Andrew Kavovit
Average customer rating:
- Civil War Prison Drama
- Informative, But Very Depressing
- A disappointment: fails to live up to promise
- Great film
- Who Looks Good in a Film about POW Camps?
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Andersonville
Starring: Jarrod Emick , Frederic Forrest , Ted Marcoux , Carmen Argenziano , and Jayce Bartok
Director: John Frankenheimer
Manufacturer: Turner Home Ent
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ASIN: B00009AV9W
Release Date: 2004-06-01 |
Description
They left the nightmare...and entered Hell. Captured Union soilders cope with life inside the Civil War's most notorious prisoner-of-war camp. A powerful, compeling tale of war and will, with Emmy Award-winning direction by John Frankenheimer and a cast including Frederic Forrest (Apocalypse Now) and William H. Macy (ER, Fargo) Year: 1996 Director: John Frankenheimer Starring: Jarrod Emick, Frederic Forrest, Ted Marcoux
Customer Reviews:
Civil War Prison Drama.......2007-05-27
"Andersonville" tells the story of the most infamous prison camp the Confederate Army had to offer during the Civil War. Inside prisoners had to deal with scurvy, vicious and corrupt guards, and gangs of killers and thieves, called the Raiders. Staying alive was hard, staying sane was nearly impossible. The cast can certainly be called ensemble, as there is no real primary character, though I guess Jarrod Emick as Josiah Day comes pretty close. I really liked Cliff De Young's Sgt. John Gleason, the escape mastermind. In a way this is more or less like any prison movie you've ever seen, there are the gangs, evil warden, and comraderance of the prisoners. It's "The Shawshank Redemption" for the Civil War. The film is roughly in three parts; the escape, the trial, and the survival. There is really little I can say to convey how powerful this film is, it must be experienced. The late great John Frankenheimer did an excellent job of showing how miserable the over crowded prison was, how terrible the rain and heat could have been. Sure there was a few parts that seemed to dramatic to be real, but I except that as making the movie entertaining. All in all, a great show. I recommend it.
Informative, But Very Depressing.......2007-01-03
It had no real climax or saving grace to save it from the depths of despair, but it did give insight to what Civil War prison camps were like. I wouldn't watch it again myself, simply because it was too sadistic at times for my tastes.
A disappointment: fails to live up to promise.......2006-07-26
I'm not a Civil War scholar, so I'll defer to reviewers with greater knowledge about the accuracy of what is portrayed in the film. As a film, however, this one is lacking in many ways, from hyper-melodramatic voice-overs to noticeably poor editing. When combined with inaccurate history, the disappointment is doubled. Andersonville was directed by John Frankenheimer, who created many good or great films, one of which, The Manchurian Candidate, is a masterpiece. With his resume, I have to believe that the intentions of the movie-makers were good, but the end product (a made-for-TV movie) reflects an inferior medium. A story as naturally powerful and important as Andersonville deserves a greater commitment to realism, and the drama should have been derived from historically accurate fact.
Instead, the drama was manufactured--history was dramatized. It's a film that deserves to be made again, re-written by someone with a commitment to accuracy and produced by a company more interested in the best available version of the truth than in pandering to an audience of supposed dullards with second-rate pap. When stories like Andersonville are not told with excellence, the fall into mediocrity is precipitous and leaves me feeling that the story should not have been filmed at all.
Great film.......2006-05-25
and it accurately depicts the Confederacy's disregard for human life. Let's get it straight, the Confederacy was fighting for state's rights... to own slaves and they just assumed treat the Union soldiers with the same contemp as slaves. If there's any doubt about the accuracy, visit the Andersonville memorial in Georgia. All those grave markers weren't made up as some southern historical revisionists would have you believe. And Frankehnheimer's audio commentary is great and provides insight into the making of the film and the many challenges for a complicated film setting and meteorological challenges. The North's gonna do it again! Heritage, not hate. Go Union. Best civil war production Ted Turner ever produced. Kinda long though and the ending left a feeling of no real resolution, but that's OK.
Who Looks Good in a Film about POW Camps?.......2006-04-22
After looking at some of the reviews, I'll admit I'm a bit confused. I think this was made AFTER Gettysburg so any motivation of remorse couldn't have had much to do with "Andersonville"....
As a younger Civil War/War of Northern Aggression student, I read MacKinlay Kantor's book "Andersonville" and while there is much vile to see in this film, it does show why the written word is still the most powerful weapon in war. Kantor's descriptions in writing defy depiction by even the most skilled set-dresser. And nobody, I mean nobody, Federal or Confederate, officer or enlisted man, young or old can come out a situation such as Andersonville looking particularly well--and the post-liberation photographs show it, just as do the post-liberation photographs of Auschwitz, Dachau, and Bergen-Belsen. The German film of the 1950s "The Doctor of Stalingrad" which purported to show conditions in a German POW camp in the Soviet Union after World War II, and the great film "Hart's War" depict relative Shangri-La conditions...
For someone who knows little about the POW situation during this great American conflict, I would recommend the DVD "Andersonville" but NOT in isolation. It must be tempered with a rounded knowledge of conditions in Northern Camps--which DO appear on the History Channel regularly...and recognition that after prisoner exchange was discontinued, nothing short of genocide on a fairly grand scale could result.
I recall a television documentary about the trial of the Andersonville Commander, whic starred of all people William Shatner--back in the 1970s or so...which I was quite impressed with and should be resurrected. But for the present, films such as "Andersonville" are replete with underlying messages about the horrors of war, that humans make war and then complain about the conditions which are inevitable, and that despite our intelligence we have not found an alternative to it--yet. If this film inspires one intellect to put his or her head to the solution of this problem, then there will be no more Andersonvilles....This film shows how easily humans who are civilized (we think) can descend into the psychosocial dynamics of the crowd, the group, the herd, plundering and devaluing of human life to that of mere livestock.
Average customer rating:
- Replaced my worn out disc.
- Slow start but funny movie
- Not Worth Your Time
- Laugh Out Loud
- A treat for a Saturday matinee
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Rat Race (Special Collector's Edition)
Starring: Breckin Meyer , Jenica Bergere , Cuba Gooding Jr. , Carrie Diamond , and Douglas Haase
Director: Jerry Zucker
Manufacturer: Paramount
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- It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
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- Bean: The Movie
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- Bruce Almighty (Widescreen Edition)
ASIN: B00005RYLX
Release Date: 2002-01-29 |
Amazon.com
Modeled after 1963's <I>It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World</I>, Jerry Zucker's <I>Rat Race</I> lacks the irreverence of Zucker's 1980 hit <I>Airplane!</I> but has enough chuckles to make it an agreeable time-killer. Like <I>Mad, Mad, Mad...</I>, it employs a huge ensemble of comedy stalwarts, assembled by an eccentric hotelier (pearly-toothed John Cleese) to race from Las Vegas to New Mexico for a $2 million jackpot. With a backstage gambling subplot, Rowan Atkinson's Italian-geek lunacy, Seth Green's slacker antics, and some nicely understated work from SCTV alumnus Dave Thomas, the movie has almost as many highlights as clunkers, and Zucker's embrace of easy gags and traditional slapstick will tickle anyone's old-fashioned funny bone. Other ingredients are hopelessly stale: Whoopi Goldberg's frantic mugging, Cuba Gooding's latter-day Stepin Fetchit, "mature" humor that compromises the movie's broad appeal, and the assumption that crashing vehicles are inherently hilarious. Lamentable decisions, perhaps, but <I>Rat Race</I> maintains a pleasantly altruistic spirit. <I>--Jeff Shannon</I>
Customer Reviews:
Replaced my worn out disc........2007-05-07
Loved the movie so much that we wore ours out, and we needed a new one. Fast delivery, so we are very happy.
Slow start but funny movie.......2007-01-23
I watched this movie because I was assured by someone whose judgment on comedy I trust implicitly that it was worth watching. Otherwise I almost surely would have given up, because it takes far too long for the story to get off the launchpad. (John Cleese and Dave Martin are both entirely wasted in their roles. A real shame.)
But when it does take off, it becomes a Roman candle and burns very brightly indeed. There's a certain scene where all of the dull preliminaries are clearly over, and you see a couple of knuckleheads come up with what must be one of the very worst examples of problem-solving in human history. The result wass (for me) beyond funny. It was nearly stroke-inducing, I laughed so hard. And in this scene, as with several others, it wasn't just the extreme gag (which was definitely funny), but also the performances from the actors, who strive to maintain calm in the face of the rising tide of chaos and insanity that is, after all, pretty much of their own making.
The movie continues to encounter a few bumps and drags even after it's gotten underway. There was one scene in particular (involving a Seinfeld alum) that my friend thought was priceless, but I felt like it was a rehash of a gag I'd seen several times before. When I saw the premise, I knew exactly how it would end up. But there were still plenty of solid laughs for me, and for the most part, once the film gets rolling, it maintains a furious comedic pace which at times reaches up and touches the truly manic. The screenwriters came up with some really original gags and then played them to the extreme.
The movie exhibited a curious symmetry in that the end was dull and mechanical and not at all funny, as if they felt the need to bring the movie back to the tedium of the beginning. But I'm talking about only the last brief scene. (Apparently the producer owed a favor to a lame 90's rock band.) It's just unfortunate that the movie ended with a clunk instead of a bang.
Not Worth Your Time.......2006-10-16
Vegas - a city where millions go hoping to get rich. And for nine lucky people, that just might come true. While playing the slots, each of these people won a special gold coin inviting them to lunch. At the lunch, they learn they have been selected to participate in a race for $2 million dollars. All they have to do is be the first to get to a locker in the train depot in Silver City, New Mexico.
Naturally, everyone is skeptical at first. But what if it is true? No one can walk away from that possibility, and they all begin to race for the money. But set backs in the form of airport closures, car wrecks, and cows stand in their way. Who will get there first?
The more important question to ask is, does the audience care? In my case, the answer is no. I kept watching, waiting for the movie to get better, but it never did. There were a few truly laugh out loud moments, but most of the movie fell flat.
The biggest problem it had is the lack of character development. With a running time of just under two hours, there isn't time to get to know all the characters. Since I didn't care, I didn't find their predicaments funny.
Then there is the climax. Instead of building on everything that had come before, it took a turn out of nowhere that wasn't even that funny. It was more of an anti-climax that really made me feel like I had wasted my time.
The few funny moments in this movie aren't worth watching the rest of the movie to see. Instead of wasting your time here, watch the classic that inspired it, IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD.
Laugh Out Loud.......2006-06-11
This movie is a hilarious laugh out loud movie - every second is filled with humor! The cast was amazing - everyone fit their roles. The movie is filled with wacky twists and turns, and the ending is something that no one expects. The theme song to go with the movie is very catchy, I loved it.
A treat for a Saturday matinee.......2006-05-14
Top comedians - Mr. Bean, John Cleese (Fawlty Towers), Whoophi Goldberg and Kathy Najimi(Sister Act), Cuba Gooding Jr. to name a few; plus a lot of actions and fast, rythmic songs to match with it, the movie offers a wonderful past time for a Saturday afternoon.
What I like best is the beginning, when the 6 groups knew of the race (very much like the reality show amazing race) to be the first to reach the 001 locker at a New Mexico train station for 2 million USD, they expressed disbelief and intention of not joining the race. How fast they changed their minds! The veteran comedians saved the movie from being a cliche.
Though the ending is formulaic, the story plot is not boring and the songs inspiring, especially the opening theme song. Among its kind, Rat Race manages to be refreshing and entertaining. Perfect for a matinee.
Average customer rating:
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Terror in the Family
Starring: Adam Hendershott , Joanna Kerns , Dan Lauria , Nan Martin , and Kathleen Wilhoite
Director: Gregory Goodell
Manufacturer: Platinum Disc
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- Freshman Fall
- The Killing Secret (True Stories Collection TV Movie)
ASIN: B000A59PZQ
Release Date: 2005-08-02 |
Customer Reviews:
dvd review.......2007-05-13
I love this movie. I watch it all the time. I love Hilary Swank she is a great actress.
Average customer rating:
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Rent Control
Starring: Andrew Kavovit , Melissa Joan Hart , Carmen Electra , and Ryan Browning
Director: David Eric Brenner
Manufacturer: Film Mates
ProductGroup: DVD
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- Sabrina, The Teenage Witch - The Complete First Season
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ASIN: B000H8RVSE
Release Date: 2006-10-17 |
Description
Holly (Melissa Joan Hart - Sabrina The Teenage Witch) arrives in New York City with spirit, spunk, sass, and the ambition to become a star. But life becomes complicated with some unexpected twists, and she soon realizes that it will take more than talent to realize her ambitions. So Holly juggles a job, acting tryouts, and the everyday challenges of life in the big city … all while searching to finally get her big break. It's a balancing act where she depends upon her boyfriend (Ryan Browning) and neighbor (Carmen Elektra) to help her get to the top. This boisterous, energetic, light-hearted comedy is a wonderful contemporary Cinderella tale.
Average customer rating:
- Replaced my worn out disc.
- Slow start but funny movie
- Not Worth Your Time
- Laugh Out Loud
- A treat for a Saturday matinee
|
Rat Race (2001) (Spec)
Starring: Breckin Meyer , Jenica Bergere , Cuba Gooding Jr. , Carrie Diamond , and Douglas Haase
Director: Jerry Zucker
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: Video
Binding: VHS Tape
Chapman, Lanei
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Similar Items:
- It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
- Johnny English (Widescreen Edition)
- Bean: The Movie
- Road Trip (Unrated Edition)
- Bruce Almighty (Widescreen Edition)
ASIN: B000065U5X
Release Date: 2002-07-02 |
Amazon.com
Modeled after 1963's <I>It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World</I>, Jerry Zucker's <I>Rat Race</I> lacks the irreverence of Zucker's 1980 hit <I>Airplane!</I> but has enough chuckles to make it an agreeable time-killer. Like <I>Mad, Mad, Mad...</I>, it employs a huge ensemble of comedy stalwarts, assembled by an eccentric hotelier (pearly-toothed John Cleese) to race from Las Vegas to New Mexico for a $2 million jackpot. With a backstage gambling subplot, Rowan Atkinson's Italian-geek lunacy, Seth Green's slacker antics, and some nicely understated work from SCTV alumnus Dave Thomas, the movie has almost as many highlights as clunkers, and Zucker's embrace of easy gags and traditional slapstick will tickle anyone's old-fashioned funny bone. Other ingredients are hopelessly stale: Whoopi Goldberg's frantic mugging, Cuba Gooding's latter-day Stepin Fetchit, "mature" humor that compromises the movie's broad appeal, and the assumption that crashing vehicles are inherently hilarious. Lamentable decisions, perhaps, but <I>Rat Race</I> maintains a pleasantly altruistic spirit. <I>--Jeff Shannon</I>
Customer Reviews:
Replaced my worn out disc........2007-05-07
Loved the movie so much that we wore ours out, and we needed a new one. Fast delivery, so we are very happy.
Slow start but funny movie.......2007-01-23
I watched this movie because I was assured by someone whose judgment on comedy I trust implicitly that it was worth watching. Otherwise I almost surely would have given up, because it takes far too long for the story to get off the launchpad. (John Cleese and Dave Martin are both entirely wasted in their roles. A real shame.)
But when it does take off, it becomes a Roman candle and burns very brightly indeed. There's a certain scene where all of the dull preliminaries are clearly over, and you see a couple of knuckleheads come up with what must be one of the very worst examples of problem-solving in human history. The result wass (for me) beyond funny. It was nearly stroke-inducing, I laughed so hard. And in this scene, as with several others, it wasn't just the extreme gag (which was definitely funny), but also the performances from the actors, who strive to maintain calm in the face of the rising tide of chaos and insanity that is, after all, pretty much of their own making.
The movie continues to encounter a few bumps and drags even after it's gotten underway. There was one scene in particular (involving a Seinfeld alum) that my friend thought was priceless, but I felt like it was a rehash of a gag I'd seen several times before. When I saw the premise, I knew exactly how it would end up. But there were still plenty of solid laughs for me, and for the most part, once the film gets rolling, it maintains a furious comedic pace which at times reaches up and touches the truly manic. The screenwriters came up with some really original gags and then played them to the extreme.
The movie exhibited a curious symmetry in that the end was dull and mechanical and not at all funny, as if they felt the need to bring the movie back to the tedium of the beginning. But I'm talking about only the last brief scene. (Apparently the producer owed a favor to a lame 90's rock band.) It's just unfortunate that the movie ended with a clunk instead of a bang.
Not Worth Your Time.......2006-10-16
Vegas - a city where millions go hoping to get rich. And for nine lucky people, that just might come true. While playing the slots, each of these people won a special gold coin inviting them to lunch. At the lunch, they learn they have been selected to participate in a race for $2 million dollars. All they have to do is be the first to get to a locker in the train depot in Silver City, New Mexico.
Naturally, everyone is skeptical at first. But what if it is true? No one can walk away from that possibility, and they all begin to race for the money. But set backs in the form of airport closures, car wrecks, and cows stand in their way. Who will get there first?
The more important question to ask is, does the audience care? In my case, the answer is no. I kept watching, waiting for the movie to get better, but it never did. There were a few truly laugh out loud moments, but most of the movie fell flat.
The biggest problem it had is the lack of character development. With a running time of just under two hours, there isn't time to get to know all the characters. Since I didn't care, I didn't find their predicaments funny.
Then there is the climax. Instead of building on everything that had come before, it took a turn out of nowhere that wasn't even that funny. It was more of an anti-climax that really made me feel like I had wasted my time.
The few funny moments in this movie aren't worth watching the rest of the movie to see. Instead of wasting your time here, watch the classic that inspired it, IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD.
Laugh Out Loud.......2006-06-11
This movie is a hilarious laugh out loud movie - every second is filled with humor! The cast was amazing - everyone fit their roles. The movie is filled with wacky twists and turns, and the ending is something that no one expects. The theme song to go with the movie is very catchy, I loved it.
A treat for a Saturday matinee.......2006-05-14
Top comedians - Mr. Bean, John Cleese (Fawlty Towers), Whoophi Goldberg and Kathy Najimi(Sister Act), Cuba Gooding Jr. to name a few; plus a lot of actions and fast, rythmic songs to match with it, the movie offers a wonderful past time for a Saturday afternoon.
What I like best is the beginning, when the 6 groups knew of the race (very much like the reality show amazing race) to be the first to reach the 001 locker at a New Mexico train station for 2 million USD, they expressed disbelief and intention of not joining the race. How fast they changed their minds! The veteran comedians saved the movie from being a cliche.
Though the ending is formulaic, the story plot is not boring and the songs inspiring, especially the opening theme song. Among its kind, Rat Race manages to be refreshing and entertaining. Perfect for a matinee.
Average customer rating:
- Replaced my worn out disc.
- Slow start but funny movie
- Not Worth Your Time
- Laugh Out Loud
- A treat for a Saturday matinee
|
Rat Race (2001)
Starring: Breckin Meyer , Jenica Bergere , Cuba Gooding Jr. , Carrie Diamond , and Douglas Haase
Director: Jerry Zucker
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: Video
Binding: VHS Tape
Chapman, Lanei
| ( C )
| Actors & Actresses
| VHS
| Video
Goldberg, Whoopi
| ( G )
| Actors & Actresses
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Green, Seth
| ( G )
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| VHS
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Harney, Corinna
| ( H )
| Actors & Actresses
| VHS
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| ( L )
| Actors & Actresses
| VHS
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Meyer, Breckin
| Mead to Mezzogiorno
| ( M )
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| ( N )
| Actors & Actresses
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| ( V )
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- It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
- Johnny English (Widescreen Edition)
- Bean: The Movie
- Road Trip (Unrated Edition)
- Bruce Almighty (Widescreen Edition)
ASIN: B00005RYRE
Release Date: 2002-01-29 |
Amazon.com
Modeled after 1963's <I>It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World</I>, Jerry Zucker's <I>Rat Race</I> lacks the irreverence of Zucker's 1980 hit <I>Airplane!</I> but has enough chuckles to make it an agreeable time-killer. Like <I>Mad, Mad, Mad...</I>, it employs a huge ensemble of comedy stalwarts, assembled by an eccentric hotelier (pearly-toothed John Cleese) to race from Las Vegas to New Mexico for a $2 million jackpot. With a backstage gambling subplot, Rowan Atkinson's Italian-geek lunacy, Seth Green's slacker antics, and some nicely understated work from SCTV alumnus Dave Thomas, the movie has almost as many highlights as clunkers, and Zucker's embrace of easy gags and traditional slapstick will tickle anyone's old-fashioned funny bone. Other ingredients are hopelessly stale: Whoopi Goldberg's frantic mugging, Cuba Gooding's latter-day Stepin Fetchit, "mature" humor that compromises the movie's broad appeal, and the assumption that crashing vehicles are inherently hilarious. Lamentable decisions, perhaps, but <I>Rat Race</I> maintains a pleasantly altruistic spirit. <I>--Jeff Shannon</I>
Customer Reviews:
Replaced my worn out disc........2007-05-07
Loved the movie so much that we wore ours out, and we needed a new one. Fast delivery, so we are very happy.
Slow start but funny movie.......2007-01-23
I watched this movie because I was assured by someone whose judgment on comedy I trust implicitly that it was worth watching. Otherwise I almost surely would have given up, because it takes far too long for the story to get off the launchpad. (John Cleese and Dave Martin are both entirely wasted in their roles. A real shame.)
But when it does take off, it becomes a Roman candle and burns very brightly indeed. There's a certain scene where all of the dull preliminaries are clearly over, and you see a couple of knuckleheads come up with what must be one of the very worst examples of problem-solving in human history. The result wass (for me) beyond funny. It was nearly stroke-inducing, I laughed so hard. And in this scene, as with several others, it wasn't just the extreme gag (which was definitely funny), but also the performances from the actors, who strive to maintain calm in the face of the rising tide of chaos and insanity that is, after all, pretty much of their own making.
The movie continues to encounter a few bumps and drags even after it's gotten underway. There was one scene in particular (involving a Seinfeld alum) that my friend thought was priceless, but I felt like it was a rehash of a gag I'd seen several times before. When I saw the premise, I knew exactly how it would end up. But there were still plenty of solid laughs for me, and for the most part, once the film gets rolling, it maintains a furious comedic pace which at times reaches up and touches the truly manic. The screenwriters came up with some really original gags and then played them to the extreme.
The movie exhibited a curious symmetry in that the end was dull and mechanical and not at all funny, as if they felt the need to bring the movie back to the tedium of the beginning. But I'm talking about only the last brief scene. (Apparently the producer owed a favor to a lame 90's rock band.) It's just unfortunate that the movie ended with a clunk instead of a bang.
Not Worth Your Time.......2006-10-16
Vegas - a city where millions go hoping to get rich. And for nine lucky people, that just might come true. While playing the slots, each of these people won a special gold coin inviting them to lunch. At the lunch, they learn they have been selected to participate in a race for $2 million dollars. All they have to do is be the first to get to a locker in the train depot in Silver City, New Mexico.
Naturally, everyone is skeptical at first. But what if it is true? No one can walk away from that possibility, and they all begin to race for the money. But set backs in the form of airport closures, car wrecks, and cows stand in their way. Who will get there first?
The more important question to ask is, does the audience care? In my case, the answer is no. I kept watching, waiting for the movie to get better, but it never did. There were a few truly laugh out loud moments, but most of the movie fell flat.
The biggest problem it had is the lack of character development. With a running time of just under two hours, there isn't time to get to know all the characters. Since I didn't care, I didn't find their predicaments funny.
Then there is the climax. Instead of building on everything that had come before, it took a turn out of nowhere that wasn't even that funny. It was more of an anti-climax that really made me feel like I had wasted my time.
The few funny moments in this movie aren't worth watching the rest of the movie to see. Instead of wasting your time here, watch the classic that inspired it, IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD.
Laugh Out Loud.......2006-06-11
This movie is a hilarious laugh out loud movie - every second is filled with humor! The cast was amazing - everyone fit their roles. The movie is filled with wacky twists and turns, and the ending is something that no one expects. The theme song to go with the movie is very catchy, I loved it.
A treat for a Saturday matinee.......2006-05-14
Top comedians - Mr. Bean, John Cleese (Fawlty Towers), Whoophi Goldberg and Kathy Najimi(Sister Act), Cuba Gooding Jr. to name a few; plus a lot of actions and fast, rythmic songs to match with it, the movie offers a wonderful past time for a Saturday afternoon.
What I like best is the beginning, when the 6 groups knew of the race (very much like the reality show amazing race) to be the first to reach the 001 locker at a New Mexico train station for 2 million USD, they expressed disbelief and intention of not joining the race. How fast they changed their minds! The veteran comedians saved the movie from being a cliche.
Though the ending is formulaic, the story plot is not boring and the songs inspiring, especially the opening theme song. Among its kind, Rat Race manages to be refreshing and entertaining. Perfect for a matinee.
Average customer rating:
- Civil War Prison Drama
- Informative, But Very Depressing
- A disappointment: fails to live up to promise
- Great film
- Who Looks Good in a Film about POW Camps?
|
Andersonville
Starring: Jarrod Emick , Frederic Forrest , Ted Marcoux , Carmen Argenziano , and Jayce Bartok
Director: John Frankenheimer
Manufacturer: Turner Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: Video
Binding: VHS Tape
Argenziano, Carmen
| ( A )
| Actors & Actresses
| VHS
| Video
Forrest, Frederic
| ( F )
| Actors & Actresses
| VHS
| Video
Henry, Justin
| ( H )
| Actors & Actresses
| VHS
| Video
Kamm, Kris
| ( K )
| Actors & Actresses
| VHS
| Video
Krupa, Olek
| ( K )
| Actors & Actresses
| VHS
| Video
Macy, William H
| Maberly to Mazzello
| ( M )
| Actors & Actresses
| VHS
| Video
Marcoux, Ted
| Maberly to Mazzello
| ( M )
| Actors & Actresses
| VHS
| Video
Mcgrath, Matt
| McAnally to McWilliams
| ( M )
| Actors & Actresses
| VHS
| Video
Murnik, Peter
| Muellerleile to Mynhardt
| ( M )
| Actors & Actresses
| VHS
| Video
Olds, Gabriel
| ( O )
| Actors & Actresses
| VHS
| Video
Sanderson, William
| ( S )
| Actors & Actresses
| VHS
| Video
Young, Cliff De
| ( Y )
| Actors & Actresses
| VHS
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Frankenheimer, John
| ( F )
| Directors
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General
| Drama
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Similar Items:
- Gettysburg (Widescreen Edition)
- Gods & Generals
- Glory
- Blue Vs. Gray - Killing Fields
- The Last Days of the Civil War (History Channel)
ASIN: 6304105436
Release Date: 1997-05-13 |
Description
They left the nightmare...and entered Hell. Captured Union soilders cope with life inside the Civil War's most notorious prisoner-of-war camp. A powerful, compeling tale of war and will, with Emmy Award-winning direction by John Frankenheimer and a cast including Frederic Forrest (Apocalypse Now) and William H. Macy (ER, Fargo) Year: 1996 Director: John Frankenheimer Starring: Jarrod Emick, Frederic Forrest, Ted Marcoux
Customer Reviews:
Civil War Prison Drama.......2007-05-27
"Andersonville" tells the story of the most infamous prison camp the Confederate Army had to offer during the Civil War. Inside prisoners had to deal with scurvy, vicious and corrupt guards, and gangs of killers and thieves, called the Raiders. Staying alive was hard, staying sane was nearly impossible. The cast can certainly be called ensemble, as there is no real primary character, though I guess Jarrod Emick as Josiah Day comes pretty close. I really liked Cliff De Young's Sgt. John Gleason, the escape mastermind. In a way this is more or less like any prison movie you've ever seen, there are the gangs, evil warden, and comraderance of the prisoners. It's "The Shawshank Redemption" for the Civil War. The film is roughly in three parts; the escape, the trial, and the survival. There is really little I can say to convey how powerful this film is, it must be experienced. The late great John Frankenheimer did an excellent job of showing how miserable the over crowded prison was, how terrible the rain and heat could have been. Sure there was a few parts that seemed to dramatic to be real, but I except that as making the movie entertaining. All in all, a great show. I recommend it.
Informative, But Very Depressing.......2007-01-03
It had no real climax or saving grace to save it from the depths of despair, but it did give insight to what Civil War prison camps were like. I wouldn't watch it again myself, simply because it was too sadistic at times for my tastes.
A disappointment: fails to live up to promise.......2006-07-26
I'm not a Civil War scholar, so I'll defer to reviewers with greater knowledge about the accuracy of what is portrayed in the film. As a film, however, this one is lacking in many ways, from hyper-melodramatic voice-overs to noticeably poor editing. When combined with inaccurate history, the disappointment is doubled. Andersonville was directed by John Frankenheimer, who created many good or great films, one of which, The Manchurian Candidate, is a masterpiece. With his resume, I have to believe that the intentions of the movie-makers were good, but the end product (a made-for-TV movie) reflects an inferior medium. A story as naturally powerful and important as Andersonville deserves a greater commitment to realism, and the drama should have been derived from historically accurate fact.
Instead, the drama was manufactured--history was dramatized. It's a film that deserves to be made again, re-written by someone with a commitment to accuracy and produced by a company more interested in the best available version of the truth than in pandering to an audience of supposed dullards with second-rate pap. When stories like Andersonville are not told with excellence, the fall into mediocrity is precipitous and leaves me feeling that the story should not have been filmed at all.
Great film.......2006-05-25
and it accurately depicts the Confederacy's disregard for human life. Let's get it straight, the Confederacy was fighting for state's rights... to own slaves and they just assumed treat the Union soldiers with the same contemp as slaves. If there's any doubt about the accuracy, visit the Andersonville memorial in Georgia. All those grave markers weren't made up as some southern historical revisionists would have you believe. And Frankehnheimer's audio commentary is great and provides insight into the making of the film and the many challenges for a complicated film setting and meteorological challenges. The North's gonna do it again! Heritage, not hate. Go Union. Best civil war production Ted Turner ever produced. Kinda long though and the ending left a feeling of no real resolution, but that's OK.
Who Looks Good in a Film about POW Camps?.......2006-04-22
After looking at some of the reviews, I'll admit I'm a bit confused. I think this was made AFTER Gettysburg so any motivation of remorse couldn't have had much to do with "Andersonville"....
As a younger Civil War/War of Northern Aggression student, I read MacKinlay Kantor's book "Andersonville" and while there is much vile to see in this film, it does show why the written word is still the most powerful weapon in war. Kantor's descriptions in writing defy depiction by even the most skilled set-dresser. And nobody, I mean nobody, Federal or Confederate, officer or enlisted man, young or old can come out a situation such as Andersonville looking particularly well--and the post-liberation photographs show it, just as do the post-liberation photographs of Auschwitz, Dachau, and Bergen-Belsen. The German film of the 1950s "The Doctor of Stalingrad" which purported to show conditions in a German POW camp in the Soviet Union after World War II, and the great film "Hart's War" depict relative Shangri-La conditions...
For someone who knows little about the POW situation during this great American conflict, I would recommend the DVD "Andersonville" but NOT in isolation. It must be tempered with a rounded knowledge of conditions in Northern Camps--which DO appear on the History Channel regularly...and recognition that after prisoner exchange was discontinued, nothing short of genocide on a fairly grand scale could result.
I recall a television documentary about the trial of the Andersonville Commander, whic starred of all people William Shatner--back in the 1970s or so...which I was quite impressed with and should be resurrected. But for the present, films such as "Andersonville" are replete with underlying messages about the horrors of war, that humans make war and then complain about the conditions which are inevitable, and that despite our intelligence we have not found an alternative to it--yet. If this film inspires one intellect to put his or her head to the solution of this problem, then there will be no more Andersonvilles....This film shows how easily humans who are civilized (we think) can descend into the psychosocial dynamics of the crowd, the group, the herd, plundering and devaluing of human life to that of mere livestock.
Average customer rating:
- Civil War Prison Drama
- Informative, But Very Depressing
- A disappointment: fails to live up to promise
- Great film
- Who Looks Good in a Film about POW Camps?
|
Andersonville
Starring: Jarrod Emick , Frederic Forrest , Ted Marcoux , Carmen Argenziano , and Jayce Bartok
Director: John Frankenheimer
Manufacturer: Turner Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: Video
Binding: VHS Tape
Argenziano, Carmen
| ( A )
| Actors & Actresses
| VHS
| Video
Forrest, Frederic
| ( F )
| Actors & Actresses
| VHS
| Video
Henry, Justin
| ( H )
| Actors & Actresses
| VHS
| Video
Kamm, Kris
| ( K )
| Actors & Actresses
| VHS
| Video
Krupa, Olek
| ( K )
| Actors & Actresses
| VHS
| Video
Macy, William H
| Maberly to Mazzello
| ( M )
| Actors & Actresses
| VHS
| Video
Marcoux, Ted
| Maberly to Mazzello
| ( M )
| Actors & Actresses
| VHS
| Video
Mcgrath, Matt
| McAnally to McWilliams
| ( M )
| Actors & Actresses
| VHS
| Video
Murnik, Peter
| Muellerleile to Mynhardt
| ( M )
| Actors & Actresses
| VHS
| Video
Olds, Gabriel
| ( O )
| Actors & Actresses
| VHS
| Video
Sanderson, William
| ( S )
| Actors & Actresses
| VHS
| Video
Young, Cliff De
| ( Y )
| Actors & Actresses
| VHS
| Video
Frankenheimer, John
| ( F )
| Directors
| VHS
| Video
General
| Drama
| Genres
| VHS
| Video
Deals Under $8
| Today's Deals in Video
| Features
| VHS
| Video
Deals Under $8
| Video Outlet
| Categories
| Amazon.com Outlet
| Amazon.com Stores
| us-stores
Similar Items:
- Gettysburg (Widescreen Edition)
- Gods & Generals
- Glory
- Blue Vs. Gray - Killing Fields
- The Last Days of the Civil War (History Channel)
ASIN: 6304105460
Release Date: 1997-05-13 |
Customer Reviews:
Civil War Prison Drama.......2007-05-27
"Andersonville" tells the story of the most infamous prison camp the Confederate Army had to offer during the Civil War. Inside prisoners had to deal with scurvy, vicious and corrupt guards, and gangs of killers and thieves, called the Raiders. Staying alive was hard, staying sane was nearly impossible. The cast can certainly be called ensemble, as there is no real primary character, though I guess Jarrod Emick as Josiah Day comes pretty close. I really liked Cliff De Young's Sgt. John Gleason, the escape mastermind. In a way this is more or less like any prison movie you've ever seen, there are the gangs, evil warden, and comraderance of the prisoners. It's "The Shawshank Redemption" for the Civil War. The film is roughly in three parts; the escape, the trial, and the survival. There is really little I can say to convey how powerful this film is, it must be experienced. The late great John Frankenheimer did an excellent job of showing how miserable the over crowded prison was, how terrible the rain and heat could have been. Sure there was a few parts that seemed to dramatic to be real, but I except that as making the movie entertaining. All in all, a great show. I recommend it.
Informative, But Very Depressing.......2007-01-03
It had no real climax or saving grace to save it from the depths of despair, but it did give insight to what Civil War prison camps were like. I wouldn't watch it again myself, simply because it was too sadistic at times for my tastes.
A disappointment: fails to live up to promise.......2006-07-26
I'm not a Civil War scholar, so I'll defer to reviewers with greater knowledge about the accuracy of what is portrayed in the film. As a film, however, this one is lacking in many ways, from hyper-melodramatic voice-overs to noticeably poor editing. When combined with inaccurate history, the disappointment is doubled. Andersonville was directed by John Frankenheimer, who created many good or great films, one of which, The Manchurian Candidate, is a masterpiece. With his resume, I have to believe that the intentions of the movie-makers were good, but the end product (a made-for-TV movie) reflects an inferior medium. A story as naturally powerful and important as Andersonville deserves a greater commitment to realism, and the drama should have been derived from historically accurate fact.
Instead, the drama was manufactured--history was dramatized. It's a film that deserves to be made again, re-written by someone with a commitment to accuracy and produced by a company more interested in the best available version of the truth than in pandering to an audience of supposed dullards with second-rate pap. When stories like Andersonville are not told with excellence, the fall into mediocrity is precipitous and leaves me feeling that the story should not have been filmed at all.
Great film.......2006-05-25
and it accurately depicts the Confederacy's disregard for human life. Let's get it straight, the Confederacy was fighting for state's rights... to own slaves and they just assumed treat the Union soldiers with the same contemp as slaves. If there's any doubt about the accuracy, visit the Andersonville memorial in Georgia. All those grave markers weren't made up as some southern historical revisionists would have you believe. And Frankehnheimer's audio commentary is great and provides insight into the making of the film and the many challenges for a complicated film setting and meteorological challenges. The North's gonna do it again! Heritage, not hate. Go Union. Best civil war production Ted Turner ever produced. Kinda long though and the ending left a feeling of no real resolution, but that's OK.
Who Looks Good in a Film about POW Camps?.......2006-04-22
After looking at some of the reviews, I'll admit I'm a bit confused. I think this was made AFTER Gettysburg so any motivation of remorse couldn't have had much to do with "Andersonville"....
As a younger Civil War/War of Northern Aggression student, I read MacKinlay Kantor's book "Andersonville" and while there is much vile to see in this film, it does show why the written word is still the most powerful weapon in war. Kantor's descriptions in writing defy depiction by even the most skilled set-dresser. And nobody, I mean nobody, Federal or Confederate, officer or enlisted man, young or old can come out a situation such as Andersonville looking particularly well--and the post-liberation photographs show it, just as do the post-liberation photographs of Auschwitz, Dachau, and Bergen-Belsen. The German film of the 1950s "The Doctor of Stalingrad" which purported to show conditions in a German POW camp in the Soviet Union after World War II, and the great film "Hart's War" depict relative Shangri-La conditions...
For someone who knows little about the POW situation during this great American conflict, I would recommend the DVD "Andersonville" but NOT in isolation. It must be tempered with a rounded knowledge of conditions in Northern Camps--which DO appear on the History Channel regularly...and recognition that after prisoner exchange was discontinued, nothing short of genocide on a fairly grand scale could result.
I recall a television documentary about the trial of the Andersonville Commander, whic starred of all people William Shatner--back in the 1970s or so...which I was quite impressed with and should be resurrected. But for the present, films such as "Andersonville" are replete with underlying messages about the horrors of war, that humans make war and then complain about the conditions which are inevitable, and that despite our intelligence we have not found an alternative to it--yet. If this film inspires one intellect to put his or her head to the solution of this problem, then there will be no more Andersonvilles....This film shows how easily humans who are civilized (we think) can descend into the psychosocial dynamics of the crowd, the group, the herd, plundering and devaluing of human life to that of mere livestock.
![Rat Race [Region 2]](http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/21EY2S6T8SL.jpg)
Average customer rating:
- Replaced my worn out disc.
- Slow start but funny movie
- Not Worth Your Time
- Laugh Out Loud
- A treat for a Saturday matinee
|
Rat Race [Region 2]
Starring: Breckin Meyer , Jenica Bergere , Cuba Gooding Jr. , Carrie Diamond , and Douglas Haase
Director: Jerry Zucker
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
General
| Comedy
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Chapman, Lanei
| ( C )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Goldberg, Whoopi
| ( G )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Green, Seth
| ( G )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Harney, Corinna
| ( H )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Lovitz, Jon
| ( L )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Meyer, Breckin
| ( M )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Najimy, Kathy
| ( N )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Vieluf, Vince
| ( V )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Zucker, Jerry
| ( Z )
| Directors
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| Comedy
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( R )
| Titles
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Similar Items:
- It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
- Johnny English (Widescreen Edition)
- Bean: The Movie
- Road Trip (Unrated Edition)
- Bruce Almighty (Widescreen Edition)
ASIN: B00006LSER |
Amazon.com
Modeled after 1963's <I>It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World</I>, Jerry Zucker's <I>Rat Race</I> lacks the irreverence of Zucker's 1980 hit <I>Airplane!</I> but has enough chuckles to make it an agreeable time-killer. Like <I>Mad, Mad, Mad...</I>, it employs a huge ensemble of comedy stalwarts, assembled by an eccentric hotelier (pearly-toothed John Cleese) to race from Las Vegas to New Mexico for a $2 million jackpot. With a backstage gambling subplot, Rowan Atkinson's Italian-geek lunacy, Seth Green's slacker antics, and some nicely understated work from SCTV alumnus Dave Thomas, the movie has almost as many highlights as clunkers, and Zucker's embrace of easy gags and traditional slapstick will tickle anyone's old-fashioned funny bone. Other ingredients are hopelessly stale: Whoopi Goldberg's frantic mugging, Cuba Gooding's latter-day Stepin Fetchit, "mature" humor that compromises the movie's broad appeal, and the assumption that crashing vehicles are inherently hilarious. Lamentable decisions, perhaps, but <I>Rat Race</I> maintains a pleasantly altruistic spirit. <I>--Jeff Shannon</I>
Customer Reviews:
Replaced my worn out disc........2007-05-07
Loved the movie so much that we wore ours out, and we needed a new one. Fast delivery, so we are very happy.
Slow start but funny movie.......2007-01-23
I watched this movie because I was assured by someone whose judgment on comedy I trust implicitly that it was worth watching. Otherwise I almost surely would have given up, because it takes far too long for the story to get off the launchpad. (John Cleese and Dave Martin are both entirely wasted in their roles. A real shame.)
But when it does take off, it becomes a Roman candle and burns very brightly indeed. There's a certain scene where all of the dull preliminaries are clearly over, and you see a couple of knuckleheads come up with what must be one of the very worst examples of problem-solving in human history. The result wass (for me) beyond funny. It was nearly stroke-inducing, I laughed so hard. And in this scene, as with several others, it wasn't just the extreme gag (which was definitely funny), but also the performances from the actors, who strive to maintain calm in the face of the rising tide of chaos and insanity that is, after all, pretty much of their own making.
The movie continues to encounter a few bumps and drags even after it's gotten underway. There was one scene in particular (involving a Seinfeld alum) that my friend thought was priceless, but I felt like it was a rehash of a gag I'd seen several times before. When I saw the premise, I knew exactly how it would end up. But there were still plenty of solid laughs for me, and for the most part, once the film gets rolling, it maintains a furious comedic pace which at times reaches up and touches the truly manic. The screenwriters came up with some really original gags and then played them to the extreme.
The movie exhibited a curious symmetry in that the end was dull and mechanical and not at all funny, as if they felt the need to bring the movie back to the tedium of the beginning. But I'm talking about only the last brief scene. (Apparently the producer owed a favor to a lame 90's rock band.) It's just unfortunate that the movie ended with a clunk instead of a bang.
Not Worth Your Time.......2006-10-16
Vegas - a city where millions go hoping to get rich. And for nine lucky people, that just might come true. While playing the slots, each of these people won a special gold coin inviting them to lunch. At the lunch, they learn they have been selected to participate in a race for $2 million dollars. All they have to do is be the first to get to a locker in the train depot in Silver City, New Mexico.
Naturally, everyone is skeptical at first. But what if it is true? No one can walk away from that possibility, and they all begin to race for the money. But set backs in the form of airport closures, car wrecks, and cows stand in their way. Who will get there first?
The more important question to ask is, does the audience care? In my case, the answer is no. I kept watching, waiting for the movie to get better, but it never did. There were a few truly laugh out loud moments, but most of the movie fell flat.
The biggest problem it had is the lack of character development. With a running time of just under two hours, there isn't time to get to know all the characters. Since I didn't care, I didn't find their predicaments funny.
Then there is the climax. Instead of building on everything that had come before, it took a turn out of nowhere that wasn't even that funny. It was more of an anti-climax that really made me feel like I had wasted my time.
The few funny moments in this movie aren't worth watching the rest of the movie to see. Instead of wasting your time here, watch the classic that inspired it, IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD.
Laugh Out Loud.......2006-06-11
This movie is a hilarious laugh out loud movie - every second is filled with humor! The cast was amazing - everyone fit their roles. The movie is filled with wacky twists and turns, and the ending is something that no one expects. The theme song to go with the movie is very catchy, I loved it.
A treat for a Saturday matinee.......2006-05-14
Top comedians - Mr. Bean, John Cleese (Fawlty Towers), Whoophi Goldberg and Kathy Najimi(Sister Act), Cuba Gooding Jr. to name a few; plus a lot of actions and fast, rythmic songs to match with it, the movie offers a wonderful past time for a Saturday afternoon.
What I like best is the beginning, when the 6 groups knew of the race (very much like the reality show amazing race) to be the first to reach the 001 locker at a New Mexico train station for 2 million USD, they expressed disbelief and intention of not joining the race. How fast they changed their minds! The veteran comedians saved the movie from being a cliche.
Though the ending is formulaic, the story plot is not boring and the songs inspiring, especially the opening theme song. Among its kind, Rat Race manages to be refreshing and entertaining. Perfect for a matinee.
Average customer rating:
- Replaced my worn out disc.
- Slow start but funny movie
- Not Worth Your Time
- Laugh Out Loud
- A treat for a Saturday matinee
|
Rat Race
Starring: Breckin Meyer , Jenica Bergere , Cuba Gooding Jr. , Carrie Diamond , and Douglas Haase
Director: Jerry Zucker
ProductGroup: Video
Binding: VHS Tape
General
| Action & Adventure
| Genres
| VHS
| Video
General
| Comedy
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| VHS
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Chapman, Lanei
| ( C )
| Actors & Actresses
| VHS
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Goldberg, Whoopi
| ( G )
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Green, Seth
| ( G )
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Harney, Corinna
| ( H )
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Lovitz, Jon
| ( L )
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Meyer, Breckin
| Mead to Mezzogiorno
| ( M )
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| Video
Najimy, Kathy
| ( N )
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Vieluf, Vince
| ( V )
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Zucker, Jerry
| ( Z )
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Similar Items:
- It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
- Johnny English (Widescreen Edition)
- Bean: The Movie
- Road Trip (Unrated Edition)
- Bruce Almighty (Widescreen Edition)
ASIN: B000068C39 |
Amazon.com
Modeled after 1963's <I>It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World</I>, Jerry Zucker's <I>Rat Race</I> lacks the irreverence of Zucker's 1980 hit <I>Airplane!</I> but has enough chuckles to make it an agreeable time-killer. Like <I>Mad, Mad, Mad...</I>, it employs a huge ensemble of comedy stalwarts, assembled by an eccentric hotelier (pearly-toothed John Cleese) to race from Las Vegas to New Mexico for a $2 million jackpot. With a backstage gambling subplot, Rowan Atkinson's Italian-geek lunacy, Seth Green's slacker antics, and some nicely understated work from SCTV alumnus Dave Thomas, the movie has almost as many highlights as clunkers, and Zucker's embrace of easy gags and traditional slapstick will tickle anyone's old-fashioned funny bone. Other ingredients are hopelessly stale: Whoopi Goldberg's frantic mugging, Cuba Gooding's latter-day Stepin Fetchit, "mature" humor that compromises the movie's broad appeal, and the assumption that crashing vehicles are inherently hilarious. Lamentable decisions, perhaps, but <I>Rat Race</I> maintains a pleasantly altruistic spirit. <I>--Jeff Shannon</I>
Customer Reviews:
Replaced my worn out disc........2007-05-07
Loved the movie so much that we wore ours out, and we needed a new one. Fast delivery, so we are very happy.
Slow start but funny movie.......2007-01-23
I watched this movie because I was assured by someone whose judgment on comedy I trust implicitly that it was worth watching. Otherwise I almost surely would have given up, because it takes far too long for the story to get off the launchpad. (John Cleese and Dave Martin are both entirely wasted in their roles. A real shame.)
But when it does take off, it becomes a Roman candle and burns very brightly indeed. There's a certain scene where all of the dull preliminaries are clearly over, and you see a couple of knuckleheads come up with what must be one of the very worst examples of problem-solving in human history. The result wass (for me) beyond funny. It was nearly stroke-inducing, I laughed so hard. And in this scene, as with several others, it wasn't just the extreme gag (which was definitely funny), but also the performances from the actors, who strive to maintain calm in the face of the rising tide of chaos and insanity that is, after all, pretty much of their own making.
The movie continues to encounter a few bumps and drags even after it's gotten underway. There was one scene in particular (involving a Seinfeld alum) that my friend thought was priceless, but I felt like it was a rehash of a gag I'd seen several times before. When I saw the premise, I knew exactly how it would end up. But there were still plenty of solid laughs for me, and for the most part, once the film gets rolling, it maintains a furious comedic pace which at times reaches up and touches the truly manic. The screenwriters came up with some really original gags and then played them to the extreme.
The movie exhibited a curious symmetry in that the end was dull and mechanical and not at all funny, as if they felt the need to bring the movie back to the tedium of the beginning. But I'm talking about only the last brief scene. (Apparently the producer owed a favor to a lame 90's rock band.) It's just unfortunate that the movie ended with a clunk instead of a bang.
Not Worth Your Time.......2006-10-16
Vegas - a city where millions go hoping to get rich. And for nine lucky people, that just might come true. While playing the slots, each of these people won a special gold coin inviting them to lunch. At the lunch, they learn they have been selected to participate in a race for $2 million dollars. All they have to do is be the first to get to a locker in the train depot in Silver City, New Mexico.
Naturally, everyone is skeptical at first. But what if it is true? No one can walk away from that possibility, and they all begin to race for the money. But set backs in the form of airport closures, car wrecks, and cows stand in their way. Who will get there first?
The more important question to ask is, does the audience care? In my case, the answer is no. I kept watching, waiting for the movie to get better, but it never did. There were a few truly laugh out loud moments, but most of the movie fell flat.
The biggest problem it had is the lack of character development. With a running time of just under two hours, there isn't time to get to know all the characters. Since I didn't care, I didn't find their predicaments funny.
Then there is the climax. Instead of building on everything that had come before, it took a turn out of nowhere that wasn't even that funny. It was more of an anti-climax that really made me feel like I had wasted my time.
The few funny moments in this movie aren't worth watching the rest of the movie to see. Instead of wasting your time here, watch the classic that inspired it, IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD.
Laugh Out Loud.......2006-06-11
This movie is a hilarious laugh out loud movie - every second is filled with humor! The cast was amazing - everyone fit their roles. The movie is filled with wacky twists and turns, and the ending is something that no one expects. The theme song to go with the movie is very catchy, I loved it.
A treat for a Saturday matinee.......2006-05-14
Top comedians - Mr. Bean, John Cleese (Fawlty Towers), Whoophi Goldberg and Kathy Najimi(Sister Act), Cuba Gooding Jr. to name a few; plus a lot of actions and fast, rythmic songs to match with it, the movie offers a wonderful past time for a Saturday afternoon.
What I like best is the beginning, when the 6 groups knew of the race (very much like the reality show amazing race) to be the first to reach the 001 locker at a New Mexico train station for 2 million USD, they expressed disbelief and intention of not joining the race. How fast they changed their minds! The veteran comedians saved the movie from being a cliche.
Though the ending is formulaic, the story plot is not boring and the songs inspiring, especially the opening theme song. Among its kind, Rat Race manages to be refreshing and entertaining. Perfect for a matinee.
Actor:
- Andrew Shue
- Andy Garcia Image Gallery
- Andy Gibb
- Andy Griffith
- Anthony Edwards
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