Adams Movie Reviews

Pick up a copy for this movie if you can... This movie wasn't release on video from a long time ago. The sound and picture are very good and the story is a true family experience.

Elliott Gould gives another great performance as the world weary, hard drinking loner (ala 'Getting Straight', 'The Long Goodbye', 'MASH'), but similar to his other early eighties foray into Disney films 'The Devil and Max Devlin', his loner character is tested and softened through unexpected events. Geneviève Bujold also sticks to previous performances as the determined and sexy emissary of good ('Coma', 'Earthquake'). Both leads give a nice edge to this adventurous tale, made at a time when Disney was making some interestingly cast and original live action films like 'The Black Hole', 'Amy' and 'TRON'. Rick Schroder, in the prime of his childhood acting career, plays virtually the same character as he did in 'The Champ'. All of this cinematic pedigree adds a wonderfully entertaining element to a film that could have dived into the painfully mawkish. Complete with night shark attacks, stranded Japanese soldiers, orphans, an eclectic menagerie of animals (who ever sees a mallard duck in the same vicinity as one of those hump backed African ox), and a great South Pacific setting this film has something for everyone. A guaranteed good night with nods to the adults and thrills and adventure for the kids. Hearkens back to a not particularly distant past when Disney was making wholesome original films with a little edge.

As always Anchor Bay does a beautiful job in the DVD transfer, giving more time and respect to Disney's library than Disney does for its own films. As with all Anchor Bay DVDs, highly recommended.

"The Last Flight of Noah's Ark" is a rare Disney action/adventure film, much like the kind of stuff they released in the early 1960's. The cast is quite good; and though it is a bit of a fanciful tale, suspending reality inasmuch as Disney can, it is wonderful family escapism. Don't miss the shark hunt; it was probably the best scene in this film. My only problem with it is could have been a fantastic daytime scene; alas, it took place at night! Small quibble, though. Still excellently produced and paced. Wish it were out on video, but as with most Disney films under the Eisner regime, it has probably disappeared for a very long time (forever)?

If you are a Ryan Adams fan, there is no doubt you will enjoy this video. Here we see Ryan not only playing his music, but traveling and mingling with the Jamaican folk. Throughout the "movie", Ryan does an excellent job putting a Jamaican feel into his popular and not-so popular songs. The most notable performance is clearly "To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High)", which if you've heard on his overlooked debut Heartbreaker, had that type of feel anyways. I won't go too in-depth with the details. And when he's not playing his music, you'll see him buying intriguing hats, talking with inhabitants, learning about their cultures, etc. Without those neat tidbits of film, this would've been nothing special.

In total, I believe he plays eight songs unplugged/acoustic; some solo and some with the help of Jamaican drums and other instruments that you wouldn't normally expect to show up on an Adams track. I particularly enjoyed when he got a group of 20 or so children together to help with the background vocals to one of his songs. Again, I won't spoil the fun. And that's just the kind of thing you'd expect from a guy like Ryan Adams. Along with "To Be Young" you'll hear (and see) presentations of "Answering Bell", "New York, New York", "The Rescue Blues", "Touch, Feel & Lose", "Firecracker", "You Will Always Be The Same", and the rarely heard "Hard Time Situation". This is the only Music In High Places episode I've seen, but would say it was certainly worth my time. Do not expect these eight songs and Ryan's trek into the musical world of Jamaica and its fascinating people to move you in the same way either Gold, Demolition or even Heartbreaker did. But rest assured, they will move you one way or another. This is an illustrious video that portrays unkempt sounds beautifully; somehow, someway. The bottom line: (again) if you enjoy Ryan Adams' music, check this out.

A must for any fan. Worth it for his duet with Toots Hibbert alone. The sound quality is excellent, and it has versions of many of his best known songs.

I first saw this show on MTV, and hoped that it would eventually be released on DVD. The performances here seem so effortless, and convey both simplicity and depth. The footage is beautiful and shot on high-quality film (i.e. it doesn't look like a [shoddy] video job). My only complaint is that the commercial buffers ("Music In High Places" outros and intros) haven't been edited out, which is very unprofessional, but that small complaint doesn't keep me from giving this 5 stars. The interview portions are mildly interesting (though they seem to prove that Ryan isn't as big of a star as he could be because he's a dorky stoner). Fortunately, there is a "Play Just The Music" option that skips past the extraneous stuff. Highly recommended for your collection.

This classic cartoon was my absolute favorite as a kid. I thoroughly enjoyed it in my pajamas eating cereal and glued to the TV set early in the AM. While this digitally remastered version is well done, it lacks the true originality of the show. For instance, it is missing the intro 'Don't touch that dial! Watch this exciting seen from today's 4 part story of Underdog! Here it comes now!' It is also missing the segment clip of scenes from other shows that was in the middle of the original show 'You'll see all of this Underdog adventure, complete on today's show. And in weeks to come, you'll see exciting scenes like this:' Since it was in 4-part episodes originally, parts of the scenes are cut in order to remake it uninterrupted which tends to destroy the great suspense music as a part ends. Also, the credits are missing the part where the guy was pasting a poster on the wall and the cop points out the sign that says 'Post No Bills' The segments with the lyrics are complete and in original form, which is a great plus. It is sad that the lyrics and intro themes to the other cartoons affiliated with Underdog are not included. Wow, I am amazing myself how much I remember of this show which is 30+yrs old. Also, absent is the clip where the guy pulls the switch and the marqui says 'Scenes from Next Week's Show' And, eventhough a lot has been taken away from the original, I love this cartoon sooo much, I have to give you 4 stars for remaking it!

I picked up the Underdog Chronicles to add to my Underdog Collector's Edition DVD. Alas, this new DVD suffers from the same lack of completeness as the Collector's Edition. The cartoon episodes themselves are entertaining and remastered well (except for the audio sometimes, whose volume tends to fade out ever so slightly in places), but every one of the cartoons is missing the original title card and ending credits. All of the title cards have inexplicably been replaced by hokey _ad hoc_ opening titles that make no effort to match the look and feel of the original period. Why these glaring deletions to the body of work were made is unclear; the old title cards and credits contribute much to the nostalgic value of a collection like this, and to omit them detracts from the enjoyment of the experience. (A least the Underdog theme song is present in its several forms.)

Even worse, the auxiliary cartoons that accompanied the Underdog show (this DVD calls them "Cliffhanger Episodes") -- namely Tennessee Tuxedo, Go Go Gophers, Commander McBragg, etc. -- are missing their theme songs, title cards and credits. As a result, each cartoon ends abruptly (no outro music or The End card) and you're never quite sure if that's really the end of the cartoon, or if it has been truncated. I'd sure like to know who made these ... production decisions. They obviously know nothing about continuity or the difference between a great product and a mediocre one.

Still, I love Underdog so much, I've rated this product a 4. If you're not a fan of the series, the deficiencies I've noted probably won't annoy you as much as they did me. If you _are_ a fan of the series, you'll enjoy the cartoons despite the bad decisions made in transcribing them onto DVD.

But it could have been so much better.

The sound on ZOT is not very clear.... It might just be the film. The rest of the episodes are simply wonderful though... I even liked the mini story of Underdog that Joe Harris had made for his kids...

I am not into Go Go Gophers and such, so I skipped them, but those are for people who are fans of those... SORRY...

The Ticklefeather Machine was OK.... Not the best one of the bunch, but I did like the one about the famous painting and Shoeshine's true self is almost discovered...

In future volumes... I would like to see more photos of the people behind the photos, or old interviews on their opinions of Underdog... All in all another welcome addition to my Underdog collection....

This classic cartoon was my absolute favorite as a kid. I thoroughly enjoyed it in my pajamas eating cereal and glued to the TV set early in the AM. While this digitally remastered version is well done, it lacks the true originality of the show. For instance, it is missing the intro 'Don't touch that dial! Watch this exciting seen from today's 4 part story of Underdog! Here it comes now!' It is also missing the segment clip of scenes from other shows that was in the middle of the original show 'You'll see all of this Underdog adventure, complete on today's show. And in weeks to come, you'll see exciting scenes like this:' Since it was in 4-part episodes originally, parts of the scenes are cut in order to remake it uninterrupted which tends to destroy the great suspense music as a part ends. Also, the credits are missing the part where the guy was pasting a poster on the wall and the cop points out the sign that says 'Post No Bills' The segments with the lyrics are complete and in original form, which is a great plus. It is sad that the lyrics and intro themes to the other cartoons affiliated with Underdog are not included. Wow, I am amazing myself how much I remember of this show which is 30+yrs old. Also, absent is the clip where the guy pulls the switch and the marqui says 'Scenes from Next Week's Show' And, eventhough a lot has been taken away from the original, I love this cartoon sooo much, I have to give you 4 stars for remaking it!

I picked up the Underdog Chronicles to add to my Underdog Collector's Edition DVD. Alas, this new DVD suffers from the same lack of completeness as the Collector's Edition. The cartoon episodes themselves are entertaining and remastered well (except for the audio sometimes, whose volume tends to fade out ever so slightly in places), but every one of the cartoons is missing the original title card and ending credits. All of the title cards have inexplicably been replaced by hokey _ad hoc_ opening titles that make no effort to match the look and feel of the original period. Why these glaring deletions to the body of work were made is unclear; the old title cards and credits contribute much to the nostalgic value of a collection like this, and to omit them detracts from the enjoyment of the experience. (A least the Underdog theme song is present in its several forms.)

Even worse, the auxiliary cartoons that accompanied the Underdog show (this DVD calls them "Cliffhanger Episodes") -- namely Tennessee Tuxedo, Go Go Gophers, Commander McBragg, etc. -- are missing their theme songs, title cards and credits. As a result, each cartoon ends abruptly (no outro music or The End card) and you're never quite sure if that's really the end of the cartoon, or if it has been truncated. I'd sure like to know who made these ... production decisions. They obviously know nothing about continuity or the difference between a great product and a mediocre one.

Still, I love Underdog so much, I've rated this product a 4. If you're not a fan of the series, the deficiencies I've noted probably won't annoy you as much as they did me. If you _are_ a fan of the series, you'll enjoy the cartoons despite the bad decisions made in transcribing them onto DVD.

But it could have been so much better.

The sound on ZOT is not very clear.... It might just be the film. The rest of the episodes are simply wonderful though... I even liked the mini story of Underdog that Joe Harris had made for his kids...

I am not into Go Go Gophers and such, so I skipped them, but those are for people who are fans of those... SORRY...

The Ticklefeather Machine was OK.... Not the best one of the bunch, but I did like the one about the famous painting and Shoeshine's true self is almost discovered...

In future volumes... I would like to see more photos of the people behind the photos, or old interviews on their opinions of Underdog... All in all another welcome addition to my Underdog collection....

Ok so it's a lot of money to pay for a film made in 1941 with no extra's but if your a Karloff or Vintage Horror lover it's worth the money.
I thought the picture quality was good..not stunning, but as clear as watching a movie on tv.
As for the film - it's one of the most interesting Karloff made during the 30's and 40's.
But if Columbia want a big seller on their hands they'll release 'The Black Room' & 'The Man They Could Not Hang' on a double bill disc.

Prenial favorite Boris Karloff stars as a scientist who has created a helmet then when placed on the head of a subject can transfer their brainwaves onto a graph. Kind of like a lie detector graph. He discovers that women have stronger waves of brain energy then men. He demonstrates this to a room full of fellow scientists and friends, by using his wife an an example. Her brain waves are indeed stronger and much to the amazement of his skeptical friends the graph on the wall jumps up and down! Later after his wife dies in a car accident, Boris returns to his lab and angrily throws switches and discovers that his wife's energy has returned to the lab! He now joins up with a spiritualist and a bruteing Igor type to further his experiments and try and contact his beloved wife from beyond the grave. Holds up quite well today. The seance table surrounded by corpses, the swirling spirits appearing as a funnel of energy and King Karloff in all his maniacal glory. My only complaint is the short running time of only 65 min. The last 5 minutes look rushed but still the movie wraps up nicely. Now as to the transfer...it is just o.k. Columbia started out great with their brilliant William Castle titles, but seem to care less and less about these more recent releases. The pre-print on Devil Commands could use digital cleaning up. And come on Columbia, not even the trailor!!?? and a 65 min. movie retailing for [money]!!!! It is unfortuante that some people that might have slapped down [money] and took a chance on a movie that has such a cool title will definately think twice before paying over [money]. In closing, Columbia/Tristar Look at the GHOUL released by M.G.M. and see what a great transfer should look like. Still over all recommended.

Karloff fans should probably be happy that this rarity, which never appeared on commercial VHS, has been made available by the original studio in the new format. As it is, this DVD is definitely worth having for the movie alone. But the price should reflect the content. On the outer packaging, we are told the film has been "remastered in high definition". This may be the truth, but in remastering the movie, numerous scratches and other imperfections were certainly not remedied. Fortunately, the best parts of the film (the first 20 or so minutes and the finale) do look rather fine, and there is plenty of clarity in the image along with that silvery quality that some associate with older films.

THE DEVIL COMMANDS is a low-budget production, but director Edward Dmytryk (MURDER, MY SWEET and others) knew how to establish a sinister atmosphere and sustain it for 64 minutes. This is sort of a 'haunted house meets mad scientist movie'. There are elements of science-fiction (very sketchy science) and horror (communication with the dead). The film is short and moves quickly, at less of an expense to plot development than one might think. In its own terms and within its genre, this film is quite plausible, and very enjoyable.

Karloff is extremely good at portraying a well-meaning scientist and loving husband who must gradually transform into an obsessed near-maniac. "Near-maniac" because he does not willfully harm anyone, but only commits "ethical" crimes like grave-robbing. When the doctor's wife is killed in a freak accident, he puts his new theory to work, trying to communicate with her spirit in the afterlife. There are some downright creepy moments, courtesy of Karloff's character, a tragically damaged lab assistant, and the formidable presence of Anne Revere (whose name does not appear on the DVD box cover). An actress who could achieve a facial expession that would have intimidated King Kong AND Godzilla. Revere, as Mrs. Walker, a phony medium, takes charge of Karloff and his experiments, which she sees as the key to ruling the world someday. A number of misfortunes ensue and there is a marvelous climax in the darkly-lit laboratory (involving the housekeeper, well realized by Dorothy Adams who bears an uncanny resemblance to the young Gilda Radner) that is really pretty unique. The supporting cast is fine, apart from the dullards who play Karloff's daughter and her fiancé.

Apart from scene selections, the DVD contains only three trailers from recent Columbia horror films. It does not contain any trailer for THE DEVIL COMMANDS. A must for Karloff enthusiasts. It should appeal to any fan of 30s and 40s horror films.

George Peppard plays a character named Tuxan, who is responsible for uncovering the break in and theft of highly classified information at a government facility called Groundstar. He uses any and all means necessary to do this, including hidden cameras, hidden microphones, and 24 hour surveillance. He has complete control most of the time, and absolute authority to find the information he needs in order to protect the United States against foreign interests that may try to undermine the government by stealing precious secrets.

That being said, this movie plays out like a cheesy 70's TV melodrama. I tried hard to like this movie, but it was a hard sell. The movie starts out with multiple explosions at some facility, and one character managing to make it out before the whole place goes up. We see this character running down a corridor, being chased by other individuals, and then the picture freezes at a dramatic moment to allow for a credit to be displayed on the screen. This happens about four or five more times, and becomes quite tiresome, but if I recall, this was a device used quite a bit in the 70's, on movie but more so on TV. This movie really has a 'TV' feel to it, so I am wondering if the director was primarily a TV director...well, I was right. The director is Lamont Johnson, and he has an extensive career directing TV, and it shows here. Anyway, one character escapes before the whole place goes blammo, and it's Michael Sarrazin playing Welles. This is one of those actors who you may not recognize the name, but you'd probably recognize his face. He was fairly popular in the late 60's through the 70's. This slender, dark haired actor seemed to be on the verge of becoming a major star, but has since been relegated to mostly TV roles.

Well, he escapes, and we find out later that he was the only survivor of the explosion. His face badly damaged from the explosions, he manages to make it to the house of Nicole, played by Christine Belford, and actress with a solid television background and a few parts in some features films. The role I remember her from was the over protective mother to Arnie Cunningham in John Carpenter/Stephen King's killer car classic 'Christine' from 1983.

Well, we soon find out that that Welles, the soul survivor of the explosions, was also the one who caused the explosions. Apparently he used false credentials to get his position within the ultra top secret facility, then stole vital information, and caused the destruction of the facility to cover his escape. He remembers none of this, as he has lost his memory along with his face in the incident. We learn all this information from Tuxan, who is now investigating the situation.

There is a conspiracy, and it does follow though. The rest of the movie has Welles trying to put the pieces back together, recall what happened, if he could have killed those people and done the things Tuxan says he did. Nicole provides a haven for Welles, and seems sympathetic to his plight.

The most memorable line comes from Tuxan (what kind of name is that?) and is in response to Nicole berating him for invading her privacy by having hidden cameras and microphones in her house. He says something like 'murders are planned in private, assassinations are planned in private' etc. I don't remember the exact line, but it showed a great deal of the motivation behind the character.

The movie plays out, the conspiracy unfolds, and we are treated to a shocking ending. Well, not so shocking, really, but whatever. It was kind of hard to swallow, though. My main problem with this movie is I never really felt the tension that should have been there and the acting seemed kind of wooden. I enjoy a good conspiracy theory, but I had a hard time buying off on this one. The thing to keep in mind before you buy this movie is that it looks like a TV show. This was made in 1972, and prior to that, George Peppard had a somewhat promising movie career with Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), How the West Was Won (1962), and The Blue Max (1966) to name a few. Then around 1971, the movie roles seemed to dry up and he went into TV. He did make a number of movie after 1971, Damnation Alley (1977), Battle Beyond the Stars (1977), but none seemed to really have the prestige of previous movie roles. The same could be said for Michael Sarrazin. And the other main character, played by Christine Belford was primarily a TV actress. Given the director's history in TV, this all adds up to making this look like a high budget TV movie. I think once some directors immerses themselves in a particular medium, it's difficult to expand beyond the boundaries proscribed by that medium, and it shows here. I felt like the director was trying to exceed his grasp, and couldn't quite do it. Not a bad movie, for TV, but not a great movie for the big screen. I'd say 3 stars for a TV movie, 2½ stars for a theatrical release.

George Peppard plays a ruthless, national security agent named Tucson. You would not want to run into him...unfortunately (maybe) Michael Sarrazin does as the brutalized betayer of the high level space project: GROUNDSTAR. The movie's pace is excellent as the law-unto-himself agent persues corruption into the highest levels of the government (Shades of China-gate!!!). Peppard is fascinating to watch as the thoroughly unlikeable hero who brings down the "conspirators" in an ironic but belevable climax. "He should have run faster," Tucson observes to a sympathetic medic regarding an explosion-mangled-into-unrecognizability victim. See the film, but stay out of the way of TUCSON...

A good film, Peppard as Tuxan in a role that would resemble 2 of his roles on TV (Thomas Banacek that year, and Hannibal Smith of The A Team, 10 years later). The ending is that of a classic suspense film. The DVD version by the way is cheaper than most stores are offering the VHS copy (if you can find it) so get it while you can. Note Christine Belford, the woman down the road who falls for Sarazin also starred in Banacek, coincidence?

This was not the best love story I've seen, not the best movie about a hit man and not the best movie about the mob. But it was a good movie. Surprisingly entertaining.

Matthew Modine plays a hit man, without feeling who falls in love with the stunt man he is supposed to kill. The stunt man is marked for death because of an accident the mob holds him responsible for. But the emotionless hit man falls in love with "the marks" daughter and soon understands what he has been missing in life.

This movie had some high powered stars, James Caan, Matthew Modine and Cuba Gooding Jr (who plays a federal agent acting as a drug dealer). Lots of good acting and a nice portrayal of the metamorphosis of a person.

I had never heard of this movie and took a chance based on the cover and the local rental store, a nice find I must say. Not a lot of twists and turns but some action and it was enjoyable and interesting.

Now and then movies turn up on the shelves of a video store with a case that has good graphics, a cast that looks first rate and a brief description of an interesting story line. On the off chance that you just missed the ads of the theatrical release, you rent it, watch it and make a discovery. Such is the case for this fine little film. With a cast that includes James Caan (in one of his better roles!), Matthew Modine ( in an out of character part), Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Joey Lauren Adams, this is a tale of a hit man who pursues his career because he has no family and has never felt as though he belongs. Without sacrificing the considerable suspense the writer of this script provides, suffice it to say that his ultimate hit assignment results in a turnaround of his value system and offers a restored vision of what life can be like when true 'family' is discovered.
The photography is sensitive, creative, and moody. The story involves the behind the scenes information of the stunt man's lifestyle. The performances are uniformly fine. No soft pedaling here, the life of high crime is brutally presented. But the direction and acting make this realistic depiction of mob mania a credible background for the talents of those involved in telling a gripping tale. Very much worth your time.

This movie is very good.
Heres the premise.A hit man (Matthew Modine) is sent to Hollywood to take the life of a stuntman (James Caan, Misery), but falls in love with his daughter (Joey Lauren Adams, Big Daddy) in the process, deciding to switch jobs and become a stuntman himself. Meanwhile, the daughter, who's also a doctor, is smuggling illegal medicine with the help of a "rogue" FBI agent (Cuba Gooding jr., Jerry Maguire).
It also stars Lillo Brancato Jr.(A Bronx tale)

Cuba gooding Jr. does a great job as the FBI agent.This is a non stop thriller. Its rated R for Violence and Language. If you want a fast paced thriller, get this.You wont be disapointed.

Putting Groucho Marx and his cigar in a movie with Carmen Miranda and her fruit basket headdress certainly seems like a good idea, but nobody bothered to write a decent script for this 1947 musical comedy (and you can only think of all the Groucho one-liners that must have ended up on the cutting room floor). The plot, such as it is, has Groucho as Lionel Q. Deveraux, an agent who has one client, Carmen Novarro (Miranda). To make money he has her pose as both a Brazilian bombshell and a French chanteuse to fool nightclub owner Steve Hunt (Steve Cochran). There are some minor subplots involving romance, but they are of tertiary interest at best.

Of course for me the only worthwhile moments are when Groucho is on screen and making with the jokes. The musical numbers are okay, but nothing memorable. If all you have seen are parodies of Carmen Miranda in action then this exposure to the real thing has its value as well. She also works well as a foil for Groucho, which is not really that surprising. You can either be totally flustered or joyfully oblivious to Groucho's zingers and Carmen goes with the later strategy to good effect. "Copacabana" is no substitute for a "true" Marx Brothers film, but despite that inherent limitation it is not a bad film. It would rate a 3.5 but we round up because, after all, it is Groucho.

Just enough gags and zippy one-liners to make it worth the price of admission for Groucho fans. It's only a pity the other brothers are nowhere in sight. I didn't care much for the musical numbers, but that's what the fast-forward button is for.

The picture quality is great and the audio is clear. No Marx Bros. collection is complete without it!

Being a cheap independant film, this movie delivers. Starring Eric Roberts,and some other formiluar faces. This screen blast won't let you down. VIOLENCE, LANGUAGE, NUDITY

i liked the movie, but who was the kid who played adam????? if you know please e mail me at mandie_419@yahoo.com

These are both wondeful movies, probably among my favorites, but I'm very disappointed with the DVDs. There are no special features. Is it really worth the money for the movie alone? This 2-pack is a great deal but I'm hesitant to buy it because I wonder if they'll be following up shortly with new special edition versions that include some features. That would be much more worth the money. With the feautures that are now included in most DVDs (even just deleted scenes would have been better) this is very disappointing.

There's no difference between buying the two-pack and buying the films individually, might as well get both together as either one alone isn't enough.