Martin-Sheen Movie Reviews

Sophia Loren, Richard Harris, Burt Lancaster and Strasberg offer good performances; of course, they could act out a flick such as this in their sleep.

The advertising tagline for Cassandra Crossing was, "At noon on October 25th, the Transcontinental Express left Geneva Station with almost one thousand people aboard. Their destination: Basel, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Stockholm. No one arrived."

As a result, Cassandra Crossing was dismissed by its critics as an all-star disaster movie set in the improbable location of a train. In fact, this is an action movie with international intrigue -- a movie noteworthy for its decidedly older, non-action-hero cast members doing an action movie quite well.

Cassandra Crossing enjoyed some box office success in Britain, Italy, and Germany. It was granted little publicity in America, however -- perhaps because the plot line was both intelligent and a bit implausible to Americans: A U.S. biological warfare agent breaks loose and is carried aboard a European train. The government seeks to cover up the incident by sending the train and its infected passengers to near-certain destruction at the Cassandra Crossing.

The script behind this movie is weak at times. There are stock characters, average dialogue, and questionable casting -- Ava Gardner essentially plays herself, and O.J. Simpson plays a cop. Thankfully, their roles are small. Some of the special effects on board the train are quite good; elsewhere, they are low-budget. Lancaster's role in particular is undermined by cheap sets.

Despite the script, formulaic plot line, and very unconventional assortment of characters, the movie is suspenseful almost from the start. If only Amtrak were this exciting.

I strongly recommend this to students as it covers a lot of stuff that tends to get swept under the rug--like Henry Ford's campaign of support for Hitler (as if there weren't enough reasons to not buy a Ford). Also the unbelievable stupidity of "hero" Charles Lindburgh. And the way courageous black soldiers were discriminated against in the country they fought for. If you don't know what I'm referring to, all the more reason to check out this video.

Last but not least there are some gorgeous color scenes of day to day life at home, the New York skyline, San Francisco and the NY World's Fair of 1939.

There is no doubt that a re-mastered edition of this movie will someday become available. Don't waste your money on this edition.

Michael Douglas' realistic portrayal of the title character [President Andrew Shepherd] is a refreshingly-different change for Mr. Douglas, from his earlier rather--shall we say--steamy roles in "Fatal Attraction" (1987), "Basic Instinct" (1992), and "Disclosure" (1994).

Annette Bening also shines brightly here--as Douglas' love interest.

Written by "The West Wing's" Aaron Sorkin, it's nearly impossible to watch this movie today and not notice the similarities between Sorkin's work on the film and the excellent NBC-TV program it spawned.

Several of the actors in the film went on to star in the TV series as well, including Martin Sheen, Joshua Malina, and Anna Deavere Smith.

Mr. Sorkin is one heck of a writer. And he wrote an impressive movie in "The American President".

Unfortunately, there's no "Making Of" type of materials included on the DVD. We get a trailer for the film, plus some production and bio (text) notes, but nothing more in the way of bonuses. (Perhaps a "Special Edition" DVD Edition will some day surface. That'd be sweet indeed.)

While it's certainly true that the picture quality on this non-anamorphic Warner Brothers DVD-Video is far from being perfect....I still think it's in a highly-watchable condition. Sure, we get the usual amount of "jaggies" and blurred images of stuff in the background inherent to an image that's not been enhanced for 16x9 televisions. But I don't really think it's the worst DVD transfer ever to come along either. Of course, mileage will vary. Everyone has their own definition of "bad".

The soundtrack, on the other hand, seems quite robust and nice. There's a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround track on this disc.

"The American President" is presented here in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1. I've seen information elsewhere that claims this DVD presents the movie in a 1.85:1 ratio, which is inaccurate. So don't be fooled, it's definitely shown here in its full w-i-d-e "scope" ratio of 2.35:1.

This is a fresh, funny, smart, sassy, intelligent film, no matter if it's your first time seeing it, or your hundreth. Despite a less-than-stellar video transfer, I'd still recommend every DVD collector pick this baby up right now!

"You think there's an assassin waiting in the flower shop just in the off-chance I might be stopping by?" -- President Shepherd

LOL! *wink*

"Catch Me If You Can" was directed by Stephen Spielberg and, along with Minority Report, signifies a revival of Spielberg's directing talent after fifteen years of mediocre-at-best filmmaking. This film is fairly light fare, but it is immensely entertaining, funny, touching, and impeccably cast. Frank Abagnale, Jr. is a perfect fit for Leonardo DiCaprio, and is probably his best role since "What's Eating Gilbert Grape". Tom Hanks seems to have abandoned his typically saccharine roles this year -much to his credit- and puts in a wonderful performance as sympathetic geeky G-man Carl Hanratty (along with a terrific showing in "Road to Perdition"). Christopher Walken was the only actor to receive an Oscar nomination for "Catch Me If You Can". His performance as Frank Abagnale, Sr., our protagonist's down-and-out father, deserved the honor. Frank Jr.'s awkward combination of admiration and pity for his father seems to have been a key motivator in his illustrious life of crime, and Christopher Walken really helps us understand that.

The real Frank Abagnale, Jr. is a successful security consultant these days, protecting businesses from white collar crime. He cooperated with and bascially likes the film, but is quick to point out that "Catch Me If You Can" is based on his biography of the same name that was written about 25 years ago. Mr. Abagnale says that some aspects of his experiences were exaggerated in that book and some have been altered for the movie as well. Whatever the inaccuracies, Frank Abagnale, Jr.'s immense intelligence, ambition, and guts are the most striking elements of the film. It's the rarity of finding all of these qualities in such abundance in one person that make Frank's character so fascinating, and make him one of cinema's most lovable antiheroes.

I highly recommend "Catch Me If You Can" for its great performances and its extremely entertaining story of an ingenious con man and his noble pursuer...made all the more interesting because the story is largely true.

Leonardo DiCaprio portrays Frank Abagnale, a kid from Long Island who ran away from a broken home and worked his way to riches by impersonating everyone from airline pilots to doctors to lawyers and forging checks to the tune of $4 million during a three-year spree in the 1960s. Tom Hanks, reliable as always, portrays Carl Hanratty, the FBI man hot on his trail from coast to coast who eventually tracks him down in France. The process by which DiCaprio is able to manage not only to forge checks but also his own identity is done with considerable wit and humor; and the cat-and-mouse game between him and Hanks closely resembles Hitchcock at his prime.

Spielberg obviously identified with Abagnale and his saga, since the director himself told some pretty tall tails in his youth to break into Hollywood, including lying about his age. As a result, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, like a lot of Spielberg's work, has a deep personal resonance to it. But Spielberg also devotes time to Hanks' FBI agent's dilligence in pursuing the elusive Abagnale. The film's witty title sequence, made to look like the film itself was actually made in the early 1960s, and John Williams' jazzy score (in the manner of Henry Mancini's great film scores from the 60s), prove to be the icing on the cake.

Long and deliberately paced but never dull, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN is one of the best films of 2002, and yet another great movie in the Spielberg canon.

"Catch Me If You Can" was directed by Stephen Spielberg and, along with Minority Report, signifies a revival of Spielberg's directing talent after fifteen years of mediocre-at-best filmmaking. This film is fairly light fare, but it is immensely entertaining, funny, touching, and impeccably cast. Frank Abagnale, Jr. is a perfect fit for Leonardo DiCaprio, and is probably his best role since "What's Eating Gilbert Grape". Tom Hanks seems to have abandoned his typically saccharine roles this year -much to his credit- and puts in a wonderful performance as sympathetic geeky G-man Carl Hanratty (along with a terrific showing in "Road to Perdition"). Christopher Walken was the only actor to receive an Oscar nomination for "Catch Me If You Can". His performance as Frank Abagnale, Sr., our protagonist's down-and-out father, deserved the honor. Frank Jr.'s awkward combination of admiration and pity for his father seems to have been a key motivator in his illustrious life of crime, and Christopher Walken really helps us understand that.

The real Frank Abagnale, Jr. is a successful security consultant these days, protecting businesses from white collar crime. He cooperated with and bascially likes the film, but is quick to point out that "Catch Me If You Can" is based on his biography of the same name that was written about 25 years ago. Mr. Abagnale says that some aspects of his experiences were exaggerated in that book and some have been altered for the movie as well. Whatever the inaccuracies, Frank Abagnale, Jr.'s immense intelligence, ambition, and guts are the most striking elements of the film. It's the rarity of finding all of these qualities in such abundance in one person that make Frank's character so fascinating, and make him one of cinema's most lovable antiheroes.

I highly recommend "Catch Me If You Can" for its great performances and its extremely entertaining story of an ingenious con man and his noble pursuer...made all the more interesting because the story is largely true.

Leonardo DiCaprio portrays Frank Abagnale, a kid from Long Island who ran away from a broken home and worked his way to riches by impersonating everyone from airline pilots to doctors to lawyers and forging checks to the tune of $4 million during a three-year spree in the 1960s. Tom Hanks, reliable as always, portrays Carl Hanratty, the FBI man hot on his trail from coast to coast who eventually tracks him down in France. The process by which DiCaprio is able to manage not only to forge checks but also his own identity is done with considerable wit and humor; and the cat-and-mouse game between him and Hanks closely resembles Hitchcock at his prime.

Spielberg obviously identified with Abagnale and his saga, since the director himself told some pretty tall tails in his youth to break into Hollywood, including lying about his age. As a result, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, like a lot of Spielberg's work, has a deep personal resonance to it. But Spielberg also devotes time to Hanks' FBI agent's dilligence in pursuing the elusive Abagnale. The film's witty title sequence, made to look like the film itself was actually made in the early 1960s, and John Williams' jazzy score (in the manner of Henry Mancini's great film scores from the 60s), prove to be the icing on the cake.

Long and deliberately paced but never dull, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN is one of the best films of 2002, and yet another great movie in the Spielberg canon.

The added scenes were a mixed bag. The long-discussed French plantation sequence has been restored and included. I think this bizarre set piece brings the movie closer to the original Conrad source, as it touches on the absurdity of the situation Willard and the sailors find themselves in. But the sequence was overlong and seemed not to further the story but simply to narrate many of the themes Coppola already expressed in the original film. The added portions of the Kilgore segment seemed completely out of character. Yes, Willard bonds with the sailors when he steals the surfboard, but it is completely out of context with the rest of their experience together. The sailors don't like him, and he resents being on the ship with them. That makes this sequence gratuitous.

Speaking of gratuitous, the medivac scene with the bunnies is a disapointing addition. What was the point of that, other than to see the playmates' breasts? If you want gratuitous female nudity, there are thousands of other DVDs out there for you. Why tarnish a movie masterpiece with this scene more worthy of an American Pie sequel?

I was also very disappointed by the extras, or lack thereof. A movie this good deserves a full package of extras. No movie in recent memory has a more colorful behind-the-scenes story, and I would have loved to have seen this story represented in this disc. And finally, no audio commentary? Why?

The only reason this disc gets 3 stars is becuase of the source material. Otherwise, this DVD is very disappointing.

Based symbolically upon Josef Conrad's novel, HEART OF DARKNESS, this movie not only delves deep into the psyche of war, but also explores the vast facets of evil and indistinct limits of sanity. Such are the themes that Capt. Willard (Martin Sheen) must grapple with when assigned to dispatch "with extreme prejudice" a lunatic Green Beret, Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando) - a rogue officer bunkered in an absurdly gruesome renegade outpost on the far reaches of a river in Cambodia, the outer fringes of the war. His trek down that river is an utterly absorbing, terrifyingly bizarre odyssey marked with all sorts of surreal, often nightmarish encounters.

Willard commences his mission with a small unit of men in a Navy patrol boat. Along the way, they come across a number of variously strange, disconnectedly horrid and uproariously erratic entities - the most memorable of which is Robert Duvall's Lt. Kilgore, a surfing fanatical, riotously brash helicopter commander who takes Willard and his men on a riveting aerial assault in a hot area. Choreographed under a blaring rendition of Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries," this scene just takes your breath away. It is Kilgore the cowboy who raps out the best quotes of this movie, which I need not even repeat, as they've all been repeated over and over here already - but the REDUX version gives him more ample air time, highlighted by his amusingly desperate attempts to get back his surfboard, which Willard and his men had stolen. Duvall's performance earned him an Oscar nomination.

The REDUX version also includes an exquisitely ethereal encounter with the French at a rubber plantation in the midst of the jungle. Willard and his remaining men have dinner with the Frenchmen, and the conversation essentially courses through the many sundry themes of the movie entire. Afterwards, Willard sleeps and smokes opium with a young French war widow. The aesthetic, dream-like qualities of these plantation scenes are such that it becomes somewhat unclear whether or not these French expatriates are actually just ghosts.

The film reaches its climax when Willard reaches Kurtz's cult-like camp-"the farthest outpost on the river." It is here that the American patrol boat floats right into some horrid apparition of Hell - dead bodies dangling from trees, decapitated heads swarming the landscape. It is here that The Doors' ominous opening number, "The End," gains its relevance. The dead are omnipresent here, yet strangely far removed. Indeed, this is the way the world ends. The remaining living population is veritably brainwashed, worshipping their leader, Kurtz, like he's some kind of mystic divinity. At this point, the film takes on an almost mythical quality. Yet, though the tone is confoundedly serious here, there out of the blue comes Dennis Hopper's maniacal photojournalist, a steadfast Kurtz apostle, to lighten things up.

The performances in this amazing motion picture are simply tour de forces in every single aspect of the art of acting. Martin Sheen exudes all the unfathomable depths of his intellectually contemplative, poignantly resolute hero through both the mediums of voice-over narrative and sublime corporeality. He is nothing short of astounding. Then there's Brando, who, no matter who he is or what he's doing, cuts an unabashedly amazing figure on the screen. Whether you like him or not, it seems impossible to avert your attention from him whenever he's in view. In APOCALAYPSE NOW he truly becomes the embodiment of all that there is in the whole vast world to dread, confound and disinherit. He is the destination of the trip that everyone metaphorically takes, in some form or to some degree or other, down the winding river of life, cutting into the vast, pulsating heart of darkness.

The added scenes were a mixed bag. The long-discussed French plantation sequence has been restored and included. I think this bizarre set piece brings the movie closer to the original Conrad source, as it touches on the absurdity of the situation Willard and the sailors find themselves in. But the sequence was overlong and seemed not to further the story but simply to narrate many of the themes Coppola already expressed in the original film. The added portions of the Kilgore segment seemed completely out of character. Yes, Willard bonds with the sailors when he steals the surfboard, but it is completely out of context with the rest of their experience together. The sailors don't like him, and he resents being on the ship with them. That makes this sequence gratuitous.

Speaking of gratuitous, the medivac scene with the bunnies is a disapointing addition. What was the point of that, other than to see the playmates' breasts? If you want gratuitous female nudity, there are thousands of other DVDs out there for you. Why tarnish a movie masterpiece with this scene more worthy of an American Pie sequel?

I was also very disappointed by the extras, or lack thereof. A movie this good deserves a full package of extras. No movie in recent memory has a more colorful behind-the-scenes story, and I would have loved to have seen this story represented in this disc. And finally, no audio commentary? Why?

The only reason this disc gets 3 stars is becuase of the source material. Otherwise, this DVD is very disappointing.

Based symbolically upon Josef Conrad's novel, HEART OF DARKNESS, this movie not only delves deep into the psyche of war, but also explores the vast facets of evil and indistinct limits of sanity. Such are the themes that Capt. Willard (Martin Sheen) must grapple with when assigned to dispatch "with extreme prejudice" a lunatic Green Beret, Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando) - a rogue officer bunkered in an absurdly gruesome renegade outpost on the far reaches of a river in Cambodia, the outer fringes of the war. His trek down that river is an utterly absorbing, terrifyingly bizarre odyssey marked with all sorts of surreal, often nightmarish encounters.

Willard commences his mission with a small unit of men in a Navy patrol boat. Along the way, they come across a number of variously strange, disconnectedly horrid and uproariously erratic entities - the most memorable of which is Robert Duvall's Lt. Kilgore, a surfing fanatical, riotously brash helicopter commander who takes Willard and his men on a riveting aerial assault in a hot area. Choreographed under a blaring rendition of Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries," this scene just takes your breath away. It is Kilgore the cowboy who raps out the best quotes of this movie, which I need not even repeat, as they've all been repeated over and over here already - but the REDUX version gives him more ample air time, highlighted by his amusingly desperate attempts to get back his surfboard, which Willard and his men had stolen. Duvall's performance earned him an Oscar nomination.

The REDUX version also includes an exquisitely ethereal encounter with the French at a rubber plantation in the midst of the jungle. Willard and his remaining men have dinner with the Frenchmen, and the conversation essentially courses through the many sundry themes of the movie entire. Afterwards, Willard sleeps and smokes opium with a young French war widow. The aesthetic, dream-like qualities of these plantation scenes are such that it becomes somewhat unclear whether or not these French expatriates are actually just ghosts.

The film reaches its climax when Willard reaches Kurtz's cult-like camp-"the farthest outpost on the river." It is here that the American patrol boat floats right into some horrid apparition of Hell - dead bodies dangling from trees, decapitated heads swarming the landscape. It is here that The Doors' ominous opening number, "The End," gains its relevance. The dead are omnipresent here, yet strangely far removed. Indeed, this is the way the world ends. The remaining living population is veritably brainwashed, worshipping their leader, Kurtz, like he's some kind of mystic divinity. At this point, the film takes on an almost mythical quality. Yet, though the tone is confoundedly serious here, there out of the blue comes Dennis Hopper's maniacal photojournalist, a steadfast Kurtz apostle, to lighten things up.

The performances in this amazing motion picture are simply tour de forces in every single aspect of the art of acting. Martin Sheen exudes all the unfathomable depths of his intellectually contemplative, poignantly resolute hero through both the mediums of voice-over narrative and sublime corporeality. He is nothing short of astounding. Then there's Brando, who, no matter who he is or what he's doing, cuts an unabashedly amazing figure on the screen. Whether you like him or not, it seems impossible to avert your attention from him whenever he's in view. In APOCALAYPSE NOW he truly becomes the embodiment of all that there is in the whole vast world to dread, confound and disinherit. He is the destination of the trip that everyone metaphorically takes, in some form or to some degree or other, down the winding river of life, cutting into the vast, pulsating heart of darkness.

I first owned this movie in another format when it first came out in the eighties.

There are scenes in this 98 minute edition that are missing or shortened. Obviously this is the same version they show on cable, and it has been hacked a bit for run-time length.

Notabily the major missing scene ais the memorable flight scene with a Japanese Zero and and F-14 Tomcat flying together in the clouds. That scene, with the musical score was really cool, and it was what made the movie, IMO. The same scene is only a few seconds long in this edition.

There were other scenes between the captain and Mr. Titans rep, and between the lead pilot and his rep that are not on this edition.

MORE IMPORTANT

This movie is NOT CAPTIONED. Almost everything is captioned today, and I depend on that, having recently lost my hearing. This movie is almost unwatchable due to this deplorable oversight.

I would be curious to know if the other Pacific Family Entertainment movies are also not captioned, especially before I buy another one.

Does anyone know if there can be obtained the orginial version of this movie anywhere?

Plays out like a long episode of The Time Tunnel. James Farrentino in one of his better rolls. There is a good action scene where a modern jet encounters two Japanese planes.

Let me address the DVD issue right off: I have (apparently) a remastered version, widescreen, with chapter selection and promotional trailer included. The quality of this DVD is pretty good. I can't remember the exact cinematography but it seems like this is how the movie always appeared. Not top-notch but acceptable. The trailer is not as well preserved but is OK.

(I noticed this on the Rambo: First Blood Part II DVD I just bought ... on that DVD, the trailer is so-so, however the picture on that movie is crisp and very well preserved).

OK, back to the movie. A freak storm catches the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier and transports her and her crew back to December 6, 1941 just off the coast of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The BIG question: Ignore or Intercept the Japanese Navy when it attacks on December 7? ... if you haven't seen the movie, I won't spoil it for you here.

There are top-named actors like Martin Sheen, Kirk Douglas, James Farentino, Katharine Ross and Charles Durning. And there are a few real carrier personnel who weren't professional actors, obviously. But they got to be in the movie and who could blame them? Most people who like this film enjoy the time-travel, naval-combat aspect of it and overlook the occasional potholes in the storyline. Hey, just have fun!

There are some great launch sequences of Naval fighter aircraft, recon birds, tankers and helicopters. And the inflight sequences are pretty good too. You get to see F-14 Tomcats, A-7 Corsairs, A-6 Intruders, EA-6B Prowlers, E-2C Hawkeyes, SH-53 Sikorsky's and more. Plus the carrier crew equip the aircraft with the Mach 4+ AIM-54A Phoenix missiles, AIM-9 Sidwinders and AIM-7 Sparrows for air combat. Great stuff!

Overall the quality of the DVD movie is fairly decent and played well on my 55" big screen and my 27" small screen TV's. If you haven't seen the film, it's similar to "The Philadelphia Experiment" with Michael Pare and Nancy Allen. Enjoy!!