Bill-Nunn Movie Reviews

First of all, LOVED the book. However, the movie might as well have had a different title. The two plots are so different it isnt even funny. If you're expecting this movie to even look a fraction of what the book was, you'll be sorely misled. However, if you havent read the book, and just watch the movie, you may very well be happy. The movie could stand alone rather well on its own accord, but if you read the book, you're just opening yourself to disappointment. I couldnt wait after I read this book to see the movie. I blinked several times to see if I was hallucinating at this poor copy of the book.

I've never been this harsh in a review before, but I was just so disappointed in this movie I had waited through reading the book and waiting for it to come out on HBO, to get this poor excuse of an interpretation.

We loved the book by Michael Palmer, on which this movie is "officially" based - but except for experimentation on unknowing human subjects, the two stories bear little more similarity than Palmer's name as "author". Nonetheless, Hugh Grant as Dr. Guy Luthran does a quite competent job in a serious part that's a departure from his normal romantic comedies. Gene Hackman also stars as the "evil" doctor who it turns out is doing illegal surgeries on homeless subjects who get "selected" by special ID work at the hospital where our hero works. A missing victim soon sends Luthran on a scary search for homeless people deep in the city's subway bowels, where David Morse ("Hack", et al) is stalking him for some unknown "FBI" reasons. Sara Jessica Parker serves as a supporting mild love interest but shows up later as part of the insidious plot. Some ethical issues near the end of the film raise some interesting points to ponder, and leave us guessing 'til the end which way things might go.

A decent plot, good acting, and sustained suspense, with some credible acting by all the name actors, add up to an entertaining movie. The DVD itself has no extra features and comes in a cheap cardboard "keepbox", with only Dolby Surround Sound, not 5.1 Digital. Aside from these quibbles, an enjoyable hour-and-a-half awaits!

"Extreme Measures" is the story of Dr. Guy Luthran (Hugh Grant), a physician working at Grammercy Hospital, whose personal and professional life seem to be right on track until one of his patients unexpectedly dies of mysterious circumstances. Was it medical malpractise, an accident or something much more sinaster? Not since Michael Crighton's "Coma" have we seen a medical suspense/thriller told with such skill and timely shock value. Sarah Jessica Parker, as Luthran's nurse/friend and Gene Hackman, in a diabolical role, that will have you losing sleep the next time you need to go in for check up, both deliver stellar performances in this edge-of-your-seat thriller.
Originally released under the Castlerock label, which used to belong to Columbia Tristar, this movie is now the property of Warner Brothers Home Entertainment and it looks marvelous on DVD. Colors are well balanced, bold and rich. Flesh tones are infinitely more accurate on the DVD than on the previously released laserdisc or VHS versions from Columbia. Contrast and shadow delineation are superb with great background and fine detail visable, even in the darkest scenes. The disc is 2:35:1 and anamorphically enhanced. The audio is a 5.1 mix and nicely balanced with a very aggressive bass in the subway chase scenes and special effects sounds, like gun shots. No extras.
I could fault Warner for not giving us extras but I won't since their transfer is so good.
BOTTOM LINE: A great suspense movie in a snappy looking transfer. YES! - TODAY, IF POSSIBLE!

First of all, LOVED the book. However, the movie might as well have had a different title. The two plots are so different it isnt even funny. If you're expecting this movie to even look a fraction of what the book was, you'll be sorely misled. However, if you havent read the book, and just watch the movie, you may very well be happy. The movie could stand alone rather well on its own accord, but if you read the book, you're just opening yourself to disappointment. I couldnt wait after I read this book to see the movie. I blinked several times to see if I was hallucinating at this poor copy of the book.

I've never been this harsh in a review before, but I was just so disappointed in this movie I had waited through reading the book and waiting for it to come out on HBO, to get this poor excuse of an interpretation.

We loved the book by Michael Palmer, on which this movie is "officially" based - but except for experimentation on unknowing human subjects, the two stories bear little more similarity than Palmer's name as "author". Nonetheless, Hugh Grant as Dr. Guy Luthran does a quite competent job in a serious part that's a departure from his normal romantic comedies. Gene Hackman also stars as the "evil" doctor who it turns out is doing illegal surgeries on homeless subjects who get "selected" by special ID work at the hospital where our hero works. A missing victim soon sends Luthran on a scary search for homeless people deep in the city's subway bowels, where David Morse ("Hack", et al) is stalking him for some unknown "FBI" reasons. Sara Jessica Parker serves as a supporting mild love interest but shows up later as part of the insidious plot. Some ethical issues near the end of the film raise some interesting points to ponder, and leave us guessing 'til the end which way things might go.

A decent plot, good acting, and sustained suspense, with some credible acting by all the name actors, add up to an entertaining movie. The DVD itself has no extra features and comes in a cheap cardboard "keepbox", with only Dolby Surround Sound, not 5.1 Digital. Aside from these quibbles, an enjoyable hour-and-a-half awaits!

"Extreme Measures" is the story of Dr. Guy Luthran (Hugh Grant), a physician working at Grammercy Hospital, whose personal and professional life seem to be right on track until one of his patients unexpectedly dies of mysterious circumstances. Was it medical malpractise, an accident or something much more sinaster? Not since Michael Crighton's "Coma" have we seen a medical suspense/thriller told with such skill and timely shock value. Sarah Jessica Parker, as Luthran's nurse/friend and Gene Hackman, in a diabolical role, that will have you losing sleep the next time you need to go in for check up, both deliver stellar performances in this edge-of-your-seat thriller.
Originally released under the Castlerock label, which used to belong to Columbia Tristar, this movie is now the property of Warner Brothers Home Entertainment and it looks marvelous on DVD. Colors are well balanced, bold and rich. Flesh tones are infinitely more accurate on the DVD than on the previously released laserdisc or VHS versions from Columbia. Contrast and shadow delineation are superb with great background and fine detail visable, even in the darkest scenes. The disc is 2:35:1 and anamorphically enhanced. The audio is a 5.1 mix and nicely balanced with a very aggressive bass in the subway chase scenes and special effects sounds, like gun shots. No extras.
I could fault Warner for not giving us extras but I won't since their transfer is so good.
BOTTOM LINE: A great suspense movie in a snappy looking transfer. YES! - TODAY, IF POSSIBLE!

First of all, LOVED the book. However, the movie might as well have had a different title. The two plots are so different it isnt even funny. If you're expecting this movie to even look a fraction of what the book was, you'll be sorely misled. However, if you havent read the book, and just watch the movie, you may very well be happy. The movie could stand alone rather well on its own accord, but if you read the book, you're just opening yourself to disappointment. I couldnt wait after I read this book to see the movie. I blinked several times to see if I was hallucinating at this poor copy of the book.

I've never been this harsh in a review before, but I was just so disappointed in this movie I had waited through reading the book and waiting for it to come out on HBO, to get this poor excuse of an interpretation.

We loved the book by Michael Palmer, on which this movie is "officially" based - but except for experimentation on unknowing human subjects, the two stories bear little more similarity than Palmer's name as "author". Nonetheless, Hugh Grant as Dr. Guy Luthran does a quite competent job in a serious part that's a departure from his normal romantic comedies. Gene Hackman also stars as the "evil" doctor who it turns out is doing illegal surgeries on homeless subjects who get "selected" by special ID work at the hospital where our hero works. A missing victim soon sends Luthran on a scary search for homeless people deep in the city's subway bowels, where David Morse ("Hack", et al) is stalking him for some unknown "FBI" reasons. Sara Jessica Parker serves as a supporting mild love interest but shows up later as part of the insidious plot. Some ethical issues near the end of the film raise some interesting points to ponder, and leave us guessing 'til the end which way things might go.

A decent plot, good acting, and sustained suspense, with some credible acting by all the name actors, add up to an entertaining movie. The DVD itself has no extra features and comes in a cheap cardboard "keepbox", with only Dolby Surround Sound, not 5.1 Digital. Aside from these quibbles, an enjoyable hour-and-a-half awaits!

"Extreme Measures" is the story of Dr. Guy Luthran (Hugh Grant), a physician working at Grammercy Hospital, whose personal and professional life seem to be right on track until one of his patients unexpectedly dies of mysterious circumstances. Was it medical malpractise, an accident or something much more sinaster? Not since Michael Crighton's "Coma" have we seen a medical suspense/thriller told with such skill and timely shock value. Sarah Jessica Parker, as Luthran's nurse/friend and Gene Hackman, in a diabolical role, that will have you losing sleep the next time you need to go in for check up, both deliver stellar performances in this edge-of-your-seat thriller.
Originally released under the Castlerock label, which used to belong to Columbia Tristar, this movie is now the property of Warner Brothers Home Entertainment and it looks marvelous on DVD. Colors are well balanced, bold and rich. Flesh tones are infinitely more accurate on the DVD than on the previously released laserdisc or VHS versions from Columbia. Contrast and shadow delineation are superb with great background and fine detail visable, even in the darkest scenes. The disc is 2:35:1 and anamorphically enhanced. The audio is a 5.1 mix and nicely balanced with a very aggressive bass in the subway chase scenes and special effects sounds, like gun shots. No extras.
I could fault Warner for not giving us extras but I won't since their transfer is so good.
BOTTOM LINE: A great suspense movie in a snappy looking transfer. YES! - TODAY, IF POSSIBLE!

First of all, LOVED the book. However, the movie might as well have had a different title. The two plots are so different it isnt even funny. If you're expecting this movie to even look a fraction of what the book was, you'll be sorely misled. However, if you havent read the book, and just watch the movie, you may very well be happy. The movie could stand alone rather well on its own accord, but if you read the book, you're just opening yourself to disappointment. I couldnt wait after I read this book to see the movie. I blinked several times to see if I was hallucinating at this poor copy of the book.

I've never been this harsh in a review before, but I was just so disappointed in this movie I had waited through reading the book and waiting for it to come out on HBO, to get this poor excuse of an interpretation.

We loved the book by Michael Palmer, on which this movie is "officially" based - but except for experimentation on unknowing human subjects, the two stories bear little more similarity than Palmer's name as "author". Nonetheless, Hugh Grant as Dr. Guy Luthran does a quite competent job in a serious part that's a departure from his normal romantic comedies. Gene Hackman also stars as the "evil" doctor who it turns out is doing illegal surgeries on homeless subjects who get "selected" by special ID work at the hospital where our hero works. A missing victim soon sends Luthran on a scary search for homeless people deep in the city's subway bowels, where David Morse ("Hack", et al) is stalking him for some unknown "FBI" reasons. Sara Jessica Parker serves as a supporting mild love interest but shows up later as part of the insidious plot. Some ethical issues near the end of the film raise some interesting points to ponder, and leave us guessing 'til the end which way things might go.

A decent plot, good acting, and sustained suspense, with some credible acting by all the name actors, add up to an entertaining movie. The DVD itself has no extra features and comes in a cheap cardboard "keepbox", with only Dolby Surround Sound, not 5.1 Digital. Aside from these quibbles, an enjoyable hour-and-a-half awaits!

"Extreme Measures" is the story of Dr. Guy Luthran (Hugh Grant), a physician working at Grammercy Hospital, whose personal and professional life seem to be right on track until one of his patients unexpectedly dies of mysterious circumstances. Was it medical malpractise, an accident or something much more sinaster? Not since Michael Crighton's "Coma" have we seen a medical suspense/thriller told with such skill and timely shock value. Sarah Jessica Parker, as Luthran's nurse/friend and Gene Hackman, in a diabolical role, that will have you losing sleep the next time you need to go in for check up, both deliver stellar performances in this edge-of-your-seat thriller.
Originally released under the Castlerock label, which used to belong to Columbia Tristar, this movie is now the property of Warner Brothers Home Entertainment and it looks marvelous on DVD. Colors are well balanced, bold and rich. Flesh tones are infinitely more accurate on the DVD than on the previously released laserdisc or VHS versions from Columbia. Contrast and shadow delineation are superb with great background and fine detail visable, even in the darkest scenes. The disc is 2:35:1 and anamorphically enhanced. The audio is a 5.1 mix and nicely balanced with a very aggressive bass in the subway chase scenes and special effects sounds, like gun shots. No extras.
I could fault Warner for not giving us extras but I won't since their transfer is so good.
BOTTOM LINE: A great suspense movie in a snappy looking transfer. YES! - TODAY, IF POSSIBLE!

This film is incredibly bad. If you have a taste for buffoonery and ghetto stereotypes, then "Foolish" will be your cup of tea. For the rest of us, stay wise and steer clear. This is 90 minutes of your life that you won't get back.

This movie is funny as hell
if you have an OUNCE of a sence of humor, u HAVE to see this movie
however, in storywise... it's not too great, but its still worth seeing
whether its a rent or a purchase, you MUST see this movie
(prefferably rent)

Other reviewers have given this movie a hard time, but it is unwarranted. While it is true that the plot is a bit on the weak side, the whole purpose of the movie is to make you laugh. It succeeds admirably in this. Foolish is basically an Eddie Griffin comedy show intermingled with a movie. The movie itself is your standard fare. It was fun to see Marla Gibbs again and Master P made further strides, successfully I might add, to become a mainstream actor. The spot where Foolish really shines is the stand-up routines. Eddie Griffin is one of the best comics out there. It's unfortunate that he hasn't had more exposure. All of his material was fresh and funny. When he was onstage, I couldn't stop laughing! Only once during the film was I disappointed. This was when Griffin gave a monologue that Chris Rock originated in Bigger and Blacker. Even though it was a bit plagerized, this single flaw doesn't detract from the film, especially if you haven't seen Bigger and Blacker. Overall, I feel that you will ultimately be satisfied by this film if you keep your expectations in line. This film is not the outstanding plot-driven comedy you may be searching for, but if you are looking for some hilarious standup, Foolish will have you rolling!

Well, here comes the forth and hopfully last in the Substitute series. They should have only made one. This show is not worthy of sequels. I guess that Artisan thought that they could profit off of this series. Don't get me wrong, Treat Williams is a great actor, it's just too bad that he always lands in the straight to video movies. (Everwood may take up a lot of his time now so he won't have to make these types of movies). Angie Everhart's acting is not superb but decent. As for the others, judge that for yourself. The only thing that caught my interest in this movie was the scene between Teague Ted and the girl. The guy who plays Teague Ted is so hot. Being a teen boy having the girl in this movie was nice to see too.

While it's not a bad movie, The Substitute 4 is the worst of the 4 Substitute movies. One of the main reasons is the film quality. The first 3 movies seemed to have better "look" to them and seemed like they could have been shown in a theater. This one looks more like a straight to video release. Some parts of the movie are slow, but it still has enough action to keep you interested.

Treat Williams is good as usual. Angie Everhart is OK - but I don't know why she was there, and some of the bad guys are pretty bad actors. The fight scenes are ok - even if they are a little predictable. A "special effect" explosion at a dam is pretty funny looking. There's some decent nudity, the classroom fight scene is funny, and a kid falling on some spike at the dam was cool too. The final battle with the bad guy was cheesy - and like the other reviewer said - why would a racist have a asian henchman?! The twist with Everhart is a little unexplainable as well.

As a big fan of The Substitute series (which explains the four stars), I didn't think it was that bad. Treat Williams gives his third performance as Karl Thomasson, and in this film he goes undercover(as usual) in a military academy to infiltrate a Neo-Nazi group. Lots of action, hand-to-hand combat (only to be expected from the Sub), and Angie Everhart provides some pleasing eye candy. If you're not too big on The Sub, this might not be the movie for you. If you are, it ain't that bad.

Well, here comes the forth and hopfully last in the Substitute series. They should have only made one. This show is not worthy of sequels. I guess that Artisan thought that they could profit off of this series. Don't get me wrong, Treat Williams is a great actor, it's just too bad that he always lands in the straight to video movies. (Everwood may take up a lot of his time now so he won't have to make these types of movies). Angie Everhart's acting is not superb but decent. As for the others, judge that for yourself. The only thing that caught my interest in this movie was the scene between Teague Ted and the girl. The guy who plays Teague Ted is so hot. Being a teen boy having the girl in this movie was nice to see too.

While it's not a bad movie, The Substitute 4 is the worst of the 4 Substitute movies. One of the main reasons is the film quality. The first 3 movies seemed to have better "look" to them and seemed like they could have been shown in a theater. This one looks more like a straight to video release. Some parts of the movie are slow, but it still has enough action to keep you interested.

Treat Williams is good as usual. Angie Everhart is OK - but I don't know why she was there, and some of the bad guys are pretty bad actors. The fight scenes are ok - even if they are a little predictable. A "special effect" explosion at a dam is pretty funny looking. There's some decent nudity, the classroom fight scene is funny, and a kid falling on some spike at the dam was cool too. The final battle with the bad guy was cheesy - and like the other reviewer said - why would a racist have a asian henchman?! The twist with Everhart is a little unexplainable as well.

As a big fan of The Substitute series (which explains the four stars), I didn't think it was that bad. Treat Williams gives his third performance as Karl Thomasson, and in this film he goes undercover(as usual) in a military academy to infiltrate a Neo-Nazi group. Lots of action, hand-to-hand combat (only to be expected from the Sub), and Angie Everhart provides some pleasing eye candy. If you're not too big on The Sub, this might not be the movie for you. If you are, it ain't that bad.

Well, here comes the forth and hopfully last in the Substitute series. They should have only made one. This show is not worthy of sequels. I guess that Artisan thought that they could profit off of this series. Don't get me wrong, Treat Williams is a great actor, it's just too bad that he always lands in the straight to video movies. (Everwood may take up a lot of his time now so he won't have to make these types of movies). Angie Everhart's acting is not superb but decent. As for the others, judge that for yourself. The only thing that caught my interest in this movie was the scene between Teague Ted and the girl. The guy who plays Teague Ted is so hot. Being a teen boy having the girl in this movie was nice to see too.

While it's not a bad movie, The Substitute 4 is the worst of the 4 Substitute movies. One of the main reasons is the film quality. The first 3 movies seemed to have better "look" to them and seemed like they could have been shown in a theater. This one looks more like a straight to video release. Some parts of the movie are slow, but it still has enough action to keep you interested.

Treat Williams is good as usual. Angie Everhart is OK - but I don't know why she was there, and some of the bad guys are pretty bad actors. The fight scenes are ok - even if they are a little predictable. A "special effect" explosion at a dam is pretty funny looking. There's some decent nudity, the classroom fight scene is funny, and a kid falling on some spike at the dam was cool too. The final battle with the bad guy was cheesy - and like the other reviewer said - why would a racist have a asian henchman?! The twist with Everhart is a little unexplainable as well.

As a big fan of The Substitute series (which explains the four stars), I didn't think it was that bad. Treat Williams gives his third performance as Karl Thomasson, and in this film he goes undercover(as usual) in a military academy to infiltrate a Neo-Nazi group. Lots of action, hand-to-hand combat (only to be expected from the Sub), and Angie Everhart provides some pleasing eye candy. If you're not too big on The Sub, this might not be the movie for you. If you are, it ain't that bad.

Based on the novel by Samuel Charters "Louisiana Black", the screenplay for this film reaches it's peak about 2/3rd's of the way through, then sputters out. In a sense the tranquil understatement and lack of hysteria that director Bill Condon has applied to the material only highlights the phoniness of the conclusion. Perhaps Condon takes his cue from Gregory Hines' performance as a New York Mayoral press secretary who discovers that his parents have lied to him, and that his birth-father was lynched in the Southern town he has been taken away from, accused of the rape of a white woman. Hines isn't a bad actor but he doesn't have the tension that a trained actor possesses, and if anything his dance background works against the inner turmoil that one would expect such a family revelation to impose. His presence is so non threatening, even to the racist remnants of the place of his birth, that when he is forced to defend himself against attack from some good ole boys, he is easily defeated, and it just makes the aggressors seem even more bigoted. The rational for the original lynching provides a parallel and perhaps even predetermines Hines' romance with Annette O'Toole, as the daughter of the husband of the allegedly raped woman. Although romantics may think it's love at first sight, O'Toole's overwhelming interest is a little unbelievable, particularly when Hines is meant to be a disruptive presence. It's no surprise that Gregg Henry as her brother outacts Hines, but O'Toole's delicacy is. The appointment of Bill Nunn as the town sheriff is meant to represent the advances made since the days of the lynching, but Gunn's stance against Hines' investigation is hard to interpret. I actually wished that the narrative would refocus on Gunn's past to gain some more of an understanding of the ambiguities in his choices. While Condon's decision to begin the film with the lynching seems initially off-putting, the silence of the mob at the moment the man dies and the mournful music that plays over the faces of the photograph that is taken, assures us that he knows what he's doing. I could have done without Hines seeing a mob of reporters at a press conference as the mob around the lynching, but I enjoyed the laugh he gets from the cry of a parrot as it's cage is covered for the night.

Trashy film about a family of three that move to a redneck town and quickly discover that it is run by the towns riches family. A scary looking bunch that can't afford dental care or even razors. I can suspend my belief only so far. And not with movies that want you to believe that a family that runs a town doesn't own a bathtub. I'm just assuming they don't since that percentage of the cast look like scrubs that bathe in a muddy pond. I did not like this film it had bad performances (by a cast of unknowns), cinematography (bad lighting in the last 35 minutes), lame script (100% unbelievable), bad direction (well the director did allow all of the above). AVOID THIS ULTRA TURKEY EVEN ON THANKSGIVING!!

This movie really captures what goes on in the bad side of life.And this movie is partially non-fiction because in some parts of the world the violent occurences that took place in this movie really do happen.And this movie did a great job of explaining that.