Reviews

Sad to say, this dreadful film is a sickeningly violent reflection of American schools today where discipline is questionable and students are obviously more interested in drug deals than in getting an education. Having grown up watching films made in Hollywood's "golden era" I am wondering why the producer ever felt this story was worth producing. As a former screenwriter at MGM and a screen writing instructor at a Dallas college for over thirty years, I can only say, as I have for a long time, that contemporary films lack the quality and appeal of those made before 1979.Killings, stabbings, murders, car crashes and buildings being blown up do not constitute entertainment for me and in the case of this particular disaster, the actions of trashy slum teenagers have no appeal at all. TV viewers should be warned about the objectionable content of this film which should appeal only to trashy ghetto teenagers.

As a former member of the script department at MGM, I can only say that this script should never have got to first base. A trio of losers start robbing banks but we never find out what happens after they do the deed. ånd there is not a single scene when bank security guards try to stop the robbery... I think this was supposed to be comedy but if so, it fails miserably, and above all else, the ending is atrociously bad, like the script, the poor direction and the overall unsatisfactory tone of this miserable attempt at a movie. This is one that makes one wish for the good old days back in the 40's and 50's when they really made good movies...

As a veteran screen writing instructor at Richland College in Dallas and a former MGM screenwriter back in the days of decent films, I am thrilled to have accidentally clicked on Channel 33 in Dallas tonight and watched this enchanting film in which Betty White is GORGEOUS and makes one yearn for the good old days of truly good movies before Hollywood started banging out all this crap for the teenagers. If a producer is listening, I'd like to state that there are enough of us over 60's who will happily pay a buck to see a movie that has no guns, no killing, no special effects, no sex and violence and just a good touching tale of human relationships that leaves you with a good warm feeling, as this film did for me.

I am getting so sick and tired of movie with guns, killings and elements that make me reach for the OFF switch, go find a good book and curl up and read....and in that way one doesn't get visually offended by a bunch of scenes that are tiresome and offensive to one's sensitivities, as this film is, having a sweet little boy being instructed how to point and shoot a gun. No, thanks...this has too much repetitive action that doesn't have the sort of characters and story to prompt me to watch any longer than I need to in order to know this is NOT my cup of tea! Some viewers may like violence but I think we get enough of that in real life without watching it on TV.

Having heard come good comments in the past I started watching it on TV tonight but gave up after about forty-five minutes. Dreary....dreary... just another example of the poor quality of most films over the past twenty years... I guess teenagers will love this but mature adults like myself will probably share my feelings about this attempt at comedy that comes off as another juvenile independent production foisted on the public by a bunch of recent graduates from film school. It takes a truly good film for me to become enthused over a movie today simply because having grown up watching films made before 1970, I am understandably disgusted with most contemporary efforts.

This is supposed to be a comedy. It is not. To me it is a total waste of time with regrettably negative images of students, teachers and the American school system. I sat through it on TV thinking it would improve, which it didn't. Skip this one. Teenagers of course will love it, but adults with a smidgeon of intelligence probably won't. As a former analyst at MGM studios in the 60's, I am wondering how this ever interested a producer enough to want to put it on the screen. But then, as I sadly have to admit, there are very few contemporary films that meet the standards of quality that I remember from films made before 1970.

If anyone liked this film (I found it boring) could they identify the wretched would-be singer on the soundtrack? And let me know... I am very curious how an attempted top drawer movie could have used such a poor quality singer to louse up the soundtrack. I know that most rock singers today can't sing worth a hoot, but this one on the soundtrack hit rock-bottom as far as I'm concerned.

From the many viewer comments critical of this film, I guess I'm not the exception, but dear God, there must be better ways to waste two hours than watching this tedious tale of a man wrongfully accused of murdering his mistress. I am somewhat surprised that Harrison Ford took this part. Maybe he needed the money, but whatever he was paid, he did little to earn it other than remain grim-faced all the way through. I am really getting weary of the increasing amount of Hollywood product that is really not worth watching...In fact, I spend more time reading than I do watching TV. Hey, do you like to read? Check out my latest novel SHOT IN DALLAS, listed on Amazon.com, which was inspired by the pitiful attempts at movie making by Dallas would-be producers.

The basic plot of this made-for-TV movie has been done several times before, making it very predictable and not that funny. Antonio Banderas looks best without his clothes, which is about the only appeal that this actor has... The rest of the cast is instantly forgettable...like the film itself.

Whoopi seldom brings a smile, due to a very weak and generally unfunny script and the secondary character of the Arabian is a pitiful attempt to cash in on current Middle East headlines. A poor example of the growing number of poorly done U.S. sitcoms. No wonder so many (like myself) prefer the British comedies on PBS on weekends - beautifully written, always very funny and perfectly produced and directed and always tasteful.

A wonderfully written, beautifully acted show that is a contant delight... but with one exception: that Mexican queen who plays Fez is unintelligible because his overly-cutesy accent makes his lines totally un-understandable. He should realize that unless we understand what he says, he becomes irritating instead of amusing. Everyone but Fez is grrreat and I hope the show keeps on running...

This is one film I gave up on less than halfway through. A script and a director are supposed to let the audience understand what the film is about. This one didn't and I was more than disappointed, and as a veteran screenwriting instructor at a Dallas college, and an ex-MGM screenwriter back in the 60's, I must confess to total disappointment with the way too many contemporary films lack the qualities of films made before the 70's. Hannibal is a total waste of time and an irritating example of pretentious and self-indulgent film making. Skip this one...

The writer/director obviously couldn't make up his mind whether this was an expose of attitudes towards gays in the 50's, or towards inter-racial relationships. Either way it all adds up to an extremely slow-paced, badly photographed (didn't they have money for lights on the sets?) and irritatingly tedious and very dull film, making me feel I'd wasted three bucks at Blockbusters. As for the leading lady's nomination for an Oscar, pul-eez...she should have got an award for enduring this godawful script that sounds like a soap opera. A bad soap opera. Just another example of the crap that's oozing out of Horrorwood these days.

It appals me (having worked as a rewrite man at MGM back in the 60's) how some of today's films ever get produced. Poor scripts seem to be the rule, plus in the case of this disaster, poor direction, an unattractive and inept cast, and pacing that rivals a snail's pace. Dear Gussie, is it any wonder that many of us over-50's are staying home and reading a book instead of wasting time watching trashy contemporary attempts at film. There's only one blessing in this film: there are no special effects.

What on earth made Al Pacino appear in this dreary, depressing story? I endured about a half hour of it on Channel 33, then gave up. Oh, dear, this is yet another film that makes one reach for a book and turn off the TV.

For ten years the majority of product oozing out of Hollywood has been miserably amateurish, badly written, poorly produced...and this is a perfect example of predictable nonsense that is beyond boring and immeasurably disappointing and a total waste of time. Just another attempt that is making me HATE movies...

I'm sorry... I have always liked Mel Gibson, but when this morbid tale finally (mercifully) ground to a halt, I regretted tuning it in. Is Mel Gibson so hungry that he has to take on films like this that are so depressing, miserable and only make one wonder again for the umpteenth time why Hollywood is turning out so many violent films these days, overloaded with shooting, blood, killing and all the things that are best left OUT of movies...I'm beginning to HATE Hollywood...

I was working in the script department at MGM when this film was being made, and every day there were reports of all the problems on the set, caused mostly by the pretentious Mr. Brando. Now that I have finally, on TV, seen Mr. Brando attempt to play Fletcher Christian (very unsuccessfully, with a miserable English accent) I can say in all honesty that the 1935 version with Clark Gable and Charles Laughton is a thousand per cent better...better script, better acting, better direction. This newer version is in color, making it visually superb, but it drags on and on and on until, by the time one gets to the final scene where they kill off Fletcher Christian, giving Brando a tediously ludicrous death scene, one has had enough. Hollywood should have learned by now that remakes of a classic never work. Look at today's remake of CHARADE which is a major disaster.

Who ARE all these people capering around a yacht, exchanging occasional chitchat, little of which is comprehensible thanks to appalling sound. This film does nothing to enhance Peter Bogdonovich's past brilliance as a director. Frankly, the film never gets going and even the murder scene is slow and dull. I lay the blame on the atrocious script. What a disappointment!

This could be called an ideal film to turn men gay. Good grief, such an endless pile of heterosexual hogwash mixed with vaudeville pratfalls...Sorry, but I had to force myself to sit through this weak attempt at a comedy. And they even couldn't resist throwing in a line about the baby getting circumcized. Jewish fathers will love it. The rest of us, no thanks...