Hudson Movie Reviews
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Family movie reviews for "Hudson" sorted by average review score:
A Texas Funeral
Released in DVD by Studio Home Entertainment (16 July, 2002)
The Southern-gothic psychodrama of old secrets, longtime rivalries, and ancient wounds reopened at a family funeral gets a warm reworking in W. Blake Heron's A Texas Funeral, a gentle variation on the melodramatic standby directed at the easy pace of a Texas drawl. Martin Sheen is at his paternal, gentle best as the deceased patriarch Sparta Whit, who returns in the visions of his grandson and namesake Little Sparta to introduce the boy to the proud and sometimes bizarre history of the Whit family. Robert Patrick and Joanne Whalley costar as Sparta's struggling he-man son and crazy oversexed daughter, respectively, and Chris Noth is the rich cousin quietly shouldering a financial crisis. Heron has a gentle touch with his characters, and his whimsical obsession with camels (the braying "noble steed of the desert warrior") and "the awesome power of the male Whit ear" (which drives members of the opposite sex mad with uncontrollable passion) lightens the family melodrama. It ultimately plays like a too-tidy stage play, where simmering conflicts are swept away with the dawn, but Heron refreshingly discards the traditional screaming confrontations and dish-throwing tantrums for a quietly intimate celebration of family heritage, blood ties, and forgiveness. --Sean Axmaker
Average review score: 
Unfolds beautifully . . . leaves you with a smile
a breath of fresh airA wonderful film, by a talented (new?) writer/director. A well crafted, intimate portrait of an old Texas family, it's history, and the ghosts (literally & metaphorically) in the family closet.
Fine performances all around. M. Sheem & Robert Patrick are SOLID.
Refreshing change from the slick, impersonable films from hollywood these days.
I look forward to future films by B. Herron.
Angel Links - Broken Angel (V.3)
Released in DVD by Pioneer Video (07 August, 2001)
Average review score:
Angel Links begins to fly!Well I reviewed the first two vol. of Angel Links giving them 3 stars. The first DVD started out slow, the second DVD begins to pick up pace, and in this dvd vol. 3 A shipment that the links group is protecting is stolen, she and Kosei go after the people who stole the shipment and end up faceing off against a Tao Master who can control the earth. Valeria is offered a job by and old friend, and Meifon is visited by a lost uncle. In the end we find out what Meifon really is and it threatens to tear her apart from the inside out. All in all I believe angel links has progressed a good deal since the release of vol. 1, and hopefully vol. 4 can continue the progression. I think a little visit from the Outlaw Star coulds also spice it up a little bit. Any one agree?
The Circuit 2
Released in DVD by Dej Productions Inc (15 July, 2003)
Average review score:
The Circuit 2Not to bad of a movie at all, however like many BLOCKBUSTER VIDEO EXCLUSIVE(R) titles, it is not exactly an award winning title, but it was very enjoyable, especially if you enjoy part one. Good acting by Oliver Grunier, I looked him up to see what other movies he has been in, mostly smaller BBE names.
October 22
Released in DVD by Image Entertainment (05 May, 2003)
Average review score:
Something different for a changeTired of the same 'ol bang 'em up movie or typical love story? This is a grossly underrated film. It depicts several people's lives during a one day period: simple folk, such as you and I. Generic camera shots,nothing spectacular, usually from angles that you'd see on a average day.
Don't get me wrong; it's not Emmy-bound, but it's worth not only seeing-it's a good investment to your collection. Buy it. You won't be disappointed.
Prince of Egypt/Joseph - King of Dreams
Released in DVD by Dreamworks Skg (06 February, 2001)
Starring: Rob LaDuca and Ben Affleck
Average review score:
Great movies for kids!I really liked both of these movies. Although some historical/scriptural liberties are taken, in general the films are fairly accurate. The morals of the scripture stories they are portraying are evident and understandable even for young children with some parental explanation. The songs in the Prince of Egypt are very engaging. My daughter likes to sing along to them. Joseph--King of Dreams isn't quite the same caliber as the Prince of Egypt, but it is still a good film with an interesting story line. My children like to watch both of these movies over and over. They are great for parents who want to teach the values of faith and patience to their children.
Prince of Egypt/Joseph - King of Dreams
Released in DVD by Umvd/Dreamworks (21 October, 2003)
Starring: Ben Affleck
Average review score:
Great movies for kids!I really liked both of these movies. Although some historical/scriptural liberties are taken, in general the films are fairly accurate. The morals of the scripture stories they are portraying are evident and understandable even for young children with some parental explanation. The songs in the Prince of Egypt are very engaging. My daughter likes to sing along to them. Joseph--King of Dreams isn't quite the same caliber as the Prince of Egypt, but it is still a good film with an interesting story line. My children like to watch both of these movies over and over. They are great for parents who want to teach the values of faith and patience to their children.
Chariots of Fire
Released in DVD by Warner Studios (22 August, 1997)
Starring: Ian Charleson and Ben Cross
The come-from-behind winner of the 1981 Oscar for best picture, Chariots of Fire either strikes you as either a cold exercise in mechanical manipulation or as a tale of true determination and inspiration. The heroes are an unlikely pair of young athletes who ran for Great Britain in the 1924 Paris Olympics: devout Protestant Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson), a divinity student whose running makes him feel closer to God, and Jewish Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross), a highly competitive Cambridge student who has to surmount the institutional hurdles of class prejudice and anti-Semitism. There's delicious support from Ian Holm (as Abrahams's coach) and John Gielgud and Lindsay Anderson as a couple of Cambridge fogies. Vangelis's soaring synthesized score, which seemed to be everywhere in the early 1980s, also won an Oscar. Chariots of Fire was the debut film of British television commercial director Hugh Hudson (Greystoke) and was produced by David Puttnam. --Jim Emerson
Average review score: 
Full Screen???!!! HAHAHAI agree with other reviewers here. It must be joking that this film is released in full screen format! The Region 2 version is widescreen. Get that one instead.
Reflections on Fire - 20 Years Later-
Synopsis: In the 1924 Olympics, a Jew and a Scotsman run for Britain
Synopsis: In the 1924 Olympics, a Jew and a Scotsman run for Britain
Review: A film grossly undervalued. But understandably so. The characters within find meaning in existing; they are 'bound'-honor bound, duty bound, spirit bound, or tradition bound-but, in any case, bound. In our modern time, with its ennui and absurdity, this film is difficult to approach and appreciate. We are growing more and more comfortable among stagnation, decomposition, rot. Any thing, any life, with order, form, direction, faith, and beauty, is alien to us.
PS: This medium insults the art-try to obtain something in wide screen format.
What Critics Said Then:
'The whole contradictory bundle is unexpectedly watchable.' Jo Imeson, MFB
'A piece of technological lyricism held together by the glue of simple-minded heroic sentiment.' Pauline Kael
'A hymn to the human spirit as if scored by Barry Manilow.' Richard Carliss, Film Comment
Importance: Chariots of Fire is heroic/bold/romantic/strong-and other such things lower in our present value system. It is judged outdated, irrelevant. I believe it will hold an important place to those of us who are judged 'outdated' and 'irrelevant,' because we believe in something.
Further Viewing: Other heroic classics, I believe, are Casablanca, Gone with the Wind, Lawrence of Arabia, On the Waterfront, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Raider's of the Lost Ark, The Prince's Bride, and Rocky.
Credits:
Writer: Colin Welland. Director: Hugh Hudson. Photography: David Watkin. Music: Vangelis. Actors: Ben Cross, Ian Charleston, Nigel Havers, Nicholas Farrell, Daniel Gerroll, Cheryl Campbell, Alice Krige, John Guilgud, Lindsay Anderson, Nigel Davenport, Ian Holm, Patrick Magee.
Awards:
Oscars: Best Picture, Screenplay, Score. Oscar Nominations: Director, Cinematography, Supporting Actor (Ian Holm). BAFTA Winner: Best Picture, Costume Design, Ian Holm.
Dedication: to Miss Laura Kristine Cate
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"Let us praise famous men..."Chariots of Fire is an incredible film that consistently scores high on many a "best ever" list. The film contrasts the lives of Eric Liddel (played by Ian Charleson) and Harold Abrahams (played by Ben Cross) two men who competed on the 1924 British Olympic team. Liddel and Abrahams could not be more different. Liddel runs to glorify God while Abrahams runs to fight against the anti-Semitism that has dogged him all of his life.
The movie itself is a rare combination of brilliant cinematography (for which it won the Oscar), an incredible score and a stirring story that can appeal to all kinds of people. It makes for a unique and awe-inspiring viewing experience. You'll be on your feet cheering by the end of the movie.
The only criticism is the criminal way in which the DVD was released. It is not in widescreen. The "extras" are the trailer, production notes and scene selection. The film itself hadn't been cleaned up for DVD release either. Like virtually all of the other reviewers said, this makes watching the DVD painful and enchanting simultaneously. You love the art, but the DVD is almost so bad that it lessens the greatness of this masterpiece.
Shaft
Released in DVD by Paramount Home Video (12 December, 2000)
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Vanessa L. Williams, and Christian Bale
Samuel L. Jackson makes a gleefully updated John Shaft in John Singleton's homage to (not remake of) the early '70s action classic, picking up where Richard Roundtree's legendary Shaft left off. The Manhattan-set film is highlighted by excellent performances, dynamic action scenes, and witty one-liners (Jackson's Shaft: "It's my duty to please the booty"--although the line's deceptive: there's a surprising lack of sex in the film). Unfortunately, it's offset by a surprisingly uninspired, predictable, one-dimensional story, penned by Singleton, Richard Price, and Shane Salerno. The story, in which Shaft investigates the murder of a young African American, is without suspense, since from the start the audience knows that rich white boy Walter Wade (Christian Bale) did the deed, and that Shaft is going to kick his ass, big time. That said, charismatic performances--from Jackson (who, in keeping with the times, is more volatile and fiery than his predecessor), Toni Collette (as a frightened witness), the villainous Bale, and the utterly amazing Jeffrey Wright (Basquiat)--make the film enticing and watchable. Look for a cameo by the original Shaft's director, the legendary Gordon Parks, and fans of the original should note that a still stunningly handsome Roundtree briefly appears as Jackson's uncle. --N.F. Mendoza
Average review score:
wonderful remakea great remake with Jackson being the man Shaft. good action with some unexpected turnabouts. Christian Bale is menacing as the racist who kills Mehki Phifer then has to answer to Shaft and Jeffrey Wright is a spectacular badguy as well. a good ride
Jackson was born to play shaftSamuel L Jackson is fabulous in this as John Shaft a tough, cynical NYPD detective who resigns in anger and takes justice into his own hands.
Some have criticised the plot for being obvious but I find that there are some unexpected twists that keep the story interesting. The dialogue is solid and the screenplay is very well written. The hard-ass banter between cops and bad guys is deliverd almost universally in a very natural style and really captures the feel of NYC.
Jeffrey Wright is just amazing as Peoples Hernandez and next to Jackson delivers some of the best lines in the movie. His performance alone makes this film worth checking out. Christian Bales is the other bad-guy. He plays the son of a Donald Tump-like real estate developer who commits a racist murder and then uses his money and influence to avoid being brought to justice.
Bales is very good in this role and his scenes with Jeffrey Wright are some of the best in the film.
Buster Rhymes plays Shaft's friend and driver and is also very good.
The action sequences are well done but what makes this film is the dialogue and the trading of insults, etc. between a variety of characters that are New York stereotypes. And while they may be stereotypes they still deliver some really memorable lines.
I've watched this numerous times and know much of it by heart but that doesn't prevent me from continuing to enjoy it.
Some have criticised the plot for being obvious but I find that there are some unexpected twists that keep the story interesting. The dialogue is solid and the screenplay is very well written. The hard-ass banter between cops and bad guys is deliverd almost universally in a very natural style and really captures the feel of NYC.
Jeffrey Wright is just amazing as Peoples Hernandez and next to Jackson delivers some of the best lines in the movie. His performance alone makes this film worth checking out. Christian Bales is the other bad-guy. He plays the son of a Donald Tump-like real estate developer who commits a racist murder and then uses his money and influence to avoid being brought to justice.
Bales is very good in this role and his scenes with Jeffrey Wright are some of the best in the film.
Buster Rhymes plays Shaft's friend and driver and is also very good.
The action sequences are well done but what makes this film is the dialogue and the trading of insults, etc. between a variety of characters that are New York stereotypes. And while they may be stereotypes they still deliver some really memorable lines.
I've watched this numerous times and know much of it by heart but that doesn't prevent me from continuing to enjoy it.
A Fun , if Violent, MovieLightweight storywise--but no more so than a modern James Bond movie--"Shaft" is nonetheless stylish and entertaining, even with some scenes of terrible violence. Samuel L. Jackson makes a worthy successor to the family legacy of being supercool, playing the same sort of urban 007 Richard Roundtree brought to life in the Shaft films of the 1970s. This time, the nephew of the original clashes with a brutal racist and a showoff drug kingpin who have joined forces to stalk the only witness to a savage murder. Director John Singleton keeps the energy constant, helped in part by Isaac Hayes' terrific theme and David Arnold's incidental music, though the occasional quick zoom gets annoying after a while. Taken as entertainment with a little social commentary, "Shaft" offers little to dislike, except, perhaps, the brief appearance by Roundtree, who also seems more mellow and unhip this time around.
Armageddon
Released in DVD by Touchstone Video (14 January, 2003)
Starring: Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Ben Affleck, and Liv Tyler
The latest testosterone-saturated blow-'em-up from producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay (The Rock, Bad Boys) continues Hollywood's millennium-fueled fascination with the destruction of our planet. There's no arguing that the successful duo understands what mainstream American audiences want in their blockbuster movies--loads of loud, eye-popping special effects, rapid- fire pacing, and patriotic flag waving. Bay's protagonists--the eight crude, lewd, oversexed (but lovable, of course) oil drillers summoned to save the world from a Texas-sized meteor hurling toward the earth--are not flawless heroes, but common men with whom all can relate. In this huge Western-in-space soap opera, they're American cowboys turned astronauts. Sci-fi buffs will appreciate Bay's fetishizing of technology, even though it's apparent he doesn't understand it as anything more than flashing lights and shiny gadgets. Smartly, the duo also tries to lure the art-house crowd, raiding the local indie acting stable and populating the film with guys like Steve Buscemi, Billy Bob Thornton, Owen Wilson, and Michael Duncan, all adding needed touches of humor and charisma. When Bay applies his sledgehammer aesthetics to the action portions of the film, it's mindless fun; it's only when Armageddon tackles humanity that it becomes truly offensive. Not since Mississippi Burning have racial and cultural stereotypes been substituted for characters so blatantly--African Americans, Japanese, Chinese, Scottish, Samoans, Muslims, French ... if it's not white and American, Bay simplifies it. Or, make that white male America; the film features only three notable females--four if you count the meteor, who's constantly referred to as a "bitch that needs drillin'," but she's a hell of a lot more developed and unpredictable than the other women characters combined. Sure, Bay's film creates some tension and contains some visceral moments, but if he can't create any redeemable characters outside of those in space, what's the point of saving the planet? --Dave McCoy
Average review score:
Shamefully BadThis movie epitomizes Hollywood's love affair with fluff over substance. This whole film is so glossy, so formulaic, and so utterly empty that it's really quite extraordinary in its vapidity. The marketing tie-in with Aerosmith smacks of additional cynical money-grubbing. The visual style in particular is laughable and shameful: one second, it looks like an MTV video, the next a car commercial.
Avoid if you want to respect yourself in the morning.
THE WORST FILM EVER MADE !When I saw this movie in the theater, I liked about the first 5 minutes, then I just remember wanting this retarded movie to end. It just kept going...and going....and going. It just got more absurd as the hours past. Terribal script, lame acting, dorky soundtrack. Especially that god awfull song by Areosmith. Sitting there in my seat after two and a half agonizing hours, I only could hope for a real asteroid to hit the earth to end this movie disaster. Do yourself a favor and buy a different dvd.
An action film, but for that genre, a good flickYes, the plot is far-fetched and hardly belieable... but isn't that the purpose of an action film??? You have to suspend reality to watch them. You must buy into the premise of the movie. If you can't, then don't bother.
Good performances here Billy Bob, Bruce, Ben, Liv... nicely done.
Armageddon -- Criterion Collection
Released in DVD by Touchstone Video (20 April, 1999)
Starring: Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Ben Affleck, and Liv Tyler
The latest testosterone-saturated blow-'em-up from producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay (The Rock, Bad Boys) continues Hollywood's millennium-fueled fascination with the destruction of our planet. There's no arguing that the successful duo understands what mainstream American audiences want in their blockbuster movies--loads of loud, eye-popping special effects, rapid-fire pacing, and patriotic flag waving. Bay's protagonists--the eight crude, lewd, oversexed (but lovable, of course) oil drillers summoned to save the world from a Texas-sized meteor hurling toward the earth--are not flawless heroes, but common men with whom all can relate. In this huge Western-in-space soap opera, they're American cowboys turned astronauts. Sci-fi buffs will appreciate Bay's fetishizing of technology, even though it's apparent he doesn't understand it as anything more than flashing lights and shiny gadgets. Smartly, the duo also tries to lure the art-house crowd, raiding the local indie acting stable and populating the film with guys like Steve Buscemi, Billy Bob Thornton, Owen Wilson, and Michael Duncan, all adding needed touches of humor and charisma. When Bay applies his sledgehammer aesthetics to the action portions of the film, it's mindless fun; it's only when Armageddon tackles humanity that it becomes truly offensive. Not since Mississippi Burning have racial and cultural stereotypes been substituted for characters so blatantly--African Americans, Japanese, Chinese, Scottish, Samoans, Muslims, French ... if it's not white and American, Bay simplifies it. Or, make that white male America; the film features only three notable females--four if you count the meteor, who's constantly referred to as a "bitch that needs drillin'," but she's a hell of a lot more developed and unpredictable than the other women characters combined. Sure, Bay's film creates some tension and contains some visceral moments, but if he can't create any redeemable characters outside of those in space, what's the point of saving the planet? --Dave McCoy
Average review score:
Shamefully BadThis movie epitomizes Hollywood's love affair with fluff over substance. This whole film is so glossy, so formulaic, and so utterly empty that it's really quite extraordinary in its vapidity. The marketing tie-in with Aerosmith smacks of additional cynical money-grubbing. The visual style in particular is laughable and shameful: one second, it looks like an MTV video, the next a car commercial.
Avoid if you want to respect yourself in the morning.
THE WORST FILM EVER MADE !When I saw this movie in the theater, I liked about the first 5 minutes, then I just remember wanting this retarded movie to end. It just kept going...and going....and going. It just got more absurd as the hours past. Terribal script, lame acting, dorky soundtrack. Especially that god awfull song by Areosmith. Sitting there in my seat after two and a half agonizing hours, I only could hope for a real asteroid to hit the earth to end this movie disaster. Do yourself a favor and buy a different dvd.
An action film, but for that genre, a good flickYes, the plot is far-fetched and hardly belieable... but isn't that the purpose of an action film??? You have to suspend reality to watch them. You must buy into the premise of the movie. If you can't, then don't bother.
Good performances here Billy Bob, Bruce, Ben, Liv... nicely done.
What was supposed to be a family reunion for the reading of the will, due to Jeremiah Sparta's (Martin Sheen)death, turns out to be a weekend that reveals just how little they all knew about each other. Seen mostly through the eyes of Jeremiah's grandson, who decides to be mute after being told to shut up, we see him interact with Jeremiah and his ancestors in the spirit world. They unload all the juicy tales of the past and it's quite fun to hear all the live folks' interpretation. After the will is read, this sets the stage for everyone's personal struggle with their haunting secrets. With solid performances and an engrossing script, you can't help but be drawn into everyone's life as you see all the anger, pain, jealousy and even an unquenchable fetish dissolve.
Definitely a keeper. One you could watch again. Good sound and picture quality too.