Straight Right

Starring:Brent Smith, Lynn Evans, Zeke Rippy, Bob White (IX), Benny Hernandez, Andy Daley, Matt North, Robert Romanus, Mary Woronov, Mickey Cottrell, Marshal Hilton, Tracy Reiner, Aaron Glickman, Amy Hill, Robb Reesman, Marcus Patterson, David Hugghins, Emiliano 'Milo' Espinosa, Ray Siegle, Sandra Kinder
Director: P. David Ebersole
Studio: Ariztical
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

THE BEST HORROR COMEDY EVER!
Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein
True Classic!
Exorcising the Monsters
The Best of The Best

Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein
Starring: Bud Abbott , Lou Costello , Lon Chaney Jr. , Bela Lugosi , and Glenn Strange
Director: Charles Barton
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy
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ASIN: 0783233582
Release Date: 2000-08-29

Amazon.com

Universal Pictures made a great deal of money from its monster movies in the 1930s. In the early '40s, the burlesque team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello kept the studio's coffers full. When the two franchises were combined in 1948, the result was another windfall--despite the apparent oil-and-water mix of subject matter. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein was the first of these summit meetings, although the title is a misnomer. Actually, Bud and Lou bump into most of the Universal heavy-hitters, including Count Dracula (played by Béla Lugosi himself), the Wolfman (Lon Chaney Jr.), and the Frankenstein monster (veteran monster Glenn Strange). There's even a token appearance by the Invisible Man, whose disembodied voice is recognizable as that of Vincent Price. Sure enough, the film is funny, especially since it gives the portly Costello multiple opportunities to do his wide-eyed, quivering scaredy-cat routine. Audiences ate it up, and in future installments Bud and Lou would run into Boris Karloff, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the Invisible Man, and the Mummy. But the first was the best. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

THE BEST HORROR COMEDY EVER! .......2007-06-29

It's funny how most of the Abbott & Costello horror comedies are not very good,yet this one works so well! This is a classic that I watch on Halloween just to prime me up for some great horror films.

Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein.......2007-06-21

Timeless classic blends comedy and monster movie, resulting in something spooky enough to excite kids without causing sleepless nights. The best A&C vehicle by far, its great to have Lugosi and Chaney on hand. A fast, funny scarefest that viewers of all ages should love.

True Classic!.......2007-06-13

Theres nothing that beats a movie that fits with famous movie monsters and this has it all. Very well known names in the movie that brings back great memories. A true gem to Abbott and Costello fans. Buy this cause they rarely play it on TV anymore. Highly Recommended!

Exorcising the Monsters.......2007-05-15

This film assumes a knowledge of the Hollywood horror films it satirizes, else it may not be appreciated. In London Larry Talbot tries to call America. Wilbur has a problem unloading a wagon, but Sandra likes him. A phone call warns him about two crates shipped to the House of Horror. Mr. McDougall got them dirt cheap from Europe - the remains of Dracula and Frankenstein! Chick and Wilbur must deliver the crates personally. Their banter is full of jokes. "Does Dracula know it?" the comedy comes from knowing what Chick and Wilbur can't see. The missing contents lead to an investigation by McDougall. We learn more about Sandra and her interest in Wilbur; its business not pleasure. Larry Talbot arrives, and asks to be locked in his room.

Wilbur and Chick arrive at the castle. They begin to search for the missing monsters, and Wilbur discovers them. But they disappear when Chick arrives. They all show up for the masquerade party. The full moon affects Larry Talbot. There is much comic action and confusion. [The special effects have advanced since the 1930s.] Chick and Larry arrive to rescue Joan and Wilbur. But Larry is affected by the full moon. There is a comic chase down the hall, and at the party. At the end the monsters are eliminated, at least as far as we can see. There is a clue to their next film.

The horror films of the 1930s reflect the concerns of people. "Frankenstein" represents the man-made horror of the Great Depression, almost beyond control. "Dracula" represents the threat of a powerful foreign ruler. World War Two saw an end to those fears. The horror films of the 1950s represented new fears, about the environment or society. "Them" or "The Creature from the Black Lagoon" are of one type. "The Invasion of the Body Snatchers" represent unnameable fear. "On the Beach" was the ultimate horror film, one that may have prevented a nuclear calamity.

The Best of The Best.......2007-03-09

A great classic !! Funny, enjoyable for all ages to watch !!

Average customer rating:

Listen guys, do I have to be around for this?
i liked this movie, i really did!
I'm glad Oscar voters didn't see this before they voted!
Not great, but it's decent.
Yawn............

Bait
Starring: Kirk Acevedo , Neil Crone , Megan Dodds , Jeffrey Donovan , and Kimberly Elise
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00003CXNG
Release Date: 2001-01-23

Amazon.com

When petty thief and hustler Alvin Sanders (Jamie Foxx from Any Given Sunday and The Wood) gets arrested for stealing shrimp, the worst of his problems would seem to be going to jail. Unfortunately, he ends up sharing a cell with a guy who, while stealing $42 million in gold from the Federal Reserve, double-crossed his partner--a partner with a knack for computers and a long memory. While being interrogated by a hardball Treasury agent (David Morse from The Green Mile), the double-crosser dies from heart failure. All the feds have are an incomprehensible message that was left with Alvin, so they decide to release him and use him as bait to catch the partner by secretly implanting a combination tracking device and electronic bug into Alvin's jaw. From that moment on, a surveillance team can follow Alvin's every move and hear his every word. Unfortunately, Alvin has a talent for getting into trouble--which means that the feds have to become his guardian angels so that he can serve his purpose. Bait certainly has its problems (there's a lot of fancy editing for no good reason, a few plot holes you could drive a truck through, and the actor playing the bad guy really wishes he was John Malkovich)--but even though it's nonsense, it's not predictable. The clever story moves along with surprising efficiency and has some successful comic bits. The characters can't be called well developed, but they aren't clichés; the movie doesn't require any great acting, but the cast is consistently engaging. In fact, Bait is one of the more enjoyable action movies of the past few years. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Listen guys, do I have to be around for this?.......2005-09-02

Are you familiar with concept of children's artwork? While it is not the greatest Picasso any three-year-old has ever accomplished with their fingers, you encourage them to do more. If painting is what makes them happy, there should be no reason a parent should hold that back on a child. Typically, if a child loves to paint or draw, you will immediately see the groundwork of their future style. You will begin to see their true form in these very primitive doodles. Well, this concept of children's artwork is how I felt about Fuqua's depressingly cheap and uncreative film Bait. While on all accounts it was a horrid film, it was impressive to see Fuqua's style begin emerging through even the messiest of moments. If you have seen either Training Day or King Arthur, you will be impressed with the birth of this director in his second film Bait. While Foxx gives a horrid, unchained performance, there are certain scenes, which define Fuqua and demonstrate his brilliance behind the camera. Sadly it only emerged in the final thirty minutes of the film, but if you focus just on those scenes, you will see why Fuqua's name appears on so many "Best Of..." film lists.

I will never disagree with someone that Fuqua's eye behind the camera is refreshing and unique. His ability to place a camera in the strangest of places to convey the simplest of emotions is shocking. I am surprised that more of Hollywood hasn't jumped aboard this bandwagon. Even in the silly feature Bait, you are witness to Fuqua's greatness. Two scenes that come directly to mind are the explosion scene near the middle of the film and the horse scene close to the end. In both of these scenes I saw the director Fuqua at work. Alas, in the rest of this film, all I saw was a combination of nearly every action film created. The likeable hero down on his luck that suddenly finds his life turned around by some unknown force is a classic structure that just needs to die in Hollywood. We have seen this two often, and no matter who you are (unless you are Charlie Kaufmann), you cannot recreate the wheel. It is just impossible with this genre, and it is proven with Bait. I was annoyed with Fuqua for just sitting back and allowing this to happen, which could explain why it took me three viewings to finish this film. I was just tired of the structure, and while I hoped that Fuqua would redefine it, he did not.

Then, there was the acting. While Jamie Foxx has never impressed me as an actor, I was willing to give this helmed vehicle a try. I wanted to see if he could pull off another dramatic role similar to Collateral. I was under the impression that perhaps this was the film chosen to show producers that Foxx could handle the role in Collateral. Again, I was disappointed. Foxx was annoying. Not in the sense that it was the way that his character was to be, but in the sense that it felt as if neither Fuqua nor Foxx took the time to fully train Foxx on what should be ad-libed and what should be used to further the plot. Instead, we are downtrodden with scene over scene of Foxx just trying to make the audience laugh. Adding second long quips and culture statements just to keep his audience understanding that he was a comedian first, an actor second. Fuqua should have stopped this immediately. Foxx's jokes destroyed his character, which in turn left me with nothing solid to grasp ahold of. Instead of character development, he would crack a joke. Neither style worked, no joke was funny. The rest of the cast was average. By this I mean I have seen them all in similar roles. They were brining nothing new to the table, nothing solid to the story, and nothing substantial to the overall themes of the film. They were pawns filling in dead air space. Fuqua had no control over this mess, and the final verdict only supports that accusation.

Overall, this was a sad film. With no creativity in sight and unmanaged actors just trying to upstage themselves, what originally started as a decent story eventually sunk faster into the cinematic quicksand. Foxx was annoying, without character lines, and a complete bag of cheese. In each scene I saw no emotion, and when emotion was needed to convey a message, he chose to take his shirt off rather than tackle the issues. Are my words harsh? I don't think so. When you watch any movie you want to see some creativity, some edible characters, and themes that seem to hit close to home. Bait contained none of these. While I will give Fuqua some credit for two of the scenes in this film, the remaining five hundred were disastrous. Apparently, I took the bait when renting this film, but now having seen it, hopefully I can stop others from taking that curious nibble.

Grade: ** out of ***** (for his two scenes that were fun to watch)

i liked this movie, i really did!.......2005-05-09

well i'm just a jamie fox fanatic, that's all. anything that he's in, i'll watch. and this movie had me on the edge of my seat. now there was some times i had to put my DVD player on pause because i did not want to see my Jamie get hurt, but i had to realize this was only a movie (yeah, yeah, i'm silly and trippin! so sue me!) but it was really fun to watch. i just think jamie foxx is so cute! i just love him. great action in this film. and David Morse was great too. i just want more Jamie, that's all.

I'm glad Oscar voters didn't see this before they voted!.......2005-04-25

Jamie Foxx deserved his Oscar for "Ray". Had he not been up against Morgan Freeman for "Million Dollar Baby" he may have deserved a second for "Collateral". (Though in comparison to "Ray" his performance there was decidedly second-rate.)I watched "Bait" to see what the other side of Jamie Foxx was like. There could very well be better examples of Foxx's comedic prowess, but this isn't it.

Antoine Fuqua has gotten a bad reputation. "Tears of the Sun" was mediocre at best. "The Replacement Killers" was loud, garish, and over-the-top. That one can be forgiven given its purpose but is unworthy of priase. "Training Day" was uncharacteristically wonderful and it was my first exposure to his work, so I was surprised that he was so reviled. Until now, that is.

"Bait" was shockingly violent. Sure, I've seen much worse, but they were not "action-comedies." Some of the images displayed here are not conducive to laughter. No big loss, there was no laughter to be had in the first place.

Not great, but it's decent........2004-05-15

I did not have high expectations for this film. The movie actually was not half bad. It's not great, but it will keep your interest. I think Jamie has the making of a potential action star if he gets a better developed script.

Yawn...................2004-02-05

Great, another pointless action movie that adds nothing to a tired, been-done-to-death genre. This thriller/ action/ suspense/ comedy combo doesn`t score well and is just another endless picture that makes little sense and has a contrived, unbelievable plot to match. Director Antoine Fuqua ("Training Day") offers a decent cinematography and an adequate urban soundtrack, but that doesn`t mean much when the characters are little more than carboard and the plot so bland. Forgettable.

Average customer rating:

Realistic Depiction of Drug Addiction
Must watch
A Very Overlooked Dark Comedy!
Gridlock'd (DVD)
Tupac's best acting performance

Gridlock'd
Starring: Richmond Arquette , Charles Fleischer , Howard Hesseman , Lucy Liu , and Billie Neal
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00007ELEN
Release Date: 2002-11-05

Amazon.com

British actor Tim Roth and the rapper Tupac Shakur are an unexpectedly charismatic and refreshing duo in this off-beat buddy movie. Closer than two brothers, these junkie musicians vow to kick their habits after a soul-shattering New Year's Eve. Gridlock'd is fueled by characterization, of which there is plenty, as the two play off one another with such finesse you would never know Shakur had been a relative novice to the acting profession. Off-beat humor lightens a bleak reality as these outcasts run smack against a brutal bureaucracy. Except for a tired subplot meant to jazz up the action, director Vondie Curtis-Hall employs an inventive approach in this sadly ignored theatrical release. --Rochelle O'Gorman

Customer Reviews:

Realistic Depiction of Drug Addiction.......2007-03-09

This movie gets 5 stars from me from the very realistic depiction of drug addiction and the performance of Tupac and Tim Roth. These two using buddies portray very real life issues and troubles of todays drug addicts. After rushing their musician partner to the hospital from a drug overdose they jump from problem to problem all the while trying to get help in kicking their habit. This movie has an excellent mixture of misery and humor that creates laughter and the hard face of realty at the same time. If you or anyone you've ever known has or ever had a drug problem you'll relate.

Must watch.......2007-01-19

This is one of the best movies I have ever seen. For a movie with very few action scenes, it keeps your interest the whole time. I think this movie really shows the unbelievable talent that Tupac Shakur had. Tim Roth and Tupac have an on screen chemistry that is rarely seen in movies lately. This is a must watch.

A Very Overlooked Dark Comedy!.......2006-11-04

This is a great film. Tupac Shakur and Tim Roth are excellent in this dark-comedy about two drug addicts who find that attempting to quit their drug habit [heroin] is easier said than done. And it's not that they don't try. Spoon (Tupac Shakur) gives a stellar performance as a junkie, who is also a musician. When his girlfriend has an accidental overdose, he decides the time has come to get clean. Along with his friend Stretch (Tim Roth), also a junkie, they both set out to get clean at one of their local clinics. However, bureaucracy stands in the way: They both learn a hard lesson in the jungle of red tape, which seems to be more of a hindrance than help.

When they both attempt to get help from their social service agencies, they find themselves stuck in a quagmire of red tape and delays. They must have a social security card [3 weeks to wait for]. They must have written documents that entitle them to recieve their treatment [3 to 6 weeks], etc. This goes on and on. No matter how hard they try to get treatment, from the Medical specialists who treat heroin addiction, to the social service agencies, whose help they need to get the assistance, they are both met with hostile bureaucrats and numbing red tape. Not only do they find that they cannot just walk in and get treatment, they must go to the agencies which will identify them as addicts. The problem is, every agency shuffles them to another agency. And some of the social service agencies are not in the locations listed in their help guides. Guides given to them by the social service agencies.

However, this is only part of their problems. Their long time drug dealer has been murdered. And they know who the killer is. Moreover, the killers know who they are. Further, the police have them down as suspects in this drug dealers murder. Therefore, they have the police hot on their backs [with descriptions of what they look like] Drug dealers out to kill them, and more importantly, they cannot get into a drug program until they have all the necessary paperwork from the state social service agencies. All they wanted to do was get off drugs, however, they find that the wall of red tape is more than they can handle. Will they get into a drug program? Will they be nabbed by the police? Or will the drug runners get them first? I leave this to the viewer to watch. The film is highly recommended. Both Tim Roth and the late Tupac Shakur compliment each other tremendously in the film. Highly recommended!

Gridlock'd (DVD).......2006-03-17

Before his untimely death, rapper-actor Tupac Shakur left behind a number of completed films in the can. The first to see the light of day is Gridlock'd, the energetic and enjoyable screenwriting and directing debut of actor Vondie Curtis-Hall (Broken Arrow, TV's Chicago Hope and Cop Rock).

After his girlfriend Cookie (Thandie Newton) falls into a drug-induced coma, heroin junkie Spoon (Shakur) decides to lay off the dope, forcing his comrade-in-blow Stretch (Tim Roth) to join him in detox. This simple decision sets off an exhausting chain of events where Stretch and Spoon run around town dealing with bureaucrats of varying rigidity and flee from a drug kingpin (Curtis-Hall) and the police, who suspect the two when a fellow drug fiend and his girlfriend are murdered.

Sounds like pretty heavy stuff, and sometimes it is. But like the big heroin-themed Trainspotting, the film is often quite funny, deftly walking the thin line between the harrowing and the hilarious. And the humor does not come out of nowhere and feel out of place; like life itself, comedy sometimes spring forth naturally from tragedy, with some inherent dark humor being found in what can be seen as the most serious of moments. But this is not to say that Curtis-Hall glosses over heroin addiction. Spoon and especially Stretch are seen for what they are--loser junkies--living in a dirty, cluttered apartment and getting into messes they could easily have avoided, often getting out through sheer luck alone (which results in some overly contrived moments). Curtis-Hall does add some interesting visual flair to the proceedings, using flashy editing and whatnot.

But even with Curtis-Hall's able efforts behind the camera, Gridlock'd could not have possibly worked without a convincing, charismatic lead duo, and Shakur and Roth fit the bill perfectly. Roth has the showier role, playing pathetic, dirty, and just plain wacky Stretch, and he pulls it off as well as one expects (even though his natural British accent sometimes slips into his on-screen New York accent). Shakur's more sensible Spoon is the straight man, but he is far from upstaged, holding his own with his confident, commanding presence; he truly had a bright future in film. Roth and Shakur's rapport is so natural, so effortless that you have no problem believing that they are longtime friends. It's too bad that a reteaming of the two is out of the question.

The pileup of films currently released amounts to one big traffic jam at movie houses, but the entertaining Gridlock'd should have had no problem clearing a path to box office success.

Rest in peace Tupac Shakur.

Tupac's best acting performance.......2005-11-28

I have seen most of the films that Tupac acted in and I think this is easily his best performance, anyone who thinks he can't act should definetely watch this. In fact it is credit to both Tupac and Tim Roth that I have given this film 4 stars as very little actually happens in the film, it is basically just a day in the life of two drug addicts, trying to kick the habit.

After their band member and shared lover has an overdose at the start of the film, the two main charaters run around town trying to get enrolled on a detox program. Everywhere they go though they are prevented from doing so by various problems and they are given the run around all over town. Meanwhile they unwittingly end up as the main suspects in a drug related murder, and they are also chased by drug dealers whose stash they unknowingly took. By the end of the film the plot is cleverly linked together, and the film is at times very funny.

I would urge people to watch this film to see great performances by both Tim Roth and Tupac, and though there is little action in the film, their performances and a clever script make this an enjoyable film.

Average customer rating:

Sexy Italian Slapstick

Ubalda, All Naked and Warm
Starring: Edwige Fenech , and Karin Schubert
Director: Mariano Laurenti
Manufacturer: NoShame Films
ProductGroup: DVD
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Giovannona Long-Thigh
The Most Beautiful Wife
Perversion Story
Christina
Lady Libertine

ASIN: B000HT3QCI
Release Date: 2006-11-14

Customer Reviews:

Sexy Italian Slapstick.......2007-05-26

This comedy is about two men in late Middle Ages Italy trying to bed each other's wives. Things are complicated by the fact that both men put their wives in to chastity belts, which only aids the women avoid sex with either of them. However, as the girls have both managed to procure duplicate keys, it hasn't slowed down their interest in other men, so there are assorted lovers secreted in or under various items of household furniture.

The comedy is based on light slapstick: falling down ladders, being clunked over the head with a pipe, brawling in the flour mill. That sort of thing. It has a lightweight script and plot which romps happily along and makes the movie reasonably enjoyable, aided by the Maciavellian machinations of all concerned.

What makes the movie even more enjoyable are the two female leads (Edwige Fenech, before she so tragically cut her hair, and Karin Schubert) who are both sensationally gorgeous and who are rarely fully clad. There is no full frontal nudity or graphic sex scenes, thus preventing the movie deteriorating into outright sleeze, but the ladies spend considerable time desporting themselves in only their chastity belts, which, although they are supposed to have been made by the local blacksmith, appear to have been designed by the Middle Ages equivalent of Victoria's Secret. There is a marvellous scene of Edwige running through the countryside in slow motion in only her chastity belt. This scene on its own makes the movie worth the price and demonstrates, without doubt, why healthy, naturally beautiful women are so much more attractive than modern anorexic, young skeletons with two halves of a basketball sewn on their chests. Especially when they are running topless! Oh, for the good old pre-plastiboob days!

In short, this movies is no masterpiece, but it is lightweight, sexy fun. Watch and enjoy! Oh, and watch for the priest with the reputation!

Average customer rating:

A Slight Case of Murder
This comedy was way before its time.
Gold Velvet Beer is Awful!
Inspiration for "Arsenic and Old Lace"?
Hilarious send up of gangster genre

A Slight Case of Murder
Starring: Edward G. Robinson , Jane Bryan , Allen Jenkins , Ruth Donnelly , and Willard Parker
Director: Lloyd Bacon , Crane Wilbur , and Chuck Jones
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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ASIN: B000FI9OCC
Release Date: 2006-07-18

Amazon.com

Anyone with a fondness for the classic Warner Bros. gangster pictures--and those classic character actors who seemed to show up in every movie the studio made--should relish this cheerful late-'30s takeoff on the genre. Edward G. Robinson exuberantly sends up his own "Little Caesar" image, playing a beer baron named Remy Marco who made a dishonest fortune during Prohibition and craves respectability as a legitimate businessman once beer becomes legal again. Problem is, he's no longer the sole source of suds, and as nobody has ever had the heart to tell him, his product tastes like varnish. What's more, just as the bank is about to foreclose on his brewery, he finds that his summer vacation home upstate is inconveniently full of fresh gangland corpses....

Based on a play by Howard Lindsay and "guys and dolls" chronicler Damon Runyon, and helmed by one of Warners' zippiest directors, Lloyd Bacon, A Slight Case of Murder features a trio of delicious lugs--Allen Jenkins, Edward Brophy, and Harold Huber--as Marco's house staff and the hilarious Ruth Donnelly as his blowsy wife, with an affected upper-crust accent that keeps slipping. Add a supporting cast of characters with monikers like Innocence, No-Nose Cohen, Douglas Fairbanks Rosenbloom, and Sad Sam the Bookie, and you should be one happy citizen. --Richard T. Jameson

Description

Prohibition's ban on booze is over, and that means bootlegger Remy Marco must make some changes. Don't go calling his beer-peddling enterprise a racket. It's now a business. Employees are no longer lugs or palookas, they're associates. And don't refer to Marco as da boss. Use sir. He's gone legit, see? Edward G. Robinson plays Marco, spoofing his Little Caesar persona in a comedy spree based on Damon Runyon and Howard Lindsay's Broadway play. Lloyd Bacon, director of Robinson's gangster sendups Brother Orchid and Larceny, Inc., guides with screwball flair as corpses, creditors, the swellest of swells and more mayhem descend on Marco. Allen Jenkins, Edward Brophy and Harold Huber ? with 340+ career credits between them ? are among the lugs-cum-associates. You're about to open a major case of laughter.

Customer Reviews:

A Slight Case of Murder.......2007-06-20

Cheekily spoofing his "Little Caesar" image, Robinson owns and relishes the role of Remy Marco in this Warners send-up of its own successful, '30s-era gangster dramas. Adding to the fun is a large cast of bit players and interlaced plotlines involving a bank heist, a cigar-smoking orphan brat (Bobby Jordan), a stuffy, disapproving future father-in-law (Paul Harvey), and the bumbling trio of cop-hating mugs who take orders (most of the time) from Mr. Marco. "Murder" is a witty, uproarious parody that will put a permanent smile on most any mug.

This comedy was way before its time........2007-01-31

Even if you are not an Edward G. Robinson fan, you will appreciate his character and the outstanding troop around him. The comedy is wise-guy and quick. Too quick, I believe for audiences when it first came out. It takes two or 3 viewings to catch the bountiful one-liners and dark humor. I first saw the movie on WGN 15 years ago, and have been looking for it ever since. I could not wait to share it with my family when it came out on DVD. The comedy is drawn from the prohibition period and murder, so I would recommend a pre-movie talk with young viewers to give them some context of the 20s and 30s. Other than that, it is pretty tame compared to "G" and "PG" rated stuff out there today. Have fun with this great old movie.

Gold Velvet Beer is Awful!.......2007-01-22

I enjoyed this comedic twist on the old-school gangster flick.

Inspiration for "Arsenic and Old Lace"?.......2006-12-18

"A Slight Case of Murder" led me to comparisons with "Arsenic and Old Lace". Maybe it's the bothersome corpses, the underworld characters, the clueless relatives, or the bumbling law enforcement characters but there is definitely a similarity. Most of all, the similarity is that the movies are quite humorous and very enjoyable. "Arsenic and Old Lace" scores higher in my book due to the quality of the acting, directing and writing but both are well worth the time. Most people are aquainted with "Old Lace" and, if not, it's fairly available . This was the first oppotunity I had to see "A Slight Case of Murder".

The best part of ASCOM is the preformance of Edward G. Robinson; one of the great actors of the 30's and 40's. He plays a good "heavy" yet fits right in with the humor. The only other name in the cast that I recognized was the wisenheimer sidekick character actor Allen Jenkins. The plot, written in part by Damon Runyon, has a Prohibition bootlegger go legitimate after booze was legalized again. When the bootlegger (Robinson) had a monopoly, it didn't matter what his beer tasted like. Once the professionals got back into the market, no one wanted his brand. So the money problems mount up, he's in debt, his daughter is going to get married and he has to pay off his loan or lose everything. The stage is set for a lot of interesting twists and turns.

If ASCOM has a short coming (and this wouldn't have mattered much back in 1937) it's that some of what we are asked to accept is a bit too much. I'm sure fans of "CSI" would have a fit with the outcome. However, the movie puts us in a mood to relax and enjoy so why bother with such details. "A Slight Case of Murder" is one of those films I like to call a retro-sleeper.

Hilarious send up of gangster genre.......2006-08-12

"A Slight Case of Murder" represented a welcome change of pace in 1938 for Edward G Robinson whereby he was able to send up his gangster image. Robinson plays Remy Marcos, a bootlegger during prohibition who goes straight with its repeal and into the legitimate brewery business. The only problem is that his beer tastes lousy and business is bad now that the suckers are not forced to buy his product through strong arm tactics.

The film was written by Damon Runyon, among others, and it reflects this with the slang and wealth of "small" characters which fill the film. The premise of the crook trying to go straight is a brilliant base for the hilarious comedy which follows, including Remy's wife Ruth Donnelly, flicking between highbrow talk and slang as she goes up market and superb support from Allen Jenkins, Ed Brophy and others as thugs who have to toe the line. Even one of the Dead End Kids appears as the child from the Orphanage Remy grew up in and chosen to spend a month in Remy's house. The scene at the orphanage with Margaret Hamilton, "Ain't changed a bit, as slick as a horse hair couch" says Remy to her, is as funny as anything in any film of the thirties. Also, the scene when the boys discuss the disposal of 4 dead bodies is side splitting. As the plot progresses, The jokes pile up, one after another, never letting up right to the superb finish.

The DVD print is excellent and there is the usual generous list of extras which Warner Brothers offer on their DVDs. The documentary commentary is more interesting than the hesitant and repetitive drone of the verbal commentary which can be played with the film. A pity too, because the commentator has some worthwhile observations to make and places the film squarely in its context of the 1938 Warner Brother's production line.

If the DVD is purchased as part of the Warner's Tough Guys Collection of which it is the forgotten gem, it is great value.

Average customer rating:

Realistic Depiction of Drug Addiction
Must watch
A Very Overlooked Dark Comedy!
Gridlock'd (DVD)
Tupac's best acting performance

Gridlock'd
Starring: Richmond Arquette , Charles Fleischer , Howard Hesseman , Lucy Liu , and Billie Neal
Manufacturer: Polygram USA
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Comic Action | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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Gang Related
Bullet
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ASIN: 6304707541
Release Date: 1997-12-09

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Realistic Depiction of Drug Addiction.......2007-03-09

Must watch.......2007-01-19

A Very Overlooked Dark Comedy!.......2006-11-04

Gridlock'd (DVD).......2006-03-17

Tupac's best acting performance.......2005-11-28

Average customer rating:

The Night That Never Happened
Starring: Harrison Young
Manufacturer: Playboy Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( N ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Havoc (Unrated Version)

ASIN: B00005RYM1
Release Date: 1999-09-07

Average customer rating:

Unbelievable movie - I was stunned!

Straight Right
Starring: Brent Smith , Lynn Evans , Zeke Rippy , Bob White (IX) , and Benny Hernandez
Director: P. David Ebersole
Manufacturer: Ariztical Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Crime & Criminals | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Sports | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B0001ME5EE
Release Date: 2004-05-25

Product Description

Caleb Johnson (Brent Smith), a pro boxer, who is ready for one of the biggest fights of his life, he s going up for boxing's Lightweight Championship Title of the world, but when trouble erupts, his life takes an awkward turn. Caleb witnesses a chilling act of abuse that rips open his own repressed memories of childhood violence. He then decides to become a vigilante and dedicate his life to saving abused children in his neighborhood. Meanwhile, his wife frets as a pair of crackerjack detectives slowly close in on the self-appointed strong arm of the law. Everything he cares about in life is put at risk when he decides to take matters, and the law, into his own hands.

Customer Reviews:

Unbelievable movie - I was stunned!.......2004-09-26

This movie floored me. It's not often that a movie affects me like this one did. As a matter of fact, the last movie that had this kind of affect on me, even though it is very different, was The Crow.

At the end of that one, I just layed my head down on my girlfriend's lap and cried - and couldn't stop. I think maybe it was because of what happened to Brandon Lee, but it was actually kind of embarassing, I just couldn't stop.

With this movie, it was just the absolute pain that the protagonist was in, all from not being able to get over the traumatization of what happened to him when he was a child. He starts trying to keep the same thing that happened to him from happening to other kids, but with disastrous results.

I was just rapt the entire movie, watching it unfold, wondering where it would go. And where it did end up going was tragic, but it was also compelling and beautiful. And while I didn't lay in my (now wife's) lap and cry the way I did with The Crow, I did just sit on my couch with goose bumps all over me until well after the credits were done.

It's been several days now since I saw it and, literally, every day since I saw it, I have stopped at some point in the day and gone back over certain scenes and moments from "Straight Right". Congratulations to everyone involved w/ that movie. You should hold your heads high.

DVD:

DVD

DVD

DVD

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