Grandparents Day Movie Reviews

This wonderful film is a total disaster in its DVD format. Frank Capra Junior calls it a restored print which is a joke. The film is often dark, details are hard to see and there are sprocket holes, white spots and all kinds of detractions in the film. How could Image and Capra release this mess on DVD! This outstanding film deserves much better than is offered.

Lady for a Day is a fine Capra film. The story concerns a street vendor Apple Annie (May Robson) who has deceived her daughter that she is a High Society lady. The daughter, who has been living in Spain, decides to visit and what's more brings along her prospective fiancé plus his father, a Spanish count. So as not to scupper her daughter's marriage, Annie must enlist the help of her underworld friends to continue the deception. The film is at times very funny with a tone which looks ahead to the Screwball comedies of the later thirties. It is also often rather moving, with May Robson's terrific performance eliciting a great deal of sympathy. The rest of the cast is equally fine. Warren William as Dave the Dude is that most unusual of characters a gangster with a heart of gold. Guy Kibbee, familiar from so many thirties films, is always fun to watch. This time he plays a pool shark who agrees to pretend he is Apple Annie husband. Jean Parker, as Apple Annie's daughter Louise, will be familiar to anyone who has seen the 1933 version of Little Women in which she plays Beth. Her role in Lady for a Day could hardly match that role, but she still performs well with her memorably unusual voice. She also looks absolutely stunning. It's even possible to glimpse a young Ward Bond, as a policeman on a horse, obtaining an apple from Annie.

The print used for the Image DVD is not perfect. The main problem is that towards the end of the film, the right hand edge of the picture has been damaged so that white marks appear on the print. This only affects a small portion of the picture, but it is a little bit distracting. For the most part however, the print is clear and sharp. Even when there is some damage, the rest of the picture is fine. I have seen any number of thirties and forties films which have survived in worse condition than Lady for a Day. Moreover the sound quality on this DVD is above average for a film from this period. The wonderful dialogue is easily audible and the soundtrack has very little background noise. As an extra the DVD includes a commentary by Frank Capra Junior. This is a DVD which Capra fans should enjoy.

I love this movie. All of Frank Capra's films are great, but this is the one I like the most(this and YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU). It's a wonderful story of a "woman of the street" trying to put on a good show for her daughter when she comes to visit(and introduce her fiance). It's a touching and funny film and goes sadly unheralded(at least Criterion released in on laserdisc). I often think of it in the same class with the Barbara Stanwyck classic, STELLA DALLAS. A must for any classic film fan, an absolute must.

CHISUM is a solid film for its time period. Like always, John Wayne is at the top of his game. However, I'm still not sure why Hollywood felt inclined to make a movie that used John Chisum as its main character and Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett as supporting players. It doesn't really make sense. And while there is some truth to what happens in the film, for the most part it is historically inaccurate. For example, John Chisum never squabbled fist to fist with Lawrence Murphy in real life (as far as history has recorded anyway) but since Murphy was the villain and Chisum was the hero I see why it had to be done. It's just like I said though, why did they have to be called Murphy and Chisum? Why did the producers decide to make a John Wayne western based in realism using real characters when many of his more successful westerns were entirely fictional and used fictional characters? I guess we'll never know for sure. The end result seems to be more for John Wayne fans than fans of the Billy the Kid legend and the Lincoln County War.

C-

One of John Wayne's best Action Westerns. The acting is better than average and Ben Johnson actually talks in this movie!

OK, I am a John Wayne fan! I mean, there is not a movie of his that I do not like! I LOVE shoot em up movies and this is one of them!=) IF you have not seen any John Wayne movies, you have to see this one! It is a family film that everyone would like.

As the four hour Children of the Dust on television, this was an exciting and poignant story. However, for the video and DVD release, it was edited down to just two hours. Too many of the important scenes were cut, and what was left made almost no sense. I want the complete movie on DVD!

I've never seen "Children of the Dust," and purchased this video on the basis of the reviews here. The cast is strong. I follow a lifelong interest in race relations, in the roots and sources of bigotry, and in what it takes for a racially prejudiced person to gain the self-enlightenment to change his or her views. This film presents a story of 19C America that, among other things, investigates this question. The diverse characters are well drawn and the story is strong.

When this movie first aired as a television two-night series, it was called "Children Of the Dust". By the first commercial break, most of my friends and family were tuned in. We would make 3 and 4 way calls during every break. By the end we were all in tears, and laughter, and talked about the movie for weeks. I have searched since 1995 for the movie, not knowing the name had been changed to "A Good Day To Die". My aunt even recorded a re-airing of the movie, but it recorded nothing but the sound. Believe it or not, we have gotten together dozens of times to watch a static-filled screen and listen to the movie, remembering how wonderful it was. This is definitely a good purchase if you like epic romance and wild-west action. We give it twenty enthusiastic thumbs up!

For all the fans of The Avengers familiar with the Emma Peel/Tara King era of the show, these early episodes featuring Cathy Gale and Venus Smith may come as something of a disappointment. In fact, fans of the later shows may find it hard to believe that they are even part of the same TV series!

After the initial run of 26 episodes featuring Police Surgeon David Keel and his cohort John Steed had aired in the UK in 1961/62, the producers of the program opted to bring Steed to the forefront of the action and give him a number of different "assistants." Thus, for season two, 26 further episodes were made and broadcast in 1962/63 featuring Steed abetted by Martin King, Venus Smith or Cathy Gale. Mrs. Gale turned out to be the most popular and successful foil for the suave agent, and the other characters did not return after season two. Unlike the later Peel/King stories which were all made on film, these studio based TV shows are much more reliant on dialogue and plot than visual elements, and can be somewhat heavy going as a result.

A&E is releasing these stories in a somewhat confusing order, and has started with season three. The first two sets released, Avengers 64 1 & 2, feature the LAST six episodes of season three. Next comes Avengers 63 sets 1 & 2 which comprises of the first half of the season. Next up in the release order is 63 sets 3 & 4 which precede 1 & 2 in running order and in fact feature the last seven stories from season two, plus the first from season three. Confused? Ultimately, it doesn't really matter, since thankfully there's no real reason to watch the stories in chronological order anyway.

What is interesting is the development of the production standards. 63 sets 3 & 4, featuring the latter stories from season two, are far more rudimentary in terms of production quality. The sets are extremely small and sparse; The direction very slap-hazard; Camera work shoddy; Sound is extremely poor; and the acting is negligible. With no budget for editing or reshooting, all the actor's fluffs and goofs stayed in. Steed's character is far less suave and sophisticated then he became later during his familiar role alongside Mrs. Peel, and the relationship with Mrs. Gale in particular is at first downright hostile with very little warmth between the two. He seems to get along much better with Miss Venus Smith, a night club singer who he engages at various gigs to act as his eyes and ears. Venus is a very odd character, and played strangely, but enthusiastically by Julie Stevens. She looks about 12, sings like she's forty, and dresses like anything in between. She also seems extremely naïve and it's hard to imagine why Steed engages her to help him at all. The far more intelligent and elegant Mrs. Gale does eventually warm up to Steed, and in the season three stories where she is the exclusive companion to him, their relationship develops nicely and they become much warmer and closer to each other.

The production values on season three are also much better than the earlier episodes. The sets became larger and more elaborate. The direction, lighting and sound improved greatly and the acting was much less wooden. Some editing was clearly allowed on these later stories, whereas the earlier ones clearly were broadcast as if they were live. There's a terrific blunder in "Six hands across a table," where Cathy is called "Ros" in one scene, and both actors realize the mistake, but keep going. An even better goof comes in "Concerto" when Nigel Stock forgets his lines completely and a very audible prompt is given from off camera. Terrific stuff.

The quality of the DVD's is somewhat disappointing, even accounting for the age of the material and the production values mentioned above. It may not be the case, but it certainly appears that A&E have made no attempt whatsoever to re-master the original tapes, and the flaws, jumps, scratches and sound blips are too numerous to mention. Virtually every episode on 63 sets 3 & 4 are hampered by picture and sound flaws and defects. Things do improve for 63 1 & 2 and 64 1 & 2, but the quality is still disappointing. Mind you, it appears they have done nothing to clean up the Tara King episodes either!

As a big fan of the series, I wouldn't even consider not having these episodes in my collection, but if you're looking for the wacky camp humor and the tele-fantasy of the Peel/King eras, these stories may not be for you.

Join the elegantly ruthless John Steed and the brilliant and beautiful Mrs. Cathy Gale, as they battle villians nefariously nasty and dispicably dangerous. They are THE AVENGERS! Television's first fully formidable male/female companionship. These episodes are from 1964, Honor Blackman's 2nd and last season. These episodes, while technically inferior to the Diana Rigg episodes, are every bit as stylish and admirable.

In volume one, we have "The White Elephant" and fan favorite "The Little Wonders". In "The White Elephant", Steed and Cathy investigate the dissapearance of a rare albino elephant, and cage a group of ivory smugglers. This episode did have potential, but unfortunately its a bit average. It does however, feature an assortment of exotic animals including a monkey, leopard, but no elephant. In "The Little Wonders", Steed goes undercover as a vicar in order to infiltrate a gang of religous racketeers, while Cathy plays with dolls. A nice plot and writing make up for the average direction. Featuring the only kiss between Steed and Cathy, and Lois Maxwell (a.k.a. Miss Moneypenny) as a macinegun-toting nun. It's just a great deal of fun.

In volume two, we have two of the best episodes. The effectively harrowing "The Wringer", and the delighfully enjoyable "Mandrake". In "The Wringer", six of seven agents using a certain pipeline have been killed, so Steed sets out to find the seventh. When he does, he is accused of killing the six agents and is subject to interrogation at the hands of "The Wringer". Extremly harrowing episode features a very different feel, outstanding performances, and masterful direction. Also, Cathy's surprising feelings for Steed are touching. In "Mandrake", mysterious grave undertakings at Cornwall cemetary lead Steed and Cathy to a sinister inheritance plot. This episode features all the best AVENGERS elements: a shifty-eyed (literally) diabolical mastermind, a mad doctor, merry widows, and tons of corpses. It could have been an Emma Peel episode. Also features one of the best fights of the series between Cathy and a thug in a graveyard.

In volume three, there's "The Secrets Broker", and "The Trojan Horse". In "The Secrets Broker", it becomes apparent that a wily wine merchant and a devious medium are involved in a plot to sell ministry secrets. This episode is really very dull, as it focuses on an illicit love affair rather than on Steed and Cathy's investigations. In "The Trojan Horse", Steed gallops to the stables as he investigates a prominent stable that's become a haven for hoods in training, while Cathy becomes a syndicate bookie for a gambling orginization as it starts closing the book on prominant politicians. Cathy's bookie numbers delivery is alone worth the price of admission, and the script is also good. But nothing else really stands out here.

Well, die-hard fans will be pleased with this delightful package, but be warned, the quality leaves abit to be desired. But if you're in the mood for intelligent storylines, kinky fashions, and brutal action THE AVENGERS '64 is what you're looking for!

'The Avengers" was a popular 1960's British fantasy-adventure series that focused on the exploits of a male-female duo in the service of the British government. The series underwent several changes of its female lead but its one constant male lead was John Steed always portrayed by the debonair Patrick Macnee (Originally the John Steed had two male partners but that format eventually changed). Kathy Gale portrayed by Honor Blackman became Steed's first female partner. However, when Honor Blackman (of "Goldfinger" fame) departed the series and Diana Rigg entered as Mrs. Emma Peel, the show became an international sensation. Rigg brought sophistication, wit, charm and beauty, which hid her lethal and highly visual judo and karate abilities. Macnee and Rigg complemented each other beautifully with their carefree witty and charming exchange of dialogue. The show distinguished itself with bizarre and futuristic villains and fantastic plots. Popular at the height of the James Bond craze, the show was able to distinguish itself with its simply over-the-top visual style. Laurie Johnson's catchy and sophisticated main title theme matched the visuals of the show and still conjures up an image of the series when listened to today. When Diana Rigg left the series, Linda Thorson entered as John Steed's new partner Tara King. The series soon went off the air in the United States. It was a shame because the episodes with Tara King were quite good. The King episodes seemed to be a little more down to earth and contained some very good writing and intricate plotting. In any event series definitely left its mark amongst the finest. These DVD copies are gorgeous.

I dont see why this movie gets such poor reviews. Boris does a great facial contortion with paralisis when possesed by a dead murderer. Great victorian costumes help set the stage for a pretty good mystery. I guess most of todays audience expect special effects to replace acting. No twisting heads or spewed pea soup here. While its not as good as Frankenstein, The Mummy or the afore mentioned Corridors of Blood, its still a pretty good Karloff movie.

This is one of the best horror movies that Boris Karloff made and he really shows his acting talent.

For can-can enthusiasts, this film contains two EXCEPTIONAL can-can numbers in full costume (including traditional suspender stockings and frilled underwear)....

This mediocre effort is disappointingly unfunny. Considering the comedic caliber of its two stars, Billy Crystal and Robin Williams, I was expecting a laugh riot, but that's not what this is. It's not their fault, it's the scriptwriter's. I guess maybe it was just one of those scripts that read funny on paper, but that humor just didn't translate to the screen, despite the best efforts of Mssrs. Crystal and Williams. They deserve better, and so do we.

The premise of Fathers' Day sounds like one of those ideas that was hatched in a boardroom rather than a creative mind. A woman tells two former boyfriends that they are the father of her teenaged son, who has run away. Naturally, these guys become instantly paternal, reluctantly join forces, and set out to find the kid who may or may not be theirs.

The teaming of Robin Williams and Billy Crystal provides some good moments, although at times Crystal seems to be too much of a straight man. Williams has plenty of scope to be...well, himself - which means that some sickly sentimentality is eventually allowed to creep in. In fact, the film is quite promising until the pair of wannabe dads make contact with their supposed offspring. The kid turns out to be such a snivelling loser that any sane person would disown him rather than try to save him from the conveniently cartoonish drug dealers he owes lots of money to. Junior is also infatuated with a girl who couldn't care less. When she finally tells him that he is boring, you find yourself shouting "Yes!" at the screen.

Even so, Williams and Crystal provide plenty of pleasant and undemanding entertainment along the way. But the film is so built around them that it wastes the talents of Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Natassia Kinski. Having said that, there is a nice uncredited cameo by Mel Gibson.

Not a bad film if you're looking for a nicely mindless comedy. But everyone involved has done much better work elsewhere.

This movie is about a runaway 16-year-old named Scott. The mother goes to two men that she knew and tells them they are the father. First she tells Jack Lawrence (Crystal), a lawyer and he doesn't want to go look for him. Then she tells Dale Putley (Williams) who is a retarded, lonner, and empty life writer who decides to look for him. So the two end up traveling together to find Scott. See what goes wrong next after Dale passing out, crying constantly, getting HOT coffee poured on his nuts, and being a idiot.

I was actually surprised when this movie turned out to be somewhat entertaining. I honestly do not think this is a good film by any stretch of my imagination, but it is not that bad. After laboring through some of the other films Brando made at this time I actually found this one sort of refreshing. Brando plays a professional kidnapper who along with a band of similar professionals kidnapps a rich man's daughter. They hold her for ransom in some house by a beach. As time passes things slowly start to go wrong inside the group until they blow up. I found this movie fun for one reason or another, it is kind of off beat. I would only suggest it to serious Marlon Brando fans.

"The Night of the Following Day" marked something of a resurgence in Brando's then sagging career. I knew director Hubert Cornfield who told me that Brando didn't take directions, he gave them. In this case his instincts were right on. He and his fellow cast members deliver first-class ensemble acting performances. Particularly memorable is the deliciously evil Richard Boone. Marvelously eerie mood photography of the foggy French seashore adds much to the suspenceful atmosphere. Unfortunately what might have been a masterpiece is marred by a cliche "twist" ending that leaves the viewer terribly disappointed in view of what has gone on before. This is one time when an alternate ending might have saved the movie.

A teenage heiress is kidnapped at Orly airport,in France,by a chauffer & smuggled to a remote beach-house where the hazy setting of sand dunes & crashing waves provide a perfect hallucinatory tone for this unusual,engrossing,movie. Originally,Stanley Kubrick owned the rights to this film ,but opted out of making it & sold the rights onwards.

Brando is superb,as bloody always,& thin!! The great thing about Marlon's performance,here,is that he pushes each other actor to do their very best~(evident with the acting deliverances by both Jess Hahn & Rita Moreno). [...]It's a gorgeous film-noir piece,kinda very European. Another cult-fave.

It goes way too fast////i do like the abs workout section but the aerobic section isnt good. I will never buy firm tapes again

These are the workouts for Barbie and Ken and the Stepford Wives.

5-Day Abs: Five different short abdominal workouts pasted together from other The Firm workouts; it is easy to go to the DVD menu and choose the one you want, contrary to what another reviewer said. Total time about 35 minutes. There is a shirtless guy acting as a master of ceremonies at the beginning and end of each segment. You need a mat, weights to put around your feet (optional), and a chair. The workouts are pretty good, with a variety of moves, and a variety of speeds (some fast crunches, some long holds, etc.) If you have other abdominal workouts already, don't expect this one to offer anything new.

Tough Tape 2: Several body sculpting segments cut and pasted from other The Firm tapes; easy to pick and choose from the DVD menu. Total time about 45 minutes. Considerable repetition between segments; quite traditional, standard exercises. You are better off with a workout that was planned all at the same time, like Kathy Smith's Lift Weights to Lose Weight, or anything by Karen Voight, or Reebok "Simply Strong" with Gin Miller. You need a variety of hand weights, a chair, a block, and a high stool to step up onto.

This is a two pack DVD, and unlike some reviewers I have had absolutely no problems using the chapter selection on the DVD menu.I have never used earlier Firm workouts, so the compilation has never bothered me. Tough Tape 2 is aptly named. If you are new to aerobic workouts you will have to get used to it, and it will kick your butt for the first two weeks. After that you will no longer have to have a crash team standing by. I have to admit that the 5 Day Abs disc is my favorite Firm disc, and I have four. The segments are short, but very effective. If you can't find time in your day to work this into your schedule then you're just deluding yourself. The frosting on the cake would have to be the host for the ab DVD, who introduces and ends the individual segments. He is one fine looking man, and when he tells me to lie supine I happily comply. Seriously though, there is nothing wrong with eye candy if it helps to keep you motivated. I find that I enjoy doing this workout every day, and it often keeps me on track with my other Firm workouts because it seems so natural as a lead in to the next workout. Truthfully, these workouts are better than the aerobics I've tried at the gym. It's well worth the money. And contrary to what another reviewer has said, you do not need a mat, just the carpet you probably already have in front of your TV.

Let's be honest. It was a little frustrating watching the playful antics of Steed and Mrs Peel, knowing that all that would ever happen would be a respectful peck on the cheek or a cordial hug. Enter Tara King, Steed's last partner. She is a Peel-in-training, only a little younger and a lot more in love with John Steed. Of course we know that nothing overt would ever happen between the two. It's just nice to know that when the credits roll the two might actually kiss on the lips. Linda Thorson is absolutely terrific as Steed's sidekick. She is athletic, fearless and determined. The '68 episodes were constructed with the same care and attention as the Rigg episodes and they are a pleasure to watch. If you think Mrs Peel was the only game in town, check out Tara King. She is a gas.

As some of you who have read other reviews that I have done for The Avengers series and I'll say it again... Being a new fan in terms of seeing the movie, see my review, I became interested in the show.

Now granted Mrs. Peel was beautiful and had class and brains, and Blackman had curves and brains also, yet most people over look Tara King. She did have very good wits and great intellect.

When I first bought this set I thought I was wasting my money, but I was wrong. This volume is pretty good. The firt two episodes are hard to get use to the idea of Steed working with someone else other than Peel, yet after that you warm up to the idea nicely. She adds a new spark to the show and a something... I don't know what, as the French would say. The transfer of the shows is not bad although A&E should have made another master copy and given some better color job or sharpened the picture. Yet those are just small complaints. Steed and King do work well together and they do have chemistry which does make watching the show more enjoyable.

For those new to The Avengers, ignore all the bad press that the delectable Tara King gets. Sure Emma Peel was sublime, and Cathy Gale was right on. But Tara King was also top notch, as were most of her episodes. Wherever you go on the web you will find Tara's episodes variously panned. Tish and pish! They are some of the most interesting, quirky and truly '60's' episodes of ANY television show ever.

Let me first state that the high rating of five stars relates to the greatness of the episodes, which is mainly the point of these reviews. Sadly the quality of these so-called 'digitally remastered' episodes by A&E is worse than bad.

Unfortunately the picture quality of my A&E DVD release of these magnificent episodes is passable at best. Now given the mass production method used in manufacturing these things I do not accept that only my copy is dodgy and I assume that the VHS releases are similarly affected. In particular, the episode on vol 1 of this set, "You'll Catch Your Death" is so poorly remastered as to be distracting. The brightness is shocking and the screen flickers with the old stains and blemishes I can only assume remain on the original film stock. Why haven't they been removed? Come on A&E (and Canal+ in France) get it together! There are many fans out there that expect better and will pay for it. Don't sell us short.

If you want truly good remastered episodes, I suggest you try and find the (now deleted) 1990's Lumiere releases on VHS. I know its an increasingly unpopular format, but faced with the abysmal quality of the A&E releases, it's worth the hunt believe me. I have several and they are excellent.

Sorry A&E but you should know better than that.

I'm from Toby's hometown and really enjoyed the unfinished Gone in 60 Seconds 2 which was filmed in our area. Great to see some locals in the movie. I would have purchased for just this unfinished footage. Deadline Auto Theft was huge let down. It was most of the orginal Gone in 60 Seconds. I own that and Junkman and my kids and I have always enjoyed the car chases.

I need to start by saying that this is a "2 Film" DVD. The first film is called "Deadline:Auto Theft", which is marketed as the final film in the Trilogy of Halicki movies. The packaging and cover art depict a Gullwinged sportscar being chased by the cops, led by chief Hoyt Axton. Being an avid fan of the Halicki films, Gone in 60 seconds and Junkman, I was very excited to see the big finale.
What a major letdown. The first 10 minutes of the film have a great car chase and some shots of Hoyt Axton doing police work. Then, the film transitions into "the original Gone in 60 seconds"? The last 80 minutes of this movie are the original film? How can this be the third in the Trilogy, if it is the same as the first movie. I felt completely ripped off!!!!!!!
What is up with this deception by Halicki Studios?
The second film is the unfinished Gone in 60 second 2, which is where Halicki ultimately met his death. It's nothing compared to the original, but I was just pleased at that point, that it wasn't a redub of the Junkman.
For completionists like myself, Buy the DVD, but just don't expect anything out of the first movie.
I still would have bought this DVD, if it was packaged The original Gone w/added footage and Gone 2. I just can't figure out why all the deceit?
Oh well!

If you what romance,go see a chick flic!You what to see stuff get trashed,this is the movie for you!This movie is about wrecking cars,planes,and a house.Is a great low cost 80's car film a was worth the price.