Austin Movie Reviews

As I was introduced to "The Saint" via the 60's TV program, I will always associate Roger Moore with the character. He was absolutely perfect for the role, being the right age, and possessing the requisite class, charm, and athleticism. But beyond that, Moore had an air of irreverence that is so essential to the character. "The Saint" was never comfortable with accepting authority. Rules were for others. His life was about living on the edge, taking on all the excitement life had to offer.

The character, the literary creation of Leslie Charteris, has a somewhat nebulous origin. It is said that Simon Templar, motivated by his own sense of justice, took whatever action he deemed necessary, to correct what he perceived were injustices in the world. This usually involved one of the "ungodly" being robbed, or somehow taught a lesson. Somewhere the victim would usually find a note, containing a short message warning them to learn their lesson. Instead of a signature, there would be a drawing of a stick man figure with a halo, the familiar finger pointing "Saint" logo. While Templar was suspected of committing these acts, his guilt was apparently never proved. In eluding his victims and all manner of law enforcement, he achieved a notorious reputation, and the nickname of "The Saint".

"The Saint's" image was cleaned up for television, where he appeared as basically a virtuous character. While his questionable past is often alluded to, specific reference to any criminal activity was avoided. He is presented as a noble figure, to whom committing a criminal act for mere personal financial gain would be simply unthinkable. Crime must not be seen to pay.

"The Saint" does not fit nicely into any particular category, blending the qualities of an adventurer, a detective, and a secret agent. Without a fixed setting, or any regular supporting cast, it falls squarely on Roger Moore to capture and hold the viewers' interest. And he comes through with flying colors, almost single handedly carrying each episode, and maintaining the continuity of the character, no matter what the location, or the situation he finds himself in. This is actually quite an achievement, and one that is easy to overlook, because Moore does it so smoothly.

DVD Sets 1 and 2 contain the program's first color episodes, supposedly presented in the order they were originally broadcast. These collections are a good representation of typical "Saintly" adventures. We find Simon Templar cavorting throughout Europe, and also appearing in Latin America. Being such an adaptable fellow, he becomes involved in adventure in a variety of ways. Part of the fun, is trying to figure out exactly what kind of trouble old Simon has gotten himself into this time.

Favorite episodes from Set 1, are "The Russian Prisoner", with Simon involved in intrigue with the KGB, and "The Convenient Monster", where "Nessie" figures in the conclusion of a story of involving murder and deception. The best from Set 2, would be "Paper Chase" featuring "The Saint" on a rescue mission in East Germany, and "Locate and Destroy", probably the most violent episode in the collection, with Simon on the trail of a ruthless ex-Nazi.

If you are not familiar with this series, you may not find it to be your cup of tea, for "The Saint", like "The Avengers", is something of an acquired taste. If you are a fan, then these sets should be part of your collection, with Set 2 grading out a bit ahead of Set 1. While they may not the best "Saint" episodes, they are the first available on DVD. Picture quality is excellent, colors are true to the original quality, and the images are sharp. A TV series set in a different location each week presents special challenges, and production values are pretty good considering this. The difference between location and studio shots are obvious, but typical for the times. The audio level however, could stand to be cranked up a bit, to match the music level.

One negative is the lack of substantial bonus materials. No printed matter, not even a booklet with a detailed series retrospective. All you get are episode previews, and a few stills. Not much, considering the premium price. This is basically the same minimalist treatment given to "The Avengers". Lacking extensive bonus material, I wish A&E would maximize the medium and package at least four episodes per disc, instead of just three. The studios should remember that the predominant audience for these collections, are the dedicated fans of the program. This is often a niche market, and the faithful really do deserve their best effort.

Finally, one oddity is that actor Ivor Dean, who was wonderful as "Inspector Teal", is listed as being part of the "regular cast" on both sets, but does not appear in any of the 12 episodes. Hopefully we will actually see "Claude Eustace" in future releases.

As much as Roger Moore was a fantastic James Bond, he was an even better Saint. In fact, he was the best. Moore took the pulp hero, created by Leslie Charteris, to new heights in the 1960's and this DVD collection is a perfect collection for both longtime fans and newcomers.

Roger Moore's portrayl of "Simon Templar" was suave, debonair, and comedic at times (much like The Saint was in the books). In fact, his sarcastic humour with Inspector Teal and other policeman is spot on with the novels. He loved to walk a tightrope between law and crime, but always had an alibi. Moore captures his buccaneering attitude deliciously. Upon watching these episodes, you can see how much of The Saint he put into his Bond role. While he may never have been as violent or ruthless as he was in the books, you really get a sense of the Saint's carefree, adventurous nature.

Finally available in America, this is the second collection released thusfar, in series order (based on when the episodes appeared on American television that is). Both collections contain the first episodes filmed in color, and they look fantastic.

Edwin Astley's loungey score has never sounded clearer. As part of the bonus material, you get the original U.S. trailers for each episode and a nice photo gallery. "The History of The Saint" section, is just some text, and hardly a bonus. You'd be better off picking up the Saint film collection (Turner Classic Movies) with a nice 30 minute Saint history documentary if you really want to learn about the famous "Simon Templar." Better yet, go to www.saint.org and learn everything there is to know.

This collection is a must have for any Moore fan. Keep buying them up so that they will release more in America.

Roger Moore is The Saint to me, and these beautiful A&E DVD's are a great addition to my collection. Watching Roger race around in his gleaming white Volvo 1800 is a joy to behold!

This otherwise excellent set is marred by an audio problem on "The $50,000 breakfast". The original show mix is combined with the music and effects mixouts causing the music and effects to be too loud and phasey.
After A&E did this on one of the early Prisoner releases, I had hoped they had tightened up on their quality control.
Thanks A&E. This episode is pretty much unwatchable.

Diana Rigg and Patrick Macnee as Emma Peel and John Steed are fabulous. These two are the best from the avengers. This set isn't the best (in my opinion), but a classic. The 50,000 pound breakfast is just a silly plot about stealing a dog for money. Another problem, even though it (Tara King episode)is free, I don't like Tara King. The bonus episode is well known with Mrs. Peel and Tara King in The Forget-Me-Knot. The others are all great! Set includes: Dead Man's Treasure, Positive-Negative man, You Have Just Been Murdered, Mission Highly Improbable, and Murdersville. The other two episodes have been mentioned further up.

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 $$$$$ 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!

The DVD starts off with every lover's dream. In the first episode Fuko saves the woman she loves, Hibiki, from a burning building. In doing so she does give away the fact that she loves Hibiki, right in front of Akira, who loves her, and Fujio, who loves Akira.
In the hospital, Hibiki realizes, that yes, he loves Fuko, but that Fuko loves the FEMALE Hibiki. He just can't keep living a lie, being a fake teacher. As he changes himself back to a man, little does he know that the Vice is in another wing of the hospital, acting like a peeking tom (which is usually played by male characters) with a camera. In the end he is exposed by the Vice-Principal as the male he is.
Now, he could of tricked them one last time but he DECIDED it was time to be honest with his students and leave. Being the character Hibiki is, there was really no other choice.
Ba-chan brings up an interesting point which he ignores: Does being a fake teacher mean that the lessons about life he passed on to the students was also fake?
The whole last episode deals with the events after he is exposed. A WHOLE episode dealing with the end of a series which had only 12 episodes. By the 13th most series are just starting to warm up, but Strawberry Eggs is ending on a high note. A powerful little series.
That is the best part about the ending, is that it feels so powerful and so perfect for the characters. Hibiki has to leave, but promises to return. Fuko still loves him and you get the impression she will wait for him. The other students have developed bonds of trust, friendship and, yes, even love. The school's students, and their parents, have decided to keep the school co-ed, against the wishes of the Principal and Vice-Principal. And we learn something about Ba-chan.
Many people may wish for a stronger ending, some kind of closure, but this is the best they will get. Maybe not a happy, happy, joy, joy ending, but it is a good ending. A solid ending. An ending that suggests the characters will live on, grow, change and find happiness. It even suggests hope (with a little help from Ba-chan) for the Principal!

the ending's soo sad! I was crying *sniff*! Very beautiful ending. Doesn't turn out the way I thought it would, but anything else wouldn't been right.

Yes, sadly, this is the last DVD of the series. Although it is a very short series (13 Episodes, 4 DVDs), it is an extremely well produced one. Some people have said that the ending is not very good; however, I think the ending is remarkable! Just because it's not a happy, everybody wins and flowers sprout up everywhere type ending, does not make it bad. The last episode is VERY powerful and moving. The entire espisode is wrought with compelling emotion that sucks you into the story dramatically. And, to tell the truth, I think the ending of the series is perfect! A great way to convey loss, sadness, happiness, and hope all in one end. Also, there is a jaw-dropping suprise hinted at in the ending that I don't want to spoil ;)
So if you're a fan of Strawberry Eggs, then grab this session as fast as you can. If you're wondering about the series, I highly recommend it as a wonderful look into the world of anime.

I laughed out loud so many times during this movie. It was truly a delight.

It centers around a young writer (Reeves) who becomes smitten with his world-weary older aunt (well, aunt-by-marriage -- they are not blood relatives). Barbara Hershey plays the aunt, who plays the lovely 36-year-old divorcee who finds herself attracted to this sweet 21-year-old young man. She thinks she wants someone "older" and "dull," so she can have some stability in her life. But, as her sister tells her later -- "You won't change. You're too wild." So she ends up falling for this younger man who has dreams of being a writer in Paris.

Their romance is sweet and heartfelt, but the true hilarity comes in the form of Peter Falk, who plays an extremely eccentric radio serial writer who is manipulating the whole town with his sensational writing. The town loves the tabloid-like melodrama he interjects into the plots; they are completely hooked. And Falk gets a lot of his ideas for the story by setting up Reeves and Hershey -- encouraging their romance (and then lifting big parts of their conversations to each other and putting it in the radio show). He also manipulates the whole town by targeting Albanians. Over and over, Albanian jokes. Albanian slander. The Albanians in town take notice!

The absurdity of the overripe plots of the radio serial are absolutely *hilarious*. We are taken into the "world" of the radio serial plot, where actors Peter Gallagher, Dan Hedaya, Elizabeth McGovern, John Larroquette, and Hope Lange play the "fictional" characters come to life in everyone's imaginations. These scenes are particularly hilarious, especially when you learn to wait for the Albanian jokes to emerge. And you *know* that they will!

One thing I will confess when I first heard about this movie: I was puzzled how they got the "incestuous" romance between Reeves' character and his "aunt" to work without creeping us all out. But, the "incest" thing quickly dispelled early in the movie. She's just an "aunt-in-law," of a sort. Not a "real" aunt. The story wouldn't have worked had she been a flesh-and-blood aunt, because we would have been too aware of the stigma that would exist in such a relationship.

This was a sweet, unusual movie. I really enjoyed it. I recommend it. It's silly, slapstick, and wait for the wretched Albanian jokes!

This is really two movies for the price of one. One movie is a surrealistic, plodding, repetitive comedy about a crazy radio writer (Peter Falk) & the outrageous, somewhat distasteful soap opera he writes. One particularly terrible scene has the writer giving his leading man tips on better acting through masturbation.

The second movie, to which I give 4 stars, is a delightful, whimsical romantic comedy about an idealistic would-be writer (Keanu Reeves) & the prodigal aunt (Barbara Hershey) he courts, under the not-too-helpful influence of that crazy writer from the first movie.

Barbara Hershey is believable & appealing as a nervous 36-year-old double-divorcee, trying to convince herself she doesn't believe in romance anymore. The real delight though is Keanu Reeves, an absolute knock-out in this movie. His sweet, silky Southern accent & fluid delivery of lines that include a dreamer's eye view of Paris are entrancing. Keanu's physical acting & gift for comedy are put to wonderful use in a scene which has him climbing over church pews in pursuit of Peter Falk. I don't want to give too much away by describing in detail the best moment in the movie, when Keanu's face is instantly transformed from jealous trance to ideal love; suffice it to say it's near the end & very much worth the wait.

Based on Mario Vargas Llosa's semi-autobiographical novel "Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter", this is a charming film with some laughs, tenderness, and good performances.

Peter Falk plays the highly imaginitive Pedro Carmichael, who writes radio soap operas. One of Pedro's plot devices is to pick a nation that he can blame everything on, and the lucky "country of the month" in his latest soap is Albania, which creates controversy, a huge audience, and eventual havoc. Some of the funniest moments in the film are when the soap opera "comes to life"...Dan Hedeya, as a one-eyed exterminator (watch for the neon rat over the front door of his mansion) is hilarious in his caricature of a crazed bigot.

Barbara Hershey is excellent as the "older woman", and Keanu Reeves as Martin is utterly lovable in one of his most likable performances. He does well with his Louisiana accent, and portrays a youthful naivete that's engaging and believable...and oh my goodness, the man is a work of art. Total beauty in human form.

One of my favorite scenes is between Martin and Pedro in the cafe, when Martin says: "I think I kinda want to be a writer...", and it's clever how the titles are read like an old radio show by Henry Gibson. The early 50's era is captured well in the art direction and Wynton Marsalis provides some terrific music.

On the minus side, a few of Pedro's schemes are a little slow and weak, bogging the film down at times, but overall, if you're in the mood for some light and slightly off-beat entertainment, this might fit the bill.

These two western "B" movies from the 40's are typical of the westerns of the war years. The second movie, "Cheyene Wildcat" is the best of the Elliott "Ryder" movies. A big plus is Robert Blake (Baretta) playing Little Beaver! Another big plus, is Roy Barcroft as the mean villian. As with all the old movies coming out in DVD, the quality is very good.
If you are over 60 you'll enjoy the memory-if you are under 60 you get to see a time when good triumphed over evil!

I don`t believe this one ever got to the U.K. when i was riding the range at Saturday cinema. One word. Wonderful. My memories of serials in the early 50`s here in U.K. were Blackhawk. Possibly the best ever. Jungle Girl, Captain Video,SirLancelot,Superman,and White Eagle. Now at almost 60 years old to be able to relive those happy years once again with a serial like Red Ryder plus a TV episode with one of my favorite cowboys Rocky Lane is beyond words.The D V D transfer is very good its a treat to be able to see a good quality picture at last. I`ve had enough of poor quality slow speed video copy`s and as for some of the material some people get away with on the net. I urge you forget the rubbish and go for D V D and make Red Ryder your first choice. Come on company`s lets have some more...

Many now only relate to "Red Ryder's Genuine Carbine Action Two-Hundred Shot Lightning Loader Range Model Air Rifle" made famous in the 1983 Christmas movie, "A Christmas Story". This story was about a 10 year old boys obsession with getting Red Ryder's air rifle for Christmas.

Well now, we can all see this famous no-nonsense cowboy and his little sidekick Indian boy, Little Beaver in action. This was a perfect pair & their complete honorable taming of the west.

Red Ryder & Little Beaver adventures dominated the comic strips in the 1930's - 1950's. Late in the 30's REd Ryder came to the screen in a 12 action packed episode serial. Pretty good stuff and a sample coming attraction of this early Red Ryder serial is included on this double feature DVD.

The 1940's Red Ryder introduced the most popular Red Ryder with Wild Bill Elliot and Robert Blake an Little Beaver. This duo went on to make over a dozen Red Ryder movies in the 40's.
This Double Feature remastered DVD Full Screen Black/White includes 2 of thier movies.

An Antonio Kid (1944 / 52 minutes) - greedy outlaws pursuit of the coveted "Black Gold" by terrorizing ranchers.

Cheyenne Wildcat (1947 / 50 minutes) - Red becomes the object of desire of 2 ladies while he & Lil' Beaver pursue outlaws.

This is wholesome fun family entertainment. Red & Lil' Beaver compliment each other and there is genuine onscreen friendship chemistry between them. This is fun stuff. Nice addition to the old western DVD library. Also included is a movie billboard & comic strip montage extra.

Also, now we see why Ralphie Parker from "A Christmas Story" obsessed over Red Ryder!!! Enjoy.

Was looking forward to seeing this with two of my favorite British comedians (Smith and Jones), but this was VERY weak....maybe one genuine laugh throughout. Mostly lackluster comedy will be forgotten minutes after viewing.

Who needs acting, plot, or great editing in a comedy. Obviously this film doesn't, all it needs is jokes. This is probably to silly for the movie critic, but for all the normal people out there who aren't stuck up about the movies they see, this is a ral treat. A trio of very dense aliens abandons their equally dimwitted pal Bernard and crashes their rented spacecraft in England, where they become pop media icons under the guiding hand of a disgruntled television employee. Bernard eventually finds his way to America, where his claims of interplanetary pedigree land him in an asylum. This satire of science fiction and societal quirks from British television comics Smith and Jones and director Mike Hodges brings us a hilarious yet silly movie that is quite enjoyable. See it!

I laugh all the way to the end of this possible cult-classic english comedy! Mel Smith plays the alien who was left behind and falls into earth. There's a hilarious part occur with him and a trash barrel which he think it's a earthling. The other aliens fall into other mishaps and enjoy "LOOB" beer! and remember it's a pen "P......E....... uhhh....n..n!..

These two western "B" movies from the 40's are typical of the westerns of the war years. The second movie, "Cheyene Wildcat" is the best of the Elliott "Ryder" movies. A big plus is Robert Blake (Baretta) playing Little Beaver! Another big plus, is Roy Barcroft as the mean villian. As with all the old movies coming out in DVD, the quality is very good.
If you are over 60 you'll enjoy the memory-if you are under 60 you get to see a time when good triumphed over evil!

I don`t believe this one ever got to the U.K. when i was riding the range at Saturday cinema. One word. Wonderful. My memories of serials in the early 50`s here in U.K. were Blackhawk. Possibly the best ever. Jungle Girl, Captain Video,SirLancelot,Superman,and White Eagle. Now at almost 60 years old to be able to relive those happy years once again with a serial like Red Ryder plus a TV episode with one of my favorite cowboys Rocky Lane is beyond words.The D V D transfer is very good its a treat to be able to see a good quality picture at last. I`ve had enough of poor quality slow speed video copy`s and as for some of the material some people get away with on the net. I urge you forget the rubbish and go for D V D and make Red Ryder your first choice. Come on company`s lets have some more...

Many now only relate to "Red Ryder's Genuine Carbine Action Two-Hundred Shot Lightning Loader Range Model Air Rifle" made famous in the 1983 Christmas movie, "A Christmas Story". This story was about a 10 year old boys obsession with getting Red Ryder's air rifle for Christmas.

Well now, we can all see this famous no-nonsense cowboy and his little sidekick Indian boy, Little Beaver in action. This was a perfect pair & their complete honorable taming of the west.

Red Ryder & Little Beaver adventures dominated the comic strips in the 1930's - 1950's. Late in the 30's REd Ryder came to the screen in a 12 action packed episode serial. Pretty good stuff and a sample coming attraction of this early Red Ryder serial is included on this double feature DVD.

The 1940's Red Ryder introduced the most popular Red Ryder with Wild Bill Elliot and Robert Blake an Little Beaver. This duo went on to make over a dozen Red Ryder movies in the 40's.
This Double Feature remastered DVD Full Screen Black/White includes 2 of thier movies.

An Antonio Kid (1944 / 52 minutes) - greedy outlaws pursuit of the coveted "Black Gold" by terrorizing ranchers.

Cheyenne Wildcat (1947 / 50 minutes) - Red becomes the object of desire of 2 ladies while he & Lil' Beaver pursue outlaws.

This is wholesome fun family entertainment. Red & Lil' Beaver compliment each other and there is genuine onscreen friendship chemistry between them. This is fun stuff. Nice addition to the old western DVD library. Also included is a movie billboard & comic strip montage extra.

Also, now we see why Ralphie Parker from "A Christmas Story" obsessed over Red Ryder!!! Enjoy.

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!

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. Great 60s pop culture.

I remember watching the Avengers on TV 7-8 years ago when A&E was showing them. Now, I am glad to say that I can own this series. The Avengers have always been based on intelligent scripts, witty dialogue, and suspense. This set is no exception. This set contains very classic, very different episodes from the Avengers: suspense thrillers, psychological games, and good old espionage. I highly recommend it.

An above average comedy made three times as good by one of the best casts ever. Michael J Fox stars as the only nice member of a family waiting for a rich relative to die. Kurt Douglas, Nancy Travis and Ed Begley Jr are just some of the hilarious cast. My absolute favourite scene is the brawl between Michael and Phil, but the film is full of unforgetable scenes. See it for yourself.

This picture reminds me of the movie Greedy. It's a real funny movie and I laughted at all the real funny jokes. If you like really funny movies, then this one will make you laugh alot. Michael J. Fox is really great in his role and I think he is about the funniest actor. All the others actors are funny too, except it's sad that Phil Hartman got killed, that's not very good. I think if you like to laugh and have fun, then this movie is absolutely too funny for words. Go see it for yourself. I don't think some movies are quite as funny as this one though. Joshua

Kirk Douglas is surrounded by predator family- with smiles. When a young sexy nurse moves in, the family sets out on a dire leap, conning a black-sheep (Michael J. Fox) to step in and the rest you'll adore. It's fast pace, twists, fantastic acting, humorous, and I haven't a clue why joe-pro critics seemed to have missed that here. *L*

This has to be just about the worst movie I've ever sat through. I watched it because I couldn't take my eyes off Gabriel Byrne, who has beautiful eyes and a beautiful accent, but otherwise it was just terrible. It wasn't even bad in a funny way; I just felt embarassed.
The story was completely ridiculous. I'm generally willing to suspend disbelief, but the whole back-from-the-dead thing seemed singularly pointless. Implausibilities mounted like cars in a pile-up. The dialogue was so banal it was almost unbelievable. The problems facing our pair of lovers were so manufactured I expcted the seams of the film to tear every moment. You don't fire a good doctor because reporters are crowding the operating room. You ban the reporters from the hospital. And why did they have to tie up all loose ends by hooking up the protagonists sister with that millionaire?
Among the many bad performances, the sister had to be the most annoying of the lot, but Shelley Long was pretty awful too. Even Byrne wasn't great (how could he be, with those god-awful lines to say) but at least he wasn't embarrassing like the rest.

This is one of my all-time favorites! Yeah it's cheesy, but it's so funny... you really can't take it seriously. I can practically recite the dialogue with the movie, I've seen it so many times... it's great! Shelley Long is hilarious in this role.

I thought this movie was VERY funny. Shelley's death scene is quite a laugh. And of course the story premise is very fun. Not a bad film at all. What can I say! It's just very cute and funny. Very good for a Saturday/Sunday afternoon movie.