Brewski-2

Others, in fact many others, have commented on the perfect casting, great acting, rural scenery and hometown sets and the appropriate use of violence and brief nudity. They are all right but here are some other things to look for.

***** Spoilers Follow***** This is a Second Amendment movie - perhaps unintentionally - but the private ownership of firearms (and not handguns) allow a family to defend itself and allow a son to save his father's life. Also it shows that a familiarity with firearms allows Tom to defend the diner and his family and himself and an unfamiliarity with firearms almost keeps the wife from defending the home - she never cocks the hammers and can barely get it loaded.

There have been several movies about "cop gets family killed and goes on rampage" from Mad Max, The Punisher and, sort of, Man on Fire. We are supposed to cheer or at least sympathize with the Vigilante bent on honest and well founded revenge. But this one of the first that leaves the vulnerable family as an additional worry for the vigilante/revenge guy to factor in.

Ivan Reitman speaks about "casual nudity" in the 1980's when Stripes was filmed (watch DVD commentary) and questions appear about the need for the full frontal. I see this as the wife's way of showing Tom what he will be missing as she goes to another bedroom and shuts the door. The director teases more than shows in earlier scenes and that is all appropriate.

Others comment on the closing scene and this is an "A implies B" scene where the daughter accepts daddy's return, then the son accepts daddy's return and the next logical step is mommy accepting daddy's return. You do not need to hit the audience over the head with it - except of course for those that demand to be spoon fed.

There are the timeless values of Love conquers all, violence must be used to meet violence, good wins over evil, a person can repent their sins and be born again, family is the most important thing in your life, Like father - like son (as to be pushed over the edge), etc.

I did not like the gratuitous drug use (joint smoked on main street) and there was a couple that brought a 2 year old to the theater which should almost require a call to DCF.

However, it was great to see cinematography as art with scenes that just fill the senses. Once again Canada poses as rural America (Superman, Marlow - the HBO series, etc.) See it without your children.

Another commentator called this "Blow" but with guns instead of cocaine. It is that plus a hefty anti-government, anti-America, anti-Republican, anti-military and even anti-capitalism type bent. ********* Spoilers Ahead********* (But I think they are just things to look for) The Lt. Col. Oliver North clone is known as Col. Oliver Southern and played at least once by Donald Sutherland, a noted Republican backer (detractor?). He wears a Marine Officer's hat in at least one scene but I am never going to buy the DVD or go back to see it again to check out the uniform stuff. Of course he is the CIA agent that has Orlov run guns for him, acts as his "get out of jail free" card and intercedes with Interpol. Oh, yeah, Interpol. Interpol is a clearing house of information - there are not roving bands of SWATesque Interpol agents intercepting shipping, rousting people on the docks and detaining folks in NYC. And if Liberia has handfuls of Blood Diamonds, why do they need a schmuck middleman from Long Island when a dozen countries would gladly (and covertly) sell him the guns and ammo? This movie debuted between Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the fall of 2005 and the scene where Orlov is talking about hurricanes coming out of no where and another when locals are stripping an airplane both got laughs. During the latter some theatre patrons were heard to joke, "Looks like they landed in New Orleans". Orlov comments that trying to get ahead legally is hard work - well, welcome to the United States. The constant references to the US being the largest arms dealer, the US having a kangaroo court to fix the 2000 elections, the US turning a blind eye to crime the government commits, the US supporting rebels, the US police unable to catch Orlov but giving the Liberian President a motorcycle escort got to be too much. In reality, Orlov would have been gotten by the IRS for "lifestyle". And if indeed Orlov did get in the way of established arms dealers, he would not still be alive. The "R" was for the F-words and not the marginal nudity. Perhaps the greatest stumbling block for me was Cage. Nicholas Cage, gifted actor no doubt, but so much more believable as the inept lover in Moonstruck or the first time burglar in National Treasure. He was just not believable as an Italian Officer in Capt. Correlli's Mandolin (whatever) and I just can't see him as a smooth international dealer - Ian Holm, yes, but not Cage. If you like seeing Reagan, Bush 41 and Bush 43 bashed, plus the CIA, Supreme Court and American military structure all derided, then this film will have some extras for you. ******* Spoilers be ahead******* Suspension of disbelief required for a powered landing by a four engine turboprop (Soviet variant of C-130) to be silent and with all the people scrambling for a last minute avoidance of the plane that no one gets beheaded by the props?!?!?! Also, how do you sit in a suit for 24 hours handcuffed and not soil yourself during that time? Was Orlov wearing Depends??? This annoying film gets one star.

Someone do a DVD boxed set with commentaries on this quickly before Malachi Throne, Susan St. James and R.J. leave us!!!! Much like the Man From UNCLE, Mission: Impossible and other shows "filmed" all over the world, the Universal backlot was Paris, Istanbul, Rome, etc. But the one thing this show did have that none other would was R.J., AKA Robert Wagner. The first season was great and when joined by his Dad (Fred Astaire) the scripts became a little more tortured, but still, you wanted to move and talk like R.J. When Bette Davis was a co-star as an ailing female thief that was going to hold a formal party, R. J. commented on the class she exuded by saying, "White Tie - First Cabin". He is what Austin Powers attempted to be, he is what a less brutal version of Connery's Bond could have been. No matter where he went, he could be the playboy who knew the best Bistro in Cannes, the grooviest bar in Picadilly, the best casino in Monaco. He had the women: Susan St. James before Rock Hudson, an early interracial fling with one of the Fifth Dimension-ettes. Studios are making a fortune on DVD releases. I am stunned with slack-jawed amazement that they can come up with the first season of the Brady Bunch but not a unique cultural event like "It Takes a Thief". Trust me, we'll buy it.

Real cops depicted as real people and a great mix of humor, drama and reality. The show attracted the cream of Hollywood for their episodes and several stars depicted several different characters. You just wanted to hang out with detectives Bert and Tony (Don Meredith and Tony LoBianco), applaud the grit of David Birney in "Captain Hook" and the true love displayed by Kim Darby in the same episode. You laugh at Monster Manor as cops enjoy pre-AIDS America and salute Claude Akins as a veteran cop with a practical touch. You feel "Wolf's" pain and follow the new deputy chief through his promotion process. I teach cops and police cadets and I would pay a lot for this great series, especially a DVD boxed set with some commentaries. After all, if they can do a boxed set of "Sledge Hammer" and "Reno 911" they ought to be able to do this landmark show. Super cool theme music, too.

The images that are only LA and no where else make this different than To Live and Die in Oshkosh. I'm just glad to see some movie or TV show happen outside of NYC. Great LA scenes like the industrial Port of San Pedro (Lethal Weapon II), Union Station, the fact that even working stiffs had homes that overlooked something, freeways, oil refineries, that the desert is just a short commute and I mean MOFN (Middle of Freaking Nowhere) the palm trees blowing in the hot wind, etc. etc.

SPOILERS FOLLOW****SPOILERS FOLLOW!!!!!

A few commenters have written that Debra Feuer was working as a snitch, uh, check the credits as Darlanne Fluegel is the snitch working to stay out of prison and looking magnificent in the sack. Rather Debra Feuer is Master's weird girlfriend who winds up in the sack and riding off into the sunset with Daphne Moon Crane (Jane Leaves)and Feuer also looks good in Master's home movies.

Make all the adverse comments you want about William Petersen but he is physically amazing in his "catlike" moves and is totally believable as the cop focused on revenge. He went on through Manhunter and CSI because he is good, not as bad as others have said.

Pankow is believable as the hesitant rookie wanting to not bend the rules but has his morals crumble.

Darlanne is just a couple years away from Crime Story and here she portrays the stripper (or welcome hostess) who is caught up in the cycle of providing information and wanting to be in a nurturing relationship but is trapped in the dysfunctional one-way situation with Petersen.

Dafoe is just so unique in appearance and energy he excelled in Streets of Fire, Spiderman, oh hell, everything he is in.

What is best? Look for the Treasury office building and especially where the Armory room with all the bugging stuff is spot on. The kiss-my-ass Federal Judge. The physicality of Petersen - when he comes around the corner at LAX, he is smokin'. Masters way of making sure that his clients were bug-free by dressing and undressing and sauna-ing. The nuts and bolts of counter-feiting. The Rule by Terror theory used by Masters to keep his mules in line. Masters'muscle guy (killer of Petersen)is just a classic remorseless gunman.

This is an 80s snapshot of pre-Rodney King law enforcement and the stylized cops, bad guys, molls that were there.

Enjoy...

For once the trailer did not have every high point of the movie - there were plenty left to see. Ignore the "Commander McBragg-esque" memories of the brothers in Africa, French Foreign Legion, etc. Take them for the simple visions that a boy would create to the stories as they were told. Remember, this is the 50's, when if someone went to the local Sheriff and complained about being shot at while on someone else's land, the Sheriff would have told them, "That'll teach ya not to be on someone else's land."

My son is ten and before we go to movies like this or Pirates of the Caribbean I give him the "Even if we see fighting or bad words, that will not happen at home or school, right?" speech. Also, because we live near Orlando, we go to Universal or Disney MGM every year and he knows that it is not real skeletons but "movie magic". That being said, I was not prepared for the emotions of this movie.

Little Spoilers ahead

I see moms like Kyra Sedgewick every day at work who view their child as a ticket to AFDC or SSI and provide an example only by providing the wrong example. Also, contrary to Hollywood's (and society's) deification of the single-mother, boys need a positive male role model. At least Kyra figured that out, even though the money was #1 on her list.

And the boy got that, solid role models. When Duval started part of "the speech" I slapped my son's thigh and told him to "listen up". It made for good car conversation later as we spoke about who were the Secondhand Lions -he knew it was the old men. Did you see how the boy would not rat out his uncles. See how the bad relatives only care about money?

When they had the lakeside scene and Duval ends with "true love never dies" the tears were running down my face.

I'll have to wait for the DVD to see what the original ending was as the current ending seemed a bit contrived, and I almost expected to see a 70 year old Queen Jasmine step out of the helicopter. By the way, was the only movie the writer saw Disney's "Aladdin"? Aren't we up to our ears in Princess Jasmines?

The only non-believable part for me was the meat-protein bashing as Osment demands they eat more vegetables - that is too 90s-00s. Especially after the mega corn fest they should all go a year until they eat more vegetables.

So, go see it, preferably with someone you love and ideally with your son.

There really was a German cruiser in WW I (SMS Koenigsberg) that went up the Rufiji River for repairs and was sunk by the British by using mortars on "monitor" type boats. Also, there was a German officer (Colonel Von Lettow-Vorbeck: read "Guerilla" by Edwin P. Hoyt) that took the cannons off of the ship and had them manhandled around the African countryside to defeat the British. Please note that Von Lettow was a gentleman and excellent officer at guerilla warfare and NOT the stealing, avaricious fat baby killer depicted by Fleisher.

That being said, this film concerns British colonists (good, farming types that use thier black conscript soldiers to defend) and German colonists (bad, tax collecting types that use their black conscript soldiers to attack). Lee Marvin is the crusty but loveable curmudgeon, Roger Moore is the con man with a heart of gold and Barbara Parkins is the farmer's daughter and, hands down, a dish in her day.

***SPOILERS*** All is well until the German officer finds out that Marvin & Moore are poaching his tax targets and he revenges by burning down Marvin's house and killing the infant of Moore and Parkins. Now all bets are off and lightheartedness ends. Now the German officer, his friends, his coworkers, his countrymen, his soldiers, the people who owe him money and everyone that looks like him must die. So ultimate revenge is had and in a fitting poetic justice, Mom of infant Parkins, extracts the final measure of justice from the German officer.

Another reviewer wanted to know why the title was "Shout at the Devil". The reason is that when men do evil, thier destiny is Hell, where all they can do thereafter is "shout at the devil".

9 of 10 stars

This is a comedy with some romantic themes and even a couple heartstring tugs of emotionality.

Comedy: Lines like: (when signalling Dr. Dedham)

Wayne: What's this, daughter spelled DOTTER?

Marvin: Yeah, two T's

and

Wayne: Light? (asking Allen in her bathing suit)

Allen: (feeling down her suit) Nope - sorry.

and

everyone carrying heavy furniture, trunks and a piano except the biggest and strongest, Mazurki, who is carrying the stool.

and

watching Marvin getting drowned out during the Christmas pagent.

Romantic:

Watching Wayne and Allen fall in love while you know that Wayne is trying to get rid of her.

Watching the cad getting his come uppance

Heartstrings:

We should all remember that Wayne married Pilar, a hispanic, and knew racism first hand.

The acceptance of Dedham's kids by Allen

The price paid by the Navy crewmen and the island's inhabitants while fighting the Japanese.

The fact that a lot of women used to die in childbirth (who would want to be the next wife of Lorne Green in Bonanza???)

The joys of childhood: the rock and roll pianoplaying, the ballcap in Luki's pocket when he is wearing his Buster Brown outfit, water skiing, and Christmas.

The value of religion: donations to the poor via the church, the honorable place the padre has in the community, the honorable place Christmas has, the religions mixed together in the graveyard, etc.

I loved the pagentry and music of the natives. The music does stay with you. My Dad used to go crazy over his lawn and I laughed in horror as John Wayne spins his tires on Dedham's lawn.

John Wayne Redux:

Want a similar spanking scene? The end of "McClintock" has it.

Want to know the full verses of "The Monkeys have no tails in Pango-Wanga"??? Watch the Duke in "They Were Expendable" with another total dish in her day, Donna Reed.

Loved it. I watch it once or twice a year and wish there could be a DVD with commentary but all the principle actors are pretty much gone, even the oldest child is dead.

Others have bemoaned the lack of creativity or the re-hash of the original story. What did they expect, Peter Pan goes to law school? My 8 year old was bouncing with excitement by the end of the movie. I found the CG animation of the Pirate Ship over London to be in

the best of the Disney tradition. They leave you guessing up until the very end as to whether Peter Pan is real or if both Wendy and her daughter dreamed him. Look for one goof: The truck (2 1/2 ton Army truck) bears a United States white star when it picks up and drops off Dad, who is obviously a British soldier/airman. Though theoretically possible, it is highly unlikely that there was an

American Amry truck in London as the U.S. did not actively enter the war unitl January 1942 and the Blitz had been going on long before that. Forget the critics - go see it and take the kids.

If you ever were a cop or hung out with cops this movie will be about twice as funny. There are a couple scenes that are "can't breathe" funny where you are glad you don't have a mouthful of Coke. Other lines are really fast and if you don't pick up on them - they're gone. But the whole film is Caddyshack quality with a great blend of Over-The-Top and more believeable comedy. Since so much of the humor is fast and on a higher plane it is like a 2 hour Frasier episode.

Filmed in Upstate New York you get the Vermont feeling but it would have been nice if they added a few Second Unit shots of Mount Mansfield,

Vermont roadsigns or pick-up trucks with snowplow attachments in front.

The patrol cars and uniforms are generally faithful to the style of the Vermont State Police. See the authentic thing in "Spitfire Grille". But the wording and several uniform details are signifgantly different and obviously they are not seriously trying to recreate a VSP car or uniform so I will not list it as a "goof".

The reality is that the VSP are a highly professional agency that are way, way understaffed and underfunded and with Socialist Bernie Sanders, Flatlander Jim "Which Party Today" Jeffords and others, having a Governor portrayed as being "pro pot" is not too far removed from reality.

I look forward to Broken Lizard's next event! See this one before it leaves town!!!

First of all, Linda K. looks so-o-o-o-o-o different with red tresses versus her straight blonde Croc Dundee hair. You forget the other characters she has played. Bruce Willis and Dennis Farina did another movie about police corruption in Pittsburgh so their film council must feature that in their brochure. This film takes excellent advantage of the river, hills, downtown, older homes and tram of Pittsburgh. Though their is the Ever-Present crusty Captain that wants to have the license of the P.I. and the helpful insider (Rockford Files, Simon & Simon, etc. etc.) the movie has sometension and you don't find out the final twist until the end. A few boo-boo's to look for: When Linda is getting shot at in the alley she starts with the silver long-barrelled revolver from her boyfriend but it transmutes into a short-barrelled blued handgun. In her second appearance at the Union Hall she is braless and then has one on as she comes upon the crime scene where the Big Mouth's wife is killed. I am told that 20 year old film that has sat undeveloped in a camera in an attic would probably not be able to be developed, but no one was willing to say "Absolutely Not." I applaud her for doing her own extended nude scene and not ripping us off with a body double. Most of the badges are authentic round Pittsburgh badges but at least one is a generic eagle-on-top badge. All that being said, rent it or buy it - it will be worth the price.

Numerous other members of the Imdb Corps have already mentioned the SD Padres hat that should have been brown and the Baywatch Boo-Boo.

There are other factual errors that just make the film grate against me like the fact that the inmate is blowing bubbles when he was given chewing gum. (Secretly I hoped it was "red light - green light" gum from Mission Impossible) Pitt's hair is way, way too long to be in a USMC uniform. There is Redford who looks every minute of 65 (is that his hair?) whether it is 1975 or 1991. At least Howard Stern used some age-reversing makeup techniques in his life story movie. What else made me say, "Oh, come on..." during this film. Pitt could have any woman and he chooses Little Miss Has Issues. Hands down "The Dish" in the film is Charlotte Rampling! She looks younger here than in The Verdict! And those are the little things. Admitted Ultra-liberal Redford is making a movie that makes our government look bad and he stages it in the last years of Bush 41. Wasn't the whole world still rocking and rolling over Desert Storm in 1991? China had cooperated with the International Coalition and refused to veto our use of force in Kuwait. This movie would have been better set in 1966 when China and the US still hated each other.

***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** DeVito was great as the wisecracking crook (prefected in "Romancing the Stone") and Hackman and Lindo did wonderfully with what they had. Lindo could be the new DeNiro for his "Walk Away" speech. Pidgeon was never developed as a character (if anything, she was split between devoted spouse and slut-for-hire) and we saw that in the first Mission:Impossible already. Be that as it may, the plot was so bizzarely contrived that it made this year's earlier offering by DeNiro/Brando/Norton look plausible. At least with that film there was a moderate level of plot twists even though it was the same "Old buddy forces hero to do one-more-job and you must take my protoge' with you" and they admitted to filming in Canada. But there is just one completely unbelieveable coincidence or situation after another: 1. Obviously filmed before 9-11 but still no airport would allow a jet to be unloaded on a working runway and not get someone out to look at "Whazzup?" even then. 2. No police department (supposedly Logan here with Mass. State Police) would allow vehicles to leave the area after an explosion. In addition, no crates from the victim aircraft could be picked up until all contents were checked and cleared by police and prosecutors. 3. Though they used what appeared to be authentic Mass. State Police

cars and uniforms (and Mass. S.P. does patrol Logan) the troopers wore their badges above the pocket like LAPD and NYPD whereas real Mass. troopers wear theirs on the left pocket flap. 4. What's with Pidgeon??? Spoilers Follow!!!!Loves Hackman but then shtupps the punk. Runs away from punk when he finds washers, but leaves with him after "dock" scene. Gets beaten during interrogation scene but double crosses Hackman and finally finds true love with Punk? And if she really knows Hackman, she ought to know to test the pipes before heading into the sunset. OK, sure, there are weird relationships and lovers that turn against each other, but she spins in place. 5. With the exception of Batman (Look a shark! Well, Robin, I've got shark repellent in my utility belt) no one has had so many conveniently placed back-ups. Lindo on the boat w/shotgun at the ready, extra pick-up truck, phony pipes on first pick-up, fake gold railings, wife willing to sleep with the enemy, Customs Officer just happens to be at bar and then just happens to be a Roach Coach and then just happens to fortify coffee and then just happens to disappear so as not to notice a change in guard, etc. Patti Lupone deserved better. 6. Hackman gets shot in the back of the thigh and limps? How about a shattered femur? Lindo and Hackman are "Baranaby Jones" shots with handgun and shotgun but bad guy with Ruger Mini 14 can't hit a thing? Oh, Come on! 7. And what of Frecce??? Is he a mobster or what? He is going to get his gun stolen and not be back to whip a Comuppance on Hackman? 8. Hackman and Lindo melt down the gold apparantly at the Boat Shop. How hard is it for DeVito and Frecce to find them? 9. The final gold pipes in the truck (first of all they would have been gold rods due to the rudimentary forge)were obviously machined and above what they were doing. Each drop of spilled gold was worth something and no one seemed concerned. 10. Last, but not least, gold is phenominally heavy, more than lead, and any serious volume of gold will bottom out a conventional truck. 11. Logan Airport is in a much more urban setting and not the rolling countryside depicted. The Bangor-Brewer airport in Maine looks more like the Canadian filming location.

Other than that, it was believable. So, imagine it is Science-Fiction where you accept the premise, and enjoy the film.

If you have ever been in corporate sales, been to a big Amway shebang, or even suffered through a "store meeting" at Wal*Mart, you will recognize the "pump up" meeting. This is one-half training film and one-half plot and vignettes. Some plot twists and some suspense to hold your attention. Semi-accurate version of what it is like owing a knucklebreaker loan shark. You come to respect Benzali's ruthlessness even if you grow to hate him. Spoiler Follows!!!The new salesman with the heart of gold does better than me by walking away from the money. The best scene, and you can show this at any sales meeting, is where Benzali dares the salesmen to hit him with customers' rejection lines. This movie is educational, eye-opening, realistic and with just a bit of danger and nudity for fun. Hard to believe, I lucked out and found this in the "But 2 get one free" bin at a movie rental store.

It is easy to pick apart this movie but you have to appreciate the efforts made to present both parody and "camp" on a constant flow. Now that "Black Knight" is about to come out you can see the future in the Hamlet parody. The LAPD HQ scenes are worth the price of the rental: Sharon Stone "Smoking" outside, the liquid steel terminator walking by, valet parking, "roll call" where cops are partnered with Bogart or a talking cat, the cop babes in leather and vinyl, and Frank McRae's great performance as the "love ya - hate ya" lieutenant (his best work since Used Cars). The idea that there are no ugly girls because it is a movie (no, it's California) was similar to "A Little Sex's" scenes where Tim Mathieson sees only beautiful women when he is in a relationship and couples after splitting up. Critics and wags don't decry that. The movie also points out the hollow and unfulfilled life of an action cop that has nothing meaningful but action. Many commentators complain about the kid being annoying - Hah! All 12 year olds are annoying - get used to it. There is also the intricate nature of the Film Premiere (trivia: Giant Inflatable Jack Slater at premiere has a badge in his hand but formerly had a stick of dynamite but a bombing that occurred about that time and got replaced)with many cameos and great interaction from Maria Shriver. ****Spoiler Follows***** And this film takes a sudden and scary dark turn when the kid is threatened with death (just as Slater's fictional son) and narrowly escapes. I'm just sensitive to kid-death stuff. But this is off-set by bright spots of the biologically perfect daughter, star roles and cameos and the excellent Mercedes Ruehl who I would pay to read the NYC phonebook to me. Take this for what it is, look for the constant stream of little digs and send-ups and enjoy the show!

Willis has the Gene Hackman role: tough hombre with a criminal background and the guts to see it through. Thornton has the Burt Reynolds role: means well wannabe but too nice and somewhat bumbling to be the lead criminal. Blanchett has the Liza Minelli role: coming out of a bad marriage, looking to fulfill herself and falls for both guys and can't pick between them. The Stuntman has the Robby Benson role of sidekick and facilitator. In both films there is 1. Someone on their tail (gangster in LL, journalist here), 2. bumbling law enforcement (Coast Guard in LL, Cop that loses patrol car and cops that get grossed out over vaginitis here), 3. great West Coast scenery, 4. extravagences that waste the booty, and 5. the apparant happy ending. ***Spoilers follow***** Spoilers follow***** When the first scene cut from the L.A. Bank to the stuntman's home and the fake blood packets went off - was that intended to telegraph the ending!?!?!?!?! Has anyone seen an interview with cast or crew where they admitted, "Yes, we wanted the audience to predict the ending just 30 minutes into the film."????? All that being said, this was the first movie I have laughed out loud at in a long time. Pay the money, find pleasure in the little things (Bank error in your favor) and take a vacation from reality.

My version was taped off of The Wonderful World of Disney and the rousing opening ballad hooks the audience. For adults: Use the injustices of 18th Century England (taxes, impressment, no free speech, military acting as police, class system, etc.) to educate the kids as to why people would leave for an uncertain life in America and later fight a war for freedom. For Kids: Just like the Lone Ranger or Robin Hood, the Scarecrow (behind the mask or as Dr. Syn) rights wrongs (the courtroom scene is classic) and helps the oppressed and victims (marsh folk generally, the press gang victim specifically). There was one goof: When a horsedrawn wagon pulls up, look for the ER II (Elizabeth Regina the Second) logo on the side. Side benefit: The Scarecrow ballad is one of the greatest songs to sing in the shower.

Other reviewers compare this to "Days of Boredom" (whatever) which really was "Top Gun" in a car. Does Tom Cruise always have to appear helmetless on a motorcycle out of the fog? I digress. "Driven" is a CG update to Grand Prix. Frankenheimer used the split screen and Harlin uses CG shots. Lets compare:****Spoilers*****Spoilers******Spoilers**** 1. Wife/Fiancee leaves man when she feels unloved and gets some excitement with her man's chief rival only to return to her man when she feels that he really does need her. (Sophie is cute, sure, but looks like she should work at The Gap. Jessica Walter was a 10 in her day and was the epitome of 60's youthful vigor and class. Jess, call me...) 2. Hero gets hurt in a crash and has to drive wounded. 3. Hero fogs out while driving and is lucky to hold on. 4. A car goes into the water and the driver is lucky to get out. 5. One race in the rain and, of course, it is more dangerous. 6. Pre-Race rituals like the family photo over the heart (Driven) and blood type bracelets in Grand Prix. 7. The big wreck involves a car flying through the air, over trees and landing burning with minor hero getting hurt/killed. 8. Owner of team as heartless ogre who plays mindgames with drivers. Celi has Montand's car arrive late, Reynolds holds Stallone back in pits. Celi, of course, was great, but Reynolds stunned me with the energy he put into this role. 9. Marching band playing on the racetrack. 10. Lots of girls and disco shots. 11. Both Stallone and Garner finish a race with their car in disrepair and about to blow. 12. Both Stallone and Garner are "washed up", have alternate careers and get called back to help the team because they know "how to win". 13. Lots of feet and clutch shots. 14. Both have an absence (thankfully) of "real race footage" interspliced which is obviously not taken anywhere near the subject matter. See "Red Line 7000" for 50's footage in a 60's movie. 15. A female journalist becomes a love interest. Eva Marie Saint and Stacy Edwards are both very classy and well cast. 16. In the end the Hero wins, the right man gets to keep the girl (but doesn't win) and the owner appears to have a heart of gold after all. All that being said, if Grand Prix was great, and it was, so is "Driven". Oh, sure, the manhole covers and tires go slo-mo in the air (see Jurrasic Park: The Lost World) and some of the CG cars look like a video arcade (or is that the Director trying to make us think that the driver is flashing to his computer simulation...Hmmmm?) but the violence of the wrecks is accurate. Gina Gershon is the perfect ball-buster X and even she comes around. You can complain about the continuity or other goofs (beach volleyball scene in Detroit has "Chicago" in the background, Canadian flag in background of the Detroit or Chicago race, etc.) but the real story is good, remarkably wholesome and has a happy ending where nobody gets killed. Is that bad? No, so go see it... besides that, it is No. 1 at the box office.

Brewski-2

The cartoon show was part of my childhood and now I'm seeing them again on Boomerang (Cartoon Network's select oldies) and my second grade son is watching them now. So I took him to JATP (the movie) and had low expectations, but was pleasantly surprised. ****Spoilers to Follow ****Spoilers to Follow ***** The overkill of product placement began to wear on you, but each new one made you think about the reality of NASCAR cars, pro tennis and golf outfits, minor league hockey uniforms and everywhere else you see an inappropriate logo. Alexandra's comment as to why she was there ("Cause I was in the comic book") was a rip. Melody's holding the sign: "Honk if you love pussy" only to have "cats" hidden by a tree was a laugh. Here's the good news: My son liked the movie and caught the message of "friends are more important than fame." Bonus for Dads: many nubile types that think leaning over in tank tops is a sport. Here's the bad news: Real potty mouthed dialogue that I had to have a talk with my son about afterwards. The music was the typical headbanging stuff you can't whistle while leaving the theatre. Hey, where's "Inside, Outside, Upside Down" the one hit from JATP TV show??? Bottom line: Too rough for little kids and probably too juvenile for big kids and not enough hidden stuff to hold the adult's attention. Still, not as bad as "Spacehunter in 3-D: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone" or "King Kong Lives".

Others have made the proper comparisons (big background and sets a la Titanic and Saving Private Ryan - SPR) and pointed out some inconsistencies such as German and Russian sung in the background and in writing on walls but all speech in English. But the word is HUGE and here is why. The sets, augmented by matte paintings and CG graphics, are enormous. The Tractor Factory set alone will make you forget the French village in SPR. I've seen trashed factories in Kuwait during Desert Storm and all the sets had that same feel. Also, older war movies used real footage spliced in (12 O'Clock High) and it looked it (clear vs. grainy) whereas now the CG creates Stuka strafings and Heinkel bombings that could not be done today by real aircraft - thus whetting our taste for "Pearl Harbor". Part of what you will see is the atmosphere and recreation of war - and it is ever bit as big as the Titanic's hull or SPR's French village. ****Spoilers to Follow ***** Spoilers to Follow****** 1. The kid (Sachsa) was perfect as the innocent who was employed by the Germans as a cobbler and bootblack for food but used as a double agent. All soldiers, including Americans, have employed kids (one was in the MASH TV series) for all wars. Usually the currency is food, as it was here. Think of Dov from "Exodus" (the book). Ed Harris, feeling the loss of his son, does not want to kill Sachsa for his double-spying, so he warns him not to return, and only when Sachsa does return, does Harris use him as the bait to draw out Vassily. Harris has his orders and he does what he must. The scene where the kid is mending boot soles and Germans are marching by and the kid's nose is running either from the cold or crying is classic. 2. Some decry the love affair between Weiscz and Law, but, hey, it happens. Did they decry the beach love scene with Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr? In war, you feel that each day might be your last and you don't want to die a virgin or with clogged pipes and the animalistic rutting is what I would expect between a shepard and a first timer. Her face switches between pain and pleasure, however Jude Law is the master of the Silent Orgasm. Don't minimize women's involvement in Soviet Army actions. Soviet women served in many areas such as sniper and fighter pilot. Even today the Israeli army uses only women to teach rifle marksmanship. 3. This could have been a mini-series and covered all aspects of Stalingrad (freezing, logistics, wood fires to thaw engines, color bands on snow suits, Paulus' promotion to Field Marshal, etc., etc.) but who has time for that? Urban rubble is a snipers best friend (Abbey of Monte Cassino and SPR) and the marksmanship, fieldcraft and soldier skills needed to be the best sniper are exemplified here. 4. Heroes do make a war effort roll. FDR wanted something to take our minds off of Pearl Harbor and got The Doolittle Raiders. Hitler would not allow Rommel to be besmirched (after Rommel's involvement in the plot to kill Hitler) and let him to commit suicide but publicised it as "died from a strafing". The sole Ranger that won the Silver Star in Grenada was Reagan's guest at a State of the Union speech. And finally... 5. This movie was funny. There were some real "if you have ever been in the military..." scenes like where only the fat general gets a shower, where the guy in the front rank rolls his eyes back towards Fiennes, etc. This movie actually had some good laughs. See it, see it, see it.

The earlier reviewer "djnichols" hit the same point that hit me: I wish that plagarism was a crime (or at least painful).

Some SPOILER stuff to follow...

Just about every device in this film was used before. Why does the only spaceship in space need anti-collision blinking red lights? (Star Trek(s), Lost in Space, etc.) The spinning centrifuge supposedly creates the gravity, but we never see the curved floors as in "2001". In fact we see flat floors as Terence Stamp pedagogues to Val Kilmer. And when the gravity kicks on it does not come on slowly as the centrifuges begin to spin again, rather it comes on like a lightswitch. If (instead) the gravity is magnetic, then why is glass held in place?

Why do the flashbacks have to be scenes we already saw? The movie isn't that long.

OK, so the Mother Ship gets hit and the crew has to bail out in the landing craft - "Starship Troopers" did it better.

When the landing craft hits and rolls (based on actual science) you get the best special effect - however the "we're safe - no we're not" was done better in "The Abyss". (The crane's on its' way down to you)

Carrie AM was great but no professional female officer is going to stand naked, arms akimbo, and give one of her troops an eyeful. If this was a seduction attempt on her part, OK, but, obviously it wasn't. Seeing the naked back and side of breast is another "Oh, heck, I could see that on NYPD Blue" rip-off. Carrie AM working braless in a tank-top, oh, lemme think, Alien? Aliens? Carrie AM does CPR from the 60s (precordial thump a la George C. Scott in "The Hospital") and w/o the breaths. Hooking her feet under the girder was at least an attempt at reality.

And we are to believe that this crew hits Mars w/o a sensor for oxygen or CO or CO2 levels? They did not have to pull out tricorders but, you mean to tell me that they do not have one sensor until "Hey, lookee here, I can breathe". Puhleeeeze.

Killer cockroaches was done using plastic bugs in "Damnation Alley" and CG in "The Mummy". The bug coming out of the mouth was in "The Abyss".

Supposedly these bugs destroyed the modular home, with some assistance from the wind. Was that it? Then who threw the girders fifty feet away? Ripped and shredded foil - OK, but heavy steel torn as if a bomb went off? Help me on this one.

AMEE was a great concept but no one is going to leave a "military mode" in a service robot. That's like leaving Spitting Cobras in a day care center. "Lost in Space" (TV and movie) used the "robot turned against us" device as was Hal in 2001. The final showdown with AMEE was right out of Aliens with our hero whipping a "coup de grace" on the attacker. But hey, learn from "Terminator" - how does a measly punch and fire destroy this battle-droid? At least Val Kilmer did not call AMEE "bitch". Then the remote sensor (see "Empire Strikes Back", or the TV dud "Viper") hits like a mortar round and Kilmer is unscathed. Then he pulls out the battery that just happens to be the right voltage and amperage for an ancient Russian (Soviet?) craft that has full-color Misha the Bear indicators for "low battery". Yeah, sure, right.

AMEE was (seriously now) very eerie and scary as she moved like a jungle cat but the squinting eye and kung-fu stance made her lose all credibility.

Mars has ice. "Total Recall"

The crew getting picked off one-by-one is "The Dirty Dozen", "Predator" and how many others.

The guy who runs off gets killed - Jurassic Park, Raiders of the Lost Ark and scads more.

The guy gets the girl - ten thousand movies.

At the end, I thought that perhaps the bug might come out of Val Kilmer's mouth just after the CPR appeared to be successful or that the cockroaches would defoliate Earth, but no such "Oh, S**t" surprise, instead, the credits rolled.

And in case you think I liked the movie, no one, and I mean no one, is going to sing "Nineteenth Nervous Breakdown" as they are wounded, low on air and yomping towards an uncertain horizon. They are going to sing "Men of Harlech", "Long way to Tipperary" or their college fight song.

Rent "Total Recall" instead.

Brewski-2

See imdb's "quotes" to give you just a hint of the quick lines and fast banter found in this movie. The police/suspect banter is as good as the police& nazi/suspect banter in "Casablanca" (which also spawned the title) and a few saltier references. Also the plot itself is huge: An internationally feared criminal terrorist who has an unseen web of associates murders 27 people on a freighter. Now he emerges as a suspect to american law enforcement officers who cannot even confirm if he exists or not. Their only witnesses are a burned survivor from the ship who claims it is the feared "Keyser Soze" and the least culpable member of the assassination squad who isn't really sure that Keyser Soze is alive or dead. Chazz Palmenteri is great as the badge-heavy/know-it-all fed as compared to the malevolent killer in Jade. Suzi Amis is the moonstruck girlfriend that can see no evil (James Cameron left Linda Hamilton for her?!?!) and ruins her life for her felon boyfriend. The final dock scene is better than Lethal Weapon 2's final dock scene. Keep the sound up so you can hear the patter, the reparte, as it is just so quick and glib that you'll be wishing you had some of those one-liners when the situation presents itself. Also, incorrectly regarded as a goof is that two different planes are seen landing. The first one (two engines) is Chazz arriving in LA to interrogate Verbal. The second (747) is landing in NYC and holds the emerald merchant. Watch this movie and listen. 9/10

Blake, as Big John Wintergreen, is the idealized American who is a Marine Corps veteran from Vietnam, comes back and wants to do the right thing: enforce the law fairly and not give favors to other cops nor hassle the hippies. He is "chopping the wood before him" by riding his Harley, working traffic and the concert and hoping to be a Detective. He tries hard and provides info to the lead Detective but he just can't bring himself to be brutal to the hippies at the commune or hassle the hippie VW Bus drivers. And he is a man, and hence tempted by the delightful Jolene. His traffic partner, Zipper, wants more but doesn't want to work for it like Wintergreen. And amidst all these human dynamics is a murder and theft of cash. Aside from being a great story, there are many specifics that will make you want to watch this film. The 70's flavor is a fun retrospective. The Police Bike vs. dirt bike chase scene is the greatest ever done. The desert scenery never looked better and the Monument Valley morning scene is a real treat. The soundtrack is perhaps the biggest star. You have Du-Wop, Country, Rock and jazz. Sadly, only parts of some songs are in the movie (or are spoken over) and the soundtrack is not available on CD. If you are ever in an old record store, look for the LP in a silver colored cover. You may even be lucky enough to get the posters and picture book that came with the album. I would love to see Rhino records give this soundtrack the same treatment they gave to Casablanca. You will like John Wintergreen and feel his joys and sorrows as his personal and professional life take their ups and downs.

The critics hate this movie (Maltin included) because they can't place it in a category. It is not a serious mob film (Godfather) nor is it a comedy (Johnny Dangerously) nor is it bumbling mob dark comedy (a la the recent Bruce Willis - Matthew Perry vehicle). Rather this is a cartoon. Note the introductory cartoon credits. The opening underwater scenes (two) and closing scene (envelope construction) are absolutely unique to American filmcraft and you don't know whether to laugh or be horrified. The lead character is an Englishman, brought over by an American mob boss and who must take off his glasses to shoot and carries automatic pistols with flowers carved in the ivory grips. Is this over the top or what? The enemy hitman has a hook (due to an amputation at our hero's hands) which he replaces with a wine bottle opener, artifical flowers, pruning shears, etc. Our hero also has a much younger, beautiful girlfriend (daytime teacher - nighttime club dancer wearing a feather top) who waits for his return hoping that this time he will make her his own (see 1000 other movies with that same device). Our hero tutors the younger mob wiseguy and both their girlfriends are kidnapped and abused by Mr. Big. Okay, so some of the movie is cliche and some is esoteric. The ambush at the bridge sequence is as visually stunning as any serious mob film. The shootout at the laundry scene is as good as the same scene in The Fugitive or the ending to Terminator. The sequence where Harry is pinned down by a sniper and his boss resces him by pulling up in an armored Rolls-Royce is great as the actors have their conversation while rounds skip off the roof. This is then followed by driving down a would be bomber who carries a bundle of dynamite like Wyle E. Coyote. Being filmed in Seattle, Florida and Los Angeles you never know whether you are supposed to be in New York or Chicago or where. Look for a Confederate Battle Flag during the parade scene where Harry re-enters the crowd. Look for Burt Young (Paulie from Rocky) as an uncredited mobster escorting Harry to see Bradford Dillman. You will be watching a one-of-a-kind movie, maybe not great or even good, but a movie unlike any other. Enjoy it for what it is.

This movie is a compilation of many others. Studly loser from the big city is tagging the boss' wife/high society type and local beauty while planning bank robbery in a dusty town and winds up w/o the dough.(Don Johnson from The Hot Spot) New babe moves in and cleans the desert outpost. (Lone Wolf McQuade) How can we double cross the double-crossers? (Sharkey's Machine, Sunset, and the best of them all: Charley Varrick) The women (both) must be on top to writhe on Casper Van Dien in what I now call the "Sharon Stone Position" based upon the bronco riding style used in Basic Instinct. Oh, the list goes on. Did you notice the goof where they leave in Van Dien's blue Suburban to rob the bank but pull up in the new SUV? Read John D. MacDonald's "Bordertown Girl" for a better evening.