James-Rebhorn Movie Reviews

Related Subjects: James-Belushi
More Pages: James-Rebhorn Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
VHS movie reviews for "James-Rebhorn" sorted by average review score:
A Bright Shining Lie
Released in VHS Tape by Hbo Studios (08 June, 1999)
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Director: Terry George
Based on Neil Sheehan's controversial book about the making of the Vietnam war, this HBO production is told from the perspective of Lt. Colonel John Paul Vann (Bill Paxton), one of the original military advisers sent in 1962 to prop up the fledgling South Vietnamese army against the Viet Cong. Battle-ready and enthusiastic upon his arrival, Vann quickly learns that political and social pressures are causing the South Vietnamese to doctor evidence of their victories and local military brass to take undeserved credit for overhyped battles. As the propaganda draws America ever deeper into a war most people clearly don't understand, Vann takes issue with the corruption and finds his career in tatters--only the beginning of a long journey that piles tragedies upon ironies. Written and directed by Terry George (Some Mother's Son), A Bright Shining Lie has a somewhat rushed and brittle quality to it, made all the more dry by passages from Sheehan's book read, documentary-style, by Donal Logue. But George also makes a case for Vann's more blatant personal contradictions--such as the casualness of his womanizing when he so clearly loves his wife (Amy Madigan)--that only grow as years pass and political myths supporting the war fold over onto themselves. (Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg, more or less played in this film by Eric Bogosian, has taken issue with this depiction of Vann's character.) Sustaining the whole project is Paxton's focused, thoughtful performance, and an enduring public hunger to know just what it was that happened in Vietnam. On both counts, the film is well worth seeing. --Tom Keogh
Average review score:

A Bright Shining LIFE not lie; best depiction of M113 AFVs
There is no better geopolitical/military Vietnam movie than "A Bright Shining Lie" (should be LIFE). We need to be glad that Hollywood has even made such a film of someone whose virtues they would abhor--in fact this is why LTC Vann's womanizing receives more prominence in the film than what's depicted in the book. To sum up the flaws in the film;

1. Too much emphasis on Vann's womanizing

2. Failure to portray the battle of Ap Bac correctly--the book's portrayal of this fight is more accurate, showing how Vann almost pulled off a victory by parachute airdropping ARVN troops to catch the VC from retreating, the film perhaps due to budget $$$ didn't even mention this aspect.

3. Forgets to mention Vann's successes at pacification

Despite the film makers wanting to portray the typical Vietnam War-is-futile nonsense, the film makers succeed powerfully on the following points which are unique and vital:

1. They portray LTC Vann as the military innovator and maverick that he was. This is indeed Bill Paxton's break-out from comedy acting role, I hope he continues to play strong, intelligent heroes from now on. Jeff Daniels did the same playing Col Chamberlain in Gettysburg. He is THE role model for a good, technically and tactically proficient American Soldier who gives a darn and is willing to fight for what is right even at the cost of his career. Don't let Gen-X/Y revisionism and snobby film narration deceive you that just because Vann had marks on his record that there was "no career" at risk. Go ask Col David Hackworth about this. Standing up for what is right could get you prison and court-martial--reflect on Gen Billy Mitchell's experiences in the 30s. The montage scenes where Vann talks about "rice" being the center of gravity using different pieces of different briefings/speeches is brilliant and shows how hard he fought to rally the Army and America to the correct way to fight an insurgency. Another maverick military leader depicted was General Frederick C. Weyand, who single-handedly saved the day during Tet by keeping his troops nearby and not being suckered into the diversion the marines surrounded at Khe Sanh was. It was good to see the actor Ed Lauter play Weyand--a good guy for a change. Point of it all---one or two men can make a differance.

2. If you first don't succeed, try, try again

A lesson the current generation doesn't know is tenacity and perseverence--to have them you have to believe in something strong enough to keep fighting. When Vann's Army career ends, he doesn't just give up. He stays involved, he writes letters, he stays in touch with Army buddies, he by staying within "calling distance" gets called back to active duty in an amazing way--back to Vietnam where though not depicted in the film, he has amazing successes. Read the book to learn about this. The lesson here is to NEVER GIVE UP. A lesson America needs now more than ever. Vann didn't whine that he wouldn't become a General, and in the end he became one. If your values are right, in the end, good triumphs.

3. The scenes where troops are fighting in M113 Armored Personnel Carriers are tremendous---correct me if I'm wrong--but these are the first depictions of mechanized infantry ever seen in Hollywood. The ARVN Track commander who without gunshields at Ap Bac gets shot into the troop compartment, and in a later scene, Vann's hopping into the back of a M113A1 using the troop door instead of the rear ramp, speeding to the American embassy under siege during the Tet offensive while bullets ping off the armored sides is priceless. If you combine the book's thrust that at Ap Bac Vann almost defeated the VC by 3-D maneuver using parachute forces and the film's depiction of the utility of shielded M113 armor protected mobility you could "John Paul Vann" an Air-Mech concept for today's battlefields that would be very powerful.

4. After Tet--the VC were wiped out--this film shows the military victory it was for the U.S. though a political victory for the enemy at home in the U.S. using 4th GenWar means. The war would have to be fought using external NVA forces and in the climactic battle, Vann and a handful of advisors skillfully use air strikes to stop the 1972 invasion, saving the day. I love the speech Vann makes during that desperate hour.

Well, let's not beat around the bush, shall we?

What is the importance of John Paul Vann and this film?

HAD VANN LIVED SOUTH VIETNAM WOULD BE FREE TODAY.

If Vann had not died in the helo crash, he would by his presence on the scene as the most visible and vocal American insured America would not have "cut and run" the next time the NVA came marching south in conquest. Vann would have corrected corruption and made the ARVN a better Army by not trying to just emulate U.S. Air Assault tactics using light infantry/firebases with tube artillery. He would have realized that the NVA were getting longer ranged artillery to pound the fire bases at will, surface-to-air missiles to shoot down the ARVN helicopters and saw to it that America supplied the necessary tools. Vann had the necessary military experience to combine arms more effectively (see how he almost saved the battle at Ap Bac) and the civilian political clout to keep America engaged. Think of British military protector General Charles "Chinese" Gordon played brilliantly in the film, Khartoum by Charlton Heston. Or General MacArthur in the Philipines. If America could have identified more with South Vietnam by men like Vann we wouldn't have turned our backs on them in their hour of need.

The message of this film is clear despite the film makers wanting to in some ways discredit Vann: go out and live life like he did, care, think, and do not let evil run over that which is good. Live A Bright Shining Life.

Airborne!

Excellent Vietnam-era movie
HBO Films presents this biopic of John Paul Vann, taken from the book of the same name. Vann was a former US army soldier who became a civilian leader of the war effort on behalf of South Vietnam. In addition to detailing the military actions that Vann is involved in, the film also expertly describes the many failings of Vann's personal life. Some people have criticized this film for being of the low-budget, made for TV variety. To the contrary, I think that this film was done quite well for a cable film. Of course, HBO is known for producing top-notch original films.

The only beef I have with this movie is not production-related, nor is it expressed in the book, but exhibits what I feel is the bias of the director or screenwriter. The film explicitly implies that JFK was innocent of the war, and that, immediately following his assassination, LBJ instantly accelerated the war to mammoth proportions. The truth is significantly more complicated, but liberal Hollywood-types are well known for their honoring of JFK and distaste of LBJ. This political propaganda aside, this really is an excellent film about a little-known aspect of the Vietnam War.

A Bright Shining Lie
This movie is one of the greatest movies on the Vietnam War.The book is [not].But the movie allows the viewer to make his own discisions.Such as at the end of the movie Mr Shehan is critizising Gen.Vann because he ordered carpet bombing on North Vietnamese Tank and troop concentrations(which is standard procedure)Mr Shehan didn,t understand the difference between conventional war and guerilla tactics.The movie is a tribute to one of Americas best .Whose life was sacraficed for freedom.And anyone who doubts that, go to Westminster "little Saigon"and ask the people who were South Vietnamese. Sincerely William Carney

A Bright Shining Lie
Released in VHS Tape by Hbo Studios (08 June, 1999)
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Director: Terry George
Based on Neil Sheehan's controversial book about the making of the Vietnam war, this HBO production is told from the perspective of Lt. Colonel John Paul Vann (Bill Paxton), one of the original military advisers sent in 1962 to prop up the fledgling South Vietnamese army against the Viet Cong. Battle-ready and enthusiastic upon his arrival, Vann quickly learns that political and social pressures are causing the South Vietnamese to doctor evidence of their victories and local military brass to take undeserved credit for overhyped battles. As the propaganda draws America ever deeper into a war most people clearly don't understand, Vann takes issue with the corruption and finds his career in tatters--only the beginning of a long journey that piles tragedies upon ironies. Written and directed by Terry George (Some Mother's Son), A Bright Shining Lie has a somewhat rushed and brittle quality to it, made all the more dry by passages from Sheehan's book read, documentary-style, by Donal Logue. But George also makes a case for Vann's more blatant personal contradictions--such as the casualness of his womanizing when he so clearly loves his wife (Amy Madigan)--that only grow as years pass and political myths supporting the war fold over onto themselves. (Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg, more or less played in this film by Eric Bogosian, has taken issue with this depiction of Vann's character.) Sustaining the whole project is Paxton's focused, thoughtful performance, and an enduring public hunger to know just what it was that happened in Vietnam. On both counts, the film is well worth seeing. --Tom Keogh
Average review score:

A Bright Shining LIFE not lie; best depiction of M113 AFVs
There is no better geopolitical/military Vietnam movie than "A Bright Shining Lie" (should be LIFE). We need to be glad that Hollywood has even made such a film of someone whose virtues they would abhor--in fact this is why LTC Vann's womanizing receives more prominence in the film than what's depicted in the book. To sum up the flaws in the film;

1. Too much emphasis on Vann's womanizing

2. Failure to portray the battle of Ap Bac correctly--the book's portrayal of this fight is more accurate, showing how Vann almost pulled off a victory by parachute airdropping ARVN troops to catch the VC from retreating, the film perhaps due to budget $$$ didn't even mention this aspect.

3. Forgets to mention Vann's successes at pacification

Despite the film makers wanting to portray the typical Vietnam War-is-futile nonsense, the film makers succeed powerfully on the following points which are unique and vital:

1. They portray LTC Vann as the military innovator and maverick that he was. This is indeed Bill Paxton's break-out from comedy acting role, I hope he continues to play strong, intelligent heroes from now on. Jeff Daniels did the same playing Col Chamberlain in Gettysburg. He is THE role model for a good, technically and tactically proficient American Soldier who gives a darn and is willing to fight for what is right even at the cost of his career. Don't let Gen-X/Y revisionism and snobby film narration deceive you that just because Vann had marks on his record that there was "no career" at risk. Go ask Col David Hackworth about this. Standing up for what is right could get you prison and court-martial--reflect on Gen Billy Mitchell's experiences in the 30s. The montage scenes where Vann talks about "rice" being the center of gravity using different pieces of different briefings/speeches is brilliant and shows how hard he fought to rally the Army and America to the correct way to fight an insurgency. Another maverick military leader depicted was General Frederick C. Weyand, who single-handedly saved the day during Tet by keeping his troops nearby and not being suckered into the diversion the marines surrounded at Khe Sanh was. It was good to see the actor Ed Lauter play Weyand--a good guy for a change. Point of it all---one or two men can make a differance.

2. If you first don't succeed, try, try again

A lesson the current generation doesn't know is tenacity and perseverence--to have them you have to believe in something strong enough to keep fighting. When Vann's Army career ends, he doesn't just give up. He stays involved, he writes letters, he stays in touch with Army buddies, he by staying within "calling distance" gets called back to active duty in an amazing way--back to Vietnam where though not depicted in the film, he has amazing successes. Read the book to learn about this. The lesson here is to NEVER GIVE UP. A lesson America needs now more than ever. Vann didn't whine that he wouldn't become a General, and in the end he became one. If your values are right, in the end, good triumphs.

3. The scenes where troops are fighting in M113 Armored Personnel Carriers are tremendous---correct me if I'm wrong--but these are the first depictions of mechanized infantry ever seen in Hollywood. The ARVN Track commander who without gunshields at Ap Bac gets shot into the troop compartment, and in a later scene, Vann's hopping into the back of a M113A1 using the troop door instead of the rear ramp, speeding to the American embassy under siege during the Tet offensive while bullets ping off the armored sides is priceless. If you combine the book's thrust that at Ap Bac Vann almost defeated the VC by 3-D maneuver using parachute forces and the film's depiction of the utility of shielded M113 armor protected mobility you could "John Paul Vann" an Air-Mech concept for today's battlefields that would be very powerful.

4. After Tet--the VC were wiped out--this film shows the military victory it was for the U.S. though a political victory for the enemy at home in the U.S. using 4th GenWar means. The war would have to be fought using external NVA forces and in the climactic battle, Vann and a handful of advisors skillfully use air strikes to stop the 1972 invasion, saving the day. I love the speech Vann makes during that desperate hour.

Well, let's not beat around the bush, shall we?

What is the importance of John Paul Vann and this film?

HAD VANN LIVED SOUTH VIETNAM WOULD BE FREE TODAY.

If Vann had not died in the helo crash, he would by his presence on the scene as the most visible and vocal American insured America would not have "cut and run" the next time the NVA came marching south in conquest. Vann would have corrected corruption and made the ARVN a better Army by not trying to just emulate U.S. Air Assault tactics using light infantry/firebases with tube artillery. He would have realized that the NVA were getting longer ranged artillery to pound the fire bases at will, surface-to-air missiles to shoot down the ARVN helicopters and saw to it that America supplied the necessary tools. Vann had the necessary military experience to combine arms more effectively (see how he almost saved the battle at Ap Bac) and the civilian political clout to keep America engaged. Think of British military protector General Charles "Chinese" Gordon played brilliantly in the film, Khartoum by Charlton Heston. Or General MacArthur in the Philipines. If America could have identified more with South Vietnam by men like Vann we wouldn't have turned our backs on them in their hour of need.

The message of this film is clear despite the film makers wanting to in some ways discredit Vann: go out and live life like he did, care, think, and do not let evil run over that which is good. Live A Bright Shining Life.

Airborne!

Excellent Vietnam-era movie
HBO Films presents this biopic of John Paul Vann, taken from the book of the same name. Vann was a former US army soldier who became a civilian leader of the war effort on behalf of South Vietnam. In addition to detailing the military actions that Vann is involved in, the film also expertly describes the many failings of Vann's personal life. Some people have criticized this film for being of the low-budget, made for TV variety. To the contrary, I think that this film was done quite well for a cable film. Of course, HBO is known for producing top-notch original films.

The only beef I have with this movie is not production-related, nor is it expressed in the book, but exhibits what I feel is the bias of the director or screenwriter. The film explicitly implies that JFK was innocent of the war, and that, immediately following his assassination, LBJ instantly accelerated the war to mammoth proportions. The truth is significantly more complicated, but liberal Hollywood-types are well known for their honoring of JFK and distaste of LBJ. This political propaganda aside, this really is an excellent film about a little-known aspect of the Vietnam War.

A Bright Shining Lie
This movie is one of the greatest movies on the Vietnam War.The book is [not].But the movie allows the viewer to make his own discisions.Such as at the end of the movie Mr Shehan is critizising Gen.Vann because he ordered carpet bombing on North Vietnamese Tank and troop concentrations(which is standard procedure)Mr Shehan didn,t understand the difference between conventional war and guerilla tactics.The movie is a tribute to one of Americas best .Whose life was sacraficed for freedom.And anyone who doubts that, go to Westminster "little Saigon"and ask the people who were South Vietnamese. Sincerely William Carney

Up Close & Personal
Released in VHS Tape by Touchstone Video (14 January, 2003)
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Director: Jon Avnet
Starring: Robert Redford and Michelle Pfeiffer
Here's a classic Hollywood star vehicle. Up Close and Personal--the story of Tally Atwater (Michelle Pfeiffer), an inexperienced but ambitious TV news personality, and her well-weathered journalistic mentor, Warren Justice (Robert Redford)--was carefully tailored to fit its stars. What began as a screenplay based on the biography of troubled TV anchorwoman Jessica Savitch (Golden Girl, by Alanna Nash) took more than eight years to reach the screen, written and rewritten, on and off, over the years by husband-and-wife team John Gregory Dunne and Joan Didion, mainly because they needed the work to qualify for the splendid Writers' Guild health-insurance plan. Although the considerable charisma of Pfeiffer and Redford go a long way, in many respects Nash's original nonfiction book (and even Dunne's peculiarly disingenuous "insider" account of the writing of the screenplay, Monster: Living Off the Big Screen) offers tales more compelling than the one that eventually made it to the screen. But, all things considered, that's a little like comparing apples and oranges, since the slick Up Close and Personal bears about as much resemblance to its gritty original source material as...well, an apple does to an orange. Critic Roger Ebert, who awarded the movie three stars, nevertheless said he was reminded of the time producer Samuel Goldwyn commissioned a screenplay about the Lindbergh kidnapping. Only, to quote Goldwyn, "it can't be about kidnapping, which is against the Code. For legal reasons, we have to change the name from Lindbergh. And the kid's father shouldn't fly." Read the book, see the movie, read the book about writing the movie. Anyone interested in how movies are made will learn an entertaining lesson about the studio system by devouring all three. --Jim Emerson
Average review score:

Not all that, but Pfieffer and Redford make it worth it
Both actors deliver fine performances. Even though the plot is ho-hum, the movie is still interesting to watch. Sad, of course, as all fine love stories are. But worth a peek.

A wonderful romance!
Up Close & Personal is a wonderful movie. Robert Redford and Michelle Pfeiffer have incredible chemistry together. Ms. Pfeiffer plays Tally Atwater, a young woman who wants to be a news reporter. Mr. Redford plays Warren Justice, the man who teaches Tally all he knows about the business. They realize their love when Tally starts to go places.

Tally sends her resume to stations everywhere, but only WMIA-Miami responds. Warren hires her as his secretary, and finally lets her on-screen as the weather girl. Of course, she fails, but Warren sees her potential. All her hard work pays off when she meets Bucky, an agent who sends her to Philadelphia. Without Warren, though, she can't get the hang of big city news. Bucky talks to Warren about Tally, and he soon flies off to join her.

Tally gets her big network break when she interviews inmates for a special report on prisons. While she is there, a jail break occurs. She is forced to do nation-wide live broadcasts, while Warren sits on the sides, sometimes able to communicate with her and sometimes not.

After she goes to the major network, Warren realizes he needs to get back into the swing of things. He decides to investigate how the people of Panama feel about gaining possesion of the Canal in 1999. What happens next is the real suprise, so I'll let you watch to find out!

A must for all Pfeiffer fans.
Up Close and Personal does the impossible: it manages to jump from different settings within two hours and shift its plot while keeping the audience wanting more and more. Pfeiffer stars as a reporter, Tally, who has always aspired to make it to the top in television news. Along the way, she meets a veteran newsman, Warren Justice (Robert Redford), who gives her a chance at a reporter. As she begins to mature in her stories and her thirst for knowledge heightens, she begins to turn heads in the news business, and ends up moving from a station in Miami to a station in Philadelphia. All the while, Tally and Warren struggle to keep alive a relationship that both know is inevitable. Performances from all actors are very original and heartfelt, under Jon Avnet's wonderful direction. Thomas Newman's score is brilliant, and fits in at every moment to add to the emotional appeal of the movie. A storyline that never stops moving at times keeps the energy alive, which makes this movie one that will please most people.

I Love Trouble
Released in VHS Tape by Touchstone Video (25 November, 1997)
MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Director: Charles Shyer
Starring: Nick Nolte and Julia Roberts
The writer-producer-director team of Charles Shyer and Nancy Meyers (Father of the Bride) can't lift this sugary ode to Howard Hawks's His Girl Friday to a believable--let alone enjoyable--plateau. Neither, unfortunately, can its two great and perfectly cast leads, Nick Nolte and Julia Roberts. As competing newspaper reporters after the same story, there should be enough sparks and brilliantly barbed dialogue flying between them to resurrect the screwball comedy genre of classic Hollywood. But the material isn't there, the charisma isn't there, and the direction (by Shyer) certainly isn't there. At more than two hours, the film begins to dismantle itself, and the cute factor becomes a pain. --Tom Keogh
Average review score:

A forgettable film with a dumb title
This film just lacks. I like Julia. I like Nick, but the flim just doesn't work somehow. I've certainly seen worse films, but this is not one of the best certainly. Sometimes on screen chemistry works and sometimes it doesn't. Here, it doesn't.

A Sexy Screwball Caper
Roberts and Nolte are rival reporters chasing after a story involving a train derailment that ultimately leads to murder. This is a chase film set in the same vein as the legendary "Thin Man" series and with Roberts and Nolte it really works. Watch for the hilarious scene where Nolte exposes the 'real' Julia to a troupe of Boy Scouts.
The transfer is not anamorphic but, having said that, there's little else wrong with it. Color balance is strong. Shadow delineation, while not superb, is nevertheless strong and accurate. There are some film artifacts that float by but nothing that terribly distracts. The Dolby Surround track, although not 5.1, has a nice spread along the three front channels of my home theater. No extras, a disappointment, since at one time this film was slated to get a special edition treatment on laserdisc with deleted footage and added scenes. Oh well, what's here is solid and thoroughly enjoyable. If you like madcap adventures this one's for you.

Good, Clean Movie
Julia Roberts and Nick Nolte play reporters working for rival newspapers, with some fun antics following. This movie is reminiscent of a movie that Rock Hudson and Doris Day might have starred in. It is one of my favorites.

The Adventures of Pluto Nash
Released in VHS Tape by Warner Home Video (03 June, 2003)
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Director: Ron Underwood
Starring: Eddie Murphy and Jay Mohr
The Adventures of Pluto Nash was shelved for nearly two years, and when it was finally released, hardly anyone noticed. In the interim, Eddie Murphy made the marginally better Showtime and started fishing for a career revival that wasn't a sequel to his previous hits. In the satirical, lunar-colony hash of Pluto Nash, Murphy's a variant of Casablanca's Rick Blaine in the year 2087, happily running the moon's hottest nightclub, refusing a buyout offer from a greedy gambler, and suffering the consequences with his sidekick robot (Randy Quaid in yet another thankless role) and newest employee (Rosario Dawson, before doing similar time in Men in Black II). A visual hybrid of Total Recall and A.I., this nearly laughless comedy would be a total write-off if it weren't for Murphy's stalwart attempt to jump-start the flagging humor. He's got the chops of a superstar, but only when his collaborators are on the same page. --Jeff Shannon
Average review score:

A fun time, not for grouchy critics
A hilarious movie full of charming characters. The only limitation is people who do not enjoy "stupid" humor will not like it, but the front cover of the box should clue people in.

Pluto Nash (Murphy) is an ex-crook trying to make it in the honest world of running a night club, but gets into trouble with the moon mob when he refuses to sell out to a mysterious casino baron. With his robot side-kick Bruno (Randy Quaid, AKA "cousin Eddie" from the Vacation movies) a beautiful singer (Rosario Dawson), and his mother, Pluto Nash is chased across the moon colony by a bunch of goons while trying to find the bad guy that is behind it all.

Lots of shooting, goofy robot interactions, freeze-dried Chihuahuas, and some good old Eddie Murphy wit make this a great movie for people who "like this sort of thing."

Pluto Nash is Underrated!!
... I could be putting my neck on the line here. But right is right. This is the first movie I've seen Eddie in recently that I've really liked. Sure, talking to the animals is cute...but that's all those movies really were. Cute. Lets face it, Eddie Murphy is a tremendous talent, and though its been a few years since he's really come out with anything spectacular, like his first Beverly Hills Cop, Coming to America or any of his other well constructed movies, he's had a bit of a slow run on really great scripts.

Okay, back to Pluto Nash...great acting, actually good and even timely jokes and comedy...and if you were really paying attention, the soundtrack was awesome. The music put the beat and heart into the whole film. Great score by John Powell, who did such movies as The Bourne Identity, Shrek, I am Sam and Evolution.

Rosario Dawson was excellent as the damsel (also the princess in Men in Black II - A movie with no script), and really made the film shine. Randy Quaid did an outstanding job of appearing to be an android (without a lot of special makeup). Mind you, the first couple of scenes with him did make we wonder if the film was going to be really hokey, but he pulled it off. That's takes talent.

Actually, the movie had a very strong cast and many cameo scenes from many long time friends and collaborators such as Peter Boyle, Pam Greir, John Cleese, Alec Baldwin and many more.

I was really surprised that the movie cost $100,000,000.00. It had the look and feel of a 1940 detective movie (soft), which I believe is what they were going for, and yet the effects were all excellent with the "look" they wanted. It is really a shame that Warner Brothers did not give the same treatment in advertising and marketing as they did to their mega bucks equivalent Men in Black II.

All in all it was a great film, lots of good humor (fairly clean too), great acting, great special effects, excellent action scenes, lousy advertising. I'm just waiting for the DVD...

Fun
Well, I don't know who these top 500 and 1000 reviewers think they are to give everything a bad review because they assume they'll make a career out of it once they get out of their mother's basement, but I think, for us normal people who don't sit around and write thousands of pathetic movie reviews on amazon.com, that Pluto Nash is a fun movie. There's comedy, action, and a great supporting cast, which, though it doesn't live up to its full potential, shines in the areas of Peter Boyle and particularly Jay Mohr, while the rest isn't at all bad. Though WB marketed it poorly, as, essentially, a movie, without anything in it, Pluto Nash ends up being an entertaining action comedy, and, though there isn't too much of either action or comedy, that's easily made up for in the CGI, the musical score (which I'm having trouble getting my hands on--I guess WB just didn't put it out), and, especially, the amazing set design, which made the movie a great spectacle in Little America, Moon Beach, the Lunar Grand, and Club Pluto. The plot can be read about in the other reviews, and all I'm saying is that this is a fun movie that doesn't deserve its bad rap.

The Adventures of Pluto Nash
Released in VHS Tape by Warner Home Video (24 December, 2002)
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Director: Ron Underwood
Starring: Eddie Murphy and Jay Mohr
The Adventures of Pluto Nash was shelved for nearly two years, and when it was finally released, hardly anyone noticed. In the interim, Eddie Murphy made the marginally better Showtime and started fishing for a career revival that wasn't a sequel to his previous hits. In the satirical, lunar-colony hash of Pluto Nash, Murphy's a variant of Casablanca's Rick Blaine in the year 2087, happily running the moon's hottest nightclub, refusing a buyout offer from a greedy gambler, and suffering the consequences with his sidekick robot (Randy Quaid in yet another thankless role) and newest employee (Rosario Dawson, before doing similar time in Men in Black II). A visual hybrid of Total Recall and A.I., this nearly laughless comedy would be a total write-off if it weren't for Murphy's stalwart attempt to jump-start the flagging humor. He's got the chops of a superstar, but only when his collaborators are on the same page. --Jeff Shannon
Average review score:

A fun time, not for grouchy critics
A hilarious movie full of charming characters. The only limitation is people who do not enjoy "stupid" humor will not like it, but the front cover of the box should clue people in.

Pluto Nash (Murphy) is an ex-crook trying to make it in the honest world of running a night club, but gets into trouble with the moon mob when he refuses to sell out to a mysterious casino baron. With his robot side-kick Bruno (Randy Quaid, AKA "cousin Eddie" from the Vacation movies) a beautiful singer (Rosario Dawson), and his mother, Pluto Nash is chased across the moon colony by a bunch of goons while trying to find the bad guy that is behind it all.

Lots of shooting, goofy robot interactions, freeze-dried Chihuahuas, and some good old Eddie Murphy wit make this a great movie for people who "like this sort of thing."

Pluto Nash is Underrated!!
... I could be putting my neck on the line here. But right is right. This is the first movie I've seen Eddie in recently that I've really liked. Sure, talking to the animals is cute...but that's all those movies really were. Cute. Lets face it, Eddie Murphy is a tremendous talent, and though its been a few years since he's really come out with anything spectacular, like his first Beverly Hills Cop, Coming to America or any of his other well constructed movies, he's had a bit of a slow run on really great scripts.

Okay, back to Pluto Nash...great acting, actually good and even timely jokes and comedy...and if you were really paying attention, the soundtrack was awesome. The music put the beat and heart into the whole film. Great score by John Powell, who did such movies as The Bourne Identity, Shrek, I am Sam and Evolution.

Rosario Dawson was excellent as the damsel (also the princess in Men in Black II - A movie with no script), and really made the film shine. Randy Quaid did an outstanding job of appearing to be an android (without a lot of special makeup). Mind you, the first couple of scenes with him did make we wonder if the film was going to be really hokey, but he pulled it off. That's takes talent.

Actually, the movie had a very strong cast and many cameo scenes from many long time friends and collaborators such as Peter Boyle, Pam Greir, John Cleese, Alec Baldwin and many more.

I was really surprised that the movie cost $100,000,000.00. It had the look and feel of a 1940 detective movie (soft), which I believe is what they were going for, and yet the effects were all excellent with the "look" they wanted. It is really a shame that Warner Brothers did not give the same treatment in advertising and marketing as they did to their mega bucks equivalent Men in Black II.

All in all it was a great film, lots of good humor (fairly clean too), great acting, great special effects, excellent action scenes, lousy advertising. I'm just waiting for the DVD...

Fun
Well, I don't know who these top 500 and 1000 reviewers think they are to give everything a bad review because they assume they'll make a career out of it once they get out of their mother's basement, but I think, for us normal people who don't sit around and write thousands of pathetic movie reviews on amazon.com, that Pluto Nash is a fun movie. There's comedy, action, and a great supporting cast, which, though it doesn't live up to its full potential, shines in the areas of Peter Boyle and particularly Jay Mohr, while the rest isn't at all bad. Though WB marketed it poorly, as, essentially, a movie, without anything in it, Pluto Nash ends up being an entertaining action comedy, and, though there isn't too much of either action or comedy, that's easily made up for in the CGI, the musical score (which I'm having trouble getting my hands on--I guess WB just didn't put it out), and, especially, the amazing set design, which made the movie a great spectacle in Little America, Moon Beach, the Lunar Grand, and Club Pluto. The plot can be read about in the other reviews, and all I'm saying is that this is a fun movie that doesn't deserve its bad rap.

He Knows You're Alone
Released in VHS Tape by Warner Home Video (M (25 September, 1991)
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Director: Armand Mastroianni
Average review score:

A typical 80s slasher flick
I see this movie time and time again on cable and have always remember the movie theater scene and the fish bowl scene, but much to my surprise, the last time I watched it, Tom Hanks?? Very funny. Even more familiar faces are in it, like the detention teacher in the Breakfast Club. Even old-school Days of Our Lives fans should recognize one character, who bites it pretty quickly. I did like this movie because the scenes above are very creative. This is definitely one to rent for a night of cheezy 80s slasher movie. If you like these kind of movies, even if you don't admit, you like this one.

Not bad Halloween Clone
This film was released by MGM in 1980 as an attempt to capsize the success of John Carpenter's Halloween and it didn't do to bad during it's release because this film does have some good shocks. Armand Masterolini (Perfect Target, Cameron's Closet) is in his directing debuet here, and it centers around a killer who stalks brides. He picks out one named Amy Jensen and starts killing her friends, when she thinks she is being stalked, she gets help from her funny ex boyfriend and a cop who's wife was killed by the stalker three years before. He Knows You're Alone isn't bad at all, it's got an all star cast including Don Scardino and Tom Rolfing (both from Days of Our Lives), Caitleen O'Heaney (Tale of the Gold Monkey), James Rebhorn (Independance Day), and early role for Tom Hanks (Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan), Paul Gleason (Breakfast Club), Russell Todd (Friday the 13th Part 2, Chopping Mall), Lewis Arlt (TV's Law and Order) and Dana Barron (National Lampoon's Vacation). Just to point out a trivia scene, the beginning of this film is reference to a similar scene at the beginning of Scream 2.

One of the Best Movies
I saw this movie a couple years ago with my friend and we loved it. We didn't think it was that scary actually. It is probably one of the funniest. I mean the only time she locks her door is when he is in her house. And then she runs into a door and falls and it's filled with laughs.

Deadly Matrimony
Released in VHS Tape by Anchor Bay Entertainment (07 January, 1997)
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Director: John Korty
Average review score:

Painfully Stupid
I caught this movie DEADLY MATRIMONY on the worst channel on cable television, you guessed it, the Lifetime channel! To be brief, it is overly melodramatic, poorly acted, and a pain in the gulliver to watch.( A CLOCKWORK ORANGE referance )
The only good part about it( spoilers, wait, it can't be a spoiler anyway because no one in the future will ever see this weak, pathetic excuse for a movie, and if they do I pity them )was the part where Treat Williams kills his wife with a poker. Wait, before you think, "what a sick and twisted misfit excuse for a human being", I think that is the only good scene not for its violence, but because it suprised me. I had no idea she would die right then, I thought she would learn how to fight and then kill him like so many other bad drama films like the highly atrocious, ENOUGH with Jennifer Lopez( ouch! ). And this is one of the only movies I saw that the geek gets the girl.
Oh, and did I mention that Treat Williams ... in this movie.

A good film
This is a good movie about a brave cop. Brian Dennehy is terrific. And I think that the movie is fair to Alan Masters -- after all, he was convicted, along with two others. The stories in the movie are also in a couple of books about the case!

Deadly Matrimony
I thought the movie was very good. I find it hard to believe he's not guilty since there were others convicted also. I think it showed a lot of courage of Jack Reed.

Dead and Alive
Released in VHS Tape by New Concorde Home En (23 July, 2002)
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Director: Peter Markle
Average review score:

Dead and Alive is an oxymoron!
Having contributed in some small way to the making of this movie, I found it barely resembled the original cut. The excessive editing destroyed the continuity and artistry. I found the producers attempt at retitling and billing Samuel L. Jackson as the star... Gus Farace, to be shameful! Tony Danza plays the title role in this movie and Mr. Jackson is not even a first billing in 1992 when this movie was shot. Where is the integrity?

Independence Day
Released in VHS Tape by Fox Home Entertainme (21 May, 2002)
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Director: Roland Emmerich
Starring: Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, and Will Smith
Average review score:
No reviews found.

Related Subjects: James-Belushi
More Pages: James-Rebhorn Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8