Home Movie Reviews

I was expecting WAITING FOR GUFFMAN to be just as good. I was expecting Eugene Levy's performance to be just as flawless (it was good, but it didn't hold a candle to AMW); I was expecting Guffman (the title character, of course) to appear in the film; and I was expecting much better closure than we were left with.

I really wished the writers had had the characters take a closer look at their performances in the musical (after realizing that the Paul Benedict character was not Guffman) and said something to the effect of "Y'know what? We just did a heck of a show and there's no reason for us to feel depressed about Guffman not showing up. He was the one who missed out!" That would have been nice. That alone would have caused me to move my rating up to 3 stars.

One thing I was not disappointed with was the acting in general. It was superb -- a far cry from the majority of the cardboard performances that Hollywood usually puts out.

As I said, the acting is perfect in all roles, my favorite being Tom Berenger as Longstreet and a role that proves to me he is an underrated actor. Armistead, as well, proves a fine role, and the look on his eyes as he leads his men on Pickett's charge will strike you exactly how he must have felt on that day.

The music is simply glorious - and I must confess I own the actual soundtrack. It fits the setting and the mood perfectly, and can almost be touching at times. It'll stay in your mind and your heart even after seeing the movie.

Finally, there is the cinematography and directing, which captures the moments perfectly. Like Abel Gance's films, "Gettysburg" will often recreate a Civil War painting right on the screen (some of them are even shown in the opening credits). The long-shot battle scenes, especially Pickett's charge, give you the feeling you are actually there, and while the film does not have the gore of battle, you do get the sense of the violence and carnage there on the battlefield.

A beautiful film that captures the period and draws you in with it. Bravo.

This season I believe had the biggest climax out of them all. In season two, the emotions run extremely high when Angel loses his soul. It was the first time that I had ever cried over a Buffy episode.

The following episodes were difficult to watch, I couldn't stand seeing Angel as a truly evil being. But, the episodes were necessary for building the truly magnificent ending to the second season. I have never cried so much over a TV show. It was a truly unbelievable season.

Also, the relationships between Willow and Oz, and Cordelia and Xander were hilarious and at the same time cute. Oz truly blended into the season and made a great comic relief, but at the same time, a compassionate boyfriend. Cordelia and Xander's relationship was extremely hilarious, perfectly integrated into the story line of the season.

Season two was the perfect set-up to make season three another year of magnificent Buffy episodes. I would highly recommend this DVD box set. The season finale was the one of the most moving finale's I have ever season, I don't think that I have never been so moved by a TV show.

We start out with "When She Was Bad" not particulary a great episode but a good way to start it all off. But the way they had Buffy acting it just wasn't part of her character, but we realize that she had a problem dealing with her death from the last season ("Prophacy Girl"). But from there on the season became something so much more.

You had the introduction of Spike and Drucilla, you had Angel lose his soul and become Angelous, you had Buffy lose her virginity, you had Willow getting a boyfriend, Xander and Cordy hooking up, and a season finalie that would leave you in tears.

"Becoming" parts I and II were the most amazing episodes in the searies to that point. They were everything that the show was, and would be. They were dramatic and wonderful and Buffy's character really came to a new level. They were the episodes that would change the way the whole series would become.

The second season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was truly the first great season.

There are infact dozens of very little known post modernistic movies by literally unknown directors that certainly deserve much more attention than this one. It was infact much worse than that pseudo-postmodernistic flick "donnie darko". Deserves one star due to superb performance by Humphrey Bogart.

Amid the teeming masses of those who wait and wait and wait and wait to get their exit visa signed by French police prefect Louis Renault, a corrupt official with a charming air, many of them will go to Rick's Cafe Americain, where there's gambling, dodgy deals, and even an arrest that makes for an exciting evening. The owner, Rick (Richard Blaine), is an American expatriot who is completely neutral about everything, which is an asset for both the Vichy French and the Nazis. "I stick my neck out for nobody" he tells Renault, who replies "A wise foreign policy." However, it's Ferrari, the rotund owner of the Blue Parrot who tells Rick that "isolation is no longer a practical policy." Renault too shares Rick's isolationist view by telling Major Strasser, a visiting German officer, that he blows with the wind, and "the prevailing wind is from Vichy." He's just a bureaucrat doing his job, with lots of perks.

Enter, or in Rick's case, reenter, Ilsa Lund, with whom he had a whirlwind romance in Paris and with whom he was set to flee before the Gestapo got to him. Alas, there came "the wild finish-a guy on a station platform in the rain with a comical look on his face because his insides have been kicked out." Ilsa is here with her husband Victor Laszlo, a Czech resistance leader and key figure trying to unify opposition to the Third Reich. Ilsa wants to explain about that last day, but seeing what Rick has become has left her disheartened with him. And Renault is interested in keeping Laszlo in Casablanca, but also in getting some transit papers the black marketeer Ugatti passed on to Rick before his arrest. Despite Rick's neutrality, he suspects "that under that cynical shell, you're at heart a sentimentalist." that becomes true when Rick's old wounds are opened, seen all too poignantly when he places his hands in his head.

Casablanca is also a place where "human life is a commodity," where the worst elements of humanity cluster, trying to exploit those less fortunate. This is underscored by Ferrari, who swats flies at his place, demonstrating the value of human life in Casablanca. Casablanca is also a place where the Nazis have outlawed miracles. However, as things turn out, miracles do not come in the divine sense of the word. Rather, it is people who become miracles by their actions and convictions of their heart.

There are many other characters here apart from Ferrari. There's the pickpocket, Carl, Rick's waiter and accountant, Sasha, the Russian barkeep, and a Bulgarian couple hoping for their chance at freedom.

Although Ilsa's the one that's reawakened Rick's humanity, I'd argue that it's the young Bulgarian girl hoping to get out of Casablanca with her husband and approaches Rick who actually sets him on the road to losing his cynicism. She asks him "If someone loved you very much that your happiness was the only thing she wanted in the world and she did a bad thing to make certain of it, could you forgive her?...and he never knew, and the girl kept this bad thing locked in her heart. That would be all right, wouldn't it?" That brings into mind the flashback seen, with Rick and Ilsa the epitomy of a couple in the throes of romance, and it's quite a shock to see why he's the cynic that he is.

Parts of this movie have been used in other films. Bogie's speech to Bergman at the ending of Casablanca has been cannibalized by Woody Allen in Play It Again Sam and in the Red Dwarf story Camille, in a very bizarre way. But the most effective tribute has been the hit BBC series As Time Goes By, taken from the immortal song from Casablanca, with that as the theme song.

All the characters and actors are wonderful, with Bogie at his best, Ingrid Bergman at her loveliest, Claude Rains at his most dapper as Renault, and Sydney Greenstreet pulling in another hammy role as Ferrari. And this was one of Conrad Veidt's (Strasser) last roles, as he died of a heart attack a year later. This would have been a totally different movie had Ronald Reagan, Dennis Morgan, and Anne Sheridan played Rick, Victor, and Ilsa.

I've seen this many times and enjoyed it more everytime. What do I do when I'm in the mood for this? Yes, you guessed it...play it again.

This new two-disc special edition DVD really hits the mark. First up, on disc one, is a brand new transfer for the film. It simply is impossible for Casablanca to look any better than this. There's no question that it looks better than when it was originally released, than when it hit laserdisc, or any kind of other release. The image is crisp and perfect. I just can't rave about this picture enough.

Also on disc one are two audio commentaries. There's no one more interesting to listen to on an audio commentary than Roger Ebert when he's talking about a classic movie he loves. The Citizen Kane audio commentary is great, and this one is every bit as good. Ebert mixes it up with great anecdotes about the making of the film, provides background information, and specifically points out why Casablanca is so great. He points out plot holes and cheap production values, and talks about why they don't matter and why audiences have ignored them all these years. Rudy Behlmer's commentary is less engaging but still worth a listen.

The two documentaries, particularly Bacall on Bogart, are fantastic. Warner, again following the Citizen Kane release, instead of loading this DVD with quantity, has tossed viewers some great quality.

I owned the previous DVD release of Casablanca. I have no regrets about buying this new release - it tops the last one in every way, shape, and form.

A riveting and disturbing psychological thriller that succeeds in most departments. It does not rely as much on blood and gore as it does on generally eerie dialogue. Jodie Foster's character does take a little while to get comfortable with, but her portrayal as a haunted woman is always compelling and unforgettable. It is Anthony Hopkins that delivers the most with his cannibalistic and thought-provoking persona. See it!

Overall rating: 4.8 stars (rounded to 5)

If you like this film, I would also recommend "Se7en".

Rated R for strong language and suggestive dialogue, violence, brief nudity, and mature themes.

Very highly recommended.

This is a story of envy, covetousness and Machiavellian machinations by a contemporary of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Antonio Salieri, who had the misfortune to be greatly disappointed by his young hero on first meeting. This meeting stayed with him for the rest of his life, as he plotted from his second meeting to rid the Viennese court of "the creature"!

F. Murray Abraham is a revelation in the role of Salieri, relishing every little snarl and curse at Tom Hulce's Mozart and cackling with glee at every triumph, real or imagined, playing the young AND the old Salieri as if he was a spirit ressurrecting Salieri's original corpse. Rick Martin's aging make-up is flawless, making it very easy to believe that Abraham is seventy+ years old as he parlays the role.

The movie starts in an insane asylum where a fey young priest visits the decripit Salieri, who has recently attempted suicide. It is implied from the onset that Salieri feels a massive guilt for having "killed" Mozart through exhaustion and overwork. "MOZART!! Forgive your assassin! I confess...I KILLED you, Mozart! I KILLED you....!"... The very first lines you hear after a massive Beethovenish chord is sounded at the start of the film.

He goes on to tell the priest the story of himself and Mozart in the Viennese court of Emperor Joseph of Austria, portrayed here as an empty-headed fop by the recently notorious Jeffrey Jones. As the prodigal Mozart is about to be introduced to Joseph, Salieri, operatic director Count Orsini Rosenberg, Kappelmeister Bono and a visiting Italian composer, they are shocked to see him as an immature, cocky, obnoxious little boy, rather than the dignified matured prodigy they expected. Salieri is especially disappointed since he had worshipped Mozart when he was younger and emulated him all his life, achieving the rank of Court Composer through the inspiration of this admiration. He had also written a processional piece for Mozart's entrance especially for the reception, only to have Mozart tear it apart as repetitive and derivative, cackling at him with that irritating trademark laugh.

From this moment on, Salieri and Mozart were bitter enemies, although Mozart doesn't realize it. He actually sees Salieri as an ally against the directors of Joseph's musical court, who constantly thwart Mozart's attempts at livening up the moribund Viennese musical zeitgest.

In the end, as Mozart realizes that he may never attain true riches, he grabs at anything that will provide food and a roof over the heads of his young wife and son. Enter, finally, Salieri, disguised as Mozart's late father, to request a requiem mass for a "deserving soul". Mozart dosn't realize that the "deserving soul" is himself!

Maybe th ONLY thing askew about this incredible film is the odd miscasting of Mozart and Emperor Joseph....Tom Hulce bears NO resemblance to Wolfgang A. Mozart, however, Jeffrey Jones, who portrays the emperor, is the spit and image of him. Perhaps they should have checked to see if André Previn, (who looks JUST like him), had a lookalike son or nephew! (However, Hulce pretty much owns the role as Abraham owns Salieri. His portrayal of Mozart as a complete horse's ass is perfect for Peter Schaeffer's purposes.) Elizabeth Berridge's Constanza Mozart is adorable. The poor girl's career, however, went nowhere after this, as did the careers of everybody ELSE in it, except for Jeffrey Jones, and even HIS is probably now kaput!

The sense of humor and the acting of even supernumeraries in the production has to be seen to be believed. (The scene in Schickenader's vaudeville house being an excellent example.)

This movie can't be recommended enough, as it is a thing of near-perfection from beginning to end.

Although called Amadeus, it's more than just his biography. It's more about one man's undying obsession with Mozart. Look at the title refering more to a condition rather than a person. The obsession that has consumed the story's protagonist, Salieri, as the story traces his life through the years constantly living in the shadow of friend/secret enemy Amadeus. As many other reviewers have pointed out, the absolutely most brilliant scene in the movie takes place near the end as a dying Mozart is composing Requiem with Salieri documenting the notes. Barely able to move, Amadeus suddenly becomes enthralled with the music in his head as he dictates Salieri's writing. One of the most powerful scenes I have ever seen in a film.

As for the production value and the digital transfer, there is absolutely no indication that this movie was filmed in 1984. The producers were superb at creating Vienna in the late 1700s and the transfer to DVD was magnificient appearing as almost a recent film.

Drab, commonplace, invisible Mia is just your ordinary teenager. She wears a uniform to school. She gets freaked out at the prospect of giving a speech in front of her class. She gets made fun of by the in-crowd. Her eyebrows are too bushy. Her hair is hopelessly out of style. She wears too-thick glasses. Then one day her grandmother comes for a visit. But she's not your ordinary grandmother. She's the Queen of a small (fictitious) country named Genovia (think Monaco). Grandma informs a bewildered Mia that she is the last surviving heir to the Genovian throne and she must immediately begin training for her duties as a princess (her eyebrows are the first things subjected to the will of the crown).

Mia's not so sure she's thrilled with her new life (she's gotten pretty comfortable with her invisibility), but she agrees to undergo training until "the big ball" during which she must accept or decline her country's highest position. Naturally, Mia's a klutz, so the beauty and grace lessons she must endure are far from sedate. But she's a jewel of a person on the inside, and her grandmother sees her true potential from the very start.

The Princess Diaries isn't art. It's not a probing social commentary. It's not even brilliant filmmaking. But it's largely clean, it's funny, it's endearing and it harks back to a time when movies were meant to be enjoyed, not torn apart by critics looking for hidden meanings. It's something that's been mostly missing from the big screen for a long time: family entertainment.

Buy it Or Rent It?

Buy. Definetly - its funny and suprisingly relate-able!

Drab, commonplace, invisible Mia is just your ordinary teenager. She wears a uniform to school. She gets freaked out at the prospect of giving a speech in front of her class. She gets made fun of by the in-crowd. Her eyebrows are too bushy. Her hair is hopelessly out of style. She wears too-thick glasses. Then one day her grandmother comes for a visit. But she's not your ordinary grandmother. She's the Queen of a small (fictitious) country named Genovia (think Monaco). Grandma informs a bewildered Mia that she is the last surviving heir to the Genovian throne and she must immediately begin training for her duties as a princess (her eyebrows are the first things subjected to the will of the crown).

Mia's not so sure she's thrilled with her new life (she's gotten pretty comfortable with her invisibility), but she agrees to undergo training until "the big ball" during which she must accept or decline her country's highest position. Naturally, Mia's a klutz, so the beauty and grace lessons she must endure are far from sedate. But she's a jewel of a person on the inside, and her grandmother sees her true potential from the very start.

The Princess Diaries isn't art. It's not a probing social commentary. It's not even brilliant filmmaking. But it's largely clean, it's funny, it's endearing and it harks back to a time when movies were meant to be enjoyed, not torn apart by critics looking for hidden meanings. It's something that's been mostly missing from the big screen for a long time: family entertainment.

Buy it Or Rent It?

Buy. Definetly - its funny and suprisingly relate-able!