Martin-Landau Movie Reviews

I rate Woody Allen's "Crimes and Misdemeanors" as one of the 10...make that one of the 3 best movies ever made! It's a shame that this film did not stir up more of a buzz upon it's release in 1990, but thankfully it now has a second lease on life via DVD. "Crimes and Misdemeanors" is actually two movies rolled into one, as Allen masterfully intertwines two very different storylines, one a drama of tragic proportions, and the other, a lighter story with some classy comic moments. Thanks to Allen's keen sense of artistry, the two stories converge and successfully come together in the end as a unified whole. In just under 2 hours "Crimes and Misdemeanors" touches on some of the most perplexing questions of human nature, dealing sensitively with matters of ethics, guilt, fidelity, moral relitivism, conscience, and faith in God. The film does not attempt to spoon-feed answers to its audience, but rather raises some heady and important questions for the veiwer to consider,...even about themselves! Veteran actor Martin Landau is outstanding in the part of Judah, the main character of the more dramatic storyline. Landau pumps some real emotion into his character, so much so that you will truly feel his guilt and paranoia in the aftermath of the "crime" refered to in the title. Also very important to the "tragic" section on the film is Sam Waterston in the role of a Rabbi, in many ways this Rabbi is a pivotal chartcter in the story, as his belief in a morally-structered universe is contrasted with Judah's questionable thoughts and actions. Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, and Alan Alda are the stars of the "alternate" storyline, and each is allowed to shine, thanks to Allen's gift for writing witty and fully-realised dialog. In fact the strained relationship between Allen (as an unsuccessful documentary filmmaker) and Alda (as an Aaron Spelling-esque, award winning TV producer) is one of the films many highlights, and Allen's barely-concealed comtempt for his artistic nemesis makes use of Woody's best comic talents. With all of its philosophical implications and brilliant uses of symbolism (something as simple as a car's headlights going out never resonated with so much meaning!) "Crimes and Misdemeanors" would make a great starting point for an ethical or theological bull session, and in fact many Christians and Orthodox Jews have used the film for just that purpose! As the voice-over narration tells us in the films closing moments, "we define ourselves by the choices we have made", and indeed these words come to life as we see the characters onscreen living with the choices that they have made, for better, or for worse. What else can I say, "Crimes and Misdemeanors" is a unique piece of cinema that will untimately challenge the mind, while at the same time keeping the heart deeply entertained! This is the type of cinema that you only get from a master filmmaker like Woody Allen.

Granted, I am a very devoted Woody Allen fan. However, that does not mean I like everyone of his movies w/o question. I can barely get thru some of his "earlier, funnier" movies. Crimes and Misdemeanors is a film that I quite honestly cannot believe. It is proof that there are things only Woody can accomplish. The drama of the scence in which Landau imagines discussing his plan with his rabbi leaves me as awestruck as the humor of viewing Woody's rough draft of the documentary he makes of Alda. To laugh at the latter scene would not do it justice, it is simply too brilliant. Alan Alda is so perfectly directed by Allen. He is the perfect actor to repeatedly declare the empty, psuedo-intellectual, "If it bends, it's funny; if it breaks, it isn't". The theme of eyes and seeing is interesting: the doctor can't make the rabbi see, and as the rabbi tries to make the doctor "see", he goes blind himself, and does not know if he has succeeded or not. Alda is so obnoxious, and Farrow so sweet, that one becomes ever aware of how women are all too often unable to choose the right man. Absolutely Brilliant! Possibly his best, certainly his most ambitious.

This is one of the only movies that I can actualy say is a favorite. It has comedy, deep ethical dilemmas, character development, everything. Some of the comedy must be subtler than I though at first, because as I get older (I first saw it when it first came out, like 10 years ago or something) I laugh more and more at some of the smallest things.
I would recommend this to anyone, even those who don't like Woody.

I rate Woody Allen's "Crimes and Misdemeanors" as one of the 10...make that one of the 3 best movies ever made! It's a shame that this film did not stir up more of a buzz upon it's release in 1990, but thankfully it now has a second lease on life via DVD. "Crimes and Misdemeanors" is actually two movies rolled into one, as Allen masterfully intertwines two very different storylines, one a drama of tragic proportions, and the other, a lighter story with some classy comic moments. Thanks to Allen's keen sense of artistry, the two stories converge and successfully come together in the end as a unified whole. In just under 2 hours "Crimes and Misdemeanors" touches on some of the most perplexing questions of human nature, dealing sensitively with matters of ethics, guilt, fidelity, moral relitivism, conscience, and faith in God. The film does not attempt to spoon-feed answers to its audience, but rather raises some heady and important questions for the veiwer to consider,...even about themselves! Veteran actor Martin Landau is outstanding in the part of Judah, the main character of the more dramatic storyline. Landau pumps some real emotion into his character, so much so that you will truly feel his guilt and paranoia in the aftermath of the "crime" refered to in the title. Also very important to the "tragic" section on the film is Sam Waterston in the role of a Rabbi, in many ways this Rabbi is a pivotal chartcter in the story, as his belief in a morally-structered universe is contrasted with Judah's questionable thoughts and actions. Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, and Alan Alda are the stars of the "alternate" storyline, and each is allowed to shine, thanks to Allen's gift for writing witty and fully-realised dialog. In fact the strained relationship between Allen (as an unsuccessful documentary filmmaker) and Alda (as an Aaron Spelling-esque, award winning TV producer) is one of the films many highlights, and Allen's barely-concealed comtempt for his artistic nemesis makes use of Woody's best comic talents. With all of its philosophical implications and brilliant uses of symbolism (something as simple as a car's headlights going out never resonated with so much meaning!) "Crimes and Misdemeanors" would make a great starting point for an ethical or theological bull session, and in fact many Christians and Orthodox Jews have used the film for just that purpose! As the voice-over narration tells us in the films closing moments, "we define ourselves by the choices we have made", and indeed these words come to life as we see the characters onscreen living with the choices that they have made, for better, or for worse. What else can I say, "Crimes and Misdemeanors" is a unique piece of cinema that will untimately challenge the mind, while at the same time keeping the heart deeply entertained! This is the type of cinema that you only get from a master filmmaker like Woody Allen.

Granted, I am a very devoted Woody Allen fan. However, that does not mean I like everyone of his movies w/o question. I can barely get thru some of his "earlier, funnier" movies. Crimes and Misdemeanors is a film that I quite honestly cannot believe. It is proof that there are things only Woody can accomplish. The drama of the scence in which Landau imagines discussing his plan with his rabbi leaves me as awestruck as the humor of viewing Woody's rough draft of the documentary he makes of Alda. To laugh at the latter scene would not do it justice, it is simply too brilliant. Alan Alda is so perfectly directed by Allen. He is the perfect actor to repeatedly declare the empty, psuedo-intellectual, "If it bends, it's funny; if it breaks, it isn't". The theme of eyes and seeing is interesting: the doctor can't make the rabbi see, and as the rabbi tries to make the doctor "see", he goes blind himself, and does not know if he has succeeded or not. Alda is so obnoxious, and Farrow so sweet, that one becomes ever aware of how women are all too often unable to choose the right man. Absolutely Brilliant! Possibly his best, certainly his most ambitious.

This is one of the only movies that I can actualy say is a favorite. It has comedy, deep ethical dilemmas, character development, everything. Some of the comedy must be subtler than I though at first, because as I get older (I first saw it when it first came out, like 10 years ago or something) I laugh more and more at some of the smallest things.
I would recommend this to anyone, even those who don't like Woody.

I bought this film after seeing most of it on A&E. This film is by far the best way to see Joseph. The settings are beautiful and the entire look of the production are perfect in presenting the story. The casting choices could not have been better! Paul Mercurio is a perfect Joseph. Everyone of the cast was perfect for their parts. This film is the best Joseph movie to date.

This is absolutely one of the best produced and acted Bible stories around. It's accuracy, acting and pacing set a new standard for Bible-based productions. Bible scholars will not be offended, and movie buffs will not be disappointed. It tightens my throat at the end every time. I strongly recommend this for your Bible movie collection.

I watched this video and followed along in my bible. It follows the word of god exactly. Way to go. It almost brought me to tears. My kids loved it. I would highly recommend. A Must see.

Nevada Smith is up there with The Great Escape and The Magnificent Seven as Steve McQueen's best roles. In this western, McQueen plays Max Sands, a young man bent on revenge of the three men who brutally killed his parents. The three villains are played to perfection by Karl Malden, Martin Landau, and Arthur Kennedy. Really this movie is three or four separate stories brought together by Max's revenge. Beautiful scenery throughout ranging from the mountains of the Northwest to the swamps of Louisiana with a good musical score to back up the story. Brian Keith is exceptional in his role as McQueen's mentor. This is classic McQueen. The anger he feels for these three men is obvious as he chases them around the country, even working alongside them so that he can be around in case he gets a chance to exact his revenge. The DVD does not offer any extras besides the widescreen presentation, but the movie looks better than it ever did before. A truly great western with both great characters and an excellent storyline.

Steve McQueen plays Max Sand ( Nevada Smith ) who sets about finding his parents three killers played by karl Malden , Martin Landau, and Arthur Kenndy. But finding them and killing them is a bit harder then he thought. While on his trail he meet's Brian Keith who teaches him to be an expert marksman.Nevada Smith is a tense violent western which follows Nevada every step on his revenge crazed journey. McQueen is excellent , in this classic western.

Three terrorists torture and murder a young man's parents. The young man then behaves like a cowboy, unilaterally determining to kill the terrorists and erase them from the world as a threat to anyone else (in addition to punishing them for their evil deed). The cowboy does not seek to form any sort of coalition. He does not consult the United Nations. He does not ask, "Why did they hate my parents?" He does not appear to know anything about the concepts of tolerance, diversity, inclusion and compassion. He merely rids the world of the terrorists (except for the last one, who just wasn't worth it). By the end of the story, these are certainly three terrorists who will never again terrorize anyone. Now, what sort of message does this send, regarding the best way to deal with terrorists?

Well I certainly hate to disagree with all the other glowing reviews of this movie but quite frankly I wasn't impressed. Granted the movie (and subject matter) are dated but I found the acting to be only average, at times almost mechanical - not very realistic. Not very good chemistry between De Mornay & Boothe. The special effects could have been done better. This movie probably had a low budget.

Sadly, I bought the movie based on the reviews posted here. Do yourself a favor and rent it (if you can find it). Had I rented it first I would have saved a few bucks.

Don't get me wrong, the movie will keep your attention but I found it to be fairly predictable. Finding two pilots willing to make the ultimate sacrifice at the same moment seems a little far fetched !!!

The primary reason I enjoyed this movie is not the fact that I was in the USAF during the Cold War era and imagined this type of action coming about, but primarily because Powers Boothe and I were classmates at Southwest Texas State University in 1969-70 and I really appreciate his style of acting. We were in a couple of college productions together and I am a fan of anything he does.

I saw this movie a couple years ago and it is probably one of the best "movies you've never heard of". The details of this movie about a nuclear was between the U.S. and the old Soviet Union(remember, this is 1990) are incredible. Everything from the cockpit of a B-52 on a nuclear strike mission, to SAC (Stratigic Air Command) Headquarters, to the White HOuse, and the E-4B Airborne Command Post. The most shocking part of this movie is that it still could happen today. The writers of this movie defenetly did there homework.

For some strange reason Tucker didn't do well at the boxoffice. I know it can't hold up to cinema masterpieces like "Dude Where's My Car" (grin), but I just watched this movie again and I really love the film. It oozes with style. The clothes, set dressing and props look great. There is a wide variety of 40's clothes represented. Take a look at the jury. The womens clothes and hats are excellent. Even the extras look amazing. I seem to recall that Coppola had a few Life magazines and if you couldn't see it on those pages, it wasn't going to be in his movie.

Also the cinematography is top notch. Joe Jackson's sound track is very cool.(I think it was the only one he ever did.) Coppola's transitions are so cool and unusual that I have to keep rewinding to watch them a few times. They work perfect for this film.

If you haven't seen Tucker or you haven't seen it in a long time, I highly recommend you watch it.......tonight.

One of his finest performances since "Starman" ... Here, Jeff gets to play a little bit of the good-natured kidder we've come to love ... as Tucker, the eternal optimist and dreamer, we experience the reality that all dreams are met with obstacles sometimes ...

The flashy style of the director has the look and feel of a Life magazine or Saturday Evening Post piece ... it's hype, sure, but it attempts to capture the entreprenurial spirit of post-war America with the swing music and stylish clothing ... Excellent performances by Bridges (both of them!), Martin Landau and even Christian Slater plays with much more subtlety than usual. Dean Stockwell does a pretty good Howard Hughes.

Get this movie and be prepared to simply sit back and enjoy it. Before the Big Three had serious competition from Germany and Japan they ruled with an iron fist. The cars we drive today are infinitely better because of competition. Should any criticize me for that statement I simply say these words: Pinto, Vega and Pacer. BTW, my new Ford Explorer is an excellent, well-designed and engineered vehicle.

Unfortunately the father-son team of Bridges didn't have nearly as much material to work with in "Blown Away", their only other movie pairing ... Lloyd Bridges plays the corrupt U.S. Senator so well that you'd like to see a full Congressional investigation on him ... Excellent sound track as well.

I agree with the others about the film, and I just have to add this... Almost all DVDs these days force you to sit through minutes on end of animated logos and warnings of copyright laws and smallpox. This DVD, literally two seconds after you pop it in, you have the DVD menu!

Please, DVD engineers, I implore you, follow this example. We know you are very good and fancy, but we *really* don't want all your fancy animations slowing us down every time we start or stop something, or select a different option. If you want to make art, make art. If you want to make a user interface, make a user interface!

Interesting premise here; the climax is where it all comes together. Sharon Stone does a terrific job, as does Gere and Davidivich. A common situation ends uncommonly. Making choices, regret, fate, and letting go are all addressed here. Not an Oscar winner, no, but worth watching.

That was the tag line from this great movie, about choices, love, and death. Thats really what life is all about, if you sit back and think about it. This is one of the best movies I have ever seen. I am so happy that my favorite actress was involved in it SHARON STONE brings a strong hard preformance after her best role ever in SLIVER, she comes back with a bang. This movie is definetly not going to let you down. Its about a Vancouver Architect who is in love with his wife, and his mistress. When the two women cross paths, his life becomes shattered. This movie will have you crying for more, as it ends with a.......

Richard Gere guides you through his life in a series of flashbacks that details his troubled marriage and the meeting of his significant other. The movie clearly keeps your attention by cleverly combining flashbacks with the present day to tell a story in an unconventional way. The storyline can probably be applied to almost anyone who views the movie. We all have shared this struggle with emotion. Maybe the critics see too much of themselves in this movie, therefore they have cast it aside in order not to shine any light on their own lives.

Edward Norton is such a talented actor! Matt Damon is stellar in this as well. The plot is interesting; chemistry between the actors is solid. Very nicely done film. My favorite scene is early in the film--the night Norton gets out of jail and he and Damon work a poker game over--but the rest of the film is interesting, taunt, and brash. Well worth watching again and again.

Rounders is such a fun and exciting movie to watch. This is a very under-rated movie! I'm probably biased because I happen to enjoy poker very much, and this movie is definitely a poker player's movie. The story and plot are very interesting, but the stars really steal the show here. Matt Damon plays a smart poker player who struggles with the choice of living the "gamblers life" which is where his heart and skill reside, or trying to be a "normal" person with a normal job. Edward Norton plays his weasely friend who is always finding trouble and needs Matt Damon to bail him out. The real star of the show is the owner of a poker club played brilliantly by John Malkovich. He plays a principal role in the movie as the driving force behind a fight for the main characters life vis a vis the poker table. You will not regret watching this movie. The only downside is that some of the moves made by Matt Damon are somewhat foolishly believed to be super suave, and might actually be terrible in real life poker.

Starring Matt Damon, as a poker player this movie is about his inner struggle with the game. He is studying to be a lawyer, but takes his entire fortune of $25,000 and loses it in a sleazy backroom game to a Russian Mafioso played by John Malkovich. His girlfriend, a fellow law student played by Gretchen Mol hates his gambling, and he promises to stop. However, an old pal of his, Edward Norton, nicknamed The Worm, gets released from prison and the two friends get together. Despite warnings from John Turturro, cast as a gambler who doesn't take chances, they start to play poker again. The Worm has no scruples and cheats constantly. Matt Damon, however, uses his wits to win. He says it is not the cards he plays, but the men. He studies his opponents by reading their unconscious gestures. Not surprisingly, The Worm keeps getting Matt Damon in more and more trouble. The debt keeps getting bigger, the stakes higher. Tension mounts. The story was good even though it was predictable. I'm one of those people who love the gangster/gambler genre and so I loved it.

Edward Norton is such a talented actor! Matt Damon is stellar in this as well. The plot is interesting; chemistry between the actors is solid. Very nicely done film. My favorite scene is early in the film--the night Norton gets out of jail and he and Damon work a poker game over--but the rest of the film is interesting, taunt, and brash. Well worth watching again and again.

Rounders is such a fun and exciting movie to watch. This is a very under-rated movie! I'm probably biased because I happen to enjoy poker very much, and this movie is definitely a poker player's movie. The story and plot are very interesting, but the stars really steal the show here. Matt Damon plays a smart poker player who struggles with the choice of living the "gamblers life" which is where his heart and skill reside, or trying to be a "normal" person with a normal job. Edward Norton plays his weasely friend who is always finding trouble and needs Matt Damon to bail him out. The real star of the show is the owner of a poker club played brilliantly by John Malkovich. He plays a principal role in the movie as the driving force behind a fight for the main characters life vis a vis the poker table. You will not regret watching this movie. The only downside is that some of the moves made by Matt Damon are somewhat foolishly believed to be super suave, and might actually be terrible in real life poker.

Starring Matt Damon, as a poker player this movie is about his inner struggle with the game. He is studying to be a lawyer, but takes his entire fortune of $25,000 and loses it in a sleazy backroom game to a Russian Mafioso played by John Malkovich. His girlfriend, a fellow law student played by Gretchen Mol hates his gambling, and he promises to stop. However, an old pal of his, Edward Norton, nicknamed The Worm, gets released from prison and the two friends get together. Despite warnings from John Turturro, cast as a gambler who doesn't take chances, they start to play poker again. The Worm has no scruples and cheats constantly. Matt Damon, however, uses his wits to win. He says it is not the cards he plays, but the men. He studies his opponents by reading their unconscious gestures. Not surprisingly, The Worm keeps getting Matt Damon in more and more trouble. The debt keeps getting bigger, the stakes higher. Tension mounts. The story was good even though it was predictable. I'm one of those people who love the gangster/gambler genre and so I loved it.

Cleopatra is one of the most infamous movies in Hollywood history. Stars Richard Burton & Elizabeth Taylor first started their on again, off again relationship on the set, there were numerous production problems, Joseph L. Mankiewitz left as the director before the shooting was complete and dozens of other problems plagued the film. At the time it was the most expensive film ever made, but was a major dud at the box office. In fact the back story to Cleopatra in many ways is more interesting than the movie itself. This 3 disk special edition provides you with a healthy dose of the intriguing behind the scenes information included a documentary that appeared on AMC that is outstanding. The film itself is magnificent to look at, with impressive sets and incredible detail. The acting is pretty good too, with the elegant Rex Harrison standing out as Julius Caesar. The film is quite long, clocking in at over four hours, and does tend to drag in certain spots. The overall packaging of Cleopatra is tremendous and worth checking out.

CLEOPATRA is often called "The Biggest Flop in Movie History." But does it deserve it? Well, you can take a good look at it with this great DVD set to find out for yourself. But, it's four-hour plus running time makes that quite a chore. When examined closely, CLEOPATRA is two stories back to back. The first storyline is similar to George Bernard Shaw's CAESAR AND CLEOPATRA while the second half leans toward William Shakespeare's ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. Herein lies the films biggest problem, one that stems right from the controversy surrounding the film, but more on that later.

The first 2 hours of the film follow the relationship between Rex Harrison in his marvelous role as Caesar and his relationship with the beautiful and wily Cleopatra, as presented by Elizabeth Taylor. As most historically know, their love is doomed from the start. But, the little chess game they get going is the strength of the picture, aside from its blatant flaunting of on-screen money. After the intermission, Richard Burton's Marc Antony makes his moves on the now wiser Cleopatra. Antony knows he will never be Caesar and is often jealous of the former leader. This is very problematic because today's viewers (who are not tainted by the controversy surrounding the film) will find his character less enrolling than Caesar. This leaves the second half of the film scramble to live up to the first half.

Much of the cast is very strong, elevating the film above the standard "Sword and Sandal" drama. Hume Cronyn, Martin Landau, Carroll O'Connor and Desmond Llewelyn offer support throughout. Roddy McDowell is wonderfully despicable as he claims Caesars throne. Some of the scenes are so epic in their production they just drip of expense. Along with all of that expense, the storylines have occasional slow points and lack clarity. This gives the illusion that the producers were trying to buy themselves to a great story.

The four-hour film is only a good story with awkward pacing. This DVD set also includes a third disc with a fascinating two-hour documentary on the creation of the film. Hearing that side of CLEOPATRA is better than the film itself. Director Joe Mankiewicz intended for CLEOPATRA to be 2 separate films, each at 3.5 hours. But when Burton and Taylor began their scandalous love affair, the Twentieth century Fox bigwigs canned that idea. The publicity from the affair might not hold long enough for the second film to be made. So, the studios demanded cuts be made and the two films combined. This explains many of the lapses in logic, but doesn't make the resulting film any better. Much of the wasted timing, recasting, reshooting and relocating is enough to make you believe the film to be a flop.

Still, CLEOPATRA is a gutsy experiment and this DVD set is a glorious record of it. The third disc is worth the price of admission alone.

Cleo's have come and gone. There have been many films and books depicting Cleo as she really was to great melodramatic Cleo. Three other popular Cleo's were the Claudette Colbert (1934), Vivien Leigh (1945), and Leonor Varela (1999). There were many more variations between those years.
The one Cleo that will always stand out and lets not forget Mark, is the one staring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton (1963). I was old enough to enjoy it on the big screen. Rex Harrison made a good Caesar; watch him have a similar attitude in "The Honey Pot" (1967).

Enough time, thought, and money have been put into this production that I am bound to overlook a few of the most important items about this film. The movie is more than just the actors are. The characters are very well portrayed. The set and costumes are dazzling. They really showed up in the scene when Cleopatra enterd Rome. And the navel battle was spectacular.

Every one is going to have a favorite Cleo and find flaws in the others. However this Cleo will always the one others are gauged by.