Michael-Bay Movie Reviews

Jeff Daniels and Melanie Mayron are brillant in this very funny movie about dying...mortality....and finally living your life to the fullest.

This was a superb film, seemingly about death but truly about life, it's there to be enjoyed, much like this film (sorry that sounds so cheesy but thats a fact)

I've seen this film a couple of times and I really enjoy it. The story is great and easy to follow, as most of Danielle Steel films are. Kelly Rutherford (those who are Melrose Place buffs know that she plays Megan Lewis, Michael's ex)is so great that she really takes care of her brother and sisters when her parents died on that Titanic disaster and sacrifices her life. This story really portrays LOVE, CARING, and UNSELFISNESS towards other people's happiness. This is a must-see film for people of all ages.

Based on Danielle Steel's bestseller, NO GREATER LOVE is a dramatic, often heart rending story of those left behind after the tragic sinking of the Titanic.

Edwina Winfield (Kelly Rutherford), the eldest daughter of a wealthy newspaper dynasty, is travelling home on the Titanic with her family and her fiancee.

The Winfields toast her engagement and the sixth birthday of her sister Alexis. But fate deals Edwina a horrible blow when her parents and fiancee go down with the ship.

Edwina tries to re-build her life and the lives of her younger siblings, while Alexis turns against the family and becomes a teenage delinquint.

For 12 years Edwina puts her romantic life on hold, while she raises her siblings, but on a trip across the Atlantic to rescue a wayward Alexis, she discovers she cannot keep romance at bay, and has an affair with a dashing Englishman, Patrick (Simon MacCorkindale). When Alexis is found, Edwina returns home to marry theatrical producer Sam Horowitz (Chris Sarandon).

At last, Edwina is free from the ghosts of that fateful night on the Titanic.

Romantic, dramatic and very well played out, NO GREATER LOVE is one of the best Danielle Steel movies ever made.

I really enjoy this movie, I watch it quite often, as I am a devoted Titanic fan. What I especially enjoy about this movie is the after math of the Tragedy, It shows how Edwina and her siblings cope after such a terrible disaster, and they all finally find the happiness they're so deserving of. I find this movie to be a refreshing change from my other Titanic movies, I view them all very often. One thing I would like to say, is Kelly Rutherford, Looks so much like a Harrison Fisher Lady,She is a very talented actress.If you read the book I believe you will enjoy this movie very much.

It was a good movie....the audio was a bit offish...but that could be because of the being on tv. As usual David Morse did an outstanding performance, alongside Peter Strauss......I dont need to tell you Robert Mitchum was awesome as the really bad guy.....I felt bad for David Morse's character though...since in reality he was being chased for a murder he didnt commit.....coulda killed him a bit nicer lol...instead of cutting him in half with machine gun fire, Im gonna go a friends route and say someone put a new persons body in and his character got away LOL......

I really hope that sometime soon they release this on DVD. The book by David Morrell "The Brotherhood Of The Rose" is my favorite book of all-time. As we all know, most adaptations of books don't go so well. This is a rare exception. This adaptation is 99% accurate. A change here or there, especially the ending, but still a great job. Read the book, then watch the movie...and then realize that I was right! ENJOY!

Probably one of my favorite movies:
A great scenario, credible intrigue, good historical link...
Perter Strauss and other actors are amazing,
I loved it

Classic Comedy of all time.
If Benny Hill was born in America He would have made
"Saturday Night Live" ..I believe.
I Wonder what's he doing now.

Great skits! minimal music sketches, fortunatly. Not so much skirt-chasing goes more for straight comedy skits.

Captive is arguably one of the greatest foriegn films I have ever seen. The Edge was outstanding in Capitvating the mood of the movie through the strings of his guitar.

I saw this film years ago, and bought the soundtrack because I can't get a UK format copy. It is a superb film - subtle, intriguing and beautifully-shot. Oliver Reed gives a controlled performance and the other actors create an air of mystery; the soundtrack balances the imagery beautifully. Don't miss it...a classic.

Caught this late night on IFC. Pleasant surprise... lot of fun to watch and Randy Quaid was really good. The humor keeps you drawn, and i spent the next three weeks waiting for the pressure cooker. You could certainly watch a lot worse.

Yes, Cold Dog Soup is one of those movies which makes you step back and take a look at yourself in a new light. As odd as movie as it may sound- I mean, what other movies can you see about a guy trying to sell a dead dog?- the movie carries a powerful message about respecting dead dogs, one that just can't be ignored in this day and age. So, check out Cold Dog Soup. It's the best dead dog movie you'll see this year.

The Painted Lady is a marvelous movie in which Helen Mirren delivers a ferocious performance as a former blues singer in search of the killers of her landlord. Her portrayal alone, which spans the spectrum of human emotion from roaring rage to wounded pain deserves an Emmy. The plot at times get a little murky, but stick with Mirren everytime and she'll show you what is still good about television.

Another brilliant and entertaining British mystery.There is something here for everyone. Helen Mirren is, as always, superb. There is a wonderful attention to detail,and delightful character development. As the story unfolds, there are enough twists and turns to intrigue the most sophisticated of mystery fans. Tired as I was when I saw this, I could not tear myself away, and finally and wisely bought my own copy so that I could watch again without missing a moment. Treat yourself to a great evening of entertainment. You'll find yourself watching this one more than once.

I literally have every 70's horror teleplay produced by Dan Curtis and/or written by Richard Matheson. So obviously I'm a huge fan of them both. That said, I found this particular movie to be my least favorite of Dan's; however I like Dan's teleplay style so much that I still give this one 4 stars even though this movie is basically...well, think of The Night Stalker but with a huge spider instead of a vampire.

Tony Franciosa is perhaps the best part of this movie. He always seemed to be a good asset in any movie of that era. He simply has that air about him. Unfortunately I figured out far too soon who the villain was in this movie so that spoiled any suspense and unfortunately enabled me to anticipate much of what transpired later in the movie.

All in all "Curse of the Black Widow" is a very dated 70's horror movie that's heavy on dialog, traditional plot and is 1970's LOW tech. If that bothers you then look elsewhere.

This isn't Dan's best, but I grew up watching his movies so it's sort of an irrational nostalgia treat for me.

Dan Curtis, the man responsible for Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Trilogy Of Terror, and other horror classics from 70s Television delivers a horror filled masterpiece with "Curse Of The Black Widow." It plays out much like an episode of Kolchak, so fans of that series will love this movie.

Academy Award winner, Patty Duke, transforms herself for this tailor-made role in "Curse of the Black Widow". She is visiting her twin sister, Donna Mills, when a serial killer strikes. Tony Franciosa plays the central character who is trying to untangle the web of horror.
This movie has all the feel of 1977. The music and characters reflect the era well. There's a large cast and snappy dialogue. There's plenty of suspense and startling moments.
I viewed the VHS digitally mastered collector's edition. It's like it claims, "optimum picture and sound."

British import, about a mental health retreat, were patients check in, but they don't check out! One of two films written and directed by Anthony Balch [the other one being Bizzare] before the director died in 1980. Horror Hospital is a tongue-in-cheek send-up of classic horror films such as Mystery of the Wax Museum and Hitchcock's Psycho. Comic touches along the way, such as an escapee stopping to grab a bite to eat before he flees, give the film that extra flavor. Horror Hospital still manages to capture some of that straight commercial appeal. A mad doctor invites hippies to his mansion so he came perform lobotomy techniques that will turn them into obedient servants for the madman's bidding. Very bizarre, yet entertaining film that features taps running with blood, a midget porter assistant; brainwashed biker bullies and a Rolls Royce with a retractable machete used for handy decapitations. Not much in the way of extras provided on this disc.

When attempts to break into the pop business leave him with nothing but a bloody nose, songwriter Jason Jones (Robin Askwith) decides to take a break with “Hairy Holidays” an outfit run by campy travel agent Dennis Price. Realising chatting the young holidaymaker up is getting him no where- Price sends Jason to pseudo-health farm Brittlehurst Manor. On the way via train Jason meets Judy (Vanessa Shaw- whose only other film appearance-uncredited- was in the 1972 transvestite comedy ‘Ooh, You are Awful’) a pretty girl en route to the same destination- always one for the ladies Askwith’s choice chat-up line here is ‘there’s no need to get uptight- I’m not going to rape you’. Both are unaware that the health farm (i.e. ‘Horror Hospital’) is a front for Dr Storm (Michael Gough) and his lobotomy experiments that turn wayward boys and girls into his mindless slaves ‘just like puppets- and I am the puppet master’. The wheel-chair bound quack also surrounds himself with an oddball entourage, including ex-brothel Madam Olga, Dwarf Frederick, and numerous Zombie bikers ready to dish out rough justice to any escapees. Jason and Judy’s stay offers few quiet moments- taps run blood, flashbacks reveal kinky misappropriation of lobotomy patients, and a Rolls-Royce fitted with a giant blade decapitates interfering third parties. The health-farm is also home to a hulking monster that resembles a badly turned out pudding, but whose real identity provides the film with one last plot twist- and it’s a jaw dropper.
A long time favourite, Horror Hospital holds a special place in my heart and is still a film that I never tire of watching. Equally fascinating is the career of its director Antony Balch- an experimental filmmaker, exploitation film distributor, Bela Lugosi obsessive, William Burroughs collaborator and all round mischief maker who died young (of cancer in 1980). The best place to read about Balch is Colin Davis’ 1988 article ‘Eros Exploding- the films of Antony Balch’, while Barry Miles’ Burroughs biography ‘El Hombre Invisible’ also has some interesting tales to tell about Balch and Horror Hospital co-writer Alan Watson. Larger than life characters that Watson and Balch come across in those two texts its perhaps no surprise that every Horror Hospital character is in their own way memorable, from the sinister rail-guard played by Kenneth Benda (also in Balch’s Secrets of Sex and the pilot episode of Adam Adamant Lives!), Skip Martin’s victim/victimiser dwarf who goes around shouting ‘Don’t forget to brush your teeth’, ‘Baron’ Kurt Christian’s wooden hippie whose fairly lobotomised to begin with, while Robin Askwith- in very much a warm-up to his star roles in slap and tickle comedies of the Seventies makes for a far more colourful hero than seen in the average UK horror film of that era. Then there’s Michael Gough who Balch apparently prepared for the Dr Storm role by screening him The Devil Bat with that film’s star Bela Lugosi as Gough’s ‘inspiration’. While there is certainly allot of Lugosi evoked in Storm and his mad doctor schemes Gough clearly injected a good deal of his own horror film persona into the part as well, and at a time when he was starting to play more sedate villains (The Corpse, Satan’s Slave) the Balch film gives us one last look at the raving, scenery chewing Michael Gough of Horrors of the Black Museum and Konga.
Serving up its chills the tongue-in-cheek way, Horror Hospital’s scenarios are deliberately exaggerated and over the top (upon discovering a blood splattered bed diminutive Fred tells Judy and Jason ‘I hope you’ll be tidier than the people who had that room’) yet at the same time the film works as a totally straight horror/exploitation piece, a balancing act often attempted but rarely pulled off in horror comedies. References/send-ups of older horrors particularly the later Lugosi films and items like Mystery of the Wax Museum are also given an original spin by Balch’s peculiar world view which combines these olde horror film elements alongside finger on the pulse exploitation spectacles like severed head gore and shower scene nudity all cutting edge for a 1973 British production. Balch even throws in a glam/transvestite band whose prophetic wailings of ‘something ain’t right, something is wrong’ memorably open the film. The DVD release offers some good and bad news- on the one hand the film, presented in widescreen and sourced from the original negative, has never looked better- but, save for the UK trailer (“the most horrific programme ever shown in England”) the lack of extras disappoints. By all accounts this was quite a colourful production and a story worthy of an audio commentary- as such this DVD seems a bit of a missed opportunity. The packaging sells Horror Hospital well in horror film terms (quoting the immortal ‘the ultimate in blood and screams’ Dilys Powell review) but doesn’t quite capture the film’s anarchic edge, the blood red box is a more inspired touch but call me a nit-picker is it too much to ask someone to spell Balch’s first name right on the sleeve.
The rest of the Balch back-catalogue is comprised of a handful of experimental short films like Towers Open Fire and Bill and Tony (which would have made ideal DVD extras) while his only other feature was Secrets of Sex (aka Bizarre) a sometimes disturbing horror/sexploitation picture narrated by an Egyptian Mummy- that is quite unlike any other movie you’ll ever see- providing you can get to see the ultra-obscure Balch debut feature in the first place that is. Horror Hospital remains Balch’s most straight-forward and entertaining piece of filmmaking, and a super introduction to a slender but always fascinating body of work. Obscure for most of the Eighties, this DVD release restores to its proper place one of the all time great Brit horrors of the Seventies.

I love "B" horror flicks. I must confess. And when I saw this, my thirst for the true art form of "B" movies was sated. It was wonderfully done, and the silly putty monster was the greatest part of it all. This movie has it all from midgets to an "evil genius" and a ketchuppy substance that almost resembles fake blood. The dialogue is a bit lacking, but that adds even more to the ambiance of the picture. A fun time, and great for those of you that love campy horror movies.

This is a comedy classic. My husband got me into it, and it is entertaining. A group of people disenchanted with modern politics fly around in a plane and highjack the airways with their own pirate broadcast. It is a strange group of characters. This is just lighthearted fun.

Tired of the MEANINGFUL stories, the unhappy endings, the thought and angst provoking films.

Tired of the mayhem that wholesale owns the screens.

Look back to a film like this. Cannes enjoyed it, so it can't be all bad.

Campy.. get out the marshmellows this one goes to the extreme.

This is one of the great "brain-candy" films of the 1980's. It's crazy, irreverent, and just plain fun. Start off with Dennis Hopper as the Captain of a B-29 which hasn't landed in 20 years. Add in a crew of out of time misfits, highly trained in Psi-Ops. Then give them a target: A presidential candidate who is not all she (?) seems. This is definately not for those who cannot suspend disbelief and just have a good time. Grab some popcorn and just have fun!