The Last Castle

Starring:Redford, Gandolfini, Ruffalo, Lindo
Studio: Dreamworks Video
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

At the time of its original release in 1984, this modestly budgeted sci-fi excursion had the distinction of offering some of the first examples of purely computer-generated animation, an apt (and frugal) special-effects solution for a movie with a plot line rooted in computer games. Both the computer-generated visuals and the arcade game now look quaint, but writer-director Nick Castle's affable, good- hearted adventure holds up nicely, thanks to a clever premise--the title game is actually a test for prospective starship pilots, planted by embattled aliens under siege from an evil invader. When a restless teenager (Lance Guest) racks up an impressive score, he finds himself spirited away to the besieged planet and thrust into the midst of an intergalactic war. Apart from Castle's skill at contrasting his extraterrestrial settings with the mundane details of his hero's earthbound life, the movie gets lift-off from two thorough pros, Robert Preston, who makes the alien recruiter, Centauri, a planet-hopping cousin to The Music Man's Harold Hill, and Dan O'Herlihy, the alien copilot, who suggests a scaly Walter Brennan. Older fans will snicker, but kids and young teens will find this rite of passage absorbing, while their folks will savor Preston's brash charm. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews:

Oldie But Goodie.......2007-07-02

Really gets the imigination going. Like Star Wars in away, but more on a kid level. Good movie.

You CAN Become Important Playing Video Games.......2007-06-24

Alex Rogan (Lance Guest, "Halloween II" and "Jaws: The Revenge") seems to have a dead-end life. He lives in a trailer park and helps keep things in the trailer park running. His life is not his own. The only fun he has is playing a video game, which he is very good playing. One day Alex achieves the high score on the video game and life changes.

A bizarre individual by the name of Centauri (played by the late, great Robert Preston) appears, looking for Alex. Centauri is an agent for the Star League, recruiting potential Starfighters. Centauri's tool for discovering the potential to be a Starfighter is the video game.

Though Alex has longed to escape the trailer park, he struggles with the opportunity to be a Starfighter. Alex thinks of his girlfriend Maggie (lovely Catherine Mary Stewart), his mother and the people he has helped in the trailer park. Eventually Alex realizes that his life has already changed and that sometimes a little risk can yield great gains. Alex heads back to Rylos and the Star League with Centauri, only to discover that he is the last Starfighter. The end of this movie is all fun and excitement.

This movie was released the year after "Return of the Jedi." The Star Wars movies were very serious and contained a lot of depth. This movie avoided the angst of Star Wars and focused on the fun of shooting evil aliens. This movie is a video game with a plot surrounding it. This movie contained significant computer generated affects that helped the movie a lot, and those special effects increased the video game feeling of this movie.

Though this movie relies a lot on special effects, the acting is generally quite good. Robert Preston is awesome as Centauri, and I recommend this movie highly to Robert Preston fans. Lance Guest, Catherine Mary Stewart and the late Dan O'Herlihy as the lizard-like alien Grig are also fun to watch.

There are many kinds of science fiction movies. This movie is fun in the tradition of Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon. There are spies and evil aliens. There are spaceships that twist and turn and it is clear to the audience that Rylos is worth fighting for. Lance Guest makes a lovable protagonist. In addition to fans of the actors I listed above, I highly recommend this movie to science fiction movie fans.

Enjoy!

Great nostalgia from my 80s childhood.......2007-04-19

I have a soft spot for this movie, and when it came out on DVD I immediately bought it. I must have watched it dozens of times when it was on HBO in the 80s. Watching it again so many years later, it still retains its heart and charm. Sure, the effects may seem very dated but the film stands out as as one of the first to use CG-created ships and environments. Everyone in the film does a great job as well. Robert Preston is excellent as the smooth-talking alien, Centauri. Dan O'Herlihy has a great time playing navigator Grig, and star Lance Guest has two roles, one of disenchated teen Alex Rogan and the other an android double that takes his place while Alex is taken into space to train as a Starfighter. Guest seems to have a lot more fun with Beta, the android role, but makes Alex believable as someone trying to break free of the trailer park where he grew up. (Don't forget Catherine Mary Stuart as the love interest).

The specials features are a welcome addition for fans. I watched every special feature on this DVD the day I got it, and enjoyed learning about the making of the film from the documentary.

This movie is a great bit of nostalgia with a lot of heart.

A Good Movie Back Then, Today, Alittle Rusty In Intertainment..........2007-04-16

Some 80's movies I can watch over and over and still want to watch it again, like The Terminator, but this movie is ok, but I doubt I will want to watch it over and over like some of my other movies. I remember seeing it in the 80's when I was around 15 years old. Today at age 32, it not really that shiny anymore. But its still a good movie. The CG graphics are pretty impressing for the early 80's. Its worth watching once, if you've never seen it at all.

Blast from the past which still entertains even now.......2007-03-26

The Last Starfighter was a nice little sci-fi action movie which was revolutionary when it was released due to it's use of an early version of CGI-effects. For 1984 the special-effects was quite new and showed just what was possible in the years to come.

The movie itself was a fun and simple sci-fi actioner which owes alot to the arcade shooters which were popular during the 80's. Even the main plotline of the film is pretty much about a video game sent by a benevolent space-faring Star League looking to find a few good Starfighters to save their federation from the danger that is Zur and the Kodan Armada. Lance Guest plays Alex Rogan whose only past-time at the trailer-park where he lives with his mother and younger brother is his girlfriend Maggie Gordon (played by 80's genre favorite Catherine Mary Stewart) and constantly playing a video game called The Last Starfighter. Alex's expert skills in beating the game brings about a new wrinkle in his hum-drum life which seems to be going nowhere. A seeming con-man of a salesman by the name of Centauri (played with gusto and energy by Robert Preston) comes out of nowhere and gives him an offer and opportunity that is out of this world.

The rest of the film brings about Alex's reluctance to join the Star League as a Starfighter and pilot of the Gunstar fighter. He thinks its all a mistake and that he wasn't signing up for some sort of intergalactic war that may just kill him. Like most action movies Alex will have an epiphany of what his role and destiny must be and, with some reluctance, finally takes the challenge by the controls and goes off to fight Zur and the Kodan Armada with his lone Gunstar and his trusty navigator and all-around lizardman mentor, Grigg (played with equal parts seriousness and fun by Dan O'Herlihy).

For those like me who grew up during the 80's and enjoyed watching these simple but fun sci-fi movies The Last Starfighter is quite the blast from the past which still delights and entertains despite the corny dialogue and cheesy effects. The CGI-effects of the Gunstar and the Kodan Armada looks dated but I still can't take my eyes off the screen whenever these early looking CG effects come on. The acting is pretty standard B-movie quality with everyone seeming to have fun with the premise and giving it their all. There's nothing to write the Academy about but in the end the performances do just enough to make the audience like the characters.

The Last Starfighter is quite the underrated scifi action movie which should've done better than it did when it first came out. It's since gained a cult following on video and always a welcome sight whenever it comes on cable. The movie may seem dated compared to the super advanced CGI-effects laden blockbusters we have now but it still entertains the people who grew up watching it as kids and who have grown up since.

Average customer rating:

Excellent Movie
Robert Redford fans.
Redford's Career
Great movie
THE LAST CASTLE

The Last Castle
Starring: Paul Calderon , Jeremy Child , James Gandolfini , Delroy Lindo , and Frank Military
Manufacturer: Dreamworks Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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( L ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Action & Adventure | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Drama | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

Mystery & Suspense | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

Rules of Engagement
Basic
The Recruit
Spy Game (Widescreen Edition)
Men of Honor

ASIN: B00005JKNV
Release Date: 2002-03-05

Amazon.com

The Last Castle rides high on a wave of American patriotism, respectful of military service and protocol, and primed to ignite anyone's passion for justice against corrupted ideals. This intense prison drama begins when a court-martialed three-star general (Robert Redford) is sentenced to military prison for defying a presidential command. The prison's warden (James Gandolfini) is a jealous martinet who's never seen combat, and when the jailed general seizes command of the prison to protest the warden's abuse of power, The Last Castle erupts toward a classic showdown between integrity and cowardice. Former critic and West Point graduate Rod Lurie (The Contender) directs this intimate battle with manipulative skill, appealing more to emotions than intelligence, but his stellar cast keeps the action on track, and a potent script returns flag-waving to its rightful place of honor. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Movie.......2007-06-22

Robert Redford and James Gandolfini are excellent in this movie. It is probably not really believable, but great fun to watch. A 3-star general goes to prison and ultimately organizes the prisoners to justifiably take over the prison. Well written and well worth the watch.

Robert Redford fans........2007-05-07

This is a great movie but not recommended for children under age 15. A great performance by Robert Redford. This movie is about a prison. Well worth getting and watching. a real eye-opener to life in prison, not just the prisoners but the prison staff also.

Redford's Career.......2007-02-24

I liked this movies but I do think Robert Redford Needs to retire. He just looks old to be playing the age he played in this movie. Or they could have made him look older.

Great movie.......2007-01-11

This movie was sent quickly and in great shape. I am very satisfied with the product and would order form this distributor in the future.

THE LAST CASTLE.......2006-12-04

ALL IN ALL THIS IS A PRETTY GOOD MOVIE, I HAVE IT ON 'VHS' WISH I HAD THE DVD INSTEAD. GO BUY IT YOU ALL, YOU'LL NOT BE SORRY, THAT IS IF YOU LIKE THE MOVIE,.

House on Haunted Hill/The Last Man On Earth

Average customer rating:

paid under five bucks
Two must-see Vincent Price classics
A nice surprise
A great value for Vincent Price fans on a budget
A Strictly "Subjective" Assessment

House on Haunted Hill/The Last Man On Earth
Starring: Vincent Price , Carolyn Craig , Richard Long , Elisha Cook Jr. , and Carol Ohmart
Director: William Castle , Sidney Salkow , and Ubaldo Ragona
Manufacturer: Diamond Ent. Corp.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

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The Fall of the House of Usher /The Pit and the Pendulum
The Abominable Dr. Phibes/Dr. Phibes Rises Again!
The Haunting
The Omega Man
The Tingler

ASIN: B00004WGAB
Release Date: 2000-10-03

Customer Reviews:

paid under five bucks .......2007-03-11

They just don't hold up all that well. Last Man... is better than the other, although that's not saying much.
Also, you can see where George Romero borrowed heavily for his Night of the Living Dead flicks.

I must add: Richard Matheson is a highly respected genre writer. Besides writing LAST MAN ON EARTH (among other books and screenplays) He's the guy who wrote the excellent DUEL,
starring Dennis Weaver. Get it, if you've never seen it.
I really don't blame him or the late Vincent Price for the way LAST MAN... turned out. It's really not a bad flick...and yet you can't help feeling that it should have turned out far better, that the material was there...

Hey, if you're about ten years old...you might get a real kick out of it.

Two must-see Vincent Price classics.......2005-09-20

It doesn't get much better than this twin-bill of Vincent Price classics. I consider The House on Haunted Hill to be one of the best haunted house movies ever made. The effects may seem somewhat silly to modern audiences, but the simplest frights are often the most effective. The plot itself is gratifyingly complex and twisted, and the ending is by no means disappointing. Anyone with an interest in the horror genre should find this Vincent Price gem to be quite a hoot. Then there's The Last Man on Earth, which is one of the best horror movies ever made, period.

As a jaded modern horror fan, I can't say The House on Haunted Hill really scared me, but I daresay that if you put a couple of hundred people inside a modern movie theatre and showed this film to them, you would get some delightful screams and jumps out of your audience. A movie such as this belongs in black and white, and the whole mood is appropriately creepy. The director left almost nothing out: creaking doors, apparitions, secret rooms, screams (almost so many they become annoying), skeletons, thunder and lightning, organ music, moments of total darkness, a pit of acid, and - of course - Vincent Price.

Mr. Loren (Price) is an eccentric man of wealth throwing a haunted house party for his fourth wife (who is as anxious to kill him as he is to kill her). He promises to pay $10,000 to anyone who can make it through the night. Five strangers make up the party guests - a former test pilot, a society newspaper columnist, a psychiatrist, an unassuming, vulnerable young lady, and the house's owner, who keeps going on and on about the murders that took place there. Naturally, weird things start to happen, and then all of the party goers find themselves locked in the house prematurely with no hope of escape until morning. Naturally, rather than stay together, the houseguests end up wandering around on their own, and the impressionable young lady is especially traumatized throughout the evening by what she sees and experiences. There are games afoot, the full extent of which are not revealed until the ending of the film. In its original theatrical release, the ever so fiendish director William Castle had a skeleton rigged inside each theater that would appear above the audience's heads at the appropriate time - I would love to have experienced that.

The Last Man on Earth is based on Richard Matheson's incredible novel I Am Legend, in my opinion the second best vampire novel ever written. Price plays Morgan, a man left completely alone in the world by a plague that wiped out the rest of the population, including his wife and young daughter, three years earlier. The virus behind the plague was a vampiric bacillus, so all of the people who died and were not destroyed by fire have come back as vampires. Luckily for Morgan, the vampires are quite weak and simple-minded, for they attack his fortified home every night in an effort to get in and kill him. By day, Morgan goes out hunting the walking nightmares and driving stakes through their hearts, but there are so many that the project seems almost useless. Midway through the movie, we are treated to a pretty extended set of flashbacks to the early days of the virus and the deaths of Morgan's wife and daughter. Toward the end, Morgan is shocked to find a woman wandering outside during the day, the first human being he has seen in three years. He takes her home with him and thus sets the stage for the movie's memorable climax.

Obviously, Vincent Price carries this movie on his own back, given the fact that the vast majority of the action takes place around him and no one else. He plays things rather subtly for the most part, which I found quite effective. His memories make him laugh sometimes, but Price's signature laugh evolves quite effectively into sobs of anger and frustration. The most poignant moments of the film, in my opinion, come when Morgan finds a dog outside his house, the first living creature he has seen in three years. The dog initially runs away from him in fear, but the suffering creature eventually comes back. Morgan cleans him and fixes up his wounds, but the new friendship he exults over soon becomes just another tragedy. The movie doesn't dwell on the dog episode nearly so much as Matheson does in his novel, and for this I am grateful because I find it heartbreaking. The little dog gives an incredible performance, but as is so often the case the canine actor does not even merit a mention in the credits.

The Last Man on Earth really is a remarkably good movie and really showcases the immense acting abilities of Vincent Price. I wish it would have delved into the science of the virus much more intensely than it did; the scientific aspects of Matheson's story are what make it such a phenomenally good vampire novel. The script writers did take some liberties with the concluding scenes, but it is really for the best because the novel's conclusion would not have worked in this medium without the audience being given a much more penetrating look into the minds and motives of the characters involved. Some might find the movie creepy, but there is really nothing here that will disturb the timid viewer-the camera never actually shows any of the gruesome acts that tend to be committed by human beings against vampires and vice versa. Somber and depressing as it can be, The Last Man on Earth is the type of distinguished horror movie that should appeal in some way to just about everyone.

A nice surprise.......2005-05-09

I bought this for the movie that I remembered, House on Haunted Hill, which on watching again is a pretty cheezy piece of work. The other movie, Last Man on Earth, I had never heard of, and recognised only from the intro on the DVD which told me in so many words that it was based on I Am Legend by Richard Matheson. I found I really liked this movie. In a sense, it's like many other 50's and 60's movies in that the bad guy(s) lose. That's the only resemblance, however. In the first part we see Vincent Price as the relentless vampire slayer. Others have commented that these don't seem like "real" vampires, but who knows what they would really be like anyway. We've seen too many Dracula remakes where the vampires are quick, agile, mean and clever. Who is to say they can't be slow, stupid, weak and evil? Anyway. In the second part, we are given the story of the beginning of the plague, which resmebles The Stand, only about 99.99999999% fatal. One survivor, to be exact. As the third part progresses, we start to see new possible candidates for the good guys (behaving just like we do in the old Dracula movies). Finally we see Price for what he has become, a legendary creature of terror, in a total reversal from the vampire as the shadowy creature in all the other stories. You have to see it. This is a great piece of work for all it's faults.

A great value for Vincent Price fans on a budget.......2005-04-02

This "House on Haunted Hill"/"Last Man on Earth" double feature is one of the better buys on the public-domain DVD market. The prints of both films are passable (it's an exaggeration to claim these are "digitally remastered"), and certainly of better quality than the TV prints that have been circulating for years. Both films, of course, feature the late legend Vincent Price and while neither film could be considered his best work there's plenty here Price fans will enjoy.

Vincent Price may have built his career around low-budget horror films, but he was a movie star in the truest sense of the word. His very presence helped to elevate an average film to something memorable. While some find his mannerisms and demeanor campy, I find the glee with which he portrayed the disturbed and obsessed very refreshing. "House on Haunted Hill" bears a strong similarity to any number of forgettable faux-haunted house movies, and "Last Man on Earth"'s plot is a second rate Twilight Zone adventure. But Price's performances make both of these not only worthwhile but memorable. "The Last Man on Earth," in particular, features an excellent turn by Price.

If you're a Price fan who could care less about extras and aren't too fussy about sound or picture quality, snatch up this DVD while they last.

A Strictly "Subjective" Assessment.......2003-04-05

I first saw this film in my mid-teens, when I had no critical faculties whatsoever. In those days, Bergman and Fellini would have bored hell out of me (Fellini still does), and "Citizen Kane" would have left me cold. And many of the films I used to love as a child now strike me as boring. But for some reason, "Last Man on Earth" continues to plunge me into a state of pleasurable gloom, and I keep returning to it every other week like some sort of drug, or one of those amulets cinematic hypnotists dangle before their victims while coaxing them toward some nefarious climax.

I won't attempt an "objective" review of this film, since I'm far too familiar with it, so my impressions are visceral rather than analytic. Also, I long ago ceased to care about the plot (which is amply detailed in many of the other reviews included here). The acting? Here, too, I'm too close to it to make a reliable assessment. I'd have to say that Vincent Price is only slightly hammy in his role as a weary vampire-hunter, and in one scene, where he's vocally mourning the loss of his wife, "Virge," he lapses into some rather embarrassing self-consciousness. The only other aspect of the film that annoys me ---- from an adult vantage point, that is ---- is the atrocious dubbing of the Italian actors, and the ridiculous exhortations of the vampires as they surround the protagonist's house, trying to lure him outside.

Otherwise, "Last Man" still strikes me as one of the best examples of atmospheric film-making in the history of the genre, and it is on this level that I can wholly immerse myself in its special qualities. It does not really resemble any other film ever made ------ much like the international collaboration, "Daughters of Darkness" in that respect. It does not even resemble "Night of the Living Dead," though it clearly influenced that film thematically. It has that sleazy, low-budget quality that most true horror fans love, but other than that it is sui generis.

Part of the power of the film, I believe, is that it concentrates largely on the situation of a totally isolated character, surrounded by alien beings with whom he has no chance of communicating. The fact that he loses both his wife and a close friend to this "enemy camp" only adds to his sense of despair (not to mention a stray dog which he briefly befriends before discovering that it, too, has succumbed to the "vampire germ").

The music score, while not in the class of Bernard Herrmann or Maurice Jarre, is nevertheless wonderfully appropriate for the film, and assists the production with just the right touch of eeriness. Parts of it spill over into excess, perhaps, but it's the right kind of excess.

Amazon.com

The Last Castle
The Last Castle rides high on a wave of American patriotism, respectful of military service and protocol, and primed to ignite anyone's passion for justice against corrupted ideals. This intense prison drama begins when a court-martialed three-star general (Robert Redford) is sentenced to military prison for defying a presidential command. The prison's warden (James Gandolfini) is a jealous martinet who's never seen combat, and when the jailed general seizes command of the prison to protest the warden's abuse of power, The Last Castle erupts toward a classic showdown between integrity and cowardice. Former critic and West Point graduate Rod Lurie (The Contender) directs this intimate battle with manipulative skill, appealing more to emotions than intelligence, but his stellar cast keeps the action on track, and a potent script returns flag-waving to its rightful place of honor. --Jeff Shannon

The Peacemaker
It seems that thrillers these days--even good ones--are all about scene-chewing bad guys, cute retorts fit for the Dennis Miller show, and one big special effect to end the movie. Well, something like The Peacemaker, the first feature film from DreamWorks, puts the record straight. Here is an expertly paced thriller with a sensible villain, smart instead of cute dialogue, and a focus on action instead of special effects. It's not original, just solid. It's the second of these energetic and effective thrillers that writer Michael Schiffer (Crimson Tide) has penned. The White House Nuclear Smuggling Group tracks down 10 stolen nuclear bombs after a suspicious train wreck in Russia. The acting head of the department (Nicole Kidman) and her military field officer (George Clooney) are off to Europe to track down the bombs. Instead of a Gary Oldman-Bruce Dern madman, The Peacemaker's heavy is an unknown Romanian actor (Marcul Iures) playing a Bosnian rebel who works passionately and quietly. This may be a popcorn movie, but it uses the ripe emotions of the Bosnian War to create tension. This is the best film vehicle yet for the overwhelming charisma of George Clooney as a quick witted, generally warm Oliver North type who will seek deadly vengeance without pause. He's matched very well by the professional polish of Nicole Kidman who is showing great flexibility in dividing her roles between serious and fun fare. --Doug Thomas

The Last Castle [Region 2]
Average customer rating:

Excellent Movie

Robert Redford fans.

Redford's Career

Great movie

THE LAST CASTLE

The Last Castle [Region 2]
Starring: Robert Redford , James Gandolfini , Mark Ruffalo , Steve Burton , and Delroy Lindo
Director: Rod Lurie
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video
Calderon, Paul | ( C ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Gandolfini, James | ( G ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Lindo, Delroy | ( L ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Redford, Robert | ( R ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Ruffalo, Mark | ( R ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
( L ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Rules of Engagement

Basic

The Recruit

Spy Game (Widescreen Edition)

Men of Honor

ASIN: B0000695KJ

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Movie.......2007-06-22

Robert Redford fans........2007-05-07

Redford's Career.......2007-02-24

I liked this movies but I do think Robert Redford Needs to retire. He just looks old to be playing the age he played in this movie. Or they could have made him look older.

Great movie.......2007-01-11

This movie was sent quickly and in great shape. I am very satisfied with the product and would order form this distributor in the future.

THE LAST CASTLE.......2006-12-04

ALL IN ALL THIS IS A PRETTY GOOD MOVIE, I HAVE IT ON 'VHS' WISH I HAD THE DVD INSTEAD. GO BUY IT YOU ALL, YOU'LL NOT BE SORRY, THAT IS IF YOU LIKE THE MOVIE,.

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