Don Movie Reviews

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Family movie reviews for "Don" sorted by average review score:
Guarding Tess
Released in DVD by Columbia/Tristar Studios (30 October, 2001)
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Director: Hugh Wilson
Starring: Nicolas Cage and Shirley MacLaine
Nicolas Cage stars in this drama-comedy about a Secret Service agent unable to get out of his assignment watching over an exasperating former first lady (Shirley MacLaine). The two get along like oil and water, but when MacLaine's bored widow ends up kidnapped, Cage's agent becomes a determined avenger. While the pairing of these two actors in a movie isn't something most audiences would ever have considered, that's what makes it so much fun. Cage and MacLaine are brilliantly focused in their respective parts, and filmmaker Hugh Wilson brings an unusually solid and urgent feeling to a story that might have become a dismissible light comedy in another director's hands. The DVD release has optional full-screen and widescreen presentations, theatrical trailer, optional Spanish and French soundtracks, and subtitles. --Tom Keogh
Average review score:

Unexpected gem...
When "Guarding Tess" was released eight years ago, I ended up watching it in the theater because I was bored and because it looked a little more promising than the rest of the pack. That thought proved to be an understatement. To date, I have seen this movie at least eight times, and I tend to enjoy it more with each viewing. Nicholas Cage is perfect as the disgruntled Secret Service agent who feels he has been banished to his current duty -- namely, doting on a cantankerous former First Lady, played to the hilt by Shirley MacLaine. "Guarding Tess" is alternately funny and moving, and even includes a bit of a mystery for Cage to solve. Far more than a one-dimensional film, "Guarding Tess" is satisfying for so many reasons -- the witty script, the fine performances, the deft direction, and the mostly even pacing, to name a few. While you can catch this on a regular basis on TBS (which has made the movie one of its most reliable staples), "Guarding Tess" is definitely worth owning for more frequent viewing.

Better Than Guarding The President's Dog
Nicholas Cage stars as a Secret Service agent assigned to protect former first lady Shirley MacLaine. MacLaine has a difficult personality, and being guarded by Cage, a by-the-books man, causes a lot of friction between the two. She won't let him be reassigned, yet she seems bent on messing with him every chance she can get. It turns into one of those love-hate relationships that have fueled many a film, but this one works better than most. Cage and MacLaine are both excellent choices for their roles, giving the kind of quality performances you'd expect, with an unexpectedly good chemistry between them. I wish Cage would appear in more films like this, since I often find his choice of pictures puzzling. The rest of the cast takes a backseat to the star performances. The writing is good, allowing the relationship to develop naturally between the characters. I do wish there had been a few more laughs and that the ending had not come so quickly. I don't know if relationships develop between Secret Service agents and the people they are assigned to protect, so I don't know how realistic this was, but I really liked the characters, found the story amusing, and enjoyed the film a lot.

TBS Superstation.
I just watched the second half of Guarding Tess on TBS. It's now 11:30PM, and I am writing this review when I should be in bed 1 and half hour ago. Nicolas Cade and The old woman in the movie both turned in great performances. The story was lightly funny at first, but didn't really go anywhere. The relationship between The FBI agent and ex-first lady was strange, and though the movie tried to give their intimacy an explanation, it was still weird. The climax came at the end, and was very entertaining, for it broke a long line of fairly boring plot. There is much meaning in the movie; it tried successfully to bring the emotions of a smart first lady widow who dearly wants attention to life. I was touched by the movie. Thank you. I should go to bed now.

The War Wagon
Released in DVD by Universal Studios (06 May, 2003)
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Director: Burt Kennedy
Starring: John Wayne and Kirk Douglas
John Wayne and Kirk Douglas make a delightful duo in this comedic Western in which Wayne seeks revenge on a ruthless mine owner (Bruce Cabot) who had him framed and sent to prison. Upon his release, Wayne recruits Douglas in a scheme to raid and rob one of Cabot's gold-laden wagons, despite the fact that Douglas had been offered good money to kill Wayne. He joins Wayne instead (the potential profits being much greater), and they set out to ambush the War Wagon, so named because it's heavily armored, mounted with a Gatling gun, and guarded by a dozen gunmen on horses. Costarring Keenan Wynn and Howard Keel as a wise-cracking Indian, The War Wagon was a Western precursor to the action buddy films of the 1980s and '90s, serving up plenty of exciting action and constant comic relief. The interplay between Wayne and Douglas is sharp and sarcastic, and their motley crew of accomplices provides yet another source of character-driven humor. Not one of the greatest Westerns ever made, but certainly one of the most lightly entertaining. --Jeff Shannon
Average review score:

It's like "Oceans Eleven" in the West
This is a movie about revenge. It's about the quest of one man, Taw Jackson (Wayne), to get even with the man who set him up and stole his ranch. To get his vengeance, Taw puts together a small group of men, including a gunfighter who's been hired to kill him (Douglas), to help him rob the "War Wagon," so named because it is an iron stagecoach complete with a gattling gun and a large complement of mounted guards. The five men scheme, plan, and concoct a plan to steal the wagon, and Taw and Lomax (Douglas) try to refrain from killing each other in the process.

This is not meant to be a completely serious Western, and in fact it is quite lighthearted. It is also funny, with just enough comic relief to keep things lively. Douglas and Wayne are absolutely fabulous together, and the rest of the cast works well too. This is a great all-around Western.

Entertaining comedy western
The War Wagon is a good comedy western starring John Wayne and Kirk Douglass as two men attempting to steal a shipment of gold. Wayne stars as Taw Jackson, a man recently released from prison after being framed, who wants to get revenge on the man who put him in jail(Bruce Cabot). Kirk Douglass is Lomax, Wayne's greedy, cocky partner. These two are perfect together as they try and figure out how to rob the "war wagon." Their dialogue is sharp and cutting with insults being handed back and forth.

The movie is very entertaining to watch. Excellent cast backing up Wayne and Douglass including Howard Keel as Levi Walking Bear. There is enough action and humor for everybody in this western. DVD presentation is good in widescreen with a trailer included even though it is a little pricey. Well worth it for Duke fans!

A get even movie
well it's a good movie some light humor a get even type movie.Enjoyable intertianing but you've to know one thing I
am a big JOHN WAYNE FAN.

Dragon Ball Z - Babidi - Dark Prince Returns
Released in DVD by Goldhil Home Media 2 (30 October, 2001)
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Director: Daisuke Nishio
Average review score:

another 3 stars for the babidi saga.
although eighteen has stopped being evil. she never stops being
devious. it was nice see her knee hercule in the gut. the fight between Gohan and Dabura is somewhat boring. And once again the villan makes a mistake by telling them what he is doing. despite my complaning, this is a good video and you should by it.

A Sweet DBZ DVD
This dvd contains 3 episodes:

Episode 211:Pay To Win:As Hercule fights Android 18 in the World Martial Arts tournement, Goku,Vegeta,Gohan and the Supreme Kai advance to Stage 3 of the wicked Babdi`s space ship.As Gohan awaits who will face them next, Babdi selects his warrior: Dabaura!

Episode 212:Heart Of A Villian:The clash between Super Sayin Gohan and Dabaura continues, with a few dirty tricks. But Dabaura claims that they have just found a new re-cruit...the strongest they can find!!!!

Episode 213:The Dark Prince Returns:As Dabaura retreats to tell Babdi about his discovery, the Supreme Kai wonders if Babdi will take-over one of their minds.And he sees the one:Vegeta!!!Will Vegeta be claimed and become Babdi`s serevent?Will the Sayin Prince turn on them?

dragonball Z rules!
I love dragonball Z. This is the best anime out there. I wish that all of their episodes were on DVD rather than on Vhs, but oh well. This is a great saga, the Babidi one. Vegeta is going back to becoming the Prince of Mean. This is what he needed to fight with Goku without any misgivings. You have to watch this! Its great.

Mario Puzo's The Last Don
Released in DVD by Vidmark/Trimark (10 December, 2002)
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Director: Graeme Clifford
Starring: Danny Aiello, Joe Mantegna, and Daryl Hannah
If you have an appetite for Sicilian soapers, then you're like all those other people who made Mario Puzo's The Last Don the highest Nielsen-rated show for the week in mid-May 1997 when it originally aired. And who could blame you, since the story line of this TV miniseries is chock-full of all the familiar elements that make up a bestseller--power, money, sex, murder, gambling, madness, fame, Hollywood, loyalties made and broken. The story proper begins with a little Romeo and Juliet when Rose Marie, daughter of Don Domenico Clericuzio (Danny Aiello), falls for the youngest son of the warring Santadio family. On their wedding night, Rose Marie's new husband and the entire Santadio family are slaughtered by the Clericuzios to avoid further conflict between the two families, and Rose Marie goes completely insane and grows up to be Kirstie Alley. But not before she gives birth to another Santadio, Dante (so named because he has to live in Hell), in whom she invests all her hatred for her own family. So he grows up to be a psychotic hitman, played with sly and sadistic ingenuity by Rory Cochrane. The Clericuzios' chief executioner, Pippi (played with smooth aplomb by Joe Mantegna), is responsible for killing Rose Marie's husband, and wants his own son, metaphorically overburdened with the name "Cross," to follow in his footsteps. The sins of the fathers are visiting all over the sons in this picture, and naturally the two kids will have to resolve this inheritance. The acting is the main attraction here. Aiello in particular invests The Don with a stately grace that is just right. --Jim Gay
Average review score:

Movie as good as the book
After reading the book, I was very impressed with the movie. Never is the movie like the book....but not in this case. The movie followed the book very accurately. Everything that happens in the book are exactly what happens in the movie. So if you read the book already, you will not be disappointed with the movie, I promise. The movie was well done and I would recommend it to anyone who loves Puzo or not.

A really fine mob flick
This is another of Mario Puzo's stories about the mafia, and it is very engaging indeed. While "The Godfather" tended to glorify the mafia, at least in Part 1, this film really doesn't. In fact, the basic theme of the story is that the patriarch Don is trying to remove his family from the world of the mafia, to safely enter the legitimate world, with the family wealth intact. While The Godfather more or less focused on the mafia from roughly 1930-1960, this story deals with the modern mafia of the 1990s and beyond. As always when writing about the mafia, Puzo tells a great story.

This is a really interesting storyline, told more or less from the standpoint of the wise old mafia Don. The characters are very true-to-life and engaging. The storyline moves along briskly, with many interesting twists and turns. The acting is mostly pretty good. Overall, this is a really engaging miniseries that is great entertainment. One interesting twist is the film's portrayal of the movie business, which it portrays as being every bit as ruthless as the mafia. Funny, if not necessarily true to life.

The Last Don
This is one of the best scripts ever penned by the great author of the Godfather and Omerta. As far as this movie is concerned as a film then again it must score very highly. Although it is not the epic marathon of the Godfather and because of this is more accesible. The screen photography is great while the acting is as good as youd expect from actors commisioned by Puzo
The godfather was a very hard act to follow and this is the one film in an increasingly popular genre that can match the great epic.

Only Angels Have Wings
Released in DVD by Columbia/Tristar Studios (31 August, 1999)
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Director: Howard Hawks
Starring: Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, and Rita Hayworth
Hands down, Only Angels Have Wings is one of the most buoyantly entertaining movies in the American cinema. It is also a razor-sharp example of the action-oriented films of Howard Hawks, the wide-ranging auteur who would go on to make To Have and Have Not and Red River. This one is set in Barranca, a South American port city swathed in perpetual night fog, where a band of mail pilots struggle daily to get their planes through a treacherous mountain pass. They don't care about the mail so much as they live by the rules of adventure, professionalism, and friendly rivalry. Cary Grant is the leader of this daredevil group, a man who won't be pinned down to anything except his own code of stoicism. ("I don't believe in laying in a supply of anything," he says, which may be why he's always asking people for matches to light his cigarettes.) His cool style is tested by the arrival of a wisecracking blonde (Jean Arthur) and an ex-mistress (Rita Hayworth); Rita's now married to a pilot (Richard Barthelmess), disgraced by a single act of cowardice. Hawks always got great mileage from throwing a bunch of colorful characters together in an enclosed space, where death could strike in a moment. The great secret about Hawks is that although his feel for action was crackling, he was really more interested in the way people exchanged sidelong glances or lit each other's cigarettes--there's a lot of both in Only Angels Have Wings. --Robert Horton
Average review score:

Still flys high six decades later
This is yet another great movie from the remarkable year, 1939. I've always been curious as to what plateau the movies would have wound up on had it not been for the devastating chain of events called WWII, which had begun the year before in Europe and China.

Jean Arthur, one of Hollywood's great comedic actresses, plays a show biz type who, for reasons never made clear, has sailed into a backwater South American port. There she meets a bunch of guys who work for a rickety airline that needs to get a big mail delivery contract in order to survive. Cary Grant plays the leader of this group. He's been burned by women in the past, and, though attracted to Arthur, acts the tough guy who only cares about his job and his buddies. It doesn't take long for Arthur to decide that he's the one for her, but she's worldly enough to know that this is one catch that will be hard to reel in. Meanwhile, Grant and company have enough to keep them busy, as they battle wind, rain, fog, old airplanes, big birds and some very tall mountains in order to get said mail to its destination.

One thing I love about this movie is the way is never seems to take itself seriously. I don't know what the filmmakers intended, but much of it seems almost a satire of macho action pictures. Why else would they cast two such wonderfully funny stars in the leads?

Also of note is way the script addresse some tricky issues in the Arthur-Grant relationship by giving the movie a hopeful, rather than happy, ending. It leaves it up to the viewer to decide if this odd couple will make it or not.

The movie won an Oscar for Best Special Effects. Some of these are remarkable even today, while others are now laughably crude. But the special effects are just icing on the cake. Only Angels Have Wings is very much story driven. Nearly half of it takes place on one set, but the characters have so much going on that you hardly noctice the static setting.

Great supporting perfomances by Thomas Mitchell, Richard Bathelmess and a very young, inexperienced Riat Hayworth.

All in all, an endearing, highly entertaining movie.

A PERENNIAL 1939 CLASSIC.
What??? Yet another classic from 1939? Yes, and a darn good one, too! One of Hollywood's most perennial delights, this is a great film any which way you slice it. When showgirl Bonnie Lee (Arthur) is docked via her ship in the banana republic of Barranca, she's delighted to met two American flyers: Joe Souther and Les Peters (Noah Beery, Jr. & Allyn Joslyn). They fly for a cut-rate airline owned by softhearted Dutchy (Sig Rumann). The airline is run by hard-boiled Geoff (Grant) who, despite hazardous weather conditions, must maintain a regular flight performance in order to obtain the mail subsidy. Geoff is rather misogynistic because of a previously sour romance with another gal: Geoff's best friend Kid (Thomas Mitchell) tells Bonnie to keep away from him.....There's obviously much more to this exhilerating Columbia film which was originally entitled PLANE NO. 4. Based upon a story fragment in which director Howard Hawks wrote in 1938 entitled PLANE FROM BARRANCA. Hawks said that he conceived the idea for the story while he was flying with a Mexican bush pilot around Mexico. Lightweight leading man Robert Sterling made his motion picture debut here.

This movie has it all....
Only Angels Have Wings is a perfect example of an often ignored, but excellent, classic movie. Directed by Howard Hawks, and with a great cast, Only Angels Have Wings is half exciting adventure movie and half romantic comedy. The sense of setting and atmosphere is very good as well - you almost feel as though the movie transports you to the imaginary South American port town of Barranca. The movie describes the adventures of a group of pilots working in a very dangerous location - they are hemmed in by mountains, and constantly face bad weather conditions. More specifically, it focuses on Bonnie Lee (Jean Arthur), a chorus girl staying in the town, and her encounters with the tough boss of the business, Jeff Carter (Cary Grant).

The cast is very good. Cary Grant, though not playing his usual role, is excellent as the tough boss, who only flys when it is too tough for anyone else. Jean Arthur is sweet and believable as the stranded chorus girl, and the supporting cast, including a very young Rita Hayworth (in her first A-movie) is perfect.

Anyhow, if you haven't seen this hidden classic from 1939, what are you waiting for? The DVD is very good - the movie is very clear and sharp, and there are a few interesting special features as well (previews for other movies and old advertisement posters, for instance). But the movie alone is worth getting - it is a must have!

Dragon Ball Z - World Tournament - Draw
Released in DVD by Goldhil Home Media 2 (31 July, 2001)
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Director: Daisuke Nishio
Average review score:

The Beggining Of The World Tournement
This dvd contains 3 episodes:

Episode 198:Big Trouble,Little Trunks:Now that Trunks is the winner of the World Martial Arts Tournement, he must fight an exthibithion match with Hercule, who might lose his title!In the meanwhile, two participants in the tournement meet Goku. Who are these warriors with tremendous energy?

Episode 199:Who Will Fight Who?:The discoveries of who will fight who in the tournement has been decided.And one of the match ups:Goku Vs. Vegeta!In the first round, a gigantic clash! And the names of the two mysterious figures are revealed: Shin and Kibito!And Gohan is matched up with Kibito and Piccolo with Shin!In the first round, Krillin fights the huge Pilliar!In the meanwhile Trunks and Goten knocks out the participant known as Mighty Mask, and steal his costume to enter!

Episode 200:Forfeit Of Piccolo:As Krillin moves on to the next round, Piccolo confronts Shin in the tournement. Scared to death by his immense power, he retreats. After the match, Piccolo asks Shin, what is real idenity is....and finds a shocking discovery!!!!!!!

Somewhat aggravating
Viewers be glad that FUNimation has released to its fans, *DVD* versions of the popular anime show, Dragonball Z. These DVDs are a neat pack, containing extras, the episodes on video, and the option of choosing the American Dubbed sound track or the Japanese track with subtitles. This is a wonderful choice for creating a useful compromise for the diverse number of DBZ fans, some who prefer the American version or the ones who prefer the Japanese version. Personally, I prefer the Japanese track over the American dub. The American dub [somewhat] sickens me with its harsh, grating, raspy, grunting voices and the NONSTOP rock/techno/polka music (I do mean nonstop, try your hardest to find a single moment when that music's NOT playing). So although I loathe FUNimation for creating such a horror, I thank them for allowing us the privilege of hearing the original version with its beautiful soundtrack and cool, spirited (rather than scripted) voices. The quality is great, but the worth is questionable; there are only 3 episodes per disk, whereas others like Sailor Moon and Cowboy Bebop have around 6. If you can stomach the price (gulp) than I would suppose that the DBZ DVD's are a good buy.

DRAGONBALL Z REPORT
This had to be the greatest DragonBall Z that Ive ever seen.It had good animation in the fights and even little Gohan had a go at fighting. It was a brilliant movie and I would rent it 5 STARS.

Men of War
Released in DVD by Dimension Home Video (04 February, 2003)
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Director: Perry Lang
Men of War stars tall, craggy Dolph Lundgren as a down-and-out commando who agrees to do another job because there's nothing else he knows how to do. He assembles a crack team and travels to an isolated Pacific island with orders to secure it for a mysterious business venture. But once there, he discovers an idyllic paradise with peaceful natives who welcome the mercenaries into their village. When Dolph learns what the venture is really about, he decides he's on the wrong side and, with part of his team, fights to defend the island from destruction. The first third of Men of War is drenched in sweaty machismo--the camera constantly lingers over rippling muscles and bruised skin during an endless bar fight. But once on the island, the mercenaries frolic sweetly with native children and the scenery is astoundingly beautiful (and beautifully filmed). A native who speaks English delivers some heavy-handed pacifist speeches. Then, as another team of more ruthless mercenaries arrive, the movie again turns into an ecstasy of gunshots and explosions--only, because of the genuinely charming middle third, there are actually some emotional stakes to the violence. Furthermore, the natives turn out to be not quite as peaceful as they presented themselves, adding some surprising layers to the movie's moral tone (likely due to the hand of co-screenwriter John Sayles, the man responsible for Brother from Another Planet and Lone Star). All in all, better looking and better written than any movie starring Dolph Lundgren has any right to be. --Bret Fetzer
Average review score:

MEN OF WAR review!
Better than most straight-to-video action films could ever dream of being, "Men Of War" takes an excellent cast including Dolph Lundgren, B.D. Wong, Charlotte Lewis, Catherine Bell, Tom "Tiny" Lister, and Thomas Gibson, just to name a few, and combines with an effective script co-written by John Sayles to make for quite a good little picture.

Lundgren is Nick Gunner, a hired gun paid by two yuppie entrepenaurs to lead a group of mercenaries in a mission to strongarm a group of islanders on a small island off the South Pacific into signing away their island's mineral deposits. Enter Trevor Goodard's loose-cannon liutenant Keefer who is looking to get in on the action and is a former associate of Gunner. The two butt heads early on in the movie where Gunner's unarmed men are forced to watch him taking a whooping at gunpoint by the hands of the furious Keefer.

Fast forward a few minutes to the men landing on the island where they request to meet with the island's elders. The only people of any assistance are the English-speaking Po, a former bus boy in America, and Lokki, an attractive island girl. As the film progresses, the men soon become divided as some become sympathetic towards the lives of the island people while others are still loyal to getting paid. This leads to an action-packed and bullet-riddled conclusion where the defectors from Gunner's side join forces with Keefer and Nick's old mentor and return to the island in a blaze of gunfire.

The film is not your usual stupid violent action film as it actually delivers a powerful message and some colorful performances. This was actually one of Lundgren's last real good films as he continued with such poor video fare as "Hidden Assassin" and "The Minion". Nobody in this little movie is gonna get an Oscar for their acting but appearances by a handful of well-known character actors will make for a nice treat for genre fans. Tom Wright, in particular shows some promise in a role bigger than he is used to playing but handles well, nontheless. In closing, "Men Of War" is a must-see for any true action-adventure fan.

Need help
This moviw is great.
Dolph is great.

I just wanted to know something. I want to know where this island is located in and what's its name?

If someone knows, let him inform me as well!

Regrds,

Catherine Bell of pre-"JAG" fame - Enough said!!!
There is only one reason for me to buy this DVD & it is because Catherine Bell (who portrays LtCol. Sarah "Mac" MacKenzie) of "JAG" fame graces this movie with her presence.She portrays Grace, a (Wo)Men of War", one of Dolph's mercenaries.Catherine Bell is great in this movie, I just loved how BUTCH she was with short hair & muscles, kicking ... & swinging the big guns around.So if you are a Cat Bell fan, this is definately a "must-have" for your collection.Also, for all you "JAG" fans, Trevor Goddard who portrayed Australian Navy lawyer Mic Brumby (who Sarah MacKenzie was supposed to marry, thank God that didn't happen!) plays Keefer in this movie.

Panther
Released in DVD by Polygram Video (22 December, 1998)
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Director: Mario Van Peebles
Starring: Kadeem Hardison and Bokeem Woodbine
This simple-minded account of the Black Panther Party is insulting to anybody who ever admired the positive qualities of the organization or at the very least took their militancy seriously. Melvin Van Peebles wrote the thin script, and son Mario directs it with little of the penetrating and expansive sensibility necessary to understand the subject in its broadest context. The presence of a big cast with a lot of familiar names and faces--including real-life Panther contemporaries Jerry Rubin and Dick Gregory--give the project a false air of importance. --Tom Keogh
Average review score:

fear of a black planet
this just goes to show you that whenever my folks speak about something other then what was taught to them to say, america gets nervous. the black panters was one of the greatest things to happen to the "real" upliftment" of africans. this movie is just as good as andy kaufman, hoffa, the patriot, and any other good ole' "american" movie. but it just so happens that this movies teaches blacks that together as one we can control our destiny. and that my friends scares amerikkka.

too high
I LOVE this movie but these prices are crazy!!! Tower.com for 25.99 people. I think this is a great movie to have in your collection but I think that people who really want to see this movie are being taken advantage of.

all that could be told
Panther explains the building foundations for the corruptness of the government and the silencing of the BLACK PANTHER PARTY. This movie places great emphasis of how our cultural world exploits, degrades, and humiliates the AFRICAN-AMERICAN people, through the eyes of the government. Panther is one of many movies that should be viewed, shared and remembered. All characters protrayed in this movies have done an outstanding job bringing the best and the worst of the BLACK PANTHER organization. Explaining in format through scenes, of how the infiltration, conspiracys, and the lynching of the urban world continued to grow.....Once again, PANTHER is a movie to remember

Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 8, Episode 16: The Menagerie, Parts I and II
Released in DVD by Paramount Studio (22 February, 2000)
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Directors: James Goldstone, Murray Golden, Herb Wallerstein, Gene Nelson, Jud Taylor, John Newland, Vincent McEveety, James Komack, Robert Sparr, and Harvey Hart
Volume 8 in the DVD series of original Star Trek episodes includes the fascinating two-part drama "The Menagerie." As if guided by the frugal wisdom of schlockmeister producer-director Roger Corman, Trek creator Gene Roddenberry found a clever way of using, instead of losing, extensive and costly footage from the then-unseen, discarded Star Trek pilot, "The Cage." Roddenberry's solution was to integrate pieces of "The Cage" into a whole new story context, and the surprisingly moving result was "The Menagerie." First, a bit of background: "The Cage" starred film actor Jeffrey Hunter (King of Kings, The Searchers) as Christopher Pike, the original captain of the Enterprise. Among Hunter's costars was Leonard Nimoy as Science Officer Spock, who eventually carried over, of course, into the reconfigured series starring William Shatner. Rather than write off "The Cage," Roddenberry conceived of a story line in which Captain Pike would re-appear on the show in a badly disfigured, paralyzed, and mute form--the result of a terrible accident in which the character saved a number of lives but took a pounding in the process. In "The Menagerie," Spock hijacks the Enterprise to transport Pike to a secret destination. During court-martial proceedings for this crime, Spock's defense is presented via archival footage of an old, pre-Kirk mission aboard the Enterprise. That footage, of course, is a re-edited "The Cage." A must-see for Star Trek fans, "The Menagerie" is a stellar example of Roddenberry thinking on his feet. --Tom Keogh
Average review score:

I would recommend watching The Cage first
The Menagerie-This two part episode based on pilot #1, in which Spock is in the hot seat, is difficult to evaluate separately from 'The Cage.' Overall, the team did a good job of generating an episode 'without' another episode. On the other hand, the main thing going for the episode is The Cage. And it is better just to watch The Cage as it was intended, without all the artificial breaks. As noted by another reviewer, it isn't just the breaks in The Cage that are awkward; the need for breaks in The Menagerie also made for some awkward moments. So ultimately this episode was a clever way of presenting 'The Cage', and not a lot more. The two exceptions: 1) it is interesting to see the extent of Spock's loyalty, and 2) the return of Pike to Talos IV was a nice touch. (2.5 stars for the Menagerie components alone, 3.5 overall)

Spock on trial
The only two part episode of TOS in which Spock goes on trial for kidnapping his old captain Christopher Pike to take him to the forbidden world of Talos IV.

ONE OF TREK'S BEST AND MOST CLEVER DRAMAS!!!
Volume 8 of the Star Trek DVD collection contains the series only 2 part episode. THE MENAGERIE is easily one of the series best dramas and also easily one of the best episodes of the first season. Creator Gene Roddenberry made a very clever move in this episode. Using the footage from the (at the time) un-seen pilot episode THE CAGE, he made an episode that revolved around Captain Pike.

The MENAGERIE takes place 13 years after the events that occured in THE CAGE. Spock was a crew member aboard the USS Enterprise during Cpt. Pike's command. However now Pike is severely crippled from a freak accident when he was saving some children. He is still the same person he once was only trapped inside a useless body, a vegetable if you will. When they arrive on a planet Spock and Kirk meet up with Pike after many years. Spock kidnaps Pike and sets the Enterprises course to Rigel IV the forbidden planet. He is arrested and sent to court for a court martial for disobeying Kirk orders. Spock explains why he is doing this and during the court shows footage that occured 13 years ago. If Spock is not guilty he will be able to continue his assignment if he is Kirk will be forced to find him guilty and the Vulcan will be court martialed.

THE MENAGERIE was a wonderful episode that ranks as one of the series most complex plots. Partly because it is a two parter but the best thing about this was Roddenberry was finally able to put some of the unused footage from THE CAGE to use. Although the run of THE CAGE here is quite disjointed it gives you the basic jist of the plot. It also features the famous bulb head aliens that treat human like zoo animals.

Overall Volume 8 is a essential 2 part Trek episode that must be seen. It is great to see Cpt. Pike again even though he is terribly scarred and says nothing. Still this DVD is one of the collections finest. Highly recommended!

Obsession
Released in DVD by Columbia/Tristar Studios (26 June, 2001)
MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Director: Brian De Palma
Starring: Cliff Robertson and Geneviève Bujold
Though he had made comedies with Robert De Niro (Hi Mom, Greetings!), a horror movie (Sisters), and a rock musical (Phantom of the Paradise), it wasn't until this 1976 film that Brian De Palma truly announced himself as the heir to Alfred Hitchcock. Written by Paul Schrader, this film is an homage to Vertigo, with its own stylish twists and turns. Cliff Robertson plays a businessman who, while traveling in Italy, meets a young woman (Genevieve Bujold) who is a dead ringer for his late wife, who had been killed in a kidnapping years earlier. As he woos and wins her, the vibes get creepier and creepier because, well, something's not right about this woman. Interestingly, this film came out the same year as De Palma's Carrie, a much more successful movie at the box office. But it was this movie that, for all its flaws, proclaimed De Palma as a stylist with a sure-handed command of visual storytelling. --Marshall Fine

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