Austin Movie Reviews

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Family movie reviews for "Austin" sorted by average review score:
Avengers '67 - Set 1, Vols. 1 & 2
Released in DVD by A & E Entertainment (16 March, 1999)
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Directors: Ray Austin, Peter Graham Scott, Roger Jenkins, John Krish, Robert Day, Jonathan Alwyn, Don Sharp, Don Chaffey, Bill Bain, and Robert Fuest
The long-running Avengers series added some extra gloss to its look and feel by filming in color starting in 1967, making the inimitable, eccentric atmosphere of the show complete. That production change coincided with some of the best writing the program ever enjoyed. So it makes sense that those late-1960s episodes of The Avengers have been packaged to help us forget the botched 1998 feature film version of the show. Set 1 includes a mystery about killer phobias, "The Fear Merchants"; the time-travel story "Escape in Time"; the feathery spy tale "The Bird Who Knew Too Much"; the invisible-villain yarn "The See-Through Man"; and the comic-book spoof "The Winged Avenger"; and "From Venus with Love." --Tom Keogh
Average review score:

New color era for Steed and Mrs. Peel
Following the huge success of the first filmed series of The Avengers, starring Patrick MacNee as debonair British agent John Steed and his cool, sophisticated partner Mrs. Emma Peel, the producers opted to make the next batch of 26 episodes in color, to be broadcast in 1967. In order to accomplish this, foreign backing was necessary, and the American networks were approached. The US had broadcast the black and white season four as a mid-season replacement, and were interested in moving forward with a color season in prime time, however they only provided enough backing for 16 episodes initially. Another challenge was that Diana Rigg was not particularly keen to film another season of the show, and demanded a huge salary increase in order to secure her participation. She got the money, but it was made clear it would be her second and last season with the show.

Apart from the use of color film, there were other subtle changes to the show for this fifth season. Both Steed and Emma were given new apartments and Mrs. Peel a much more stylized wardrobe. The device of ending each story with the two leads driving off in a variety of vehicles was abandoned and instead a tag scene was used to introduce each story, where Steed informed his partner that they were needed in a variety of humorous ways. Each story title was also given a two-line subtitle. After completion of the first batch of 16, the American backers did provide finance for a further 16 but asked for both the subtitles and tag scenes to be dropped, and also requested that Mrs. Peel's wardrobe became more recognizably en vogue.

After only 8 episodes were completed, producers Brian Clemens and Albert Fennell left the show after a disagreement and the new producers opted not to continue with Mrs. Peel and began their own interpretation of the show. It wasn't long before Clemens and Fennell were back in charge, but the 67 series ended with "Mission highly improbable," although Rigg was brought back in 1968 for the one-off "The forget me knot," to introduce her replacement Tara King. This episode is included in this release as a bonus episode.

In terms of storylines, acting and the wonderful interplay between the two leads, there is little difference between this color season and the preceding black and white stories and the show had really reached its zenith by this point. Certainly in terms of popularity and ratings, it was never as successful again. Interestingly, several of these stories are in fact remakes of earlier episodes from the Mrs. Gale era. "The joker," "The correct way to kill," and "The $50,000 breakfast," are all remakes, whereas "The return of the Cybernauts," is a sequel to an earlier Steed/Mrs. Peel adventure.

Fans of The Avengers will of course be delighted to have these discs, and I'd highly recommend them to any other fans of the sci-fi/fantasy genre, and indeed fans of the 60's spy format. If you've ever seen the dreadful movie featuring Ralph Fiennes and Uma Thurman, don't let that put you off. These stories are the real McCoy!

In the Middle Somewhere...
This is a super set! The Avengers, Patrick Macnee as John Steed and Diana Rigg as Emma Peel, are at their best. Some of the best 67 episodes are on this one. The Fear Merchants is a very enjoyable one. It is about this organization who finds out people's fears and makes them mad. You'll have to watch the episode to find out why they are doing it. From Venus With Love is a classic and well remembered episode. The worst (in my opinion) is probably The See-Through Man. Escape in Time is one of the best episodes ever made. English agents are being killed off by (what you watch when you first see it) people from the past. The Bird Who Knew Too Much is probably the second worst on the tape, but it is still very good. The Winged Avenger is also a classic about this comic book character (someone dressed up in a costume) killing people. This set over all is one of the best '67 sets.

Great TV Show and Transfers
If you fondly remember that great British import that we watched on TV way back in the 60s then you no doubt know about the content of what you are getting. You are more likely concerned about the quality of the product. Like John might say to Emma, "You scratch my back and I'll scratch your back. Just watch the hat please." John and Emma are back and are here to stay via DVD technology. Being on DVD, the aesthetics about the actual episodes are not in question here. More appropriately one may ask how they look. They look good, very good, excellent in fact.

Guarding Tess
Released in DVD by Columbia/Tristar Studios (30 October, 2001)
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Director: Hugh Wilson
Starring: Nicolas Cage and Shirley MacLaine
Nicolas Cage stars in this drama-comedy about a Secret Service agent unable to get out of his assignment watching over an exasperating former first lady (Shirley MacLaine). The two get along like oil and water, but when MacLaine's bored widow ends up kidnapped, Cage's agent becomes a determined avenger. While the pairing of these two actors in a movie isn't something most audiences would ever have considered, that's what makes it so much fun. Cage and MacLaine are brilliantly focused in their respective parts, and filmmaker Hugh Wilson brings an unusually solid and urgent feeling to a story that might have become a dismissible light comedy in another director's hands. The DVD release has optional full-screen and widescreen presentations, theatrical trailer, optional Spanish and French soundtracks, and subtitles. --Tom Keogh
Average review score:

Unexpected gem...
When "Guarding Tess" was released eight years ago, I ended up watching it in the theater because I was bored and because it looked a little more promising than the rest of the pack. That thought proved to be an understatement. To date, I have seen this movie at least eight times, and I tend to enjoy it more with each viewing. Nicholas Cage is perfect as the disgruntled Secret Service agent who feels he has been banished to his current duty -- namely, doting on a cantankerous former First Lady, played to the hilt by Shirley MacLaine. "Guarding Tess" is alternately funny and moving, and even includes a bit of a mystery for Cage to solve. Far more than a one-dimensional film, "Guarding Tess" is satisfying for so many reasons -- the witty script, the fine performances, the deft direction, and the mostly even pacing, to name a few. While you can catch this on a regular basis on TBS (which has made the movie one of its most reliable staples), "Guarding Tess" is definitely worth owning for more frequent viewing.

Better Than Guarding The President's Dog
Nicholas Cage stars as a Secret Service agent assigned to protect former first lady Shirley MacLaine. MacLaine has a difficult personality, and being guarded by Cage, a by-the-books man, causes a lot of friction between the two. She won't let him be reassigned, yet she seems bent on messing with him every chance she can get. It turns into one of those love-hate relationships that have fueled many a film, but this one works better than most. Cage and MacLaine are both excellent choices for their roles, giving the kind of quality performances you'd expect, with an unexpectedly good chemistry between them. I wish Cage would appear in more films like this, since I often find his choice of pictures puzzling. The rest of the cast takes a backseat to the star performances. The writing is good, allowing the relationship to develop naturally between the characters. I do wish there had been a few more laughs and that the ending had not come so quickly. I don't know if relationships develop between Secret Service agents and the people they are assigned to protect, so I don't know how realistic this was, but I really liked the characters, found the story amusing, and enjoyed the film a lot.

TBS Superstation.
I just watched the second half of Guarding Tess on TBS. It's now 11:30PM, and I am writing this review when I should be in bed 1 and half hour ago. Nicolas Cade and The old woman in the movie both turned in great performances. The story was lightly funny at first, but didn't really go anywhere. The relationship between The FBI agent and ex-first lady was strange, and though the movie tried to give their intimacy an explanation, it was still weird. The climax came at the end, and was very entertaining, for it broke a long line of fairly boring plot. There is much meaning in the movie; it tried successfully to bring the emotions of a smart first lady widow who dearly wants attention to life. I was touched by the movie. Thank you. I should go to bed now.

Raising Victor Vargas
Released in DVD by Columbia Tristar Hom (26 August, 2003)
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Director: Peter Sollett
Riding high on a wave of unanimous critical acclaim, Raising Victor Vargas emerged as one of the best independent films of 2003. It fits neatly into that most familiar of categories--the coming-of-age comedy--but transcends that label to become something altogether fresh and endearing, beginning with the awkward swagger of its title character, played by Victor Rasuk. He's a Dominican kid raised amidst the poverty of New York's Lower East Side, and his hormones--like those of any 16-year-old--are ablaze with unbridled lust. Under the vigilant eye of his grandmother (who's hilariously convinced the good-boy Victor is doomed to a life of sin), Victor manages to woo the defiant girl of his dreams (Judy Marte--like the rest of this fine cast, a non-professional actor), and director Peter Sollett (expanding his earlier short Five Feet High and Rising) guides them to a delicate place of genuine affection and mutual understanding. It's a summertime fantasy, of sorts, but so simple and sincere that it achieves a state of idealized realism. First love never looked better. --Jeff Shannon
Average review score:

"Raising Victor Vargas" is too real to judge as a movie...
Sometimes you come across a piece of filmmaking that is SO REAL and true-to-life, it seems as though it were "reality television" instead of a "written for the screen" type of work. This movie is SO pure and lucid in its adaptation of hispanic family life, it's scary. The love and closeness among siblings that border upon obsession, the fanatical religious matriach who is the heart and soul of the family, the machismo of the developing hispanic male...just everything...every little nuance is very carefully articulated and represented in such refreshing simplicity that it is a pure joy to watch and is as famaliar as apple pie or in this case, "pernil". Loved this movie and would recommend it highly to anyone who appreciates independent filmmaking at its best...when it just "IS" and not necessarily trying to be a commentary on life.

Young innocent romance in idealized urban setting
This 2003 independent film is about young love. It was written and directed by 26-year old Peter Sollett, and has all the earmarks of a fresh young filmmaker.

The story is simple. Victor Vargas, played by Victor Rasuk, is a teenage boy who is looking for love. He lives with his grandmother, played by Altagracia Guzman, and his younger brother and sister in a poor, but idealized neighborhood in New York City. His grandmother, who had emigrated from the Dominican Republic years before, clearly loves her grandchildren and does her best to keep the family together. However, she's a little too quick to consider them depraved simply because Victor is romancing a girl and because his younger brother, played by Silvestre Rusuk, is experimenting with is own sexuality behind closed bathroom doors. In an inspired bit of casting, these two real-life brothers look so much alike that it gives the feel of a real family.

Victor meets the girl of his dreams, Judy Marte, and they begin a romance. They are both inexperienced and it takes a while for their first kiss. There are a few twists and turns to the plot, and some obstacles which get in the way, but basically it is just a sweet love story. One of the most interesting things about the story though is that there are no guns, drugs or violent acts. They might be living in a neighborhood known for these things but yet they are all remarkably innocent.

I enjoyed the film and thought it was well done. But frankly, it was a little too simple for my personal tastes. It seemed to me like amateurs doing their best in a first film. Which, of course, is exactly what it is. I must give the film an "A" for effort though. And I look forward to watching the growth of this filmmaker.

I loved this movie!
All the reasons why I so loved this movie are yet unclear to me. At times I think I loved it for very simple reasons, then other times I think I loved it for more profound reasons. In the end, it doesn't seem to matter, but it is certainly a movie that found its way to the heart of a woman who only remembers a very few out of probably hundreds of movies I've seen. This is one I will remember.

I love Victor, the main character --- his insecurities, his fears, his honesty, and the way he ultimately wants to make himself vulnerable to the young girl he seeks, known as "Juicy Judy". I am intrigued by the way their relationship unfolds, the obstacles they face, the advice their friends give on the relationship. I enjoy the way I see the tearing down of emotional walls, the coming to terms with one's own needs and desires, the importance and necessity of family. I thought of the characters long after the movie was returned to the video store. This movie is so much more than what I expected. The acting is just beyond superb, and every situation in this film is so absolutely believable, you'll remember the days of your adolescence with sweet fondness. This is one of the most honest films I have seen in a long, long time.

The Chaplin Mutuals, Vol. 1
Released in DVD by Image Entertainment (21 July, 1998)
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Director: Charles Chaplin
Starring: Charles Chaplin and Edna Purviance
Charlie Chaplin entered a period of tremendous artistic freedom and creative growth when he embarked on his 12 films for Mutual Studios in 1916. As he neared the conclusion of his contract, he became increasingly more ambitious and mixed his tried and true comic formula with social commentary for two of his most enduring works. The Immigrant finds the promised land less than rosy for peasants herded like cattle on the ship and wandering the streets of New York looking for work and food, but the Tramp's ingenuity and resilience make him into a symbol of hope for the future as well as a comic riposte. Easy Street is Chaplin's most successful mix of social issues and slapstick comedy. As a rookie cop in the city's toughest neighborhood, a slum overrun with bullies, drug addicts, and gangsters, the goodhearted Chaplin isn't above a little unconventional policing--when his billy club proves ineffective on gargantuan Eric Campbell's thick skull, he resorts to gassing him with a compliant street lamp. The balance of the tape emphasizes lighter fare: The Adventurer finds Charlie as an escaped convict who hides out in a high society party crawling with cops. When the Tramp decides to take The Cure, he comes prepared with a trunk full of alcohol, which quickly inebriates the guests and staff of the sanitarium. The revolving door becomes a comic centerpiece (like the escalator in The Floorwalker), which befuddles the inebriated Chaplin and infuriates gout-stricken nemesis Eric Campbell. --Sean Axmaker
Average review score:

In Defense of the Little Fellow . . .
I too found that the reviewer's comment on these Mutual shorts being "uninspired" and "unfunny" were extremely ill thought out. I've seen the Mutual films before, and just recently purchased the DVDs and enjoyed them all over again. (the quality of the prints are very good!) The Immigrant is a great example of his mastery of the pantomime (the restaurant scene is just plain charming) and in Easy Street, well, I can't find how someone could call it "crude". And what's funny about a Chaplin's getting people drunk in a rehab center? If you knew anything about history, this was a direct smack at the upper classes since alcoholism was a huge problem with the working class during this time. Charlie was poking fun at the upper crust: and to the working people that is ALWAYS funny.

There is nothing at all "uninspired" about Charlie's work in these four shorts. Especially since, in 1917, Charlie was creating the template for comedy that comedians would imitate for decades--Nearly one-hundred years on, people are still using many of the techniques debuted here for the first time by Chaplin (along with the National shorts). It is interesting that the "basher" (as I've called this reviewer) mentioned the revolving door sequence in The Cure to be maddening: to a modern audience, that gag can appear recycled-but that is only because countless comedians have copied what Chaplin created for the FIRST TIME here.

Now, I'm a huge fan of Lloyd and **especially** the inimitable Buster Keaton, but the earlier comment that "Until the late 20's, any Keaton, Lloyd, or Langdon film was infinitely better than the stuff that Chaplin turned out at the time" is really, quite frankly, silly. Keaton didn't even begin to appear in shorts until the very year of these Mutual films and here was Chaplin writing, directing and acting on his own!! Not to mention that, within two years, he would help to form (along with Mary Pickford and Doug Fairbanks) a little something called United Artists which was a huge step forward for filmmakers and is still a force in the Industry. And by the way, in 1921 Chaplin released his feature length, The Kid, which is widely acclaimed as one of the best films of the silent era and it also proved for the first time that a comedy could be funny as well as touching to the heart. (I don't know anyone who can watch the final scene of the Kid without getting a tug at the heart). That same year of 1921, Keaton released his first feature film, The Saphead.

Enough said.

I'm not bashing Keaton because he is an unbelievable genius (Sherlock Jr. is one of my favorite films of all time! =o) but I just think that one should give credit where credit is due. And every single comedian coming after Chaplin **including Keaton, Lloyd and Langdon**--right down to this day--is reminded to tip their derby to Charlie.

He isn't called a genius just for the hell of it, you know.

(Anyway, four stars to this charming collection of Chaplin full-speed ahead on his way to becoming a legend.)

Curleycue_82 has it down!
I agree with you Curleycue_82. I couldn't wait to write a review to these people!

Also in defense of the Little Fellow...
In response to this review: "I don't believe that Chaplin achieved comedic excellence until his features. These shorts are crude physical humor and totally unfunny. Dated stuff."

Dated stuff? Of course it's dated. It's almost 90 years old! Anyone with any common sense, however, can discern the genious of the comedy for the period. What he was doing was breaking away from the mill of Keystone and developing stories with this comedy character. That wasn't done until then. You have to be able to relate the content with the time period and recognize these things. I guess that is hard for some if they don't understand history and fact. That is why you are the only person to write an uneducated, negative review. Did you notice that? Please know your content before you criticize.

Princess Caraboo
Released in DVD by Columbia/Tristar Studios (24 April, 2001)
MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Director: Michael Austin
Starring: Phoebe Cates and Jim Broadbent
This gentle "true" fairy tale succeeds on nearly every level, becoming an intelligent handling of a tabloid story. In 1817 a young foreign drifter (Phoebe Cates, never better) sets a small portion of England buzzing that she is a royal princess from an uncharted land. This feels like a magical movie with slightly overcooked characters, such as Kevin Kline's Greek butler. The supporting cast is older than in most movies of this type--no cute actors, we have performers with chiseled features and gruff voices. Director Michael Austin's decision to approach this as a true story keeps things firmly grounded so the eccentrics are not overplayed. Beautifully filmed by the great Freddie Francis (Glory) and featuring a surprisingly rich cast (Stephen Rea, Wendy Hughes, Jim Broadbent, and John Lithgow), this is simply the best family movie since The Secret Garden. --Doug Thomas
Average review score:

CHARMING ADULT FAIRYTALE...
Based upon a true story, this is a charming film with wonderful performances by a stellar cast. It tells the tale of a mysterious young woman (Phoebe Cates) in nineteenth century England, who is found wandering the countryside dressed in outlandish clothing and supposedly speaking no English. She is taken in by a kindly aristocratic family, and she gulls them into believing that she is some sort of exotic, foreign royal, Princess Caraboo.

Princess Caraboo charms all who meet her. Everyone is intrigued by her. Just who is she and where is she from? The Greek butler (Kevin Kline) thinks that she is an imposter. The aristocratic couple ( Jim Broadbent and Wendy Hughes), who virtually adopt her, believe her to be the real deal. The skeptical academic (John Lithgow), who specializes in Southeastern Asian languages and dialects and was brought in to try and determine her origin, is not immune to the charm of Princess Caraboo. Even the intrepid reporter, Mr. Gutch (Stephen Rea), who is onto something that may reveal the mystery of Princess Caraboo, falls under her spell.

Phoebe Cates outdid herself, giving a wonderful performance in an inherently difficult role that calls for speaking very little, and when she does speak it is, for the most part, to utter what sounds like gibberish. She is very expressive and totally charms the viewer. Jim Broadbent and Wendy Hughes are terrific as the aristocratic couple. Kevin Kline gives an over the top performance as the wily Greek butler. John Lithgow is outstanding as the academic and drolly funny. Stephen Rea is wonderful as the conflicted reporter, giving a well nuanced and sensitive performance. All in all, this is a perfectly delightful film, which is suitable for the entire family.

The DVD itself offers high quality visuals and audio, but offers no special features or bonus extras.

Fabulous Family Fare
This is such a wonderful movie -- engaging, humorous, delightful, romantic, and based on a real event. Beautifully acted and produced, with wonderful costumes, it also provides good fodder for a family discussion of human values. It's easy for us to become complacent about the idea that "all humanity is created equal" (of equal value) - but that's a radical notion throughout most of human history, even "civilized" England from a few hundred years ago. Buy it! Enjoy it!

Is It True, Do You Think?
This is a thoroughly charming story. Phoebe Cates is a marvel, and puts in a terrifically nuanced performance. Stephen Rea is a perfect Gutch, a subdued rabbit of a reporter who has the journalistic sense to sniff out and test a story, and yet may not have the nerve to shake up his life in order to claim the woman he loves. Yeesh, that sounds like something out of Danielle Steele, but trust me, the story is ravishing, but not the least gushy or "rouged". Reminds me, though, that the other thing we've seen Cates in, was a Steele-ish series, and ... well, Cates is a perfectly beguiling Caraboo/Baker (so beguiling a Caraboo, it is really a shock to find that she is actually Mary Baker), which you may not expect from the sort of "potboiler" casting of this other, Steele-ish thing. Lithgow as a skeptic-don-turned-true-believer ... I am not a huge Lithgow fan, but he is perfect is this supporting role; he carries off both ends of the transition admirably. I am astonished to read that a reviewer finds fault with Kline. Both Lithgow and Kline perform with expertly-gauged restraint; in comparison, Jim Broadbent's Mr Worrall is buffoonish, but this too is in perfect service to the story. Indeed, there is a (distant) comparison to be made between Broadbent/Kline and Bertie Wooster/Jeeves ... the light-of-intellect master, and the shrewd-but-always-decorous servant. Even Kline's zealous "testing" of Caraboo in the Worralls' absence, is brilliantly measured.

The whole cast perform wonderfully; the camera-work is a delight; the story is enchanting. If you haven't seen it, why, remedy this appalling oversight immediately!

The Kid / A Dog's Life
Released in DVD by Image Entertainment (08 February, 2000)
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Director: Charles Chaplin
Starring: Charles Chaplin and Edna Purviance
Average review score:

Actually deserves a 3.7.
Not too bad, but Chaplin's first full length film was more serious than funny. I watch Chaplin only because of funny. But it's still a great film otherwise about a mother who gives up her son and is picked up by the tramp Chaplin. He takes care of him until a doctor warns him about proper care. When the law tries to take the kid away from Chaplin, he does everything he can to retreat him. Finally, the mother and child meet at the end of the film. It also includes an OK Chaplin short where Chaplin plays two roles. One is a rich sort of bachelor to remarry his ex-wife, and one is a tramp who plays golf and comes to a costume party to have some fun, when the two of them mix up. I'm sure people love this film, so buy if you want.

Well done reissue - sorry to see it out of print
This film was masterfully restored by David Shepherd for the Chaplin family, and was released in this version on Laserdisc and, later, DVD. The quality is awesome, and Shepherd was able to restore several cuts that Chaplin made in later reissues, cuts that changed the motivation of characters at several key moments. The quality of the film is astounding, especially for an 80+ year old film!

As far as the story goes, it is rather lean on gags, but big on heroics, with many amusing situations and a couple of unforeseen plot twists. Even children will like this film, despoite the fact that there's no color and no talking!!

Simply a delight!
"The Kid" is easily Chaplin's best film overall and seems to be a reflection of Chaplin's own childhood at times. It begins a bit quietly and becomes both hilarious and poignant. It is difficult not to view Chaplin as one of the best film makers of all time when you realize he wrote the story, composed the score (which does a beautiful job setting the moods), directed and acted. I became a bona fide Chaplin fan after seeing this one!

Losing Isaiah
Released in DVD by Paramount Home Video (09 September, 2003)
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Director: Stephen Gyllenhaal
Starring: Jessica Lange and Halle Berry
Jessica Lange is a social worker who falls for an abandoned newborn and breaks all the rules by bringing him home. Halle Berry is the homeless druggie who dumped the baby. One of the film's best attributes is that it reveals everyone's perspective, though much of the story is told from Berry's point of view. Strung out on crack, Berry's character thinks nothing of hiding her baby in a cardboard box near a dumpster before going off for a fix. We watch Berry painfully pull herself up out of the gutter and make a life for herself. She embraces decency and sobriety and becomes the person she might have always been had her childhood been different. After Lange and her amiable spouse (David Strathairn) have formed strong family ties with this difficult child, they find themselves fighting to keep him when Berry decides she wants Isaiah back. Naomi Foner's clever script reveals a legal system that is as much a character in this painful story as the attorney (Samuel L. Jackson) who takes on the case pro bono. Though the film ultimately flounders under a hesitant ending, Lange is such a dynamo that this tragic story still comes recommended. --Rochelle O'Gorman
Average review score:

Powerful and Emotional
For those of you that think Halle is just a pretty face...hopefully her Oscar winning performance in "Monster's Ball" showed you that she wasn't...but if you still have doubts this is a movie you should see. Halle is well deserving of an Oscar in this film as well, she plays a crack addicted homeless woman who loses it all and dumps her baby in the trash just so she can get a hit...when she comes out of her drug stooper she then realizes her mistake, but it's too late. The baby was adopted by a white family and she believes her baby to have died. The movie takes off from there, the white family raises and cares for the child. After Halle's character struggles but reforms herself she finds out that the child is still alive. Then the battle for who is rightfully the parent of the child begins. Some of the highlights here...Samuel L. Jackson's role as Halle's Lawyer and the scene in which the 2 "mothers" meet in the bathroom for the first time...that is a very powerful scene. The movie is a very powerful and moving piece of cinema. Excellent film.

DVD
Do you know if this movie is on DvD I want this movie so bad on dvd and can't find it anywhere.... if it is not do you know if it every will. please let me know thanks
Gayle Insonia

Contaversial
Since I am adopted myself, I found this a interesting movie. Interestingly enough, the director presents both sides well, and doesn't seem too favor either. This is a relief considering many "political" films that come out today. Many of which, the director tries to brainwash you into thinking his way. (example: Republicans are evil) Instead the director allows you too form your own opinions. This is a heavy film and it will get you involved as well as raise many questions. Such as who is more of a mother? The one who gave birth or the one who raises him? And also just because you can give birth does that make you a mother?This film will leave some feeling that justice has been served, and others it will leave angry. However, this film doesn't have all the answers an it wisely ends unresolved, letting you form your own convictions. My conviction? Some people do not deserve children. But the beauty of this film is that it may leave you feeling otherwise, because it's not manipulative.

It
Released in DVD by Image Entertainment (25 November, 2003)
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Directors: Josef von Sternberg and Clarence G. Badger
Average review score:

Ronald McDonald's Lowest Moment
This is probably the least scary movie of all time. A killer clown comes back to haunt a group of adults he haunted as a kid, and in the end they fight a giant robot spider after some of them have died, CRAP. And why would Ronald McDonald accept this role, i believe that's when the drug habit started. Not to mention his relationship with Grimace. Oh did the tabloids have a field day. Still a terrible movie.

I love the music on this film
The story is trite and banal. Pop fluff of the 1920'sbut the score gives it some sort of elusive character. Kudos to the musicians! Clara is always a treat think of her a the Britney of the 20's pop, pop fizz

A Precious Little Gem!
A first-rate romantic-comedy sensation of its day, this precious little gem of a movie shows actress Clara Bow at the peak of her short-lived career. This is silent cinema at it best, showing the lighter side to the silent era.
Clearly, Clara Bow is the star here, front and center, but the supporting cast is fantastic as well. The story isn't particularly original, brilliant, or surprising, but then it doesn't have to be. In fact, it probably shouldn't be.
This Kino DVD is a fine transfer, with little grain, and looks sharp, clean, and wonedrfully clear considering its age. The soundtrack score is clean and fits well.
Clara Bow looks so adorable in this film that its hard not to fall in love with her as you watch this film. It's just such a charming little romantic piece full of cuteness and playfulness, just like Bow herself.

It
Released in DVD by Kino Video (20 February, 2001)
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Directors: Josef von Sternberg and Clarence G. Badger
Average review score:

Ronald McDonald's Lowest Moment
This is probably the least scary movie of all time. A killer clown comes back to haunt a group of adults he haunted as a kid, and in the end they fight a giant robot spider after some of them have died, CRAP. And why would Ronald McDonald accept this role, i believe that's when the drug habit started. Not to mention his relationship with Grimace. Oh did the tabloids have a field day. Still a terrible movie.

I love the music on this film
The story is trite and banal. Pop fluff of the 1920'sbut the score gives it some sort of elusive character. Kudos to the musicians! Clara is always a treat think of her a the Britney of the 20's pop, pop fizz

A Precious Little Gem!
A first-rate romantic-comedy sensation of its day, this precious little gem of a movie shows actress Clara Bow at the peak of her short-lived career. This is silent cinema at it best, showing the lighter side to the silent era.
Clearly, Clara Bow is the star here, front and center, but the supporting cast is fantastic as well. The story isn't particularly original, brilliant, or surprising, but then it doesn't have to be. In fact, it probably shouldn't be.
This Kino DVD is a fine transfer, with little grain, and looks sharp, clean, and wonedrfully clear considering its age. The soundtrack score is clean and fits well.
Clara Bow looks so adorable in this film that its hard not to fall in love with her as you watch this film. It's just such a charming little romantic piece full of cuteness and playfulness, just like Bow herself.

Space 1999, Set 3
Released in DVD by A & E Entertainment (31 July, 2001)
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Directors: Peter Medak, Bob Kellett, Lee H. Katzin, Ray Austin, Bob Brooks (III), Robert Lynn (II), David Tomblin, Kevin Connor, Tom Clegg, and Val Guest
Set 3 of Space: 1999 contains six more first-season episodes from Thunderbirds creators Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's 1975 British series. The castaways on Moonbase Alpha, led by Commander John Koenig (Martin Landau), continue their drift through the universe, where they encounter fantastic planets, oddball races, and cataclysmic perils. In "Collision Course," Koenig must rely on "a thing called faith" when the moon seems headed for a too-close encounter with a massive planet. Unfortunately, the faith of his crew, including Chief Medical Officer Dr. Helena Russell (Landau's Mission: Impossible costar and then wife Barbara Bain) and Professor Victor Bergman (Barry Morse, who relentlessly pursued David Janssen on The Fugitive) is lacking, and they mutiny. In "Death's Other Dominion," the Alphans arrive at an ice-encrusted "lost paradise" planet, on which survivors of "the Uranus expedition of 1986" seek the secret of eternal life, and dissidents rise up to stop them. "The Full Circle" explores the nature of man when the Alphans encounter a race of cave dwellers. In "End of Eternity," the Alphans learn not to "interfere with other people's justice" when they unwittingly free an evil and quite unstoppable alien (Peter Bowles, much more civilized as Penelope Keith's friendly nemesis in the popular Britcom To the Manor Born. The cautionary "War Games" might better be called "Mind Games," as Commander Koenig considers whether to launch an attack against alien spaceships. One of Landau's favorite episodes, "The Last Enemy," is a Middle East allegory that finds the Alphans literally caught between two perpetually warring planets. Space: 1999's then state-of-the-art special effects hold up well, less so the deliberate pacing. But these fan-favorite episodes are a must for all earthbound Alpha devotees. --Donald Liebenson
Average review score:

The weakest DVD set of the first season
I would not recommend this DVD set of Space: 1999, because it has some of the silliest episodes of the first season. Most notably is the episode, The Full Circle, which I thought was similar to watching an episode of Gilligan's Island. The crew of Moonbase Alpha go down to yet another planet, walk though the mist, and become cave people. The last bad episode worth mentioning is The Last Enemy. On the one side of the battle that Moonbase Alpha gets caught up in are military women who look like they've just come from the hairdresser, or are backup singers for the Swedish group ABBA, and the other faction consists of an old man with his eyes closed. This was a bad episode, I mean REALLY bad, like Mystery Science Theater 3000 bad.

One halfway decent episode, which is why I give this DVD set a rating of two stars, instead of one, is War Games, which has the greatest number of explosions and destruction since the first episode, Breakaway.

Illustrates how the series continued to improve
Although the series' skeletal crew of writers never completely kicked their annoying deus ex machina habit, as the season progressed they were eventually at least able to tell an interesting story in advance of some supernatural event. This set provides several good examples of that evolution in progress, kicking off with the spectacular-looking "Collision Course", which from a story standpoint isn't that different from set 2's "Guardian Of Piri". Once again, only Koenig knows what's right for Alpha, and everybody else is wrong. Of course we know Koenig has to be right, or else it means the end of the series, so there's precious little suspense. A fairly juvenile meditation on faith, the dialog is simply awful, although guest star Margaret Leighton is so convincing in her delivery she almost makes it sound plausible.

"Death's Other Dominion" is certainly a candidate for the best episode of the series, as the Alphans run across the survivors of a lost Earth space expedition that crashed on a distant frozen world they've dubbed Ultima Thule. The blizzard scenes drag (and feature more wretched dialog), but the guest performances are once again top notch. Brian Blessed happily chews up whatever scenery John Shrapnel hasn't already devoured, meaning the regulars don't stand a chance - especially when Helena and Victor are forced by the writers to behave completely out of character. Wonderful Shakespearean references abound, particularly Shapnel's character's foolery, and combined with the sterling production and disturbing plot they make for probably the most adult adventure of the series. The only "far out" moment is the episode's killer ending, which is probably the best "out of left field" plot twist the series produced (it even made some sense, in hindsight). 1999 develops a real fixation on the evils of immortality during the second half of the season, with this episode being the first of 4 dealing with the issue.

A silly runaround episode that plays more like a bad Doctor Who script, "Full Circle" is a complete disaster, reverting back to the program's worst habits as several principles are inexplicably (and pointlessly) transformed into cavemen while reconnoitering an alien world. Composer Barry Gray delivers the last score he would ever record for producer Gerry Anderson, a wonderful percussive work that's wasted on these dull, silly proceedings. Of course, it's not all bad - Sandra runs around half naked for 20 minutes while Bain's screaming freakout as the tribal healer provides the most unintentionally hysterical moment of the series.

Another dud, "End Of Eternity" features Peter Bowles as an immortal psychopath who is accidentally released from his asteroid prison by the Alphans, and proceeds to (unconvincingly) toss the hapless Moonbase crew around. Check out the wires in one shot! On the plus side, the ending is clever, plausible (no moronic metaphysics - they were learning) and was virtually photocopied for the film Alien (1999 was more influential than most people think). Still, "Force Of Life" from the second set, released earlier this year, was similar and superior in most respects.

Sporting the best effects since the series' debut "Breakaway", "War Games" is one of those annoying "it was all just a dream" episodes, but it's spectacularly well done. The opening attack sequence, as aliens blast the Moonbase (and many, many Eagles) to smithereens was widely panned by critics ("...") but adored by viewers ("..."). Not only does Brian Johnson's team do an incredible job ripping Eagles and sections of Alpha to shreds in miniature, the set people get in on the act by tearing Alpha apart inside, too. Fires break out all over the place, support beams fall from the ceiling, dust rains down, the lights go out and, in perhaps the series' most dramatic moment, Dr. Mathias is sucked out into space when one of Medical Center's plate glass windows shatters. For pre-Star Wars effects, this episode is as good as it ever got. In many respects, it looks better than all but the most recent televised science fiction.

The episode's highlight isn't pyrotechnic though; it's the wonderful soliloquy Barry Morse delivers as he's shutting down Moonbase Alpha. Unfortunately, Landau and Bain do not deliver equally compelling performances, but then their dialog is horribly awkward (and if Anthony Valentine's alien said the word "brain" one more time, I think my head would have exploded).

"The Last Enemy" continues the effects showcase, but is letdown by cheezy production design - the interior of Dione's space ship the Satezius as well as her crew's costumes look like something from Doctor Who's rubbish heap. There is a plot here though - a war of the sexes on an interplanetary scale, with a dash of the superpower struggle thrown in for good measure (Alpha plays the role of Europe) - but it's woefully muddled (Barbara Bain had a hand in writing this episode, for better and worse apparently). As dueling leaders spar on Alpha's viewscreen, yet another outstanding guest cast graces Space: 1999, only not in person. Caroline Mortimer meanwhile is merely acceptable as the flesh and blood Dione, while her shipmates aboard the Satezius are downright laughable. This could have been an outstanding episode, maybe the best. As it stands, it's annoyingly half-baked, although for once 1999 gets the ending just about perfect.

From a technical standpoint, these discs are a mess. There are motion artifacts, whites are too bright, colors shift and are washed out, and the audio warbles in spots. They still look much better than the VHS releases that have popped up over the years, and somewhat better than the laserdiscs, but certainly aren't utilizing the DVD format to its fullest. Still, it's interesting to see the series finally land on its feet after so many early missteps, setting the stage for the 4th - and best - set of Space: 1999 episodes.

Eagle One Come in!
As you can see from the other reviews here these stories are great. In the third edition they even include some rare behind the scnes looks at the production in the stills section.

The production value is high and Martin Landau and Barabara Bain (then husband and wife) have a unique chemistry together.

The models and ships are quite small, but very detailed. Techinically (except for sound in space) the show is accurate to real science.

If you bought the first two..you've got to have this one!

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