Michael-J.-Fox Movie Reviews

Patton is a film that was made in 1970. It's a film that tells the story of one of America's most remembered and most telling characters in history. George C. Scott gives the performance of the century playing George S. Patton, looking and sounding and acting just like the real Patton, as recorded by Gen. Omar Bradley in which the film is based on.

Patton is a very different war movie. It was quite revolutionary in its time. Unlike a lot of war movies that survive off special effects, gore and heroism, Patton shines with its drama and realism as you follow the war-time biography of Patton. You learn a great deal about the politics, the system of the upper brass in our armed forces, and the frustration to coordinate and perform critical opperations. You also learn a great deal about the man, Patton, himself.

There is so much character developing, so much hard work put into the character of Patton, it clearly pays off in a huge way. This film will intrigue you as well as enlighten you. Patton's character is entertaining, he's real, he's distant yet close when it comes to relating, and he can be serious as well as funny. All of this makes Patton a master piece.

There is one little problem I had with the film. And that is I wasn't really pleased with Patton's heroic march through the winter of '44 to save the sieged soldiers. It wasn't very clear and it had little to no action in it, just telling you that they won it. This wasn't satisfactory, and yet it was Patton's highlight of his military career. A major let down, but it wasn't major enough to ruin the film. Thankfully. If it wasn't for the structure of the film, which already lacked action and engagements of battles, this might've ruined it if you are somebody who is interested in detailed history of the occurrences in WWII like me.

Overall Patton is a very powerful, dramatic film that circles around a man and his obsession with being a combat general in the heat of a war. It's a film that you will probably see more than once because it is a very special film.
You cannot get enough Patton, his character will live on because it comes across so powerfully in this film. It is a character and a story you are unlikely to forget.

"Patton" offers one of the great marriages of actor and role with George C. Scott's riveting portrayal of the notorious American tank commander. As a film biography "Patton" forgoes the rise of the celebrated general and merely hints at his ironic death because of injuries suffered in a traffic accident, focuses entirely on his military career commanding troops in North Africa, Sicily and France during World War II. The strength of the script by Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H. North, as well as of Scott's performance, is that the paradoxes of Patton are completely embraced. Not even Patton's loyal cadre of staff officers can keep him from shooting off his mouth every time there are reporters around, but then neither German Field Marshall Rommel or English Field Marshall Montgomery can beat him on the battlefield. Karl Malden's performance as General Omar Bradley is just as solid as Scott's, presenting a man whose personality is the complete antithesis of Patton. Viewers find themselves identifying with the German captain who is the intelligence expert on Patton and arguably the only person in the film who really understands or respects the American general. But the more I watch "Patton," the more I am very impressed with the battle sequences of director Franklin J. Schaffner ("Planet of the Apes," "Pappillon"), which were staged live and full-scale without special effects of miniatures. Schaffner provides not just the large spectacle of a desert tank battle, but smaller and equally memorable moments, such as a soldier falling dead in the snow. "Patton" deserved its Oscars.

In terms of extra features on this DVD, the second disc features the 1997 50-minute retrospective documentary, "The Making of Patton: A Tribute to Franklin J. Schaffner." Recent interviews with the cinematographer, composer, etc., are blended with audio interviews of Schaffner and Scott from 1970, newsreel footage of Patton, along with clips and publicity stills from the film make a fitting tribute to the late director. The audio commentary on the first disc is really more of a lecture on Patton by Charles M. Province, the author of the book "The Unknown Patton" and founder/president of the General George S. Patton, Jr. Historical Society. Province more than adequately fills in what the movie leaves out about Patton's life. On the second disc Jerry Goldsmith's Oscar nominated musical score is presented in stereo, including alternate takes and a series of radio spots. You certainly have to appreciate what Fox has put together here: This is a "Special Edition" DVD priced as a regular DVD, a real treat for those of us who remember being mesmerized by George C. Scott giving that profanity laced opening speech standing in front of that giant American flag.

'Das Geheimnis Pattons ist die Vergangenheit,' says a captain in the German high command. 'Patton's secret is the past.' The secret of the man and the movie.

From the moment Patton opens, you know this will be like no other war movie. Standing before the biggest American flag I've ever seen, General George S. Patton Jr. wears a highly buffed, black helmet and a uniform suggesting the 18th or 19th century, weighed down with medals domestic and foreign, bearing not one but two ivory-handled revolvers, and holding a riding crop. As a bugler plays 'To the Colors," the camera focuses on each feature in turn. And then Scott lets loose with the picture's famous monologue (an edited version of a speech he actually gave to American troops in England on the eve of D-Day).

'Now I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country'.'

Atten ' tion!

Consider the time. In 1969, when Patton was made, America was mired in an unpopular war in Vietnam, the draft was just about to be ended, and America was preparing to pull her fighting men out of the first military defeat in her history. Many who supported the war effort, felt the military had been sabotaged by the media. And here was this spirit from the past, saying that 'Americans love to fight,' and 'will not tolerate a loser'!

Early in Patton, we hear the sound of distant trumpets, as in 1943, the general surveys the ancient battlefield where Carthage (modern name, Tunis, in Tunisia) was burnt to the ground by the Romans in 146 B.C.

Patton is standing near the Kasserine Pass in Tunisia, where over 1,000 American G.I.s were butchered in their first encounter with the German Wehrmacht, in the form of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps. 'I was there,' he tells his assistant. In 146 B.C.

Is he mad or is he teasing? The answer is, a little of both.

He quotes from a lush, romantic poem of the eternal warrior ' he is the poet. An American poet-general? Clearly, we are dealing with a man singular in the annals of 20th century American warfare. 'I hate the 20th century,' the old 'cavalry horse officer' remarks.

He refers to himself as a 'prima donna,' but as director Franklin Schaffner, scenarists Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H. North, and star George C. Scott portray him, 'megalomaniac' is more like it. Before going in to battle, as he stands before his mirror, his Negro soldier-valet carefully placing his begoggled helmet on his head, he more closely resembles a Roman general (or Il Duce) than a modern officer. And in a notorious, true incident, upon encountering a shell-shocked soldier, he slaps the man silly, threatens to shoot him, and is almost cashiered by Ike. But he was our greatest 20th century field commander.

(The valet is played by a trim, youthful-looking, fifty-year-old Jimmy Edwards. Unfortunately, Edwards (Home of the Brave, Bright Victory, The Member of the Wedding, The Manchurian Candidate, etc.), whose career was limited by racism, died of a massive heart attack before the film's release. He went through hell, paving the way so that the likes of Sidney Poitier and Denzel Washington could become screen icons, while he was forgotten.)

In Patton's brutality, in his talk of never giving up an inch of land (Hitler said the very same thing.), in his contempt for civilian authority, in his joy at killing, he comes across as a fascist or Nazi, which is how he was often depicted at the time. Amazingly, the movie is able to glorify this man, while maintaining a posture of cold sentimentality towards him. Schaffner loves Patton, but without illusions. Patton wasn't 'larger than life' ' no one is - he WAS life, or at least the martial, intellectual, and aesthetic lives, in all their fullness.

George Patton Jr. had a sense of destiny; his purpose in life was to achieve greatness leading 'desperate men in combat.' And as he observes, only once in a thousand years, do the heavens so align themselves that a soldier has such an opportunity to change history.

Fortunately, in the movie as in life, Patton had humble, ordinary Joe - at least as Bradley tells it - Gen. Omar Bradley (the last five-star, General of the Army, in the history of the U.S. Army) as a counterweight. Bradley is played by Karl Malden with a restraint and self-effacing humor that perfectly contrast Patton/Scott's bravado.

Jerry Goldsmith's score has just the right blend of the elegiac (distant trumpets) and the pompous yet playful (fanfare of horns and flutes), corresponding to the tempers of Patton's personality.

While almost three hours long, Patton does not flag, and could easily have been longer.

The DVD has a lovely documentary on the making of Patton, as well as Jerry Goldsmith's rousing score.

Just as Patton could not savor his success, so too George C. Scott, the rare actor who could carry a film on his shoulders, was unable to build on his success as Patton. But for one moment, he tasted of that perfection that comes when the stars align, and a great role is delivered into the hands of just the right actor at just the right moment in his career. It was George C. Scott's destiny to play Patton.

Originally published in The Critical Critic, September 20, 2003.

Patton is a film that was made in 1970. It's a film that tells the story of one of America's most remembered and most telling characters in history. George C. Scott gives the performance of the century playing George S. Patton, looking and sounding and acting just like the real Patton, as recorded by Gen. Omar Bradley in which the film is based on.

Patton is a very different war movie. It was quite revolutionary in its time. Unlike a lot of war movies that survive off special effects, gore and heroism, Patton shines with its drama and realism as you follow the war-time biography of Patton. You learn a great deal about the politics, the system of the upper brass in our armed forces, and the frustration to coordinate and perform critical opperations. You also learn a great deal about the man, Patton, himself.

There is so much character developing, so much hard work put into the character of Patton, it clearly pays off in a huge way. This film will intrigue you as well as enlighten you. Patton's character is entertaining, he's real, he's distant yet close when it comes to relating, and he can be serious as well as funny. All of this makes Patton a master piece.

There is one little problem I had with the film. And that is I wasn't really pleased with Patton's heroic march through the winter of '44 to save the sieged soldiers. It wasn't very clear and it had little to no action in it, just telling you that they won it. This wasn't satisfactory, and yet it was Patton's highlight of his military career. A major let down, but it wasn't major enough to ruin the film. Thankfully. If it wasn't for the structure of the film, which already lacked action and engagements of battles, this might've ruined it if you are somebody who is interested in detailed history of the occurrences in WWII like me.

Overall Patton is a very powerful, dramatic film that circles around a man and his obsession with being a combat general in the heat of a war. It's a film that you will probably see more than once because it is a very special film.
You cannot get enough Patton, his character will live on because it comes across so powerfully in this film. It is a character and a story you are unlikely to forget.

"Patton" offers one of the great marriages of actor and role with George C. Scott's riveting portrayal of the notorious American tank commander. As a film biography "Patton" forgoes the rise of the celebrated general and merely hints at his ironic death because of injuries suffered in a traffic accident, focuses entirely on his military career commanding troops in North Africa, Sicily and France during World War II. The strength of the script by Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H. North, as well as of Scott's performance, is that the paradoxes of Patton are completely embraced. Not even Patton's loyal cadre of staff officers can keep him from shooting off his mouth every time there are reporters around, but then neither German Field Marshall Rommel or English Field Marshall Montgomery can beat him on the battlefield. Karl Malden's performance as General Omar Bradley is just as solid as Scott's, presenting a man whose personality is the complete antithesis of Patton. Viewers find themselves identifying with the German captain who is the intelligence expert on Patton and arguably the only person in the film who really understands or respects the American general. But the more I watch "Patton," the more I am very impressed with the battle sequences of director Franklin J. Schaffner ("Planet of the Apes," "Pappillon"), which were staged live and full-scale without special effects of miniatures. Schaffner provides not just the large spectacle of a desert tank battle, but smaller and equally memorable moments, such as a soldier falling dead in the snow. "Patton" deserved its Oscars.

In terms of extra features on this DVD, the second disc features the 1997 50-minute retrospective documentary, "The Making of Patton: A Tribute to Franklin J. Schaffner." Recent interviews with the cinematographer, composer, etc., are blended with audio interviews of Schaffner and Scott from 1970, newsreel footage of Patton, along with clips and publicity stills from the film make a fitting tribute to the late director. The audio commentary on the first disc is really more of a lecture on Patton by Charles M. Province, the author of the book "The Unknown Patton" and founder/president of the General George S. Patton, Jr. Historical Society. Province more than adequately fills in what the movie leaves out about Patton's life. On the second disc Jerry Goldsmith's Oscar nominated musical score is presented in stereo, including alternate takes and a series of radio spots. You certainly have to appreciate what Fox has put together here: This is a "Special Edition" DVD priced as a regular DVD, a real treat for those of us who remember being mesmerized by George C. Scott giving that profanity laced opening speech standing in front of that giant American flag.

'Das Geheimnis Pattons ist die Vergangenheit,' says a captain in the German high command. 'Patton's secret is the past.' The secret of the man and the movie.

From the moment Patton opens, you know this will be like no other war movie. Standing before the biggest American flag I've ever seen, General George S. Patton Jr. wears a highly buffed, black helmet and a uniform suggesting the 18th or 19th century, weighed down with medals domestic and foreign, bearing not one but two ivory-handled revolvers, and holding a riding crop. As a bugler plays 'To the Colors," the camera focuses on each feature in turn. And then Scott lets loose with the picture's famous monologue (an edited version of a speech he actually gave to American troops in England on the eve of D-Day).

'Now I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country'.'

Atten ' tion!

Consider the time. In 1969, when Patton was made, America was mired in an unpopular war in Vietnam, the draft was just about to be ended, and America was preparing to pull her fighting men out of the first military defeat in her history. Many who supported the war effort, felt the military had been sabotaged by the media. And here was this spirit from the past, saying that 'Americans love to fight,' and 'will not tolerate a loser'!

Early in Patton, we hear the sound of distant trumpets, as in 1943, the general surveys the ancient battlefield where Carthage (modern name, Tunis, in Tunisia) was burnt to the ground by the Romans in 146 B.C.

Patton is standing near the Kasserine Pass in Tunisia, where over 1,000 American G.I.s were butchered in their first encounter with the German Wehrmacht, in the form of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps. 'I was there,' he tells his assistant. In 146 B.C.

Is he mad or is he teasing? The answer is, a little of both.

He quotes from a lush, romantic poem of the eternal warrior ' he is the poet. An American poet-general? Clearly, we are dealing with a man singular in the annals of 20th century American warfare. 'I hate the 20th century,' the old 'cavalry horse officer' remarks.

He refers to himself as a 'prima donna,' but as director Franklin Schaffner, scenarists Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H. North, and star George C. Scott portray him, 'megalomaniac' is more like it. Before going in to battle, as he stands before his mirror, his Negro soldier-valet carefully placing his begoggled helmet on his head, he more closely resembles a Roman general (or Il Duce) than a modern officer. And in a notorious, true incident, upon encountering a shell-shocked soldier, he slaps the man silly, threatens to shoot him, and is almost cashiered by Ike. But he was our greatest 20th century field commander.

(The valet is played by a trim, youthful-looking, fifty-year-old Jimmy Edwards. Unfortunately, Edwards (Home of the Brave, Bright Victory, The Member of the Wedding, The Manchurian Candidate, etc.), whose career was limited by racism, died of a massive heart attack before the film's release. He went through hell, paving the way so that the likes of Sidney Poitier and Denzel Washington could become screen icons, while he was forgotten.)

In Patton's brutality, in his talk of never giving up an inch of land (Hitler said the very same thing.), in his contempt for civilian authority, in his joy at killing, he comes across as a fascist or Nazi, which is how he was often depicted at the time. Amazingly, the movie is able to glorify this man, while maintaining a posture of cold sentimentality towards him. Schaffner loves Patton, but without illusions. Patton wasn't 'larger than life' ' no one is - he WAS life, or at least the martial, intellectual, and aesthetic lives, in all their fullness.

George Patton Jr. had a sense of destiny; his purpose in life was to achieve greatness leading 'desperate men in combat.' And as he observes, only once in a thousand years, do the heavens so align themselves that a soldier has such an opportunity to change history.

Fortunately, in the movie as in life, Patton had humble, ordinary Joe - at least as Bradley tells it - Gen. Omar Bradley (the last five-star, General of the Army, in the history of the U.S. Army) as a counterweight. Bradley is played by Karl Malden with a restraint and self-effacing humor that perfectly contrast Patton/Scott's bravado.

Jerry Goldsmith's score has just the right blend of the elegiac (distant trumpets) and the pompous yet playful (fanfare of horns and flutes), corresponding to the tempers of Patton's personality.

While almost three hours long, Patton does not flag, and could easily have been longer.

The DVD has a lovely documentary on the making of Patton, as well as Jerry Goldsmith's rousing score.

Just as Patton could not savor his success, so too George C. Scott, the rare actor who could carry a film on his shoulders, was unable to build on his success as Patton. But for one moment, he tasted of that perfection that comes when the stars align, and a great role is delivered into the hands of just the right actor at just the right moment in his career. It was George C. Scott's destiny to play Patton.

Originally published in The Critical Critic, September 20, 2003.

My Cousin Vinny is one of my favorite comedy films from the early 90's The success of the movie took everyone by surprise It was one of those movies that was helped by good "word of mouth" When I recently watched the movie again, after many years since the last viewing, I had almost forgotten just how funny "Vinny" is.

As two college friends, Billy (Ralph Macchio) and Stan (Mitchell Whitfield), are traveling through Alabama, they are wrongfully arrested for murder. The only legal represention that they can afford is Billy's cousin Vincent Gambini (Joe Pesci), a former New York City auto mechanic-turned lawyer, who has never tried a case before, much less been outside the city of Brooklyn. With his fiancee Lisa (Marisa Tomei) in tow, Vinny must not only deal with local customs, but he also goes head to head with a well known DA (Lane Smith), and a by the book Judge (Fred Gwynne), who has little time for any antics in his courtroom.

Directed with a "breezy" style by Jonathan Lynn, and with a very funny script by Dale Launer, the film already had a lot going for it. The performances from Pesci Tomei (for which she won an Oscar) and the late Gwynne are all pitch perfect and made the film so much more than it had any right to be Gwynne was the perfect straight man, while Pesci got to prove that he could be more than a second fiddle.

The DVD could have used a few more extras to help make it rate a fifth star. The commentary track with Lynn is enjoyable to be sure. But I would have liked to have heard from either Launer, Pesci, Tomei, or all three as well. Standard theatrical trailers and television spots top off the disc. Special edition anyone?

"My Cousin Vinny" is not a well known film but is worth watching out for. A very funny Joe Pesci has the time of his life in the lead role of "Vinny" with excellent support from Marisa Tomei in an Oscar winning performance as his girl friend. This film is a complete change for Pesci after his usual tough guy gangster roles in films such as "Good Fellas" and "Casino". Fred Gwynne was outstanding as Judge Haller in a well written role.

The story revolves around two boys, Bill Gambini (Ralph Macchio) and Stan Rothenstein (Mitchell Whitfield) who while driving through Alabama are arrested for murder. Although innocent they are sent to jail and Bill's cousin Vinny (Joe Pesci) drives down from New York to defend them. Unfortunately Vinny has never tried a murder case before, has never actually been in a courtroom and has only been practising law for six weeks!! This does not deter him from taking on the case however nor the many courtroom clashes he has with the redoubtable Judge Haller. The Judge is not too impressed with this oddly dressed character from New York although what Vinny lacks in courtroom experience he more than makes up for with his enthusiasm and his belief that the two boys are innocent. As well as studying the local bulky law technique manuals, sifting through the evidence, interviewing prospective witnesses and trying to build some kind of defence, Vinny also has the problem of keeping one step ahead of Judge Haller who is trying to obtain confirmation of the lawyer's qualifications from sources in New York (which are of course non existent!).

Some favourite lines from the film:

Mitchell Whitfield (to Ralph Macchio): "Ridiculous, all this over a can of tuna!".

Fred Gwynne (to Joe Pesci): "Once again the communication process is broken down".

Pesci (to Gwynne): "You were serious about that?".

Well written, expertly acted, this is one of the funniest courtroom comedies you will see in a long time.

"My Cousin Vinny" might just be a comedy classic. There's nothing that unique about it; the (rather hokey) plot and stereotypes upon which the comedy is built are fairly standard. Yet it's performed with such heart you can't help but love it. Joe Pesci, Marisa Tomei, and Fred Gwynne carry the movie splendidly and earn every laugh they get. This is one of those movies where you don't need the DVD extras to make it special (which is good, since there are essentially ZIP). It's special all on its own. At a price this low, you should definitely add "My Cousin Vinny" to your DVD library.

I SAW THIS MOVIE IN 1991 AND WAS AMAZED BY THE APPLAUSE AT THE END BY THE MAJORITY BLACK AUIDENCE WHO SAW IT. THE STORY OF THE DELLS IS A PRIMER OF HOW THE MUSIC INDUSTRY OPERATED IN THE 1960'S (AND TODAY ALSO IN SOME INSTANCES) FROM PUTTING WHITE FACES ON THE ALBUM TO INSURE "CROSSOVER" FROM HOODS LIKE "RED" WHO WERE CONNECTED TO ORGANIZED CRIME TO THE GROUP THEMSELVES. TOWNSEND DID A GREAT JOB CASTING THE ACTORS AND GIVES A SENSTIVE PERFOMANCE HIMSELF AS "DUCK". MICHEAL WRIGHT AS EDDIE KANE STEALS THE MOVIE WITH HIS STRONG PERFORMANCE AND LEON IS A CLOSE SECOND AS J.T. WATCHING DIHANN CAROLL AND HAROLD NICOLAS WAS A TREAT, I THOUGHT BLACK MOVIES LIKE THIS WOULD BE THE NORM AFTER SPIKE LEE'S AND TOWNSEND'S BREAKTROUGH IN "HOLLYWOOD SHUFFLE "INSTEAD OF MOVIES LIKE "I GOT THE HOOK-UP",OR THE STEPIN FETCHIT LIKE "BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE". THIS MOVIE MEANDERS NEAR THE END BUT THE CHURCH SCENE MAKES UP FOR ALL THE MISTEPS IN THE MIDDLE THIRD. THIS IS GREAT FILM IT WORKS AS A GREAT STORY AND A LESSON ON LOVE, DEDICATION AND FRIENDSHIP.

"The Five Heartbeats", one of my favorite films by Robert Townsend, is a wonderful movie about a fictional singing quintet's rise to fame in the 1960s. It somewhat echoes the story of the Temptations, but in actuality, it could have been a profile of just about any black male singing group of that era (it was supposedly based on the story of The Dells). The struggles to get to the top, what happens when you get there, the egos, trying to keep up with musical trends and of course, the racism, backstabbing, and shady characters -- it's all included here as a very real look into just how ruthless the recording industry can be. There are scenes that will make you laugh, make you cry, and just make you feel good all over!

With strong performances from Leon, Robert Townsend and Michael Wright, this movie is a CLASSIC and extremely enjoyable. Also included in the cast are Hollywood legends Diahann Carroll and dancer Harold Nicholas. I highly recommend this...great acting and great musical scenes add up to a GREAT FILM. Get it today!

There was a time in the late 80s when a spate of new black films were coming out and, inspired by Spike Lee's early movies (She's Gotta have It, Do the Right Thing), I began my collection of modern black movies. However, lost in my video "must see" list was the Five Heartbeats. Luckily, a friend reminded me about this film in the mid 90s and I was blown away by Robert Townsend's film. Originality that is hard to find in American black movies of today; an "historical" look at a musical era that meant so much to black people (and indeed a lot of white people worldwide, especially in my native Great Britain);and great music numbers. There are so many wonderful performances in the movie, not least that of the actor who plays Red, the nasty independent record company owner (the next time I saw him play a film it was as a bus driver bit part in Sandra Bullock's "Speed" - what an absolute waste of a talent!) One of my favourite sections of the film is the transformation of the group's image from the late 60s into the early seventies, characters of the band now sporting "Earth, Wind & Fire" type sideburns, hairstyles and flairs. This video is an absolute joy to watch over and over again! And Robert Townsend: where are you fella? We need more of your craft displayed on film. Finally, I agree very much with critics on this site who find much drab repetitiveness of some of the black films of today. One of the great things about filmmakers like Spike Lee and Robert Townsend is that they have introduced the world to some fantastic black talent over the years - if only we had some more talented writers and directors to equal their talents and produce some truly astonishing storylines I for one would be ever so grateful.

I SAW THIS MOVIE IN 1991 AND WAS AMAZED BY THE APPLAUSE AT THE END BY THE MAJORITY BLACK AUIDENCE WHO SAW IT. THE STORY OF THE DELLS IS A PRIMER OF HOW THE MUSIC INDUSTRY OPERATED IN THE 1960'S (AND TODAY ALSO IN SOME INSTANCES) FROM PUTTING WHITE FACES ON THE ALBUM TO INSURE "CROSSOVER" FROM HOODS LIKE "RED" WHO WERE CONNECTED TO ORGANIZED CRIME TO THE GROUP THEMSELVES. TOWNSEND DID A GREAT JOB CASTING THE ACTORS AND GIVES A SENSTIVE PERFOMANCE HIMSELF AS "DUCK". MICHEAL WRIGHT AS EDDIE KANE STEALS THE MOVIE WITH HIS STRONG PERFORMANCE AND LEON IS A CLOSE SECOND AS J.T. WATCHING DIHANN CAROLL AND HAROLD NICOLAS WAS A TREAT, I THOUGHT BLACK MOVIES LIKE THIS WOULD BE THE NORM AFTER SPIKE LEE'S AND TOWNSEND'S BREAKTROUGH IN "HOLLYWOOD SHUFFLE "INSTEAD OF MOVIES LIKE "I GOT THE HOOK-UP",OR THE STEPIN FETCHIT LIKE "BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE". THIS MOVIE MEANDERS NEAR THE END BUT THE CHURCH SCENE MAKES UP FOR ALL THE MISTEPS IN THE MIDDLE THIRD. THIS IS GREAT FILM IT WORKS AS A GREAT STORY AND A LESSON ON LOVE, DEDICATION AND FRIENDSHIP.

"The Five Heartbeats", one of my favorite films by Robert Townsend, is a wonderful movie about a fictional singing quintet's rise to fame in the 1960s. It somewhat echoes the story of the Temptations, but in actuality, it could have been a profile of just about any black male singing group of that era (it was supposedly based on the story of The Dells). The struggles to get to the top, what happens when you get there, the egos, trying to keep up with musical trends and of course, the racism, backstabbing, and shady characters -- it's all included here as a very real look into just how ruthless the recording industry can be. There are scenes that will make you laugh, make you cry, and just make you feel good all over!

With strong performances from Leon, Robert Townsend and Michael Wright, this movie is a CLASSIC and extremely enjoyable. Also included in the cast are Hollywood legends Diahann Carroll and dancer Harold Nicholas. I highly recommend this...great acting and great musical scenes add up to a GREAT FILM. Get it today!

There was a time in the late 80s when a spate of new black films were coming out and, inspired by Spike Lee's early movies (She's Gotta have It, Do the Right Thing), I began my collection of modern black movies. However, lost in my video "must see" list was the Five Heartbeats. Luckily, a friend reminded me about this film in the mid 90s and I was blown away by Robert Townsend's film. Originality that is hard to find in American black movies of today; an "historical" look at a musical era that meant so much to black people (and indeed a lot of white people worldwide, especially in my native Great Britain);and great music numbers. There are so many wonderful performances in the movie, not least that of the actor who plays Red, the nasty independent record company owner (the next time I saw him play a film it was as a bus driver bit part in Sandra Bullock's "Speed" - what an absolute waste of a talent!) One of my favourite sections of the film is the transformation of the group's image from the late 60s into the early seventies, characters of the band now sporting "Earth, Wind & Fire" type sideburns, hairstyles and flairs. This video is an absolute joy to watch over and over again! And Robert Townsend: where are you fella? We need more of your craft displayed on film. Finally, I agree very much with critics on this site who find much drab repetitiveness of some of the black films of today. One of the great things about filmmakers like Spike Lee and Robert Townsend is that they have introduced the world to some fantastic black talent over the years - if only we had some more talented writers and directors to equal their talents and produce some truly astonishing storylines I for one would be ever so grateful.

I SAW THIS MOVIE IN 1991 AND WAS AMAZED BY THE APPLAUSE AT THE END BY THE MAJORITY BLACK AUIDENCE WHO SAW IT. THE STORY OF THE DELLS IS A PRIMER OF HOW THE MUSIC INDUSTRY OPERATED IN THE 1960'S (AND TODAY ALSO IN SOME INSTANCES) FROM PUTTING WHITE FACES ON THE ALBUM TO INSURE "CROSSOVER" FROM HOODS LIKE "RED" WHO WERE CONNECTED TO ORGANIZED CRIME TO THE GROUP THEMSELVES. TOWNSEND DID A GREAT JOB CASTING THE ACTORS AND GIVES A SENSTIVE PERFOMANCE HIMSELF AS "DUCK". MICHEAL WRIGHT AS EDDIE KANE STEALS THE MOVIE WITH HIS STRONG PERFORMANCE AND LEON IS A CLOSE SECOND AS J.T. WATCHING DIHANN CAROLL AND HAROLD NICOLAS WAS A TREAT, I THOUGHT BLACK MOVIES LIKE THIS WOULD BE THE NORM AFTER SPIKE LEE'S AND TOWNSEND'S BREAKTROUGH IN "HOLLYWOOD SHUFFLE "INSTEAD OF MOVIES LIKE "I GOT THE HOOK-UP",OR THE STEPIN FETCHIT LIKE "BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE". THIS MOVIE MEANDERS NEAR THE END BUT THE CHURCH SCENE MAKES UP FOR ALL THE MISTEPS IN THE MIDDLE THIRD. THIS IS GREAT FILM IT WORKS AS A GREAT STORY AND A LESSON ON LOVE, DEDICATION AND FRIENDSHIP.

"The Five Heartbeats", one of my favorite films by Robert Townsend, is a wonderful movie about a fictional singing quintet's rise to fame in the 1960s. It somewhat echoes the story of the Temptations, but in actuality, it could have been a profile of just about any black male singing group of that era (it was supposedly based on the story of The Dells). The struggles to get to the top, what happens when you get there, the egos, trying to keep up with musical trends and of course, the racism, backstabbing, and shady characters -- it's all included here as a very real look into just how ruthless the recording industry can be. There are scenes that will make you laugh, make you cry, and just make you feel good all over!

With strong performances from Leon, Robert Townsend and Michael Wright, this movie is a CLASSIC and extremely enjoyable. Also included in the cast are Hollywood legends Diahann Carroll and dancer Harold Nicholas. I highly recommend this...great acting and great musical scenes add up to a GREAT FILM. Get it today!

There was a time in the late 80s when a spate of new black films were coming out and, inspired by Spike Lee's early movies (She's Gotta have It, Do the Right Thing), I began my collection of modern black movies. However, lost in my video "must see" list was the Five Heartbeats. Luckily, a friend reminded me about this film in the mid 90s and I was blown away by Robert Townsend's film. Originality that is hard to find in American black movies of today; an "historical" look at a musical era that meant so much to black people (and indeed a lot of white people worldwide, especially in my native Great Britain);and great music numbers. There are so many wonderful performances in the movie, not least that of the actor who plays Red, the nasty independent record company owner (the next time I saw him play a film it was as a bus driver bit part in Sandra Bullock's "Speed" - what an absolute waste of a talent!) One of my favourite sections of the film is the transformation of the group's image from the late 60s into the early seventies, characters of the band now sporting "Earth, Wind & Fire" type sideburns, hairstyles and flairs. This video is an absolute joy to watch over and over again! And Robert Townsend: where are you fella? We need more of your craft displayed on film. Finally, I agree very much with critics on this site who find much drab repetitiveness of some of the black films of today. One of the great things about filmmakers like Spike Lee and Robert Townsend is that they have introduced the world to some fantastic black talent over the years - if only we had some more talented writers and directors to equal their talents and produce some truly astonishing storylines I for one would be ever so grateful.

I SAW THIS MOVIE IN 1991 AND WAS AMAZED BY THE APPLAUSE AT THE END BY THE MAJORITY BLACK AUIDENCE WHO SAW IT. THE STORY OF THE DELLS IS A PRIMER OF HOW THE MUSIC INDUSTRY OPERATED IN THE 1960'S (AND TODAY ALSO IN SOME INSTANCES) FROM PUTTING WHITE FACES ON THE ALBUM TO INSURE "CROSSOVER" FROM HOODS LIKE "RED" WHO WERE CONNECTED TO ORGANIZED CRIME TO THE GROUP THEMSELVES. TOWNSEND DID A GREAT JOB CASTING THE ACTORS AND GIVES A SENSTIVE PERFOMANCE HIMSELF AS "DUCK". MICHEAL WRIGHT AS EDDIE KANE STEALS THE MOVIE WITH HIS STRONG PERFORMANCE AND LEON IS A CLOSE SECOND AS J.T. WATCHING DIHANN CAROLL AND HAROLD NICOLAS WAS A TREAT, I THOUGHT BLACK MOVIES LIKE THIS WOULD BE THE NORM AFTER SPIKE LEE'S AND TOWNSEND'S BREAKTROUGH IN "HOLLYWOOD SHUFFLE "INSTEAD OF MOVIES LIKE "I GOT THE HOOK-UP",OR THE STEPIN FETCHIT LIKE "BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE". THIS MOVIE MEANDERS NEAR THE END BUT THE CHURCH SCENE MAKES UP FOR ALL THE MISTEPS IN THE MIDDLE THIRD. THIS IS GREAT FILM IT WORKS AS A GREAT STORY AND A LESSON ON LOVE, DEDICATION AND FRIENDSHIP.

"The Five Heartbeats", one of my favorite films by Robert Townsend, is a wonderful movie about a fictional singing quintet's rise to fame in the 1960s. It somewhat echoes the story of the Temptations, but in actuality, it could have been a profile of just about any black male singing group of that era (it was supposedly based on the story of The Dells). The struggles to get to the top, what happens when you get there, the egos, trying to keep up with musical trends and of course, the racism, backstabbing, and shady characters -- it's all included here as a very real look into just how ruthless the recording industry can be. There are scenes that will make you laugh, make you cry, and just make you feel good all over!

With strong performances from Leon, Robert Townsend and Michael Wright, this movie is a CLASSIC and extremely enjoyable. Also included in the cast are Hollywood legends Diahann Carroll and dancer Harold Nicholas. I highly recommend this...great acting and great musical scenes add up to a GREAT FILM. Get it today!

There was a time in the late 80s when a spate of new black films were coming out and, inspired by Spike Lee's early movies (She's Gotta have It, Do the Right Thing), I began my collection of modern black movies. However, lost in my video "must see" list was the Five Heartbeats. Luckily, a friend reminded me about this film in the mid 90s and I was blown away by Robert Townsend's film. Originality that is hard to find in American black movies of today; an "historical" look at a musical era that meant so much to black people (and indeed a lot of white people worldwide, especially in my native Great Britain);and great music numbers. There are so many wonderful performances in the movie, not least that of the actor who plays Red, the nasty independent record company owner (the next time I saw him play a film it was as a bus driver bit part in Sandra Bullock's "Speed" - what an absolute waste of a talent!) One of my favourite sections of the film is the transformation of the group's image from the late 60s into the early seventies, characters of the band now sporting "Earth, Wind & Fire" type sideburns, hairstyles and flairs. This video is an absolute joy to watch over and over again! And Robert Townsend: where are you fella? We need more of your craft displayed on film. Finally, I agree very much with critics on this site who find much drab repetitiveness of some of the black films of today. One of the great things about filmmakers like Spike Lee and Robert Townsend is that they have introduced the world to some fantastic black talent over the years - if only we had some more talented writers and directors to equal their talents and produce some truly astonishing storylines I for one would be ever so grateful.

"The Frighteners" is one of those little known films that is really quite good and well-made. Michael Fox plays a ghostbuster who actually is a con man, using his three ghosts to whip up business. Add the storyline of an executed serial killer and his quest to amass the biggest body count in history, and you have one whale of a story.

The special effects are very good, and the suspense is buffered with some black comic moments. Jeffrey Combs goes delightfully over the top as the FBI agent hell-bent on getting rid of Fox; Trini Alvaredo takes everything so seriously, she's very effective; R. Lee Ermey reprises his "Full Metal Jacket" sergeant as a deadly ghost; John Astin of "Addams Family" is barely recognized as the jaw-dropping judge; Jeff Dobson is perfectly awful as the hedonistic husband of Alvaredo; Jake Busey is a perfect demented killer; and the delightful Dee Wallace Stone is perfect as the rather twisted suspected conspirator of the aforementioned Busey; and one can't forget Julianna McCarthy (Snapper's mom on "Young and the Restless") as Stone's seemingly crazed mother.

The movie is a lot of fun, but the opening sequence still baffles me. Dee Wallace Stone runs in terror from a ghost, which is all well and good to start the movie off ferociously, but by the end of the movie, you have to wonder what in the world was going on there?

Oh, well, sit back and have a little bit of fun with a very different kind of thriller.

The Frighteners is an underrated classic. Savaged by many critics, [Director] Peter Jackson does a very good job at balancing dark humor with straight up horror. Michael J. Fox plays a fraudulent ghost-cleanser named Frank Bannister. Bannister is a hearse-chaser in a small New England town called Fairweather, who shows up at funerals handing out cards to the newly bereaved; his partners are real ghosts, who put on paranormal displays to scare prospective clients. But when the town's residents start displaying fiery numbers on their foreheads and dropping from exploded hearts, Bannister, the only person who can see the cause of their deaths, is accused of drumming up business.

As the architect-turned-con-man, Bannister is Byronically self-destructive; his wife died in a car crash when he was driving, and his own near-death experience left him with double-world vision. He also "dies" again to do battle with the real bad guy, played by the sincerely scary Jake Busey. When Bannister and the rest play out the final action in a long-abandoned hospital, the movie piles on shock after shock, with a speed and intensity that is positively breathtaking, using a variety of special effects with a complete and alarming lack of restraint.

Danny Elfman's score recalls his work with director Tim Burton, and "The Frighteners" is likely to inspire other comparisons with Burton's films. But Jackson, who has to be one of the most imaginative and versatile directors working today, lacks some aspect of Burton's underlying vision and maturity. Should such a time come when he is willing to use that imagination and facility to take his films a notch or two further into theme rather than effect (Lord Of The Rings?) he may find himself joining ranks with the very best filmmakers of our time.

Either way, The Frighteners is totally worth checking out.

When I first saw this on the television I was expecting dark humour coupled with emense amounts of blood and gore along the lines of Bad Taste and Braindead(Known to Americans as Dead Alive). Then I heard it was only a 15 (somewhere in between a PG-13 and R)so I began to wonder if it was worth watching, I decided to give it a chance and I'm glad I did because I would have missed out on a great movie.
The story follows the miss-adventures of would be Exorcist Micheal J Fox, as he scams the public with his mock excorisms. But He can actually see ghosts and three of them help him with him scam. But soon people in town start dying and it looks like the murderer is death himself. Wrongly accussed of the murders by the extremely strage detective Fox's character must solve the murders before he gets sent down for them.
This film isn't all seriousnous though the three ghosts who befriend Fox provide some ammusing jokes and the overall tone of the movie is generally light hearted fun.

Less of a feature film than an audition reel of what New Zealand wunderkind director Peter Jackson could do with a decent budget, "The Frighteners" is a jauntily paced little spookshow with Michael J. Fox in the lead as a paranormal researcher, exorcist, entrepreneur, and great chum to ghosts, who runs a lucrative little enterprise as an "exorcist" who evicts the very poltergeists who serve as his friends and houseguests.

Let's be honest here. As much as I adore and savor the works of Peter Jackson---particularly "Dead/Alive" and "Bad Taste", low-budget splatter-flicks helmed well before he was a Hollywood maven and Tolkien-resurrecting powerhouse---"The Frighteners" is a sketchy, chaotic, massively flawed film that is all over the map. But having said that, "The Frighteners" is an inventive little romp into soul-stealing and besides, it has Jeffrey Combs as a feral, uber-paranoid, necromantic FBI agent, which alone makes it worth a rental.

Michael J. Fox turns in a jolly performance as Frank Bannister, a con-artist who capitalizes on his winning relationships with a trio of accommodating spooks (including the great John Astin as "The Judge"). Producing poltergeists---and exorcisizing them---is big business until Bannister runs into the real thing, a Collector of Souls that eats ordinary ghosts for breakfast and throws his ordinarily profitable existence into turmoil.

It seems mass murdering grinning-until-the-end asylum guard Johnny Bartlett (a fine turn by Jake Busey) died a miserable death in a mass murder spree, and somehow all of this ties into a ghoulish spectre that sucks the life out of hapless mortals.

Add in an inspired performance by Jeffrey Combs as a paranormal and exceptionally sensitive FBI agent ("What? Ah-ha, now you're trying to stop *my* heart!"), and some genuinely startling special effects, and you have a jolly mishmash of a horror movie that really doesn't know when to stop. That's part of its fevered charm, right to the the final confrontation, though Busey looks far more malefic when covered up in a shroud.

What will you get out of "The Frighteners"? First, this is a schizophrenic movie: Jackson shows off Wingnut's ability to deliver on a wide range of highly startling effects. Second, Jeffrey Combs steals the show, and right down to his final moments on Earth is a laconic, paranoid, inches-from-a-nervous-breakdown wreck of a paranormal investigator. I want to Believe!, indeed.

Let's be honest: "The Frighteners" won't change your life, won't scare you, won't threaten your brain with an aneurism brought on by too much spectral derring-do. But the effects are stellar, the acting is uniformly competent, and the plot, while muddled, is jolly fun. Will it change your view of the universe and shift your political outlook? Absolutely not. Will it entertain for nearly two hours? Totally. Could you ask for more? Possibly, but for a special effects real that led Jackson from his uber-disturbing but underrated "Heavenly Creatures" to helming up "Lord of the Rings", let's not get picky.

Is "Frighteners" worth a look? Absolutely. Dust off your Ouija Board, repeat "I do, I do, I DO believe in spooks," sit back and relax, and get ready for some spectral, frantic, ectoplasmic goodness seasoned with some startling special effects and served up with a few perfunctory scares.

this movie is about Michael J. Fox(who long ago was accused of killing his wife some how) but all that is gonna rap up as he starts to see a dark shadow thing taken peoples souls(who can it be??). then he starts to see other ghosts and becomes friends with them and he becomes friends with this lady also, Trini Alvarado who investigates other places as well. Jeffrey Combs is the scene stealer in this movie as the cop who wants Fox dead, literally. filled with awesome ghost sequences and some good shocks and the dark shadow effects are great(Jake Busey is the ghost). Jeffrey Combs is mad crazy.

When I first saw this on the television I was expecting dark humour coupled with emense amounts of blood and gore along the lines of Bad Taste and Braindead(Known to Americans as Dead Alive). Then I heard it was only a 15 (somewhere in between a PG-13 and R)so I began to wonder if it was worth watching, I decided to give it a chance and I'm glad I did because I would have missed out on a great movie.
The story follows the miss-adventures of would be Exorcist Micheal J Fox, as he scams the public with his mock excorisms. But He can actually see ghosts and three of them help him with him scam. But soon people in town start dying and it looks like the murderer is death himself. Wrongly accussed of the murders by the extremely strage detective Fox's character must solve the murders before he gets sent down for them.
This film isn't all seriousnous though the three ghosts who befriend Fox provide some ammusing jokes and the overall tone of the movie is generally light hearted fun.

Stuart has became a full member of the Little family. Stuart goes with George (Jonathan Lipnicki) to the school with his human brother and plays soccer. Only, once outside of the family, Stuart still finds no friends. Lady bird Margalo bursts into his life, and they quickly become friends. Still, apparently Margalo is not as happy with the new friendship as is Stuart. This is how the movie starts.

"Stuart Little 2" succeeds where many sequelae fail: it presents a perfectly independent story. The problems from the first movie are forgotten.

Now Stuart has new problems. In search of true friendship, he entangles himself into a turbulent adventure. The human characters Geena Davis and children, including Jonathan Lipnicki, move simultaneously into the background. Sparkling animation and exciting action again delight, as tom-cat Snowball with his witty brisk sayings angles for best supporting character.

A fun movie for the whole family.

The sequel to the E.B. White story of Stuart Little is so amazing and much better than the first. Kids will love the sequel if they enjoyed the first E.B. White story Stuart Little and Charolette's Web. Rob Minkoff did a great job making the sequel. Michael J. Fox was so amazing doing his act as Stuart Little.

I have seen many a movie sequel, and a few of them (mostly family movies from Disney and several others) really ... So I wasn't too sure about SL2. I loved the first one but was hesitant. I asked for it for Christmas and got it, and I just watched it, it was awesome! It was terrific. It had the same qualities of the first movie and was just plain good! I recommend this to anyone whol loved the first movie or enjoyed the original book because there is a part from the book that wasn't in the first film but is in this one. The character of Margalo is played very well by Melanie Griffith. Stuart as usual is voiced by the fantastic Michael J. Fox and has a very good part this time around. I loved the character of Snowball, played by Nathan Lane who is awesome in all his roles (even the really disturbing cameo appearance he has in Austin Powers in Goldmember) has some of the wittiest one liners in the entire movie. He is funnier in this one than in the first movie! Anyway, check this great movie sequel, and please click on the helpful button.