest for the Holy Grail Locations" featurette; -"How to Use Your Coconuts" educational film; -"Monty Python and the Holy Grail in Japanese" (with English subtitles); -the BBC Film Night special "On Location with the Pythons; -an interactive cast directory; -still galleries with Terry Gilliam's original sketches and behind-the-scenes photos; -"A Load Of Rubbish" with mystery items; -unused ideas and other material; -two trailers
and web-links.

Both discs represent the absolute final word resource for EVERYTHING and I do mean everything you'd need to know about the Python's greatest film. An Absolute Necessity for any Python Fan!!

P.S. You can't base a system of government just because some watery tart threw a sword at you.

What are you going to do, bleed on me?
excellent. Possibly the funniest movie ever made. Who could forget such a line as "I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of eldeberries." This is a great movie and a great dvd edition that gives it justice. This is completely worth the money. A comedy Classic.

This movie didn't make me Run Away! (or) Run away FASTER!!!
Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail is, by far, my favorite movie -and I'm sure it always will be! Being a truly hilariously-random film, this DVD does an awesome job of showcasing this fact to the highest extent. The killer white "rrrrabit" will live on in my heart forever, and I will always be knowledgeable that African swallows are non-migratory. What other movie has a group of knights requesting shrubberies -from King Arthur, no less- to create a 'two-level effect with a path through the middle'? Only Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
The movie might sound strange as I mention these things out of context, but I assure you it is much stranger when Monty Python says it!
So, to conclude this review, I definitely give "Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail" DVD a 5 star rating, as I know it will entertain millions for years to come. Enjoy!

The Lego Camelot Number Alone is Worth the Price
Who would have thought that, after nearly 30 years, the world's goofiest movie could be made even moreso? Not only is this DVD a comedy triumph (it would be simply if it were the DVD version of the classic film, in which a crew too broke to afford horses for King Arthur and his Knights changed history and college kids' banter forever by introducing coconuts as migrating props). Oh, no, this DVD is one that may become a standard for other DVDs. Just look at this list of extras above! To be sure, some of them are fluff. The "load of rubbish" selection is simply some receipts and a few odd notes. But most of it is stupendous.

The first disc contains the movie itself, along with some choices of how to watch it.... subtitles, commentary by directors Terry Jones & Terry Gilliam or by John Cleese & Eric Idle & Michael Palin. Then "for people who don't like the film", there's subtitles from Shakespeare's "Henry IV, Part II". Now, these do not faithfully follow Henry IV verse by verse, but they do come from the play, and it's hilarious how the phrases Shakespeare wrote do actually match up with the action on the screen.

Disc Two contains several mementoes: a film of John Cleese, Terry Jones, and "Grail" production manager John Young (who also played the hapless "Historian" towards the end of the film, and the "I'm not dead!" guy) paying a return visit to Castle Doune , in 2000. At first it's fun to hear them reminisce at the filming site, but since it's a very small spot with nothing but a wall and a bit of ground, they appear uncomfortable and that quickly gets old. More interesting is the home movie made by the two Terries when they looked for prospective film locations in the seventies. Their excitement is palpable.

A somewhat painful scene (except for the chance it gives us to watch Terry Jones in action as a director) is the BBC documentary made during filming. The interviewer seems more interested in trying to be funny himself than in the Pythons. But there are several great comic extras, including words to some songs, a coconut skit, two scenes dubbed in Japanese, and best of all, an animated feature of the "Camelot" scene and song done entirely in Lego...must be seen to be believed.

Finally, someone has made good use of the storage space on a DVD. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

dull dull dull
I gave a scathing review for Takashi Miike's dreadful "Happiness of the Katakuris". Not good. It turns out that it was a remake of a Korean film, namely "The Quiet Family". While much better than the remake, the film still struggles under the weight of trying too hard to make the black humor strike home, although several moments are quite well done and elicited a minor chuckle. The basic story is a family who opens a lodge on a hiking trail and their guest keep accidentally dying off so rather than have it reflect badly on their lodge, they start hiding the bodies. THe main problem here is that its just not that funny and not at all scary which a horror/comedy should have at least one of those qualities. It left me, quite frankly, bored. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Fantastic
I must say that I bought this movie only because Deborah Harry was in it. I was completelly blown away by her performance. She is an ICON and she knows it. You almost will not recognize her in this role. The directing was tight, story was excellent, acting was super. The ending is MORE than disturbing. There is one scene with Deborah that makes the film worth it's price, it involves Deborah doing a campy version of Andrea True Connection's "More More More". Just buy it!

Perfect movie
I have never been more shocked and delighted by one movie. "Six ways" is simply a perfect movie, the acting is great, the plot, the action, and the way the movie just flows. Debbie Harry and Norman Reedus make a perfect mother/son duo and their dialogue is scary yet entertaining. The movie borrows aspects from such classics as "Psycho" and "Goodfellas" but is original enough to be a classic on its own. This movie has everything that you could possibly want from a movie: violence, freaky sex, and great performances. If you haven't seen it you don't know what you're in for when you do!

A thriller that's smart, funny...and charming!
Charming may be an odd word to use to describe a thriller, but it fits in this case. This is a completely unique entry in the thriller category, effortlessly fusing the Jewish mob, Youngstown Ohio, and a mama's boy. Yes, a decidedly odd combination, but it works exceptionally well, thanks to intelligent writing and fine acting.

Harry Odum lives with his mother who dotes on him beyond the point of normalcy. Hence, Harry is seriously conflicted about the opposite sex and, as well, easily provoked into bouts of raging violence. This last quality proves to be an asset as a Jewish mob underling, Abie Pinkwise, hears of Harry's gifts which have been applied, quite diligently, to a strip club owner.

Harry's quickly recruited as muscle for Louis Varga who, in spite of his last name, is Jewish to the point of reveling in a typical meal--gefilte fish ("Jewish hamburger" he calls it), horseradish, matzoh, and the works--which he invites Harry, a goy (non-Jew), to participate in along with Louis' crew, all members of the tribe. Harry's good at his job--waxing (perhaps the Youngstown Ohio Jewish mob version of "whacking")--and so is soon rolling in dough, enough to buy a new house for him and his Mom.

As Mrs. Odum, Debbie Harry is spot on. She's an excellent actress given the right parts, and this is definitely one of the best parts she's done in a film. The Oedipal attachment she forces on Harry is so strong that near the end of the film, the inevitable happens (you can guess what that is), resulting in tragedy that nevertheless produces a malicious grin. This strong black comedy component of the film, then, is like fusing Bruce Jay Friedman's "A Mother's Kisses" or Dan Greenburg's "How to Be a Jewish Mother" with the Godfather. Except Harry himself is not Jewish, even though his mother is a Jewish mother to the max.

Harry meets Iris, a Hungarian emigre girl who eventually captures his confused heart. Elina Lowinsohn is perfect in this role, as is Isaac Hayes as a corrupt cop (a lotta self-respecting crime films have one of these, right?), Adrien Brody as a wanna-be gangster who emulates urban culture to the point of near-ridiculousness, and Norman Reedus as our hero Harry. The nicely juxtaposed opposites of deep down innocence (in Harry) and vicious brutality work well when combined with Iris' radiant simplicity, generating the charming element of the film.

A constantly broken chair and Mrs. Odum's other homey quirks supplies much of the humor here, but there is some grim stuff too. This is a quirky film that never really got its due and should be seen by many more people.

Recommended.

A Twisted and Innovative Inversion of the word "love"
Norman Reedus has to be perhaps one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood. From starring roles in the Boondock Saints and minor roles in films like 8mm, he came into his own with this film. Adrien Brody as a wannabe gangster, obviously before playing Vladyslaw and Isaac Hayes in a great cameo...you are shown a twisted tale of mother/son bonding and a blossoming relationship between two young adults with a commonality in their desire for one another. Plenty of violence to consume that crowd...a dark comedy at its finest.

jaw dropping
i hadn't seen this movie before when i decided to buy it, but adrien brody was in it and i've enjoyed all the movies i've seen with him. i have to say his acting in this was so convincing i had to laugh because his character reminded me of someone i knew. i couldn't even reconize adrien's personality while he played this strange character. the reason i only gave it three stars was because it was unneccessarily vivid in its violence and the plot didn't need to be that disguisting, especially the end. it seemed like the writer and director were trying too hard to get a rise out of people. i give adrien's performance five stars, but the movie just leaves you upset with the disturbing ending. ... Read more

Description

Adam Sandler is Little Nicky, a shy and awkward guy with a penchant for heavy metal music and two bullies for older brothers. And another thing .... Little Nicky is the son of the Devil and lives in Hell. Also stars Patricia Arquette and Harvey Keitel. ... Read more

Reviews (112)

Excellent, Keep Em' Comin!
I saw this movie for my birthday last year and it was everything I expected it to be. He was the one that has started it all and is still doin it. This is one of his "Happy Madison" movies (Adam Sandler's Movie Company). Happy Madison has made Deuce Bigalow Male Gigolo, Joe Dirt, and The Animal. All of his movies has a certain kick to it, and Little Nicky does. When you really watch it, you can tell they really had a lot of fun making it. All of the scenes are really funny. I think the chemistry between Nicky(Sandler) and Valerie(Arquette) was quite terrible, she didn't fit the roll. Though all of the humour made up for it's lack.

As for the DVD itself, it was spectacular. First it has 21 deleted scenes and an alternate ending. Feature length commentary by Sandler director Steven Brill and Co-Writer Tim Herlihy. Also another commentary by the cast featuring Michael McKean, Jon Lovitz, Kevin Nealon, Henry Winkler, Ozzy Osbourne, and many more. A special look behind the film "Adam Sandler Goes to Hell". "Satan's Top 40", a look at hard rock music with on camera interviews with Ozzy Osbourne, Gene Simmons, Ronnie James Dio, and others. POD's music video "School of Hard Knocks" which was the openeing song on the opening credits(kick...song). Cast & Crew Filmographies, and theatrical trailer.

If you have a computer the DVD-ROM features are quite all right as well. A Script-To-Screen which allows you to read the original script while watching the film. I was quite suprised at how much they changed the movie as they filmed it. Also the Orignal Website will be available to check out on the DVD.

There are also some DVD easter eggs on the DVD. One is a theatrical trailer for Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship Of The Ring. To check it out, all you gotta do is go to the special features menu, and just keep scrolling until a halo appears above Nicky's head.

Over all I think this is a must buy for any Adam Sandler fan. I was happy to see many bonus features that should have been on his previous films DVD's. Though you should buy his original classics first. One of the best!

Hell has never been so much fun....
I will admit that when I first saw the previews for this movie I was somewhat offended by it, because I am a Catholic and I thought that the movie poking fun at christianity and making hell seem like an ok place would offend me, but after watching it, I actually seemed to enjoy it. It pokes fun at both heaven and hell but not in a way that is too insulting. Adam Sandler is hilarious as Little Nicky the son of Satan, although I thought that his performance was funny, his speech impediment got a little bit on my nerves after awhile. Harvey Keitel's performance as Satan was devilishly funny and witty, he did an amazing job. It was great to see Sandler being reunited with a lot of his costars from previous movies including Allen Covert as his flamboyantly gay roomate and aspiring actor and Clint Howard as the nipple rubbing man which just cracked me up. While the humor gets a little bit out hand at times such as Jon Lovitz being humped by a big black bird and one of the devils getting boobs on his head, it still proves to be funny. Look out for other great cameos by Rodney Dangerfield as Lucifer, Patricia Arquette as Little Nicky's girlfriend Valerie and Dana Carvey as a basketball referee.

Help
I thought the movie was great but i cant find out what the song was when the two guys are walking into the cop shop to turn nicky in. I really like the song and if anybody knows what it is could you please tell me beermasterking@yahoo.com

I really didn't know they made movies that were this awful
I thought Sandler's "Mr. Deeds" and "Happy Gilmore" were awfully stupid movies, but then I had the misfortune to sit through "Little Nicky." I realize now that "Mr. Deeds" & "Happy Gilmore," by comparison, were absolute artistic masterpieces.

My God, how does a movie as uniformly awful manage to get past even the executives that approve a script for production? It just boggles the mind how bad this was, on every level. How respectable actors such as Harvey Keitel could associate themselves with this cinematic vomit is also mind-boggling.

This was a truly painful movie to sit through, and is angling for a spot on my hallowed list of 10 All-Time Worst Movies (alongside Mannequin & Baby Geniuses). I still feel the nausea induced by this garbage.

The best Sandler Movie.
This movie Rules! I can't say enough good things about it! It puts Rodney Dangerfield, Ozzy Osbourne,Quentin Tarrentino and Henry Winkler in the same movie. Sandler makes a very convincing metalhead. Hilarious from start to finish. Great soundtrack, really helps out the movie. All of the usual faces from Sandler films are here. The special features are great too. Satan's top forty is a good intro for non fans of metal, but provides us metalheads with nothing new. The film documentary is way cool, and the commentaries are hilarious, overall just a great DVD. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

not great but not bad
Joe Pesci, David Spade, and Todd Louiso are the ones who keep this movie interesting and funny. Oh, and the lady who plays the grandmother. Everyone else seems be going through a "bad acting" virus. Veterans George Hamilton and Dyan Cannon just seem like they'e only doing this movie because work for them is hard to come by these days. And who is that John Cusack wannabe who is the star of the movie? This movie would have better off with the real John Cusack. But joe, David, and Todd provide all the comic relief for this dark comedy.
The movie is about a duffel bag switch at the airport, one of which contains 8 heads being delivered for the mob. That says it all right there.
In some stores, this dvd is available for a very good price. If you find it at one of those stores, I definitely recommend this dvd. Fans of Joe Pesci will also be impressed with this dvd.

Great Comedy
8 Heads in A Duffel Bag is definitely not your average comedy, but i think its one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. The plot is a little odd, and at some points slightly weak, but overall it presents a very comical situation. Joe Pesci is fantastic as usual in his role as a retiring mobster. David Spade, although he plays a relatively small role, is also hillarious. I highly recomend this movie, if you haven't seen it yet you're missing out big time.

JOE PESCI IS FUNNY AS ALWAYS
A MOB HITMAN [JOE PESCI] LOSES A DUFFEL BAG THAT CONTAINS THE HEADS OF 8 DEAD PEOPLE AND HE GOES ON A QUEST TO GET IT BACK. GOOD IDEA AND IT WORKS OUT PRETTY WELL. OTHER THAN JOE PESCI, WHO'S FUNNY AS ALWAYS, DAVID SPADE HAD SOME FUNNY MOMENTS AS WELL. IF YOU NEED SOME GOOD LAUGHS, GET THIS MOVIE NOW.

poor
I really didn't like 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag--though the premise is a good one. It's just that Schulman's writing didn't quite work out. The dialogue was stilted and made little sense and there was a little too much ludicrous comedy in the film. Pesci gave a good performance, but far from its best. It was just a poor effort.

classic
i loved this movie but one scene really made me laugh. the scene where the heads were singing mr. sandman. overall it's really funny and completely dark. ... Read more

Reviews (79)

Underrated Excellent Black Comedy.
An Middle Age Woman by the name of Mona Dearly (Bette Midler), which she drove everyone crazy in the small town from the state of New York. But when Mona dies, while driving herself into a river. But it's turns out to be an act of murder. Chief of Police:Wyatt Rash (Danny DeVito) starts to invesgate the murder but Mona had herself a town full of enemies, including her cheating husband (William Fichtner), her heartless dimwit son (Marcus Thomas), her husband's mistress (Jamie Lee Curtis), the chief's daughter (Neve Campbell) and the chief's daughter fiance (Casey Affleck). Although People did hated the late Miss Dearly alot, it's up to the Chief to find, who's the blame for the murder but the town's people rather wants to know who to thank.

Directed by Nick Gomez (Illtown, Laws of Gravity, New Jersey Drive) made a Clever Off-Beat Black Comedy that was a Box Office Disapointment in the Winter of 2000. It's also One of the Most Underrated Comedies in Years. DeVito, who is also One of the Executive Producers in the film, He gives a good-hearted performance in the movie. Affleck is also good as the nervous fiance to the chief's, who might have been involved with Mona's Death. The lighlight of the film is the highly good comedic cast. The Canadian DVD has an sharp Pan & Scan (1.33:1) transfer and an good-Dolby Stereo 2.0 Surround Sound. While the Canadian DVD has no extras. While the American DVD is Presented in an anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1) Presentation with Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. DVD Extras are a Trailer, Director's Commentary and Deleted Scenes with/without Commentary. This Misunderstood Comedy is a Forgetten Gem, don't miss it. Will Farrell has a Cameo in the film. Written by Peter Steinfeld (Analyze That, Be Cool). Grade:A-.

Bette Midler as Royal "Pain" with 9 Lives
Bette Midler, once again playing herself, gives everybody and their brother daily doses of annoyance. An entire family, including the in-laws want to do away with "Mona". Set among trailer park country bumbkins, the story is one rollercoaster ride of physical and mental abuse. Fans of Bette Midler and Danny DeVito may have the stomach to sit through this whole fiasco. Comedy fans with somewhat lofty standards may want to pass on this jumbled-up non-sense. A few quick laughs will keep you from getting angry about your time investment, but most folks sure can do much better than this. It'll do in a pinch.**

Best comedy ever!
This is one of my favorite movies. I can watch it over and over and still crack up. I like dark humor and this movie is hysterical. It deserves a watch.

Dark Humor Aint for Everyone
This is a hilarious movie. The actors in this movie should all be commended for giving subtle, laugh-your-tail off funny performances. The folks who gave it low ratings don't get dark comedy and/or were expecting typical character portrayals from the big name stars (particularly DeVito and Midler).

My husband and I hadn't expected much from this film because the trailers were so cryptic and we personally aren't too into Bette Midler, but from the first to last scene we were in stitches. Example: Neve Campbell's character freaks out when her fiance (played by Casey Affleck) tells her he killed Mona. As she storms off, saying that now she has to deal with her fiance being a murderer while taking care of wedding plans, he weakly calls after her, "We need milk." Another example: Mona's two sons go to her gravestone and see that the inscription says, "Demoted mother, wife, and dressmaker." One guy looks at the other and says, "I didn't know mom was a dressmaker," and the other says, "Me neither." Although I'm sure I'm killing the humor by trying to relay it without context, comic timing, or nonverbal communication, this is the kind of humor that you'll find in "Drowning Mona." If you're offended by this kind of thing, don't bother. Everyone in the town hated Mona, so a lot of the jokes center on her death.

And I've gotta' respond to reviewers who didn't see the point of the Yugos' omnipresence, even though it sort of detracts from the funniness. As a plot device, it's necessary precisely because Yugos were such cheap and unsafe cars that Mona's brakes could possibly have failed due to manufacturer error. If everyone had been driving Porches, there wouldn't have been any mystery at all. Also, you can't help but laugh when every character in the movie jumps in a colorful little bumper car, which sometimes needs a running start, to get around.

My friends took it, I left it
I rented this video with my four girlfriends on one of our annual weekends away. Three of us fell asleep and thought it was a horrible movie (and I'm a Bette Midler fan). The other two laughed their heads off and swear to us that it is the best movie ever. We tease each other about it to this day (two years later). ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

A harsh, cutting, and wickedly funny look into the darker side of show business, Swimming with Sharks tells the story of a naive and eager assistant (Frank Whaley) and his slide into the cutthroat world of Hollywood power struggles. Whaley goes to work for a top movie executive (Kevin Spacey) who almost immediately begins to wear down his new assistant's exuberance with his whining, egomaniacal tantrums and relentless verbal abuse, even as he promises his young charge a chance to move up the ladder. Culminating in a violent and ultimately ironic confrontation between mentor and protégé, this brutal 1994 black comedy benefits from some razor-sharp writing and terrific comic turns from both Whaley (Hoffa) as one whose idealism is irrevocably shattered, and Spacey (Seven, L.A. Confidential), deliciously funny as a caustic, belligerent, and ultimately sad figure. A savage indictment of both the movie business and the price of ambition, Swimming with Sharks is one of the best black comedies in recent years. --Robert Lane ... Read more

Reviews (77)

"What do you REALLY want?" - This DVD!!!
I honestly dont know where to begin when reviewing this movie.
Not only does it inspire, but it manages to capture the true essense of the real world - "Life is not a movie, everyone lies, good guys lose, and love, does not conquer all."

Kevin Spacey - need I say more, one of Hollywood's Greatest actors - a man who commits only to scripts that have touched him in some way.Combining his breath-taking performance with the terrific Frank Whaley, Spacey manages to inject sarcasm and humor in his own unique style.

I already own the previous DVD release of this movie and have watched it near 60 times.
Will I buy the new Special Edition DVD?
Damn right I will!!!

First Rate Dark Comedy
Disturbingly real.One of the best dark comedies of all time.

Kevin Spacey is red hot and hilarious.....a comic fireball
Frank Whaley (Swing Kids, Pulp Fiction) plays Guy, an abused assistant to Buddy Ackerman, played by Kevin Spacey (The United States Of Leland, The Life Of David Gale). Guy comes to Buddy's pad and takes him hostage and starts torturing the hell out of him. Why, because Whaley has had enough of Buddy's abusive treatment. The movie flashed back to Guy's first day on the job where he yelled by Buddy because Buddy likes Sweet & Low in his coffee. Threw the movie we see Spacey's character as some what of a dick and Whaley's character as the innocent bystander. This dark comedy takes us into the world of an abusive boss and the buizeness of producing movies. Whaley is on the mark and Spacey is ferociously red hot and excellent. If you like dark humor then this is the ticket. Others might not like it. Violent at times but it goes into the depth of characters. Also starring Michelle Forbes (Tv's Homicide, Escape From LA), Roy Dotrice (Tvs Angel) and Benicio Del Toro (21 Grams, The Way Of The Gun).

A very interesting movie aboutcorporate abuse
Want to see where Kevin Spacey's mastery of a villian started? Look no further than 1994's "Swimming with Sharks" by George Huang. This is the sacrificial corporate abuse movie to end them all.

It's very dark, gritty, vile, degrading, and pervasive. Buddy Ackerman (Spacey) is the film equivalent of someone like Roger Smith from General Motors. He is a tyrant, who doesnt care about anyone but himself. Enter Guy (Frank Whaley) who starts to dibble in his affairs while trying to scratch and crawl to the top and well you have a war brewing.

This film is about one jerk with too much power who uses that power to abuse and blackmail people (including Whaley's girlfriend played by the beautiful Michelle Forbes).

The best part I can say is that the characters are real, Spacey plays the worst boss in the world (in the real world he'd be fired) who works at a Film company. Like any dictator boss, he has people who run errands for him and well act like puppets for him. Whaley is Guy who pitches a great idea for a movie and Spacey steals it for his advantage along with trying to use Whaley's girlfriend.

The rest of the film deals with Whaley abusing Buddy (God I loved those parts) by any means possible The ending though leaves you unsatisfied.

If you havent seen the ending here I wont give it away. The movie endings leaves it open for interpretation. Has Guy really succeeded or is he just another new member of abusive corporate bosses in the making?

The ending alsomakes you think though maybe there was some sort of homophobic element the writers were thinking.

Still this movie is a classic its no surprise, Spacey went on to do "Seven", "The Usual Suspects" and many more hits.

Difficult to Watch
This film should be categorized as horror.The acting was first rate but OMG the subject matter just hit too close to home.

I have worked with these people before.Worse, my sister was one of those steamroller screaming bullies. They make your life hell if you let them.So, after watching the first 30 minutes, I finished watching in fastforward until the last 10 or so minutes.


My story turned out with the bully getting a super-sized dose of karma but I know that that doesn't always happen--in this life.
... Read more

Reviews (2)

A French "Easy Rider" but rather more misogynistic...
Yes this is a french road movie, which in itself is interesting, but the rather sickening misogyny of the first part of the film makes it often hard to stomach. So be forewarned as you watch this, for if you are a fan of French cinema and culture, there are some things to be gleaned. As a portrait of a part of French society in the early seventies, culturally not long after the student riots of '68, the bohemian existentialist anti-bourgeois drifter held a romantic appeal similar to that found in an American equivalent to this film, Easy Rider. The relationship between the two men and the much older Jeanne Moreau actually subverts the film's early presentation of women as sexually and intellectually inept; yet her untimely end does nothing to truly mark her sexual freedom as empowered or stronger than that of poor miou miou who is pretty much a stereotyped kitten throughout, even when she learns to "enjoy" her freedom with the men at film's end.
Ultimately, if you are seeking an "amelie" or "il postino" or some other such Eurofilm fun, avoid this. But if you watch french films for some insight into the culture, this one is worth seeing. However, be prepared for some pretty brutal treatment of women. Nonetheless, the men are all largely bourgeois dupes or "liberated" trash too, so at least the film is egalitarian in its disdain for stereotypical gender roles. It is interesting to watch this film in tandem with Truffaut's "the man who loved women" for some insight into one aspect of the French view of women.

a must see..!
Patrick Dweare and Gerard Depardieu are so good together in this movie.a lot of energy from the pair and also some good laughs,the dubbing is ok but i think the movie is better in french speaking.it's a must see if you like french movie. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Not so bad
Before I watched this movie, I read very negative critics about it, but I decided to check it anyway,mainly because of Woody Allen.

This movie was not made to be taken serious. It's a crazy comedy, with lots of surreal elements and an absurd plot. It's a story about a butcher who kills his wife, picking her to pieces. Accidentaly, he looses her hand, which is later found by a mexican bind woman, who believes she's cured by a miracle. Then, the news are spread, and the whole city of El Nino believes in the power of this hand.

It may seem stupid, but it is actually a critic to fanatic people, who start believing in everything they see. The cast was well chosen. David Schwimmer plays a priest who is in love with a whore (shocking, isn't it?), proving that he can do more than Ross (Friends). Woody is funny and neurotic as always,and it makes the movie worth your money.

Of course, this is not the best film you'll ever see, but it is funny in a certain way.

Your Typical Weak Buzz Saw Milagro Farce
Although this often execrable, cheaply punning (e.g., "see" "si"), monolingual (the devil's!) monstrosity is easily among Woody Allen's worst (if not his worst) it is still, not so surprisingly, better than most films. That is because despite its socially unredeeming ploys (e.g., sex in church, a slattern-wife's severed bird-flipping hand that grants miracles such as big breasts and a dirt-scraping penis to a midget of a darker hue; and a poor Jimi Hendrix copy who sings obnoxious songs) it is kind of fun to look at the cast tramp through the mock New Mexico town El Nino. The end of the film, from which Allen with seeming genuine hostility draws the sermonizing moral that God seems to be saying "if you can't take a joke go .... yourself," is symptomatic of the film's comic misfiring and lack of subtlety. Some T, but little A although I confess I fell asleep in the middle. My favorite part was the recycled Lenny Bruce joke that the Jews didn't really kill Jesus, it was a party that got out of hand. Some of the bits with Kiefer Sutherland as a state trooper were also good. Allen, who plays a magician-butcher who cuts his pretty wife (Sharon Stone, good job) in half with a buzz saw to begin the show, near the end comes to confess his crime prefacing his remarks with the confession that he has never confessed before because he is Jewish. But what are the many scenes of psychoanalysis depicted in his films if not confessions by another name? I think this movie actually has a serious intent that was compromised by commercial expectations and Allen's aesthetic choice to make it a complete farce; it is clever, and better than watching Jim Carey pull faces, but lacks heart-as if Allen were seething with anger but had only the light, feathery pillows of commercially successful comedy available with which to vent his intense frustration (at Catholicism and religious hypocrisy in general, unfaithful women, cute guys, himself, death, unappreciative audiences, etc. etc.)

Woody at his worst
This was just a very bad film. It was rarely funny and downright painful to watch at times. Woody is way out of his element in New Mexico where this idiotic film is supposed to take place.

There is no question in my mind as to why this film never made it into theaters. It would have bombed in a big way. Even though there is a great cast, they don't have a good script to work with so the film falls right on its' face.

Don't waste a second watching this huge disappointment.

Unfinishable
I don't shut too many movies off in medias res. I definitely didn't expect to shut off a Woody Allen film in that manner. But I had to, just so I didnt have to hear myself halfheartedly guffaw a third time while trying to extract some joy from this tepid, unfunny, fantastic-in-the-bad-sense film. Its not a Woody Allen film per se-someone else wrote it, thank goodness...stars galore populate the screen, and not one of them really does anything funny or quirky at all...Allen's cynical mutterings are stale, and they let Eddie Griffin talk, and not Andy Dick? Watch the interviews with the cast to see them try and say something good about what they just excreted...that's funnier than than the film itself! Bad, bad, unequivocally awful movie no matter what the ravers say, if you have any intelligence or taste at all, heed my admonition, you will waste money on this!Why don't you see Sleeper instead?

Stupidity is not funny
Like some of the other reviewers, I picked up this movie because of the cast, particularly Woody Allen. The one good thing about it is that it wasn't very long, and that I didn't buy it, but rent it cheaply from my local library. Everything else about it is bad.

The premise is not bad as far as it goes. Tex, a NY butcher (hopefully a kosher/halal one?) living in Texas marries a floozy who cheats on him at every turn. He kills her, dismembers her and drives over to the New Mexico town of El Niño to bury her corpse. In the way, he loses a hand. A blind woman stumbles over the hand and regains her vision. The hand is delivered to the local church where, in spite of the opposition of the priest, it is displayed as the Virgin's hand. It quickly confirms this reputation and transform's the windswept town into a tourist mecca. One of the dead woman's lovers, an irritating Texas ranger, find out about the murder an tries to arrest Tex and confiscate the missing hand. The local townspeople rebel, kill the ranger, release Tex, and keep the hand. A parallel plot concerns the priest who has lost his faith and is in love with one of the local hookers. The hooker first attempts to become celibate and then marries the priest.

So what's wrong with this picture? Virtually everything. It's not being away from New York that has killed Woody Allen's jokes, but the fact that he is no longe allowed to take center stage or to roam freely across his multiple obsessions. Sharon Stone, as his adulterous wife and murder victim, must have been so stricken by the mediocre result that her name has been stricken from the marquee: one looks in vain for her name as the credits pass by (at the movie's end, rather than the beginning, which was surely no accident). David Schwimmer is utterly unrealistic as a priest, instead playing again the bumbling and incoherent character that made him rich at "Friends". Maria Grazia Cucinotta, as the obligatory hooker with a heart of gold is OK, although one wonders why she should fall in love with such a bland character as Schwimmer's priest. Of course it's possible (beautiful women are notorious for their rotten taste in partners) but it doesn't make for a funny movie. Kiefer Sutherland, as the Texas ranger, is even good rather than OK, since he conveys a sense of menace and aggression whenever he appears on the screen. Contrary to the rest of the cast, he stands for something, and has a personality, a rare commodity in this movie. Three actors who play a priest, a nun and a Franciscan monk on a mission from the archbishop to authenticate the supposed holy relic are ludicrous rather than funny. Stupidity is not funny. Clumsiness may be funny (witness Laurel and Hardy), but only when redeemed by some endearing trait (such as friendship or loyalty). These characters are cyphers. They are nothing more than authority figures to mock, and not even that at times.

Other reviewers have commented on the film's disrespect for religion and priesthood. That's not the problem. Humour, like love, forgives all. The movie just isn't funny, and so its vulgarity and crudeness are unjustified. With no less than 3 major actors (Allen, Stone and Sutherland) and a great or at least distinguished support cast (Cucinotta, Schwimmer, Drescher, to name a few) it is much less than the sum of its parts. Vulgarity and lewdness are not funny by themselves, but only as part of a reasonable portrayal of human foibles. In this movie genitalia, breasts, profanity and lewdness are in fact substitutes for a plot or for well-rendered characters. This sort of thing may work (more or less) in "gross-out" films intended for the 13-year old set (such as "American Pie", "Dumb and Dumber" or the "Scary Movie" series) but it doesn't in a movie intended for adults. You'd have more fun drinking yourself blind while reading P.J. O'Rourke. ... Read more

Description

Interactive Menus, Production Credits, Filmographies, Scene Access, Photo Gallery ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Sonia Shines
This review refers to the DVD(Fox Lorber) edition of "Tieta of Agreste"

Tieta is brash and sassy. She's worldly and flashy, beautiful and wealthy. She wasn't always all these things though. Banished from her poor, small village for her promiscuity years before, she now returns to show them all!
The family that once shunned her, now embraces her...and her money!

As she makes her entrance back into the tiny town in her flashy red car, the villagers welcome her back with open arms(as does the audience). She is their savior. Her money will bring the village the much needed electricity they have been doing without. Along with her is another beautiful woman. The young,demure Lenora, introduced as Tieta's stepdaughter. Their presence shakes up the this quiet, remote Brazilian village,and not even a seminary student is safe from Tieta's charms.These women have a secret though...one that may send them packing once more!

Directed by Carlos Diegues, and set in the most beautiful locale, the story and the characters will definately have you smiling throughout. But it is Sonia Braga who carries this film on her lovely shoulders to make it the engaging delight that it is. She turns in an electrifying portrayal of Tieta and her screen presence is mesmerizing.

The film is in Portuguese with English subititles. The DVD presents a very nice letterboxed picture and has very good sound in stereo. There is a short featurette on the making of "Tieta" and some filmographies.

A nice film to add to your foreign film collection, one that will certainly have repeated viewings. Four stars for this fine Brazilian entry,one of which shines brightly for Sonia Braga!

Enjoy....Laurie

Read the book first
The book (by Jorge Amado) should be read before seeing the movie.

I did enjoy the movie, but this is one of those wonderful books that could never fully be captured on film (though I do have to say the casting was great all around -- will have to reread the book again now that I have the picture of Sonia Braga as Tieta in my head).

A great movie... if you read the book... but... I think it would be a lot harder to follow without the knowledge of the book. (It doesn't contradict the book, it's just a lot less complex a story than the book, but that's the nature of distilling a 400 page book into a 2 hour movie.)

Get away before is too late
What a terrible movie!!!! I wanted to watch this movie because I am a fan of "Tieta's Soap Opera". What a mistake! The story is not the same, the actors are not good, the whole situation is wrong. I had to watch this piece of .... fast forwarding. What a waste of time and money.

Hugely disappointing!
Another one of those books that didn't translate well to the bring screen. In Brazil they frequently make mini-series based on famous works of literature; in such a format, there's a lot more time to develop a work of the complexity of "Tieta do Agreste". In fact, there has been a mini-series made of this novel in Brazil, but I haven't seen it. However, from seeing other Brazillian mini-series made of other Jorge Amado novels (of which there have been probably a dozen), I can say that they have tended to come across better than a hour-and-a-half to two hour movie; that simply is not enough time to present any of the longer novels of Amado. In the case of this movie, the focus is primarily on the relationship between Tieta and her nephew, while the main plot of the novel, the machinations of unscrupulous industrialists to locate a highly toxic titanium oxide plant in the middle of a pristine tropical paradise, is almost an afterthought. The cinematography may be beautiful, and Sonia Braga never looked more gorgeous, but if you've read the wonderful novel, it's just not enough! Altogether disappointing.

Great book. Great actress. Good soundtrack. Mediocre Film
Adapted from Jorge Amado's brilliant book, this should have been much better considering its source, the talents of actress Sonia Braga, director Carlos Diegus's past films, and a soundtrack by Caetano Veloso! Sadly it's an average film, with a handful of well known Brazilian actors and some nice locations-- nothing more, nothing less. You'll watch this once but probably never need to again. The problem is partly that Amado's books are hard to condense in under two hours and his books tend to include a lot characters' inner thoughts and emotions that are hard to translate onto film when you consider his books average about 500 pages or more. There are a handful of grammar & spelling mistakes in the English subtitles too. A pleasant enough film but nothing special. ... Read more

Description

A gruesome and grim satirical portrayal of two teenage social outcasts and what lead them to open fire on their fellow students and teachers before killing themselves. This cruel and gory film, the first made about the high school shooting phenomena originally screened Halloween 1999 was considered so controversial it landed the filmmakers in jail! Creating a nation wide Media extravaganza for FOX, ABC, CBS, Court TV and Entertainment Tonight! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A review from the author of YEARS OF RAGE
I am the author of YEARS OF RAGE, the only real confrontation with the problem of school shootings in novelistic form.Unlike all other novels that pretend to deal with this subject, YEARS OF RAGE is written from the perspective of the killer.

The only way to do justice to the question of school violence, it seemed to me, would be to write from behind the trigger.

My approach is very different from that of DUCK.YEARS OF RAGE is slipperier and more surrealistic than that film; it also has a more philosophical tenor."Columbine" serves as the historical occasion for my book, but the meaning of that book exceeds its context.Nonetheless, DUCK and YEARS OF RAGE share one thing in common: they are both flagrantly irreverent.

I admire DUCK very much because it refuses to shrink back from the event itself.In fact, it is the only cinematic response to the Littleton massacre that refuses to recoil in the face of the disaster.

Joseph Suglia, the author of YEARS OF RAGE [www.yearsofrage.com]

duck and cover, duck and cover
I had a friend buy this for me years ago on VHS. It was one of my most prized possessions! I thought, "FINALLY a movie making fun of Columbine! a movie showing the perspective of the shooters!!". I think it should be shown in every school. It will never happen.. but it's a nice thought.

People need to think about things from more angles than just the typical, "boo hoo, people died". There's a reason those people died. It is too often ignored. Yes, this movie will be offensive to some! Yes, this film will only be funny to those with a slightly morbid sense of humor.. but the fact still remians, somebody was bound to make a film like this sooner or later.. and I, for one, am glad they did.

Junk
The atrocity that unfolded at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado on April 20, 1999 stuns the mind. Even now, more than five years after Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold donned their black trench coats and went on a killing spree, we don't fully understand what motivated the pair to embark on a nightmare. The media, always quick to swoop down on a tragedy in order to throw blame around (and score some high ratings in the process), pointed their fingers at a host of social and psychological factors. Violent videogames, absentee parents, National Socialism, death metal music, bullying--all of these reasons, and a few more, issued forth from the "experts" consulted in the wake of the tragedy. Then the conspiracy nuts weighed in, those misguided, endearing souls who throw up web pages explaining the "real" story behind any national calamity. According to these crackpots, it's an absolute fact that Harris and Klebold had several as yet unknown accomplices helping them place the homemade bombs around the school. If you look hard enough, you might even see a few sinister references to an alien (as in extraterrestrial) influence in the disaster. Amazing, isn't it? Perhaps we will never understand why Columbine occurred.

Don't expect any answers from "Duck! The Carbine High Massacre." This micro budget, shot on video production from the warped minds of William Hellfire and Joey Smack runs through the gamut of possible causes. And it does so in the most sensationalistic way possible. Derwin (Hellfire) and Derick (Smack) play two down on their luck losers suffering their way through a high school experience overflowing with loutish brutes and snobby girls. We meet a few of them right from the start, but none of them have names. They go by monikers like Bible Girl (Misty Mundae), Afro-American (Kendall Ward), Car Kid (Chris Perez), and Play Girl (Lilly Tiger). The film reduces them to nothing more than one-dimensional figures, hence Car Kid makes a big deal about his spiffy car, Bible Girl spends every waking moment trying to convince fellow classmates to attend a Bible study group, and Afro-American complains about white people. All of these kids share one common trait: they are shallow jerks. You would think Bible Girl would take a wholesome, friendly attitude towards her fellow humans. You would be wrong. She's just as nasty as the rest of the lot, and all of them despise Derwin and Derick. Whether the taunts take place in the classroom or out in the parking lot, everyone seems to have it in for these two.

After Car Kid and a couple of his cronies beat Derwin to a bloody pulp one day after school, going so far as to carve the word "freak" into his stomach with a knife, Derwin and Derick begin to plot their revenge. Actually, they have been knocking around the idea of doing some serious damage to their fellow students for some time, having purchased a nuclear warhead from China over the Internet that didn't exactly work (!?!). The beating is the final straw, so the two head over to a music club to purchase weapons from some mafia type sitting in a back room. Now heavily armed, they march into the cafeteria the next day (it looks like a gymnasium with a sheet thrown up so we can't see the bleachers) and proceed to terminate with extreme prejudice Car Kid, Bible Girl, and every other caricature in their sights. They even blast a mentally handicapped kid in a wheelchair. Of course, the media shows up and starts filming the unfolding carnage. Cameras capture a wounded student running out of the building clutching his stomach, and replay it on an endless loop for the bread and circus crowd at home. The film ends in much the same the Columbine nightmare ended, and that's enough said about that.

"Duck! The Carbine High Massacre" fails miserably on most levels. The shoddy, dirt-cheap production values look like shoddy, dirt-cheap production values. Acting, if you wish to call it that, uniformly tanks. The most egregious "performances" come from a teacher and the principal, two guys who achieve such wooden levels of speech and body language that the Screen Actors Guild ought to put out a contract on them. Hellfire and Smack could have propped up a couple of those cigar shop Indians in their place and I wouldn't have noticed the difference. As for Misty Mundae, well, she doesn't look that great and doesn't act worth a toot. I know this gal has legions of fans out there, but in this movie she just doesn't cut the mustard. Perhaps the worst crime "Duck!" commits is its failure to adopt a serious attitude about the movie. In the extras on the disc, both filmmakers mouth platitudes about how they made a film that digs deep to expose how the media fed off the disaster, but we soon learn that Hellfire and Smack are doing the same thing. Don't believe me? Check out the deleted scenes on the disc, especially the one called "One last thing." Real cool comments at the end, you guys. "We're just trying to make a few bucks like everyone else," says Hellfire. I hope you lose money.

The gore at the end is appropriately repellent, but everything else makes you feel so dirty that enjoying the mayhem feels like a crime. Supplemental features include deleted scenes, interviews with the filmmakers, information about their incarceration for making the movie, music videos from Today is the Day and King Ghidorahi, trailers for the film, a separate movie soundtrack, and trailers for the movies "Fudoh," "Blood Feast 2," "Flesh for the Beast," and "Visitor Q," two of which are much better than this picture. I recommend watching Gus Van Sant's "Elephant," a movie I thought did a much better job of trying to show the horror of that dark day.

WOW
I got this movie in hopes that it would be an actual movie, about the shooting at columbine in 1999... There are a string of School Shooting movies, most are Indie, because those are the only people with the guts to make a movie about a School Shooting.

I've seen Hostage High, Elephant, HomeRoom, Zero Day, and Carbine High. Each one showed something slightly different. I think Zero Day is the cloest we will ever get to a Block Buster movie about the shooting, which is also why the Movie will no doubtly never be released... Elephant has almost no acting in it, and just shows a normal day at school. HomeRoom is more about coping with the horror, and Hostage High is about a different shooting.

That leaves Carbine High as the only decent movie even close to the story of Columbine. It is done rather rediclous at points. It exaggrates events to unbelievable levels. They make fun of many parts of society, many sterotypes. Throughout the Movie, you watch two Boys who are picked on, who love fireworks, have an interest in Nazi Germany, and have suicidal thoughts. These are the only two characters of the movie that are even called by their names.

Everyone else is referred to by their sterotype names such as "The bible Girl", "The Jock", "The Retard"... At first I thought it was creepy, but in reality it is just South Park level of exaggration added into dramatic events, to show you how rediclous things really are...

I gave the Movie 5 Stars, because it throws political correctness out window, and shows you the truth in a simpleton way.... ... Read more

Reviews (630)

one of the best comedies ever and dvd extras to rave about!
This is what dvds were invented for -- there are so many great features here! So in addition to seeing one of the funniest movies ever made, you can be entertained for hours with the extras, and the extras are terrific: subtitles in English, French or Spanish; audio track choices -- English (the original mono or a brand new full stereo version), French, a directors' (Gilliam and Jones) track or a commentary track with Cleese, Idle and Palin; a copy of the script overlaid on the film; a painstaking, hilarious Henry the IV-ish subtitle for those who don't like the film; a hard-of-hearing feature; killer rabbit easter eggs; animated menus using Gilliam's original animation; karaoke renditions of 'Knights of the Round Table', 'Sir Robin' and the 'Monks Chant'; a delightful 45 minute visit to the locations with Jones and Palin; an educational film about the 'other' uses of coconuts; Japanese versions of the French Castle and Knights Who Say Ni scenes, including references to the 'holy sake cup'; a 1974 BBC Film Night visit to a location site during filming; photos of tickets, press releases, reviews, posters, production stills and original artwork; trailers; cast credits (Palin played over a dozen parts!) with pictures of each character; a Lego knights version of the Camelot scene; pictures of sketches that were never used (a killer snail?!); a web link.

A lot of effort went into this special edition dvd, and it shows. I particularly enjoyed seeing Jones and Palin visit locations. They were in a jolly mood, their comments are interspersed with film footage, and they meet affectionate and funny fans along the way.

If you like this film you will love this dvd version; if you love the film, you wil adore this two-dvd set. An essential item for your collection.

Highest recommendation.

I Never Thought Looking For A Shrubbery Would Be This Fun!!
In the early 1970's the Monty Python troop (Michael Palin, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, and Terry Jones) stars from the immensely popular television series Monty Python's Flying Circus began producing, with the help of a fundraising concert headlined by Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd (You lie!! No, I didn't!), initial photography on what would later become (from all my extensive years of movie watching) the single most unforgivably sidesplitting, enormously irreverent, shrewdly perceptive, unremittingly uproariously aggressive, gruesomely hysterical, and endlessly quotable comedies EVER. Not even Mel Brooks's Best Efforts (The Producers, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein) comes very close to the revolutionary medieval merriment sustained in this royal purebred of cult classics. BAR NONE. No contest here.

Endlessly stockpiled with hauntingly hysterical sketches that will probably never leave your mind (no matter how hard you try) including, The Knights Who Say Nei, The Self-Abusing Monks (Eah aay ess eay dom eay nay), The Black Knight, The Trojan Rabbit, the Ever-Appearing Verbally Abusing French (I don't want to talk to you no more!!!), The Enchanter Named Tim, The Killer Bunny, The Bridge of Death (What is the capital of Hysteria?), The Old Woman Named Dennis, and so many countless more great sketches to include here that I'd die trying. Monty and Python and the Holy Grail remains an ever-enriching mirthful cult-classic that just seems to improve with age. Since Columbia has a bountifully hefty new special edition of the Holy Grail out now there should be no excuse, if you've never seen it (I think I'll go for a walk!!), just drop everything your doing (including Bringing Out Your Dead) and go experience this life changing movie today. You won't be disappointed, just tell them the Knight Not Appearing In This Film sent you, and they'll know what to do.

As for the options on the special edition here's a run-down:

Disc One: -"21st Anniversary" cut of the film running an extra 24 seconds; -Anamorphic Widescreen; -Dolby 5.1 track; -Original Mono Track; -Audio commentary with Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, John Cleese, Eric Idle and Michael Palin; -subtitles "for people who don't like the film" (you get the text from Shakespeare's Henry IV instead); -an "on-screen screenplay" feature which lets you read the screenplay as you watch the film; -"Follow the Killer Rabbit" feature;

Disc Two: "Three Mindless Sing-Alongs"; -"The Quest for the Holy Grail Locations" featurette; -"How to Use Your Coconuts" educational film; -"Monty Python and the Holy Grail in Japanese" (with English subtitles); -the BBC Film Night special "On Location with the Pythons; -an interactive cast directory; -still galleries with Terry Gilliam's original sketches and behind-the-scenes photos; -"A Load Of Rubbish" with mystery items; -unused ideas and other material; -two trailers
and web-links.

Both discs represent the absolute final word resource for EVERYTHING and I do mean everything you'd need to know about the Python's greatest film. A