Don Movie Reviews

A Film by Ted Kotcheff

This is one of those movies I didn't actually expect to like, but did. The movie is also kind of dumb but is still funny and it works despite the dumbness of the plot. Here's the set up: Larry (Andrew McCarthy) and Richard (Jonathon Silverman) are two employees that are rather low on the corporate ladder at an insurance firm. They notice a discrepancy that shows that one claim paid out four different checks for one person's death. They bring it up with their boss, Bernie (Terry Kiser) and when he sees that it is a scam, he rewards them with a weekend at his house/summer home. Here's the kicker: Bernie is really in on the scam and along with his associates, he puts out a hit on Larry and Richard. Instead, Bernie's associate has Bernie killed (Bernie was sleeping with the guy's wife/mistress).

This is when Larry and Richard arrive on the island. They discover that Bernie is dead, but are a little confused about how to proceed. Do they call the cops? What do they say? They are still freaked out by it when Bernie's neighbors start arriving for a party. Since Bernie looks pretty much alive (and wearing the sunglasses, he can be sleeping or looking around), they prop him up on the couch. Nobody catches on to the fact that Bernie is dead and it almost seems that Bernie is the life of the party (pun intended). For the rest of the weekend Larry and Richard pass off Bernie as being alive (even carrying him around between them).

Despite the premise of the movie, Weekend at Bernie's works. It is funnier than I expected it to be. Yes, it's a dumb movie, but it's also decently funny at the same time. A highlight of the movie is the guy who plays Bernie. Sure, he's dead for most of the movie, but Bernie also makes the movie, just how he looks and gets to react (it'll make sense if you see it). Bernie is a riot. I can't strongly recommend the movie, but give it a shot, you might be surprised.

I wouldn't say that this movie is great, but it does contain one scene in particular that had me in tears. This one minute (or less) scene makes the movie worth owning. It comes when our 2 main characters panic because they think they are about to miss the fairy out to the island where Bernie lives...

Boy, when I rented this movie, I had no idea whatsoever that it would be this funny.

When Larry (Andrew McCarthy) and Richard (Johnathan Silverman) uncover an embezzlement scam at their office, they report it to their boss, Bernie Lomax (Terry Kiser), expecting a promotion, not expecting that Bernie himself is the culprit. Bernie invites them to his beachhouse that weekend, planning to have them killed by a mafia hit man. But, the mafia bad guys have other plans, and they have him killed before Larry and Richard arrive. When they discover Bernie's dead, they at first want to tell the police, despite the fact that they may inadvertendly frame themselves. They soon decide to keep up the face the Bernie's still alive and kickin'.

Did I laugh? HELL YEAH!! WEEKEND AT BERNIE'S has got to be one of the funniest movies ever. It's hilarious to watch Larry and Richard desperately trying to make Bernie's corpse appear to still have a spark, like in the scene where they try to get on a boat with Bernie's body. How they make it appear that he's walking is hard to describe, and even harder not ot laugh at.

Another great scene, involving Bernie's girlfriend from NYC, who goes into a room where Bernie's body is waiting. She emerges from the room as a necropheiliac without even knowing Bernie was dead. This was somewhat overlooked by the critics, but it is worthy of positions held in the "greatest movies of all time list" by movies like VERTIGO or TITANIC, which aren't very good.

That's more than I can say for the sequel, WEEKEND AT BERNIE'S 2, but if you can laugh at things like a corpse jetskiing (so to speak), and I'm sure you can, than stop by BERNIE'S this WEEKEND. As I said above, it was the best WEEKEND of my life.

A Film by Ted Kotcheff

This is one of those movies I didn't actually expect to like, but did. The movie is also kind of dumb but is still funny and it works despite the dumbness of the plot. Here's the set up: Larry (Andrew McCarthy) and Richard (Jonathon Silverman) are two employees that are rather low on the corporate ladder at an insurance firm. They notice a discrepancy that shows that one claim paid out four different checks for one person's death. They bring it up with their boss, Bernie (Terry Kiser) and when he sees that it is a scam, he rewards them with a weekend at his house/summer home. Here's the kicker: Bernie is really in on the scam and along with his associates, he puts out a hit on Larry and Richard. Instead, Bernie's associate has Bernie killed (Bernie was sleeping with the guy's wife/mistress).

This is when Larry and Richard arrive on the island. They discover that Bernie is dead, but are a little confused about how to proceed. Do they call the cops? What do they say? They are still freaked out by it when Bernie's neighbors start arriving for a party. Since Bernie looks pretty much alive (and wearing the sunglasses, he can be sleeping or looking around), they prop him up on the couch. Nobody catches on to the fact that Bernie is dead and it almost seems that Bernie is the life of the party (pun intended). For the rest of the weekend Larry and Richard pass off Bernie as being alive (even carrying him around between them).

Despite the premise of the movie, Weekend at Bernie's works. It is funnier than I expected it to be. Yes, it's a dumb movie, but it's also decently funny at the same time. A highlight of the movie is the guy who plays Bernie. Sure, he's dead for most of the movie, but Bernie also makes the movie, just how he looks and gets to react (it'll make sense if you see it). Bernie is a riot. I can't strongly recommend the movie, but give it a shot, you might be surprised.

I wouldn't say that this movie is great, but it does contain one scene in particular that had me in tears. This one minute (or less) scene makes the movie worth owning. It comes when our 2 main characters panic because they think they are about to miss the fairy out to the island where Bernie lives...

Boy, when I rented this movie, I had no idea whatsoever that it would be this funny.

When Larry (Andrew McCarthy) and Richard (Johnathan Silverman) uncover an embezzlement scam at their office, they report it to their boss, Bernie Lomax (Terry Kiser), expecting a promotion, not expecting that Bernie himself is the culprit. Bernie invites them to his beachhouse that weekend, planning to have them killed by a mafia hit man. But, the mafia bad guys have other plans, and they have him killed before Larry and Richard arrive. When they discover Bernie's dead, they at first want to tell the police, despite the fact that they may inadvertendly frame themselves. They soon decide to keep up the face the Bernie's still alive and kickin'.

Did I laugh? HELL YEAH!! WEEKEND AT BERNIE'S has got to be one of the funniest movies ever. It's hilarious to watch Larry and Richard desperately trying to make Bernie's corpse appear to still have a spark, like in the scene where they try to get on a boat with Bernie's body. How they make it appear that he's walking is hard to describe, and even harder not ot laugh at.

Another great scene, involving Bernie's girlfriend from NYC, who goes into a room where Bernie's body is waiting. She emerges from the room as a necropheiliac without even knowing Bernie was dead. This was somewhat overlooked by the critics, but it is worthy of positions held in the "greatest movies of all time list" by movies like VERTIGO or TITANIC, which aren't very good.

That's more than I can say for the sequel, WEEKEND AT BERNIE'S 2, but if you can laugh at things like a corpse jetskiing (so to speak), and I'm sure you can, than stop by BERNIE'S this WEEKEND. As I said above, it was the best WEEKEND of my life.

'Detour' is either the worst B movie ever made or it's a masterpiece, I can't decide which. Roger Ebert includes the film in his book 'The Great Movies,' yet other critics dismiss it with a laugh. So which is it?

From the opening, I immediately had my doubts: Shaky camera work on an already unsteady highway, shots of a stationary car while the background changes, lights going down in a restaurant with the main character's face lit up for a flashback...all cheap B movie stunts, which you expect.

But what you don't expect are good performances. 'Detour' contains at least one good one and one superb one. Tom Neal plays a piano player from New York hitchhiking to L.A. to meet his sweetheart. Neal is right on target as the passive loser. His face looks like it was formed in a vat of perpetual disappointment. Something happens on his trip to L.A. that makes his life even worse, if that's possible. Then he meets a woman named Vera.

If they had a Best Actress category for B movies, Ann Savage's portrayal of Vera would be the standard by which all other actresses would be judged. She's evil, scheming, conniving, wicked, hateful, vengeful...and that's all before breakfast. Savage multiplies Neal's problems a thousand-fold and grinds the tension out all the way until the end. With a better script and better production values, Savage and Neal could have lit up the screen for the definitive film noir. But director Edgar G. Ulmer makes the best use of the limitations he has. Despite its problems, 'Detour' is a better than average B movie/film noir that deserves to be seen.

69 minutes, black and white

1945's Detour is not only one of your truly vintage film noir classics of all-time, it is also ranked by many among the best low-budget films ever made, largely due to the memorable performances of Tom Neal and Ann Savage. The directorial slant which frames the story is dead on, and one has to think that a larger budget would probably have done more harm than good to this gritty, realistic, film noir tour de force. Tom Neal plays Al Roberts, one of those unfortunate men who was born both stupid and incredibly unlucky. Shortly after his girl Sue up and goes to California looking for stardom, Roberts decides to go west and join her, hitchhiking his way across the country. This one fellow picks him up in Arizona and says he will take him all the way to L.A.; then the guy has the audacity to keel over dead. Afraid he will be accused of murdering the guy, Roberts decides to hide the body, take the guy's money, and assume his identity until such time as he can ditch the car in a big city. Then he himself picks up a hitchhiker, a woman who ends up being the last person on earth he would ever have wanted to encounter. Vera (Savage) know that Roberts is not the man he claims to be, and Roberts quickly finds himself quite at the mercy of this shrew of a woman. Her greed knows no bounds, and Roberts' life becomes more and more complicated and unhappy by the hour.

Ann Savage's character Vera is perhaps the most blunt, cold, evil, wholly unlikable woman I have ever heard tell of. It is quite easy to see why the man we meet in the opening scene is as hateful and short-tempered as he is. As we flash back to the whole story of Roberts' hard times, accompanied by plenty of voiceover narration, one cannot help but feel sorry for the guy. His initial decision to cover up the death of the guy who picked him up is a bad, undeniably stupid, mistake, but he certainly does not deserve the level of vitriol and pure evil that afflicts him in the form of Vera. The ending is a tiny bit flat, but the story itself is fascinating and the performances of Neal and Savage are not to be missed. Detour is vintage film noir and should not be missed by any and all fans of the genre.

Considered to be one of the best film noirs ever made. In my opinion, this is a darn good, rainy day/late night film. I won't tell you anything about the plot, but there are plenty of twists and surprises in this one. Simply, a piano player travels from state to state. A girlfriend that he was fond of, he called on the phone. She went to Hollywood to perform and be an actress. He misses her so he hawks everything and hitch hikes cross-country to get back together with her. So here he is on the road hitch hiking when a nice man picks him up and from there this story moves fast. This film is a must-see. It only runs 67 minutes. Alpha Video is offering a very fine print of film. Quite clear. Tom Neal had a troubled life after this film. But you can read more of that elsewhere on the web. His son, Tom Neal Jr. re-made "Detour" in 1992 and even starred in it. Ann Savage is the only member of this 1945 cast still alive. This DVD version contains an "Index" which is a chapter selection. No extras or bonuses.

'Detour' is either the worst B movie ever made or it's a masterpiece, I can't decide which. Roger Ebert includes the film in his book 'The Great Movies,' yet other critics dismiss it with a laugh. So which is it?

From the opening, I immediately had my doubts: Shaky camera work on an already unsteady highway, shots of a stationary car while the background changes, lights going down in a restaurant with the main character's face lit up for a flashback...all cheap B movie stunts, which you expect.

But what you don't expect are good performances. 'Detour' contains at least one good one and one superb one. Tom Neal plays a piano player from New York hitchhiking to L.A. to meet his sweetheart. Neal is right on target as the passive loser. His face looks like it was formed in a vat of perpetual disappointment. Something happens on his trip to L.A. that makes his life even worse, if that's possible. Then he meets a woman named Vera.

If they had a Best Actress category for B movies, Ann Savage's portrayal of Vera would be the standard by which all other actresses would be judged. She's evil, scheming, conniving, wicked, hateful, vengeful...and that's all before breakfast. Savage multiplies Neal's problems a thousand-fold and grinds the tension out all the way until the end. With a better script and better production values, Savage and Neal could have lit up the screen for the definitive film noir. But director Edgar G. Ulmer makes the best use of the limitations he has. Despite its problems, 'Detour' is a better than average B movie/film noir that deserves to be seen.

69 minutes, black and white

1945's Detour is not only one of your truly vintage film noir classics of all-time, it is also ranked by many among the best low-budget films ever made, largely due to the memorable performances of Tom Neal and Ann Savage. The directorial slant which frames the story is dead on, and one has to think that a larger budget would probably have done more harm than good to this gritty, realistic, film noir tour de force. Tom Neal plays Al Roberts, one of those unfortunate men who was born both stupid and incredibly unlucky. Shortly after his girl Sue up and goes to California looking for stardom, Roberts decides to go west and join her, hitchhiking his way across the country. This one fellow picks him up in Arizona and says he will take him all the way to L.A.; then the guy has the audacity to keel over dead. Afraid he will be accused of murdering the guy, Roberts decides to hide the body, take the guy's money, and assume his identity until such time as he can ditch the car in a big city. Then he himself picks up a hitchhiker, a woman who ends up being the last person on earth he would ever have wanted to encounter. Vera (Savage) know that Roberts is not the man he claims to be, and Roberts quickly finds himself quite at the mercy of this shrew of a woman. Her greed knows no bounds, and Roberts' life becomes more and more complicated and unhappy by the hour.

Ann Savage's character Vera is perhaps the most blunt, cold, evil, wholly unlikable woman I have ever heard tell of. It is quite easy to see why the man we meet in the opening scene is as hateful and short-tempered as he is. As we flash back to the whole story of Roberts' hard times, accompanied by plenty of voiceover narration, one cannot help but feel sorry for the guy. His initial decision to cover up the death of the guy who picked him up is a bad, undeniably stupid, mistake, but he certainly does not deserve the level of vitriol and pure evil that afflicts him in the form of Vera. The ending is a tiny bit flat, but the story itself is fascinating and the performances of Neal and Savage are not to be missed. Detour is vintage film noir and should not be missed by any and all fans of the genre.

Considered to be one of the best film noirs ever made. In my opinion, this is a darn good, rainy day/late night film. I won't tell you anything about the plot, but there are plenty of twists and surprises in this one. Simply, a piano player travels from state to state. A girlfriend that he was fond of, he called on the phone. She went to Hollywood to perform and be an actress. He misses her so he hawks everything and hitch hikes cross-country to get back together with her. So here he is on the road hitch hiking when a nice man picks him up and from there this story moves fast. This film is a must-see. It only runs 67 minutes. Alpha Video is offering a very fine print of film. Quite clear. Tom Neal had a troubled life after this film. But you can read more of that elsewhere on the web. His son, Tom Neal Jr. re-made "Detour" in 1992 and even starred in it. Ann Savage is the only member of this 1945 cast still alive. This DVD version contains an "Index" which is a chapter selection. No extras or bonuses.

Rocky is known for its numerous sequels and some people have become very dissapointed with them. But I have to say, the group behind Rocky has been able to spawn 4 sequels off of it's original, and they do so without repeating the same story over and over again--that is difficult to do in some cases. For this, I give them a lot of credit.

Rocky III picks up where Rocky II left off. Rocky(Sylvester Stallone) has just beaten Apollo Creed and is now the new heavyweight champion of the world. But now the once underdog fighter who's main goal was to fight his best, win or lose, has become entrapped in the media world and is more concentrated on fighting easy opponants to make him look good and spends all of his free time doing commercials, posing for magazines, doing charity funds, and other plublicity stunts.

But when a new underdog fighter Clubber Lang (Mr.T) challenges Rocky to a title fight, Rocky immediatly accepts, assuming he can take this guy out in 1 round. But the problem is that Lang wants nothing more than to destroy Rocky and win the title. He does not care about the plublicity, he wants to be the champ. So Rocky loses the title fight in a humiliating defeat, and is trying to also cope with the loss of his trainer, Mickey, who dies shortly after the fight. Now Rocky is ready to retire.

But the ring beckons him once again for a rematch with Lang to regain his title and respect. With the help of his old rival Apollo (Carl Weathers), Rocky must go back to the beginning and back to the streets to learn how to get back the edge he had before he was a celebrity and prepare for the ultimate fight.

Rocky III is definatly a good movie. It isn't a cheap sequel that just repeats the previous story. It has it's own story and new goals and still is very inspiring, just as the two before it were as well.

"ROCKY III" runs for about 95 minutes. It is rated PG for violence and some language.

This was without question one of the more entertaining Rocky
movies.In this movie You have the villain ably played by Mister
T.His character is called Clubber Lang. This movie also introduced the world to Hulk Hogan He would go on after this movie to defeat the Iron Sheik and become a legend in the world
of wrestling.Rocky has become too commercial and lost his edge to do effective battle. He takes on Clubber Lang(Mister T.) and
is badly beaten.After the fight his long time trainer Mickey dies. Rocky abandons the pomp and ceremony of his previous
training camp and begins training eith Apollo Creed.He gets back
his eye of the tiger and wins back his title.An excellent movie
for Rocky fans.

None fo the Rocky movies can even compare 2 this one. The first two were amazing and this one defied the odds! It starts with Rocky beating opponent after opponent. When a new challenger reveals himself from the shadows (Mr T.) Rocky shows he has finally gone soft. As his training routine suffers so does his manager from a sickness that is not actually revealed. On the night of the big fight the unthinkable happens and Rocky folds in 2 rounds. The movie progresses and Rocky takes on a new manager, none other then Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) himself! The movie progresses but I won't reveal the ending but the movie by far is the best Rocky ever!

...Be Careful of Whom You Go to Bed With...

Once you get past the cringe inducing casting, there's a pretty decent story of Hollywood, Vegas, Chicago, Washington, the Mob, and other not so strange bed fellows. It all but verifies how the Gang put the politician in the office and who was hot to trot for whom. It insinuates why the golden girl actress dies, why the Camelot president is shot, and what happens to the Attorney General. Sammy D. does a show stopping rendition of "I've Gto You Under My Skin" to burning crosses and Men in Capes and Robes. The Marilyn does not however recreate the "happy birthday, Mr President..." performance. Dino sees the handwriting on the wall and tries to sell his share of the corporation, the Pack gets ahold to movie scripts which expands and exploits thier Vegas escapades...yeah, dig? It's a cool, hip way to kill a few hours watching, but, the best movie on the Rat Pack is yet to come....

Chris Dudley must be a famous movie maker, that's why he knows so much more about making films than the people who made this piece of terrific entertainment. Why, this film doesn't "focus" on how each one of them became famous. It spends too much time on Sinatra, when really we all wanted to see more of Peter Lawford. At least Dudley knows how to spell "non-sequitur" but either he doesn't understand it or doesn't get why the lyrics to the song "I'm Gonna Live" perfectly presage the extracts from the life of its singer, Frank Sinatra, we're about to see.

Dudley doesn't want a movie, he wanted a 10-hour mini-series.

What we got was fun and exciting, with several scenes you will remember forever (at least I will), not just because it's like you're watching the real history we never knew at the time, but because they are well played and paced. For example, the scene in a nightclub with Frank, Dean, Sammy, Peter, Marilyn Monroe, Joe Dimaggio, and Jack and Bobby Kennedy sitting at a big table, with Judy Campbell (later to become Exner) sitting at a small table off to the side, with mobsters Johnny Roselli and Mickey Cohen over there, is extraordinary. The "High Hopes" number was great, and yes it did happen. The meeting between Joe Kennedy and Sinatra where the Kennedy clan patriarch directs Sinatra to ditch the blacklisted writer he had hired and to get his mob pals to help "win" the West Virginia primary is all the more powerful for being so brief. Frank's passionate argument with Ava showed how much two people who really love each other can hurt the other. How much more can you reasonably ask from a 2 hour TV movie, or indeed from any movie?

I didn't see this until just the other day and I damn near stayed up all night just to watch it, and it takes something arresting to grab my attention and keep it that late at night when I really had no intention of seeing the sun come up.

As with most HBO productions, this movie is excellent. The story covers the lives of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Peter Lawford, and John F. Kennedy through the late 50's and early 60's. Although the focus is on these main characters,we also get the likes of Joey Bishop, Marilyn Monroe, Joe DiMaggio, Ava Gardner, and Sam Giancana - all portrayed wonderfully by a very talented cast.

As for the acting:

-Ray Liotta is, as always, a fantastic actor who captured the character, if not the mannerisms, of Frank Sinatra. Liotta's speaking voice is too high-pitched to make a believable transition from the many musical numbers which are performed. But he does capture the essence of Frank's on-screen persona.
-Don Cheadle is dead-on as Sammy Davis Jr. He got the moves, the speech, and the quirks all down to a science. He is clearly the most believable character.
-Joe Mantegna was, for me, the biggest disappointment of the movie. Don't get me wrong, he mastered the whole nonchalant, "not a care in the world" personality that made Dino famous. But his voice had too much of a "Barney Rubble" quality for my liking. I found it to be too distracting.
-Honorable mentions should also go out to Angus MacFadyen for his terrific portrayal of Peter Lawford, both in looks and demeanor, and also to William Petersen for his right-on imitation of JFK.

As for the plot:

The movie spins a very controversial tale. Whether it is true or not, the following is clearly implied by the script:

-Frank Sinatra is tied very closely to the mob and, as a result, was treated like a King by his peers. He also wanted desparately to be liked by JFK.
-Peter Lawford was a sad, sniveling coward in front of Frank. He comes off as being afraid of his own shadow.
-Dean Martin was a loner who kept his distance from women, politics, and organized crime. But certainly not from booze.
-Sammy Davis was fighting his own inner battle over the racist jokes that were poked at him throughout the Rat Pack gigs.
-JFK was elected as a direct result of Frank's connections with the mob. He is portrayed as a fast living playboy who loved to sleep around.

How much of this is true? I really can't say. But, one thing is for sure: This movie delivers some pretty powerful messages through its story which, to some fans of the Rat Pack, may border on being "more than we needed to know".

In Conclusion:

This is a well-made movie with many subplots and many underlying implications. In some ways, this makes the movie a little hard to follow at times. Especially when you are expecting to see a movie about entertainers - not politicians. And in the end, that's what you get the most of - politics. So, in summary, the movie is very well acted and very well written, but may be a little heavy for the average Rat Pack fan.

This movie stinks. It was so bad that I hope I never have to watch it again for the rest of my life.

CASUALTIES OF WAR (USA 1989): During a routine field trip at the height of the Vietnam War, a young soldier (Michael J. Fox) rebels against his commanding officer (Sean Penn) and other members of his patrol when they kidnap a defenceless Vietnamese girl (Thuy Thu Le) and subject her to a terrifying physical ordeal.

Unfairly overshadowed by the simultaneous theatrical release of Oliver Stone's pompous (but still impressive) BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY (1989), Brian DePalma's CASUALTIES OF WAR recreates a harrowing incident from the Vietnam conflict - first reported in 'New Yorker' magazine in 1969 - in which a group of otherwise decent men succumbed to their own worst impulses and committed a terrible crime. Filmed with typical cinematic bravado by master craftsman DePalma, the movie uses every inch of the scope frame to convey both the duality of the landscape (vast swathes of breathtaking countryside, where sudden death lurks around every corner) and the moral vacuum which stretches the two central characters (Fox and Penn) to breaking point. Crafted with blistering simplicity by screenwriter David Rabe (himself a Vietnam veteran and author of the acclaimed stageplay 'Streamers'), the soldiers are depicted as brave individuals whose principles have been shattered by their traumatic combat experiences, leaving Fox to essay the role of peacemaker in a world where all the rules have been turned upside down. Thu Le - a model with no prior acting experience - is truly heartbreaking as the soldiers' terrified prisoner, and her ultimate fate is so horrific (arguably the most disturbing set-piece of this director's entire career), many viewers will be too appalled to see the film through to its inevitable conclusion. All in all, this uncompromising gaze into the abyss of human depravity packs a tremendous emotional wallop, and emerges as one of DePalma's strongest films to date.

The movie runs 113m 25s on Columbia TriStar's region 1 DVD, which letterboxes the wide Panavision frame at 2.35:1, anamorphically enhanced - try to see it on a 16:9 monitor. Released to most theaters in standard Dolby Stereo (reproduced here in 2.0 surround), the film was also given a 6-channel discrete mix for selected venues (in 70mm, blown-up from 35mm), and that version is recreated here in a vivid Dolby 5.1 presentation. Extras include a number of deleted scenes and a series of recently-filmed interviews with key personnel (including DePalma and Fox), many of which contain major spoilers, so be warned. A trailer is included, along with English captions and subtitles.

Casualties of War is a unique film. There are many films that depict wartime atrocities. This one stands above the rest because of it's character development. We get to know the guilty parties, and they are not purely evil, but are in many ways quite ordinary. They seem like regular US GI's at first, just trying to survive day by day.

Sean Penn's character (Sgt Meserve) leads them into an abyss, and only one of them (Eriksson, played by Micheal J Fox) refuses to enter. The others commit murder and rape, while Eriksson cringes. The separate perpetrators display trepidation, anxiousness, remorse and the lack thereof. Other characters exhibit cynicism and callousness. Their victim shows her fear alone.

This film is effective because it shows all but one of the soldiers as having different and human sides. Eriksson and Diaz (John Leguizamo) know that what is happening is wrong, but one fails to stop it, and the other participates. Meserve comes up with absurd lies to try to justify what they are doing, not only for Eriksson, but for the others, and it seems even for himself. Only one character in this film (Clark) is completely inhuman. His sadistic fervor and amoral smugness makes him appear as a monster, plain and simple.

This film is effective because it shows seemingly normal men in a descent into utter barbarism. Thuy Thu Le sets the mood for this by portraying the terror of their victim so well. Sympathy for the victim will surely make anyone cringe. But, it is by showing that the perpetrators, except Clark, are like most anyone that this film has its' strongest affect. How would we each fare if faced by such a situation? Who among us would stand against it? Who would succumb to it? This film strikes deeper than any horror film, with obviously inhuman monsters. It shows real people who become monsters, and is therefore vastly more effective- even more so because it all really happened.

On par with the dismal rejects "Devil's Rain" and "Wicker Man," this movie is arguably the [worst] movie in the history of the universe now or ever. Acting? Except for Lee and Cushing, there was none. Sound quality? Fair to poor. Video quality? Fair to poor. Mood and atmosphere? Well, I guess in some countries they still hadn't figured out that synthesizer disco music really isn't congruent with serious horror. Even the opening credits are bad with the treat of getting to stare at the train's headlight whilst suffering, you guessed it, more canned synthesizer music. Truly an AWFUL movie. Rocket scientists couldn't calculate how truly AWFUL this movie is....What on earth were these people THINKING!

Possibly among Hammer's very best productions, HORROR EXPRESS is notable for casting Christopher Lee & Peter Cushing as (reluctant) allies for once, & also for "co-starring" Telly Savalas pre-KOJAK; who previously worked with director Eugenio Martin on the film PANCHO VILLA. Scripted by Arnaud D'Usseau & Julian Halevy from a story by Gene Martin, the film is also known as PANIC ON THE TRANS-SIBERIAN EXPRESS.

Alexander Saxton (Lee) is a scientist who leads an expedition into the mountains where he discovers the frozen body of a huge ape-like man (No, it's not Tor Johnson). The valuable fi(e)nd is shipped aboard a train bound for Europe, where Saxton plans to conduct research that could establish the "missing link" between humans and primates. But to Saxton's annoyance his rival Dr. Wells (Cushing) and his assistant are also passengers on the train.
Matters soon get hairy (quite literally) when a potential thief picks the lock on the crate; resulting in the ape-man being let loose aboard the train- but not before hypnotizing the culprit & sucking all information & memories from his brain, leaving him with hemhorraging eyeballs that resemble bloodied boiled eggs and a brain smoother & whiter than Telly Savalas's head.

Another passenger on the train is a wacko hippie priest who believes this is the work of the devil and that the contents of the crate is "unholy", as all uninformed nincompoops do when confronted with things they don't understand or that don't conform to their personal belief system. The preacher presents a rock solid argument in his favor when he remarks "There is the stink of hell on this train. Even the dog knows it". (NB: There IS in fact a dog on board too, who is obviously smarter than the Hellfire Hippie.)

Also amusing is the following exchange between Cushing & Lee when the creature escapes:
Cushing: "Are you telling me that an ape that lived two million years ago got out of that crate, killed the baggage man and put him in there; then loaded everything up neat and tidy, and got away?"
Lee: "YES! I AM!".
In case you're wondering, I haven't forgotten about Telly Savalas. In spite of his co-star billing he doesn't appear in his role as Captain Kazak until the last third of the movie; unless as I also mentioned, the film makers used his dome for "brain" close-ups.
DVD extras include trailers and a bio and filmography for Lee, but none for Cushing, which is odd. This DVD obviously offers nothing special in terms of special features but it's loads of fun and a good bargain for collectors.

HORROR EXPRESS is a wild movie! Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing play rival scientists (Saxon and Wells) who must band together to battle the force that is loose on the trans-siberian express. People are being killed by having their brains emptied of all memories, their eyes turning white. Has the "fossil" that Saxon has brought aboard sprung to life? Can it be stopped before killing everyone? This is no ordinary hunk of cheese! Lee and Cushing are great together (as usual). Telly Savalas is over-the-top but quite enjoyable as the head cossak. Check out the crazy monk who decides to give up on God and serve "satan" (the creature) instead! Talk about a fast switch of sides! This movie is engaging and fun to watch. Sort of a cross between MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, THE CRATE (found on CREEPSHOW by Stephen King), and a really good X-FILES episode. Hop on the train and enjoy...

Although this film is "outdated" (Michael Jordan returned to the NBA for the 2002/2003 season), it shows the high points in his life. It's one in-depth biography and it captured the drama of Michael in the NBA Finals. Lawrence Fishburne plays the narrator. If your a true fan of MJ, buy it.

I saw this movie in the IMAX theater in Boston at the Science Museum and was thrilled. Granted the home viewing experience is not the same but I also rented the DVD and was thrilled.. For those who did not enjoy the DVD, you have the wrong equipment. I have a widescreen TV and full 5.1 channel surround sound. The sound mix is incredible and the picture format and video transfer is stunning. In some game scenes it feels like you are on the court. I am going to buy this DVD for my home viewing pleasure and the legend of Michael Jordan will live on....

Excuse my poor english, but I'm a french fan of Michael Jordan and I would like to advise the future french customers about this dvd. First of all, the movie is great and tells the carreer of that astonishing athlete, probably one of the greats sportsmen ever seen. But the good new is that this dvd has a 5.1 dolby audio track in french, so I readed it easyly on my multizone dvd player. French fans of M.J., don't hesitate! This dvd is really the must!!!

Although this film is "outdated" (Michael Jordan returned to the NBA for the 2002/2003 season), it shows the high points in his life. It's one in-depth biography and it captured the drama of Michael in the NBA Finals. Lawrence Fishburne plays the narrator. If your a true fan of MJ, buy it.

I saw this movie in the IMAX theater in Boston at the Science Museum and was thrilled. Granted the home viewing experience is not the same but I also rented the DVD and was thrilled.. For those who did not enjoy the DVD, you have the wrong equipment. I have a widescreen TV and full 5.1 channel surround sound. The sound mix is incredible and the picture format and video transfer is stunning. In some game scenes it feels like you are on the court. I am going to buy this DVD for my home viewing pleasure and the legend of Michael Jordan will live on....

Excuse my poor english, but I'm a french fan of Michael Jordan and I would like to advise the future french customers about this dvd. First of all, the movie is great and tells the carreer of that astonishing athlete, probably one of the greats sportsmen ever seen. But the good new is that this dvd has a 5.1 dolby audio track in french, so I readed it easyly on my multizone dvd player. French fans of M.J., don't hesitate! This dvd is really the must!!!