Augustus

Starring:Peter O'Toole, Charlotte Rampling, Vittoria Belvedere, Benjamin Sadler, Ken Duken, Russell Barr, Juan Diego Botto, Martina Stella, Valeria D'Obici, Michele Bevilacqua, Riccardo De Torrebruna, Giampiero Judica, Vanni Materassi, Elena Ballesteros, GÃ©rard Klein, Achille Brugnini, Alexander Strobele, Gottfried John, Michael Reale, Anna Valle
Director: Roger Young
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Thr3e, a thriller that investigates a particularly savvy criminal mind, exceeds the average terrorist plot action-drama with psychological complexity. However, its psychotic twist lacks originality compared to films like Fight Club, which also attribute schizophrenia to the protagonist's cruel actions. When Kevin Parson's (Marc Blucas) writer's block for completing his theology PhD thesis paper about the nature of good and evil coincides with his receiving threatening phone calls from a local terrorist named The Riddle Killer, his closest childhood friend, Samantha Sheer (Laura Jordan), and a police officer, Jennifer Peters (Justine Waddell), jump in to help save him. But as Kevin's past childhood traumas are unearthed alongside evidence that The Riddle Killer couldn't possibly be involved with threats on Kevin's life, Samantha and Jennifer slowly begin to suspect that Kevin is actually committing crimes against himself. Though the film's moralistic Christian ending feels tacked on, Kevin's investigation into the human subtleties that blur lines between good and evil is portrayed intriguingly, manifesting as a film that mines common territory among criminals and the mentally ill. --Trinie Dalton

Description

From the highly acclaimed book by best-selling author Ted Dekker, this taut and electrifying thriller about a young seminary student targeted by an elusive and deadly madman delivers heart-pounding twists that'll keep you guessing up until the shocking final scene!

Customer Reviews:

What was this?.......2007-06-19

I had just finished reading the book which by the way is excellent. Then I heard that it was out in a movie and was pretty excited about that. I guess the best thing I can say is if you have read the book then at least the names are the same. Other than that this movie was really of no resemblance what so ever. It was full of bad acting and I just wasted an hour and a half of my life that I wish I could get back. I don't think the script writers even read the book and Ted Dekker should be ashamed of himself to let this have his name on it. DON'T BUY THIS MOVIE!!!!!

Very good.......2007-06-13

I read the package and decided to give it a try. I have to say this was a pretty interesting film that kept my attention throughout. I did however guess what was coming about a half hour or so before the twist began to materialize. This takes nothing away from the film as the other people watching with me all declared I had to be wrong. Marc Blucas did a credible job in the role of Kevin, the one being stalked by the sadistic killer and Laura Jordan was very good as his grown up childhood sweetheart, Samantha, but Justine Waddell as Jenifer, the police psychologist was just excellent. Anyway, the bottom line here is, give this film a chance. It is a pretty good low budget thriller that does not leave you feeling that you've wasted a hundred and some minutes of your life. I understand this was based on a novel. I might have to give the novel a try, or at least look up other things that the author may have written. I see possibilities there too.

A pyschological, faith-based thriller.......2007-06-12

Let's face it. We live in a movie culture. Every weekend millions flock to theaters to check out Hollywood's latest installment of movie entertainment. More often than not we plop down $8-$10 for garbage and think little of it. No doubt there are some diamonds in the rough, and good, quality, clean films can be found if you look hard enough. But when will faith-based films find a place in our movie culture? Is it just a futile dream to think that Christians will ever be able to influence Hollywood? After watching Thr3e recently I am convinced more than ever that this dream is becoming a reality.

Thr3e is based on the best-selling novel by Ted Dekker, and is the first theatrical release by Fox Faith. This is a psychological thriller that tells the story of Kevin Parson, a troubled seminary student who finds himself the target of an insane serial killer. Kevin (Marc Blucas) begins to receive threatening phone calls from the mad man demanding that he confess his past sins. Criminal Psychologist Jennifer Peters (Justine Waddell) believes this mad man is the infamous Riddle Killer who murdered her brother, and she takes a special interest in Kevin's case. Kevin enters into a deadly cat and mouse game that brings his troubled past to the surface. Along with his best friend, Samantha (Laura Jordan), he must find out what the killer wants and how to stop him.

Thr3e is a fast-paced thriller that balances action and suspense perfectly. Fans of the novel will be pleased that the film maintains the integrity of the story, and the differences between novel and film are minor. Thr3e was shot in Poland on a very limited budget, and neither aspect is obvious on screen. Director Robby Henson does a masterful job of making all the parts work despite the limitations that many big-budget films don't have. Marc Blucas shines in his role as Kevin, and the supporting cast holds their own.

While this is a faith-based movie produced by a faith-based film company, Thr3e does not look like a Christian film and should not be labeled as a "family film". There is no profanity, sex, or inappropriate scenes and the PG-13 rating is accurate because of the intensity of the film. Many Christian critics have bashed Thr3e because there are no altar calls at the end or "come-to-Jesus" moments that one might expect from a Christian film. However, Thr3e excels where other faith-based films have failed in the past: It is relevant! This is a modern-day movie parable that both Christians and non-Christians can not only enjoy, but be challenged by. Thr3e is all about the struggle between good and evil and the film challenges us all to consider our own personal spiritual condition. The message is not thrown in our faces, and as a result is more effective.

Thr3e is a giant step forward in faith-based film and entertainment. Our collective hats should be off to Ted Dekker, Fox Faith, and the makers of this film for producing a movie that is entertaining, challenging, worth watching and relevant to our culture. (From Christian Library Journal)

Lukewarm thriller suffers from poor performances.......2007-06-12

"Thr3e" (no, it's not a prequel to "Se7en"), is based on the novel by Ted Dekker, and tells the story of a young seminary student who is terrorized by a psychopathic bomber, who may or may not be a person from his past.

When I reviewed the book some time ago, I noted that the final plot twist, which is either brilliant or absurd depending on your view, would determine whether you loved or hated it (for the record, I tend toward the latter). When I rented this DVD, I was curious to see if the translation from page to screen made the ending more believable. To some extent it does, since Alan McElroy's screenplay leaves out some problematic scenes from the book, but the viewer may still feel cheated.

The movie has decent production values considering its low budget, and the score establishes a tone of eerie menace, but alas, the poor quality of the performances ultimately sink the film. Although Marc Blucas and Laura Jordan do a good job as Kevin and Sam, Justine Wadell is not credible or convincing as a top police investigator. Bill Moseley, who plays the villain Slater, comes off as an upset hippie (as another reviewer puts it) rather than an evil genius. Priscilla Barnes (Aunt Balinda) is completely over-the-top. Her portrayal makes her character comical and pathetic when she should have been sadistic and manipulative.

DVD collectors looking for a satisfying thriller will probably find this a rather tepid tale. At least it's free of foul language and graphic violence.

Psychological thriller.......2007-06-08

Ted Dekker is a great author who writes compelling, imaginative and provocative stories. This is the first of these books made into a film. The film stays true to the book, and even manages to up the suspense a bit.

The story begins with a mysterious copy cat bomber that pulls in a police officer who lost a brother to a similar criminal act. The lead character is stalked by a killer who wants him to confess. The story unwinds his past and the secrets he has kept.

I won't spoil the ending, but it is a good one that you will not see coming. While the film is obviously a low budget one that lacks some of the crisp production of a high budget film, it nonetheless has a certain charm and enough grain that it heightens the drama.

The acting is OK, the special effects are pretty basic, and some of the characters are perhaps a bit one dimensional, but the story captures your interest. In the end that is what makes a good film anyway, and this one delivers a great story.

Average customer rating:

hopper's coppers
One of the best gangster flicks ever.
review of colors
Great acting
Colors review

Colors
Starring: Sean Penn , Robert Duvall , Maria Conchita Alonso , Randy Brooks , and Grand L. Bush
Director: Dennis Hopper
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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American Me
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ASIN: B00005N89M
Release Date: 2001-10-02

Amazon.com

Robert Duvall plays a veteran street cop assigned to a Los Angeles gang unit. He takes a headstrong young cop (Sean Penn) under his wing as a partner and shows him the ropes on Watts's mean streets. Penn soon realizes that his testosterone-fueled ways and hair-trigger temper won't get him very far when dealing with the gang-ridden neighborhoods of L.A. Colors is a landmark movie in several respects: it helped bring director Dennis Hopper back into the spotlight after years of self-induced obscurity. Its success at the box office forced Los Angeles's gang problems into the public consciousness and prefigured the next wave of "hood" movies (Boyz N the Hood, Menace II Society, New Jack City) by several years. Though the late-'80s milieu is a bit dated, Colors is still a vivid, absorbing film. Hopper and screenwriter Michael Schiffer give all the characters a very human dimension and go to great lengths to show gang life from both the cops' and the gangsters' points of view. Wisely, they stir in elements of the cop drama, buddy movie, and action genres, leavened with a bit of humor here and there, while keeping a social conscience. Duvall is excellent as always, as the sympathetic cop, and Penn brings a great deal of depth to what could be an unlikable character. Violent, unsettling, and highly recommended. --Jerry Renshaw

Customer Reviews:

hopper's coppers.......2007-06-11

maybe if it had been filmed 15 or 20 years earlier, this dennis hopper directed movie would have seemed revelatory; however, by the time it was made, we had already lived thru several wambaugh books (& adaptations), not to mention "hill street blues". robert duvall and sean penn turn in adequate work as the grizzled vet and the callow tyro patrolling the sinister ghetto streets, but the movie never rises above pedestrian.

One of the best gangster flicks ever........2007-01-31

If you didn't know it, Colors is one of the reasons why Crips & Bloods are so wide spread on the east coast. I rank it as one of the most realistic films about gang life on the west coast. The contrast between the police officers and the gangsters is a strong one. The police are shown to be a gang of their own. The movie centers on two police officers in the pd gang unit, trying to survive, make a change and get along with eachother. Colors is a must see, and if you're a crime movie buff, this film belongs in your collection. It's heaps better than Blood In, Blood Out, and focuses more on the human side of street thugs and police officers. 5 stars, nothing less!

review of colors.......2007-01-04

better than average cops and robbers movie. was given quite of bit of importance that i don't think was deserved, when it was released. well acted movie, with top stars, including Sean Penn (not one of my favorites).i don't know if the writing was the downfall of the movie, or if the film was not put together very well in the cutting room as i suspect. while you watch the movie, you may notice how it seems to jump around a bit (never seemed to have a clear story line), and certain characters are not fleshed out. the best character in the movie is the older police officer played by robert duvall. as much as i hate to admit it, sean penn does justice to the young, gung ho, and vain officer who Duvall's character tries to teach. very good soundtrack, and the opening credits (with Duvall and Penn driving through downtown LA in and unmarked police car) is great. not a great movie, but a good movie that could have been better with some work. a good watch if you like police dramas.

Great acting.......2006-07-26

Wonderful, gritty acting from all characters. IMHO, Duval gives the greatest, most moving "death scene" of all time in this film. Almost 20 years on, it still haunts me.

Colors review.......2006-03-07

I liked this movie when i first saw it and i seen it about 10 times... i like to watch any movie that involves gangs (especially bloods & crips) so i can learn from them...

If you're looking or are just a collector like me of gang movies... you may not want this one in your collection... becuase to me, it doesn't show enough Bloods & Crips in it.... the characters are fictional....there are some minor gangs in it as well called The White Fences (Latino/Hispanic gang - i've never heard of this gang, so i don't know if they are true or not.).

The actors who play the gang members of the White Fences are good actors though... i think they are better then Don Cheadle and Wayans who play Crip members... this movie centers more on White Fence and their rivalry w/ Crips... there's not too much focus on Bloods in here... it also more focuses on Sean Penn's character and Robert Duvall too (good cop/bad cop), and Penn on how he falls in love w/ a former gangmember woman in the White Fence gang.

Colors is a good watch...i just wish it had more gang focus in it...and more gang sets (chapters, i.e. Eight Tray Gangsters, Hoover, etc...) If you're looking for a good gang buy, buy the book "Monster" by Sanyika Shakur a.k.a. Monster Kody Scott, or "Do Or Die" by Leon Bing. Those 2 books far surpasses this movie...

Average customer rating:

Hey! THAT was pretty good!
zzzzzzzz.....
charming but ultimately disappointing
Toilet - The Movie
Pitt And Roberts Just Shine...

The Mexican
Starring: Michael Cerveris , Richard Coca , James Gandolfini , Castulo Guerra , and Gene Hackman
Director: Gore Verbinski
Manufacturer: Dreamworks Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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America's Sweethearts
The Devil's Own
Kalifornia
Spy Game (Widescreen Edition)
Conspiracy Theory

ASIN: B00003CXRY
Release Date: 2001-08-07

Amazon.com

Part road movie, part romantic comedy, part thriller, and a whole lotta fun, The Mexican could get by on star power alone, but it offers Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, and a clever plot full of delightful surprises. It's a thoroughly enjoyable shaggy-dog story in which the downtrodden Jerry Welbach (Pitt) copes with a dual dilemma: his girlfriend Samantha (Roberts) has just dumped him to pursue solo ambitions in Las Vegas, and a manipulative mobster has ordered Jerry to Mexico to retrieve a coveted antique pistol (the "Mexican" of the title) that carries a legacy of legend, death, and danger. Jerry soon has his hands full with bandits, bloodshed, and a grizzly hound dog that vanishes and reappears with amusing regularity. En route to Vegas, Samantha's taken hostage by a burly assassin (James Gandolfini) who's attached to the gun-fetching scheme and is, in more ways than one, not who he seems to be.

Like a good magic act, J.H. Wyman's original screenplay distracts you from its gaps of logic, using unexpected revelations to fuel its strategic vitality. It also provides a wealth of character development, and director Gore Verbinski (Mouse Hunt) gives his stellar cast equal time to shine. It hardly matters that Pitt and Roberts spend most of the film apart; their time together is worth waiting for, and the machinations that separate them play out like a cross between vintage Peckinpah and Romancing the Stone. And why is the accursed pistola so valuable? That's just another surprise, setting the stage for the arrival of yet another big-name star, whose motivations are pure in a film full of double-crosses and darkly shaded humor. With a giddy plot like this, star power is just icing on the cake. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Hey! THAT was pretty good!.......2007-06-11

I bought this DVD for a single scene I had seen once. The scene was worth purchasing the DVD, or so I thought. Wrong! Much of the movie was worth the price of the DVD. Actually, I more than got my money's worth. The acting is great, the plot is a great tease, and it never stops moving. I would have given it 4 stars, but the language was unnecessarily much thicker than I cared for. But all in all, a VERY solid movie.

zzzzzzzz............2007-01-28

Unfortunately the acting of Brad Pitt & Julia Roberts is insufficient to make this a great film. The storyline and the script in general is quite average.

Pitt is sent to Mexico by a mob chief to pick up a cursed but valuable gun called the Mexican, but things turn sour as you can expect, while his girlfriend (Julia Roberts) is kidnapped by a fruity hitman. It felt a bit like a children's film to me.

The film is worth watching and is fairly enjoyable, but you probably won't want to watch it again anytime soon.

charming but ultimately disappointing.......2007-01-24

WARNING! THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!

Brad Pitt is utterly irresistable as the hapless Jerry. I am continually amazed that someone as good looking as Brad can convincingly play such backward people (Think 12 Monkeys, Snatch, Fight Club, etc).

Julia is Julia. She's fluffy, adorable, and like Brad, a beautiful person playing a kind of dork--she's not as convincing as Brad, but still good.

James Gandolfini steals the show. He's wonderful, lovable, and the chemistry between him and Julia is great. HOWEVER, just when you're completely in love with him, and you're thinking he's the greatest thing in the movie, Brad's character, Jerry, shoots him dead.

What were the producers thinking? To kill off the character that everyone loves the most? Didn't they have a test audience? Couldn't they have given him a bulletproof vest and shown him walking away at the end? Wasn't it enough that they killed off his boyfriend? Did they have to kill him too?

I probably would have given the movie 4 stars if they hadn't killed him off. If you don't mind movies where the main character is unexpectedly offed, then you'll love this film. Not for me.

Toilet - The Movie.......2007-01-10

I recently tried to watch this movie by just looking at the case of the movie and thinking that this would be a very romantic movie starring Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt but i could not watch the whole movie, i had to stop it because of too many toilet related scenes. Because of these scenes it made me think that this movie should not have named The Mexican, it should have named "Toilet" or "Ugly Toilet" or "Toilet Exchangers". There was not a single character in this movie whom the director did not show us going to the toilet. One character comes out of the toilet and the other goes in and this carries on making the viewer think that they do not have any thing else to do. This was an ugliest and worst movie i have seen in my life time. This was an ugly movie by ugly Americans named "The Mexican". I think Mexicans should have sued the director. By looking at the above comments, would any body think that i would recommend this movie. Nada

Pitt And Roberts Just Shine..........2006-11-18

Jerry (Brad Pitt) And Samantha (Julia Roberts) Need SERIOUS Couples' Counselling.You See,Jerry Is Working For The Mob.And Was Supposed To Be Doing His Last Job For Them.But The Mob Has Another Idea.They Want Jerry To Go Down To Mexico And Pick Up A Gun-"The Mexican".Sam Decides Enough Is Enough And Heads For Vegas On The Vacation Jerry Promised Her.
But It Is Tough Going Against The Mob.Sam Is Kidnapped To Ensure Jerry Gets The Job Done.Add To The Fun The Fact That Sam Tries To Get Her Hitman On Her Side Against Jerry.Poor Naive Simpleton Jerry Just Doesn't Stand A Snowball's Chance In Hell.
And To Top It All Off,Jerry Is Being Double-Crossed.Will He Find Out In Time?
Roberts And Pitt Shine.Some Of Their Best Work Is Done Here.And Brad Shows He Can Not Only Hold His Own In Comedy,He Is Hilarious.James Gandolfini Also Turns In A Great Performance As The Hitman.There's Also A Wonderful Cameo By Gene Hackman As Margoles,J.T. Simmons As Ted.There Is Not ONE Character In This Film You Won't Like.(Even The Second,Yes,SECOND,Evil Hitman Is Terrific).
Great Cast And Script.Great Crew.Kudos All Around.This Comedy-Drama Is

A ROLLICKING ROLLERCOASTER RIDE YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS!

Average customer rating:

Classic story told for the masses.
Pretty darned good, but....
I,Claudius
Great Neptune, what a mess!
Choice Soap History

Augustus
Starring: Peter O'Toole , Charlotte Rampling , Vittoria Belvedere , Benjamin Sadler , and Ken Duken
Director: Roger Young
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0006D3HDI
Release Date: 2005-01-04

Amazon.com

Augustus is equal parts history lesson and soap opera, and thoroughly engaging at all levels. Peter O'Toole plays Octavius/Augustus, heir to his doomed uncle Julius Caesar's command of the far-flung Roman empire. Surviving an assassination attempt and struck by news of the death of his old friend and ally, Agrippa (Ken Duken), in the same day, Octavius waxes nostalgic about his youthful exploits in Caesar's army (Benjamin Sadler plays the young Augustus in flashbacks) and his unprepared immersion in the deadly politics of the Mark Antony (Massimo Ghini) era. More immediate are Octavius' problems trying to stave off conspiracies by his wife Livia (Charlotte Rampling) to set up the emperor's stepson, Tiberius (Michele Bevilacqua), as heir, and talk his dutiful daughter Julia (Vittoria Belvedere) into a marriage she doesn't want. Roger Young (Jesus) directs this highly watchable costume drama, and O'Toole's golden presence makes the ancient intrigues tragically human. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Classic story told for the masses........2007-06-13

As a student of Classics I was eager to see this film. Peter O'toole has always been a favorite of mine.. This film however, is watered down and shot for the masses.. Not a lot of attention to detail is played out in this release. Besides O'toole the acting is rather mediocre. It seems they grabbed a few extras from a Renaissance festival to fill the rolls.. If you want to see a hisorical portrayal of Octavian/Augustus, rent or buy ROME - 1st and 2nd season. HBO did a fabulous job!

Pretty darned good, but...........2007-05-12

All in all a GREAT flick to get a good idea of who Augustus was. As movies seem to do, sadly, this one plays a little free where the time of events are concerned.

I,Claudius.......2007-05-07

This is the best history of the decline of the Roman Empire that I have ever seen.It is history but told as a fascinating story that shows family relationships as well as political intrigues.I had read the book before and this remains absolutely true to the text. The acting is suberb. I saw this as a series on TV years ago and it was such a pleasure to see it again - and to enjoy it just as much.

Great Neptune, what a mess!.......2007-05-04

A gratuitous and unclarifying flashback-within-a-flashback chronological scheme. Highly uneven acting, to the point where you wonder whether the director wasn't drunk during most of the shooting. Post-prod dubbing which renders the voices excruciatingly phony. Some pretty faces and some good actors with little to do (extra points to Charlotte Rampling, who comes out unscathed). Compares unfavorably to Rome - The Complete First Season and of course, sorry to bring it up, but the unsurpassed I, Claudius.

Choice Soap History.......2006-03-02

This is one of 3 TV Roman docudramas floating around these days -- the other 2 being Pompeii and Julius Caesar -- and all told they reprepresent an improvement over the Charleston Heston/Yul Brenner sort of soap epic we were raised on. Technology and care improve the sets; audience demands raise the script. And here, the casting is a special plus.

Anyone who knows a little Shakespeare, Robert Graves (I, Claudius) or basic Roman history knows the plot: dictator Julius Caesar adopts nephew as heir, who then must fight it out with JC's right hand man Antony for power; the nephew triumphs and becomes Augustus, the wise and sane but plagued by a family of bozos. Straight Roman history will give you a little more edginess: the great Augustus' hobby was collecting dinosaur bones, and his favorite indoor sport deflowering virgins while dressed up as Jove. So he was more than a little unhinged himself, every bit as looney as the Neros and Caligulas to come, just more on the benign side. But the Romans were so weirdly unlike us it is near impossible to imagine them, much less portray them straight as Kentucky whiskey. The film therefore does not go there. Better to hire Peter O'Tolle and Charlotte Rampling and put them through their paces -- and they do quite well, too. Augustus and Livia are basically presented as aging modern grandparents with unresolved personal issues. Whether real historical Romans even thought or acted in such terms is highly debateable, but for practical purposes there is no other way, as Shakespeare knew, to deal with them except to make them like us.

With a project like this, you have to look at the plusses, and they are several -- most especially excellent and believable embodiments of Julius Caesar and Antony in the early parts. After halftime you get the beautiful Italian actress who inhabits Augustus' daughter Julia to look at, plus splendid downtown Rome at night. O'Toole and Rampling expertly play a mediocore soapy script to their advantage, like pro golfers playing against handicaps.

If the chillun don't know a lot about Roman history, they aren't going to learn anything really wrong here, and will pick up a lot of verified information. And while the devil is in the details, we will simply never have them any better than Shakespeare or Robert Graves did, anyway. So yeah, this one is for entertainment -- and it delivers pretty well (3.7 stars).

Average customer rating:

And so it begins.....
One Man's Unvarnished Truth as he Sees it
The best, most artistic blaxploitation film ever made...
What do you get when The Fugitive meets Dolomite = This Movie
LAUGH'N AT CHA!

Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song
Starring: John Amos , Michael Augustus , Simon Chuckster , Steve Cole , and John Dullaghan
Manufacturer: Xenon
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ASIN: B0000714EY
Release Date: 2003-01-14

Amazon.com

Raw, jagged, and explosively angry, Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song is a landmark in American independent cinema. Melvin Van Peebles directed, wrote, produced, edited, scored, and stars as Sweetback, a passive bouncer raised in a brothel. Shot guerrilla style on a starvation budget on the streets of Los Angeles, it's a violent tale of Sweetback's journey from passive acceptance to political awareness and active defiance. He becomes the target of a manhunt when he kills two cops who beat up a young black activist, and he bounces from hideout to hideout before running for the border, all the while getting more booty than Shaft and Superfly put together. The movie was so inflammatory by conservative industry standards that it was "Rated X by an All White Jury," which the ads proudly touted. The unusual mix of agitprop and exploitation is directed in a jagged style that recalls Godard and set to a funky score performed by Earth, Wind & Fire, which Van Peebles intercuts with chanting Greek chorus-like slogans. Released independently, it was a huge hit and effectively spawned the blaxploitation genre, but none of the films that followed ever recaptured the energy, the anger, and the social politics of this breakthrough in independent cinema. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

And so it begins............2007-04-21

This movie might be unreal for some but blaxploitation was born due to the help of "the Black Community" who were all tired of the "Man" holding them down.I sat down to watch "Sweet Sweetback" for the first time last night and was almost lost for a moment. The opening sequence, bordering on child pornography, would never slip by the protestors of today. Yet, in 1971, this movie made its debut in (according to the box) two theatres and endured a torrent of negative reviews before going on to gross $10,000,000. Go figure.

The movie breaks down like this -- Sweet Sweetback is a lover-extraordinaire (he nails just about every female in the film) that rises up against two white cops and beats them down while they are picking on a local militant leader. From here we watch Sweetback run... and run... and run... and run... and run... and run... and run, trying to make his way to Mexico before he gets caught. Along the way, Sweetback encounters various people that matter little to the story but are just there for the hell of it, it seems. Dialogue is sparse throughout most of the film -- how much time is there to talk when you're setting the world's record for the most profitable cross-country video on the market? -- making the story hard to follow unless you've merely dismissed it as a dude running from the long-arm of the law.

I rate this film 5 stars without even a second thought on the matter. "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song," although giving birth to the blaxploitation genre, has to be one of the most horrible films to endure by any one person. This movie is politically motivated, but is not political. The oppressive whites in the film are caricatures (and most, incidentally, are in the police); they torture Sweetback's allies for clues, threaten with guns, and are racially motivated. Sweetback's incriminating action -- murder -- is justified in this haughty racial context. Finally, it is style, glamour, and even virtuosic direction (in the inclusive use of so many familiar techniques) that paves Sweetback's value as a timepiece -- its lasting, testimonial contribution is its position as the first of its kind.

One Man's Unvarnished Truth as he Sees it.......2007-02-18

Shoddy amatuerish moviemaking combined with appalling morals. Unapologetically and even brazenly rascist and misogynist. Pimping his own child is just sleazy, sick and criminal. I'm all for having an open mind but appreciating this movie would require a lobotomy. Van Peebles does deserve a couple of stars for honesty, no matter how misguided he may have been.

The best, most artistic blaxploitation film ever made..........2006-12-21

I've always liked this film. The plot is extremely simple. A black stud gets taken downtown, but they pick up a black activist along the way. Sweetback beats the crap out of the cops, then runs to Mexico. This film is remarkable in that it has a feel of a French New Wave film. Van Peebles had lived in Paris in the 1960's, and the influence of that country's films rubbed off of him here (which is a good thing). With jump cuts, double exposures, and various other visual tricks, Van Peebles made the most artistic blaxploitation film ever made. The fact that it doesn't seem concerned with plot either (many European films don't have as much plotting as American ones do) gives it an even more European feel to it. But the situation is strictly American. I love the soundtrack too. Van Peebles wrote the music, but it's performed by Earth, Wind, and Fire. I do feel that the slogan "rated X by an all white jury" is a bit silly. As another reviewer pointed out, Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange, Peckinpah's Straw Dogs, and Scheslinger's Midnight Cowboy all got tagged with an X rating around this time, so it was a tad ridiculous. No doubt the tag line helped sell a lot more tickets. I admit I smiled when I saw that on the cover of the film, but then realised that it's really just a gimmick. Regardless, this is a very good film, provocative, visually exciting, and memorable.

What do you get when The Fugitive meets Dolomite = This Movie .......2006-11-01

If you can't appreciate someone else's extreme views don't watch it and shut up about it. Its not the plague it's a movie. People are all up in arms about it. Shut Up and get over it.

Now if I was to go off about how stupid I thought a movie like The Tenant is then it would be a big uproar against my review. Oh wait I already wrote that and plenty people disagree that it didn't deserve the zero stars I wanted to give it. A matter of fact it needs infinity negative stars. Thats not my type of movie or what I thought it might be. But thats my opinion.

This movie was made and played out the way Mr. Peebles wanted it. Get over it. It's his movie he can do what he wants with it. It is a movie like none other I have seen but certain aspects are similar to the other black explotation genre. Sticking it to the man basically.

I read too many negative reviews for this movie. It was time someone real spoke up and said it's great and you need to check it out if you are into these types of films. If you are not just go watch soemthing else.

LAUGH'N AT CHA!.......2006-10-25

LET ME TELL SOME OF YOU SOMETHING; WHEN YOU'RE ONLY GIVEN POOP TO WORK WITH AND YA' MAKE A BIG POOP SCULPTURE THAT HITS THE BIG TIME....COME ONE COME ALL TO SEE THE NEWEST FUNKIEST POOP SCULPTURE, OH! IT RATED R, OH IT'S A HAPPIN'N, OH IT'S ABOUT ALL THE POOP AROUND US ....NOW WATCH EVERYONE, RIGHT BEFORE YOUR EYES THIS POOP WILL TURN INTO GOLD AND STAY FUNKY!!!... < > SORRY YOU WEREN'T THERE THAT LONG HOT ANGRY SUMMER THIS WAS THE S*** FOR A MOMENT AND WE ALL HAD A GOOD LAUGH'N AT CHA...HA'

Average customer rating:

Old Science Better Than Widescreen LCD
Good Cast-Mediocre Movie
A Little Too Mean For Its Own Good
Laugh A Minute
Funny, dark and fun :-)

Addicted to Love
Starring: Meg Ryan , Matthew Broderick , Kelly Preston , Tchéky Karyo , and Maureen Stapleton
Director: Griffin Dunne
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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French Kiss
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ASIN: 0790732947
Release Date: 1997-10-29

Amazon.com

Actor-director Griffin Dunne made his filmmaking debut with this ethically ambiguous and not-very-funny movie about a pair of jilted lovers (Meg Ryan and Matthew Broderick) who conspire to break up a relationship between their ex-sweethearts (Tchéky Karyo and Kelly Preston). Part classic screwball comedy, part nightmare along the lines of Martin Scorsese's After Hours (in which Dunne starred), part tribute to Hitchcock's Rear Window, Addicted to Love is all over the map and seriously hampered by the sheer, unwarranted nastiness aimed at the innocent characters played by Karyo and Preston. The DVD release includes production notes, original theatrical trailer, optional widescreen and standard formats, and optional French and Spanish soundtracks. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Old Science Better Than Widescreen LCD.......2007-05-23

This movie had the magical Camera obscura (sp?) that made me want to share it with my wife, had to buy it. She liked it, although terrible things happened to the guy who hooked up with his childhood sweetheart. Revenge isn't always sweet, but was funny if you have no empathy for the guy.

Good Cast-Mediocre Movie.......2006-06-24

Addicted to Love was a bit of a disappointment, considering the makeup of the cast: Matthew Broderick and Meg Ryan among others.
The movie brings to the screen the story of a young man who travels to New York City in an effort to change his girlfriend's mind after her terminating their relationship. Once there, he discovers that she is already living with someone and consequently sets up an elaborate surveillance system. Things get even more complicated when he finds out that he is not the only heartbroken "ex" who will go to great lengths to get his former lover back...
In short, the acting is surprisingly average (!), the setting is pretty good, while the dialogues and the plot are below average.
Though the potential for a great movie was definitely there it fails to take off. A shame really...

A Little Too Mean For Its Own Good.......2006-04-11

Kelly Preston and Tcheky Karyo are a New York City couple who come together after Preston leaves Matthew Broderick and Karyo uses Meg Ryan in order to get a Visa. Now Broderick and Ryan are teaming up to get even with their ex's. The problem is, the offenses they've endured (being dumped and being used) don't really warrant the horrible things they do to these two people, especially Karyo. Which is probably why first-time director Griffin Dunne used two such amiable stars in the feature roles. After all, how can we not root for Ferris Bueller and Harry's Sally? Unfortunately, it ends up being pretty easy not to root for them when their revenge is so excessive, the pace of the film is so uneven, and the script isn't particularly funny.

There's a difference between black comedy and just mean-spirited comedy. Despite a handful of amusing moments and a few nice cinematic touches, this film does not walk that line very well.

Laugh A Minute.......2006-03-19

For all those Matthew Broderick lovers out there, this is the film for you. I am not a big Matthew Broderick fan myself but i do like Meg Ryan. However, together, in this film, they are a match made in heaven. Both are extremely funny. Even the character who is supposed to be hated while watching the film is also very funny. This isn't a very deep film if that is what you are looking for, tissues will only be needed to wipe away tears of laughter.

Funny, dark and fun :-).......2006-03-07

I have always always always loved Matthew Broderick. He's great in this and so funny. He's broken hearted over his girlfriend dumping him, and he (litteraly) has a run in with Meg Ryan who also has been dumped - and what do you know? - their respective others are dating each other. They team together so Meg can get revenge and Matthew can get (Kelly Preston) his girlfriend back. I don't think I even need to tell you how it ends because it's totally predictable, but it's so fun and dark and very very humourous. If you like black comedies, then this is for you. I got it when it first came out on dvd and still watch it often even now. I love it.

Average customer rating:

fairy tale turned horror tale!
Not so Scary for a Horror Movie
Not Scary But Funny!!
More like "Rumpled-Crap-Film
Decent Horror-Comedy from the director of Leprechaun

Rumpelstiltskin
Starring: Kim Johnston Ulrich , Tommy Blaze , Allyce Beasley , Max Grodénchik , and Vera Lockwood
Director: Mark Jones
Manufacturer: Republic Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Pinocchio's Revenge
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ASIN: B00004WM6F
Release Date: 2001-08-21

Customer Reviews:

fairy tale turned horror tale!.......2006-11-03

the movie rumplestiltskin was, to me, more of a comedy than a horror film! kim johnston ulrich took a classic childrens fable and made it into a decent horror film :) the effects in this movie aren't that great.. and the quality of the film is low but overall it's a good watch for those interested in childrens fables turned horror. if you are interested in such.. maybe you'd like pinnochio's revenge along with this one.

Not so Scary for a Horror Movie.......2006-09-08

Rumpelstiltskin is a movie I recorded off of a paid channel years ago. I only recently sat down and rewatched it. This movie is from the same people that did Leprechaun, (no surprise there), since this movie is about a little deformed creature man.

The movie is about pregnant woman whose husband dies in the line of duty. Sometime has passed since his death and she's had the baby. Now she visits a pawn shop where she finds this unique looking jade and gold statue. She takes the statue home, and finds herself wishing her husband could see his baby. Well, Rumpelstiltskin "grants" her wish, and in return she must now give him her first child. He terrorizes her through the whole movie, and kills the people that gets in his way.

Watching the movie, I noticed there wasn't really any blood in it, and it wasn't all that scary. I found myself getting bored halfway through the movie. I must say that the make up effects on Rumpelstiltskin was pretty realistic looking and creepy. The movie seemed like more of an action movie with a deformed little man as the bad guy, instead of a horror movie.

It wasn't very original either, it reminded me too much of Leprechaun, with a little man terrorizing the characters of the movie untill he gets what he's after, and killing everyone that gets in his way. Same basic plot of Leprechaun, only worse with no blood. It wasn't the worse movie I've seen, but it wasn't all that great, and it didn't creep me out one bit for a horror movie.

Not Scary But Funny!!.......2005-07-23

Rumpelstiltskin is not really a horror movie..its more of a comedy.LOL its a little hunchback riding a harley..yea see wat I mean ...not scary!!So if you like weird and interesting movies...see this!!

NOT SCARY BUT FUNNY!!!

More like "Rumpled-Crap-Film.......2005-05-13

Ha ha ha. Okay, okay, I never even watched the movie. i just wanted to type that, but if it is anything like Leprechaun, then it sucks and I was right.

Decent Horror-Comedy from the director of Leprechaun.......2005-03-20

Mark Jones who directed the 1993 classic "Leprechaun" directed this similar horror-comedy with the title character Rumpelstiltskin who rips a man's eye out and then is turned into a green rock by a witch and then dumped into a river and then the movie starts in L.A. with a cop being shot by a criminal and then his wife and her friend visit an antique shop and then the mom sees the green rock of Rumpelstiltskin and then buys it but then the creature comes alive and then wants her baby and then she runs off with her baby and then the creature follows her and then the fun starts. The movie is basically a rip-off of Leprechaun but instead of a creature wanting a pot of gold the the creature wants a baby. The low-budget is lower than Leprechaun and the special effects by Kevin Yagher(Child's Play 2,Phantom of the Opera(1989),976-EVIL)are decent for a low-budget,the acting was mediocre and the only good acting was by Max Grodenchik who played Rumpelstiltskin. The movie is out-of-print but if you do find it rent it.

Pros:
Good Special Effects/Makeup
Some funny scenes

Cons:
Some bad acting
plot is sometimes poorly written

Average customer rating:

The Virus Is ... , (1998 Movie)
Terminator on the sea
a scary combination movie with a soundtrack to match
What's with all the negative reviews?
A real blast to watch

Virus
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis , William Baldwin , Donald Sutherland , Joanna Pacula , and Marshall Bell
Director: John Bruno
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00000IQVQ
Release Date: 1999-07-20

Amazon.com

In this fast-paced, sci-fi/horror shoot-'em-up based on the Dark Horse comic book, Jamie Lee Curtis plays the navigator of an ocean-going tug. When a typhoon cripples their boat, the crew sails into the eye of the storm, where they discover a high-tech Russian communications and research vessel adrift. Only one Russian crewmember is still alive, raving about "intelligent lightning." They soon discover that an alien life form has taken over the ship's computers and is churning out biomechanical warriors. With their own boat destroyed, the crew must battle the creature as the ship reenters the storm. If the basic story and characters all sound familiar, it may not surprise you that producer Gale Anne Hurd's other films include The Terminator and Aliens. This movie and its derivative screenplay aren't nearly as good as those were, and director John Bruno (who won an Oscar for best visual effects for The Abyss) seems more skilled at action choreography and special effects than character and story. Curtis plays another variation on her "scream queen" persona, while Donald Sutherland gives a deliciously hammy performance as the tug captain (in his words, "the dominant life form") who smells salvage money if he can claim the Russian ship for his own. For all the picture's flaws, the effects are good (and gory) and it moves at top speed for a brisk 100 minutes. A trivia factoid: at one point on this troubled production, film footage was seized at the airport because the shipping box was prominently marked with the film's title! --Geof Miller

Customer Reviews:

The Virus Is ... , (1998 Movie).......2007-05-15

This movie is not that good, but if you're a fan of sci-fi then you will eventually have to see it like I did. Although I like the genre, fair is fair, and many other movies are better. The less you get your hopes up, the greater your chance to enjoy the movie. My fiancee, who never saw a sci-fi movie before asked me to turn this off after five minutes. We did go on to watch Aliens vs. Predator (AVP), which she loved, to give a comparison. However this, with all that being said, doesn't mean the movie won't be fun to watch.

As a trivia note, I inadvertently watched this movie back to back with AVP, and the similarities in the beginning at least were extraordinary. I presume this is due to both John Bruno on the set of both, and that both storylines were based on Dark Horse comic books.

This is a fun popcorn movie. The effects are gory on occasion and schlockey. There are the occasional presence of von Neumann machines, but are not as nearly threatening as the Replicators in the Stargate series. The movie title `Virus' works on a few levels.

Terminator on the sea.......2007-03-19

This late nineties sci-fi movie was on of my favorite sci-fi movie released in 1999 in the closing year of the 20th century. This year was the eight anniversary of the movie since it was first release. Due to high terminator 2 like violence, occasional explosions and other thematic elements gory and disturbing images, and occasionally cursing and scary situation this movie might not be appropriate or maybe questionable for kids under the age of 17 depending on what there parent's or guardians consider appropriate for there ages. In the movie a Russian space ships is attacked by an alien life form that kills everybody on the space ship then transports it's self on the ship below monitor the space ship above where every body that does not abandon the ship except for one Russian women . A week later a crew from a sinking vessel comes aboard the ship. They find a Russian women on board scared to death she tells them about a creature that occupies the ship and keeping the ships powered turned off is the only way other than destroying it to keep the alien robotic life form subdued and under control. They find out two late the truth and epic struggle of enormous portion has began. Can they defeat this high tech terror from space and his smaller robot minions find out in the dramatic thrilling conclusion.

a scary combination movie with a soundtrack to match.......2007-01-01

this dvd movie is a rare one, in that it combines the scare elements from
other dvd movies into the one, it contains elements of "robocop"
"colossus the forbin project" "the borg from startrek" and vampire movies,
all put together very well, and a cast led by jamie lee curtis, all
contribute, a very well done thriller, the DTS5.1 version is the high bit
one,

What's with all the negative reviews?.......2006-10-26

This is an excellent movie and I'm shocked at all the bad reviews. Most people compare it to Terminator. It's noyhing like Terminator! The only simalar factor is that the computers build the machines! The best thing about this movie is the alien(s?)does not take any form. It doesn't blast people with lasers or anything like that.I think this is really creative.

A real blast to watch.......2006-10-23

I am a big fan of sci-fi horror movies taking place in outer space, deep in the ocean or in abandoned floating ships that harbor some evil life form that preys on anyone who passes it by and drops in to take a look around. Virus is one such movie, reminiscent of films such as The Thing, Leviathan and Deep Rising.

A crew of Sea Star has survived a terrible storm and while swimming thought it's peaceful eye, they stumble upon a seemingly abandoned Russian research center with it's power totally turned off. They can't find one body on the huge ship and as they turn the power back on strange things begin to happen. They appear to be in the belly of a beast, in the middle of an attack form outer space, which electrocuted the Mir and send a screaming signal back into the ship. As the crew starts to look through the ship, an anchor from the research boat drops itself into their tugboat, leaving them stranded on the ghost ship. They have no other choice but to steer it to land and try to salvage it. When they try to control the ship they find that all the electronic equipment seems to be working against them. When some of the crew go missing, and more accidents keep happening, they discover a sole survivor who has hidden in a lab for over a week and who warns them to turn the power off. She says that the attacked Mir transmitted a computer signal that took control over the ship, it learned all there was about humans form the central computer system and turned all the electronics, the robots and even rewired itself to form Terminator like creatures that killed of any remaining crew. Other than running away from crawling creatures, all mechanic and with destruction in mind, the crew starts to fight against each other. I found that a few of the characters grew in greatness, they performed self sacrifices to give a few spare minutes for their fellow colleagues and others turned to the evil side, with their own survival in mind. The ending was a real build up while the secrets of what went on were revealed, with the surviving crew growing smaller and their battle for survival getting harder and harder.

I'm not sure why this movie was so badly received, I found myself thoroughly enjoying this surreal story. The chases, the cramped quarters, the ships hallways and rooms reminded me of those of a space ship, with only so many exits and the movie kept my attention the entire time until the credits rolled. I rated this based on how much I enjoyed it, and yes this is not serious drama, if I wanted to watch one I would be watching Hamlet, but I chose to veg out on the couch with some food and drinks and my boyfriend to pass the lazy afternoon in front of the TV while immensely enjoying this movie.

- Kasia S.

Average customer rating:

Don't do it!
Lord Steven AKA God
What a load of rubbish
See it for mindless action and mindless filmmaking
Oh the humanity!

The Foreigner
Starring: Steven Seagal , Max Ryan , Harry Van Gorkum , Jeffrey Pierce , and Anna-Louise Plowman
Director: Michael Oblowitz
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
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Out of Reach
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ASIN: B00007JZUP
Release Date: 2003-01-28

Amazon.com

There must be an audience for Steven Seagal movies, but it's hard to imagine who would actually want to watch a movie like The Foreigner. Seagal, bloated and puffy-faced, plays a super-professional operative of some kind, who on this occasion is supposed to deliver a package from someone (it doesn't matter who) to a super-rich industrialist. The industrialist's beautiful blond wife tries to intercept it, Seagal prevents this, then decides to help her out, and lots and lots of people get killed in impractical and implausible ways. Almost every scene is so full of "mysterious" dialogue as to be incomprehensible. The Foreigner tries to create a veil of cool action attitude to disguise the lack of cool and the lack of action. Seagal mumbles. Seagal frowns. No one shoots Seagal, despite numerous opportunities to do so and no reason not to. Why was this movie made? --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Don't do it!.......2006-02-17

This is not the Seagal of the early nineties. Something has happened to him and it's not good. He's gained weight, does not move like before, and is hard to understand. The technical process is terrible. I will never buy another Seagal (I have 14 of the old ones) again and I think Amazon should seriously consider taking this off their site.

Lord Steven AKA God.......2005-11-06

'The Foreigner', along with 'Ticker', is just about the most hated Seagal flick by both the casual movie fan and the most devoted, dieheard Seagalogists. So, I went back and pulled it from my Seagal DVD collection and gave it a repeat viewing. I have come to decide that 'The Foreigner', while no where near the Lordly goodness of 'Belly Of The Beast' or 'Out For Justice', is much better than some of, in my opinion, Seagal's worst: 'Out Of Reach', 'Ticker', and 'Today You Die'.

The plot goes a little something like this: Lord Steven plays ex-CIA agent Johnathan Cold(by far the worst character name Seagal has ever had)who i guess is supposed to be in the same line of work as Jason Statham's character in 'The Transporter'. So the Lord is hired to deliver a package to some rich business tycoon, but of course is turned on by the people who hired him, the rich business tycoon's wife tries to steal the package, and there's other bad dudes out to get the package as well. Its all a little vague but if you don't concentrate too hard, you can ignore all the gaps in plot, and sorta kinda understand whats going on.

Anyways, the Lord is pretty sick looking in this film: he's tubby, his hair is nappy, and he has his arms crossed in front of his gut for approximately 80% of the film. There are a couple decent fight scenes, but the majority of them is obviously done by a stuntman who looks nothing like nor weighs nowhere near as much as Seagal. The only time the Lord appears during fight scenes is in close-up shots where it appears to be playing paddycake. Oh, and about a third of Seagal's dialogue is dubbed by someone who sounds nothing like him. But on the flipside, the cinematography is nice, the camera work is very well done, some very brutal shootings, and the acting is pretty good for the most part(especially by the black British guy who tortures Seagal near the beginning of the film; that guy is very good).

Overall, 'The Foreigner' is not a good film but its definitely not the Lord's worst. So I declare: it is not as deserving of the venom that films like 'Ticker' and 'Out Of Reach' deserve. Give it a second viewing and I don't think you'll hate it as much as you think you do. You won't love it, but you might realize, like I did, that it does have a few good points.

Oh, and as a little sidenote: Seagal's next flick, entitled 'Black Dawn', is a sequel to 'The Foreigner'. Go figure...he could have made a sequel to 'Under Seige' or 'Belly Of The Beast' or even brought back Gino Felino for 'Out For Justice 2' but he decides to bring back Johnathan Cold? Weird.

What a load of rubbish.......2004-12-20

Hi my name is Lloyd Duff and I think this film needs to be thrown off a very high cliff. I like Steven Seagal and I am aware that he is in his 50's and cant do his karate like he used to. The story is he is suposed to deliver a package from Poland to go knows where for a rich dude. Most of the film is about his parnter going around pointlessy shooting people who have nothing to do with the movie. Was he mental? Why shoot the old porsche guy at berlin airport? yet help an old womon at the farm? Was he jeaulous of him? of his charming good looks? He could have just Drove away leaving the guy swearing in german and throwing his turino flatcap to to ground and screaming out "hoodlum" WHY MURDER HIM? He could have had money in his briefcase

See it for mindless action and mindless filmmaking.......2004-11-19

While Steven Seagal looks better in this film than he does in his later ones ("Out of Reach" made me dub him "the kung-fu Meatloaf") his statuesque features cannot save this movie. Neither can his amazing ability to keep every facial feature above his lower lip stiff. And though his adult diapers and ensure cannot stop the fact that he's not much of an action star any more, Steven has the help of horrible editing and directing to make it look like he's beating a guy up. Yet even this Kurosawa-like filmmaking cannot save this movie. In the end, all you get is a bad action movie.

One problem is that this movie makes it look like Europe is the size of a small village. One minute we're in Warsaw, then Germany, then suddenly everyone's British, then we're in Poland again, then Germany, then Norway, then Atlantis...where the heck are we? Were there wormholes that the characters used?

While plotholes abound and storyline is almost nonexistant, the writers have filled in the gaps with explosions and dead bodies. And lots of the latter. I counted three destroyed buildings, but lost count on the bodies. I do know, however, that the Department of Water Management funded this movie, because many characters die falling into a river or stream that happens to be nearby. This is true in the (second) attack Seagal makes on the industrial tycoon's headquarters. Almost every villain shot happens to fall backward, toppling into water. Perhaps it was to drown them, because Seagal seemed to like shooting the guards in the shoulders (unless Europeans have a vital organ in the shoulder I don't know about). The important thing about these deaths is that they give us emotions because we CARE about the characters! Like the black guy who dies since he's the black guy, or the spare black guy that dies because...well, he's the black guy.

There is one character I especially liked, the hitman that turns on Seagal. He had an actual name, but eventually my roommate and I dubbed him "Killer McDeath" because he kills everyone he comes across. I also couldn't help but noticed he killed off all the hot girls in the movie too: the cute maid at the mansion (shot), the young secretary at a business (shot), and the beautiful receptionist at the hotel (stabbed with a banana - oh no wait, he shot her). It got to the point where any time a cute girl appeared my roommate and I would say, "Uh oh, she's not gonna last long." I also have to say he was a tough guy - he's shot, blown out a window, shot again, hit by shrapnel, cut on the face, and smokes, but our friend Killer McDeath just shakes it off and keeps on tickin'. The sad thing is that in the end Steven Seagal kills him by a simple [...]-slap of doom. Surely the great Killer McDeath deserved a more suitable demise! Ah well, Killer McDeath will live on forever in "The Foreigner 2: Back to America."

Oh the humanity!.......2004-10-04

If you, like me, ever wonder what happened to Steven Seagal, you need to run right out and pick up "The Foreigner." In the late 1980s and early 1990's, it looked as though Seagal would join the ranks of Hollywood's top action stars. You would hear his name in the same sentence with Arnie and Stallone, no small feat indeed. And to a large degree, Seagal's films deserved the comparison. "Under Siege" was a winner, as were "Hard to Kill" and "Above the Law." The actor's greatest appeal isn't hard to fathom; Seagal embraced a brutal form of martial arts that, at least onscreen, allowed him to slap down thugs, break bones, and wreak massive havoc without batting an eye. Literally, Seagal would stand in place and put down one goon after the other with an ease that looked not only natural but also realistic. I still enjoy watching that pool room scene where Seagal's character used pool cues, billiard balls, and whatever else he could lay his hands on to put out the trash. Alas, how the mighty have fallen. The early 1990s may as well be ancient history as far as Steven Seagal is concerned. Although he's still capable of making a few moderately entertaining films, far too often we're seeing movies like "The Foreigner" and "Ticker."

Steven Seagal is Jonathan Cold, aka "The Foreigner," which we learn toward the end of the film is a highly trained government operative who works overseas under deep cover. During the film we discover he's now working for some sleazy Polish goon who wants him to carry a package to a client somewhere in Europe as his final assignment. First, he has to pick up the package from a couple of Russians out in the countryside with his boss's other hired hand, the nefarious Dunois (Max Ryan). Predictably, the two engage in macho banter on the car ride out to the cottage, which allows us to learn that Dunois is a rather shady character, before the two narrowly survive a huge gun battle and fire at the house. Cold isn't happy about dealing with such dire circumstances, but he's a professional and won't give up on fulfilling his mission. Perhaps he should have since that would have saved the audience from enduring the rest of this amateurish piece of dreck. Anyway, Seagal heads off to do what he does best, unaware that his old boss from the CIA, Jared Olyphant (Gary Raymond), knows all about the box and wants what is in it. At least I think Olyphant is Cold's former employer; the movie's so convoluted that it's hard to keep track of the various characters.

Before you can hit stop on your remote, all sorts of unpleasant people are gunning for our hero. Cold discovers that the package contains references to an air disaster in the 1980s, and also learns that wealthy industrialist Jerome Van Aken (Harry Van Gorkum) has something to do with the whole thing. While Cold scopes out the Van Aken estate, Dunois doggedly tracks him with the sort of persistence I wish I had as I tried to get through this movie. There's also a black assassin named Mims, hired by Jared Olyphant, gunning for the box. Cold eventually figures out, with a little help from Jerome's wife Meredith (Anne-Louise Plowman), that there's a huge conspiracy linking the information in the box with a corporate plot to create...well, I won't spoil it for you, but I ought to if it will prevent people from watching the film. Before we learn the shocking revelations that blow the evildoers' plans wide open, the movie treats us to several poorly edited action sequences that find Seagal's character infiltrating the Van Aken estate in order to blow away several beefy Slavic guards. He does it again later with Dunois, entering the compound by the SAME route he went in before. You would think the crack security team in charge of a billionaire's private residence would figure out a way to shore up the cracks, but you would be wrong.

Absolutely nothing works in "The Foreigner" beyond a few exceptionally bloody squibs. Director Michael Oblowitz, who should now personify that age-old mantra "you'll never work in this town again," simply doesn't know how to make a coherent movie. In the place of intriguing, deeply developed characters and original action scenes, he falls into the deadly trap of blaring techno music, cool dialogue that is neither cool nor makes sense, and continuity holes you could sail a battleship through. Even worse, the film relies way to heavily on speeding up or slowing down the speed of the film. I can understand using slow motion to show a body cartwheeling from a shotgun blast, but why do we need to watch Seagal's character sit down in a chair in slo-mo? It's one of those examples of a movie elevating style over substance. Problem is we've seen so many movies overuse these techniques that we recognize when it's poorly used. By far the most ridiculous aspect of the movie has to be how many times Dunois bites the bullet only to bounce back up for another round. I could go on and on.

Did I hear you ask about extras? A bunch of trailers for other action films, including "XXX," "I Spy," "Half Past Dead," "The Foreigner," and "The One." They probably shouldn't have included some of these trailers on the disc, though. I kept thinking how much I would rather watch a few of these other films than this one, even the other Seagal low budget actioners. Actually, I also recently watched two other Steven Seagal films, "Exit Wounds" and "Belly of the Beast," and both were much better than "The Foreigner" Perhaps this movie is an anomaly. I certainly hope so for Seagal's sake as even diehard fans will want to skip this clunker.

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Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
Starring: Rhonda Aldrich , Curtis Andersen , Lisa Arturo , Sherman Augustus , and Kristin Bauer
Manufacturer: Mti Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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