Don Movie Reviews

One of the best musicals ever; a sing of friendship, freedom, an excellent original music an stage work; and an incredible bad film.

I think the worst adaptation ever made.

In stage is 3 hours long, the end is different, the message is different, the songs are different !everything is different!

Please: Miss it and go to the original one.

P.D.- It's my personal favour, I directed the Original Cast in 1979 in Spain. I really know what I'm saying. Thanks for your patiente.

This movie holds up very well over time, thanks largely to the music but also fine performances by John Savage and Treat Williams. Milos Foreman captured both the energy and the spirit of the stage classic, unlike other attempts to bring the stage to the screen such as Jesus Christ Superstar.

This movie speeds along at breakneck speed, pulling you into its orbit. So many wonderful cameos such as Nell Carter and Melba Moore. Hair retains so much of its power because it looks like everyone had such a great time making it. Their enthusiasm exudes from the screen.

The ending still left a lump in my throat, as I remembered a hushed theatre the first time I saw this film. No one moved until the screen went blank.

When HAIR first opened on Broadway, it had two things working for it: the intricate, catchy lyrics and nudity. Staid and proper, Broadway had thought it had seen it all until Hair came along and introduced love-in's and the counter-culture.

However, the book was always weak and the characters in the play had a tendency to wander about so that it was only the score that saved the show.

The movie takes the best of the play (words and music) and adds a strong, literate book to it so that Milos Foreman made a success of rather a mess.

Beautifully photographed, the movie has likeable characters and the most stunning camera work that had been used at that time. Bright, cheery and colorful, Hair is a visual feast for the eyes and ears. The songs are still wonderful and perfectly capture the spirit of the sixties and Twayla Tharp adds to the lustre with her imaginative and complex choreography.

This is a film where everything works. It's sad that some of the numbers had to be dropped (What A Piece Of Work Is Man) but what remains is stunning.

Hair belongs in the library of every serious musical lover.

"The Towering Inferno" is a truly entertaining film which, despite following what has become a clichéd "disaster" plot, manages to hold the attention of the audience despite special effects that have long been improved upon. In fact, as other reviewers have mentioned, these films could not completely rely upon special effects to solidify ticket sales-despite the fact that, for the time, the effects were top-notch. Instead, a solid script, interesting turns of events, and suspense drive this movie. At certain points, I was utterly shocked at the portrayal of death in this film; I could not see several of them coming. Despite the fact that death scenes are far more accurately rendered in more recent films, there is something about a "hidden" death that plays upon our imaginations. Rather than focus upon the gore, a subtle pan of the camera or long shot will bring the audience away from the action and leave our minds to fill in the blanks. This technique, while arising from a lack of ability to render death, actually succeeds far beyond the relatively tame death to which we have become accustomed.

Steve McQueen. Need I say more? It is hard to deny the presence that McQueen brings to every film that he is in. Acting ability? Sure...but he's best at playing himself and, quite frankly, that's who I want to see. But what I enjoyed about this movie is that Paul Newman's performance truly rises above McQueen's charisma and holds up the entire film. And yet, at the same time, these two actors are able to work together in what could have been a duel between two great personalities.

Like many disaster films of the era, the deaths are to a certain extent predictable. But several people die that you are routing for along the way. And more importantly, several people that you find detestable will not be suitably punished, at least as they are in modern films. For these reason, "The Towering Inferno" is still entertaining and definitely worth viewing.

Oh, boy... they sure as hell don't make 'em like this anymore!

"The Towering Inferno" is a nearly 3 hour epic that keeps you glued from the sweeping opening credits to the heart-stopping finale. Although some elements may seem dated (what was with the 70's and orange carpeting?), the grand daddy of all disaster flicks still holds it's place proudly as one of the greatest action films of all-time.
The combination of a phenomenal cast (especially Fred Astaire), a gripping soap-opera screenplay, the beautiful San Francisco setting, one of John Williams' best scores, outstanding cinematography and editing, and dazzling special effects make this a timeless classic. It's a wonderful memory of a time when Hollywood used to pull out all the stops and make a film that gives the audience a truly worthwhile experience.

You can keep your "XXX" and "Matrix", but THIS is entertainment!

This movie is the kind of film which was in vogue in Hollywood in the 1970s - the disaster film. Get a huge all-star cast, put them in the middle of a terrible disaster and watch them try to get out. This film is probably the ne plus ultra of the genre. Although it is certainly a special effects film, this movie says something about the way movies were made then as opposed to now. The filmmakers felt obliged to develop the plot and characters before blowing you away with special effects. The film starts off with a long opening credits sequence of a helicopter flying over the Northern California coastline towards San Francisco; John Williams' excellent theme music swirls and arches as the helicopter flies over cliffs and waves and rolling hills before reaching San Francisco and landing on the top of the 130-storey tower. The fire builds slowly, from an electrical short in a utility closet to a full-on blaze which envelops the entire building and threatens a party full of VIP's on the top floor.

What amazes me is how great the special effects are, nearly 30 years later, all done with models and without computers. Irwin Allen knew how to build tension up slowly and gracefully. He fills the screenplay with "little victories" such as rescuing a child before the climax.

This was one of Steve McQueen's last big movies. Well into his 50s at the time of this film, he exudes the quiet, competent macho, free of bravado or swagger, that characerized films stars of his era. Capt. Halloran is a quiet, competent everyday Joe, not particularly handsome or well-built, who simply goes out and achieves the impossible, without the sarcasm or self-conscious humor that action films have had since the 1980s. McQueen died in Mexico in 1980 while being treated for cancer. Paul Newman is great also. It's interesting to note that Hollywood in the 1970s felt that it could build an action film around 2 fifty-something stars without a lot of sex or nudity or profanity.

At the end of the film, Capt. Halloran gives a speech telling Doug Roberts (Paul Newman) that it's just impossible to fight a fire effectively in such a tall building. Then he gets in his car and drives away. The year of this film's release, 1974, was one year after the World Trade Center was dedicated (I know this because I worked in 5 WTC for many years). Although I hesitate to take moral lessons from Hollywood, clearly we don't know any more about preventing such disasters in tall buildings today than we did in the early 70s.

I saw this film twice upon its release as a 6 year old in 1974. It thrilled me then - it was the first big adult movie which I clearly remember.

All in all, a great and memorable film.

Robert De Niro's best performance is his terrifying portrayal of vicious psycho Max Cady, hell-bent on vengeance on his lawyer, Sam Bowden (played by Nick Nolte) who didn't defend him as well as he should of during a rape case. De Niro is clearly playing the part with as much relish as possible. His Southern accent, chilling laugh, Biblical tattoos, and the violent actions he brings to screen make him one of the most memorable villains in cinema. Not only that, but he is a believable one too, not too over-the-top. He's insane near the end, yes, but he is realistic. Nick Nolte gives a fairly good performance to Sam Bowden, Jessica Lange is good as Leigh, and Juliette Lewis gives a remarkable performance as Danielle Bowden, the emotionally-tortured teenage daughter of Sam and Leigh. The way the film uses seduction and betrayal as major themes is a key element. Director Martin Scorsese gives this film a classic horror feeling, paying special homage to the 1962 original by having Robert Mitchum, Gregory Peck, and Martin Balsam (all in the original) play cameo roles in this box-office remake. Not to mention, Scorsese wisely chose the same eerie score from the original film. This is a wonderful film, and it is horrifying. There is some graphic violence that is quite disturbing (particularly the scene in which Cady mutilates a woman in her apartment), but if that doesn't bother you, than you'll love this film. If you enjoy clever, intellectual psychological thrillers with LOTS of suspense, you'll love "Cape Fear".

In a different turn, Scorcese turns from the art films he's known for, and dives straight into a commercial film, but told in a wonderfully lurid tradition straight out of the crime pulps, and comes up a winner! Visually stylish, and characters that are more nuanced that the original movie(especially the family), and therefore more in the noir character tradition.

...then you'll find much to love about Martin Scorsese's remake of film noir classic CAPE FEAR. There are some superb performances here, from a clearly-enjoying-himself Robert De Niro, whose terrifying portrayal of Max Cady remains a career high point, to Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis (in her breakout performance), Illeana Douglas, Joe Don Baker (having fun in every scene), Sen. Fred Thompson, and the wonderful trio of Robert Mitchum, Martin Balsam and Gregory Peck (all of whom appeared in the 1962 original).

But beyond great acting, Scorsese assembled some of the greatest talents of 20th century moviemaking to aid him on this picture. Rather than try to top Bernard Herrman's original score (and who could? it's one of the scariest pieces of movie music in history!), Scorsese asked the great Elmer Bernstein to adapt and embellish, and the result is brilliant. His cinematographer is the legendary British director Freddie Francis, who helmed so many blood-curdling Hammer horror flicks in the Sixties and Seventies, and more recently known for his gorgeous cinematography on David Lynch's THE ELEPHANT MAN and THE STRAIGHT STORY. And as usual, Scorsese employs Thelma Schoonmaker (the "editor's editor") with him in post-production, telling the story flawlessly.

Working from a ghoulish, morbidly funny script from Wesley Strick, Scorsese turns CAPE FEAR into a widescreen, Technicolor-hued tribute to early '60s melodramas, but adds a much darker sense of danger and suspense. De Niro's wronged convict comes after Nolte's family with a righteously Biblical cause of revenge and retribution, and proceeds to tear what little semblance of civility the family had for each other into shreds. CAPE FEAR is not a feel-good picture by any means, but it certainly is a wild ride, and a visceral experience provided by masters of the form. Recommended for fans of Alfred Hitchcock, Sergio Leone, and Sam Peckinpah.

Back in the 1930s the pulp magazine character Buck Rogers made the leap to the comic strips and carried his popular "rocket pack" with him. It wasn't used in the Universal Serial, nor in the later t.v. series of the 1980s, but the rocket pack was a fan favorite and got "lifted" by several other entrepreneurs for use in their own high adventure efforts.
Most notably, it was lifted by Republic Pictures for use in its 1949 serial "King of the Rocketmen". Proving popular there, it was recycled into a flying device for the character "Commando Cody" (not "Commander" Cody, as many people erroneously believe) in the chapterplay "Radar Men From the Moon,on then into "Zombies of the Stratosphere"(with young Leonard Nimoy as an alien baddie) and, lastly, into the tv series "Commando Cody" with Judd Holdren. The famous rocket back pack ,strapped to a hip-length leather jacket and complemented by the metallic, bullet-shaped helmet of the wearer, became a staple of 50s adventurism.
Years later artist Dave Stevens wanted to do a comic book version of the Rocketman/Commando Cody character but Republic wouldn't license it...so Stevens revamped the entire concept and created the Rocketeer instead.Threw in "Bondage Bettie" Page for eye candy (and perilous predicaments), and had himself a winner.
When Disney decided to do the Rocketeer as a live action "pilot" for a proposed series, they made a good decision. They just didn't market it correctly and made too abrupt a decision not to continue with it.
This is a good movie. It could have been better, but it is good nonetheless. My complaints about it are twofold storywise; one, I think they should have left "Bettie" alone and played an inside joke with the audience. They should have had her elaborately TIED UP at some point. The kiddies wouldn't have gotten the joke, but the more "culturally informed" would have gotten a snicker out of it. Secondly, they went with Charles Higham's thoroughly discredited "Errol Flynn was a Nazi spy" humbug and, in so doing, helped continue this unjustified smear.Even calling him "Neville Sinclair" didn't disguise the allusion of the portrayal, nor did Tim Dalton's oh-so-Flynn-like make up job.
Those points aside, this IS a captivating little adventure. The flying scenes are great, and the zeppelin climax is a real winner...as is the cool idea of a Rondo "Creeper" Hatton "goon" achieved via SFX makeup.

This digital transfer is NOT that great, but maybe it'll be re-done sometime in the future. Lets hope so. In the meantime, we have what we have. The movie itself is well worth watching. Enjoyable and endearing. Go with it.

The Rocketeer is another 'comic book' movie based on the adventures from the 80s. The laid back airplane pilot Cliff Secord (Bill Campbell) has tested a new plane for the nationals but they find that the plane is a failure (I won't spoil it with why it was). Upon landing, he disovers in another plane there is a mysterious object. Him and his boss test it out and flies like crazy! Stunned, Cliff learns that it is some kind of a jetpack! The Nazis want it, though, and trace Secord. Using his girl Jenny (Jennifer Connelly)the evil Neville Pillsar (Timothy Dalton) the famous actor who works with her gets Cliff to try to give up the pack. But when he learns it is for evil and that Pillsar is a Nazi, he must bash with him and his gang. This suspensful adventure is a great family movie and is just plain fun all the way through! You won't be upset with this movie!

This is a fun movie that nearly everyone will enjoy. Of course it's silly and far fetched, and terribly unrealistic, but that doesn't really matter now does it?

Bill Campell stars as the Rocketeer, but the real treat is seeing Jennifer Connely before she was launched to Oscar Winning stardom. I also really enjoy Timothy Dalton's performance, it's too bad we haven't seen him in anything recently.

The only thing I would say to parents is that there is a good bit of gunplay, some people die and there is some cursing, but no matter what this is a fun movie with an innocent charm that all will enjoy.

Because of 9/11, this movie would not see the light of day if submitted to Hollywood, but it is definately a good one, as with most sequels this one suffers from redundantcy, but it works better than most follow-ups, it is exactly one year to the day since John McClane saved the day in the first movie, & he is at Dulles International airport awaiting the arrival of his wife Holly on Christmas Eve, while there he notices suspious activity in which he once again gets caught up with terrorist, who turn out to be former military men who have for whatever reason abandoned their code of conduct & are led by Col. Stewart(William Sadler) who takes control of the airport in an attempt to see the safe arrival of a International drug lord, who is being extradicted to the U.S. to stand trial for crimes, almost like a Saddam Hussein type, who he is in cahoots with, with other arriving flights held in the air low on fuel, one in which McClane's wife Holly is on, several shootouts ensue as McClane desperatly tries to foil their plan, one attempt even enrages Stewart to where he puposely crashes a plane in an attempt to make good on his threats to the towers above after he has seized control of the towers operations, with many of the tower's operaters watching helplessly, one being TN Senator Fred Dalton Thompson as the head of operations at the airport & NYPD Blue's Dennis Franz as a bearucratic airport security chief who fails to listen to McClane's earlier warnings, the crash scene is graphic in its portrayal & disturbing in light of 9/11, many of the first films same elements are here & are quite good, Willis' sarcasm is on par, & many neat action sequences make this better that most sequels, the action never stops & never bores, you really can't compare Sadler to Alan Rickman in the first film, because they are different kinds of bad guys with different intensions & motivations, & the setting in an airport with snow constant throughout the film shows the attention to detail, directed by Renny Harlan(Cliffhanger) this is definately a winner as far as sequels go, & a better follow-up than the 1995 "with a Vengence"!!!

What is wrong with you lot??!!! This is a great movie and I have to say that this is better than the first one!!! Not to say that that one was mediocre. It was great to but I love this one even more! McClane finds himself fighting vicious terrorists whove seized a major international airport with many planes stranded in mid-air and McClane has to save the passengers on the planes and destroy the terror network before fuel runs out and causes the planes to crash. This is a great movie and should be owned today!!

The second entry in the legendary action "Die Hard" trilogy movie seems to get an unfairly high number of unfavorable reviews by many when compared to the first "Die Hard" movie. Many say that "Die Harder" is significantly weaker than the first one. As for me, I couldn't disagree more. "Die Hard 2" is every bit as good if not better than the first one and is one of the best movie sequels in movie history. The directing reins are passed from McTierman who did the 1988 original, on to Renny Harlin and I have to say that Harlin did an excellent job directing this movie. This is no sequel slump by any stretch of the imagination.

After the extremely exhausting events of the first one involving the spectacular demise of the L.A. terrorist leader Hans Gruber and the rescue of the surviving hostages exactly one year ago (according to the storyline), John McClane is on a trip back home to his home city of New York City for the Christmas Holidays on snowy night during Christmas Eve but the pleasures of the holidays are completely destroyed when a vicious band of New-Nazi military men turned traitor terrorists lead by Colonel Stuart seizes control of the airport while numerous planes are stranded in mid-air with plummeting fuel levels and one of those planes stranded in mid-air is carrying John's wife Holly McClane who is still recovering from the last events of the incident at the L.A. office high rise. The mercenaries are demanding the release of a notorious and dangerous drug baron being extradited to the U.S. and now the terrorists threatening to crash airlines with the hijacked air controls if their demands are not met and with the plane Holly McClane beginning to run low on fuel, it's now a frantic race against the clock to stop the evil deeds of the terrorists and save the lives of the countless passengers on the planes.

Police Officer Al Powell who was there to help Mr. McClane is back to mentor John but they both face another relatively rough path as the police and anti-terrorist force is headed by a VERY disgruntled and inept head of NYPD forces named Captain Carmine Lorenzo(Dennis Franz). McClaen clashes bitterly with Lorenzo and numerous other inept bureaucracies and other police forces, making the whole mission much more dangerous.

Once again Bruce Willis brings in another amazing acting character with the oddly eccentric but tough guy John McClane as he uses his incredible wits and cunning battle against the mercenaries. It's difficult to really say which "Die Hard" movie one he did the best acting in but for the most part, this awesome movie trilogy is Bruce Willis' crowning achievement even with some great movies since then. The "NYPD Blue" star Dennis Franz is awesome playing the constantly [upset] Caption Carmine Lorenzo, head of the airport Security. It almost makes me wonder if Lorenzo is about to give himself a stroke one of these days with his constantly foul mood and temper and also of constantly being angry. :\

I personally love the change of atmosphere in this movie. The first one involved a building and now it's a large airport but an airport being held hostage can be every bit as shocking and dangerous as a large building. The first one was almost like warm sunny desert with the setting in L.A. and "Die Hard 2" is much colder with it taking place in snowy Dulles Airport. I strongly disagree with a previous reviewer saying that it should've taken place in another high-rise office tower. Harlin took a good chance at a new place and really pulled it off very well and the result is another excellent and unforgettable classic with one of the best explosions in movie history. Even elements of Mother Nature (Icicles anyone?) come to the aid of McClane in his battle against Stuarts goons.

I would almost go far enough to say that while the first movie was great, "Die Hard 2: Die Harder" is even better especially with it's chilly winter landscape and awesome action sequences. In some ways, this movie has gotten a bit unsettling these days because of real life events much worse than have happened these past few years. But even then, it's still a lot of fun to watch and have a large bag of popcorn to eat and soda to drink! "Die Hard 2" is a action movie to enjoy for it's intelligent dialogue and brilliant storyline or just to have adrenaline drenched fun! This is a must have sequel and is an excellent follow-up to the 1988 classic original. Buy this movie today!

The DVD edition comes in the form of two discs. The first disc has the original movie on it as well as the original theatrical trailor. The movie itself benefits from an excellent transfer to DVD and the picture quality improves the original VHS edition. The second disc contains commentary by director Renny Harlin, interviews with the actors who played in the movie, some deleted scenes that weren't put into the movie and commentary on the making of this movie. I'm not a big fan of deleted scenes so I'm in no rush like there's no tomorrow to replace my VHS edition.

The series continued to a great conclusion with the 1995 finale "With A Vengeance". If you can, get the Ultimate Collection Trilogy with the silver packaging. You can get all three movies in one!

Because of 9/11, this movie would not see the light of day if submitted to Hollywood, but it is definately a good one, as with most sequels this one suffers from redundantcy, but it works better than most follow-ups, it is exactly one year to the day since John McClane saved the day in the first movie, & he is at Dulles International airport awaiting the arrival of his wife Holly on Christmas Eve, while there he notices suspious activity in which he once again gets caught up with terrorist, who turn out to be former military men who have for whatever reason abandoned their code of conduct & are led by Col. Stewart(William Sadler) who takes control of the airport in an attempt to see the safe arrival of a International drug lord, who is being extradicted to the U.S. to stand trial for crimes, almost like a Saddam Hussein type, who he is in cahoots with, with other arriving flights held in the air low on fuel, one in which McClane's wife Holly is on, several shootouts ensue as McClane desperatly tries to foil their plan, one attempt even enrages Stewart to where he puposely crashes a plane in an attempt to make good on his threats to the towers above after he has seized control of the towers operations, with many of the tower's operaters watching helplessly, one being TN Senator Fred Dalton Thompson as the head of operations at the airport & NYPD Blue's Dennis Franz as a bearucratic airport security chief who fails to listen to McClane's earlier warnings, the crash scene is graphic in its portrayal & disturbing in light of 9/11, many of the first films same elements are here & are quite good, Willis' sarcasm is on par, & many neat action sequences make this better that most sequels, the action never stops & never bores, you really can't compare Sadler to Alan Rickman in the first film, because they are different kinds of bad guys with different intensions & motivations, & the setting in an airport with snow constant throughout the film shows the attention to detail, directed by Renny Harlan(Cliffhanger) this is definately a winner as far as sequels go, & a better follow-up than the 1995 "with a Vengence"!!!

What is wrong with you lot??!!! This is a great movie and I have to say that this is better than the first one!!! Not to say that that one was mediocre. It was great to but I love this one even more! McClane finds himself fighting vicious terrorists whove seized a major international airport with many planes stranded in mid-air and McClane has to save the passengers on the planes and destroy the terror network before fuel runs out and causes the planes to crash. This is a great movie and should be owned today!!

The second entry in the legendary action "Die Hard" trilogy movie seems to get an unfairly high number of unfavorable reviews by many when compared to the first "Die Hard" movie. Many say that "Die Harder" is significantly weaker than the first one. As for me, I couldn't disagree more. "Die Hard 2" is every bit as good if not better than the first one and is one of the best movie sequels in movie history. The directing reins are passed from McTierman who did the 1988 original, on to Renny Harlin and I have to say that Harlin did an excellent job directing this movie. This is no sequel slump by any stretch of the imagination.

After the extremely exhausting events of the first one involving the spectacular demise of the L.A. terrorist leader Hans Gruber and the rescue of the surviving hostages exactly one year ago (according to the storyline), John McClane is on a trip back home to his home city of New York City for the Christmas Holidays on snowy night during Christmas Eve but the pleasures of the holidays are completely destroyed when a vicious band of New-Nazi military men turned traitor terrorists lead by Colonel Stuart seizes control of the airport while numerous planes are stranded in mid-air with plummeting fuel levels and one of those planes stranded in mid-air is carrying John's wife Holly McClane who is still recovering from the last events of the incident at the L.A. office high rise. The mercenaries are demanding the release of a notorious and dangerous drug baron being extradited to the U.S. and now the terrorists threatening to crash airlines with the hijacked air controls if their demands are not met and with the plane Holly McClane beginning to run low on fuel, it's now a frantic race against the clock to stop the evil deeds of the terrorists and save the lives of the countless passengers on the planes.

Police Officer Al Powell who was there to help Mr. McClane is back to mentor John but they both face another relatively rough path as the police and anti-terrorist force is headed by a VERY disgruntled and inept head of NYPD forces named Captain Carmine Lorenzo(Dennis Franz). McClaen clashes bitterly with Lorenzo and numerous other inept bureaucracies and other police forces, making the whole mission much more dangerous.

Once again Bruce Willis brings in another amazing acting character with the oddly eccentric but tough guy John McClane as he uses his incredible wits and cunning battle against the mercenaries. It's difficult to really say which "Die Hard" movie one he did the best acting in but for the most part, this awesome movie trilogy is Bruce Willis' crowning achievement even with some great movies since then. The "NYPD Blue" star Dennis Franz is awesome playing the constantly [upset] Caption Carmine Lorenzo, head of the airport Security. It almost makes me wonder if Lorenzo is about to give himself a stroke one of these days with his constantly foul mood and temper and also of constantly being angry. :\

I personally love the change of atmosphere in this movie. The first one involved a building and now it's a large airport but an airport being held hostage can be every bit as shocking and dangerous as a large building. The first one was almost like warm sunny desert with the setting in L.A. and "Die Hard 2" is much colder with it taking place in snowy Dulles Airport. I strongly disagree with a previous reviewer saying that it should've taken place in another high-rise office tower. Harlin took a good chance at a new place and really pulled it off very well and the result is another excellent and unforgettable classic with one of the best explosions in movie history. Even elements of Mother Nature (Icicles anyone?) come to the aid of McClane in his battle against Stuarts goons.

I would almost go far enough to say that while the first movie was great, "Die Hard 2: Die Harder" is even better especially with it's chilly winter landscape and awesome action sequences. In some ways, this movie has gotten a bit unsettling these days because of real life events much worse than have happened these past few years. But even then, it's still a lot of fun to watch and have a large bag of popcorn to eat and soda to drink! "Die Hard 2" is a action movie to enjoy for it's intelligent dialogue and brilliant storyline or just to have adrenaline drenched fun! This is a must have sequel and is an excellent follow-up to the 1988 classic original. Buy this movie today!

The DVD edition comes in the form of two discs. The first disc has the original movie on it as well as the original theatrical trailor. The movie itself benefits from an excellent transfer to DVD and the picture quality improves the original VHS edition. The second disc contains commentary by director Renny Harlin, interviews with the actors who played in the movie, some deleted scenes that weren't put into the movie and commentary on the making of this movie. I'm not a big fan of deleted scenes so I'm in no rush like there's no tomorrow to replace my VHS edition.

The series continued to a great conclusion with the 1995 finale "With A Vengeance". If you can, get the Ultimate Collection Trilogy with the silver packaging. You can get all three movies in one!

I grew up with Rambo as a kid. Not FIRST BLOOD, the first movie, but this one. This was back in the 80's when R rated movies were aimed at kids and times were great. I mean, I had Rambo action figures. Nowadays, I'm twenty-four and I still get carded to see an R Rated movie.

Anyway, I just bought the DVD and I hadn't seen this movie in years. All I remembered was that I used to like it when I was young. Guess what? It's still cool. This is Sylvester Stallone at his very best (aside from COPLAND where he and everyone else were brilliant). First time viewers may have to take themselves back to the eighties to enjoy this one but this was some ground breaking action back in the day.

I also just realized that this was written by James Cameron too if that tells you anything. I guess when it came out originally I didn't even know who he was. If he's behind it then it has to be good right? Okay, forget SOLARIS, most of Cameron's stuff is quality. All in all, I liked this movie. It's a little dated but not much. I'm glad I bought it. Thanks Rambo. Thanks Trautman.

C+

Rambo II is one of those movies that in a way surpass its predecessor. It's more action oriented but with a somewhat cool plot. The movie itself is one of the most definitive action movies of the 80's. Directed by italian director, George Cosmatos, the movie was the one who put the name "Rambo" in common use in the USA. Also it was written by James Cameron (of the "Terminator" saga and Titanic) and Sylvester Stallone. The hidden subject in this movie is actually the idea of Rambo "winning" the vietnam war but there is more to it. When this movie opened in 85, the Cold War was as its best. Reagan used this movie to put himself into the "rambomania" frenzy, we all know that Reagan use all the media at his disposal but that's another story whatsoever.

The movie is rated R for violence mostly, there are a couple of bad words and blood but teens can get to it without much trouble. The whole idea of the "expendable" issue is a good theme for discussion between parents and kids or teacher and students.

Rambo: First Blood Part II (in some countries called "Rambo II: The Mission) now in this DVD format is a definitive movie for the action fan, specially if you are a fan of the 80's movie. This edition has clear image and excellent sound. The process for digitalization of the picture was done perfectly so you won't believe you are actually watching a movie almost 20 years old.
The documentary has a lot of cool info, even for those "Rambomania" fans would find this very interesting and with interviews with cast and crew including Stallone, the late Richard Crenna, and others. Also the director Cosmatos and the producers get into the documentary with interesting facts (the idea of pairing Stallone and Travolta as a sidekick was a novelty for me!!!) is a good source for inside info.
The trailers (some are TV spots) are also quite good but they haven't been "cleaned up" so they look like they are quite old and the sound in those is not remastered. There's also a section on the stars and the crew with filmography and stuff it's informative but that's it.
The extras are good. It would be fun if they throw a lot of deleted scenes into it, but there isn't. The audio commentary of Cosmatos is so-so there aren't much there either.

Finally I must say this edition contain both the widescreen version and the full screen version so you can go wrong there. The movie comes with subtitles in spanish for both versions.

From 1 to 5: Movie=4, Sound Quality=5, Video Quality=5, Extras=3.

one man army mentalitty, beatuifull jungle, brilliant violent action and fantastic music.
a must see.
it's a brilliant idea to press wide- and full screen versions on one dvd.

I grew up with Rambo as a kid. Not FIRST BLOOD, the first movie, but this one. This was back in the 80's when R rated movies were aimed at kids and times were great. I mean, I had Rambo action figures. Nowadays, I'm twenty-four and I still get carded to see an R Rated movie.

Anyway, I just bought the DVD and I hadn't seen this movie in years. All I remembered was that I used to like it when I was young. Guess what? It's still cool. This is Sylvester Stallone at his very best (aside from COPLAND where he and everyone else were brilliant). First time viewers may have to take themselves back to the eighties to enjoy this one but this was some ground breaking action back in the day.

I also just realized that this was written by James Cameron too if that tells you anything. I guess when it came out originally I didn't even know who he was. If he's behind it then it has to be good right? Okay, forget SOLARIS, most of Cameron's stuff is quality. All in all, I liked this movie. It's a little dated but not much. I'm glad I bought it. Thanks Rambo. Thanks Trautman.

C+

Rambo II is one of those movies that in a way surpass its predecessor. It's more action oriented but with a somewhat cool plot. The movie itself is one of the most definitive action movies of the 80's. Directed by italian director, George Cosmatos, the movie was the one who put the name "Rambo" in common use in the USA. Also it was written by James Cameron (of the "Terminator" saga and Titanic) and Sylvester Stallone. The hidden subject in this movie is actually the idea of Rambo "winning" the vietnam war but there is more to it. When this movie opened in 85, the Cold War was as its best. Reagan used this movie to put himself into the "rambomania" frenzy, we all know that Reagan use all the media at his disposal but that's another story whatsoever.

The movie is rated R for violence mostly, there are a couple of bad words and blood but teens can get to it without much trouble. The whole idea of the "expendable" issue is a good theme for discussion between parents and kids or teacher and students.

Rambo: First Blood Part II (in some countries called "Rambo II: The Mission) now in this DVD format is a definitive movie for the action fan, specially if you are a fan of the 80's movie. This edition has clear image and excellent sound. The process for digitalization of the picture was done perfectly so you won't believe you are actually watching a movie almost 20 years old.
The documentary has a lot of cool info, even for those "Rambomania" fans would find this very interesting and with interviews with cast and crew including Stallone, the late Richard Crenna, and others. Also the director Cosmatos and the producers get into the documentary with interesting facts (the idea of pairing Stallone and Travolta as a sidekick was a novelty for me!!!) is a good source for inside info.
The trailers (some are TV spots) are also quite good but they haven't been "cleaned up" so they look like they are quite old and the sound in those is not remastered. There's also a section on the stars and the crew with filmography and stuff it's informative but that's it.
The extras are good. It would be fun if they throw a lot of deleted scenes into it, but there isn't. The audio commentary of Cosmatos is so-so there aren't much there either.

Finally I must say this edition contain both the widescreen version and the full screen version so you can go wrong there. The movie comes with subtitles in spanish for both versions.

From 1 to 5: Movie=4, Sound Quality=5, Video Quality=5, Extras=3.

one man army mentalitty, beatuifull jungle, brilliant violent action and fantastic music.
a must see.
it's a brilliant idea to press wide- and full screen versions on one dvd.

Don't believe the hype, this movie is not scary at all, it may be abit freaky but it isn't something to scare the living daylights out of you. DO NOT WATCH THIS FILM IF YOU DON'T INTENT ON WATCHING THE REST OF THE SERIES!!! There is absolutely no point in doing that because the ending isn't really an ending, it's more of a break for the next movie in the series. The movie is about a boy named Damien who is 13 years old, learning that he is the antichrist, and the people that threaten him and his secret must die in mysterious ways. The death scenes were very well done and creative and the history in the movie is also very accurate. But don't believe the hype, this movie isn't scary, I honestly thought it would be when I started watching it, but I didn't find it to be scary, maybe more shocking than scary. It's more interesting I would say, the movie keeps you wanting more and you just want to know what happens next, it does a great job of keeping the viewer entertained and curious. But if you want a scare, watch something else like The Exorcist. This movie is alot like Final Destination, in the sense that you can't escape from death, whether you expect it or not, this was of course made before Final Destination but just to give you an example of what you can expect. The soundtrack for this film is very, very good and sounds very morbid, which was really good because it sets that mood for the movie. But remember, only watch this if you plan on watching part 3 which is called The Final Conflict.

EXCELLENT SEQUEL TO THE OMEN MAY LACK THE MYSTERIOUS CREEPINESS
OF THE FIRST FILM BUT MAKES UP FOR IT WITH EFFECTIVE CHILLING AND
INVENTIVE DEATH SEQUENCES

Terrific sequel to terrific original, this one has devil child Damien (Jonathan Scott Taylor) 12 an living with his aunt and uncle (Lee Grant and William Holden), but when he discovers his true self, he becomes mad and many strange and creative deaths follow. Genuily creepy, yet not to gory, this sequel ranks high among sequels, giving us realistic and believable characters who we can feel love and sympathy for and a truly gret choice for the role of Damien (Scott-Taylor is outstanding!) Highly recommended! Next up: The Final Conflict.

**** out of ****

Remember those heady days in the late 1970s and early 1980s when films like "Halloween" and "Friday the 13th" attained stellar success at the box office, resulting in a slew of holiday themed copycats? Movies like "April Fool's Day," "My Bloody Valentine," and "Graduation Day" arrived on the scene and dropped off the radar just as rapidly. Thanks to the appearance of DVD players, these films are reappearing with a disturbing rapidity. Unfortunately, the movies aren't much better than they were when they first came out. This is especially true for Paramount's release of the 1981 slasher film "My Bloody Valentine." At the time, Paramount demanded a mountain of cuts from director George Mihalka in order to avoid a dreaded 'X' rating for graphic violence. That's acceptable for a theatrical release, but a DVD version should reinsert all of the gory footage. Well, this release is the boring old 'R' rated version, and to make matters worse Paramount technicians included nothing else with the movie: no stills, no commentaries, no behind the scenes stuff, and no trailers. Get with the program, Paramount! The customer who will buy this movie on DVD is a genre fan; they want to see all of those gory killings you lopped off with indifference.

"My Bloody Valentine" takes place in a little mining town called Valentine Bluffs. We don't really know the location of the town, but the accents of the some of the characters hint at a Canadian setting somewhere near Quebec. Some years before a terrible mining accident resulting in the deaths of several miners caused Harry Warden to snap. Warden went on a killing spree through the town on the night of the Valentine's Day dance. Ever since then, the authorities in Valentine Bluffs banned parties on Valentine's Day, ever mindful of Harry Warden's threat to wreak bloody havoc on the town if they held another dance. Harry Warden, for the record, was one of the survivors of the mining accident, an accident caused by negligence on the part of two of the supervisors. After his murderous spree, Warden ended up in an insane asylum and the town slowly forgot his grim threats.

Now it's the present (or at least 1981), and the mineworkers want to have another holiday party. The authorities, which include a neurotic mayor and a police chief who looks like Steve McQueen from a distance, are willing to go along with the idea of a celebration. Then the valentines start showing up, one of which contains a bloody human heart. The mayor and police chief initially try to keep the threat hush-hush, but a few more murders persuade them to cancel the dance. The young people in town throw a fit, deciding that they will still have a party but hold it at the mine instead. You can guess what happens from this point on: bodies drop like flies as a madman in mining gear (gas mask, helmet, black clothing, and pickax) works his way through the group of bubbleheads. As the chief desperately attempts to track down the whereabouts of Harry Warden, a group of especially idiotic partygoers head down into the mine for a few yucks. The last twenty minutes of the film take place in the darkly atmospheric mine, as the killer picks off several of the kids in the quarry. There's a twist ending that achieves only a moderate level of interest, and then the whole thing ends.

"My Bloody Valentine" is a major rip off of other slasher films. This movie even has its own version of "Crazy Ralph" from "Friday the 13th" in the form of a testy bar owner who continually spouts stories about Harry Warden and the foolishness of throwing another party. You just know this guy is going to get his, and he does, but I kept wondering how he got any business. Who wants to go to a place where the proprietor keeps talking about gruesome murders? The other characters fall into typical slasher movie typecasting as well: the two guys fighting over the girl, the ineffective police chief and mayor who try to ignore the warning signs until it's too late, and the omnipresent killer. When it comes to original and engaging characters, "My Bloody Valentine" doesn't offer much except stereotypes with bad haircuts. Horror movie buffs should take note of Ray Sager's name (as first assistant director) in the credits: Sager played Montag the Magnificent in H.G. Lewis's "The Wizard of Gore."

At first, the gore seems to promise that "My Bloody Valentine" is a step above your typical slasher film. The heart in the box is gruesome, but after that initial shocker the movie steps back into rather banal exercises in the sauce department. The heavy handed editing is to blame here, as nearly every murder that takes place either happens completely off camera (the idea of it!), or cuts away before the serious bloodletting starts. There are places where you can discover what Paramount removed to get that all-important 'R' rating, and it's obvious that this film would have been much better if we could have seen the full effect of the killer's actions. A boiled face, a hook through the head, and a body in a laundromat dryer sound great on paper, but the execution suffers horribly because we never get the full, grotesque effect. It's the equivalent of watching a Richard Pryor concert with all of the profanity bleeped out. I pray Paramount comes to their senses and finally releases this film, along with the first eight "Friday the 13th" movies, in uncut formats. "My Bloody Valentine," as it stands now, falls squarely into the "rent, not buy" category: an interesting film with great promise, but an ultimate failure due to circumstances beyond the control of the cast and crew.

This movie is, admittedly, another cash-in on the holiday-themed horror spate of films in the early '80s. But it's the best of the unsavory lot, thanks to a dark, foreboding mine used in the final third where an equally creepy miner in full garb stalks and kills them. Let's forget that the "kids" are all in their early-to-mid 20's, most can't act worth beans, the love triangle aspect is boring as hell, and the main hero of the film breaks into accent (sounds Irish). And forget that the effects are sometimes laughable (is human blood really doghnut filling?) It's creepy fun, and even though the film was badly edited (damn you Paramount!) it still has memorably icky scenes, like Mabel in the dryer (a scene ripped off to this day) and the obligatory hearts in the candy boxes that drip onto the tables they're laid on. The DVD by Paramount is clear but needs extras badly! If it's ever rereleased with a trailer and unedited I'm first in line to buy it! Good horror from the good ol' days of the genre.

This is a very cheesy, yet entertaining slasher. Thank you Paramount for keeping the gore shots out. The movie has some seriously gory and disturbing deaths, but they were edited shorter and Paramount didn't bother with a DIRECTOR'S CUT. The transfer and sound quality were A grade and very much worth the $... price tag. For fans of the Friday the 13th series, you will love this cheesy slash fest which is actually a pretty creepy and original 80's flick.