Michael-Douglas Movie Reviews

This is a wonderful film. It is so well acted by all, especially the two main characters. I get it from my local video shop time and time again and the video is wearing out. I would love to have my own copy, but it's only available in Northern America. Please, put it on DVD. It is a film that will never date because of the topic. Let it be enjoyed by all.

Excellent movie. I really enjoyed it. First-rate in every aspect.

This film was wonderfully made and is highly recommended, but be careful because it is SO difficult not to cry! Some of the parts look like scenes from "Are You Afraid of the Dark," that Nickelodeon show with the scary stories that's not on anymore (i.e., when Jane is recalling her dream, when Wendy sees the ghostly little girl at the end of the hall singing "Frere Jacques" who's not really there, and when the two of them are in the cemetery). I admire Bernadette Peters just so much, and her being the woman who dies makes it all the more tragic! She and her friend Mary Tyler Moore make a great team. TLBY is one of the less-popular movies that seems to get mixed in with all the junky ones out there...don't pass it by, though! See this one!

I had the good fortune to see this film not once, or twice, but three times at the theatre. I saw it first at the Atlanta GLBT Film Festival.

From the director of URINAL, style and visual magic to spare. Plus, the longest sustained note ever held by a human on a soundtrack -- move over Ms. Streisand!

The music is angry, saddening, funny, sexual, and WAY danceable. This is a classic movie musical with a wide variety of musical styles. Think RENT without the whiney artists. Instead you get the unlikely pair of Richard Burton (the man who discovered the source of the Nile, not Mr. Liz Taylor) and Patient Zero (the man purported to be the initial source of HIV in the US).

Beautiful arrangements. Sly lyrics. And there are the singing (...) puppets! How can you miss?

If you love movie musicals, and want to see something every bit as good as Hedwig -- buy the movie AND the CD of Zero Patience. You won't be sorry.

For a film that was made in 1993, it is still is valid today. The double meanings in "Zero Patience" are the intolerance and discrimination that people living with HIV/AIDS must face and the zero patience that Gaëtan has as a ghost and scapegoat in being blamed for literally spreading the disease throughout North America. Greyson has camped it up in this film mocking the physique bodies from the 40s and 50s mail order mags, the musical, the documentary, and the interview. And they say Canadians can't make movies. Be sure to check out Lilies, Urinal, and Uncut. Also check out Greyson's 22 compliation Video Against AIDS, his contribution of the best videos produced from 1986-1988 available from most universities and community AIDS organizations.

For reviewers: when posting reviews please be accurate with your information. John Greyson is a Canadian director from Toronto, not the USA. Normand Fauteaux plays Zero/Gaëtan, not Michel Callen who plays the superb role of Miss HIV.

I don't like the public much so I rarely go to the movies, and until recently the cinemas in my town were smelly and uncomfortable. Yet I went to this film and forgot where I was. It made me laugh like Peter Jackson's "Braindead". And it made me think about anthropology, and the complicity of us all in the reproduction of social exclusion.

As reviewers have noted, "Zero Patience" responds to Randy Shilt's "And the Band Played On" (there is also a film of the same title). While these works reveal the deafening silence of the Regan administration in responding to the growing epidemic, "Zero Patience" marks more explicitly the racialization of the global politics of HIV/AIDS.

Greyson plays together a range of genres, using the pleasure of spectacle to tell a story of the politics of misinformation. The story of the exclusions and silences around HIV?AIDS still require telling: this is a world where the myth of external agents of contagion can no longer be sustained. (I have a question here: what is the correlation between hiv rates of transmission and catholocism in colonial contexts? i am not trying to start trouble it is just a question). Where can people who are allergic to latex get condoms?

Zero Patience has particular resonance when we locate hiv/aids within a contemporary global politics which remains racialised; both within western nations, and across the so-called "developed" and "underdeveloped" worlds. At "home" in America the "right" can imagine a threat "out of Africa" (or as "Zero Patience" plays out, via the French Canadian "patient zero") but this isn't going to keep the kids safe. Talk about it.

"Zero Patience" combines the pleasures of "Can't Stop the Music" with the politics of Haraway, and the humour of the fatboy slim "Praise" video. Very cool.

Further reading: Sander Gilman, Douglas Crimp, Emily Martin, Donna Haraway, Kobena Mercer ....

The next two episodes titled Project Avalon and Breakdown
In Project Avalon we find Blake and the others heading to a planet held by the federation. Blake intends to find the rebel leader in hopes to get more crew and possably a way to get the federation off his back. Travis and Servalan are already on the planet having captured the leader decide to make her the tool of Blake destruction. Blake telports down to the site where he was to meet her. All he finds is death. He figures out the federation has her. He makes a daring raid into the compund and gets her out alive. Blake wondering why all the guards missed while shooting at him or even why Travis didn't try and take his head off? Something is very wrong and if Blake can't figure out why soon then he and all the others on board the Liberator may just very well die.
In Breakdown Gan implanted chip which controls his aggression is breaking down. Gan losses all reason and attacks the crew. Blake knowing that none of them are docotrs can do nothing for him. Zen informs Blake that many planets and space stations with the right medical care for Gan are to far away. Excpet that Avon knows of a space station very close but they have to cross a part of space unkonwn even to Zen. They set course for the space station XK72. Gan holding onto dear life and Zen stops working and the crew have to fly by the seat of thier pants to get through. Once agin Blake does all he can to save the life of his fellow crewmen all the while the federation have found Blake and pursuit ships are hot on there heels.

Volume 5 of the "Blake's 7" video series contains two more episodes of this classic British sci-fi TV series. These two episodes continue the interplanetary saga of Blake, the rebel leader who, together with a crew of convicts and outcasts, wages an unrelenting war against the tyrannical Federation.

In "Project Avalon," Federation officer Travis plots to use another rebel leader as a lure in order to capture Blake. This episode contains a good sci-fi plot device. In the next episode, "Breakdown," Blake's crewman Gan suffers a devastating medical emergency when his brain implant malfunctions. Blake seeks medical aid from a neutral research station. This episode offers a fascinating window into the politics and personal conflicts caused by the Federation's dominance of so many worlds. Together, these episodes exemplify the suspense, memorable dialogue, and intriguing characterizations that have made this series such a cult favorite. If you are a fan of great British science fiction, don't miss this volume in the "Blake's 7" saga.

Finally, two enjoyable Blake's 7 episodes running consecutively - meaning they are both on the same tape! "Project Avalon" and "Breakdown" are among the highlights of the series' first season - both are taut, suspenseful stories which plots that progress and develop. "Project Avalon" continues Blake's Robin Hood style quest against the Federation; this time he is coming to the aid of another high profile freedom fighter, Avalon. But she has been captured by Travis, and the rescue attempt begins. The fact that viewers have the foreknowledge that Travis is setting a trap for Blake, but are unaware of its exact nature, adds to the tension. While Stephen Greif's performance of Blake's nemesis is good, and his character firmly established, it is at this point evident he is the central enemy - he will be behind all plots, schemes and machinations and, because of the hero/villain rule, will never be successful. This is perhaps the only problem with Travis - the character's single-mindedness can only lead to "single-plottedness" as well. But this is not to fault "Project Avalon". The atmosphere builds up as the story progresses, with the plot shifting between two halves: the "action" half, in which the task is to get into the complex and rescue Avalon. This includes walking through caves and corridors, a not very well realised shootout and the obligatory retreat and escape. In my opinion, this is the poorer half. Much better is the "suspense" half, after the crew escape in the Liberator. This is indeed suspenseful - the pace of the story has slowed down, but in its place is the creeping anxiety that something is not quite right - the true nature of Travis's plan will be revealed. "Project Avalon" is the kind of story with fast and slow moments, but the story is served better by the slower paced scenes, rather than the outright action packed ones. The following episode, "Breakdown", is also played out in two halves, although neither are clearly divided between action and suspense. Blake is forced to face an interesting dilemma. A malfunctioning limiter implant puts Gan's life at risk - he will die if he does not get specialist medical treatment. But as the Liberator crew are wanted criminals, where do they turn? The two halves serving the plot make for a well balanced story - the first is the race against time, and journeying into the unknown, to find help for Gan. The second part of the story deals with what unfolds when they arrive at their destination. Unlike "Project Avalon", this episode explores more character traits - Jenna's loyalty, as she will not give up on Gan; Cally's naivete and alien (almost child-like) innocence where she deplores restraining Gan, and Gan's ability to trick her into releasing him; Avon's motives and his preparedness to leave Blake. The episode also tackles the issue of neutrality - its feasibility and, indeed, whether it succeeds or fails. This is the cue for the always brilliant actor, and perhaps the biggest guest star in the series so far, Julian Glover. He plays the neurosurgeon Kayn, a member of a neutral space station, XK-72; Kayn is in fact a Federation sympathiser who informs them of Blake's presence. Glover plays Kayn with an icy coolness; a blend of arrogance and determination. One of the best moments of the story is when Blake threatens to destroy his hands; the other is after Kayn murders the station administrator - a long shot when the neurosurgeon stares at his own hands, reflecting on what he has just done. There is one irritating quibble with this story. Surely the crew of XK-72 shouldn't have to wait for the administrator's order when a plasma bolt is about to hit them? Surely it's not as bureaucratic as that? Arrrgh! However, it doesn't ruin "Breakdown". Nothing can ruin either of these excellent episodes of Blake's 7.

The next vol. of Blake's 7 entitled Horizon and Pressure Point

Epsiode entitled Horizon
Blake and the others have come to what they know as the edge of Federation space thier they find a lone planet called Horizon. They spot a deep space Federation transport ship heading for Horizon. Blake wonders what the Federation wants out here in the middle of know where. Nither Zen nor ORAC can figure out why so Blake decides to find out. There he finds Federation soldiers working with a primative people. Some seem to be mining something while others seem to be reaping the rewards of being freinds with the Federation. Blake has to find out the truth behind Horizon or die trying.
The next episode entitled PRESSURE POINT
Blake has just made course corrections to Earth. There he intends to rip out the very heart of the Federation the computer known as Control. Gan points out to blake and the others that control is the one place in the Federation where no one has broken into. blake doesn't care he want's to end this war with the Federation and to do that he must destroy control. A group of rebels operating on earth are meeting with Blake and the others. Servalan and Travis have been watching this group for sometime to spring on Blake and the others. Can Blake win? Can the Federation be stopped in one dangerous gamble? After watching this epsiode the of Blake 7 will never be the same again.

Volume 9 of "Blake's 7" on video contains two more episodes of this classic British sci-fi series. These episodes continue the saga of Blake, a rebel who is waging an interplanetary war against the oppressive Federation.

In "Horizon" (the first episode on the tape), Blake and his crew travel to the distant planet Horizon, where the natives are being ruthlessly exploited as slave labor by the Federation. A struggle emerges involving Blake's crew, the visiting Federation official, and the native leader who has been turned into a Federation puppet. I can't help but view this episode as an ironic commentary on England's own colonial past in Africa and India.

In "Pressure Point," the next episode, Blake plans a daring strike on Earth, the heart of the Federation. This is a grim and suspenseful episode. This installment also offers a tantalizing glimpse into the background of Blake's nemesis Servalan.

These episodes contain many of the elements that make B7 such a compelling saga: intriguing characters, intelligent dialogue, and low-budget inventiveness. Essential viewing for fans of great sci-fi sagas.

More classics of a classic series!

"Horizon" features an original and frightening aspect of what happens when the entire crew (but one) are captured and sent into slave labor. The one remaining is Avon, who has from the start wanted to keep out of harm's (and Blake's vigilante-like) way. Avon saves them in the end.

Another refreshing part is Ro, who rules planet Horizon - who is actually a puppet by some Federation people who are there only to mine the planet's resources. Ro and his mate come across as real people, not just stick figures, and that adds GREATLY to an already superb story.

"Pressure Point" is sadly predictable in terms of the old "Let's advertise an empty room as being our control center" even though such tactics do work in real life, even to this day. What is unpredictable is the death of one character. It's not the strongest death scene every made for the series or ever made, period, but it suffices for what it needs to do. This story features a wealth of strong characters and typical Federation brutality which surely must have tempted British censors!

BUY IT NOW!

"A Fatal Inversion" presents us with a mystery. The bones of a woman and child are discovered in an animal cemetery near the stately Wyvis Hall. It turns out the bones have been there for more than ten years. But who was it that was buried there? And why?

Adam Verne-Smith is a man with a haunted past. He and three others know the truth of what happened in the summer of 1979 at Wyvis Hall, which Adam re-named Ecalpemos ("someplace" spelt backwards). Adam and his arrogant friend Rufus meet again for the first time in twelve years, trying to keep one step ahead of the police to avoid the truth coming out. We go back in time twelve years to Wyvis Hall, and see how events built up to a crisis point.

I actually found this television adaptation was better than Ruth Rendell's novel. It was well-cast. Saira Todd was very good as the mentally-unbalanced Zosie. She looked child-like, as the book described her. Douglas Hodge and Jeremy Northam were also convincing with their roles. The character of Rufus was very intimidating and callous. Adam looked pained and guilt-ridden.

I noticed with the scenes set in the present that there was a lot of blue. Even the light had a bluish tinge. Is there any significance in that?

"A Fatal Inversion" is different from your regular "whodunnit". We know who did the crime but not who the crime was done to. Right until the end we are left guessing. This is drama at its best.

This is one for those who enjoy watching mystery movies with exciting twists & turns in a story. It brings the person watching it to a mind trip of whos & whats. Your next guess will always be as good as the first. Superb acting of all the cast. Highly recommended.

FROM THE OPENING SCENES TO THE POSITIVELY HAUNTING FINAL SHOT THIS FILM IS SO FULL OF TWISTS AND TURNS IT IS IMPOSSBLE TO FALL ASLEEP!!! A STORY THAT WILL PLAY ON YOUR PSYCHE FOR A FEW DAYS AFTER, BUT YOU WILL DEFINATELY WANT TO SEE IT AGAIN. AN INTELIGENT AND INTRICATE PLOT AND OUTSTANDING ACTING FROM EVERY CAST MEMBER. A FLAULESS ADAPTATION OF AN AMAZING BOOK WITH NOT A WEAK MOMENT IN SIGHT!!!!!

This is an action packed thriller with enough humor to blot out some of the bloody scenes. It's about an assasin who was raised by the asian mob but disobeyed orders so she had to escape to the US to save her life. However the corrupt bad guy played by Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is not about to make her escape since she embarassed him before his people by giving him a beating. One of the most memorable and funny line was when Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa's character killed his girlfriend and declared "I have the worst luck with women"

After her warning to a Tong rival is rebuffed by the retaliatory slaying of her associates, the young assassin is spirited to the United States, where she is to live quietly until further notice, with a well-to-do business man who has been groomed into believing that she is his romantic - by e-mail - correspondent. Little does he suspect that her goggle-like glasses are the least of his worries.

But the man she has tangled with back in China - a chief of detectives - is relentless in his pursuit of her, and her cover is quickly blown, because of interdepartmental links with the LA police department, and their tie in with a bounty hunter and his team.

This is a moderately gory, yet comedic film, with fairly obvious filches from: Leon, The Assassin, Blade Runner, etc. The acting is all decent enough and the general production values are as good as most of Jackie Chan's output. The assassinette's dialogue and delivery is a riot, but not risible.

'Get dressed, Edward... we have unexpected guests.' She says calmly, as her killers close in.

A very watchable film.

A stylistic action film with an ecclectic cast. Basic fish out of water story with a twist. An introverted American computer nerd sends away for an Asian bride over the internet because he's had it with American women who he thinks are to hard and pushy. Little does he know that his docle little oriental wife- to-be is in reality an infamous Tong assissin, trained from birth to kill who has herself suddenly become the object of a world wide manhunt. One of the better roles Michael Madsen has had. With Richard Hatch, Brad Dourif, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa and a very sexy newcomer named Chung Lai.

This movie so moved me because it is so much like life...If you do not believe in romance and what could have been...Then this is not the movie for you...

Do you remember what it felt like to fall in love for the first time? Do you remember the pain when it ended, and years later seeing that person once again and the memories that came flowing back like water through a brook? You now have a good life filled with excitment and travel but you try to recapture that love. He has a wife - a family, but he,too, tries to recapture the past. The story, and particularly the ending, will touch your heart in a way you never thought possible. The theme song at the end of the video will also stay with you for years to come, so make sure the video plays until the very, very end.

This is a true romance. If you've ever wondered "what if??" this is it. It will break your heart when the high school sweethearts reunite and are torn apart again by obligation and circumstance. This is a first rate tear jerker. You are catapulted back in time to that ill fated romance we've all had. The tingle in the pit of your stomach when you see him again for the first time, wondering "How much have I changed and will he still love me?" The burst of energy when you finally give in and kiss again....it's all there. The chemistry is great between the lead characters, it was well acted and worth watching again and again.

I will make it simple. If you are a Arnold fan, this is the video for you. Packed with all kinds of interesting topics.

Great story about Arnold's life. This is a must own for any Arnold fan. It makes you appreciate how he rose to the top. He isn't the greatest actor (you try acting in a foreign language and a see how well you do) but he has an incredible screen presence. It is good to know that Hollywood still has some good guys. Some thing that make him a hero are he donates much of his time and money to charity and runs the Special Olympics etc.

These are two great episodes from season three and set up what proves to be an explosive story arc showcasing Faith - who is what Buffy could have been without the support of friends and family.

However, DON'T buy it. Season two DVDs are going to be released in the US come June 2002 and the wait will be well worth it. See the episodes in the context of the entire season. Sure, you'll know what's going on if you buy this video, but the previous episodes help show just how Faith came to have such a chip on her shoulder when it came to Buffy and the Scoobs.

Where to begin? The series has often been scoffed at for its title, but here 'Buffy' is again proving itself to be one of the most intelligent, thought-provoking and emotional pieces of dramatic work on television. In the two episodes here we see Buffy's forays into the darker side of her nature, the Slayer side of her nature that was to become a bigger feature later on. Faith's always been a bit of an outsider, someone who refuses to let herself be constrained by society's rules. She's exciting and before long is tempting Buffy away from her friends.

Basically what we have here is the allure of evil. In this episode it's not a demon or a vampire but herself that Buffy is fighting. The scenes at the end show that the dark that is so evident in Faith is also right there in Buffy. Not only is Buffy seen to come off the rails a little but is also given a glimpse at Faith's life, the fact that evil may be attractive but what does it lead to? The series steered away from conventiality here by suggesting that Buffy isn't the perfect girl after all, she's not the goody-two-shoes that she might seem. Unlike any other series before it, 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' has human characters, ones that change and grow as time passes. Whilst obviously having links to a teenager getting in with a 'bad crowd', this also a forbidding tone by suggesting that the Slayer's power is rooted in darkness, that evil needs to be fought to rid yourself of the image of what could be you.

Besides all the drama though, there is a nice touch of humanity in all this. The audience is made to feel sympathetic towards Faith, a character that is dangerously close to the edge. In creating a fantasy show that not only embraces various genres - comedy, drama, tragedy - but also imbues itself with a realistically human feel to it, 'Buffy' beats other shows hands down. This two-parter is yet more evidence of this, containing every element of a TV show that anyone could ever want.

This pair of episodes from the third season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer constitute the beginning of the story arc focusing on Faith becoming a Rogue Slayer and allying herself with the Mayor and his Ascension. In "Bad Girls" the Mayor's minions are seeking an amulet of invincibility while Faith's attitude about slaying rubs off on Buffy. After a night of dancing together at the Bronze the two Slayers are caught in a robbery and Faith stakes a mortal, Deputy Mayor Finch, thinking he was a vamp. The episode ends with a chilling scene in which Buffy confronts Faith for having killed a living being only to have the unrepentant Slayer declare, "I don't care." The story continues in "Consequences," when the Mayor sends the police after whichever Slayer killed his assistant. Faith continues her blind run towards the edge, blaming Buffy for what happened. The first episode is written by Douglas Petrie, who was also responsible for "Revelations" and "Enemies" from Season 3, while Marti Noxon who is second only to Whedon in penning Buffy episodes wrote the other as well as that year's Vamp Willow duo of "The Wish" and "Dopplegangland". Whether you know the outcome of the tale or not, either way Eliza Dushku's portrait of Faith's descent into psychosis is gripping. Buffy and the Scooby Gang are just along for the ride at this point. As always, you have to wish there was more commentary from Joss Whedon on the story behind the episodes, but these are certainly memorable episodes from the series.

Stylistically, Whistle Down the Wind treads the centre between the sentimentalism of postwar British cinema and the stark realism of the sixties. The bleak Lancashire countryside is photographed with great ambience by Arthur Ibbetson (The Railway Children, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory).

The story has three children discovering "Jesus" in their barn, and follows their attempts to keep his presence a secret from the adults. Underneath the events of the film is a journey of faith and doubt and puzzlement. There is a quite deliberate ambiguity, I think, that left me wondering whether the film was cynical or positive about the virtues of childlike faith.

The children turn in believable performances, including Hayley Mills, whose presence works surprisingly well, despite my suspicion that her star persona might add a touch of artifice to the production. The rest of the child cast are made up of real Lancastrian schoolchildren, so the thick northern accents and quaint idioms are all quite genuine.

Alan Bates plays opposite a teenage Hayley Mills in this odd parable about a band of rural English children who mistake a fugitive criminal for the second coming of Jesus Christ. The indeterminate nature of the ending, which is open to subjective interpretations, makes this a difficult film to pronounce judgement on: non-Christians may not totally get the theological implications, but the dynamic between the aloof, dismissive adult villagers and the flock of children who readily revere the dishelvelled, dangerous Bates is an interesting precursor for the 'Sixties generation gap that was to come. Beautiful B&W cinematography, and excellent performances by all the child actors, who, amazingly, act like real kids do: petulant, competitive, and able to believe the fantastic.

This film is excellant. It's quite funny but it's sad as well. It's about three children and one day they find a man in their barn. The man is actually an escaped murderer but they don't know that. When he see's them he shouts out Jesus Christ and they think he's Jesus. I went to the theatre to see it with my parents and my brother. It was brillant.