Man and Boy

Starring:Bill Cosby, Gloria Foster, Leif Erickson, George Spell, Douglas Turner Ward, John Anderson, Henry Silva, Dub Taylor, Yaphet Kotto, Shelley Morrison, Richard Bull, Robert Lawson (II), Jason Clark, Fred Graham, Jack Owens (II), Buster Shavers, Sam Partridge, Horace Owens, Joe Samsil, Mark Atwell
Director: E.W. Swackhamer
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

When egghead Scotty Smalls moves to town just before the summer vacation of 1962, his first priority is to make friends. He heads to the nearby sandlot only to humiliate himself before the local kids, but star player Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez befriends the awkward boy, teaches him the basics of baseball, and welcomes him to the team. It's a summer filled with camaraderie and fun until Smalls hits his first home run. Problem is, Smalls's home run sends his stepfather's "Babe Ruth" autographed baseball into a neighboring yard that's patrolled by a snarling, slobbering monster called "The Beast." Creativity reigns and hilarity ensues when the boys risk everything to retrieve the ball. A final heroic encounter with "The Beast" and his owner yields some very surprising results. Action, humor, and friendship permeate this 101-minute film appropriate for ages 5 and older. Rated PG due to name-calling and some pubescent behavior. --Tami Horiuchi

Description

It's the early 1960s and fifth-grader Scotty Smalls (Tom Guiry) has just moved into town with his folks (Karen Allen and Denis Leary). Kids call him a dork—he can't even throw a baseball! But that changes when the leader of the neighborhood gang recruits him to play on the nearby sandlot field. It's the beginning of a magical summer of baseball, wild adventures, first kisses, and fearsome confrontations with the dreaded Beast and its owner (James Earl Jones) who live behind the left field fence. Soon nine boys have become best friends, Scotty is part of a team, and their leader has become a local legend in this hilarious and warmhearted comedy.

Customer Reviews:

My grandson's favorite.......2007-05-22

He is 7. We watched it once awhile ago. He talked so much about that great movie with the big dog that I finally sent him one of his own!

A Classic, lots of laughs!.......2007-05-07

Great movie for a baseball lover or someone who loves to laugh!

I had this on VHS for a bit and was glad when it was releasedon DVD. Now it will last FOR-EV-ERR!

A funny and classic baseball-worship kind of movie.......2007-04-12

Scotty Smalls moves to Los Angeles in the early 60's just two weeks before the 5th grade school year ends, which isn't enough time to make friends before summer vacation. He's still getting used to his new step-father and doesn't know how to catch or throw a baseball, and to make matters worse doesn't even know who the "Great Bambino" is. Some of the neighborhood kids gather every day at "the sandlot," their own personal baseball kingdom, and he tries to casually join them. But it isn't until Bennie Rodriguez, the best and most ardent player of them all, asks him to join and gives him the confidence he needs to learn to play. It makes for the best summer of his life and lifelong friendships, especially when he unknowingly uses a baseball signed by Babe Ruth, and hits it over the fence into the yard of "The Beast," a huge baseball-eating dog.

This is one of those classic baseball-worship movies on a par with "Field of Dreams" and other favorites. Plus, it's a great family movie with few profanities - it's funny and the things the kids do and say resonate with everyone whether or not you grew up playing another sport or in another time period. My kids love to watch it regularly, and I'm impressed with how good some of the children actors are (James Earl Jones also has a bit part at the end). I especially like the scene where they play baseball against the "rich kids" on their real baseball field (mostly because it's the field where I played Little-League as a kid - which wasn't on the "rich" side of town and it's not really LA!), but my kids like the pool scene.

Excellent movie for young baseball players.......2007-03-31

Bought this for my 8 year old grandson for his birthday and although he never heard of it, he absolutely loved it and had to go out and buy the Sandlot 2 right away! Nice, clean, fun with a learning behind it (of course).

NOT A BASEBALL FAN, BUT GOOD MOVIE.......2007-03-26

IM NOT A BIG BASEBALL FAN SO TO ME THIS MOVIE WAS OK. THE ACTORS ARE REALLY GOOD AND THEY MAKE IT AN EXCITING MOVIE TO WATCH EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT A BASEBALL FAN! THE BEST PART IS THE "KISS"

Jerry Lewis - The Legendary Jerry Collection (The Bellboy / Cinderfella / The Delicate Delinquent / The Disorderly Orderly / The Errand Boy / The Family Jewels / The Ladies Man / The Nutty Professor / The Patsy / The Stooge)

Average customer rating:

I'm a Sucker for All Things Silly
Almost Perfect
Jerry Lewis Rocks!
Classic Laughs!
The Bellhop

Jerry Lewis - The Legendary Jerry Collection (The Bellboy / Cinderfella / The Delicate Delinquent / The Disorderly Orderly / The Errand Boy / The Family Jewels / The Ladies Man / The Nutty Professor / The Patsy / The Stooge)
Starring: Jerry Lewis
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis Collection - Vol. 1 (The Caddy / Jumping Jacks / My Friend Irma / My Friend Irma Goes West / Sailor Beware / Scared Stiff / That's My Boy)
Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis Collection - Vol. 2 (You're Never Too Young / Artists and Models / Living It up / Pardners / Hollywood or Bust)
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis Collection
At War With the Army
The Best of Abbott & Costello, Vol. 4 (Abbott & Costello Meet Dr. Jekyl & Mr. Hyde / Abbott & Costello Meet the Keystone Cops / Abbott & Costello Meet the Mummy / Abbott & Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld / Abbott & Costello Meet the Monsters / The World of Abbott & Costello)

ASIN: B000ANVQ4G
Release Date: 2005-10-25

Amazon.com

This 10-DVD boxed set is a delight for anyone afflicted with a susceptibility to the fractured antics of Jerry Lewis, or "Le Roi du Crazy" to the French. This set emphasizes Lewis's busy period after the breakup with Dean Martin, when he was exerting more influence over his vehicles (six of the titles are directed by Jerry himself) and almost single-handedly keeping Paramount Pictures propped up with his box-office take. The set curiously includes one of the Martin-Lewis pictures, 1953's The Stooge, which has echoes of the real-life vibe between Jerry and Dino.

The other titles include Lewis's 1957 solo starring debut, The Delicate Delinquent, and his directing bow, The Bellboy (1960). The latter is an often-ingenious and plotless collection of gags with Jerry as a bellhop in Miami Beach's Fountainebleau Hotel. His character doesn't speak (making the connection with silent cinema more pointed), but in one uproarious sequence the obnoxious movie star "Jerry Lewis" comes to visit the hotel.

The Ladies Man puts Lewis alone in a boarding house full of women. This film's bizarre sexual politics (and its amazing cut-away set) helps explain why French critics such as Jean-Luc Godard consider Lewis a cinematic genius--Godard actually borrowed the cut-away set idea for his film Tout va bien. The Errand Boy is a cascade of gags strung together on the set of "Paramutual Pictures," a movie studio that employs Lewis's klutzy gofer; it features one of Jerry's best musical miming routines. The Patsy is another good one, as nebbish Jerry is drafted into impersonating a famous deceased celebrity, but by 1965's The Family Jewels the inspiration is flagging a bit.

Two of the titles are directed by Lewis's mentor, Frank Tashlin. Cinderfella works a sentimental variation on the fairy tale; it's slow and at times mawkish, but some of Lewis's physical stuff is top-notch. The Disorderly Orderly is livelier, with a hospital setting and some of Jerry's most inspired babbling. The box also includes Lewis's acknowledged high point, The Nutty Professor, in its special-edition form. Its Jekyll-and-Hyde story is still the funniest and weirdest premise Lewis ever had. There are other Lewis films out there, but this box is definitely the cream of the career. If some of the jokes haven't aged well (and those who can't stand his mugging won't be convinced even by this set), Lewis still seems a more interesting filmmaker than he's usually given credit for. Extras include some disappointing commentaries with Lewis and Steve Lawrence, plus a smattering of outtakes, some of them funny and/or revealing of Lewis's directing technique. --Robert Horton

Description

Contains: The Nutty Professor, The Ladies' Man, The Delicate Delinquent, Cinderfella, The Bell Boy, The Errand Boy, The Patsy, The Disorderly Orderly, The Family Jewels, and The Stooge.

Customer Reviews:

I'm a Sucker for All Things Silly.......2007-06-19

This box set is right up my alley. No, it's not perfect. I also wanted Who's Minding the Store, The Geisha Boy, and Visit to a Small Planet. But you can't have everything. I do like the clear picture and sound on these films. What a fun trip down memory lane.
I haven't had a chance to watch the film which includes Dean Martin. That's back-burner for me. So, as for Jerry's films themselves...

The Good -
The Nutty Professor has been called his best. I really love it. Just great stuff, smooth and funny and colorful. But I hate the Buddy Love character. Totally one dimensional, one of the most obnoxious jerks you'd ever meet, and too much makeup. However, this movie has some truly brilliant comedy before it adds some maudlin goop (a lot of Lewis' work tends to do this sometimes, so you have to roll with it). This is probably the height of his talents.

The Ladies Man is a lot of fun at Miss Welonmelon's boarding house, with some great bits: the butterflies, feeding Baby, the Southern gal's incomprehensible dialogue, fixing the gangster's hat, wiping Welonmelon's portait (that always makes me laugh out loud!), and the microphone problem while broadcasting 'Up Your Street'. There's a rather sudden ending, but this is one of my favorites in Jerry's career. Amazing set, too.

The Bellboy is very enjoyable, and extremely rewatchable because it has a lot going on, one thing after another. The lunch counter gag kills me. And you can't beat Jerry tampering with a clay bust that's still wet. Very good overall. And his character has virtually no dialogue.

The Fair -
The Errand Boy is a fairly good comedy, a typical vehicle for Jerry Lewis. Again, slipping into pathos and mush (with the puppets) seems completely out of place with the pace and feel of this movie, no matter how charming and sweetly executed. But the scene where Jerry butchers all the last names is hilarious.

The Disorderly Orderly is part slapstick and part depressing psychological study. Some wonderful comic bits cannot overcome the serious feel that the movie plays with in the pretty blonde patient who is so bitter, resentful to everyone, and very troubled. If you took out all the parts with her and then extended the slapstick, you'd have a better flick. Just my opinion.

The Family Jewels is cute, definitely a family film; I liked this more than I remembered. Which uncle will young Donna choose to raise her? Granted, you know the ending long before it happens, but I loved the part when Jerry as the pilot takes the old ladies on a trip. Silly, surreal, and fun. Only on a plane with Jerry does the in-flight film become affected by the angle that the plane is flying. And Jerry gets to don five silly disguises in this movie, Uncle Julius being the same character as the Nutty Professor.

The Bad -
The Patsy just doesn't do it for me; taking the same exact concept as The Errand Boy (bigwigs need a substitute immediately and grab the first idiot they see), this movie grows tedious rapidly. It is not as funny as we expect.

Cinderfella is a musical that I don't care for; although it is nice to look at and has a few nice moments, the completely glacial flow kills it. It is slow, dull, and talky. It's not funny. (And Ed Wynn looks like he just returned from a three day drunk in Vegas.) Maybe this would have been a better film if Jerry had written it and directed it. Sorry, but a big yawn.

I still have to watch The Delicate Delinquent, but so far I am pleased with this collection. The bottom line is that this set has a handful of terrific movies that you just don't see on television any longer. And the gems make up for the duds, definitely.

Almost Perfect.......2007-03-08

The product was precisely what was ordered, but the back of the packaging had a gash in it that went through the plastic into the cardboard.

Jerry Lewis Rocks!.......2007-03-08

The Master. Unfortunately, we don't find this type of humor anymore, so we need to keep it alive.

Classic Laughs!.......2007-02-22

Great Praice for 10 classics and lots of laughs! If you are a Jerry fan, you will really enjoy these movies! (especally "Family Jewels", Priceless!)

The Bellhop.......2007-02-20

This collection is a must for Jerry Lewis fans - a delightful return to the days when comedy was clean and presented by talented people.

Average customer rating:

Good Ol' Charlie Brown
Three Cheers for A Boy Named Charlie Brown!!!
Have your kids watch someone get verbally abused through half the movie
A Great DVD product
This movie was in widescreen.

Peanuts - A Boy Named Charlie Brown
Starring: David Carey , Christopher de Faria , Sally Dryer , Pamelyn Ferdin , and Glenn Gilger
Director: Bill Melendez
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000E1NX9A
Release Date: 2006-03-28

Amazon.com essential video

Things get off to a bumpy start. First, Charlie fails to make anything profound out of the cloud formations above, just a "ducky" and a "horsy." (But that's always been one of his best qualities--he calls them as he sees them.) Then he has a disastrous kite experience, followed by further humiliation on the baseball field (with its dandelion-covered pitching mound). Just when it seems as if things couldn't get much worse--they don't. Charlie finds something he's good at. Lucy, Violet, and the rest of the Peanuts gang doubt that his spelling bee winning streak can possibly last, but Charlie proves them all wrong and makes it to the national championships in New York City. His best pal, Linus, and free-spirited pooch, Snoopy, arrive shortly afterwards and provide their support. Granted, this rare, full-length feature film ends just as it began, with one more small humiliation, but it's Charlie's achievement that leaves the bigger impression. There are even a few lessons to be learned, but the tone is never preachy or condescending. Along the way, there are numerous pleasures to enjoy: Vince Guaraldi's classic Oscar-nominated score (featuring lyrics by Rod McKuen), the brightly hued, clean-lined animation (which occasionally erupts into impressionist and pop art flights of fancy), Schroeder's lovely rendition of Beethoven's Pathetique Sonata, Snoopy's ice-skating escapade at Rockefeller Plaza, and Linus's Fred Astaire-inspired dance with his long lost blanket. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Product Description

Join Charlie Brown and the rest of the delightful "Peanuts" gang in their smashing debut on the silver screen in the late Charles M. Schulz's first full-length animated motion picture. It's a movie filled with all the characters and charm that has made "Peanuts" the most popular comic strip in the world. And it is musical entertainment that will positively make you grin from ear to ear. Our story begins with Charlie Brown gearing up for his first pitch of the baseball season - stopping midstream because his pitcher's mound is filled with dandelions. It's one enchanting scene after another in this very special movie that brings all our "Peanuts" characters to fun-loving life. With excitement added by Vince Gauraldi's jazz music and songs by Rod McKuen, A Boy Named Charlie Brown is a motion picture Gene Shalit said is "so cheerful I can hardly wait for the next one!"

Customer Reviews:

Good Ol' Charlie Brown.......2007-04-20

Peanuts...now that's what humanity is all about. This movie will be around in another 50 years, standing the test of time. Trying and trying again no matter how many times you miss the football. That's what Charlie Brown is all about, and that's why he's "Good Ol' Charlie Brown".

Thank you, Charles Schulz.

Three Cheers for A Boy Named Charlie Brown!!!.......2007-03-23

This DVD was worth every penny for such humorous, family-friendly entertainment. As a thirty-something mom of two little ones, 2 and 4 years, I highly recommend this DVD to other parents of young children. This retro Peanuts film is for anyone who enjoys the ups and downs of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and other quirky Peanuts characters, and the excellent retro-jazz/piano/rock sets, vivid colors, and an added bonus of guaranteed smiles and laughter from the viewers in your home.

Have your kids watch someone get verbally abused through half the movie.......2007-02-26

This is a wonderful movie - with much more artistic content than the earlier shorter Christmas story video. It is great except that for half the movie people are calling Charlie Brown names. Blockhead, worthless, etc etc. We had to stop the movie while our four year old was half through. I should have prescreened it.

I don't trust peanuts videos now - for my impressionable four year old. Maybe when she is older...

A Great DVD product.......2007-01-07

When I inserted the DVD into the DVD player I was pleasantly suprised that the movie was a widescreen presentation. I was happy to be able to watch this movie in its original theatrical format.

This movie was in widescreen........2006-11-22

I first saw this movie when it was released in theaters in 1969 and it was in WIDESCREEN. It was made for the big screen, not for TV.

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
ProductGroup: DVD
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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.

Average customer rating:

Good Story Line
Not nearly as good as the book
Where The Red Fern Grows
It was pretty good.
where the red fern grows!!!!!!

Where the Red Fern Grows
Starring: Joseph Ashton , Dabney Coleman , Ned Beatty , Dave Matthews , and Renee Faia
Director: Sam Pillsbury , and Lyman Dayton
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Summer of the Monkeys

ASIN: B0002S64VO
Release Date: 2004-12-21

Amazon.com

Based on Wilson Rawls's 1961 novel of the same name, Where the Red Fern Grows is the touching story of a 12-year-old, Ozark mountain boy (Joseph Ashton) who wants a dog so badly he performs odd jobs for months and saves enough to get two hunting hounds. Just as he hoped, the dogs usher in a period of golden adventure and happiness. Moreover, the pets prove profitable at awards shows and courageous while fending off danger from wild animals. No story about a farm boy and his best four-legged pals is complete, however, without sacrifice and ensuing wisdom; Where the Red Fern Grows has plenty of both. This 2003 feature is co-directed by the original 1974 film's producer and screenwriter, Lyman Dayton, and while it is both efficient and emotionally effective, one might have expected this second go-round to be a bit more deeply felt. Supporting performances by Dabney Coleman and Kris Kristofferson are commendable, while Dave Matthews (yes, that Dave Matthews) has a sweet presence as the hero's kind father. --Tom Keogh

Description

"The Roots of a Classic" - Explore the story's journey from book to film through interviews with the author's wife and filmmakers. "Lights, Camera, Animals" - See how the film's animal stars were "discovered" and trained for their roles.

Customer Reviews:

Good Story Line.......2007-07-08

This version stuck closer to the book than the orginal 1974 version. It is a great extra for a class whose is reading the novel. Overall, worth the money.

Not nearly as good as the book.......2007-02-28

This book lacks so much in emotion and drama. Whereas I cried my eyes out in the book (every time I read it), I didn't even come close in the movie. They left out so many important things. I HATE how they changed the hunt. That was one of the best parts of the novel. I got this to show to my fifth grade class. They agree the book was so much better!

Where The Red Fern Grows.......2006-08-26

Billy Coleman's dream is to have 'coon hounds, but his family is too poor to buy them for him, so he works hard to earn the money himself, and in so doing finds out what his Grandpa meant by "meeting God halfway". Old Dan and Little Anne are two Red Bone coonhounds, the incarnation of his childhood dream . . . and, as it turns out, the answere to his mother's prayers that God would take their family to a place where her childred could go to school, and to church, and build themselves a future. Billy is a good kid, and this movie is something the whole family can watch together and enjoy. To families with small children, I would reccomend this new version by Walt Disney over the older version. There is a sad part where a boy named Rubin falls on a hunting axe and dies, and another part where a Puma fights with Old Dan and injures him. In this newer version, these parts are soft-soaped, whereas in the older version, they can really freak you out. To adults and older children, I would reccomend the older version. The story just draws you in in a way this new one doesn't. The charactors have more depth, and the acting is convincing in such a way as to make you forget it IS acting. How interesting that even some of the kids who reviewed this movie seemed to notice the false note, and the dependancy on hill-billy music to achieve a feeling of authenticity . . . This younger generation is nobody's fool.

It was pretty good........2006-08-22

When I watched this movie,I cannot say I was moved.The lines were basically like the older one.But alot of mood and things were diffrent.I did not sense a strong bond between Billy Coleman and his coon dogs as I did in the older one.But in some other ways it was better.It was more family orientated and the acting and lines was performed well.

where the red fern grows!!!!!!.......2006-08-10

Stuart Dickison did such an amazing job as Rubin Pritchard.He was in great shape and he was a very very good actor. And he had tons of expression. I just want to let Stuart Dickison know that im proud of him. In the book they desribed Rubin as "mean,dirty,cruel" but in the movie Rubin was a sweetheart:) He's my favourite character in the movie! It was so sad when he fell on the ax, his funeral music was so sad:( Stuart you did such a great job, im proud of you, to me your the star actor:)

Your number one fan
Laken:)

P.S It's for my pa all right:)

Average customer rating:

"He was not a pet, he was a person"
Don't get me wrong, the movie is brilliant...
Man's Best friend
The most conservative work of fiction I've ever read. I don't think this aspect of the story transfers well to the big screen
Still trying to figure this film out

A Boy & His Dog
Starring: Hal Baylor , Susanne Benton , Don Carter , Ron Feinberg , and Michael Hershman
Manufacturer: First Run Features
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000C825J
Release Date: 2003-11-18

Amazon.com essential video

Closely adapted from the acclaimed novella by Harlan Ellison, this postapocalyptic black comedy has emerged as a cult favorite since its release in 1975, when Don Johnson was a relative unknown and still years away from TV stardom on Miami Vice. Here Johnson plays a young, libidinous loner named Vic who roams the postnuclear wasteland with his loyal dog, Blood, a remarkable hound with keen intelligence and the ability to telepathically communicate with his less-intelligent master. It's survival of the fittest, so food and sex are Vic's highest priorities, and he gets plenty of both when recruited into a mysterious underground society in desperate need of young fertile males. While Blood must fend for himself on the unfriendly surface, Vic realizes that he's an exploited prisoner and must escape to return to the canine friend he left behind. Thanks in large part to the sly wit of Blood (whose sarcastic voice is splendidly provided by Tim McIntire), this clever and disturbing film readily earns its lasting reputation as a low-budget classic, and features a funny yet chilling supporting role for Jason Robards Jr. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

"He was not a pet, he was a person".......2007-06-26

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

"A Boy and His Dog" (1975) is based on a well-known novella by Harlan Ellison of the same title. The movie focuses of the adventures of a young scavenger Vic (Don Johnson) and his telepathic dog Blood as they wander through the wasteland where Phoenix, Arizona used to be in 2024 AD after the end of WWIV that resulted in nuclear holocaust. In their duet, Blood seems more intelligent, experienced, sarcastic, and reasonable than Vic but they need each other to survive, to find food for both and the girls for Vic. All females have moved underground where a parody on pre-war suburban middle class life has been preserved and it has been over six weeks since Vic got laid last. Blood will sense a girl who dressed like a boy to attend the screening of an old porn-movie and Vic will follow her as far as the underground city "Topeka" against the Blood's advices. Little he knew that Quilla June was supposed to lure him down under where he will be used as a source for sperm that the underground women desperately need to get pregnant. After series of adventures, Vic was able to break away from the scary looking machine he was hooked up to with Quilla June's help and two of them escape to the surface...

While technically, the movie is not the most spectacular or visually prominent, the acting of the main characters, the communication between a boy (good performance from young and very handsome Don Johnson) and his dog (Tim McIntire was very convincing providing the voice of "Blood" and singing the main title song, "A Boy and His Dog"), and especially the story, dark and funny, make it well deserving of its cult status.

I wanted to see the movie because I am very impressed by Ellison's writings and consider some of his short stories the best, the most brilliant, incredible, shocking, and disturbing ever written. The first one I read literally took my breath away. It was "The whimper of the whipped dogs" that I found in the thick volume "The Best American Mystery Stories of the Century" and it was the brightest star among the works of such writers as O'Henry, John Steinbeck, William Faulkner, Patricia Highsmith, Joyce Carol Oates, and many wore. Since my first encounter with Ellison's writing, I became his loyal fan. Later, I read Ellison's collection "Deathbird Stories: A Pantheon Of Modern Gods" which "The whimper of the whipped dogs" opens. While reading the story that gave the book its title, "The Deathbird", I first learned about "A Boy and His Dog":

"Yesterday my dog died. For eleven years Ahbhu was my closest friend. He was responsible for my writing a story about a boy and his dog that many people have read. He was not a pet, he was a person. It was impossible to anthropomorphize him, he would not stand for it. But he was so much his own kind of creature, he had such a strongly formed personality, he was so determined to share his life with only those he chose, that it was impossible to think of him as simply a dog."
-Harlan Ellison "Ahbhu", the short story inserted in "The Deathbird"

After having read "The Deathbird", I was not surprised with the ending of "A Boy and A Dog", the story and the movie. Even though, they are attributed to the genre of science-fiction satire (and they are, intelligent, sharp, sarcastic, and biting), I think of them more as the meditation on many important subjects and the tribute Ellison paid to the true friendship, loyalty, and love. He also could've brought to the story resentment and disappointments from his broken marriages and relationships.

Don't get me wrong, the movie is brilliant..........2007-02-17

...which is why I keep buying every new release that comes out in the hopes that it will be better than the last. No such luck. This is the same transfer as the previous two releases -- from the original laserdisc, and with the same problems: dropped frames, dust and scratches all over it. And despite Amazon's description, this release is NOT ANAMORPHIC, though, like the others, it is widescreen. (I've submitted a change to the description). I could live with the dust and scratches -- after all, all the known prints of this film have been knocking around for almost thirty years, and as far as I know no pristine negative exists anymore. But I *wish* we could get an anamorphic transfer. How is it that a Hugo award-winning film that is so loved by critics can be overlooked for a decent DVD treatment for so long?

Now, the good: In addition to the now-familiar (and very entertaining) L.Q. Jones commentary track which has appeared on all the others, we also get two trailers restored to the DVD (these appeared on the first release, but not the one from Slingshot). And the fact that it is available once again at all -- I didn't relish the idea of shelling out ~$100 if something happened to current copy. Kudos to Firstrun for printing 'em again.

But dangit, won't *someone* step up to the plate and give us a decent anamorphic transfer? I'm begging here, which even Blood could only bring himself to do once.

Man's Best friend.......2007-02-12

Saw the movie when it first came out years ago, loved it then and love it now. Tongue in cheek, futuristic society, after math of the second big bang.

The most conservative work of fiction I've ever read. I don't think this aspect of the story transfers well to the big screen.......2007-02-07

A Boy and His Dog is not a well made movie. The budget for this project was just too low perhaps. It concerns a boy and his intelligent K-9 traveling companion, 'Blood'. 'Intelligent', as in smarter than friend Vic, and telepathic. Blood 'talks'. According to the movie, dogs like these were bred for war - before the big war, the nuclear war. The war, to, really, end-all-wars. Vic and Blood travel across the post-apocalypse wasteland looking for food sex and good times. The original story was an award winner written by SF writer Harlan Ellison. As a youth Ellison traveled the country as a carnival worker and is said to have really been in youth gangs. The conversation between Vic and Blood, sounds, authentic. The dialog doesn't sound dated. You can also enjoy the movie for it's adventure. You can enjoy it for it's mother-of-all twist endings. You could appreciate the movie for the social statement it makes.

The movie begins, in a movie theater. One gangs 'action' is running an abandoned theater. Admission: one can of non-radiated food. From there Vic travels to a large underground bomb shelter where the citizens live in a repressed manner said to be reminiscent of the 1950's. Vic is captured by them. They want to use him as their 'stud' because all the men are sterile. One reviewer even saying, this is one of the messages of the film, repression leads to men being sterile.

Vic likes the idea of being able to sleep with all the women (in the book he's really going to be sleeping with them - in the movie he's hooked up to an unpleasant 'milking machine') he likes the idea... but he doesn't like his loss of freedom. He escapes with a girl from the down-under Quilla June. Quilla herself is part of group of youths rebelling against the grown ups, and here, the movie ups-the-ante from the book. In the story, the only rebellion is simply their escape. The 'youth rebellion' I think gives us another chance to compare this society with our own.

Quilla liberates Vics guns and then they shoot their way out of town. Vic noticing Quilla's horror, turning to blood lust, saying to himself, "do you have to waste so much ammunition..." This is the point in the book where it becomes obvious this story has an agenda. As they are making their escape, shooting at the last townsfolk, Vic says to himself, "they should have known better than to mess with Jimmy Cagney". Cagney being the actor who always plays the gangster in the movies he so loves to watch earlier in the movie. Then of course right after their escape, there's the twist ending.

This is the most conservative work of fiction I've ever read, ever. I don't think this aspect of the story transfers well to the big screen. Perhaps the filmmaker failed. Perhaps the failure is on the part of the viewer. Do we have an underlying fear of seeing things in an incorrect way? The original story was written in 1968. Is it difficult for us to empathize with a world view so different from the one we're ordinarily presented with? It's not a view we see too often nowadays. It's certainly something we don't expect to see when sitting down to watch a movie.

Still trying to figure this film out.......2007-02-03

Alright, I'm going to go ahead and give this film 5 stars... but the stars are for incomprehensibility, rather than anything else which can make a sci-fi film truly great. Harlan Ellison must have one really twisted mind, if he wrote stuff like this. He is one old geezer who seriously needs to be picked up and put in a rest home.

OK, yeah, all of us guys are motivated by sex and food, as Don Johnson and his canine sidekick have reminded us throughout the picture... and being a red-blooded straight male myself, I of course had the hots for the nuclear-survivor girl who had the big doe eyes and the white mime makeup on her face.

To this day, however, I can't figure out what was supposed to have happened at the end, and I watched the picture 5 times. Did Vic leave the girl as she went back underground with the rest of her bizarre tribe, or (gasp!), did he kill her and cook her for dinner, as food for himself and the psychic dog? The film doesn't tell us.

Seems like such a stupid shame, to have sex with a beautiful young woman, only to cut her up and roast her later. Not a film for the uninitiated.

Average customer rating:

Very Disappointing
Uses for HS chem classes are endless
Disapponting
Great movie
Entertaining with a good dose of factual history

Fat Man and Little Boy
Starring: Paul Newman , Dwight Schultz , Bonnie Bedelia , John Cusack , and Laura Dern
Director: Roland Joffé
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
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The Day After Trinity
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ASIN: B0001EQIJC
Release Date: 2004-04-27

Amazon.com

Despite the combined star power in front of and behind the camera, Fat Man and Little Boy is a largely tepid retelling of the history of the Manhattan Project, the atomic testing project that led to the U.S. bombing of Japan during World War II (said bombs were dubbed "Fat Man" and "Little Boy"). The Nevada-based project is headed by General Leslie R. Groves (a testy Paul Newman) and scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Dwight Schultz of the TV series The A-Team), who later regretted his cooperation in the project. The problem with the film lies not with the acting, which includes solid performances by Bonnie Bedelia, Laura Dern, John Cusack, and future U.S. Senator Fred Dalton Thompson, but with the script by director Roland Joffé and Bruce Robinson (Withnail and I and Joffé's The Killing Fields). A subject as morally complex as the creation of a supreme weapon requires a strong and thoughtful script, but Fat Man and Little Boy never gets further than establishing that indeed, atomic power is something to reckon with. Joseph Sargent's 1989 made-for-TV film Day One, with Brian Dennehy as Groves and David Straithairn as Oppenheimer, covers the same story with twice the depth and avoids the pitfall of a romantic subplot (Oppenheimer's dalliance with a communist played by Natasha Richardson), which this film stumbles into. Cusack's doomed scientist is actually a combination of two real-life physicists, Harry Daghlian and Louis Slotkin, who died from radiation poisoning, albeit long after V-J Day. --Paul Gaita

Customer Reviews:

Very Disappointing.......2007-06-20

As much as I admire Paul Newman, this film is so terribly flawed that even his presence can't salvage it. The Manhattan Project is such a critical juncture in recent history that I think it's very important that the story be told realistically. This film is 90% Hollywood formula and 10% history. Only in the broadest brushstrokes does this movie give the viewer any kind of concept of that monumental undertaking. Do yourself a BIG favor; watch the far superior (and very accurate) "Day One" instead. In all respects, it is a much better account and much more interesting film. The main characters are presented as scientists, engineers, and military officers, not goofballs and nutty professors, as they are in "Fat Man and Little Boy."

Uses for HS chem classes are endless.......2007-06-02

this is a great movie to teach students about the atomic bomb and its creation. I use it in my chemistry class all the time

Disapponting.......2007-04-16

This is such an important story, with layer upon layer upon layer of aspects of the modern realities ushered in by the Manhattan Project. C.P Snow in his famous essay regarding The Two Cultures raises implications about the way that the humanities department trains young minds relative to the science and engineering department. If the military approached a group of leading poets and declared that poetry possessed a potential they wanted to transform into a super weapon--how would the poets have responded? Posing a similar question to physicists, they all raced to the blackboard to be the first to solve the equation for the authorities.

So many issues, creativity, authority, diplomacy,secrecy, espionage, urgency...all provide the natural elements to a serious, gripping story. But this screenplay chooses to throw in silly romantic subplots, and alter the facts in the service of their silly Hollywood formula.Ughh. Especially annoying is the distortion of the circumstances surrounding the lab accident that befell Louis Slotkin, the Canadian, now morphed into a hybrid romantic figure in this puerile reworking of history. Maybe someday, someone will do the subject justice in a dramatic structure, until then the excellent documentary, 'The Day After Trinity' will have to suffice.

The screenplay illustrates the powerlessness of acting talent in the face of poor writing. Unfortunately, and maybe this is an inevitable remark, the film ends with a whimper, not a bang.

Great movie .......2007-04-15

Very nice and entertaining movie overall. General Groves is masterfully played by Paul Newman, and Oppenheimer is also very well roled, but rest of important people were left out. Not much of a good portrait of mahattan project either; the movie only focuses on Los Alamos, living Oak Ridge, Hanford, Tinian and Hiroshima/Nagasaki out. Anyway it has place in my classics list.

Entertaining with a good dose of factual history.......2007-04-04

I and other science teachers like to use this movie with our high school students. We usually include it with a unit on atomic theory. I explain to the students that of course, the producers have taken liberties with historical facts in order to make the movie more exciting, but they seem to take it in stride. I think it gives them a sense of what it might have really been like to be involved in the nuclear race. I highly recommend it.

Average customer rating:

ANOTHER RACIST MOVIE
Great family video
Good Family Film with Many Amusing Highlights
Decent family drama, not hilarious comedy.
Please avoid at all costs

Man of the House
Starring: Chevy Chase , Farrah Fawcett , Jonathan Taylor Thomas , George Wendt , and David Shiner
Director: James Orr
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00008977A
Release Date: 2003-03-04

Description

Funnyman Chevy Chase (NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VACATION, CADDYSHACK) is Jack, a guy who's found the woman of his dreams (glamorous Farrah Fawcett). Too bad her stubborn 11-year-old son, Ben (Jonathan Taylor Thomas from TV's HOME IMPROVEMENT) thinks Jack is a geek! As a test, Ben coaxes Jack into joining the YMCA Indian Guides, led by a wacky suburban dad (George Wendt, Norm from TV's CHEERS). Chaos ensues as Jack struggles to prove to Ben that he's not totally uncool! From rain dancing to building a teepee, Jack will do anything to win Ben's approval -- and his mom's affection!

Customer Reviews:

ANOTHER RACIST MOVIE.......2006-09-24

I've Seen Many So Called Native American Themed Movies And Being Native
American I Am Very Displeased And Shock Of The Dvd Release Of (1995) Movie Man Of The House I And Many Other Fellow Native Americans Are Hurt With The Use Of Terms And The Imidtations Of Our Sacred Traditions The Word Indian Is Almost Constant In This Film Ben Archer (Little Wing) Played By Jonathan Taylor Thomas Be Friends Norman Bronski (Dark Eagle) Play By Zachary Browne Is A Boy That Gets Stuffed Into His Locker Daily By Bullies Who Introduces Jonathan Taylor Thomas And His Discouraging African American Friend Monroe Hill Played By Nicholas Garrett To The YMCA Indian Guides The Members Of The YMCA Indian Guides Wear Fake Jewlery And Their Caucasian Chief Chet Bronski (Chief Running Horse) Played By George Wendt Wears A War Bonnet To Their Meetings They Also Wear Headbands With A Single Feather In The Back And Sterotypically "trill" Aka War Cry And Wiggle Their Feathers In Excitement For Their New Members Chevy Chase Is Given The Disguisting Name Of Squatting Dog Mocking Our Sacred Name Given Ceremony By Jonathan Taylor Thomas Who Is Named Little Wing By Chevy And Also Jonathan Taylor Thomas Paints Chevy Chase's Face Purposly With A Smiley Face In The Middle Of His Forhead Further Mocking Our Personal Sacred Facial Symbols On Top Of That The Only Actual Native American Is Chief Leonard George Who Plays Leonard Red Crow And Teaches Them A So Called Actual Rain Dance That Works And At The End Of The Movie Makes The Sterotypical *how* Hand Signal When Monroe Hill Played By Nicholas Garrett Puts On The Headband Offered By Norman Bronski (Dark Eagle) Play By Zachary Browne On His Head So Instead Of Wanting To Learn About Native American Culture And Traditions Ben Archer Attempts To Get Rid Of Jack Sturgess A Man Who Has Been Dating Ben's Mother Sandy Archer Played By Farrah Fawcett And Has Recently Moved In With Them We Were Also Sickend By Chevy's Camp Fire Tale Use Of Sterotypical Native American Names And The Tone Of Voice That Is Seen In The Old Western Films Using Words Such As Many Moons Ago...etc All While Trying To Survive From A Drug Lords Minions Who Out Of Revenge Tries Mutiple Attemps To Kill Sturgess Who Help Convict Their Leader For Drug Trafficing We Don't Know About The Rest Of America But If Imatation Is The Highest Form Of Flatery Imagine What The Lowest Form Is!

Ps We'd Give It -0 Stars! For Children Based Native Movies Stay Away From Indian In The Cupboard (The Title Alone Should Make You Want To Stay Away) Disney's Pokahontas I And II And Disneys Peter Pan (For Its Native Scenes And Songs Such As "what Makes The Red Man Red") Disneys Tom And Huck (For The Character Injun Jo Who Plays The Villain) Their Just As Bad If Not Worse It's A Shame Because Native American Themed Movies Have So Much Potential To Break Those Stereotypical Borders

Great family video.......2006-03-24

When you realize that this DVD features both Chevy Chase and Farrah Fawcett, you are instantly suspicious since neither have made a good film in a long time since Fletch. However, add Jonathan Taylor Thomas and the three make a believable modern-day family thrown into turmoil over Jonathan Taylor Thomas' dislike of anyone trying to win his mom's (Farrah Fawcett's) love.

When the mobsters show up chasing after Chevy Chases character, the film comes into it's fullness and makes for a great movie with a satisfying ending.

Good Family Film with Many Amusing Highlights.......2006-01-25

Starring Farrah Fawcett Majors (Sandy, the divorced mom), Chevy Chase (Jack, the hot shot lawyer boyfriend/fiance who moves in with the divorced mom) and Jonathan Taylor Thomas (son, Ben, who has unresolved feelings of abandonment due to his real dad, suddenly and unexpectedly without remorse, having left him and his mom). The film is a classic comedy where Ben does what he can to test the new "dad-to-be". In fact, his whole plan is to drive Jack out of his mom's life. The fact is ... his plan backfires.

Jack does whatever it takes to win Ben over. He even joins the Indian scouts, a group in which Ben feigns interest, which he expects will send Jack over the edge. Surprisingly, it has the opposite effect, Ben ends up looking forward to the adventures in the wild, especially a planned canoe trip. Unfortunately, it is the one time Jack does not show up ... convincing Ben, Jack is like his dad.

Bigger problems loom in th horizon for Jack, who is nearly killed by the son of a mob-type stalker and his buddies who are exacting revenge for having placed his father in jail. The climactic build up and suspense in the film is worth viewing for oneself. This is a family entertainment style film where all the problems are resolved in the end. The film is amusing and makes the viewer feel good. While much of the film is predictable, that is why it does not disappoint the viewer. Erika Borsos (erikab93)

Decent family drama, not hilarious comedy........2005-06-18

As a Chevy Chase comedy, Man of The House is far from his funniest; however, it works well as a family drama.
The story's sort of an inverted "Courtship of Eddie's Father." In this case it's the boy's mother (Farrah Fawcett) who is single, and the boy (Jonathan Taylor Thomas of Home Improvement, Tom and Huck, etc.) is wary of her new fiancee, a prosecutor named Sturges (Chase). Still feeling burnt by his ex-dad, the boy tries everything to get rid of the prospective one. Some of this is funny, like when he paints Sturges's face with Indian war paint that won't come off, and the parts that aren't funny are still interesting and help develop the characters and story. I think the film is most effective in that it demonstrates the persistence of faith necessary to build a family, as Sturges doesn't give up on the boy, but continues to try to win his friendship after each prank by the boy, and each failure of his own. Competent acting by Thomas helps the film succeed on this score.
The subplot is about a hoodlum Sturges sent to prison, and his son and his thugs trying to get revenge on the prosecutor. Mostly this is supposed to be funny, but doesn't live up to Chase's usual standards. However, it does weave a bit of suspense into the story and provides a catalyst for Sturges to finally win over the boy's sympathies, as well as a climax with some action.
The supporting cast includes George Wendt (Cheers), who's mostly serious in this role, and Art LeFleur, who's funny as an Indian Guides martinet.
If you're looking for a hilarious comedy, don't look here; but if you're in the mood for a light family drama with a well-devoloped message and some humor, Man of the House will foot the bill with one family values caveat: Chase and Fawcett move in together before they're married.

Please avoid at all costs.......2005-02-05

Chevy Chase is dreadful in the lead as Farrah Fawcett's fiance and Jonathan Taylor Thomas is annoyning as the bratty kid that's just annoyning and a loser child actor(what movies has he starred since this one). The childish plot revolves around a single mom and her brat son who hates her new fiance and then he looks for ways to have fun with the bratty son and then the movie fails to entertain and the movie is basically a Disney mo