Jack-Nicholson Movie Reviews

This is not a bad sequel from director Joshua Logan. It more or less picks up where MISTER ROBERTS left off but is presented with an entirely knew cast in familiar roles. Robert Walker Jr. is Ensign Pulver. Burl Ives is the Captain. Walter Matthau is good as Doc. He has the cynicism and wit but lacks the good-natured purpose of being that William Powell demonstrated in MISTER ROBERTS. To its credit the film tries to uncover the facade that the Captain wears night and day. Is he really a no good miserable excuse for a human being or is there something lurking deep inside that keeps his humanity from emerging. Pulver sets out unravel the enigma. There are some great moments of comedy and humanity and the film does have a great supporting cast that includes Jack Nicholson, James Farentino, Millie Perkins, Tommy Sands, Al Freeman, Jr., James Coco and Larry Hagman that keeps it all moving.

First time I seen this movie, I loved it! Hadn't seen Mr. Roberts prior to seeing Ensign Pulver, but after seeing Mr. Roberts...Ensign Pulver is the video I bought!

Although not as classic as Mister Roberts, this is still a great movie. Hech, I didn't even know there was a sequel, so I bought both copies. They have both earned a Top Shelf placing in my bookcase. All characters play great parts, even though James Cagney and Henry Fonda aren't in this movie. It would have been great to see some of the actors from the Mister Roberts, even though the 'new' doc, played by Walter Matthea does a great job. Both he and the "old Ensign" make great movies together! As most movies drag the chain nowadays going for 2-3+ hours, this is one movie I thought could go on and not get boring. Another classic and great fun for all family to enjoy. We wish more movies were like this nowadays. No Swearing, No Violence, No War .... not even a bullet is fired. An allround great movie.

I saw this when it first came out. At a midnight showing in Oakland California. I thought it an abomination at the time. Hollywood got it, typically, ALL WRONG, wrong look, wrong dialog, wrong clothes, wrong attitudes. Contrary to a previous review, this movie was not filmed "on location" (unless you consider Culver City an annex of San Francisco). Of all the actors, only Bruce Dern had an authentic aura about him, but the guy was born a bohemian/hippie. I had never seen Jack Nicholson before but I left the theater thinking I'd never see him again, so lousy was his acting. (How wrong could I be!) He was the antithesis of people in & around the Haight. All that said, let me confess that I think Nicholson is one of the outstanding actors of film history (though not in this movie). I also find that time has mitigated my sense of indignation with the accuracy of the Psych-Out. While still not a realistic representation of Haight in the 1960s (except maybe at the end of its dynasty), it is a pretty accurate view of Hollywood's take on & imitation of its Northern neighbors. Psych-Out is what Sunset Strip & its environs became in the 1970s.

Director Richard Rush (The Stuntman) throws deaf 17 year old runaway Susan Strasberg into the Height Ashbury scene in search of her long lost brother played by Bruce Dern. She meets up with muscians Jack Nicholson, Adam Rourke and Max Julian who look after her and help scour San Fransisco in search of her acid-addled brother. During their search they promote their band, calm down a flipped-out friend with a circular saw, play some tunes with the Strawberry Alarm Clock, fight a bunch of hard-hat types and indulge in some downright hillarious dialogue.

While wallowing in a pile of cliches, this film (unlike many of its era) is more realistic than some and the performances are uniformly excellent. Dean Stockwell playing a groovy guru, Jack Nicholson looking hillarious with a ponytail as he belts out a version of 'Purple Haze', Max Julian conveying an all too realistic chemical state of mind and Bruce Dern as the brother who calls himself 'The Seeker' and lives in a garbage dump. The film also benfits from the cinematography by Lazlo Kovaks and would make a great double feature with Roger Corman's "The Trip".
*** 1/2

Perhaps no 1960's hippie "exploitation" flick has more realism than 1968's AIC feature: "Psych-Out". With it's filming on location during the height of 1967's Haight Ashbury scene, this fictional account of Susan Strasberg as Jenny, a 17 year old runaway who arrives in the Haight looking for her dropped out acid-head guru brother excels as an unintentional documentary of the time. Along Jenny's way she runs into the trio of Jack Nicholson as Stoney, and 2 sidekick charactors played by Adam Roarke and Max Julien. With very explicit scenes of drug use and drug-induced, trippy "hippie revelations", as well as a scene of a bad LSD trip in progress, the film does not take either side of the establishment/anti-establishment debate of the time. The film is both an exceptional period piece of life as it really was in the Haight's heyday, as well as an excellent study of the dissillusionment of the dropped out youth of the Vietnam era. With the one exception of Jack Nicholson being poorly cast as Stoney, the remaining performances by the others in the cast are all excellent. A must see film for any 1960's countercultural buff. It would make a great DVD release.

Classical late 60's / early 70's flick with a heavy randomness to it, not really any storyline. The bikes are cool; The Hells partying and fighting seemed like forced action, but probably generally reflective of the types of things that took place.

Couple of points: the other review above says Sonny Barger is in the movie, but only for a couple of quick shots in the opening. The lead (playing Sonny/type) is WAY too sensitive a guy to be realistic (IMHO). The ending is comically abrupt and odd. Plus the factory version I bought was tapped in EP - THE WORST possible quality and horribly grainy - difficult to watch since the reproduction was so bad. It was still kinda fun as an era piece.

In Jack Nicholson's 1967 predessor to "Easy Rider",a youthful Nicholson stars as a gas station attendant who's bored with his life,and decides to join Hell's Angels on a cross country trip along the way,Nicholson tries to steal the girlfriend of the gang leader,and winds up in a biker style duel with him.This Cult Classic film boasts being photographed by the renowned photographer Lazlo Kovaks(Easy Rider,Close Encounters of the Third Kind) and features real-life Hell's Angel,Sonny Barger as one of the actors in the film along with other members of the Richmond Hell's Angels and the Sacramento Nomads Gang.An Original and Superb 60's Cult Classic Biker Movie especially for Biker Fanatics!!

This is the original that started it all, in 1960 which the film was shot for only two days. It's an good film, with a lot of grainy feel to it in black and white.
This version is about the bumbling Seymour who was almost out the door by his boss, Mr. Mushnick, for his incompetence. Seymour finds an unusual plant and Mushnick told Seymour if the plant turns out to be ok and fed, Seymour gets to stay at his job. Seymour names this plant, Audrey Jr., after his coworker, Audrey, who he loves. Before long, Seymour finds out that this plants wants nothing other than blood and human flesh...and ends up bringing dead people to the plant that were accidently killed. The cops were trying to find out what happened to the missing people (they were already eaten by the plant), and Mr. Mushnick stumbled on Seymour's secret. Mr. Mushnick offered a robber in the shop to the plant to save his life. The cops find out that Seymour is the one who killed the people when the pods of the plant opened up, showing the faces of those that were eaten, and there was a junkyard chase after Seymour. When Seymour goes back to the shop, he was mad at the plant, and intending to cut the weeds to kill it, he jumped in and the plant ate him. When the others came back to the shop, they found Seymour's face in one of the pods, then the movie ends.
There are some funny parts, and some silliness in other scenes (like the tramp that Seymour ran into, and their conversation is humorous!), plus you can find a young Jack Nicholson as the pain-loving dental patient.
This movie reminds me a little bit of the 1920s or 1930s films by the way some of the acting and the grainy image has portrayed in this 1960 movie, but overall, it is a good movie to watch.

You should see this movie if for no other reason that to see a very young Jack Nicholson as a machocistic dental patient. Hilarious! The rest of the movie is not too bad, either.

Tom Cruise delivers in these movies. Jerry Maguire is one ofhis more underrated movies. Tom Cruise, playing a cocky sports agent,falls from grace and needs help from his last loyal client (CubaGooding Jr.) and a single mother (Renee Zellweger) to get back ontrack. You'd think that it was all touchy-feely but since thedirector (Cameron Crowe) did such a good job with the depth of thecharacters and the quality of the entertainment anybody can appreciatethis movie.

A Few Good Men was another powerful performance byCruise. This star studded cast (Jack Nicholson, Cuba Gooding Jr.,Kevin Bacon, Demi Moore and more) does a supurb job. The story iscomplelling as it poses important questions about the rights of thepowerful and the responsibilites of those following the orders. END

This could be the most depressing movie ever made! Don't watch it with a loaded gun in your hand.

Jack Nicholson normally plays roles of blistering intensity, but in 'Ironweed', he plays an aging, burned out bum. Nothing wrong with that, but Nicholson didn't seem right for it. Maybe DeNiro would have been more convincing. Nonetheless, the story is about a bum who keeps having flashbacks of his younger days when he was fighting working man. Apparently he accidently killed three people in his lifetime. All the killings were show in chronological order as 'Ironweed' progressed. I wasn't able to see the last killing because I couldn't finish the film. Only for die-hard Nicholson and Streep fans.

Where do you start with a movie like this? The cinematography & art direction are stunning. Every single shot, every frame, is a Hopperesque masterpiece: colors, lighting, composition. It grabs you way way deep inside. The writing is of a rare pureness: concentrated & intense & head-spining. The excellent writer William Kennedy wrote the screenplay from his Pulitzer prize-winning masterpiece of a novel. You can't get better than that. And then the acting. What acting! Where to start? Tom Waits who sings even when he acts. Jack Nicholson always reaching - out & deep inside - tremendous! Never better. And the exquisitely divine (sorry, can't help it) Meryl Streep: beautiful, heartwrenching, pathetic, laughable, lovable & real. The part of a lifetime, no not just a lifetime, the part of an entire movie-making era. Lastly the direction by the masterful Hector Babenco. Thank you Snr. Babenco. You belong in the pantheon with Von Stroheim, Renoir, Fellini. Thank you. So why has this film fallen into the void of video oblivion? I guess because it's an honest no melodramatics or histrionics depiction of bums - real people who represent the alternative lives that all of us could be leading but would really prefer never be reminded of.

In the spring of 1965, Roger Corman, the king of profitable, low budget movies, helped produce (without credit) two amazing films that have achieved legendary cult status. Now, thanks to VCI Home Video, Monte Hellman's "THE SHOOTING" and "RIDE IN THE WHIRLWIND" are available on DVD in pristine, widescreen transfers. The films should be seen together. They are subtly connected in many ways. Perhaps even insubtext and theme.

Both films star a then unknown Jack Nicholson and super starlet Millie Perkins and were shot simultaneously on location in Utah for the modest amount of $150,000. Nicholson also wrote and co-produced "Ride in the Whirlwind." It is the straightforward tale of the making of a bad man and features on target performances from Cameron Mitchell, Harry Dean Stanton, Rupert Crosse and Katherine Squire among others. After accidentally happening on a group of outlaws, and getting caught in the crossfire by a sheriff and his posse, Wes (Jack Nicholson) is mistaken for one of the gang and escapes. But, in order to defend himself during his flight, has to start killing. By the end of the film he has become a legendary and mythic figure. Quentin Tarantino, a big fan of Hellman, has called this "one of the greatest films ever made."

In the The Shooting, former bounty hunter turned miner Gashade (Warren Oates) returns to his diggings to find one of his partners, Leland, dead, his brother Coigne gone, and his third partner, Coley (Will Hutchins) holed-up in a nearby cave. Soon, a mysterious woman (Millie Perkins) materializes out of nowhere and offers Gashade a huge sum of money to guide her on a journey he soon realizes is a manhunt.

The quirky screenplay is by Adrien Joyce, the odd pen-name of the brilliant screenwriter Carole Eastman who wrote the acclaimed "Five Easy Pieces" which also stars Nicholson.

What "The Shooting" is actually about is anybody's guess. It has been called an existential western, or anti western. The super low-budget enforced a minimalist, almost surrealistic style that is terrific and timeless. The stark outdoor locations add immensely to the mood and of this this strange, enigmatic story that seems to reflect mid 60's paranoia and disillusionment.

Since their initial release, both films, though seldom seen, have become critical favorites, and have attained cult film status here and in Europe. Both discs include an entertaining and revealing commentary by director Monte Hellman and actor Millie Perkins with additional informed commentary by American Cinematheque programmer Dennis Bartok.

Jack Nicholson wrote the screenplay for this little gem, and in the dialogue he captures the flavor of life at that time perfectly. While too much time is spent on the shootout in the first half of the film, the second half more than makes up for that, as Jack and Cameron Mitchell--two cowpokes unlucky enough to be too close to an outlaw gang--hole up in a sodbuster's cabin.

The sodbuster, an old guy, lives with his wife and daughter, played by Millie Perkins, and as Jack says about her, "You don't talk much." True. In fact, nobody does in this film, but that's just fine. Because it's the atmosphere that counts here, and Monte Hellman, the director, gets that just right. I found Hellman's The Shooting somewhat pretentious and the ending was just plain weird. But Ride in the Whirlwind is the kind of Western that resonates a lot more--it FEELS like you're there; it feels like you can talk to these people. They won't say much, but what they will say counts for a lot.

Nicholson is fine as Wes and Cameron Mitchell equally strong as his partner Vern. As Blind Dick, leader of the small outlaw gang, Harry Dean Stanton puts in another of his strong, straight-ahead performances. The shootout is between the outlaw gang and a vigilante posse that's out to get the gang after the latter have held up a stagecoach.

One thing that makes this Western so strong is the small, dusty, lonesome life that all the main characters lead. The sodbuster and his family live in a cabin in the middle of nowhere. The cowpokes ride together, but they're removed from anyone else. The outlaw gang similarly hangs out in an isolated shack, and the vigilate posse, all men, ride wherever they think there's outlaws; one of them, seeing Abigail for the first time (Millie Perkins) mentions to his partner that she's a "cute piece" and that he'll be coming back to have a meal.

This lonesomeness is what pervades Ride in the Whirlwind and what makes it so compelling. It's a short (82 minutes) film, but well worth watching, if not owning.

wow ! i saw this movie years ago ! can't remember very well, but remember that it was one of the best performances of Cameron Mitchell ! (i am a big fan of him !) the movie is as far as i remember about friends who got fals accused for something and got hunted ! and about sacrifice ! watch it !

In the spring of 1965, Roger Corman, the king of profitable, low budget movies, helped produce (without credit) two amazing films that have achieved legendary cult status. Now, thanks to VCI Home Video, Monte Hellman's "THE SHOOTING" and "RIDE IN THE WHIRLWIND" are available on DVD in pristine, widescreen transfers. The films should be seen together. They are subtly connected in many ways. Perhaps even insubtext and theme.

Both films star a then unknown Jack Nicholson and super starlet Millie Perkins and were shot simultaneously on location in Utah for the modest amount of $150,000. Nicholson also wrote and co-produced "Ride in the Whirlwind." It is the straightforward tale of the making of a bad man and features on target performances from Cameron Mitchell, Harry Dean Stanton, Rupert Crosse and Katherine Squire among others. After accidentally happening on a group of outlaws, and getting caught in the crossfire by a sheriff and his posse, Wes (Jack Nicholson) is mistaken for one of the gang and escapes. But, in order to defend himself during his flight, has to start killing. By the end of the film he has become a legendary and mythic figure. Quentin Tarantino, a big fan of Hellman, has called this "one of the greatest films ever made."

In the The Shooting, former bounty hunter turned miner Gashade (Warren Oates) returns to his diggings to find one of his partners, Leland, dead, his brother Coigne gone, and his third partner, Coley (Will Hutchins) holed-up in a nearby cave. Soon, a mysterious woman (Millie Perkins) materializes out of nowhere and offers Gashade a huge sum of money to guide her on a journey he soon realizes is a manhunt.

The quirky screenplay is by Adrien Joyce, the odd pen-name of the brilliant screenwriter Carole Eastman who wrote the acclaimed "Five Easy Pieces" which also stars Nicholson.

What "The Shooting" is actually about is anybody's guess. It has been called an existential western, or anti western. The super low-budget enforced a minimalist, almost surrealistic style that is terrific and timeless. The stark outdoor locations add immensely to the mood and of this this strange, enigmatic story that seems to reflect mid 60's paranoia and disillusionment.

Since their initial release, both films, though seldom seen, have become critical favorites, and have attained cult film status here and in Europe. Both discs include an entertaining and revealing commentary by director Monte Hellman and actor Millie Perkins with additional informed commentary by American Cinematheque programmer Dennis Bartok.

Jack Nicholson wrote the screenplay for this little gem, and in the dialogue he captures the flavor of life at that time perfectly. While too much time is spent on the shootout in the first half of the film, the second half more than makes up for that, as Jack and Cameron Mitchell--two cowpokes unlucky enough to be too close to an outlaw gang--hole up in a sodbuster's cabin.

The sodbuster, an old guy, lives with his wife and daughter, played by Millie Perkins, and as Jack says about her, "You don't talk much." True. In fact, nobody does in this film, but that's just fine. Because it's the atmosphere that counts here, and Monte Hellman, the director, gets that just right. I found Hellman's The Shooting somewhat pretentious and the ending was just plain weird. But Ride in the Whirlwind is the kind of Western that resonates a lot more--it FEELS like you're there; it feels like you can talk to these people. They won't say much, but what they will say counts for a lot.

Nicholson is fine as Wes and Cameron Mitchell equally strong as his partner Vern. As Blind Dick, leader of the small outlaw gang, Harry Dean Stanton puts in another of his strong, straight-ahead performances. The shootout is between the outlaw gang and a vigilante posse that's out to get the gang after the latter have held up a stagecoach.

One thing that makes this Western so strong is the small, dusty, lonesome life that all the main characters lead. The sodbuster and his family live in a cabin in the middle of nowhere. The cowpokes ride together, but they're removed from anyone else. The outlaw gang similarly hangs out in an isolated shack, and the vigilate posse, all men, ride wherever they think there's outlaws; one of them, seeing Abigail for the first time (Millie Perkins) mentions to his partner that she's a "cute piece" and that he'll be coming back to have a meal.

This lonesomeness is what pervades Ride in the Whirlwind and what makes it so compelling. It's a short (82 minutes) film, but well worth watching, if not owning.

wow ! i saw this movie years ago ! can't remember very well, but remember that it was one of the best performances of Cameron Mitchell ! (i am a big fan of him !) the movie is as far as i remember about friends who got fals accused for something and got hunted ! and about sacrifice ! watch it !

This was the most boring, pathetic excuse for a movie I've ever seen in my life. It's a total rip-off. How dare they expect people to pay money for this? Do yourself a favor and save your money - you can be more entertained by staring a blank screen.

I am not 66 years old, not anywhere near it, but older viewers of "about schmidt" warned me I wouldn't understand..
it is perfectly understandable! The story of a man who has a second chance at life after losing his wife, starring the always intense Jack Nicholson, is a bittersweet, often quite comical, and very odd. Jack plays Warren Schmidt, the just retired actuary who starts up as foster parent to an underpriviledged child. This is how the story gets told part of the time. He is writing letters to this small boy telling him about his wife's annoying habits, about his daughter who's abandoned her family, and suddenly his wife is gone.
He packs up and takes a road trip in a new Winnebago. Daughter Jeannie(Hope Davis)is getting married, and he wants to talk her out of it.
Kathy Bates does an outstanding job as Ray's eccentric mother. She was fun to watch.
In a nutshell this film is 'about schmidt' and his complexities and him finding purpose. In between there are a few oddball characters thrown in for good measure.

I feel the proper way to view this film is through a developmental perspective. Schmidt is in the last stage of his life and has suffered three major losses: his job, his daughter, and his wife. The entire film is built around this premise and his ways of reacting/coping with these losses. His road trip is essentially a way for him to revisit and maybe reconcile his past. I found this to be an ultimately hopefuly film, because, by the end, Schmidt had reached beyond his state of despair (Erik Erikson's theory of human development) and was thinking beyond his own self-interests(Ndugu).

This was the most boring, pathetic excuse for a movie I've ever seen in my life. It's a total rip-off. How dare they expect people to pay money for this? Do yourself a favor and save your money - you can be more entertained by staring a blank screen.

I am not 66 years old, not anywhere near it, but older viewers of "about schmidt" warned me I wouldn't understand..
it is perfectly understandable! The story of a man who has a second chance at life after losing his wife, starring the always intense Jack Nicholson, is a bittersweet, often quite comical, and very odd. Jack plays Warren Schmidt, the just retired actuary who starts up as foster parent to an underpriviledged child. This is how the story gets told part of the time. He is writing letters to this small boy telling him about his wife's annoying habits, about his daughter who's abandoned her family, and suddenly his wife is gone.
He packs up and takes a road trip in a new Winnebago. Daughter Jeannie(Hope Davis)is getting married, and he wants to talk her out of it.
Kathy Bates does an outstanding job as Ray's eccentric mother. She was fun to watch.
In a nutshell this film is 'about schmidt' and his complexities and him finding purpose. In between there are a few oddball characters thrown in for good measure.

I feel the proper way to view this film is through a developmental perspective. Schmidt is in the last stage of his life and has suffered three major losses: his job, his daughter, and his wife. The entire film is built around this premise and his ways of reacting/coping with these losses. His road trip is essentially a way for him to revisit and maybe reconcile his past. I found this to be an ultimately hopefuly film, because, by the end, Schmidt had reached beyond his state of despair (Erik Erikson's theory of human development) and was thinking beyond his own self-interests(Ndugu).