Bill-181

This is one of those Looney Tunes cartoons used by Warner Brothers to educate kids in the '30s and '40s about the USA and about their fantastic heritage. It is too bad that it was released in 1939, too early to contain information about how our soldiers and sailors fought and died in Europe to ensure the freedom for those people, so that they could live to post disparaging comments about this cartoon and about our country. The cartoon tells the children how good and brilliant and important the USA is and how many good and brave people died for this great country so that weenies like the reviewer from the Netherlands could survive the Nazi invasion of their country and post ridiculous comments on this and other websites. There is no attempt to be funny, because this cartoon wasn't made to be funny. Everything wasn't funny back in 1939. You had to be there to understand this. In the era that this little film was made, it wasn't unusual to promote the greatness and beauty of the USA or to make the USA-enemies look dumb/stupid, which they were. We see Porky Pig in 'Old Glory' studying and dreaming of the greatness of his country. With Uncle Sam explaining to him (and the patriotic young viewers, like myself) all about how important and loving the USA is, it was a good lesson to little people of the '30s. It is still a good lesson today, but, sad to say, it wouldn't be as well-received as it was when it was released. It should, however, be a good lesson to people who owe the US a great deal of gratitude for kicking the Axis powers out of their countries, the Netherlands for example, and allowing them the freedom to run down the United States and its patriotism, even with the most atrocious use of the English language as I have ever seen. Three cheers for Porky, Uncle Sam, and the greatest nation in the world, the United States of America.

My first job as an engineering graduate in 1960 was with NASA. I was fortunate enough to have been a Project Engineer on the Apollo Program, and I am familiar with the technical aspects of the program. But this movie was not as much about the technical aspects of the program as it was about a thrilling, real-life drama that just happened to take place during a glorious time and a once-in-a-lifetime project. Despite all of the little technical errors, Ron Howard and his crew have put together a superb film, one that deserved the 9 Academy Award nominations which it received. I wish that present-day film-makers would concentrate on happy situations, like this one, instead of the constant barrage of drivel to which we, the movie-going public, are made subject. Long live NASA and long live courage!!

Wow. I guess some parts of the film are believable, but you really have to look hard to find them. Where did Erika get the cigarette that she lit in the Paris restaurant? She never smoked, nor did either of the men at the table with her. The timelines ran together. Harry found Erika in a Paris restaurant, and then she found him on a bridge over the Seine. Try finding someone in Paris, even if you know EXACTLY where and when to meet them. And, he was ALONE!! No one else in Paris at the time. Let me know if you ever find any place in Paris, at any time, especially on one of the Seine bridges, where there are NO other people. Sad excuse for a film. But, Jack and Diane will pull them in, just as they did me. They should be ashamed.

I am sure that the younger generations consider this film to be hokey, but one day, one day soon, they will realize that there is more to life than dollars, ball caps worn backwards, and rap music. Then they will appreciate this film. Let's just hope that it won't be too late.

This is one of the worst excuses for a movie that I have ever seen. It starts out showing a bunch of black guys on the chain gang, then shifts to 3 white guys, running down the road shackled and chained together, running fast enough to catch a freight train, despite the balls and chains linking them together. Then they come up on a man and his son who have no shirts or shoes, but, all of a sudden, the 3 fugitives are fully clothed and ready to go. Then, it goes downhill from there, featuring some of the most God-forsaken blue grass music ever perpetrated on mankind. The movie makes no sense, makes all Southerners look like Bozos, and taxes the credibility of anyone with a positive IQ. But, the public can't get enough of the "music". I rest my case.

This 1933 B&W cartoon is notable for the fact that it was made before the character 'Goofy' was known as 'Goofy'. He was called 'Dippy Dawg'. The opening scene containing a scroll listing the character,'The Prince' as 'Dippy Dawg'. That is the reason for the appearance of a tail, as noted by a prior reviewer. Goofy is not the only Disney character who underwent a metamorphosis, and it is interesting to compare the older characters with the ones that evolved, in this case 'Goofy'/'Dippy Dawg'.

With an Oscar-winning Director (Sam Mendes), an Oscar-winning Director of Cinematography (Conrad L. Hall), and Oscar-winning actors Tom Hanks and Paul Newman, you get an idea that this isn't going to be one of your run-of-the-mill, exploitive, presentations - and it is not! It is played, directed, and photographed the way movies are supposed to be made, i.e., no distracting music during the serious dialogue (and there is lots of it), beautiful, totally-believable scenery and costumery. It takes place in 1931, and just to be able to see scenes with authentic props, costumes, and landscaping is enough to justify the price of admission. All the acting is good, none overplayed. There is lots of violence, but it is presented in a manner that is not designed to make you toss up your lunch, as most movies do nowadays (Private Ryan, Braveheart, e.g.), but rather just to make you aware that one of the characters has 'met his Maker' and won't be seen in the movie any more. Again, that in itself is gratifying enough to the discerning viewer to make the film a pleasant adventure. Lots of thought-provoking scenes, which may be too much for the average pap-lapping movie-goer, but a reward for people who like good taste and don't like to be overwhelmed with blaring background music, violent explosions, long car chases, and juvenile dialogue. (Damn, I just eliminated about 90% of the film offerings for the past several years.) If you don't believe me, go see it, and tell me where I am wrong.

This is one of the worst excuses for a movie that I have ever seen. It starts out showing a bunch of black guys on the chain gang, then shifts to 3 white guys, running down the road shackled and chained together, running fast enough to catch a freight train, despite the balls and chains linking them together. Then they come up on a man and his son who have no shirts or shoes, but, all of a sudden, the 3 fugitives are fully clothed and ready to go. Then, it goes downhill from there, featuring some of the most God-forsaken blue grass music ever perpetrated on mankind. The movie makes no sense, makes all Southerners look like Bozos, and taxes the credibility of anyone with a positive IQ. But, the public can't get enough of the "music". I rest my case.

If you are into car chases, profanity, nudity, gratuitous sex, loud music, and violence, then you should skip this picture. It has none of that. It does, however, like 'A Beautiful Mind', feature real people with real dialogue. You can actually hear and discern what the actors are saying, a rare thing these days. And the plot is a good one, very thought-provoking. Part of it was filmed on the beautiful island of Kauai, and there are pictures, several, of Dr. Emily Darrow sitting in front of Wailua Falls, the same waterfall that was used in the opening scene of the TV series Fantasy Island. If you like good, believable, movies that don't insult your intelligence, go and see this one.

HBO certainly knows how to produce movies. This movie makes you laugh and cry at the same time. It is a sad story and a happy one at the same time. It is the story of the defection of Arturo Sandoval, his wife and son, to the United States from Cuba. The acting is superb. Charles Dutton IS Dizzy Gillespie, Mia Maestro is just gorgeous, Andy Garcia is a powerhouse actor, and the supporting cast are all very good. Since I have had the opportunity to hear Arturo Sandoval play in person, this movie was special to me, but it will be a very entertaining, enlightening 2 hours for anyone who sees it.

Great performance by the British soldiers as well as by the Zulus. I hadn't planned to sit for 2 hours and 18 minutes to watch this film, but the AMC intro hype and Bob Dorian's comments got me hooked, so I wasn't able to get up until it was over. It was entertaining and also historical, taking place during the reign of Queen Victoria. Don't miss it the next time you get a chance to see it.

Funny thing about Elvis in this movie. He leaves LA for DC in a red Boeing 727 (3 engines), then in mid-air the plane becomes a BLUE DC-8 (4 engines). Only Elvis could change a 3 engine plane to a 4 engine plane while it was in-flight.

This production should win many awards; for acting, directing, and photography. It is captivating, keeps your attention throughout the film. If you haven't already, you will fall in love with both Dorothy Dandridge and Halle Berry. Brandauer IS Otto Preminger. A stark reminder of how difficult life was for black entertainers in that era.