Christian Movie Reviews

No wonder the HOllywood musical has been in the doldrums until the recent rebirth of "Chicago" and "Moulin Rouge." This dismal, embarassing mess set the musical back ten years. The mob of "newsies" all look like California surfin' dudes who were called in to jump and leap around and do Kenny Ortega's trademark Flashdance routines. All the news boys are fresh faced, clean and neat. Even though they live in a flophouse, they act like they've never missed a meal. And then the great Ann-Margaret is brought in for a brief cameo before promptly vanishing from sight. Most embarassing is the movie's attempt to be multicultural by placing a young black kid smack in the middle of all the scenes featuring the historically all-white news boys at the turn of the century. It'd be interesting if this was remade by a real musical talent with some real talented youngsters. And at least make the scenery look like it wasn't just thrown up and freshly painted moments before the scene was shot.

"Newsies" is one of the greatest Disney movies! If you haven't seen it or haven't bought it for your children you need to go run out and get it NOW!!! This movie is not only entertaining, but it teaches them numerous values and not to mention history. The cast is amazeing, lead man Christian Bale does an amazeing job. The songs are fun and funky along with the dance moves that really express what the news boys are feeling. "ALL it takes is one voice to make a diffrence unless that voice is silenced" is one of the strong heart-felt qoutes in this great movie...I hope my voice has made a diffrence in your opinion of this movie! Go get it!!! ;)~

Newsies was awesome...its the best movie...i loved it and glad my friend told me about i watch it all the time whenever possible and get told "your watching that again" lol but i would suggest everyone buying it and watching it! its a great musical i'd put it right behind "sound of music"

It's safe to say that Chris Farley is my favorite comedian of all time, bar none, that ever graced the stages of SNL, or every graced the silver screen, for that matter. Watching this DVD is like taking a trip down memory lane - one where you laugh out loud at Matt Foley, or Benet Browler, or even Barney, the overweight stripper trying out for the Chip 'N Dales. These characters are what opitimizes Chris Farley: they are memorable, loud, sweaty, and funny. They don't just blend into the background on numerous one-off skits like so many other SNL actors have, but instead, have created legends that will live in the memories forever of anyone who watched SNL in the 1990s.

And yet, it is in this, that this DVD will make you want to cry when it's over. Tim Meadows' touching speech at the end summed up so well why we loved Chris so much, and what a tragidy his untimely death truly was for the world. This DVD is a must-have for anyone, if for nothing else, than as a testiment to what one man, so depressed and down on himself, can do when he truly enjoys his work, and truly enjoys brightening people's lives.

That said, there are a couple downsides to the DVD:
1) Lunchlady land could have been cut shorter to include more memorable scenes that were left out
2) On the original SNL airing of this, they had the Little Women spoof-skit where Chris Farley falls through the ice. It was HILARIOUS, one of his best ever. Yet, they left it off the DVD and subsequent airings of the SNL episode on comedy central. WHY? Every Chris Farley fan I know has this same complaint!

BUT THIS DVD NOW!

I love this movie. I absolutley LOVE Chris Farley! He was the funniest man alive - no-one has ever been able to replace him! This show is the funniest movie you'll ever see! Every time I see it I laugh so hard that I almost pee my pants! This movie is a must see. My friends and I love to quote this show everytime we are together! Buy it and you'll NEVER regret it - unless that is, that you don't have a sense of humor! :)

Though the opening sequence may give some a bad impression, this movie is undoubtably Chris. My favorite characters is Barny, the ChipenDales dancer, Matt Foley, and, of course, Chris as himself on the Chris Farley show.

This movie is for any Chris Farley fan.

WE
MISS
YOU
CHRIS!!![.]

This was an excellent movie, it gave us a glimps of what goes on inside of each star life. I really enjoyed when they all got back together for the Temptations Review. After watching this movie I begin to seach the web for an "Temptations Review" DVD with all of the singers old and new. Is there anywhere that I can purchase this DVD with all of them on it, singing all of their songs. I really, really, would like to get this DVD

The Motown sound lives within the very essence of me. When this movie came out, I had to have it. Watching this movie draws you even closer in knowing each individual Temptation more on a personal basis. The Temptations are "the sound" of Motown. Nobody can even come close to being as good as they are. The Temptations are and always will be #1 in my heart! I have even purchase The Temptations Live In Concert to complete my set. God bless each and every Temptation past & present. And to you Otis, my friend, never let your candle go out. You have brighten so many lives, including mine. God bless you my friend.

I wasn't able to watch the movie when it aired on NBC. But I purchased the DVD a year ago and fell in love with the movie. Watching actor Leon portrayed David Ruffin's character was wonderful and somewhat spooky. He played that role to a tee. Leon sounded like David, had the same mannerism as David that it was so amazing.
I was proud at the performances by all the actors in the movie. Even though she had a small part, I was proud of Rhonda Ross Kendrick who is Diana Ross' and Berry Gordy's daughter who played Maxine, Paul's wife, I was proud of her performance as well.
Sure there were inconsistencies in the movie. Yes, the producers of the movies should have let the audience, particularly the younger audiences know what happened to the lives of these wonderful, yet troubled men who made up the Tempting Temptations.
(...)want to know about all that, read Otis' book or do research for yourself. But other than that, the movie was excellent in my book. The choreography in this movie was OUTSTANDING. The music was fantastic and the costumes was fabulous.
I would recommend this movie wholeheartedly. Yes, in some ways this movie is factual as well as fictional, but it is still worth watching and it will make you go out and read the book and do your own research about this fantastic group who will always be the number one in my book.

This movie, "Annie Hall", and "Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy" are very fun to watch, cute and fluffy, but ultimately shallow. As for this movie, I honestly feel that its funniest aspect is its Harry James soundtrack, which cracked me up. But it just doesn't hold a candle to some of his deeper, more ironic, and better realized movies, such as "Crimes and Misdemeanors" and "Bullets Over Broadway".

This film is considered by many to be Allen's comic masterpiece. The ensemble cast includes the best in the business during the mid 80's: Michael Cain, Mia Farrow, Barbara Hershey, Carrie Fisher and an extraordinary performance from Max Von Sydow. We have all the Allen concerns in this film - death, love, religion, ethics and the comic situations that arise in family relationships when its members choose the wrong path. The adulterous (Michael Cain) husband falls in love with his wife's sister, whom also happens to be involved in a relationship with an older man, (Max Von Sydow) which, ironically, in the end, frees her from this affiliation because of its smothering nature. Cain puts in a magnificent performance, as the guilt-ridden adulterer who cannot keep his impulses under control. The way he goes about instigating the affair is adolescent-love-struck-infatuation- behaviour at it most laughable form.

Allen plays Allen, of course, but at his most charming and funny best. As a hypochondriac, he needs his pseudo illnesses in order to have meaning in his life. After a simple physical, the doctor hints that he might have something seriously wrong him; soon Allen suspects that he could have a brain tumour (the size of a basketball) and frets and frets until almost having a nervous breakdown. Later, to his great relief, he's told he's fine, but his life changes and now must discover life's 'true' meaning. This is true to the mark because after a 'close call' some of us do in fact go on a 'what's the meaning of life' journey. This of course is a natural thing to do. He tries everything from Nietzsche to Catholicism and finally discovers something very simple.

This is a family saga that is at once tragedy and comedy where you'll be laughing one second and crying the next. All the characters are searching for one meaning or another except Hannah. In the eyes of her family she's perfect. But she's anything but perfect and comes to realize this ... Mia did a wonderful job playing Mia and I had a great amount of sympathy for the character by the end of the film.

This is a film that one never grows tired of - it is undeniably a work of genius.

In one of woody' best film, he is able to captivate the lives of 3 totally different sisters (and a hypocondriac husband) into an oscar winning film! The first sister is of course Hannah, the kind nurturing mother/ wife, who has remained good friends with her ex (allen) and her new husband (Michael Caine in an oscar winning role) who finds her hard to live with, because she gives so much and expects so little in return. The other sister is Lee (Barbra Hershey who is great) the beautiful, but emotionally sad sister, who wants to escape from her college professor boyfriend, and eventually falls in love with Hannah's husband.
The last sister is Holly (Dianne Wiest in an oscar winning role) the eccentric original person, who strives to find herself, while accidentally bringing down her sister hannah, and her rival April (Carrie Fisher). But by the end of the fillm they have all found happiness. Hannah has become more close to her husband. Lee has shrugged off her affair with Hannah's husband (who has fallen back in love with Hannah), and found new love. woody Allen (who has converted to Catholicism, but then tries several other religions) becomes lesser of a hypocondriac,and Holly & woody allen have married. And Allen (unable to have a child with hannah has a child with Holly)! crackerjack cameos by Maurren O' sullivan, and Daniel Stern! A great film all around! A+!

Movies just don't get any better than this Cocteau masterpiece. The film, especially the scenes in the Beast's palace, overflow with a dreamlike quality that is positively spellbinding. The imagery and creativity put to work by Cocteau and company should be used as textbook examples of how to create astonishing magic with restraint. Criterion's restoration is, as always, beyond reproach. This production company is, arguably, the finest in the business. The images are crisp and clean and so beautifully touched up that the entire film has a fantastic sheen normally attributed to Hurrell and Richie glamour shots of the 20's and 30's. In my opinion, the seductive qualities of "La Belle et la Bete" have yet to be replicated in any other film. There have been many fantastic movies made since "Beauty" but none really come close to matching Cocteau's brilliance and sense of cinematic wonderment. A must have for lovers of cinema. For me, this is a desert island DVD along with "Cries and Whispers," "Brief Encounter" and "Nights of Cabiria" all of which just happen to be part of the Criterion Collection.

If you're considering buying any one item here, you have just found it. This is quite simply one of the top five films ever made, combining such a lyrical reading of the story, memorable acting and special effects that couldn't be better illustrated in any other context. It is as if Cocteau is holding a wand.

Indeed! This is the 'ultimate' version of the fable created by the legendary Jean Cocteau and starring Jean Marais as you know who ...... The restoration is magnificent, crisp, pristine images and lots of required extras on this version including the Philip Glass score [absolutely a double-plus].

It's a dreamy, semi-nightmarish vision - never quite duplicated [copied?] by Hollywood ~ and light-years ahead of its time. Superior and expertly detailed costume and set design.

Forget the cartoon version - silly bland fare by comparison.

Movies just don't get any better than this Cocteau masterpiece. The film, especially the scenes in the Beast's palace, overflow with a dreamlike quality that is positively spellbinding. The imagery and creativity put to work by Cocteau and company should be used as textbook examples of how to create astonishing magic with restraint. Criterion's restoration is, as always, beyond reproach. This production company is, arguably, the finest in the business. The images are crisp and clean and so beautifully touched up that the entire film has a fantastic sheen normally attributed to Hurrell and Richie glamour shots of the 20's and 30's. In my opinion, the seductive qualities of "La Belle et la Bete" have yet to be replicated in any other film. There have been many fantastic movies made since "Beauty" but none really come close to matching Cocteau's brilliance and sense of cinematic wonderment. A must have for lovers of cinema. For me, this is a desert island DVD along with "Cries and Whispers," "Brief Encounter" and "Nights of Cabiria" all of which just happen to be part of the Criterion Collection.

If you're considering buying any one item here, you have just found it. This is quite simply one of the top five films ever made, combining such a lyrical reading of the story, memorable acting and special effects that couldn't be better illustrated in any other context. It is as if Cocteau is holding a wand.

Indeed! This is the 'ultimate' version of the fable created by the legendary Jean Cocteau and starring Jean Marais as you know who ...... The restoration is magnificent, crisp, pristine images and lots of required extras on this version including the Philip Glass score [absolutely a double-plus].

It's a dreamy, semi-nightmarish vision - never quite duplicated [copied?] by Hollywood ~ and light-years ahead of its time. Superior and expertly detailed costume and set design.

Forget the cartoon version - silly bland fare by comparison.

I like this movie, but come on! More than 250 reviews and only a few less than 5 stars. Its good but not that good. Broderick's preformance is aweful (as his New England accent), its overly melodramatic and shamelessly manipulative, not very historically accurate, too PC, and the battle scenes are too santitized.

Again, I like the movie but I just think this movie is overrated.

**Note-To the reviewer below-Why is it "conservative" to think that the Civil War was not about slavery - I do not consider myself conservative but I am historically literate enough to know that slavery was a primary detail and not the over-reaching cause of the war while many conservatives I know think that the war was only about slavery.

I am neither a miltary history or Civil War history aficionado, so I'll defer on matters of the film's historical accuracy.

But if you're interested in a gripping, moving American war story, beautifully rendered in period costumes and sets, and depicted with outstanding performances, this is it.

The story of the Massachusetts 54th reminds me of several historical "could haves" that filmmakers enjoy dramatizing. Here, it's the idea that perhaps the experience and sacrifice of soldiers like those in the 54th could have had a salutory impact on race relations immediately after the war. Like I said, perhaps. How this was, at the individual level, the struggle to almost the correct the wrongs done a century before.

Anyway.

For me, it comes down to this when I saw it in the theater: there wasn't a dry eye in the house when the lights came up. Maybe that says something about the film. Or about us. I hope everyone who decides to watch this is as moved as I was.

The Glory of this moving true story of Shaw and the Massachusetts 54th is unbelievable! The heroic deeds of this regiment have been beautifully recorded in this film as well as in writings of Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women, and in a beautiful monument in Boston Commons. This film was a fitting tribute to a brave group of men who gave their lives to preserve the union, and one commander, who was man enough to call a black man his brother.

I like this movie, but come on! More than 250 reviews and only a few less than 5 stars. Its good but not that good. Broderick's preformance is aweful (as his New England accent), its overly melodramatic and shamelessly manipulative, not very historically accurate, too PC, and the battle scenes are too santitized.

Again, I like the movie but I just think this movie is overrated.

**Note-To the reviewer below-Why is it "conservative" to think that the Civil War was not about slavery - I do not consider myself conservative but I am historically literate enough to know that slavery was a primary detail and not the over-reaching cause of the war while many conservatives I know think that the war was only about slavery.

I am neither a miltary history or Civil War history aficionado, so I'll defer on matters of the film's historical accuracy.

But if you're interested in a gripping, moving American war story, beautifully rendered in period costumes and sets, and depicted with outstanding performances, this is it.

The story of the Massachusetts 54th reminds me of several historical "could haves" that filmmakers enjoy dramatizing. Here, it's the idea that perhaps the experience and sacrifice of soldiers like those in the 54th could have had a salutory impact on race relations immediately after the war. Like I said, perhaps. How this was, at the individual level, the struggle to almost the correct the wrongs done a century before.

Anyway.

For me, it comes down to this when I saw it in the theater: there wasn't a dry eye in the house when the lights came up. Maybe that says something about the film. Or about us. I hope everyone who decides to watch this is as moved as I was.

The Glory of this moving true story of Shaw and the Massachusetts 54th is unbelievable! The heroic deeds of this regiment have been beautifully recorded in this film as well as in writings of Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women, and in a beautiful monument in Boston Commons. This film was a fitting tribute to a brave group of men who gave their lives to preserve the union, and one commander, who was man enough to call a black man his brother.

I like this movie, but come on! More than 250 reviews and only a few less than 5 stars. Its good but not that good. Broderick's preformance is aweful (as his New England accent), its overly melodramatic and shamelessly manipulative, not very historically accurate, too PC, and the battle scenes are too santitized.

Again, I like the movie but I just think this movie is overrated.

**Note-To the reviewer below-Why is it "conservative" to think that the Civil War was not about slavery - I do not consider myself conservative but I am historically literate enough to know that slavery was a primary detail and not the over-reaching cause of the war while many conservatives I know think that the war was only about slavery.

I am neither a miltary history or Civil War history aficionado, so I'll defer on matters of the film's historical accuracy.

But if you're interested in a gripping, moving American war story, beautifully rendered in period costumes and sets, and depicted with outstanding performances, this is it.

The story of the Massachusetts 54th reminds me of several historical "could haves" that filmmakers enjoy dramatizing. Here, it's the idea that perhaps the experience and sacrifice of soldiers like those in the 54th could have had a salutory impact on race relations immediately after the war. Like I said, perhaps. How this was, at the individual level, the struggle to almost the correct the wrongs done a century before.

Anyway.

For me, it comes down to this when I saw it in the theater: there wasn't a dry eye in the house when the lights came up. Maybe that says something about the film. Or about us. I hope everyone who decides to watch this is as moved as I was.

The Glory of this moving true story of Shaw and the Massachusetts 54th is unbelievable! The heroic deeds of this regiment have been beautifully recorded in this film as well as in writings of Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women, and in a beautiful monument in Boston Commons. This film was a fitting tribute to a brave group of men who gave their lives to preserve the union, and one commander, who was man enough to call a black man his brother.