Bill Murray

Average customer rating:

Plenty of truly funny moments, plus it has some heart
Great camp
INFORMATION ABOUT THE 2007 SPECIAL EDITION
BOUGHT AS A GIFT
Brad

Meatballs (Special Edition) [Region 99]
Starring: Bill Murray , Harvey Atkin , Kate Lynch , Russ Banham , and Kristine DeBell
Director: Ivan Reitman
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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Domestic Comedies | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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Fletch (The "Jane Doe" Edition)
My Bodyguard
Seinfeld - Season 8 [Region 99]
Ghost Rider (Two-Disc Extended Cut) [Region 99]
Fantastic Four - Extended Cut (Two-Disc Special Edition)

ASIN: B000OMD3K8
Release Date: 2007-06-05

Amazon.com

Decades before he was winning accolades for his work in Lost in Translation and Rushmore, Bill Murray was making moviegoers snicker with his breakthrough comedy Meatballs. This film--which was released theatrically in 1979--stars a 29-year-old Murray as a horny camp counselor named Tripper Harrison, who is just barely more mature than the kids he's looking after. Tripper seems like a screw up because he is, but the audience sees soon enough that he has that proverbial heart of gold, which is offset by an acerbic tongue. Looking over one of the unhappy children in his charge, Tripper says, "You must be the short, depressed kid we ordered." Camp North Star isn't the type of destination kids dream about during the school year. As envisioned by director Ivan Reitman (who would again collaborate with Murray in Ghostbusters), it's a place where kids do their time until their parents let them return home. But in his own way, Tripper makes it a fun place for the kids to learn about the opposite sex and get a feeing for competition. Unlike Little Darlings, the coming-of-age camping film starring Kristy McNichol and Tatum O'Neal that was released a year later, there really isn't a strong moral to this film. But there is a sense that thanks to Tripper's unorthodox madness, he makes Camp North Star a place that kids want to return to the following year. While not as self-assured as he would be in a smaller role in 1980's Caddyshack, Murray is highly likeable here as an overgrown doof.

On the DVD
In the special edition version of this DVD, the extra features include some insight into Murray, who is somewhat elusive about committing to film projects. Reitman reveals that he actually wasn't sure Murray (who wasn't a big name back then) was on board for Meatballs until he showed up for filming the first week. Interestingly enough, this comedy originally was supposed to focus its attention on several camp counselors, but Murray was so good in his role that the plot was adjusted to focus primarily on Tripper. Also included is a three-part "making of" featurette that includes insight into casting, the use of real campers because they didn't have enough money to pay for extras, and interviews with some of the cast members. --Jae-Ha Kim

Stills from Meatballs (click for larger image) <table border="0" cellpadding="4" width="100%" cellspacing="4">

</tr> </table> Beyond Meatballs at Amazon.com <table border="0" cellpadding="4" width="100%" cellspacing="4">

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Get Ready for Camp</td>

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Comedies about Underdogs </td>

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Product Description

Set at a low-end summer camp and aimed squarely at a teen audience, Meatballs is a light screwball comedy that turned its low-budget Canadian roots into a very profitable box-office run. The biggest reason for the film's success is Bill Murray who stars as Tripper, the head counselor who runs things at Camp Northstar with the help of his love interest Roxanne (Kate Lynch) and the camp's director Morty (Harvey Atkins), who is affectionately known as Mickey. Camp opens with Tripper and Morty preparing the misfit counselors-in-training — Spaz, Fink, Crockett, A.L., Candace, Wendy, and Wheels among them — for the arrival of their hyperactive little charges. After settling in, kids and counselors begin their activities with a soccer game in which depressed 11-year-old Rudy (Chris Makepeace) accidentally loses the game. Cast out by the other children, Rudy runs away only to come across Tripper, who befriends the boy and makes him his running partner. Romance, sexy fun, and comic hijinx — usually with the heavy-sleeping Morty as their target — lead up to an annual Olympiad in which Camp Northstar battles the wealthier and athletically superior residents of Camp Mohawk. The challenging events include cup stacking, potato-sack racing, and a nauseating hot dog-eating contest in which the portly Fink devours his way to victory. With the two-day event tied up, it comes down to the cross-country run, in which Tripper enters Rudy. Meatballs was the first major directorial effort by multi-talented filmmaker Ivan Reitman, whose name has since become synonymous with the comedy genre.

Customer Reviews:

Plenty of truly funny moments, plus it has some heart.......2007-06-19

Although neither Jason Alexander nor Holly Hunter appeared, this movie is still an extreme camp classic enjoyable at nearly any age.

Also, did I see a young Will Ferrell in there during the hot dog eating contest?

Great camp.......2007-06-08

Wild! Camp humor, Murrey is the best hear couselor! About time it was made on dvd, thank you.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE 2007 SPECIAL EDITION .......2007-06-01

Update: Just received mine last week (6/14/07) and it is ONE disc, not two. Picture quality is BEAUTIFUL! The night scenes are actually not one big black blob!

Just an update on the 2007 2-disc Special Edition of Meatballs, since Amazon is not providing any information and all the reviews on this page deal with the less than stellar previous dvd release. The 2007 Special Edition is digitally remastered in Widescreen 1.85:1 Color (Anamorphic). It is in 5.1 Dolby Digital Stereo [CC] and it features subtitles in English, Spanish and French.

DVD Features:
- Commentary with Director Ivan Reitman
- "Summer Camp: The Making of Meatballs" Featurette

Amazingly, no theatrical trailer is included. Also available in Blu-Ray.

Technical Specs:
- Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 - Digitally Re-mastered
- Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1

BOUGHT AS A GIFT.......2007-05-14

THIS IS A HARD TO FIND ITEM. I WAS VERY HAPPY TO SEE THAT AMAZON COULD GET IT.IT IS GREAT.

Brad.......2007-04-07

Great movie from the past... very well worth any price .. Kids will love this crazy summer camp movie ...Staring Bill Murry,and a great cast .. A MUST HAVE !!! for all movie fans of all ages ...

Average customer rating:

Still can't bring myself to watch
THE QUINTESSENTIAL(TOILET HUMOR)COMEDY FILM.
Husband Loves It.
WOW DANG ONE OF THE BEST TV DVD-MOVE FOR SHORE EVER DONE
Rodney's funniest movie

Caddyshack
Starring: Chevy Chase , Rodney Dangerfield , Ted Knight , Michael O'Keefe , and Bill Murray
Director: Harold Ramis
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

National Lampoon's Animal House (Widescreen Double Secret Probation Edition)
Blazing Saddles (30th Anniversary Special Edition)
Stripes (Unrated Extended Cut) [Region 99]
The Blues Brothers (Widescreen 25th Anniversary Edition)
Airplane! (Don't Call Me Shirley! Edition)

ASIN: B00004RF8A
Release Date: 2000-04-04

Description

The greenskeeper is about to start World War III - against a gopher. The judge plays to win but his nubile niece has her mind set on scoring her own way. The playboy shoots perfect golf by pretending he is the ball. And the country club loudmouth just doubled a $20,000 bet on a 10-foot putt. Insanity? No. Caddyshack. Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight and Bill Murray tee off for a side-splitting round of fairway foolishness that does for golf what Animal House did for college fraternities and Police Academy did for law enforcement.

Customer Reviews:

Still can't bring myself to watch.......2007-06-09

To this day I cannot bring myself to watch this movie.

THE QUINTESSENTIAL(TOILET HUMOR)COMEDY FILM........2007-05-13

Ahhh... CaddyShack! Whenever I am down or bored there is no better "pick me up" than a dose of this classic endearing little comedy. The cast is great and seem to be having a ball in this low brow,but extremely funny film. Dangerfield, Murray, Knight and Chase are at their comedic best. The entire cast is way above average in the hilarious "never been duplicated" movie. A must have for your DVD collection.

Husband Loves It........2007-05-12

I bought it for my husband for Christmas because he loves it so much. I enjoyed it a little. It's dumb funny so if you love that type of movie, this is a good one to watch.

WOW DANG ONE OF THE BEST TV DVD-MOVE FOR SHORE EVER DONE.......2007-05-08

NOW I COULD EASYLY SAY THIS WILL GO DOWN AS ONE OF THE GRATEST MOVE EVER MADE IN THE WORLD THAT IS SO FOR SHORE & THAT IS PUTTING IT LIGHTLY

Rodney's funniest movie.......2007-04-25

Rodney Dangerfield stole the show from a cast of some of the best comedic talent of the day. Ted Knight (uptight as always), Chevy Chase (in his days when he could pull off "sexy"), and Bill Murray being just plain weird (and oh, so funny at it), all took backstage to Rodney the great. The entire cast contributed heavily to the movie, a rarity in "mega-star" mega movies.

The movie works best if you are inebriated or just plain stoned, although it was so well-crafted that you could (in theory) watch it with your straight-laced friends and still get quite a few laughs out of them. The movie in unabashedly sophomoric, (ala Animal House, and the later Back to School). It is a classic comedy because it succeeded where so many imitations fail: They actually hired professional writers - and (get this) paid them! Unlike too many recent attempts to get guys to come see a cheap comedy with cheap laughs and the promise of naked (or nearly naked) "hot chicks" this cheap movie serves up an abundance of cheap laughs and the occasional hottie, but does so with expert direction and actually very good acting considering the movie has no real Oscar[tm] aspirations.

Don't try to watch this with your uptight roommate or anyone who is over the age of 40 (damn! That excludes me too!) You will just ruin your own fun. Buy them a Lawrence Welk VHS tape (Google him if you have to) and grab a few Baby Ruth's and some pizza for a good night's worth of just plain dumb (and high-quality) laughs.

Average customer rating:

Like the movie...not the singing
The second best musical of all times
Funny with a great Soundtrack!
Humorously Devious
Great Service

Little Shop of Horrors
Starring: Rick Moranis , Ellen Greene , Vincent Gardenia , Steve Martin , and Tichina Arnold
Director: Frank Oz
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

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( L ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Widescreen Edition)
Little Shop Of Horrors (1986 Film)
Little Shop of Horrors (2003 Broadway Revival Cast)
The Little Shop of Horrors
BEETLEJUICE (DVD)

ASIN: B00004RF8J
Release Date: 2000-05-23

Amazon.com essential video

The off-Broadway comedy-horror-musical hit that ran for years makes a successful transfer to film with a bevy of big-name cameos and two perfectly cast leads. Rick Moranis is the nebbish Seymour, who pines for flower-girl Audrey (Ellen Greene) while living in the basement of florist Mr. Mushnik (Vincent Gardenia). Things start turning around for Seymour, though, after he buys a little plant during a solar eclipse, christens it Audrey II, and discovers that it likes to drink blood. Soon enough, though, Seymour finds out that Audrey II, now grown to epic proportions, is in actuality a "mean green mother from outer space" that is hell-bent on world domination. Based on the 1960 Roger Corman cheapie that featured a young Jack Nicholson, Little Shop boasts a hilarious, amazing score by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, who would go on to revitalize Disney's animation arm with The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. Greene, the lone holdover from the original cast, is a ravishing, goofy Audrey, whose awkward demeanor belies a voice that could knock Ethel Merman off her feet. She's ably matched by Moranis, whose lack of a singing voice is perfectly in sync with Seymour's nerdiness. And Levi Stubbs Jr. of the Four Tops provides the lowdown, nasty-minded voice of Audrey II; his rendition of the Oscar-nominated "Mean Green Mother from Outer Space" is a showstopper. As for those celebrity cameos, Steve Martin's sadistic dentist is a masterful creation, as is Bill Murray's masochistic patient; John Candy, James Belushi, and Christopher Guest also pop up. And there was never a lovelier and funkier Greek chorus than the three Motown-fueled girls (Tichina Arnold, Michelle Weeks, and Tisha Campbell) who appear throughout the film. --Mark Englehart

Customer Reviews:

Like the movie...not the singing.......2007-05-18

This is a pretty good movie, except for all the singing....I know it's that type of movie, but I don't care for it. But I love the plot!

The second best musical of all times.......2007-05-15

I first saw this when I was about 12. I hated it at first because I wasn't mature enough to watch it with out having nightmares. Luckely after occasionaly watching it over a period of about two years I final was able to to watch the whole movie from beginiing to end without stopping except for bathroom breaks. If you saw the original black and white version of this made in the sixties and the off brodway play which ran four about four years in New York. I also thought I would inform you that the whole alternate first ending is not include on this dvd. The al;ternate nding was only avilable for about the first three days the dvd was avilable for sale on line and in stores when it first came out. Unfortunately Mr. Griffen had not given approval to have the alternate ending included on the dvd so only fragments of it remain on the second release of it. When young rick morransis discovers a mystery planet trouble some comes up. Can rick tame this blood thirst monster will he is forced to murder to feed it;s growing hunger. I also thought I'd inform you that two of the members of this cast are currently decased. John Candy died from a heart prtoblem I belive it was shorly after his role as Barf in spaceballs the famous spoof of the starwars triology that came out after this. In addition shortly before the dvd release vincent Garden also passed away. Can seymor control this monster of nature and what fate lies in store for the human race. Find out in thrilling action packed hillarious finally. This movie should be fine for kids 13 and up due to mild gory images mild rude humor mild violence in a couple of parts, intensity and occasional inapropriate language at the begining, middle and the end of the movie.

Funny with a great Soundtrack!.......2007-04-06

I'm not crazy about musicals, but if the music's right and the story's tight, then I can be sold. I fell in love with this movie when I first saw it and I still love it today. I also admire the original by Roger Corman. Who can resist a giant wise cracking plant that eats people and sings! Gotta love it.

Humorously Devious.......2007-03-23

I have nothing but respect for the puppeteers who controlled dear Audrey II. That plant ran the show, no doubt about it.

As musicals go this is one of the greatest, only second to Rocky Horror.

Rick Moranis is brilliant, and Ellen Greene has such an amazingly deep voice for such a tiny woman.

The three women singing throughout the movie gave me chills with every note. The vocal in this film are surprising and beautiful.

The story itself is brilliantly funny and horrific, it will have you laughing and cowering at the same time.

A true classic and worth watching...again, and again and again.

Great Service.......2007-03-22

I ordered the dvd and within the week it was already in my mail box, it was fine and we watch it all the time A+!

Average customer rating:

Hilarious! Absolutely Fantastic!
Just because it was good then doesnt mean its good now
SPLATSTICK AT IT'S GORIEST!!!!!!!!
Few (if any) zombie films are more entertaining. None are more gory.
Comedy and violence dont go hand in hand

Dead Alive
Starring: Timothy Balme , Jed Brophy , Stuart Devenie , Silvio Fumularo , and Murray Keane
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Bad Taste
The Evil Dead
Dawn of the Dead (Ultimate Edition)
Evil Dead II (Special Edition)
Zombi 2 (25th Anniversary Special Edition 2-Disc Set)

ASIN: 157362408X
Release Date: 1998-09-09

Amazon.com essential video

If you're not a connoisseur of graphic horror and gruesome gore, you'd better steer clear of this wicked 1992 horror-comedy from the demented mind and delirious camera of New Zealand-born writer-director Peter Jackson. However, if nonstop mayhem and extreme violence are your idea of great entertainment, you're sure to appreciate Jackson's gleefully inventive approach to a story that can judiciously be described as sick, twisted, and totally outrageous. The movie's central character is a poor schmuck named Lionel who's practically enslaved to his domineering mother. But when ol' Mum gets bitten by a rare and poisonous rat monkey from Skull Island and is turned into a flesh-eating zombie, Lionel has the unfortunate task of keeping Mama happy while fending off all the other zombies that result from her voracious feeding frenzies. If you've read this far, you'll either be crying out for censorship or eagerly awaiting your first viewing (or second, or third...) of this wildly clever and audaciously uninhibited movie. And while director Jackson would later achieve critical success with his fact-based drama Heavenly Creatures, his talent is readily evident in this earlier effort. If you find this kind of thing even remotely appealing, consider Dead Alive a must-see movie. --Jeff Shannon

Amazon.com

Peter Jackson proves that if gory is funny, then excessive gory is downright hysterical. As our hapless hero wades through an ankle-deep puddle of blood and entrails, brandishing a lawnmower like a portable Cuisinart at the climax of this zombie-fest, you'll either be screaming with laughter or fleeing in disgust. Timothy Balme stars as the shy mama's boy Lionel, whose controlling shrew of a mother (Elizabeth Moody) starts rotting away, literally, with a vague supernatural disease. Mother dies but refuses to stay down, rising as a flesh-eating zombie infecting everyone she bites. Lionel tries to hide her in the basement, but the victims keep piling up and finally break out when Lionel's blackmailing uncle (a grotesque, leering Ian Watkin) throws a party in the house. It's snack time as the guests become undead hors d'oeuvres and rise again as hungry soldiers of the new zombie army marching on Lionel and his girl Pacquita (the lovely Diana Penalver). New Zealand goremeister Jackson pulls out all stops in this truly outrageous sanguinary comedy, from gross-out gags of oozing puss and rotting body parts at a formal dinner to slapstick antics as Lionel tries to keep his flesh-hungry mother sedated during the funeral to the final Freudian showdown between a now-monstrous mother and the newly liberated Lionel. If you like your horror with a sense of humor or your comedy with gristle, then wade through this taboo-busting bucket of blood. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

Hilarious! Absolutely Fantastic!.......2007-06-20

I purchased this movie based on all the good reviews and we are definately not disappointed. My boyfriend and I absolutely loved it! It had an interesting plot line and the zombie gore was very original. The way the zombies looked, the things they did and the way they were killed was great! I'm sorry I can't tell you any more without giving anything away. If you like zombies and comedy, I would highly recommend this movie. We are still talking about it!

Just because it was good then doesnt mean its good now.......2007-06-13

If you are a fan of modern zombie movies IE actually make sense and arent slap stick comedies then dont waste your time here. This movie was a joke, im sad i bought it.

SPLATSTICK AT IT'S GORIEST!!!!!!!!.......2007-06-09

I am ashamed to admitt that(being the horror buff that I am) up until about a year ago I have never heard of this movie!! I new Peter Jackson made a few horror films before L.O.T.R., and had seen The Frighteners, and heard about his first film, Bad Taste. I had heard about this movie from a friend then seen it reviewed on BRAVO'S Even Scairer Movie Moments so I decided to pick it up. Boy, was I ever blown away!! This has to be one of the goriest movies ever made. The catch is it's not realistic nor is it exploitive, what it is is the text-book definition of splatstick horror comedy. If you loved "The Evil Dead 2" then you absolutly MUST see this movie The violence and gore in Dead Alive(and there is more than you could ever imagine) are used to compilment the humor. I'm not into giving spoilers so I'll give a brief overview. Lionel is a very repressed person. One day Lionel is at the zoo with a girl he is sweet on and his very overbearing mother. His mother is bitten by the dreaded Sumatran Rat Monkey and soon dies, but what kind of horror movie would this be if she were to stay dead. It's pretty easy to see what happens next, mother returns, Lionel tries to hide her, she bites and infects others. The result is the goriest sluaghterfest ever put to film. What can I do for not seeing this gem sooner? Watching everyday would certainly not be a crime!!!

Few (if any) zombie films are more entertaining. None are more gory........2007-06-04

The goriest film ever made is like a big roller coaster: it will be a fun ride for most but it will make some nauseus.

This is one of those very few films that grabs you in the opening sequence and refuses to let go until the credits roll. Dead Alive ABSOLUTELY refuses to compromise. There is no such thing as too gross in this film: Needle in the brain, puss in pudding, guts that turn into some creature of its own, lost arms and/or legs, deformed zombie child, and much, much more. You name it, they got it.

But don't let all of the grossness deceive you. If you know that all of it is special effects, it actually is a very fun ride.

This is a film that most people, especially men, can enjoy (an obvious exception being very small children). What makes this film work, more than anything else, is feeling that the people who made it had a fun time making it. And that's what really counts.

Comedy and violence dont go hand in hand.......2007-06-01

The appeal of this movie would depend on how much "life" you got. This does not look like a film by the Peter Jackson we have come to know from LOTR. The violence and gore gets so outrages, you become numb after some time.

Groundhog Day (Special Edition) [Region 99]

Average customer rating:

great comedy with empathy
Good Stuff
FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY!
FUNNY
Hilarious!!

Groundhog Day (Special Edition) [Region 99]
Starring: Carol Bivins , Ken Hudson Campbell , Brian Doyle-Murray , Rick Ducommun , and Robin Duke
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

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What About Bob?
Scrooged
Back to the Future - The Complete Trilogy (Widescreen Edition)
Forrest Gump (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)
Airplane! (Don't Call Me Shirley! Edition)

ASIN: B00005U8EM
Release Date: 2002-01-29

Amazon.com

Bill Murray does warmth in his most consistently effective post-Stripes comedy, a romantic fantasy about a wacky weatherman forced to relive one strange day over and over again, until he gets it right. Snowed in during a road-trip expedition to watch the famous groundhog encounter his shadow, Murray falls into a time warp that is never explained but pays off so richly that it doesn't need to be. The elaborate loop-the-loop plot structure cooked up by screenwriter Danny Rubin is crystal-clear every step of the way, but it's Murray's world-class reactive timing that makes the jokes explode, and we end up looking forward to each new variation. He squeezes all the available juice out of every scene. Without forcing the issue, he makes us understand why this fly-away personality responds so intensely to the radiant sanity of the TV producer played by Andie MacDowell. The blissfully clueless Chris Elliott (Cabin Boy) is Murray's nudnik cameraman. --David Chute

Product Description

Bill Murray at his wry, wisecracking best in this riotous romantic comedy about a weatherman caught in a personal time warp on the worst day of his life.

Teamed with a relentlessly cheerful producer (Andie MacDowell) and a smart-aleck cameraman (Chris Elliott), TV weatherman Phil Connors (Bill Murray) is sent to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to cover the annual Groundhog Day festivities. After a surprise blizzard traps him in small-town hell, things get even worse; Phil wakes the next morning to find it's Groundhog Day all over again... and again... and again.

System Requirements:
Starring: Bill Murray, Chris Elliott, and Andie MacDowell.
Directed By: Harold Ramis.
Running Time: 101 Min., Color.
This film is presented in "Widescreen" format.
Copyright 2002 Columbia TriStar.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

great comedy with empathy.......2007-05-20

One of Bill Murrays best. Great Harold Ramis direction. One for the collector's shelf

Good Stuff.......2007-05-07

We should all be so lucky as to have our own personal groundhog day.

FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY!.......2007-03-26

I watch this movie every Groundhog Day with my wife. Goundhog Day just happens to be her birthday and she loves this movie! A smart funny romantic comedy with Murry at his comedic best. The DVD is a good transfer and should be in everyones collection.

FUNNY.......2007-03-14

One of the funniest movies I have ever seen! Also, one of the best movies I have ever seen. Great Movie. No flaws.

Hilarious!!.......2007-03-13

This is one of the funniest movies you're going to see...but it's also got some thoughtful messages about life. Some of the funniest scenes are when Murray's character realizes he not only can't get out of Groundhog's Day, but there are no consequences to his actions, because he keeps waking up to the same day. What follows is a hilarious string of self-destructive situations...just how many ways CAN a person try to kill themselves?! My personal favorite scene is in the diner, where Murray gorges on every artery clogging breakfast treat, while smoking a cigarette...gluttony at it's best! As the movie moves along and he tires of his self-descructive attitude, Murray's character starts to explore the possibilities of having unlimited time to do all the things a person would ever want to do and how much more meaningful it is to be kind instead of cruel. Interesting twist...while being lots of fun.

Average customer rating:

I'm Waiting...
Great movie, greater meaning behind it.
Tootsie
Tootsie never gets old
HOFFMAN WAS ROBBED !

Tootsie [Region 99]
Starring: Doris Belack , Dabney Coleman , Geena Davis , Charles Durning , and Ellen Foley
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Kramer vs. Kramer [Region 99]
9 to 5 - Sexist, Egotistical, Lying Hypocritical Bigot Edition - Widescreen
The Graduate
Annie Hall
Mrs. Doubtfire

ASIN: B00003CXD0
Release Date: 2001-05-29

Amazon.com

One of the touchstone movies of the 1980s, Tootsie stars Dustin Hoffman as an out-of-work actor who disguises himself as a dowdy, middle-aged woman to get a part on a hit soap opera. The scheme works, but while he/she keeps up the charade, Hoffman's character comes to see life through the eyes of the opposite sex. The script by Larry Gelbart (with Murray Schisgal) is a winner, and director Sydney Pollack brings taut proficiency to the comedy and sensitivity to the relationship nuances that emerge from Hoffman's drag act. Great supporting work from Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman, Charles Durning, Bill Murray, and pre-stardom Geena Davis. But the film finally belongs to Hoffman, who seems to connect with the character at a very deep and abiding level. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

I'm Waiting..........2007-06-22

The only thing this movie lacks is a deluxe edition on DVD with commentaries, featurettes, interviews, etc., etc. This is classic comedy, well deserving of its status. So why is the DVD release a bare-bones one with only chapter selection, trailer and printed cast bios the only bonus features? Then again it's not now generally available, which probably means an anniversary edition is in the offing and I've wasted my money buying the currently almost-available version. It's a gem and yes, Dustin Hoffman was robbed. He should have had the Oscar for best actor...or even best actress...no matter who the competition was!

Great movie, greater meaning behind it........2007-06-21

Tootsie is a great movie. I loved it as a kid and will still watch it anytime it's on. Dustin Hoffman played Dorothy which such class and he recently elaborated on why he took the part on AFI's 100 Years/100 Films special. He said to his wife that he had to play the part and she asked why. He said because he would make an "interesting looking" woman and he began to realize all of the wonderful women he never had a chance to know in his life because of their interesting appearances and just dismissing them, as Dorothy was dimissed. He was almost in tears as he said this, which teared me up. It's THAT passion that he put into the character of Dorothy and made the story so much more than the script intended.

Tootsie.......2007-05-12

Tootsie is an extremely funny, well-made movie for ages 15 and up. It is an inside look at acting and the acting market as well as a look at people and life itself. The acting and direction are top rate; the pace is non-stop. The story involves a talented actor (Dustin Hoffman) who cannot find work until he makes an impulsive and desperate decision. This decision forces him to look not only at how people treat other people, but also how HE has been treating people in his life.

Tootsie never gets old.......2007-04-03

I saw this movie when it came out in the 80s and loved it. I hadn't seen it in years and have a 15 year old son now, so I bought it to share with him. He laughed all the way through it as I still do. Tootsie never ages- fun and entertaining then and now.

HOFFMAN WAS ROBBED !.......2007-03-27

This is one of the greatest comedies ever made! Hoffman is so convincing that you forget sometimes he isn't a woman. I almost think they gave him an Oscar for "Rain Man" because he was robbed for this film! The whole cast is excellent especially Murry. Don't miss this one...it will zap you in the pah-doo-bees! It deserves a deluxe treament DVD release.

The Royal Tenenbaums (The Criterion Collection)

Average customer rating:

What is it with these movies?
oh criterion
Too Sad To Be Funny, Too Funny To Be Sad
Hillarious, Intelligent, Quirky
Straight to the point

The Royal Tenenbaums (The Criterion Collection)
Starring: Aram Aslanian-Persico , Alec Baldwin , Seymour Cassel , James Fitzgerald (II) , and Danny Glover
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
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Rushmore
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - Criterion Collection (2-Disc Special Edition)
Bottle Rocket
Lost in Translation
I Heart Huckabees

ASIN: B0000640VJ
Release Date: 2002-07-09

Amazon.com

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

Description

Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman) and his wife Etheline (Anjelica Huston) had three children-Chas, Margot, and Richie-and then they separated. Chas (Ben Stiller) started buying real estate in his early teens and seemed to have an almost preternatural understanding of international finance. Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow) was a playwright and received a Braverman Grant of $50,000 in the ninth grade. Richie (Luke Wilson) was a junior champion tennis player and won the U.S. Nationals three years in a row. Virtually all memory of the brilliance of the young Tenenbaums was subsequently erased by two decades of betrayal, failure, and disaster. The Criterion Collection is proud to present Wes Anderson's hilarious, touching, and brilliantly stylized study of melancholy and redemption.

Customer Reviews:

What is it with these movies?.......2007-06-17

These should be a new genre for all the wierd movies popping up like this...I bought this movie a few years ago, and could not even sell it in a garage sale, so I am still stuck with it. I HATE this movie. It has such an all-star cast- but it's awful.
What is with these movies? I mean, do people honestly find these dry, awkward, pointless, trite comdies (with no funny parts) any good?
It's a waste of film.....and nothing special.

oh criterion.......2007-06-10

i dont understand the criterion collection aside from being overpriced, but i must say, i love wes anderson

he is not a director that all can watch though - slow and lengthy films = if you love him you love him, but there is no gray

if you have never seen one of his films, i would suggest rushmore as a first dip into the movies of anderson

Too Sad To Be Funny, Too Funny To Be Sad.......2007-04-08

This is a comedy remake of The Godfather Part lll. No, really. You have the father who tries to reconcile with his broken family, only to fall back into his old conniving ways and discover that it was too late anyway. Oh, and you have the incestuous subplot. It's all there!

I was seriously dissapointed in this movie after Rushmore. But the more I think about it, the more I want to see it again. Ultimately, I think this is a movie about a guy who has spent his life running from his family thinking there was something better in life. He finally realizes there is nothing better. But he's been scamming his way through life for so long that he can't ever communicate his remorse and loneliness sincerely.

But this is a comedy, not a tragedy--even if it often borders on tragedy. I think the comedy comes from the fact that the characters have an instinct to do the right thing but they just don't know how. But knowing they are trying is good enough. Almost.

Hillarious, Intelligent, Quirky.......2007-03-09

The Royal Tenenbaums is a very rare film, the perfect blend of Wes Anderson's unique style with some of the best talent in Hollywood. While the movie is definitely open to criticism, I find the family dynamics to be scarily reminiscent to my own--minus the adopted Margot thread. A film about my family is sure to have a limited audience, since most people don't care about the same things we care about. However, if you're willing to look about some of Anderson's randomness, the heart of his film is very powerful and had me laughing more than any other film of recent memory.

Straight to the point.......2007-02-26

I'll skip the plot breakdown and try to explain what it is about this movie that I love so much. First is the characters, who are all messed up and highly unique. Their personalities are breifly described in the beggining of the movie, and their characters develop from then on. Second is the setting of the movie. The house, the gym, the city, everything has a certain retro feel. The next thing I love about this movie is the dark humor, I never thought suicide could be funny, but I was wrong! The story, the writing, the music, everything is so wonderfully integrated, another Wes classic.

Finally, Bill Murray... enough said.

Average customer rating:

Get Them In Your Crosshairs And Take Them Down...
One of the most original and entertaining comedies of the '90s...
You either love it or hate it.
Not really my cup of tea....*Spoilers*
Great flick for nerds

Rushmore
Starring: Jason Schwartzman , Bill Murray , Olivia Williams , Seymour Cassel , and Brian Cox
Director: Wes Anderson
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
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The Royal Tenenbaums (The Criterion Collection)
Bottle Rocket
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - Criterion Collection (2-Disc Special Edition)
I Heart Huckabees
Lost in Translation

ASIN: 6305428239
Release Date: 1999-06-29

Amazon.com essential video

Wes Anderson's follow-up to the quirky Bottle Rocket is a wonderfully unorthodox coming-of-age story that ranks with Harold and Maude and The Graduate in the pantheon of timeless cult classics. Jason Schwartzman (son of Talia Shire and nephew of Francis Coppola) stars as Max Fischer, a 15-year-old attending the prestigious Rushmore Academy on scholarship, where he's failing all of his classes but is the superstar of the school's extracurricular activities (head of the drama club, the beekeeper club, the fencing club...). Possessing boundless confidence and chutzpah, as well as an aura of authority he seems to have been born with, Max finds two unlikely soulmates in his permutations at Rushmore: industrial magnate and Rushmore alumnus Herman Blume (Bill Murray) and first-grade teacher Rosemary Cross (Olivia Williams). His alliance with Blume and crush on Miss Cross, however, are thrown out of kilter by his expulsion from Rushmore, and a budding romance between the two adults that threatens Max's own designs on the lovely schoolteacher.

Never stooping to sentimentality or schmaltz, Anderson and cowriter Owen Wilson have fashioned a wickedly intelligent and wildly funny tale of young adulthood that hits all the right notes in its mix of melancholy and optimism. As played by Schwartzman, Max is both immediately endearing and ferociously irritating: smarter than all the adults around him, with little sense of his shortcomings, he's an unstoppable dynamo who commands grudging respect despite his outlandish projects (including a school play about Vietnam). Murray, as the tycoon who determinedly wages war with Max for the affections of Miss Cross, is a revelation of middle-aged resignation. Disgusted with his family, his life, and himself, he's turned around by both Max's antagonism and Miss Cross's love. Williams is equally affecting as the teacher who still carries a torch for her dead husband, and the superb supporting cast also includes Seymour Cassel as Max's barber father, Brian Cox as the frustrated headmaster of Rushmore, and a hilarious Mason Gamble as Max's young charge. Put this one on your shelf of modern masterpieces. --Mark Englehart

Description

RUSHMORE is the story of a gifted, rebellious teenager named Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman), a 10th grader at elite Rushmore Academy. Editor of the school newspaper, captain or president of innumerable clubs and societies, Max is also one of the worst students in the school, and the threat of expulsion hangs permanently over his head. Max's world is rocked when he falls for elegant 1st grade teacher Miss Cross (Olivia Williams) and he plans to erect an aquarium in her honor -- then finds himself competing for her affections with his friend, steel tycoon Mr. Blume (Bill Murray), the wealthy father of two of his classmates.

Customer Reviews:

Get Them In Your Crosshairs And Take Them Down..........2007-06-24

This is probably my favorite movie of all time.
The story concerns one Max Fischer, 15 years old, student at the illustrious Rushmore Academy. But Max is not your average student- he's one of the worst.
Max (Schwartzman) befriends wealthy industrialist Herman Bloom (Murray), and falls in love with Rushmore's newest teacher, Rosemary, a widow from England, and unleashes some truly machiavellian schemes to get her to fall in love with him, (including trying to build an unauthorized aquarium for her on school grounds, backed by Mr. Bloom's millions), getting himself expelled in the process. Meanwhile, the married Herman also falls in love with her and they begin to have an affair, which sets off one of the funniest sequences in American film history; watching a 50 year-old man being attacked by bees that have mysteriously invaded his hotel room and intentionally running over a 15 year old boy's bicycle always makes me smile.
In the end, Max learns alot about life and love and friendship and all of that, and makes peace with Mr. Bloom, Rosemary, the memory of his deceased mother and the end of his tenure at Rushmore Academy. While watching, ask yourself why Max does what he does, why he never wants to leave Rushmore- his reason, never stated, is among the most touching aspects of a character that I have ever seen in any movie.
The soundtrack is truly amazing, as with all of the Wes Anderson films; check out The Who singing "A Quick One While He's Away."
The best thing I can say about this movie is that most people will see a bit of themselves and the people they know in the characters. Truly a wonderful film.

One of the most original and entertaining comedies of the '90s..........2007-05-23

Since making his directing debut with the 1996 cult caper film "Bottle Rocket," Wes Anderson has established himself as one of film's most exciting young directors. His second film, "Rushmore," is a witty, heartfelt and often amusing film that features a hilarious performance by Bill Murray.

Anderson wrote the quirky script with his right-hand man, actor Owen Wilson, with whom he also collaborated on "Bottle Rocket" and "The Royal Tenenbaums." The story follows the trials and travails of high school student Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman), a sharp kid who focuses his attention on a plethora of offbeat extracurricular pursuits (fencing club, Latin, playwriting) rather than his studies.

In between attending to his various activities at Rushmore (the name of the private school he attends), Max develops a crush on Miss Cross (Olivia Williams), an elementary school teacher at his school. He also befriends Herman Blume (Bill Murray), an eccentric millionaire whose two sons attend school with Max.

Things soon fall apart for Max: The school expels him, Miss Cross denies his flirtations, and Blume begins courting Miss Cross himself. That sets up an extremely funny tete-a-tete between Max and Blume, highlighted by the scene in which Blume runs over Max's bike with his car.

As the intriguing love triangle of Max, Blume and Miss Cross plays out, Max finds solace in his caring father and a female student at his new school. The ending, which features all the characters coming together to watch Max's newest play, is entirely satisfying without being hokey or cynical.

Schwartzman, the nephew of director Francis Ford Coppola ("The Godfather"), exhibits a great knack for comedy throughout "Rushmore." But Murray steals the show with a masterfully funny turn that scored him a Golden Globe Nomination and Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actor. In one unforgettable scene, Herman suggests that his sons invite Max to their birthday party. "There's gonna be girls there," replies one. "Yeah," adds the other, "Get your head out of your a--." Murray's initial deadpan reaction will have you howling; his subsequent reach into the back seat to pummel his son will have you rolling on the floor.

Anderson, who captured the Independent Spirit Award for Best Director, exhibits a sense of craft that's rare for comedic directors. Rather than depend solely on physical gags or even amusing one-liners, Anderson uses set direction, art direction and music to enhance his vision. Even if your sense of humor doesn't jive with Anderson's, you'll walk away from "Rushmore" with an appreciation for his careful attention to detail.

You either love it or hate it........2007-05-12

You have to love the little moments because this movie is made of little moments. I watched this before I knew it was a comedy and when I found out it was I figured they just couldn't think of anywhere else to put it. This movie makes me feel like there are lots of things moving and changing that have nothing to do with me. A lot of people say they don't like the movie because they think Max is a prick. You're supposed to feel that way, I think. You're supposed to forgive him for that because he's got something special in him, or at least that in his case he knows about it. But it also seems like some people don't like the movie because it's different. I guess that if you're patient and you like the little things, you'll enjoy this movie. Also, if you feel like you're left out or sort of an outcast you might enjoy this movie. You know, the kind of person that doesn't have red or hammer as the first thing they think of when you ask them for a tool and a color.

Not really my cup of tea....*Spoilers*.......2007-03-20

2.5 stars. I'm not really sure how I feel about this movie. I truely didn't contect to Max. I, too, found him to be a pompous spoiled brat and often times bordered on the creepy side in his pursuit of Mrs. Cross. And I'm not sure where his air of entitlement came from. For a boy with such humble orgins, his character seems totally out of whack. Bill Murray surely has his middle-aged blues shtick down (Lost in translation/Broken Flowers). he, too, was not a character I could root for. I understand he was not happy with the direction of his life, but the whole affair thing just seems so typical...and I'm not sure if he and Mrs. Cross were going to pick up things where they left off or not. Max never does pick up his grades or cut back on the extracurriculum activies--so I'm not sure about his character arch. He's pretty much the same boy at the end of the film as he was in the begining. Oh, except, he does admit his father is a barber now. Overall, check it out at your own peril.

Great flick for nerds.......2007-03-11

OK...my title is a little mean, but I found this kid, whom we're supposed to "just love" a little mean and the fact that I lost sympathy for him early on (due to his meanness) kept me from rooting for him. This is defintely a film in which we are supposed to root for the hero (or the anti-hero)...the adorable short nerdy kid with a big nose and glasses. His mother died of cancer, his father is a poor-but-good hearted barber,
he got into this fancy prep school on a scholarship, he is so smart that he solved a math problem that stumped MIT profs in a matter of minutes, etc. And the school bully picks on him.

Well he isn't really that nice, himself. He's insufferably rude to the Chinese girl, destroys Blume's marriage without a second thought, disables Blume's car which could have killed him. But he's still "adorable nerdy Max" so we're supposed to overlook these quirks and love him. I found his egotism much more annoying than cute.

I suspect that guys who felt like nerds in middle school might like this film due to some sort of wish fulfillment but beware, he doesn't end up with the pretty school teacher in the end! Maybe if another, more naturally likable actor had starred I'd have more interest in him..(Leonardo DiCaprio captured our sympathy as a young kid, in spite of committing huge crimes in Catch Me if You Can and I think that a lot of that was due to DiCaprio's natural sweetness) Jason Shwartzman (whom I actually liked a lot in Marie Antoinette) just didn't grab my heart the way the script obviously intended. Only once, when he smiled in the end did he seem a little sympathetic. For most of the film he sails through his antics with a vague superior smirk on an opaque, masklike face. There's no light there except an evil glint in his eyes when he's seeking revenge.

He looks like a cross between Woody Allan and Groucho Marx (were those his real eyebrows?.) Maybe if you find those guys endearing, you'll love Max. Otherwise... well, I warned you.

On the plus side, Bill Murray was genuinely touching and funny and many of the supporting cast were very good. I liked the music too.

Average customer rating:

Great performances by Martin Landauo andJohnny Depp
Masterful and Moving; Ed Wood Triumphs
Plan on a second investment...
Depp's genius shines through!
Why make a film about the worst director of all time?

Ed Wood (Special Edition)
Starring: Johnny Depp , Martin Landau , Sarah Jessica Parker , Patricia Arquette , and Jeffrey Jones
Director: Tim Burton
Manufacturer: Touchstone / Disney
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Dead Man
The Man Who Cried
Nick of Time
What's Eating Gilbert Grape
Edward Scissorhands (Widescreen Anniversary Edition)

ASIN: B0000VD04M
Release Date: 2004-10-19

Amazon.com essential video

Edward D. Wood Jr. was an actor writer-director-producer, occasionally in drag, who combined meager bursts of talent with an undying optimism to create some of the most bizarrely memorable "B" movies to ever come out of Tinseltown. Though Wood died in obscurity as an alcoholic in 1978, his films have been considered cult classics for years. He is consistently voted the worst director who ever lived. You would think this an odd subject, but director Tim Burton harnesses the undying hopefulness that made Wood such a character. Shot in black and white, just like Wood's creations, this stylized, witty production captures the poetic absurdity of Wood's films and his unconventional life. Burton's recreation of Wood's wonderfully awful Plan 9 from Outer Space looks much better than the original low-budget quickie. Burton tackled an extremely strange subject matter for a biopic, but Wood is presented as naive almost to the point of delusion, so the story works. The pace sags in the middle, as the weirdness starts to wear thin, but Depp proves himself an adroit actor, even while wearing angora and a blonde wig. Wood's unconventional repertoire company is faithfully reproduced, including an Academy Award-winning Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi. Landau is pathetic, droll, and charismatic as the elderly junkie who made his last screen appearances in Wood's films. --Rochelle O'Gorman

Description

From Tim Burton, acclaimed director of BIG FISH, EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, and BATMAN, and the producer of THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, comes the hilarious, true-life story of the wackiest filmmaker in Hollywood history, Ed Wood! Johnny Depp (PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL, CHOCOLAT, EDWARD SCISSORHANDS) stars as the high-spirited movieman who refuses to let unfinished scenes, terrible reviews, and hostile studio executives derail his big-screen dreams. With an oddball collection of showbiz misfits, Ed takes the art of bad moviemaking to an all-time low! The all-star cast features Bill Murray (LOST IN TRANSLATION, THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS), Sarah Jessica Parker (TV's SEX AND THE CITY), Patricia Arquette (STIGMATA, LITTLE NICKY), and an Academy Award(R)-winning performance by Martin Landau (Best Supporting Actor, 1994) as Bela Lugosi. Hailed by critics everywhere, this laugh-packed comedy hit is sure to entertain everyone!

Customer Reviews:

Great performances by Martin Landauo andJohnny Depp.......2007-06-19

Five stars definitely !

When I was first entertained by this film, I knew I had to buy it and share it with friends and family.

Johnny Depp is just perfect in this role, Ed Wood would be proud !

Martin Landauo is exacting in his performance of Bela Lugosi.

The part I find really funny is where Bela Lagosi's is wrapping the unplugged giant octopus around himself and then pretends to be struggling with it.
Highly recommended !

Masterful and Moving; Ed Wood Triumphs.......2007-05-18

We're sometimes tempted to view Ed Wood as a failure. After all, the man was voted the Worst Director of All Time, and his "masterpiece"--Plan 9 From Outer Space--was once voted Worst Film. It makes the character of Wood pitiable, because he tries so very hard, and doesn't see how talentless he really is.

On the other hand...

Wood did (more or less) what he set out to do. He made films. Not only that, but he wrote them, directed them, and starred in them (like his rolemodel Welles). While Mr. Wood is gone, he also lives on; Johnny Depp played him in a film, and people continue to buy and rent his collection. Whether or not Wood was a good director (and he wasn't), he lived his life as he wanted to live it and he found more success than most of us ever will. I think that Ed Wood is a testament to the power of believing in yourself, and never giving up on your dreams no matter the odds you face.

This film presents that story in all of its richness, whether you ultimately find Wood's character uplifting or laughable. Depp is brilliant, like he normally is: have we ever seen him the same in different films (excluding sequels)? After watching Depp as Wood, it's hard to imagine that anyone else would even have been considered. Lots of people have commented on the genius performance of Martin Landau. I'll make one more. Absolute genius. In this movie, Landau *becomes* Lugosi. It feels real, like you're there, watching Bela Lugosi. Incredible. The other roles, bigger and smaller, all come off. Excellent casting, filling the roles up with big-name actors, but never as a gimmick. Even the casting of former pro-wrestler George "the Animal" Steele is inspired. (One of my favorite moments is when Sarah Jessica Parker "acts" in one of Wood's films; nothing like a superbly talented actress demonstrating what poor acting looks like.)

One of Burton's best films. One of Depp's best films. Landau's best. A feel-good triumph. Five Stars.

Plan on a second investment..........2007-04-12

Buy this movie and I dare you not to turn around and buy some of Wood's films. I saw this movie years ago but did not care for it because at the time I was too young to appreciate the humor. Now that I have seen it again for the first time, I immediately went out and bought Wood's box set.
As far as the movie is concerned, Burton turns the sad and macabre into light humor. Bela Lugosi is portrayed, if you've even seen his movies before, very well by Landau. Depp is perfect as cross dressing Wood. And my personal favorite: Watch for Murray's speech about his trip to Mexico. I about died laughing.

Depp's genius shines through!.......2007-04-11

A movie about a cross dressing director? Sounds crazy, but "Ed Wood" is a wacky, sweet, and endearing movie propelled by the incomparable genius of Johnny Depp. The subject of this movie, supposedly the worst American movie director of all time, is a truly complex character, a man torn by his love of angora and of telling a story on film. It would be easy to make Ed Wood into some kind of lunatic, but through the master touch of Mr. Depp and the skillful direction of Tim Burton, the viewer comes to understand and even empathize with Ed. This movie also has an excellent supporting cast including Bill Murray, Sarah Jessica Parker, and a brilliant portrayal of Bela Lugosi by Martin Landau. The friendship between Bela and Ed is a sweet, endearing thread that is woven throughout the movie. I had heard about this movie long ago, but watched it only a couple of years ago. I am so glad I did, and so glad I purchased the DVD. If you want to watch an artistic, entertaining, and true story about a truly unique character, purchase this film. It will easily become one of your favorites!

Why make a film about the worst director of all time? .......2007-03-17

I like this film a lot, but I would always think to myself, why make a film about the worst director of all time? I always thought that it was kind of dumb to make a film about a director who couldn't direct his way out of a paper bag. Ed Wood's films are truly wretched, but yet, they are memorable. They are so horribly bad, yet, you remember them with fondness because they are so incompetently made. Many directors go through their careers and are never heard from again. They make indistinguishable films that go direct to DVD. They make horrible made for TV movies, or they make lame commercials. If they are seen, they are instantly forgotten. You might think they were OK at the time, but you don't remember them with any fondness, and you can care less about the director of them. However, you do remember Ed Wood's films. Because of that, yes, he did deserve a film made about him. Tim Burton takes many liberties with Ed Wood's life, making it a little happier than it actually was (the real Ed Wood died a penniless alcoholic), but I think he captures the essence of Ed Wood, and that was shameless mediocrity, brazen incompetence, and a self seriousness that made his films as hilariously bad as they were. As for the actual film Ed Wood, it's beautifully shot, and the performances here are first rate, with Johnny Depp giving another amazing performance in arguably the most diverse career in Hollywood history. Is there any role that Depp can't play?
Landau deserved the Academy Award he got for playing Bela Lugosi, and the rest of the cast is excellent as well. A great film about a wonderfully awful director....

Average customer rating:

Cuba Libre
The Lost City
Saga and Drama
Boring and scattered
An amazingly heartfelt and educational film

The Lost City
Starring: Steven Bauer , Richard Bradford , Benjamin Bratt , William Marquez , and Julio Oscar Mechoso
Director: Andy Garcia
Manufacturer: Magnolia
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The Lost City
The Matador (Widescreen Edition)
The Sentinel (Widescreen Edition)
For Love or Country - The Arturo Sandoval Story
Inside Man (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B000C3L2PC
Release Date: 2006-08-08

Product Description

Andy Garcia stars and makes his directorial debut in a passionate and historical tribute to his native Cuba. Havana in 1958 is a place of pleasure for many, but others are not happy under the rule of dictator Fulgenico Batista. As the revolutionary forces of Fidel Castro and Ernesto "Che" Guevara prepare to move on the city, Fico Fellove (Garcia)-owner of the city's classiest music nightclub, El Tropico-struggles to hold together his family and the love of a woman (In s Sastre). Observing all is The Writer (Bill Murray) an ex-patriot American who sees Fico being drawn into events as the revolution changes everything. Though Fico watches a culture vanish and a people transformed, it is his love of Cuban music that keeps his memories alive. Co-starring Dustin Hoffman and Steve Bauer.

System Requirements:
Running Time: 143 Minutes

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

For his first feature film as a director, Andy Garcia has crafted an ambitious and vivid love story set amid the Cuban revolution. El Tropico, an elegant nightclub, overflows with exuberant music and sinuous dance; the owner, Fico (Garcia, Ocean's Eleven, The Untouchables), and his family live a life of privilege in Havana, but Fico and his father hope to steer the brutal reign of Batista towards democratic reforms. Fico's two brothers are not so patient and get caught up in the guerilla forces that seek to overthrow Batista by force; one dies after a failed coup attempt, the other joins Fidel Castro's revolutionary army. Meanwhile, Fico and his widowed sister-in-law Aurora (Ines Sastre) fall in love, their romance unfolding in the still-thriving Havana nightlife, while during the day Castro's new regime turns as repressive as Batista's. Gorgeous cinematography captures the spectacle of the musical numbers in El Tropico, which are never less than stunning, and the depiction of the political chaos is effective and dynamic. Unfortunately, at the heart of the movie is stasis; Fico, though morally indignant, never takes any action, and his courtship with Aurora is beautifully filmed but lacks palpable heat. Clumsy dialogue and odd digressions with mobster Meyer Lansky (Dustin Hoffman, Rain Man) and a seemingly metaphorical character known only as the Writer (Bill Murray, Lost in Translation) make a long movie feel even longer. But the music is undeniable; if your feet don't itch to dance after watching The Lost City, you have no soul. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Cuba Libre.......2007-05-21

In his feature-film directorial debut, Andy Garcia uses the screen as his canvas to paint a vibrant and wistful picture of a Havana he never really knew firsthand. In 1961, Garcia's parents fled the prison that Cuba had become under Fidel Castro. Alarmed at the sight of their five-year-old boy Andrés marching in their front yard and singing the communist hymn The Internationale, they decided to leave Cuba to raise their family in Miami Beach.
The Lost City represents Garcia's quest of sixteen years to tell this epic story of a Cuban family's struggle to grapple with the turbulent events of the communist overthrow of strong-arm dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1958--events that inevitably tear the family asunder. The film's dramatic, moving script is the final screenplay penned by the late, legendary Cuban novelist Guillermo Cabrera Infante. An early supporter of the Castro revolution, Infante's gradual disillusionment with the communist dictator forced him to flee in 1966.

The Lost City revolves around nightclub owner Fico Fellove (Garcia), who runs the El Tropico, the ritziest cabaret in downtown Havana, and his two brothers, Ricardo (Enrique Murciano) and Luis (Nestor Carbonell). The movie opens with an elaborate dance scene onstage at the club, where Fico's extended family celebrates his parents' anniversary. But as soon as the camera lurks backstage, the audience discovers that all is not well in the family, nor in Havana.

Fico's father, university professor Don Federico--played with great intelligenceby Tomas Milian (one of many Cuban expatriates among the cast and crew)--holds court in Fico's office, arguing for reasoned, democratic opposition to the brutal Batista regime. But overzealous son Ricardo predicts that a coming revolution will free the oppressed people of Cuba. Heated discussion escalates into a violent confrontation between patriarch and prodigal son, and Fico and Luis have to forcibly restrain their brother. The rift within the family ominously symbolizes the divisions that have broken out in the Fellove's island paradise, once known as the "Pearl of the Antilles."

In the tragic saga that chronicles the Fellove family's dissolution, Fico loses both brothers: Luis is executed by secret police when caught as the ringleader of an [...] attempt on Batista, and Ricardo commits suicide after betraying his family to win favor with the communists. The meaning of the movie's title emerges as we see what has been lost; the film becomes an elegiac love letter to the graceful and glamorous world in which Fico moves, but which is now slipping through his fingers as the communists impose control over every aspect of Cuban society.

Elaborate musical and dance sequences, featuring the impulsive Afro-Cuban rhythms that define Cuban music, set off the onscreen action. Rumba and mambo show-stoppers make The Lost City the kind of fusion of light entertainment and serious drama that American movie studios have forgotten how to make. But what most grabbed me were the ballet scenes, featuring the lithe agility of dancer Lorena Feijóo, who in real life is principal ballerina for the San Francisco Ballet.

This kind of filmmaking threw many critics for a loop. But for me, The Lost City comes off more like a Bollywood extravaganza than does the mostly anemic "serious" fare Hollywood serves up these days. The most convincing scenes are in the love story between Fico and brother Luis's aggrieved widow, Aurora, played by the exquisite Inés Sastre. Emmanuel Kadosh's camera simply loves her serene, alluring beauty: as Fico falls for her, so do all the men in the audience.

Most crucially, Infante and Garcia don't whitewash or gloss over the true history of Fidel Castro's tyrannical rise to power: he is shown for exactly the brutal dictator he was and is. One wouldn't think that actor Jsu Garcia's portrayal of Ernesto "Che" Guevara as a murderous goon--rather than as the Martyred Saint of the People--would be controversial almost forty years after his death, but it has caused The Lost City to be banned in many Latin American countries.
Although uneven in a couple of scenes, the film overall is gripping and beautifully made, full of forceful, evocative performances that would make any new director proud. In a memorable cameo, Dustin Hoffman nails gangster Meyer Lansky's quietly menacing demeanor. Fans of The Incredibles's sultry "Mirage" character will get a glimpse of actress Elizabeth Peña playing a communist bureaucrat who threatens to shut down Fico's nightclub, unless he removes the orchestra's saxophone ("an instrument of imperialist oppression"). Bill Murray provides comic relief as "the Writer," an obvious stand-in for novelist Infante. Some of his jokes fall flat, but altogether he injects a sense of uneasiness that foreshadows the beginning of the end for Fico's fortunes.

Emmanuel Kadosh's vibrant cinematography bathes the screen in rich hues reminiscent of Gordon Willis' Technicolor prints of The Godfather, Part II (also filmed in the Dominican Republic). Production designer Waldemar Kalinowski and art director Carlos Menéndez re-create a rich, elegant Havana, adding first-rate production values to this low-budgeted movie.

Oddly, The Lost City was panned by most critics in the U.S., presumably for its length and uneven execution. However, after reading many of the reviews, I suspect more than just a little opposition to be rooted in politics rather than aesthetics. Typical of the reviews was Stephen Holden's in the New YorkTimes:

The impoverished masses of Cubans who embraced Castro as a liberator appear only in grainy, black-and-white news clips, awkwardly shoehorned into the movie to fill in historical blanks, and in some buffoonish parodies of sour Communist apparatchiks barking orders once Mr. Castro takes over.
Almost fifty years after Castro seized power and turned Cuba into a death camp and a sewer, its suffering captives still risk shark-infested waters and treacherous currents to reach the freedom of America's shores. Yet to many American Baby Boomers, nostalgic over the red "Che" t-shirts of their pampered college years, the nightmare reality just ninety miles from American shores might as well be invisible.

Earlier this summer, when the aging Castro went under the knife and, for the first time, temporarily relinquished power to his brother Raul, you could witness more accurately what Cuba's muzzled masses probably felt: thousands of Cuban-Americans of all ages and incomes filled downtown Miami, celebrating Fidel's impending demise, waving Cuban and American flags, literally dancing in the streets.

In The Lost City, this same spirit moves Fico Fellove, who chooses to live and work alone in poverty and freedom, as a dishwasher in New York City, rather than as a slave in the socialist "paradise" of Havana:

I can't go back. It's too dangerous...for my soul. I have no money. But here, I feel as though I'm worth more than I ever was.

The Lost City.......2007-03-15

A very good historical account of the early days of Castro's revolution. It is narrated as a personal experience. It shows how families were separated by either murdering the oposition or having to flee the country.