Mr. Johnson

Starring:Pierce Brosnan
Studio: CineVu, Inc.
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Here Comes Mr. Jordan
Mixed emotions right at the end.
sacrilege, but "heaven can wait:" is better
Finally - Here comes
GOD . FORGIVE . THEM . FOR . THEIR . COVER . ART

Here Comes Mr. Jordan
Starring: Robert Montgomery , Evelyn Keyes , Claude Rains , Rita Johnson , and Edward Everett Horton
Director: Alexander Hall
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Classic Comedies | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Black Comedy | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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Boxing | Sports | Genres | DVD | Video

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The Clock

ASIN: B000KX0IOU
Release Date: 2007-02-06

Amazon.com

Even after two remakes--one a classic (Heaven Can Wait), the other, not so much (Chris Rock's Down to Earth)--this 1941 fantasy, an Oscar-winner for Best Original Story and Screenplay, has lost none of its ethereal charms. Robert Montgomery gives a knockout performance as Joe Pendleton, a boxer "in the pink" and poised to be the next heavyweight champion until a celestial messenger (Edward Everett Horton at his fussy best) pulls him from an impending plane crash and sends him to heaven before his time. Courtesy of Mr. Jordan (Claude Rains), Joe resumes his training in the body of a wealthy, unscrupulous businessman whose wife and personal secretary are plotting to murder. James Gleason steals his scenes as Joe's understandably befuddled manager, with lovely Evelyn Keyes as Bette Logan, whose innocent father the real Farnsworth framed and sent to prison, and with whom Joe/Farnsworth falls in love. Though this DVD doesn't even feature a chapter menu, the film itself is, as advertised, "as fantastic a yarn as was ever spun" and will make you feel, as Bette does when she looks into Joe's eyes, "warm, alive, and happy." And they don't make too many like that anymore. --Donald Liebenson

Stills from Here Comes Mr. Jordan (click for larger image)

Beyond Here Comes Mr. Jordan

Columbia Classics on Amazon.com
More Boxing Films on Amazon.com
The Remake: Heaven Can Wait

Product Description

When a boxer (Robert Montgomery) is accidentally called to Heaven 50 years before his time, it's upto celestial executive extraordinaire Mr. Jordan (Claude Rains) to straighten out the matter. When Columbia Pictures' financial advisors read the screenplay for the fantasy comedy Here Comes Mr. Jordan, they had their doubts as to its box-office potential. Screenwriter Sidney Buchman went directly to studio president Harry Cohn in an effort to convince him to make the film. Cohn liked the script's uniqueness and, saying that all his bankers wanted was "what sold last year," told Buchman he'd make the picture. To play the saxophone-playing boxer Joe Pendelton, Cohn decided to borrow Robert Montgomery from MGM. Although Mongomery had some initial doubts about his part, he delivered what was to become an Oscar -nominated performance. The film, which received a total of seven 1941 nominations, including Best Picture, won two (Best Motion Picture Story, Best Screenplay). Here Comes Mr. Jordan was so successful, it inspired a semi-sequel (1947's Down To Earth, which starred Rita Hayworth) and was eventually remade in 1978 as Heaven Can Wait.

Customer Reviews:

Here Comes Mr. Jordan.......2007-06-22

Alexander Hall's ingenious comedy/fantasy, was a departure for the usually suave Montgomery (father of Elizabeth from TV's "Bewitched"), but he tackles the role of working class pugilist with humanity and heart. The laughs come fast and furious once the befuddled Joe starts occupying the body of business titan Bruce Farnsworth, stunning his would-be killers and servants with a new-found passion for exercise and fair play. And once Bette Logan (Keyes) enters the picture, petitioning for her father (whom the (old) Farnsworth had ruined), a tentative, romance develops. "Jordan" boasts memorable turns from the always reliable Rains, and from James Gleason as Max Corkle, Joe's incredulous trainer. (Re-made by Warren Beatty as "Heaven Can Wait" in 1978).

Mixed emotions right at the end........2007-05-20

When I first saw this film as a boy on TV, I loved it almost right up to the end. I came away depressed and spiritually moved at the same time. As a grown man when I watched it again, I came up with the same impression. It's that bit about Joe ending up with no memory of who he was. Don't get me wrong, I still love this film....Just not that part of the story. Of course the spiritial love ending would have never worked any other way. Sigh.

sacrilege, but "heaven can wait:" is better.......2007-05-12

i liked this, but (i know this is not legal) i really enjoyed the warren beatty remake alot more. sorry folks.

Finally - Here comes.......2007-04-10

I saw "Here comes Mr. Jordan" when it first played in my hometown theater and loved it! That was 1941,
I have always liked fantasies. I did'nt like the sequel as well. The cast of "Jordan" was so good with probably the best character of all time - Claude Rains. And another in the same class, James Gleason, with bumbling Edward Everett Horton.

It was a fun movie and one I had never forgotten, I use to tell my kids about the movie, never dreaming that someday we would have the opportunity to see it again and in our own home.

Thanks for DVD's!!

Rodney F. Sieleman
.

GOD . FORGIVE . THEM . FOR . THEIR . COVER . ART.......2007-04-08

Since this is one of my top four all-time favorite films and I love films passionately, I am ABSOLUTELY beside myself in fury and anger at the HORRIBLE packaging on this magnificent film. I could forgive the lack of extras. I know A LOT of people working for these international movie conglomerates don't give a damn about the Classics (or even movies in general, really). But the lack of thought that went into the packaging of this truly great, PERFECT, scene-by-scene-, shot-by-shot, movie is STAGGERING. Not only do they include a throwaway line of dialog in the middle of the images, not only do they clutter it up with a bunch of extras from a scene in the boxing ring... they picture the villianess, not the heroine, with the hero ! Where is the original poster art !!!!! THe insert art !!! The half sheet art !!! The reissue art !!! There . isnt . even . a . booklet . . or . flyer . inside . NOTHING ! This looks like a release that belongs in the cheapie bin with the public domain stuff . Columbia Pictures.. I am shouting . At . YOU !

Average customer rating:

Great Movie - Terrible DVD

Mr. Johnson
Starring: Pierce Brosnan
Manufacturer: CineVu, Inc.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B0002CK81M
Release Date: 2004-04-10

Customer Reviews:

Great Movie - Terrible DVD.......2005-01-27

If the packaging doesn't frighten you away, the transfer will. The package is covered with scans from the movie that a 10 year old could make on their home computer. The DVD transfer looks like it was taken from a VHS tape. The telltale glitch VHS is at the bottom of the frame the whole time. This is not what DVDs were made to do. Everything about it says amateur. Watch this movie on VHS, the quality will probably be better than this version. This is an excellent movie that deserves far better than this treatment.

Average customer rating:

Amy Jo
Killing your teacher, even accidentally, is not a smart move, boys and girls
No closed caption or english subtiles.
Great page-to-screen adaptation
Would you go as far as murder for payback?

Killing Mr Griffin
Starring: Scott Bairstow , Amy Jo Johnson , Mario López , Chris Young , and Jay Thomas
Director: Jack Bender
Manufacturer: Pm Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Killing Mr. Griffin
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ASIN: 6305731837
Release Date: 2000-03-07

Customer Reviews:

Amy Jo.......2006-07-26

The movie is awesome as far as tv movies go. Amy Jo was amazing, definitely proved how talented she is...a definite plus for amy jo fans! The character she played was a good girl seeking popularity and the attention of her crash that most of us can relate too, so when she gets the chance despite the fact it involves a joke gone wrong, she she goes for it. Soon she becomes driven by guilt when her teacher ends up dead from the practical joke she took place in. Movie is much better than my description and acting is pretty good, but Amy Jo steals the spot light.

Killing your teacher, even accidentally, is not a smart move, boys and girls.......2006-03-19

I had to remind myself that I checked out "Killing Mr. Griffin" because Michelle Williams was in it and I had thrown all of her movies that I had not seen into my queue because she has done some fairly interesting Independent films since "Dawons's Creek." However, this made for television movie predates those dates. It was not really at the top of the queue, but I have a lot of movies on short, long and very long wait ahead of it and was looking for a horror film for Saturday night and this is what arrived.

The heroine of the film turns out to be Susan McConnell (Amy Jo Johnson, from "Felicity"), who used to be the favorite student of Mr. John Griffin (Jay Thomas), her English teacher. But her approaching senior year, boys, or other indeterminate issues related to teenage angst have set her back. The class is discussing and reading aloud Shakespeare's "Tragedy of Julius Caesar" and Amy's reading of the title role at the start of the assassination scene lacks the arrogance that Mr. Griffin demands. A few harsh words from the teacher send Amy back to her seat in tears. It is after this point that we learn that Amy is one of his better students. This is a surprise because the way he treats her is indistinguishable from the way he treats Mark Kinney (Scott Bairstow), a student with arrogance oozing from every pore who does not like being forced to apologize to his teacher before the class.

Mark exercises the divine right of the Big Man on Campus to take down the teacher who pointedly asks him, "Has anybody ever told you 'no' and really meant it?" So he gathers his small group of fans and gets them to go along with what he describes as a prank: they will kidnap Mr. Griffin, humiliate him the way he has humiliated them, get him to beg and videotape it. Either Griffin will treat them right, or the video will makes its way around the school. Mark gets his best bud Dave Ruggles (Mario López) to get Susan to be part of the plot. She does not want to, but changes her mind when she is the target of the teacher's barbs. Susan delivers the teacher to the trap, but when he is attacked his first words are for her to run to safety and her second thoughts kick in at that point. We are encouraged to have such thoughts about Mr. Griffin when he chats with his wife about what he is trying to accomplish in the classroom, but when class is in session he just seems like an angry burnout who is incapable of making a connection of convincing his students that he cares about either them or the material. Just film one of his classes and the principal is going to show this guy the door.

Short version of what happens at that point is that Mr. Griffin ends up dead and the only people who do not know who did it and how it ended up happening are the characters in this movie. So Susan and her classmates think they are in a mystery, when this 1997 television movie is just another teenage horror show. Susan ignores several obvious clues until she finally finds proof positive. Does this mean that the film will try to overstep its limitations to come up with an important or at least intrinsically interesting way of turning the tables? No it does not, and if you have not agreed to with this rating by that point then the coda provided by Susan's father will certainly have you reaching for your remote to at least spare you from wasting time on the credits.

No closed caption or english subtiles........2004-11-30

I am not happy with that dvd cause it says has closed caption and english subtiles on dvd but i put that dvd in player and it has no closed caption or english subtiles, It is not fair for deaf or hard of hearing people. That dvd looks good but no closed caption or english subtiles. U need to put them for deaf people to watch that dvd. I put one star cause no closed caption.

Great page-to-screen adaptation.......2004-01-27

Lois Duncan's Killing Mr. Griffin was an interesting novel in its own right, but this made for television movie manages to improve on the original. Amy Jo Johnson, the pretty young actress many may recognize as the former Pink Power Ranger, stars as Susan McConnell. Susan is a good student, yet she is shy and awkward around the popular crowd. She is especially shy around Dave (former "Saved by the Bell" player Mario Lopez), the handsome jock she has a crush on. Mark, the leader of the group Dave hangs with, is bent on becoming student body president and the most popular guy in high school. After being humiliated by Mr. Griffin, the notoriously strict English teacher, Mark develops a plan to get revenge. They will kidnap Mr. Griffin as a prank to humiliate him as he has humiliated students. Susan is unwittingly sucked into the plan by her feelings for Dave and her desire to become popular. Dave is pressured into using Susan's obvious feelings for him to a nasty advantage. The plan to kidnap Griffin goes almost as planned...but then he dies unexpectedly, and things spin out of control. The climax of the film is better than that in the novel, with just enough suspense to keep viewers hooked. Overall, this movie was excellent, and serves as a grim reminder of what peer pressure is capable of. The only qualm I had was that it was not a theatrical release. Highly recommended.

Would you go as far as murder for payback?.......2004-01-26

Killing Mr. Griffin could as well be true. A lot of people would go through anything just to fit in. But could you lose everything you know and understand in the process? An understandable movie about Responsibility, and Mistrust in the way of fitting in.

Mr. Griffin is a strict teacher. Maybe too strict. Five seniors at the school Mr. Griffin teaches at think so. When revenge is the first thought that comes to mind, Mark, David, Jeff, Bree, and Tori set out to find a way to get back at Mr. Griffin for what he's done, but no one is volunteering for bait. When Susan McConnell is put under the spotlight for what seems a harmless prank, she decides to go for it. Besides she gets a couple of satisfactions to go with it. One, she gets to fit in. Two, she can get Mr. Griffin back at embarrasing her in class, and Three, she can hang out with David, the guy she has a crush on. When Susan sees what doesn't seem like an inoccent prank, she goes to where they have left poor Mr. Griffin tied up, and hostage. But Mr. Griffin isn't moving. He isn't even breathing. He's dead. After trying to figure out what happened to Mr. Griffin, the six are faced up against the biggest decision of their lives. Tell what happened, or keep it a secret.

An amazing story. The characters may have been mixed up a little bit, but it still made a great story. Lois Duncan did well with the book, but I think the movie was better. In the book you weren't as sorry for Mr. Griffin as you were watching the movie. Jay Thomas gave an awesome portrayal of the overlystrict Mr. Griffin. I think they kind of mixed Susan and her friend Maya up on accident. Susan was supposed to be the loner with glasses, and not exactly attractive. But Susan was very attractive in this movie. It was kind of hard to believe she couldn't get a boyfriend. Like someone said before, Tori and Bree were a split up of Betsie in the book, but I don't think Betsie was exactly that "I'm so cool" kind of girl in the book. The boys were portrayed great. Snobbish, not exactly serious.

Customer Reviews:

Amy Jo.......2006-07-26

Killing your teacher, even accidentally, is not a smart move, boys and girls.......2006-03-19

No closed caption or english subtiles........2004-11-30

Great page-to-screen adaptation.......2004-01-27

Would you go as far as murder for payback?.......2004-01-26

A great movie to the book which I also recommend. This time I recommend the movie first. Than read the book. Either way, Mr. Griffin will die twice. 5 stars without a doubt.

Charlie Rose with William Futrell; Peter Johnson; Fred Rogers; Albert French; Tom Sokolowski (May 13, 1997)
Average customer rating:
Charlie Rose with William Futrell; Peter Johnson; Fred Rogers; Albert French; Tom Sokolowski (May 13, 1997)

Manufacturer: Charlie Rose
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
All Titles | Charlie Rose Store | Television | Genres | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000IU35GS
Release Date: 2006-09-18

Description

Charlie Broadcasts from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Charlie talks to William Futrell and Peter Johnson about tissue engineering and other reconstructive technology. Next, Fred Rogers talks about producing his children's television show, Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, for the last 30 years. Plus, Tom Sokolowski discusses his work as director of the Andy Warhol Museum and reflects on the legacy of Warhol's life and art. Finally, author Albert French discusses his book, Patches of Fire that chronicles his experiences as a black soldier in Vietnam.

Average customer rating:

OK
Wrongheaded vehicle for comedian Hill

Mr. Billion
Starring: Terence Hill , Valerie Perrine , Jackie Gleason , Slim Pickens , and William Redfield
Director: Jonathan Kaplan
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000JLQPR2

Customer Reviews:

OK.......1999-08-13

this would have been terence hills big break to make him famous in the states and canada....but what was that????? that wasnt a terence hill movie....it was a 70s love movie.....not like the trinity series or my name is nobody.....rent his other films please... but dont get me wrong i liked this movie but not his type

Wrongheaded vehicle for comedian Hill.......1999-02-24

This is one of those American produced films that showcase a European star (in this case, Italian Terence Hill) with the idea of promoting his fame in the US while ignoring everything that made him famous in his home country (like a Jackie Chan film with boring American fight choreography). Terence Hill became known for his slapstick comedy spoofs like "They Call Me Trinity" and "Crime Busters" but there is practically no slapstick here; just a 70's chase film with practically nothing to distinguish it from a dozen others (except that it has fewer chases than most!) Check out Hill's other films instead.

Average customer rating:

Love This Music
Dynamic, fun, and spicy
Way before my time but still pretty cool for an 80's movie!
:-(
What a soundtrack. Too bad the movie couldn't keep up.

Flashdance [Region 2]
Starring: Jennifer Beals , Michael Nouri , Lilia Skala , Sunny Johnson (II) , and Kyle T. Heffner
Director: Adrian Lyne
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000068FO1

Amazon.com

That Oscar-winning title song buzzes in your ears long after the movie has stopped. The attraction here is youthful spirit and a pulsating score, because the weak story is merely a conduit for the song-and-dance numbers. The plot is every young woman's daydream come true. Jennifer Beals holds down a macho job as a welder by day, but performs erotic dance numbers in a club at night. It's not a strip club, so her morality remains intact. She dates her wealthy boss (Michael Nouri) and practices hard for the day she can audition for the upscale, local dance school, even though she has no formal training. It is malarkey, of course, unless you view this as total romantic fantasy. It works because you are carried along by the sheer force of the energetic, boisterous, MTV-style imagery by director Adrian Lyne. Beals is a plus as the stubborn, pouty, somewhat eccentric young woman made all the more interesting for her driving ambition. In the end, she is aided by her Prince Charming, who arrives bearing favors. Mind you, this is not the same as a rescue, as Beals is one rather tough damsel who does just fine on her own. --Rochelle O'Gorman

Customer Reviews:

Love This Music.......2007-05-10

I just have to have this movie. I am slowly buying movies I like on DVD. On most occassions, I also buy the CD.

Dynamic, fun, and spicy.......2007-03-30

If you like music, dance, and romance, I'm sure you will like this movie. It won a couple of Oscars for best original score and best original song. Jennifer Beals was also nominated as best actress. I very much enjoyed the dance scenes and music. As a matter of fact I watched the final dance scene over and over. Last but not least, the plot holds your interest. It emphasizes following your dreams and never giving up. Great flick!

Way before my time but still pretty cool for an 80's movie!.......2007-02-01

The 80's produced some of the corniest movies of all time but I must admit, this one was not bad. I think this movie was more of a trendy film and a cultural statement than a masterpiece. It's about a young woman named Alex who is a steel worker by day and an exotic (non nude) dancer by night. She dreams of becoming a professional dancer one day but has no formal training. A very cool scene is when she goes to the snooty dance school to apply and is wearing dirty work boots among all the elegant dancers and she runs out of the building because she is so intimidated. Alex ends up dating a rich guy, which makes for some clever lines and funny scenes. I think Jennifer Beals is gorgeous in this movie and in great shape! Overall, this is a movie that was great in it's day not because of a huge budget or great acting (though the acting is pretty good) but because it made a huge statement and influenced fashions of the 80's. The message here is: You can do anything you put your mind to and should not be afraid to strive for the things you dream of! I also liked the fact that this was made in a time when strong female characters were just becoming popular. Don't watch this movie if you want something deep and meaningful. This is more of a nostalgic and 'fun' movie for when you want something not-so-serious. The movie has a refreshing innocence about it. I found it to be very inspirational and I thought it had a positive message for women. Honestly, it made me want to cut the collar out of my sweatshirt so it hangs over one shoulder, throw on a pair of spandex and leg-warmers and hit the gym and accomplish some of MY goals! I thought this was a cute movie (even though it's really outdated) and I would watch it again!

:-( .......2007-01-05

I bought this movie because it reminds me the 80's. But I just could'nt got "the feeling" It can't be seen. This movie advices only to be use on Region One in wich I am part of, my dvd player shows only the initial presentation and nothing more, not even the main menu. I wrote to the seller but never got an answer.

What a soundtrack. Too bad the movie couldn't keep up........2006-09-13

This movie is one of cinema history's seminal examples of a soundtrack carrying a movie to success. "Saturday Night Fever" from a few years before is another example, but that movie could actually stand on its own. Jennifer Beals' torn neck sweater and table dancing routine aside, I don't think this one could.

I understand this movie is near and dear to the hearts of a lot of 80's children, and I will agree this is one of the all-time great soundtracks of cinema. The problem is, the movie's plot is a slow-moving, wasted opportunity.

Physically, Beals is sexy enough to keep your attention, and her portrayal of working-class girl in a man's job striving to express herself was a pretty novel idea when this movie was made. But her unsympathetic personality and mediocre acting undermine her character. Come to think of it, the acting all around is a bit weak.

But that's not the problem. The movie suffers from two fatal let-downs. The first is the plot itself. Feminism-affirming depictions aside, it's pretty simplistic, unimaginative stuff, even for a dance movie. What's worse is how slow it all moves. The drama sequences in-between dances drag on, straining your patience and sympathy for the character's plights.

The other more tragic flaw, since it is a movie about dance, is the cinematography. While it's certainly not the worst cinematography ever, (check out "the Limey" next time you want a headache.) the dance sequences look like they've been salvaged from scraps on the cutting room floor. We're supposed to be moved by Beales' character's natural talent, but for most of the movie we never get to see her do much except walk and pose in a crazy mashup of bad edits. By the time the final dance scene finally comes along, the drama of her audition performance is ruined by drawn-out, bad editing. It almost seems the judges let her into Juliard simply because she was able to stay in the air for longer than a minute.

Perhaps I'm a purist for asking for good dancing onscreen to consist of more than rapid-fire editing. But if it's a movie about dancing, one would think the least they could do is show dancing. Many movies before and after Flashdance managed to get this right ("Saturday Night Fever" certainly did, to its great success), but maybe nobody told this movie's director. It's a shame.

Average customer rating:

A comedic gem

Mr. Nice Guy
Starring: Mike MacDonald , Jan Smithers , Joe Silver , Harvey Atkin , and Howard Jerome
Director: Henry Wolfond
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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Customer Reviews:

A comedic gem.......2001-06-24

This is the only film that I've seen by the comedian Mike McDonald. His character's girlfriend finds out that he's a hit man and makes him promise to never use weapons again, so he must come up with creative ways to continue to do his job while keeping his promise. A must see for fans of off-beat humor and creativity.

Average customer rating:

OK
Wrongheaded vehicle for comedian Hill

Mr. Billion
Starring: Terence Hill , Valerie Perrine , Jackie Gleason , Slim Pickens , and William Redfield
Director: Jonathan Kaplan
Manufacturer: Jef Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B00028G6VC
Release Date: 2004-07-31

Customer Reviews:

OK.......1999-08-13

Wrongheaded vehicle for comedian Hill.......1999-02-24

Average customer rating:

Wonderfully refreshing
Legend... Hero... Doofus.
A landmark.
Simply Brilliant!
So much better than I thought it would be

Mr. Atlas

Manufacturer: Digiview Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
ASIN: B000FJKJCU

Product Description

Fantastic adventure abounds in this story about a boy and a god. Danny Nielsen (T.J. Lowther) goes for a stroll one day when he unwittingly falls into a deep hole. Unable to get out, the boy begins to search around and finds himself face-to-face with the Greek god Atlas, the man with the world on his shoulders. Atlas helps Danny to safety, and the two become fast friends. When Danny decides to invite the god to his home as a show of gratitude, Atlas immediately becomes love struck with Danny's mother. A story of true love, the unbreakable bond of friendship, and family values, Mr. Atlas provides excitement and entertainment for the whole family!

Customer Reviews:

Wonderfully refreshing.......2007-03-22

I saw the film several times on Showtime with my children and grandchildren and everyone loved the excitement, and the genuine down-to-earth relationships between friends. The music and cinematography I thought added to the flavor of the film. For an unknown writer and director to have produced such a wonderful and refreshing film in this day and age was just beautiful.

Legend... Hero... Doofus........2006-10-17

Once, while not enjoying the fruits of my explorations through the one dollar DVD bin at Wal*Mart, I thought to myself that there is very little that is less endurable than a comedy film that fails at being funny. It turns out that the sliver of awfulness that is worse is a bad kid's movie.

There's something about a uninspired children's film that causes everyone involved to forget everything they learned in film school. The writing becomes lazy. The actors go completely over the top. The director relies on gimmicks. I presume that people involved with the production assume that children don't know the difference between good movie-making and bad, and therefore simply do whatever comes easiest and hope no one in the target audience notices.

The truth, of course, is that naturally children know when something is good or bad. They may not be able to articulate it, but they are fully aware of when a piece of entertainment is causing them to yawn, shift uncomfortably in their chairs, or simply become violently ill due to its complete awfulness.

This particular piece of nonsense -- MR ATLAS -- posits that the Atlas of Greek mythology (you'll remember him as the Titan who holds the weight of the world on his shoulder) has been trapped in a cave in Utah for these past millennia. Released from his bonds by a supposedly precocious ten-year-old boy (Danny), he vows to serve this child as his servant, teaching this youngster about, um, life stuff, while uncomfortably flirting with the kid's hot aunt.

Now the funny thing is that I imagine anyone reading this won't have actually seen this film. And yet you probably know exactly how this plot (what there is of it) is going to unfold.

Atlas will be introduced to the modern world. He'll complain about how bad the air smells nowadays. He'll be dumbfounded by cars. He'll talk in flowery language about his chick who lives in the heavens.

There's just one thing missing, you say: the bad guy. The film needs some kind of smarmy villain. Not an overly powerful super-villain. Just someone greedy and self-serving, someone who's after money for money's sake, and who doesn't have any real motivation to be in the film except to hate the kid and serve as a foil to Atlas.

Enter Timothy Bottoms. He's not just the villain, he's also the sole reason I bought this damn DVD (I usually draw the line on this side of purchasing kid's movies, no matter how cheap they are). Bottoms is notable for having played President George W. Bush in the short lived Trey Parker and Matt Stone Comedy Central sitcom, "That's My Bush!". Here, Bottoms is playing an evil, manipulative businessman, only interested in using people to obtain the natural resources on their property, and with an unfortunate tendency to wave guns around and shoot innocents. That's right; the man famous for playing George Bush is here portraying a man exactly like Dick Cheney. (And for anyone keeping track at home, Bottoms' henchman is a dumb, slow, unintelligent, amiable dope who has a habit of repeating exactly what Bottoms has just said. Make of that what you will.)

I'll discuss the plot now, only out of a sense of obligation rather than the joy I would otherwise experience from introducing people to something new. Actually, I think I accidentally described most of the plot already. Danny is a typical bullied, preyed-upon ten-year-old being raised by his aunt after the clichéd death of his parents. The only major figures in his life are his wealthy aunt (nice, but gullible), his aunt's boyfriend (Timothy Bottoms), and the stereotypical drunken Irishman who tends to the aunt's ranch and dispenses recycled and uninspired stories about local hidden treasure.

Danny fancies himself as an explorer (his parents were archaeologists) and goes off in search of hidden treasure. His quest brings him to a hole in the ground. His encounter with this geographic feature is to do exactly what movie heroes have done for decades before him. He falls into it. All is not lost though (we're less than fifteen minutes into the film at this point). He accidentally releases Atlas from his millennia-long sleep, which promptly puts the audience into a slumber of a similar duration. (Though in a genuinely nice nod to the original myths, apples made of gold are strewn throughout Atlas' cave).

From here on out, the plot takes the expected aforementioned "twists". Evil boyfriend tries to trick the aunt into signing away the rights to the land containing the golden apples; dumb Atlas gets a haircut and tries to figure out how underpants work. A fact which may only amuse me is that the actor/model playing Atlas is named in the credits only as "Diederik". It's rare to find a person with only one name who can act, and if you're looking for one here, you can keep searching.

Perhaps I am being unfair to this movie; after all I am not a younger person and clearly this movie wouldn't be aimed at me. However, I am confident that children would have better taste than to enjoy this movie. Perhaps one must be extremely young, say, still residing in a womb to extract pleasure from MR ATLAS. Or maybe by "younger", the filmmakers were aiming at "younger" on an evolutionary scale. There may indeed be a group of dull monkeys out there, huddled around their DVD players and requesting to watch again "The one with big, smart Mr. Atlas! Ooo oooo oooooo!"

A landmark........2006-10-13

"Mister Atlas"
A review by Romulus Crawley, Nebraskan Desolate Times (Copyright 2002)

Every so often, a long-neglected film is finally released on DVD, and what for some releases would be a mere event becomes an Occasion. Such is the case with "Mister Atlas," a 1997 gem which made a significant splash in the ocean of popular audiences, who saw its value, but which then promptly sank beneath the overbearing tide of the elitist film reviewing industry, which, at the time, just didn't get it.

The plot of "Mister Atlas" centers on Danny, a lonely, pre-adolescent boy who encounters the Greek god, Atlas, in an abandoned gold mine. Said mine is on the property of the boy's aunt, who has taken care of him since his parents were killed in an archeological dig. Danny lives with this kind yet romantically-challenged aunt and her boyfriend, who is scheming to sell her property for his personal profit.

As the DVD packaging points out, conveying an unadulterated sense of family values is at the center of the film's purpose. "Mister Atlas" can be viewed on a number of levels, but clearly wants first and foremost to be a family picture. In this regard, it succeeds splendidly. For instance, the aunt's semi-abusive, shallow relationship with her live-in-boyfriend (whom, it is implied, she met on a one-night-stand), including his fondling of her posterior, as seen from Danny's point of view, is handled with taste and good humor. Thus, "Mister Atlas" is a family movie in the truest sense of the term. The tag line, "Mister Atlas: Legend...Hero...Friend," also reflects the film's place within that subgenre. Nonetheless, the filmmakers were not satisfied to simply conform "Mister Atlas" to tried-but-true generic conventions.

Prior to the appearance of Atlas, Danny's closest male friend has been the lovable drunk Irishman and farmhand, Gus. Even more so than this relationship, however, which is itself fully fleshed out with delicacy and subtlety, the friendship that develops between Atlas and Danny is handled with a depth and rigor rarely seen in contemporary mainstream cinema. One endearing and utterly non-disturbing scene in particular, in which Danny hoses down a naked, glistening Atlas (the god's frontal is tastefully hidden behind a strip of farm fencing), is a touchstone example of the complex values the film emphasizes: loyalty, innocent man-boy intimacy, friends helping friends. That the film doesn't shy away from such moments is a testament to its sincerity and depth. A similar, albeit more understated moment, finds Danny walking down a dirt road with the nearly-naked, sweaty Atlas, a complete stranger to everyone in town. A police car pulls up, but rather than the third-degree scene one would expect from an interaction between law enforcement officials and a half-naked, strange man seen walking down a desolate road with a twelve-year-old child, the interaction is instead characterized by trust, along with an absolute faith in the motives of men wearing loincloths. Refreshing, to say the least, in these days of cinematic cynicism.

The hosing-down-the-Greek scene, and the fact that the police officers do not fall prey to the stereotypes associated with ancient Greeks and young boys, reflects another of the film's positive attributes; namely that "Mister Atlas" daringly plays with, but does not buy into, ethnic stereotypes (e.g., whiskey-swilling Irish farmhands; Greeks). These moments are a tribute to the film's courage, honesty, and social-progressiveness. Yet, scriptwriter Elaine Chekich and director Karen Arbeeny are not heavy-handed in their approach to these complex and potentially controversial elements. At its heart, "Mister Atlas" remains a family entertainment movie.

Nonetheless, Chekich and Arbeeny do indeed tackle complex ideas even as they craft a deft family-oriented dramedy. Atlas, the epitome of mature maleness, as juxtaposed with the pre-adolescent boy, represents what the boy can become. But even as he beckons the future, Atlas also embodies the past, both in terms of what has been lost and what has been inherited. As part of this thematic project, the film deconstructs one of the tacit claims made by (post-)(post-)modernity, and reveals something that should be obvious, but which our (post-)(post-)modern society so often forgets: that modernity is built upon the past. The ancient Greek god's struggle with technology (light switches, pasta) is sublime. Atlas, representing innocence and other values that cinema and society often treat as being "outmoded," erupts from the past--literally emerges from a "gold mine" of ancient (but still crucially relevant) wisdom. Mister Atlas, film and character both, pleads, If only modern society would set aside its shallow sophistication and work the mine of its past roots! Man / child, past / future, old ways / modern ways, ancient wisdom / contemporary shallowness: "Mister Atlas" quickly and efficiently establishes these supposed dichotomies in the first 15 minutes of the film, but then masterfully deconstructs their allegedly oppositional relationships. Ultimately, the film reveals the falsity and cynicism behind society's insistence upon such oppositions, but it does so with subtlety, in a manner which leaves the family pic intact.

(Note that as a bonus, Digiview Entertainment's deluxe DVD release of "Mister Atlas" includes special features such as English, Standard Full Frame, Approx. 82 Min., Color, Stereo Sound, and Interactive Menus.)

RC

Simply Brilliant!.......2006-08-19

When I purchased this movie, I'll admit I was a little skeptical. But after viewing it, It's as if I am seeing life for the first time! It is without a doubt the greatest piece of cinematography ever created. Mister Atlas: Legend...Hero...Friend... contains some of the most blindingly brilliant acting you will ever witness. It is like looking God himself in the face and seeing him smiling back at you! If you have not yet purchased or viewed this film, you have not lived your life to its fullest extent and you have done yourself a disservice. Go buy it and watch it THIS INSTANT!

So much better than I thought it would be.......2006-08-04

Picked this up at Walmart for a dollar (a sucker for all things greek-myth and/or cheesy). This movie surprised me, I thought it would be a lot campier with alot worse acting and production values. Mind you, it is still a sortof made for tv type film and has is moments of slight cringing. However, it does have alot of things going for it, the plot is well constructed, the pacing is alot better than many movies of its ilk, it only got boring in a few places, the acting is alot better than I was expecting--the characters are believable (except maybe Philip who is a bit of a stock vilain, his brother on the other hand is a very interesting character) The music was really good.

Inspite of what the back of the box and the little summary says, Danny's Aunt is the femme of the plot (As both of his parents are dead.)

This is a pretty sweet story. Danny is a bit of an outcast (having had to move due to his parents' death) and stumbles upon Atlas. Freeing Atlas from a curse (put on him by Medusa...okay bending of the myths a bit here) Atlas becomes his slave (in one hooooorrrible wig) and his friend. The usual odd man about town routine is done, but with a few different twists than I have normally seen. Def. a good family film, and worth a dollar.

DVD:

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