Editorial Review

John Huston was eager for a lightweight lark, and Read more

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Reviews (21)

Looking for a DVD (and might I suggest a Re-make?)
First of all, I have no idea why this film is not available on DVD yet. You might be looking at my rating right now and thinking "He only gave it 3 stars? Who cares if it comes out on DVD!" Let me explain.
DVD, PLEASE!!
When, when, when is this terrific movie going to come out on DVD?The mystery is great, the acting terrific and I defy anyone who sees it for the first time to figure it out!

Huston In A Minor Key
While not necessarily one of the shining stars of director John Huston's career, "The List of Adrian Messenger" is a fairly engrossing mystery. George C. Scott stars as a retired MI-5 inspector who is given a list of 11 men by his good friend Adrian Messenger (John Merivale). When the men on the list--and Messenger himself--all end up dead, Scott must discover what links them together, and who is eliminating them one by one. The excellent supporting cast includes Herbert Marshall, Jacques Roux, and Dana Wynter, but the central gimmick of the film is spotting the cameo appearances by Tony Curtis, Frank Sinatra, Burt Lancaster, and Robert Mitchum. It's not hard to spot the heavy makeup; it's tougher figuring out who is behind it. Huston himself also makes a cameo toward the end, but without makeup.
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Editorial Review

Martin Scorsese's 1990 masterpiece Read more

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Reviews (544)

Excellent And Gritty Crime Drama!
With so many reviews already posted here on amazon, I really don't think there is any more that I could add, other than to say this is an amazing crime-thriller. From the very beginning, to the very end this is the quintessential mob film of all time. The story of Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) has already been discussed, I would just like to add that if there is anyone who has not seen this classic, do so. More importantly, it belongs in your DVD collection.
These are working guys, living it up and "Earning" at all costs.
Scorcese & Pileggi's masterpiece on the life of Henry Hill as a Brooklyn NY mob wise-guy is great film. While not my favorite Martin Scorsese movie it is a stunning achievement, and one of his very best movies.
The best film of the 90's
GoodFellas is Martin Scorsese's masterpiece, following the life of a gangster named Henry Hill. It charts his way up from working at a mob-controlled cabstand to becoming a member of the gang, and eventually turning to the witness protection program to save his life. The movie is full of unforgettable moments, particularly the famous "Do you think I'm funny" scene. Joe Pesci steals every scene he's in as the murderous psycopath Tommy, and rightfully won the best supporting actor Oscar. This movie contains what may be the best movie sequence ever made: Henry, while high on cocaine, driving around town running a mixture of normal and mob errands (e.g. In narration, he says: I had to stop by Sandy's place to mix the cocaine then get home and check the tommato sauce for dinner...) while being followed by a helicopter. The scene is shot extremely haphazardly, making you feel as though your'e in Henry's place. This movie's greatness cannot be expressed in words; you have to see it for yourself. Also recommended: Miller's Crossing, Casino, Taxi Driver, and The Godfather. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Action    2. Action / Adventure    3. Adventure    4. Feature Film-drama    5. Movie   

Editorial Review

Roman Polanski's adaptation of the Shakespearean tragedy remains one ofthe most infamous for a number of reasons: the copious amounts of bloody gore, its expert use of location settings (filmed in North Wales), and Lady Macbeth's nude sleepwalking scene. Despite its notoriety, though, this does remain one of the more compelling film adaptations of the Scottish tragedy, if one of the more pessimistic takes on the story of Macbeth and his overreaching ambition. If you think the play is normally a bit of a downer, you haven't seen Polanski's bleak version of it, made in reaction to the murder of his wife, Sharon Tate, by the Manson "family." Jon Finch (Hitchcock's Read more

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Reviews (87)

ROMAN POLANSKI AND WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
Bloody well good, and bloody! Roman Polanski's violent, location accurate version of Shakespeare's murderous Macbeth and his lady, seems a natural, insightful interpretation for the 20th Century. So true to Shakespeare's original work, and so indebted to fine cinema.

Turned me off
I had to force myself to give this two stars intead of one because, to be fair, there IS a great cast, meaningful scenes, and gorgeous cinematography. However, there were many things that totally turned me off this movie. Let me confirm that I am an avid fan of Shakespeare and love many of his plays as well as certain movies that have been made of them. In this one, however, I rather felt that Polanski took Shakespeare's play and ran wild with it. Yes, Macbeth is disturbing and depressing, so the fact that these elements turned my stomach may be considered by some as a success on Polanski's part, but there are plenty of other things the play didn't include that the movie had unnecessarily. For example, the nudity. I'm no prude, but there was plenty of unnecessary nakedness in this film and some of it seemed to add to the idea of the characters taking advantage of each other (maybe this was Polanski's plan, but I doubt it). The scene with Lady Macbeth wandering naked and mad around her room wouldn't have bothered me so much if a male "doctor" hadn't been standing there oogling at her. I wanted to smack him as well as Lady Macbeth's maidservant who stood there letting her mistress walk around naked in front of a man; how many of the notoriously protective and prudish maidservants back then would have allowed such a thing? The inaccuracy of this scene made me think Polanski might've just wanted an opportunity to prove that Lady Macbeth was just as attractive without her clothes; I think the males in the audience guessed that much already. Most disturbing to me, though, was the disgusting scene showing a woman bathing her AT LEAST eleven or twelve year-old-son! He wasn't sitting in a tub, either, but standing and baring all in front of the camera. Thanks, Polanski; perversion wasn't supposed to be the main topic of the film, but who remembers these things? Some of the violence was a little too much, too; I did not need to seethe perspective from the eyes of a decapitated head or a man getting a sword in the groin. The movie altogether gave me afeeling of dirty depression. Shakespeare may be partly to blame for this, but it was definetly Polanski's additions to the story that decided me against a second viewing. This would have succeeded as a moving film without a great deal of the nastiness that it contained; substituting gratitious shock-value junk for quality always fails. Next time, try relying a little more on the pathos of the story, Polanski. And please, let's keep parents out of the room when their pre-teens are taking baths, shall we?

The Bard According to Polanski
It is always refreshing to see new twists on Shakespeare as each generation of directors gives its take on the Master. While this adaptation drags near the ending and sometimes the dialogue is diffuclt to follow, for the most part this MACBETH works. Polanski has cast the Macbeths (Jon Finch and Francesca Annis) as younger than many directors do, has Lady Macbeth do her famous sleepwalking scene in the nude and portrays the coven of witches naked as well. Every critic has commented on the bloodiness of Polanski's version. There is blood everywhere; the death of Macbeth will make you gasp.
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Editorial Review

Billy Bob Thornton wrote, directed, and starred in this mesmerizing drama with haunting overtones of Read more

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Reviews (185)

Modern masterpiece!
Karl (Billy Bob Thorton) is a mentally challenged former killer that done a serious crime 25 years ago has been released back home. While he's there he meets and befriends a young boy (Lucas Black) and his widowed mother (Natalie Canerday) whom has trouble with the abusive boyfriend Doyle (Dwight Yokem) as it suddenly remindes Karl of his horrific past.
IS ALREADY A CLASSIC
The only bad thing I can say about this movie is that director/actor/writer Billy Bob Thornton (BBT) will never top it.Watch the included extras on Disc II of this release (over three hours worth) and you'll see that BBT agrees with that prediction."Sling Blade" is simply a GREAT movie, already a classic.It is better each time I watch it.

Excellent, big hearted film
"That Frank, he lives inside of his own heart. That's an awful big place to live in."
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Editorial Review

Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze are the passionate lovers whose romance is undone when the latter is murdered during a bungled hit arranged by a rival. The clever concept by screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin (director of Read more

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Reviews (132)

enduring
This is my #1 favorite movie.I saw it again hours ago.I could recall all scenes and 90% of the dialogue; so I was a bit surprised to find a few tearsrunning from my eyes at the ending scene.
" Ditto "
Phenominally successful film, about a man named Sam , who is killed and begins his journey to solving his own murder , as a ghost. Simple plot , however , the story is told with a fantastic cast. Whoopie Goldburg gives an outstanding, Oscar winning, performance as the medium that helps , Sam , communicate and get his earthly revenge. Everyone says this is a great film. I say , ditto.
Ghost DVD
This is one of my favorite movies.It is one of a very few movies that I can watch over and over again, leaving the day's worries behind. ... Read more

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Reviews (27)

Stunning...
Alan Rickman continues to amaze me with the diversity and depth he brings to every role he plays. His Rasputin just leapt out at you, even in moments when he was being serious & contemplative. He so richly deserved all the accolades that were awarded to him for his performance. He played so many facets, there were times you wanted to strangle him, and other times when you felt completely sympathetic to him, and wondered if he truly was a Holy Man who just became a pawn in the power struggle of the time. I also have to give kudos to both Greta Scacchi & Ian McKellen for their performances as the doomed Tsar & Tsarina, bursting with hope and happiness as Alexei is "cured", and falling into the pit of despair as their world crumbles around them. An amazing movie, period.

Great Film
This film deservese 5 stars for someone daring to pick up where the 1991 discovery had left off.I see some people criticizing the film and they are entitled that right, but this film was beautifully done.The acting was superb, locations were grand, and the portrayal of life in Russia (such as the authentic Orthodox Priest) was extraordinary.5 Stars!

Astonishing portrayal!
Though not the greatest film of all time, Rickman's astonishingly complex portrayal of the enchanted monk is among the great male roles of all cinema, comparable to Giannini's breathtaking "Seven Beauties". This is a must for any student of acting.(...) ... Read more

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Editorial Review

For a couple of hours in 1990, David Lynch took over the network airwaves and subtly, subversively transformed American television forever. Amazingly, the TV series that followed this rich and strange feature-length pilot became an international phenomenon as people all over the world became obsessed by one question: Who killed Laura Palmer? Read more

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Reviews (20)

This is the Best Show That has EVER been on Television.
Mindblowing...mezmerizing...incredible. This is the best show that has ever been on television.

Laura Palmer is dead . . . wrapped in plastic . . .
I am taking a trip to the Seattle area this week and decided that I wanted to have lunch at the Great Northern Hotel, owned by Benjamin Horne (est. 1927).The hotel, which offers its guests a spectacular view of Whitetail Falls, is located slightly north of Twin Peaks, just below the base of Black Lake.The Great Northern is actually the Salish Lodge, perched on a hillside just above Snoqualmie Falls.To prepare myself for the experience, and to indoctrinate my oldest daughter into yet another cult television show, we watched the first season of "Twin Peaks" together starting with the two hour pilot episode that originally aired Sunday, April 8, 1990 on ABC.Fifteen years later, this pilot episode written by Mark Frost ("Hill Street Blues") and David Lynch ("Blue Velvet") still stands up.
Start here.
This is pretty much what any fan of the show or David Lynch needs to start with. It's the original movie/pilot, and is a great piece of work. The story, the characters, and the whole northwest environment really make for an interesting and sometimes creepy watch. Many cool actors showed up in "Twin Peaks", among them Kyle McLachlan, Lara Flynn-Boyle, Sheryl Lee, Jack Nance, and the sexy Sherilyn Fenn. If you enjoy this, seek out the VHS collectors series, episodes 1-7. Or the DVD first season, which is also episodes 1-7, minus this pilot. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Movie    2. Mystery / Suspense / Thriller    3. TV Shows    4. Television   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (115)

Girl's night out, in a sense...
This film stars two wild and crazy gals who go on a breezy and uninhibited spree of revenge that ultimately ends in disaster, but getting there is what's entertaining about this movie. The film features several wild chase scenes, exploding tanker trucks, pantomimed oral sex, whole squads of police cruisers on the trail of the wayward women, a sympathetic cop who wants to save them, and a law enforcement establishment which has been embarrassed by being unable to stop their spree of violence and that wants them dead. Overall a pretty decent flick despite it's somewhat downer message and ending. But the action keeps the film moving along and Keitel, Davis, and Sarandon turn in fine performances, as usual.

Despite popularity, somewhat disturbing film
I understand why this film got such wide acclaim.Great acting, interesting storyline, great cinematography.However, I found this film quite violent, bordering advocating violence as a means for letting out frustrations, suicide as glorious end, etc., that I couldn't condone.
Susan Sarandan is perfect
Even though I'm very young I stilled loved this movie. Its one of my favorite movies with Susan Sarandon. They do and outstanding job as criminals on the run. I loved how the hot sexy Brad Pitt was in it. It has a bit of fowl language but it wouldn't work without it. Perfect to cheer up the mood. ... Read more

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Editorial Review

This sprawling epic of bloodshed and excess, Brian De Palma's update of the classic 1932 crime drama by Howard Hawks, sparked controversy over its outrageous violence when released in 1983. Read more

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Reviews (674)

SEY GOO'BYE TO MUH WORTHLESS FILM!
The first time I saw this film, age, I think, 14 or 15, I hated it.It was absolutely horrid - the acting, the music, the cinematography, everything.Then a few years later I gave it a second chance, and I thought it was pretty good, at least good enough to buy.
On DVD, yet again...
Brian De Palma's blood soaked gangster epic is on DVD, once again.I'll say this right off the bat, if you own the previously released Special Edition of Scarface, there's no reason to run out and buy this Platinum Edition, which has an assortment of previously released extras to go along with a counter for how many times the "F" word is used and how many bullets are fired.Besides that, there's nothing here that hasn't been seen before, but if you don't already own Scarface on DVD, well then, this is worth picking up.As for the film itself, it's a bloody crime epic featuring one of Al Pacino's best, and most infamous, performances as Cuban hood turned drug kingpin Tony Montana; but chances are, you already know all that.The DVD's picture quality looks cleaner, and the "remastered and remixed" sound is crisper as well, but whether or not you want to lay down the cash for this depends on how many times you've been suckered into buying the movie.

"Say hello to my little friend!"
`Scarface' is one of those classic films that, even though it wasn't recognized by prestigious awards ceremonies as worthy, it'll be remembered far longer than films like `Crash' and `Million Dollar Baby'.Why?Well for starters it's really what made Al Pucino famous.Sure, he was in `The Godfather' films and he was brilliant in them (the Oscar nods prove that) but to me `The Godfather' belongs to Brando, but `Scarface', not that is in all respects Al's picture, from start to finish, it belongs to Pucino.
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Reviews (18)

Marvelous.
A family favourite.Ms. Davis stilla pleasure to watch in her latter years.The young star Seth Holt a splendid and powerful actor.

great dear bette
looking for great acting at older age?
The Nanny, Who was anything but Mary Poppins
Bette Davis shines in this Hammer Classic from 1965.
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Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Feature Film-drama    3. Movie    4. Mystery    5. Mystery / Suspense / Thriller    6. Suspense   

Editorial Review

The Arab anti-defamation leagues understandably had a field day with this one. Sally Field plays Betty Mahmoody, an American who marries an Iranian (Alfred Molina) and has a child. They go back to Iran for a visit and, to her horror, he tells her he's decided to stay there. If she wants to leave, she must leave her daughter behind. If she stays, Betty must live in a culture vastly different and, she believes, very dangerous. Part thriller, part culture clash, the film certainly takes advantage of Americans' perceptions of Iran after the unrest of the '70s and early '80s. Molina is truly despicable as the husband, while Field projects a lot of overheated anguish as Betty tries to figure out a way to escape the country with her daughter. Overheated, in fact, is the word for the whole melodrama. Read more

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Reviews (112)

Cultural misunderstanding
This moview represents a one-sided view of a rich and ancient culture and has portrayed it unfairly as a backward society.The story might have some truth to it, but it is a great manifestation of miscimmunication between two cultures or two individuals from two different cultures.
Multi-Cultural View of Domestic Violence
This movie was good, but as usual the book was far better. I think it showed that her husband had some tendencies towards wanting to dominate his wife, which turned into full-blown abuse under the stresses of losing his job & medical license, and returning to Shiite Iran after decades of living in the United States.
Not as Good as Book, but Still an Okay Movie!Events in Movie/Book may have been Exaggerated or Downright False!
Before I saw this movie, I read the book by Betty Mahmoody, which this movie is based on. The book was very detailed, and fairly intense, so when I saw the movie, I was somewhat disappointed to see the truth in the statement that "Movies are Never as Good as the Actual Book"
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Editorial Review

In the tradition of such obsessively driven directors as Erich von Stroheim and Werner Herzog, Francis Ford Coppola approached the production of Read more

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Reviews (304)

The horror ... the horror ...
To call Francis Ford Coppola's APOCALYPSE NOW one of the greatest films ever made is a major understatement.It's filmmaking perfection - brilliant, powerful, and beautiful.From the chilling opening - helicopters flying through the Vietnamese jungle, setting it aflame, while The Doors' "The End" plays - to the now-classic closing ("The horror ... the horror ..."), it's an unforgettable journey into the darkest reaches of the human heart.It's unquestionably the greatest and most horrifying film made about the Vietnam War; it may be the best war movie ever.Some could even argue that APOCALYPSE NOW is the greatest film of all time.
Magnificent Film In Any Form... '....The Complete Dossier' Due Out In August 06
In 1979's "Apocalypse Now", Francis Ford Coppola presented us with a mesmerizing, stunning look at the horrors of Viet Nam. It was a film that looked at the hearts and minds of the soldiers and the effects of the brutalities.The film received 8 nominations by Oscar, including Best Picture, Director, and a supporting actor nod for Robert("I love the smell of Napalm in the morning")Duvall. It took home well deserved Oscars for Cinematography(Vittorio Storaro) and Sound.
Coppola's phantasmagoric ode to the madness of war
War is a kind of madness.It has its own logic.Kill or be killed.Follow orders, follow the leader.Go crazy.Do horrific things.Become a beast.Do all of this in a steamy jungle amid a alien culture for an unclear purpose in an ineffective way and you've got some idea of what Vietnam was like.Coppola's Vietnam is the Vietnam of a soldier's Thai stick/acid trip.The filming actually took place in the Phillippines, but no matter: that's better than Kubrick's excellent Full Metal Jacket which was partially filmed on constructed sets in England of all places. Read more

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History or Hollywood?STALIN delivers an excellent balance
I agree with Leaming.Any time Hollywood depicts history, there are going to be issues of inaccuracy, artistic license, etc.In the case of the film STALIN, this is mostly due to the need to compress about thirty years into less than three hours.The portrayals of the primary characters are sometimes simplistic and inaccurate, but Bukharin and Kirov's characters (for example) are portrayed so as to accentuate the perception of Stalin as a monster (which is accurate).In other words, the truth is adapted somewhat to generate a dramatic foil.Films are never a substitute for reading the real history, but I find that they often whet an appetite when one did not previously exist.The mini-series PETER THE GREAT with Maximilian Schell in the title role is another great example of a film that generated popular interest in Tsarist Russia.SHOGUN, ROUGH RIDERS, LAST SAMURAI, GLADIATOR, GODS AND GENERALS, SHARPE'S RIFLES -- all are examples of films that prompted people to actually read history.So, take the films for what they are -- all in all, everyone who loves history should encourage this terrific trend in film-making!

nevermind the "purist" reviews - this is an excellent film
This film is historically excellent.What most reviewers seem hung up on are accents, make-up and costumes.Most comment that it is historically inaccurate but give nothing very specific.The film is a broad overview of the life of Stalin and could never include every element of his life.All the important stuff is there:the Revolution, the power struggle between Trotsky and Stalin, Stalin's rise to power, The great famines, The Great Purges, WWII, etc.The film gives great insight into Stalin and the paranoia that he experienced and how that paranoia influenced the way he ruled over the Soviet Union.Sure, many of the other characters were somewhat glossed over, but the film is essentially about Stalin and what made him tick - not about the intricate backgrounds of other revolutionaries and supporters.If you don't come away from the film thinking what a bastard Stalin was, then you simply missed the point.The way that he treated his family, friends and so called counterrevolutionaries is illustrated correctly in this film. Good Characterization of Stalin, Bad History
In the past, apologists for Stalin (including many of his victims) said that Stalin was good, but he was surrounded by bad people.This film turns this on its head saying that Stalin was bad, but he was surrounded by good people.Both of these are wrong--the leaders of the Bolshevik Revolution and the leaders of the USSR in the period following the revolution were all up to their necks in blood. Robert Duvall gives an excellent portrayal of Stalin, emphasizing that he, unlike his ranting partner in mass murder Hitler, was soft-spoken and basically uncharismatic.Duvall correctly does not use a "Russian" accented English because Stalin spoke Russian with a heavy Georgian accent.Having said this, the historical aspects of the film are very poor.First of all, Maximilian Schell's portrayal of Lenin is way off base.The Old Bolsheviks like Trotsky, Kamenev, Zinoviev, Bukharin, Ordzhonikidze and Kirov are shown to be basically well-meaning people who got trapped in Stalin's web.This is untrue, they were all involved in mass terror, justifying it in the name of a "higher good".In Solzhenitsyn's "Gulag Archipelago", he points out what a pathetic man Bukharin really was and how he so freely shed tears for the injustice committed to his person, and yet he had no pity on the millions of others who suffered.At the end of the film, Khruschev says that Stalin's crimes ("the millions" he liquidated) had to be accounted for, whereas,in reality,he himself took an active role in the Great Terror.Read more

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