Austin Movie Reviews

This movie looks simply amazing! Incredible and breathtaking! I can't wait to see it. Roland Emmerich is a guenis when it comes to visual effects. In fact: The producers delayed the movie for a full year, so that more and better visual effects could be done for the movie.

I highly recommend that people go and see the trailer at apple.com.

Trust me; You won't be disappointed.

This movie is based on a true story about the Bodhidharma from southern India. "An Enlightened Buddhist Master who is credited with reviving Buddhism in China and founding martial arts."

(...)

Wow,wow,wow!!!This was a wonderful movie.If you are thinking of buying this for your child you will teach them the value of self confindence and the differrence between right and wrong.This movie is wonderful and you should definetly buy it today.

Set 7 features seven episodes, of which only one is based on a story by Saint author Leslie Charterlis. Three of the other six use scripts contrived from the writers' perceptions of Charterlis' basic plot: Templar encounters a gentleman with daughters who dote on Daddy who need to be rescued from evildoers or evildoing with their evil Daddy. After watching these three, I concluded that one needs the Charterlis' touch to truly make the Charterlis' ingredients work. Nevertheless I believe the overall quality of the acting and directing talents of The Saint cast make up for any lack in these scripts.

(As an Avengers' fan, I could not help but note how Set 7, like the other color episodes, feature several also The Avengers' co-stars, hereafter identified with an asterisk.*)

In particular Volume 13 features two episodes that each has two unique treats. The first, "Where the Money Is," features Moore as actor-director. (As a music performer-educator, I became intrigued by Moore's directing philosophy that music should enhance, and not overshadow, action and dialogue.) Kenneth G. Warren* does an excellent job playing a bossy American film director. Sandor Elis* plays the head of a kidnapping trio that includes Derek Newark*. These actors are among the many superior co-stars who made this episode work - in spite of Templar's cheesy last line that perhaps could have been scratched.

Episodes 2 and 3, the Leslie Charterlis-based "Vendetta for the Saint," stars the late Ian Hendry*, who played "Dr. Keel" of The Avengers 1961-62 season. "Vendetta" gives us Avengers' fans, who feel loss over having only two of Hendry's episodes available, an entertaining look at this dynamic actor. In "Vendetta" Hendry plays the Italian-American Mafia don Alessandro Gestamio. Templar, upon reading about the death of a British banker at Gestamio's hands, sets out on a one-man war against the Mafia itself, and discovers Gestamio himself has a secret he dare not let the Mafia know. Look for star performances from several actors including Aimi MacDonald*, Steven Plytas*, and a young Rosemary Dexter.

Volume 14 begins with "The Ex-King of Diamonds" (Willoughby Goddard) whose baccarat skills have a sinister core and even more sinister purpose. In this episode Templar is assisted by a mathematical genius (Ronald Radd*), his available daughter (Isla Blair), and a Texas oil billionaire (Stuart Damon). Helpful to me was the explanation by the math professor of baccarat to an inquisitive American tourist (Araby Lockhart). Jeremy Young* continues his excellent character work as a chauffeur/co-conspirator.

"The Man Who Gambled with Life," millionaire scientist-megalomaniac Keith Longman (Clifford Evans*), seeks to lure Templar into a chilling (no-pun intended) experiment. This episode features a hilarious nod to the Emma Peel Avengers' era by Templar and Longman's younger daughter Stella (Jayne Soffiano). It is also the weakest in Set 7 due to its rushed ending. In addition, the timing during the dialogue between Templar and Longman is rather slow. If the producers had made this a two-part, two-hour movie, I believe it would have flowed better.

In "Portrait of Brenda" Templar searches for the killer of an avant-garde artist, and takes a trip through "hip" 60's London that includes the recording scene and Far Eastern philosophy. Templar also gets to cross swords and words with his nemesis, Chief Inspector Teal (Ivor Dean), who, as always, ends up assisting him in spite of himself! Two additional treats are the songs written for this episode - "You Won't See Me No More" by Gary Osborne and "Out to Get You" by Chris Andrews - delightful spoofs of 60's rock-and-roll. Trevor Bannister* plays a very convincing record producer.

Set 7 concludes with a bang as Templar drives "The World Beater" in a car rally with high stakes for a desperate father-son car-building team (James Kerry and Eddie Byrne), an auto mogul (George A. Cooper*), and a former girlfriend named Kay (Patricia Haines*), who has secret schemes behind her need for speed. As always, Templar wins the race that puts mogul, father and son in pocket, uncovers the truth, and beats the villains at their own game. Those who like racing will not be disappointed: the excitement on and off the road are for all to see, as well as some hilarious moments when Templar makes Kay push and dig his car out of the mud!

For the 60's Simon Templar-Roger Moore fans, I believe Set 7 of The Saint is an overall good buy. In our day where acting talent seems based on violence, voyeurism and vulgarity, today's mass media producers should take note that companies like A&E can revive and sell these quality classic shows, and still profit substantially. For people like myself who seek alternatives, the rebirth of The Saint, The Avengers, and other like shows on video and DVD have granted us a welcome refuge, and provided us entertainment redemption.

This tape will get you sounding like Stevie Ray Vaughn in no time. I was amazed at the ease of learning. Good clear instruction. I have several other song express tapes and have found all of them good for intermediate to beginner guitarist.
This is my favorite Mainly because I'm a SRV fan.
I've tried personal instructors and have found that these tapes give you a much better deal, you can go over any section you need again and again. Buy it and have fun.

True Fans is proof positive that heroes really do exist and they're often disguised as ordinary people. It helps to have a lot of faith in humanity, as Dan Austin, his brother Jared and his best friend Clint do as they ride their bikes from California to Massachusetts to the Basketball Hall of Fame. Along for the ride is an official NBA Basketball, on which the guys gather the autographs of the ordinary heroes who help them on their pilgrimage-and when you only have $10 a day to spend, you're putting a lot of faith in the kindness of others. Oh, and by the way, the film's a lot of fun too. Not only did I laugh out loud, but I was mostly inspired by Dan's positive attitude and his "Just Do It" mentality. Buy True Fans and see where the Hero's Ball ends up! This film won the Banff Mountain Film Festival's People's Choice Award and was a favorite at other festivals around the world.

Everything that the James Bond movies represent is contained in Goldfinger, the first of the Bonds to really take off and become an international hit. Sean Connery is razor sharp in the lead, the supporting characters are varied and occasionally bizarre, and the plot - Goldfinger's attempt to break into Fort Knox - is of suitably armageddonic proportion. Several of the images in the film are classic - the woman killed by painting her gold, the laser creeping up the table to immasculate Bond, and Oddjob tossing his bowler to decapitate a statue.

However, the film is not perfect. By having Bond as prisoner in Goldfinger's compound for the entire second half, the momentum and excitement is somewhat dampened - Connery's wit and charm cannot be used by the filmmakers. Likewise, by today's standards, much of the plot is laughable. Having said that, the special effects hold up very well, and the giant Fort Knox set is still impressive.

Unfortunately, this DVD version seems somewhat lacking. The two commentaries, hosted by an expert on Ian Flemming, are dry and somewhat dull. Likewise, the picture and sound are clear, but not brightened up to the full standard of most other "special editions" of classic films. The other extras, such as theatrical trailers and radio interviews, are welcome, but most fans will wonder why there isn't more on this disc.

a good old time. this one has great moments including the fight between Bond and OddJob in Fort Knox place, where goldfinger tortures Bond with the laser and where Goldfinger gets sucked out of the airplane window. a fun and memorable film. a winner baby. Connery's 3rd or 4th Bond film I beleive

With GOLDFINGER, the Bond series rose to new heights. In my personal opinion, GOLDFINGER is the best of the Bond films and certainly my favorite. In this witty entry, agent 007 (Sean Connery, for his third appearance) investigates a wealthy millionaire(Gert Frobe), only to unveil a plot to break in to the Fort Knox gold reserve. Rarely does a film so entertaining and funny as GOLDFINGER come around - of course, this is natural for the Bond movies, but GOLDFINGER surpasses any record previously or later set by the 007 adventures. It has everything, firmly establishing the Bond formula: explosive beginning ("Shocking"); an attractive female lead (Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore); a stunning main title sequence; plenty of humor thrown in with the action; and, of course, Q-Branch's first comedic performance. Connery is at his greatest as the British super spy; the film also features great performances from it's entire cast. The score, by John Barry, is one of the finest of the original few films. Of course, Guy Hamilton's directing is superb as well. GOLDFINGER has been firmly established as one of the most entertaining films of our time.

END TITLE: Don't miss out on this block of gold!

Everything that the James Bond movies represent is contained in Goldfinger, the first of the Bonds to really take off and become an international hit. Sean Connery is razor sharp in the lead, the supporting characters are varied and occasionally bizarre, and the plot - Goldfinger's attempt to break into Fort Knox - is of suitably armageddonic proportion. Several of the images in the film are classic - the woman killed by painting her gold, the laser creeping up the table to immasculate Bond, and Oddjob tossing his bowler to decapitate a statue.

However, the film is not perfect. By having Bond as prisoner in Goldfinger's compound for the entire second half, the momentum and excitement is somewhat dampened - Connery's wit and charm cannot be used by the filmmakers. Likewise, by today's standards, much of the plot is laughable. Having said that, the special effects hold up very well, and the giant Fort Knox set is still impressive.

Unfortunately, this DVD version seems somewhat lacking. The two commentaries, hosted by an expert on Ian Flemming, are dry and somewhat dull. Likewise, the picture and sound are clear, but not brightened up to the full standard of most other "special editions" of classic films. The other extras, such as theatrical trailers and radio interviews, are welcome, but most fans will wonder why there isn't more on this disc.

a good old time. this one has great moments including the fight between Bond and OddJob in Fort Knox place, where goldfinger tortures Bond with the laser and where Goldfinger gets sucked out of the airplane window. a fun and memorable film. a winner baby. Connery's 3rd or 4th Bond film I beleive

With GOLDFINGER, the Bond series rose to new heights. In my personal opinion, GOLDFINGER is the best of the Bond films and certainly my favorite. In this witty entry, agent 007 (Sean Connery, for his third appearance) investigates a wealthy millionaire(Gert Frobe), only to unveil a plot to break in to the Fort Knox gold reserve. Rarely does a film so entertaining and funny as GOLDFINGER come around - of course, this is natural for the Bond movies, but GOLDFINGER surpasses any record previously or later set by the 007 adventures. It has everything, firmly establishing the Bond formula: explosive beginning ("Shocking"); an attractive female lead (Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore); a stunning main title sequence; plenty of humor thrown in with the action; and, of course, Q-Branch's first comedic performance. Connery is at his greatest as the British super spy; the film also features great performances from it's entire cast. The score, by John Barry, is one of the finest of the original few films. Of course, Guy Hamilton's directing is superb as well. GOLDFINGER has been firmly established as one of the most entertaining films of our time.

END TITLE: Don't miss out on this block of gold!

When i was first going to see finding nemo, i was like, well this will just be another kid movie, it wont be that great, i doubt i'll ever watch it again. but i saw it, and i liked it, i laughed a few times, and it was just a good storyline. The plot is not very big in the movie, marlin, a clown fish, nemo's dad, loses his son, when he goes to touch a boat, just to prove he can do what he wants to. Marlin gets freaked out, and eventually runs into a fish with short term memory, dorry, and they go an adveture to find his son. The main comedy usually comes from dory because of her short term memory. Back to the plot, even though it is a ver small, and weak plot there are many sub-plots along the way. They meet sharks who nearly kill them, a fish that also nearly kills them, seagulls, little fish who make fun of marlin through charades, and who could forget the turtles. The turtles are like hippies, who say, totally and dude, which also makes more comedy for the movie. But what is happening to nemo this whole time? Well once he gets picked up by the scuba guy, we find him in a fish-tank in a dentist's office, with a lot of fish he doesnt know, but soon becomes friends with. Nemo meets all of the fish, and becomes friends with them, but most of them are older, but nemo still makes good friends. Nemo finds out that in 3 days or so a freaky looking girl, who the fish call a "fish killer", is going to come to get nemo, so nemo has to take action. The fish tell them this fantastic plan, that ends up not even working. So by the end, because of confusion, marlin and dory think nemo is dead, but he isn't, and nemo finally escapes, and returns to his father. But right then fishermen pull a net down to the water, and catch try to catch all of the fish, but from what nemo's friends teach him, he gets them all to swim down, and they are all free. By the very end, dory begins to live with marlin and nemo, and marlin is now much more looser, and isnt scared of what might happen. The sharks keep their "fish are friends not food" meetings, and dory continues to go. Also by the end marlin, being a clown fish who never was funny, turns out to be a funny fish, who actually can tell jokes. so in the end, you, your siblings, or daughter or son, love the movie, and so do you. This is not just abother kid flick, i reccomend this for everyone. So in the end, you get a funny, heart warming, story that you and younger kids love.

This movie is brilliant - a wonder ride for children of all ages, from 4 to 84! The voices of the colorful characters are very well cast (Ellen Degeneres as Dory, and Willem Defoe as Scar are so convincing you almost want to believe that they *are* talking fish), and the adventures are breathtaking, exhilerating, and frightening all at the same time. Plus, the movie has so many hysterical moments -- pelicans crashing into windows, the famous "bird bubbles" scene (which is definitely in one of the trailers), and of course the evil seagulls croaking "mine". No one could resisted being amused, amazed, and satisfied with this movie. You'll want to ride the East Australian Current again and again!

Heute erst in Deutschland im Kino gestartet, aber auf jeden Fall jetzt schon der beste Film des Jahres.
Anschauen und Kaufen lohnt sich!
:-)
Many Greetiings from Germany!

I was really skeptical about this film at first. It seemed oddly cast, and the story seemed overly cheesy, but I was very surprised. Driver was wonderful and believable; she brought life to a not so likely character and made her a beautiful person and more importantly, a relatable one. David Duchovny had a little more trouble with his role it seemed, but overall his character is enjoyable as well. The real triumph here, however, is the supporting cast. Lead by Bonnie Hunt (whom I love) they were all drop-dead hilarious and loveable. I would strongly recommend this film.

The DVD itself is a little boring, but that is made up by the wonderful film.

My husband and I really enjoyed this movie. We compared it to the likes of Sleepless in Seattle and A Walk in the Clouds. So sweet and tender, and although it had some sad moments, those moments didn't overpower the movie. There were plenty of humorous scenes with Bonnie Hunt and James Belushi, as well as the old codgers in the restaurant arguing who was the best singer that ever lived.
If you want a good feeling and find yourself smiling after a movie, see this one. We are putting it in our DVD library for sure.

I went to this movie thinking, ok, KNOWING I'd absolutely hate it! My beloved picked it for our anniverary flick. I figured I was doomed. Instead, I loved it! David Dechovny (The X-Files' Mulder) and Minnie Driver (Good Will Hunting) were great together as Bob and Grace! Cynical as I am, I actually believed they loved each other! You probably know the plot by now, about how Grace (Driver) is in need of a new heart and ends up receiving Duchovny's wife (who dies in an accident)'s heart. Now, this sounds like it could veer off into pitter-pat-land, but Bonnie Hunt (writer / director / co-star) keeps it cool! There's lots of humor and sarcasm. Bonnie Hunt and Jim Belushi are hysterical as Grace's married (with children) friends. Carrol O'Conner and Robert Loggia shine as co-owners of the restaurant where Grace works (O'Conner's character is her grandather). David Alan Grier is excellent as Bob's best friend. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, there's romantic stuff too! It's not overly gooshy, so, even though there were no killer cyborgs, explosions, or gun battles, etc., I found myself really enjoying this movie! Highly recommended...