skarbear6404

In the first place, you've got to have a sense of humor to like this film. Second, you need to be a die hard Eddie Murphy fan as well.

I disagree with those that say "Vampire…" just portrays racial stereotypes. Yes, Kadeem Hardison and John Witherspoon are stereotypical "black low lifes", but so what? Angela Bassett and Allen Payne are just as stereotypical in their portrayals of honest, middle class blacks who work hard for a living. Not all Italians are Mafiosos, but by their own admission, all Mafiosos must be of Italian or Sicilian ancestry; their rules.

How many times have you seen what appeared to be a "different" slant to the Dracula theme only to walk out of the theater feeling it was deja vous all over again? This film very sarcastically juxtaposes this timeless story onto the waterfront of Brooklyn and invades the seamy life of a small time bookie and his chiseling uncle. Somehow I don't think the film would have been quite as funny if it had been about yuppies in Connecticut (for that kind of supernatural thriller, see Wolf, with Jack Nicholson and Michelle Pheiffer).

Eddie Murphy obviously doesn't see his various characters in this film, its plot, nor other supporting characters as racist. Racy yes; Racist, no. And if you go to an Eddie Murphy movie you need to expect raw language. After all, he's Gumby, d*** it!

In a word, this film is just, well, awful.

It is an utter insult to two of America's greatest actors, Gleason and McQueen. The plot is superficial; the setting is depressing and the acting is utterly and absolutely terrible. The entire film is painful.

McQueen is simply no good at comedy so his attempt to carry an already weak film is futile.

Jackie Gleason is a great comedian, but he has no one to play off of in this movie since McQueen's character is ineffective, so it comes off like a guy trying to play tennis by himself. His effort is wasted.

Although Tuesday Weld is a stunning beauty, her attempt to portray a simple country girl comes off as a bimbo actress (which she is not) playing a bimbo character. It doesn't work either.

This film rates less than a 1 out of 10. Very poor.

If you can imagine Mickey Mouse as a New York street pimp, or John Wayne as a Communist spy, then you might believe Pat Boone as a juvenile delinquent on his uncle's farm in Kentucky and you could conceivably enjoy this movie.

This film is so stupid that it isn't even campy for a mid 1950s sexless love story. And the problem is that Hollywood made such a big deal about Pat Boone's refusal to kiss a woman not his wife on screen before its release that the audience knows he won't kiss Shirley Jones so you cannot build any anticipation for the "screen consummation" of their love. It's sort of like watching a western in which the cowboys don't have guns.

The story is pointless. Even the title song is sung with pained enthusiasm.

April Love belongs in the worst film bargain bin along with Ishtar and Plan 9 from Outer Space.

I'm not sure this film could ever match the first one, even if it starred the original seven (notwithstanding the fact that four were killed). It just doesn't have the spark and chemistry. All the actors seem tired and look as if they are just going through the motions to get their paychecks.

It's interesting how Yul Brynner is "magnificent" in the original film but stiff and unconvincing in this sequel. Yet when he stars in Westworld and Futureworld in the 1970s his character (in the same matching black pants, shirt and hat) evokes the same mystery and presence of the 1960 film's Chris Adams.

There's nothing in this 1966 flick to make it worth watching, even on cable.

If you are on a sinking ship and about to be stranded on a deserted island there are only a few "must have" films you should grab from the captain's film vault as you go over the side: American Graffiti (it defines high school); Animal House (it defines college); Star Wars (it defines life) and Stripes (it defines the military experience).

Granted, all these films are distorted caricatures of their eras, but that's what makes them so good.

Stripes is just plain funny. Anyone who has gone through Army Basic Training knows every character in this film is a very accurate parody of someone they have met in the army.

Stripes is a springboard for many comic geniuses, even Bill Murray for that matter; it was his first major film since he 'graduated' from SNL and it marks the first appearance of John Candy and Sean Young.

The second half of the movie is a bit long and pretentious, but by the time you get to it, you are ready for anything these clowns try to pull.

All in all, great fun.

I am sure the idle rich dawdle (that's with an 'a and w', not an 'i and d') with weird sexual fantasies and orgies but frankly, who cares?

Here's a very successful doctor with a beautiful wife and a couple of nice kids. Instead of contributing his talents to better mankind during the day and enjoying his family on nights and weekends, he (and apparently his wife at some point) goes off on a wild goose chase to get into a very private sex club.

Well, duh. Give me a break! So I guess (the film was very vague about everything) if you have the right password you get to have weird sex with whomever. What would they have done to Dr. Harford if he had not known/guessed the right password---made him replace one of the bimbos and answer the door in his birthday suit? Would he have had to grown a mustache (and smiled sideways) too?

If this was 1960, and if I was an 8th grade boy, and if I had sneaked into this movie with my cousin (or found the DVD while my parents were out) maybe I'd snicker and think this flick was hot. But all it looks like to me is a director trying to pass off stale cheese as cheese cake. Boring. And the bimbos definitely need a bikini wax.

I can understand why this was Stanley Kubrick's last film. I'd die if my name was associated with it as well.

This is really a lame flick. But I understand its popularity with all the wannabees. I cannot believe I have actually seen guys walking around with a "Top Gun" patch from this movie on their jackets-usually blue jean jackets.

Except for the opening shots of carrier operations and some of the flying sequences the story was pure grade school; full of trite one-liners (if I tell ya, I'll have ta kill ya). And I hate it when the producers always use a well known Western a/c in an attempt at DACT. The F-20s painted black just did not cut it as MiGs.

the 1 V 4 ending was quite cheesy as well. Yeah it made a lot of money but the whole premise still showed the producers had their craniums up their wazoos. Check six? Check out!

The difference between this and other run of the mill "rescued by ex-military Rambo type" movies is this film's premise. P of L is clearly believable.

Russell Crowe (Terry Thorne) is convincing as a corporate insurance company hostage negotiator in a three piece suit. Although the opening sequence shows Thorne giving a post operation report on his last job with visuals of a Balkans combat rescue scenario, we get the feeling that his company much prefers negotiation and price bidding for hostage release vs. violence.

This corporate approach is what we expect, and get, for the first part of the movie (which sets us up nicely for the main event later). Alice Bowman's husband Peter is kidnapped in a South American country (ala Colombia) and held for ransom. Terry Thorne shows up as the designated rep for the insurance company and starts a rather routine and boring hostage negotiation using acronyms and buzzwords that show the rescue is nothing more than a scientific business to him.

Then three things raise this film above standard fare.

First is the interesting plot twist. The routine negotiation falls through when it is discovered that Peter Bowman's company has gone bankrupt and there is no longer any insurance to pay for Thorne's services. As such, he has to disengage himself from the entire project. This leaves Alice with no hope; unless she can convince Thorne to save her husband on his own which will get him nothing, Nada.

Second, somewhere between his first meeting with Alice and leaving her standing at the airport when he departs, Terry falls in love with her.

Third, a superb cast of supporting actors arrive to add suspense and emotion to the story. Anthony Heald plays Terry Feld, the oil company exec who tries to convince Alice how sincere he is about helping recover her husband, even though he could care less now that his company and job are defunct. He is the perfect heel. Pamela Reed's character arrives from the States and plays the exasperated sister-in-law to the hilt. Mario Sanchez is excellent as Arturo, the "local" hostage negotiator who does all the wrong things Terry Thorne warns Alice against. Arturo is out only for a quick buck. Things look bleak for Alice until the final and best character shows up, David Caruso as Dino, another negotiator for hire. Except we know Dino is more action oriented. The only thing keeping Caruso from being leading man in this film is that Crowe has more screen time. But between them they make a powerful team. The scene where Thorne arrives back at the Bowman home, ostensibly to discuss taking the case as a private pro-bono venture, is dynamic as Thorne and Dino (with Dino's Panama Crew as back-up) physically take over the case from Arturo's thugs by disarming them all in a lightning fast display of gunman-ship. Thorne and Dino are truly professionals at this game.

From this point on the pace is fast and the film is all adventure, with a few twists thrown in to keep us guessing until the end. Of course in the end Thorne does what's right and altruistic; he rescues Peter Bowman and walks away. All he needed was a horse to ride into the sunset on.

This is a great flick in the tradition of Saturday morning thrillers at the Bijou.

The only notable thing about this film is that it was Steve McQueen's first big starring role.

McQueen's talent is undeveloped and raw but refreshingly honest in this campy little sci-fi horror piece. Steve shows himself as the anti-establishment, hot rod car loving actor who would become a polished icon of the film industry just five years hence.

Later on, McQueen would say he hated this film and that "he was the blob". But everyone has to start somewhere and The Blob is cute, fresh and innocent. Would that we all had stayed that way.

The plot is fast paced and although predictable, still an entertaining hour or so. And it's really fun to see Steve McQueen before he became The King of Kool (and Anita Corsaut before she became Andy Taylor's girlfriend). A close friend sent me the DVD a while back and it's a treasured addition to my Steve McQueen film collection.

We all project ourselves into the books we read and films we see, so the more closer to our lives the entertainment vehicle is, the greater the experience and enjoyment. So I suppose this film would have just been another oater for me but for that one small detail.

The Outriders was a typical late '40s western movie, so the only reason I decided to watch it was that I like Joel McRea. Otherwise I might have passed on this 55 year old sage brush saga. But once it started, the female lead, Arlene Dahl, caught my eye.

Ms. Dahl could have been just another late 1940s blonde, blue eyed movie star in another late 1940s oater except for two things. first, she looked uncannily like my high school sweetheart (I know, everyone has an old high school sweetheart-go watch American Graffiti) but she really did look like her. And secondly, she spoke softly and moved, glided across the stage, just like *** did.

Then the story line somewhat mirrored the relationship we had. A tough and dangerous outlaw meets a sweet, honest and stunning beauty. I let myself slip into the fantasy of this movie figuring it would be a nice bit of nostalgic escapism. but then came the dance scene during the wagon train's stop on its overland journey.

Head honcho Will Owens (McRea) tells Jen Gort (Ms. Dahl) to stay in the wagon to avoid getting the trail hands stirred up, but when the men break out fiddles and guitars and start singing around the camp fire, she comes out, dressed to the nines with her dancing shoes. Jen glides effortlessly across the camera's view and dances with all the men, politely and dignified, yet strikingly alluring and all woman.

But what touched me was when she told Will Owens "you wanted me the most". No modern day tawdriness; nor erotic film scene with naked, sweating bodies could convey the message any clearer than her voice, her eyes and those words. It took me back.

This film may just be another fast paced western to most, but to me it is **** and me. I miss her.