Don Movie Reviews

A movie that made a big impression on me in my early teens, "Papillon" holds up surprisingly well on DVD. The picture and sound quality are more vivid than they ever were on VHS tape (although the vividness also has its drawbacks--a brief "storm at sea" scene during one of the escape sequences looks much more artificial than it did on the big screen 30 years ago), and the star turns of Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman are as vivid as they first seemed. The movie's depiction of life and death in France's South American prison camps looks as harrowing and grim as it did when the movie was in theatres.

Yet even as a teenager I had a couple of qualms about the movie--namely, that it didn't follow the book closely enough (and would have been better characterized if it did), and how did Hoffman's character magically regenerate a limb that developed gangrene and apparently had to be amputated? Over the years, despite my nostalgic soft spot for this flick, I've also come to wonder whether a younger actor would have been more appropriate for the role than the 40-ish McQueen (Henri Charriere, on whose memoirs the movie was based, described himself as a young-looking 25 when he was shipped off to the French prison camps), and whether a more gritty approach wouldn't have been more appropriate. The movie is pretty violent for a PG rating (it would probably be PG-13 today), but even with slashings, shootings, stabbings and an execution by guillotine (in close-up, no less), it's somewhat prettified by those grand, leisurely camera moves that were favored by director Franklin J. Schaffner.

On the other hand, I've also got something of a soft spot for those grand, leisurely camera moves, which now seem like relics of an age in which filmmakers didn't assume their audiences suffered from attention-deficit disorder.

In passing, a TV documentary from a few years ago about the French penal colonies (it may have aired on the Discovery Channel or the History Channel) questioned whether Charriere's description of his years as a prisoner was factual. Apparently, none of the former prisoners or guards interviewed could remember a guy named Papillon who managed to escape from Devil's Island. So maybe any questions about the movie's accuracy are moot.

Papillon is a great movie based on fact that contains many scenes that will stick with you for a long time. Henri Charierre is a safecracker framed for the murder of a pimp and sent to French Guiana, the prison system in South and Central America. Along the way, Papillon meets counterfeiter Louis Dega played to perfection by Dustin Hoffman. The two men struggle to survive amidst the horrible conditions in the prisons. However, the only thing that keeps Papillon alive is the thought of escape and freedom. This is a very bleak movie, at times you might not even recognize McQueen with all the makeup, but the ending does offer hope. The scenes of Papi's solitary confinement and the hallucinations he has while there are very effective and not easily forgotten. Also, the film decides to show prison life as it is. This is not a whitewashed version of it, but instead a fairly graphic depiction of the horrors of the French prison system. Nonetheless, this is still an excellent movie that will keep you interested throughout.

Papillon is up there with The Sand Pebbles as Steve McQueen's finest performances. His role as Henri "Papillon" Charierre is fully believable as he attempts over and over again to escape to freedom. Dustin Hoffman is just as good as Louis Dega, the prisoner who hires McQueen to protect him. The two become friends as they try to adjust to their new lives. The friendship between the two men is very good and some of the better parts of the movie involve their relationship. Don Gordon plays Julot, a veteran prisoner who tries to help them adjust. Robert Deman and Woodrow Parfrey are also very good as Maturette and Clusiot, two fellow prisoners who attempt escape with Papillon. I have to add about Jerry Goldsmith's very good score that perfectly fits the film. The DVD offers a widescreen presentation that looks great, a documentary made during filming that contains interviews with cast, crew, and even Henri Charierre, and also the theatrical trailer. This is a very dark movie, but it is still a great character study that never really slows down. McQueen fans will love this classic!

This is one of the best movies that I have ever seen. Dustin Hoffman's Best, in my opinion. An absolute classic, which should be part of any collection.

This is not a bad re-make, but the original 1963 Incredible
Journey is a gem and wish it would come out in DVD. It is not a gimmicky.

It starts off when the three animals have to stay with a farm woman when their owners are on vacation. Shadow a golden retreiver misses his owner when they are on vaction. He thinks the owners are in trouble so decides to go home. With Chance an american bulldog and Sassy an Himilayan cat on his side the animals cross plains, rivers, and mountains through an incredible journey. They also come across bears, mountain lions, porcupines, skunks, racoons, and even a lost little girl. It also had it's sad moments when Sassy gets pulled away by the river, when Chance got hit in the face by a porcupine, and when Shadow broke his leg falling down an unfinished train track. You will love this movie. It also has a lot of funny moments in it too especially between Chance and Sassy. This is a must see!!!

Homeward bound was not as good as the sequel. My great grandmother when she was alive had a few entertaining shows to watch such as home alone, major payne, the big green and of course, homeward bound. I'm 12 years old and pround to say that this movie is way cool. Its not one I go buy the speical edition dvd and show to all of my many friends, but its entertaining just the same.

I am a big james garner fan and enjoyed some of the romantic comedies that marked the career of doris Day. This was an enjoyable movie, but not one of my favorite. Doris probably did her best work with Rock.

I like Garner better in Cash McCall and Wheeler Dealers if we are talking Romantic Comedys. I like Garner best in the two SUPPORT YOUR... movies.

and one sure to be enjoyed by Doris Day & James Garner fans alike! Not to be missed!

A must for a doris day fan.
Get it now!

Let me start by giving you some notes about the DVD. It's a bare- bones disc, with little done to give the purchaser more insight into the movie's production. It only contains the trailer; no added features like production stills, commentary, or even a "making of" page to scroll through. Most people that watch Train liked it, and I for one would liked to have seen some background about the development of the movie.

Quite a decent yarn of two convicts -- one seasoned and numbed of almost all feelings and one rookie that yearns to be accepted -- who meet while imprisoned in Stonehaven Maximum Security Prison, housing the nation's toughest (or most despicable) convicts.

I became curious about Train while thumbing through a movie review book. If you watch this expecting to be disappointed in the movie's plot or characters, you'll most likely enjoy it. If you demand perfection from the production and technical aspects, you'll not be quite as thrilled, and I'll tell you why.

Oscar Manheim (Jon Voight) was a very believable character, and pairing him with Buck McGehee (Eric Roberts) was rather enjoyable. Lacking a solid plan to escape, they just kept digging themselves a bigger hole each time they made a decision to escape Stonehaven Prison, headed by Warden Ranken (John P. Ryan). FYI, "Ranken" is the correct spelling.

I was most surprised by Eric Roberts.... The poor guy has been in the shadow of the career of his sister Julia Roberts and hasn't been nearly as successful in his acting career. Eric developed Buck's character well as a dim- witted felon, convicted of "statustory" rape, as Buck pronounces it. He tries to show a tough exterior in his actions throughout his criminal life, but Sara (Rebecca De Mornay) helps break down that wall. Maybe it was love but the movie was not a love story -- not one kiss was thrown.

***SLIGHT SPOILER, SKIP*** It becomes the viewer's decision to contemplate what happens to the main characters after the quote from Shakespeare fades because we don't actually see the conclusion when Manny rides atop the lead engine.
***END OF SLIGHT SPOILER***

A few drawbacks: Some of the language was poorly dubbed, like T.K. Carter's character; sometimes the filming of the train was cranked up to give an appearance of speed; some of the snow scenes are abviously enhanced with haze to give an illusion of wind- driven snow. That's why I deducted a major star. Yet the story and plot development tends to keep the viewer entertained. Some might pick on a lack of development of the characters and what drives them. To me, Manny's survival depended on burying his past. And I think an attempt to delve into details about Sara and Buck would slow the film down. For Pete's sake, they're trying to stop a runaway locomotive before it kills them!

I have the DVD and have watched it PLENTY of times. It's particularly nice to watch on a cold grey day. The end will leave you thinking, as well. Just make sure to digest the writing quoted from Richard III by William Shakespeare.

PS- A note for wrestling and NBA fans: There's an African American guard named Jackson, played by Tom "Tiny" Lister, Jr (he is in the elevator). According to imdb.com, he had a short career in the NBA. He also was in the WWF for half a year in 1989 as Zeus and also was in the WCW as ZGangsta.

When a veritable man Want, he can obtain every things at any moment and nobody can't make something AGAINST ! ... THAT ! Sure ! This movie prove this ! FORCE and COGENCY are the proper of the trues MEN ! JOHN VOIGHT is one of them !

this movie was a new release video rental when i was six. my father rented it and we watched it together. since then its still my all time fav movie. as i grew up and watched it over and over, i've noticed more and more about it. at first i just liked watching the train, then became more involved with the characters.the bad guys (manney-a killer and buck- a rapist)escape from prison and stowaway on four frieght locomotives. the train departs the yard and the engineer dies of a heart attack. the only other person on board is a female worker that dosen't kow much adout driving trains. so now the bad guys and this innocent girl must combine thier skills to stop the train that risks hitting other tains, weak bridges, sharp curves, chemical plants, and their own lives (while the athorities are hunting the convicts,and rail control must figue out what to do)
shot on location on the alaska railroad, the photography of four locos tearing apart the beautiful wintery scenery is worth watching in its own,but its part action-thriller,part psychological drama,part art film,part comedy, and even shaksperian.it has a brilliant sreenplay, thats often powerful,emotional, and comedic, and the whole film itself is very dark. the train itself is a great main character, all black, frosted with snow, smashed up, speeding at 90 mph thru a blizzard, and the three passengers must trek from the last to the lead engine shutting the engine down as the go on (with -30 degrees outside,at 90 mph, and snow blowing in thier faces)it becomes very tense. stunts include charaters dragging underneath,hanging on the sides, crawling on the top of the train, as well as a collision, and a helicopter transfering a police officer onto the speeding train (that can be disatarus if not done right). any moment in between action sequences the characters question their paths in life,talk about where they went wrong,and will they get it right given a second chance. the train itself is symbolic to thier lives, and more important- our lives! we are all runaway trains, on our own tracks, following our own destinys, and trying to conrol it, we will derail, we will slow down,other people could stop you, but we all have our destinations, whether or not you get there safley is up to your actions, and the paths you take in life.sometimes we make it, sometimes we don't!

Ok....
The scenery is magificent,as is the cinematography{I love recurring monolith-like shots of the bell tower}.Marylin is perfection in every sense of the word.Josepth Cotton is brilliant as the tortured schizophreniac.Jean Peters is fine.The fat guy from the Jack Benny show is a bit over the top,but is mercifully inflicted upon us in small doses.Hey,even the grumpy guy from The Andy Griffith Show is cool......
But...there is a dead rabbit at this picnic in the form of one CASEY ADAMS.This person is possibly the most irritating human to have ever plagued this blue earth.I could give a list of ten of the most UNLIKELY actors for his role{i.e. Walter Brennan,Don Knotts,Harpo Marx,etc},and I promise you that they would have shone supernova-like compared to Adams.The film begins and ends with his ultra-moronic grin.Egad.
Ultimately,buy this DVD.But I promise you that you will never develope a tolerance for the hapless Casey Adams.
God bless Marylin Monroe.

A movie that you can watch repetively and enjoy deserves 5 Stars anytime and "NIAGRA" is one of those movies. Apart from excellent photograhy/direction/acting it holds the viewer until the end. Monroe was not a bad actress either and this role proved it,also Joseph Cotten had one of his better roles as the jilted husband. The DVD is excellent and the Niagra Falls view enhances the tension throughout. A treasure

1953 was basically the Year of Marilyn, and Niagara is one of the films that transformed her from a much-talked-about newcomer into a living legend. The popular conception of Marilyn as a stereotypical blonde does her a disservice, as she proved in early films such as this that she had real talent as a dramatic actress. Here, she plays a cold, calculating woman planning the murder of her own husband - not your typical Marilyn role. For my money, she is amazing. There are scenes in which she communicates only through facial expressions, and she handles this so naturally that I could swear she wasn't even acting. I should also say that Marilyn is simply stunning in this movie, especially in that red dress which draws so much attention. The Niagara Falls setting, as beautiful and sweeping as it is, pales in comparison to Marilyn's beauty. She is the epitome of sultriness; she is so hot and steamy in this role that I'm surprised several movie theatre screens didn't spontaneously combust as the movie was shown. She is of course gorgeous in all of her movies, but the villainy of her character in Niagara adds an exotic flavor to her forceful presence that leaves me feeling wilted and weak in the knees.

Rose Loomis (Marilyn Monroe) wants to ditch her husband and run off with her lover. Rather than merely leave her husband George (Joseph Cotton), she wants to eliminate him altogether. George is somewhat disturbed as a result of his tour of duty in Korea, and Rose uses this to her advantage by taunting and teasing him into making public spectacles of himself in front of plenty of potential witnesses. Ray and Polly Cutler (the ubiquitous Max Showalter and Jean Peters) are in Niagara Falls on a long-delayed honeymoon, and they find themselves a growing part of whatever craziness is going on between George and Rose. Rose plays her role of the loving, worried wife quite well, intentionally driving her husband into fits; the sound of her favorite song, Kiss, never fails to send him into uncontrolled outbursts. Finally, the time is right, and the lover is sent on his way to murder Rose's husband, but of course these types of things are never as simple as they should be. Rose' s portrayal of the frantic, worried wife might have worked if everything had gone according to plan, but a number of twists turns the tables right on top of her, and the whirlpool of self-destruction eventually threatens to pull the Cutlers down with it.

This is Marilyn as you may never have seen her before. There is no comedy, no dumb blonde characterization to be found here, just an amazingly powerful dramatic performance. Joseph Cotton's talent contributes mightily to the film's success, and Max Showalter and Jean Peters lend a needed air of believability and realism to this beautiful thriller. There is one rather infuriating scene, however, where Ray completely dismisses his wife's account of what she has just witnessed; such an old-fashioned treatment of the real heroine of the movie is one thing that does not transplant well from the 1950s to the twenty-first century. By and large, though, this movie has not lost any of its punch over the years. To say that this movie possesses a driving force rivaling the power of Niagara Falls itself would be both cliché and inaccurate, yet Marilyn's indomitable presence combined with the setting's natural beauty makes Niagara an unforgettable movie experience.

Imagine seeing this about a decade ago in a college dorm room with a South African, a Ukrainian, a Russian, a Japanese, and 2 Americans (all friends, of course) and you can imagine the laugh fest that this became! The characterizations were poking fun on purpose at the Cold War and other issues, but that the characterizations were so awful and a product of their times as well was even funnier! (20/20 hindsight, right?!) What a luxury it is to laugh during times of political strife (...and be reviewing videos online, for that matter) but by all means, indulge! See it with friends, though...it becomes much more interesting, particularly at 2:00 in the morning!

A Cold War "comedy" delivers lots of laughs, but also much to think about. Knowing what we know now (years after the fall of Communism), the story seems to foreshadow a brighter future for humankind. Carl Reiner's Masterpiece!

A small New England island town is visited by the crew of a Russian submarine. The submarine has run adrift, and is stuck. The townspeople, through a series of misunderstandings, quickly perpetuate ever-increasing rumors about a Russian paratrouper invasion. Although the town is in a complete panic, the focus on a few characters and their interactions with the "alien enemies" reveals a more human side of the global East/West conflict. The final scenes are a heartwarming testimony to the triumph of the human spirit. A wonderful "Sunday afternoon" family film!*****

OK--forget about the bad acting by some and the political "overtones". Ignore the really awful ending.

But--Do watch this movie with your kids! I remember watching it with my father many years ago and to his dieing day "Whitaker Walt" was his name for someone who was just a little confused. The movie has so many great lines in it and Alan Alda and Carl Reiner are both magnificent...When Brian Keith breaks into hysterical laughter at the airport looking for "parachuting russians" you can't help but joining right in...even John Phillip Law has his moments (like the look on his face when he realizes he almost shot someone).

In an era when kids are raised on so much hate and sex and violence, this movie is something that you can pull off the shelves and sit down with a big bowl of popcorn between you and just enjoy.

Fans of Woody Allen's slapstick comedy should pick it up on this MGM DVD presentation.

The transfer looks a bit soft and grainy throughout the film, but still better than VHS. The sound is presented in mono and that's okay for this Allen film.

As far as bonus materials...there's a trailer.

Kind of a clunker, but if you are in the market for the movie itself, pick it up.

Woody Allen is a genius. And perhaps his best decade was the 1970's. His early movies were more joke oriented than his later movies, but even tough they have a lot of Woody's trademarks like the social satire or the elaborated jokes.

"Sleeper" isn't the exception. Actually is one of Woody Allen's funniest movies, is packed with imaginative and unforgettable sequences. "Sleeper" is not only one of Woody's finest comedies, but also it's one of the best of that decade. Some details might seem a bit dated, but overall the movie has a futuristic atmosphere.

Joining Woody is Diane Keaton as Luna, a beautiful and clueless artist. Diane really was a gorgeous girl in this movie, and also helped Woody to create several of his finest films.

"Sleeper" is recommendable for any fan of Woody Allen or the comedies in general.

This movie is better then I remembered. In fact, the only things I remembered about it were the robots and the Orgasmatron (what early teen could forget that mysterious contraption?). This is another excellent pairing of Allen and Diane Keaton. Being older (and with the passage of time), the scene of Woody identifying items from his past is hysterical (as is the Miss America scene). I just wish that we were able to see all the photos he was looking at. A humorous look at Allen's vision of the future in 200 years (circa 1973). The nose knows.

John Sayles' film successfully informs the viewer about the myriad facts surrounding this infamous time in baseball history. Given the large cast and need to cover so much ground, it is probably inevitable that certain aspects of the movie feel somewhat superficial, limiting the movie's emotional resonance (final scene excepted). For example, character development is limited at best, and we are not shown in a convincing fashion how players' families may provide both positive and negative support and pressure. Again though, the director's central goal seems to be to deliver the facts about this chapter of baseball history, and in this he succeeds. And one could certainly argue that embellishing the personal stories could only be done at the expense of historical accuracy. Regardless, the lively score, strong acting, and fast-pace also help insure that this history lesson is delivered without the soporific qualities of many documentaries.

While the baseball scenes were generally solid, one TINY detail rang false. At one point late in the film John Kusack's Weaver shouts out, "I hit .327 in the series". While it's possible he really said that, it isn't possible he hit it. You need over 50 at bats to hit precisely .327, and you can't reach 50 at bats in even an eight game World Series!

this is a very good baseball movie. It tells alot about the "19 black sox scandal. It gets a little boring sometimes though like when the gangsters are talking. My friend's dad was in it. He played the first base umpire. I would recommend this move to people who like baseball movies.

For the longest time, I never really understood why the Chicago Black Sox did what they did. However, after doing a little research behind the 1919 Black Sox scandal, I now understand. They did what they did because Charlie Comiskey cared more about the profits in his pockets than he did about the players who played on his team. His greed and selfishness in not paying team members a decent wage made it rather easy for team members to throw some games for a propositioned profit. EIGHT MEN OUT does an excellent job of portraying Comiskey's avarice and illustrating the motivation of the eight men who were thrown out of the game.

Buck Weaver was the true victim in the whole scandal because even though he was not a part of affair, he had knowledge of it and failed to inform his coach. The movie shows Weaver as the type of man he really was and its a shame he wasn't and hasn't been given a fair shake. The film also does a good job at illustrating the questions surrounding "Shoeless" Joe Jackson. Jackson was thrown out for throwing a game, but he was basically the MVP of the entire series; all he cared about was the game, not the money. Was Joe really a criminal or a simple hick caught up in something bigger than he could deal with?

EIGHT MEN OUT is a really good sports movie. It's a must for any baseball fan, but is something that even the non-baseball fan may enjoy watching.

This movie is a fascinating look at the classic "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" formula. It's set against the beautiful backdrop of Carmel, Eastwood's home town, and is, in my opinion, one of the most frightening films in its genre. Fans of Fatal Attraction should take a look at this movie. It's a much more believable, and much scarier, portrayal of a one-night-stand gone wrong.

Clint Eastwood stars and makes his directorial debut in one of
the best thrilers of the 70's. Eastwood plays Dave Garland a night jazz DJ Who has penchant for womanzing gets involved with a
woman who is a big fan of his radio show and keeps requesting the
classic tune "Misty" almost every night. Everything was innocent
when they first met at dave's faverite bar then after one night of passion Dave decides to break off the affair not knowing this
woman has delvloped quite a fixation him and makes his life one
living nightmare. Everything from showing up at his home at
unusual hours tauntiing him over the phone slashing up his housekeeper and nearly stabbing him in bed. The ending was a blast when dave goes one on one with the psycho after finding out she has his girlfriend held hostage. After being cut several times with a knife dave give her a solid right cross to the face that sends the woman over the guard rail falling to her death over rocks and water. Clint Eastwood does a remarable 2 jobs
in both acting and directing you can see clearly why the man is legend in contemporay filmmaking.

A good example of how despite a dated wardrobe and filming style, a good movie will always be a good movie. Sure, there's some first time director oddities here and there and it's not right for everybody but overall a good one.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. I've heard numerous times that this movie was to be a tribute to real life United States Marine Carlos Hathcock. If this in fact was a tribute to Gunny Hathcock I feel that it paid tribute to him in a way that he probably could have appreciated.Tom Berenger is probably the best actor to portray a no b.s., efficient military operator that Hollywood has to offer. His presence is enough to make you want to like who he is portraying.

Unless you are a USMC sniper you really have no way of knowing how true to life this movie actually is. I have spoken to a number of men serving with STA and they have given this movie mostly a thumbs up. USMC SS Tom Ferran was a consult on the set so that explains why many aspects of this movie are very good. Obviously there are some technical blunders where the producers have decided that entertainment is more important than reality.

The plot for this movie is very simple; sneak in, eliminate your target, sneak out. If you don't appreciate the fieldcraft of sniping you will probably not like this movie. Much of the film is very slow paced and more like a drama. There are a few scenes with explosions, lots of shooting, etc. I like this movie because the makers didn't completely sell out the legacy of the USMC snipers to make an action packed film.

I liked this movie because there wasn't a whole lot of unecessary action, though there was some. The movie was pretty slow paced and that is something many snipers can probably appreciate. If you have never studied sniping you'll probably not think much of this film. If you have studied it, you just may like the movie.

Let me say that although the Billy Zane character had no place in this movie (Civilians are NOT assigned to Marine Snipers!), Tom Berenger did a OUTSTANDING portrayal of a Marine Master Gunnery Sergeant. He had the looks, the lingo and the mannerisms down pat. My wife watched the movie and told me "There's You!. Except the wrong scope reticle pattern, the gear was correct. Great movie! I bought it.

Who can say that this movie is bad? I read a review that it was boring, and no plot. All they did was wonder through a jungle, and one snaps and starts trying to kill the other. This is my reply to them: Ever heard of Character Development, and behaviour, how people react to things?
Just picture yourself in a jungle, and you can be shot at, at any moment without warning. Anyone can snap from that.
This film is more for adults, who understands more of what goes on. Younger people just look for action, and some great special effects, blowing up, etc.
Just buy it! It's a great movie!