Brubaker

Starring:Robert Redford, Yaphet Kotto, Jane Alexander, Murray Hamilton, David Keith, Morgan Freeman, Matt Clark, Tim McIntire, Richard Ward, Jon Van Ness, M. Emmet Walsh, Albert Salmi, Linda Haynes, Everett McGill, Val Avery, Ron Frazier (II), David Harris, Joe Spinell, James Keane, Konrad Sheehan
Director: Stuart Rosenberg, Bob Rafelson
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

The surprising truth about Disney's 1982 computer-game fantasy is that it's still visually impressive (though technologically quaint by later high-definition standards) and a lot of fun. It's about a computer wizard named Flynn (Jeff Bridges) who is digitally broken down into a data stream by a villainous software pirate (David Warner) and reconstituted into the internal, 3-D graphical world of computers. It is there, in the blazingly colorful, geometrically intense landscapes of cyberspace, that Flynn joins forces with Tron (Bruce Boxleitner) to outmaneuver the Master Control program that holds them captive in the equivalent of a gigantic, infinitely challenging computer game. Disney's wizards used a variety of cinematic techniques and early-'80s state-of-the-art computer-generated graphics to accomplish their dynamic visual goals, and the result was a milestone in cyberentertainment, catering to technogeeks while providing a dazzling adventure for hackers and nonhackers alike. Appearing just in time to celebrate the nascent cyberpunk movement in science fiction, Tron received a decidedly mixed reaction when originally released, but has since become a high-tech favorite and a landmark in special effects, with a loyal following of fans. DVD is a perfect format for the movie's neon-glow color scheme, and the musical score by synthesizer pioneer Wendy Carlos is faithfully preserved on the digitally remastered soundtrack. --Jeff Shannon

Description

A masterpiece of breakthrough CGI ingenuity, Disney celebrates the 20th anniversary of TRON, a dazzling film at the flashpoint of a continuing revolution in its genre. This special collector's edition showcases an epic adventure inside a brave new world where the action is measureed in microseconds. When Flynn (Jeff Bridges) hacks the mainframe of his ex-employer to prove his work was stolen by another executive, he finds himself on a much bigger adventure. Beamed inside by a power-hungry master control program, he joins computer gladiators on a deadly game grid, complete with high-velocity "light cycles" and Tron (Bruce Boxleitner), a specialized security program. Together, they fight the ultimate battle with the MCP to decide the fate of both the electronic world and the real world!

Customer Reviews:

TRON: Way Ahead Of It's Time.......2007-06-17

Like "The Black Hole" three years before it, 1982's "TRON" was another Walt Disney sci-fi movie that did not get proper respect upon it's initial release, but has developed an avid cult following ever since. "TRON" tells the story of a young, hotshot computer programmer named Flynn (Jeff Bridges), who created a handful of popular video games for the company ENCOM but had his ideas stolen by a sneaky co-worker named Dillinger (David Warner), who subsequently rose to the Senior Executive position at the company, while Flynn was subsequently booted out and now makes his living running a video game arcade. With the aid of two friends, Alan (Bruce Boxleitner) and Lora (Cindy Morgan), Flynn breaks into ENCOM and attempts to retreive the evidence of Dillinger's crime, but gets detected by ENCOM's Master Control Program (a highly-advanced computer program with a mind---and voice---of it's own), which catches Flynn and beams him (ala Star Trek) *into* a computer, where computer programs have human feelings & physical bodies (in fact, they are the dopplegangers of the "users" who wrote them). Flynn is forced to fight for his life as a video game warrior in this vastly colorful, computerized world he finds himself trapped in, as he seeks a way back to his own world...."TRON" was the very first film to extensively use computer animation for it's visual effects, and it is without question a dazzling feast for the eyes. Writer/director Steven Lisberger and his production team created a fascinating, unique, *alive* world that has never been seen on the screen before or since. "TRON" also has going for it a brilliant, atmospheric score by Wendy Carlos (available on CD at last!), and terrific performances by Jeff Bridges as Flynn, and David Warner as the oily Dillinger (and his demented program counterpart SARK). Boxleitner, Morgan, Bernard Hughes and Dan Shor also lend good acting support in their roles. However, "TRON" is not a perfect movie. Lisberger's screenplay could've used some more dramatic weight, and somehow, the movie's finale feels rushed and doesn't quite pack the emotional punch that it should. But these mistakes are forgiveable. "TRON" is so much fun, that I don't really mind a less-than-perfect script or a rushed ending."TRON" was way---and I mean WAY---ahead of it's time, which may explain why the movie went sailing over the heads of some audience members & movie critics back in 1982 (although Siskel & Ebert, in particular, praised "TRON" to the hilt---thank you, Gene & Roger!). But the passing of time has been very kind to "TRON," as the film is now recognised as the landmark, groundbreaking sci-fi film that it is. This DVD edition of "TRON," with it's remastered print of the film, the excellent "Making Of" documentary, deleted scenes and other goodies, is wonderful to have, but I hope the folks at Disney will do the right thing and re-release "TRON" back into theaters, so everyone can experience this movie the way it was meant to be experienced. In the words of the late Gene Siskel, "TRON" is a whole lot of fun. It simply dazzles.

This must be seen on the big screen to be fully appreciated........2007-06-01

You have to understand, I was about 12 years old when this first came out in theatres and I've already had a personal computer for a few years by then (got my first Atari 400 in 1980) and was definitely a computer geek, even then. To see this movie back then was almost beyond words, as it fired my imagination more than just about anything else had before or after. It was a great time - videogames were taking off, computers were taking off, and there was just a feeling in the air that anything could happen. This film was a perfect example of people taking these feelings to their extreme and no other movie takes me back to that era (except for maybe Wargames) better than Tron does.

Back then, a lot of people actually felt threatened by computers and this film did little to help that notion. Viewing Tron today, it may be hard for the younger set to see what the big deal was, but in 1982, this was probably just as mind-boggling to audiences as 2001 was when it came out in '68. I still remember being absolutely floored after seeing this the first time on the big screen...you have to remember, back in '82, there really WAS no CGI and the best graphics resolution on the best home PC or arcade game was not even as good as the original Gameboy. This movie pulled out all the stops and really showed the world what could be done with computer graphics and I feel that it was HUGELY influential in the development of CGI in the years to come.

Ok, the plot is kind of lame and there are a few lines in the script which are cringe-inducing when heard today (eg. "C'mon you SCSI data, be in there"), but I can forgive the writers for dropping a few buzzwords in the script, even if they didn't quite know what they meant. The acting is great - Jeff Bridges completely sells the movie and is solid, as usual, and David Warner is fantastic as Sark. Bruce Boxleitner was definitely cast against type but also did a great job and Cindy Morgan nailed her character as well. Barnard Hughes played his usual father-figure role to great effect as well.

After the lackluster original non-anamorphic DVD which was plagued by line noise, Disney has finally done right by Tron with this double-disc set. The Anamorphic picture looks about as good as possible and the colors really pop. The faces on the characters are a bit grainy due to the process used to make the film, but it's not a problem. The sound has been remixed to 5.1 (unlike the 4.0 of the previous release) but to my ears, for some reason the original DVD has much deeper bass - I'm not quite sure why. On the original DVD, the recognizers absolutely THUNDER, on this DVD, the effect is diminished somewhat.

There are also a ton of extras, the best of which is an absolutely incredible 88-minute making-of documentary which was obviously lovingly prepared and is almost as good as the film itself.

When you discover the actual work it took to create this movie, you realize that it was WAY ahead of it's time. And as I said, if you ever have a chance to see this on the big screen, jump at it.

Tron baby.......2007-05-23

One of the greatest movies of all time...Buy it!

It just might save your life!

Welcome to the neon world.......2007-05-15

Tron is a blast form the past. Awsome story its just a good SIFI movie. Tron is comming from the dawn of special effects. A simplely enjoyable. if you like stuff from the Early 90s and Late 80s this is the way to go. and the THXcertified audio is amazing. It takes this movie to the next level.

What Sci-Fi Fan wouldn't want Tron?.......2007-05-12

Seriously... do I even need to review it? What sci-fi fan wouldn't want the best almost 100% compuer made movie of it's time period?

Average customer rating:

Seconds
"What do you got left?"
"Isn't it easier to go forward when you know you can't go back?"
"No, Mr. Wilson, you can never go back..."
A little known classic

Seconds
Starring: Rock Hudson , Salome Jens , John Randolph , Will Geer , and Jeff Corey
Director: John Frankenheimer
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B00005RDAJ
Release Date: 2002-01-08

Amazon.com

Rock Hudson stars in this unsettling look at second chances. Banker Arthur Hamilton (John Randolph) lives a comfortable, stifling life until he is contacted by a mysterious caller offering "what every middle-aged man wants: complete freedom." Hamilton, with the help of an enigmatic corporation, fakes his own death and starts over in his new swinging-bachelor persona (now played by Rock Hudson). A change of life, though, is not just a change of scenery, and Seconds, for all its thriller aspects, contains some sad and disturbing meditations on the way we make our own prisons. Director John Frankenheimer uses skewed angles, bizarre close-ups, and fisheye lenses to underscore the film's off-kilter tension, and Rock Hudson gives a performance that is light-years removed from Pillow Talk. Well worth watching twice. --Ali Davis

Customer Reviews:

Seconds.......2007-06-28

Boasting one of Hudson's finest screen performances, this bizarre tale of self-transformation gets the paranoiac treatment from Frankenheimer, a veteran of political thrillers, and ace cameraman James Wong Howe, whose evocative camerawork adds to the sense of unease. Hamilton is as much a victim of his own desire to be someone else as he is of creepy company founder "The Old Man" (Will Geer), and Hudson portrays his character's naiveté beautifully. Strong support from Jens, Randolph, and Addy, the butler who's uncomfortably keen on coaxing Hamilton to let loose and indulge himself, round out a superb cast. In this age of Botox and TV makeovers, "Seconds" is a disturbing reminder that the fountain of youth is really a poison well.

"What do you got left?".......2006-12-19

I watched this movie last night and I thought it was okay. The idea of having the main character change lives reminded me a lot of the Jim Carrey movie "The Majestic" while the ending is brilliant in which the doctors are about to torture and kill Tony Wilson/Arthur Hamition (Rock Hudson). That scene seemed to be a prelude to "A Clockwork Orange" five years later in which the hero (Malcolm McDowell) raises so much hell that his friends, like what happens to Rock Hudson in this movie, start to turn against them and plot to sabotage him (of course in the case of "Orange" McDowell's Alex is strapped and his eyelids are clamped). The opening credits from Saul Bass are also brilliant and it is almost paying homage to the credits of the Roman Polanski film of that time "Repulsion." But there is one thing in "Seconds" that wasn't brilliant: The wine vat Felliniesque orgy scene between Hudson and Salome Jens because I didn't know why it was in the movie and I never saw it coming. In his audio commentary director John Frankenhimer (dead) admitted that this really happened in Santa Barbara where they shot it and he also said that half the scene was cut out under the Catholic Church's orders. And that leads me to my dissatifaction with the MPAA: Can you believe they gave this movie for its DVD release an R rating because of the scene that I just mentioned? While at the same time they give "The Professionals" another 1966 movie with Burt Lancaster, a PG-13 rating for its own DVD release and yet it has more graphic female nudity/bare flesh that this movie and to push it even futher "Blow-Up" (also from 1966) has it share of female nudity and skin and that is NOT rated! This go to show that the rating system is a joke, it is a true child of the 60's, and it violates the first amendment for freedom of expression. Also, why is the MPAA so conservative over sex and nudity? It does lean towards censorship. Anyway, that is why I give this movie four stars and not five.

"Isn't it easier to go forward when you know you can't go back?".......2006-09-22

Based on a novel by David Ely, adapted for the screen by Lewis John Carlino (The Great Santini) and directed by John Frankenheimer (The Manchurian Candidate, Ronin), Seconds (1966) stars Rock Hudson (Pillow Talk, Ice Station Zebra). Also appearing is Salome Jens (Harry's War), John Randolph (Pretty Poison), Will Geer (In Cold Blood), Jeff Corey (The Sword and the Sorcerer), Murray Hamilton (Jaws), Frances Reid (The Andromeda Strain), and Richard Anderson (Kitten with a Whip), whom I best remember as the character Oscar Goldman from the television series "The Six Million Dollar Man".

As the film begins we meet an aging banker named Arthur Hamilton (Randolph) preparing to take the train from the city to his home in Scarsdale. Prior to getting on the train he's given a slip of paper containing only an address by an unknown man, followed up by a phone call later that night from a friend he thought passed away sometime ago. The next day Arthur goes to the address, and after some cloak and dagger stuff he ends up in an innocuous office environment where he meets a man named Mr. Ruby (Corey) who makes him a fantastic offer, one that entails Arthur breaking all ties from his past and starting over again with a new identity. After some convincing Arthur signs on, which leads various aspects including faking his own death, financial arrangements, numerous cosmetic surgical procedures and extensive physical reconditioning (that eventually turn him into Rock Hudson), and a brand new identity. As a result, Arthur Hamilton is no more, as he's now Tony Wilson (Hudson), a bachelor and established artist who has a swank pad on a Malibu beach. While adjusting to his new life Tony meets a blonde woman named Nora (Jens), a sort of free spirit weirdo type and the pair attend a Bacchanalia wine festival where Nora gets nekkid and dances in a vat of grapes, along with a bunch of other oddballs. Tony may be Tony on the outside, but he's still conservative Arthur on the inside, and has difficultly letting go of inhibitions developed from his previous life (eventually Tony does seem to get into the swing of things). Sometime later Tony throws a cocktail party, one intended to allow him to meet his neighbors (and vice versa), gets snockered, and slips back into his previous life, causing a bit of trouble with those in attendance who happened to go through the same process he did in being `reborn'. Anyway, Tony/Arthur makes a trip back to Scarsdale to visit his widowed wife, staying in role of Tony, claiming to be a past acquaintance of Arthur's, and learns some interesting truths about himself from back when he was Arthur, which leads to Tony deciding go back to the company with the intent of starting anew again, this time wanting the freedoms he now perceives not available to him in his initial go around...turns out what he wants is possible, but there's a few catches involved resulting in an unexpected and particularly disturbing finale.

I thought this a most excellent film with a thoughtful and intelligent story and characters. The main crux of the feature seems to be with Arthur trying to come to terms with his new identity and perceived freedoms, struggling with having to distance himself from the life he once knew after being absolved of all previous responsibilities. On the surface it might seem easy, even favorable, but imagine cutting all ties to who you are, your family, friends, etc., and picking up somewhere else as someone completely different. Also imagine learning exactly what people thought of you, especially those closest to you, when allowed to express their true, unadulterated feelings...keep in mind these are individuals you left behind to start a new life specifically because you felt life wasn't worth continuing under your previous identity (chances are you're going to get a perspective you might have been aware of peripherally, but never actually delved into for fear of having to actually face your own failings). I thought the concept of a company, complete with shareholders, board members, etc., who's sole business was to provide well to do individuals with the possibility of happiness by faking their own death and starting over under a completely developed and established identity an interesting one, and I especially liked the amount of detail provided in terms of how they went about accomplishing the goal. I thought all the performances here strong, especially Hudson, whom I had grown accustomed to seeing primarily in bedroom comedies with Doris Day. The story here featured an uniqueness for me in that while it have specific science fiction elements, it also looked at the human condition pretty thoroughly, in terms of an individual forced to view his own life and learning that which he had been taught to strive for, ultimately did not fulfill some very basic necessities (i.e. being rich and successful doesn't necessarily to happiness...although it doesn't hurt). The direction was certainly interesting and innovative, especially the unusual camera angles employed (there were a few shots that seemed perhaps the camera was actually mounted on the performer's shoulder). Normally some of the shots employed would be used to create a sense of tension, but here it was more of a sense of unease, as if we were experiencing something that shouldn't be...it's difficult to explain, but perhaps it would make more sense after having watched the film. At the very least it tended to keep things interesting. One scene I really enjoyed, beside the ending, was when Tony/Arthur visited his former wife in the guise of Tony, and got the lowdown on himself. While her comments about the man she believed dead weren't caustic or mean, they weren't entirely flattering, either. She had some very perceptive ideas about her dead husband, ones she couldn't share with him when she was alive due to his distant and disconnected nature. I thought the ending especially strong, throwing in a great twist, one I really didn't see coming, but one that fit in perfectly in terms of how the company operated. There were some hints to the ending provided earlier in the story, but they were subtle enough not to be overly revealing. All in all I thought this an excellent, slightly unnerving film, worth watching more than once.

The picture, presented in widescreen (2.35:1), enhanced for 16X9 TVs, looks sharp and clean, exhibiting a few minor flaws, and the Dolby Digital mono audio, available in both English and French comes through very well. Extras include an original theatrical trailer, a commentary track by director John Frankenheimer, and English subtitles.

Cookieman108

By the way, there are a couple continuity errors and the presence of production equipment in a few shots, but these flaws felt relatively minor to me given the strength of the story and the performances.

"No, Mr. Wilson, you can never go back...".......2006-07-01

Like the "Manchurian Candidate," "Seconds" is one of John Frankenheimer's best works--a film that is rarely seen and relatively unknown and a far cry from the typical Rock Hudson/Doris Day vehicle made during the mid-60's.

Gritty, unsettling, and disturbing describes this tale about a married, middle-aged man (John Randolph), a Princeton grad and bank VP from Scarsdale NY, now granted a virtually new identity via a manufactured "death" to be "reborn" with plastic surgery. Enter one "Tony Wilson" handsome, successful, late 30-ish professional artist seeking youth, meaning, and freedom with dire consequences.

Frankenheimer's film is one that deserves multiple viewings to fully appreciate the director's subtle touches of irony inserted in to the scenes. For example when Randolph finally arrives at the clandestine organization for his appointment with Mr. Ruby (Jeff Corey) and his eventual transformation, he makes his trek through a slaughterhouse and meat packing plant ( "Honest Abe's"), a portent of evil things to come.

The disc includes an informative full audio commentary from Frankenheimer himself, and apparently, Kirk Douglas was offered the role first, but bowed out at the last minute resulting in Hudson as the director's second choice.

Supporting cast are all excellent as well as is James Wong Howe's eerie camera angles and photography. Not really a horror film, but the disturbing and final scenes will remain with you long after the credits roll.

A little known classic.......2006-05-26

Directed by John Frankheimer (The Manchurian Candidate) and filmed in glorious black and white, Seconds is a thriller concerning personal identity. Considered a failure upon its release, its a bit of a lost / little known classic.

Personally, what makes the film so interesting is the number of odd circumstances and loose ends presented by the film. Some have pointed these out as a flaw, but upon repeated viewing these "holes" make the film's plot and character motivations more interesting and fun to discuss.

The film has a great start and a great finish. What few problems the film has with pacing are more than compensated for by the "suprise" ending. Also, the film has a wild scene with a Baccanalian (sp?) festival with a suprising amount of nudity for a film made in the 1960's.

Average customer rating:

The best of Robert Redford
Good Prison movie
I'm afraid to admit it but...
One of the last gasps of ultra-liberal socialist hollywood
A+!! One of Robert Redford's best films.

Brubaker
Starring: Robert Redford , Yaphet Kotto , Jane Alexander , Murray Hamilton , and David Keith
Director: Bob Rafelson , and Stuart Rosenberg
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B00008MTVY
Release Date: 2003-05-20

Amazon.com

Through solid dramatic impact and global exposure on cable TV, Brubaker gradually joined the ranks of all-time best prison movies. While preparing to direct Ordinary People, Robert Redford brought his considerable star power to bear on his title role as a prison reform warden, in an unnamed Southern state, who poses as an inmate to expose corruption, violence, and administrative abuse in Wakefield, a prison farm where trustee inmates are armed and encouraged to shoot at would-be escapees. Originally developed for director Bob Rafelson and ultimately filmed by Stuart Rosenberg, this rugged exercise in social commentary has undeniable power, even if some its characters--including Redford's--seem more like stick-figure ethicists than real human beings. It's also got a dynamite supporting cast including Yaphet Kotto, Jane Alexander, and Morgan Freeman in one of his earliest films. Bolstered by his Oscar-winning directorial debut, Redford didn't star in another film until The Natural ended his four-year hiatus. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Robert Redford stars in this potent drama based on the real life story of Tom Murton, the prison superintendent who rocked Arkansas politics when he exposed scandalous abuses and murders in a state prison. Posing as a new prisoner, Brubaker discovers vast corruption in a state penitentiary before revealing himself to be the new warden. His personal crusade to bring reform puts him in grave danger, especially when he insists on exposing a series of secret murders that took place years earlier. Powerful and disturbing, Brubaker won acclaim for its gritty realism and Oscar nominated screenplay.

Customer Reviews:

The best of Robert Redford.......2007-05-07

This is a must see movie for all Robert Redford Fans. I promise you won't be you bought this movie. I recommend it as one of his best. This is an Adult movie of life in a prison and i wouldn't be letting anyone under age 15 watch it.

Good Prison movie.......2007-02-28

There are only a handful of good prison movies from what I have seen over forty plus years. "Shawshank Redemption", "Brubaker", and "Birdman of Alcatraz" are three of the best. I don't care about Redford's personal politics and therefore my review is not political unlike one rant here. The story is based on a true event, and the acting is superb. My wife asked me the other day if I had replaced my VHS of this with the DVD. I realized I hadn't and I was long overdo to see this again. I immediately ordered it. The movie is one of Redford's best so fans of his should definitely see it. If you aren't a fan, then see it because it is a good drama about what sometimes occurs in prisons whether those that work in that environment like it or not. Corruption happens in all systems so people in law enforcement should not take this movie as an insult, but merely as good drama loosely based on what really happened at a prison many years ago.

I'm afraid to admit it but..........2005-08-30

I've never heard of Brubaker and the true story behind it. It was on AMC (American Movie Classics) earlier today and I found myself watching it. I really enjoyed it and was saddened to hear that Brubaker was fired because he stood up for something that everyone else was afraid to, or didn't want to admit the corrupt system in that southern prison. The conditions I saw reminds me of the prisons in the dark ages and how 'disgusting' the living conditions were. It blew me away that those men had to live in terrible conditions at this day in age. I almost don't want to think about prisons that are in that very condition (probably worse) throughout the world. I applaud Mr. Brubaker for having the guts to stand up for a group of men where no one else would.

This is an excellent movie to watch. I also reccomend it because history is meant to "learn from".

One of the last gasps of ultra-liberal socialist hollywood.......2005-03-09

By the time this film was made, liberalism was running on empty
and running up against truth in the form of Ronald Reagan. After
selling America on the virtues of drugs, being a prostitute or
being a bum. After selling America that religion was evil, that
the government was evil and that our own institutions were the
enemy, this was the end of the line. The last message the
liberals had for was this: Empty the prisons and let the
criminals go free. Thankfully for the survival of America,
the people stepped back from the pit at that point and the evil
hold liberals had on the country was done.

The film starts with Robert Redford, the new warden, pretending
to be a convict so he can understand the system from the inside.
He finds out that prison isn't a very nice place. But as a
liberal, he decides thats the fault of everyone but the
people in jail for crimes.

After he reveals himself as warden, he declares war on the
entire prison system. Everyone who works for him (guards,
trustees, etc) is the enemy. He then proceeds to start to turn
the prison over to the good government of the prisoners
themselves. The prison becomes an anarchist commune.

But just as the prison is turning into a worker's socialist
paradise, the evil guards and their political friends fight
back. So in a despirate gamble to save himself, the warden
sends the inmates out to dig up a graveyard. The film the
goes over the top straying from any portion of the real story
it was loosely based on and the man who told the warden about
the graveyard is murdered.

Redford then totally loses it and we get a big baby-boomer
blow-up about how the system is oppressing him and how working
within the system can't really change anything. I really half
expected to see him return to the prison at that point and
marry one of the inmates. Or to organize a mass uprising
against the guards. But he just lets off steam against his
liberal friends who have traded their revolutionary ideals
for power within the system.

This film is better as a showcase of what went wrong when
the liberals took power in the 1970's and went on the rampage.
Those liberals who were strictly in it for money or power turned
on the true revolutionaries (like Redford) as quick as they
could. The true revoltionaries who wanted to wave the red
flag over the entire government could not run a coffee shop
let along big institutions like prisons. They alienated
the people who did the work to a point where they had to leave.
The revolution from above failed and they were driven off into
whatever gutters in the big cities would have them.

A+!! One of Robert Redford's best films........2003-06-03

This ranks right up there with ... as one of the great "hero with integrity goes up against the corrupt system" movies of all time.

I used to teach American Government and would show this and Redford's ... Two of the best political films of all time.

Amazon.com

Jon Shear's film, one of the overlooked gems of 2000, simmers under a tense, disturbing air of inevitability. Charlie (Dan Futterman) wanders the nighttime streets of the city, a mournful lost soul determinedly pursuing a mysterious stranger whom he is convinced holds the key to his redemption. He encounters chatty bartenders, pompous pickups, and dying friends (including a biting Alan Cumming), and before long you are treated to that rare, great surprise of realizing that you have no idea where any of it is headed. Some of Shear and Daniel Reitz's play-based dialogue is stagy, but the mercurial Futterman, both subtly sympathetic and unstable, is superlative. The film surrounds him with loopy urban legends (the poodle in the microwave, the AIDS-infected one-night-stand, etc.), then cunningly lifts the veil on such stories to reveal the fear motivating them. Uncertainty and isolation create the need for fantastic terrors. Shear hauntingly suggests here how much more horrifying and heartbreaking real life can be. --Steve Wiecking

Customer Reviews:

Ok, I got one and this really happened. I sware..............2007-05-22

Heard any good stories lately? Based on the play "Urban Folk Tales", This film is a bit bizarre and hard to follow. It is the story of a man who's life is unravelling at the seams after a tragedy left him alone and trying to find a way to survive the horror in his mind, which haunts him with every passing minute. We've all heard the horror stories that circulate in email. Those stories, called "urban legends", boast horrendous things that supposedly happened to "a friend of my friends cousin" or whatever, but are never actual facts. Only in someone's sick mind. "URBANIA" spoofs several of these throughout the film and leaves you to wonder from start until almost ending if there is ever going to be a plot to this story. When it finally hits, and the theme of the movie is revealed, you realize that the whole movie made sense after all. As I viewed Urbania, I realized I had to review this film and give it a low mark for psycho babble, and expose it for what it was, pure trash. BUT THEN something happened right before my eyes and my view on this film changed dramatically.

It is a hard film to follow, but if you will watch it and stay with it to the end, you are in for one major surprise. The raw emotion this film reveals in the ending will blow you away. Many movies are good throughout and the ending sucks. With URBANIA, you get just the reverse, and walk away feeling like all that crap in the beginning was pure art. Dan Futterman stars as "charlie", and has all the appeal of a major sex symbol. A riveting performance on his part as he portrays a character so filled with both gentle love and violent hatred, that his life has become a drama constantly teetering on the line between reality and insanity.

The film quality is great, with both audio and video. Casting is pretty good overall and the acting is quite convincing. The story is original and packs a powerful punch right in the gut. (or the kidney that someone stole from you while you slept, and left you in a bathtub full of ice to recuperate.) This film just re-enforces the notion that truth is sometimes stranger than fiction, and that no healing comes without price. I think you will enjoy this movie. I know I did when it was all said and done and I recommend it for your viewing.

URBANIA IS Hard To Follow At First But Eventually YOU GET IT AND THEN SOME!.......2007-04-10

I always reveal early when a film I review has a gay theme to it. I feel it is the least I can do for the gentle folk who are not into watching DVD's with a positive or affirming gay message. Also Urbania also touches on elements gay life that are plenty violent. Urbania is not for the weak minded or those with weak stomachs. Urbania is more real than most gay stroies on film despite its sometimes etherial messages. That said lets get on with it.

First you must know I am autistic as such movies that tell stories in non-traditional ways like Urbania almost always go right over my head! The plot of Urbania was very hard for me to follow at first. Urbania unfolds in flashbacks and quick cuts that are vital to understanding the tone and message in the film. Urbania is a film where the sume of every small thing even those in the background all mean something important to the message of this awesome DVD. Unlike so many DVD's or movies there is often lots of waste and filler in the storyline. On the other hand rare work like Urbania wastes nothing, not a single shot not a single word is wasted. There are no long boring stupid pauses that happen for no good reason. All the characters are developed slowly in ways that are intricately interwoven like the finest lace.

There was nothing I found at all predictable about Urbania, even when it explored every odd ball stereotype imaginable. Even while having a far deeper message Urbania gave me some of the best laughs I have ever had. The DVD was worth its price for the Toothbrush scene alone!!!! Watching the toothbrush \ photo store scene made me cry tears I laughed so hard. The Poodle in the Microwave scene was wild too. I actually had to stop the movie until I could regain my composure after seeing the toothbrush scene. Now you have to be careful because, as the lady comes out of the photo store into the street, the revealing tooth brush scene pictures flash by very quickly. I almost missed the toothbrush scene entirely on first viewing of the DVD because it is shown so fast. I actually had to freeze frame the DVD to see exactly what got the camera store lady patron so upset. I was shocked, at how original and hallarious what I saw was.

Anyways Urbania moves on like I said not a moment wasted to a conclusion that really lets you give this tale the ending you feel is your personal idea of just! More than anything the classy way Urbania ends by letting the viewer determine for themselves which of two very different endings actually occured is a master stroke of the art! I honestly can not say enough good about Urbania. The subject matter was awesome. The characters were tight, well defined. The subplots were both funny and interesting. I loved near the end the character gave his jacket to the homeless gentleman he had worked toward befreinding during the entire film. That's the MAGic of Urbania it developed so many elements that came together making it such an awesome treat to enjoy! Urbania is not a film you watch once and forget. I know there is something about Urbania its richness its deepness and so much more that will force me to view it again and again. There are so many subtle and hidden messages in Urbania that I can not imagine watching it just once or twice. Urbania is on my A list of DVD's in my collection and I think it should be in yours as well!

if not 5 stars, what?.......2006-07-04

There's no more typical yet odd treatment of our queerness than this film: too fantastic to be real but so marred by greatness that anyone who cannot identify is dead to himself and this world of ours. See it again and then again to find it's subtlety: not pretty, not nice language, but a bit of love and light in a dark place.

Heard Any Good Stories Lately?.......2006-04-23

"Heard Any Good Stories lately?", says Charlie. After watching this dark, upsetting film as Charlie walks on the edge of madness, you won't ask that question again, ever again.
Charlie's search for sanity and retribution after watching his lover's brutal exodus wil mark you. Charlie, played by Dan Futterman, in a role that should have made him a star, goes from story to story in flashbacks. The urban myths we tell each other, the poodle in the microwave, the baby left on the car top, the man with the stolen kidney and the upstairs neighbors all come together to merge into real life and to haunt him and us.

The characters surrounding Charlie all slink in and out of his life; they are dark and deep. Paige Turco as Cassandra, John Hamilton as Matt the bartender, William Sage and Barbara Sukowa as his upstairs neighbors. All disturbing and real. Charlie, as he wanders the New York night has become a lost soul. He has this pent up anger and bubbling sexual desire and memories invade his mind. He meets strangers at every turn. And finally is forced to decide the fate of the man he lusts and despises. This is a story of love and loss, homophobia and revenge.

"Urbania" may not be a film for everyone. It is dark and brooding. As Charlie, a gay citizen walking the streets of New York, violent and disturbing things happen, are they real or are they a figment of Charlie's imagination? You will be left guessing until the very end. "Urbania" is a thrilling look into the dark regions of grief. How Charles deals with this and the look at the `urban legends" that come to life are a bright spot in this film.

"Urbania" has won several awards. The director, Shear suggests how horrifying and heartbreaking real life can be. This is a film you will walk away from with a haunting feeling that you have been there or seen that. Recommended. prisrob April 22, 2006

Amazing acting and script.......2005-08-10

"Urbania" is one of the best films I've ever seen. If the director had been more disciplined with his editing and chopped out about ten minutes in draggy spots, this easily would have been much, much bigger at the box office. Dan Futterman is incredible -- I knew he could act, but I never knew he was SO excellent! I bought one copy of the film and lent it to a friend who won't give it back because he loves it so much, and I bought another copy for another friend. Now I have to buy a new one for me. "Urbania" is not a lighthearted film but it is fearless, horrifying, gratifying and beautiful.

Average customer rating:

Standing tall before the man
Military Update
I found it riviting.
Elizabeth Montgomery on DVD
Gary Cooper basically snoozes thru his role, in

The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell
Starring: Gary Cooper , Charles Bickford , Ralph Bellamy , Rod Steiger , and Elizabeth Montgomery
Director: Otto Preminger
Manufacturer: Republic Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000EYUDO
Release Date: 2003-12-16

Customer Reviews:

Standing tall before the man.......2007-05-26

Having been a recipient of the US Air Force Civil Air Patrol General Billy Mitchell Certificate of Proficiency, in my youth, I confess much respect for the man. The film is, generally speaking, true to the history of one of the major proponents of the new technology - Air Power. Mitchell demonstrates that higher order of duty, the one where the truth, as one sees it, is more important than just falling in line or following orders. Ironically the United States Army was to make just that point many years later at the Nuremberg Trials, after winning a war which was so much depended on Mitchell's dream.

A part of the film as important as the quest for an adequate Air Force is Mitchell's forecast of a Japanese attack on the US, by air at Hawaii almost two decades before the event. Like Mohan of the Navy, to attuned officers it was a question of when not if - surprise was never an option.

Michell was a short man, but we are dealing with Otto Preminger here whose hero must be head and shoulders above the crowd. Billy Mitchell was a wlidcat, to borrow an aviation term from the Navy, he was the kind of person we always need and the film is true to that.

Military Update.......2006-11-10

The story of Billy Mitchell should be told over and over. His court martial records show that he predicted the attack on the Hawaian Islands
by sea and air. His prediction was made at his trial in 1925. Too bad
no one was listening.

How about today? Is Washington listening now? I hope so.

Great movie story that happens to be true.

I found it riviting........2005-12-07

Today, all movies have to have sex, violence, swearing, computer generated mosters and spcial effects in order to be interesting, because the plots and characters are so thin. But this movie, mostly about a trial held in a warehouse, I could not tear myself away from it. Even though it didn't have any love triangles or karate kicks or explosians or anything like that in it, The power of the story itself was enough. They didn't even show the air crashes that precipitated the trial. I wish there were more movies like this today: drama, integrity, characters with purpose and values, and a plot where the stakes were genuinly high: the security of the future of America.

Elizabeth Montgomery on DVD.......2005-06-01

She is one of the miost beautiful of all Hollywood actresses as well as among the most beloved, thanks largely to her years playing Samantha on BEWITCHED. She was Hollywood royalty, the daughter of the dashing patriot Robert Montgomery, a man with huge influence in the movie world, an actor of light comedy who matured during the War years into a serious actor, then a director and producer with enormous resources. And yet Elizabeth Montgomery's large screen appearances can be counted on the fingers of one hand. What happened?

She is simply sublime in this, her very first movie role (though some say she appears in THEY WERE EXPENDABLE in the short bit where Robert Montgomery remembers his family back at home). She made a big impression on moviegoers, and Otto Preminger took every care to make her look luscious, designing her period clothes with care and giving her many closeups, some of them quite extraneous to his story of a man on trial for vilifying the Armed Services with his rash Cassandra-like predictions of doom for the Air Force. People must have wondered what was Elizabeth Montgomery's character even doing in the picture? It is certainly dragged in from left field. And yet she was a welcome attraction in this movie. That one pink and orange Schiaparelli concoction Preminger dressed her in made her look like a tall, cool parfait. And yet what happened after this movie? Nothing--not another movie for seven years -- not until BEACH PARTY (1963) where she's only in the movie for like twenty seconds! It's totally unfair.

It is said by those in the know that Elizabeth was in line to play the parts Preminger was planning for her to take in his upcoming films, BONJOUR TRISTESSE and Shaw's SAINT JOAN. She wiuld have been perfect in both, of course. Was it that she wouldn;t go along with his notorious casting couch system and that's why she lost both parts to the unbalanced and yet quite talented Iowan Jean Seberg? And she was relegated to appearing on TV dramas including her own father's vanity showcase? Poor Miss Montgomery married the much older Gig Young and tried to get away from her golden trap, and yet she never could until she unleashed Gig Young (who had been a bosom buddy of her Dad's) and stopped playing Daddy's little girl, much like Jane Fonda had to do later on in the 1960s. Anyway let this wonderful film stand in as a testament of a career that took a much different direction. But it could have been Elizabeth Montgomery who played all the parts that say, Shirley Jones or Natalie Wood later did. She was just squelched.

Gary Cooper basically snoozes thru his role, in .......2004-11-18

this excellent between the wars story of a very important subject; military air superiority. Ralph Bellamy rather than Cooper leads a stellar cast in a meaty role as Congressman Frank Reid, who defended Gen. Mitchell during his court-martial by a stupid militay establishment stuck in the 19th century. A fine historical drama. Unfortunately, it took Pearl Harbor almost 20 years in the future to finally vindicate Mitchell. In a sinister little moment at the beginning of the movie, the panning camera lingered, for just a moment, on an Asian dignitary, in the crowd witnessing Gen. Mitchell's pilots bombing & sinking a battleship for the first time with only airplanes.
A very interesting movie, if you are into this sort of thing. I liked it very much.

Average customer rating:

Best Van Damme Movie Ever!
BEST DAMME MOVIE EVER!!!!!!
THIS IS KINDA DUMB
Only Thing Van Damme Made Worth Mentioning
Only one reason

Nowhere to Run
Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme , Rosanna Arquette , Kieran Culkin , Ted Levine , and Tiffany Taubman
Director: Robert Harmon
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Timecop

ASIN: 0767817699
Release Date: 1998-10-27

Amazon.com

Poor Rosanna Arquette ended up in this Van Damme potboiler about an escaped convict who moves onto the farm of a widow (Arquette) and her two kids. Stuff happens: a cop who likes her gets jealous and beats up the Muscles from Brussels (but only after handcuffing him), there's a fire in the barn, bad guys are trying to drive her away, etc. The story was first developed by screenwriter Joe Eszterhas (Basic Instinct) and the late director Richard Marquand (Eye of the Needle). Eszterhas wrote the script, but who knows what direction this story was originally going? Van Damme's best film is still Timecop, and this is a long way from the quality of that. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Best Van Damme Movie Ever!.......2005-01-05

Well first of all I never really liked Van Damme's movies, well it's not so much that I didn't like them but it was pretty much the same thing over and over again...he would beat up people. However, this movie had a different story line. It wasn't only an action movie, but a drama as well. I think that he did a great job potraying the character and he really took on the role of the "father" for the little boy. I think he did a great job with that, since when you looked at him, you could tell that he wanted to be part of that family. I think he should do more movies like this, and it is definetely worth seeing/buying...you'll enjoy it :). So don't wait any longer, BUY it. Oh and this one isn't only for guys...my mom saw it with me and she enjoyed it as well. I believe females will enjoy this one as well.

BEST DAMME MOVIE EVER!!!!!!.......2004-04-15

This was such a well made movie and i don't understand why JCVD doesn't do more movies like this! They made JCVD more human than he was in films like Universal Soldier and Bloodsport because he was not the "i will kick your ass any day" guy. He was the "i will kick your ass to protect this family" guy. It also had an ending that the others didn't, but i won't spoil it for you. I love this movie, JCVD's best work!

THIS IS KINDA DUMB.......2004-01-21

A CONVICT [VAN DAMME] ON HIS WAY TO JAIL, ESCAPES WITH THE HELP OF HIS BEST FRIEND. SOON, HE MEETS A WOMAN [ROSANNA ARQUETTE] AND HE TRYS TO HELP SAVE HER LAND. THIS MOVIE DEFINITELY DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH EXCITEMENT AND IT SEEMS TO RUN OUT OF STEAM PRETTY EARLY. MOST OF THE ACTION IS BORING TO WATCH AND THE STORY IS WEAK. DIEHARD FANS OF VAN DAMME SHOULD LIKE THIS A LOT. OTHERS, BEWARE.

Only Thing Van Damme Made Worth Mentioning.......2003-10-08

Since the 90's Van Damme's career has gone from bad to worse. Because of his limited acting he joined the ranks of Stallone and Schwarzenneger as an action hero. After over a decade of making plotless films, Nowhere to Run is the only film Van Damme should list on his resume. For the first time fans could take him seriously and it was refreshing not seeing him in mid air balancing a plane on one foot and a horse on the other. This is a good, uncomplicated film for movie buffs, Van Damme fans especially. Though a lot of them won't appreciate the lack of superficial action. Van Damme finally did something right when he took part in this movie. Unfortunately he followed this film up with a long list of wrongs that killed his career.

Only one reason.......2003-08-06

I bought a copy of NTR for one reason and one reason only: a single scene near the beginning, prominently featuring Rosanna Arquette. This was the same reason I bought a copy of "The Wrong Man", starring John Lithgow and - Rosanna Arquette. Discretion prevents my explaining further. Other than the scene already mentioned, I found the movie pretty worthless.

Average customer rating:

From Alpharetta - Most Excellent
TOUCHING LOVING FAMILY FILM!!! WOW!!
Really Good!!
Fine Family Film with Great Performances
Well done story on the special bond between sons and fathers

In His Father's Shoes
Starring: Louis Gossett Jr. , Barbara Eve Harris , Rachael Crawford , Djanet Sears , and Robert Ri'chard
Director: Vic Sarin
Manufacturer: Echo Bridge Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0006N2E82
Release Date: 2005-02-08

Product Description

Emmy Award Winner for Outstanding Children's Special & Outstanding Performer in a Children's Special, Robert Ri'chard

Customer Reviews:

From Alpharetta - Most Excellent.......2006-02-06

What a touching movie about a father and son. This is one movie that dispels the African American stereotypical movies that degrade the African American race. It was Most Excellent."

TOUCHING LOVING FAMILY FILM!!! WOW!!.......2005-10-13

I AM SO GLAD THEY PUT THIS MOVIE ON DVD!
THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE MOVIES!
IT REMINDS ME OF QUANTUM LEAP!

RI' CHARD IS SO CUTE IN THIS MOVIE!
(RICHARD)
HE WAS AN ADORABLE LITTLE BOY, THAT GREW UP INTO A VERY HANDSOME MAN!

I LOVE HOW HE GOES BACK IN TIME, TO FIX HIS FAMILY PROBLEMS!
5 STAR MOVIE *****

Really Good!!.......2002-01-02

"In his father's shoes" war really good.
It's a wonderful movie about Clay(Robert Ri'chard)
and his dad. Wen his father died hi found he found his father's old shoes wen he was at grandmother. And then it happends things
I thougt this movie was excellent.
And if you want to see more good movies i thi'nk you should see "tought by an angel" and "light it up" Robert Ri'chard is with in htat movies :)

Fine Family Film with Great Performances.......2000-10-09

Both Louis Gossett, Jr. and Robert R'ichard are very good in their respective roles. R'ichard, who won an Emmy for his performance, exhibits a wide range of emotions, befitting his character's coming to terms with the death of his father and the realization that he is the "carbon copy" of his father. This is one well-made film that is great for the entire family and should promote discussion and understanding about the importance of all members of the familial unit.

Well done story on the special bond between sons and fathers.......1999-06-20

This is a nicely done story on the powerful bond between fathers and sons. After his father dies, young Clay fulfills his father's deathbed wish to heal family wounds. With the aid of magical wingtip shoes, a gift to his father from a strange gypsy, Clay literally steps into his father's shoes and visits his dad's childhood. Clay finds a sustaining connection with his father after his death, and reconnects other members of his extended family. An excellent film for children who have lost a loved one. Clay's mother is warmly supportive of her son's need to come to terms with the death in his own way.

Average customer rating:

Simply Superb.
Classic Film
Brought The Black West to Life Before Posse
Yahoo! Great shoot-em up fun!
Reconstruction.... Western style!

Buck and the Preacher
Starring: Harry Belafonte , Tony Brubaker , Ruby Dee , Lynn Hamilton , and Dennis Hines
Director: Sidney Poitier
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B00003L9CG
Release Date: 2000-02-29

Amazon.com essential video

Sidney Poitier made his directing debut with this 1972 action comedy with an edge to it. Made at the height of the Black Power movement in America, the film has an unmistakable militancy in its story of a wagon-train guide and a con man who team up to throw a posse of white nightriders off the trail of escaped slaves. Poitier has never been a distinctive filmmaker, and Buck and the Preacher certainly doesn't indicate any early signs of raw talent that later went undeveloped. But the film's energy and sense of fun, hand in hand with the suggestively political zing, make it watchable. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Simply Superb........2005-07-03

Excellent flick! Holds your interest from start to finish.

Harry Bellefonte and Sidney Portier have the chemistry to make this movie really work! And I can't say which actor does the better performance. I especially like the scene where they are bargaining for passage to the West past the Indians, and the Commanches demands more horses.

Mel Brooks later did a funny take off on this movie scene in "Blazing Saddles" where he plays the Indian Chief who, when he sees the Blacks, exclaims "Ah, Schwartzes!"

Anyway, this movie is going into my tape library as one of the best for characterization, if not story.

Classic Film.......2004-08-01

Sidney Poitier went full strength behind the scenes as a Director in this Film classic that dealt with alot of Issues.It showcased the Black West which hasn't gotten enough mainstream shine. mario Van peoples made a little noise with "Posse" but on a whole this element of Black Life hasn't gotten it's full shine in the Mainstream.Poitier&Belafonte truly have strong chemistry here. a must see film.

Brought The Black West to Life Before Posse.......2002-10-25

While I liked Posse, This was the film that brought the Black West to a wider audience. Sidney Poitier as Buck is exciting and Harry Belafonte and Cicely Tyson give him a big helping hand.

Yahoo! Great shoot-em up fun!.......2002-10-17

Looking for fast, shoot-em up fun with a little morality tale attached..this is it! Sidney Poitier is terrific as Buck, the former slave now gun slinger who helps newly freed slaves to homestead out west and guards them night riders trying to bring them back to a dying, post civil war south. Belefonte is charming as the Preacher who gives the good word as well as sling a colt .45. Don't miss Belefonte's terrific "fornication" speech scene. It's topped off with a stellar supporting cast including Ruby Dee as Buck's wife. This movie would be great fun to watch back to back with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid just to compare the relationships between the four characters. So sorry this movie is hard to find. It's great fun, especially for western fans. Happy watching!

Reconstruction.... Western style!.......2001-03-21

Although I originally viewed this film as a child and viewed it then just as a comedic western I have in more later years come to know and understand this story as just one of the many injustices done to black americans after slavery had ended. The events portrayed dramatically and I must assume all too accurately reflect the open hostility and lawlessness that was too often visited upon a people simply in search of a better life.

Product Description

As legendary as Sherlock Holmes and Watson, the brilliant, curmudgeonly Nero Wolfe and his dapper sidekick Archie Goodwin use their wit, inventiveness, and flair to solve the most perplexing crimes.

His imperious "seventh of a ton" lodged firmly behind his desk, Nero Wolfe rarely leaves his Manhattan brownstone, preferring instead to spend a few hours a day attending to his beloved orchid collection or feasting on the sumptuous meals prepared by his Swiss chef. Archie Goodwin is his stalwart legman, a stylish, street-smart sleuth who uncovers the clues--as well as the bodies--that let Wolfe unravel the most confounding mysteries. Sex, lies, blackmail, and murder are just part of the job when our heroes take on a case.

Faithfully adapted from the best-selling novels by Rex Stout and available on DVD for the first time, the complete second season of A&E's critically acclaimed series, NERO WOLFE, stars Maury Chaykin (The Sweet Hereafter) and Oscar® winner Timothy Hutton (Ordinary People).

System Requirements:

Running Time 944 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

flummery!!.......2006-08-29

Absolutely, the best. At first, the rotating cast caused my head to spin, but I soon got the hook in the first season, and learnt Parker might not be Parker in the next episode, then it was sit back and enjoy.

Often, I read mysteries and when view them as a movie I hate the movie and wish they left it alone. The only one I recall that I enjoyed as much as the books was the elder Hutton in Ellery Queen. Wish they would bring those out on DVD. Son Tim does his father proud with the meticulous production, smart writing and terrific acting.

A&E needs the heads examined for cancelling this gem.

It ended too soon!.......2006-04-30

I loved this season. I was a little disappointed with the bonus features, but beyond that - it was great! Mr. Chaykin and Mr. Hutton are just as excellent in their roles as Mr. Wolfe and Archie as they were in the first season, and the other recurring characters were very good, too. I just wish there were more seasons!

Very Satisfactory........2006-02-21

Avid readers of Rex Stout's Wolfe novels, like my wife and I, have vivid mental pictures of Nero Wolfe, Archie, Fritz, and Inspector Cramer. We can see that Brownstone apartment in our minds, and we know just where the oversized globe is placed in Nero Wolfe's office. For that reason, the Nero Wolfe televison series is a shock at first; the sight of the characters and the setting must necessarily conflict with the view we have formed in our minds.

Then, as we watch these stories, we undergo a mental transformation: Timothy Hutton becomes the real Archie Goodwin, and Maury Chaykin actually turns out to be Nero Wolfe himself, although we didn't think he was fat enough at first. The brownstone house reveals itself to be much more stylish than we had ever conceived.

"Stylish" is a good word for these episodes of Nero Wolfe stories. Even the opening credits are stylish. There is great acting, sharp dialogue, humor, and faithfulness to Rex Stout, the author.

I say, "Three thumbs up!"

Nero Wolfe.......2006-02-16

The second Season of Nero Wolfe is an excelent show. I suggest that if you have read the Rex Stout novels, season one and season 2 of Nero Wolfe are a must for fans.

Nero Wolfe.......2006-01-13

I adored this series! I can't believe we can't have one more season! I can hardly stand anything on TV anymore with the incredibly stupid writing these days. Nero Wolfe is the exception. Snappy, wonderful dialouge! Buy this and nag A&E to make another season.

Average customer rating:

The Movie is Great, but the Extras are Nil.
Alice oops Flynn in wonderland

Tron (UMD Mini For PSP)
Starring: Jeff Bridges , Jackson Bostwick , Bruce Boxleitner , Tony Brubaker , and Loyd Catlett
Director: Steven Lisberger
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: UMD for PSP

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