Reviews

We just bought a DVD player. We went out to rent a DVD and since neither I or my husband have seen this movie, we decided to break in our new player with The Others. OMG! I'm glad we did! I knew it was going to be good. If you liked the Sixth Sense, let me say now that you would love The Others.

From beginning to end, there is a sense of isolation and desperation. There are children who cannot be touched by sunlight, a mother who is trying to hold together what's left of her family after her husband doesn't return from the war, and three mysterious servants who show up to work in this large echoing house. You want them to be able to reach out to people, but they can't. Why? Watch the movie and find out.

There are several psychological twists and turns in the movie that will take you by surprise. A few you might be able to predict but only after the appropriate clues are given. And one has to look a little hard for those because they're not obvious.

Everything all comes down in one of the last scenes and the truth is revealed. It's a beautifully haunting movie about the afterlife and how people view it.

I highly recommend it. Don't wait for Halloween! Go rent it now!

Just within the last year, I've become a huge fan of anything Hugh Jackman has done. I finally bought a copy (didn't even bother renting it first) Someone Like You, I couldn't wait to watch it. And boy, was I ever *not* disappointed. The movie from start to finish is adorable...from Jane's (Ashley Judd) obsessive interest in Ray, the "man of her dreams" to her growing friendship with co-worker turned roommate Eddie. More than most romantic comedies, I think that this movie really illustrates a lot of how life is for most women and men. We look around each corner for our soulmate, finding every potential bad relationship imaginable and not realizing that Mr. or Mrs. Right is right beside us all along. And it's not until Jane hits rock bottom in this movie that she realizes that her Mr. Right is just next door in the next bedroom. I won't say too much as to give it away, but yeah, like most romantic comedies, it can be a little predictable. But it's still worth at least renting if not buying! So go...yeah, go now. It's a great movie!

I may be a cynic on most days where love is concerned, but there's still a little girl inside me that dreams of meeting Prince Charming when he rides up to me on a solid white horse. Who on this earth, male and female, doesn't have a fairytale romance that they'd love to see happen? Well, if you say you don't, then you're lying.

And I'd be lying if I said this movie was your average romantic comedy. Hugh Jackman and Meg Ryan make a believable pair even in the light of a fanciful tale of a man out of time finding his soulmate in 21st Century New York. While Meg's the pure cynic in this one, selling products like diet butter to fat housewives wanting a reason to switch to this nasty tasting stuff, she finds herself wooed by the ever suave, ever romantic, ever gentlemanly Hugh who doesn't know any behavior but that which he was raised with from his own time. When a fight and subsequent break up takes him back to his own time, there is soon a reason for Meg to join him...but you'll have to watch for those details yourself.

I highly recommend this movie. Go out and get it right now if you haven't seen it. Watch it with friends. Watch it with your significant other. It will put smiles on your faces and love back into the cynical 21st Century hearts. It did mine.

Some people would label this a children's movie...and yet, it has all the mystery and beauty that accompanies films for adults who love poetry and traditional storytelling and classic literature. Watch this film, and you'll get a good idea of Irish tradition and life and their constant belief in legend and lore, which has made them into the wonderful and strong race that they are today. There is a deep sense of family...a truly strong family who has clearly had its ups and downs and yet has come out even stronger than before. A family that has been through generations of change, adapted, continues to change and yet still holds onto the traditions and stories along the way. Stories that others might assume are myth and faery tales. And stories that we know aren't anything but the truth woven into a magical tale.

In most Irish tales and legends I've read, there is a quest which keeps the main character(s) pushing forward through all the challenges of life. Fiona's store in this movie is no different. She's a little girl lost at the beginning when we meet her, wandering through the smog of the city to find some way to latch onto her father who is lost and sad with grief over a dead wife and a dead and missing baby boy. Her true quest begins when she is sent to live with her grandparents who still live by the sea. And the quest truly becomes a quest when she learns that her baby brother Jamie has been spotted on Roan Inish, the Island of the Seals where her family originated from.

The music weaves itself around the characters and the story to make it more complete than it would be without it. It is both peaceful and stirring, providing the background for the cultural ear. With the music and the intricate storytelling, one can become truly lost in this story. And truly a part of it.

If I had children, this is one movie I would have them watch over and over again. Like Disney's "Darby O'Gill and the Little People," this is a movie to entertain children of all ages.

I found this movie to be one of Zalman King's best! I haven't seen a Zalman King movie I haven't liked, but I'd definitely have to say that, so far, this one takes the cake! I've read the book...the anthology of short stories from which King melded and formed the single story that was to become "Delta of Venus" the movie. He did an absolutely wonderful job!

Set in Paris during a turbulent time, decadence was at one of it's finest points. We have Audie Englund, beautiful and charming and shy all at once. Her character is a writer at a time when women writers were starting to be more open and who were keeping their own names. She wants to write, and indeed NEEDS to write for money. She feels she is passionate and only when her lover is "away" does she begin to learn what passion is and how to write about it. Her "employer" whom she never meets, only writes for, makes demands on her writing. She is to go farther and farther into the world of erotica. She is told to go beyond the idea of "love" and romance, but to strive for decadence and the bizarre. She goes to the very edges of sexuality to write the perfect erotic story to please the person paying her bills. And it is while she is on the edge of decadence that she discovers her own sexuality and how far she can go herself towards pleasure and testing the limits.

The whole movie is beautiful from beginning to end. It is always erotic and never tasteless or meaningless. It offers insight into a time when open sexuality was beginning to flourish again. It shows us a world where sexuality was encouraged, not frowned upon. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, yearning to feel what the characters did. Yearning to have the feelings that the characters did. In a society as prudish as this one, it is but a dream to think that I could ever live in a world as portrayed in this movie.

The actors and actresses all played their parts well and with a passion and dedication that makes you believe that they are indeed the people they are pretending to be. I never once said, "Oh, Julia Roberts could have done a better job" or "Leonardo di Caprio is much sexier than him." On the contrary, these other actors would have made the movie seem to be a movie rather than a snippet of real life with real people. Don't get me wrong; the two I mentioned are very accomplished actors. But you know when they are acting, and in many other of their movies, you could say that they are "real" in the parts they play as I've said about the ones in "Delta of Venus"...but Zalman King could not have picked a finer cast for these characters.

If and when my own erotic stories get published, should the desire for them to be made into movies ever arise, then I only hope that it will be Zalman King behind the camera. I only hope that what I've written will be turned into a wonderful movie that only the magic of this director can create.

The first time my best friend and I sat down to watch this movie, we were watching it for Alex Winter of "Bill & Ted's" fame. We didn't know what to expect other than who and what it was about.

By the time the movie was over, we knew that it was love at first sight. This movie, while not completely historically accurate, was and is the best one of its genre. I have seen other movies depicting the history of this famous summer and in my opinion, none of the others can compare. It fibbed a little at certain details, but those parts did not take away from the sheer elegance and romance of the story. I have seen the other movies about this summer and I find most of them to be good, but none as captivating as this one.

"Haunted Summer" has the qualities of a painting. The colors and settings seem to be something one would find on a canvas, framed and hung in a museum or on the walls of an eccentric's home. The costumes were gorgeous and, despite not being the most comfortable clothes in the world, made me want to find a seamstress to create such garb for myself. The whole movie was set on the picturesque Lake Geneva (where I hope to one day go because of seeing this movie) and the serenity that these historical figures found there.

This movie shows, besides the tranquility found by all the escapees of England's harsh judgements, the strangeness that surrounded this adventure as well. Yes, there were drugs. It was a fairly common practice during that time, a time when drugs were not illegal. And the taking of laudanum (the liquid form of opium) was medicinal as well as recreational. Shelley suffered from consumption. Lord Byron suffered the pains of a clubbed foot. It was not surprising that there would be prescriptions of the strong drugs that were in their possession during that summer. And they were poets during a time when experience was the key. There was no time for prudish caution. Passion and experience were a big part of the Romantic Era. And out of the thoughts and discussions of science, religion and philosophy came the creation of a legend: "Frankenstein."

Yes, in this movie, we see the beautiful and liberated Mary Godwin (not married to Shelley at that time) played by beautiful and talented Alice Krige. She is the control factor to all that goes on until she, too, gives in to experience. But she stands her ground and experiences things on her own terms. As was the strength that she inherited from her mother and father.

The actors and actresses in this were perfect for the parts they played. The music fitting. The direction captured the essence of the summer, as I've read about it. This movie was based on a wonderful book "Haunted Summer" by Anne Edwards. If you like this movie, read the book. The author takes the story from what she was able to put together from the actual journals of Mary Godwin Shelley and the other participants of this story.

If you are a person who loves history (even the little inaccuracies from time to time) and romance and the gothic, then this is a movie for you. It shows the birth of the birth of the monster, which even today teaches us about the morals of "playing God."

A definite must see movie!

What can I say but OH MY GODS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had heard rumors about this movie's extremities (no pun intended) and that it was much more...ahem...wild than the t.v. show. Now, I've only seen a handful of the television shows, and they're pretty racy and raunchy, but I've always liked what I've seen. It's definitely not a show (or movie!) for kids. Or the faint of heart, or the easily offended. But then again, if you know that you're an easily offended person DON'T GO SEE THIS MOVIE!

I loved this movie. Granted, I have to admit that I was shocked and surprised through 95% of it. But it was great nonetheless. It was funny and vulgar and said pretty much everything in a manner that was NOT politically correct. But then again, aren't we all getting pretty sick of political correctness?

I think one of the things that gets most of us, (at least myself) is that when we were kids that age, we never would have gone around saying half of what those kids did. Or, if we did, we did our best not to get caught! Of course, I was only ever threatened with getting my mouth washed out with soap...not my mother starting a war with a foreign country!

The musical numbers were great! They were very upbeat and will stick in the minds of viewers for years to come. In the future, when we're all sitting behind our desks (or whatever jobs we may have), we'll notice that we'll be humming certain catchy tunes and when we stop to wonder what it is, we'll remember the songs from South Park both with humor and with horror that we're actually humming them out in the "civilized" world. The scene I think the best for musical numbers was where several of the different songs were going on at one time. It was very "Les Miserables" like (I saw the musical so I know what I'm talking about) in a very sick and twisted sort of way. It was simply funny and light hearted.

This movie poked fun at just about everything in the book. Nothing was spared. Not Christianity, not different racial stereotypes, and certainly not the gay community. But none of it was handled in a fashion to be hateful or humiliating. In my opinion, all the jabs were meant to get people to see that there shouldn't be the divisions that there are and when people get separated, they leave themselves open to ridicule and criticism. Rather if we all came together and put aside the divisions and stereotypes, then perhaps we could all see the humor in remarks and jabs like the ones made in this movie.

As for the political statement: it's true, you know. This country (as are many others) is always looking for something or someone else to blame for all the "troubles." We as a nation are hypersensitive to every little thing and just about everything is taboo. From swearing to being able to purchase certain adult oriented "toys," a person can't do anything in this country without being censored or "forbidden" to. It's sad when a state's laws or a person's hysteria keeps people from their constitutional right of free speech and the like. And this is what this movie was trying to point out. I agree with the person who is his review of this movie wrote, "They're just words" about the swearing in the movie. And that's all they are.

I give this movie a 10 for its humor, its musical numbers and its obvious statements. I think that everyone (who has an open mind) should go see this movie...and then go again and take someone who doesn't have an open mind so that it can be opened by the hilarious things said and done in this movie.

My husband and our best friend and I had never even heard of this movie before the year 1997. We found it listed in a small book about Celtic paganism that we were thumbing through and then the three of us went on a mad search of video stores to find it. We just had to see it...a movie about paganism! We were certain, however, that like most films, it would paint our faith in a really bad light.

And I guess to some people, it did. What with the final scene of Edward Woodward............. But it was all for a good cause...wasn't it?

Seriously, this movie was good clean fun...just like most Christians would say about the Spanish Inquisition scene in Mel Brooks' "History of the World, Part I." I'll agree...it was a funny movie, but what Christians don't realize or understand is that was a really sad, brutal time for people who were not Christian. But back to "The Wicker Man"...I find that this movie is an attention getter from the very beginning. Of course, this was in part because the three of us who were watching it are pagan to begin with. We wanted to see this portrayed in a movie. And we wanted it to be positive.

As I said, some would argue that the pagans were the "good guys" of the movie. Most would say that Neil Howie (Woodward) was the hero who unfortunately meets his end bravely while being used as the sacrifice of a group of barbaric heathens. Others would realize that it's Howie's self-righteous attitude and closed minded beliefs that bring about his martyr-like death. And isn't that what certain people like...martyrs????

One of the things that we especially loved about the movie was the fact that so many of the people had Nature-oriented names. "Rowen" Morrison..."Willow" (played by blonde bomb-shell Britt Eckland)...and countless others. The references to the hare(s) was another point that was great for those of us who understand the "meanings" behind their presence in just such a story.

The idea of using ritual to aid in the fertility of the crops is not a new idea. It's one that dates back to as far as there was people on this planet. Ritual sacrifice is a part of it. The burning of the sacrificial candidate (Howie/Woodward) was integral to the people of Summerisle. Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee) leads the ritual drama and finally the sacrifice itself, promising the people of his island that the crops will be fertile and plenty again for the following year. A sacrifice like this was performed, according to history, throughout many different cultures. Egyptians, Greeks, Celts (as in this movie), Aztecs and even the Biblical Jews...remember Abel the shepherd and all the other sacrificial lambs that meant prosperity in the coming months? What about Abraham and his son Isaac? Or even better...Jesus allowing himself to be killed for the sins of his followers? The ultimate sacrifice.

I guess what I'm trying to say (without getting into the nitty-gritty details of a bunch of history) is that this is a great film. It has it's typical 1970s cheesy moments, of course, but it represents paganism with heart and spirit and shows that Nature is to be respected. Above all else, it is a movie about honoring Mother Earth...with a few laughs along the way.

I highly recommend this film. Both for pagans and for Christians. Despite the big sacrifice scene at the end (which by the way, most pagans DON'T do these days...sacrifices are not a common practice of ours anymore...), it offers a way to understand the beliefs which are otherwise feared and hated because they are so different. And it does it in a manner that is easily understood.

What can I say? I went to the theatre expecting a bad vampire movie and I got it. First of all, I'm not partial to vampire hunters...the only great one has passed on (Roddy McDowall...aka Peter Vincent from "Fright Night") and all the rest are glorified religious nutcases who think that their way is the only way. So, I knew I was going to hate most of the characters.

Okay, there are two I really liked. The main "Master" vampire, Valek (of course) except that his character falls short of being able to truly like him. We didn't get the chance to get to know who or what he was and what made him the way (personality-wise) he was. All you know is that he was condemned by the Church (who wasn't back then?) and then turned into a vampire. Ooh...big deal. The second person I liked was Sheryl Lee. Her character is the only mature character in the whole thing and the only one with any sense...

As for Mr. Woods' character Jack Crow...I have never seen a character I've hated so much since watching that other travesty of a vampire movie "From Dusk Till Dawn" and having to put up with Quentin Tarrentino until he is thankfully killed. Jack Crow is a leather-wearing cool-guy wannabe who acts tough, talks tough and gets off to beating up a defenseless priest. Then if that's not enough, he proves how much a jerk he is by spending a good portion of the film asking the question over and over that proves he's way too obsessed by that lower part of his anatomy better left alone. His character is immature and irritating, and had I been any part of his "team," I would have staked him out over an ant bed covered in honey and left the vampires to their business!

I guess I could sort of like the younger priest...at least by the end. He's one of the few that truly believes what he preaches. He stands up for himself finally and does it without resorting to the bullying tactics shown by Jack Crow and only at the end does he try to be like the afore mentioned Crow in showing a beginning in that anatomy obsession. Daniel Baldwin disgusted me until he was bitten and beginning to fall in love with Sheryl Lee's character. Only then did he begin to show some compassion instead of mindless bravado and a macho attitude that wouldn't quit. Thankfully, it did quit.

I think the best part of the movie was the scenic shots of New Mexico. Having lived in Santa Fe for a year and missing it immensely, that was about the only hope the movie had in winning me over. I liked the shot of the St. Francis Cathedral, brief as it was, and I liked the mural across from the pay-phone Jack Crow was using. The other thing I recognized was the quick shot of Camel Rock. But that was it, and I have to say that I should have just walked out of the theatre after those scenes were over. Now I think I'll just look at the old pictures from my stay in Santa Fe...rather than even bothering to rent that pathetic excuse for a movie.

I first wanted to see this because of Robin Williams who I feel is a brilliant actor as well as a side-splitting comedian. Then my husband and I started watching the movie. Now, we knew it was going to be sad from reading the back of the video box (we didn't get to make it to the theatre unfortunately...I WISH we'd seen this on the big screen!!!)...but we weren't quite expecting how absolutely beautiful this movie was going to be. The colors in this movie were absolutely gorgeous! Even the scenery reached out from the television screen and grabbed not only our attentions but our hearts as well. They were symbolic to the core.

I don't want to give away the plot, but let us suffice to say that Robin Williams and Annabella Sciorra were beautifully cast in this movie about soul mates and how the "Afterlife" works. I never thought I'd find my beliefs about reincarnation and the Afterlife portrayed in a movie, but this one managed to catch just about every single thing I believe in. It confirmed my idea of soul mates and about love lasting beyond "till death do you part."

And was it emotional! I said before that we knew it was going to be sad. But even the happy scenes made us reach for the box of tissues. I cried when things were sad and I cried when things were happy. That was because when things hit a happy moment, they weren't just "happy"...they were JOYOUS! They were moments of complete exultation that I wanted to just leap through the screen and celebrate with the characters. Those scenes of joy and happiness reached out from the television screen and grabbed my heart and squeezed so hard that I thought I would burst! I never felt so happy from a movie in my life. This was not a comedic "happy" either...although this movie did have its funny lines and moments. It was a happiness from being aware of life and from knowing the joys of true love and soul bonding. It was a remarkable feeling.

I recommend this movie to anyone. If you've lost someone, see this because it offers a beautiful picture of what "the better place" is that they've gone on to. It doesn't subscribe to any particular belief system at all. You don't have to be of any specific religion to enjoy this film at all. In fact, if anything, it offers the peace and harmony to strive for despite all our outward differences. And it shows that heaven is what you make of it.

I've rarely EVER rated a movie a complete 10 or complete 100 or whatever the number may be on a rating scale. But this one is absolutely perfect. I intend to see it again and again, and as soon as possible, I'm adding this to our movie collection!

Next to "Fright Night," this is definitely one of my favorites. John Carpenter's movie "Vampire$" just doesn't compare. The humor in "Lost Boys" is better and much more mature considering that a lot of it is coming from young teenage boys and the suspense is way cooler. The vampires are likeable (frankly, they're the reason I watch that movie over and over again!). The actors in "Lost Boys" are great (even the good guys who aren't my favorite characters). I loved the cave...and I won't say more about that...just that I loved it. The atmosphere of the town and the beach lends itself to truly memorable scenes and you can almost feel the wind coming up off the waves. I've never heard a soundtrack that fits its movie more! There are upbeat songs and songs that grab your heart and give it a little twist with their haunting tunes and words. I bought it right after I saw the movie the first time and I still listen to it a lot.

All in all, I recommend this movie for anyone who fondly remembers the 80s. It takes me back every time to a time and style that I miss. A truly great film...a truly great soundtrack. If you love vampires and you love the 80s, rent it today and watch it over and over!

This is one of the first vampire movies that I saw, and I absolutely loved it. As a teenager at the time, I watched it over and over and always wanted to check out my neighbors...just in case! It's a fun movie. Not very frightening, but definitely fun. I loved the cast. There wasn't a one that I thought didn't fit the part they played. It was William Ragsdale's (ABC's "Brother's Keeper") start and he's only matured through all his roles. Chris Sarandon was great...sensual and funny and dark. You could see that he was troubled by his somewhat lonely existence that only his best friend and ghoul Billy Cole (Jonathan Stark) could understand. Amy (Amanda Bearse) was wholesomely cute, became sensual at the touch of the vampire then went back to cute by the end...only not so wholesome as before. Roddy McDowall (gods rest his beautiful soul--we'll all miss his talent) was perfect as that Fearless Vampire Killer. I think he definitely gives Elvira a run for her money as a horror movie host. The only one I haven't touched yet is the adorable and creepy Evil Ed (played by Stephen Geoffreys). His character is one of the best and the one most changed and matured by what he goes through. I loved him then and I love him now. I really think that he was one of the best characters in the movie.

The movie is great, the soundtrack is great...buy it. Rent it. Just watch it over and over!

I've seen this movie twice so far on video and it was worth it both times. I found Francie Brady's story to be both wildly disturbing and wildly amusing. During the whole time that I was laughing, I thought to myself "This isn't right! I shouldn't laugh at this!" But I did. I felt for the boy and really thought that it was a shame that he was so emotionally and mentally disturbed and that no one seemed to be able to do anything about it. While I didn't think that Mrs. Nugent deserved WHAT she got in the end, I did think that she played a primary role in Francie's fall into madness. I certainly don't think that she should have sent two grown men to beat up a little boy.