Home Movie Reviews

Family movie reviews for "Home" sorted by average review score:

SpongeBob SquarePants - Sponge Buddies/Nautical Nonsense

Released in DVD by Paramount Home Video (13 May, 2003)

MPAA Rating: G (General Audience)

Directors: Walt Dohrn, Sherm Cohen, Jay Lender, Dan Povenmire, Aaron Springer, C.H. Greenblatt, Paul Tibbett, and Sam Henderson

Split pants, bad breath, and time travel are just part of the nonsense the animated sponge and his undersea buddies are up to in this installment of the popular Nickelodeon series. The cheerfully inept SpongeBob splits his pants while hoisting marshmallows in a weightlifting competition, to the amusement of the crowd. So if it's funny once, it must be funny five times, right? Next, Squidward gets trapped in the Krusty Krab freezer and time travels to a future of Spongetrons and back to a prehistoric SpongeBob and Patrick--not a pretty sight. There's also a cure for Sandy the squirrel's homesickness for Texas, underwater ghost stories when SpongeBob and Squidward work the night shift, and the sponge's aforementioned sea onion breath in this 10-episode compilation. Don't look for any double-entendres to amuse the parents here; this two-hour collection of goofing around is strictly for kids, ages 4 to 10. --Kimberly Heinrichs

Average review score:

At last-they've got SpongeBob on DVD

Wow! Now people without cable can see some episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants! This DVD contains some popular episodes, such as "Texas" with the song "I Want To Wake Up In Texas", and the episode, "F.U.N." with the FUN song. The DVD also has the episode, "The Graveyard Shift" which would have been good for the next DVD, "Halloween."

Is this a dream?

Wow,I love Spongebob & his friends. This DVD is great because it has the backstage features where you can watch the characters voices/people, recording dialogue. The person who does Patrick's voice is soo how I pictured him to be. All the episodes featured are extra great, especially "The Hash Slinging Slasher". My favorite Spongebob episode made, next to "Imagination" which isn't featured. This DVD is perfect for small children when teaching them the importance of all living creatures, they get to see that there is soo much life under the sea!!

Rating 4 every episode!

Ripped Pants: 1 of my faves. 9/10
SB129: Gets boring at times. 7/10
Texas: 1 of the best! 9/10
Graveyard Shift:My #2 favrite from this DVD. 10/10
Something Smells: Why did they edit the part where he says Hi building? 7.5/10
Jellyfishing:1 of the weakest episodes. 7.5/10
Dying For Pie:They show it on TV too much, but still a good one. 8/10
Wormy:Probably my least favorite. 6.5/10
Club Spongebob: A great one! 9.5/10
FUN: My #1 favorite on this DVD and in general! 11/10

The Man from Snowy River

Released in DVD by Fox Home Entertainme (28 May, 2002)

MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)

Director: George Miller

Starring: Tom Burlinson and Kirk Douglas

A conventional boy-and-his-horse story set against the red rocks of remote Australian mountains. (If there's a wide-screen edition, grab it. The scenery is one of the movie's strongest features.) Tom Burlinson is Jim Craig, a young man left stranded after his father's death who is struggling to save the family farm. He proves his manhood during a hair-raising hunt over the wooded slopes in search of an escaped stallion. The great, grizzled, Australian character actor Jack Thompson (the idealistic lawyer in Breaker Morant) is the tough, older horseman who takes the lad under his wing. The director, George Miller (not to be confused with the action-master who made the Mad Max films) allows costar Kirk Douglas to mug and grimace and prance far too much in a duel role as a pair of lovable old coots who hate each other's guts. Luckily, one of the coots has a handsome daughter (Sigrid Thornton, an Elizabeth McGovern-type with grit), who also has a way with horses. So it isn't all rocks and pine trees. --David Chute

Average review score:

Want to Run With the Brumbies?

Man from Snowy River, like most cowboy movies, is best seen on a huge-screen movie theater, but, if you donÕt have that, get the DVD and it can even pass the tiny-screen test of a laptop. It is a beautiful Australian movie that runs with the brumbies through each story line of a young manÕs and womanÕs rite of passage, the stale feud between brothers, petty coworker battles, a mine showing color and horses running and snorting everywhere. So saddle up with some popcorn and ride this movie into its vistas of green, mountains, fog and snow to a nice musical score. You will need the mountain horse that Spur gives you and a really cool dog to cross Snowy River. Hold on when you see how a real riders rides down the mountain.

Australian Stockwhip action!!

Wonderful film! Beautifully shot and very lyrical in it's pacing. One of my favorites.

The Man from Snowy River : way more than a horse opera

The Man from Snowy River is one of the ten best movies ever made. Sure it has great cinematography, fantastic scenery and a GREAT cast but this motion picture is true literature. It's based on a poem by A.B.Patterson (perhaps Mr Patterson, a character in the movie). The story is about a young woman who's father plans to sell her to the highest bidder. The hero's initials are J.C. (look familiar) who comes DOWN to the low country (Earth) to free the young woman (the church) from Old Regret which is "The sins of the fathers being visited upon the generations". He chases down the horses which symbolize merciless FATE. He doesn't swing the heroine up into the saddle at the end but goes to prepare her mansion, promising to return. This is one of the best examples of biblical allegory ever. The Snow in Snowy River refers to something Isaiah promised. Another great thing about this movie is that Jim Craig is considered a hero not because he can kill but because he can WORK. DO NOT miss this movie.

The Thin Man

Released in DVD by Warner Home Video (01 October, 2002)

MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)

Director: W.S. Van Dyke

Starring: William Powell and Myrna Loy

The intoxicating chemistry and repartee between the oft-teamed William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles--America's favorite soused detectives--is fully 100-proof in the marvelously witty Thin Man movies. You simply won't find more delightful movie company than Nick and Nora. The title, of course, refers not to Nicky the dick, but to the mysteriously missing scientist he and his lovely partner set out to find. Powell and Loy deliver their sparkling dialog with giddy enthusiasm (and occasionally slurred speech) in this rapid-fire, three-martini suspense comedy directed by famously speedy W.S. Van Dyke and adapted from the novel by Dashiell Hammett. The success of The Thin Man spawned a litter of sequels, including After the Thin Man (featuring a young James Stewart), Another Thin Man (in which a baby is added to the Charles family), Shadow of the Thin Man, The Thin Man Goes Home, and Song of the Thin Man. --Jim Emerson

Average review score:

BETTER THAN 5 STARS

The Thin Man is the first in this series of six movies starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles...wealthy socialites and detectives. These movies made between 1934 and 1947 comprise six of the 13 collaborations between the two stars and is certainly their most famous work.

I cannot rave strongly enough about these movies, particularly the first which is the best in the series. Nick and Nora are in New York for Christmas and find themselves having to investigate and eventually solve several murders.

The chemistry between the two stars is what makes these movies. It would seem as if they really were married. The Thin Man is outrageously funny with a lot of sexual innuendo which was certainly outrageous for the time period.

The movies are always filled with great character actors. Those faces you know even if you don't know the names. The dialog sparkles as the two drink their way through solving the crimes. honestly, being drunk has never been this funny.

Some may feel that it glamorizes alcohol, but lets remember that this was the early 1930's. The Christmas party in their posh hotel room is priceless.

My only complaint is that it seems there are little in the way of extras on the DVD. What a shame. While outtakes may not still exist, certainly some interviews and commentary with film historians would have been a welcome addition. Still..these are a definite add to your collection

The Thin Man,

Truly, this series is one of the best ever created. Simple, fast pace, plain wholesome fun!! I want the whole series!!

Mystery, Comedy, Romance, Glamour....All in One Perfect Film

Nick and Nora Charles (William Powell and Myrna Loy) have recently moved back to New York from the West Coast and are looking forward to some time together when an old acquaintance, a young woman named Dorothy Wynant (Maureen O'Sullivan), asks for Nick's help in locating her father, an inventor named Clyde Wynant (Edward Ellis). Nick was a working class hard-drinking private detective before he married blue-blooded Nora. But now Nick is enjoying his retirement and is reluctant to get involved in any mysteries. Nora, on the other hand, is intrigued by Nick's old line of work and welcomes the excitement that detective work might bring to her life. But Nick stubbornly refuses to take the case, even when the missing man's secretary is murdered and his lawyer and ex-wife express their concern as well. But when a gun-wielding thug forces his way into the Charles' apartment and the police harass him for answers, Nick is left with little choice but to take the case of "the thin man". Believing that the police are on the wrong trail entirely, Nick returns to Clyde Wynant's closed-up shop, where he finds an essential clue to his disappearance. Nick then decides that the best way to ferret out the culprit is to invite all of the suspects and interested parties to a dinner party at his apartment where he will lay out the story as he knows it and set up the murderer in the presence of the police.

"The Thin Man" was adapted from the popular 1933 detective novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett and directed by W.S. Van Dyke in 1934. Although fans of Dashiell Hammet's hard-boiled whodunit may not recognize the Nick and Nora Charles of the silver screen, "The Thin Man" impresses me as one of the best adapted screenplays in cinematic history. Screenwriters Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich have brilliantly adapted Dashiell Hammet's novel for a mainstream audience. The story has been simplified considerably. But, more significantly, the movie's characters have been made more likable and respectable than those of the book, and somewhat less alcoholic. Although Hammett's novel is full of witty quips, it is far too cynical to be called a comedy. Screenwriters Hackett and Goodrich chose to make the film a comedy of manners and de-emphasized the mystery in favor of Nick and Nora's relationship. That decision, along with the casting of William Powell and Myrna Loy, who have such great comic chemistry and affection between them, made "The Thin Man" so irresistible to audiences in the 1930's that it supported an impressive 6-film franchise over the course of 13 years. William Powell and Myrna Loy's appeal has not diminished in the least to this day. There has never been a funnier party scene than the Charles' wonderful drunken Christmas party. And an expanded role for the Charles' irrepressible pooch Asta perfectly tops off the comedy. "The Thin Man" is a wonderfully entertaining combination of mystery, comedy, and romance set in the glamourous world of upper-class Manhattan in the 1930's. It's as good as popular movie-making gets. "The Thin Man" of course refers to the missing Mr. Wynant, although the phrase came to be associated with Nick Charles in the subsequent "Thin Man" films.

We can only hope that eventually all of "The Thin Man" movies will be available as a DVD boxed set with some nice extras. If you like "The Thin Man" and old comedy/ mystery/romance movies appeal to you, you might like Alfred Hitchcock's 1938 film "The Lady Vanishes". It is a lighthearted, utterly charming film, and one of Hitchcock's best, that manages to successfully combine even more genres than "The Thin Man" does.

The Wind and the Lion

Released in DVD by Warner Home Video (06 January, 2004)

MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)

Director: John Milius

Starring: Sean Connery and Candice Bergen

The up-and-down career of director John Milius had no finer moment than The Wind and the Lion, a dandy adventure tale. It's based on fact: An American (played by Candice Bergen) and her two children were kidnapped in 1904 Morocco by a Berber tribe, an international incident settled by President Theodore Roosevelt's "big stick" military muscle. The film's sweep and swagger are unabashedly old-fashioned, even as Milius occasionally pokes fun at the grand characters. Some of the peripheral material is sloppy, but as long as Milius keeps his sights locked on the two powerful protagonists, he's dead-on: Brian Keith makes a gutsy Roosevelt, and Sean Connery is in splendid form (with Scots accent in place--got a problem with that?) as the dashing Berber chieftain. Perhaps overshadowed by John Huston's The Man Who Would be King the same year (Huston plays advisor John Hay in this one), Wind makes a marvelous companion piece. --Robert Horton

Average review score:

Dittoes ad infinitum

Scene: the Marines have overwhelmed the guards at the palace of the Bashaw. Their leader presents the point of his saber to the chest of the hookah-smoking Bashaw, "Captain Jerome, United States Marines", he says with a sly grin. "You are a dangerous man, Captain, and your President Roosevelt is mad," declares the Bashaw. Captain Jerome returns saber to scabbard, throws the Bashaw a snappy salute, and retorts, "Yessir!"

That so thoroughly expressed the proper attitude of an American addressing an old-world potentate - so far superior to the way so many Americans suck up to British royalty these days - that I cheer every time I see this scene. Needless to say, I've had a VHS copy for years and eagerly await the availability on DVD.

A great film. Let's hope the 2004 DVD release is solid

I saw this film as a kid in Phoenix in a 70mm print during the summer of 1975. It was amazing looking and sounding. I just saw a print here in NYC this summer at the Walter Reade Theater. Sadly, it was so grainy, scratchy and faded that I found myself sad that such a great piece of work is being so neglected. I've read that Warners Home Video will be releasing this film along with a few others that won a reader's poll on Turner Classic movies in January of 2004. I hope they make the effort to restore the negative on this one and preserve and protect a great piece of work. Aside from the great performances by Sean Connery, Brian Keith and Candice Bergen, the scenery is magnificent. I believe part of the film was shot in Spain. But you'd swear you were in the desert of 1904 where much of this epic takes place. Check this out when you have the chance. A great film for all ages and for the ages.

Rejoice! DVD Release Jan 6, 2004

That's right. Our long suffering will soon be over. Wind and the Lion is one of five winners of the MGM DVD Decison 2003 contest. The DVD will be released in Conjunction with Turner Classic Movies on Jan 6, 2004 and will include audio commentary by John Milius.

I first saw the film on a small black and white TV in the late 70's. Saw it on big screen a few years later at a revival festival. Have gone through three VHS copies. I teach a class in Film and Literature at the college level and W&L has always been number one on my list. This film is big spectacle adventure at its best. They truly don't make them like they used to. Now if they'll only reissue the soundtrack. My grandfather, father, and I were all career military officers.
This movie forever puts the P back in patriotism.

Sade - Live Concert Home Video

Released in DVD by Sony/Columbia (20 February, 2001)

MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)

This impressive record of Sade's 1994 live peformances reminds us of just how much her distinctive sound combines languorously emotional pop with lightweight but musically fulfilling cocktail jazz. As fine as the voice is, we can never forget that Sade's backing band are sidemen rather than mere accompanists, and in several of the 18 numbers here we get solos of real virtuosity. The selection of songs includes many of Sade's hits--"Cherry Pie," "Smooth Operator," "Your Love Is King"--and some less well-known songs from the albums, such as "Red Eye" and "Jezebel." --Roz Kaveney, Amazon.co.uk

Average review score:

Sade jams with a silky smooth jazzy band

Sade is a gorgeous diva whose jazzy vocals illustrate all the true emotions of love, pain, and happiness in relationships. This is an intimate concert for one to watch with his/her partner. This Dvd concert is full of jazzy-soul and funky erotic grooves like no one but Sade and her band can deliver. Awesome show. A+

Beautiful Sade

Reading all of the claims that this was studio rerecorded made me pull out this DVD again to see for myself if this was true. Not that I needed an excuse to watch it... In any case, I seriously doubt this is the case with this concert. The background instruments (congas, tambourine, etc...) were all in sync with the songs and you could hear Sade's voice fade in and out at the exact spots she moved away from the mic. Perhaps there was a cut to an instrument or two that was a little off in the edits, but you would have to consciously be looking for mistakes as I was. I know in today's age of lip-synching pop stars, vocal harmonizers, and drum machines it's difficult to imagine a band that sounds as good live as they do in the studio, but this band is just that good.

Recorded live at the San Diego Open Air Theatre, this DVD gives you a great selection of Sade's classic hits. No flashy stages or explosions here. The subtle lighting combined with Sade's breathy voice invokes the intimate feel of a jazz nightclub. The director does a great job of showcasing the various band members, but keeps the focus primarily on Sade throughout the show. The sound quality is excellent (especially considering it was recorded ten years ago) and this DVD edition doesn't have the lighting problems and graininess the VHS owners were complaining about.

Even if you own all her albums, you'll want this live performance to add to your collection. Watch it with someone you love.

A Musical and Visual Treat

I too first saw this performance on PBS during one of the local stations fund raising specials. I immediately knew this was one Sade tape I wanted to collect...to enjoy for years to come. That was 9 years ago....and I still enjoy watching this great video. The band is as good..(maybe better on some selections) as Sade is a singer. And the visuals (lighting and stage drops), along with the great music makes this video a classic. To all Sade lovers...or to anyone who loves good jazz...this is a keeper. Planning to order the DVD now for even further enjoyment!

The Shield - The Complete First Season

Released in DVD by Fox Home Entertainme (07 January, 2003)

MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)

Starring: Michael Chiklis

On March 12, 2002, The Shield burst onto the FX network like an incendiary grenade, and basic cable TV would never be the same. Creator Shawn Ryan's uncompromising police drama pushed the limits of basic-cable permissiveness, bridging the relative discretion of NYPD Blue and the HBO liberties of The Wire. Without exception, these 13 episodes justify their hype, focusing on pugnacious detective Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis), whose amoral Strike Team employs dubious tactics in the crime-ridden (and fictional) Farmington district of Los Angeles. Mackey and his maverick partners are at odds with seasoned detectives and beat cops, escalating tensions with precinct Capt. Aceveda (Benito Martinez), a Latino with flexible scruples and a political agenda.

The series invites viewers to form their own judgments regarding Mackey's volatile behavior, which includes killing an undercover cop in the electrifying pilot episode. While each episode stands alone as groundbreaking drama, the arc of the series incorporates Aceveda's campaign to end Mackey's career; the self-loathing of a homosexual rookie (Michael Jace) whose partner (Catherine Dent) is Mackey's occasional mistress; a straight-laced detective (Jay Karnes) yearning for respect; Mackey's compassionate attempt to rehabilitate a crack whore (Jamie Brown, giving the season's finest guest performance); the autism of Mackey's young son and the recklessness of his closest partner (Walton Goggins); and the vigilant stoicism of Det. Wyms (CCH Pounder), who's as sensibly upright as Mackey is corrupted.

Teeming with gang-bangers, perverts, rapists, and killers, The Shield is unabashedly adult; even liberal viewers may flinch at plots involving child pornography and serial murder. Chiklis deservedly won an Emmy for maintaining the series' delicate morality; Mackey's a hero squirming in his own ethical quicksand. This daring edginess makes The Shield unique, and generous DVD supplements explore Ryan's creative impulse. Two featurettes offer behind-the-scenes overviews, while the all-episode commentaries allow extensive insight from every member of the series' principal cast and crew. Audition tapes prove that the cast was primed for ensemble excellence, and deleted scenes further demonstrate the series' challenging ambiguity. The Shield is excellent TV for those who can grasp its complexities; all others beware. --Jeff Shannon

Average review score:

BEST SHOW EVER

THIS SHOW ISBY FAR THE BEST SHOW I HAVE EVER SEEN. IGOT THE FIRST SEASON AND WATCHED THE WHOLE THING NONSTOP AND WANTED MORE. THE ACTING IS SUPERB, THE STORY LINE IS SOMETHING THAT YOU MIGHTACTUALLY CARE ABOUT, AND THE CHARACTORS ARE VEY IN DEPTH. I WOULD RECCOMEND THIS TO ANYONE WHO LIKES TRUE ENTERTAINMENT

Television that takes you to the edge.

"The Shield" is great television, period. There will be those who complain that it only pushes certain buttons of a visceral kind. And it does that. However, the performances in this show set it apart from anything else on television. The cast is top notch. The setting is like nothing else on TV today. It is as pivotal for television cop dramas as were "Hill Street Blues" and "NYPD Blue."

Detective Vic Mackay and his Strike Team tend to cross the line in pursuit of "justice." They leave their calling card where they strike to let the criminals know who runs the streets of Farmington. Their methods, while effective, tend to skirt what the Supreme Court has ruled as being legal for law enforcement. And, they aren't above padding their "retirement fund" along the way.

Their Captain is a man whose ambition runs beyond his run down precinct. Mackay's methods have a tendency to cause him problems. They work together when it's needed, but are more likely to be butting heads.

The first season of this show is great. The commentary tracks are worth a listen to get the cast and crew perspective on this cutting edge series.

Watch closely and you'll be able to see for yourself the scene in which Michael Chiklis walks away with a richly deserved Emmy Award.

TV doesn't get much better than this...

The show's main focus is on Detective Vic Mackey ( Michael Chiklis) who leads a team of three other detectives with the best arrest records in the department. While the team does get fantastic results, they are the dirtiest cops in L.A.. Captain David Acevada ( Benito Martinez) is brought into the department to help clean it up and to make sure things run smoothly so that a strong media image is maintained. Acevada soon learns however, that he is going to have his hands full when it comes to Vic and the strike team because they go by their own personal agenda. This of course soon pushes Aciveda towards going after the Strike Team personally...

"The Shield" in my opinion is one of the best shown on TV right now. The FX Network raised the quality of their programming up a notch when they released The Shield onto the air. The thing that I like most about the show, is how realistic it is. It actually feels like you are witnessing what goes on in the real world. The show often showcases acts of violence, nudity, and tons of profanity. That is why the show works. The quality of the show is put above the actual opinion of the viewers. The Shield is also the first cop show that I have seen that actually ties the episodes together. A lot of cop shows are based on what happens from case to case. But with The Shield, you actually have to see every episode to understand what's going on. Michael Chiklis offers one of the best performances I have ever seen with his portrayal of Vic Mackey. The character often toys with your emotions because you will find yourself hating the guy and supporting the guy all at the same time. The rest of the cast is top notch as well, despite being filled with relatively unknown actors.

If you are fan of police related TV shows, The Shield is the one show that you should definately watch. The disturbing cases, excellent acting, and overall realistic feel will have you hooked after the very first episode. The DVD extras are a sweet bonus because of all the behind the scenes footage that is shown. Overall, this is an excellent buy that should not be passed up.

Oscar

Released in DVD by Buena Vista Home Vid (06 May, 2003)

MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)

Director: John Landis

Starring: Sylvester Stallone

Oscar was Sylvester Stallone's agreeable, 1991 effort at broad comedy, a fast-talking, suspender-snapping gangster farce featuring the Rambo star as a 1930s Chicago mob boss, Snaps Provolone, trying to go straight during overlapping personal crises. No, this isn't Billy Wilder, but director John Landis (Coming to America) has crackling fun with Oscar's fruit salad of traditional comic themes and tools, including mistaken identities, a powerful man's weakness for his children, and a nonstop parade of outre secondary characters. The cast includes Kirk Douglas as Stallone's father, whose deathbed wish compels Snaps to go into legitimate banking at the exact moment the latter's daughter (Marisa Tomei) announces her love for a chauffeur. Meanwhile, another woman claiming to be Snaps's offspring is engaged to a fellow (Vincent Spano) who has stolen $50,000 of the big man's money. Wackiness ensues. The winning cast includes Peter Riegert, Don Ameche, Chazz Palminteri, Eddie Bracken, Harry Shearer, Yvonne DeCarlo, and Bruce Davison. --Tom Keogh

Average review score:

Oscar is a delight !

A delightful comedy directed by John Landis (Trading Places, Coming To America) and starring Sylvester Stallone (Rocky) in one of his best performances to date. He plays a gangster who is trying to lead a clean life as a banker after vowing to his dying father (played by Kirk Douglas) to leave his life of crime. The events that occur on the day he will become a banker puts him and everybody around in one big surprise after the other. Funny performances by Marisa Tomei, Tim Curry, and the remaining cast.

Oscar is a classic comedy despite the negative reviews it recieved when it was released. The audience loved it. Well at least I did!

Recommended

A-

the best

This is the best Stallone's role and his best performance. It is very different from everything he's done so far. The rest of the cast is also great - lots of famous faces and 109 minutes of brilliant play :) This movie lies among those, which outperform the original version, what happens very rarely (there is a French movie "Oscar" starring Louis de Funès).

Hilarious Bedroom Farce

This was a very funny movie, Sylvester Stallone and the rest of the cast were great. I dont know why it was not a big hit. One of my favorite comidies along with Its a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, Noises Off and Big Trouble (Tim Allens movie). Made me laugh out loud countless times. Under rated and not appreciated by critics and public for the great bedroom farce it was. Sly was right on the nose with this comedy but few seemed to appreciate it for the very funny film it was, too bad. Have been looking for a copy for years and now I have it on DVD for my unlimited viewing pleasure, Horray!

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Released in DVD by Warner Home Video (30 September, 2003)

MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)

Director: John Huston

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, and Tim Holt

Ranked at No. 30 on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 all-time greatest American films, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is a genuine masterpiece that was, ironically, a box-office failure when released in 1948. At that time audiences didn't accept Humphrey Bogart in a role that was intentionally unappealing, but time has proven this to be one of Bogart's very best performances. It's a grand adventure and a superior character study built around the timeless themes of greed and moral corruption. As adapted by writer-director John Huston (from a novel by enigmatic author B. Traven) it became a definitive treatment of fate and futility in the obsessive pursuit of wealth. Bogart plays Fred C. Dobbs, a down-and-out wage-worker in Mexico who stakes his meager earnings on a gold-prospecting expedition to the Sierra mountains. He's joined by a grizzled old prospector (Walter Huston, the director's father) and a young, no-nonsense partner (Tim Holt), and when they strike a rich vein of gold, the movie becomes an observant study of wretched human behavior. Bogart is fiercely intense as his character grows increasingly paranoid and violent; Huston offers a compelling contrast as a weathered miner who's seen how gold can turn men into monsters.

From its lively opening scenes (featuring young Robert Blake as a boy selling lottery tickets) to its final, devastating image of fateful irony, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre tells an unforgettable story of tragedy and truth. With dialogue that has been etched into the cultural consciousness (who can forget the Mexican bandit who snarls "I don't have to show you any stinking badges!") and well-earned Oscars for John and Walter Huston, this is an American classic that still packs a punch. --Jeff Shannon

Average review score:

Brilliant on all levels...

John Huston's The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is my second favorite film of all-time. The first being Tod Browning's Freaks from 1932. This is Humphrey Bogart at his best. It is fascinating to see Bogart as Fred C. Dobbs break down. This film showcases greed and paranoia like none other. Walter Huston is also very good as Howard, an old prospector that knows what gold can do to a mans heart. Many films have been influenced by Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Among them - Henri-Georges Clouzot's Wages of Fear, Sam Peckinpah's Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, and Brian DePalma's Scarface. Look out from cameos from Robert Blake, Ann Sheridan, and Jack Holt. The DVD has some terrific extra features as well. There is a 2-hour documentary on director John Huston, a 1-hour documentary on the film, a Bogart trailer gallery, Lux Radio Theatre Broadcast of Treasure of the Sierra Madre, 8-Ball Bunny - a Looney Toons cartoon, and lots more. Just watch it, folks.

Treasure hunt in mexican desert

Timeless tale of greed and desire, as three down-and- out men track down elusive golden wealth.

The movie is set up extremely well, as we learn about the men and their lot in life, well before they set out on their dangerous quest.

The parallels of greed resound today, with the corporate scandals and such. The riches that tempt men's souls can destroy the weak. Management techniques of the trio are on display as well, as they face challenges in the bleak wilderness.

The movie really holds up well under 21st century scrutiny. Every scene has meaning and their are many, running sub-plots and themes that remain true to themselves as they interweave,leave and then return throughout the movie. Keep your eye on the young Robert Blake, he had a small but amusing role in the beginning.

There are not many movies that have as much to offer, scene after scene, as this one does. Those who speak spanish will enjoy some of the un-translated dialogue between various locals, it is not spoon fed with accented english as so many movies do today. Great stuff!!

AFI top 100/ WB Classic now on digitally remastered DVD set!

The American Film Institute's (AFI)1998 Top 100 American Movies in the first 100 years placed "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" at #30. This 1947 western classic was one of Warner Brothers (WB) Studios many Classic movies produced in the 1930's &40's. (ie, Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), Casablanca (1942), Yankee Doodle Dandy to name a few). The WB had a stable of Stars like; Bogart, Cagney, Flynn, Bergman, Barrymore, Rains, Bacall, Greenstreet, Lorre & De Haviland to name a few which produced an abundance of classics in short order.

Well for the first time WB has meticulously digitally remastered their classics of old under the DVD "Two Disc Special Edition" Series. These DVD's are outstanding and the Feature Film is worth the price of admission alone, but Warner Brothers has provided us a 2 DVD set with everything for us to escape to 1947 Hollywood and relive the movie theatre experience. DISC 1 - Provides us with a "Night at the Movies" (circa 1947) This is pure genius (hats off to the WB) and the viewer experiences a complete show (so get the popcorn ready, this is fun stuff!!!!) To begin Leonard Maltin gives us an introduction to this 1947 show followed by coming attractions, a newsreel, a cartoon, a short subject film and then the Feature film all back to back just like the movies. AWESOME. Also on Disc 1 are 12 Humphrey Bogart film trailers. Thats just the first disc!!! DISC 2 - Has a 2 hour documentary on the life of Director John Huston (2 Oscar's, Direction & Screen Play for "The Treasure of Sierra Madre"), Documentary on "Discovering the Treasure of.....", Classic Bugs Bunny Cartoon, Storyboards, Cast & Crew, Publicity Materials Gallery and a 1949 Radio broadcast starring Bogart & Walter Huston (Oscar winner for best supporting in Treasure (also John Hustons father)).

Warner Brothers did a fabulous job digitally transferring (the picture & sound are perfect)this Full Screen Black & White feature to DVD and there's more classic movies to come. I can't wait. This a must have for your home theatre experience. Enjoy.

The Singing Detective

Released in DVD by Warner Home Video (15 April, 2003)

MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)

Starring: Michael Gambon

The late Dennis Potter was a master at mining the popular songs of the 1930s and '40s for dramatic effect, but he never did it better than in this British miniseries starring the inestimable Michael Gambon. Gambon plays a mystery writer named Philip E. Marlow, who is suffering a torturous bout of psoriatic arthritis in a British hospital, where he is a victim of both his disease and the national health plan. Unable to move without pain, he escapes into his imagination, plotting out a murder tale in which he is both a big-band singer and a private eye. But Potter and director Jon Amiel also mix in flashbacks of Marlow's youth and his unhappy marriage to explain how the real Marlow reached this sorry pass. Flawlessly, intricately, kaleidoscopically assembled, the six one-hour episodes of this British miniseries fly by like some fantastic fever dream. --Marshall Fine

Average review score:

Musically and Dramatically without peer

Delicious interweaving of memory, delirium, music, fiction, illness, paranoia, love. See other reviews for details. Even better with each viewing. Will now buy the DVD edition since I am afraid our VHS tapes will break one of these days. "Lipstick on Your Collar" is another stellar Potter product. Too bad "Karaoke" isn't available commercially (Maybe someday?)

AMAZING!!!

They dont make many mini-series very often anymore. What would be the point? The Singing Detective would make them all look like an independent film by a drunk university flunkie.

I saw this Masterpeice when i was 14. My parents loved it, and i was just confused. The only thing i liked was the Hallucanations of the Grumpy Man in the bed.

Now that i am a little older(29), and have seen a lot more crap on TV and in the theater, i have a better feel for what good entertainment is. I assure you that there is nothing better than this story.

Phillip Marlowe is an author of pulp novels, an avid smoker and is a very sick man. He has to lie in bed in a sick ward of a hospital whose clientel would be more at hokme in an asylum. The staff is not much better. If this were not bad enough for our hero, he suffered from many hallucinations. Some are from his childhood, others from his present life, and many involving fictional characters created by him. Somewhere in his fevered dreaming the veil between reality and fiction is peirced, and people from his "real life" start interfering with his fictional characters.

This show can become confusing at first, but given time, (its 6 wonderful hours long), it will all come clear.

This show is much like a good book; a person must dedicate the time, and the anticipation will be great,but in the end it will leave you very satisfied.

Buy this DVD and let the Singing Detective sing for you, but dont just save it for a rainy day, its too magical for that....

flawless

i was lucky enough to see this series on PBS when it debuted in the US. it haunted me for years. when i learned it was available on dvd, i bought it immediately.

i had forgotten so much that makes this one of the most brilliant, insightful, inspired works of the last 50 years, in any visual media. the acting is awe-inspiring, the writing and plotting are breath-taking, the range of potter's imagination and insight are humbling.

the other reviewers have covered this work's brilliance and effect better than i can. i am just adding my bit to encourage anyone who may have stumbled on this listing without knowing about this series to BUY IT RIGHT NOW.

will it change your life? very possibly. will it stretch your mind and change your outlook? oh, yes. will it entertain you? without interruption.

and i empathize completely with the reviewer who yearns for the bbc version (with bob hoskins) of potter's 'pennies from heaven.' maybe amazon could drop a hint?

just one small bit of information to another reviewer: 'rosenkrantz and guildernstern are dead' was written by tom stoppard about 20 years before 'the singing detective.' and the film version edited out some very moving speeches.

The X-Files - The Complete Third Season

Released in DVD by Twentieth Century Fox Home Video (08 May, 2001)

MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)

Starring: X-Files and David Duchovny

By its third season, The X-Files had grown from a cult hit to a global phenomenon, becoming the most popular show in many countries outside the U.S. Armed with the knowledge that the show was here to stay, series creator Chris Carter expanded its mythology, and the 24 episodes in this boxed set represent arguably the strongest of all the X-Files seasons. As usual, stand-alone episodes explored the paranormal and sometimes terrifying possibilities in mythology, pop culture, and religion. Darin Morgan helps the show to mature by expanding its use of humor, directing classic episodes such as "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" (featuring a fabulous performance from Peter Boyle) and "Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space.'" Meanwhile, two-part episodes continue to delve into the X-Files own mythology, introducing the alien black oil, the implant in Scully's neck, the mysterious Agent X, and the shape-shifting Jeremiah Smith. But following the complex mythology is not crucial to enjoying the show. The strength of the X-Files lies not in resolution but in feeding the paranoia of its rabid audience by revealing conspiracies that linger in the mind as unanswered questions. Series creator Carter realized wisely that fans did not look to the X-Files to explain the unexplained, but to question that which they thought they understood. The third season was effective because it hinted that while the truth was out there, it was more complex, sinister, and amazing than even Mulder had imagined.

Commentaries and deleted scenes are available for some of the 24 episodes, and the last disc in the set contains numerous TV spots and interviews with the creators about the filming of the third season. --Eugene Wei

Average review score:

Keep em coming

This is the season when the show broke out. The best episode this season is "Piper Maru."

one of my favorite shows

Season two had ended with such a cliffhanger episode that my anticipation was very high for this next season. Fox Mulder (David Duchovney) was assumed dead when the train car he was in (filled with alien bodies) was bombed and exploded. The season opens with the discovery of Mulder's body and he is barely clinging to life. As he is nursed back to life, Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) has to deal with the suspicions surrounding the absence of her partner, and the murder of her sister (Scully was the target). The first several episodes of this season deal with the mythology of the show, and the conspiracies that abound. We get deeper glances into what may really be going on, and who is respsonsible. When things get a little bit settled (with just as few answers as you might expect), we get more of the "monster of the week" episodes that this program does so well. Season 3 mixes in some of the alien/conspiracy storylines in with the MOTW episodes and just when I thought the season was not building to anything, the season finale throws me for a complete loop (in a different way than the ending of season 2 did) and I'm now looking forward to Season 4 and seeing how this storyline progresses.

Overall, this was a very strong season with several absolutely excellent episodes. My interest lies in the alien/mythology storyline, and this season touched upon that several times. I wish that I would have watched this show back when it was on television because after watching three seasons, this is one of my favorite programs. You really can't go wrong watching the X-Files, but as a suggestion to new viewers, start at the beginning, some things will make more sense in the mythology storylines. Highly recommended, but any person who is going to watch season three probably already loves the first two.

Brilliant

By it's third season, it was clear The X-Files wasn't what everyone had expected from the time it had premiered. Now, creator Chris Carter begins to bring the long running alien conspiracy story arc to the forefront; and this season is nothing short of brilliant, and is possibly the best season in the show's history (and that is saying something). David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson are perfect as ever as FBI Agents Mulder and Scully respectively; and this season contains some of the series' most memorable episodes. It was also in Season 3 that the series' style of subdued satirical comedy began to shine, but it is the mythology of the series that made this season go excellent. Standout episodes (and there are aplenty) include the season opener The Blessing Way, Paper Clip, Oubliette, Nisei, 731, War of the Coprophages, Grotesque, Pusher, Avatar, and Quagmire; but the main season (and series) highlights include Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose (which features a standout performance from Peter Boyle) and Jose Chung's "From Outer Space" which features a great commentary track from fan favorite series vets Darin Morgan and Rob Bowman (both of whom helped craft the brilliance of the show). All in all, this is possibly the best season of The X-Files, and if this handsome package came in widescreen format this would be essential.

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