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Content by T O'Brien
Commentateur n° : 6,725
Votes Utiles:
55
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Reviews Written by
T O'Brien (Chicago, Il United States)
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Funny comedy with great Martin and Caine, Feb 29 2004
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a funny movie that benefits greatly from the performances of its two main stars. Freddy Benson is a loud, crass American con man traveling through Europe by conning women out of money. Lawrence Jamieson is a suave, mannerly con man who has already established himself in the con business. The two meet up and at first are unwilling allies, but things go south quickly. In a duel of the cons, the two men see who can get $50,000 from a rich American heiress first. The loser has to leave town. The duel between Martin and Caine is the best part of the movie as they try to outdue each other. This isn't your usual Steve Martin but Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is still worth a watch. Steve Martin and Michael Caine are great together as dueling con-men, Freddy Benson and Lawrence Jamieson. Martin's physical humor and Caine's dry humor work very well together. Glenne Headly plays Janet Colgate, the heiress they are trying to con the money out of. The movie also stars Anton Rodgers and Barbara Harris. The DVD offers the widescreen presentation of the movie and commentary from director Frank Oz. For a funny movie with great roles for Steve Martin and Michael Caine, check out Dirty Rotten Scoundrels!
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Excellent poker movie with great cast, Feb 25 2004
Rounders is a very good movie that has a great cast throughout. Mike McDermott is a law student who pays his tuition by his winnings at the poker table. When a Russian kingpin cleans him out during a high stakes game, Mike decides to quit playing cards and focus on his studies to become a lawyer. Problems arise when his old friend, Les "Worm" Murphy, is released from jail and almost instantly gets him into trouble with a gambling debt. Seeing his friend in trouble, Mike comes out of his retirement to try and help him out. This is a very enjoyable movie that benefits from its great cast. What is best about this movie is how it plunges the viewer into the world of high stakes poker. The movie fully immerses you into this world as Mike narrates his story. Matt Damon is excellent as Mike McDermott, the law student who must return to the game to get his friend out of trouble. His performance is very believable as he explains much of the logic behind the game. Edward Norton stars as "Worm" Murphy, Mike's slimy friend who continues to get him into trouble. John Malkovich is also great as Teddy KGB, the Russian kingpin who is also a great card player. The movie also stars Martin Landau in a very good role, John Turturro, Gretchen Mol, Famke Janssen, and Michael Rispoli. The DVD offers theatrical trailers and the widescreen presentation of the movie. At times, Rounders reminded me of The Cincinnati Kid starring Steve McQueen with the young upstart taking on the established veteran. For a great movie that throws you into the world of high stakes poker, check out Rounders!
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First Kid
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| DVD ~ David Mickey Evans |
| Price: CDN$ 15.49 |
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| Availability: In Stock |
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Funny movie with excellent Sinbad, Feb 24 2004
First Kid is a very funny movie that benefits greatly from Sinbad's performance. Secret Service agent Sam Simms is trying to get bumped up to the president but instead is assigned to Luke, the president's son. At first, Luke is your typical stuck-up annoying kid, but soon Simms and Luke begin to bond and have a legitimate friendship. Along the way there are certain problems but in the end all things turn out well. There are some very funny bits here with Sinbad including his running collection of colorful ties, teaching Luke how to dance, and many more. This is a good movie with a great part for Sinbad. Sinbad plays Agent Sam Simms, the secret service agent assigned to the first kid. He is great throughout and easily the best part of the movie. Brock Pierce is also good as Luke Davenport, the First Kid who struggles to lead a normal life in the spotlight. The movie also stars Blake Boyd, Timothy Busfield, Robert Gillaume, Art LaFleur, and Zachary Ty Bryan. The DVD offers no extras, but the movie is worth a watch even with the lousy DVD. For a funny movie with a great performance by Sinbad, check out First Kid!
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Great modern day western with plenty of action, Feb 23 2004
Desperado is a great action movie with an excellent cast that will not disappoint. El Mariachi is a mysterious figure who travels from town to town cleaning the scum off of the streets with his guitar case full of guns. His sidekick walks into a bar telling huge overblown, stories about him before El Mariachi enters the town. When he does there are explosive results. The whole movie is one action scene after another, but that is what makes it so great. Rodriguez truly knows how to put together a shootout. The cast is great, excellent action sequences, plenty of tongue in cheek humor, and so much more. If you like action movies, check out this great modern day western. Antonio Banderas is perfectly cast as the mysterious stranger, El Mariachi. He does not have to say much, but he is perfect in the role. Joaquim de Almeida is also very good as Bucho, the man who is being tracked down by El Mariachi. There is a very good plot twist with Bucho late in the movie. And I cannot forget the gorgeous Salma Hayek, who is great as the bookkeeper who helps El Mariachi when he stumbles into her store. The movie also stars Cheech Marin, Steve Buscemi, Quentin Tarantino in a very funny part, and Danny Trejo. The Special Edition DVD offers widescreen presentation, commentary by director Rodriguez, theatrical trailers, an exclusive first look at Once Upon a Time in Mexico, and 10 minute film school with Rodriguez. For a great action movie that never slows down from beginning to end, check out Desperado.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
One of the great comedies of all-time, Feb 22 2004
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World is one of the great comedies of all-time that has a great cast full of comedians. Along a desert road, a car plows off the road into a canyon far below. Several cars stop to see if the man is all right. Right before the man dies, he tells them about $350,000 buried under a "big W" in the Santa Rosita State Park. This sends them on a mad dash south to Santa Rosita to get the money. Some go by planes, others by car, and even by bike. Along the way, they run into countless other greedy people who also want some of the money. This is a great movie that will have you laughing throughout. The excellent cast is perfectly cast as we watch their efforts to get the money. For anyone who has not seen it, I highly recommend this classic comedy. The cast for Mad, Mad World is a who's who list of comedians that are all great. Spencer Tracy plays Captain Culpepper, the police officer with alterior motives. The people making a break for the money include Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett, Mickey Rooney, Jonathan Winters, Ethel Merman, Dick Shawn, Phil Silvers, Terry-Thomas, Edie Adams, and Dorothy Provine. There are also countless cameos throughout the movie including Jimmy Durante, Jerry Lewis, Jim Backus, Jack Benny, Buster Keaton, Don Knotts, the Three Stooges, and countless others. The DVD offers several theatrical trailers, an hour of extended scenes, a making of documentary called "Something a Little Less Serious," and the widescreen presentation. This is a can't miss comedy with plenty of laughs to go around. Check out It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World!
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Fantastic DVD with all five episodes, Feb 20 2004
The Walt Disney Treasures- The Complete Davy Crockett Television Series is a great DVD that is a must have for fans of the show. Telling the adventures of frontiersman Davy Crockett and his sidekick Georgie Russel, the five episodes follow the two men through the Creek Indian War, Davy's trip to Congress, the battle of the Alamo, a keelboat race with Mike Fink, and a showdown with river pirates. All five episodes look great. I never saw the original episodes so after seeing Davy Crockett King of the Wild Frontier for so many years, it was great to see the episodes as they were originally presented. This is a great DVD that tells the story of a larger than life frontier hero. Fess Parker is the image many people think of when they hear the name Davy Crockett and its for a reason. Parker's performance is truly great as the frontiersman, hunter, adventurer, and Congressman, Davy Crockett. Equally as good is Buddy Ebsen as Georgie Russel, Davy's loyal sidekick. The relationship the two men have is what holds all of these episodes together. The series also starred William Bakewell as Major Norton, Basil Ruysdael as Andrew Jackson, Pat Hogan as Chief Red Stick, Mike Mazurki as Bigfoot Mason, Hans Conreid as Thimblerig, Nick Cravat as Busted Luck, Kenneth Tobey in two roles as Jim Bowie and Jocko, and Jeff York as Mike Fink. The DVD offers all five episodes(Davy Crockett, Indian Fighter, Davy Crockett Goes to Congress, Davy Crockett at the Alamo, Davy Crockett's Keelboat Race, and Davy Crockett and the River Pirates), introductions by Leonard Maltin, an extensive photo gallery, an interview with Fess Parker, and a mini-documentary about the Crockett craze. Fans of this great tv series should have this DVD in their collection. Check out this DVD!
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Very funny movie with great cast, Feb 14 2004
Screwed is a very funny movie with a great cast regardless of what critics said about it. Willard Fillmore is a butler badly mistreated by his boss, Miss Virginia Crock, the owner of a huge pastry business. Willard and his friend Rusty decide to get back at her by kidnapping her dog and getting a huge ransom out of it. Then, the kidnapping goes wrong and everyone thinks Willard is the one who was kidnapped. From here on in, Willard and Rusty must figure a way to get out of the mess without screwing themselves over. Sure, some of the humor has been done before, but it is still very funny. There are plenty of laughs throughout. Screwed will keep you interested because from one scene to the next you're never sure what is going to happen next. Norm Macdonald is very funny as Willard Fillmore, the mistreated butler who decides to get back at Miss Crock. There is just something funny about the pitch of Macdonald's voice when he screams. Dave Chappelle is equally funny as Rusty, Willard's friend and partner in crime. The two of them together are great. Danny DeVito is also good as morgue worker Grover Cleaver, who gets caught up in the whole mess. Screwed also stars Elaine Strich, Sarah Silverman, Daniel Benzali, and Sherman Hemsley. The DVD offers the theatrical trailer, widescreen presentation, and production notes. For a very funny movie with plenty of laughs, check out Screwed!
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A must have for Gilligan fans, Feb 14 2004
Gilligan's Island The Complete First Season is a must have for fans of the 1960's comedy. Everything you could want is here. The 3-disc set includes all 36 episodes from the first season presented in standard black and white. The episodes look great in black and white rather than that awful color that was inserted into them while on TBS. The DVD also includes the lost pilot episode with three different cast members alongside Gilligan, the Skipper, and the Howells. Also on the DVD are tropical tidbits about certain episodes, profiles on how the cast was selected, and a tropical island survival guide. The excellent cast really made this show what it was. Bob Denver as Gilligan, Alan Hale JR as the Skipper, Jim Backus as Thurston Howell III, Natalie Schaefer as Lovie Howell, Tina Louise as Ginger, Russell Johnson as the Professor, and Dawn Wells as Mary Ann made up one of the best ensemble casts in television history. Fans of this much loved show should run out and buy Gilligan's Island The Complete First Season. You will not be disappointed!
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Great action movie with excellent cast, Feb 6 2004
Once Upon A Time in Mexico is the third movie in the El Mariachi trilogy and a fitting end for it. While the plot can be confusing, it is not as bad as some reviewers made it out to be. If you pay attention, you'll be fine. A CIA agent is trying to stop an assassination by hiring El Mariachi. The man behind the assassination of the president of Mexico is Barillo, a drug kingpin trying to take control of the country. There are numerous subplots with plenty of backstabbing and betrayals that are too many too mention. There are plenty of great, over-the-top action scenes here that will blow you away. The movie has tons of great characters, some more well-developed than others. Also, director Robert Rodriguez shot this film beautifully in Mexico making it that much more enjoyable. Antonio Banderas returns as the brooding gunman, El Mariachi, who is seeking revenge against a rogue general, Marquez. Why he is seeking revenge is revealed in flashback. Banderas is perfect once again in the role. Johnny Depp steals every scene he is in as Agent Sands, the sarcastic, psychotic CIA agent. He has too many one-liners to mention. Salma Hayek has little to do here, but who cares, she looks gorgeous. The impressive cast includes Mickey Rourke, Eva Mendes, Willem Dafoe, Danny Trejo, Cheech Marin, Ruben Blades, and Enrique Iglesias. The DVD offers commentary by Rodriguez, two featurettes, deleted scenes, widescreen presentation, and several other worthwhile extras. This is a great over the top action movie that never slows down from beginning to end. The finale with Agent Sands has to be seen. For a great action movie with an excellent cast, check out Once Upon a Time in Mexico!
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Highly entertaining action with great cast, Feb 1 2004
SWAT is a good movie full of plenty of action that benefits from a pretty good cast. After a hostage situation goes wrong, Jim Street is pulled from his SWAT team and must work in the "cage." When a new team needs to be formed by a sergeant coming out of retirement, Street is one of those picked. The new crack team must train together and learn all about the job. Problems arise when drug dealer and general lowlife Alex Montel is apprehended and offers $100 million to whoever can get him out. This brings anyone in Los Angeles who can wield a gun to try and get him out. The new SWAT team must figure out a way to transport him to maximum security. This is a full-blown action movie that will keep you riveted. The scene with a plane landing on the Sixth Street Bridge, while obviously CGI, is a great example of the action. Colin Farrell stars as Jim Street, the cocky SWAT officer who works his way back onto the team. This is basically the same role as in The Recruit. Samuel L. Jackson is very good as Sergeant Hondo who is brought out of retirement to train and lead this new SWAT team. Olivier Martinez sneers his way through as Alex Montel. The rest of the SWAT team includes LL Cool J, Michelle Rodriguez, Josh Charles, and Brian Van Holt. The Special Edition DVD offers several commentaries, four featurettes, a gag reel, deleted scenes, widescreen presentation, and a mini documentary about the SWAT equipment with demos. For a highly entertaining action movie with a pretty good cast, check out S.W.A.T.!
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