Owen-Wilson Movie Reviews

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VHS movie reviews for "Owen-Wilson" sorted by average review score:
Third World Cop
Released in VHS Tape by Ryko Distribution - Video (29 August, 2000)
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Director: Chris Browne
Shot on the streets of Kingston and set to a rich reggae score by Sly and Robbie, the highest-grossing film in Jamaican cinema (according to the producers) is a simple cops-and-gangsters thriller that drops the usual two-fisted cop clichés into the slums of a Third World reality. Charismatic Paul Campbell (who starred in the previous Jamaican hit Dancehall Queen) is Capone, a Jamaican Dirty Harry who wades into shootouts with both guns blazing. His maverick reputation lands him in Kingston, his hometown, where he tracks a gun-smuggling scheme to his boyhood friend Ratty (Mark Danvers), now the ambitious right-hand man to the local kingpin. It's a familiar story and the timid script always chooses action over drama. Capone's violent methods are never questioned, even when he's faced with old friends instead of faceless hoods, and he's given unimaginable leeway to shoot his way through the criminal population. Shot on digital video and released to theaters in a smeary-looking transfer, the video release is mastered from the digital source and looks infinitely better than its theatrical incarnation: crisp, bright, and vivid. The energetic style helps the picture overcome some of its generic cop-movie clichés, but the real draw is the street grit of clapboard houses, corrugated metal fences, and concrete brick homes: the matter-of-fact poverty of Kingston's slums. --Sean Axmaker
Average review score:

Third World Harry Callahan
If you've ever wondered what it takes to succeed as a cop in a Third World country like Jamaica, writer/director Chris Browne has a simple answer for you -- be as ruthless as the criminals. But despite the charisma of lead actor Paul Campbell ("Dancehall Queen"), it's hard to root for a lawman with an itchier trigger finger than all the bad guys in the film combined. Consequently, his childhood friend, Ratty (Mark Danvers), a dancehall promoter by day/gunrunner by night comes across as the better man simply because he's that much less violent. Of course, it's possible that we're meant to see Ratty's importing and distribution of weaponry as the *means* by which gunfire continues to fill the air of Kingston Town as loudly and as insistently as dancehall. But never fear! Campbell's Capone, like De Niro before him, proceeds to "wipe the scum off the streets" until there's no scum left to wipe. And that may very well make him a successful cop...but at what cost? That will have to wait for another movie. Nonetheless, fans of Carribean culture will probably want to check out what has become the most successful Jamaican film of all time (despite camera work that often makes it looks like a home movie). Music by Sly and Robbie and featuring an appearance by veteran actor, Carl Bradshaw ("The Harder They Come") as Ratty's boss, The Don.

highly recommended
This is a great movie, especially if you like "Dancehall Queen". Paul Campbell does a great job as Capone and Carl Bradshaw is excellent as usual as the crime boss. While the story is somewhat generic it is still well worth watching.

Better than Dancehall Queen!
I bought this video because it had some of the same actors as "Dancehall Queen" and boy did I get my monies worth! I like that Paul Campbell, the bad guy in "Dancehall Queen", is the hero in "Third World Cop". I enjoyed the interplay of action, drama, and comedy. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed "Dancehall Queen" and does not mind some non-graphic violence.

Of Human Bondage
Released in VHS Tape by Madacy Entertainment (28 November, 1995)
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Director: John Cromwell
Starring: Leslie Howard and Bette Davis
The interior life of a natural-born introvert is a tricky thing to convey in any story medium, but perhaps nowhere more than in feature films. Fortunately for this 1934 version of Of Human Bondage (the first of three), the introverted young doctor at the center of the story is played by Leslie Howard, who makes a slack spirit and puppet-of-destiny ennui look like a GQ ad from the age of Romanticism. Howard's character, well liked by peers and facing a promising future, becomes a slave to self-destructive impulse when he grows obsessed with a mercurial, promiscuous waitress (Bette Davis). She stands him up, she lets him down, she sleeps around--basically doing anything she can think of to humiliate the plaintive, puppyish Howard. The good doctor's prospects soon sink... and then sink again and again every time she reappears, usually in dire circumstances, after prolonged absences. Much of Howard's performance borders on monotony, but how many ways can an actor show what it's like to lean against desks and ponder the enigma of himself? At least he looks classy while doing so. Meanwhile, Davis's electric performance, one of her best, gives director John Cromwell's slow pacing a shot in the arm. The supporting cast is very good: Alan Hale, Frances Dee, and Cromwell's then-wife, Kay Johnson, do a fine job helping to fill in the silences. Adapted from the novel by W. Somerset Maugham. --Tom Keogh
Average review score:

Terrible Print Sloughed Off on Terrible DVD
I'm not commenting on the quality of the movie itself, but of the DVD. This DVD has been taken from a worn-out, scratchy, blurry, indistinct print. Other reviewers have commented that there is no discernible difference between VHS and DVD versions; no doubt there has been no movement by any organization or company to locate a better print. Beware of buying this for more than "cheapie, budget"prices. I recommend renting the DVD if you must see the movie; otherwise I'd be patient and wait for the day the movie is "rediscovered" and issued properly so that it can actually be seen and heard.

The fascinating film that made Bette Davis a star
Of Human Bondage, based on the novel by Somerset Maugham, is a powerful but melancholy film that I find strangely mesmerizing. Leslie Howard stars as Philip Carey, an introverted, artistic man who comes to London to study medicine after abandoning his dreams of becoming an artist in Paris. Carey was born with a club foot, and we watch rather mortified as one of his instructors makes him show his foot to the class, revealing the embarrassment that he normally keeps contained on the outside. One day in a nearby café, Carey sees waitress Mildred Rogers (played fabulously by Bette Davis), a rather ill-natured, brazenly taciturn waitress. Her attitude is rather rude and certainly strange and cold, but Carey is immediately fascinated by her. After inexplicably falling in love with Mildred, he succeeds in winning a few dates with her, putting up with her mind games, deception, and seeming lack of humanity. She is frustratingly noncommittal in everything he asks her, replying "I don't mind" to virtually all of his questions and allowing him almost no emotional contact with her at all. He finally resolves to ask her to marry him, but she shocks him by declaring her impending nuptials to another man. Carey's depression grows, and his grades in medical school suffer horribly. In time, he finds a young woman who is a bit matronly but genuinely cares for him. Then Mildred shows up again, pregnant and alone. He takes care of her with money he doesn't really have only to see her leave again with another man. This trend continues throughout the story. Whenever Carey finds happiness within his grasp, Mildred shows up unannounced, and he finds himself powerless to save himself from her debilitating influence on him.

Carey and Mildred are complicated creatures. While Mildred basically comes off as an unfeeling tramp, one can't help but believe that there is something human inside her that is genuinely attracted to Carey and the kind of gentlemanly life he can offer her, but her affections continually prove themselves fickle at best. As for Carey, his fatalistic love for Mildred makes no sense whatsoever, as she never fails to treat him harshly. Other women do come to love him deeply and truly, and Sally, the daughter of one of his patients, seems perfect for him, yet one strongly senses the fact that he can only truly love Mildred. It is really that part of the story and not the tragic life of Mildred herself which makes this movie so poignant and sad.

Of Human Bondage is the movie that made Bette Davis a verifiable star way back in 1934. Her performance is certainly fantastic, but she really provides only a hint of the actress she would become. The fact that her character is so impossibly self-serving and unfeeling makes it hard to identify with or like her (especially when she gets angry), yet Bette Davis makes her an unforgettable character of almost hypnotic fascination. I should say that Leslie Howard is also wonderful in this movie. The kind of aloof passive resistance he showed five years later in Gone With the Wind is a perfect match for the character of Philip Carey. He is almost incapable of standing up to fate, allowing his life to be brought to the point of ruin, both financial and emotional, by a woman who seemingly lives to torment him. I'm always left with a strange feeling after watching this movie, one of strange disquiet and sentimentality. Released in 1934, Of Human Bondage remains a powerful and compelling story of human passion, and Bette Davis' performance is eternally magical.

Howard and Davis in a great adaptation of Maugham's novel
W. Somerset Maugham's novel "Of Human Bondage" receives an excellent adaptation to the screen in this 1934 film directed by John Cromwell. Leslie Howard plays sensitive, club-footed Philip Carey, the second-rate artist who turns to the study of medicine, even though he is older than his classmates. Philip becomes tragically obsessed with Mildred Rogers (Bette Davis), an illiterate waitress in a tearoom near the medical school. Although Mildred insults him for being a cripple, Philip spurns an offer of romance from Nora (Kay Johnson), an attractive woman who writes romance novels under a male pseudonym. When Philips agrees to marry Mildred when she shows up pregnant and jilted by her salesman boyfriend (Alan Hale), she runs off with another med student (Reginald Denny) at their engagement party. A friendly patient (Reginald Owen) invites Philip home to meet his sensitive daughter Sally (Frances Dee). But Mildred returns again, this time with a baby, and Philip is too weak to refuse her. The result are disastrous consequences for them both.

Maugham's semi-autobiographical novel was published in 1915 and is considered his masterwork. By Hollywood standards, this film adaptation is remarkably faithful, not to mention literate and intelligent, so a lot of the credit has to go to Lester Cohen for the screenplay. Howard handles the role of the sensitive Philip well, but it is Davis who turned a lot of heads for the first time with her performance as the tawdry little waitress (Life magazine called it "Probably the best performance ever recorded on the screen by a U.S. actress"). Certainly this is the role that made Warner Brothers take a serious look at the young actress. What is remarkable is how much of this emotionally shattering tale is packed into 83 minutes of running time.

Of Human Bondage
Released in VHS Tape by Monterey Home Video (24 September, 1996)
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Director: John Cromwell
Starring: Leslie Howard and Bette Davis
The interior life of a natural-born introvert is a tricky thing to convey in any story medium, but perhaps nowhere more than in feature films. Fortunately for this 1934 version of Of Human Bondage (the first of three), the introverted young doctor at the center of the story is played by Leslie Howard, who makes a slack spirit and puppet-of-destiny ennui look like a GQ ad from the age of Romanticism. Howard's character, well liked by peers and facing a promising future, becomes a slave to self-destructive impulse when he grows obsessed with a mercurial, promiscuous waitress (Bette Davis). She stands him up, she lets him down, she sleeps around--basically doing anything she can think of to humiliate the plaintive, puppyish Howard. The good doctor's prospects soon sink... and then sink again and again every time she reappears, usually in dire circumstances, after prolonged absences. Much of Howard's performance borders on monotony, but how many ways can an actor show what it's like to lean against desks and ponder the enigma of himself? At least he looks classy while doing so. Meanwhile, Davis's electric performance, one of her best, gives director John Cromwell's slow pacing a shot in the arm. The supporting cast is very good: Alan Hale, Frances Dee, and Cromwell's then-wife, Kay Johnson, do a fine job helping to fill in the silences. Adapted from the novel by W. Somerset Maugham. --Tom Keogh
Average review score:

Terrible Print Sloughed Off on Terrible DVD
I'm not commenting on the quality of the movie itself, but of the DVD. This DVD has been taken from a worn-out, scratchy, blurry, indistinct print. Other reviewers have commented that there is no discernible difference between VHS and DVD versions; no doubt there has been no movement by any organization or company to locate a better print. Beware of buying this for more than "cheapie, budget"prices. I recommend renting the DVD if you must see the movie; otherwise I'd be patient and wait for the day the movie is "rediscovered" and issued properly so that it can actually be seen and heard.

The fascinating film that made Bette Davis a star
Of Human Bondage, based on the novel by Somerset Maugham, is a powerful but melancholy film that I find strangely mesmerizing. Leslie Howard stars as Philip Carey, an introverted, artistic man who comes to London to study medicine after abandoning his dreams of becoming an artist in Paris. Carey was born with a club foot, and we watch rather mortified as one of his instructors makes him show his foot to the class, revealing the embarrassment that he normally keeps contained on the outside. One day in a nearby café, Carey sees waitress Mildred Rogers (played fabulously by Bette Davis), a rather ill-natured, brazenly taciturn waitress. Her attitude is rather rude and certainly strange and cold, but Carey is immediately fascinated by her. After inexplicably falling in love with Mildred, he succeeds in winning a few dates with her, putting up with her mind games, deception, and seeming lack of humanity. She is frustratingly noncommittal in everything he asks her, replying "I don't mind" to virtually all of his questions and allowing him almost no emotional contact with her at all. He finally resolves to ask her to marry him, but she shocks him by declaring her impending nuptials to another man. Carey's depression grows, and his grades in medical school suffer horribly. In time, he finds a young woman who is a bit matronly but genuinely cares for him. Then Mildred shows up again, pregnant and alone. He takes care of her with money he doesn't really have only to see her leave again with another man. This trend continues throughout the story. Whenever Carey finds happiness within his grasp, Mildred shows up unannounced, and he finds himself powerless to save himself from her debilitating influence on him.

Carey and Mildred are complicated creatures. While Mildred basically comes off as an unfeeling tramp, one can't help but believe that there is something human inside her that is genuinely attracted to Carey and the kind of gentlemanly life he can offer her, but her affections continually prove themselves fickle at best. As for Carey, his fatalistic love for Mildred makes no sense whatsoever, as she never fails to treat him harshly. Other women do come to love him deeply and truly, and Sally, the daughter of one of his patients, seems perfect for him, yet one strongly senses the fact that he can only truly love Mildred. It is really that part of the story and not the tragic life of Mildred herself which makes this movie so poignant and sad.

Of Human Bondage is the movie that made Bette Davis a verifiable star way back in 1934. Her performance is certainly fantastic, but she really provides only a hint of the actress she would become. The fact that her character is so impossibly self-serving and unfeeling makes it hard to identify with or like her (especially when she gets angry), yet Bette Davis makes her an unforgettable character of almost hypnotic fascination. I should say that Leslie Howard is also wonderful in this movie. The kind of aloof passive resistance he showed five years later in Gone With the Wind is a perfect match for the character of Philip Carey. He is almost incapable of standing up to fate, allowing his life to be brought to the point of ruin, both financial and emotional, by a woman who seemingly lives to torment him. I'm always left with a strange feeling after watching this movie, one of strange disquiet and sentimentality. Released in 1934, Of Human Bondage remains a powerful and compelling story of human passion, and Bette Davis' performance is eternally magical.

Howard and Davis in a great adaptation of Maugham's novel
W. Somerset Maugham's novel "Of Human Bondage" receives an excellent adaptation to the screen in this 1934 film directed by John Cromwell. Leslie Howard plays sensitive, club-footed Philip Carey, the second-rate artist who turns to the study of medicine, even though he is older than his classmates. Philip becomes tragically obsessed with Mildred Rogers (Bette Davis), an illiterate waitress in a tearoom near the medical school. Although Mildred insults him for being a cripple, Philip spurns an offer of romance from Nora (Kay Johnson), an attractive woman who writes romance novels under a male pseudonym. When Philips agrees to marry Mildred when she shows up pregnant and jilted by her salesman boyfriend (Alan Hale), she runs off with another med student (Reginald Denny) at their engagement party. A friendly patient (Reginald Owen) invites Philip home to meet his sensitive daughter Sally (Frances Dee). But Mildred returns again, this time with a baby, and Philip is too weak to refuse her. The result are disastrous consequences for them both.

Maugham's semi-autobiographical novel was published in 1915 and is considered his masterwork. By Hollywood standards, this film adaptation is remarkably faithful, not to mention literate and intelligent, so a lot of the credit has to go to Lester Cohen for the screenplay. Howard handles the role of the sensitive Philip well, but it is Davis who turned a lot of heads for the first time with her performance as the tawdry little waitress (Life magazine called it "Probably the best performance ever recorded on the screen by a U.S. actress"). Certainly this is the role that made Warner Brothers take a serious look at the young actress. What is remarkable is how much of this emotionally shattering tale is packed into 83 minutes of running time.

Of Human Bondage
Released in VHS Tape by United American Video (12 October, 1998)
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Director: John Cromwell
Starring: Leslie Howard and Bette Davis
The interior life of a natural-born introvert is a tricky thing to convey in any story medium, but perhaps nowhere more than in feature films. Fortunately for this 1934 version of Of Human Bondage (the first of three), the introverted young doctor at the center of the story is played by Leslie Howard, who makes a slack spirit and puppet-of-destiny ennui look like a GQ ad from the age of Romanticism. Howard's character, well liked by peers and facing a promising future, becomes a slave to self-destructive impulse when he grows obsessed with a mercurial, promiscuous waitress (Bette Davis). She stands him up, she lets him down, she sleeps around--basically doing anything she can think of to humiliate the plaintive, puppyish Howard. The good doctor's prospects soon sink... and then sink again and again every time she reappears, usually in dire circumstances, after prolonged absences. Much of Howard's performance borders on monotony, but how many ways can an actor show what it's like to lean against desks and ponder the enigma of himself? At least he looks classy while doing so. Meanwhile, Davis's electric performance, one of her best, gives director John Cromwell's slow pacing a shot in the arm. The supporting cast is very good: Alan Hale, Frances Dee, and Cromwell's then-wife, Kay Johnson, do a fine job helping to fill in the silences. Adapted from the novel by W. Somerset Maugham. --Tom Keogh
Average review score:

Terrible Print Sloughed Off on Terrible DVD
I'm not commenting on the quality of the movie itself, but of the DVD. This DVD has been taken from a worn-out, scratchy, blurry, indistinct print. Other reviewers have commented that there is no discernible difference between VHS and DVD versions; no doubt there has been no movement by any organization or company to locate a better print. Beware of buying this for more than "cheapie, budget"prices. I recommend renting the DVD if you must see the movie; otherwise I'd be patient and wait for the day the movie is "rediscovered" and issued properly so that it can actually be seen and heard.

The fascinating film that made Bette Davis a star
Of Human Bondage, based on the novel by Somerset Maugham, is a powerful but melancholy film that I find strangely mesmerizing. Leslie Howard stars as Philip Carey, an introverted, artistic man who comes to London to study medicine after abandoning his dreams of becoming an artist in Paris. Carey was born with a club foot, and we watch rather mortified as one of his instructors makes him show his foot to the class, revealing the embarrassment that he normally keeps contained on the outside. One day in a nearby café, Carey sees waitress Mildred Rogers (played fabulously by Bette Davis), a rather ill-natured, brazenly taciturn waitress. Her attitude is rather rude and certainly strange and cold, but Carey is immediately fascinated by her. After inexplicably falling in love with Mildred, he succeeds in winning a few dates with her, putting up with her mind games, deception, and seeming lack of humanity. She is frustratingly noncommittal in everything he asks her, replying "I don't mind" to virtually all of his questions and allowing him almost no emotional contact with her at all. He finally resolves to ask her to marry him, but she shocks him by declaring her impending nuptials to another man. Carey's depression grows, and his grades in medical school suffer horribly. In time, he finds a young woman who is a bit matronly but genuinely cares for him. Then Mildred shows up again, pregnant and alone. He takes care of her with money he doesn't really have only to see her leave again with another man. This trend continues throughout the story. Whenever Carey finds happiness within his grasp, Mildred shows up unannounced, and he finds himself powerless to save himself from her debilitating influence on him.

Carey and Mildred are complicated creatures. While Mildred basically comes off as an unfeeling tramp, one can't help but believe that there is something human inside her that is genuinely attracted to Carey and the kind of gentlemanly life he can offer her, but her affections continually prove themselves fickle at best. As for Carey, his fatalistic love for Mildred makes no sense whatsoever, as she never fails to treat him harshly. Other women do come to love him deeply and truly, and Sally, the daughter of one of his patients, seems perfect for him, yet one strongly senses the fact that he can only truly love Mildred. It is really that part of the story and not the tragic life of Mildred herself which makes this movie so poignant and sad.

Of Human Bondage is the movie that made Bette Davis a verifiable star way back in 1934. Her performance is certainly fantastic, but she really provides only a hint of the actress she would become. The fact that her character is so impossibly self-serving and unfeeling makes it hard to identify with or like her (especially when she gets angry), yet Bette Davis makes her an unforgettable character of almost hypnotic fascination. I should say that Leslie Howard is also wonderful in this movie. The kind of aloof passive resistance he showed five years later in Gone With the Wind is a perfect match for the character of Philip Carey. He is almost incapable of standing up to fate, allowing his life to be brought to the point of ruin, both financial and emotional, by a woman who seemingly lives to torment him. I'm always left with a strange feeling after watching this movie, one of strange disquiet and sentimentality. Released in 1934, Of Human Bondage remains a powerful and compelling story of human passion, and Bette Davis' performance is eternally magical.

Howard and Davis in a great adaptation of Maugham's novel
W. Somerset Maugham's novel "Of Human Bondage" receives an excellent adaptation to the screen in this 1934 film directed by John Cromwell. Leslie Howard plays sensitive, club-footed Philip Carey, the second-rate artist who turns to the study of medicine, even though he is older than his classmates. Philip becomes tragically obsessed with Mildred Rogers (Bette Davis), an illiterate waitress in a tearoom near the medical school. Although Mildred insults him for being a cripple, Philip spurns an offer of romance from Nora (Kay Johnson), an attractive woman who writes romance novels under a male pseudonym. When Philips agrees to marry Mildred when she shows up pregnant and jilted by her salesman boyfriend (Alan Hale), she runs off with another med student (Reginald Denny) at their engagement party. A friendly patient (Reginald Owen) invites Philip home to meet his sensitive daughter Sally (Frances Dee). But Mildred returns again, this time with a baby, and Philip is too weak to refuse her. The result are disastrous consequences for them both.

Maugham's semi-autobiographical novel was published in 1915 and is considered his masterwork. By Hollywood standards, this film adaptation is remarkably faithful, not to mention literate and intelligent, so a lot of the credit has to go to Lester Cohen for the screenplay. Howard handles the role of the sensitive Philip well, but it is Davis who turned a lot of heads for the first time with her performance as the tawdry little waitress (Life magazine called it "Probably the best performance ever recorded on the screen by a U.S. actress"). Certainly this is the role that made Warner Brothers take a serious look at the young actress. What is remarkable is how much of this emotionally shattering tale is packed into 83 minutes of running time.

Of Human Bondage
Released in VHS Tape by Alpha Video Distributors (27 November, 2001)
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Director: John Cromwell
Starring: Leslie Howard and Bette Davis
The interior life of a natural-born introvert is a tricky thing to convey in any story medium, but perhaps nowhere more than in feature films. Fortunately for this 1934 version of Of Human Bondage (the first of three), the introverted young doctor at the center of the story is played by Leslie Howard, who makes a slack spirit and puppet-of-destiny ennui look like a GQ ad from the age of Romanticism. Howard's character, well liked by peers and facing a promising future, becomes a slave to self-destructive impulse when he grows obsessed with a mercurial, promiscuous waitress (Bette Davis). She stands him up, she lets him down, she sleeps around--basically doing anything she can think of to humiliate the plaintive, puppyish Howard. The good doctor's prospects soon sink... and then sink again and again every time she reappears, usually in dire circumstances, after prolonged absences. Much of Howard's performance borders on monotony, but how many ways can an actor show what it's like to lean against desks and ponder the enigma of himself? At least he looks classy while doing so. Meanwhile, Davis's electric performance, one of her best, gives director John Cromwell's slow pacing a shot in the arm. The supporting cast is very good: Alan Hale, Frances Dee, and Cromwell's then-wife, Kay Johnson, do a fine job helping to fill in the silences. Adapted from the novel by W. Somerset Maugham. --Tom Keogh
Average review score:

Terrible Print Sloughed Off on Terrible DVD
I'm not commenting on the quality of the movie itself, but of the DVD. This DVD has been taken from a worn-out, scratchy, blurry, indistinct print. Other reviewers have commented that there is no discernible difference between VHS and DVD versions; no doubt there has been no movement by any organization or company to locate a better print. Beware of buying this for more than "cheapie, budget"prices. I recommend renting the DVD if you must see the movie; otherwise I'd be patient and wait for the day the movie is "rediscovered" and issued properly so that it can actually be seen and heard.

The fascinating film that made Bette Davis a star
Of Human Bondage, based on the novel by Somerset Maugham, is a powerful but melancholy film that I find strangely mesmerizing. Leslie Howard stars as Philip Carey, an introverted, artistic man who comes to London to study medicine after abandoning his dreams of becoming an artist in Paris. Carey was born with a club foot, and we watch rather mortified as one of his instructors makes him show his foot to the class, revealing the embarrassment that he normally keeps contained on the outside. One day in a nearby café, Carey sees waitress Mildred Rogers (played fabulously by Bette Davis), a rather ill-natured, brazenly taciturn waitress. Her attitude is rather rude and certainly strange and cold, but Carey is immediately fascinated by her. After inexplicably falling in love with Mildred, he succeeds in winning a few dates with her, putting up with her mind games, deception, and seeming lack of humanity. She is frustratingly noncommittal in everything he asks her, replying "I don't mind" to virtually all of his questions and allowing him almost no emotional contact with her at all. He finally resolves to ask her to marry him, but she shocks him by declaring her impending nuptials to another man. Carey's depression grows, and his grades in medical school suffer horribly. In time, he finds a young woman who is a bit matronly but genuinely cares for him. Then Mildred shows up again, pregnant and alone. He takes care of her with money he doesn't really have only to see her leave again with another man. This trend continues throughout the story. Whenever Carey finds happiness within his grasp, Mildred shows up unannounced, and he finds himself powerless to save himself from her debilitating influence on him.

Carey and Mildred are complicated creatures. While Mildred basically comes off as an unfeeling tramp, one can't help but believe that there is something human inside her that is genuinely attracted to Carey and the kind of gentlemanly life he can offer her, but her affections continually prove themselves fickle at best. As for Carey, his fatalistic love for Mildred makes no sense whatsoever, as she never fails to treat him harshly. Other women do come to love him deeply and truly, and Sally, the daughter of one of his patients, seems perfect for him, yet one strongly senses the fact that he can only truly love Mildred. It is really that part of the story and not the tragic life of Mildred herself which makes this movie so poignant and sad.

Of Human Bondage is the movie that made Bette Davis a verifiable star way back in 1934. Her performance is certainly fantastic, but she really provides only a hint of the actress she would become. The fact that her character is so impossibly self-serving and unfeeling makes it hard to identify with or like her (especially when she gets angry), yet Bette Davis makes her an unforgettable character of almost hypnotic fascination. I should say that Leslie Howard is also wonderful in this movie. The kind of aloof passive resistance he showed five years later in Gone With the Wind is a perfect match for the character of Philip Carey. He is almost incapable of standing up to fate, allowing his life to be brought to the point of ruin, both financial and emotional, by a woman who seemingly lives to torment him. I'm always left with a strange feeling after watching this movie, one of strange disquiet and sentimentality. Released in 1934, Of Human Bondage remains a powerful and compelling story of human passion, and Bette Davis' performance is eternally magical.

Howard and Davis in a great adaptation of Maugham's novel
W. Somerset Maugham's novel "Of Human Bondage" receives an excellent adaptation to the screen in this 1934 film directed by John Cromwell. Leslie Howard plays sensitive, club-footed Philip Carey, the second-rate artist who turns to the study of medicine, even though he is older than his classmates. Philip becomes tragically obsessed with Mildred Rogers (Bette Davis), an illiterate waitress in a tearoom near the medical school. Although Mildred insults him for being a cripple, Philip spurns an offer of romance from Nora (Kay Johnson), an attractive woman who writes romance novels under a male pseudonym. When Philips agrees to marry Mildred when she shows up pregnant and jilted by her salesman boyfriend (Alan Hale), she runs off with another med student (Reginald Denny) at their engagement party. A friendly patient (Reginald Owen) invites Philip home to meet his sensitive daughter Sally (Frances Dee). But Mildred returns again, this time with a baby, and Philip is too weak to refuse her. The result are disastrous consequences for them both.

Maugham's semi-autobiographical novel was published in 1915 and is considered his masterwork. By Hollywood standards, this film adaptation is remarkably faithful, not to mention literate and intelligent, so a lot of the credit has to go to Lester Cohen for the screenplay. Howard handles the role of the sensitive Philip well, but it is Davis who turned a lot of heads for the first time with her performance as the tawdry little waitress (Life magazine called it "Probably the best performance ever recorded on the screen by a U.S. actress"). Certainly this is the role that made Warner Brothers take a serious look at the young actress. What is remarkable is how much of this emotionally shattering tale is packed into 83 minutes of running time.

The Royal Tenenbaums
Released in VHS Tape by Buena Vista Home Vid (04 February, 2003)
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Director: Wes Anderson
Starring: Gene Hackman and Gwyneth Paltrow
In a fitting follow-up to Rushmore, writer-director Wes Anderson and cowriter-actor Owen Wilson have crafted another comedic masterwork that ripples with inventive, richly emotional substance. Because of the all-star cast, hilarious dialogue, and oddball characters existing in their own, wholly original universe, it's easy to miss the depth and complexity of Anderson's brand of comedy. Here, it revolves around Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman), the errant patriarch of a dysfunctional family of geniuses, including precocious playwright Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow), boyish financier and grieving widower Chas (Ben Stiller), and has-been tennis pro Richie (Luke Wilson). All were raised with supportive detachment by mother Etheline (Anjelica Huston), and all ache profoundly for a togetherness they never really had. The Tenenbaums reconcile somehow, but only after Anderson and Wilson (who costars as a loopy literary celebrity) put them through a compassionate series of quirky confrontations and rekindled affections. Not for every taste, but this is brilliant work from any perspective. --Jeff Shannon
Average review score:

one of the best films I've ever seen
"The Royal Tenenbaums" film stands out far above almost any film I've ever seen. It's filled to the brim with incredibly subtle details (from the paintings on Richie's walls to the positioning of the characters in a given scene), music that perfectly fits its scenes (a Wes Anderson trademark), and unforgettable personalities. Gene Hackman gives a masterful performance as Royal Tenenbaum, the estranged father of a family of (former) geniuses - Chas (Ben Stiller), a born accountant who has been in business since he was a preteen; Richie (Luke Wilson), a tennis champion by age 17 who just wants his family to be normal and supportive of one another, though such a thing just cannot be; and Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow), an adopted child who won a $50,000 playwriting scholarship her freshman year of high school. Angelica Huston and Danny Glover are perfect as Etheline Tenenbaums, the matriarch, and Henry Sherman, Etheline's business partner and love interest. Co-writer Owen Wilson also turns in a superb performance as Eli Cash, who as a child lived across the street from the Tenenbaums, longing to be one of them. The film's ebb and flow lies in the performances more than anything... though that hardly means that any other elements suffer. The costuming, the scenery, and all of the other elements that make theatre (film or any other sort) so magical, have been martialled so that the viewer is taken to a whole other world. The comedic flavor of the film that veils the underlying melancholy begs comparisons to such masterpieces as "American Beauty". Yeah, you heard right. It's *that* good.

*Addendum: This film inspired me to change my college major from computer science to english.*

The Best Film of the Year!
I don't quite know how to review this. I'm not going to spoil the film for you, so read spoiler free. Let me first say that this is the best movie of the year!

This film is a dramedy but the humor is so dead pan and brilliant. I was amazed that TRT was actaully BETTER than Bottle Rocket AND Rushmore. I've never seen a drama that was this funny. During some scenes the audience was laughing so hard we couldn't really hear what was going on. Sometimes we don't know when to laugh or be sad!

The director crams so many jokes into this film. It's something you will think about for days later! The films drama aspect is also there. I would say there is more drama in here than Rushmore, and more humor as well. Think "American Beauty" but better.

Ramones, Beatles, Elliot Smith, all part of the soundtrack. What a perfect, hilarious yet heartbreaking story. I don't know how else to describe The Royal Tennenbaums. It's an Instant American Classic. Make sure you check this movie out! It's America's new gem that deserves a Best Picture Oscar and a spot in your DVD library when it's released!

A misunderstood film
The problem with The Royal Tenenbaums is that people thought it was going to be a hilarious comedy. It is not. The movie is quite amusing and I consider it to be quite realistic, but hilarious is not the correct discriptor for most people. The movie becomes more beautiful every time I watch it, and remains one of my favorite films of all time.

This movie is about an eccentric, but applicable, family with some interpersonal issues. The movie does not revolve around a single character, but instead revolves around a series of individuals. The viewer comes to recognize eash character for what they are, and while some are unorthodox, ok they are all pretty unusual, he or she cannot resist developing an affinity for them.

The picture quality of this DVD is quite excellent. I bought it used for a nominal amount, and it was well worth the money. The extra footage included on the second disk is also worth the money.

Once you eliminate the belief that this is like Dumb and Dumber, the movie is quite enjoyable. I don't understand why there is so much criticism of this movie. It is definetly worth a rental anyway.

The Royal Tenenbaums
Released in VHS Tape by Buena Vista Home Vid (09 July, 2002)
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Director: Wes Anderson
Starring: Gene Hackman and Gwyneth Paltrow
In a fitting follow-up to Rushmore, writer-director Wes Anderson and cowriter-actor Owen Wilson have crafted another comedic masterwork that ripples with inventive, richly emotional substance. Because of the all-star cast, hilarious dialogue, and oddball characters existing in their own, wholly original universe, it's easy to miss the depth and complexity of Anderson's brand of comedy. Here, it revolves around Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman), the errant patriarch of a dysfunctional family of geniuses, including precocious playwright Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow), boyish financier and grieving widower Chas (Ben Stiller), and has-been tennis pro Richie (Luke Wilson). All were raised with supportive detachment by mother Etheline (Anjelica Huston), and all ache profoundly for a togetherness they never really had. The Tenenbaums reconcile somehow, but only after Anderson and Wilson (who costars as a loopy literary celebrity) put them through a compassionate series of quirky confrontations and rekindled affections. Not for every taste, but this is brilliant work from any perspective. --Jeff Shannon
Average review score:

one of the best films I've ever seen
"The Royal Tenenbaums" film stands out far above almost any film I've ever seen. It's filled to the brim with incredibly subtle details (from the paintings on Richie's walls to the positioning of the characters in a given scene), music that perfectly fits its scenes (a Wes Anderson trademark), and unforgettable personalities. Gene Hackman gives a masterful performance as Royal Tenenbaum, the estranged father of a family of (former) geniuses - Chas (Ben Stiller), a born accountant who has been in business since he was a preteen; Richie (Luke Wilson), a tennis champion by age 17 who just wants his family to be normal and supportive of one another, though such a thing just cannot be; and Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow), an adopted child who won a $50,000 playwriting scholarship her freshman year of high school. Angelica Huston and Danny Glover are perfect as Etheline Tenenbaums, the matriarch, and Henry Sherman, Etheline's business partner and love interest. Co-writer Owen Wilson also turns in a superb performance as Eli Cash, who as a child lived across the street from the Tenenbaums, longing to be one of them. The film's ebb and flow lies in the performances more than anything... though that hardly means that any other elements suffer. The costuming, the scenery, and all of the other elements that make theatre (film or any other sort) so magical, have been martialled so that the viewer is taken to a whole other world. The comedic flavor of the film that veils the underlying melancholy begs comparisons to such masterpieces as "American Beauty". Yeah, you heard right. It's *that* good.

*Addendum: This film inspired me to change my college major from computer science to english.*

The Best Film of the Year!
I don't quite know how to review this. I'm not going to spoil the film for you, so read spoiler free. Let me first say that this is the best movie of the year!

This film is a dramedy but the humor is so dead pan and brilliant. I was amazed that TRT was actaully BETTER than Bottle Rocket AND Rushmore. I've never seen a drama that was this funny. During some scenes the audience was laughing so hard we couldn't really hear what was going on. Sometimes we don't know when to laugh or be sad!

The director crams so many jokes into this film. It's something you will think about for days later! The films drama aspect is also there. I would say there is more drama in here than Rushmore, and more humor as well. Think "American Beauty" but better.

Ramones, Beatles, Elliot Smith, all part of the soundtrack. What a perfect, hilarious yet heartbreaking story. I don't know how else to describe The Royal Tennenbaums. It's an Instant American Classic. Make sure you check this movie out! It's America's new gem that deserves a Best Picture Oscar and a spot in your DVD library when it's released!

A misunderstood film
The problem with The Royal Tenenbaums is that people thought it was going to be a hilarious comedy. It is not. The movie is quite amusing and I consider it to be quite realistic, but hilarious is not the correct discriptor for most people. The movie becomes more beautiful every time I watch it, and remains one of my favorite films of all time.

This movie is about an eccentric, but applicable, family with some interpersonal issues. The movie does not revolve around a single character, but instead revolves around a series of individuals. The viewer comes to recognize eash character for what they are, and while some are unorthodox, ok they are all pretty unusual, he or she cannot resist developing an affinity for them.

The picture quality of this DVD is quite excellent. I bought it used for a nominal amount, and it was well worth the money. The extra footage included on the second disk is also worth the money.

Once you eliminate the belief that this is like Dumb and Dumber, the movie is quite enjoyable. I don't understand why there is so much criticism of this movie. It is definetly worth a rental anyway.

Meet the Parents
Released in VHS Tape by Universal Studios (07 January, 2003)
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Director: Jay Roach
Starring: Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller
Randy Newman's opening song, "A Fool in Love," perfectly sets up the movie that follows. The lyrics begin, "Show me a man who is gentle and kind, and I'll show you a loser," before praising the man who takes what he wants. Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) is the fool in love in Meet the Parents. Just as he's about to propose to his girlfriend Pam (Teri Polo), he learns that her sister's fiancé asked their father, Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro), for permission to marry. Now he feels the need to do the same thing. When Greg meets Jack, he is so desperate to be liked that he makes up stories and kisses ass rather than having the courage of his convictions. It doesn't take an elite member of the CIA to see right through Greg, but that's precisely what Jack is. Directed by Jay Roach (the Austin Powers movies), Meet the Parents is an incredibly well-crafted comedy that stands in nice opposition to, say, the sloppy extremes of the Farrelly brothers. Stiller is great at playing up the uncomfortable comedy of errors, balancing just the right amount of selfishness and self-deprecating humor, while De Niro's Jack is funny as the hard-ass father who just wants a few straight answers from the kid. What makes the Jack character all the funnier is Blythe Danner as his wife, the Gracie to his George Burns, who is the true heart of the movie. Oh, and Owen Wilson turns in yet another terrific comic performance as Pam's ex-fiancé. --Andy Spletzer
Average review score:

There is Something About Ben
Ben Stiller does a great job portraying ordinary men in unusual situations. He is probably best known for "Something About Mary," which was a very, very, funny film. In "Meet the Parents" he again portrays an average man in a weird situation.

In particular, he portrays a young man in love, who just wants to get married. His first attempt to propose doesn't work, so he plans a romantic proposal at his fiance's home that weekend. Her father, played by Robert De Niro, is a little strange. He is either in the Mafia or the CIA, but he is up to something. He definitely loves his cat.

Greg, Ben Stiller's character, doesn't like cats much; but he keeps his mouth shut. From this point onward the movie has a series of strange, but for the most part, believable twists. The comedy is funny, because we can believe it and are happy it is happening to someone else.

Toward the end, however, the movie goes a little bit overboard. You can still believe it, if you think Greg is close to a breakdown. I didn't believe it, so the ending took away from the movie. Still, I found myself laughing out loud several times while watching "Meet the Parents." There is something about Ben Stiller which makes otherwise ordinary films, much better. Here he has again done a very good job. "Meet the Parents" is fun and worth seeing. A 3.5.

Brilliant comedy, excellent casting, yet still family funny!
This is by far one of the funniest movies I have ever seen, and yet can enjoy with my family as well as my friends. The characters are so well defined you feel their every emotion and they are all perfect in their roles. And here's one of the best parts - not only does it NOT play down your intellect, but it has a wonderful plot with plenty of surprises to keep it from being anything but predictable. De Niro is at his best, and although Ben Stiller has had his share of weak movies, this is DEFINITELY one for the portfolio. He is brilliant as he fumbles his way through meeting this unique if not strange family. He is hysterical when meeting Owen Wilson whose excellent portrayal of the ex-boyfriend is classic humor with a modest/jealous balance that makes him shine. Blythe Danner, the mother of the family has never had more fun with a role and is at her best. You MUST see this movie!! It's one that you will definitely want to own.

Lov'in Your In-Laws
Robert DeNiro and Ben Stiller team up for this 2000 film directed by Jay Roach. DeNiro stars as Jack Byrnes and Stiller as Greg Focker (pronounced just as it is spelled) . "Greg" has decided to propose to "Pam", played by Teri Polo. After learning that "Pam's" younger sister has just been proposed to by the perfect future son-in-law "Dr. Bob", "Greg" feels the pressure to earn "Jack's" acceptance. "Greg" plans to ask "Jack" for "Pam's" hand in marriage while visiting for the weekend to attend "Pam's" sisters wedding. "Jack" is a retired CIA profiler and puts "Greg" to the test, literally. As things fall apart, "Greg" continues to "jump" through "Jack's" hurdles and tries his hardest to make his best impression. From losing the family's beloved cat to nearly burning down the house, "Greg" nearly loses his mind. If you loved "There's Something About Mary", you'll love Stiller's outrageous performance. If you love your in-laws or even if you don't, watch this film and be happy with what you've got.

Armageddon
Released in VHS Tape by Touchstone Video (03 June, 2003)
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Director: Michael Bay
Starring: Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Ben Affleck, and Liv Tyler
The latest testosterone-saturated blow-'em-up from producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay (The Rock, Bad Boys) continues Hollywood's millennium-fueled fascination with the destruction of our planet. There's no arguing that the successful duo understands what mainstream American audiences want in their blockbuster movies--loads of loud, eye-popping special effects, rapid- fire pacing, and patriotic flag waving. Bay's protagonists--the eight crude, lewd, oversexed (but lovable, of course) oil drillers summoned to save the world from a Texas-sized meteor hurling toward the earth--are not flawless heroes, but common men with whom all can relate. In this huge Western-in-space soap opera, they're American cowboys turned astronauts. Sci-fi buffs will appreciate Bay's fetishizing of technology, even though it's apparent he doesn't understand it as anything more than flashing lights and shiny gadgets. Smartly, the duo also tries to lure the art-house crowd, raiding the local indie acting stable and populating the film with guys like Steve Buscemi, Billy Bob Thornton, Owen Wilson, and Michael Duncan, all adding needed touches of humor and charisma. When Bay applies his sledgehammer aesthetics to the action portions of the film, it's mindless fun; it's only when Armageddon tackles humanity that it becomes truly offensive. Not since Mississippi Burning have racial and cultural stereotypes been substituted for characters so blatantly--African Americans, Japanese, Chinese, Scottish, Samoans, Muslims, French ... if it's not white and American, Bay simplifies it. Or, make that white male America; the film features only three notable females--four if you count the meteor, who's constantly referred to as a "bitch that needs drillin'," but she's a hell of a lot more developed and unpredictable than the other women characters combined. Sure, Bay's film creates some tension and contains some visceral moments, but if he can't create any redeemable characters outside of those in space, what's the point of saving the planet? --Dave McCoy
Average review score:

Shamefully Bad
This movie epitomizes Hollywood's love affair with fluff over substance. This whole film is so glossy, so formulaic, and so utterly empty that it's really quite extraordinary in its vapidity. The marketing tie-in with Aerosmith smacks of additional cynical money-grubbing. The visual style in particular is laughable and shameful: one second, it looks like an MTV video, the next a car commercial.

Avoid if you want to respect yourself in the morning.

An action film, but for that genre, a good flick
Yes, the plot is far-fetched and hardly belieable... but isn't that the purpose of an action film??? You have to suspend reality to watch them. You must buy into the premise of the movie. If you can't, then don't bother.

Good performances here Billy Bob, Bruce, Ben, Liv... nicely done.

Another Oscar-Worthy Contribution From Michael Bay
Normally, the "Criterion Collection" is reserved for only the very best and most brilliant films but their additions of the Michael Bay blockbusters, "The Rock" and this, a big loud apocalyptic joy ride would indicate that even they need to make ends meet. I label Michael Bay films as a "guilty pleasure". They are often big, dumb, and loud movies with predictable crowd-pleasing endings and plot holes big enough to hold "an asteriod the size of Texas". Anyways if you too are a fan of these movies then you will no doubt want to add this to your collection.

"Armageddon" is everyone's favorite disaster flick gone wild with a romantic subplot tacked on to please everyone. It seems that after a violent meteor shower destroys major sections of New York that high-level NASA officials have discovered that the worst is yet to come. We've got a giant asteroid (described as a "global killer") on its way here and it's up to the world's greatest deep-core driller (played by who else but Bruce Willis) to stop it. NASA seems to have pinpointed down to the last second how much exact time we have before it hits us but only Willis the hillbilly driller knows how to truly stop it.

After an hour of training mission montages, Willis and his group of slack-jawed sidekicks are off to do battle with the asteroid. Along the way, they lose about half of the crew and pick up a very annoying Russian astronaut. They end up landing a few miles outside of their planned destination and trouble ensues. The boys back home don't seem to have too much confidence in our heroes and want to remote detonate and call it a day. Bruce isn't having it though as he takes control of the mission and declares to anyone listening that he "promised his girl he was coming home". It seems that the satellite hook-up only works when Bruce has a cheesy overwritten line to perform.

If you're a fan of movies that boast action and special effects over any type of sensical plot then this is your movie. This particular DVD features "The Director's Cut" of the movie with alternate scenes. There are some scenes that have been omitted to make way for the new stuff but hey, you can't win them all. Lawrence Tierney shows up as Bruce's dad in this new version and gives him a cheesy speech about the joys of parenthood for him to use in the "alternate version" of his goodbye speech to Liv Tyler. The movie also comes with a hilarious "gag reel" and equally-entertaining audio commentaries. Well, the actor one is good but there is one with a bunch of real-life NASA folks that just goes on and on.

If you enjoyed "Armageddon" as much as I did then you'll probably want to own this double-disc collector's edition. If not, it's only a matter of time before the good people at Criterion decide to give "Con-Air" it's just due.

Armageddon (Widescreen Edition)
Released in VHS Tape by Touchstone Video (13 November, 1998)
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Director: Michael Bay
Starring: Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Ben Affleck, and Liv Tyler
The latest testosterone-saturated blow-'em-up from producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay (The Rock, Bad Boys) continues Hollywood's millennium-fueled fascination with the destruction of our planet. There's no arguing that the successful duo understands what mainstream American audiences want in their blockbuster movies--loads of loud, eye-popping special effects, rapid- fire pacing, and patriotic flag waving. Bay's protagonists--the eight crude, lewd, oversexed (but lovable, of course) oil drillers summoned to save the world from a Texas-sized meteor hurling toward the earth--are not flawless heroes, but common men with whom all can relate. In this huge Western-in-space soap opera, they're American cowboys turned astronauts. Sci-fi buffs will appreciate Bay's fetishizing of technology, even though it's apparent he doesn't understand it as anything more than flashing lights and shiny gadgets. Smartly, the duo also tries to lure the art-house crowd, raiding the local indie acting stable and populating the film with guys like Steve Buscemi, Billy Bob Thornton, Owen Wilson, and Michael Duncan, all adding needed touches of humor and charisma. When Bay applies his sledgehammer aesthetics to the action portions of the film, it's mindless fun; it's only when Armageddon tackles humanity that it becomes truly offensive. Not since Mississippi Burning have racial and cultural stereotypes been substituted for characters so blatantly--African Americans, Japanese, Chinese, Scottish, Samoans, Muslims, French ... if it's not white and American, Bay simplifies it. Or, make that white male America; the film features only three notable females--four if you count the meteor, who's constantly referred to as a "bitch that needs drillin'," but she's a hell of a lot more developed and unpredictable than the other women characters combined. Sure, Bay's film creates some tension and contains some visceral moments, but if he can't create any redeemable characters outside of those in space, what's the point of saving the planet? --Dave McCoy
Average review score:

Outrageously adrenalin-packed but unbelievably unbelievable
The final hour of this film is filled with more over-the-top action, suspense and impending disaster than any other film in history, and this alone is worth the price of admission, but...it's also ridiculously unrealistic. Try these on for size: 1) An astronaut's face shield is shattered in space and some 10 seconds later he decides to let out an audible scream in the vacuum of space! I guess his head didn't explode either! 2) Space shuttles swiftly dodging chunks of asteroid with the agility of X-wing fighters. 3) A mining vehicle pulls an Evl Knievel-style jump over an asteroid canyon, landing safely after being put into orbit for a bit. There are plenty of other groaners. The blatant flag-waving patriotism and balls-to-the-wall machoism is laughable. Aerosmith music gets plenty of screen time (surprise!), and at times you think you're watching a music video. The scenes toward the end depicting various countries of the world looks so much like some telecommunication commercial it's disgusting. And the hyperkinetic edits during the action sequences are truly a statement on how low Hollywood is willing to stoop to entertain the ferret-on-a-double-espresso (thank you Dennis Miller!) attention spans of the younger generations. Oh yeah, the movie has its humorous moments (Steve Buscemi helps out immensely), but the "tragic" sequences had me weeping crocodile tears.

Another Oscar-Worthy Contribution From Michael Bay
Normally, the "Criterion Collection" is reserved for only the very best and most brilliant films but their additions of the Michael Bay blockbusters, "The Rock" and this, a big loud apocalyptic joy ride would indicate that even they need to make ends meet. I label Michael Bay films as a "guilty pleasure". They are often big, dumb, and loud movies with predictable crowd-pleasing endings and plot holes big enough to hold "an asteriod the size of Texas". Anyways if you too are a fan of these movies then you will no doubt want to add this to your collection.

"Armageddon" is everyone's favorite disaster flick gone wild with a romantic subplot tacked on to please everyone. It seems that after a violent meteor shower destroys major sections of New York that high-level NASA officials have discovered that the worst is yet to come. We've got a giant asteroid (described as a "global killer") on its way here and it's up to the world's greatest deep-core driller (played by who else but Bruce Willis) to stop it. NASA seems to have pinpointed down to the last second how much exact time we have before it hits us but only Willis the hillbilly driller knows how to truly stop it.

After an hour of training mission montages, Willis and his group of slack-jawed sidekicks are off to do battle with the asteroid. Along the way, they lose about half of the crew and pick up a very annoying Russian astronaut. They end up landing a few miles outside of their planned destination and trouble ensues. The boys back home don't seem to have too much confidence in our heroes and want to remote detonate and call it a day. Bruce isn't having it though as he takes control of the mission and declares to anyone listening that he "promised his girl he was coming home". It seems that the satellite hook-up only works when Bruce has a cheesy overwritten line to perform.

If you're a fan of movies that boast action and special effects over any type of sensical plot then this is your movie. This particular DVD features "The Director's Cut" of the movie with alternate scenes. There are some scenes that have been omitted to make way for the new stuff but hey, you can't win them all. Lawrence Tierney shows up as Bruce's dad in this new version and gives him a cheesy speech about the joys of parenthood for him to use in the "alternate version" of his goodbye speech to Liv Tyler. The movie also comes with a hilarious "gag reel" and equally-entertaining audio commentaries. Well, the actor one is good but there is one with a bunch of real-life NASA folks that just goes on and on.

If you enjoyed "Armageddon" as much as I did then you'll probably want to own this double-disc collector's edition. If not, it's only a matter of time before the good people at Criterion decide to give "Con-Air" it's just due.

One of the best movies in the last decade
Bruce Willis soars leap years above his stereotypical action hero image and delivers a blockbuster performance. This move kept me on the edge of my seat from the opening scene! Any father with a daughter who can watch his final scene without getting caught up in it is emotionally dead. If you haven't seen it, just buy it!

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