Hemingway

Starring:Stacy Keach
Studio: KOCH VISION
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Fingersmith
wonderful!!
Fingersmith
This film is beautiful beyond words.....
Finger Smith By Sarah Waters

Fingersmith
Starring: Stephanie Middleton , David Troughton , Imelda Staunton , Karen Seacombe , and Tallulah Pitt-Brown
Director: Aisling Walsh
Manufacturer: Acorn Media
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000A4T804
Release Date: 2005-09-13

Amazon.com

From Sarah Waters, author of Tipping the Velvet, comes this twisting and twisted Victorian-era thriller with an L-word charge. Sally Hawkins stars as Sue, an orphan who grows up among the reprobates of Lant Street to become an accomplished "fingersmith" (thief). Elaine Cassidy costars as Maud Lilly, an heiress who, as a young girl, was plucked from the madhouse and raised by her stern, bibliophile uncle (Charles Dance). He makes her wear gloves at all times so as not to smudge the precious tomes he makes her read every night. Enter Richard Rivers (Rupert Evans, the otherwise sterling cast's weakest link), an artist hired to give her painting lessons. But he has designs on Maude's fortune, and recruits Sue for an elaborate con. That's when the gloves really come off. Originally broadcast on the BBC, this riveting three-part tale of illicit passion and betaryal is by turns harrowing and quite erotic (the tasteful sex scenes manage to generate heat without baring a lot of skin). The literate script reveals its feminist leanings ("You are a man and might do everything," Maude tells Richard during their first meeting. "I am a woman and might do nothing."). The superb cast includes Academy Award-nominee Imelda Staunton (Vera Drake) as Mrs. Sucksby, a Fagin-esque character who mentored Sue, and has a few surprises for Maud, as well. --Donald Liebenson

Description

Based on the acclaimed novel by Sarah Waters, author of Tipping the Velvet.

The lives of two young women collide in an engrossing Victorian thriller that alternates between the twisting back alleyways of Dickensian London and the cloistered gloom of a Gothic mansion.

Raised in a den of petty thieves or "fingersmiths," plucky orphan Sue Trinder (Sally Hawkins) agrees to help a conman known as Gentleman (Rupert Evans) defraud and betray wealthy heiress Maud Lilly (Elaine Cassidy). But Sue's plans are turned upside down when she falls in love with Maud. Then the women are separated—each to her own hellish prison—just as they realize the strength of their passion for each other . . .

Fingersmith was originally broadcast on the BBC and features Oscar®-nominee and BAFTA-winner Imelda Staunton (Vera Drake) and BAFTA-nominee Charles Dance (The Jewel in the Crown).

Customer Reviews:

Fingersmith.......2007-07-05

It was pretty good. I would rate it as 3 stars. It's not a favorite, but I'm glad I watched it. Now that I have seen it, I wouldn't recommend it for a video library or anything.

wonderful!!.......2007-06-21

This was a beautiful film, the characters were very well-rounded, I was convinced that the two women really loved each other and the story took an unexpected twist which I really enjoyed.

Fingersmith.......2007-05-31

I bought this film after buying another on the 'people who bought that sometimes buy this' kind of link. My original purchase was of a DVD called 'Tipping the Velvet' which was based on a book by Sarah Waters. I had seen the original of this when it was screened as a TV mini-series and very much enjoyed it.
Now to the Fingersmith DVD. This film claims to be based on the same book and the synpsis is similar. Other than this there is no similarity in the two films.
Fingersmith has a completely different plot and though it is a good film I cannot see how the makers can claim a link to the original book.
There are some outstanding performances in this film especially by Imelda Staunton.
A good film and worth the time watching it.

This film is beautiful beyond words............2007-05-17

Being a big fan of period pieces, I was eager to view this film. I don't necessarily consider it a "lesbian movie", even though I have several in my collection. It is so much more than that. It's worth watching over and over because there is so much to the story and the characters. Yes, it starts off slow, but all good things in life do. The few scenes between the two main characters are deeply moving and so incredibly beautiful that I just held my breath in awe. The talented actresses brought the amazing story to life. One of my favorites!!!!

Finger Smith By Sarah Waters.......2007-05-12

brilliant book.An absorbing story, I could hardly put it down!

Average customer rating:

WITCHY LOST BOYS WORK THEIR CRAFT!!!
Boys Gone Craft!
Absolute rubbish
Recommended for Smallville serial fans
Some move

The Covenant
Starring: Steven Strait , Laura Ramsey , Sebastian Stan , Taylor Kitsch , and Chace Crawford
Director: Renny Harlin
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000K4WPCC
Release Date: 2007-01-02

Product Description

In 1692, in the Ipswich Colony of Massachusetts, five families with untold power formed a covenant of silence. One family, lusting for more, was banished, their bloodline disappearing without a trace. Until now.

Four young students at an elite private school who are descendants of the original families who settled in Ipswich Colony in the 1600s, are bound by their sacred ancestry and special powers. When the body of a dead student is discovered after a party, secrets begin to unravel that threaten to break the covenant of silence that has protected their families for hundreds of years.

Customer Reviews:

WITCHY LOST BOYS WORK THEIR CRAFT!!!.......2007-06-12

WOW!! Let me start off by saying that they had me hooked when the soundtrack opening credits started by blaring ROB ZOMBIE'S MORE HUMAN, I mean how can you go wrong with a movie that starts out with Rob Zombie!! THE COVENANT is great!! It opens up with the fab four sons of Ipswich taking a header off a cliff, their unique way of making an entrance to a bonfire rave. Right away, witchcraft is afoot, but it's such a goof, just some homeboys out having a good time. The four sons can trace their bloodline back to the Salem witch hunts, which obviously their line survived. The eldest male in each family gets a taste of their power when they are thirteen, but fully reach their power when they "ascend" at the age of eighteen. Caleb, the oldest of the four, is set to ascend in a couple of days on his birthday and he dreads this. His father abused the power when he was younger and as a result, prematurely aged as the power drained his body, giving him the appearance of a horribly ancient being. Because of this, Caleb vows to never abuse this power.

But with the appearance of a transfer student, Chase, things quickly go bad. There is the death of a student, the appearance of darklings, sudden illnesses and tragic accidents. Chase isn't who he appears to be. He is the lost fifth son of Ipswich and he wants Caleb's power and intends to get it any way he can.

To say anymore would spoil the fun, and this was a blast!!! The special effects are great!! The soundtrack is awesome, the atmosphere rocks!! I hate spiders, they're creepy and they're a big part of this plotline!! This film felt like the LOST BOYS for the 2000's with a touch of THE CRAFT. I loved this movie!!!

THE COVENANT ROCKS!!! WATCH THIS MOVIE!!!

Boys Gone Craft!.......2007-05-29

The Covenant is about the Sons of Ipswich, purported as descendants of a powerful line of warlocks who settlend in New England during the time of the Salem witch hunt. The said coven was lead by a young man named Caleb who is a week shy from Ascending (a name mentioned in the Book of Damnation to explain the full endowment of a warlocks power, which happens to be the warlock's 18th birthday.) Caleb's archnemesis is Chase, the [...] son of one of the Witches of Ipswich. Chase is far more powerful than Caleb because the former has the essence of his own Ascension plus his father's own power, which he took by force. Caleb finds himself trying to fend off Chase's assaults against him, his friends and his girlfriend. The twist of the story lies in Caleb ending up to be, if not more, as powerful as Chase.
The plot isn't original, that seat can be given to The Craft. Its The Craft meets Entourage meets Dragon Ball Z. But don't be turned off by this simile. The actors were beautiful and seemed to have spent a day or two in acting class. The location of the film is a character on its own, making it more intriguing. The aroma of teen spirit is ever more glorified. I think the soundtrack was good. All in all, its an okay movie.

Absolute rubbish.......2007-05-27

Oh my god I cannot believe I spent a few of my hard earned pennies watching this film!!! Bunch of pretty boys with special powers...well err could start your car with scary red eyes lol! Oh and did I mention what an utter rip off of Lost Boys it was? Dont waste your cash

Recommended for Smallville serial fans.......2007-05-17

Other people have mentioned about the movie's story etc. therefore I will skip that part. People generally look to this section to get a sort of "peer recommendation" so lets move quickly to that. This movie is worth:
4 star if your are a MALE TEENAGER interested in SUPERNATURAL/SUPERPOWER movies. You will love this movie if you already love SMALLVILLE serial.
2-3 star if you are a FEMALE TEENAGER interested in watching some COOL BOYS but let me warn you you might get quickly bored...
3 star if you are a movie-goer interested in SUPERNATURAL/SUPERPOWER stuff, it will give you some apetite about what you are looking for but it is not going to satisfy you, for sure...
2-3 star if you are into ADVENTURE MOVIES, probably you might find better movies that you still have not seen...
0-1 star if you are none of the above.

Some move.......2007-05-16

I like the move. And it was also in great condition thank you

Average customer rating:

Manhattan
Rhapsody in Grey
Woody Allen is Brilliant
Annie Hall's ugly sibling
Manhattan - a defective DVD

Manhattan
Starring: Karen Allen , Tisa Farrow , Helen Hanft , Mariel Hemingway , and Anne Byrne Hoffman
Director: Woody Allen
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: 0792846109
Release Date: 2000-07-05

Amazon.com essential video

Manhattan, Woody Allen's follow-up to Oscar-winning Annie Hall, is a film of many distinctions: its glorious all-Gershwin score, its breathtakingly elegant black-and-white, widescreen cinematography by Gordon Willis (best-known for shooting the Godfather movies); its deeply shaded performances; its witty screenplay that marked a new level in Allen's artistic maturity; and its catalog of Things that Make Life Worth Living. But Manhattan is also distinguished in the realm of home video as the first motion picture to be released only in a widescreen version. You wouldn't want to see it any other way. Allen's "Rhapsody in Gray" concerns, as his own character puts it, "people in Manhattan who are constantly creating these real, unnecessary, neurotic problems for themselves, because it keeps them from dealing with more unsolvable, terrifying problems about the universe." It's a romantic comedy about infidelity and betrayal, the rules of love and friendship, young girls (a radiant and sweet Mariel Hemingway) and older men (Allen), innocence, and sophistication. (a favorite phrase is used to describe a piece of sculpture at the Guggenheim: "It has a marvelous kind of negative capability.") The movie's themes can be summed up in two key lines: "I can't believe you met somebody you like better than me," and "It's very important to have some kind of personal integrity." OK, so they may not sound like such sparkling snatches of brilliant dialogue, but Manhattan puts those ideas across with such emotion that you feel an ache in your heart. --Jim Emerson

Description

Nominated for two Academy AwardsÂ(r)* in 1979 and considered "one of Allen's most enduring accomplishments" (Boxoffice), Manhattan is a wry, touching and finely rendered portrait of modern relationships against the backdrop of urban alienation. Sumptuously photographed in black and white (Allen's first film in that format) and accompanied by a magnificent Gershwin score, Woody Allen's aesthetic triumph is a "prismatic portrait of a time and a place that may be studied decades hence" (Time). 42-year-old Manhattan native Isaac Davis (Allen) has a job he hates, a seventeen-year-old girlfriend, Tracy (Mariel Hemingway), he doesn't love and a lesbian ex-wife, Jill (Meryl Streep), who's writing a tell-all book about their marriage and whom he'd like to strangle. But when he meets his best friend's sexy intellectual mistress, Mary (Diane Keaton), Isaac falls head over heels in lust! Leaving Tracy, bedding Mary and quitting his job are just the beginning of Isaac's quest for romance and fulfillment in a city where sex is as intimate as a handshakeandthe gateway to true love is a revolving door. *Supporting Actress (Hemingway); Original Screenplay

Customer Reviews:

Manhattan.......2007-07-04

A follow-up to the critically acclaimed "Annie Hall," Woody Allen's "Manhattan" is the writer-director's most overt, visually poetic paean to the city of his birth. While weaving in recurring themes of frustrated love and alienation, what occupies center stage is New York itself, its various images and signposts made indelible by a Gershwin score and Gordon Willis's breathtaking black-and-white cinematography. See this sublime tribute to romance, urban life, and the only place Woody Allen has ever felt at home.

Rhapsody in Grey.......2007-06-23

Manhattan is the quintessential Woody Allen movie. Annie Hall is funnier, but Manhattan is surely the one Allen movie which captures so beautifully the great auteur's concerns: the love/hate relationship with New York, the frustrations and phoniness of urban intellectualism, the all knowingness of modern city types who cannot enjoy pleasure since they are too world wise, the appeal of the innocent beautiful face, roiling and fizzing jazz music, the egotism and narcissism of men and women in contemporary society (this movie was from the 70s, but these themes are well made for Western urban social scenes today).

Manhattan is a movie for modern romance - where passions are washed over as soon as they are arrived at by the next wave of introspection; impulsive decision making; a new face at dinner, or the theatre. Isaac (Allen) is a classic protagonist for Woody Allen's movies - a sexually impulsive man with a razor sharp wit and a sarcastic, nihilistic answer to everything, an egoist who wants to do the right thing but is drowning in a sea of his neurosis. Allen's characters are like the filmic, comic incarnations of the great characters of of masterful novelist Saul Bellow - big hearted people awash in the modern condition, with their minds always on the big picture, the universal scape: hence the famous scene where Isaac meets Mary in the planetarium - the stars look down on their mortal, transient concerns (echoes of the final chapter of the Bellow novel 'The Dean's December'); then again in the school when Isaac confronts his friend Max for taking back Mary, the mistress he had let go - Isaac stands by a skeleton saying 'one day we'll be like this, I hope that when I thin out I'll be looked well on'. (This scene also contains the memorable Allen line - 'you think you're God' - 'well I have to model myself on someone'.)

What is life for? Manhattan poses this question beautifully. Some sort of answer occurs as Isaac makes a list towards the end of the movie whilst lying, psychoanalytical style, on the couch: Groucho Marx, the second movement of the Jupiter Symphony, Louis Armstrong's recording of 'Potato Blues', Swedish movies, L'Education Sentimentale by Flaubert, Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando, Cezanne's apples, the crab at Sun Wo's (now no longer in existence). A valid Allen list, but slightly disengenuous - for Woody Allen, cultural epiphanies are a diversion. His real life purpose, which he has executed brilliantly over the years, is to fulfil that great mantra of Charlie Chaplin: life may be a tragedy in close up, but in the long shot it's a comedy.

Woody Allen is Brilliant.......2007-06-11

Manhattan, by Woody Allen, is a showcase of the things that make Allen one of the most truly gifted-filmakers ever. Not only does he star in this intriguing movie, he also directed the movie, but wait there's more... Woody also wrote the script. The movie was released in 1979 and helped mark a true departure for Woody. Gone were the days of the quick and easy comedy (but not for long), while this movie heralded a more mature Allen and dramatic endeavors.

The plot is essentially about Allen as Isaac Davis, a divorced New Yorker that is dating a high schooler (an impressive Mariel Hemingway), who realises he is much more suited for his best friends girlfriend/mistress. Allen is his usually solid self, while Karen Allen is well-cast and suited for her role.

This movie is short - clocking in at under 100 minutes - and is filmed in balck and white. It is a great movie with stunning cinematography. Highly recommended. 5 Stars.

Annie Hall's ugly sibling.......2007-02-18

A long time ago, the local art house theater where I lived used to run "Manhattan" in tandem with "Annie Hall". At first I thought Woody Allen used the idea of a man in his forties sleeping with a high school student as a way to be tasteless and funny. I thought he was using it to contrast it with the tasteful camerawork and the tasteful Gershwin orchestrations, but then I realized I was in denial and it pointed to a deeper, much more disturbing aspect of Woody Allen, as everyone knows. The cinematography is excellent and the Gershwin tunes are great, but you have to wade through a fair amount of misogyny while watching this movie. The main argument seems to be that adult women are either bitchy, man eating lesbians (the Meryl Streep character) or neurotic yet scathing and bitchy (that word again) intellectuals (Diane Keaton) and are driving adult men into the arms of unthreatening 17 year olds like Tracy-Mariel Hemingway. I also think there's a problem since the Woody Allen character criticizes "Yale" for his ethical lapses but Woody Allen-Isaac never asks himself questions about his own behavior. Meryl Streep's character did the right thing when before the movie starts, she leaves Isaac. Woody Allen-Isaac is out of touch with reality. I really wanted to like "Manhattan" and I overlooked a lot. But it's glaringly obvious what this movie's subtext is saying. Isaac wants everyone in the movie to change, except himself.

Manhattan - a defective DVD.......2007-01-14

This is one of my all time favourite movies so I was thrilled when I received it as a Christmas gift. Imagine my disappointment when I discovered that this is a defective disc. It plays for a few minutes and jumps back to the start. This happened evrytime I tried to watch it. Other discs play without a problem on my DVD player so the fault lies definitely with this disc. I do not have the packaging or the packing slip which I did not keep as I did noy expect a product received from Amazon to be of this poor quality. I don't know how to return it to Amazon in the absence of the packing slip. Please help. Sincerely, Mandakini Tata

Average customer rating:

One of my favorite movies
I've Got You Under My Skin...
The Exorcist ripoff that could have been great
MANITOU!
Bizarre movie finally is on DVD

Manitou
Starring: Tony Curtis , Michael Ansara , Susan Strasberg , Stella Stevens , and Jon Cedar
Director: William Girdler
Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000LP6L2A
Release Date: 2007-03-06

Amazon.com

Lurid, ludicrous, and laughable (and those are the good parts), The Manitou is one of those movies that asks more questions that it answers. For instance, were respectable actors like Tony Curtis and Burgess Meredith so in need of a payday that they agreed to take part in this nonsense? Does the film fall into the so-bad-it's-good category, or is this horror story just plain horrid? Viewers will draw their own conclusions, assuming they can get through this 1978 tale about a centuries-old, evil Indian medicine man who returns to wreak all sorts of vengeful havoc on an unsuspecting populace. The setting is San Francisco (a place you'd think would be more tolerant of such alternative lifestyles), where Karen Tandy (Susan Strasberg) seems to have been chosen at random as the host for the manitou's latest regeneration. When she goes to the hospital complaining about a tumor growing on her back (it starts out grapefruit-sized but enlarges at an alarming rate), doctors determine that the thing is in fact a living fetus. But their decision to bombard it with x-rays may not be the wisest course of treatment. When they then fail to cut it out (manitous apparently don't like scalpels), bogus psychic Harry Erskine (Curtis), Karen's love interest and a fellow who spends most of his time duping gullible old ladies, starts investigating alternative methods of extermination, seeking out a fortune teller (Stella Stevens) for a séance that goes very, very wrong, consulting a doddering old professor (Meredith, camping it up), and finally bringing in a contemporary medicine man (Michael Ansara) to try to keep the malevolent Misquamacus at bay. There are a few scary moments and a couple of nice set pieces, but horror fans will find The Manitou extremely tame by new millennium standards; and the climactic battle between good and evil is so silly as to beggar description. "If only we had some authority!" worries the Curtis character when he realizes what they're up against. A good script and better acting, direction, effects work, and all the other elements of a decent movie would have helped, too. --Sam Graham

Description

What surgeons thought to be a tumor growing on the neck of patient Karen Tandy (Susan Strasberg of PSYCH-OUT) is actually a fetus growing at an abnormally accelerated rate. But when Karen reaches out to former lover and phony psychic Harry Erskine (Academy Award® nominee Tony Curtis), he discovers that she is possessed by the reincarnation of a 400-year old Native American demon. Now with the help of a modern-day medicine man (Michael Ansara), Erskine must survive this ancient evil's rampage of shocking violence, and forever destroy the enraged beast known as THE MANITOU. Stella Stevens, Ann Southern and Burgess Meredith co-star in this infamous horror shocker produced and directed by William Girdler (GRIZZLY, DAY OF THE ANIMALS) from the best-selling novel by Graham Masterton

Features:Theatrical Trailer,TV Spot

Customer Reviews:

One of my favorite movies.......2007-07-03

I remember watching this film many, many years ago. I've always enjoyed it. I had read the book first, by Graham Masterton. "The Manitou" was based off of a factual story about a boy in Japan who had a growth on his arm the size of a basketball (seriously). But Masterton never said what had actually been in the growth.

The movie doesn't stray TOO far from the book. It was entertaining. Ansara was terrific as Singing Rock. And Jamie Lee Curtis' dad as Harry Erskine was great.

I loved the concept of an ages old Medicine Man - Misquamacas - being reborn through Karen. This was an all-around fun movie. No unnecessary gore, no stupid teens running around half-naked, screaming their heads off, and no back-wood hicks wanting to slaughter people for rituals.

If you want something WORTH the viewing, you have to see "The Manitou". You also should really read the books - The Manitou, The Return of the Manitou, and The Burial. They are out of print, but you can find them in used bookstores, and possibly on Amazon.

I've Got You Under My Skin..........2007-06-13

Karen Tandy (Susan Strasberg) discovers that what she thought was a tumor on her back, is actually the growing fetus of a 400yo medicine man, and an evil one at that! She is hospitalized and her friend, Harry Erskine (Tony Curtis), who happens to be a "psychic", attempts to help Karen by going to a medium (Stella Stevens) for guidance. After a catastrophic séance, Harry decides to see an anthropologist (Burgess Meredith from Burnt Offerings and The Sentinel), who tells Harry and company that they need another medicine man. Enter Michael Ansara (Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea) as John Singing-Rock, medicine man. Much hocus pocus and hoodoo later, and poor Karen finally unloads the little bugger that's been making her look like Quasimodo. Zish! Bang! Boom! The hospital is transformed into a spiritual battleground, and John Singing-Rock goes to war against the forces of darkness. Yes, THE MANITOU is silly, but it's still a lot of fun to watch! The climax is non-stop hilarity, worth the cost of the movie! William Girdler (Grizzly, Day Of The Animals) makes it all entertaining somehow...

The Exorcist ripoff that could have been great .......2007-06-11

The Manitou is actually a pretty good little horror novel by the prolific British author Graham (Prey, Death Trance, The Sphinx) Masterton. The movie could have been great, but it's budget limitations and utterly pedestrian direction by William (Grizzly, Asylum of Satan) Girdler end up screwing the pooch.

The story basically is about a woman (Susan Strasberg) who has a tumor that grows into a fetus, that turns out to be the reincarnation of an irritable 400 year old Native American medicine man. His rebirth will bring "total destruction", according to good-guy medicine man Michael Ansara, who is called upon by admitted phony Tarot card reader Harry Erskine (Tony Curtis) to save us all.

Curtis seems to be having fun as the fake mystic Erskine, and Ansara deserves praise for maintaining a straight face throughout. The aptly named John Cedar (who also co-wrote and co-produced) plays a skeptical surgeon, while a slightly inebriated-looking Burgess Meredith, neck-pregnant Susan (Psych-Out) Strasberg and blue-eyed gypsy Stella Stevens (in a makeup job bordering on blackface) just hope their paychecks clear. Ann Southern shows up for a cameo and some craft service.

Perhaps the producers should have gotten some lesser name actors and spent a few more bucks on the not-very-special fx, because this is one area that this film could have shined. The Misquamicus (sp?) makeup is effective, but the lizard demon looks like something out of a costume shop and the optical effects depicting The Great Old One at the end look like 60's lava lamp projections. I know this was made in 1978, but come on. A little creativity and imagination never hurts. Speaking of which, Girdler's direction has the look and feel of a made-for-TV movie.

Anchor Bay's DVD is letterboxed and looks good, if a touch dark. Extras include trailers for this and other movies. Sound and score are good.

MANITOU!.......2007-05-14

The Manitou is another example of how the movie industry in the 70s would get behind just about any outrageous concept and let it rip, sometimes getting established stars to be in the film. This movie is kinda like a Native American variation on the Exorcist. Not that it's a carbon copy of that film, but there are similarities. Using Native American mythology and folklore for horror films is something I wish we saw more of, and I'm not talking about the old plot device of haunted houses being built on Native American burial grounds. It's directed by William Girdler, who directed the Oscar(TM) winning, blockbuster smashes, Grizzly and Day of the Animals. Susan Strasberg finds a lump on the back of her neck, and naturally the concern is cancer. But cancer would be letting her off easy...This is a MANITOU!! That's right, a never-dying lifeforce of a 400 year old medicine man who's out to put the kibosh on humanity. He just needs to use Susan's neck as a kind of incubator before he's ripe enough to bust out. So he uses Susan to cause some supernatural mischief and occasionally communicate through her. When he does bust out(around an hour into the film), he looks a bit underdone coz he's less than four feet high. Then the MANITOU must do battle with none other than Tony Curtis himself along with a Native American medicine man(at least I think he's a medicine man) that Curtis has brought along for the "exorcism". The battle is played out on an abandoned hospital wing with the climax looking like something from Buck Rogers. If this sounds silly, it is. If it sounds fun and entertaining, it is. Movies like this are definitely a good time. What's really a good time though is watching Tony Curtis turning on his stereo and getting down to a funky disco tune. How often do you see that? And how often to you see a midget in heavy makeup to make him look Native American? Not often, I'd say. But if you want to see all this and more, you should check out...THE MANITOU!!!!!

Bizarre movie finally is on DVD.......2007-05-13

I was waiting for the DVD release of this movie, and finally it came out!
Very nice widescreen version of the film. My only complaint is that they didn't have more features, but the trailers were nice to see.

Average customer rating:

If you review... Jabber..... Be a more informed and sentive reviewer!
Up to Par?
if fidel watched this hed fall asleep forever
Faithful to the novel
Fine Hemingway adaptation

The Old Man and the Sea
Starring: Spencer Tracy , Felipe Pazos , Harry Bellaver , Don Diamond , and Don Blackman
Director: Fred Zinnemann , John Sturges , and Henry King
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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ASIN: B00004YRID
Release Date: 2001-03-13

Amazon.com

The classic Ernest Hemingway novel about man battling nature and the demons within himself is adapted admirably in this 1958 film starring the legendary Spencer Tracy. Playing the fisherman who goes on an intense and futile quest as he contemplates his own nature, Tracy turns in a spellbinding performance of understated power. He plays an itinerant Cuban fisherman whose luck at catching his prey has been poor of late, until he becomes embroiled in an intense pursuit of a giant marlin and in the process must confront his own frailties. Though the visual aspect of the film seems dated, Tracy is more than enough reason to see this effort at bringing one of the modern classics of literature to life on the screen. --Robert Lane

Customer Reviews:

If you review... Jabber..... Be a more informed and sentive reviewer! .......2007-06-03

I find it interesting that a person with a nickname (Jabber) finds works like "As time goes by", a wonderful British Sit-Com with Oscar winner Judy Dench who played the Queen in "Shakespeare in Love"(1998) and "The Old Man and the Sea", and this person thinks they are Dull. Well I can only say that this person probably has no interest in Character study, Human Nature, Literature, Human Inner Struggle and even Good Comedy and should consider confining his/her Comments & Critiques to Subjects that have nothing to do with the Human Condition. I would also suggest for this person to find a way to broaden his/her horizon by Traveling,Good Books,Literary works by renowned Authors and even merely observing other people and maybe only maybe his/her horizon might broaden.
I will be honest and have not been able to get into it yet, because unfortunately I have a short attention span. I am willing to give it a second try knowing that Ernest Hemingway was such an accomplished writer and got a Nobel Prize for this work. I will probably read the Book first then see the Movie again.
I have a special interest in this story because I am Cuban born and have also been in Cojimar, the fishing Town where the story took place. It will be of interest that Hemingway was adopted by the Cuban people and he based his story on a real fisherman who lived in Cojimar and became his friend.
I was a a young girl when the story was written (1953) and lived there until 1962. In the 1940's & 50's the pace of life in Cuba was much slower than here, specially in small Fishing Towns like Cojimar. It is a very different world from the one we know here in the USA but it is a wonderful one to live or vacation since it is so relaxing. Your tensions just melt away. The Movie may not be for everyone for its style departs from the ones where they chew it for you. I am sure the book is much better as you can enjoy Heminway's wonderful descriptive prose and enjoy a world foreign to so many here in the USA.
I spent my best Summer days/hours at a Beach named Baracoa, in Havana's North Coast, not far from where the story took place, and met real Cuban Fisherman there. I hope my comment is helpful to those who are looking for more than an easy way out in being entertained. Worth watching!

Up to Par?.......2007-01-10

Being one of Hemingway's most enduring works (it earned him a Nobel Prize in 1954), it was only a matter of time before it was put to film. Although John Sturges was given credit as director, two uncredited director's also worked on the film (Henry King & Fred Zinnemann); Which may be the reason this film falls far short of the novella. In any case, Spencer Tracy does bring the character to life, gives this film credibility and also brought him an Academy Award nomination. If your a Hemingway, Sturges or Spencer fan you definitely need this film in your collection.

if fidel watched this hed fall asleep forever.......2006-11-10

the chances of anyone making a workable movie out of hemingways novella were slim, and this might count as a noble effort if not for the fact that it is as deadly dull a movie as any ive ever seen. spencer tracy rarely came off as a dullard, but this just doesnt work on any level. A for effort, F for execution.

Faithful to the novel.......2005-11-12

This version of Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea is a faithful adaptation of the novel. The story focuses on Santiago, an old man who has spent 84 days without catching a fish. Spencer Tracey plays the old man to perfection for the most part, as he sets out on the 85th day to capture his big prize. While it isn't a movie that blows you away with either script or action, it is a film with a purpose.

Perhaps what most viewers or critics of this movie won't get is that it is richly symbolic in nature, and therefore probably won't appeal to viewers who lack attention spans. Most of Santiago's stuggle is within himself, and his age is a symbol for wisdom and perseverance. The boy, his counterpart, continually befriends him in hopes that the one day will arrive when he brings home the big catch.

The movie really is a testament to Man versus Nature, and is able to depict this sucessfully. One of the most essential points of the story is not only Santiago's respect for the sea and its inhabitants, but the essential quality of being successful at something.

If you are expecting a ton of action, or some big crash or storm scenes, then this probably isn't your movie. However, if you want a movie that successfully illustrates what Hemingway wanted for his short novela, then this is it.

3 1/2 stars.

Fine Hemingway adaptation.......2005-02-27

Spencer Tracy gives a powerful performance as Santiago, the desperate old fisherman who must struggle to subdue and then keep the giant marlin that represents his salvation. Director John Sturges and screenwriter Peter Viertel retain much of Ernest Hemingway's symbolism, making of Santiago a Christ-like figure. A more apt Biblical analog might be Job; like him, Santiago endures the indignities and strife thrust upon him, but perseveres and endures while retaining his appreciation of nature and simple pleasures./

There is a lot of voice-over narration in this film. In addition to playing Santiago, Tracy reads excerpts from the novel to deepen and comment upon the action. In most cases, I would be annoyed by such pervasive intrusion, but it makes sense here because Santiago spends so much time alone. In addition, since the narration is drawn directly from the novel, it provides the added pleasure of a wonderful actor performing Hemingway's deceptively simple prose.

Superman IV - The Quest for Peace (Deluxe Edition)

Average customer rating:

Poor film, Lots of deleted scenes!
The Quest for CHEESE
Boggles the mind
Superman IV: The Craps for Pee
Depressing end to the Chris Reeve Superman films

Superman IV - The Quest for Peace (Deluxe Edition)
Starring: Christopher Reeve , Gene Hackman , Jackie Cooper , Marc McClure , and Jon Cryer
Director: Sidney J. Furie
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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Superman III
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Supergirl

ASIN: B000IJ79XE
Release Date: 2006-11-28

Amazon.com

The law of diminishing returns: It's the law--obey it! Someone should have posted that sign on the set of this, the third sequel to the film based on the DC Comics superhero. The "IV" in the title refers to medical supplies needed to resuscitate this anemic retread. This one reportedly was a pet project of actor Christopher Reeve, whose career seemed to flounder whenever he tried a role minus the blue underwear and red cape. Before agreeing to don the suit one more time, he insisted on a script that preached nuclear disarmament. So, in this film, Superman rounds up all the missiles and warheads and flings them into outer space. Which still leaves him to contend with Lex Luthor, who has a secret weapon: Nuclear Man. Yawn. Having pushed the envelope of special effects in the first film, it seemed as if the filmmakers simply stopped trying with this one. --Marshall Fine

Description

Christopher Reeve not only dons the title hero's cape for the fourth time but also helped develop the movie's provocative theme: nuclear disarmament. "For me, it's the most personal of the entire series," Reeve said. "It directly reflects what Superman should be, and should be doing." Superman does a lot this time around. To make the world safe for nuclear arms merchants, Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) creates a new being to challenge the Man of Steel: the radiation-charged Nuclear Man (Mark Pillow). The two foes clash in an explosive extravaganza that sees Superman save the Statue of Liberty, plug a volcanic eruption of Mount Etna and rebuild the demolished Great Wall of China. Your quest for excitement is over!

Customer Reviews:

Poor film, Lots of deleted scenes!.......2007-06-06

Even though this is the silliest superman sequel, for a true and loyal superman fan this dvd is a must-have. Of all the recently released superman deluxe editions this one has the most deleted scenes of all. You get to see half an hour of scenes never seen before, some of which are pretty good. I like the extended flying scene and a typical Clark Kent's morning. The alternate version of Nuclear Guy looks very ugly and dumb. Thank God Mark Pillow ended playing it in the final cut. There are more fight scenes that were deleted and overall the studios really packed a good deluxe edition.

The Quest for CHEESE.......2007-04-23

I recently bought the Superman DVD box set. I can't remember ever watching this sequel.. and WOW is this BAD! The story would make a mediocre comic book, which this movie reminded me of.. Nuclear Man? I can say the idea is cool.. But the way in which this character is created is way absurd. Nuclear dude and Stupidman have a most ridiculous fight on the moon which is half bar room saloon stuff to half the 3 Stooges (Nuke dude hammers Superman into the moon like a golf tee)

When Nukeman kidnaps the girl Hemingway and flies her into space was way beyond STUPIDO! Superman fights Nucleardude and gets Hemingway and flies her back to Earth and comes back to fight Nukenerd more without any explanation how Hemingway didn't explode on re-entry or how she was breathing in space.

Most interesting about this DVD is the deleted scenes. These incredibly are some of the best extras on any DVD I seen. They show a complete sub-story of whom I assume is Bizarro. When Lex steals Superman's hair, I thought he would make a crude clone of Superman i.e. Bizarro. But no we get a badly conceived Nuclear Man. The deleted clips show a completely deleted idea of the creation of Bizarro. The actor of Bizarro is over-doing it and played out as a comic interlude. Even if he were not deleted he is killed off quickly as plot device to get to Nuclear Man. Unfortunate they made so many mistakes with Bizarro since the entire movie should have been about him, preferably played out a tad more seriously. The complications of Superman dealing with his evil clone, make for a better movie than the cheesy save the world from nuclear war story.

The special effects are SO BAD, I can see the ropes when Superman flies, and cutouts of the moon look like bad Photoshop. The parts when Superman and Lois fly all over the world- might be the cheesiest scenes in movie history.

Boggles the mind.......2007-02-05

1987's "Superman IV" made an attempt to return to the tradition of the first two Superman films, and steered away from the awful "Superman III," which was the most disappointing sequel in the history of film. But while it suceeded there, somewhat, it was actually more ludicrous than III in other ways. At least III didn't have Earth humans breathing on their own in space. Since this movie wasn't supposed to be a spoof, why would they just sit back and let this film be released with humans breathing in space? What were they thinking when they filmed that scene? Let alone when they allowed it to be released that way. You even see filmmakers today doing similiar things with today's movies. This is the most mind-boggling thing.

Superman IV: The Craps for Pee.......2007-01-21

I found 3 reasons to hate this movie
3. You can't watch Superman Returns if you watch this.
2. Nuclear Man, they had Bizzaro in the movie but they replaced him with a blond haired weirdo that never even appered in the comic adaption.
and 1. Weak plot, it sounded like a good plot for a 60's Batman movie sequal (I still want a DVD release of the TV show though) but not for a Superman movie. Sorry Christopher Reeve (He made the Plot) it's just too campy for even Adam West's Batman.
Though I can't wait until the NEW Superman Movie for 2009, do NOT watch this movie.

Depressing end to the Chris Reeve Superman films.......2007-01-16

Superman 4 was conceived by Chris Reeve as a great return to the orignal quality of the first 2 and hopefully to get the sour taste out of everyone's mouth's of Superman 3. What was delivered is a movie in shambles filled with plot holes galore and literally a fun house of 2nd rate special effects. The budget for Superman 4 was slashed in half by the now non-existant Golan Globus and the effects in this film are actually worse than what you saw in Superman the movie even though it was released 9 years prior to Superman 4. The plot is terrible Chris Reeve conceived a story about Superman saving the world from nuclear war by disarming the planet. Not a bad idea but the screenwriters did an awful job building upon that concept. The commentary by Mark Rosenthal one of the screenwriters is worth a listen because he is honest about just how awful the film is and tries to defend very little about just how lousy the production of the film was. Overall lousy movie and a tragic end to Chris Reeve's legendary portrayal of the Man Of Steel.

Wuthering Heights (Masterpiece Theatre, 1998)

Average customer rating:

Characters way too old for their parts
Wuthering Heights
Not even close
"Whatever Our Souls Are Made Of, His And Mine Are The Same" ~ Love And Necromancy Make Strange Bedfellows
opposite stories of love

Wuthering Heights (Masterpiece Theatre, 1998)
Starring: Peter Davison , Tom Georgeson , Matthew Macfadyen , Sarah Smart , and Robert Cavanah
Director: David Skynner
Manufacturer: WGBH Boston
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Pride & Prejudice

ASIN: B0009UZGAA
Release Date: 2005-08-02

Description

This brilliant adaptation of Emily Brontë's timeless tale breaks new ground by covering the complete story of a love so powerful that it reaches beyond the grave. Orla Brady (The Rector's Wife, Proof) stars as literature's most controversial heroine, the spirited, but tragic Cathy. Robert Cavanah (Cracker, Cadfael) plays Heathcliff, the dark stranger whose love for Cathy leads him to take terrible revenge on anyone who comes between them.

Nothing is known of Heathcliff's mysterious past when kindly Mr. Earnshaw adopts him into his family, but his daughter Cathy sees in him a soul very much like her own. They are divided by birth, class, and Cathy's jealous brother, but nothing can break the bond between them- not even when Cathy marries the wealthy gentleman Edgar Linton. Yet there are forces in nature that seem to be even more powerful than their love.

Customer Reviews:

Characters way too old for their parts .......2007-06-19

The movie is ok. The movie's characters are way too old and not properly cast in the movie. Heathcliff and Cathy are young -- not near 40 ! Nelly is of their age - not an apparant 40-year old as shown in the movie! Joseph is written to be crass and you can imagine him an old, somewhat haggard man of poor speech - not a handsome, erect, well spoken servant. It was not well done at all. For passion and more believable characters, watch Timothy Dalton as Heathcliff and Anna Calder as Catherine. This movie detailed their lives from start to finish - not of the children's as continues in the book, but the passion was definitely there for the main characters.

Wuthering Heights.......2007-05-14

It has been years since I seen a different version of Wuthering Heights,very good version but I forgot how disterbing this story is. Acting very good but I also bought this version because it was on Matthew Macfadyne credits he was only in about 10 minutes on film.

Not even close.......2007-04-25

Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights is a tragic love story. Though this movie version reflects the story, it doesn't do the book justice. From reading the book many times, I was able to follow through and understood what was going on. But, there were so many times in the movie where I thought, that didn't happen, or that was premature. In the opening scene, Mr. Lockwood goes to Wuthering Heights and is let in by Heathcliff not by Hareton as the movie portrays. Nelly is a young servent who grew up with Cathy and Heathcliff, not already an older woman upon Heathcliff's arrival. In the movie, Cathy and Heathcliff are running through the moors and Cathy asks him where he came from and as the scene progresses, they are mature young adults and she's still asking where he came from. In the book however, it is Nelly who makes up his past to try to cheer him up from his depression. Hareton is kept as a hired hand in Wuthering Heights but in the movie, Heathcliff treats him like a companion. Sure, I found the movie to be good but couldn't help gasping at such major changes. I guess I have to wait patiently for Hollywood to make this movie in true book form!

"Whatever Our Souls Are Made Of, His And Mine Are The Same" ~ Love And Necromancy Make Strange Bedfellows.......2007-02-04

First things first, I hate to admit it but I've never read Emily Bronte's classic novel `Wuthering Heights', therefore I can't comment on whether or not this cinematic production from '98 is an accurate retelling of the tragic love story of Heathcliff and Cathy.

Secondly, I don't see any reason to give a synopsis of the plot since the majority of people reading this review are already quite familiar with the storyline.

That now said, I will say that this is one of the most bizarre, depressing and unromantic love stories I've ever seen. The two love birds, Heathcliff (Robert Cavanah) and Cathy (Orla Brady) are myopic, narcissistic, manipulative, cruel and overall downright unlikable. What can you conclude about a guy whose only comment after his true loves death is, "Did she mention me?"

Final Thoughts: Beautiful cinematography, wonderful production values and attractive period costumes can't compensate for two main characters you just can't force yourself to care about. Maybe this is your cup of tea, but it's not mine.

opposite stories of love.......2007-01-29

This is the best version of Wuthering Heights I have seen. The acting superb by Robert Cavanah and Matthew Mcfadyen was great to behold. The dark, all consuming love Heathcliff had for Cathy and the gentle, protecting love Hareton had for the daughter Catherine is such a contrast. It made the story more strong in the obsession of Cathy's and Heathcliff's dark romance standout. Watching this story unfold tore at your heartstrings in how they treated the people around them. They were so involved with each other, they just damaged and run over the people they were supposed to also love. Just did not have any room in their hearts for others I think. It almost wore me out I got so involved in the story. Get this version, you will not be sorry.

Average customer rating:

Big disappointment
Borderline Pathetic
Into the sunset
TONY HOROWITZ ON SUNSET
A Comic Romp

Sunset
Starring: Bruce Willis , James Garner , Malcolm McDowell , Mariel Hemingway , and Kathleen Quinlan
Director: Blake Edwards
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
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ASIN: 0767817761
Release Date: 1998-08-25

Amazon.com

Blake Edwards directed this homage to both the Old West and the silent era in filmmaking that undeservedly received indifferent reviews and did little business. James Garner is perfectly cast as Wyatt Earp who, his lawman days behind him, is brought to Hollywood in the waning days of silent movies to serve as a consultant on a movie about his life. There, he hooks up with cowboy star Tom Mix (Bruce Willis, in relaxed, low-key mode) and together they solve a murder. Though Edwards includes elements of slapstick, he actually puts together a fairly involving mystery plot and a compelling cast of characters, including Malcolm McDowell, Mariel Hemingway, and Dermot Mulroney. But this is Garner's film, aided by a surprisingly likable Willis performance. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews:

Big disappointment.......2007-03-19

Comedy/mystery/western based on the fictional pairing of old west lawman Wyatt Earp (James Garner) and movie star Tom Mix (Bruce Willis) in 1929 Hollywood. Producer, and ex-silent film comedian Alfie Alperin (Malcolm McDowell) convinces Mix to star in a film biography of Earp, and Earp is hired on as a technical advisor. Soon, however, Alperin is revealed to be less of a benevolent studio head than his reputation would lead one to believe, and Mix and Earp find themselves dangerously involved in a burgeoning murder mystery.

Despite its less than sterling rep I was looking forward to watching SUNSET (1988). It reteams Garner with director Blake Edward, with whom he'd collaborated on the wonderful `Victor/Victoria' in 1982. And it has Garner reprising a role he'd played in 1967's `The Hour of the Gun.' I have to admit I'm not much of a fan of Willis, but he doesn't normally drag down a movie. Willis doesn't hurt this movie, either, but neither the good chemistry he has with Garner, nor Garner's charm, can breathe much life into it, either. Maybe `life' is the wrong word. Although this is billed as a comedy, there's not a whole lot to laugh at. McDowell plays a psychopath who gets off on intimidating everyone and especially seems to enjoy beating up women. It's hard to warm up to a comedy with this type of physical violence in it, unless it's Inspector Clouseau engaging in a slapstick fight with his Asian valet. If you have a man beating up a bunch of frail women in a movie I'm probably not going to like it. Here the violence just seems mean, and left a real sour taste in my mouth. If you stick with this movie through the final act you'll discover the murder mystery was a bit of a cheat, too. Mysteries are ALWAYS easy to solve when someone leaves a Letter that pretty much tells you who did what when.

As far as I'm concerned Garner has always been an underrated actor, and he does dominate SUNSET, but even Garner's charm can only carry a movie so far. Willis is likeable, Marial Hemingway appropriately tough/vulnerable as the cathouse proprietress with a secret. Even McDowell is good, even though his character is too realistically depraved for this movie. In fact, the violence embodied and practiced by McDowell's character effectively washes away whatever rosy glow Garner and Willis try to create. If you can overlook or aren't bothered by the nasty stuff SUNSET might work better for you than it did for me. I thought it was a disappointing misfire, and don't recommend it.

Borderline Pathetic.......2006-11-29

While not actually awful, "Sunset" (1988) is unexpectedly bad considering what it has going for it. Bruce Willis plays Tom Mix and James Garner plays Wyatt Earp; in truth they just play themselves (their standard characters) and because they are both very likable and have decent chemistry together the film has a strong foundation. Writer/director Blake Edwards gets his chance to make a film about old Hollywood movie-making, a project he was passionate about and worked hard to pull off. So it should work yet it doesn't even come close.

It's a crime thriller with comic and buddy picture elements set in 1929 Hollywood. With the sound era just dawning, Tom Mix is making a picture about the gunfight at the OK corral. An aging Wyatt Earp is hired as technical adviser on the film and the two become pals off the set. They stumble on a murder and work to solve a mystery involving a corrupt studio chief and his wife, sister, and son. His sister is nicely played by Jennifer Edwards who is best known for her title role in the controversial "Heidi" remake that interrupted the Jets-Raiders game back in 1968. Edwards gives the only really convincing performance. On the other extreme is an appearance by Mariel Hemingway that is so bad it might have been what inspired model Kathy Ireland to give acting a try.

The studio chief (played by Malcolm McDowell) is a kind of demented Charlie Chaplin; apparently Blake thought Chaplin was the only early Hollywood producer anyone in the target audience would recognize. But the characterization is incredibly lame and in the end nothing about the guy adds up.

Along those same lines the story is hopelessly contrived and generally moronic; more characteristic of a bad 1980's made-for-TV movie than a theatrical feature film. At one point Willis and Garner go to a club that specializes in girls who look like famous actresses, an ill-advised idea given that 1988 and later viewers have no idea who the sexy Hollywood personalities of that era actually were. Edwards is reduced to using Greta Garbo and Mae West as his examples; Garbo was just breaking into American cinema and West was three years away from making her first picture.

Contributing to the made-for-television feel is an extremely artificial production design on about the authenticity level of television's "The Time Tunnel".

So expect to enjoy the buddy picture antics of Willis and Garner but don't expect to be able to suspend disbelief long enough to get into the story or care anything about any of the characters.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

Into the sunset.......2006-11-06

Sunset is a type of movie I enjoy because it takes people who actually lived, Tom Mix and Wyatt Earp (Bruce Willis and James Gardner), and creates a story to show the times they lived in and who they were. The movie is based on a true story, give or take a lie or two.

Willis plays the silent era movie star and Gardner the aging ex-lawman, who spent his last days in Hollywood as an advisor to the movie studios.

I do not believe this movie received the recognition it should have.

You watch it once and you're hooked.

TONY HOROWITZ ON SUNSET .......2006-06-28

Between the flawless score by Henry Mancini, the acting, editing, and character development, this is probably the "best movie you've never seen." It would have been a box office smash if it hadn't been released at the same time as another Bruce Willis "action-thriller." James Garner, Bruce Willis, and the rest of the cast are wonderful in this "what if" style epic about Wyatt Earp, and Tom Mix versus a Hollywood mogul.
SEE IT.
Tony Horowitz

A Comic Romp.......2006-03-01

A delightful period piece with some of the top names in Hollywood. I do not see how a movie with James Garner and Bruce Willis could ever be anything but good and this film is no exception. Settle in for some classic laughs.

Average customer rating:

"...if I tell you why I did it, do you promise not to NOODGE me ? "
Nihilism, cynicism, sarcasm, orgasm
The Dark Side
Great Fun!
Harry Block Lives in a Fellini Movie

Deconstructing Harry
Starring: Caroline Aaron , Kirstie Alley , Bob Balaban , Richard Benjamin , and Eric Bogosian
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: 0780622243
Release Date: 1998-05-27

Amazon.com essential video

Woody Allen roared back at his detractors with Deconstructing Harry, a bitterly funny treatise about the creative process. Known to mine his often tumultuous personal life for his movies, the embattled writer-director-star didn't bother to make his alter ego likable in this movie: Harry Block (Allen) pops pills, frequents prostitutes, and cheats on the women in his life, then writes about their foibles in thinly disguised fiction. No wonder they're all furious with him. As Harry journeys to his alma mater with a hooker, ill pal, and kidnapped son, a series of flashbacks unravel, juxtaposing Harry's relationships with their "slightly exaggerated" fictional counterparts. There are amusing cameos throughout, including a humorous turn by Demi Moore as a fictitious ex-wife who "became Jewish with a vengeance," and Billy Crystal as the devil who found Hollywood too nasty for his liking. The humor is dark and caustic, but well worth it; Deconstructing Harry is a near-brilliant mediation on the sometimes queasy relationship between art, creator, and critic. --Diane Garrett

Customer Reviews:

"...if I tell you why I did it, do you promise not to NOODGE me ? ".......2007-05-18

10 years --- still shock & awe funny. Very smart, but just not dubbable for basic cable or broadcast-cuttable for the commissars of the ridiculous FCC. The character, Woody Allen himself, is filled with rage, addictions and cowardice, but wants to appeal to our empathy, not our apathy. Referring to victims of this or that...he announces at one point while visiting his sister's pious, well-meaning household: "...they are ALL your people!..."

Nihilism, cynicism, sarcasm, orgasm.......2007-04-28

In his prose writing, Allen superbly skewers the neuroses, ambitions and dysfunctions of major writers - 'and then Hemingway put on boxing gloves and broke my nose'. In Deconstructing Harry, Allen plays Harry Block - an alcoholic, neurotic, cowardly, pill poping, sexually deviant writer, on the back of three failed marriages, who incurs the wrath of his family and friends by using thinly veiled portraits them in his fiction.

This is a case of art imitating life. Allen's own life is similarly contorted and complex, and it is common in America for its greatest novelists to have readers buzzing like private spies around their works trying to extract what is real and what is made up. Philip Roth in particular has mined rich fiction out of such workings. Allen, in similarly intellectual, self reflexive style gives us a fascinating movie where Harry Block is confronted by ex wifes and family members who despise his selfishness, his lack of human sympathy. This leads to some great dialogue. Try this for a classic Allen line when he goes to visit his sister Doris, who has reverted to traditional Judaism:

Doris - 'You have no values, your whole life, it's nihilism, cynicism, sarcasm and orgasm.'
Harry: 'Y'know, in France I could run on that slogan and win.'

Brilliant.

The movie is clever, but not without flaws. As with other Allen films, the female characters are not well developed. The whole movie is about Harry. Women are portrayed as one dimensional, intellectually subservient beings who fall in love with the great artist and have no other recourse other than to become hysterical when it all goes wrong. Harry sleeps with a lively black prostitute and persuades her to come with him the next day on his trip to his old college to be honoured. The whore is potentially a great character, but she doesn't really have a role to play once the trip is underway, she just hangs around in pink leather hotpants making the odd comment in reaction to Allen's neuroses, basically just a character to highlight another of Harry's flaws - the great artist trawling around with whores stereotype.

Also the film is terribly edited - scenes jerking awkwardly into others. Perhaps this was due to a huge cast of high profile actors so a tight shooting schedule entailed insufficient time for quality filming. Not a big negative, but a shame nonetheless.

All in all, an entertaining, funny portrait of the artist as flawed man.