James-Tolkan Movie Reviews

"Prince of the City" is, I believe, Lumet's best movie and one of the best films of the 1980s, an intelligent drama about the conflict between loyality and morality.

It's part of Lumet's investigation of corruption amongst the "men in blue" which includes "Serpico", "Night Falls on Manhattan" and "Q & A".

"Prince of the City" is about morality but it does not moralise. Lumet's characters face difficult decisions and he shows their agonising in all its complexity. Treat Williams' character (Danny) moves back and forth between self interest and loyality to friends and the law - never really clear what is right and always on his own.

Whenever there is a police corruption "scandal" in Sydney (and there often is !) I turn to this film to give me perspective - to remind me of how the protagonists are human and how life is never black and white.

A facinating account of a NYC cop who has a crisis of conscience.
He wanted to be a good cop but is caught up by the circumstances around him. A terrific performance by Treat Williams.
Superbly directed by Sidney Lumet. New York City gritty. Long (2 hrs 45 min) but well paced. Profane language but is used well to show the intensity of the film. Go buy it or rent it at a video store!

I saw Prince Of The City years ago and it has stayed with me ever since. Its a long, heartbreaking story but wonderful from start to finish. Like the other reviewers I thought Treat Williams was headed straight to the top. I can only conclude he was sleeping with some Hollywood bigshot's wife. What a performance.

Little brother boxer idolizes big brother boxer. But sleazy mob guys brutally bash big brother to death prompting little brother to go Rocky on everyone. In the end its those no-good thugs that deservingly get slammed. Whoa! Good stuff. Personally speaking now, from the opening scene at the gym to the walk to ring with that smashing finale, I could virtually see, hear and smell the actual world of a fighter. I may be crazy, but after that fatal beating the mob gave big brother I ached all over as if I were the poor sap. (Except that I am still thankfully alive of course). And the crunch of ME slamming onto the pavement below the window?...oof! As for all the other punching blows..the sight & sound of high energy fisted leather exploding on MY flesh...well, it's almost too much for me to take. But I keep going back..for more. Viewing that is.

This movie shows the REAL Sides of Boxing...The Dark side of the sport...How much Boxing is more a business then a sport..It also shows the Love of two brothers and they're relationship with they're father..Terrific performance by Gene Hackman...The walk in to the ring is one of the most exciting scenes in movies....I highly Recommend It...

Gilda Radner and Gene Wilder rule in this delightful mystery spoof about a mistaken murder.Check it out!!

This was a fresh film in its day. And remains quite possibly one of the best time travel movies period. Kate and Leopold is not too bad--in terms of the time travel element, but it's really a completely different genre inside the time travel filmology. At any rate, Michael J. Fox delivers as always a solid performance. As do the rest of the cast. Entertaining, sweet, low on the violence and sex scale. A good look at the ramifications of our actions... A nice flick

Back to the Future is one of those movies that you love to watch over and over again. You get so involved in the story, that (even if you aren't a sci-fi fan) you can't stop watching. Michael J. Fox is Marty McFly, a typical teenager who accidentally gets sent back to the year 1955 in Doc Brown's (Cristopher Loyd) time machine. There, he has to repair the damamge he has done by bringing his parents bac together and then of course get "Back to the Future. Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson are a wonderful supporting cast. Unfortunatey, this movie has been out of print for quite some time now. Amazon, PLEASE GET IT BACK! It hasn't even made it to DVD yet. If you ever get a chance to buy this movie then do it, it's worth every penny.

When "Back to the Future" came out in 1985, I must have seen it in the movie theaters 3 or 4 times. It is one of the most highly entertaining movies to come out of the 80s'.

While the idea isn't all that original, I think the approach is unique. I also think that the actors, both Michael J. Fox and especially Christopher Lloyd really make this movie a great one for multiple viewings.
It's about a teenage boy, Marty McFly, played by Fox, who's grown up kooky friend, Doc, played by Lloyd, invents a time machine. Then Marty is accidently sent back to November 5th, 1955. He spends most of the movie trying to get back to the future. He encounters his own parents, played by Crispin Glover and Lea Thompson(they are both awesome in this movie!!! glover is hysterical) when they were teenagers.
I really loved this movie when it came out because it made me laugh and it was very entertaining. I was also a big Huey Lewis fan, and both him(a very small role in the beginning) and his music are in the film.
This was a very popular movie when it came out, and with the Universal Studios ride, I think it's popularity emerged back up. There are two sequels, but this is the best of the series.
It's funny and the acting is great all around.
I think it's a good film for the whole family to watch together.

This was a fresh film in its day. And remains quite possibly one of the best time travel movies period. Kate and Leopold is not too bad--in terms of the time travel element, but it's really a completely different genre inside the time travel filmology. At any rate, Michael J. Fox delivers as always a solid performance. As do the rest of the cast. Entertaining, sweet, low on the violence and sex scale. A good look at the ramifications of our actions... A nice flick

Back to the Future is one of those movies that you love to watch over and over again. You get so involved in the story, that (even if you aren't a sci-fi fan) you can't stop watching. Michael J. Fox is Marty McFly, a typical teenager who accidentally gets sent back to the year 1955 in Doc Brown's (Cristopher Loyd) time machine. There, he has to repair the damamge he has done by bringing his parents bac together and then of course get "Back to the Future. Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson are a wonderful supporting cast. Unfortunatey, this movie has been out of print for quite some time now. Amazon, PLEASE GET IT BACK! It hasn't even made it to DVD yet. If you ever get a chance to buy this movie then do it, it's worth every penny.

When "Back to the Future" came out in 1985, I must have seen it in the movie theaters 3 or 4 times. It is one of the most highly entertaining movies to come out of the 80s'.

While the idea isn't all that original, I think the approach is unique. I also think that the actors, both Michael J. Fox and especially Christopher Lloyd really make this movie a great one for multiple viewings.
It's about a teenage boy, Marty McFly, played by Fox, who's grown up kooky friend, Doc, played by Lloyd, invents a time machine. Then Marty is accidently sent back to November 5th, 1955. He spends most of the movie trying to get back to the future. He encounters his own parents, played by Crispin Glover and Lea Thompson(they are both awesome in this movie!!! glover is hysterical) when they were teenagers.
I really loved this movie when it came out because it made me laugh and it was very entertaining. I was also a big Huey Lewis fan, and both him(a very small role in the beginning) and his music are in the film.
This was a very popular movie when it came out, and with the Universal Studios ride, I think it's popularity emerged back up. There are two sequels, but this is the best of the series.
It's funny and the acting is great all around.
I think it's a good film for the whole family to watch together.

This was a fresh film in its day. And remains quite possibly one of the best time travel movies period. Kate and Leopold is not too bad--in terms of the time travel element, but it's really a completely different genre inside the time travel filmology. At any rate, Michael J. Fox delivers as always a solid performance. As do the rest of the cast. Entertaining, sweet, low on the violence and sex scale. A good look at the ramifications of our actions... A nice flick

Back to the Future is one of those movies that you love to watch over and over again. You get so involved in the story, that (even if you aren't a sci-fi fan) you can't stop watching. Michael J. Fox is Marty McFly, a typical teenager who accidentally gets sent back to the year 1955 in Doc Brown's (Cristopher Loyd) time machine. There, he has to repair the damamge he has done by bringing his parents bac together and then of course get "Back to the Future. Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson are a wonderful supporting cast. Unfortunatey, this movie has been out of print for quite some time now. Amazon, PLEASE GET IT BACK! It hasn't even made it to DVD yet. If you ever get a chance to buy this movie then do it, it's worth every penny.

When "Back to the Future" came out in 1985, I must have seen it in the movie theaters 3 or 4 times. It is one of the most highly entertaining movies to come out of the 80s'.

While the idea isn't all that original, I think the approach is unique. I also think that the actors, both Michael J. Fox and especially Christopher Lloyd really make this movie a great one for multiple viewings.
It's about a teenage boy, Marty McFly, played by Fox, who's grown up kooky friend, Doc, played by Lloyd, invents a time machine. Then Marty is accidently sent back to November 5th, 1955. He spends most of the movie trying to get back to the future. He encounters his own parents, played by Crispin Glover and Lea Thompson(they are both awesome in this movie!!! glover is hysterical) when they were teenagers.
I really loved this movie when it came out because it made me laugh and it was very entertaining. I was also a big Huey Lewis fan, and both him(a very small role in the beginning) and his music are in the film.
This was a very popular movie when it came out, and with the Universal Studios ride, I think it's popularity emerged back up. There are two sequels, but this is the best of the series.
It's funny and the acting is great all around.
I think it's a good film for the whole family to watch together.

There is an error in this DVD, and other folks here have also spotted it. The advertised Spanish subtitles do not work. French comes out instead. When you select English, the words are in English. When you select French, the words are in French. And when you select Spanish, the words are again in French.

I had bought this DVD specifically for its Spanish subtitles since I have family that doesn't understand English very well. Que pena.

I admit that I have an affinity for films that play on a human's fear of computers (like Desk Set). It seems silly to us now, but let us remember a time when the computer was a rare item in the home. And never forget that people are always more afraid of something that they do not understand. War Games combines this fear of something unknown with the greatest fear of the 1980's, nuclear war. Can a kid hack into the government war system and trick us into thinking that the Soviets are launching a surprise attack?

There are two very funny moments to watch for in this film. First, does the military give guided tours to the public of NORAD? My guess is no, but it is cleverly included in the plot. Second, listen to the background when Matthew Broderick enters his parents house and goes upstairs. Something about "condom recycling"? I guess they wanted to see how close we were paying attention.

"WarGames" is easily one of the best hacker movies ever made. Matthew Broderick did a very good job playing in this movie. Broderick is David Lightman, a young man, who breaks into the computer's defense system and almost starts World War III. Ally Sheedy is awesome, in her supporting role, as Jennifer Mack, David's girlfriend. Dabney Coleman is excellent as John McKittrick, a cocky computer expert, and John Wood is wonderful as Stephen Falken, a wizardly computer genius. I have this movie on DVD and I am glad to own it.

Al Pacino became a star thanks to his role as Michael Corleone in The Godfather. The film that cemented Mr. Pacino as one of the best actors of his generation was Serpico. Based on the Peter Maas book of the same name, Serpico is the true story of a New York undercover cop who seems to be the only honest cop on the force. Due to his honest nature, the other cops are leery of him and refuse to accept him as a real cop. To that end, he moves from precinct to precinct in search of a friendly work environment, but wherever he goes, he finds the same old situation. Serpico then goes to the higher-ups in the department, but they too have no use for his accusations. Finally, he goes public with his accusations and that triggers an investigation into the dealings of police officers. Serpico becomes a marked man and is nearly intentionally killed by another cop who while Serpico is on an undercover operation. Mr. Pacino brings a realistic approach to the role and you feel sympathy for Serpico. He is not a great man, he has his faults, but he believes in what he does and he takes a stand for his belief that policeman should serve the public and not illegally benefit from their position of power.

SERPICO, is one of my favorite movies of all times. I love everything about this film especially Al Pacino who gives the performance of a lifetime. Pacino was so convinving as undercover cop Frank Serpico that it is scary. This film defined the way police corruption is looked upon in the eyes of everyday policemen and it also became one of the first films in the 1970's to explore the antihero in its most complex form. This movie was s smash hit at the box office in 1973, when it was release and it was nominated for I believe five Academy Awards including Best Picure of the year and the Best Actor for Al Pacino, sadly enough neither the film or the actor won the coveted award. A lot of people say that it was The Godfather that Pacino proved that he was a great actor and even though in The Godfather he did an excellent job as Michael Corleone, it was in SERPICO, that I feel he was at his very best. He did follow with other great films like DOG DAY AFTERNOON and BOBBY DEERFILED and he was brilliant in both but it was after watching SERPICO for the first time that I became aware of Pacino's brilliant acting talent. This film is a MUST if you care about excellence in acting or if you just one to see a great movie. I highly recommend the book in which the film is based on it is also excellent. You should read the book first and then see the movie to get a better understanding of everthing that the character goes thru but either way if you see the film first and read the book after is no biggie. Both the film and book are excellent and I highly recommend both, nothing short of brilliant on all counts.

The movie Serpico was one of the finest roles Al Pacino has
ever done. This movie is based on a true story about a New York
policeman who encounters corruption citywide by New York City
police officers.He goes undercover to begin making cases against
crooked police officers.His life becomes dangerous. He survives
an assassination attempt by crooked officers and begins the prosecution process.This movie shows the ins and outs of the Serpico story.This was a dynamite movie about a policeman who risked it all.The acting by Pacino rivals the roles that he played on the Godfather. This is a must see film.An outstanding
movie about Frank Serpico.

An absolutely beautiful, thought-provoking film, with a poetic script and superb performances all around. Of course, it will never be a favorite among those people C. Wright Mills once called "crackpot realists;" but for those who aren't afraid to let their imaginations soar, this film will carry you to joyous heights. Funny, poignant, romantic, it will make you think about what's truly important in life, and remind you of all life's possibilities. Once seen, never to be forgotten, it casts a sweet spell over the willing viewer - a nightingale singing in the grime of the city. Highly recommended!

An absolutely beautiful, thought-provoking film, with a poetic script and superb performances all around. Of course, it will never be a favorite among those people C. Wright Mills once called "crackpot realists;" but for those who aren't afraid to let their imaginations soar, this film will carry you to joyous heights. Funny, poignant, romantic, it will make you think about what's truly important in life, and remind you of all life's possibilities. Once seen, never to be forgotten, it casts a sweet spell over the willing viewer - a nightingale singing in the grime of the city. Highly recommended!

This film was amazing. L'essence de la méthode. a Fête Accompli. The essence of method. Un film fabuleux.

An absolutely beautiful, thought-provoking film, with a poetic script and superb performances all around. Of course, it will never be a favorite among those people C. Wright Mills once called "crackpot realists;" but for those who aren't afraid to let their imaginations soar, this film will carry you to joyous heights. Funny, poignant, romantic, it will make you think about what's truly important in life, and remind you of all life's possibilities. Once seen, never to be forgotten, it casts a sweet spell over the willing viewer - a nightingale singing in the grime of the city. Highly recommended!

An absolutely beautiful, thought-provoking film, with a poetic script and superb performances all around. Of course, it will never be a favorite among those people C. Wright Mills once called "crackpot realists;" but for those who aren't afraid to let their imaginations soar, this film will carry you to joyous heights. Funny, poignant, romantic, it will make you think about what's truly important in life, and remind you of all life's possibilities. Once seen, never to be forgotten, it casts a sweet spell over the willing viewer - a nightingale singing in the grime of the city. Highly recommended!

This film was amazing. L'essence de la méthode. a Fête Accompli. The essence of method. Un film fabuleux.