James-Spader Movie Reviews

If you like bondage this is for you. A young girl who likes to cut herself falls for her boss who likes to be beaten her playfully and likes to beat other women. It's art once again hidden in a bad movie or I should say unusal movie. Too many beating for me and not enough skin. Some great scenes but they needed more nudity.

The joy of SECRETARY lies in its characters, all of whom are quirky (to say the least). And if you leave the film thankful that you run with "normal" folks, then you probably just don't know the person in the adjacent work cube all that well.

As the film begins, Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhaal) has just been released from institutional therapy. Lee has a level of self-esteem that's abysmal to the point of involving self-mutilation with sharp objects. (She even has her own first aid kit to disinfect and treat the wounds as soon as she makes them!) And whatever therapy she got didn't stick. But, life goes on, so she takes a typing class, and subsequently lands a job as a SECRETARY for the perfectionist lawyer "Mr. Grey" (James Spader).

Mutual assessment soon reveals potential for an S&M relationship where Grey is the "S" and Lee the "M". Courting, so to speak, and foreplay involve the boss making increasingly difficult demands of Lee's job performance with the mutual understanding that the latter will fail and punishment will follow. And what's a poor girl to do when making deliberate spelling errors in legal correspondence just doesn't push Grey's lust button anymore?

Spader's Grey persona is so deliciously creepy - not sinister, just creepy - that his paralegal does her work in such an unusual hiding place that she's rarely seen, even by the audience. And the delightful Gyllenhaal's portrayal of Holloway is so otherwise girl-next-door, except for her preoccupation with cutting edges, that I'm now surreptitiously scrutinizing our office secretaries for barely-hidden scars. And Jeremy Davies is terrific as Lee's nominal boyfriend, the painfully pathetic Peter.

While SECRETARY was in the theaters, it probably wasn't a film that you would've taken your prim and proper grandmother to see for her day trip away from the assisted care facility. It has some artistically done full-frontal nudity and a couple scenes of X-rated heavy breathing. SECRETARY is a stylish and darkly humorous treatment of a delicate subject that allows the viewer to snicker without the guilty feeling of having been discovered with a dirty magazine. (Of course, if Granny finds it knee-slapping funny, you might want to rethink your assumptions about her younger years.) My only complaint was that the ending is perhaps a little too drawn out and tidy. A snappier, more edgy conclusion would have made the film a perfect gem.

Now, where did I stash those red, felt tip markers? I have to proof an associate's work.

Secretary is absolutely the best film I have seen in a very long time, and one of the best I have ever seen. I won't spend any time going over the plot because, if you're reading this, chances are you already know it. This is the first Hollywood film I have seen that treats BDSM relationships in a realistic, and (most importantly) non-judgemental manner. Many scenes in this film will certainly ring true for anyone involved in the lifestyle.

The acting is, in a word, superb. James Spader turns in his usual high-caliber performance, and Maggie Gyllenhaal is stunning(and beautiful as well!) She conveys more emotion with a single glance than most actresses could in a lengthy monologue. Jeremy Davies also performs quite well in his rather small part. My only quibble with this film is a very minor one: it would have been nice if the story had given a little more background on Mr. Grey. All in all, a top notch film. I will watch it again and again, and I highly recommend it to all open-minded movie fans. Just keep the kids away from the set while you watch it!

If you like bondage this is for you. A young girl who likes to cut herself falls for her boss who likes to be beaten her playfully and likes to beat other women. It's art once again hidden in a bad movie or I should say unusal movie. Too many beating for me and not enough skin. Some great scenes but they needed more nudity.

The joy of SECRETARY lies in its characters, all of whom are quirky (to say the least). And if you leave the film thankful that you run with "normal" folks, then you probably just don't know the person in the adjacent work cube all that well.

As the film begins, Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhaal) has just been released from institutional therapy. Lee has a level of self-esteem that's abysmal to the point of involving self-mutilation with sharp objects. (She even has her own first aid kit to disinfect and treat the wounds as soon as she makes them!) And whatever therapy she got didn't stick. But, life goes on, so she takes a typing class, and subsequently lands a job as a SECRETARY for the perfectionist lawyer "Mr. Grey" (James Spader).

Mutual assessment soon reveals potential for an S&M relationship where Grey is the "S" and Lee the "M". Courting, so to speak, and foreplay involve the boss making increasingly difficult demands of Lee's job performance with the mutual understanding that the latter will fail and punishment will follow. And what's a poor girl to do when making deliberate spelling errors in legal correspondence just doesn't push Grey's lust button anymore?

Spader's Grey persona is so deliciously creepy - not sinister, just creepy - that his paralegal does her work in such an unusual hiding place that she's rarely seen, even by the audience. And the delightful Gyllenhaal's portrayal of Holloway is so otherwise girl-next-door, except for her preoccupation with cutting edges, that I'm now surreptitiously scrutinizing our office secretaries for barely-hidden scars. And Jeremy Davies is terrific as Lee's nominal boyfriend, the painfully pathetic Peter.

While SECRETARY was in the theaters, it probably wasn't a film that you would've taken your prim and proper grandmother to see for her day trip away from the assisted care facility. It has some artistically done full-frontal nudity and a couple scenes of X-rated heavy breathing. SECRETARY is a stylish and darkly humorous treatment of a delicate subject that allows the viewer to snicker without the guilty feeling of having been discovered with a dirty magazine. (Of course, if Granny finds it knee-slapping funny, you might want to rethink your assumptions about her younger years.) My only complaint was that the ending is perhaps a little too drawn out and tidy. A snappier, more edgy conclusion would have made the film a perfect gem.

Now, where did I stash those red, felt tip markers? I have to proof an associate's work.

Secretary is absolutely the best film I have seen in a very long time, and one of the best I have ever seen. I won't spend any time going over the plot because, if you're reading this, chances are you already know it. This is the first Hollywood film I have seen that treats BDSM relationships in a realistic, and (most importantly) non-judgemental manner. Many scenes in this film will certainly ring true for anyone involved in the lifestyle.

The acting is, in a word, superb. James Spader turns in his usual high-caliber performance, and Maggie Gyllenhaal is stunning(and beautiful as well!) She conveys more emotion with a single glance than most actresses could in a lengthy monologue. Jeremy Davies also performs quite well in his rather small part. My only quibble with this film is a very minor one: it would have been nice if the story had given a little more background on Mr. Grey. All in all, a top notch film. I will watch it again and again, and I highly recommend it to all open-minded movie fans. Just keep the kids away from the set while you watch it!

John Hughes and his Brat Pack pumped out some very worthy films and this is no exception. It is a shame that Hollywood pestered the group until they disbanded and by and large none of them work now. It's a real shame b/c you watch these films and you can see they had serious talent.

A throughouly enjoyable love story. Not too heavy, but some teen angst all the same.

This movie set in the mid 80s era of brat-prack movies is a unique shining star. Molly Ringwald is Andie a girl from the wrong sides of the tracks who has romantic intrests from both sides of the spectrum; Duckie (Jon Cryer) who's puppy-dog love for her is both sweet and endearing to watch, and Blane (Andrew McCarthy) the rich guy who has everything going for him. What follows is Andie having to deal with this, the bitchy cheerleader type girls at school, her loving but dishonest father (Harry Dean Stanton) and through all this will she get an invatation to the prom? This is a great film, with both Blane, and Andie having to deal with their friends disagreeeing with their relationship. Steff (James Spader at one of his very best) Blane's best friend, who tries to make Blane try to decide between Andie and himself, when really he just wants his finger in the pie. Annie Potts as Iona, Andie's quirky older best friend is excellent and her weird and orginal costume changes throughout the movie are a highpoint. This is a emotionally raw film a rareity at the time it was made. If you ask me this should have swept the Oscar nominations with Molly Ringwald getting Best Actress, but hey regardless of the miss of Oscars watch this, it is a powerful film and a great piece of film making

Pretty In Pink is the classic story of love on the wrong side of the tracks done up in 1980's Brat Pack style from producer John Hughes. 80's teen queen Molly Ringwald stars as Andie, the poor girl whose mother walked out of her and her father's (Harry Dean Stanton) life and caused her father to go into an emotional tailspin. She works at a small, but hip record store with her quirky, but older friend Iona (Annie Potts) and pals around with Duckie (Jon Cryer), her best friend who secretly loves her. Andrew McCarthy is Blane the rich and popular boy who falls for Andie despite his friends, including the lecherous Steff (James Spader), balking at him for going out with poor white trash. The film has a fairly formualmatic plot, but it is elevated above the simple story by wonderful performances by the three leads. Ms. Ringwald is supremely sweet and you feel for her in her tough situation. Mr. McCarthy is amiable as a someone caught between his feelings and friends and Mr. Cryer adds the perfect amount of comedy relief to his character. Mr. Spader is also quite good in his role, but he seems too old to be a teenager and is just a little out of place. The soundtrack to the film is first rate and the album peaked at number five on the charts. This was the last big hit for Ms. Ringwald and the film marked her end as the teen queen of films. Look for a young Andrew Dice Clay who has a bit part in the film as a bouncer at a club Andie frequents.

John Hughes and his Brat Pack pumped out some very worthy films and this is no exception. It is a shame that Hollywood pestered the group until they disbanded and by and large none of them work now. It's a real shame b/c you watch these films and you can see they had serious talent.

A throughouly enjoyable love story. Not too heavy, but some teen angst all the same.

This movie set in the mid 80s era of brat-prack movies is a unique shining star. Molly Ringwald is Andie a girl from the wrong sides of the tracks who has romantic intrests from both sides of the spectrum; Duckie (Jon Cryer) who's puppy-dog love for her is both sweet and endearing to watch, and Blane (Andrew McCarthy) the rich guy who has everything going for him. What follows is Andie having to deal with this, the bitchy cheerleader type girls at school, her loving but dishonest father (Harry Dean Stanton) and through all this will she get an invatation to the prom? This is a great film, with both Blane, and Andie having to deal with their friends disagreeeing with their relationship. Steff (James Spader at one of his very best) Blane's best friend, who tries to make Blane try to decide between Andie and himself, when really he just wants his finger in the pie. Annie Potts as Iona, Andie's quirky older best friend is excellent and her weird and orginal costume changes throughout the movie are a highpoint. This is a emotionally raw film a rareity at the time it was made. If you ask me this should have swept the Oscar nominations with Molly Ringwald getting Best Actress, but hey regardless of the miss of Oscars watch this, it is a powerful film and a great piece of film making

Pretty In Pink is the classic story of love on the wrong side of the tracks done up in 1980's Brat Pack style from producer John Hughes. 80's teen queen Molly Ringwald stars as Andie, the poor girl whose mother walked out of her and her father's (Harry Dean Stanton) life and caused her father to go into an emotional tailspin. She works at a small, but hip record store with her quirky, but older friend Iona (Annie Potts) and pals around with Duckie (Jon Cryer), her best friend who secretly loves her. Andrew McCarthy is Blane the rich and popular boy who falls for Andie despite his friends, including the lecherous Steff (James Spader), balking at him for going out with poor white trash. The film has a fairly formualmatic plot, but it is elevated above the simple story by wonderful performances by the three leads. Ms. Ringwald is supremely sweet and you feel for her in her tough situation. Mr. McCarthy is amiable as a someone caught between his feelings and friends and Mr. Cryer adds the perfect amount of comedy relief to his character. Mr. Spader is also quite good in his role, but he seems too old to be a teenager and is just a little out of place. The soundtrack to the film is first rate and the album peaked at number five on the charts. This was the last big hit for Ms. Ringwald and the film marked her end as the teen queen of films. Look for a young Andrew Dice Clay who has a bit part in the film as a bouncer at a club Andie frequents.

On Earth, an ancient device is discovered, that when activated, opens a door to the other side of the universe. So is the general plot of Stargate, and it makes for a very enjoyable movie. James Spader plays Daniel Jackson, a language expert who deciphers the Stargate's code, and Kurt Russell plays the leader of the military expedition who goes through with Jackson on reconnisence to find out what is on the other side. They find a civilization of humans, kept by the "god" Ra as slaves, and everything goes from there. Stargate delivers a fairly intriguing story with good action scenes, made all the better by excellent speacil effects, including an insanely cool "pulse rifle" weapon. The acting is fine; you can't help but laugh at Spader's nerdiness, and even Russell does well as a hardened military man trying to get over the death of his son. One of the best points about the plot is that while Russell at first appears to be the standard military hardnose, he eventually ends up working along with Spader and the rest, avoiding the cliche of him fighting/betraying his comrades in the name of the mission. The final action scene is a great intermix between three seperate events, which keeps the pace up beautifully. The story is also interesting to follow, from Spader's working out the Stargate symbols to his discovery of the people history. There are a few holes in the plot. The relationship between the two Stargates is never really explained; its hard to tell whether they work together, or both of them just send you to one point, regardless of where the other is. Near the end of the movie, the power of a particular bomb is fairly overated. However, minor flaws aside, Stargate is definitely worth purchasing, combining good action and intersting science fiction. And of course, insanely cool pulse rifles.

It is interesting to watch the 1994 "Stargate" film from the perspective of the spin-off television series, "Stargate SG-1," which is on its way to becoming the longest running science-fiction series of all-time. As was the case with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," we have an okay film that becomes a first-rate television series.

Once upon a time, 1928 to be exact, archeologists discovered a strange disc buried in the sand of Egypt. The next thing we know we are in the present, and Egyptologist Daniel Jackson (James Spader), is having his colleagues walk out on him as he explains his radical theory about the ancient Egyptians and their language. But then a mysterious old woman (Viveca Lindfors) gives him an invitation to travel to a secret military base buried beneath the Rocky Mountains to do translations. Jackson has nothing else to do, so he shows up, immediately corrects all the mistakes and figures out all the mysteries, and the next thing we know he is being shown the Stargate. He then joins a military group led by Colonel Jack O'Neil (Kurt Russell), who has been recalled back to active duty to find out where you go to when you step through the Stargate. The answer is you go to the other side of the known universe where you discover a desert planet where an alien who was known as Ra (Jaye Davidson) by the ancient Egyptians is lording it over the local humanoids.

This movie is mostly eye candy. Being shot on a desert planet means that it has lots of scenes shot in bright sunlight, which really is unusual for a science fiction film, where they tend to be dark and murky. "Stargate" brings back the same sort of ideological tension between scientists and the military that we enjoyed during the 1950s with films like "The Thing From Another World," as Jackson is all excited to explore a brave new world and O'Neill is looking for an excuse to blow everything up with the nuke in the big suitcase.

Truth about this movie is that it the ideas are a lot better than than the execution. The idea of the Stargate is a nice way of circumventing the laws of physics that scoff at warp drive and other narrative necessities to a good space yarn. It is not a far leap of logic to get from this one Stargate to the idea that there are others, and there is also the nice corrollary that this system explains why there are so many humans scattered throughout the galaxy where they all live on oxygen breathing planets.

Beyond that the television series picks up on the Jackson-O'Neill dyad, reducing it to the idea that one is an academic and the other is a warrior and never the twain shall meet. Of course Richard Dean Anderson's O'Neill is even quirkier than Spader's Jackson, while Michael Shanks's Jackson starts off even more humorless than Russell's O'Neill. But it all works, so why quibble? The original "Stargate" ends up being more about style than substance, which is why it is so interesting that the television series could find something substantial upon which to build a television series.

If you have yet to see "Stargate" in any version, then you are strongly urged to proceed immediately from this 1994 film to the first season of "Stargate SG-1." Even if you find this film tedious, just get through it and move on to the good stuff. You could not pass go and head directly for season one of "Stargate SG-1," but you really need to know the players and some of the rules of the game before hand.

First off, once you get past the idea of a Stargate the rest kind of falls into place. The government, with the help of Professor Daniel Jackson (James Spader), figures out how to work it. Pro. Jackson, with an escort of soliders led by Colonel Jack O'Neil (Kurt Russell) step through it to the other side.
They find a desert planet where humans are being made to mine for the same material that the gate was made from.
The people are Egyptians who were removed from Earth over 10,000 years ago, by an alien, and even Daniel Jackson can't understand their language because living languages CHANGE.
The movie is careful to stay away from many of the cliches of most sci-fi movies but also stays away from having characters which are TOO simple. Both Daniel and Jack (played by James and Kurt) are real people, not cardboard cut-outs, with all the flaws and merits of our own reality. The natives are catch between trying to be friendly towards strangers AND not pissing off their Gods.
The science and technology used by Ra and his men look very sleek and very real. From the spaceship to the gliders, everything has a touch of old Egyptian myth mixed with advanced alien know-how.
The DVD comes with two versions of the movie, Director's Cut and the theatrical cut, in which the former has audio commentary. The DVDs also have a great 'Making of Stargate' featurette, a 'Is There a Stargate?' short starring Erich von Daniken himself, trailers, scane access, crew and cast information and production notes.
Everything you could want in a DVD set, a mixture of sound science fiction, a touch of great effects and the pinch of old fashion adventure. This is a great pop corn flick. Enjoy!

On Earth, an ancient device is discovered, that when activated, opens a door to the other side of the universe. So is the general plot of Stargate, and it makes for a very enjoyable movie. James Spader plays Daniel Jackson, a language expert who deciphers the Stargate's code, and Kurt Russell plays the leader of the military expedition who goes through with Jackson on reconnisence to find out what is on the other side. They find a civilization of humans, kept by the "god" Ra as slaves, and everything goes from there. Stargate delivers a fairly intriguing story with good action scenes, made all the better by excellent speacil effects, including an insanely cool "pulse rifle" weapon. The acting is fine; you can't help but laugh at Spader's nerdiness, and even Russell does well as a hardened military man trying to get over the death of his son. One of the best points about the plot is that while Russell at first appears to be the standard military hardnose, he eventually ends up working along with Spader and the rest, avoiding the cliche of him fighting/betraying his comrades in the name of the mission. The final action scene is a great intermix between three seperate events, which keeps the pace up beautifully. The story is also interesting to follow, from Spader's working out the Stargate symbols to his discovery of the people history. There are a few holes in the plot. The relationship between the two Stargates is never really explained; its hard to tell whether they work together, or both of them just send you to one point, regardless of where the other is. Near the end of the movie, the power of a particular bomb is fairly overated. However, minor flaws aside, Stargate is definitely worth purchasing, combining good action and intersting science fiction. And of course, insanely cool pulse rifles.

It is interesting to watch the 1994 "Stargate" film from the perspective of the spin-off television series, "Stargate SG-1," which is on its way to becoming the longest running science-fiction series of all-time. As was the case with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," we have an okay film that becomes a first-rate television series.

Once upon a time, 1928 to be exact, archeologists discovered a strange disc buried in the sand of Egypt. The next thing we know we are in the present, and Egyptologist Daniel Jackson (James Spader), is having his colleagues walk out on him as he explains his radical theory about the ancient Egyptians and their language. But then a mysterious old woman (Viveca Lindfors) gives him an invitation to travel to a secret military base buried beneath the Rocky Mountains to do translations. Jackson has nothing else to do, so he shows up, immediately corrects all the mistakes and figures out all the mysteries, and the next thing we know he is being shown the Stargate. He then joins a military group led by Colonel Jack O'Neil (Kurt Russell), who has been recalled back to active duty to find out where you go to when you step through the Stargate. The answer is you go to the other side of the known universe where you discover a desert planet where an alien who was known as Ra (Jaye Davidson) by the ancient Egyptians is lording it over the local humanoids.

This movie is mostly eye candy. Being shot on a desert planet means that it has lots of scenes shot in bright sunlight, which really is unusual for a science fiction film, where they tend to be dark and murky. "Stargate" brings back the same sort of ideological tension between scientists and the military that we enjoyed during the 1950s with films like "The Thing From Another World," as Jackson is all excited to explore a brave new world and O'Neill is looking for an excuse to blow everything up with the nuke in the big suitcase.

Truth about this movie is that it the ideas are a lot better than than the execution. The idea of the Stargate is a nice way of circumventing the laws of physics that scoff at warp drive and other narrative necessities to a good space yarn. It is not a far leap of logic to get from this one Stargate to the idea that there are others, and there is also the nice corrollary that this system explains why there are so many humans scattered throughout the galaxy where they all live on oxygen breathing planets.

Beyond that the television series picks up on the Jackson-O'Neill dyad, reducing it to the idea that one is an academic and the other is a warrior and never the twain shall meet. Of course Richard Dean Anderson's O'Neill is even quirkier than Spader's Jackson, while Michael Shanks's Jackson starts off even more humorless than Russell's O'Neill. But it all works, so why quibble? The original "Stargate" ends up being more about style than substance, which is why it is so interesting that the television series could find something substantial upon which to build a television series.

If you have yet to see "Stargate" in any version, then you are strongly urged to proceed immediately from this 1994 film to the first season of "Stargate SG-1." Even if you find this film tedious, just get through it and move on to the good stuff. You could not pass go and head directly for season one of "Stargate SG-1," but you really need to know the players and some of the rules of the game before hand.

First off, once you get past the idea of a Stargate the rest kind of falls into place. The government, with the help of Professor Daniel Jackson (James Spader), figures out how to work it. Pro. Jackson, with an escort of soliders led by Colonel Jack O'Neil (Kurt Russell) step through it to the other side.
They find a desert planet where humans are being made to mine for the same material that the gate was made from.
The people are Egyptians who were removed from Earth over 10,000 years ago, by an alien, and even Daniel Jackson can't understand their language because living languages CHANGE.
The movie is careful to stay away from many of the cliches of most sci-fi movies but also stays away from having characters which are TOO simple. Both Daniel and Jack (played by James and Kurt) are real people, not cardboard cut-outs, with all the flaws and merits of our own reality. The natives are catch between trying to be friendly towards strangers AND not pissing off their Gods.
The science and technology used by Ra and his men look very sleek and very real. From the spaceship to the gliders, everything has a touch of old Egyptian myth mixed with advanced alien know-how.
The DVD comes with two versions of the movie, Director's Cut and the theatrical cut, in which the former has audio commentary. The DVDs also have a great 'Making of Stargate' featurette, a 'Is There a Stargate?' short starring Erich von Daniken himself, trailers, scane access, crew and cast information and production notes.
Everything you could want in a DVD set, a mixture of sound science fiction, a touch of great effects and the pinch of old fashion adventure. This is a great pop corn flick. Enjoy!

On Earth, an ancient device is discovered, that when activated, opens a door to the other side of the universe. So is the general plot of Stargate, and it makes for a very enjoyable movie. James Spader plays Daniel Jackson, a language expert who deciphers the Stargate's code, and Kurt Russell plays the leader of the military expedition who goes through with Jackson on reconnisence to find out what is on the other side. They find a civilization of humans, kept by the "god" Ra as slaves, and everything goes from there. Stargate delivers a fairly intriguing story with good action scenes, made all the better by excellent speacil effects, including an insanely cool "pulse rifle" weapon. The acting is fine; you can't help but laugh at Spader's nerdiness, and even Russell does well as a hardened military man trying to get over the death of his son. One of the best points about the plot is that while Russell at first appears to be the standard military hardnose, he eventually ends up working along with Spader and the rest, avoiding the cliche of him fighting/betraying his comrades in the name of the mission. The final action scene is a great intermix between three seperate events, which keeps the pace up beautifully. The story is also interesting to follow, from Spader's working out the Stargate symbols to his discovery of the people history. There are a few holes in the plot. The relationship between the two Stargates is never really explained; its hard to tell whether they work together, or both of them just send you to one point, regardless of where the other is. Near the end of the movie, the power of a particular bomb is fairly overated. However, minor flaws aside, Stargate is definitely worth purchasing, combining good action and intersting science fiction. And of course, insanely cool pulse rifles.

It is interesting to watch the 1994 "Stargate" film from the perspective of the spin-off television series, "Stargate SG-1," which is on its way to becoming the longest running science-fiction series of all-time. As was the case with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," we have an okay film that becomes a first-rate television series.

Once upon a time, 1928 to be exact, archeologists discovered a strange disc buried in the sand of Egypt. The next thing we know we are in the present, and Egyptologist Daniel Jackson (James Spader), is having his colleagues walk out on him as he explains his radical theory about the ancient Egyptians and their language. But then a mysterious old woman (Viveca Lindfors) gives him an invitation to travel to a secret military base buried beneath the Rocky Mountains to do translations. Jackson has nothing else to do, so he shows up, immediately corrects all the mistakes and figures out all the mysteries, and the next thing we know he is being shown the Stargate. He then joins a military group led by Colonel Jack O'Neil (Kurt Russell), who has been recalled back to active duty to find out where you go to when you step through the Stargate. The answer is you go to the other side of the known universe where you discover a desert planet where an alien who was known as Ra (Jaye Davidson) by the ancient Egyptians is lording it over the local humanoids.

This movie is mostly eye candy. Being shot on a desert planet means that it has lots of scenes shot in bright sunlight, which really is unusual for a science fiction film, where they tend to be dark and murky. "Stargate" brings back the same sort of ideological tension between scientists and the military that we enjoyed during the 1950s with films like "The Thing From Another World," as Jackson is all excited to explore a brave new world and O'Neill is looking for an excuse to blow everything up with the nuke in the big suitcase.

Truth about this movie is that it the ideas are a lot better than than the execution. The idea of the Stargate is a nice way of circumventing the laws of physics that scoff at warp drive and other narrative necessities to a good space yarn. It is not a far leap of logic to get from this one Stargate to the idea that there are others, and there is also the nice corrollary that this system explains why there are so many humans scattered throughout the galaxy where they all live on oxygen breathing planets.

Beyond that the television series picks up on the Jackson-O'Neill dyad, reducing it to the idea that one is an academic and the other is a warrior and never the twain shall meet. Of course Richard Dean Anderson's O'Neill is even quirkier than Spader's Jackson, while Michael Shanks's Jackson starts off even more humorless than Russell's O'Neill. But it all works, so why quibble? The original "Stargate" ends up being more about style than substance, which is why it is so interesting that the television series could find something substantial upon which to build a television series.

If you have yet to see "Stargate" in any version, then you are strongly urged to proceed immediately from this 1994 film to the first season of "Stargate SG-1." Even if you find this film tedious, just get through it and move on to the good stuff. You could not pass go and head directly for season one of "Stargate SG-1," but you really need to know the players and some of the rules of the game before hand.

First off, once you get past the idea of a Stargate the rest kind of falls into place. The government, with the help of Professor Daniel Jackson (James Spader), figures out how to work it. Pro. Jackson, with an escort of soliders led by Colonel Jack O'Neil (Kurt Russell) step through it to the other side.
They find a desert planet where humans are being made to mine for the same material that the gate was made from.
The people are Egyptians who were removed from Earth over 10,000 years ago, by an alien, and even Daniel Jackson can't understand their language because living languages CHANGE.
The movie is careful to stay away from many of the cliches of most sci-fi movies but also stays away from having characters which are TOO simple. Both Daniel and Jack (played by James and Kurt) are real people, not cardboard cut-outs, with all the flaws and merits of our own reality. The natives are catch between trying to be friendly towards strangers AND not pissing off their Gods.
The science and technology used by Ra and his men look very sleek and very real. From the spaceship to the gliders, everything has a touch of old Egyptian myth mixed with advanced alien know-how.
The DVD comes with two versions of the movie, Director's Cut and the theatrical cut, in which the former has audio commentary. The DVDs also have a great 'Making of Stargate' featurette, a 'Is There a Stargate?' short starring Erich von Daniken himself, trailers, scane access, crew and cast information and production notes.
Everything you could want in a DVD set, a mixture of sound science fiction, a touch of great effects and the pinch of old fashion adventure. This is a great pop corn flick. Enjoy!

I still wonder what was the purpose of John Herzfeld when he filmed TWO DAYS IN THE VALLEY. The structure of the movie isn't revolutionary, so the plot should give us an answer to this question.

Well...I still wonder, did I say ! It could be :

- Everybody changes his mind so don't take anything for granted.

- One minute of your time can modify your life (but we know that already, don't we ?).

- Don't get married if you're an ice skater !

And so on. You've understood that the screenplay isn't the main interest of this movie neither.

Happily enough, the cast is great and brings very funny and enjoyable moments, I must admit it.

A DVD zone I should have rent it instead of buying it.

Many people put this in the "Quentin Tarantino Rip-off" pile, but it really owes more of a debt to Robert Altman than it does to Tarantino. Sure, it has Crime Thriller elements, but at its Core it is an Ensemble Drama akin to "Short Cuts" and "Magnolia".

The Star-Studded Cast includes Eric Stoltz (as a discontent vice cop), Jeff Daniels (as Eric's hard-nosed partner), James Spader (as an ice-cold hit man), Danny Aiello (as a washed-up hit man), Charlize Theron (as James' accomplice/girlfriend), Teri Hatcher (as a murder witness) and Glenne Headly (as a Hostage). They, and Everyone else in the film, give Fitting, Seasoned Performances.

Stoltz and Spader give the Best performances, both Funny and Real. Especially Spader, he virtually Carries the Film. Charlize Theron, in one of her first films, is Very, very Attention-Grabbing, through her Looks and her Abilities. Daniels and Hatcher appear too Infrequently to be Memorable. Aiello and Headly give equally Likeable performances that become the Moral Centre of the film.

The film, like all the ones mentioned above, follows a Series of Unconnected stories that somehow Intersect with each other at the climax. To explain How would spoil the fun of Watching it all Unravel Yourself. Writer/Director John Herzfeld smartly resists the temptation to Modernize and Spice up his Direction, allowing the Actors to tell the tale.

This is a really good movie, with an unbelievable cast and a brilliant plot! The music soundtrack is also very good, and there is not a bad scene in the movie! I just can't understand why nobody has seen this film! Here we have a variety of bizarre characters (highlights were Danny Aiello, James Spader, Charlize Theron, and Jeff Daniels) who stumble into each other's lives. The director threw in a lot of little interesting quirks, such as the murderous assassin smirking as he watches a cop sight down the barrel of a watergun, or a spiteful old man who we came to hate earlier slinking out of a Japanese pleasure house in the dead of night. (Another interesting thing for me about the movie is to watch for the manner in which every character's name is given as the plot unfolds. ALL of them are named at least once somewhere in the film!) The movie is very well written and very interesting, and if there is any problem whatsoever, it would have to be that at times the dialogue becomes a bit laborous and unrealistic. (Sometimes, it appears that the characters are explaining what's going on to the audience, rather than conversing with the other characters.) Nevertheless, this is a trite point, and distracts none at all from the movie's enjoyment. And although Two Days in the Valley has been called a "Tarantino rip-off", I think this is because, like in many Tarantino films, we get to see famous actors playing in roles that we are not accustomed to seeing them in.

I still wonder what was the purpose of John Herzfeld when he filmed TWO DAYS IN THE VALLEY. The structure of the movie isn't revolutionary, so the plot should give us an answer to this question.

Well...I still wonder, did I say ! It could be :

- Everybody changes his mind so don't take anything for granted.

- One minute of your time can modify your life (but we know that already, don't we ?).

- Don't get married if you're an ice skater !

And so on. You've understood that the screenplay isn't the main interest of this movie neither.

Happily enough, the cast is great and brings very funny and enjoyable moments, I must admit it.

A DVD zone I should have rent it instead of buying it.

Many people put this in the "Quentin Tarantino Rip-off" pile, but it really owes more of a debt to Robert Altman than it does to Tarantino. Sure, it has Crime Thriller elements, but at its Core it is an Ensemble Drama akin to "Short Cuts" and "Magnolia".

The Star-Studded Cast includes Eric Stoltz (as a discontent vice cop), Jeff Daniels (as Eric's hard-nosed partner), James Spader (as an ice-cold hit man), Danny Aiello (as a washed-up hit man), Charlize Theron (as James' accomplice/girlfriend), Teri Hatcher (as a murder witness) and Glenne Headly (as a Hostage). They, and Everyone else in the film, give Fitting, Seasoned Performances.

Stoltz and Spader give the Best performances, both Funny and Real. Especially Spader, he virtually Carries the Film. Charlize Theron, in one of her first films, is Very, very Attention-Grabbing, through her Looks and her Abilities. Daniels and Hatcher appear too Infrequently to be Memorable. Aiello and Headly give equally Likeable performances that become the Moral Centre of the film.

The film, like all the ones mentioned above, follows a Series of Unconnected stories that somehow Intersect with each other at the climax. To explain How would spoil the fun of Watching it all Unravel Yourself. Writer/Director John Herzfeld smartly resists the temptation to Modernize and Spice up his Direction, allowing the Actors to tell the tale.

This is a really good movie, with an unbelievable cast and a brilliant plot! The music soundtrack is also very good, and there is not a bad scene in the movie! I just can't understand why nobody has seen this film! Here we have a variety of bizarre characters (highlights were Danny Aiello, James Spader, Charlize Theron, and Jeff Daniels) who stumble into each other's lives. The director threw in a lot of little interesting quirks, such as the murderous assassin smirking as he watches a cop sight down the barrel of a watergun, or a spiteful old man who we came to hate earlier slinking out of a Japanese pleasure house in the dead of night. (Another interesting thing for me about the movie is to watch for the manner in which every character's name is given as the plot unfolds. ALL of them are named at least once somewhere in the film!) The movie is very well written and very interesting, and if there is any problem whatsoever, it would have to be that at times the dialogue becomes a bit laborous and unrealistic. (Sometimes, it appears that the characters are explaining what's going on to the audience, rather than conversing with the other characters.) Nevertheless, this is a trite point, and distracts none at all from the movie's enjoyment. And although Two Days in the Valley has been called a "Tarantino rip-off", I think this is because, like in many Tarantino films, we get to see famous actors playing in roles that we are not accustomed to seeing them in.

I still wonder what was the purpose of John Herzfeld when he filmed TWO DAYS IN THE VALLEY. The structure of the movie isn't revolutionary, so the plot should give us an answer to this question.

Well...I still wonder, did I say ! It could be :

- Everybody changes his mind so don't take anything for granted.

- One minute of your time can modify your life (but we know that already, don't we ?).

- Don't get married if you're an ice skater !

And so on. You've understood that the screenplay isn't the main interest of this movie neither.

Happily enough, the cast is great and brings very funny and enjoyable moments, I must admit it.

A DVD zone I should have rent it instead of buying it.

Many people put this in the "Quentin Tarantino Rip-off" pile, but it really owes more of a debt to Robert Altman than it does to Tarantino. Sure, it has Crime Thriller elements, but at its Core it is an Ensemble Drama akin to "Short Cuts" and "Magnolia".

The Star-Studded Cast includes Eric Stoltz (as a discontent vice cop), Jeff Daniels (as Eric's hard-nosed partner), James Spader (as an ice-cold hit man), Danny Aiello (as a washed-up hit man), Charlize Theron (as James' accomplice/girlfriend), Teri Hatcher (as a murder witness) and Glenne Headly (as a Hostage). They, and Everyone else in the film, give Fitting, Seasoned Performances.

Stoltz and Spader give the Best performances, both Funny and Real. Especially Spader, he virtually Carries the Film. Charlize Theron, in one of her first films, is Very, very Attention-Grabbing, through her Looks and her Abilities. Daniels and Hatcher appear too Infrequently to be Memorable. Aiello and Headly give equally Likeable performances that become the Moral Centre of the film.

The film, like all the ones mentioned above, follows a Series of Unconnected stories that somehow Intersect with each other at the climax. To explain How would spoil the fun of Watching it all Unravel Yourself. Writer/Director John Herzfeld smartly resists the temptation to Modernize and Spice up his Direction, allowing the Actors to tell the tale.

This is a really good movie, with an unbelievable cast and a brilliant plot! The music soundtrack is also very good, and there is not a bad scene in the movie! I just can't understand why nobody has seen this film! Here we have a variety of bizarre characters (highlights were Danny Aiello, James Spader, Charlize Theron, and Jeff Daniels) who stumble into each other's lives. The director threw in a lot of little interesting quirks, such as the murderous assassin smirking as he watches a cop sight down the barrel of a watergun, or a spiteful old man who we came to hate earlier slinking out of a Japanese pleasure house in the dead of night. (Another interesting thing for me about the movie is to watch for the manner in which every character's name is given as the plot unfolds. ALL of them are named at least once somewhere in the film!) The movie is very well written and very interesting, and if there is any problem whatsoever, it would have to be that at times the dialogue becomes a bit laborous and unrealistic. (Sometimes, it appears that the characters are explaining what's going on to the audience, rather than conversing with the other characters.) Nevertheless, this is a trite point, and distracts none at all from the movie's enjoyment. And although Two Days in the Valley has been called a "Tarantino rip-off", I think this is because, like in many Tarantino films, we get to see famous actors playing in roles that we are not accustomed to seeing them in.