H Movie Reviews

Some things you will hear on this DVD:
"I BURNT MYSELF!!!...at night."
"Are you ready now?, How bout now?, now?"
"Can we say that shoes from Texas are dumb?"
"Get a dog little oggie."
"Am I ugly?...Am I ugly?...Am I ugly?"

Something you will learn from this DVD:
You may not be ugly, it could be your ketchup, onion, and dirt breath!

Something you will do while watching this DVD:
Laugh hard enough to rip your pants!

This movie had a great plot, and it also had a super screenplay. The characters were interesting. Some of the acting of the scenes was excellent. It really made sense how the characters developed. The climax was intriguing and the denouement was satisfying. There was some humor in it, too.

There were also some little flaws in the film. Some parts were upsetting. There was not a lot of action in this film. This movie may not be so good for kids that are younger than 7 years old because they may not understand it.

We recommend Searching for Bobby Fischer to kids and adults. However, if you like action a lot, then you wouldn't really be interested in this movie. We liked it through the whole movie and we hope you enjoy it, too.

This is a story about finding one's character and courage in the face of mounting pressure and high expectations. It's about a very young boy who wants to be sure his father loves him for who he is, not just for what he can do.

Written and directed by Steven Zaillian (who wrote, among other things, the screenplay for Spielberg's "Schindler's List"), SFBF is a heartwarming movie that has you rooting and cheering. And young Max Pomeranc is a real fine young actor! Multiple Oscar-nominee Joan Allen plays the boy's mother in this film, and here she continues to solidify her position as one of the most wonderful actresses working today. Will she EVER get the widespread recognition she deserves?

We see in this simple man the simple pleasure that we all seek. A reminder of what we were taught to forget. A reminder of how little real life exists in modern life, and how much is missing from the structres that exist in that life.

For those willing to look, the reward surpasses all the fame and riches of the world.

I was crushed when I saw that this movie is out of print -- BRING IT BACK, the world needs it!!!

While the movie is hilarious and touching, it is also a great way to see Africa's wilds. And this is one of those movies that is funny not only the first time you see it, but every single time afterward. I love showing this to friends and people who've not heard of it. I get the same reactions everytime -- they nearly die laughing. Buy this movie and add it to your "Favorites". I guarantee you'll chuckle...

"The Trolley Song," "Meet Me in St. Louis," and the ensemble songs and cast makes this a marvelous edition to anyone who likes to collect classic musicals. Enthralling and enchanting!

Garland gives generously to her costar, Margaret O'Brien, a sort of Shirley Temple for the forties, who is nothing short of brilliant as the morbid youngest daughter Tootie, with the fascination for "dead" dolls. Her Halloween scene is remarkable and hilarious. The minimalist plot--Will Dad take the job in New York? Will Esther marry the boy next door, John Truitt? Will Rose wind up an old maid, like Katie?--never gets in the way of the lavish staging of the musical numbers. "The Trolley Song" is like a great music video, and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" is still a standard. Great for the Holidays or any day, this movie is always sure to bring a smile. Watch for a very young June Lockhart ("Timmy and Lassie", "Lost in Space")as Lucille Ballard, the much-maligned New York socialite.

I was discussing the movie with someone who knows more about film than I do, and they said that the movie showed what tremendous range Stewart had, from joy to despair, from energetic exhuberance to exhaustion, and from his initial naive idealism about Washington to his quickly wising up about the realities of politics. They said Stewart really never had a chance to show as great a range of emotion during much of the rest of his career, since he was often cast in light-hearted and humorous roles after that. I thought this was an interesting comment about one of America's most famous and loved actors, as his part in Rear Window was certainly a very serious role, but again, I'm not an expert on film history so I offer this comment for what it's worth.

Overall, still a great classic that has stood the test of time, and a must see for fans of old movies, especially Jimmy Stewart, Claude Rains, and Frank Capra fans. And I can't forget to mention the rest of the supporting cast--Jean Arthur, Thomas Mitchell, Edward Arnold, and Guy Kibbee--are also superb.

The DVD set, through the original release of the season two DVD set, does not contain any extras, such as behind the scenes commentary.

The 3-disc DVD set comes in a wonderful keep-case; all plastic. It includes a booklet with all episode chapters, but no extra documentation.

As of this date, there is a long period between the release of each season's DVD set.

I would have liked a "Play All Episodes" option to keep from having to start each episode manually. You may have seen this option on other DVDs where you can play all deleted scenes automatically.

Remember, always release the DVD by pushing on the center post to keep from bending or cracking the disc.

However, as far as the "packaging" and extras go, it leaves a LOT to be desired. The only extra to speak of is the ability to delete the laugh track. There are no bloopers, no cast interviews, no "behind the scenes" nor any other of the "extras" almost all DVD's come with. The insert is plain and boring. The episode descriptions are extremely limited, and look as though they were written by someone who had never even watched the show. There is little or no additional information about, for example guest cast or directors, etc.

As for the release schedule, well, come on FOX ... get with the program. Your loyal M*A*S*H fans do not want to wait six or seven years for the last season to finally come out. Take a lesson from Paramount and how quickly they got the entire series of Star Trek: The Next Generation out on DVD. Make it your resolve to get out all 11 seasons of M*A*S*H by the end of 2003 and give us the DVD we really want.. no, deserve!

And, make sure you include the final episode "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen" as part of the package!

It tells the story of a man named Elwood P. Dowd who loves to drink, but it doesn't affect his friendly personality. Meanwhile, his sister and niece find him an embarrassing nuicance who is standing in the way of his niece, Myrtle May's, introduction into high-class society. However, Elwood seems oblivious to their behavior towards him and never has anything but a kind word for anyone. Everyone outside his family seems to adore him and his family would love him too if it wasn't for his best friend. A best friend that no one can see. Except Elwood. A 6-foot-tall white rabbit named Harvey. As Elwood goes throughout his day, inviting bums from bars back to their fancy home for dinner, buying people he doesn't even know countless drinks, and giving them his card before introducing them to Harvey, his sister finally decides that that's the last straw and she decides to get rid of him. So she goes to a mental institution to begin the process of having him admitted. And that's where all their problems really begin...

This is a wonderful movie that my entire family makes a ritual of watching at least a couple times a year. My little sister who recently turned 8 right up to my parents adore it and laugh and cry with the characters. I hope you'll love it too.

James Stewart portrays Elwin P. Dowd as a more than slightly-tipsy drinker who happens to enjoy the company of his constant company Harvey, a six-foot- something invisible (and imaginary?) rabbit. Now all of the terrific character actors in the film are of one opinion or another about the rabbit, but all agree that Dowd is an altogether pleasant man who everyone enjoys having around. Yet his incessant and insistent ramblings about Harvey make him an embarrassment, and some of them are honestly concerned about him. So what to do about Elwin? And what do you think about the rabbit?

As for me, I prefer to think the rabbit is real, but chooses to be invisible. More interesting that way. And you have to admit the porch swing does rock without anyone else on it in the last scene, after all. I've tried the rabbit routine a few times when in a particularly whimsical mood, and it always brings smiles and conversation. So what's wrong with having a big albeit invisible rabbit as a drinking chum? A guy could do a lot worse. See the movie; it is a bona-fide classic. I have to give this one two thumbs WAY UP! Enjoy!

I greatly enjoyed seeing "Sunset Boulevard" only a few months ago at NYC's Film Forum. I had a dim recollection of it from years before, so I was glad to catch it again on the big screen. Swanson is just wonderful in her role as Norma Desmond, who "used to be big", according to Holden. It's a crying shame that this movie didn't result in a true comeback for her, as she obviously was capable of being a first-rate sound actress. On hand as her chauffeur and one-time director (and husband!) is Erich von Stroheim, himself the mad director who was arguably responsible for the crack-up of Swanson's career with the notorious "Queen Kelly" movie produced by Swanson's then-lover Old Joe Kennedy. These two--Swanson and von Stroheim--really had a lot of guts to set aside past differences to make this film about silent movie has-beens, which both of them were considered by 1950. Just watch the subtlty of von Stroheim's acting, which is often centered, of all places, in his hands. Only a veteran director/actor of a silent screen era would think of conveying that much with his appendages!

How about Holden? Well, he's good certainly as this heel of a guy. The only qualm I have about him is that he doesn't suggest an extremely young man, which is an important plot device in this movie. The audience is supposed to be reviled by the idea of the older woman pursuing so relentlessly this younger man--and she's successful, to the point where she does manage to land him sexually if not emotionally! Bill is younger than Gloria, yes, but since the actress was in remarkably good condition physically, he doesn't seem like so many years her junior. Interesting, now of course from year 2003, to see how this idea of the older woman/younger man romance is supposed to appall you, when the 1950s would showcase two actresses--Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn--whose movies always seemed to link them romantically with years-older leading men like Cooper, Grant, Bogart, Crosby, Astaire. How come that's okay, but this Swanson character's desire is supposed to repel you? Sexism, sexism, sexism.

Kick that idea to the curb, and set about enjoying "Sunset Boulevard" and the great performances offered by Swanson, von Stoheim, and Holden.

The documentary on the disc does a good job of demonstrating just how unique the tone of this story is, how it perfectly navigates between funny and sad. Not everyone in Hollywood saw the funny side when it was released, and it lost to ALL ABOUT EVE at that year's Oscars. So what? With this disc, SUNSET BOULEVARD is finally getting it's due.

Besides the documentary, you can read two screenplay drafts of an excised opening sequence, explore 1950's Hollywood with an interactive map and watch the film with audio commentary by a critic and historian. All these features are secondary, of course, to the movie. It looks gorgeous. The black and white picture is rich and crisp, the sound is re-mastered and the story is as compelling as ever. The special features only do what all good special features should do on a DVD. They add to the richness of the film. You may already know that Eric von Stroheim (who plays a character who directed Gloria Swanson's character in silent films) directed Gloria Swanson in silent films. But did you know that the drugstore where all the screenwriter's hang out in the movie is the drug store where F. Scott Fitzgerald had a heart attack in 1940? One of the reasons I love this movie is because it is so rich with Hollywood history.

I can't recommend this disc highly enough. Kudos to Columbia for doing right by a classic, a real film lover's film. I love this movie and I love this disc! 5/5 stars.

This DVD version, struck from the original print, makes it possible for the first time to enter Bedford Falls and fully inhabit its sparkling world. It's like seeing the film for the first time all over again. In fact, it may be better. Formerly I thought of the movie as talky and even loud at the expense of visual language, but now I'm able to appreciate Capra's photographic eye as well as the meanings that are purely cinematic.

The flip side of the disc contains interviews with Capra and Stewart, behind-the -scenes information on the making of the film, and some history of the film's conception and reception. It's frequently repetitious, but a nice bonus nonetheless.

This DVD version, struck from the original print, makes it possible for the first time to enter Bedford Falls and fully inhabit its sparkling world. It's like seeing the film for the first time all over again. In fact, it may be better. Formerly I thought of the movie as talky and even loud at the expense of visual language, but now I'm able to appreciate Capra's photographic eye as well as the meanings that are purely cinematic.

The flip side of the disc contains interviews with Capra and Stewart, behind-the -scenes information on the making of the film, and some history of the film's conception and reception. It's frequently repetitious, but a nice bonus nonetheless.