Pamela-Reed Movie Reviews
VHS movie reviews for "Pamela-Reed" sorted by average review score:
Caroline?
Released in VHS Tape by Hallmark Home Entertainment (18 February, 2003)
Average review score: 
"Caroline?"This is a wonderful movie. It doesn't matter what genre you usually like or are most comfortable watching. This film is well crafted and cast, with remarkable and memorable performances. Best of all is Stefanie Zimbalist, who is as memorable in every performance, each different, as is her wonderful father, Efrem Zimbalist jr. Enjoy the movie!
It's fantastic!Caroline? is a fantastic drama, I saw it two years ago and I can't forget the beautiful Stephanie Zimbalist in that role. I love also its soundtrack composed by Charles Bernstein and hope to find the CD. I suggest to buy it if existing and the VHS too, it's a great work!
"Caroline?" is the movie I never expectedI first found "Caroline?" a few months ago during my quest for Stephanie Zimbalist movies. I'd seen her in some of her earlier work, and I was impressed.
Yet "Caroline?" captured me for itself. It didn't need my biasis.
Despite the familiar plot, I was under the impression that the whole movie would be about whether she was Caroline or not, so I imagined the movie would be good. I was intrigued...so I went out and bought the movie.
"Caroline?" has the mystery and unpredictability that captivates you and wraps you up. It causes the viewer to hold out his/her hand in anticipation.
And while you wait for the something you know is coming, the movie pulls it out from under you unexpectedly.
Suddenly the movie became much more than I ever hoped to get.
The question mark at the end of "Caroline" is rightly placed. It brings to light that "Caroline?" is not what it seems.
Civil War Episode 2:Very Bloody Affair
Released in VHS Tape by Pbs Home Video (08 August, 1994)
Starring: David McCullough (II)
Average review score:
The Peninsula Campaign and the Battle of ShilohThe second episode of Ken Burns celebrated documentary on the Civil War focuses on McClellan's Peninsula Campaign in the East and Grant's military successes in the West leading up to the Battle of Shiloh during the second year of the war. Although David McCullough's narration is truly the voice of this documentary, it is the figure of Shelby Foote, relating the Battle of Shiloh and its importance in transforming beliefs about the war, that stands out in this particular episode. Other notable moments cover the clash of Ironclads with the Monitor and the Merrimac, the fall of New Orleans to Farragaut's Federal fleet, as well as the introduction of Nathan Bedford Forrest. Again, the use of hundreds of still photographs, contemporary film shots of locales, the recognizable voices of noted actors such as Morgan Freeman and Jason Robards, Jr., and the simple but evocative music are powerfully woven together. This episode begins with the rising star of George B. McClellan and the cry of "On to Richmond," but ends with the first recognition of the military genius of Robert E. Lee. It is at this point that the parallels between the American Civil War and Homer's "Iliad" that Burns sees becomes fairly obvious.
Civil War Episode 5: Universe of Battle 1863
Released in VHS Tape by Pbs Home Video (08 August, 1994)
Starring: David McCullough (II)
Average review score:
The Confederate high water mark at the Battle of GettysburgThe Battle of Gettysburg and the fall of Vicksburg mark the turning point of the Civil War in this fifth volume of Ken Burns' celebrated documentary. Those familiar with Michael Shaara's novel "The Killer Angels" or the film "Gettysburg" will find Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain featured prominently in this episode. There is also a section devoted to the Negro troops who fought for the Union during the war, contrasted with the Northern riots against Emancipation. The episode ends with the war moving from Tennessee to Georgia and, of course, Lincoln's address at Gettysburg. David McCullough's solid narration and Shelby Foote's unforgettable anecdotes continue to provide the defining voices of the documentary. The Civil War is brought alive through the use of hundreds of photographs and illustrations, textured sound effects, evocative music and the recognizable voices Jason Robards, Jr., Julie Harris and Sam Waterson. But the most memorable moments on this tape come from Daisy Turner, the 104-year-old daughter of a former slave reciting a poem about the death of a soldier.
Eyewitness
Released in VHS Tape by Twentieth Century Fox (20 May, 2003)
Starring: William Hurt and Sigourney Weaver
An underrated gem of the early 1980s, this film is a solid mystery with a terrific and unlikely romance at its core. Hurt plays a New York janitor whose fantasy life centers on TV reporter Sigourney Weaver. When a murder occurs in the office building where he works, he claims to have seen more than he did just to get her attention. But when the murderers believe him, they both become targets. The plot is workable, but mostly serves as a meet-cute device for throwing together the unassuming janitor and the TV star, and the resulting collision of social strata when he successfully woos her. James Woods nearly steals the film as Hurt's jumpy Vietnam vet friend, a shifty operator of whom cop Morgan Freeman observes, "He was born to be a suspect." --Marshall Fine
Average review score:
Great Underrated Gem!!Sigourney Weaver,William Hurt and James Woods rule in this great underrated gem.It's well worth watching!!
Ken Burns' Civil War, Episode 4: Simply Murder - 1863
Released in VHS Tape by Pbs Home Video (08 August, 1994)
Starring: David McCullough (II)
Average review score:
The Civil War from Fredericksburg to ChancellorsvilleThe fourth episode of Ken Burns celebrated Civil War documentary focuses on the futile stupidity of the Union assault on Marye's Heights at Fredericksburg and the blinding brilliance of Robert E. Lee's strategy at the Battle of Chancellorsville, while out West Ulysses S. Grant lays siege to Vicksburg. However, all of the Confederate successes are tempered by the death of Stonewall Jackson and Lee's fatal plan to invade the North a second time. David McCullough's narration and Shelby Foote's anecdotes continue to provide the defining voices of the documentary. Hundreds of still photographs, paintings and illustrations are brought alive through panning and scanning with evocative music and sound effects worthy of a feature film.
Ken Burns' Civil War, Episode 6: Valley of the Shadow of Death 1864
Released in VHS Tape by Pbs Home Video (08 August, 1994)
Starring: David McCullough (II)
Average review score:
Grant takes command and the siege of Richmond beginsLincoln finally finds his general as Ulysses S. Grant comes East and takes command of the Union forces in the sixth volume of Ken Burns' celebrated documentary on the Civil War. Finally the stage is set between Sam Grant and Robert E. Lee, "The Marble Model." This episode follows the movement of the Army of the Potomac from the Wilderness to Petersburg. One of the more memorable sections deals with war wounds and the remarkable military career of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain is continued. As with the rest of this series, David McCullough's solid narration and Shelby Foote's unforgettable anecdotes provide the defining voices of the documentary. The Civil War is brought alive through the use of hundreds of photographs and illustrations, multi-layered sound effects, simple but evocative music and the recognizable voices actors such as Sam Waterson and Jason Robards, Jr.
Ken Burns' Civil War, Episode 7: Most Hallowed Ground-1864
Released in VHS Tape by Pbs Home Video (08 August, 1994)
Starring: David McCullough (II)
Average review score:
Lincoln is re-elected President as 1864 comes to a closeThe seventh volume in the celebrated documentary on The Civil War by Ken Burns focuses on the last half of 1864 and the events effective the re-election of Abraham Lincoln. With the Army of the Potomac stalled outside Petersburg, Virginia it is Sherman's assault on Atlanta that gives the President the momentum to defeat his opponent, George B. McClellan. Other sections of this episode cover the Battle of the Crater, Phil Sheridan's campaign in the Shenandoah Valley, and the military brilliance of Nathan Bedford Forrest. David McCullough's simple narration and Shelby Foote's memorable anecdotes, aided by some of our most distinguished actors such as Sam Waterson and Jason Robards, Jr., give the Civil War its voices. Burns uses hundred of photographs and illustrations along with a deeply textured soundtrack of sound effectives and evocative music to make this document as compelling as any dramatic film.
Ken Burns' Civil War, Episode 8: War is All Hell-1865
Released in VHS Tape by Pbs Home Video (08 August, 1994)
Starring: David McCullough (II)
Average review score:
Richmond falls, Lee surrenders and Lincoln is assassinatedEpisode 8 in the celebrated documentary on "The Civil War" by Ken Burns finds the war finally coming to an end. Sherman marches to the sea and Richmond finally falls to Grant, setting up Lee's surrender at Appomattox and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. The eloquent narration of David McCullough, the folksy anecdotes of Shelby Foote, and the recognizable voices of some of our most distinguished actors such as Morgan Freeman and Sam Waterson, give the Civil War its voice. With hundreds of photographs and illustration, a multi-layered soundtrack of effects and music, Burns brings history alive.
Ken Burns' Civil War, Episode 9: The Better Angels of Our Nature
Released in VHS Tape by Pbs Home Video (08 August, 1994)
Starring: David McCullough (II)
Average review score:
The epilogue to Ken Burns' celebrated documentary"The Better Angels of Our Nature" (a line from Lincoln's First Inaugural address) is essentially the epilogue to the celebrated documentary on "The Civil War" from Ken Burns. The war is finally over and after touching upon the execution of those involved in the Lincoln assassination and the review of the Grand Armines of the Republic, the primary focus of Episode 9 in on what happened to the people we have followed throughout the documentary. Not only do we learn the final fates of Generals Grant and Lee, but what happened to Elisha Hunt Rhodes and Sam Watkins when they returned from the war. Burns tells not only about those the Civil War had made immortal, such as George Pickett, but those who's reputations were restored by this documentary, most notably Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. The most memorable moment comes at the very end, when we see film of the 50th reunion of the Blue and the Grey at Gettysburg and a reenactment of Pickett's Charge. A fitting end to an epic documentary series.
The Right Stuff
Released in VHS Tape by Warner Studios (05 February, 2002)
Starring: Sam Shepard and Scott Glenn
Philip Kaufman's intimate epic about the Mercury astronauts (based on Tom Wolfe's book) was one of the most ambitious and spectacularly exciting movies of the 1980s. It surprised almost everybody by not becoming a smash hit. By all rights, the film should have been every bit the success that Apollo 13 would later become; The Right Stuff is not only just as thrilling, but it is also a bigger and better movie. Combining history (both established and revisionist), grand mythmaking (and myth puncturing), adventure, melodrama, behind-the-scenes dish, spectacular visuals, and a down-to-earth sense of humor, The Right Stuff chronicles NASA's efforts to put a man in orbit. Such an achievement would be the first step toward President Kennedy's goal of reaching the moon, and, perhaps most important of all, would win a crucial public relations/morale victory over the Soviets, who had delivered a stunning blow to American pride by launching Sputnik, the first satellite. The movie contrasts the daring feats of the unsung test pilots--one of whom, Chuck Yeager, embodied more than anyone else the skill and spirit of Wolfe's title--against the heavily publicized (and sanitized) accomplishments of the Mercury astronauts. Through no fault of their own, the spacemen became prisoners of the heroic images the government created for them in order to capture the public's imagination. The casting is inspired; the film features Sam Shepard as the legendary Yeager, Ed Harris as John Glenn, Dennis Quaid as "Gordo" Cooper, Scott Glenn as Alan Shepard, Fred Ward as Gus Grissom, Scott Wilson as Scott Crossfield, and Pamela Reed and Veronica Cartwright are superb in their thankless roles as astronauts' wives. --Jim Emerson
Average review score: 
"There was a demon that lived in the air."The story behind America's journey into space has always been a fascinating tale. The courage displayed by the early space pioneers cannot be understated. This select group of men placed their lives on the line for the pride of a nation and helped shape the course of space flight well into the current century. Their story has been immortalized in Philip Kaufman's "The Right Stuff."
Knowing the dangers involved with testing new experimental spacecrafts, a group of pilots chose to brave the odds in their quest to travel the stars. There are several arcs in the film that follow these pilots with the ones involving John Glenn (Ed Harris), Leroy "Gordo" Cooper Jr. (Dennis Quaid), and Virgil "Gus" Grissom (Fred Ward) being the most engaging. Each arc explores the unique contribution each man made to the space program. In addition, the film also explores how the astronauts' newfound celebrity changed their personal lives and their place within the American popular consciousness.
The triumph of "The Right Stuff" is its ability to chronicles just how difficult and dangerous a venture it was to travel beyond the Earth during the early stages of America's space program. Television and historical accounts of the early space flights typically did not show this dimension of the initial flights - we saw the rockets taking off, we glimpsed some footage of outer space, and then we saw the capsules returning back to Earth. The public never saw the blood, sweat, and tears it took to develop and implement the space vehicles and the hard decisions made by individuals who were placing their lives or the lives of others at risk. Kaufman is careful to document each link in the chain in the evolution of the space program and all its accompanying dangers. Yet, the film never loses sight of the individuals who helped humanize one of the most exciting journeys in the modern history of humankind. This balanced narrative makes "The Right Stuff" a tribute to the intrepid spirit that was behind America's space pioneers as well as a tribute to the pioneers themselves.
New StuffThe Right Stuff is Phillip Kauffman's sprawling three-hour epic about the Mercury Space Program. Based on Tom Wolfe's amazing book, the movie is a visual stunner with a top-notch ensemble cast. Sam Sheperd stands out as Chuck Yeager, the first man to break the sound barrier. He portrays Yeager as a cowboy who flies jets instead of riding horses. Mr. Sheperd gives a cool and impressive performance. Ed Harris first sprang to attention with his performance of John Glenn. He gives a gentle and passionate performance and the scenes with his wife (who was hearing-impaired) are touching. Fred Ward gives a blustery and gruff performance as Gus Grissom who appears to be on the verge of cracking after his space launch goes awry. Scott Glenn adds a touch of humor to film as Alan Sheppard the first American in space. Dennis Quaid is brash and cocky as Gordo Cooper. This 20th Anniversary two disc special edition is an immediate upgrade over the original dvd, which was one of the first films to be released in that format. The film is perfectly suited for the dvd landscape and while the picture quality was excellent on the original release, the digital transfer adds depth and scope to the film. The real bonus is the 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound. The film won four Academy Awards and two were for Best Sound and Best Sound Effects and the remastered audio increases the powerful and majestic tones of the film in home viewings. The extras are great for any space program aficionados as there are interviews with the real life astronauts from the film.
Space EpicThe Right Stuff is Phillip Kauffman's sprawling three-hour epic about the Mercury Space Program. Based on Tom Wolfe's amazing book, the movie is a visual stunner with a top-notch ensemble cast. Sam Sheperd stands out as Chuck Yeager, the first man to break the sound barrier. He portrays Yeager as a cowboy who flies jets instead of riding horses. Mr. Sheperd gives a cool and impressive performance. Ed Harris first sprang to attention with his performance of John Glenn. He gives a gentle and passionate performance and the scenes with his wife (who was hearing-impaired) are touching. Fred Ward gives a blustery and gruff performance as Gus Grissom who appears to be on the verge of cracking after his space launch goes awry. Scott Glenn adds a touch of humor to film as Alan Sheppard the first American in space. Dennis Quaid is brash and cocky as Gordo Cooper. The Right Stuff is a must DVD as its sound and picture are enhanced by the format.