Custom Detailing Movie Reviews

This is a decent film for anyone who likes war-themed movies. There aren't any intricate combat scenes and the plot involves a love story or two that are a bit thin, but if you're a fan of military films, this one is worth watching at least once, if only for the one-liners delivered by James Earl Jones. Some of the film's highlights (aside from the one-liners) include a star-studded cast and good performances by the principle characters. The movie is set in the "Old Guard" in Washington, D.C., where the cast struggles in each person's perception of the war in Vietnam and how they deal with it.

I admit that my review is somewhat biased, because I got to be an extra in this movie. I was a Military Policeman stationed at Ft. Myer when they filmed this movie and I got the chance to be in it and meet the cast.
The depiction of the life of the 3rd US Infantry (The Old Guard) conducting the funerals is fairly accurate. Overall, I think that this movie represented the Army fairly. Some minor details struck me, but they didn't detract from the enjoyment of the movie in any way.
As for the cast, my personal opinion of them varies as well, but I would like to say thet James Earl Jones is a wonderful man and in person, he's larger than life.
If anyone would like to delve a little deeper into this story, I would recommend the book by Nicholas Profitt, or I'd be glad to answer any questions you might have.

Moving story about the Old Guard at Arlington Cemetety in Washington during the war in Vietnam.
James Caan give a powerful performance as an old vetern who has done his time, and his good friend played James Earl Jones who also plays a decorated vetern.
This is more an anti-war film then any thing else. Because it's the old guard that conducts the funerals for KIA's from the war that was still raging at the time.
There are no combat scenes in this film, but you feel the war through burials they perform, and conversations Cann, and Jones have with the young buck in the outfit who wants to do his duty.
While this isn't an action film, it is one hell of drama about the true effects of war. And don't think of this as just another Coming Home ( a film with a trumpted up situation, designed to tug at the heart strings, with Hanoi Jane Fonda)
I'd have to put this with 84 Charlie Mopic, Hamburger Hill, We Were Soldiers, and Full Metal Jacket on my list of all time favorite Vietnam era films.

I have just ordered this DVD movie thru Amazon. Unfortunately, in Australia, this movie is not available to purchase for private sale in either a DVD or VHS format. This is not the only movie that is unavailable down under, but was the first on my list to purchase thru Amazon. That says it all.

I must have seen this movie at least three or four times, and it always gets to me. I will not go into the story line here, as that has been done in detail by other reviewers. Instead, I would just like to say that this is one of those great movies which, in my view, has not received as much attention as it should have. It is not only a suspenseful and gripping account of the early AIDS epidemic, it is also a lesson in how science can be at once extraordinary, as well as petty and ferociously competitive. Based in fact, this movie also serves as an important historical document.

Seeing this movie will not lift your spirits, and it most certainly doesn't paint a pretty picture of humanity, but it does leave you feeling a little wiser, and more educated about the beginnings of a disease which continues to greatly affect people and societies all over the planet. It tells a story which needs to be told, and it does it well.

I watched the movie in it's entirety. This showed how the blood industry and the politicians and the owners of the Bath Houses
were willing to care more about the money they would lose testing
the blood supply and closing the Bathhouses than saving lives and
fighting for the right thing. It shows the selfishness of Dr.Gallo and the misconduct that was involved. They didn't even
test the donors before letting them donate blood. Thus, people
who recieved transfusions got sick and died as a result of an
infected donor. The end tribute where all of the victims of aids
were remembered along with a touching musical tribute from Elton
John, and also they showed the AIDS quilt, commemorating those
who lost the battle of AIDS.

The story has been recounted here many times over, so I'll just skip straight to my personal comments. I sat down to watch this movie with high expectations, seeing that it had, like certain other "classics", been esteemed very highly by a number of people. To be honest, I'm not sure if it's the just the improvements in scriptwriting and acting since when this movie was done (and also the risen demands), or if this movie split audiences already in the 1950s. In any case, I found the story pretty thin and contrived, and the acting somewhat awkward (this is partly due to the somewhat unnatural and rigid acting style of the 50s).

Already during one of the first scenes, where Charlie sits at the dining table with Rosie and her brother, and Charlie's stomach grumbles repeatedly (and with some hokey sound effect), each time followed by an uncomfortable glance from the other two, in a sense hinting that he wants food, I was wrapping my fingers around my eyes and shaking my head. It kinda reminded me of the sort of slapstick humor the Marx Brothers used to do for children in the 1930s, and I told myself that this can't be a good sign - at least for a movie targeted at adults.

The rest of the movie fortunately didn't have any more scenes like that in it, but it nevertheless fell somewhat flat. The plot itself, as I previously mentioned, I found quite simplistic and contrived: Missionary and his sister's African village - where the natives are stereotypically portrayed as two-dimensional unintelligent barbarians who have little importance of their own - gets burned down by Germans during WWI, and she escapes with a guy on a boat. Out of the blue, she has an "idea" to build a torpedo out of whatever is on board and use it to sink a German battleship, and she convinces the guy to let his boat be used for that purpose. The apparent hokeyness can be partly forgiven for a movie which is supposed to concentrate on character development and interaction rather than an intellectual plot. Unfortunately, that end didn't hold up very well, either. The characters are developed quite clumsily, in sort of jerks and jumps, and in a pretty simplistic way. An example: At the beginning of the trip, Rosie looks down on Charlie as a crude and uncouth man, while Charlie sees Rosie as a complaining and uptight old maid; the characters are as different as night and day, and the conflict is evident. Later in the movie, without any significant romantic buildup, they suddenly fall in love for each other. No verbal fencing, no cat-and-mouse, no emotional play, no body language, no "moves"; nothing satisfying or even realistic. It just happens. At that point I got the feeling that I must have missed something. I watched part of the movie again to see if there was some development that I didn't catch, but I simply couldn't find any.

What also struck me as odd is the certain implausibility of Bogart's character, Charlie. He plays a wilderness-hardened heavy-drinking, partying type who knows how to take care of himself. Yet, when Rosie comes on board and there is obvious conflict between the characters, Charlie just lets himself be pretty much commanded around and goes along with demands to just take his boat anywhere she wants, blow it up (especially since it is both his livelihood and only property), and do what she wants with the stuff on board, such as throwing away boxfuls of his expensive liquor for no other reason than that she doesn't like booze. It's so unlikely and in conflict with the character that it just rubbed me the wrong way.

The cinematography is OK, though, and the film and audio quality is generally pretty good for the era. Katharine Hepburn also does quite a convincing job as an uptight missionary, the sort who hasn't really experienced much but secretly longs to.

All in all, I'd probably recommend this mostly to children and young teenagers as an adventure movie with a "clean" story, but adults might want to look elsewhere for something more intellectually or emotionally stimulating.

This terrific film stars Katherine Hepuburn as a prim missionary's sister, stranded in the wilds of Africa when her brother dies, and the Germans are coming. She persuades riverboat man Charlie Allnut (Humphry Bogart) that they should make a torpedo to blow up a German warship, and they travel down the river together in his tatty little boat the African Queen. Their personalities clash painfully at first, but gradually they come to appreciate each other. Katherine Hepburn has the two best lines in the film, after she's travelled down the rapids, Bogart expects her to be terrfied, but she says "I never dreamed any mere physical experience could be so exhilirating!". Then, when Bogart has insulted her and she's poured all his gin away in revenge, he protests that getting drunk now and again is only human nature, "Nature, Mr. Allnut, is what we are put in this world to rise above!" A great film. Just to clear up a point that seems to have confused some previous reviewers, this film is set during World War ONE, not Two...

The African Queen is a movie for all ages, it is a prime example of what "Film Makers" can make, that is fun to watch. You don't have to worry about putting the kids to bed as there is nothing in this movie to hurt them. No sex, no vulgarity, a little violence, but nothing compared with the cartoons of today. I recommend this movie to one and all and I can hardly wait for it to be released on DVD.

At first glance, you may be tempted to skip over this title; it looks like one of those studio films which tries to throw together a "hot" American actor (Stallone was probably at the peak of his popularity at the time) with an English counterpart (Michael Caine). And you're right, that's what this film is doing. Most of the time these projects don't work. Surprisingly, though, this one is pretty good.
The acting can be a bit clunky, Stallone is not absolutely convincing in his portrayal of a Yank in a dominantly English POW camp & his attempt at a French accent is horrifying. All that aside,though, it is a riveting movie experience. Believe me, this is not a "train wreck" that you can't stop watching- there are genuinely good performances in this film. Caine is right on-the-mark as the coach (I ask you, when is he not great?), Stallone has a couple of scenes where his passion shows (especially in the tunnel under the stadium) & the pro soccer players as a whole turn in good, solid performances. Typically when you have pro athletes in a film, they're usually parodying themselves or a reasonable facsimile. These guys have to play POWs who happen to be soccer players & they're surprisingly good. The actual soccer scenes are terrific. Watching the game, you may appreciate more the skills of first-rate soccer players.
One aspect of this film which is hardly recognized is the musical score. I liked it & found it to be a rousing partner to those moments of triumph.
Granted, this movie isn't perfect (by no stretch of the imagination) but I believe it's worth a try. This may turn out to be one of "your" guilty pleasures.

What a cast of characters. Pele, Stallone, Caine, van Sydow,and a number of other international football stars. Some of the soccer scenes are pure poetry along with some alright acting. But don't get it twisted, it's the final match that holds this film up as a football classic. The drama builds to a razors edge as the players forgo their one chance of escaping to finish the match of their lives knowing that the freedom they so desperately crave will be sacrificed if they do so. Anyone, and I mean anyone who plays soccer and needs some inspiration this is your flick. A must see!

Exceptional actors, exceptional director, exceptional music, and exceptional script come together to make this a uniquely satisfying film. On the surface it may seem like a ludicrous concept, but with top notch actors like Max von Sydow and Michael Caine carrying the story, and legendary director John Huston at the helm, VICTORY couldn't help but be a highly enjoyable experience. The presence of world class soccer players playing the prisoners of war doesn't hurt, either.
What was supposed to be a small-time, "friendly" match between some POWs and the German army gets blown up--thanks to Nazi propagandists--into an Olympian spectacle with the POWs playing against the German NATIONAL team in Paris! The point is to use the expertise of the German team to mercilessly obliterate the POWs on the soccer field as a symbol of German superiority.
Unfortunately for the Nazis, the POWs proved to be much more of a challenge than they expected....

It has its moments, but this particular movie is substandard compared to Bogart's other films. The acting is not particularly good and the dialogue isn't clever either. It is mostly cheap melodrama punctuated by a few exciting moments. Unless you are a major fan of Bogart or Bacall I would recommend avoiding this one.

"Key Largo" is the exciting suspense/drama directed by the legendary John Huston. It features Bogie at his care worn, worldly best and pits him against the best mug since Cagney - Edward G. Robinson. Plot wise: when a retired war hero comes to tell the father of a slain soldier about his son's final days, he discovers that the hotel they are staying in has been over run by gangsters during one of the worst hurricanes to ever hit the Florida coast. This film costars Lauren Bacall and the fantastic Lionel Barrymore.
Warner Home Video's DVD is looking pretty darn good. The gray scale of this black and white movie is well represented and the blacks are definitely black. Shadow delineation and contrast levels are superb with fine detail promenantly evident throughout. Fine details occasionally shimmer and there is some minor edge enhancement but nothing that will terribly distract from your viewing experience. The audio is mono and, although at times strident, is well represented throughout. We get no extras on this disc, a real shame.

Yet another stellar teaming of Humphrey Bogart and John Huston, and as good as it is, the second best released in 1948, the better film being the spectacular THE TREASURE OF SIERRA MADRE. I have not read the Maxwell Anderson play upon which it is supposed to be based (and the film before they all go onto the boat near the end does have a stagy feel to it), but I would be willing to bet money that the part on the boat is taken from the last half of the novel TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT by Hemingway (also with Bogart and Bacall, though directed by Howard Hawks, supposedly based on the Hemingway novel, but not actually having much in common with it). That novel ends with the main character transporting gangsters on a boat in the same area and shooting it out pretty much like they do in the movie.

The plot resembles to some extent not merely the end of the novel TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT but Bogart's first screen success, THE PETRIFIED FOREST, only with Edward G. Robinson as the gangster instead of Bogart. The role was a return to form for Robinson, who had been one of the great screen villains of the thirties. In the forties, with Hitler making hoodlums look rather small time, the traditional gangster film gave way to film noir, and although Robinson appeared in a couple as a non-heavy, he ceased primarily being a gangster. He had been in the previous few years in several superb films--THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW, SCARLET STREET, THE STRANGER, and the quintessential film noir DOUBLE INDEMNITY--but in none of them did he portray the kind of gangster upon which he built his reputation. Johnny Rocco is a complete return of the kind of role upon which he had first become famous. But because of the war, he and his kind seem so much less dangerous. Interestingly, he is depicted primarily evil because of his rapaciousness and greed, not unlike the major characters of THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE. When Bogart asks him what he wants and then explains he knows what it is that Rocco wants, he tells him, "More," to which Rocco excitedly replies, "Yeah, that's what I want. More." Given Huston's politics and social understanding--he and Billy Wilder were about the only two major Hollywood directors at the time who remained steadfast leftists during a period of violent right wing reaction against supposed un-Americanism--it is easy to see this as a commentary not merely on bad gangsters, but on post-War American values. I suggest that is pretty much confirmed by linking KEY LARGO with THE TREASURE OF SIERRA MADRE.

This truly is a cast to die for. The film itself is a bit slow at times, unquestionably because it is an adaptation from a stage play, but the actors are so, so very good that you can forget the relative lack of action and watch masters of their craft go to town. Lionel Barrymore manages one of his last major performances (he was a virtual invalid because of a series of leg and hip problems that began in the 1930s). Lauren Bacall is great with Bogart, but her performance is utterly overshadowed by Clare Trevor, who won a greatly deserved Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role.

This is not one of the best films made by any of the major participants, but it is a reflection on the overall excellence of their careers than on the movie itself. A "must see" for any fans of any of the principals.

Correction: One reviewer below indicated Edward G. Robinson was around five feet tall. He was actually 5'5 or 5'6, a tiny bit shorter than James Cagney.

This is a tight little noir with a clever plot. Crawford almost literally chews up the furniture, flopping against doors and bannisters for most of the second half of the movie. She gives the movie a pleasant campy flavor, but I'm not a big fan of her histrionics. The real reason to watch this movie is to be thrilled by the spectacle of the white hot young Jack Palance. His onscreen "romance" with Gloria Graham is about as good of a depiction of unsavory lust as I have ever seen. An example: the couple meet and argue. Palance's character throws Graham onto her sofa and starts to stomp out of the room. Graham purrs after him something to the effect of 'I'm glad to know that you still love me', which stops Palance in his tracks. He turns and walks towards her, all akimbo on the sofa, and the scene fades. Yow!
I give this four stars instead of five because the scene with Palance's character gone mad in the car at the end of the movie is kind of jarringly out of place, and because I can take only so much of Joan Crawford flopping on the doors.

Joan plays Myra Hudson, a successful playrite who marries Jack Palance then discovers an awful truth....Now watch Joanie go to work in a very clever way to out fox the villians......It is no surprise to me that Miss Crawford was nominated for an Oscar for this edge of your seat Hitchcockian like thriller...It is a job very well done and Miss Crawford deserves a vivacious round of applause!! ATTA GIRL JOANIE!!!

Joan Crawford & Jack Palance are sheer perfection in this tightly directed film noir suspense film. Not for a moment does the tension ease! Crawford has done excellent work in many of her large library of films, but this ranks right at the top. This is one to own!

I like the idea of an underground group of people who are souly driven by money. I love this movie b/c my girlfriend at the time freaked out in the theater and ran out. She couldn't believe they would make such a violent movie. THE HORROR!It was the scene where he gets the glass in the throat. I'm still erked that he was sleeping with his om though.

Small complaints re: the DVD are the sound quality (a restored 5.1 audio would have been nice), director Stephen Frears' rambling and almost entirely uninformative commentary and Annette Benning's [Myra] absence from the project (making it feel incomplete). That said, the features are good, short but informative and the commentary by Donald Westlake [screenwriter], Anjelica Huston [Lily] and John Cusack [Roy] provide interesting details of their work and the film itself.

The movie is based on the book (same title) by Jim Thompson, and stays fairly close to the theme of the book. (Though, they touch on the nurse in the movie, the nurse actually had a little more of a part in the book.) To me, it's important that a movie based on a book does it's original source justice, and I think this movie does just Jim Thompson's crime noir justice.

This is amongst my Top 5 Movies of All Time. And, I think, is amongst the best work John Cusack has ever done in his career.

The interaction between the characters is executed well. Anjelica Huston, Annette Benning, and John Cusack all play their roles to the tilt, and when I read the book, I could see each actor playing their particular characters.

Though, the book was set in the '50s, you never really know what era they are in in the movie. I like the mystery of that. The women in '40s dresses and John wearing a skinny tie which was popular both in the '60s and '80s. I think that's how the movie has aged so well, and that will keep it timeless.

I read someone else's review here that their DVD/this particular DVD doesn't have any bonuses. If you get the special edition DVD of The Grifters, you'll get bonuses. There's a section about Jim Thompson and the book version, as well as interviews with the cast and crew.

I like the idea of an underground group of people who are souly driven by money. I love this movie b/c my girlfriend at the time freaked out in the theater and ran out. She couldn't believe they would make such a violent movie. THE HORROR!It was the scene where he gets the glass in the throat. I'm still erked that he was sleeping with his om though.

Small complaints re: the DVD are the sound quality (a restored 5.1 audio would have been nice), director Stephen Frears' rambling and almost entirely uninformative commentary and Annette Benning's [Myra] absence from the project (making it feel incomplete). That said, the features are good, short but informative and the commentary by Donald Westlake [screenwriter], Anjelica Huston [Lily] and John Cusack [Roy] provide interesting details of their work and the film itself.

The movie is based on the book (same title) by Jim Thompson, and stays fairly close to the theme of the book. (Though, they touch on the nurse in the movie, the nurse actually had a little more of a part in the book.) To me, it's important that a movie based on a book does it's original source justice, and I think this movie does just Jim Thompson's crime noir justice.

This is amongst my Top 5 Movies of All Time. And, I think, is amongst the best work John Cusack has ever done in his career.

The interaction between the characters is executed well. Anjelica Huston, Annette Benning, and John Cusack all play their roles to the tilt, and when I read the book, I could see each actor playing their particular characters.

Though, the book was set in the '50s, you never really know what era they are in in the movie. I like the mystery of that. The women in '40s dresses and John wearing a skinny tie which was popular both in the '60s and '80s. I think that's how the movie has aged so well, and that will keep it timeless.

I read someone else's review here that their DVD/this particular DVD doesn't have any bonuses. If you get the special edition DVD of The Grifters, you'll get bonuses. There's a section about Jim Thompson and the book version, as well as interviews with the cast and crew.

Thankfully, this is the rare example where the sequel equals the original. This is a great second chapter in the new Addams Family saga. Sadly, it was not to last with the untimely death of Julia.

Joan Cusack is delightful here as is the rest of the cast. Again, a thoroughly watchable and re-watchable film with great pacing and a healthy sense of whimsy.

This movie is pretty much perfect. Anjelica Huston, Christina Ricci, and Christopher Lloyd excel in their performances as the most noticable of the family members. They know how to act in a dark comedy like this, where a mother might have to take away the knife her daughter is chasing the younger brother around with. And hand her an axe in replacement.
The movie has about three sub-plots. The first involves Morticia and Gomez, the parents, who just had a baby and are having to deal with all three of their children at once ( Wednesday and Pugsley, the children, are infatuated with disposing of the infant ).
While the children are plotting away, a nanny is hired. Her name is Debbie, played very well by Joan Cusack. Unbeknownst to the family, she is a criminal who marries rich men and then kills them, earning her a famous black-widow reputation. The second sub-plot involves her advances towards a relationship with Uncle Fester, one of the world's richest men.
The third sub-plot is Debbie's decision that Wednesday and Pugsley be sent to summer camp, which is basically the Addams's vision of Hell. Or Heaven. Whichever they like the least.
The movie is filled with hilarious one-liners and events, and the Addamses will charm almost anyone with their twisted, morbid lives.

This second movie of the Addams family far surpasses the first, as much as I enjoyed that one. Why? Because the entire family is put in positions that they would sooner die then be in. Let's take Pugsley and Wednesday who are sent to summer camp. Oh my!
The counselors try very hard to make them fit in, something they should have never done! chuckle!
Then we have Uncle Fester and his new girlfriend Debbie, who is really only a deranged gold digger, but she manages to steal
Uncle Fester's heart and move him into a home that is certainly like death to him.
Let's not leave out the new Addams baby, who turns into a beautiful blond haired picture perfect tender child....oh horrors of horrors! All the elements are there for each character to have to overcome to resume their....ah...'normal' life. This one has some dark sides, especially with girlfriend
Debbie who has no problem in trying to snuff out all the Addams at once. Grat acting! Great adventure and a tad of humor on the way! All in all, a good movie!

Thankfully, this is the rare example where the sequel equals the original. This is a great second chapter in the new Addams Family saga. Sadly, it was not to last with the untimely death of Julia.

Joan Cusack is delightful here as is the rest of the cast. Again, a thoroughly watchable and re-watchable film with great pacing and a healthy sense of whimsy.

This movie is pretty much perfect. Anjelica Huston, Christina Ricci, and Christopher Lloyd excel in their performances as the most noticable of the family members. They know how to act in a dark comedy like this, where a mother might have to take away the knife her daughter is chasing the younger brother around with. And hand her an axe in replacement.
The movie has about three sub-plots. The first involves Morticia and Gomez, the parents, who just had a baby and are having to deal with all three of their children at once ( Wednesday and Pugsley, the children, are infatuated with disposing of the infant ).
While the children are plotting away, a nanny is hired. Her name is Debbie, played very well by Joan Cusack. Unbeknownst to the family, she is a criminal who marries rich men and then kills them, earning her a famous black-widow reputation. The second sub-plot involves her advances towards a relationship with Uncle Fester, one of the world's richest men.
The third sub-plot is Debbie's decision that Wednesday and Pugsley be sent to summer camp, which is basically the Addams's vision of Hell. Or Heaven. Whichever they like the least.
The movie is filled with hilarious one-liners and events, and the Addamses will charm almost anyone with their twisted, morbid lives.

This second movie of the Addams family far surpasses the first, as much as I enjoyed that one. Why? Because the entire family is put in positions that they would sooner die then be in. Let's take Pugsley and Wednesday who are sent to summer camp. Oh my!
The counselors try very hard to make them fit in, something they should have never done! chuckle!
Then we have Uncle Fester and his new girlfriend Debbie, who is really only a deranged gold digger, but she manages to steal
Uncle Fester's heart and move him into a home that is certainly like death to him.
Let's not leave out the new Addams baby, who turns into a beautiful blond haired picture perfect tender child....oh horrors of horrors! All the elements are there for each character to have to overcome to resume their....ah...'normal' life. This one has some dark sides, especially with girlfriend
Debbie who has no problem in trying to snuff out all the Addams at once. Grat acting! Great adventure and a tad of humor on the way! All in all, a good movie!