Reviews

Yes, cable TV has raised the bar for dramas so high no network show can come close. The Blacklist is good, but falls short. This show is as good and possibly better. If you've watched Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Six Feet Under, The Wire, well the character development and writing is clearly for network TV. This isn't the fault of the actors. Juliette Lewis was a stretch for me playing the same role she always does, but hey, so does De Niro right?

I really liked the show and Josh Lucas is money...excellent lead. He carries the show well. Where this show blew it is character development. The wife as a school teacher who seems always free to get involved in the cases. Really? They did not need this angle. The daughter is an excellent actress. Believable from scene one. This show could have been really good, but network TV wants to fail. This is classic pride before the fall. They will not give up their power and control to make a really good TV show and settle for mediocrity. This ain't 1985 anymore. They cannot get away with the A-Team type shows...we have reality TV for that now!

Hollywood does get it right now and then, and this is a movie that hit it's mark. Ironic, so few know about it. Why is this? It has no CGI and pandering language and adult situations. It is just a real movie acted superbly led by Kevin Bacon. Bacon is $$ in this role. There is never a doubt he is 100% his character. Reminded me a little of his role in A Few Good Men.

American Sniper was good, this is better. Director Ross Katz was brilliant. The simplest movies are the most challenging. He never played too many notes or got his own merit in the way. Ridley Scott could not have made this movie. Michael Strobl's screenplay had the same maturity. What a blessing to know your written work was taken so seriously and handled so well by both the actors and movie making team, producing cinematic magic in this one!

You will turn off the DVD player and feel dignified. No empty, cotton candy feeling here. This is a deeply penetrating movie and yet not so deep and dark it is disturbing. One of my favorite scenes is watching the young boy scouts holding flags during the honor parade. These little boys are becoming men as they take part in something so much greater than their own lives. Powerful moment and so needed in our shallow, pornographic culture.

I'm not sure which is more disturbing, how bad this movie was or those who rated it above 1 star. There can only be one reason for this. Medical marijuana. They were all stoned out of their minds or 15yo boys…but even kids have seen enough movies by that age to know better. A Lifetime movie of the week looks like cinematic magic compared to this sad tale of an aging star looking for one more round of glory. Knowing the insecurity of TC, clearly he hired writers to come into IMDb and write reviews for probably 500 a pop. No drug could impair someone to write such dribble like, "Cruise is back on top" or "Best action movie ever." Only TC would think 22yo women are ga-ga over his character as a 50yo actor! I kept thinking to myself, what are these women drooling over as Cruise walks into a bar or restaurant? He isn't 30 anymore! He is as old as these girls' father! Just pathetic.

Seriously…this is a BAD movie! Very bad movie. Bad. Bad. Bad. There is no excuse for this kind of thing. We have over 80 years of filmmaking behind our belts. If you rent any film noir movie from the 40's it is 100x better than this movie. If you rent the TV series Mission Impossible from the 60's, select any episode that was written and filmed in about 10 days…it will be 100x better than this movie. Go watch an episode of Everyone Loves Raymond and it will be better than this movie. Pet your dog and you will have more satisfaction. Did I mention how bad this movie was and is? This movie reflects the arrogance and death of Tom Cruise. Only someone who had this amount of control over a movie could screw it up so badly. If this was a TV series, then it might be acceptable because in a TV series you don't have to create character plots and build believability. This movie acts like we all know the relationships between key characters. They just "get into it" and it does not work. You have to really have a good script and performances to pull that off…that ain't happening here. Any episode of Kojak from 1974 makes more sense than this movie…and that is from someone who has never seen Kojak! This movie makes the same leap of faith…that the amazing performance of Tommy C will transport you to movie nirvana. Tom…word out…it ain't 1995. You're proverbial star has burned out. The couch jumping and crazy CScience crap only made you less marketable. Heck, I thought War of the Worlds was bad and that was the beginning of the end for you bud.

I have not read any of Child's books and thought at first the badness of this movie (I want to keep writing the word bad) was because the Tom Cruise fire has burned out significantly over the past few years. That had to be it right? Maybe it was the fact that Rosamund Pike who looked to hot in Fracture back in 2007 aged so much? She was 5 months pregnant with her son Solo when she completed filming this piece of crap. Why hire a pregnant woman in an action movie? Maybe it was the terrible acting and writing? I figured this nightmare of a bad movie was going to kick in gear. It did not. It got worse! Tom Cruise is dead. His career is over. He had a good 25 year run. Made way too much money and seems like a pretty sad guy who can't admit he has a problem. Tom…you're 50 years old. It's over dude. Go fly your planes and read some L. Ron on the toilet. Wait…you will bleed MI movies into the ground. Why? They suck as well. Just let it go TC…and go back to your birth name, stop dying your hair, fix that huge nose and read a book.

With the cable TV shows from HBO and others making most movies seem blah, Tommy's bad acting is now really exposed. I do not see this guy gaining any new ground as an older actor. He doesn't have the appeal. When you tried so hard to be a serious actor and your fire burns out, you have no place to go. Stallone created a caricature of himself in The Expendables. What does Tom do in 2020, make a spoof of Jerry Maguire? How about an updated version of Top Gun where TC plays grandpa of his hot shot grandson? In case I wasn't clear…this movie is HORRIBLE!!!!

I thought this was a good movie...very plain however. It was all Brad Pitt here. The Jonah Hill praise was undeserved IMO. He was good, but not to the extent that he stole the film. It was Pitt's charisma that made this movie watchable. Without him, a very average and forgotten film. This is what star power does. His character's personality made the new system he was presenting believable.

Most of the secondary characters were underdeveloped. His relationship with his daughter, though moving, needed more depth. I think was a very difficult film to storyboard and present...but it worked.

Because the director blended a lot of actual film/video clips from the A's 2002 year, the movie had a strong documentary feel to it. I love doc films so no prob for me.

Not since Tommy Boy did I laugh out loud so hard. Melissa McCarthy made this movie. Kristin Wiig is excellent and has more talent than most. She is confident enough to know not to overplay her character. Most comedy's today are a string of lousy sketches with the hope some type of theme will emerge...which rarely happens.

Bridesmaids scores here with a decent little movie to boot. The director could have let Maya Rudolph show more of her comedic chops. She played things well under the radar. Jessica St. Clair nailed the beauty queen well with fine acting.

See this movie...laugh out loud! If you are reading this director (and you really should) there is NO excuse for a bad movie today. Learn from the masters...craft a good story and allow your actors to make magic. We need good comedies in this world!

Agree 100% with the other review.

If you're a fan of TV drama, this one episode set the mark for the next 20 years. Look at the best shows on TV--they are mostly on cable like The Wire, Breaking Bad, and The Killing to name a few. Go back 18 years and this episode explored the depth we see today. It must have blown viewers out of their couches in 1993!

Do yourself a favor and get this on DVD. Sit back and watch how we see TV drama. The experiment with the quick editing is in its raw form and can be annoying at time, but this was a new experiment at the time. It had to be perfected.

As of late I've been into cable dramas which have really taken the genre of TV up more than just a notch in quality. Shows like The Wire, Breaking Bad, and The Killing are top notch.

With this in mind, I thought of Homicide: Life on the Street. I remember when it came out. It was intense and like nothing else on TV, especially network (NBC).

I went back and watched the first season and this is where it all started. This is where all the camera work began, the quick editing, the in-depth character development over meaningless action (shooting and chase scenes).

The writing and directing in the first season made a lasting impact on how we now see TV drama, and in a rare moment TV impacted cinema here.

The episode that made its mark in the first season and thus got the ball rolling was Three Men and Adena (1993). This will blow you away today much less than 18 years ago!!! I can't imagine sitting in my living room 18 years ago and watching this episode. No wonder it scared America in its time. This show was way ahead of the curve.

Watch it today...outside of the haircuts and a few cultural references, it is as fresh as ever.

If you're a fan of The Wire you know they take an entire season to capture one story. The Killing does the same. Unlike The Wire, there is not the depth of storyline, but this show proves great acting, directing, and music score make all the difference.

Mireille Enos & Joel Kinnaman are the perfect combination. Usually, this type of pairing would be filled with so many clichés...not here. There are scenes acted and directed together I've never seen in a movie much less a TV show.

The directors allow for a lot of space a movie does not allow. A TV show has more time to invest. If you like LOST you will like this show. It moves in many directions and the pace and flow are masterful. There is also a lot of rain which makes for a darker, realistic setting.

From top to bottom this is a strong cast. Some of the weaker story lines surround the mayoral race, but they are tolerable.

As noted, Cillian Murphy was brilliant. I would imagine almost all the negative comments are by those, mainly men, who felt uncomfortable with this movie. You have to set aside your personal feelings and recognize a great performance starring at you from the screen.

The pace allowed for space, similar to a drummer not playing a lot of notes...it's the breadth between the notes (think of a slow Pink Floyd groove). This movie was deep and should have a following, especially in psychology classes.

You can't help but wonder what would cause a man to dress like a woman daily, and then enter his daily existence still entrapped by the wounds of his past.

Many more noted than I can give an attempt to explain this condition, but in the end, life can be a very sad place.

Josh Brolin is a serious actor. He NAILED G.W. better than the best SNL comic. I really thought I was watching Bush in this movie. Not only does his physical body type match Bush, but he looked so much like the man and his mannerisms were spot on. This ability to capture the man allowed me to never get distracted.

Brolin's performance is the main reason to enjoy this film. I really thought Josh came into his own with this film. Like doing stand-up, you're hanging with no net in a film like this. Either you can pull it off or you can not. Brolin captured Bush perfectly IMO. See this movie not based on political sides...see it for the performance of Brolin.

Neeson simply carried this film with a no nonsense kick ass approach. I have ALWAYS wanted an action hero to take charge in a realistic way (James Bond is too comic book, but Craig comes closest to what Neeson does here). I love the scene where he blasts first as he seeks answers from the scumbags.

Maggie Grace was excellent in LOST and she plays the same role here, several years younger than her actual age, and she does it well. Until she grows out of the perfect 90210 looking babe, she will be typecast...but she has real talent so her time will come...unless she wants to do soap operas her entire life.

SEE this movie if you have not. This crap is real and it happens in our world. A pretty face is a mixed blessing...maybe more a curse in the long run.

Every father should own this movie, especially of a teen girl that's a looker.

This movie rules! How can you be a fan of Jim Carrey and not get this movie or enjoy it? Here's my take…Jim Carrey was a huge star in 1996. In two years he went from Ace Ventura to a mega star commanding $20 million a movie. Pretty impressive for anyone.

As a funny man in rather light hearted roles (I mean, Dumb & Dumber isn't exactly mentally taxing…am I right?) and then he gets nailed with this "dark comedy" in The Cable Guy. It doesn't fly. His fan base is shocked because at this time he was intensely popular with kids. I know…I was an elementary teacher and have the same last name as one of his famous early roles. I used it to my advantage daily and every kid knew Jim Carrey.

All of the classic Carrey comedic improves are in this movie. Ben Stiller directed with skill and balance. This is a great movie. How do I measure greatness? Simple. I laughed out loud over and over and over and the movie was a blend of scenes that were rememberable. Carrey was brilliant. Another reviewer said it well that this would have been a marginally average movie with another actor. Carrey took this role and added comedic steroids. Stiller obviously let him role. The only over-the-top-scene for me was the dark dream when Carrey pounds on the apartment door with the evil eyes.

Imo, this should be a college campus classic, a cult classic, some type of classic

The entire time I was watching I kept wondering why this movie looked so different than the one I saw on DVD-United 93. Well, it wasn't the brilliant movie but a terrible remake from A&E who should have just let things be.

This is why a good director is a good director...it's not until you see a mediocre effort and talent try to play with the big boys.

This TV movie is a sham of the movie United 93. It contains non of the drama, storytelling and detail of the movie. Why make a move that links itself to such a pivotal piece of American history when you can't improve on the Hollywood version of United 93? Why?

Do yourself a favor--rent or Netflix United 93. One of the best movie made that covers a historical event. That movie took risks and they paid off. The DVD also has amazing extras with interviews from the actual families. The whole project was class all the way.

Can you say WAY too much detail before anything really starts to happen? The magic of the first film is not here and both Pitt & Clooney seem distracted. There isn't the zest and chemistry the first film had and they both look old. Man, has Pitt aged since the first film.

I didn't care for all the technique involved...give me story to hang onto. Instead of developing a good story and chemistry between characters, there was an overemphasis on setting up the heist with ridiculous detail at a fast pace. This is not good film-making and is exactly what happens when you have no real story, i.e. sequels that are past their prime.

I didn't enjoy this film and nearly puked when all the actors stood together at the end watching the fireworks go off like in the first film standing together watching the water in front of the casino they just hit. Snore! The last scene was a joke...Pitt telling Clooney he shouldn't get so fat before they see each other again (Clooney gained weight for another movie) and Clooney to Pitt telling him to start a family and get some kids (Pitt got married to Jolie and adopted kids).

Ha ha ha ha ... I hate cultural reference nobody will get in five years.

OK...I can't add anything accept I didn't read anything (I didn't read every review) on Joy Harmon...or Lucille.

Man O' man was she hot!

I can't imagine sitting in the theater back in 1967 and seeing her do her thing. That was soft porn for that time period. Joy Harmon didn't have much of a movie career, but easily has one of the most memorable performances, at least for all normal men that is. Today she has a bakery in Burbank, CA...ironically minutes from where I live. She's 67 now, but I'd still like to see her. Her baker is called Aunt Joy's...Google it.

For the blowhards who actually took the time to write anything negative about this film...get a life! How sad is your life to ask questions like, "I didn't get the meaning of this film?" or "Newman's performance was bland?"

Bland? Are you kidding me!

Let me school you a little...to play a role a subtle as Newman did is acting at its highest level. He couldn't hide behind words but only use the squint of an eye or slight smile to communicate an entire scene. To not understand this reveals how many Vin Diesel and Keanu Reeves movies you've purchased!

This movie is a classic in every area. There is NO sense of commerciality here and selling out of anykind. To use a musical phrase, this movie laid back in the pocket and never left.

Brilliant casting and direction as well.

10/10 A+ Brilliant...and so on

I'm a huge noir film fan but I'm sorry, Glenn Ford doesn't do justice to this role. I tried to watch his performance and didn't buy any of it. I love The Killing. Asphalt Jungle, Kansas City Confidential. Strange Love of Martha Ivers, He Walked by Night. The Hoodlum and Only the Good Die Young to name a few. These all have a quality in acting that draws me into the movie. Ford's performance drew me out of the movie. I just didn't believe the guy's quiet, strong presence. Not one of the top noir films in my opinion.

The supporting cast was fine. It was classic noir quality which did no justice to Ford. He was out manned in this movie and is better suited for a more light-hearted movie in which he plays an American business man with a family and small kids.

First, why do reviewers feel it necessary to share the plot of the movie? Are there that many frustrated writers out there? I don't come to IMDb to read about what the movie is about, especially on page 13! Stupid.

Now to this terrible movie. If it was 1993 this would have passed, but it is not! This genre of film has an audience that has seen this movie play too many times. With Netflics and all the movie watching, studio heads, directors and producers have a lot to worry about. There was no reason to make this movie the way they did.

I will now write the stuff I want to read about.

The acting was poor. I didn't buy the wife and kids. The daughter was just terrible. Paul Bettany held his own, but that was about it. The music score was weak, and music is the unknown star of most movies. If you saw 'The Clearing' with Redford, then that is what you get here, a real disappointment.

I know I have a weak movie when I rent it from the library and still feel ripped off.

This is a great movie! Crystal is deep without being annoying. This movie has a wholeness about it lacking in so many other works. I must admit, I just watched this movie almost 15 years after it's debut because I thought it was Billy doing stand-up. I had no idea the involved story and how deeply touching it would be.

Those who were disappointed in this film went into it looking for a comedy the likes of Eddie Murphy or someone else. So did I...but how could the story not change attitudes and opinions? To each their own.

I could see how this movie had difficulty finding an audience. It paralleled Crytal's life too much and many like myself like Billy, but maybe not enough to see him do Live stand-up. He never quite held that arena strongly. Also, he was still riding on the 'When Harry Met Sally' steam, which was in large part a chick movie (again, rich with dialogue and opposite of the Stallone action hero us guys seems to like). So, reluctance to see Crystal in his own stand-up movie was not for me.

This movie is really a classic and will last the test of time because of the story between two brothers.

This is one of the most disappointing movies I've seen with an A list cast. The script was terrible as was the pacing. It had an English feel about it as seen in a made for TV movie. All of the technical stuff was on, like lighting and cinematography...but that was the only good thing.

How long did they walk? I mean, didn't several nights go by? Where did they sleep? What was up with the rain out of nowhere? This movie was terrible.

This is what happens when you have big name people writing a script because there is no way this script should have been even looked at. With the 1000's of scripts available...they chose this?

This is a sweet episode featuring the great interplay between Griffith & Knotts. Knott's (Barney) love for his old tenet Mrs Mendelbright is touching. Classic Knotts in this episode.

The episode is one of the more simpler story lines, but it works because of the ensemble. J Pat O'Malley guest stars and adds that extra personality. I thought Enid Markey (Mrs Mendelbright) was one of the more outstanding guest appearances. Her sweetness as the older lady renting a room was brilliant. I fell in love with her along with Barney.

This is a very good episode.

I was watching an episode of Bonaza tonight and knew I'd seen character actor John Anderson before...but where? I went to IMDb and looked up his screen credits and then it hit me...the Twilight Zone episode on a plane! You know a great performance when one episode makes such a deep impression...and this was the episode.

As said before, the ending was chilling. What makes this so great is the B&W film, the pace and music score. There was just an amazing feel about this series, and especially this episode. You don't really appreciate it until you see others attempt to duplicate.

This is a classic Zone!

King adapted movies either work or they don't. Horror type flicks are very hard to do well. This did have a made-for-TV feel about it similar to other King flicks, but imo, the reason this was acceptable was in large part due to the acting and casting of Robert John Burke. Can you imagine seeing this man walk his dog at night? He seems outside the human race somehow…I guess that's why they choose acting as a profession. He so not normal. His voice quality was over the top, Simpson-esq in quality like in a cartoon…but that worked here.

Joe Mantegna and Michael Constantine were excellent. As stated previously, Kari Wuhrer is smokin' hot. Too bad she looks exactly like that Doritos girl who is on a UON stupid sitcom now. I guess you can't have two Doritos girls in Hollyweird.

You gotta love IMDb.com to look up all the work these actors have done. I knew I saw Burke and Wuhrer's face before but couldn't place them. I thought Michael Constantine was James Coco…but only tonight I saw Constantine in The Hustler w/Paul Newman, one of his first roles. IMDb confirmed this.

Even found out Joe's wife owns a pizza place in Burbank...need to stop by.

I am always on the look out for a good comedy...it's my way of relaxing. This show has all the pieces but falls flat and very short. The writing is awful. So many lines don't fit the context of the characters. In fact, that's really the issue here…the characters have never been developed. Some of the lines these actors are given is just pitiful…and the cast isn't skilled enough to pull it off. There are some good episodes but never without awkward moments. It's a shame because the cast is as good as it needs to be. Maybe they needed a good director or more effort put into the show. It has all the ingredients to be good, but it just isn't. The show runs more like a sketch than a developed sitcom. They've been at this for years now…and unlike other successful comedies, the first year is hard to watch…but they develop. Not with "Yes, Dear." It's like a continuous first year run. I'd be embarrassed to read some of the lines they are given. At least they get good bank for the show...most likely it will be the last time they get work.

I know a great movie when I can enter it and be transported. Saw this on cable and was waiting for another show to start and kept flipping back. As 15 minutes I forgot about what I was supposed to watch. This film rang true to a lot of junior high memories and should be required viewing for those in the teaching profession and for women to see what life is like for a young man. This reality, pace, and acting of the lead character was brilliant.

For those who say a kid has no stress...look again.

How easily we forget!

How easily we forget!