Home Movie Reviews

Joel and Ethan Coen's "Miller's Crossing" teaches us that in many ways a career in crime is like a career is any other type of profession. There are codes of conduct to adhere to, customs to be observed, and ethical behavior is highly valued. However, there is one important difference - errors in judgment typically result in the loss of your life instead of the loss of your job.

Johnny Caspar (Jon Polito) meets with rival gangster Leo (Albert Finney) to ask for permission to kill Bernie Bernbaum (John Turturro). Casper suspects Bernbaum of double-crossing him and is personally offended by the betrayal but Leo denies the request. Tom Reagan (Gabriel Byrne) knows that turning down Caspar will only lead to more trouble because of the influence Bernbaum's sister Verna (Marcia Gay Harden) has over Leo and him. Eventually, the problem with Bernbaum only worsens and by the time the situation is rectified, a series of double-crosses and murders have ensued.

"Miller's Crossing" may be the Coens' least idiosyncratic work. The quirkiness of "Fargo," "The Big Lebowski," and "O Brother, Where Art Thou" is not as prevalent here. This film is a somber and atmospheric gangster film full of detail and nuance. Byrne delivers a smooth and dark performance and Finney creates for himself one of the greatest mob boss scenes ever when he takes matters into his own hands after gunmen break into his home. Polito, Turturro and Harden are also solid in their roles. Like "The Godfather" films, "Miller's Crossing" deals solely with the hermetically-sealed world of organized crime. The normal world does not intrude upon or interfere with this existence. For this reason, the insights we are afforded on gangster ethics prove fascinating and enlightening. Who knew that a lifestyle based on circumventing law and order placed such a high value on principles?

Miller's Crossing is one of those films that is like a fine wine, gets better as time passes. The performances are great, yet this isn't your typical Cohen brother film. I'd say this is their most serious effort to date. Worth a look for fans of ganster films, but you may want to think before purchasing cause there isn't much here in terms of extras. However, the film is something to savor.

This is one of the best gangster films I've seen.
I mean gangster movies from the 1920's. ollow along as Gab plays each side of the mob as the duke it out on the streets and pay off the cops and the politicians. He cheats death so many times you feel cool just watching how smooth he is.

I think that when Dawn was brought onto the show it ruint the show, for 1 thing she completely destroyed buffy's relationship with Riley and Buffy had to quit college and move home to take care of her,then she had to die for her if the monks had left her in her true form as the KEY then buffy could have just thrown it in the hole instead of jumping in so the key didn't have to. I had hoped that they would give everyone their memories back and remember dawn only from the day that they actually met at the end of the 1st episode of season 5.anyway although season 5 isn't half as good as the 1st 4 seasons i still recommend buying it.

Oh my god! I thought I saw everything during season four but Buffy has really matured in this fifth season. She deals with the arrival of her baby sis Dawn, played with conviction by Michelle Trachtenberg of Harriet the Spy and Inspector Gadget fame, as well as the loss of one of the most beloved characters in the entire series. By that I mean the death of Buffy's mom Joyce Summers, played by Kristine Sutherland. We see the return of Drusilla(Juliet Landau), Harmony(Mercedes McNab), as well as Buffy's eternal lover Angel(David Boreanaz). Then she faces off with Glory, disarms Quentin Travers and the Watcher's Council, and in the end of it all dies from a swan dive into the Hellmouth portal. One of the characters I was glad to see leave the show was Riley Finn played by Marc Blucas. He was an unnecessary addition to Buffy's failed love life and would just take a back seat anyway to Principal Robin Wood, and Spike in seasons 6 and 7. Bottom line season five is the ultimate season in my eyes and was the peak of Buffy's maturity. I can not wait until we see the DVD release so that it can be forever immortalized.

This season is my favorite season in the entire Buffy series. I think we start to undertstand Buffy's true emotions and thoughts. The episode "The Body" shows that Buffy does have weaknesses and is afraid of something. I personnally am not a huge fan of Dawn, but I think she played a huge part in dispensing Buffy's true feelings. I actually cried at the season finale of this season because I felt that I had just lost a friend and hero. So again, I think that this season was a huge turning point in the entire series and i think the ending was superb.

'Airplane' is a classic of comedy. I first saw it in the theater as a teen, and have watched it every couple of years since. It's true that the gags are shopworn now, but they are assembled in such a fun and politically incorrect way, that they never cease to amuse. One reviewer sniffed that he had tired of them and made a point of complaining about people quoting lines from the film in everyday conversation, which I find difficult to believe: I'm an airline pilot and all of us know these lines, but only extremely rarely do we actually hear them. If this is really a problem for him, I suggest that maybe he not watch the film anymore since he apparently doesn't like it; as for those of us who do enjoy it, have at it.

I hope that there is an enhanced DVD offered in the future; I would be especially interested in hearing interviews with Robert Hays and Julie Hagerty. As it is, though, the disk isn't totally unrewarding. There is a copy of the original promotional trailer, and there is a wonderful option to have the Zuckers and Jim Abrahams voice over the film commenting on various issues. For instance, did you know that:

-David Letterman screen tested for the movie?
-It took only 34 days to make the entire film?
-Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did the movie for $30,000, which he invested in a new toupee?
-That Maureen McGovern was the nun?
-The Zucker's Mom was the notorious 'makeup lady' who had extreme mascara emergencies?

The list goes on and on. It was fascinating listening to the filmmakers discuss the making of the film. I can't believe that this much comic greatness cost under $3.5 million to make. Until the special edition comes out buy the DVD and watch it; it truly doesn't go out of style.

Airplane is a terrific and hilarious movie, I liked it when I first saw it in the movie theater when I was a teen and I like it now and I think all of the actors were great and very funny but especially, Leslie Nielsen, Robert Hayes, Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves and Julie Haggerty. There are a lot of hilarious scenes in this movie with funny gags and jokes that should have you laughing out loud. I want to buy this comedic classic on DVD but I think I will wait for a special edition DVD with extra features like deleted scenes, bloopers, etc so until then I will hang on to my video.

Another one of those DVDs, where the movie is a must-own, but the DVD falls a little short. Presumably there's at least a few interviews to be had...maybe some TV spots...anything to fill a DVD of such a classic movie up a little bit more. Same goes for all the Naked Gun movies (and those are especially shamed for having no participation by Leslie Nielsen on any of them).

ANGEL, the spin-off from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, is an excellent television show. Angel, the vampire with a soul, arrives in LA after leaving Buffy in Sunnydale at the end of season three. Soon upon his arrival, he is greeted by Doyle, a half-demon/half-human individual who has the power of seeing from the PTB (Powers That Be). Cordelia shows up, attempting to become an actress, but she knows that Angel really needs her help with his business.

While the series gets started slowly, the arrival of Spike and Oz in the third episode is an EXCELLENT one. Spike's diagloue to Angel's conversation with a client is hilarious. The next great episode is the one with Buffy herself, "I Will Remember You." This episode is both wonderful and sad. After the loss of Doyle (he passes his gift onto Cordelia), Wesley, the watcher, arrives. It is after this, as many have mentioned, that the show began to gel. Probably because the three main actors had worked together on Buffy. The arrival of Faith in LA also lends to two very good episodes.

Whether you are a fan of Buffy or not, Angel stands on its own as a show worth watching. Darker than Buffy, Angel does have its moments of laughter. (Angel jumps into the wrong car chasing after someone.) Definitey worth space on your shelf.

Many people consider this Angel's weakest season sense it had a couple Buffy crossovers. It's not that they dislike Buffy, but they just prefered if the show could move on it's own. Well I disagree for one reason, despite the Buffy crossovers this is the one season that Angel had it's own pattern. Unlike the Buffy series where there's always five to seven main characters this show started off with only three, making it easier to develop the characters. Also there's no major villian that Angel has to face. In Buffy all she does is live in a small town and just waits for something to happen for her to stop, but killing the enemy is her main priority not helping people. Angel looks for trouble and considers helping people his top priority. He thinks twice before he makes a kill unlike Buffy who will kill whoever out of anger. Sadly this pattern of the show followed didn't last long. Slowly the show evolved into a Buffy plot pattern. Angel started to bend his morals and act foolish when people such as Darla and Connor come into his life. Plus the writers for some reason just had to add a new character in per season. Most of them weren't really good characters to make it worse. Most recently the writers used a main villian plot line in season four. Don't get me wrong, I love Buffy, but now that both shows are so much alike the only difference is one stars a girl and the other stars a guy which just isn't fun. This is the one and only season of Angel I think deserves five stars. We have three good familiar characters, Angel, Cordelia and Wesley. Doyle was an excellent character, but sadly his character was short lived. What's even worse is that poor Glenn Quinn has passed on. Cordelia is humorous and enjoyable in this season unlike later where her whole persona is screwed up. The bottom line is if you don't like Buffy odds are you're not going to like this. If you haven't seen this series yet I suggest you check it out on TNT first. There's no point wasting your time and money on a whole set if you don't like it.

ANGLES FIRST SEASON IS JUST TOO GOOD FOR WORDS ITS DARK GOTHIC VIOLINT AND BROODNG THE FIRST EPISODE IS EPIC I MUST ADMIT ITS BETTER THAN BUFFYS FIRST EPISODE GREAT EPISODES IN HERE THE 3RD EPISODE HAS A GUEST APPEARERNCE BY SPIKE AND OZ THE 8TH IS A TEARJERKER BUFFY RETURNS AND ANGLE TURNS HUMAN THE ENDINGS TOO SAD FOR WORDS ANBD DOYLE IS A GREAT CHARACTER I WAS SO SAD WHJEN THEY KILLED HIMM OFF IN LIKE EPISODE 12 OR 13 FAITHS APPEARENCE BY THE LOVELY ELIZA DUSKU MADE THE SEASON A WINNER ALSO YOU HATE HER & LOVE HER

"Empire of the Sun" is an inspiring, emotional, and action-packed epic of a small boy in a great war. Jim Grahm ( Christian Bale) is a young boy that is raised in a wealthy British communtiy in Japan during WWII. When a revolt breaks out in the streets, Jim is ripped away from his parents and forced off on his own. He heads back to his house to find it empty and looted by Japanese soldiers. Jim runs away from home hoping to find his parents only to run into Basey ( John Malkovich) and Frank Demarest ( Joe Pantoliano). They are soldiers that take an interest in Jim's hard luck story. Unfortunately the three are captured and put into a Japanese internment camp. Jim's love for planes and unconquerable spirit soars high and free above the harsh confines of the camp. Through his eyes we see both the fascination and horror of war. But as his struggle for survival grows, his hold on his childhood weakens.

Empire of the Sun in my eyes is one of Spielberg's best films ever. It is based on the real life experiences of J.G. Ballard and really illustrates what he had to go through. The script follows his book so closely, that Ballard himself complimented Spielberg on how accurate the film was. The set designs and shot locations are incredibly realistic to the time period that the film took place in. You feel like you are witnessing a P.O.W. camp first hand as well as WWII itself. "Empire of the Sun" was also the first major Hollywood studio production ever to shoot in the People's Republic of China.

The friendship that builds between Jim and the rest of the Americans is great. Christian Bale was just flat out amazing as Jim Grahm. It was the first role of his career and in my opinion it was his best performance. The most incredible thing about it, was the fact that he was just a boy. The role was very demanding, and he did a great job with it. Christian Bale also does a nice job singing along with the musical score in this film. John Malkovich turns in a solid performance as Basie. Basie is the leader of the American soldiers within the camp, and befriends Jim taking him under his wing. Other great performances are given by Joe Pantoliano as Frank Demarest, Miranda Richardson as Mrs Victor, and Nigel Havers as Dr. Rawlins.

The DVD is definately worth the money because it offers an incredible 47 minute documentary on the making of the film entitled "The China Odyssey : Empire of the Sun". You hear facts about the war, and comments on the making of the film from Spielberg, the different actors, and the man who the film was based on - J.G. Ballard.

I don't know why EOTS didn't win Best Picture of 1987; it was excellent, real, moving. The evacuating crowd scene where Jamie is separated from his mother is scary enough for even an adult to witness. The quiet scene where he watches Mr. and Mrs. Victor attempt intimacy shows us the young man he's becoming in the midst of camp life. And the end scene always makes me cry: his parents barely recognize him because they're searching for a boy, not a young man. This whole film, cinematography, music score, and performances, is a fabulous winner.

This is a very underrated and forgotten film that I've learned to love at the first viewing of the film. I consider this to be one of Spielberg's best films; with beautiful scenes, a great score, and top-quality performances from its cast---Christian Bale is excellent as the young Jim who is forced to reach maturity at a time when he's not ready---as well as Nigel Haver's superb Dr. Rawlins.
Overall this is one of the most poignant dramas I have seen up-to-date, a wonderful film that improves with the passing of years.

I don't often shower all the 5 stars in my reviews here at Amazon, but this precious film deserves 6!

An amazing star cast, a theme that will have you guessing until the end how all the entertaining but diverse vignettes are connected, some very mature and intelligent humour, and above all some enchantingly memorable and sincere dialog about life, relationships, love.

Mind you, none of the characters is in a simple straightforward predicament. Angelina Jolie especially pitches in an absolutely stunning performance, although everyone is convincing and memorable in their role.

What a cleverly crafted movie. You know the satisfaction you feel when you've just had a complete meal, that's what I'll bet you'll feel.

Highly recommended absorbing film, for *owning*, not just for seeing once. It's one of those.

I really, don't know what to say, this is my all-time favorite movie! Great cast, great storyline, and not so romantic that the man in your life will be able to enjoy it! A must see for anyone who was, is, or ever has been in love!

This movie is awesome! If you're into deep, conceptual movie plots this is good movie for you to see. The first time I rented this movie I watched it three times in a row. The message this movie sends is powerful and uplifting.

This is a cute movie and its a sweet fairy tale for kids and anyone that likes animation but it doesn't tell the real truth about Anastasia. Anyone that is Russian or anyone that knows the true history of Russia knows that the royal family didn't survive. They were taken to the basement and shot along with their servants. There have been women in the past that have claimed to be Anastasia but they were proved to be fakes. I can't believe the film makers had the nerve to put the tag line, "based on a true story." Who do they think their kidding?

The year is 1917. The place is Russia during the revolution. Anastia Romanov (Meg Ryan) survies the revolution, along with her grandmother, with the help of a small boy (who we'll meet later). Anastia is left behind at the train station and is sent to an Ophanage. Meanwhile, Anastia's grandmother will pay 10 million dollars to the man who can find Anastia. Enter: Dimirti and Vladimir (Keysley Grammar) . The two are on a "get rich quick" scheme, since they're hiring girls to act as Anastia herself! Soon, Anastia finds Dimitri and Vladimir and head off to Paris.
A great children's movie that skips over what really happened.

First of all, this film was NOT made by Disney. I can honestly say people have argued with me about this even after seeing that Fox made Anastasia. Anyways, this fabulous (yet historically inaccurate!) film about the Russian princess is a grand story that elaborates on what happened to Anastasia when the palace was siezed.

The animation and writing is so bright and vibrant in Anastasia, you really may be convinced Disney made this film. (Yet they didn't!)

Meg Ryan is fantastic in voicing the lead. The musical is also great and never really gets on your nerves like the fast majority of animated musicals. Anastasia was just great.

This film can be enjoyed by pretty much anyone at any age. I loved Anastasia, even though the ending and beginning were a bit weak. It was just great!

According to Amazon.com's "technical details" link for this item, the total run time is 240 minutes. According to IMDB, the miniseries first broadcast in 1989 runs 384 minutes. This jives with my recollection of four two-hour episodes, with commercials, broadcast in the winter of early 1989.

So YES, this is an edited version: Almost 2-1/2 hours have been removed. That seems a fairly severe abridgement. I wouldn't consider buying such a chop-up of this great, great Western. Five stars for the original film, one star for chainsaw editing.

DVD is edited.

However, they give you lots of bonus material that you can use as "salt in your wounds" while you steam over the hacked up product.

I was very disappointed. How do you justify changing such a well received classic?

NEARLY perfect.. picture IS, SO hear, the trumpets beat.. warm FELT EFFECTS,this IS better THAN life,IMAGINE living a complete life afrirmingORGASM INTERACTION, WITH THE TELEVISION SCREEN, comming to life, this is one to take home and be A PART OF YOUR home,[ HERE,the ole west given the time the parimeters of MADE FOR TELEVISION MINI SERIES, culls and gusses [ and their most accomplished RAG TAGGED poise ofMISSFITS, COLLECTION OF ARCHO TYPES,HumAN CASTe TYPES Cast To[ FIT EVERY DESCRIPTION,] IN legend ..... of vagabonds glued together , if you like WESTERNS, you achieve some kinda REVELATIONdrivePERFECT scope of cosmic UnFATHOMINGS, given meaning to stumble AROUND about, dusty destiny at odds with reasen, so IMMERSIVE your ONE with the cosmos, AT peace, this is worth a vacation ride, to the heart of the spirit of man what it feels to experience, having it shoved, down and dirty,BUT GOOD, JUST ALWAYS AROUND THE CORNER, the very good in,HEART taken handed dished out in,FELT STORY [LEGEND]

The terrifying part of this movie for me was my expectations of being shocked. There was little if any gratuitous horror, making the suspense delicious and demanding my attention for the entire film. Surreal colors, and Mia Farrow was superb not only in her acting but the make-up and her appearance subtly and believeably changed.

I love movies set in cities where I live, almost as much as seeing actors in early roles. Charles Grodin as the Doctor, along with the guy that played Dr. Zaius in the original Planet of the Apes and the other Duke brother from Trading Places. Great Film.

Anybody who appreciates a good smart horror film which opts for psychological chills over gore, thunderstorm nights and things that jump out from the dark, will love this film. The film is based almost word for word on Ira Levins bestseller of the same name.

The plot revolves around the newly wed Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse who have moved into a huge apartment in a building known as the Bramford in New York. Rosemary wants children and Guy, an actor, wants to further his career. Hutch, a friend of Rosemary, tells her that the Bramford is a "danger zone" because of previous murders, suicides and diabolical deeds that have gone on there in the past. Sure enough many of these atrocities slowly begin to unveil themselves much to the dismay of Rosemary. Guy sees these events as just a coincidence and the elderly occupants who live in the Bramford seem to be all too innocent to be involved in plotting murders or faking suicides.

Eventually everything settles down and Rosemary gets pregnant during a nightmare that has her confused but she gradually calms down to prepare for her new born but not without the smothering attention of her neighbors who pop around twenty times a day to help her out. Rosemary casually begins to notice things in the Bramford or about its occupants in passing and slowly suspicion begins to develop in her mind that all may not be as it seems.

There is a classic mystery lurking behind the more horrific avenues found in this great film as Rosemary slowly unravels the unknown which seems to have a diabolical nature. Doctors hint that her pregnancy may be causing undue stress and the viewer is left guessing right up until the last scene as to if there is a plot to sacrifice her baby or if she is going mad in some sort of prenatal depression? The ending is a total shock to the uninformed viewer!

Mia Farrow IS Rosemary Woodhouse and Polanski has created a classic in the process. All done in 1968!!!!!

Highly recommended original horror!

Mia Farrow does an excellent job of portraying Rosemary Woodhouse, a woman who moves to a new apartment with her husband.
After having a dream that something not quite human raped her, she discovers later that her neighbours are witches and that her husband has also joined. Rosemary now discovers that she was raped by the devil and that she carries the devil's child whom they will take after birth.
Inspirational cinematography, eerie music score and amazing performances make this a great thriller. Ruth Gordon obviously
deserved the Oscar she won for her performance as the nosy next-door neighbour. Chilling from beginning to end.

Two Words: WESLEY CRUSHER. If you want to watch good Star Trek get Deep Space Nine or wait for Voyager. Or forget Star Trek all together and watch Farscape.

In my opinion this was one of the best seasons of ST:TNG. Sure, the acting was not as great as it was throughout the rest of the series, but season one was much more action oriented. Episodes like WHERE NO ONE HAS GONE BEFORE, HIDE&Q, DATALORE,ARSENAL OF FREEDOM and CONSPIRACY are some of the best episodes of the series. If you want to enjoy a few hours of a great television show with a positive message, I strongly suggest ST:TNG season one.

Star Trek The Next Generation-Season 1 is the season that started it all for TNG fans. It's jam packed with 25 episodes that tell entertaing stories and is what inroduced us to the 24 century.

Patrick Stewart was great as Captian Picard. I can't think of anybody else that could have pulled off what he did. I think he's just as good as Kirk and Stewart carried the dramatics so much better than Shatner.

This is the season in which Deanna Troi wears the cheerleader uniform and has the big 80's hair. It's always nice to see someone's beginnings. She wasn't all that hot then, but I love what they have turned her into.

Brent Spiner plays Data so well. He was suppose to be TNG equivalent to Spock. He does a good job as the android who wants to be human. That isn't always an easy role to play, because the character is baby like and raw. I love Data's beginnings.

Michael Dorn has a good job as Worf. He was always my favorite character in the show because of all the agression he always showed. His character is a little minor in this season because of Tasha Yar.

I wasn't that big of a fan of Yar, and I'm glad they took her off. It let them do so much more with Worf.

I loved Geordi La Forge. Levar Burton did such a good job with him. It's the best character he ever played. Geordi's one of the coolest nerds I've ever seen.

I love this show and I'm glad to say I own this season. It shows the shows humble beginnigs. I don't think anybody thought this show would become one of the highest syndicated and grossing shows like it did. It's a must for Trekkies and anybody who liked Star Trek The Next Generation.