Death Movie Reviews

Well... 42+ reviews and not one less than 5 stars certainly makes more of a statement about the quality, or at least value of this movie than I could ever hope to do. Yes it's sort of semi-centred around a partly cheesy but initially poetic romance, and it does ostensibly make some point about "the power of love", but its also about life's sentiments and quirks (love, nationalism, chess...) and perhaps even a point about the nature of reality (is it a dream, is it all real, is it a mix of both, does it matter, doesnt' it matter), the consequence and incosequence of imagination, real and fabricated.

All the BS about themes and cases aside, A Matter of Life and Death is a fabulously entertaining movie, quirky and likable characters, a lovely semi-halucenogenic storyline, a witty script, extrodinarily complex yet readily understood, and terrific visual style.

Certainly see this movie, although this is another movie I pray gets restored and released on DVD (the vhs is tolerable... but with such great visuals it is a travesty that it is yet to be released, when, in fact, it should have been one of the first "classic" titles on the medium).

Produced by the inventive team of The Archers, A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH, also known as STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN, is a remarkable British fantasy from 1946. Fresh, innovative, and extremely original, the film inspired such directors as Brian DePalma, Vincente Minnelli, and Martin Scorsese. It tells a tale about the powers of love, pitted against the "powers that be." The movie was supposedly devised to smooth over the strained relationship between Britain and the U.S. after WWII. It is disarming in its gentle reminders of the horrors of war and the need to go on when faced with death. Its deception lies in the complexity of its "is it real or is it imaginary?" premise, taking the viewer alone for a fabulous ride of fantasy vs. reality.

Peter Carter (David Niven) is a WWII pilot returning from a bombing raid, who is forced to jump out of his moving airplane without a parachute after an enemy attack. While deciding his fate aboard the plane, he speaks to American W.A.C. June (Kim Hunter) over his transmitter radio, before finally leaping from the plane to what he thinks will be his death. Peter wakes up to find that he has landed utterly unharmed, which wasn't supposed to happen according to the rules of Heaven. Peter meets June on the nearly deserted beach and they fall in love. Before long, he is payed a visit by Conductor 71 (Marius Goring), a heavenly messenger who informs him that he should have died after jumping from the plane. Peter argues that he is now in love and cannot possibly give up his life, wishing to remain on earth. He is given that chance and a celestial trial is called to decide Peter's fate--whether to claim his life or let him survive.

The curious but artistic choice associated with the production was the decision to film the Earthbound scenes in Three-Strip Technicolor and the Heaven sequences in Black and White. The smooth transition from color to black and white works amazingly well, especially under Michael Powell's brilliant direction. The audience never knows if what is happening is real or not. Are the heaven scenes a part of Peter's imagination, or are they actually taking place? The film plays it both ways and leaves it to the audience to decide. The film does a brilliant job of playing with our emotions and making us care for the characters, giving even the heavenly creatures human qualities. It is a brilliant film, that is both important, and extremely enjoyable...

Before wasting his talents on many irritating chracterisations David Niven took centre stage in this whimsical, delightfully executed Hollywood fantasy. The story centres around a British WW2 pilot who falls in love with an American after being propelled into a heavenly court when surviving a plane crash. The editing of the dazzling opening sequence leaves much to be desired and for a film made in 1946 AMOLAD bristles with colourful cinematography and a miraculous creation of a heavenly afterlife.

Shining with surrealistic cinematic bravura (the fantasy sequences were shot in black and white, the earthly ones in color), STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN is a marvel, with a notable contribution from production designer Junge. Most remarkable is his monumental stairway which reaches majestically into the heavens, peopled with a cast of history's dead.

Not only is this a philosophically moving and emotionally effecting satire of love and post war politics but a witty, unabashfully joyful creation of pure art and craft. A visually stunning, funny, sad and timeless movie with an impeccably written script, A Matter of Life a Death is an oustanding creation and deserves to remain treasured in years to come.

I found "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp" to be a haunting story, rich in story and superbly acted. I found the film to be a very private experience - one that you will be thinking about for a long time.

I really can't add anything to the comments made before other than to say that this is the type of film that makes Criterion a special mark. I would question many of their choices, films are available in other formats and of questionable importance (e.g. "Armageddon", "The Royal Tennanbaums" and "The Rock"). "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp" probably would have been lost forever (or show up as a $...DVD on a "Bargains" rack) without the work put in by Criterion and the "legitimacy" conferred on it by being recognized by the brand.

myke

The fascination of Powell and Pressburger began many years ago and their films never seem to fail to entertain, allure pondering, and engage creativity. This film has all of the same characteristics that sign a film by Powell and Pressburger, and this time they have done it with an old fashioned military officer, Clive Candy (Roger Livesey), who is comfortable with his own opinions and traditions. The very same opinions and traditions will come under close scrutiny by an entertained audience that will have to contemplate the insightful development of the film as well as the outcome of Clive Candy. In the end, Life and Death of Colonel Blimp will have proven itself to be an outmost terrific film.

How wonderful it is to have this unique movie beautifully restored to its original length and scene order by the British Film Institute.

Until about ten years ago, I had never seen this film. I had never rented the cut, reconfigured tape, because I didn't think I'd like the film (in any form). But the L.A. County Museum of Art had an Archers' retrospective several years ago that included the BFI restoration print. Despite many of there pictures being among my favorites, I still thought I was in for a hoary WW II propaganda film. I could walk if I didn't like it.

Was I ever wrong. I came out considering it among The Archers best works. which in my book, means one of the finest films ever.

"The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp," in the original version, is a brilliant mix of WW II propaganda, an often whimisical loving satire of the system. It is ultimately one of the most winning anti-war films ever. In a different way, as good as "Grand Illusion."

This low-key epic begins with the Boer War, when Blimp is a young (too) gung-ho officer to the time the film was made--mid-war 1943. The cast is superb. Roger Livesey gives one of the best performances imaginable. Deborah Kerr (18) at the time, gives a tour-de-force performance as the three different women Blimp falls for in the 40-year span of the film. Anton Walbrook Is so brilliant in this film. This man I am now convinced was one of the greatest actors of the 20th Century. His controversial character is a German officer Blimp befriends in the Boer War and they become life-time friends, with Blimp vouching for him being permitted to stay in England during WW II. Walbrook's scene explaining why he has left Germany is as great, if not greater than his curtain speech in "Red Shoes." Most other actors would have turned this into maudlin sentimentality. Walbrook instead gave me a giant lump in my throat. I don't lump easily.

If you've never seen the complete, uncut and untampered with film and are Archers devotee, this is the version for you.

The extras are uniformly fine. The commentary track with Martin Scorsesse and director Michael Powell, from a recording he made on first viewing the restored film, is sharp and perceptive. He sounds very old and can be hard to understand because of it, but it is worth the extra effort to hear him comment on one of his personal favorites.
There is also an excellent half-hour or so documentary, that includes Emeric Pressburger's grandson, that helps explain why and how the film was tampered with and almost never seen as a result of Prime Minister Winston Churchill trying to ban it. No luck in England. J. Arthur Rank released it in his English theatres and advertised "See The Banned Film." And it was a huge hit. The "banned" got the initial audiences in, word-of-mouth made it the movie too see. Winnie also failed in his attempts to stop exportation to other countries.

One of the most intelligent, witty,serious, breathtakingingly beautiful Technicolor films ever released.

Get this Criterion treasure now. It also includes several Colonel Blimp "original" editorial cartoons, by Blimp creator David Low. Some are timely today and could run with the names changed to suit today's political and military madness. The editorial cartoons were a revelation to me.

Archer Fans, order now and have a really complete collection of these unique gems.

The chap from England, below, is absolutey, right.

As I wrote an extensive build up of these movies, prior to thier release. I am now pleased to say that about 98% of my anticipation was not misguided.
Overall, these are the clearest and sharpest versions I have seen in my lifetime.
In comparison to some of the non Key Video versions that were out on VHS these offerings from MPI are stunning.
My only letdown was, as others have mentioned, is that there could have easily been more additional material offered.
A short commentary was offered on the restoration of Orson Welles' "The Third Man" by Criterion and was fascinating.
Something similar to this would have been easy to produce and Holmes fans like myself who have put up with public domain trash copies for decades would have eaten up such a documentary.
I also have wondered for years if there are any out-takes from the films that still exist.
How fascinating that would have been, and would still be....hint....hint.
At the very least, Filmographies of Rathbone and Bruce, or trivia facts about the series or the actors, or the productions, or at least even the trailers should have been included.
Little things, such as pointing out the appearance of a young dark handsome Milburn Stone in "Faces Death" who later became "Doc" on Gunsmoke.
There are several instances where the Captioning is lazy. Such as in "Faces Death" when Holmes says "anno Domini" in a sentance and the caption writer just put "Domino."
Even with occassional lapses in the captioning, it was indeed nice to have them captioned.
Of all the films in this Volume, the one I found most curious was "Faces Death."
Even after reading the liner notes, I still wonder why some of the extreme deterioration marks on individual frames could not have been repaired by computer.
Much worse deterioration existed on the "Third Man" and it was restored flawlessley. And oddly, there are a few sections of the Key Video version of this Film that are clearer than this MPI restored version.....?....
Was this a real case of Wet vs. Dry printing or laziness on the part of those in the restoration process?
All that said, the other three films are near pristine, especially Holmes in "Washington". I think there will never be another version of these prints released that will surpass the quality of this offering.
Lastly, for the snobby Holmesian purest who nearly worship the Brett/Granada versions of the Holmes stories, I think this offering will go a long way in explaining to many why Rathbone is beyond doubt the nearset thing to Holmes incarnate that has or ever will exist.
The Granda versions are draining, dripping with overcharachterization and forced melodrama...did I mention contrived?
Brett often behaves like a nerotic narcasisstic snot who sees and loves his own image off a distance in a mirror somewhere.
These films with Rathbone and Bruce are timelessly engaging, underplayed, entertaining, perfectly moody and just downright fun in every aspect. Rathbone and Bruce had a chemistry that so completely complimented each other.
Rathbone especially....you never catch him playing Sherlock Holmes...he just "is" Sherlock Holmes.
Now, if we can just get the first two Rathbone and Bruce films restored and captioned and in our libraries....well what's next...Peace in the Mideast?

While I watched "Faces Death", I felt that it was a much lighter version than I what was used to. So, I paused a scene and went hunting for my Key Video of the movie. I put it on and went to the matching scene, then switched back and forth between the VCR and video images. The difference was very pronounced. The Key Video version was darker, moodier and had deeper shadows. I don't know which version should be considered the "better" one, but they are indeed quite different! I enjoyed the commentary and booklet, but, like others here, would have liked to see more (such as the trailers). Overall, though, I am thrilled to see the series on DVD and will buy the next two volumes.

Noted Sherlock Holmes Scholar, Andrew Kemp, was not kidding when he said that these are the best reproductions of these films since their original theatrical release. Digitally restored in 35MM from the UCLA Film Archives prints, they are a joy to behold for those of us who have had to make do with ratty and incomplete public domain copies. MPI has again done Holmes fans a great service by making this fine and popular film series available once more. I say "again," because they have also released the much respected Granada TV series featuring Jeremy Brett.

Previous reviewers have already commented on how Universal moved Holmes ahead into the WWII era, and had him chasing down Nazi's, spys, and assorted modern "evil-doers." Never-the-less, the series appeal lies not in the historical context, but in the charisma of Rathbone and Bruce as the series' Holmes and Watson.

These films are not great cinematic milestones, but they are great fun - pure entertainment, and as each new generation discovers Holmes, they always key in on this series as the all-time favorite. If you haven't seen these films before, or even if it's been awhile since you saw them on TV as a kid, do yourself a favor and pick this set up - you won't regret it.

it is a slashing action anime it has great potintal for being great

If you thought Luke Skywalker going back to Yoda to complete his Jedi training was cool, keep your panties on! Because this part of the Rurouni Kenshin series has evolved to become maybe my favorite part! Yes even over Shadow of the Wolf, Blind Justice, Innocence and Experience, and Fire Requiem! This disc contains the return of Hiko, Sejuro, only the coolest character in this series!! Also in this disc you will learn what it takes to pass on the Hiten Mitsurugi Technique from master to apprentice, and why there can only be one successor! When are they going to release a series based on his Hiko's past exploits?? CUMMON MANGA KA! YOU MUST CREATE SOMETHING ABOUT THE PAST OF HIKO SEJURO...and maybe the later adventures of SOJIRO (when he leaves shishio's juppon gatana)!

This DVD features the ending of the battle against Chou, Kenshin gets a new sakubatou and proceedes to his master's hut in the mountains, here he begs his master to train him in the final secrets, and reunites with Kaoru and Yahiko

Hiko finally agrees and Kenshin's training completes after a few episodes of Hiko yelling at him, the last episode is a bit of a cliffhanger when Kenshin masters the final attack

Kenshin's past is dug into a bit, but if you have watched the Rurouni Kenshin OVA (Samurai X Trust and Betrayal) you will notice ALOT of differences, personnaly I think that both stories are good(the OVA one was a bit short)

Overall if you're this far, don't stop, it gets better

Love and Death is a slightly more satisfying take on the spoof genre than efforts like Airplane and Naked Gun and slightly less satisfying than others like The Life of Brian or Young Frankenstein. It makes equally great fun of Russian literature and the people who insist on constantly discussing it, as well as makes humorous use of slapsitck and the typical gags that haunt the genre (food vendors on the battlefield, etc...).

Although my limited experience (just War and Peace and Notes from the Underground) apparently prevents my full appreciation its literary or filmic merits (which seem to elicit the most praise for Love and Death), I still found it an enjoyable and often hilarious experience. Its biggest trouble (and some of the funnier moments) is that it seems to have been assembled in a period of a couple days- with the basic framework assembled from a mash of the works it parodies, most of the lines and gags seem improvised, or at least performed by actors tripping over a teleprompter.

It would have been much more funny had it been made more carefully and less self-evidently(?), but Love and Death is enjoyable, and maybe worth watching just for the (suprisingly pretty) last scene (one of the few film references I picked up on).

Sonja: You were my one great love.
Boris: Oh, thank you very much. I appreciate that. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm dead.
Sonja: What's it like?
Boris: You know the chicken at Tresky's Restaurant? It's worse.
===============================================================
There are those who think that Woody Allen is a genius. The only people smarter than those people are the ones who KNOW he is a genius.
But seriously folks, this film, Love and Death, is Woody Allen's favorite movie of his, and I must side with him on the matter. This film has everything that everyone could possibly love about Woody (the slapstick, the one-liners, the genius undertones) without any of the things that many people don't like about Woody (the heavy-handedness of something like "Interiors", say). This is his funniest movie, but it is also rife with serious analyzations about Life, Love and Death. Such things as "If Jesus was a carpenter, I wonder what he charged for bookshelves?" You just can't get any deeper than that.
The history here is the funniest ever portrayed, and the fickle hand of love and fate is evident with every brilliant brushstroke of Allen's gentle, humorous mind on the canvas he paints with his words and visuals. To see this film is to yearn to see it again.
Be good to yourself, and to all mankind. Buy this movie. Own it. Watch it 2 to 4 times per year. Then, when you meet Death in the afterlife, you can say, "Hey, I know you...!"

Woody Allen is without a doubt my favorite director. I love all of his films. However, I often find myself prefering his more contemplative later films such as Annie Hall, Manhattan, and Hannah and Her Sisters over his earlier more zanny comedies. Love and Death is the exception. The film still has some deeper contemplation when Allen's character feels that murdering someone to save others' lives is still murder and therefore immoral but some of Allen's zanniest influences are most prevalent. Any Marx Brother fan is sure to their influence on Allen in this film.

one of the funniest bloodiest movies ive seen. the [aweful] special effects made it o so great. the story was just so stupid that i couldnt stop laughing. ive watched it over n over again an its still just so funny yes. for the true gwar fan

I have owned this beauty for a while and recently read it was nominated for a Grammy as best LP music video in 1990. Although the video is short and the extras few, the DVD is a great buy. Grambo captured the "Cuttlefish of Cthulu" and GWAR wants it back. They fight the clergy, the goverment, and health care communities to get the Cuttlefish back. Watch as Sleazy P and GWAR unleash their horror on capitalistic society. Hopefully we can except more DVD releases from these masters of live performances. I have only seen them once a few years back (due to the long drive I must make) but hopefully Dave Brookie and the boys (and girl) will come to kill us soon.

This makes a refreshing change from the norm. in music dvds. More a piece of performance art than a rock show. Not for the squeemish, or overley self-righteous types (or most of your family for that matter). Take it for what it is, (vile, disgusting, and tasteless) and it is a truly inspiring, creative show. They write all of their own stuff, unlike most mindless, mushy, money-making garbage in the charts these days. These creatures take risks and truly suffer for their art...now it's your turn... You have been warned!

If you were a kid in the 60's then you might have gone and seen some double features at your local drive in that will remind you of the trashy fun on this dvd.They are a lot of fun to watch especially sting of death.The scene with the glad bag jellyfish cracked me up.The quality is excellent on these movies, and if you want to have some fun, pop up some popcorn, crack up a couple root beers and prepare to be entertained, just leave your brain behind and youll have a great time.

Another quality jam-packed disc from the happy folk at Something Weird. Both movies here are 'the pits'. The oft seen "Tartu" is the best print I've come across and "Sting Of Death" is even better. I admire Mike Vraney and his gang for the ingenius way they market this crud and make like they are 'lost' classics. "Lost?"...perhaps! "Classics?"....perhaps not!The reason they are "lost" is because they were junk then and they are junk now. Worth watching once, but there is nothing here that Roger Corman hasn't done better. The saving grace on this DVD, as on most SWV product, is the BONUS stuff. An inspired 27-minute gore flick called "Love Goddesses Of Blood Island" takes us into 'Blood Feast' territory and a 12-minute short they call "Miami Or Bust" starts off as an amateaur travelogue of Miami Beach in the 60s for the first couple of minutes, and then we go to some guys back yard to see a babe, who looks a bit like 'Devine,' strip off and dance by the swimming pool. The director's commentaries are, as usual, more interesting than the movies themselves and there are a number of trailers as well. Overall quality and value for money....excellent. The 5 Star rating is for the DVD quality and content. The movies themselves get 1 star. I'm sorry gang....but the Seawasp tells it like it is!!

Fans of 60's horror will eat this one up. Something Weird dishes up two William Grefe "classics", one of them not seen in decades. This is one of the best Something Weird DVD's yet and I've seen a lot of them. Great fun!

First up is DEATH CURSE OF TARTU about a mummy who wreaks vengeance on people who have invaded his Everglades territory. Tartu mostly just lies in his tomb and instead transforms into varous animals (snake, gator, etc.) to eat and attack his victims. Great location color photography, amusing characters and real animals make this one a real hoot. There's a fun and informative commentary track with Grefe and Frank Henelotter as well which is highly recommended. Grefe comments that he told one terrified actress to go into the snake-infested water for a scene by telling her "Don't worry. We scared all the snakes away." Hahahaha!

The second flick on the DVD is Grefe's first and rare horror film, "STING OF DEATH" which is about a jellyfish man that attacks a bunch of stupid people in the Everglades. The creature just wears a scuba diving suit with flippers and a giant inflated trash bag on his head. You will not believe your eyes - trust me! You ain't seen anything like it. One great highlight is an attack on a sinking boat where all the passengers fall into the water and are "attacked" by jellyfish (floating inflated baggies). There's also a Neil Sedaka song played at a poolside dance where all the girls can shake their bootys at the camera. Meanwhile, the jellyfish man is swimming in the pool, but no one sees him! This hilarious 1965 epic was never sold to television and was thought lost for years. Another great commentary track by Grefe and Henelotter - both have fun and joke about the ineptness of some scenes, but always in reverance - and they also go into how the negative of the film was almost completely molded away before SW got ahold of it in the nick of time. It's truly fascinating to hear about how these older films could be lost, destroyed and gone forever --- there's no big "negative library" out there for these low-budget gems. Many are out there just rotting away - negatives missing ---- surviving prints in awful shape. Even Grefe pleads with listeners to help find one of his "lost" films, "Devil Sisters", since no print seems to have survived. Thank Something Weird for preserving this kind of horror history.

There's some great extras on this DVD as well - other Grefe trailers including "Mako Jaws of Death" and "Stanley", a 30 minute reel of scenes from a gory exploitation adventure called "Love Goddesses of Blood Island", and a hilarious short called "Miami or Bust" which starts off as a travelogue but ends up as a riotous poolside dance/striptease by one of the ugliest women I've seen on one of these things in a long time. Man, when she pouts her lips and tries to look seductive, you may want to have a puke bucket handy. Great stuff!!!

If you are into trashy horror pictures from the 60's/70's, you'll love this duo DVD. Both films look great, very colorful. On one commentary track, Henenlotter and Grefe talk about going to 42nd Street in the 60's and 70's to see countless movies like this every day. It was a great time for exploitation, horror and sleaze fans - triple features and more, changing daily. And as Henenlotter says "Unlike today where there's nothing out there I want to see." How true! If you agree with this statement, then make a date with Tartu and the jellyfish man! "Jilla jalla jella!"

Startling and ambitious vintage network TV production from 1966 is a heart-breaking and unrelentlessly tragic drama with Lee J. Cobb in such a supoerb performance, you want to reach out and console the troubled sympathetic character. So downbeat as to be almost dismal, the play succeeds in it's grip on the realities of grief and doom and the undying hope of a better tomorrow. The rest of the cast is equally superb and I loved the fake realism of the CBS cameras taping a obviously theatrical set.

As a great admirer of Arthur Miller's work, I have always wished I could have seen the original 1949 production of his masterpiece, DEATH OF A SALESMAN. This video of a 1966 television production, featuring the original Willy and Linda, Lee J. Cobb and Mildred Dunnock, is the next best thing -- especially as it was taped "live" and is more like a stage production than like a movie. As wonderful as Dustin Hoffman's portrayal is in the superb 1985 movie version of SALESMAN, Lee J. Cobb simply IS Willy Loman; he conveys the sadness and insecurity that lurk beneath Willy's outward bravado. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Act II scene with Bernard, when he offers Willy a cigarette from his expensive silver case. Cobb takes the case, holds it, looks at it, then slowly hands it back to Bernard. This one moment is so telling: Willy, who never achieved success, either for himself or for his sons, is envious of Bernard's success (and Bernard was never even "well-liked), symbolized by the silver cigarette case. Mildred Dunnock is likewise ideal as Linda: fragile, but hard as steel when defending Willy to her two resentful sons, Biff and Happy (George Segal and James Farentino). Segal is especially fine in the hotel-room scene and at the end when, in the middle of a heated argument with his father, he suddenly grabs him and hugs him, weeping. This gesture tells us that Biff is furious with Willy, not because he hates him, but because he loves him. Of the supporting actors, Edward Andrews stands out as Charley, Willy's prosperous but "laid-back" neighbor -- the antithesis of Willy himself. Only the actor who plays Howard, Willy's boss, seems miscast: he looks more like a college student than like the head of a company. (Perhaps the director, Alex Segal, was just trying to emphasize Willy's age and his falure to "keep up with the times.") But this is the only weakness in a marvelous production that is essential viewing, if only for the classic portrayals of Cobb and Dunnock.

If you want to see a production of one of American Theater's most important playwright's most important works, then look no further. Though there have been several noteworthy productions over the years, this Broadway Theater Archive treat showcases the "perfect" Salesman cast, in a treatment that is essentially a reblocking of the famed Elia Kazan Broadway premiere of the play. Willie Loman's originator, Lee J Cobb, reprises his role, along with Mildred Dunnock. Though Geroge C. Scott and Dustin Hoffman received critical acclaim for their interpretations of Willie Loman, neither holds a candle to Cobb. He simply "is" Willie. George Segal and John Malcovich weigh in about evenly in the "best Biff" category, but the nod goes to Segal, because of the great ensemble cast he was lucky enough to play off of. Yet another winner in a BTA series that chronicles American Theater in its greatest era (60's and 70s).

Just a note to bear in mind that these plays are film versions of the plays exactly as they were staged on Broadway at the time, so don't look for cinematic production values. Sometimes the camera work is not ideal, but that doesn't get in the way of the consistently powerful performances, and that's what great theater is all about, anyway. I'm just grateful that most of the series is available and hope that the unavailable titles are just being restored and will be rereleased soon.

BEK

This is one of those movies that has "everything", in which a collection of talented actors get together to jam in a mystery/comedy. It is a classic because of its genre and who is in it, but I did not think it was one of the great comedy classics. By way of comparison I recently watched Clockwise with John Cleese which I thought was much funnier, even if it only had one simple plot and one famous actor.

If you have a sense of humor, you can't go wrong here. I have re-watched this movie several times, it's a classic to me!

I will never forget the day a college professor of mine bad-mouthed this movie. He hated anything with Neil Simon's name on it. Well, I must say he seriously lost credibilty with me at that very moment... This is the classic spoof on Hollywood's murder mysteries. "Clue" pales in comparison. Just look at the casts.

The performances are outstanding (indeed these are final performances for several of the cast members). And yes, I love Neil Simon's over-the-top one-liners and sight gags, and this talented cast can pull them off. Truly this is a showcase of lively writing and brilliant comedic acting.

OK -- now here's my grumpiness (which I did not allow to lower my rating of the overall film) -- what happened to the original cover art? Is Peter Falk really the star? It makes it look like a Columbo episode.

Second, the gag ending is missing. Isn't this what DVD is all about? It should have at least been included as a "deleted scene." Ah well, perhaps there will be a special edition later on down the road -- get a commentary out of the remaining actors before they are all gone!

Now, I normally don't watch DBZ. Actually, I used to think it was some lame, gay show on Cartoon Network for little kids. But my friend is obsessed with it and made me sit down and watch it in the original Japanese version. Watching Vegeta die with tears in his eyes made me actually cry too, even though before I hated this show. Even if you do hate DBZ, this is well worth the watch, because it's really emotional and well depicted.

OMG, these episodes are SO sad... i mean, vegeta's my fave character and i find his death deadly (LOL^^)sad... i was crying my heart our when his hand collapsed

Before I thought this show was so stupid! I sometimes saw this show in stores and I'd think "Is that dandruff flying from their hair. But after this episode, my mind changed entirely. I felt like I wanted to cry when I saw the tears rolling down Vegeta's eyes. I felt so emotional! I had not felt this way in so long. This is a touching scene that must be watched if you like Dragonball Z or not.