Kurtwood-Smith Movie Reviews

Sly plays a big-time gangster who promises his dying father (cameo by Kirk Douglas) to go straight. This, however, proves difficult for our hero, with drawbacks such as a mixed up mix up of little black bags, a daughter who changes fiances three times before lunch, a bag-full of annoying visitors, and scandalling bankers and thugs.

OSCAR's cast includes the talents of Sylvester Stallone, Tim Curry (halarious role! ), Linda Gray, Joey Travolta, Ornella Muti, Peter Reigert, Yvonne De Carlo, Marisa Tomei (adorable little snotty girl), and Chazz Palminteri among many, many others.

Although it's out-of-print, it's well worth the trouble to track down and see!

Oscar is a classic comedy despite the negative reviews it recieved when it was released. The audience loved it. Well at least I did!

Recommended

A-

This is probably his greatest work (with Diggstown right there) and you will be able to experience his characters Frustration, pain, and relief right along side him. A touch of humor to lighten but mostly the best dramatic court scenes and flat out grit will have you recommending this to strangers on the street.

Both stars, Beringer and Hershey are on my A list. However, even they could not save this movie that was trying its best to convey something but what I don't know. The relationship between the two was trite along with terrible dialogue. The whole premise of the movie left me scratching my head. If mystic was the order of the day, it wasn't. Adventuresome, it wasn't.Delivering a message, it didn't.

If you love beautiful scenery buy a travel DVD that leaves out this silly story.

Although the premise is almost too fantastic, the characters are very believable. The performances are excellent. With filming in the American northwest, Canada, and Mexico, the scenery is breathtaking. Direction and the sound track support and complement the acting and scenery, making the movie a wonderful experience.

This movie could have become sappy and condescending. Instead it achieved a level of honest entertainment and respect for its subject. It is highly recommended to anyone interested in American history, Native American customs, the wilds of America, or who just plain like a good story. It's an unforgettable movie with no ax to grind, no heavy-handed moral to tell.

Both stars, Beringer and Hershey are on my A list. However, even they could not save this movie that was trying its best to convey something but what I don't know. The relationship between the two was trite along with terrible dialogue. The whole premise of the movie left me scratching my head. If mystic was the order of the day, it wasn't. Adventuresome, it wasn't.Delivering a message, it didn't.

If you love beautiful scenery buy a travel DVD that leaves out this silly story.

Although the premise is almost too fantastic, the characters are very believable. The performances are excellent. With filming in the American northwest, Canada, and Mexico, the scenery is breathtaking. Direction and the sound track support and complement the acting and scenery, making the movie a wonderful experience.

This movie could have become sappy and condescending. Instead it achieved a level of honest entertainment and respect for its subject. It is highly recommended to anyone interested in American history, Native American customs, the wilds of America, or who just plain like a good story. It's an unforgettable movie with no ax to grind, no heavy-handed moral to tell.

Both stars, Beringer and Hershey are on my A list. However, even they could not save this movie that was trying its best to convey something but what I don't know. The relationship between the two was trite along with terrible dialogue. The whole premise of the movie left me scratching my head. If mystic was the order of the day, it wasn't. Adventuresome, it wasn't.Delivering a message, it didn't.

If you love beautiful scenery buy a travel DVD that leaves out this silly story.

Although the premise is almost too fantastic, the characters are very believable. The performances are excellent. With filming in the American northwest, Canada, and Mexico, the scenery is breathtaking. Direction and the sound track support and complement the acting and scenery, making the movie a wonderful experience.

This movie could have become sappy and condescending. Instead it achieved a level of honest entertainment and respect for its subject. It is highly recommended to anyone interested in American history, Native American customs, the wilds of America, or who just plain like a good story. It's an unforgettable movie with no ax to grind, no heavy-handed moral to tell.

This movie DOES have its funny moments: The "phone call from God", haha, what a dumb prank!

Perhaps the most moving part of this movie was toward the end, when Neil killed himself cause his dad was pressuring him to become a doctor when he really wanted to be an actor. The part where everyone discovers that he's dead: I'll be serious, I am NOT very emotional toward movies AT ALL, but that scene almost brought me to tears!!! Yes, I'm a teenage guy, and teenage guys arent supposed to cry from movies, but this one, THATS A DIFFERENT STORY!

I really felt bad for Mr Keating: he really enjoyed teaching his way and showing the kids to be free and be yourself, and he got fired just cause of Neil's suicide!

Whatever kinds of movies you're into, comedy or horror or whatever, SEE THIS MOVIE: YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT! ANY movie that has the power to bring tears to an 18-year-old guy whose favorite movies consist of Baseketball and Bio Dome is DEFINITLEY worth seeing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(Thanx Mr McGill!! :)

Actually, I don't consider the extra several seconds of visceral imagery to be that big a deal. Murphy's arm gets blown off some more, and that unfortunate exec gets filled with even MORE lead from the ED-209. Compared to the over-the-top ultraviolence of subsequent Verhoeven-directed fare as 'Total Recall' and 'Starship Troopers', these scene extensions are practically feel-good family viewing. Besides, I find 'The Amazing Disintegrating Toxic Man' sequence & 'Robo opening an artery' to be the film's most disturbingly memorable moments.

Speaking of the director, I do find it a hoot listening to the commentary track, featuring Verhoeven and wo-writer Ed Neumeier. I especially love the part where, when they come to the slaying of Murphy, they relate it to the death and resurrection of Christ. In the words of the Benny Hill of the RoboCop world, I'd buy THAT for a dollar! It's also revealed that a lot of the location filming was actually done in *GASP* Dallas, rather than Detroit! Of course, if you've never been to either city, it's not like there's that much of a diff anyway...

In conclusion: if you're planning to view this cut of RoboCop to be startled and disturbed by the extra gory cutting-room bits, you'll likely be in for a bit of a disappointment. However, if you're looking for a futuristic shoot-em-up actioner that's both fun and kinda scary, this bad-boy's worth at least a rent!

'Late

It is also extremely well-acted. Peter Weller brings a lot of subtlety to his doomed Officer Alex Murphy, while veteran blond actress Nancy Allen (previously known for her varied roles in some of the best '70's and early-'80's films by Brian De Palma, to whom she had been married during that period of time) brings a lot of strength as well as sensitivity to her Officer Anne Lewis. But most memorable are the bad guys: Ronny Cox as Dick Jones, the cold-blooded Senior VP of OCP. Miguel Ferrer as the smarmy young exec Bob Morton, who tries to knock Jones off his perch. Lastly, and undoubtably most memorable, is Kurtwood Smith as the ultra-violent gang leader Clarence Boddicker. Among the most sadistic villains in film history, Clarence Boddicker is two parts creepy and three parts bada$$; a supervillain beyond compare to most others portrayed in movies. Kurtwood Smith, now known to the younger two generations as Red Foreman in the wonderfully funny series "That '70's Show," plays Clarence Boddicker so well--vulgar language & all--that it's absolutely shocking to revisit him in this role after having gotten to know him over the past five years as a TV dad, even one as gruff as his Red Foreman.

I decline to summarize the plot of ROBOCOP, since so many reviewers have already done so. Besides, most of you reading this have most likely already seen it at least once. Let's face it, ROBOCOP ushered in a new era for film; afterwards we got other Verhoeven mega-hits such as TOTAL RECALL and STARSHIP TROOPERS. Other filmmakers inevitably tried to copy him, such as Robert Longo with the mega-bomb JOHNNY MNEMONIC (which should be retitled JOHNNY MORONIC); the fact is, nobody can do futuristic sci-fi like Paul Verhoeven. Of course, let's not forget that Verhoeven himself was probably influenced to some extent by James Cameron, who had set the original cyborg gold standard with his 1984 classic THE TERMINATOR. However, ROBOCOP is unique--its dark humor and cynicism sets it completely apart in style from THE TERMINATOR. (Both are great films, and any comparisons between the two are tantamount to comparing apples with oranges.)

I give this DVD four stars because it only contains the film and original theatrical trailer, plus ads for the remastered DVD versions of three films, including CARRIE. That's it. In order to get the extras the this film demands, I will need to purchase the Critierion Collection DVD, which has extensive commentary by Verhoeven and a few others, plus storyboards, a "making-of" video, etc. But for now, this plain-jane DVD will have to do. Too bad, because ROBOCOP is anything but plain-jane. Even by today's standards, it kicks major you-know-what!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Old Detroit, the near future. The city is terrorized by a gang of thugs, headed by Clarence Boddicer ("That 70's Show" Kurtwood Smith) and his men. The city has decided to turn over the operation of the police department to the OCP corporation.

Enter cop Alex Murphy (Peter Weller), freshly transferred to the Old Detroit police department. Partnered with Anne Lewis (Nancy Allen), Murphy and Lewis hit the streets.

An encounter with Boddicer and his boys leaves Murphy, well, dead. Enter smarmy OCP executive Bob Morton (Miguel Ferrer), who has been developing a program to create a cyborg cop. Murphy becomes his guinea pig and "Robocop" is born.

Much of the social satire and humor Verhoeven interjects into the movies comes in the form of in-movie television broadcasts, the sort of which are common now, on CNN, MSNBC and the like. Smiling reporters dish out daily doses of sex and violence to the masses.

The story is essentially the robot Murphy's regaining of his humanity. His creators erase his memory, or so they think, until Murphy begins to experience flashbacks from his former life, including memories of his death, which leads him on a search to avenge his death. His search takes him back to OCP as he confronts the man who was responsible for his death.

As submitted to the MPAA, "Robocop" was going to be awarded with the dreaded "X" rating for violence. The Criterion Collection release of "Robocop" restores Verhoeven's original vision, which is a few seconds here and there of blood and gore. While the film is indeed violent, the bloodshed is certainly tame by today's standards -- Verhoeven's "Starship Troopers," released in 1997, is much bloodier and violent than "Robocop" and it received an "R" rating.

The transfer, while non-anamorphic, is still very good; the film is presented in 1.85:1 widescreen. There are two audio tracks, a Dolby Digital 2.0 track and commentary track. The commentary is lifted from the laserdisc edition of "Robocop," and is an entertaining discussion with Verhoeven, his writers, and others involved in the production.

Until "Robocop" gets the special edition DVD treatment, this Criterion version is worth hunting down. "I'd buy that for a dollar!"

Actually, I don't consider the extra several seconds of visceral imagery to be that big a deal. Murphy's arm gets blown off some more, and that unfortunate exec gets filled with even MORE lead from the ED-209. Compared to the over-the-top ultraviolence of subsequent Verhoeven-directed fare as 'Total Recall' and 'Starship Troopers', these scene extensions are practically feel-good family viewing. Besides, I find 'The Amazing Disintegrating Toxic Man' sequence & 'Robo opening an artery' to be the film's most disturbingly memorable moments.

Speaking of the director, I do find it a hoot listening to the commentary track, featuring Verhoeven and wo-writer Ed Neumeier. I especially love the part where, when they come to the slaying of Murphy, they relate it to the death and resurrection of Christ. In the words of the Benny Hill of the RoboCop world, I'd buy THAT for a dollar! It's also revealed that a lot of the location filming was actually done in *GASP* Dallas, rather than Detroit! Of course, if you've never been to either city, it's not like there's that much of a diff anyway...

In conclusion: if you're planning to view this cut of RoboCop to be startled and disturbed by the extra gory cutting-room bits, you'll likely be in for a bit of a disappointment. However, if you're looking for a futuristic shoot-em-up actioner that's both fun and kinda scary, this bad-boy's worth at least a rent!

'Late

It is also extremely well-acted. Peter Weller brings a lot of subtlety to his doomed Officer Alex Murphy, while veteran blond actress Nancy Allen (previously known for her varied roles in some of the best '70's and early-'80's films by Brian De Palma, to whom she had been married during that period of time) brings a lot of strength as well as sensitivity to her Officer Anne Lewis. But most memorable are the bad guys: Ronny Cox as Dick Jones, the cold-blooded Senior VP of OCP. Miguel Ferrer as the smarmy young exec Bob Morton, who tries to knock Jones off his perch. Lastly, and undoubtably most memorable, is Kurtwood Smith as the ultra-violent gang leader Clarence Boddicker. Among the most sadistic villains in film history, Clarence Boddicker is two parts creepy and three parts bada$$; a supervillain beyond compare to most others portrayed in movies. Kurtwood Smith, now known to the younger two generations as Red Foreman in the wonderfully funny series "That '70's Show," plays Clarence Boddicker so well--vulgar language & all--that it's absolutely shocking to revisit him in this role after having gotten to know him over the past five years as a TV dad, even one as gruff as his Red Foreman.

I decline to summarize the plot of ROBOCOP, since so many reviewers have already done so. Besides, most of you reading this have most likely already seen it at least once. Let's face it, ROBOCOP ushered in a new era for film; afterwards we got other Verhoeven mega-hits such as TOTAL RECALL and STARSHIP TROOPERS. Other filmmakers inevitably tried to copy him, such as Robert Longo with the mega-bomb JOHNNY MNEMONIC (which should be retitled JOHNNY MORONIC); the fact is, nobody can do futuristic sci-fi like Paul Verhoeven. Of course, let's not forget that Verhoeven himself was probably influenced to some extent by James Cameron, who had set the original cyborg gold standard with his 1984 classic THE TERMINATOR. However, ROBOCOP is unique--its dark humor and cynicism sets it completely apart in style from THE TERMINATOR. (Both are great films, and any comparisons between the two are tantamount to comparing apples with oranges.)

I give this DVD four stars because it only contains the film and original theatrical trailer, plus ads for the remastered DVD versions of three films, including CARRIE. That's it. In order to get the extras the this film demands, I will need to purchase the Critierion Collection DVD, which has extensive commentary by Verhoeven and a few others, plus storyboards, a "making-of" video, etc. But for now, this plain-jane DVD will have to do. Too bad, because ROBOCOP is anything but plain-jane. Even by today's standards, it kicks major you-know-what!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Old Detroit, the near future. The city is terrorized by a gang of thugs, headed by Clarence Boddicer ("That 70's Show" Kurtwood Smith) and his men. The city has decided to turn over the operation of the police department to the OCP corporation.

Enter cop Alex Murphy (Peter Weller), freshly transferred to the Old Detroit police department. Partnered with Anne Lewis (Nancy Allen), Murphy and Lewis hit the streets.

An encounter with Boddicer and his boys leaves Murphy, well, dead. Enter smarmy OCP executive Bob Morton (Miguel Ferrer), who has been developing a program to create a cyborg cop. Murphy becomes his guinea pig and "Robocop" is born.

Much of the social satire and humor Verhoeven interjects into the movies comes in the form of in-movie television broadcasts, the sort of which are common now, on CNN, MSNBC and the like. Smiling reporters dish out daily doses of sex and violence to the masses.

The story is essentially the robot Murphy's regaining of his humanity. His creators erase his memory, or so they think, until Murphy begins to experience flashbacks from his former life, including memories of his death, which leads him on a search to avenge his death. His search takes him back to OCP as he confronts the man who was responsible for his death.

As submitted to the MPAA, "Robocop" was going to be awarded with the dreaded "X" rating for violence. The Criterion Collection release of "Robocop" restores Verhoeven's original vision, which is a few seconds here and there of blood and gore. While the film is indeed violent, the bloodshed is certainly tame by today's standards -- Verhoeven's "Starship Troopers," released in 1997, is much bloodier and violent than "Robocop" and it received an "R" rating.

The transfer, while non-anamorphic, is still very good; the film is presented in 1.85:1 widescreen. There are two audio tracks, a Dolby Digital 2.0 track and commentary track. The commentary is lifted from the laserdisc edition of "Robocop," and is an entertaining discussion with Verhoeven, his writers, and others involved in the production.

Until "Robocop" gets the special edition DVD treatment, this Criterion version is worth hunting down. "I'd buy that for a dollar!"

Actually, I don't consider the extra several seconds of visceral imagery to be that big a deal. Murphy's arm gets blown off some more, and that unfortunate exec gets filled with even MORE lead from the ED-209. Compared to the over-the-top ultraviolence of subsequent Verhoeven-directed fare as 'Total Recall' and 'Starship Troopers', these scene extensions are practically feel-good family viewing. Besides, I find 'The Amazing Disintegrating Toxic Man' sequence & 'Robo opening an artery' to be the film's most disturbingly memorable moments.

Speaking of the director, I do find it a hoot listening to the commentary track, featuring Verhoeven and wo-writer Ed Neumeier. I especially love the part where, when they come to the slaying of Murphy, they relate it to the death and resurrection of Christ. In the words of the Benny Hill of the RoboCop world, I'd buy THAT for a dollar! It's also revealed that a lot of the location filming was actually done in *GASP* Dallas, rather than Detroit! Of course, if you've never been to either city, it's not like there's that much of a diff anyway...

In conclusion: if you're planning to view this cut of RoboCop to be startled and disturbed by the extra gory cutting-room bits, you'll likely be in for a bit of a disappointment. However, if you're looking for a futuristic shoot-em-up actioner that's both fun and kinda scary, this bad-boy's worth at least a rent!

'Late

It is also extremely well-acted. Peter Weller brings a lot of subtlety to his doomed Officer Alex Murphy, while veteran blond actress Nancy Allen (previously known for her varied roles in some of the best '70's and early-'80's films by Brian De Palma, to whom she had been married during that period of time) brings a lot of strength as well as sensitivity to her Officer Anne Lewis. But most memorable are the bad guys: Ronny Cox as Dick Jones, the cold-blooded Senior VP of OCP. Miguel Ferrer as the smarmy young exec Bob Morton, who tries to knock Jones off his perch. Lastly, and undoubtably most memorable, is Kurtwood Smith as the ultra-violent gang leader Clarence Boddicker. Among the most sadistic villains in film history, Clarence Boddicker is two parts creepy and three parts bada$$; a supervillain beyond compare to most others portrayed in movies. Kurtwood Smith, now known to the younger two generations as Red Foreman in the wonderfully funny series "That '70's Show," plays Clarence Boddicker so well--vulgar language & all--that it's absolutely shocking to revisit him in this role after having gotten to know him over the past five years as a TV dad, even one as gruff as his Red Foreman.

I decline to summarize the plot of ROBOCOP, since so many reviewers have already done so. Besides, most of you reading this have most likely already seen it at least once. Let's face it, ROBOCOP ushered in a new era for film; afterwards we got other Verhoeven mega-hits such as TOTAL RECALL and STARSHIP TROOPERS. Other filmmakers inevitably tried to copy him, such as Robert Longo with the mega-bomb JOHNNY MNEMONIC (which should be retitled JOHNNY MORONIC); the fact is, nobody can do futuristic sci-fi like Paul Verhoeven. Of course, let's not forget that Verhoeven himself was probably influenced to some extent by James Cameron, who had set the original cyborg gold standard with his 1984 classic THE TERMINATOR. However, ROBOCOP is unique--its dark humor and cynicism sets it completely apart in style from THE TERMINATOR. (Both are great films, and any comparisons between the two are tantamount to comparing apples with oranges.)

I give this DVD four stars because it only contains the film and original theatrical trailer, plus ads for the remastered DVD versions of three films, including CARRIE. That's it. In order to get the extras the this film demands, I will need to purchase the Critierion Collection DVD, which has extensive commentary by Verhoeven and a few others, plus storyboards, a "making-of" video, etc. But for now, this plain-jane DVD will have to do. Too bad, because ROBOCOP is anything but plain-jane. Even by today's standards, it kicks major you-know-what!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Old Detroit, the near future. The city is terrorized by a gang of thugs, headed by Clarence Boddicer ("That 70's Show" Kurtwood Smith) and his men. The city has decided to turn over the operation of the police department to the OCP corporation.

Enter cop Alex Murphy (Peter Weller), freshly transferred to the Old Detroit police department. Partnered with Anne Lewis (Nancy Allen), Murphy and Lewis hit the streets.

An encounter with Boddicer and his boys leaves Murphy, well, dead. Enter smarmy OCP executive Bob Morton (Miguel Ferrer), who has been developing a program to create a cyborg cop. Murphy becomes his guinea pig and "Robocop" is born.

Much of the social satire and humor Verhoeven interjects into the movies comes in the form of in-movie television broadcasts, the sort of which are common now, on CNN, MSNBC and the like. Smiling reporters dish out daily doses of sex and violence to the masses.

The story is essentially the robot Murphy's regaining of his humanity. His creators erase his memory, or so they think, until Murphy begins to experience flashbacks from his former life, including memories of his death, which leads him on a search to avenge his death. His search takes him back to OCP as he confronts the man who was responsible for his death.

As submitted to the MPAA, "Robocop" was going to be awarded with the dreaded "X" rating for violence. The Criterion Collection release of "Robocop" restores Verhoeven's original vision, which is a few seconds here and there of blood and gore. While the film is indeed violent, the bloodshed is certainly tame by today's standards -- Verhoeven's "Starship Troopers," released in 1997, is much bloodier and violent than "Robocop" and it received an "R" rating.

The transfer, while non-anamorphic, is still very good; the film is presented in 1.85:1 widescreen. There are two audio tracks, a Dolby Digital 2.0 track and commentary track. The commentary is lifted from the laserdisc edition of "Robocop," and is an entertaining discussion with Verhoeven, his writers, and others involved in the production.

Until "Robocop" gets the special edition DVD treatment, this Criterion version is worth hunting down. "I'd buy that for a dollar!"