Pie in the Sky

Starring:Josh Charles, Anne Heche, John Goodman, Christine Lahti, Christine Ebersole, Peter Riegert, Dey Young, Bob Balaban, Wil Wheaton, Jesse Stock, A.J. Marton, Allison Chalmers, Kevin Scannell, Brian Davila, John Orofino, Larry Holden, Nick Toth, David Rasche, Kathryn Grody, James Marsh (II)
Director: Bryan Gordon
Studio: Image Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Description

Hang on for a wild ride! In this fast-paced romantic comedy, Charlie Dunlap (Sports Night's Josh Charles) always dreamed of being traffic reporter# but when he lands his perfect job in L.A., his relationship with the girl of his dreams takes a turn for the worse. Not even his mentor, famed radio personality Alan Davenport (Monsters Inc.'s John Goodman) can help him, and now he's got to put the pedal to the metal to chase after his one chance at true love. Christine Lahti (Chicago Hope), Anne Heche (Donnie Brasco), and Peter Riegert (National Lampoon's Animal House) co-star in this hilarious comedy about life, love and hot pursuit!

Customer Reviews:

An entertaining movie - but not without its flaws.......2006-09-18

In many cases, a solid acting performance and likeable characters can often help an average plot rise to something special. It is possible for the converse to be true in that a very good storyline can succeed despite mediocre acting performances and not so likeable characters. It is this converse that is the case with the film "Pie in the Sky". "Pie in the Sky" was a film from 1996 that didn't garner a lot of attention. It proves to have a solid storyline and a very good lead character played by Josh Charles. However it is hampered by an extremely poor performance by John Goodman and an unlikable character played by Anne Heche.

The synopsis of the film deals with the story of Charlie Dunlap (played by Charles). We follow Charlie's life from his birth into young adulthood. Throughout Charlie's life, he has had an obsession with traffic. Growing up, he idolized traffic reporter Alan Davenport (played by Goodman). While he was growing up, he also struck a friendship with Amy Morgan (played by Heche). The two have a childhood crush on each other, they have a brief pre-College romance before actually breaking up once in College. Once Charlie graduates college, he goes to work for an insurance company until he receives a call from "Metro Traffic" in Los Angeles about a possible career opportunity. "Metro Traffic" is where Davenport currently works. Realizing this is his "dream job", Charlie races and relocates to Los Angeles to pursue this opportunity. Once in Los Angeles, Charlie is reunited with Amy who is now pursuing a career in dancing. After a chance meeting with Davenport, we see Charlie eventually land a job with "Metro Traffic" as Davenport's assistant. We then see Charlie attempt to gain a spot in the famed traffic helicopter and do some live reporting while trying to get his relationship with Amy back on foot.

"Pie in the Sky" tackles an area that hasn't been done much in films - the traffic industry. I can't speak for everyone, but as someone who drives in traffic day after day, I have seen little to no value in a traffic reporter. They aren't very entertaining, often miss areas of congestion - and have little to offer in solutions to get you to your destination. This is where I had a problem with the character of Alan Davenport. There simply aren't any Alan Davenport's out there. Traffic reporters have for years been throwing around buzz words such as "generally jammed" and not provided any value. It would be nice if there were more traffic reporters in the style of Davenport - but they just don't exist. Goodman's performance doesn't help much. I found Goodman to be guilty of "overacting" throughout the entire movie. He put more exaggeration into an already exaggerated type of character. I know I'm not the biggest Goodman fan, but I've seen better out of him. This was not one of his better performances.

Anne Heche's character of Amy Morgan didn't have me doing handstands either. While I can't blame Heche for the character, I just found the character irritating throughout the whole movie. We see the "sweet Amy Morgan" at the beginning of the movie. While she never turns into a vixen, I do think her character becomes more and more selfish throughout the movie. On the other hand, I did like the character of Ruby played by Christine Lahti. Ruby plays the landlord of Charlie's apartment building in Los Angeles. Charlie eventually becomes involved in an affair with Ruby. Not only did I find Lahti's performance to be very good, but I really enjoyed the character of Ruby. In a lot of ways, I almost felt like Ruby and Charlie had more chemistry than Amy and Charlie. This is not a good thing when the end result of the film is to get Charlie and Amy together.

While the movie's focus is around Charlie's obsession with traffic and his relationship with Amy, it is important to know that in the bigger scheme of things - this is really a biography of a fictional character named Charlie Dunlap. There is a chunk of the movie spent around Charlie's days as a child. We learn a lot about Charlie's argumentative parents - especially his father Mike. We eventually see a lot of Charlie's father rub off on Charlie when it comes to dealing with Amy . I think the film does a very good job at bridging this together. I also think that Josh Charles does a very good job with the character of Charlie Dunlap. He might not have been the big name star in this movie, but he left many of the name actors in the dust.

While I did find the overall story very entertaining, I found the ending to the music extremely unsatisfactory. The unfortunate thing is that a common scenario is used to eventually bring a conclusion to how Charlie and Amy end up (i.e. the race to have a last chance to meet the girl before she hops a plane overseas). I kind of felt the film could have gone another way to eventually bring Charlie and Amy together.

Overall, I realize I've mentioned a lot of flaws. But this movie still did provide good entertainment value. It provided the right mix of comedy, drama, and romance - and I think those elements are key when watching a movie. While I wouldn't nominate this movie for any awards, this is a movie I would definitely watch again. I wouldn't have even minded if they did a sequel (especially if they fix some of the short points I've mentioned). This movie is worth checking out.

Cute.......1999-06-22

Hey, sometimes it's great to see a simple movie. This one is no great genius, and it's pretty predictable, but it IS perfectly adorable. An entertaining 2 hours.

a quirky, fun movie about traffic and naked people.......1999-02-06

One of my favorite new actors teams up with Anne Heche to produce a fun, wacky view of live traffic reports and interpretive dance. I was hooked the first time I saw it.

Gabriel Cousens, MD: Rainbow-Green Live-Food Cuisine

Average customer rating:

Gabriel Cousens, MD: Rainbow-Green Live-Food Cuisine
Starring: Gabriel Cousens; Debra Secunda; Kevala; Phillip
Director: Robert Shaman
Manufacturer: Sky in the Pie Productions, Inc
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Special Interests | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Educational | Genres | DVD | Video

Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine
Conscious Eating
Green for Life
The Sunfood Diet Success System
Spiritual Nutrition: Six Foundations for Spiritual Life and the Awakening of Kundalini

ASIN: B000NO1ZBG
Release Date: 2006-12-16

Pie in the Sky - The Brigid Berlin Story

Average customer rating:

One Kooky Lady....
One of the best documentaries I have ever seen
Interesting but poorly focused
Wonderful and Fun!
Fantastic!

Pie in the Sky - The Brigid Berlin Story
Starring: Brigid Berlin , Taylor Mead , Paul Morrissey , Larry Rivers , and Patricia Hearst
Director: Shelly Dunn Fremont , and Vincent Fremont
Manufacturer: New Video Group
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Biography | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( P ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B00005QBYU
Release Date: 2001-11-20

Amazon.com

In this intimately etched portrait of the former Andy Warhol insider, director John Waters calls Brigid Berlin "My favorite Warhol star." It's easy to see why. She rebelled against her blue-blood upbringing to hang with the misfits and artists who populated Warhol's Factory in the 1960s. Hilariously and harrowingly candid about her strained relationship with her estranged family, her tempestuous friendship with Warhol, and her lifelong struggle with her weight, Berlin, now in her 60s, remains an indomitable force. As she proclaims, "I didn't ask to be born. This is what they got, so this is what they got to contend with." --Donald Liebenson

Description

Brigid Berlin's story takes us on a journey through the life of a blueblood socialite turned Andy Warhol bad-girl. Friends and admirers such as John Waters and Patricia Hearst, as well as Berlin herself, tell the story of a high society girl who rebelled

Customer Reviews:

One Kooky Lady...........2004-04-28

Like just about everyone associated with Andy Warhol, Brigid Berlin is absolutely bonkers! Having always been fascinated by Andy and his entourage, I was well aware of Brigid Berlin, his star of many of his underground films, the most famous of which was probably "Chelsea Girls." This film is an engaging look at one of the Factory's survivors, of whom there aren't many. That Miss Berlin came from a family of such prestigious roots, her father was William Randolph Hearsts top assistant, and mother Honey a societal doyenne, only make this film all the more fascinating. From the early circa 1940 Berlin home movies, where the rebellion of the then very young Brigid was very evident....to her later taped conversations with her extremely irritated and increasingly embarressed mother, the viewer feels like a voyeur, only with Miss Berlins approval. That her family was horrified at their not -so- little girl turning into one of Andy Warhols "Superstars", with all the drugs, sex, and decadence that accompanied that dubious distinction, is not very surprising. What is surprising is Miss Berlin's unapologetic attitude, then and now. Her feistiness and continued irritation at the very memory of her parents attempts to turn her into a debutant, all to no avail, is very amusing. There are also great vintage clips from the Warhol years, where the very clever and witty Brigid has no problem defying even the great God Warhol, who considered Brigid a life-long confidant. Brigid was herself very creative, and, though not exactly an artist technically, conjured up art through her writings, recordings, photos, and her trademark scrapbooks. She was typical of those Warhol liked to surround himself with, outrageous people consistently fresh with ideas with which to inspire himself. Always obsessive-compulsive, mainly with her lifelong food binging, the present day Brigid allows us into her meticulously kept and fastidiously organized Manhattan apartment, which is somewhat contradictory in keeping with her wild reputation. She roams the streets of New York like a well groomed bag lady, constantly battles her notorious weight problem, and recounts memories from the past with humor, occasional sadness, and, little nostalgia. She has been aggressively rejecting her lineage since birth, and will probably go out kicking and screaming. If you're looking for a bio of Warhol, this film is much more than that. It's a close-up look at one of his most famous associates and friends. The girl who went from being an early member of his entourage, to instant stardom in the Warhol "superstar" pantheon, where the emphasis was on the effortlessness of it all, to being finally, in the 1970's and 1980's, his receptionist at the new "Factory." A very entertaining look at a lady who defines the word "eccentric."

One of the best documentaries I have ever seen.......2004-01-17

I loved the portrait of this amazing woman. She was very intelligent and very crazed and more than anything, hugely fascinating. One thing I loved so much was that it touched on so many faces of this New York rebel......from her childhood to her parents social status to BB's own expression as an artist and a hugely compulsive cleaner. It covers her genuine friendship with Warhol and sheds a very compassionate light on the emotions of an overeater.
Wonderful documentary that will leave you with a smile on your face. When everyone tries so hard to be one, she is a true eccentric.

Interesting but poorly focused.......2003-07-20

I liked this movie, but felt it was overlong and dwelt too much on Berlin's present-day family problems and eating disorder. It's fine to establish that these exist, but devoting so much time to them was a waste. Much more intersting was Berlin's privileged childhood, her time in Andy Warhol's Factory, and her own artistic endeavors. I knew nothing of the latter and would have much preferred to see more of that and less of Berlin obsessing over food or her mother.

Wonderful and Fun!.......2001-11-17

You may know a little or a lot about Warhol and The Factory. Personally, as much as I admire much of Warhol's art, I found his films and his entourage to be a little disconcerting. Sleeze. Narcotics. Hopelessness and boredom. Trashy. Brigid Berlin, as it turns out, was set apart from classic Warhol-like apathy. She was a more purposeful part of the group, and a legitimate artist on her own. This film gives us nice insight into a privileged but troubled childhood, a supreme eating disorder which (I bet) a lot more of us can recognize than not, and an ongoing struggle to walk, to maintain balance on a narrow rail from which either side threatens chaos or despair. Ms. Berlin still has a few things to say. Most interesting of all, this is not a tragedy. This is a story of what happens when the young ultra-hip grow up. (The scene that turns out to be a parody of Warhol's Chelsea Girls is really top-notch comedy.) A wonderful, flawless, brilliant documentary!

Fantastic!.......2001-11-14

I fell in love with this film when I first viewed it.
It is without question one of the best documentary films that I have ever seen. The insight into the early workings of the Warhol factory and the fasinating cast of characters therin will captivate even the most casual of Warhol fans.
Brigid Berlin, a close confident of Andy Warhol, and the brilliant telling of her life story, provides a perspective that until now anyone with an interest in art could only have hoped for. Remember the directorial team of Vincent Fremont and Shelly Dunn Fremont, this is the first of what promises to be only the start of an illustrious filmmaking career.

Pie in the Sky/Man of the Century/Roadside Prophet

Average customer rating:

Pie in the Sky/Man of the Century/Roadside Prophet
Starring: Pie in the Sky , Man of the Century , and Roadside Prophet
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Average customer rating:

An entertaining movie - but not without its flaws
Cute
a quirky, fun movie about traffic and naked people

Pie in the Sky [Region 2]
Starring: Josh Charles , Anne Heche , John Goodman , Christine Lahti , and Christine Ebersole
Director: Bryan Gordon
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

( P ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B00005RISQ

Customer Reviews:

An entertaining movie - but not without its flaws.......2006-09-18

Cute.......1999-06-22

Hey, sometimes it's great to see a simple movie. This one is no great genius, and it's pretty predictable, but it IS perfectly adorable. An entertaining 2 hours.

a quirky, fun movie about traffic and naked people.......1999-02-06

One of my favorite new actors teams up with Anne Heche to produce a fun, wacky view of live traffic reports and interpretive dance. I was hooked the first time I saw it.

Pie in the Sky ~ Series One Part One Featuring Episodes 1 - 5 {The Classic Television Series} 2 DVD-Set

Average customer rating:

Pie in the Sky ~ Series One Part One Featuring Episodes 1 - 5 {The Classic Television Series} 2 DVD-Set

Manufacturer: Acorn Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

*** DVD EXTRAS INCLUDE AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH MAGGIE STEED, CAST FILMOGRAPHIES, PICTURE GALLERY AND PRODUCTION NOTES *** AFTER BEING SHOT ON DUTY, DETECTIVE INSPECTOR HENRY CRABBE DECIDES, AGAINST THE WILL OF HIS SUPERIORS AND HIS ACCOUNTANT WIFE, TO RETIRE AND OPEN HIS OWN RESTAURANT - PIE IN THE SKY. OF COURSE, LIFE IS NEVER SIMPLE AND BETWEEN HIS FIRST LOVE - COOKING - AND BEING CONSTANTLY CALLED BACK ON DUTY BY A NEEDY EX-BOSS, CHIEF CONSTABLE FISHER, HENRY FINDS THAT HE'S NOT GOING TO FULFILL HIS DREAM IN PEACE ***

Average customer rating:

Delicious Mysteries

Pie in the Sky

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

( P ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Customer Reviews:

Delicious Mysteries.......2006-01-18

From the cover....After being shot on duty, Detective Inspector Henry Crabbe decides, against the will of his superiors and his accountant wife, to retire and open his own restaurant- Pie In The Sky. Of course, life is never simple and between his first love-cooking- and being constantly called back on duty by a needy ex-boss, Chief Constable Fisher, Henry finds that he's not going to fulfill his dream in peace.

A lighthearted British mystery series with good plot and great acting.

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