Customer Reviews

Radioland Murders

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This movie is very dynamic. There is no pausing or reflecting juts good drop-dead comedy.

It is opening night for a new radio station. A mysterious voice brakes in periodically to give a riming riddle. Each time someone dies in a unique way. Will the culprit be caught before no one is left and what is the motive?

The actors have been seen before and will be again except Anita Morris (Date of death 3 March 1994) as Claudette. She was really superb in Ruthless People (1986) ASIN: 6300276570 as Carol the girlfriend that knew she was next to die.

There were a lot of great sounds in this movie including:

"Love is on the Air Tonight"
"That Old Feeling"
"What'll I Do" Written by Irving Berlin. Hear it again The Butcher's Wife (1991) ASIN: 6302289025
"Crazy People"
"Big Noise From Winnetka"
"Don't Let Your Love Go Wrong"
"I'll Be Glad When You're Dead (You Rascal You)"
"The Green Hornet Theme"
"In the Mood"
"I Miss You So"
"I Love a Mystery 'Valse Triste'"
"Java Jive"
"Back in the Saddle Again" Hear it again in Sleepless in Seattle (Special Edition) (1993) ASIN: B00003Q42R
"Tico Tico"
"Let's Face the Music and Dance"
"A Guy What Takes His Time"
"And the Angels Sing"
"That Old Black Magic"
"Saber Dance"
"Flight of the Bumblebee"

this is one of my favorite movies i love it,i love old time radio and this movie just made me laugh it may not be a movie that stands out like most of the movies out there but it is a movie that is great for a rainy day.

This is a manic, crazy and fun film, largely due to the Keaton-like performance of Brian Benben. Mary Stuart Masterson is known for great dramatic talent, but this is the first comedy I've seen her in, and she's a natural. This was directed by Mel Smith; is it the same Mel Smith that had a small but hysterical part in "The Princess Bride"? I wonder if this film was given a bad rap because it came out the same year as Woody Allen's brilliant "Bullets Over Broadway" (1994). There are comparisons to be made, if only for period and music. Otherwise, this film takes on its very own character. A wonderful ensemble cast , including Ned Beatty, Michael Lerner, Jeffrey Tambor & Christopher Lloyd, must be commended. Cameo appearances from George Burns and Rosemary Clooney are wonderful. Whatever this film lacks in plot, is made up for with energetic performances, quick editing, and loads of great one-liners. There's also a lot of great period music to entertain. I DO enjoy this film a lot, and at the reasonable price and a great 2.35:1 Widescreen, the DVD is a bargain. If you like "silly", you'll love this. And Brian Benben is marvelous. Too bad the stuck-up critics didn't like it. We, the audience, know better.

Since George Lucas had enough money from his "Star Wars" empire not to care what critics would say, he wrote the story and produced this affectionate nod to old time radio and the imagination. It is a whacky slapstick farce with charm, moving faster than a speeding bullet. It is dopey and dumb, sweet and innocent, cornball and old fashioned, and it was suppose to be. The jarring breakneck speed of it had critics thinking it should have been a riot, and it was received by and large like a slap in the face. It never had a chance.

If you can get past the machine gun speed and accept it on the level that George Lucas intended, there is a sweet wonderful film here, a film that suprisingly has a lot to say, though it may not be clearly evident when you watch it. It all takes place during radio's heyday on the night WBN attempts to go 'National' and become the fourth major radio network.

Lucas gave this film a beautiful 1930's retro look that is magnificent. It almost gets lost in the crazy and corny atmosphere of this film but the radio station itself is teriffic, as are the period details as Lucas pays affectionate homage to everything that was great about radio.

The main crux of the story is the relationship of Roger (Brian Benben) and Penny (a red headed Mary Stuart Masterson) Henderson. She practically runs the station and he's one of the writers. She thinks he was messing around with their sexy star Claudette (Anita Morris) and wants a divorce, but of course he wasn't and has to talk her out of it since he loves her. Meanwhile as she is sending WBN's page Billy (Michael Scott Campbell) back and forth to the writer's room to get her stories page by page, a phantom voice keeps interrupting the broadcast with riddles which are shortly followed by murders behind the curtains and when the police arrive Lt. Cross (Michael Lerner) likes Roger for the murders, which keep piling up.

We get to see the makings of radio as Roger tries to clear himself and find the culprit. Christopher Lloyd of TV's "Taxi" fame is on hand as the frantic sound effects man and Corbin Bernsen of TV's "LA Law" is the announcer. Robert Klein, Peter MacNicol, and Harvey Korman are part of the writing team, but of course it is Leighann Lord as the cleaning lady Morgan who comes up with all the last second ideas.

The murders occur in ways often used in old time radio and that is part of it's charm. Lucas had this filmed in a fast and furious fashion, as if the movie itself WAS an old radio show. None of it is to be taken seriously as it is only entertainment, there to make us smile. It was a time in entertainment when even murder had a sort of a screwy "innocence" about it. So does this film.

One of Lucas's messages here is that it was a better time, as we had an innocence as well. The other message is about the advent of television, and a lament on how it has stopped us from using our imaginations. Pretty thoughtful for a dopey film that has Benben running around dressed like Carmen Miranda in one scene as he tries to catch the killer and get back with Masterson, who loves him as well.

Considered a huge failure at it's time of release (critics still hate it) this film has slowly garnered a following in recent years and may be on the verge of "cult" status soon.We get to see snippets of the shows they are trying to go live with. George Burns is on hand with some stand-up comedy. Rosemary Clooney sings "That Old Feeling". There are great band numbers of the period and "The Miller Sisters" sing at interludes between shows. Just about every staple of old time radio is here.

If you can get past the pace and the dopey slapstick antics, you'll find a lot of charm here, and an innocence in entertainment we'll never see again....

I'm conducting a wake for Rosemary Clooney (Born May 23, 1928 . Died June 30, 2002.) I read "Girl Singer:an autobiography" and got the conveniently packaged "Songs from the Girl Singer: a musical autobiography "CD set. Like Girranimals, the similarly titled pieces have the same picture on the front so that the purchaser will know that they go together. I heartily recommend both.

I also recommend this madcap musical murder mystery movie that manages to pay homage to Radio Days Gone By while keeping audiences of all eras entertained. It's the 1939 opening night live extravagnaze broadcast of the fictional WBN in Chicago, a 4th national network. Who's killing the participants? What played in Peoria? Meanwhile, "the Show must go on" and the viewer is treated to a mature Rosemary Clooney, (maybe as a metaphor to her own life, Rosemary sings a heart-rendingly beautiful "That Old Feeling" while pandemonium rages off-stage,) George Burns (Gracie had long since left the building by the time this movie was filmed) and others. Christopher Lloyd as the Sound Effects guy and his noise are a real hoot, as are the "Bubbly" live and drop dead commercials and Corbin Bernsen as the smarmy (think his later role as LA Law-yer Arnie Becker) announcer.

Radioland Murders works on many levels. Like the box says: "It's a side-splitting, edge-of-your-seat adventure, part farce, part mystery, and all fun!"

I thought this movie was not main stream, and was well written. If you hate those movies that crittics and main stream Hollywood try to slam down your throats and call it a brillant cinamatic masterpeice, then this a refreshing change of pace for you. Yes it was campy, and, no it wasn't Forrest Gump or Titanic (which I thought they weren't even worth the paper they were written on), but a movie that you can curl up with some popcorn and escape for a few hours. I loved the characters, I loved the idea, and it was an alround good story that was never given a chance.

I've rented this movie so many times that I thought I should buy it. The satire is great with the slap stick comedy. I loved the setting in a radio station during post WWI. It also gave insight to the workings of radio shows that I found interesting and appealing. The actors did a great job. I don't think anyone could've done better.

I'll admit, at first I really didn't like this movie, about 10 minutes in and I was tempted to turn it off, however I decided to continue just for the sake of it. It takes a little while to get used to it and either you grow to like it's style or hate it. I grew to like it alot, and there's alot to like about this movie. However, critics, the saddists pigs they are, hated it. Screw them. At least rent this great movie.

As he did with "Raiders of the Lost Ark", boy-man George Lucas pays tribute to the entertainments of his childhood with a fiendishly clever movie that is paced like a machine gun. It may be too frenetic and claustrophobic for some tastes. But the creative exuberance bursting out of every frame delights me every time.

The moment I (age25) saw it in the theater I loved it. It's an upbeat fast paced movie that never slows down. And my Dad (age64) loved the movie as well, we both really liked the comedy and the wonderful music in the movie. I actually found the sound track in a used cd store and I now, as well, own a copy of the movie. The movie just always puts a smile on my face. So if you love a upbeat, crazy, and fast paced moving comedy you have got to see this movie, it'll brighten your day up. ;}