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A Head-On Collision Between The Horror Express & Post-Modern Chitchat

tt0805570

All aboard the horror express! Even though The Midnight Meat Train did pack a pretty violent wallop, here are my 4 complaints which prevented me from rating this murderously brutal, potentially promising horror film higher than 5 stars.(1) As a viewer I was expected to completely accept that (since the very opening of the NYC subway system, 100+ years ago) transit riders have continually been victims to all this horrific slaughter.(2) The reason behind all of this bloody carnage was to satisfy the cannibalistic appetite of ghastly, human-like creatures who live (exclusively) within the very bowels of NYC's subway system's tunnels. If these fiendish flesh-eaters were left to their own devices, then, they would surely rise to the city's streets and, thus, engage in a literal feeding frenzy of their own.(3) Other than for sheer shock-effect, it made no sense to me why the designated "butcher" riding the meat train had to resort to such horrifically brutal and messy methods for offing the ones intended for the creatures' next meal. A simple bullet to the brain would've sufficed just fine. Thank you, very much.(4) I thought that it was the absolute last straw when it was revealed that even trusted members of the NYC police force were privy to all this murderous activity and (get this!) they were actually covering up and downplaying all of the "missing persons" reports that they received (and remember we're talking about 100 years worth of this).Because these 4 complaints (that I think are valid) rendered the story preposterous to the extreme, I couldn't allow this film to get away with a rating higher than just 5 stars.Though The Midnight Meat Train did contain some impressive editing and first-rate camera-work, its plot-line was, unfortunately, a perfect example of what inevitably goes wrong when a short story is fleshed-out and adapted into a feature-length film.*Note* - This film's insatiably gleeful emphasis on "meat" is probably more than enough to turn some of its viewers into full-fledged vegans even before the story's half over.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0805570/reviews-196

ur27361979

title: A Head-On Collision Between The Horror Express & Post-Modern Chitchat review: All aboard the horror express! Even though The Midnight Meat Train did pack a pretty violent wallop, here are my 4 complaints which prevented me from rating this murderously brutal, potentially promising horror film higher than 5 stars.(1) As a viewer I was expected to completely accept that (since the very opening of the NYC subway system, 100+ years ago) transit riders have continually been victims to all this horrific slaughter.(2) The reason behind all of this bloody carnage was to satisfy the cannibalistic appetite of ghastly, human-like creatures who live (exclusively) within the very bowels of NYC's subway system's tunnels. If these fiendish flesh-eaters were left to their own devices, then, they would surely rise to the city's streets and, thus, engage in a literal feeding frenzy of their own.(3) Other than for sheer shock-effect, it made no sense to me why the designated "butcher" riding the meat train had to resort to such horrifically brutal and messy methods for offing the ones intended for the creatures' next meal. A simple bullet to the brain would've sufficed just fine. Thank you, very much.(4) I thought that it was the absolute last straw when it was revealed that even trusted members of the NYC police force were privy to all this murderous activity and (get this!) they were actually covering up and downplaying all of the "missing persons" reports that they received (and remember we're talking about 100 years worth of this).Because these 4 complaints (that I think are valid) rendered the story preposterous to the extreme, I couldn't allow this film to get away with a rating higher than just 5 stars.Though The Midnight Meat Train did contain some impressive editing and first-rate camera-work, its plot-line was, unfortunately, a perfect example of what inevitably goes wrong when a short story is fleshed-out and adapted into a feature-length film.*Note* - This film's insatiably gleeful emphasis on "meat" is probably more than enough to turn some of its viewers into full-fledged vegans even before the story's half over.

An Excellent Movie

tt0805570

This movie is an extremely psychologically thrilling horror movie that will keep you hooked and involved for the entire duration. The acting is wonderful, the score is one of the best in the world, and the script is one that would easily match Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. Ryuhei Kitamura really did an excellent job with this movie and I would recommend it to anyone who does not get scared to easily. For everyone who loves a good horror film this will be your favourite movie of the 2008, if not this whole decade, which has been lacking good horror films. I am so glad I got a sneak peak at the Fantasia Festival in Montreal, you all are going to love it when it gets its theatrical release! - http://www.gemizo.net

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0805570/reviews-1

ur19530539

title: An Excellent Movie review: This movie is an extremely psychologically thrilling horror movie that will keep you hooked and involved for the entire duration. The acting is wonderful, the score is one of the best in the world, and the script is one that would easily match Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. Ryuhei Kitamura really did an excellent job with this movie and I would recommend it to anyone who does not get scared to easily. For everyone who loves a good horror film this will be your favourite movie of the 2008, if not this whole decade, which has been lacking good horror films. I am so glad I got a sneak peak at the Fantasia Festival in Montreal, you all are going to love it when it gets its theatrical release! - http://www.gemizo.net

So much potential gone to waste

tt0805570

There is something inherently interesting about a film that gets delayed. There are always reasons for the delay, but most of the time, they are not of great importance. They merely slow the viewer down from getting to see something they may have been intrigued about from first sight. Now, I am not an incredibly supportive fan of the horror genre, but I do greatly enjoy watching the movies that fall into its category, especially ones that look as original and innovative as The Midnight Meat Train.The film tells the story of wannabe professional photographer Leon (Bradley Cooper). He wants to take pictures of what the "real" New York City looks like, but he does not seem to be able to quite pinpoint it as well as he hopes. At the coaxing of a popular art dealer (Brooke Shields), Leon decides to seek out what he is missing, and starts following a rather shadowy butcher (Vinnie Jones), who he believes is brutally murdering people on a late night train.Now, the set up sounds interesting enough and leaves plenty of room for suspense and thrills. And the film puts both to great use right from the opening reel. Director Ryûhei Kitamura, under the obvious guidance of Clive Barker, crafts a film that tells the viewer exactly what to expect early on. And at least in the Unrated version, takes no expense at making the ride as brutally violent as possible. Heads are bashed in, people are chopped and cut up in various ways, and all the while, gallons and gallons of blood flow as freely as water. It is clear not all of this made it into the theatrical version, but it is nice to see a vision so uncompromising in a sea of such weak entries into the horror genre (minus the graphic stylings of Platinum Dunes and Rob Zombie).Kitamura even frantically paces the film, jumping from one moment to the next as quick as he can. It is not to the point of being ADD-infused, but it is done in such a rapid way that it leaves very little to linger on, and leaves even less time for predictability. The way he captures these violent encounters on camera is at once both arresting and horrifying. It is bad enough that the majority of the action takes place on a cramped subway car, but somehow, the camera makes the space feel even smaller. Through the use of inventive camera angles and tricks, Kitamura develops a unique sense of dread that is not easily equaled in the majority of horror films coming out of the United States. The film is as scary as it is interesting.But unfortunately, this genuine sense of greatness only lasts for half the film.Once the endgame is revealed and the audience finds out why the killer (we find out that his name is the enigmatic Mahogany part way through) is acting in such a violent fashion, the film just descends into being preposterous and ludicrous. Sure, some of the death scenes are a little over-the-top, and the storyline is a bit loopy, but it all pales in comparison to the completely out of left field third act the film delivers. After such a powerful start and building towards the finale, the third act just comes and takes everything the film built up away entirely. I realize the film is based on a story from the 1980's, but there was obviously something much better the filmmakers could have come up with? Surely screenwriter Jeff Buhler could have invented a better reason for Mahogany's actions? It just all feels so weak and ridiculous that it takes away anything the film has going for it. I was really enjoying it, and like a punch in the gut, it takes it all away.What is also a little disheartening is the film's use of CGI. Kitamura said he wanted to play the film close to reality, and use as little special effects as possible (save for the outstanding makeup). And he does a fairly good job of playing the film out with as little as he can. But when it does appear, it either looks unintentionally horrendous, or so absurd that it becomes hilarious. It just looks so bizarre that it could have either been done without entirely, or could have been changed considerably before the film was released. The film had its share of problems, but there is no reason why it should look anywhere near this bad in 2009. We have come a long way, and if Saw V can make someone's abdomen look like it is being chopped to pieces, surely they can make someone's head getting bashed in look real in this.The actors seem to suffer the most out of anything in the film. Cooper does his best with what he is given, but even he cannot seem to fathom why the film takes such an abrupt turn. You can see the pain in his eyes as the film goes on, and it is almost more painful than some of the death sequences. Shields and Leslie Bibb play the main female roles, and they do some decent work as well. They are given so little an amount to do from the start that it is a miracle they make it into the film as much as they do. Jones is the best thing about the film, but merely because he plays this monster of a character out so well. The man does such unspeakable things, and he never speaks a word about them. Truly, his work here could have been used in a stronger film.The Midnight Meat Train starts so well, but it tails off in the end. For everything it does right, it does so much wrong. I wanted to like it, really.6/10.(Portions of this review originally appeared on http://www.dvdfanatic.com).

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0805570/reviews-84

ur1622466

title: So much potential gone to waste review: There is something inherently interesting about a film that gets delayed. There are always reasons for the delay, but most of the time, they are not of great importance. They merely slow the viewer down from getting to see something they may have been intrigued about from first sight. Now, I am not an incredibly supportive fan of the horror genre, but I do greatly enjoy watching the movies that fall into its category, especially ones that look as original and innovative as The Midnight Meat Train.The film tells the story of wannabe professional photographer Leon (Bradley Cooper). He wants to take pictures of what the "real" New York City looks like, but he does not seem to be able to quite pinpoint it as well as he hopes. At the coaxing of a popular art dealer (Brooke Shields), Leon decides to seek out what he is missing, and starts following a rather shadowy butcher (Vinnie Jones), who he believes is brutally murdering people on a late night train.Now, the set up sounds interesting enough and leaves plenty of room for suspense and thrills. And the film puts both to great use right from the opening reel. Director Ryûhei Kitamura, under the obvious guidance of Clive Barker, crafts a film that tells the viewer exactly what to expect early on. And at least in the Unrated version, takes no expense at making the ride as brutally violent as possible. Heads are bashed in, people are chopped and cut up in various ways, and all the while, gallons and gallons of blood flow as freely as water. It is clear not all of this made it into the theatrical version, but it is nice to see a vision so uncompromising in a sea of such weak entries into the horror genre (minus the graphic stylings of Platinum Dunes and Rob Zombie).Kitamura even frantically paces the film, jumping from one moment to the next as quick as he can. It is not to the point of being ADD-infused, but it is done in such a rapid way that it leaves very little to linger on, and leaves even less time for predictability. The way he captures these violent encounters on camera is at once both arresting and horrifying. It is bad enough that the majority of the action takes place on a cramped subway car, but somehow, the camera makes the space feel even smaller. Through the use of inventive camera angles and tricks, Kitamura develops a unique sense of dread that is not easily equaled in the majority of horror films coming out of the United States. The film is as scary as it is interesting.But unfortunately, this genuine sense of greatness only lasts for half the film.Once the endgame is revealed and the audience finds out why the killer (we find out that his name is the enigmatic Mahogany part way through) is acting in such a violent fashion, the film just descends into being preposterous and ludicrous. Sure, some of the death scenes are a little over-the-top, and the storyline is a bit loopy, but it all pales in comparison to the completely out of left field third act the film delivers. After such a powerful start and building towards the finale, the third act just comes and takes everything the film built up away entirely. I realize the film is based on a story from the 1980's, but there was obviously something much better the filmmakers could have come up with? Surely screenwriter Jeff Buhler could have invented a better reason for Mahogany's actions? It just all feels so weak and ridiculous that it takes away anything the film has going for it. I was really enjoying it, and like a punch in the gut, it takes it all away.What is also a little disheartening is the film's use of CGI. Kitamura said he wanted to play the film close to reality, and use as little special effects as possible (save for the outstanding makeup). And he does a fairly good job of playing the film out with as little as he can. But when it does appear, it either looks unintentionally horrendous, or so absurd that it becomes hilarious. It just looks so bizarre that it could have either been done without entirely, or could have been changed considerably before the film was released. The film had its share of problems, but there is no reason why it should look anywhere near this bad in 2009. We have come a long way, and if Saw V can make someone's abdomen look like it is being chopped to pieces, surely they can make someone's head getting bashed in look real in this.The actors seem to suffer the most out of anything in the film. Cooper does his best with what he is given, but even he cannot seem to fathom why the film takes such an abrupt turn. You can see the pain in his eyes as the film goes on, and it is almost more painful than some of the death sequences. Shields and Leslie Bibb play the main female roles, and they do some decent work as well. They are given so little an amount to do from the start that it is a miracle they make it into the film as much as they do. Jones is the best thing about the film, but merely because he plays this monster of a character out so well. The man does such unspeakable things, and he never speaks a word about them. Truly, his work here could have been used in a stronger film.The Midnight Meat Train starts so well, but it tails off in the end. For everything it does right, it does so much wrong. I wanted to like it, really.6/10.(Portions of this review originally appeared on http://www.dvdfanatic.com).

A bloody good midnight ride

tt0805570

(76%) A movie that sadly came and went without too much attention, which is a shame as there is much to like about this well put together horror flick. It has a slight 1980's feel to the way it looks and feels, with its simple yet effective use of story telling, pacing, and quite full on levels of blood and gore. It stars now A-list star Bradley Cooper giving an added level of quality, while Vinnie Jones is perfect as the mysterious almost silent killer. The best thing though is that this isn't just Vinnie murdering people on a train, as there is much more to the story than just that, and by the end this is gets pretty interesting and inventive. If you can get hold of the uncut version that has a touch more nastiness to it, but really this is a future classic that will eventually find a strong following with horror fans in the next ten years or so.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0805570/reviews-199

ur54757473

title: A bloody good midnight ride review: (76%) A movie that sadly came and went without too much attention, which is a shame as there is much to like about this well put together horror flick. It has a slight 1980's feel to the way it looks and feels, with its simple yet effective use of story telling, pacing, and quite full on levels of blood and gore. It stars now A-list star Bradley Cooper giving an added level of quality, while Vinnie Jones is perfect as the mysterious almost silent killer. The best thing though is that this isn't just Vinnie murdering people on a train, as there is much more to the story than just that, and by the end this is gets pretty interesting and inventive. If you can get hold of the uncut version that has a touch more nastiness to it, but really this is a future classic that will eventually find a strong following with horror fans in the next ten years or so.

How about a hammer to the head?

tt0805570

Screenplay writer Jeff Butler adapts a Clive Barker short story and it couldn't be too much more brutal or darker. Leon Kauffman(Bradley Cooper)is a struggling photographer in search for just the perfect subject to make a name for himself. He is encouraged by a prominent art gallery proprietor(Brooke Shields)to explore the dark and dank side of the city's underbelly and capture shots of the down trodden and late night street wanderers. Against the advice and wishes of his girlfriend Maya(Leslie Bibb), Leon begins stalking a notorious serial killer named Mahogany(Vinnie Jones), who is a legend of sorts that totally beats the living hell out of after midnight subway riders. The finale is as interesting as making a playground in the middle of a slaughter house.THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN is intended for mature viewers that can handle the perverse and graphic carnage. A big surprise is Shields. Not much camera time, but I'm sure the money was good. Also in the cast: Barbara Eve Harris, Roger Bart and Ted Raimi. Kudos to director Ryuhei Kitamura.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0805570/reviews-97

ur0449021

title: How about a hammer to the head? review: Screenplay writer Jeff Butler adapts a Clive Barker short story and it couldn't be too much more brutal or darker. Leon Kauffman(Bradley Cooper)is a struggling photographer in search for just the perfect subject to make a name for himself. He is encouraged by a prominent art gallery proprietor(Brooke Shields)to explore the dark and dank side of the city's underbelly and capture shots of the down trodden and late night street wanderers. Against the advice and wishes of his girlfriend Maya(Leslie Bibb), Leon begins stalking a notorious serial killer named Mahogany(Vinnie Jones), who is a legend of sorts that totally beats the living hell out of after midnight subway riders. The finale is as interesting as making a playground in the middle of a slaughter house.THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN is intended for mature viewers that can handle the perverse and graphic carnage. A big surprise is Shields. Not much camera time, but I'm sure the money was good. Also in the cast: Barbara Eve Harris, Roger Bart and Ted Raimi. Kudos to director Ryuhei Kitamura.

The Climax's Train Wreck Is Symbolic of the Film Itself.

tt0805570

This film is probably the worst I've seen in many a month, because it begins as if it's going to defy slasher flick conventions, only to do worse than some clichés and augment other ones, like the girlfriend who is only whatever way is sexy for her to act toward the hero in a given scene, right down to the sudden turnover into doggie style during a sex scene, which has been cool occasionally in other films but is starting to become obligatory. The hero is Leon, an urban photographer who claims he wants to capture the city as what it really is. Then because, to our vexation, the artistic advice of Brooke Shields has more impact on him than anyone else, he Plunges Deeper Into the Nether Realms of Darkness. All the while, ex-soccer player turned Bullet Tooth Tony British celebrity Vinnie Jones plays a speechless, stoic, mild-mannered butcher who guts and gores people on an after hours subway route which is eerily otherwise vacant considering it's New York City. Even if they explain why it's so conveniently devoid of enough people to ever overpower him or security hired after awhile to gun him down, which I shouldn't reveal if you actually still want to see this overtly silly movie, it remains as mind-blowingly stupid as it likely sounds.It's an intriguing premise for a macabre piece of shock fiction, but Kitamura is irrevocably off-track endeavoring to find a valid appeal to this production. Most of the film remains in absurd forms of stilted melodrama, while the shocks are saturated way too extremely by computer generation. Frankly, why even concern oneself over freaky optics when they look like they've been furnished by my refurbished laptop? The spectacle of this waste of $15 million is intensively unreleasable.Because this un-psychological thriller was born of Barker, anticipate myriad gaping wounds, convulsions of dementia, and an ending that glides into totally inorganic, impracticable invention. This damnation of all films decent could be more able as a book-form thrust into hell, not a feature-length discourse on how to look like one of the very few slasher films without clichés and turn out to be worse.Clive Barker apparently caused a ruckus online, prodding fans to influence Lionsgate to give his latest production a major release rather than the ashamed dismissal it got in discount theaters. I hate to side with the studio, but The Midnight Meat Train really does reek like dead excessive protoplasm. Jones is definitely an commanding villain as he butchers and rips up late-night subway transients, but the gorefest plummets from an eerie '80s slasher pattern to preposterous fairyland intrigue lore, coming to head in a conclusion that gives new meaning to train wreck.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0805570/reviews-98

ur8625456

title: The Climax's Train Wreck Is Symbolic of the Film Itself. review: This film is probably the worst I've seen in many a month, because it begins as if it's going to defy slasher flick conventions, only to do worse than some clichés and augment other ones, like the girlfriend who is only whatever way is sexy for her to act toward the hero in a given scene, right down to the sudden turnover into doggie style during a sex scene, which has been cool occasionally in other films but is starting to become obligatory. The hero is Leon, an urban photographer who claims he wants to capture the city as what it really is. Then because, to our vexation, the artistic advice of Brooke Shields has more impact on him than anyone else, he Plunges Deeper Into the Nether Realms of Darkness. All the while, ex-soccer player turned Bullet Tooth Tony British celebrity Vinnie Jones plays a speechless, stoic, mild-mannered butcher who guts and gores people on an after hours subway route which is eerily otherwise vacant considering it's New York City. Even if they explain why it's so conveniently devoid of enough people to ever overpower him or security hired after awhile to gun him down, which I shouldn't reveal if you actually still want to see this overtly silly movie, it remains as mind-blowingly stupid as it likely sounds.It's an intriguing premise for a macabre piece of shock fiction, but Kitamura is irrevocably off-track endeavoring to find a valid appeal to this production. Most of the film remains in absurd forms of stilted melodrama, while the shocks are saturated way too extremely by computer generation. Frankly, why even concern oneself over freaky optics when they look like they've been furnished by my refurbished laptop? The spectacle of this waste of $15 million is intensively unreleasable.Because this un-psychological thriller was born of Barker, anticipate myriad gaping wounds, convulsions of dementia, and an ending that glides into totally inorganic, impracticable invention. This damnation of all films decent could be more able as a book-form thrust into hell, not a feature-length discourse on how to look like one of the very few slasher films without clichés and turn out to be worse.Clive Barker apparently caused a ruckus online, prodding fans to influence Lionsgate to give his latest production a major release rather than the ashamed dismissal it got in discount theaters. I hate to side with the studio, but The Midnight Meat Train really does reek like dead excessive protoplasm. Jones is definitely an commanding villain as he butchers and rips up late-night subway transients, but the gorefest plummets from an eerie '80s slasher pattern to preposterous fairyland intrigue lore, coming to head in a conclusion that gives new meaning to train wreck.

Ridiculous but still fairly effective Barker adaptation

tt0805570

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning Struggling photography artist Leon (Bradley Cooper) is trawling New York City at night, searching to capture that dynamic edge that lurks at the city's underbelly. He's getting there, but when he learns of the brutal murder of a young woman he saved from a gang rape the night before, he becomes fixated with Mahogony (Vinnie Jones) who dresses in a smart suit but appears to work in a meat factory. But Leon knows he is the mysterious killer on the loose, and is about to stumble on something even more sinister behind what's driving him to commit the murders.Adapted from a Clive Barker short story, this typically gore drenched horror story enjoyed short shrift in theatres and has probably arrived even more unremarkably to DVD. Derived from a short story, it has been translated into a short film, and without the depth to stretch much further than this, this is probably a good idea. We're talking disposable horror here, that doesn't hold back on all the sick, gory bloodshed and violence (including, beware, teeth being plied out, urrrrgh) along with a surreal, far fetched and ultimately nonsensical story where a maniac slaughters people on the off chance no one at all will be on a late night train to witness him do it. But, in a none speaking role, Jones has presence as the scary, remorseless monster and it's all carried off with just enough aplomb to keep the train rolling smoothly along, with all the blood splattering and gratuitous gore thrown in as a good measure. ***

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0805570/reviews-100

ur0345596

title: Ridiculous but still fairly effective Barker adaptation review: STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning Struggling photography artist Leon (Bradley Cooper) is trawling New York City at night, searching to capture that dynamic edge that lurks at the city's underbelly. He's getting there, but when he learns of the brutal murder of a young woman he saved from a gang rape the night before, he becomes fixated with Mahogony (Vinnie Jones) who dresses in a smart suit but appears to work in a meat factory. But Leon knows he is the mysterious killer on the loose, and is about to stumble on something even more sinister behind what's driving him to commit the murders.Adapted from a Clive Barker short story, this typically gore drenched horror story enjoyed short shrift in theatres and has probably arrived even more unremarkably to DVD. Derived from a short story, it has been translated into a short film, and without the depth to stretch much further than this, this is probably a good idea. We're talking disposable horror here, that doesn't hold back on all the sick, gory bloodshed and violence (including, beware, teeth being plied out, urrrrgh) along with a surreal, far fetched and ultimately nonsensical story where a maniac slaughters people on the off chance no one at all will be on a late night train to witness him do it. But, in a none speaking role, Jones has presence as the scary, remorseless monster and it's all carried off with just enough aplomb to keep the train rolling smoothly along, with all the blood splattering and gratuitous gore thrown in as a good measure. ***

Almost destroyed by a lousy ending

tt0805570

Photographer Leon (Bradley Cooper) can't seem to make a living by shooting pictures. He lives with his beautiful loving girlfriend Maya (Leslie Bibb) who keeps encouraging him to try. Then, one night, he sees a big vicious man (Vinnie Jones) slaughtering people on a subway train at 2am. The cops don't believe him and he tries to figure out what's happening...and why.Lionsgate threw this picture away in North America. It premiered at bargain cinemas only (no first run chain got it) and disappeared quickly. I just caught it on FearNet in a beautiful letter-boxed print. I don't see why Lionsgate seems so ashamed of it. It's no masterpiece but it's nothing to be ashamed of either. It's well-done in bleak, washed-out colors and picture. The subways themselves look downright chilling--even when they're brightly lit. Cooper is very good in his role--he throws himself into it full force at the end. Bibb is excellent as his girlfriend. Even Brooke Shields is good in her small role! Also it's got plenty of gruesome blood and gore for horror fans (it IS based on a Clive Barker story after all). Still, it falls apart at the end. I think it's the same end as the original short story but I read that years and years ago. It doesn't really work and lessens the impact. Still this is a good gory horror film. Recommended to horror fans. I give it a 7--the ending really does hurt.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0805570/reviews-26

ur0463200

title: Almost destroyed by a lousy ending review: Photographer Leon (Bradley Cooper) can't seem to make a living by shooting pictures. He lives with his beautiful loving girlfriend Maya (Leslie Bibb) who keeps encouraging him to try. Then, one night, he sees a big vicious man (Vinnie Jones) slaughtering people on a subway train at 2am. The cops don't believe him and he tries to figure out what's happening...and why.Lionsgate threw this picture away in North America. It premiered at bargain cinemas only (no first run chain got it) and disappeared quickly. I just caught it on FearNet in a beautiful letter-boxed print. I don't see why Lionsgate seems so ashamed of it. It's no masterpiece but it's nothing to be ashamed of either. It's well-done in bleak, washed-out colors and picture. The subways themselves look downright chilling--even when they're brightly lit. Cooper is very good in his role--he throws himself into it full force at the end. Bibb is excellent as his girlfriend. Even Brooke Shields is good in her small role! Also it's got plenty of gruesome blood and gore for horror fans (it IS based on a Clive Barker story after all). Still, it falls apart at the end. I think it's the same end as the original short story but I read that years and years ago. It doesn't really work and lessens the impact. Still this is a good gory horror film. Recommended to horror fans. I give it a 7--the ending really does hurt.

Good story, amateur execution

tt0097216

I was looking forward to seeing Do the Right Thing, Spike Lee was awarded for the film last year and it was in my book of "1001 movies you must see before you die", so when I saw this film at the video store I naturally picked it up and I just watched it tonite. I can see where Spike Lee was going with the film and how angry everyone can get with the heat and just natural accusations due to stereotypes and misunderstandings, but it didn't seem like a strong enough movie that really effected me like Spike's other film 25th Hour.It's one of the hottest days of the summer and we have a little Italian restaurant in the middle of a black neighborhood. Unfortunately, everyone is starting to gain up on each other due to the nasty heat and making horrible accusations and calling each other horrible names. All the heat and anger just builds up to a very heated and deadly conclusion that everyone could learn from.Do the Right Thing could've been a stronger movie, I just felt like it wasn't strong enough, I know that I am going to get bashed and insulted for saying that, but I know when a film effects me and why it does and unfortunately Do the Right thing just didn't have me shaking, crying, or made me think after the movie was done. I have just seen Spike's better work, I know this was one of his first films, for that, I admit he did a good job, but it still felt too amateur for my likings.6/10

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/reviews-168

ur1293485

title: Good story, amateur execution review: I was looking forward to seeing Do the Right Thing, Spike Lee was awarded for the film last year and it was in my book of "1001 movies you must see before you die", so when I saw this film at the video store I naturally picked it up and I just watched it tonite. I can see where Spike Lee was going with the film and how angry everyone can get with the heat and just natural accusations due to stereotypes and misunderstandings, but it didn't seem like a strong enough movie that really effected me like Spike's other film 25th Hour.It's one of the hottest days of the summer and we have a little Italian restaurant in the middle of a black neighborhood. Unfortunately, everyone is starting to gain up on each other due to the nasty heat and making horrible accusations and calling each other horrible names. All the heat and anger just builds up to a very heated and deadly conclusion that everyone could learn from.Do the Right Thing could've been a stronger movie, I just felt like it wasn't strong enough, I know that I am going to get bashed and insulted for saying that, but I know when a film effects me and why it does and unfortunately Do the Right thing just didn't have me shaking, crying, or made me think after the movie was done. I have just seen Spike's better work, I know this was one of his first films, for that, I admit he did a good job, but it still felt too amateur for my likings.6/10

For Once, Spike Lee Does the Right Thing

tt0097216

For the most part I've stayed resistant to Spike Lee and his movies -- he's usually over indulgent and too heavy handed for my taste. But "Do the Right Thing" is the exception. This is a terrific movie about one hot summer day in a New York neighborhood when racial tensions bubble over and people's true colors appear. Speaking of color, the film looks great too. Lee creates a completely unique world for his film to live in, with its own rhythm and vibe. The sets look like Sesame Street, which makes the very real and adult themes the rest of the film deals with that much more powerful by contrast.This movie features Rosie Perez in the only role I've ever liked her in, and a highlight of the film is the energetic dance she does over the opening credits.Grade: A

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/reviews-201

ur4532636

title: For Once, Spike Lee Does the Right Thing review: For the most part I've stayed resistant to Spike Lee and his movies -- he's usually over indulgent and too heavy handed for my taste. But "Do the Right Thing" is the exception. This is a terrific movie about one hot summer day in a New York neighborhood when racial tensions bubble over and people's true colors appear. Speaking of color, the film looks great too. Lee creates a completely unique world for his film to live in, with its own rhythm and vibe. The sets look like Sesame Street, which makes the very real and adult themes the rest of the film deals with that much more powerful by contrast.This movie features Rosie Perez in the only role I've ever liked her in, and a highlight of the film is the energetic dance she does over the opening credits.Grade: A

Do the Right Thing is a film with an important message.

tt0097216

This film looks at life in the Bedford-Stuyvesant district of Brooklyn on a hot summer Sunday. As he does everyday, Sal Fragione opens the pizza parlor he's owned for 25 years. The neighborhood has changed considerably in the time he's been there and is now composed primarily of African-Americans and Hispanics. His son Pino hates it there and would like nothing better than to relocate the eatery to their own neighborhood. For Sal however, the restaurant represents something that is part of his life and sees it as a part of the community. What begins as a simple complaint by one of his customers, Buggin Out - who wonders why he has only pictures of famous Italian-Americans on the wall when most of his customers are black - eventually disintegrates into violence as frustration seemingly brings out the worst in everyone. Roger Ebert wrote: "None of these people is perfect. But Lee makes it possible for us to understand their feelings; his empathy is crucial to the film, because if you can't try to understand how the other person feels, you're a captive inside the box of yourself. Thoughtless people have accused Lee over the years of being an angry filmmaker. He has much to be angry about, but I don't find it in his work. The wonder of "Do the Right Thing" is that he is so fair. Those who found this film an incitement to violence are saying much about themselves, and nothing useful about the movie. Its predominant emotion is sadness. Lee ends with two quotations, one from Martin Luther King Jr., advocating non-violence, and the other from Malcolm X, advocating violence "if necessary." A third, from Rodney King, ran through my mind." Do the Right Thing is a film with an important message.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/reviews-413

ur26897720

title: Do the Right Thing is a film with an important message. review: This film looks at life in the Bedford-Stuyvesant district of Brooklyn on a hot summer Sunday. As he does everyday, Sal Fragione opens the pizza parlor he's owned for 25 years. The neighborhood has changed considerably in the time he's been there and is now composed primarily of African-Americans and Hispanics. His son Pino hates it there and would like nothing better than to relocate the eatery to their own neighborhood. For Sal however, the restaurant represents something that is part of his life and sees it as a part of the community. What begins as a simple complaint by one of his customers, Buggin Out - who wonders why he has only pictures of famous Italian-Americans on the wall when most of his customers are black - eventually disintegrates into violence as frustration seemingly brings out the worst in everyone. Roger Ebert wrote: "None of these people is perfect. But Lee makes it possible for us to understand their feelings; his empathy is crucial to the film, because if you can't try to understand how the other person feels, you're a captive inside the box of yourself. Thoughtless people have accused Lee over the years of being an angry filmmaker. He has much to be angry about, but I don't find it in his work. The wonder of "Do the Right Thing" is that he is so fair. Those who found this film an incitement to violence are saying much about themselves, and nothing useful about the movie. Its predominant emotion is sadness. Lee ends with two quotations, one from Martin Luther King Jr., advocating non-violence, and the other from Malcolm X, advocating violence "if necessary." A third, from Rodney King, ran through my mind." Do the Right Thing is a film with an important message.

A cinema masterpiece

tt0097216

This is one of the great movies. Besides having an incredibly impressive ensemble cast, the movie also has a strong and compelling plot. Danny Aiello's performance is stupendous. He carries the movie. His character is the catalyst for the entire story. Ozzie Davis too delivers a tremendously evocative performance as does the rest of the cast. But what makes this movie so special is the way it presents a story about racial conflict in a straight forward manner without any value judgments. That is, the director, Spike Lee, sets forth the story and leaves it to the audience to decide what the story is actually about. The title of the movie spells out the movie's theme as the characters are forced to come to terms with their true feelings, and to decide what is right for them. The movie is about people in crisis, and it is a movie that is well worth watching.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/reviews-314

ur6458242

title: A cinema masterpiece review: This is one of the great movies. Besides having an incredibly impressive ensemble cast, the movie also has a strong and compelling plot. Danny Aiello's performance is stupendous. He carries the movie. His character is the catalyst for the entire story. Ozzie Davis too delivers a tremendously evocative performance as does the rest of the cast. But what makes this movie so special is the way it presents a story about racial conflict in a straight forward manner without any value judgments. That is, the director, Spike Lee, sets forth the story and leaves it to the audience to decide what the story is actually about. The title of the movie spells out the movie's theme as the characters are forced to come to terms with their true feelings, and to decide what is right for them. The movie is about people in crisis, and it is a movie that is well worth watching.

Spike Lee & company do the right thing

tt0097216

Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" is considered a modern classic by many. Set on the hottest day of the year in the Bed-Stuy neighbourhood of Brooklyn, the film follows several individuals throughout the day as racial tensions become increasingly strained. The story that unfolds ends up being both explosive and thought-provoking.I'll begin by saying that the cast is nothing short of spectacular. Danny Aiello's strong performance was recognized with one of the film's two Oscar nominations but a load of other fine performances were overlooked. For starters, you've got John Turturro, Spike Lee, Giancarlo Esposito, Rosie Perez, Ossie Davis & Ruby Dee. When you consider some of the smaller roles you've got people like Samuel L. Jackson, John Savage, Frank Vincent & Bill Nunn. An enviable cast, to say the least.Spike Lee's script resulted in the film's other Oscar nomination and, while that recognition was well deserved, I'm surprised that his direction didn't receive the same distinction. Even more shocking is the fact that Ernest Dickinson's vibrant cinematography wasn't nominated either. Musically, I didn't care much for Bill Lee's score but the soundtrack selections fared better, especially Public Enemy's classic "Fight the Power", which was used extensively.Overall, "Do the Right Thing" delivers in all areas. The acting is first-rate, the visuals are attractive and the story packs a punch. I know that some might balk at watching a movie with a message (ambiguous though it may be) but this one is well worth the effort.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/reviews-258

ur17822437

title: Spike Lee & company do the right thing review: Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" is considered a modern classic by many. Set on the hottest day of the year in the Bed-Stuy neighbourhood of Brooklyn, the film follows several individuals throughout the day as racial tensions become increasingly strained. The story that unfolds ends up being both explosive and thought-provoking.I'll begin by saying that the cast is nothing short of spectacular. Danny Aiello's strong performance was recognized with one of the film's two Oscar nominations but a load of other fine performances were overlooked. For starters, you've got John Turturro, Spike Lee, Giancarlo Esposito, Rosie Perez, Ossie Davis & Ruby Dee. When you consider some of the smaller roles you've got people like Samuel L. Jackson, John Savage, Frank Vincent & Bill Nunn. An enviable cast, to say the least.Spike Lee's script resulted in the film's other Oscar nomination and, while that recognition was well deserved, I'm surprised that his direction didn't receive the same distinction. Even more shocking is the fact that Ernest Dickinson's vibrant cinematography wasn't nominated either. Musically, I didn't care much for Bill Lee's score but the soundtrack selections fared better, especially Public Enemy's classic "Fight the Power", which was used extensively.Overall, "Do the Right Thing" delivers in all areas. The acting is first-rate, the visuals are attractive and the story packs a punch. I know that some might balk at watching a movie with a message (ambiguous though it may be) but this one is well worth the effort.

A two-hour bickering fest... albeit staged like a Technicolor musical!

tt0097216

Hyped-up, late 80's account by writer-director Spike Lee on ethnic tensions culminating on a hot summer's day in a Brooklyn neighborhood, NYC.To me, this is another zeitgeist film that hasn't quite stood the test of time. Definitely made with the best of intentions and some really good performances, but its energy goes into overdrive (and overlength) that turns this into a two-hour – increasingly tiresome – profane bickering fest where as good as every scene leads to a loud racial bigotry outburst. Told with overblown, huge gestures and (surprisingly) staged and choreographed like a stylized Technicolor musical! I kept urging for a more subdued, nuanced tackle on the indeed always important subject, instead of a growing headache. 4/10 from ozjeppe.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/reviews-386

ur1168730

title: A two-hour bickering fest... albeit staged like a Technicolor musical! review: Hyped-up, late 80's account by writer-director Spike Lee on ethnic tensions culminating on a hot summer's day in a Brooklyn neighborhood, NYC.To me, this is another zeitgeist film that hasn't quite stood the test of time. Definitely made with the best of intentions and some really good performances, but its energy goes into overdrive (and overlength) that turns this into a two-hour – increasingly tiresome – profane bickering fest where as good as every scene leads to a loud racial bigotry outburst. Told with overblown, huge gestures and (surprisingly) staged and choreographed like a stylized Technicolor musical! I kept urging for a more subdued, nuanced tackle on the indeed always important subject, instead of a growing headache. 4/10 from ozjeppe.

Feels like a poor high school play or a Broadway musical wannabe

tt0097216

*** Warning *** -- may contain some spoilersEverybody's raving how this is one of the best movies ever made. It even a got clean, crisp 100% ripe vote on rottentmatoes.com. I was expecting to be simply blown away by this movie. Instead, and much to my chagrin, I was forced to watch this half-hearted high school play. Poor acting, patronizing script, uneventful, boring action that never leaves one and a half block of a boring neighborhood. How's this a good movie?OK, I understand that the topic is a hot button -- racial unrest in one of the most racist countries in the world (or at least, in the country with one of the most overt racist history). But so what? It's not the premise that counts, it's the delivery. And this delivery sucks!The characters in this movie were all poorly drawn out to look like cardboard cutouts. Too much stereotyping, no real character development. The movie is desperately trying to tug in on the cheap sentiment that is prevalent in today's general public.This movie is a disgrace. It's about time someone finally makes a real, honest and serious movie about the racial unrest in the States. Something like "Crash", only a bit less disjointed.Oh yeah, a piece of advice for Spike Lee -- it's not a good idea to cast all your buddies in the film. Next time, try auditioning for the roles, before you begin shooting the movie. The acting in this movie was just terrible.1 out of 10

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/reviews-200

ur18302101

title: Feels like a poor high school play or a Broadway musical wannabe review: *** Warning *** -- may contain some spoilersEverybody's raving how this is one of the best movies ever made. It even a got clean, crisp 100% ripe vote on rottentmatoes.com. I was expecting to be simply blown away by this movie. Instead, and much to my chagrin, I was forced to watch this half-hearted high school play. Poor acting, patronizing script, uneventful, boring action that never leaves one and a half block of a boring neighborhood. How's this a good movie?OK, I understand that the topic is a hot button -- racial unrest in one of the most racist countries in the world (or at least, in the country with one of the most overt racist history). But so what? It's not the premise that counts, it's the delivery. And this delivery sucks!The characters in this movie were all poorly drawn out to look like cardboard cutouts. Too much stereotyping, no real character development. The movie is desperately trying to tug in on the cheap sentiment that is prevalent in today's general public.This movie is a disgrace. It's about time someone finally makes a real, honest and serious movie about the racial unrest in the States. Something like "Crash", only a bit less disjointed.Oh yeah, a piece of advice for Spike Lee -- it's not a good idea to cast all your buddies in the film. Next time, try auditioning for the roles, before you begin shooting the movie. The acting in this movie was just terrible.1 out of 10

"Put some extra mozzarella"

tt0097216

Spike Lee had done an almost impossible thing. He'd made a movie about race in America that empathized with all the participants. He didn't draw lines or take sides but simply looked with sadness at one racial flash-point that stood for many others.The movie in any event is not just about how the cops kill a black man and a mob burns down a pizzeria. That would be too simple, and this is not a simplistic film. It covers a day in the life of a Brooklyn street, so that we get to know the neighbors, and see by what small steps the tragedy is approached.There are really no heroes or villains in the film. There is even a responsible cop, who screams "that's enough!" as another cop chokes Radio with his nightstick. And perhaps the other cop is terrified because he is surrounded by a mob and the pizzeria is on fire. On and on, around and around, black and white, fear and suspicion breed and grow. Because we know all of the people and have spent all day on the street, we feel as much grief as anger. The thing is, there are no answers. There may be heroes and villains, but on this ordinary street in Brooklyn they don't conveniently turn up wearing labels. Racism is so deeply ingrained in our society that the disease itself creates mischief, while most blacks and whites alike are only onlookers.None of these people is perfect. But Lee makes it possible for us to understand their feelings; his empathy is crucial to the film, because if you can't try to understand how the other person feels, you're a captive inside the box of yourself. The wonder of "Do the Right Thing" is that he is so fair.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/reviews-387

ur38462067

title: "Put some extra mozzarella" review: Spike Lee had done an almost impossible thing. He'd made a movie about race in America that empathized with all the participants. He didn't draw lines or take sides but simply looked with sadness at one racial flash-point that stood for many others.The movie in any event is not just about how the cops kill a black man and a mob burns down a pizzeria. That would be too simple, and this is not a simplistic film. It covers a day in the life of a Brooklyn street, so that we get to know the neighbors, and see by what small steps the tragedy is approached.There are really no heroes or villains in the film. There is even a responsible cop, who screams "that's enough!" as another cop chokes Radio with his nightstick. And perhaps the other cop is terrified because he is surrounded by a mob and the pizzeria is on fire. On and on, around and around, black and white, fear and suspicion breed and grow. Because we know all of the people and have spent all day on the street, we feel as much grief as anger. The thing is, there are no answers. There may be heroes and villains, but on this ordinary street in Brooklyn they don't conveniently turn up wearing labels. Racism is so deeply ingrained in our society that the disease itself creates mischief, while most blacks and whites alike are only onlookers.None of these people is perfect. But Lee makes it possible for us to understand their feelings; his empathy is crucial to the film, because if you can't try to understand how the other person feels, you're a captive inside the box of yourself. The wonder of "Do the Right Thing" is that he is so fair.

An Excellent,Powerful And Unforgettable Masterpiece From Spike Lee And One Of The Greatest Films Ever Made.

tt0097216

Do The Right Thing is an excellent,powerful and unforgettable masterpiece of cinema and one of the greatest films ever made that mixes amazing direction,a great cast,a fantastic script,an outstanding score and soundtrack and beautiful cinematography and is filmmaking and Spike Lee at their best.Set in the neighborhood section of Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn,New York,Do The Right Thing tells the story of a local neighborhood and people that have to deal with racial tensions and hate on the hottest day of the Summer that explodes in violence and leads to tragedy,mayhem and chaos.Released in the Summer of 1989,Do The Right Thing is the brilliant and powerful Masterpiece that introduced the world to director Spike Lee. Although Lee had made a splash with his first two great films the Romantic Comedy-Drama She's Gotta Have It and the funny College Comedy-Drama-Musical School Daze,Do The Right Thing in my opinion was his first real breakthrough and even though Spike Lee has made many great and truly wonderful films since none of his other films(with the exception of Lee's other Masterpiece Malcolm X) have left an amazing and powerful impression on viewers like Do The Right Thing had. Right from the opening credits Do The Right Thing pulls you into an amazing unforgettable cinematic experience that keeps you glued to the screen with great intensity and fiery. It's a movie that is very realistic and stylish,funny and tragic,thoughtful and observant,raw and in your face as well as movie that grabs you by the throat and never lets go until the very end. Also Do The Right Thing maybe one of the best and greatest if not the best and greatest film about race and racism in America and with DTRT Spike Lee gives viewers and examination of Racism why most human beings are Racist and Lee doesn't sugarcoat anything and just approaches the Racism with realism and no race or ethnicity in the film Blacks,Whites,Hispanics and Asians goes unscathed. Lee has talked about race in most of his other films and in his other films they were very thought-provoking but DTRT is his most powerful film about race. The talks of Race and Racism is powerful and frank and will leave an great impression on viewers because the themes of racism is timeless. Each of the main characters in the film are real and are very complex and multidimensional and aren't stereotypes but the kind characters that we see in real life and just like in real life there are flesh and true life characters in the film that are likable and unlikable but stay with you after the film is over. What I also love about the film is the fact that DTRT takes place over the course of one day and hot weather and temperature. I love films that take place in one day or in 24 hours and DTRT gives viewers a day in the life in a Brooklyn,New York section neighborhood showing the characters doing regular everyday things but it is slightly distorted with tension in the air and the Hot weather adds to the tension. The 100 plus degree Weather is an accurate representation of not only Heat but the tension among the film's main characters that is boiling and ready to explode like a bomb and it is not the sweat or the heat but with violence and harsh language and Spike Lee puts the high level tension to the forefront and brings it out and never lets up. The beautiful cinematography by Ernest Dickerson is amazing and stylish with Ernest Dickerson making the hot sunlight and heat look great to look at with close ups and weird,tilted angles with amazing visuals making the different colors and styles come off the screen. The screenplay by Spike Lee is very masterful and well-written with Lee giving the characters memorable dialog that is harsh and true to life and each of the main characters come to life thanks to Lee's great uncompromising script. The ending or final 30 minutes of the film is one of the greatest and most unforgettable endings in film history and is an ending that greatly doesn't answer any questions and will cause for a lot of debates with no clear or easy conclusions with Lee letting the viewers make up their own minds. An amazing and powerful ending.The whole cast is amazing. Danny Aiello is excellent as Sal,the local pizzeria owner. Ossie Davis is brilliant as Da Mayor,a drunk with words of wisdom. Ruby Dee is fantastic as Mother Sister,an old woman who watches the entire neighborhood and has great scenes with Davis. John Turturro and Richard Edsen are amazing as Sal's sons Pino,Sal's oldest son who's racist against Blacks and Vito,Sal's youngest who likes Blacks. Giancarlo Esposito is outstanding and over the top as Buggin' Out,a guy protesting Sal's. Spike Lee is great as Mookie,Sal's Pizza delivery guy Bill Nunn is wonderful and iconic as Radio Raheem,a young man who loves his Radio. Paul Benjamin(ML),Franie Faison(Coconut Sid),Robin Harris(Sweet Dick Willie),Rosie Perez(Tina),Joie Lee(Jade),Samuel L. Jackson(Mr. Senor Love Daddy),Miguel Sandoval(Officer Ponte),Rick Aiello(Officer Long),Roger Guenveur Smith(Smiley),Steve White(Ahmad),Martin Lawerence(Cee)Leonard Thomas(Punchy)Christa Rivers(Ella),Steve Park(Sonny),Lois Ramos(Stevie),Frank Vincent(Charlie)and John Savage(Clifton)give good performances as well.The direction by Spike Lee is brilliant and stylish,with Lee always moving the camera and giving the film a beautiful visual style with tilted angles and close-ups. Great direction,Lee.The score by Bill Lee is excellent,powerful,sad and memorable and adds to the film's tone. A wonderful score by Bill Lee. The film has a great soundtrack with songs by Public Enemy(the classic Do The Right Thing Theme Song Fight The Power),Al Jarreau(Never Explain Love),Perri(Feel So Good),Ruben Blades(Tu y Yo),Steel Pulse(Can't Stand It),Teddy Riley Featuring Guy(My Fantasy)and more. Great soundtrack.In final word,if you love Spike Lee,Dramas,or films in general,I highly suggest you see Do The Right Thing,an excellent,brilliant,flawless and unforgettable masterpiece of cinema that will stay with you after you watch it and belongs in every film lovers collection. Highly Recommended. 10/10.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/reviews-375

ur32939276

title: An Excellent,Powerful And Unforgettable Masterpiece From Spike Lee And One Of The Greatest Films Ever Made. review: Do The Right Thing is an excellent,powerful and unforgettable masterpiece of cinema and one of the greatest films ever made that mixes amazing direction,a great cast,a fantastic script,an outstanding score and soundtrack and beautiful cinematography and is filmmaking and Spike Lee at their best.Set in the neighborhood section of Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn,New York,Do The Right Thing tells the story of a local neighborhood and people that have to deal with racial tensions and hate on the hottest day of the Summer that explodes in violence and leads to tragedy,mayhem and chaos.Released in the Summer of 1989,Do The Right Thing is the brilliant and powerful Masterpiece that introduced the world to director Spike Lee. Although Lee had made a splash with his first two great films the Romantic Comedy-Drama She's Gotta Have It and the funny College Comedy-Drama-Musical School Daze,Do The Right Thing in my opinion was his first real breakthrough and even though Spike Lee has made many great and truly wonderful films since none of his other films(with the exception of Lee's other Masterpiece Malcolm X) have left an amazing and powerful impression on viewers like Do The Right Thing had. Right from the opening credits Do The Right Thing pulls you into an amazing unforgettable cinematic experience that keeps you glued to the screen with great intensity and fiery. It's a movie that is very realistic and stylish,funny and tragic,thoughtful and observant,raw and in your face as well as movie that grabs you by the throat and never lets go until the very end. Also Do The Right Thing maybe one of the best and greatest if not the best and greatest film about race and racism in America and with DTRT Spike Lee gives viewers and examination of Racism why most human beings are Racist and Lee doesn't sugarcoat anything and just approaches the Racism with realism and no race or ethnicity in the film Blacks,Whites,Hispanics and Asians goes unscathed. Lee has talked about race in most of his other films and in his other films they were very thought-provoking but DTRT is his most powerful film about race. The talks of Race and Racism is powerful and frank and will leave an great impression on viewers because the themes of racism is timeless. Each of the main characters in the film are real and are very complex and multidimensional and aren't stereotypes but the kind characters that we see in real life and just like in real life there are flesh and true life characters in the film that are likable and unlikable but stay with you after the film is over. What I also love about the film is the fact that DTRT takes place over the course of one day and hot weather and temperature. I love films that take place in one day or in 24 hours and DTRT gives viewers a day in the life in a Brooklyn,New York section neighborhood showing the characters doing regular everyday things but it is slightly distorted with tension in the air and the Hot weather adds to the tension. The 100 plus degree Weather is an accurate representation of not only Heat but the tension among the film's main characters that is boiling and ready to explode like a bomb and it is not the sweat or the heat but with violence and harsh language and Spike Lee puts the high level tension to the forefront and brings it out and never lets up. The beautiful cinematography by Ernest Dickerson is amazing and stylish with Ernest Dickerson making the hot sunlight and heat look great to look at with close ups and weird,tilted angles with amazing visuals making the different colors and styles come off the screen. The screenplay by Spike Lee is very masterful and well-written with Lee giving the characters memorable dialog that is harsh and true to life and each of the main characters come to life thanks to Lee's great uncompromising script. The ending or final 30 minutes of the film is one of the greatest and most unforgettable endings in film history and is an ending that greatly doesn't answer any questions and will cause for a lot of debates with no clear or easy conclusions with Lee letting the viewers make up their own minds. An amazing and powerful ending.The whole cast is amazing. Danny Aiello is excellent as Sal,the local pizzeria owner. Ossie Davis is brilliant as Da Mayor,a drunk with words of wisdom. Ruby Dee is fantastic as Mother Sister,an old woman who watches the entire neighborhood and has great scenes with Davis. John Turturro and Richard Edsen are amazing as Sal's sons Pino,Sal's oldest son who's racist against Blacks and Vito,Sal's youngest who likes Blacks. Giancarlo Esposito is outstanding and over the top as Buggin' Out,a guy protesting Sal's. Spike Lee is great as Mookie,Sal's Pizza delivery guy Bill Nunn is wonderful and iconic as Radio Raheem,a young man who loves his Radio. Paul Benjamin(ML),Franie Faison(Coconut Sid),Robin Harris(Sweet Dick Willie),Rosie Perez(Tina),Joie Lee(Jade),Samuel L. Jackson(Mr. Senor Love Daddy),Miguel Sandoval(Officer Ponte),Rick Aiello(Officer Long),Roger Guenveur Smith(Smiley),Steve White(Ahmad),Martin Lawerence(Cee)Leonard Thomas(Punchy)Christa Rivers(Ella),Steve Park(Sonny),Lois Ramos(Stevie),Frank Vincent(Charlie)and John Savage(Clifton)give good performances as well.The direction by Spike Lee is brilliant and stylish,with Lee always moving the camera and giving the film a beautiful visual style with tilted angles and close-ups. Great direction,Lee.The score by Bill Lee is excellent,powerful,sad and memorable and adds to the film's tone. A wonderful score by Bill Lee. The film has a great soundtrack with songs by Public Enemy(the classic Do The Right Thing Theme Song Fight The Power),Al Jarreau(Never Explain Love),Perri(Feel So Good),Ruben Blades(Tu y Yo),Steel Pulse(Can't Stand It),Teddy Riley Featuring Guy(My Fantasy)and more. Great soundtrack.In final word,if you love Spike Lee,Dramas,or films in general,I highly suggest you see Do The Right Thing,an excellent,brilliant,flawless and unforgettable masterpiece of cinema that will stay with you after you watch it and belongs in every film lovers collection. Highly Recommended. 10/10.

A Great Film About Racial Tension And Violence

tt0097216

Do The Right Thing is a comedy/drama film produced,written and directed by Spike Lee,who also led the cast by playing the role of Mookie. This story is about racial tension and violence that occurs in a neighborhood.Other members of the cast includes Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, John Turturro, and Samuel L. Jackson together with Martin Lawrence and Rosie Perez,both of whom are in their first film.There are three businesses that dominate the neighborhood block that mainly consists of African-Americans namely:a radio station,owned by an African-American disc jockey;a convenience store owned by a Korean couple; and Sal's Famous Pizzeria, the only white-operated business in the neighborhood. Sal serves pizzas to his two sons.Sal's ambassador to the community is a likable local young guy named Mookie, a pizza delivery guy who spreads news and gossip in the local community. When an African-American customer notes that Sal's "Wall of Fame," a photo gallery of famous Italian-Americans, does not include anyone from his ethnic background, he eventually demands a neighborhood boycott.When tensions are already running high among the people of the neighborhood,it results to death and violence in the end. Also,we meet different characters from different races such as Da Mayor, a kind of every man who knows everybody; Buggin Out, a vocal militant; Radio Raheem, whose boom box defines his life and provides a musical cocoon to insulate him from the world; Mother Sister, who is sort of the neighborhood witch;a local disk jockey, whose program provides a running commentary, and a retarded street person who wanders around selling photos of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.The film provided a accurate and realistic view of the race relations at the time of its release.It captures the sense of black pride that is caught in both essentialism and commercialism as shown by trash-talking racism, distrust, and males' insistence on respect.Additionally,it also provides the viewer an understanding of the problems behind racial tensions from both Caucasians and African-Americans as well as their fears and frustrations.Overall,it was a solid,entertaining and very well-made film and well-acted by an ensemble cast.Danny Aiello provides a great performance as Sal. While Spike Lee's writing and direction are masterful throughout the movie.It was definitely the best film he has made to date.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/reviews-409

ur5291991

title: A Great Film About Racial Tension And Violence review: Do The Right Thing is a comedy/drama film produced,written and directed by Spike Lee,who also led the cast by playing the role of Mookie. This story is about racial tension and violence that occurs in a neighborhood.Other members of the cast includes Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, John Turturro, and Samuel L. Jackson together with Martin Lawrence and Rosie Perez,both of whom are in their first film.There are three businesses that dominate the neighborhood block that mainly consists of African-Americans namely:a radio station,owned by an African-American disc jockey;a convenience store owned by a Korean couple; and Sal's Famous Pizzeria, the only white-operated business in the neighborhood. Sal serves pizzas to his two sons.Sal's ambassador to the community is a likable local young guy named Mookie, a pizza delivery guy who spreads news and gossip in the local community. When an African-American customer notes that Sal's "Wall of Fame," a photo gallery of famous Italian-Americans, does not include anyone from his ethnic background, he eventually demands a neighborhood boycott.When tensions are already running high among the people of the neighborhood,it results to death and violence in the end. Also,we meet different characters from different races such as Da Mayor, a kind of every man who knows everybody; Buggin Out, a vocal militant; Radio Raheem, whose boom box defines his life and provides a musical cocoon to insulate him from the world; Mother Sister, who is sort of the neighborhood witch;a local disk jockey, whose program provides a running commentary, and a retarded street person who wanders around selling photos of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.The film provided a accurate and realistic view of the race relations at the time of its release.It captures the sense of black pride that is caught in both essentialism and commercialism as shown by trash-talking racism, distrust, and males' insistence on respect.Additionally,it also provides the viewer an understanding of the problems behind racial tensions from both Caucasians and African-Americans as well as their fears and frustrations.Overall,it was a solid,entertaining and very well-made film and well-acted by an ensemble cast.Danny Aiello provides a great performance as Sal. While Spike Lee's writing and direction are masterful throughout the movie.It was definitely the best film he has made to date.

Black & White

tt0097216

Let's take a little time on director's ambitions. Not all, but some of the most important directors in the business, are ambitious. They are always seeking beyond the images of their films, with a personal message the viewer don't always gets to appreciate. It happens more with writer/directors. Paul Thomas Anderson has been pursuing, I believe, the sadness of human reality, in all its aspects. In other cases, with directors but not writers, like Martin Scorsese; who puts something about his own life in each piece he directs. Writer/director Spike Lee generated the controversy that he would generate periodically years later when he released "Do the right thing". What does Spike Lee pursues? The fairness for his people: African-American, black people. As in many other movies, he proved that right with "Do the right thing".Lee invites the audience to a typical day in Brooklyn. Right there, we listen to rap music, saying "fight the power"; and when we see Spike Lee in his character Mookie, we know there's something about Lee's life. And we realize the film is his when we meet his realism, his characters and his (I wanted to arrive here) ambitions. We listen to Mister Senor Love Daddy (an over top, outrageously funny Sam Jackson) saying good morning from his radio station: "And that's the truth, Ruth". It's a sunny day; Mookie goes to work and bumps into a lot of people: Buggin Out (Giancarlo Esposito) and his friends Cee (Martin Lawrence), Punchy (Leonard Thomas) and other girls, the retarded Smiley (Roger Smith) Da Mayor (Ossie Davis) attempting to conquest Mother Sister's (Ruby Dee) heart, Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn) spreading style all over, Tina (Rosie Perez) waiting for his man, three old men sitting in the street talking about life…This is black territory all the way through.But there's also "Sal's (Danny Aiello) Famous Pizza", hated by his son Pino (John Turturro), who works there with his other brother Vito (Richard Edson), but loved by the entire neighborhood. The place has been there for over twenty years and the pizza is good; Mookie works there. But are these people black? Oh no, they're white Italians, with pictures of their white heroes in the walls of their place. So, when it seems like a common day, Spike Lee gets quietly to his objections. With his script, in which every character gets a chance to shine, he develops little things that you will find interesting and revealing. Buggin Out, the movie's craziest character, is the guy with the racist problems. This is not a movie where black hate white and vice versa. I mean, it's not like they love each other, but there's respect. The thing is that the characters are so marked by racism that they dislike the situation of being in the same environment the people of other color are. "I detest this place", says Pino.Buggin Out has a problem with a white guy, when his new shoes are stepped by the guy. Buggin gets angry and asks what he's doing on "his" neighborhood, on "his" block on "his" side of the street. "I own this place", the guy answers. Then Buggin says: "Why do you wanna live in a black neighborhood?", Buggin asks angrily, referring to Brooklyn. "I was born in Brooklyn", the guy concludes. Buggin and his friends start shouting, and they can't understand that the guy was born there, because they are used to be among blacks and not among whites; but that's not hate. Anyway, that's the same Buggin that tells Mookie: "Stay black"; because Mookie works with white people. A white man passes by with his old car, when Cee and company are playing with water. "Don't throw water into my car", he says. They do it, and laugh hard. The cops are also white, but they can't do anything to Cee and his friends, they were having fun and there's respect.All of this characters are controlled by Lee, you can tell; even when he's also acting on screen. There's no doubt he knows that world more than anyone and how he wants to present it is very important. Like in "25th Hour", he moves his camera all around with his personal style, and puts his characters talking facing the camera directly. They start to say things, about other people and about themselves sometimes. In "25th Hour", the speakers where, black, white, Chinese, Korean, Latin American…Anything you could imagine, because it was a whole city. Before, in "Do the right thing", it was just a block, and the speakers where the people that lived there. It's amazing how Lee does it; the words he write and the characters stop talking but you know they have much more to say they could go on. You know Spike Lee has so much to say.Going back to the story; Lee puts some clues to the incredibly unexpected conclusion. When Da Mayor tells Mookie: "Always, always do the right thing", and Buggin tells Sal that he is planning to boycott his place…You feel something; like the way I felt as I watched "It's the rage". Something like a downfall…A collapse. This is a very good movie, and I wasn't trying to interpret its conclusion, because I know how important a director's ambition is. So, when the screen goes black, and you read the words said by those black legends, you can only guess that everyone was just trying to do the right thing.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/reviews-136

ur4751428

title: Black & White review: Let's take a little time on director's ambitions. Not all, but some of the most important directors in the business, are ambitious. They are always seeking beyond the images of their films, with a personal message the viewer don't always gets to appreciate. It happens more with writer/directors. Paul Thomas Anderson has been pursuing, I believe, the sadness of human reality, in all its aspects. In other cases, with directors but not writers, like Martin Scorsese; who puts something about his own life in each piece he directs. Writer/director Spike Lee generated the controversy that he would generate periodically years later when he released "Do the right thing". What does Spike Lee pursues? The fairness for his people: African-American, black people. As in many other movies, he proved that right with "Do the right thing".Lee invites the audience to a typical day in Brooklyn. Right there, we listen to rap music, saying "fight the power"; and when we see Spike Lee in his character Mookie, we know there's something about Lee's life. And we realize the film is his when we meet his realism, his characters and his (I wanted to arrive here) ambitions. We listen to Mister Senor Love Daddy (an over top, outrageously funny Sam Jackson) saying good morning from his radio station: "And that's the truth, Ruth". It's a sunny day; Mookie goes to work and bumps into a lot of people: Buggin Out (Giancarlo Esposito) and his friends Cee (Martin Lawrence), Punchy (Leonard Thomas) and other girls, the retarded Smiley (Roger Smith) Da Mayor (Ossie Davis) attempting to conquest Mother Sister's (Ruby Dee) heart, Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn) spreading style all over, Tina (Rosie Perez) waiting for his man, three old men sitting in the street talking about life…This is black territory all the way through.But there's also "Sal's (Danny Aiello) Famous Pizza", hated by his son Pino (John Turturro), who works there with his other brother Vito (Richard Edson), but loved by the entire neighborhood. The place has been there for over twenty years and the pizza is good; Mookie works there. But are these people black? Oh no, they're white Italians, with pictures of their white heroes in the walls of their place. So, when it seems like a common day, Spike Lee gets quietly to his objections. With his script, in which every character gets a chance to shine, he develops little things that you will find interesting and revealing. Buggin Out, the movie's craziest character, is the guy with the racist problems. This is not a movie where black hate white and vice versa. I mean, it's not like they love each other, but there's respect. The thing is that the characters are so marked by racism that they dislike the situation of being in the same environment the people of other color are. "I detest this place", says Pino.Buggin Out has a problem with a white guy, when his new shoes are stepped by the guy. Buggin gets angry and asks what he's doing on "his" neighborhood, on "his" block on "his" side of the street. "I own this place", the guy answers. Then Buggin says: "Why do you wanna live in a black neighborhood?", Buggin asks angrily, referring to Brooklyn. "I was born in Brooklyn", the guy concludes. Buggin and his friends start shouting, and they can't understand that the guy was born there, because they are used to be among blacks and not among whites; but that's not hate. Anyway, that's the same Buggin that tells Mookie: "Stay black"; because Mookie works with white people. A white man passes by with his old car, when Cee and company are playing with water. "Don't throw water into my car", he says. They do it, and laugh hard. The cops are also white, but they can't do anything to Cee and his friends, they were having fun and there's respect.All of this characters are controlled by Lee, you can tell; even when he's also acting on screen. There's no doubt he knows that world more than anyone and how he wants to present it is very important. Like in "25th Hour", he moves his camera all around with his personal style, and puts his characters talking facing the camera directly. They start to say things, about other people and about themselves sometimes. In "25th Hour", the speakers where, black, white, Chinese, Korean, Latin American…Anything you could imagine, because it was a whole city. Before, in "Do the right thing", it was just a block, and the speakers where the people that lived there. It's amazing how Lee does it; the words he write and the characters stop talking but you know they have much more to say they could go on. You know Spike Lee has so much to say.Going back to the story; Lee puts some clues to the incredibly unexpected conclusion. When Da Mayor tells Mookie: "Always, always do the right thing", and Buggin tells Sal that he is planning to boycott his place…You feel something; like the way I felt as I watched "It's the rage". Something like a downfall…A collapse. This is a very good movie, and I wasn't trying to interpret its conclusion, because I know how important a director's ambition is. So, when the screen goes black, and you read the words said by those black legends, you can only guess that everyone was just trying to do the right thing.

Riot...

tt0097216

Did Mookie 'Do The Right Thing' during the final confrontation? Maybe not... but, under the circumstances, who can blame him for his actions?It's a blistering day in a black American community. You could fry an egg on the pavement. Our hero Mookie has a young child with possibly the loudest female in the world, so must take a job at the local pizzeria to make ends meet (and to preserve his hearing). The restaurant is run by a white Italian American family, which stands in stark contrast to the racial make-up of it's surroundings. Tensions start to stir when one of the customers notices there's no black faces in the eatery's American Hall Of Fame photo section, and when the owner refuses to redress the situation, the spark is lit on a simmering explosive. It all kicks off at closing time... And Mookie finds himself slap bang in the middle. At one point, he has a crucial decision to make. What will he do? We home in directly into the lives of this diverse cast of people, young and old alike, during a sweltering 24 hour period in their small urban project. Most are just going about their business, and their everyday conversations and routines are surprisingly interesting to behold There is a rich vein of humour here, and a real sense of life in motion. All are dragged into the central conflict as the film goes on, whether they like it or not. Things will never be the same again... but could things have been handled differently? Of course, but when things escalate to this extent, all common sense goes out of the window. (this last sentence is especially prophetic...).Definitely not just a film for a minority audiences, it raises a lot of questions it doesn't provides answers to... but this is a GOOD thing. After all, how are you supposed to learn anything if you don't talk about it afterwards? 7/10

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/reviews-410

ur37327729

title: Riot... review: Did Mookie 'Do The Right Thing' during the final confrontation? Maybe not... but, under the circumstances, who can blame him for his actions?It's a blistering day in a black American community. You could fry an egg on the pavement. Our hero Mookie has a young child with possibly the loudest female in the world, so must take a job at the local pizzeria to make ends meet (and to preserve his hearing). The restaurant is run by a white Italian American family, which stands in stark contrast to the racial make-up of it's surroundings. Tensions start to stir when one of the customers notices there's no black faces in the eatery's American Hall Of Fame photo section, and when the owner refuses to redress the situation, the spark is lit on a simmering explosive. It all kicks off at closing time... And Mookie finds himself slap bang in the middle. At one point, he has a crucial decision to make. What will he do? We home in directly into the lives of this diverse cast of people, young and old alike, during a sweltering 24 hour period in their small urban project. Most are just going about their business, and their everyday conversations and routines are surprisingly interesting to behold There is a rich vein of humour here, and a real sense of life in motion. All are dragged into the central conflict as the film goes on, whether they like it or not. Things will never be the same again... but could things have been handled differently? Of course, but when things escalate to this extent, all common sense goes out of the window. (this last sentence is especially prophetic...).Definitely not just a film for a minority audiences, it raises a lot of questions it doesn't provides answers to... but this is a GOOD thing. After all, how are you supposed to learn anything if you don't talk about it afterwards? 7/10

Spike Lee has shown a world that causes members of every race to collide and do wrongdoings at the expense of each other.

tt0097216

What's the big deal with race? For centuries now, race has been a factor that can determine if a person can get treatment at a facility, has the right to do something basic, or if a person can even live. Spike Lee shows us a world in Brooklyn on the hottest day of the summer to represent a sort of hell that involves multiple characters of different races fighting with each other. Whites being racist towards blacks, blacks towards whites, blacks towards Asians, you name it, we see it. Danny Aiello plays Sal, a pizzeria owner who's argument with a black man leads to a violent racial battle causing a disruption in the entire Brooklyn community. Spike Lee's Mookie is a delivery boy who questions Sal's intentions and his racist son's existence. Many other supporting characters provide the influence of segregated communities,and how races stick with each other. By not being bias on how only one race affects another, Spike Lee gives us disturbing and powerful scenes and sentences that show how racism is built into every race. Lee accomplishes this in groundbreaking and eye-opening fashion that can be both funny and mortally horrifying. Lee does play preacher at the end of the film. And that's a good thing. Through showing how each character is not doing the right thing, Lee shows us and tells us how to interact in peace with one another now matter which race we belong to. "Do The Right Thing" is a classic of the 20th century that is an ode to humanity and a film still relevant today due to the sickening failure of our society for races to completely get along with each other.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/reviews-414

ur51180408

title: Spike Lee has shown a world that causes members of every race to collide and do wrongdoings at the expense of each other. review: What's the big deal with race? For centuries now, race has been a factor that can determine if a person can get treatment at a facility, has the right to do something basic, or if a person can even live. Spike Lee shows us a world in Brooklyn on the hottest day of the summer to represent a sort of hell that involves multiple characters of different races fighting with each other. Whites being racist towards blacks, blacks towards whites, blacks towards Asians, you name it, we see it. Danny Aiello plays Sal, a pizzeria owner who's argument with a black man leads to a violent racial battle causing a disruption in the entire Brooklyn community. Spike Lee's Mookie is a delivery boy who questions Sal's intentions and his racist son's existence. Many other supporting characters provide the influence of segregated communities,and how races stick with each other. By not being bias on how only one race affects another, Spike Lee gives us disturbing and powerful scenes and sentences that show how racism is built into every race. Lee accomplishes this in groundbreaking and eye-opening fashion that can be both funny and mortally horrifying. Lee does play preacher at the end of the film. And that's a good thing. Through showing how each character is not doing the right thing, Lee shows us and tells us how to interact in peace with one another now matter which race we belong to. "Do The Right Thing" is a classic of the 20th century that is an ode to humanity and a film still relevant today due to the sickening failure of our society for races to completely get along with each other.

insightful but not great

tt0097216

This movie received a lot of hype the year it came out. For both the on screen and off screen personality and viewpoints of writer / director Spike Lee.To me this is not Spike's best work. His best work was Malcom X and Clockers both were movies where he mostly stayed behind the camera.The movie touches on lots of stereotype opinions. And it is quite courageous in that it shows some of the good and bad stereotypes of African Americans, Italian Americans, Asians and average white guys.What it is missing is a more stable storyline. And severely lacking in a closure at the end of the movie. I do not know of any people who have ever watched this twice.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/reviews-171

ur11881064

title: insightful but not great review: This movie received a lot of hype the year it came out. For both the on screen and off screen personality and viewpoints of writer / director Spike Lee.To me this is not Spike's best work. His best work was Malcom X and Clockers both were movies where he mostly stayed behind the camera.The movie touches on lots of stereotype opinions. And it is quite courageous in that it shows some of the good and bad stereotypes of African Americans, Italian Americans, Asians and average white guys.What it is missing is a more stable storyline. And severely lacking in a closure at the end of the movie. I do not know of any people who have ever watched this twice.

Incendiary

tt0097216

Leave it to Spike Lee to voice what many had been thinking, but few had the courage to say. In response to media reports of racially motivated violence, the up and coming filmmaker penned Do the Right Thing, a heated commentary on the racism inherent in our society, and the 'fight or flight' response triggered as consequence (and in the eyes of Lee, the former seems the much more likely option). And there can be little doubt that while Lee's narrative may function as a story, (a political microcosm of the state of society; albeit a very dark outlook) it was primarily intended as a sort of rallying cry - for oppressed racial minorities to stand up and take back their dignity, by force if necessary (Lee's underhanded advocating of violence as retribution is one of the film's more disconcerting traits). The film consistently carries such a fervent tone throughout, as if meant to double as a speech at a political rally. Lee writes with a fierce passion, seemingly tailored to create controversy and raise an uproar - which of course the film did, when released in the heat of such hate crimes in the late 1980s (Lee raised a few eyebrows when he encouraged African American high school students to skip school to go see his film, claiming it was more important).Visually, Do the Right Thing also boasts a style all of its own, with such a collection of bright colours, primarily red, smeared across nearly all the sets and character's costumes. Combined with the distinctly crafted appearances of the characters (flat top haircuts, bug- eyed glasses, colourful t-shirts and those infamous brass knuckles) and cinematographer Ernest Dickenson's edgy, off center camera angles, the film resembles a moving comic book, which fits the film's motif of being not quite reality, but near enough to serve as a precautionary message. The larger than life characters strut through a larger than life society, tensions high as a powder keg due to the immense heat, all accompanied by the pounding strains of Public Enemy's 'Fight the Power', and Lee's own father Bill's jazzy riffs. And Lee's powder keg doesn't just go off - the film gives the impression of actually exploding in a blast of erupting testimonies, vivid colours and crashing music. One might describe it as the cinematic equivalent of being tear gassed at a rally - the comparison hardly seems far off.However politically motivated his story may be, Lee proves an expert at crafting vivid and memorable characters, both visually and by their words and actions. However larger than life the characters may be, they carry an essence of truth, making some of the more incredulous plot points all the more poignant. Lee's cast rises to the occasion, and while few performances prove award worthy, the cast should be unanimously applauded for their collective intensity and for proving so memorable. Danny Aiello is a strong presence in the role of Sal, the pizzeria owner, and it sounds like off camera Aiello did an even greater service to his character, convincing Lee to rewrite Sal from simply being a racist bigot to a conflicted but ultimately caring man with demons of his own. (it would have been interesting to see what Robert De Niro, Lee's first choice, would have done with the role) Character actor Ossie Davis is superb as the gentle and compassionate town drunk, self billed as "Da Mayor", one of the film's few morally sound characters. Spike Lee himself does a good job as Mookie, the film's central character, though one can't help but wonder if there might have been a more established actor who might have been stronger in the part. Giancarlo Eposito is a high point as the volatile "Buggin' Out", and John Turturro stands out as Sal's abrasive older son. The perfectly cast Bill Nunn is unforgettable as the rage filled Radio Raheem, obsessed with blaring Public Enemy on his boom box at full volume at all times to show his defiance for society. Nunn incites such frustration and anger in the audience that it isn't until after the film finishes it becomes clear how effective he was in the role. Watch also for a brilliant early Samuel L. Jackson, one of the film's highlights, as the 'voice of reason' figure - DJ "Mister Señor Love Daddy". Do the Right Thing is one of those films that, no matter how hard you might try to leave it behind, remains pounding around the skull for quite a while afterwards. While the film's political stance can hardly be considered even handed, Lee's fiercely heated vision and vivid, highly memorable array of characters feel nearly enough to make audiences jump up and shout. Lee ends his film with two quotes: one from Martin Luther King, advising peace as the only solution to racial discrimination; and one from Malcolm X, supporting violence as justified and the only way of evoking change. Which, Lee needles, is the right thing? And it's a question that stands, to this day. -8/10

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/reviews-179

ur3728510

title: Incendiary review: Leave it to Spike Lee to voice what many had been thinking, but few had the courage to say. In response to media reports of racially motivated violence, the up and coming filmmaker penned Do the Right Thing, a heated commentary on the racism inherent in our society, and the 'fight or flight' response triggered as consequence (and in the eyes of Lee, the former seems the much more likely option). And there can be little doubt that while Lee's narrative may function as a story, (a political microcosm of the state of society; albeit a very dark outlook) it was primarily intended as a sort of rallying cry - for oppressed racial minorities to stand up and take back their dignity, by force if necessary (Lee's underhanded advocating of violence as retribution is one of the film's more disconcerting traits). The film consistently carries such a fervent tone throughout, as if meant to double as a speech at a political rally. Lee writes with a fierce passion, seemingly tailored to create controversy and raise an uproar - which of course the film did, when released in the heat of such hate crimes in the late 1980s (Lee raised a few eyebrows when he encouraged African American high school students to skip school to go see his film, claiming it was more important).Visually, Do the Right Thing also boasts a style all of its own, with such a collection of bright colours, primarily red, smeared across nearly all the sets and character's costumes. Combined with the distinctly crafted appearances of the characters (flat top haircuts, bug- eyed glasses, colourful t-shirts and those infamous brass knuckles) and cinematographer Ernest Dickenson's edgy, off center camera angles, the film resembles a moving comic book, which fits the film's motif of being not quite reality, but near enough to serve as a precautionary message. The larger than life characters strut through a larger than life society, tensions high as a powder keg due to the immense heat, all accompanied by the pounding strains of Public Enemy's 'Fight the Power', and Lee's own father Bill's jazzy riffs. And Lee's powder keg doesn't just go off - the film gives the impression of actually exploding in a blast of erupting testimonies, vivid colours and crashing music. One might describe it as the cinematic equivalent of being tear gassed at a rally - the comparison hardly seems far off.However politically motivated his story may be, Lee proves an expert at crafting vivid and memorable characters, both visually and by their words and actions. However larger than life the characters may be, they carry an essence of truth, making some of the more incredulous plot points all the more poignant. Lee's cast rises to the occasion, and while few performances prove award worthy, the cast should be unanimously applauded for their collective intensity and for proving so memorable. Danny Aiello is a strong presence in the role of Sal, the pizzeria owner, and it sounds like off camera Aiello did an even greater service to his character, convincing Lee to rewrite Sal from simply being a racist bigot to a conflicted but ultimately caring man with demons of his own. (it would have been interesting to see what Robert De Niro, Lee's first choice, would have done with the role) Character actor Ossie Davis is superb as the gentle and compassionate town drunk, self billed as "Da Mayor", one of the film's few morally sound characters. Spike Lee himself does a good job as Mookie, the film's central character, though one can't help but wonder if there might have been a more established actor who might have been stronger in the part. Giancarlo Eposito is a high point as the volatile "Buggin' Out", and John Turturro stands out as Sal's abrasive older son. The perfectly cast Bill Nunn is unforgettable as the rage filled Radio Raheem, obsessed with blaring Public Enemy on his boom box at full volume at all times to show his defiance for society. Nunn incites such frustration and anger in the audience that it isn't until after the film finishes it becomes clear how effective he was in the role. Watch also for a brilliant early Samuel L. Jackson, one of the film's highlights, as the 'voice of reason' figure - DJ "Mister Señor Love Daddy". Do the Right Thing is one of those films that, no matter how hard you might try to leave it behind, remains pounding around the skull for quite a while afterwards. While the film's political stance can hardly be considered even handed, Lee's fiercely heated vision and vivid, highly memorable array of characters feel nearly enough to make audiences jump up and shout. Lee ends his film with two quotes: one from Martin Luther King, advising peace as the only solution to racial discrimination; and one from Malcolm X, supporting violence as justified and the only way of evoking change. Which, Lee needles, is the right thing? And it's a question that stands, to this day. -8/10

Spike Lee's Do the Right was quite an upsetting, but still thoughtful, piece of work to me

tt0097216

Having read and heard about this controversial Spike Lee joint since it opened, I finally decided to watch it on YouTube just now. What can I say except this was quite an upsetting movie to watch from beginning to end though there are also some funny lines to release the tension and thank goodness both Ossie Davis as Da Mayor and his wife Ruby Dee as Mother Sister were cast in such good parts that were more human and likable than pretty much of the rest of the cast of characters. I mean, Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn) deserved what he got when he refused to turn off his boom box but then the white police did get a bit too brutal on him too so what does one do in situations like that? And I've read various reasons why Mookie (Spike's character) pushed that trash can through his employer Sal's (Danny Aiello) window though one has to agree he was definitely in the wrong when he did that. Anyway, good use of both Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" song (though it was played one too many times) and Spike's father Bill Lee's score with accompaniment of saxophonist Brandford Marsalis. Also good use of Spike's sister Joie as Jade and I liked Rosie Perez' dancing during the beginning credits and choreography though her role of Tina, Mookie's baby's mother leaves a lot to be desired. Oh, and having just watched Samuel L. Jackson as a robber in Coming to America and then as the DJ Love Daddy here provided just how charismatic he could be and would become on screen. So on that note, Do the Right Thing gets a high recommendation with some reservations.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/reviews-308

ur11228318

title: Spike Lee's Do the Right was quite an upsetting, but still thoughtful, piece of work to me review: Having read and heard about this controversial Spike Lee joint since it opened, I finally decided to watch it on YouTube just now. What can I say except this was quite an upsetting movie to watch from beginning to end though there are also some funny lines to release the tension and thank goodness both Ossie Davis as Da Mayor and his wife Ruby Dee as Mother Sister were cast in such good parts that were more human and likable than pretty much of the rest of the cast of characters. I mean, Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn) deserved what he got when he refused to turn off his boom box but then the white police did get a bit too brutal on him too so what does one do in situations like that? And I've read various reasons why Mookie (Spike's character) pushed that trash can through his employer Sal's (Danny Aiello) window though one has to agree he was definitely in the wrong when he did that. Anyway, good use of both Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" song (though it was played one too many times) and Spike's father Bill Lee's score with accompaniment of saxophonist Brandford Marsalis. Also good use of Spike's sister Joie as Jade and I liked Rosie Perez' dancing during the beginning credits and choreography though her role of Tina, Mookie's baby's mother leaves a lot to be desired. Oh, and having just watched Samuel L. Jackson as a robber in Coming to America and then as the DJ Love Daddy here provided just how charismatic he could be and would become on screen. So on that note, Do the Right Thing gets a high recommendation with some reservations.

Fight da powah!

tt0097216

Okay, time has reduced the music to an embarrassing joke, at least that of Public Enemy, but Do The Right Thing still retains its meaning. Luckily Bob Marley and Spike Lee's father contribute some quality music to the film. Do The Right Thing is a tremendous achievement from Spike Lee that boldly approaches the white-hot subjects of race and class relations and leaves us with an ambiguous but hugely effective ending. The film starts off with the horrifyingly annoying newcomer Rosie Perez on a soundstage with a rotating background of what appears to be Lee's ideal neighborhood, engaging in some sort of nutty activity that must have at one time vaguely resembled dancing.(spoilers) The entire movie takes place over the course of one tremendously hot day in Brooklyn, in which the neighborhood's racial tensions build up and build up and ultimately explode in a riot that results in the total destruction of a beloved pizzeria and the death of one of the neighborhood youths. The film contains a surprising array of very colorful (no pun intended) characters, and the narrative structure moves along at a realistic pace but is able to keep your attention throughout the film. The film successfully manages several different storylines that all take place simultaneously and all add to the escalation of racial conflict that explodes at the end of the film. We see Sal, the owner of the town's pizzeria, and his sons as they interact with the residents of the inner city neighborhood in which the pizzeria operates and where they never fully feel that they belong. They are racial outsiders, but the have run a good business for years in the community which seems to be Lee's effort to prove that racially different people can live together happily. John Turturro is excellent as Pino, Sal's older son who is the less tolerant one towards the black people in the neighborhood. One of the more interesting about the movie is the title. After watching it, it seems that the right thing that the title refers to is the single act of Mookie throwing that trash can through the front window of Sal's Pizzeria at the end of the film. It seems like this is an vicious act against Sal's business, but you have to keep in mind the scene up to that point. Sal and his sons were cornered in front of the store by a mob angered by the death of Radio Raheem, one of the town's charming youths, and Mookie knows that the three of them are in danger. When he threw the can through the window, he took the mob's anger and redirected from Sal and his sons and onto the store. He probably saved their lives. There was clearly something right about that initially questionable thing that Mookie did.There is obviously going to be a lot of controversy about a movie like this because it deals with the hotly debated issue of racial relations, but you really have to analyze it before you can make any accusations, because it is a very complex film. Spike Lee manages to create a movie that starts off with almost endlessly entertaining comedy but ultimately winds up as a tremendously powerful and moving film, a technique hardly ever seen, but when it's done right, as is the case here and in other films like Life Is Beautiful, the result is that much more effective.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/reviews-48

ur0562732

title: Fight da powah! review: Okay, time has reduced the music to an embarrassing joke, at least that of Public Enemy, but Do The Right Thing still retains its meaning. Luckily Bob Marley and Spike Lee's father contribute some quality music to the film. Do The Right Thing is a tremendous achievement from Spike Lee that boldly approaches the white-hot subjects of race and class relations and leaves us with an ambiguous but hugely effective ending. The film starts off with the horrifyingly annoying newcomer Rosie Perez on a soundstage with a rotating background of what appears to be Lee's ideal neighborhood, engaging in some sort of nutty activity that must have at one time vaguely resembled dancing.(spoilers) The entire movie takes place over the course of one tremendously hot day in Brooklyn, in which the neighborhood's racial tensions build up and build up and ultimately explode in a riot that results in the total destruction of a beloved pizzeria and the death of one of the neighborhood youths. The film contains a surprising array of very colorful (no pun intended) characters, and the narrative structure moves along at a realistic pace but is able to keep your attention throughout the film. The film successfully manages several different storylines that all take place simultaneously and all add to the escalation of racial conflict that explodes at the end of the film. We see Sal, the owner of the town's pizzeria, and his sons as they interact with the residents of the inner city neighborhood in which the pizzeria operates and where they never fully feel that they belong. They are racial outsiders, but the have run a good business for years in the community which seems to be Lee's effort to prove that racially different people can live together happily. John Turturro is excellent as Pino, Sal's older son who is the less tolerant one towards the black people in the neighborhood. One of the more interesting about the movie is the title. After watching it, it seems that the right thing that the title refers to is the single act of Mookie throwing that trash can through the front window of Sal's Pizzeria at the end of the film. It seems like this is an vicious act against Sal's business, but you have to keep in mind the scene up to that point. Sal and his sons were cornered in front of the store by a mob angered by the death of Radio Raheem, one of the town's charming youths, and Mookie knows that the three of them are in danger. When he threw the can through the window, he took the mob's anger and redirected from Sal and his sons and onto the store. He probably saved their lives. There was clearly something right about that initially questionable thing that Mookie did.There is obviously going to be a lot of controversy about a movie like this because it deals with the hotly debated issue of racial relations, but you really have to analyze it before you can make any accusations, because it is a very complex film. Spike Lee manages to create a movie that starts off with almost endlessly entertaining comedy but ultimately winds up as a tremendously powerful and moving film, a technique hardly ever seen, but when it's done right, as is the case here and in other films like Life Is Beautiful, the result is that much more effective.

"Do the Right Thing" and "Fight the Power" to not watch this masterpiece

tt0097216

***SPOILERS***Spike Lee's 1989 film "Do the Right Thing" is a very controversial and misunderstood film. Add to that, the movie's anthem "Fight The Power" by political rap group, Public Enemy, whose "black power"-themed music bangs throughout the film. Spike Lee has been called by some, to be a racist and a hate monger. The fact that he has a group like Public Enemy, whose frontman Carlton "Chuck D" Ridenhour is considered a racist too, doesn't make things much easier. Like Lee's later film, "Clockers," "Do the Right Thing" doesn't offer us answers, but pretty much leaves that up to the viewer to decide.As Roger Ebert stated in his review of the film, a lot of Lee's themes are very elusive in this movie, and are done that way because it's very hard to understand the race issue in this country. The movie doesn't just look at blacks, it looks at all races; black is the central group I guess because Lee is black too. As an African-American, I find Spike Lee's films to be real eye-openers to the problems associated with race in America. He doesn't blame the white power structure, like a lot of young black filmmakers often tended to do, but shows that we ourselves may be partially to blame also.A lot of people question whether or not the events in the movie convincingly led to the conclusion, where Mookie (played by Spike Lee himself) throws a trash can through the window of Sal's Pizzeria. Then a riot breaks out. People say that Mookie caused the riot. Absolutely not true. The riot was started by the murder of Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn), who was killed only moments earlier by the police.We know that Spike Lee is a fond admirer of our two greatest leaders: Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, whose quotes on violence are featured just before the ending credits roll. Smiley (Roger Guenveur Smith) is a follower of these two, as we see him selling their photos to people. Both Martin and Malcolm had opposing views of race in America, but they didn't hate each other, and they shared a common goal of achieving civil rights. This applies in the film to the question of whether or not there is a solution to racism in America.Some say that this movie is racist against whites, especially in regards to white cops and Italian-Americans. I don't think so. In my opinion, Buggin' Out (Giancarlo Esposito) is the one who is solely responsible for the events that occur later in the film. Because Buggin' himself is a racist, he is the one that started the chain reaction by trying to organize a boycott of Sal's Famous for not having pictures of African-Americans on the "Wall of Fame," which is populated by Italian-Americans. It doesn't paint a view of racist white cops; it paints a view of cops who are white, whose attitudes towards the blacks are perhaps simple observations made by Spike Lee. Maybe it is a little biased, but it's simply how Lee views them.In regards to Italian-Americans, Lee paints a view of a well-liked and honest businessman - Sal (Danny Aiello) and his two sons Pino (John Turturro) and Vito (Richard Edson). Sal loves his neighborhood and his pizzeria is the only white business left, after all of the other white businesses moved out. Pino is a racist who hates the blacks, while Vito has opened himself up a little bit to the neighborhood. It is Sal who smashes Radio Raheem's music, who shouts "ni**er!" in his face and afterwards, is nearly killed by Radio. Sal didn't deserve what happened to his restaurant, that's clear. But I believe he should have used better judgment when trying to deal with the situation and Radio, Buggin', and Smiley should have left before something bad did happen.Some say that Public Enemy, are racists. Their song, "Fight the Power" is played throughout this movie, and has been called by some to be an angry, black hate song. Yes, Chuck D like Spike Lee, has a lot to be angry about, but it doesn't show itself in his music. Yes in "Fight the Power," there are racial insults directed towards such "American" icons like Elvis Presley and John Wayne. I do not believe that Public Enemy are racists because they have sought to educate their listeners on the issues of racism in this country, and have gone to great lengths of doing so.True, "Do the Right Thing" is a very infuriating movie to watch, but it really makes you think about what race has come to stand for in America.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/reviews-92

ur0892646

title: "Do the Right Thing" and "Fight the Power" to not watch this masterpiece review: ***SPOILERS***Spike Lee's 1989 film "Do the Right Thing" is a very controversial and misunderstood film. Add to that, the movie's anthem "Fight The Power" by political rap group, Public Enemy, whose "black power"-themed music bangs throughout the film. Spike Lee has been called by some, to be a racist and a hate monger. The fact that he has a group like Public Enemy, whose frontman Carlton "Chuck D" Ridenhour is considered a racist too, doesn't make things much easier. Like Lee's later film, "Clockers," "Do the Right Thing" doesn't offer us answers, but pretty much leaves that up to the viewer to decide.As Roger Ebert stated in his review of the film, a lot of Lee's themes are very elusive in this movie, and are done that way because it's very hard to understand the race issue in this country. The movie doesn't just look at blacks, it looks at all races; black is the central group I guess because Lee is black too. As an African-American, I find Spike Lee's films to be real eye-openers to the problems associated with race in America. He doesn't blame the white power structure, like a lot of young black filmmakers often tended to do, but shows that we ourselves may be partially to blame also.A lot of people question whether or not the events in the movie convincingly led to the conclusion, where Mookie (played by Spike Lee himself) throws a trash can through the window of Sal's Pizzeria. Then a riot breaks out. People say that Mookie caused the riot. Absolutely not true. The riot was started by the murder of Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn), who was killed only moments earlier by the police.We know that Spike Lee is a fond admirer of our two greatest leaders: Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, whose quotes on violence are featured just before the ending credits roll. Smiley (Roger Guenveur Smith) is a follower of these two, as we see him selling their photos to people. Both Martin and Malcolm had opposing views of race in America, but they didn't hate each other, and they shared a common goal of achieving civil rights. This applies in the film to the question of whether or not there is a solution to racism in America.Some say that this movie is racist against whites, especially in regards to white cops and Italian-Americans. I don't think so. In my opinion, Buggin' Out (Giancarlo Esposito) is the one who is solely responsible for the events that occur later in the film. Because Buggin' himself is a racist, he is the one that started the chain reaction by trying to organize a boycott of Sal's Famous for not having pictures of African-Americans on the "Wall of Fame," which is populated by Italian-Americans. It doesn't paint a view of racist white cops; it paints a view of cops who are white, whose attitudes towards the blacks are perhaps simple observations made by Spike Lee. Maybe it is a little biased, but it's simply how Lee views them.In regards to Italian-Americans, Lee paints a view of a well-liked and honest businessman - Sal (Danny Aiello) and his two sons Pino (John Turturro) and Vito (Richard Edson). Sal loves his neighborhood and his pizzeria is the only white business left, after all of the other white businesses moved out. Pino is a racist who hates the blacks, while Vito has opened himself up a little bit to the neighborhood. It is Sal who smashes Radio Raheem's music, who shouts "ni**er!" in his face and afterwards, is nearly killed by Radio. Sal didn't deserve what happened to his restaurant, that's clear. But I believe he should have used better judgment when trying to deal with the situation and Radio, Buggin', and Smiley should have left before something bad did happen.Some say that Public Enemy, are racists. Their song, "Fight the Power" is played throughout this movie, and has been called by some to be an angry, black hate song. Yes, Chuck D like Spike Lee, has a lot to be angry about, but it doesn't show itself in his music. Yes in "Fight the Power," there are racial insults directed towards such "American" icons like Elvis Presley and John Wayne. I do not believe that Public Enemy are racists because they have sought to educate their listeners on the issues of racism in this country, and have gone to great lengths of doing so.True, "Do the Right Thing" is a very infuriating movie to watch, but it really makes you think about what race has come to stand for in America.

There it is..... Love and Hate

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90% of Spike Lee's masterpiece Do the Right Thing is a perfectly developed character study of a wide range of model personalities who all happen to be in Bedford-Stuyvesant on the hottest day of the summer. What the other ten percent consists of you will have to discover for yourself.This ingenious film explores extremes, but never gives itself over to stereotypes as its plot cleverly navigates through the politics of inner city life and the struggles of American racism. As an artful and intelligent examination of the ethics of violence and prejudice, Do the Right Thing is unparalleled. It implies a simple profound question - what is the 'right thing'? But steadfastly refuses to supply even a hint of an answer - appropriately leaving its central point entirely up to its audience. Instead, the film points to a different, perhaps more important question "Whose version of right is right for you?" There are a lot of good people, a lot of bad people, and a very realistic majority of people who are usually somewhere in the middle but also somewhat confused throughout this film. African American, Latino, East Asian and Italian American cultures form the dynamics of the relationships that drive the story, and conflict is their medium. Drawing from two incisive but different comments on violence from Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, Lee extrapolates his story and the ideas he wants to explore by showing us characters that are as real as they are exaggerated and somewhat unpredictable events that they create, are swept into or actively or passively participate in. Although the point of the film is not really critique, nobody is left unscathed.I am not going to tell you what the film says - I can't, because it is, more than most films dealing in such a direct manner with the subject of race, open to interpretation. And what you bring to it will influence, but not determine what you take away from it. It is just that powerful.Instead, I will simply give Do the Right Thing my highest recommendation.Superbly written, edited, directed and filmed. Well acted (Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Giancarlo Esposito, Rosie Perez, Spike Lee and Richard Edson really stood out for me) and very nicely soundscaped, Do the Right Thing is the perfect film for a solitary night of reflection or for sharing with an intelligent group of friends. However, be forewarned, the film hits hard, and will disturb some people a great deal - especially those who feel a need for closure and resolution.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/reviews-191

ur3824745

title: There it is..... Love and Hate review: 90% of Spike Lee's masterpiece Do the Right Thing is a perfectly developed character study of a wide range of model personalities who all happen to be in Bedford-Stuyvesant on the hottest day of the summer. What the other ten percent consists of you will have to discover for yourself.This ingenious film explores extremes, but never gives itself over to stereotypes as its plot cleverly navigates through the politics of inner city life and the struggles of American racism. As an artful and intelligent examination of the ethics of violence and prejudice, Do the Right Thing is unparalleled. It implies a simple profound question - what is the 'right thing'? But steadfastly refuses to supply even a hint of an answer - appropriately leaving its central point entirely up to its audience. Instead, the film points to a different, perhaps more important question "Whose version of right is right for you?" There are a lot of good people, a lot of bad people, and a very realistic majority of people who are usually somewhere in the middle but also somewhat confused throughout this film. African American, Latino, East Asian and Italian American cultures form the dynamics of the relationships that drive the story, and conflict is their medium. Drawing from two incisive but different comments on violence from Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, Lee extrapolates his story and the ideas he wants to explore by showing us characters that are as real as they are exaggerated and somewhat unpredictable events that they create, are swept into or actively or passively participate in. Although the point of the film is not really critique, nobody is left unscathed.I am not going to tell you what the film says - I can't, because it is, more than most films dealing in such a direct manner with the subject of race, open to interpretation. And what you bring to it will influence, but not determine what you take away from it. It is just that powerful.Instead, I will simply give Do the Right Thing my highest recommendation.Superbly written, edited, directed and filmed. Well acted (Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Giancarlo Esposito, Rosie Perez, Spike Lee and Richard Edson really stood out for me) and very nicely soundscaped, Do the Right Thing is the perfect film for a solitary night of reflection or for sharing with an intelligent group of friends. However, be forewarned, the film hits hard, and will disturb some people a great deal - especially those who feel a need for closure and resolution.

It's frightening to think that this film is still just as powerful and thought provoking today

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Despite the fact that Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" deals with complex and sometimes uncomfortable themes (such racism and poverty) it isn't preachy and it's not a hateful film. The acting and cinematography are top notch and most important of all, it's thought provoking. After seeing it, I wasn't sure what to think about the characters in the film. I challenged myself to answer the following questions: Do any of the main characters in the film "do the right thing"? Why does Mookie act the way he does during the riot? What would have happened if he had not acted the way he did? How do the quotes at the end of the film relate to what happened? It's the kind of movie that really sticks with you and will have you thinking about it days after you've finished seeing it. It may start off slow, but the conclusion is well worth the wait. I am actually surprised to find that it is still just as powerful, relevant and thought provoking today as it was when it was first released in 1989. (On Blu-ray, July 27, 2012)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/reviews-412

ur55782634

title: It's frightening to think that this film is still just as powerful and thought provoking today review: Despite the fact that Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" deals with complex and sometimes uncomfortable themes (such racism and poverty) it isn't preachy and it's not a hateful film. The acting and cinematography are top notch and most important of all, it's thought provoking. After seeing it, I wasn't sure what to think about the characters in the film. I challenged myself to answer the following questions: Do any of the main characters in the film "do the right thing"? Why does Mookie act the way he does during the riot? What would have happened if he had not acted the way he did? How do the quotes at the end of the film relate to what happened? It's the kind of movie that really sticks with you and will have you thinking about it days after you've finished seeing it. It may start off slow, but the conclusion is well worth the wait. I am actually surprised to find that it is still just as powerful, relevant and thought provoking today as it was when it was first released in 1989. (On Blu-ray, July 27, 2012)

Waltzing with Watts

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This has all the ups and downs of a young filmmaker committing to a personal vision. He wants that vision to be a bit like jazz or hip-hop, so it has energy and raw, street-wise instrumentation, it has the despair of your world being too small for dreams and the kind of sweltering intimacy that you don't need a reason for and just springs at you. That's all fine.But, watching it now all the contrivance about it being real shows. The camera is jazzy but the world it riffs against feels curiously artificial and stagebound, like it's been adapted from a play instead from real streets. The people feel like tokens of eccentricity. The situations feel a lot of them set-up.The contrivance is that all of this is somehow impartial. A more obvious view is that Lee making the film is taking a side.The white man is the obnoxious guy in the fancy car that demands they turn off the fire hydrant. The white man is the cop who does. The white man runs business. Hell, even the Korean man runs business.That's probably life somewhere in New York, or was then. Lee probably thought he was being evenhanded. He was just making Watts into a film. So the frustrations are very probably real, but cinematically that is conveyed in a less than satisfying manner. Killer of Sheep of 10 years back worked its way around issues of cinematic formality by having at the helm a filmmaker who simply didn't know or didn't care a whole lot about other movies, so had no other aspiration than to capture life he knows. Truth felt unmediated. The problem here is an ambitious young guy who thinks he can translate that same life as Burnett's in terms of a few good movies he has seen, probably French (and Altman).Think I'm waxing? The Nouvelle Vague ideal was that life is a movie, no deeper than just a set of images that you contrive to happen.At the root of the film, is an angry young guy who wants images up on a wall that reflect him and reflect the world he knows and feels to be marginalized. It's an unreasonable demand, the way it's framed, that we simply can't wave off because we go on to spend time in this world where unreason is a systemic issue. This is much more provocatively framed in the finale as murder at the hands of a 'pig' cop and ensuing riots.It's an early Dogville, a film of similarly inspired theatric artifice, in that case Brecht and laid out in the open, except this is an angry young guy's film so, yes, the people are violent, injustice is a given, but we can point the accusatory finger to the inhuman representative of a faceless, evil 'system'.But it's simple-minded to rest there for film that wants to get at the bottom of things. Watts did not happen because of an arrest. It was the social heat that aggravated and this heat has systemic cause. Weather in this case does not arbitrarily fall from the sky.On the end that illustrates this, we have the 'pig' cop who enforces the system and Da Mayor's soliloquy about starving children. Slim pickings. Clumsy storytelling. Here's the problem; we have Radio Raheem's love/hate bit, a really cool scene in Lee's head, but really nothing about this person. Where does the money for blimps and a boombox come from? What does he do? What does Buggin Out do when he's not fussing over his Air Jordans or pictures on a wall? It's a reasonable accusation, anyway, but pop-superficial and reactionary in the way it's framed as much as political Godard of the 60's. There is merit in the sentiment but lost in angry phrasing.And this is what happens with partisan mentality in general and sloganeering. The effect of the film is that it got people talking, which is a good start, but has provided only enough thread to split opinion. Because the systemic cause is simple-minded in the film, so not convincingly illustrated that the thing is broken on the level where it's being administered from, viewers feel compelled to pick sides on the street; it was Sal's or Buggin Out's fault. See, the angry young guy's brash temperament splits a broader community of bystanders/viewers. We don't leave this with one vision.(It's a Marxist point that is muddled here and alienates; private business should operate on the same principles as a state, ergo the collective must be free to have a say on images that describe it.)Doing a bit of research, I stumbled across this nice tidbit that is perhaps its own insight: Buggin Out was cast in AMC's Breaking Bad as the perfectly respectable/socially-conscious owner of a food chain who gives to charity (does the right thing), but on the side uses business as a cover for a lucrative drug-dealing network. Apparently, he went into business in 1989 as an immigrant (an outsider) and his life before that is shrouded in mystery.Something to mull over in light of this film and social structures.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/reviews-331

ur17699578

title: Waltzing with Watts review: This has all the ups and downs of a young filmmaker committing to a personal vision. He wants that vision to be a bit like jazz or hip-hop, so it has energy and raw, street-wise instrumentation, it has the despair of your world being too small for dreams and the kind of sweltering intimacy that you don't need a reason for and just springs at you. That's all fine.But, watching it now all the contrivance about it being real shows. The camera is jazzy but the world it riffs against feels curiously artificial and stagebound, like it's been adapted from a play instead from real streets. The people feel like tokens of eccentricity. The situations feel a lot of them set-up.The contrivance is that all of this is somehow impartial. A more obvious view is that Lee making the film is taking a side.The white man is the obnoxious guy in the fancy car that demands they turn off the fire hydrant. The white man is the cop who does. The white man runs business. Hell, even the Korean man runs business.That's probably life somewhere in New York, or was then. Lee probably thought he was being evenhanded. He was just making Watts into a film. So the frustrations are very probably real, but cinematically that is conveyed in a less than satisfying manner. Killer of Sheep of 10 years back worked its way around issues of cinematic formality by having at the helm a filmmaker who simply didn't know or didn't care a whole lot about other movies, so had no other aspiration than to capture life he knows. Truth felt unmediated. The problem here is an ambitious young guy who thinks he can translate that same life as Burnett's in terms of a few good movies he has seen, probably French (and Altman).Think I'm waxing? The Nouvelle Vague ideal was that life is a movie, no deeper than just a set of images that you contrive to happen.At the root of the film, is an angry young guy who wants images up on a wall that reflect him and reflect the world he knows and feels to be marginalized. It's an unreasonable demand, the way it's framed, that we simply can't wave off because we go on to spend time in this world where unreason is a systemic issue. This is much more provocatively framed in the finale as murder at the hands of a 'pig' cop and ensuing riots.It's an early Dogville, a film of similarly inspired theatric artifice, in that case Brecht and laid out in the open, except this is an angry young guy's film so, yes, the people are violent, injustice is a given, but we can point the accusatory finger to the inhuman representative of a faceless, evil 'system'.But it's simple-minded to rest there for film that wants to get at the bottom of things. Watts did not happen because of an arrest. It was the social heat that aggravated and this heat has systemic cause. Weather in this case does not arbitrarily fall from the sky.On the end that illustrates this, we have the 'pig' cop who enforces the system and Da Mayor's soliloquy about starving children. Slim pickings. Clumsy storytelling. Here's the problem; we have Radio Raheem's love/hate bit, a really cool scene in Lee's head, but really nothing about this person. Where does the money for blimps and a boombox come from? What does he do? What does Buggin Out do when he's not fussing over his Air Jordans or pictures on a wall? It's a reasonable accusation, anyway, but pop-superficial and reactionary in the way it's framed as much as political Godard of the 60's. There is merit in the sentiment but lost in angry phrasing.And this is what happens with partisan mentality in general and sloganeering. The effect of the film is that it got people talking, which is a good start, but has provided only enough thread to split opinion. Because the systemic cause is simple-minded in the film, so not convincingly illustrated that the thing is broken on the level where it's being administered from, viewers feel compelled to pick sides on the street; it was Sal's or Buggin Out's fault. See, the angry young guy's brash temperament splits a broader community of bystanders/viewers. We don't leave this with one vision.(It's a Marxist point that is muddled here and alienates; private business should operate on the same principles as a state, ergo the collective must be free to have a say on images that describe it.)Doing a bit of research, I stumbled across this nice tidbit that is perhaps its own insight: Buggin Out was cast in AMC's Breaking Bad as the perfectly respectable/socially-conscious owner of a food chain who gives to charity (does the right thing), but on the side uses business as a cover for a lucrative drug-dealing network. Apparently, he went into business in 1989 as an immigrant (an outsider) and his life before that is shrouded in mystery.Something to mull over in light of this film and social structures.

does such a wretched neighborhood exist?

tt0097216

"Do The Right Thing" is one of those movies whose name has nothing to do with the whole story; there's no scene involving doing the right thing, I really wanted to know what's the meaning of it. I see that some people strongly liked this film and I wonder why. There's nothing very memorable happening; in fact, sometimes it seems to exist no climax to be reached, since nothing really deep happens. I may agree some scenes are quite entertaining and you can identify yourself with one character or another, but hey that's basically what all movies need to work. One thing I didn't enjoy was the characters talking bad words to each other all the time, I can't believe there's a neighborhood like that. People don't seem to have any respect for each other-- and that's a sad thing. Spike Lee's character is the only one well developed, even thought it's hard to sympathize with him. All in all, this is a medium movie that could be much better.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/reviews-307

ur16558990

title: does such a wretched neighborhood exist? review: "Do The Right Thing" is one of those movies whose name has nothing to do with the whole story; there's no scene involving doing the right thing, I really wanted to know what's the meaning of it. I see that some people strongly liked this film and I wonder why. There's nothing very memorable happening; in fact, sometimes it seems to exist no climax to be reached, since nothing really deep happens. I may agree some scenes are quite entertaining and you can identify yourself with one character or another, but hey that's basically what all movies need to work. One thing I didn't enjoy was the characters talking bad words to each other all the time, I can't believe there's a neighborhood like that. People don't seem to have any respect for each other-- and that's a sad thing. Spike Lee's character is the only one well developed, even thought it's hard to sympathize with him. All in all, this is a medium movie that could be much better.

Do The Right Thing confirmed Lee as one of the preeminent filmmakers to emerge from the 1980s.

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Do The Right Thing is a pulsating homage to life on New York's streets, achieved thanks to director Spike Lee's sleepless eye, but a passionate-yet-dignified study of racism too. A mouthy Italian-American pizza parlour owner (Danny Aiello) sparks a riot in a black neighbourhood of Brooklyn.The sweltering heat on the streets explodes into rage and anger in this vibrant, dynamic film about the complexities of racism. Beautifully shot, intricately written and boasting a killer soundtrack. In June 2006, Entertainment Weekly magazine placed Do The Right Thing at #22 on its list of The 25 Most Controversial Movies Ever.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/reviews-236

ur22131361

title: Do The Right Thing confirmed Lee as one of the preeminent filmmakers to emerge from the 1980s. review: Do The Right Thing is a pulsating homage to life on New York's streets, achieved thanks to director Spike Lee's sleepless eye, but a passionate-yet-dignified study of racism too. A mouthy Italian-American pizza parlour owner (Danny Aiello) sparks a riot in a black neighbourhood of Brooklyn.The sweltering heat on the streets explodes into rage and anger in this vibrant, dynamic film about the complexities of racism. Beautifully shot, intricately written and boasting a killer soundtrack. In June 2006, Entertainment Weekly magazine placed Do The Right Thing at #22 on its list of The 25 Most Controversial Movies Ever.

Masterpiece

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I personally think that Spike Lee is slightly over rated, but this movie is AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING. First and foremost the soundtrack is, quite possibly, the most unique ever. The principle of the soundtrack is the same, play the same song, but with different tones, over and over and over again. However, that song is Fight the Power, which I think is a stroke of genius for the subject matter that the movie is trying to portray.However, the central theme is the real thing that struck me. When I started this movie I thought the point of it would be how White People and society are keeping Blacks down. I thought it would just be extremely gritty, with a lot of violence but no substence, like many similar movies. Well that is definitely half of the theme, but the other half is what hooked me. The other half is not pointed at Whites, but at the Blacks themselves. It says: "We will never become great as a culture if we continue to live in the past, it is time to move on and start to educate ourselves and move on up in society, because that is the only way that we will move up in society." The "wes" in that statement are meant to reflect Spike Lee's statement, and black culture as a whole. This is a Black director sending a very pointed message to other black people like him... Perfect

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/reviews-234

ur19557053

title: Masterpiece review: I personally think that Spike Lee is slightly over rated, but this movie is AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING. First and foremost the soundtrack is, quite possibly, the most unique ever. The principle of the soundtrack is the same, play the same song, but with different tones, over and over and over again. However, that song is Fight the Power, which I think is a stroke of genius for the subject matter that the movie is trying to portray.However, the central theme is the real thing that struck me. When I started this movie I thought the point of it would be how White People and society are keeping Blacks down. I thought it would just be extremely gritty, with a lot of violence but no substence, like many similar movies. Well that is definitely half of the theme, but the other half is what hooked me. The other half is not pointed at Whites, but at the Blacks themselves. It says: "We will never become great as a culture if we continue to live in the past, it is time to move on and start to educate ourselves and move on up in society, because that is the only way that we will move up in society." The "wes" in that statement are meant to reflect Spike Lee's statement, and black culture as a whole. This is a Black director sending a very pointed message to other black people like him... Perfect

On the hottest day of this summer, unless you have a pool, STAY INSIDE and WATCH this movie!

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I love this movie. It is obvious that this movie would have been one of racial conflicts, but conflict is what makes a movie so good. One thing although I don't understand is, why is it a pizzeria? Like it is a good idea, since Italians own and run it, but its the hottest day of the summer, people want ice cream, i think that would have been the more logical choice concerning the circumstances, but still overall amazing. Also, the different characters in the movie are good. They all have different personalities, that tie together and have a great effect. Spike Lee usually writes good dramatic movies with some comedy here and there, so kudos to him. Watch this movie if you like ones that deal with racism, because after you watch it, you won't forget........10/10

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/reviews-177

ur7649928

title: On the hottest day of this summer, unless you have a pool, STAY INSIDE and WATCH this movie! review: I love this movie. It is obvious that this movie would have been one of racial conflicts, but conflict is what makes a movie so good. One thing although I don't understand is, why is it a pizzeria? Like it is a good idea, since Italians own and run it, but its the hottest day of the summer, people want ice cream, i think that would have been the more logical choice concerning the circumstances, but still overall amazing. Also, the different characters in the movie are good. They all have different personalities, that tie together and have a great effect. Spike Lee usually writes good dramatic movies with some comedy here and there, so kudos to him. Watch this movie if you like ones that deal with racism, because after you watch it, you won't forget........10/10

The Boiling Point

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A scorching summer day brings racial tensions to their boiling point in a Brooklyn neighborhood. Seen through many points of view Spike Lee paints a convincing and critical picture of tensions in the most diverse city in the USA.The film's strength is its ability to ring true to many sets of ears and especially if you frequent or live in a big city. You always here of events - big and small - on the news and there is usually that element of "racial tensions" or "possible racial motive." In a city where over 200 different languages are spoken (which can give you an idea of how many distinguishable cultures there are) it is only a natural ingredient for friction between people. Whether you hate the other guy, or are just annoyed that you can't understand him nor he you, when all you want to do is buy some groceries. This film shows many situations of this type and how everyone is, in a sense, innocent and guilty at the same time. If a situation gets out of hand and you have people throwing slurs at each other there is that famous expression: "he crossed the line." Well even with critical hindsight, this "line" isn't always visible and when it is, it's faint.Spike Lee manages to show that very well and with a lot of diverse characters, hence the film being able to ring true with an equally diverse audience.The only problem is that in today's America the issue is more about class and not just race, though race and class are intertwined. "Crash" presented the issue of class and lifestyle a little bit more thoroughly, but in the end felt preachy and unrealistically sentimental. "Do the Right Thing" is much tighter and the film's climax and overall impact is more powerful. Also of the note is the terrific acting from the entire cast. --- 9/10Rated R for profanity and some violence

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/reviews-166

ur2214855

title: The Boiling Point review: A scorching summer day brings racial tensions to their boiling point in a Brooklyn neighborhood. Seen through many points of view Spike Lee paints a convincing and critical picture of tensions in the most diverse city in the USA.The film's strength is its ability to ring true to many sets of ears and especially if you frequent or live in a big city. You always here of events - big and small - on the news and there is usually that element of "racial tensions" or "possible racial motive." In a city where over 200 different languages are spoken (which can give you an idea of how many distinguishable cultures there are) it is only a natural ingredient for friction between people. Whether you hate the other guy, or are just annoyed that you can't understand him nor he you, when all you want to do is buy some groceries. This film shows many situations of this type and how everyone is, in a sense, innocent and guilty at the same time. If a situation gets out of hand and you have people throwing slurs at each other there is that famous expression: "he crossed the line." Well even with critical hindsight, this "line" isn't always visible and when it is, it's faint.Spike Lee manages to show that very well and with a lot of diverse characters, hence the film being able to ring true with an equally diverse audience.The only problem is that in today's America the issue is more about class and not just race, though race and class are intertwined. "Crash" presented the issue of class and lifestyle a little bit more thoroughly, but in the end felt preachy and unrealistically sentimental. "Do the Right Thing" is much tighter and the film's climax and overall impact is more powerful. Also of the note is the terrific acting from the entire cast. --- 9/10Rated R for profanity and some violence

An important piece of work, no matter what age you are or decade you live in

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"Are we going to live together? Together, are we going to live?" Spike Lee's 1989 masterpiece of racism and madness on a hot day in Brooklyn is still one of the true forms of art and of human characteristic. Racism lives on everyday in our lives from schools, work places, the streets, and God knows where else. Ever since Crash won the Academy Award for best picture, I was still infuriated that such a small film about how humans are racist could have a happy ending. Not even Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird would have anything to say about this and even his character is among the top heroes for thinking racism is bad.Our hero is no other than Mookie (played by Spike Lee), a young man who's working at a dead end job delivering pizzas so that way he could support his wife (Rosie Perez) and child. Sal's Pizza is where he works at and it's runned by Sal (Danny Aiello) along with his two grown sons played by John Turturro and Michael Edson. Sal has been in the joint since forever and is very kind to all the people no matter what color or background they have. His sons Pino and Vito are very different however. Vito (Edson) is the only son who shows generosity to those around him like his father, where Pino (Turturro) has the hatred for black people and even Mookie gives him a lesson by asking him all the questions from favorite entertainers and all of his answers are African American entertainers (Michael Jackson, Michael Jordan).There are different characters in this film from Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn of Spider-Man) who carries his boom box everywhere as his heart and soul. There's Da Mayor (Ozzie Davis) who knows everybody's business in Brooklyn. Giancarlo Esposito plays Buggin Out, a black militant who loathes Sal and his restaurant so much that he wants to boycott after seeing that there aren't any African Americans on the wall. Samuel L. Jackson, in a small and good role, plays Mister Senor Love Daddy, Brooklyn's voice where not only does he start his music at six in the morning but is the voice of reason for everybody to chill out.While there are some moments were you will laugh, there are scenes that make you think about what goes on including a montage where Spike directs scenes of different actors saying about how they feel about the races around them. While it'll make you laugh, it'll make you think about how the human race works.The last part of the film is an important act where all I have to say is tragedy; even it's final frame doesn't have the answer about the right thing."Do the Right Thing" is not only an important piece of cinema, but an important piece that'll make you think of how we act with one another and hopefully we'll learn to accept those around us despite our differences.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/reviews-192

ur2498078

title: An important piece of work, no matter what age you are or decade you live in review: "Are we going to live together? Together, are we going to live?" Spike Lee's 1989 masterpiece of racism and madness on a hot day in Brooklyn is still one of the true forms of art and of human characteristic. Racism lives on everyday in our lives from schools, work places, the streets, and God knows where else. Ever since Crash won the Academy Award for best picture, I was still infuriated that such a small film about how humans are racist could have a happy ending. Not even Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird would have anything to say about this and even his character is among the top heroes for thinking racism is bad.Our hero is no other than Mookie (played by Spike Lee), a young man who's working at a dead end job delivering pizzas so that way he could support his wife (Rosie Perez) and child. Sal's Pizza is where he works at and it's runned by Sal (Danny Aiello) along with his two grown sons played by John Turturro and Michael Edson. Sal has been in the joint since forever and is very kind to all the people no matter what color or background they have. His sons Pino and Vito are very different however. Vito (Edson) is the only son who shows generosity to those around him like his father, where Pino (Turturro) has the hatred for black people and even Mookie gives him a lesson by asking him all the questions from favorite entertainers and all of his answers are African American entertainers (Michael Jackson, Michael Jordan).There are different characters in this film from Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn of Spider-Man) who carries his boom box everywhere as his heart and soul. There's Da Mayor (Ozzie Davis) who knows everybody's business in Brooklyn. Giancarlo Esposito plays Buggin Out, a black militant who loathes Sal and his restaurant so much that he wants to boycott after seeing that there aren't any African Americans on the wall. Samuel L. Jackson, in a small and good role, plays Mister Senor Love Daddy, Brooklyn's voice where not only does he start his music at six in the morning but is the voice of reason for everybody to chill out.While there are some moments were you will laugh, there are scenes that make you think about what goes on including a montage where Spike directs scenes of different actors saying about how they feel about the races around them. While it'll make you laugh, it'll make you think about how the human race works.The last part of the film is an important act where all I have to say is tragedy; even it's final frame doesn't have the answer about the right thing."Do the Right Thing" is not only an important piece of cinema, but an important piece that'll make you think of how we act with one another and hopefully we'll learn to accept those around us despite our differences.

That's the double-truth, Ruth

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In all likelihood Spike Lee's most important achievement - as director, writer and actor (though to my taste Mo' Better Blues is just as good a picture) and one of the strongest films you'll see about race relations, 'Do The Right Thing' looks dated at times, but it lost none of its impact and relevance. The movie takes place in a particularly hot day in a primarily African-American neighborhood in Brooklyn, and follows the various personalities who live there throughout the day; the center of the story is Sal's Famous Pizzeria - its owners, some of the few white people living in the neighborhood: Sal (Oscar nominated performance for Danny Aiello) and his two sons (John Torturro and Richard Edson), and Mookie (Spike Lee himself), the black delivery boy. What starts out as a light, entertaining movie with some amusing characters and light humor, gradually builds up tension to the point of being unbearable, up to the dramatic and tragic climax. Spike doesn't put as much emphasis on the characters themselves as he does on the relationships and the tension between them; and in this image of a very specific and small frame in time and place, makes a strong and important message about racism and race relations in general. The film is populated with many different characters, all of them very memorable and each one a representative of a certain belief, mode of behavior or state of mind - on both sides of the conflict. From the uninhibited anger of Buggin Out (Giancarlo Esposito) and Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn) on one side and Pino (John Torturro) on the other side, to Jade (Joie Lee, Spike's sister in the film and in real life) and Vito (Richard Edson), who are trying to connect and live at peace with the other side, to Da Mayor (Ossie Davis), in his isolated but peaceful state of mind, living in complete peace with the world around him, and Smiley (Roger Smith), living in his own isolated existence. Then there's Mookie, who is stuck in the middle, torn between his commitment and responsibilities to both sides. Finally we have Mister Senor Love Daddy - played gorgeously by the one and only Samuel L. Jackson, in one of his finest performances - half active character and half all-knowing narrator - who represents the voice of reason in the conflict, the reason which is bound, ultimately, to collapse. Each and every character plays an important part in the climatic and dramatic conflict to which the movie builds up, and though it's the radical ones - Buggin Out and Radio Raheem - who trigger the events that cause the tragedy, they are not necessarily the ones who finish it. It is Mookie and Sal, in fact, who ultimately play the main part.Do The Right Thing is not an easy watch; it's a mesmerizing, tense, difficult film that breaks many taboos and slaughters many holy cows. But in the end of it - hopefully - you'll be wiser than you were in the beginning, and that's what Lee have always tried to achieve in all his films. Watch it to get a real view on racism that doesn't duck the difficult issues and isn't afraid to tackle the real problem, and to see a master director at work. It's one of the best films of its time.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/reviews-131

ur5358902

title: That's the double-truth, Ruth review: In all likelihood Spike Lee's most important achievement - as director, writer and actor (though to my taste Mo' Better Blues is just as good a picture) and one of the strongest films you'll see about race relations, 'Do The Right Thing' looks dated at times, but it lost none of its impact and relevance. The movie takes place in a particularly hot day in a primarily African-American neighborhood in Brooklyn, and follows the various personalities who live there throughout the day; the center of the story is Sal's Famous Pizzeria - its owners, some of the few white people living in the neighborhood: Sal (Oscar nominated performance for Danny Aiello) and his two sons (John Torturro and Richard Edson), and Mookie (Spike Lee himself), the black delivery boy. What starts out as a light, entertaining movie with some amusing characters and light humor, gradually builds up tension to the point of being unbearable, up to the dramatic and tragic climax. Spike doesn't put as much emphasis on the characters themselves as he does on the relationships and the tension between them; and in this image of a very specific and small frame in time and place, makes a strong and important message about racism and race relations in general. The film is populated with many different characters, all of them very memorable and each one a representative of a certain belief, mode of behavior or state of mind - on both sides of the conflict. From the uninhibited anger of Buggin Out (Giancarlo Esposito) and Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn) on one side and Pino (John Torturro) on the other side, to Jade (Joie Lee, Spike's sister in the film and in real life) and Vito (Richard Edson), who are trying to connect and live at peace with the other side, to Da Mayor (Ossie Davis), in his isolated but peaceful state of mind, living in complete peace with the world around him, and Smiley (Roger Smith), living in his own isolated existence. Then there's Mookie, who is stuck in the middle, torn between his commitment and responsibilities to both sides. Finally we have Mister Senor Love Daddy - played gorgeously by the one and only Samuel L. Jackson, in one of his finest performances - half active character and half all-knowing narrator - who represents the voice of reason in the conflict, the reason which is bound, ultimately, to collapse. Each and every character plays an important part in the climatic and dramatic conflict to which the movie builds up, and though it's the radical ones - Buggin Out and Radio Raheem - who trigger the events that cause the tragedy, they are not necessarily the ones who finish it. It is Mookie and Sal, in fact, who ultimately play the main part.Do The Right Thing is not an easy watch; it's a mesmerizing, tense, difficult film that breaks many taboos and slaughters many holy cows. But in the end of it - hopefully - you'll be wiser than you were in the beginning, and that's what Lee have always tried to achieve in all his films. Watch it to get a real view on racism that doesn't duck the difficult issues and isn't afraid to tackle the real problem, and to see a master director at work. It's one of the best films of its time.

Do the Right Thing

tt0097216

From writer and Golden Globe nominated director Spike Lee, this is probably one of the first films with an almost all black cast, and it made such a huge impact in film culture because of it, no wonder it features in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. Basically, set in a black and Puerto Rican neighbourhood in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, young black man Mookie (Lee) lives with his sister Jade (Joie Lee), and works as a delivery boy at the local pizzeria, run by Italian-American owner Salvatore 'Sal' Fragione (Oscar and Golden Globe nominated Danny Aiello) for the last twenty five years. Sal's older son Giuseppe aka Pino (Quiz Show's John Turturro) is a racist who detests all black people in the neighbourhood, comparing the place to a sickness, and Sal's younger son Vito (Richard Edson) is friends with Mookie. The story centres not just around them, but with many of the other residents and distinctive personalities on the street corners, all are trying to carry on with their daily routines and activities, while also having to deal with the intense sweltering heat of the day. These characters include Da Mayor (Ossie Davis) the drunk who constantly tries to win the affection of Mother Sister (Ruby Dee) the neighbourhood matron, and Radio Raheem (Sister Act's Bill Nunn) the young black man who takes his boombox blasting nothing but Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" (number 40 on 100 Years, 100 Songs), and wears "love" and "hate" four-fingered rings everywhere he goes. There are also Smiley (Roger Guenveur Smith) the mentally disabled black man preaching the words of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, fast taking young black man Buggin Out (Giancarlo Esposito) who is demanding Sal puts up black stars on his Wall of Fame, which is covered with Italian Americans, and local disc jockey Mister Señor Love Daddy (Samuel L. Jackson) who watches all the action from his studio. Throughout the film we see the relationships between the black and white characters, the tensions in the community, the amusing activities by those watching others on the street corners, and of course the growing racial arguments in the various areas, whether on the street, in the houses, or in the pizza parlour. Of course the big scene comes at night, when Buggin Out and Radio Raheem join forces to get Sal to put up pictures of "brothers" for the Wall of Fame, the argument grows, and Sal loses his temper, using a baseball to destroy Raheem's beloved boombox. This is when the argument escalates, and soon enough the whole neighbourhood joins in the explosive fight, and when the police show up to arrest Raheem, one of them ends up holding him back so strongly, that he is strangled to death. This is when the pizzeria is savagely attacked by the many black people who want justice, and Sal can't do anything but sit back, see his business destroyed and burnt down to the ground. The next day after these shocking events, Mookie demands his last pay for work, Sal fires him, blaming him for beginning the riot, Mister Señor Love Daddy assures the community that things will get back to the way they were, and the final words seen on screen are momentous quotations from Martin Luther King and Malcom X. Also starring White Men Can't Jump's Rosie Perez as Tina, Martin Lawrence as Cee, John Savage as Clifton, Paul Benjamin as ML, Frankie Faison as Coconut Sid, Robin Harris as Sweet Dick Willie, Steve White as Ahmad, Leonard L. Thomas as Punchy and Christa Rivers as Ella. The acting talent of this film, including from then little known stars, like introduced Perez and Lawrence, Lee is fantastic acting and a skilled director, Nunn is great as the boombox clutching cool young man, Turturro gives a good harsh performance, Jackson is superb with his cool fast talking DJ character, and Aiello is a worth Oscar nominee as the pizza restaurant owner with his patience and racial opinion tested constantly. The characters, black and white, are all well thought out, the use of bright sometimes even too bright colours makes for a fantastically distinctive look and feel, the soundtrack is brilliant, and the multi-layered story is really engaging, it is a definite fierce, powerful and must see racial drama. It was nominated the Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen for Lee, and it was nominated the Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture - Drama and Best Screenplay. It was number 100 on The 100 Greatest Films, and it was number 96 on 100 Years, 100 Greatest Movies. Very good!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/reviews-312

ur4248714

title: Do the Right Thing review: From writer and Golden Globe nominated director Spike Lee, this is probably one of the first films with an almost all black cast, and it made such a huge impact in film culture because of it, no wonder it features in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. Basically, set in a black and Puerto Rican neighbourhood in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, young black man Mookie (Lee) lives with his sister Jade (Joie Lee), and works as a delivery boy at the local pizzeria, run by Italian-American owner Salvatore 'Sal' Fragione (Oscar and Golden Globe nominated Danny Aiello) for the last twenty five years. Sal's older son Giuseppe aka Pino (Quiz Show's John Turturro) is a racist who detests all black people in the neighbourhood, comparing the place to a sickness, and Sal's younger son Vito (Richard Edson) is friends with Mookie. The story centres not just around them, but with many of the other residents and distinctive personalities on the street corners, all are trying to carry on with their daily routines and activities, while also having to deal with the intense sweltering heat of the day. These characters include Da Mayor (Ossie Davis) the drunk who constantly tries to win the affection of Mother Sister (Ruby Dee) the neighbourhood matron, and Radio Raheem (Sister Act's Bill Nunn) the young black man who takes his boombox blasting nothing but Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" (number 40 on 100 Years, 100 Songs), and wears "love" and "hate" four-fingered rings everywhere he goes. There are also Smiley (Roger Guenveur Smith) the mentally disabled black man preaching the words of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, fast taking young black man Buggin Out (Giancarlo Esposito) who is demanding Sal puts up black stars on his Wall of Fame, which is covered with Italian Americans, and local disc jockey Mister Señor Love Daddy (Samuel L. Jackson) who watches all the action from his studio. Throughout the film we see the relationships between the black and white characters, the tensions in the community, the amusing activities by those watching others on the street corners, and of course the growing racial arguments in the various areas, whether on the street, in the houses, or in the pizza parlour. Of course the big scene comes at night, when Buggin Out and Radio Raheem join forces to get Sal to put up pictures of "brothers" for the Wall of Fame, the argument grows, and Sal loses his temper, using a baseball to destroy Raheem's beloved boombox. This is when the argument escalates, and soon enough the whole neighbourhood joins in the explosive fight, and when the police show up to arrest Raheem, one of them ends up holding him back so strongly, that he is strangled to death. This is when the pizzeria is savagely attacked by the many black people who want justice, and Sal can't do anything but sit back, see his business destroyed and burnt down to the ground. The next day after these shocking events, Mookie demands his last pay for work, Sal fires him, blaming him for beginning the riot, Mister Señor Love Daddy assures the community that things will get back to the way they were, and the final words seen on screen are momentous quotations from Martin Luther King and Malcom X. Also starring White Men Can't Jump's Rosie Perez as Tina, Martin Lawrence as Cee, John Savage as Clifton, Paul Benjamin as ML, Frankie Faison as Coconut Sid, Robin Harris as Sweet Dick Willie, Steve White as Ahmad, Leonard L. Thomas as Punchy and Christa Rivers as Ella. The acting talent of this film, including from then little known stars, like introduced Perez and Lawrence, Lee is fantastic acting and a skilled director, Nunn is great as the boombox clutching cool young man, Turturro gives a good harsh performance, Jackson is superb with his cool fast talking DJ character, and Aiello is a worth Oscar nominee as the pizza restaurant owner with his patience and racial opinion tested constantly. The characters, black and white, are all well thought out, the use of bright sometimes even too bright colours makes for a fantastically distinctive look and feel, the soundtrack is brilliant, and the multi-layered story is really engaging, it is a definite fierce, powerful and must see racial drama. It was nominated the Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen for Lee, and it was nominated the Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture - Drama and Best Screenplay. It was number 100 on The 100 Greatest Films, and it was number 96 on 100 Years, 100 Greatest Movies. Very good!

Failure to Laugh!

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I PPV'ed this, watched all day, and couldn't sleep! Everything about this dung is so wrong on so many levels, I actually wanted to kill the talentless dip-shits responsible for my agony:* The vet gives the dog the injection from outside the bandage instead of through his IV, and with the needle inverted. Even an idiot like Tripp would have figured out the vet and dying dog tale are bogus!* Paula guesses Tripp used "chipmunk cream" to treat his bite; there no such thing.* Paula tells Kit that she has "fiduciary responsibilities" to fulfill her contract. A Fiduciary is someone who acts as the legal caretaker of another's rights, assets and/or well-being. This certainly isn't the case here.* The coffee shop patrons watch the real-time showdown between Tripp and Paula on the jumbo screen via Ace's laptop as a series of shots and edits, which is impossible.and, most disturbing....* Human CPR cannot be performed on a bird.Aside from the patronizing (in Hollywood, obligatory) Wise Minority (in the form of the cute-as-a-button Jeffrey), the main problem is Tripp, who is such an immature, self-centered prick, I never bought that he could fall in love with anyone beside himself.Mom and Pop are even worse! Want Junior to move out of the house? Hire a whore, sorry, "professional interventionist"! Gee, why didn't our parents think of THAT instead of letting us know the second we hit 18 we were out the door?!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427229/reviews-180

ur0557788

title: Failure to Laugh! review: I PPV'ed this, watched all day, and couldn't sleep! Everything about this dung is so wrong on so many levels, I actually wanted to kill the talentless dip-shits responsible for my agony:* The vet gives the dog the injection from outside the bandage instead of through his IV, and with the needle inverted. Even an idiot like Tripp would have figured out the vet and dying dog tale are bogus!* Paula guesses Tripp used "chipmunk cream" to treat his bite; there no such thing.* Paula tells Kit that she has "fiduciary responsibilities" to fulfill her contract. A Fiduciary is someone who acts as the legal caretaker of another's rights, assets and/or well-being. This certainly isn't the case here.* The coffee shop patrons watch the real-time showdown between Tripp and Paula on the jumbo screen via Ace's laptop as a series of shots and edits, which is impossible.and, most disturbing....* Human CPR cannot be performed on a bird.Aside from the patronizing (in Hollywood, obligatory) Wise Minority (in the form of the cute-as-a-button Jeffrey), the main problem is Tripp, who is such an immature, self-centered prick, I never bought that he could fall in love with anyone beside himself.Mom and Pop are even worse! Want Junior to move out of the house? Hire a whore, sorry, "professional interventionist"! Gee, why didn't our parents think of THAT instead of letting us know the second we hit 18 we were out the door?!

half way interesting

tt0427229

This movie was nothing unique; the same ole romantic comedy starring 2 big stars. It did have a few laughs; hey it is comical for a 35 year old guy to live with his parents and when he's ready to end a relationship, he brings the girl over. The 2 best roles were Tripp's parents, played by Bradshaw and Bates. Those 2 were very amusing together. Parker and McConaughey were lack luster together. SJP is too old for Mathew McConaughey. They sure didn't look like a couple in love.And what was with all the animal attacks, a dolphin, chipmunk, etc... It wasn't funny and I'm still not sure why it was included.FINAl VERDICT: Very bland. Only see it if you have to see all romantic comedies that come out.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427229/reviews-215

ur1773414

title: half way interesting review: This movie was nothing unique; the same ole romantic comedy starring 2 big stars. It did have a few laughs; hey it is comical for a 35 year old guy to live with his parents and when he's ready to end a relationship, he brings the girl over. The 2 best roles were Tripp's parents, played by Bradshaw and Bates. Those 2 were very amusing together. Parker and McConaughey were lack luster together. SJP is too old for Mathew McConaughey. They sure didn't look like a couple in love.And what was with all the animal attacks, a dolphin, chipmunk, etc... It wasn't funny and I'm still not sure why it was included.FINAl VERDICT: Very bland. Only see it if you have to see all romantic comedies that come out.

Romantic comedy with a clever hook and some cute acting but not too much else!

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Failure to Launch (2006)Another decent but sometimes strained interference with love film. I can think of two more classic recent ones, "Hitch" and "Heartbreaker," and this doesn't rise to those modest heights.The impressive star of the two leads is the lesser name, charming and gorgeous Matthew McConaughey, who is not just believable but also compelling (which is something different). Across from him is the Sex and the City mega-star, Sarah Jessica Parker, who is good, and who does the job as a would-be pretend girlfriend who really does fall in love. Or not. You'll see.The whole hook is an obvious one--first the woman is hired to make the man fall enough in love with him that he'll finally move out of his parents house. Then she'll collect her fee and boogie. But no, we know from the get-go, as with any screwball comedy, that the two leads are destined to be together. But when one learns the other's secret, what true love there was goes on the rocks. This is exactly what the other two films (above) did, and I'm sure it's a burgeoning new genre.What drags it down a bit are the side plots and side characters. Many of these are good or even terrific one way or another, but it's all patched together and a little lightweight and thin. The best of these is Parker's roommate, played with Oscar-worthy dreariness by Zooey Deschanel (who also appeared in "(500) Days of Summer"). But the sideshows of the mockingbird, the biting dolphin, and even the baroque arrangement with the t.v. monitors in the final scenes are all a little clunky. Good on paper, maybe, but in the end you have to make yourself enjoy the best of it all, which will make you laugh and have fun.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427229/reviews-256

ur20961309

title: Romantic comedy with a clever hook and some cute acting but not too much else! review: Failure to Launch (2006)Another decent but sometimes strained interference with love film. I can think of two more classic recent ones, "Hitch" and "Heartbreaker," and this doesn't rise to those modest heights.The impressive star of the two leads is the lesser name, charming and gorgeous Matthew McConaughey, who is not just believable but also compelling (which is something different). Across from him is the Sex and the City mega-star, Sarah Jessica Parker, who is good, and who does the job as a would-be pretend girlfriend who really does fall in love. Or not. You'll see.The whole hook is an obvious one--first the woman is hired to make the man fall enough in love with him that he'll finally move out of his parents house. Then she'll collect her fee and boogie. But no, we know from the get-go, as with any screwball comedy, that the two leads are destined to be together. But when one learns the other's secret, what true love there was goes on the rocks. This is exactly what the other two films (above) did, and I'm sure it's a burgeoning new genre.What drags it down a bit are the side plots and side characters. Many of these are good or even terrific one way or another, but it's all patched together and a little lightweight and thin. The best of these is Parker's roommate, played with Oscar-worthy dreariness by Zooey Deschanel (who also appeared in "(500) Days of Summer"). But the sideshows of the mockingbird, the biting dolphin, and even the baroque arrangement with the t.v. monitors in the final scenes are all a little clunky. Good on paper, maybe, but in the end you have to make yourself enjoy the best of it all, which will make you laugh and have fun.

Funny Romantic Comedy With A New Angle

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The same predictable romantic comedy wrapped up in a different package that results in an entertaining, funny film that actually manages to uncover the top layer of psychological denial in family relationships and romance. This movie is a strictly nice date movie that does have something for both sexes and sufficient dramatic, insightful highpoints towards the end that lift this movie above the norm. The never gets obnoxiously obvious and casts its characters with eccentric but never exaggerated stereotypical shadows that distract. Instead the characters in this movie are interesting and in their own way authentic with the casts seemingly having fun on screen. It's a fun date movie worth a rental cost when the mood hits. Eight out of Ten Stars.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427229/reviews-58

ur0972645

title: Funny Romantic Comedy With A New Angle review: The same predictable romantic comedy wrapped up in a different package that results in an entertaining, funny film that actually manages to uncover the top layer of psychological denial in family relationships and romance. This movie is a strictly nice date movie that does have something for both sexes and sufficient dramatic, insightful highpoints towards the end that lift this movie above the norm. The never gets obnoxiously obvious and casts its characters with eccentric but never exaggerated stereotypical shadows that distract. Instead the characters in this movie are interesting and in their own way authentic with the casts seemingly having fun on screen. It's a fun date movie worth a rental cost when the mood hits. Eight out of Ten Stars.

Failure Period

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Someone already used "failure to laugh" and "failure to entertain", my first two choices; I hope nobody used "failure period". One dimensional Matthew and bubble-headed Sarah J. have too much screen time in this while simultaneously playing two extremely unlikeable characters who the audience doesn't care about. Any guy that would take this bubble-head back after pulling the crap that she did should have his head examined. Any guy with friends that would force him into a situation where he has to face this idiot woman again should hire a dolphin to bite their heads off. I have to admit I don't care for either of the lead actors to begin with, but I've never seen both of them worse. Any movie where Terry Bradshaw gives one of the two best performances should give any potential takers an indication of what they're in for. Zooey Deschanel is the lone bright spot playing Sarah J.'s loony roommate. As one could expect, females rated this film higher than males(the younger the girl, the higher the rating). Guys if your significant other rents this and wants you to watch it with her, do yourself a favor and push your head through a television set first. * of 4 stars.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427229/reviews-235

ur2567338

title: Failure Period review: Someone already used "failure to laugh" and "failure to entertain", my first two choices; I hope nobody used "failure period". One dimensional Matthew and bubble-headed Sarah J. have too much screen time in this while simultaneously playing two extremely unlikeable characters who the audience doesn't care about. Any guy that would take this bubble-head back after pulling the crap that she did should have his head examined. Any guy with friends that would force him into a situation where he has to face this idiot woman again should hire a dolphin to bite their heads off. I have to admit I don't care for either of the lead actors to begin with, but I've never seen both of them worse. Any movie where Terry Bradshaw gives one of the two best performances should give any potential takers an indication of what they're in for. Zooey Deschanel is the lone bright spot playing Sarah J.'s loony roommate. As one could expect, females rated this film higher than males(the younger the girl, the higher the rating). Guys if your significant other rents this and wants you to watch it with her, do yourself a favor and push your head through a television set first. * of 4 stars.

Nice Launch!

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It's the first time in a long time that I see an actor that I like and an actress that I don't in a movie with two leading stars. I can't explain precisely why I dislike Sarah Jessica Parker and I've never liked her, but I do like Matthew McConaughey and with this feature he returns to the territory that knows him best; the romantic comedy.Strangely, McConaughey doesn't highlight in this genre when his leading couple is superior to him (Kate Hudson in "How to lose a guy in 10 days"), highlights the same when the actress is as good as him (Jennifer Lopez in "The Wedding Planner") and highlights more when he is better; like in this film. Jessica Parker has done the same lately in her attempts at the big screen, and I can't get to believe her (I found it difficult to tolerate her in "The Family Stone"). Plus, the fact that her character here had to lie on purpose didn't help much; neither did the constant make up in her face.The comedy in "Failure to launch" comes from the interesting script by Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember (both of them coming from the TV) that contains fresh phrases for what we're used to listen even when it doesn't escape the clichés of the plot of the genre. If we talk about the cast, the supporting actors are very well chosen: two perfect best friends who really seem worried when something happens to Tripp (McConaughey); it's in their eyes and even when they are different, the feeling of friendship unites them.Bradley Cooper and Justin Bartha play these friends in two very good performances for a romantic comedy that, unlike some I've seen lately, gives actual importance to the main characters' best friends. Zooey Deschanel (yes, that young actress who plays weird roles) is Paula's (Jessica Parker) best friend Kit and she steals the show with her disinterested portrayal. The music by Rolfe Kent ("Sideways", "Wedding Crashers", "Just Like Heaven") is another element to talk about; predictable but noticeable and warm: it highlights. Generally not so many elements are mentioned in a romantic comedy and that's why Tom Dey's direction is not so relevant for the picture. However, once again he tried to choose a starring couple that isn't supposed to work well together (Eddie Murphy & Robert De Niro; Jackie Chan & Owen Wilson); and he also leaves a fine impression with a career of three directed and very different pieces of humor. Another good contemporary comedy if you don't pay a lot of attention to the details and if you appreciate the classy participations of Kathy Bates, Terry Bradshaw and Stephen Tobolowsky.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427229/reviews-196

ur4751428

title: Nice Launch! review: It's the first time in a long time that I see an actor that I like and an actress that I don't in a movie with two leading stars. I can't explain precisely why I dislike Sarah Jessica Parker and I've never liked her, but I do like Matthew McConaughey and with this feature he returns to the territory that knows him best; the romantic comedy.Strangely, McConaughey doesn't highlight in this genre when his leading couple is superior to him (Kate Hudson in "How to lose a guy in 10 days"), highlights the same when the actress is as good as him (Jennifer Lopez in "The Wedding Planner") and highlights more when he is better; like in this film. Jessica Parker has done the same lately in her attempts at the big screen, and I can't get to believe her (I found it difficult to tolerate her in "The Family Stone"). Plus, the fact that her character here had to lie on purpose didn't help much; neither did the constant make up in her face.The comedy in "Failure to launch" comes from the interesting script by Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember (both of them coming from the TV) that contains fresh phrases for what we're used to listen even when it doesn't escape the clichés of the plot of the genre. If we talk about the cast, the supporting actors are very well chosen: two perfect best friends who really seem worried when something happens to Tripp (McConaughey); it's in their eyes and even when they are different, the feeling of friendship unites them.Bradley Cooper and Justin Bartha play these friends in two very good performances for a romantic comedy that, unlike some I've seen lately, gives actual importance to the main characters' best friends. Zooey Deschanel (yes, that young actress who plays weird roles) is Paula's (Jessica Parker) best friend Kit and she steals the show with her disinterested portrayal. The music by Rolfe Kent ("Sideways", "Wedding Crashers", "Just Like Heaven") is another element to talk about; predictable but noticeable and warm: it highlights. Generally not so many elements are mentioned in a romantic comedy and that's why Tom Dey's direction is not so relevant for the picture. However, once again he tried to choose a starring couple that isn't supposed to work well together (Eddie Murphy & Robert De Niro; Jackie Chan & Owen Wilson); and he also leaves a fine impression with a career of three directed and very different pieces of humor. Another good contemporary comedy if you don't pay a lot of attention to the details and if you appreciate the classy participations of Kathy Bates, Terry Bradshaw and Stephen Tobolowsky.

Great Cast Wasted on a Sub-Par Sitcom Script

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Why, oh, why, can Hollywood assemble such a fantastic cast, and fail the cast members so miserably with the script? Stay home and watch a "Friends" rerun and you'll probably witness a more coherent, funnier, and truer script.Every actor in this cast, including Terry Bradshaw, a former football player, is fantastic.In fact, why can Terry Bradshaw, a former football player, act better than professional Hollywood writers can write? This script is a mess. Scenes are short and borderline incoherent, or so dumb as to be targeted at an audience too young to care about romance. What's the point of putting goofy scenes, like the fake bird fake CPR scene, a scene that every seven year old in the audience will wake up for, in an alleged "romantic" comedy? There's no romance here. None. Zero. Zip. How do you put two such beautiful, sexy, charismatic actors -- Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker -- in a movie, and yet have absolutely zero romance or heat or sexual chemistry in the movie? I mean, you'd really have to be trying to make a movie this erotically neutered with two such stars.Nothing here makes much of any sense at all. The scenes are a jumble of failed ideas quickly abandoned. The direction and editing are nil.A few scenes are ridiculous and childish. Matthew McConaughey is repeatedly attacked by wild animals. These scenes just never take off.A few scenes are painful.MM takes SJP on a date on someone else's boat, pretending that it's his. He's caught, and has to run away. Is he supposed to be such a tacky character? Why is SJP supposed to fall in love with him? After MM discovers that his parents have been paying SJP to date him (this isn't a spoiler; this plot device is revealed early on), he uses a particularly crude word to tell her to go away. It's a believable reaction, but since everything else in the movie is so unbelievable, it's just awkward and does not fit.Then there is the scene where one group of characters spies on another couple of characters via webcams. It's meant to be heartwarming, but it's just utterly unbelievable and really creepy. Whoever scripted this scene is tone deaf.And a few scenes are just plain bizarre, as if they came from another movie.This is such a shame. The actors were up for it, but the script writers and director gave them nothing to work with.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427229/reviews-57

ur2366009

title: Great Cast Wasted on a Sub-Par Sitcom Script review: Why, oh, why, can Hollywood assemble such a fantastic cast, and fail the cast members so miserably with the script? Stay home and watch a "Friends" rerun and you'll probably witness a more coherent, funnier, and truer script.Every actor in this cast, including Terry Bradshaw, a former football player, is fantastic.In fact, why can Terry Bradshaw, a former football player, act better than professional Hollywood writers can write? This script is a mess. Scenes are short and borderline incoherent, or so dumb as to be targeted at an audience too young to care about romance. What's the point of putting goofy scenes, like the fake bird fake CPR scene, a scene that every seven year old in the audience will wake up for, in an alleged "romantic" comedy? There's no romance here. None. Zero. Zip. How do you put two such beautiful, sexy, charismatic actors -- Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker -- in a movie, and yet have absolutely zero romance or heat or sexual chemistry in the movie? I mean, you'd really have to be trying to make a movie this erotically neutered with two such stars.Nothing here makes much of any sense at all. The scenes are a jumble of failed ideas quickly abandoned. The direction and editing are nil.A few scenes are ridiculous and childish. Matthew McConaughey is repeatedly attacked by wild animals. These scenes just never take off.A few scenes are painful.MM takes SJP on a date on someone else's boat, pretending that it's his. He's caught, and has to run away. Is he supposed to be such a tacky character? Why is SJP supposed to fall in love with him? After MM discovers that his parents have been paying SJP to date him (this isn't a spoiler; this plot device is revealed early on), he uses a particularly crude word to tell her to go away. It's a believable reaction, but since everything else in the movie is so unbelievable, it's just awkward and does not fit.Then there is the scene where one group of characters spies on another couple of characters via webcams. It's meant to be heartwarming, but it's just utterly unbelievable and really creepy. Whoever scripted this scene is tone deaf.And a few scenes are just plain bizarre, as if they came from another movie.This is such a shame. The actors were up for it, but the script writers and director gave them nothing to work with.

Funny at times

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Matthew McConaughey is a bachelor whose inability to move out on his own has led to his parents to plot against him, his parents hire a woman played by Sarah Jessica Parker to move him....Soon Sarah Jessica Parker finds herself falling for McConaughey.The film is hilarious at times and not so funny at times; McConaughey does pull off the romantic lead but his comedy at times falls flat, however he carries it off with his abs...Thats right, I said.. Abs...The paint balling scene is hilarious and the scenes when McConaughey encounters an animal. The film has some sub-plots which are entertaining and give the film more depth as well as the main characters.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427229/reviews-241

ur8131454

title: Funny at times review: Matthew McConaughey is a bachelor whose inability to move out on his own has led to his parents to plot against him, his parents hire a woman played by Sarah Jessica Parker to move him....Soon Sarah Jessica Parker finds herself falling for McConaughey.The film is hilarious at times and not so funny at times; McConaughey does pull off the romantic lead but his comedy at times falls flat, however he carries it off with his abs...Thats right, I said.. Abs...The paint balling scene is hilarious and the scenes when McConaughey encounters an animal. The film has some sub-plots which are entertaining and give the film more depth as well as the main characters.

Failure To Excel

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I am not going to milk my review of the "mid 30's guy still living with parents" flick. However, I am going to hang around long enough to tell you that "Failure To Launch" did not start me up all that much. Matthew McConaughey stars as Trip, a mid 30's yacht instructor who still lives with the folks. McConaughey is a trip at times but plays the role with buffoon-like qualities which makes it very easy not to care for his character. Kathy Bates and Terry Bradshaw plays Trip's parents who want Trip to go on a one-way trip to Bachelorpadville. Bates, wonderful as she is, was not much of a bait to play this type of character. However, I must say Bradshaw, yes that football quarterback Terry Bradshaw, delivers an amusing performance as the daddy who quenches for his private naked room. Bradshaw's scene of his bare behind in the naked room is "ass"tronomically hilarious. Now we know why he was a quarterback and not a "tight end". The Trip parents hire Paula, a "get the son of out the house" female expert, in order for them to live tripless lives. Sarah Jessica Parker work as Paula did not have enough magnetism and was not in the parallel Parker equilibrium excellence of her infamous Carrie Bradshaw of "Sex and The City". Trip, unaware of her tactics, falls for Paula and a predictable romance follows. Undoubtedly, the launching power of "Failure to Launch" was the marvelous acting of Zooey Deschanel who plays Kit, the zany mockingbird-killer best friend of Paula who turns out to be the "first aid kit" the film needed to be savored from an atrocious rating. Kit was the coolest kat of "Failure to Launch". The film is not a complete a failure, but it needed more imaginative storytelling for its appealing concept in order to move out of the mediocre room. *** Average

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427229/reviews-88

ur0489763

title: Failure To Excel review: I am not going to milk my review of the "mid 30's guy still living with parents" flick. However, I am going to hang around long enough to tell you that "Failure To Launch" did not start me up all that much. Matthew McConaughey stars as Trip, a mid 30's yacht instructor who still lives with the folks. McConaughey is a trip at times but plays the role with buffoon-like qualities which makes it very easy not to care for his character. Kathy Bates and Terry Bradshaw plays Trip's parents who want Trip to go on a one-way trip to Bachelorpadville. Bates, wonderful as she is, was not much of a bait to play this type of character. However, I must say Bradshaw, yes that football quarterback Terry Bradshaw, delivers an amusing performance as the daddy who quenches for his private naked room. Bradshaw's scene of his bare behind in the naked room is "ass"tronomically hilarious. Now we know why he was a quarterback and not a "tight end". The Trip parents hire Paula, a "get the son of out the house" female expert, in order for them to live tripless lives. Sarah Jessica Parker work as Paula did not have enough magnetism and was not in the parallel Parker equilibrium excellence of her infamous Carrie Bradshaw of "Sex and The City". Trip, unaware of her tactics, falls for Paula and a predictable romance follows. Undoubtedly, the launching power of "Failure to Launch" was the marvelous acting of Zooey Deschanel who plays Kit, the zany mockingbird-killer best friend of Paula who turns out to be the "first aid kit" the film needed to be savored from an atrocious rating. Kit was the coolest kat of "Failure to Launch". The film is not a complete a failure, but it needed more imaginative storytelling for its appealing concept in order to move out of the mediocre room. *** Average

Buck Naked and Just Wrong

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In a scene from "Failure to Launch" Matthew McConaughey as Trip along with the audience comes upon his Dad Al played by Pro Football Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw buck naked feeding his pet fish in the den aquarium. I was hoping for Sarah Jessica Parker. I could have tolerated Matthew McConaughey. With all due respect to the talents of Terry Bradshaw, that is just wrong. This indelible image is illustrative of what goes awry in Director Tom Dey's "Failure to Launch". The screenplay by Tom Astle and Matt Ember begins with a novel and topical subject: Thirty-something adults still living with their parents. However, Astle and Ember squander whatever chance to make an intelligent comment on this American cultural phenomenon with a contrived romance, stupid animal humor, and an unintended plot twist that cheapens one of its character's integrity. "Failure to Launch" is not the worst way to kill a couple hours. Although, what is most disappointing about "Failure to Launch" is that it wastes the talents of McConaughey, Parker, Kathy Bates, and Terry Bradshaw.A key miscalculation may be the casting of Matthew McConaughey as home squatter Trip. Don't get me wrong. I am a fan. Matthew McConaughey is today's classic leading man. He is one the screen's most natural and genuinely charming actors. He has such an ease and grace about him. He is also deserving of his People Magazine Sexiest Man Alive distinction—he is strikingly handsome with chiseled abs. So McConaughey playing Trip, who is supposed be this 35 year-old "loser" who is a burden upon his parents Al (Bradshaw) and Sue (Kathy Bates), requires a leap of faith or something. Trip is a boat salesman with commitment allergy to women. Shocking. Al and Sue hire Paula (Sarah Jessica Parker) who is some sort of interventionist that gets thirty-something men to leave the parent nest. Admittedly, Paula (Parker) tells Trip's parents that he not her "typical" kind of client—after all he is Sexiest Man Alive 2005. Also Paula has a rule that she never has sex with her clients. However, being that we the audience is smarter than the script, we know otherwise.To their credit Astle and Ember do their best to create interesting fluff. Trip's buds are fellow dudes who still live with their parents: Ace (just right nerdy Justin Bartha) who is a software genius and Demo (crazed funny Bradley Cooper) who no one is exactly clear what he does. Trip is not totally irresponsible. He has a surrogate nephew Jeffrey (cute Tyrell Jackson Williams). Though well intentioned, this relationship is really just a plot device that is explained later. A very good and funny Zooey Deschanel plays Paula's free-spirited roommate Kit who is obsessed with killing a mockingbird outside her bedroom window that has been keeping her up for months. Amazingly Deschanel's wacky Kit is the muse of common sense in "Failure to Launch".Even in the midst of this movie gone astray, there is a touching and sweet scene with McConaughey and Bates as Trip and his Mom. Sue tells Trip that with him at home, she was not responsible for getting to know her husband all over again. This is a reminder of what good actors McConaughey and Bates are. This is also a reminder of what a wasted opportunity "Failure to Launch" is as a whole. Instead of talking about relationships in a compelling fashion we get Trip being bit by a crazed dolphin, squirrel, and lizard in the context that his soul is not in sync with the universe. Amazing—though not in a good way. Matthew McConaughey is good and at his charming best. Sarah Jessica Parker is dead on as the anal retentive and clumsily controlling Paula. Although both are very appealing stars, I personally did not get the chemistry. This is another failure in "Failure to Launch". More than anything watching "Failure to Launch" is frustrating and disappointing, because it could have been something really worth watching.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427229/reviews-119

ur1016453

title: Buck Naked and Just Wrong review: In a scene from "Failure to Launch" Matthew McConaughey as Trip along with the audience comes upon his Dad Al played by Pro Football Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw buck naked feeding his pet fish in the den aquarium. I was hoping for Sarah Jessica Parker. I could have tolerated Matthew McConaughey. With all due respect to the talents of Terry Bradshaw, that is just wrong. This indelible image is illustrative of what goes awry in Director Tom Dey's "Failure to Launch". The screenplay by Tom Astle and Matt Ember begins with a novel and topical subject: Thirty-something adults still living with their parents. However, Astle and Ember squander whatever chance to make an intelligent comment on this American cultural phenomenon with a contrived romance, stupid animal humor, and an unintended plot twist that cheapens one of its character's integrity. "Failure to Launch" is not the worst way to kill a couple hours. Although, what is most disappointing about "Failure to Launch" is that it wastes the talents of McConaughey, Parker, Kathy Bates, and Terry Bradshaw.A key miscalculation may be the casting of Matthew McConaughey as home squatter Trip. Don't get me wrong. I am a fan. Matthew McConaughey is today's classic leading man. He is one the screen's most natural and genuinely charming actors. He has such an ease and grace about him. He is also deserving of his People Magazine Sexiest Man Alive distinction—he is strikingly handsome with chiseled abs. So McConaughey playing Trip, who is supposed be this 35 year-old "loser" who is a burden upon his parents Al (Bradshaw) and Sue (Kathy Bates), requires a leap of faith or something. Trip is a boat salesman with commitment allergy to women. Shocking. Al and Sue hire Paula (Sarah Jessica Parker) who is some sort of interventionist that gets thirty-something men to leave the parent nest. Admittedly, Paula (Parker) tells Trip's parents that he not her "typical" kind of client—after all he is Sexiest Man Alive 2005. Also Paula has a rule that she never has sex with her clients. However, being that we the audience is smarter than the script, we know otherwise.To their credit Astle and Ember do their best to create interesting fluff. Trip's buds are fellow dudes who still live with their parents: Ace (just right nerdy Justin Bartha) who is a software genius and Demo (crazed funny Bradley Cooper) who no one is exactly clear what he does. Trip is not totally irresponsible. He has a surrogate nephew Jeffrey (cute Tyrell Jackson Williams). Though well intentioned, this relationship is really just a plot device that is explained later. A very good and funny Zooey Deschanel plays Paula's free-spirited roommate Kit who is obsessed with killing a mockingbird outside her bedroom window that has been keeping her up for months. Amazingly Deschanel's wacky Kit is the muse of common sense in "Failure to Launch".Even in the midst of this movie gone astray, there is a touching and sweet scene with McConaughey and Bates as Trip and his Mom. Sue tells Trip that with him at home, she was not responsible for getting to know her husband all over again. This is a reminder of what good actors McConaughey and Bates are. This is also a reminder of what a wasted opportunity "Failure to Launch" is as a whole. Instead of talking about relationships in a compelling fashion we get Trip being bit by a crazed dolphin, squirrel, and lizard in the context that his soul is not in sync with the universe. Amazing—though not in a good way. Matthew McConaughey is good and at his charming best. Sarah Jessica Parker is dead on as the anal retentive and clumsily controlling Paula. Although both are very appealing stars, I personally did not get the chemistry. This is another failure in "Failure to Launch". More than anything watching "Failure to Launch" is frustrating and disappointing, because it could have been something really worth watching.

No Failure to laugh

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When I saw the trailer for this movie, I thought why not give it a try. I like Matthew McConaughey. I think he is very good at his craft. Course I think he should have played Jim West in the Wild Wild West movie along with Oliver Platt. However, I digress.I also used to be a fan of Sarah Jessica Parker after L.A. Story but then she it seems after she had the baby her heart hasn't been in her movies This movie however really worked for me.I agree with another commenter that Zooey Deschanel who played Kit made the movie along with Tripp's pals Tripp is in a comfort zone living at home. His mother taking care of all his needs.Then Tripp's parents are at a party with other parents and they find out that the son left home.This is where Sarah comes in as Paula a sort of interventionist Slowly making Tripp fall for her, so that he will want to move out of his parent's house.Paula has a whole game plan, what with sharing similar interest with him, helping her in a crisis and having him teach her new stuff.It sort of backfires on her as she becomes attached to him and he learns from his pals just what his parents are up too.It all ends up with all parties happy .I would watch this movie again if it came on TV

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427229/reviews-151

ur2389183

title: No Failure to laugh review: When I saw the trailer for this movie, I thought why not give it a try. I like Matthew McConaughey. I think he is very good at his craft. Course I think he should have played Jim West in the Wild Wild West movie along with Oliver Platt. However, I digress.I also used to be a fan of Sarah Jessica Parker after L.A. Story but then she it seems after she had the baby her heart hasn't been in her movies This movie however really worked for me.I agree with another commenter that Zooey Deschanel who played Kit made the movie along with Tripp's pals Tripp is in a comfort zone living at home. His mother taking care of all his needs.Then Tripp's parents are at a party with other parents and they find out that the son left home.This is where Sarah comes in as Paula a sort of interventionist Slowly making Tripp fall for her, so that he will want to move out of his parent's house.Paula has a whole game plan, what with sharing similar interest with him, helping her in a crisis and having him teach her new stuff.It sort of backfires on her as she becomes attached to him and he learns from his pals just what his parents are up too.It all ends up with all parties happy .I would watch this movie again if it came on TV

When Animals Attack ...Something Unnatural is Going On!

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Tripp (Matthew McConaughey, TWO FOR THE MONEY) is a 35-year-old that still lives with his parents ...and they're sick of it. Unable to talk directly with Tripp about it, the parents hire Paula (Sarah Jessica Parker, THE FAMILY STONE), a professional motivator who assists families in ousting adult kids from parents' homes. But troubles quickly surface as Paula discovers that Tripp doesn't fit her usual profile. He's charming, has a great job, and is excessively good-looking. Changes in Paula's normal tactics are integrated only to come apart as she finds herself falling for Tripp.The ridiculous script and cast really give this film the umpf! it needed for success. It's surprising how enjoyable the movie is despite its light tone.Kathy Bates (MISERY) stars as Tripp's mother, aiding in her son's inability to move out by cleaning up after every mess he makes, doing his laundry, and fixing him scrumptious meals. Ex-quarterback Terry Bradshaw does a shockingly great job as Tripp's father, a distant man with a penchant for nudity (his own).McConaughey and Parker have great chemistry together, but if there's one person who stole the show it was Paula's roommate, Kit (Zooey Deschanel, THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY), a tough-talking tomboy who's lack of sleep thanks to a Mockingbird outside her bedroom window makes for some of the more hilarious moments in the film (think avian CPR including beak-to-mouth resuscitation!) The other thing that makes this light comedy so enjoyable was that it wasn't a chick-flick, like most romantic comedies. This one is more of a guy-flick. We all know someone who knows someone who has an adult child (usually a guy) still living in their home, right? The running gags on animal attacks against McConaughey's character are laugh-out-loud fun. And his two best friends, Ace (Justin Bartha, NATIONAL TREASURE) and Demo (Bradley Cooper, ALIAS), who also happen to be mommas boys living at home, have some excellent moments on film.This flick was a pleasant surprise. It's not going to increase your intellect in any way, but it certainly is a laugh-a-minute movie.(Things for football fans to watch out for: 1) Terry Bradshaw takes a young boy out of the house towards the end of the film and tells him, "I'll teach you how to ice your shoulders." 2) When the young boy and McConaughey are playing a football Playstation game, pay attention to the teams).

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427229/reviews-176

ur7704831

title: When Animals Attack ...Something Unnatural is Going On! review: Tripp (Matthew McConaughey, TWO FOR THE MONEY) is a 35-year-old that still lives with his parents ...and they're sick of it. Unable to talk directly with Tripp about it, the parents hire Paula (Sarah Jessica Parker, THE FAMILY STONE), a professional motivator who assists families in ousting adult kids from parents' homes. But troubles quickly surface as Paula discovers that Tripp doesn't fit her usual profile. He's charming, has a great job, and is excessively good-looking. Changes in Paula's normal tactics are integrated only to come apart as she finds herself falling for Tripp.The ridiculous script and cast really give this film the umpf! it needed for success. It's surprising how enjoyable the movie is despite its light tone.Kathy Bates (MISERY) stars as Tripp's mother, aiding in her son's inability to move out by cleaning up after every mess he makes, doing his laundry, and fixing him scrumptious meals. Ex-quarterback Terry Bradshaw does a shockingly great job as Tripp's father, a distant man with a penchant for nudity (his own).McConaughey and Parker have great chemistry together, but if there's one person who stole the show it was Paula's roommate, Kit (Zooey Deschanel, THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY), a tough-talking tomboy who's lack of sleep thanks to a Mockingbird outside her bedroom window makes for some of the more hilarious moments in the film (think avian CPR including beak-to-mouth resuscitation!) The other thing that makes this light comedy so enjoyable was that it wasn't a chick-flick, like most romantic comedies. This one is more of a guy-flick. We all know someone who knows someone who has an adult child (usually a guy) still living in their home, right? The running gags on animal attacks against McConaughey's character are laugh-out-loud fun. And his two best friends, Ace (Justin Bartha, NATIONAL TREASURE) and Demo (Bradley Cooper, ALIAS), who also happen to be mommas boys living at home, have some excellent moments on film.This flick was a pleasant surprise. It's not going to increase your intellect in any way, but it certainly is a laugh-a-minute movie.(Things for football fans to watch out for: 1) Terry Bradshaw takes a young boy out of the house towards the end of the film and tells him, "I'll teach you how to ice your shoulders." 2) When the young boy and McConaughey are playing a football Playstation game, pay attention to the teams).

Hate to Say I Liked This

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A thirtysomething slacker (Matthew McConaughey) suspects his parents of setting him up with his dream girl (Sarah Jessica Parker) so he will finally vacate their home. Also features a fairly early appearance by Bradley Cooper.Film critic Richard Roeper stated the film was "completely unbelievable." I was not aware it was supposed to be believable. Some otherwise negative reviews singled out Zooey Deschanel's performance as the film's highlight. As much as I hate to say it, she was more or less the best part...Roger Ebert wrote, "I was bitten by a donkey once. It was during a visit to Stanley Kubrick's farm, outside London. I was the guest of the gracious Christiane Kubrick, who took me on a stroll and showed me the field where she cares for playground donkeys after their retirement. I rested my hand on the fence, and a donkey bit me." Yes, this is really in his review, in his attempt to figure out why donkey bites are funny.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427229/reviews-258

ur1234929

title: Hate to Say I Liked This review: A thirtysomething slacker (Matthew McConaughey) suspects his parents of setting him up with his dream girl (Sarah Jessica Parker) so he will finally vacate their home. Also features a fairly early appearance by Bradley Cooper.Film critic Richard Roeper stated the film was "completely unbelievable." I was not aware it was supposed to be believable. Some otherwise negative reviews singled out Zooey Deschanel's performance as the film's highlight. As much as I hate to say it, she was more or less the best part...Roger Ebert wrote, "I was bitten by a donkey once. It was during a visit to Stanley Kubrick's farm, outside London. I was the guest of the gracious Christiane Kubrick, who took me on a stroll and showed me the field where she cares for playground donkeys after their retirement. I rested my hand on the fence, and a donkey bit me." Yes, this is really in his review, in his attempt to figure out why donkey bites are funny.

"Fails To Launch Any Chemistry Between McConaughey & Parker."

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A slacker in his thirties along with his friends all live with their parents. When the parents of Trip hear about another couples son moving out because of this woman, they hire her to go out with their son, so he can finally move out on his own.Failure To Launch is the first romantic comedy from the director Tom Dey, who's other works include Showtime and Shanghai Noon. Dey has a lot of the right ingredients to make a successful film, but when he blended them, he must have forgot the lid, because "Failure to Launch" is a mess. With Two great stars in the title roles and a story that seems to have some potential, what went wrong?The main problem with this film is that it, and sorry for the pun, fails to launch any chemistry between McConaughey and Parker. What made "How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days" a decent chick flick was the chemistry between Hudson and McConaughey, they played off each other perfectly. With "Failure to Launch" Parker and McConaughey seem to awkward together on the screen to really be believable. Tie in the fact that the two title characters are ALL THAT Likable to begin with, you have a pretty bad start to a film.With the two main characters not connecting very well, you'll need to have a really good supporting cast to save the film. With the exception of the parents, Terry Bradshaw and Kathy Bates, the entire supporting cast are really just forgettable. The two best friends are the comic relief, but they are not funny. One scene that would be the stand out would be the reviving of the mockingbird. It did get a chuckle out of me, but it's something that many have seen before. As mentioned before, Bradshaw and Bates steal the movie as the parents of McConaughey. Bradshaw with his naked room, the best part in the entire film lights up the screen and is the perfect choice to play with Bates. You can tell that they enjoyed their roles and basically had fun with it, which is what two certain main stars should have done.Of course the script follows the formula that every other romantic comedy follows. Guy meets girl, they go out, they fall out, then get back together because they love each other. So, you know step by step what is going to happen. I would like to see a romantic comedy that does something different and has it's character actually not end up together in the end. Something to come along and not follow formula.Tom Dey was the wrong man for the job, leading his actors a long and winding road that eventually ended up nowhere. If someone that has experience in this genre was behind the camera, then they could have used their skills to make the relationships between the characters work. Dey can stick to his buddy cop movies and leave the romantic comedies to people who know how to make an on-screen romance work."Launch" showcases some useless, awkward and pointless scenes, involving animals that attack McConaughey. Why they do this, I still do not understand, some reason that they threw at us was because he was not "with nature". Why these things are in this film, I have no idea. It adds nothing to the film, it only makes you sit in the chair longer and wonder why you decided to see such a film.The target audience are the young females, and they will drool over McConaughey, they will love the fact that the nerd loser friend gets the girl, they might even laugh. For the rest of the world that want to go to enjoy a film, you might want to pass, unless you're a big fan of those people involved or of the genre...and I mean a big fan.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427229/reviews-76

ur1878251

title: "Fails To Launch Any Chemistry Between McConaughey & Parker." review: A slacker in his thirties along with his friends all live with their parents. When the parents of Trip hear about another couples son moving out because of this woman, they hire her to go out with their son, so he can finally move out on his own.Failure To Launch is the first romantic comedy from the director Tom Dey, who's other works include Showtime and Shanghai Noon. Dey has a lot of the right ingredients to make a successful film, but when he blended them, he must have forgot the lid, because "Failure to Launch" is a mess. With Two great stars in the title roles and a story that seems to have some potential, what went wrong?The main problem with this film is that it, and sorry for the pun, fails to launch any chemistry between McConaughey and Parker. What made "How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days" a decent chick flick was the chemistry between Hudson and McConaughey, they played off each other perfectly. With "Failure to Launch" Parker and McConaughey seem to awkward together on the screen to really be believable. Tie in the fact that the two title characters are ALL THAT Likable to begin with, you have a pretty bad start to a film.With the two main characters not connecting very well, you'll need to have a really good supporting cast to save the film. With the exception of the parents, Terry Bradshaw and Kathy Bates, the entire supporting cast are really just forgettable. The two best friends are the comic relief, but they are not funny. One scene that would be the stand out would be the reviving of the mockingbird. It did get a chuckle out of me, but it's something that many have seen before. As mentioned before, Bradshaw and Bates steal the movie as the parents of McConaughey. Bradshaw with his naked room, the best part in the entire film lights up the screen and is the perfect choice to play with Bates. You can tell that they enjoyed their roles and basically had fun with it, which is what two certain main stars should have done.Of course the script follows the formula that every other romantic comedy follows. Guy meets girl, they go out, they fall out, then get back together because they love each other. So, you know step by step what is going to happen. I would like to see a romantic comedy that does something different and has it's character actually not end up together in the end. Something to come along and not follow formula.Tom Dey was the wrong man for the job, leading his actors a long and winding road that eventually ended up nowhere. If someone that has experience in this genre was behind the camera, then they could have used their skills to make the relationships between the characters work. Dey can stick to his buddy cop movies and leave the romantic comedies to people who know how to make an on-screen romance work."Launch" showcases some useless, awkward and pointless scenes, involving animals that attack McConaughey. Why they do this, I still do not understand, some reason that they threw at us was because he was not "with nature". Why these things are in this film, I have no idea. It adds nothing to the film, it only makes you sit in the chair longer and wonder why you decided to see such a film.The target audience are the young females, and they will drool over McConaughey, they will love the fact that the nerd loser friend gets the girl, they might even laugh. For the rest of the world that want to go to enjoy a film, you might want to pass, unless you're a big fan of those people involved or of the genre...and I mean a big fan.

Quirky, Offbeat... and Ultimately Endearing

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This is the story of a thirty-something guy, Tripp (Matthew McConaughey) and his two friends, Ace (Justin Bartha) and Demo (Bradley Cooper). All three still live with their parents. Then, the parents (Terry Bradshaw and Kathy Bates) of Tripp decide to hire a young woman, Paula (Sarah Jessica Parker) who makes men move out of their parent's houses... by simulating a romantic relationship with them. She has a clear cut plan that has never failed- until now. Because the last thing she expected was that Tripp would fight back.This is not your typical romantic comedy/chick flick. For one thing, it's told from the male perspective which makes it much more accessible for guys. For another, it actually has some very nice performances. But the humor itself is what makes it most different. It's just... not... quite.....normal. One of the main things that makes this movie credible is that it never falls into the usual pattern of these type of movies. Instead, it chooses a much more original (and strange) path. The quirky and offbeat humor follows throughout, displayed clearly by things like Paula's friend (Zooey Deschanel) and the continuous Mockingbird joke throughout, which I will admit has some of the best laughs.The leads are just okay here. McConaughey and Parker are acceptable. Parker can verge on annoying at times, and McConaughey definitely overacts more than once. However, they're never hateable. The only character I really couldn't stand was Bradley Cooper as Tripp's friend Demo. He bugged me. However, as has become typical, Zooey Deschanel and Justin Bartha are treasures. Ms. Deschanel is quickly making herself known as a real talent. And Bartha is always endearing. Of course, Kathy Bates is wonderful.So, it's just an okay film in the end. It's very offbeat the whole time- but that's definitely endearing in the end. Really- What else did anyone expect? It's a cute story with cute people and a cute ending. the best thing about the movie is Zooey Deschanel herself. Of course, I'm not complaining- I could watch her all day. The film never gets to excitement status and it never really impresses. However, it's certainly worth a watch. 5/10 stars! Jay Addison

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427229/reviews-209

ur9314013

title: Quirky, Offbeat... and Ultimately Endearing review: This is the story of a thirty-something guy, Tripp (Matthew McConaughey) and his two friends, Ace (Justin Bartha) and Demo (Bradley Cooper). All three still live with their parents. Then, the parents (Terry Bradshaw and Kathy Bates) of Tripp decide to hire a young woman, Paula (Sarah Jessica Parker) who makes men move out of their parent's houses... by simulating a romantic relationship with them. She has a clear cut plan that has never failed- until now. Because the last thing she expected was that Tripp would fight back.This is not your typical romantic comedy/chick flick. For one thing, it's told from the male perspective which makes it much more accessible for guys. For another, it actually has some very nice performances. But the humor itself is what makes it most different. It's just... not... quite.....normal. One of the main things that makes this movie credible is that it never falls into the usual pattern of these type of movies. Instead, it chooses a much more original (and strange) path. The quirky and offbeat humor follows throughout, displayed clearly by things like Paula's friend (Zooey Deschanel) and the continuous Mockingbird joke throughout, which I will admit has some of the best laughs.The leads are just okay here. McConaughey and Parker are acceptable. Parker can verge on annoying at times, and McConaughey definitely overacts more than once. However, they're never hateable. The only character I really couldn't stand was Bradley Cooper as Tripp's friend Demo. He bugged me. However, as has become typical, Zooey Deschanel and Justin Bartha are treasures. Ms. Deschanel is quickly making herself known as a real talent. And Bartha is always endearing. Of course, Kathy Bates is wonderful.So, it's just an okay film in the end. It's very offbeat the whole time- but that's definitely endearing in the end. Really- What else did anyone expect? It's a cute story with cute people and a cute ending. the best thing about the movie is Zooey Deschanel herself. Of course, I'm not complaining- I could watch her all day. The film never gets to excitement status and it never really impresses. However, it's certainly worth a watch. 5/10 stars! Jay Addison

A funny and quirky, but somewhat empty film

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I had a hard time judging this movie. There are some very funny moments and the acting is fine but it just sort of misses the mark in a lot of ways.Matthew McConnehy is his normal laid back self and plays the young, free-spirited boat broker named Tripp who still lives at home with his parents. Sarah Jessica Parker plays an intervention specialist named Paula who is hired by his parents, played perfectly by Kathy Bates and, surprisingly by Terry Bradshaw (ex-quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers) to get their son Tripp out of their house.Paula is supposed to make Tripp fall in love with her by being the perfect girlfriend so that he will feel the need to move and out on his own.That is the basic premise and the story is cute, the dialog witty, (but not at all believable) and the characters are just to thin. You never really feel for anyone in this movie despite it being a love story.But it's not like the film is a complete waste of time. Terry Bradshaw is just plain hysterical in a much larger role than I have ever seen him do before. He won't win any Oscar but you can't help but laugh throughout many of his scenes, especially **Warning: Spoiler Alert** when, after his son does move out, he creates a "Naked Room" for himself and is "dropped in on" by his son while feeding his fish in the raw! Tripp, while at unease with this new perspective on Dad, tries to carry on a normal conversation, but Dad just goes about his business. A very funny reference to this scene happens later at a get-together of all of Tripp's loved ones where they try to decide how to get this happy couple back together once Tripp breaks it off (in style) after he finds out that Paula is being paid by the parents to go out with him.Kathy Bates is her usual consummate self as the mother who loves her son, doesn't really want him to leave due to fear of living with her husband alone again, but wanting the best for Tripp.Other characters bring real fun to the picture in many areas. Tripp's two friends named "Ace" and "Demo", who also live at home with their parents, try hard to get Tripp to commit to the new girlfriend, because they know that deep down inside Tripp is not a truly happy person or in "harmony with nature". (there are several references to this part in the film and they add needed giggles) The film is better when the two buddies are on screen.The nephew adds some humor to the mix by offering words of wisdom from a 10-years old perspective.But the really hysterical parts of the movie are brought on by Paula's roommate "Kit" played by Zooey Deschannel, and with spot on, dead-pan delivery, she plays another lonely single girl who's most immediate problem is her own lack of sleep due to a mocking bird that has taken up residence in the tree outside her window. This adds several minutes of truly witty banter and gut busting frivolity, especially in the sporting goods store, where she enters, trying to buy a gun to kill the annoying bird, and delivers the film's best scene with the store clerk. I laughed out loud throughout this entire exchange.The movie is one of those films that's hard to hate. But, sadly, it won't make you cry either. That's the problem! There is there's no real sentiment in the film at all. It's just a, semi-fast paced script, filled with one and two liners that will bring a chuckle but will leave you wishing that it made you feel better.All in all, I give it a 6.5, at least, for making me laugh. It's worth a look, if only to see Mr. Bradshaw's complete lack of shame in his comfort level during the nude scenes. You will not likely go out and buy this one for your collection, but then you won't want to burn your rental copy either.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427229/reviews-223

ur0464713

title: A funny and quirky, but somewhat empty film review: I had a hard time judging this movie. There are some very funny moments and the acting is fine but it just sort of misses the mark in a lot of ways.Matthew McConnehy is his normal laid back self and plays the young, free-spirited boat broker named Tripp who still lives at home with his parents. Sarah Jessica Parker plays an intervention specialist named Paula who is hired by his parents, played perfectly by Kathy Bates and, surprisingly by Terry Bradshaw (ex-quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers) to get their son Tripp out of their house.Paula is supposed to make Tripp fall in love with her by being the perfect girlfriend so that he will feel the need to move and out on his own.That is the basic premise and the story is cute, the dialog witty, (but not at all believable) and the characters are just to thin. You never really feel for anyone in this movie despite it being a love story.But it's not like the film is a complete waste of time. Terry Bradshaw is just plain hysterical in a much larger role than I have ever seen him do before. He won't win any Oscar but you can't help but laugh throughout many of his scenes, especially **Warning: Spoiler Alert** when, after his son does move out, he creates a "Naked Room" for himself and is "dropped in on" by his son while feeding his fish in the raw! Tripp, while at unease with this new perspective on Dad, tries to carry on a normal conversation, but Dad just goes about his business. A very funny reference to this scene happens later at a get-together of all of Tripp's loved ones where they try to decide how to get this happy couple back together once Tripp breaks it off (in style) after he finds out that Paula is being paid by the parents to go out with him.Kathy Bates is her usual consummate self as the mother who loves her son, doesn't really want him to leave due to fear of living with her husband alone again, but wanting the best for Tripp.Other characters bring real fun to the picture in many areas. Tripp's two friends named "Ace" and "Demo", who also live at home with their parents, try hard to get Tripp to commit to the new girlfriend, because they know that deep down inside Tripp is not a truly happy person or in "harmony with nature". (there are several references to this part in the film and they add needed giggles) The film is better when the two buddies are on screen.The nephew adds some humor to the mix by offering words of wisdom from a 10-years old perspective.But the really hysterical parts of the movie are brought on by Paula's roommate "Kit" played by Zooey Deschannel, and with spot on, dead-pan delivery, she plays another lonely single girl who's most immediate problem is her own lack of sleep due to a mocking bird that has taken up residence in the tree outside her window. This adds several minutes of truly witty banter and gut busting frivolity, especially in the sporting goods store, where she enters, trying to buy a gun to kill the annoying bird, and delivers the film's best scene with the store clerk. I laughed out loud throughout this entire exchange.The movie is one of those films that's hard to hate. But, sadly, it won't make you cry either. That's the problem! There is there's no real sentiment in the film at all. It's just a, semi-fast paced script, filled with one and two liners that will bring a chuckle but will leave you wishing that it made you feel better.All in all, I give it a 6.5, at least, for making me laugh. It's worth a look, if only to see Mr. Bradshaw's complete lack of shame in his comfort level during the nude scenes. You will not likely go out and buy this one for your collection, but then you won't want to burn your rental copy either.

Obvious at times, but I liked it.

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Failure to Launch is a film that tanked with critics. But I was one of the rare few who actually thought it was funny. Failure to launch is one of those films that is obvious at times and somewhat silly but has things to keep it together. I'm tired of these Matthew Mcconaghay romantic comedies. I have no intention on seeing Ghosts of girlfriend's past. I don't think he can act. But this was probably his last good romantic comedy. The reason why I most liked it was because I thought some of the characters were great and that most of the film was funny. I will name the good characters: Kit(Zooey Deschanel): Kit is Paula's(Sarah Jessica Parker)room mate. Kit is obsessing about killing this mockingbird throughout the entire film. She's great in this film, like in every film she's in. I really thought she was great in this movie.Ace(Justin Bartha): Justin Bartha(One of my favorite actors) plays Ace. When I found out he was in this film, I had to see it. Ace is a dork who actually falls in love with Kit. I just thought he was good as Ace. Like I expected.Trip's parents: The main character's parents(played by Kathy Bates and Terry Bradshaw) are pretty funny in this film. They remind me of a Barone type couple, which I hate. But I don't hate these people. Though they try to throw their son out of the house, I could see why.I know getting bit by animals time and time and again may not be funny. I thought it was. Mostly do to the film's great characters and good humor but sometimes obvious humor, Failure to Launch still pulls together. I think you should see it.The Plot: Trip is a thirty something year old who still lives with his parents. So one day, his parents hire a woman to date him to try to convince him to move out of the house.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427229/reviews-248

ur21821220

title: Obvious at times, but I liked it. review: Failure to Launch is a film that tanked with critics. But I was one of the rare few who actually thought it was funny. Failure to launch is one of those films that is obvious at times and somewhat silly but has things to keep it together. I'm tired of these Matthew Mcconaghay romantic comedies. I have no intention on seeing Ghosts of girlfriend's past. I don't think he can act. But this was probably his last good romantic comedy. The reason why I most liked it was because I thought some of the characters were great and that most of the film was funny. I will name the good characters: Kit(Zooey Deschanel): Kit is Paula's(Sarah Jessica Parker)room mate. Kit is obsessing about killing this mockingbird throughout the entire film. She's great in this film, like in every film she's in. I really thought she was great in this movie.Ace(Justin Bartha): Justin Bartha(One of my favorite actors) plays Ace. When I found out he was in this film, I had to see it. Ace is a dork who actually falls in love with Kit. I just thought he was good as Ace. Like I expected.Trip's parents: The main character's parents(played by Kathy Bates and Terry Bradshaw) are pretty funny in this film. They remind me of a Barone type couple, which I hate. But I don't hate these people. Though they try to throw their son out of the house, I could see why.I know getting bit by animals time and time and again may not be funny. I thought it was. Mostly do to the film's great characters and good humor but sometimes obvious humor, Failure to Launch still pulls together. I think you should see it.The Plot: Trip is a thirty something year old who still lives with his parents. So one day, his parents hire a woman to date him to try to convince him to move out of the house.

A Surprisingly Funny Romantic Comedy Mounted on an Original Canvas....

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FAILURE TO LAUNCH is a clever and very entertaining romantic comedy based on an American phenomena that, inexplicably, doesn't get talked about much but is refreshingly brought of the closet here. Matthew McConaughey stars as Tripp, a 35 year-old,commitment-phobic, man/child who works as a boat broker and still lives at home with his parents. A supposed chance meeting with a woman named Paula leads Tripp to think he might be in love...unbeknown st to him, Paula was actually hired by his parents to seduce him so that he will move out of the house. Granted, this clever premise is also problematic in that it forces the viewer to sympathize with characters who are doing unsympathetic things. If you can accept the fact that there is no legitimate reason why Tripp should be living at home (he originally stayed at home to recover from the death of an ex)anymore and you can accept the arrogance of Paula who claims latest client Tripp is a classic case and that she can make ANY man want to move out his parents' house and you can accept that instead of just kicking Tripp out, his parents go to these lengths to get him out of the house, this movie is a lot of fun. Tom Dey's spirited direction is a big plus and the cast is wonderful. Matthew McConaughey, an actor whose made more bad movies in the last decade or two than most working actors today, has not been this appealing in years and Sarah Jessica Parker somehow manages to make the arrogant Paul extremely likable. Justin Bartha and Bradley Cooper are very funny as Ace and Demo, Tripp's two best friends, who ALSO live at home with their parents and Zooey Deschanel steals every scene she is in as Kit, Paula's dark-hearted roommate. The casting of Terry Bradshaw and Kathy Bates as Tripp's parents is nothing short of genius...the chemistry between Bradshaw and Bates is kinetic and they bring even more humor and warmth to their roles than the script allows. There is one funny scene after another and even though you can see where this one is going pretty quickly, the journey is a lot of fun. If you're an adult living at home, or you're a parent of an adult living at home, this film is a must. Both sides of the issue are presented here...purely for laughs.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427229/reviews-229

ur8042382

title: A Surprisingly Funny Romantic Comedy Mounted on an Original Canvas.... review: FAILURE TO LAUNCH is a clever and very entertaining romantic comedy based on an American phenomena that, inexplicably, doesn't get talked about much but is refreshingly brought of the closet here. Matthew McConaughey stars as Tripp, a 35 year-old,commitment-phobic, man/child who works as a boat broker and still lives at home with his parents. A supposed chance meeting with a woman named Paula leads Tripp to think he might be in love...unbeknown st to him, Paula was actually hired by his parents to seduce him so that he will move out of the house. Granted, this clever premise is also problematic in that it forces the viewer to sympathize with characters who are doing unsympathetic things. If you can accept the fact that there is no legitimate reason why Tripp should be living at home (he originally stayed at home to recover from the death of an ex)anymore and you can accept the arrogance of Paula who claims latest client Tripp is a classic case and that she can make ANY man want to move out his parents' house and you can accept that instead of just kicking Tripp out, his parents go to these lengths to get him out of the house, this movie is a lot of fun. Tom Dey's spirited direction is a big plus and the cast is wonderful. Matthew McConaughey, an actor whose made more bad movies in the last decade or two than most working actors today, has not been this appealing in years and Sarah Jessica Parker somehow manages to make the arrogant Paul extremely likable. Justin Bartha and Bradley Cooper are very funny as Ace and Demo, Tripp's two best friends, who ALSO live at home with their parents and Zooey Deschanel steals every scene she is in as Kit, Paula's dark-hearted roommate. The casting of Terry Bradshaw and Kathy Bates as Tripp's parents is nothing short of genius...the chemistry between Bradshaw and Bates is kinetic and they bring even more humor and warmth to their roles than the script allows. There is one funny scene after another and even though you can see where this one is going pretty quickly, the journey is a lot of fun. If you're an adult living at home, or you're a parent of an adult living at home, this film is a must. Both sides of the issue are presented here...purely for laughs.

I do not get the low ratings for this silly farce.

tt0427229

Paramount Pictures released this film. Paramount Pictures has been known to make & release silly,stupid, crazy farce comedies going back as far as I can remember to the 1930's. They all had basically the same formula PLUS one vitally important feature, The characters were likable.That is what i liked about Failure to Launch,Matthew McConaughey & Sara Jessica Parker, are very well cast & can do silly farce & not look stupid.They are able assisted by Kathy Bates, Terry Bradshaw, Zooey Deschanel & a trio of actors (i am not familiar with).This cast are not the brightest bulbs,but they know there craft & how to make an audience like them, even if they are acting silly. Pay no attention to the nutty plot & story, we have seen variations in many other movies & on TV sit-com's.As you may gather I like movies where I like the people, I may not want to see them too often, But I would have coffee, or a drink with any of them ,whenever I did see them.The scenery is beautiful, all the production credits are quite good.Those that gave this bad reviews MUST have seen a different movie.Ratings *** (out of 4) 82 points (out of 100)IMDB 7 out of 10)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427229/reviews-210

ur0495697

title: I do not get the low ratings for this silly farce. review: Paramount Pictures released this film. Paramount Pictures has been known to make & release silly,stupid, crazy farce comedies going back as far as I can remember to the 1930's. They all had basically the same formula PLUS one vitally important feature, The characters were likable.That is what i liked about Failure to Launch,Matthew McConaughey & Sara Jessica Parker, are very well cast & can do silly farce & not look stupid.They are able assisted by Kathy Bates, Terry Bradshaw, Zooey Deschanel & a trio of actors (i am not familiar with).This cast are not the brightest bulbs,but they know there craft & how to make an audience like them, even if they are acting silly. Pay no attention to the nutty plot & story, we have seen variations in many other movies & on TV sit-com's.As you may gather I like movies where I like the people, I may not want to see them too often, But I would have coffee, or a drink with any of them ,whenever I did see them.The scenery is beautiful, all the production credits are quite good.Those that gave this bad reviews MUST have seen a different movie.Ratings *** (out of 4) 82 points (out of 100)IMDB 7 out of 10)

It's time to fly the coop

tt0427229

Failure to Launch stars Mathew McConaughey as a successful boat salesman who just doesn't want to leave home. At home, his every need is constantly being catered for; his every desire always fulfilled. From his rent to his laundry and packed lunches – he seems to have it all together. But when is he going to get on with his own life? The main problem he has is committing to a serious relationship. Whenever he feels a woman is getting attached to him, he brings her home – to meet his over-zealous parents. The women all react the same – with shock and horror.McConaughey is a successful man with matinée idol good looks and a good future, but he is nothing more than a mama's boy. The girls' dismay at his place of residence always result in their speedy departure. This in turn validates his desire to remain uncommitted. Enter Sarah Jessica Parker – a hard-core "Failure to Launch" therapist. She woos men and in so doing lures them out of the parents' homes and gets them set up in their own homes.But this time around, the cookie doesn't crumble that way.While his parents are emotionally ready to see their golden boy fly the coop, it's going to take a little more than coercion to make it happen. When the services of Parker are employed, this romantic comedy assumes a life force of its own. The action come thick and fast and the humour is engaging.It's good fun for anyone over 13. Two thumbs up for a simply relaxing film.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427229/reviews-213

ur11264932

title: It's time to fly the coop review: Failure to Launch stars Mathew McConaughey as a successful boat salesman who just doesn't want to leave home. At home, his every need is constantly being catered for; his every desire always fulfilled. From his rent to his laundry and packed lunches – he seems to have it all together. But when is he going to get on with his own life? The main problem he has is committing to a serious relationship. Whenever he feels a woman is getting attached to him, he brings her home – to meet his over-zealous parents. The women all react the same – with shock and horror.McConaughey is a successful man with matinée idol good looks and a good future, but he is nothing more than a mama's boy. The girls' dismay at his place of residence always result in their speedy departure. This in turn validates his desire to remain uncommitted. Enter Sarah Jessica Parker – a hard-core "Failure to Launch" therapist. She woos men and in so doing lures them out of the parents' homes and gets them set up in their own homes.But this time around, the cookie doesn't crumble that way.While his parents are emotionally ready to see their golden boy fly the coop, it's going to take a little more than coercion to make it happen. When the services of Parker are employed, this romantic comedy assumes a life force of its own. The action come thick and fast and the humour is engaging.It's good fun for anyone over 13. Two thumbs up for a simply relaxing film.

A Peter Lorre masterpiece.

tt0033107

If IMDb.com would allow it, I would summarize this movie in two words, Peter Lorre, and leave it at that. This movie is driven by the Lorre's presence, which is both menacing and endearing. What a wonderful actor and he proves it in this movie. This movie, although only 64 minutes long, has it all: suspense, romance, crisp cinematography, emotive music and a great story. The rest of cast, which includes John McGuire, also is excellent. The film noir style perfectly sets the mood and the dialog is snappy, upbeat and and comprehensible. The movie tells a story and tells it well, with no frills and no distractions and when the movie ends, the audience can feel that it was time well spent.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033107/reviews-63

ur6458242

title: A Peter Lorre masterpiece. review: If IMDb.com would allow it, I would summarize this movie in two words, Peter Lorre, and leave it at that. This movie is driven by the Lorre's presence, which is both menacing and endearing. What a wonderful actor and he proves it in this movie. This movie, although only 64 minutes long, has it all: suspense, romance, crisp cinematography, emotive music and a great story. The rest of cast, which includes John McGuire, also is excellent. The film noir style perfectly sets the mood and the dialog is snappy, upbeat and and comprehensible. The movie tells a story and tells it well, with no frills and no distractions and when the movie ends, the audience can feel that it was time well spent.

"My son, there's murder in every intelligent man's heart"

tt0033107

Watching 'The Stranger on the Third Floor (1940),' I was conscious of being present at a birth: the birth of film noir, at least in its most readily recognisable form. As if to announce impending delivery, the film's title is superimposed over the classically noirish image of a man's figure – silhouetted behind a pair of blinds – smoking contemplatively at an apartment window. Boris Ingster's visual sensibility, with cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca, is very strong, despite a relatively slight budget; the film's centrepiece dream sequence is a grippingly-surrealistic succession of nightmarish pessimism, as the story's minor hero is swept along towards execution by the cruel, indifferent hand of fate. Even so, it is still a rather shaky start for a movement that would, for the following two decades, shape and define American cinema. I don't expect that 'The Stranger on the Third Floor,' a low-budget nonentity, had all that much influence on its successors – I suppose that 'The Maltese Falcon (1941)' and 'High Sierra (1941)' were responsible for most of that.Ingster obviously filmed his picture on a very modest budget; Peter Lorre only appeared because he owed two extant days on his RKO contract, and the extra short running-time suggests a production filmed on the cheap. Perhaps fortunately, the filmmakers recognised that 64 minutes was inadequate time to attempt anything elaborate, and so the film dedicates itself towards one basic idea: the fallibility of circumstantial evidence. This notion is drilled so emphatically that its message comes across almost as a public service announcement. In many film noir pictures, there is more than meets the eye – in this one, what you see is exactly what you get. I had been hoping that the annoying neighbour's murder would ultimately be revealed as an act of violence committed subconsciously by Mike Ward (John McGuire) in his sleep, but, alas, Ingster would probably have considered even the suggestion an insult to his film's noble message.The cast of 'The Stranger on the Third Floor' is largely average at best, with only top-billed star Peter Lorre (in virtually a cameo role) managing to liven up the proceedings, as usual. The two main co-stars, John McGuire and Margaret Tallichet, do adequately in the film's more relaxed moments, but introduce a dramatic situation and suddenly they become wildly theatrical, exaggerating every emotion to the point of self-parody. Of course, Lorre does this, as well, but he's one of the few actors who've ever been able to pull it off. Channelling his tormented child-killer in Fritz Lang's 'M (1931),' Lorre brings a similarly-tragic pathos to this role; not an entirely frightening character, but quite obviously insane, and liable to do anything. Elisha Cook, Jr. – the mistreated stooge that no noir should be without – attempts rather unsuccessfully to show some sincerity (though he reminded me of Mickey Rooney in a couple of scenes), but he's always been better when playing the faux tough-guy who inevitably catches a bullet in the back.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033107/reviews-35

ur10334028

title: "My son, there's murder in every intelligent man's heart" review: Watching 'The Stranger on the Third Floor (1940),' I was conscious of being present at a birth: the birth of film noir, at least in its most readily recognisable form. As if to announce impending delivery, the film's title is superimposed over the classically noirish image of a man's figure – silhouetted behind a pair of blinds – smoking contemplatively at an apartment window. Boris Ingster's visual sensibility, with cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca, is very strong, despite a relatively slight budget; the film's centrepiece dream sequence is a grippingly-surrealistic succession of nightmarish pessimism, as the story's minor hero is swept along towards execution by the cruel, indifferent hand of fate. Even so, it is still a rather shaky start for a movement that would, for the following two decades, shape and define American cinema. I don't expect that 'The Stranger on the Third Floor,' a low-budget nonentity, had all that much influence on its successors – I suppose that 'The Maltese Falcon (1941)' and 'High Sierra (1941)' were responsible for most of that.Ingster obviously filmed his picture on a very modest budget; Peter Lorre only appeared because he owed two extant days on his RKO contract, and the extra short running-time suggests a production filmed on the cheap. Perhaps fortunately, the filmmakers recognised that 64 minutes was inadequate time to attempt anything elaborate, and so the film dedicates itself towards one basic idea: the fallibility of circumstantial evidence. This notion is drilled so emphatically that its message comes across almost as a public service announcement. In many film noir pictures, there is more than meets the eye – in this one, what you see is exactly what you get. I had been hoping that the annoying neighbour's murder would ultimately be revealed as an act of violence committed subconsciously by Mike Ward (John McGuire) in his sleep, but, alas, Ingster would probably have considered even the suggestion an insult to his film's noble message.The cast of 'The Stranger on the Third Floor' is largely average at best, with only top-billed star Peter Lorre (in virtually a cameo role) managing to liven up the proceedings, as usual. The two main co-stars, John McGuire and Margaret Tallichet, do adequately in the film's more relaxed moments, but introduce a dramatic situation and suddenly they become wildly theatrical, exaggerating every emotion to the point of self-parody. Of course, Lorre does this, as well, but he's one of the few actors who've ever been able to pull it off. Channelling his tormented child-killer in Fritz Lang's 'M (1931),' Lorre brings a similarly-tragic pathos to this role; not an entirely frightening character, but quite obviously insane, and liable to do anything. Elisha Cook, Jr. – the mistreated stooge that no noir should be without – attempts rather unsuccessfully to show some sincerity (though he reminded me of Mickey Rooney in a couple of scenes), but he's always been better when playing the faux tough-guy who inevitably catches a bullet in the back.

Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) **

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You've got to be kidding me. Peter Lorre is listed in the credits as the top "star" of this film, but in reality he has very little screen time and only worked on the picture for two days for RKO, since he owed them some time after he finished work on YOU'LL FIND OUT (1940). It wouldn't have mattered that Lorre was underused, had the movie actually turned out to be good... but it isn't. And Lorre here is just a typical caricature of his own quirky image in his brief appearances. This is supposedly one of the earliest Film Noirs, but so much of it (including silly flashback sequences) borders on the unintentionally hilarious. The story surrounds a young reporter (John McGuire) and his wife-to-be (Margaret Tallichet). The man witnesses a murder, and then helps to finger the chief suspect (Elisha Cook Jr., who is funny in his frantic part). Then our hero begins to have nightmares which haunt him (and make us laugh) as he begins to regret possibly sending an innocent man to his death. In the middle of all of this, Peter Lorre is the title stranger who drifts in and out of scenes and looks rather suspicious as the true murderer, while milking his own usual brand of creepiness. What a gyp. ** out of ****

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033107/reviews-33

ur3441650

title: Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) ** review: You've got to be kidding me. Peter Lorre is listed in the credits as the top "star" of this film, but in reality he has very little screen time and only worked on the picture for two days for RKO, since he owed them some time after he finished work on YOU'LL FIND OUT (1940). It wouldn't have mattered that Lorre was underused, had the movie actually turned out to be good... but it isn't. And Lorre here is just a typical caricature of his own quirky image in his brief appearances. This is supposedly one of the earliest Film Noirs, but so much of it (including silly flashback sequences) borders on the unintentionally hilarious. The story surrounds a young reporter (John McGuire) and his wife-to-be (Margaret Tallichet). The man witnesses a murder, and then helps to finger the chief suspect (Elisha Cook Jr., who is funny in his frantic part). Then our hero begins to have nightmares which haunt him (and make us laugh) as he begins to regret possibly sending an innocent man to his death. In the middle of all of this, Peter Lorre is the title stranger who drifts in and out of scenes and looks rather suspicious as the true murderer, while milking his own usual brand of creepiness. What a gyp. ** out of ****

Unusual, little known thriller

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Taut, weird psychothriller centers on a novice newsman who's been promoted because of stories connected to a murder to which he's the only witness. His testimony gets the innocent man (Cook, Jr.) convicted, as he discovers when his neighbor is killed by the same man (Lorre) -- who the police refuse to believe exists. In fact, our hero is now suspect #1 in the crime he was covering. His loyal girlfriend, god bless her soul, sets out to track Lorre down, even though she's never seen him.Good low-budget noir, VERY short. Excellent photography, very odd dream sequences.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033107/reviews-7

ur0178741

title: Unusual, little known thriller review: Taut, weird psychothriller centers on a novice newsman who's been promoted because of stories connected to a murder to which he's the only witness. His testimony gets the innocent man (Cook, Jr.) convicted, as he discovers when his neighbor is killed by the same man (Lorre) -- who the police refuse to believe exists. In fact, our hero is now suspect #1 in the crime he was covering. His loyal girlfriend, god bless her soul, sets out to track Lorre down, even though she's never seen him.Good low-budget noir, VERY short. Excellent photography, very odd dream sequences.

A real curio that is worth seeking out

tt0033107

This decidedly weird B-movie is often cited as the first 'film noir'; that it is remembered at all says something of its quality. It may be daft but it's genuinely creep and imaginative and it triumphs over its skid-row credentials. John McGuire is the reporter whose 'eye-witness' testimony is enough to send Elisha Cook Jr to the electric chair for a murder he didn't commit. Haunted by nightmares that Cook may well be innocent he then finds himself in a similar situation, implicated in the murder of his neighbour with whom he didn't get along.The film was billed as a Peter Lorre vehicle, (Lorre's name comes above the title), though his contribution is minimal, (he's the real killer), and much is made of Lorre's persona from his role as the murderer in "M". (Lorre's presence was probably enough to get the film financed in the first place though his part is really quite small). It is full of long, dark shadows, splendid chiaroscuro cinematography and you do feel as if you eavesdropped on the central character's nightmare. The acting may be lame and the dialogue not much better but it's a curio that has stood the test of time when many similarly designed, major studio pictures have fallen by the wayside.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033107/reviews-30

ur1683855

title: A real curio that is worth seeking out review: This decidedly weird B-movie is often cited as the first 'film noir'; that it is remembered at all says something of its quality. It may be daft but it's genuinely creep and imaginative and it triumphs over its skid-row credentials. John McGuire is the reporter whose 'eye-witness' testimony is enough to send Elisha Cook Jr to the electric chair for a murder he didn't commit. Haunted by nightmares that Cook may well be innocent he then finds himself in a similar situation, implicated in the murder of his neighbour with whom he didn't get along.The film was billed as a Peter Lorre vehicle, (Lorre's name comes above the title), though his contribution is minimal, (he's the real killer), and much is made of Lorre's persona from his role as the murderer in "M". (Lorre's presence was probably enough to get the film financed in the first place though his part is really quite small). It is full of long, dark shadows, splendid chiaroscuro cinematography and you do feel as if you eavesdropped on the central character's nightmare. The acting may be lame and the dialogue not much better but it's a curio that has stood the test of time when many similarly designed, major studio pictures have fallen by the wayside.

Three floors of internal monologue

tt0033107

Film noir has deep roots in Weimar Germany, and I don't mean the tricks with light and shadow, those being tricks. The engine was always control over the narrative and disoriented mind. It goes back to Lang, Sternberg, Pabst, selective films by primarily those three. I have written extensively on all three. But as far as the Hollywood model is concerned, the traditional iconography we identify as noir, it probably starts here. The Maltese Falcon and a score of other films would come out the next year.The score is that a murder has taken place, a young man arrested and awaiting trial, and our newspaper reporter is the key witness. He is quite adamant in the court that he's reporting truth, truth as he saw it. But of course he didn't see the actual murder take place. Nevertheless, the young man gets the chair.Now dramatically the entire thing is shoddy and wholly scripted from the outside, every character openly announcing love or doubt. But we lucked out that this was a b-movie filmed on the cheap, and so had to be quick and inventive, in place of a lot of words having to rely on a few strokes of the camera in just over 60 minutes.Our reporter is eaten inside by doubt that he helped convict the wrong man, and ordinarily we'd be taken on a plot where the tangled web is reasoned back into its rightful order. Instead we have amazing cinema, the widely discussed hallucination and centered in the house. Now most reviewers have rested their comments on the expressive sets and feverish air of the nightmare, as the man hallucinates himself in the situation of the convicted who is innocent but no one will believe him. It is the one scene that immediately calls for attention. But the nightmare has started well before he's fast asleep and is a little more intricately woven. The internal monologue of doubt and self-recrimination starts down in the street and goes up the lodging place, with the man pacing up and down the halls, no longer the confident person we first met, going through possible scenarios and his level involvement, and the stream of consciousness reflects shattered reality, coalescing from one unfinished thought into the one after next. It's the one thing perfectly written in this, whether intentionally or not.So the limits of a safe, recognizable world torn away, the eye no longer allowed to rest within a sensible geography, every little thing suddenly becomes a clue that triggers a story to fit in it. He sees a mysterious stranger on the third floor, the door opposite his.Then of course the nightmare on the third floor, the court, pointed fingers accusing, the huge cavernous cell with shadows of bars slanting on him.The third layer and more frightening is that he wakes up to discover that reality was just as dreamed. The uncanny effect produced by doubling the other two layers into now a straight-forward 'wrong man' plot, is it allows us to recast anxiety as spillover from both nightmare and monologue. This is very clever tinkering and especially at the b- level, every last bit of the film may be the mind in disarray and muttering to itself.Of course the story was all true as we suspected, both men innocent, and a 'crazy person' responsible. Everything is set straight. The twist is that it's the woman who acts as the private eye, doing the grassroots detective work on the streets. The court is spared a second trial, fateful causality taking care of loose ends. The denouement of a happy life ahead of everyone is like straight from a dream, which is fitting since the premise was that reality was just as dreamed.Subsequent filmmakers would supply a more ambiguously layered eye, but this was great for the time, an impressive start.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033107/reviews-56

ur17699578

title: Three floors of internal monologue review: Film noir has deep roots in Weimar Germany, and I don't mean the tricks with light and shadow, those being tricks. The engine was always control over the narrative and disoriented mind. It goes back to Lang, Sternberg, Pabst, selective films by primarily those three. I have written extensively on all three. But as far as the Hollywood model is concerned, the traditional iconography we identify as noir, it probably starts here. The Maltese Falcon and a score of other films would come out the next year.The score is that a murder has taken place, a young man arrested and awaiting trial, and our newspaper reporter is the key witness. He is quite adamant in the court that he's reporting truth, truth as he saw it. But of course he didn't see the actual murder take place. Nevertheless, the young man gets the chair.Now dramatically the entire thing is shoddy and wholly scripted from the outside, every character openly announcing love or doubt. But we lucked out that this was a b-movie filmed on the cheap, and so had to be quick and inventive, in place of a lot of words having to rely on a few strokes of the camera in just over 60 minutes.Our reporter is eaten inside by doubt that he helped convict the wrong man, and ordinarily we'd be taken on a plot where the tangled web is reasoned back into its rightful order. Instead we have amazing cinema, the widely discussed hallucination and centered in the house. Now most reviewers have rested their comments on the expressive sets and feverish air of the nightmare, as the man hallucinates himself in the situation of the convicted who is innocent but no one will believe him. It is the one scene that immediately calls for attention. But the nightmare has started well before he's fast asleep and is a little more intricately woven. The internal monologue of doubt and self-recrimination starts down in the street and goes up the lodging place, with the man pacing up and down the halls, no longer the confident person we first met, going through possible scenarios and his level involvement, and the stream of consciousness reflects shattered reality, coalescing from one unfinished thought into the one after next. It's the one thing perfectly written in this, whether intentionally or not.So the limits of a safe, recognizable world torn away, the eye no longer allowed to rest within a sensible geography, every little thing suddenly becomes a clue that triggers a story to fit in it. He sees a mysterious stranger on the third floor, the door opposite his.Then of course the nightmare on the third floor, the court, pointed fingers accusing, the huge cavernous cell with shadows of bars slanting on him.The third layer and more frightening is that he wakes up to discover that reality was just as dreamed. The uncanny effect produced by doubling the other two layers into now a straight-forward 'wrong man' plot, is it allows us to recast anxiety as spillover from both nightmare and monologue. This is very clever tinkering and especially at the b- level, every last bit of the film may be the mind in disarray and muttering to itself.Of course the story was all true as we suspected, both men innocent, and a 'crazy person' responsible. Everything is set straight. The twist is that it's the woman who acts as the private eye, doing the grassroots detective work on the streets. The court is spared a second trial, fateful causality taking care of loose ends. The denouement of a happy life ahead of everyone is like straight from a dream, which is fitting since the premise was that reality was just as dreamed.Subsequent filmmakers would supply a more ambiguously layered eye, but this was great for the time, an impressive start.

Mr. Lorre Makes His Mark

tt0033107

Early noir thriller with some neat, inventive camera-work by director Boris Ingster, a subtly creepy performance by Peter Lorre, some third-rate dialog even for 1940, and some horrible acting leads. I have ambivalent feelings toward the film. On the one hand, the direction is very evocative for its time. Ingster knows how to create suspense and uses pace nicely throughout. Ingster uses light and shadow in true film noir fashion. Some scenes are quite chilling. In particular any of the scenes with Lorre and a long but effectively shot dream sequence. Lorre has a small but central role in the film - not saying a word till the last third of the film. He uses his looks, described as "thick lips, buggy eyes, and a white scarf" in quite a deranged menacing yet gentle way. He was quite an actor! That being said, the film has some, for me at least, major drawbacks that seriously flaw it. John McGuire and Margaret Tallichet are the leads, a reporter who witnesses not one but two murders and his soon to be wife. Both could have used some acting lessons as neither is impressive in front of the camera. In fact both are pretty awful to be honest. Thankfully the character acting of the likes of Elisha Cook Jr., Charles Halton, and a slew of professional character actor types ably assist. The dialog is weak and insincere from the leads, and as they make up a huge percentage of the film - this is a major weakness. If only Mr. Lorre could have been in the film more. But if one brushes aside the ludicrous performances of Tallichet and McGuire, one should enjoy the film for its artistry and Lorre's wonderfully short portrayal of a man with a misplaced heart and a diseased mind.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033107/reviews-18

ur0166205

title: Mr. Lorre Makes His Mark review: Early noir thriller with some neat, inventive camera-work by director Boris Ingster, a subtly creepy performance by Peter Lorre, some third-rate dialog even for 1940, and some horrible acting leads. I have ambivalent feelings toward the film. On the one hand, the direction is very evocative for its time. Ingster knows how to create suspense and uses pace nicely throughout. Ingster uses light and shadow in true film noir fashion. Some scenes are quite chilling. In particular any of the scenes with Lorre and a long but effectively shot dream sequence. Lorre has a small but central role in the film - not saying a word till the last third of the film. He uses his looks, described as "thick lips, buggy eyes, and a white scarf" in quite a deranged menacing yet gentle way. He was quite an actor! That being said, the film has some, for me at least, major drawbacks that seriously flaw it. John McGuire and Margaret Tallichet are the leads, a reporter who witnesses not one but two murders and his soon to be wife. Both could have used some acting lessons as neither is impressive in front of the camera. In fact both are pretty awful to be honest. Thankfully the character acting of the likes of Elisha Cook Jr., Charles Halton, and a slew of professional character actor types ably assist. The dialog is weak and insincere from the leads, and as they make up a huge percentage of the film - this is a major weakness. If only Mr. Lorre could have been in the film more. But if one brushes aside the ludicrous performances of Tallichet and McGuire, one should enjoy the film for its artistry and Lorre's wonderfully short portrayal of a man with a misplaced heart and a diseased mind.

Overwrought noir saved by a creepy performance from Peter Lorre

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After discovering a dead man with his throat slit, reporter Mike Ward (John McGuire) proves to be the key witness in the murder trial, putting away the accused to face the death penalty. His fiancée Jane (Margaret Tillachet) harbours doubts about the man's guilt, causing Ward to question himself and what he really saw. Returning to his apartment, he has a brief encounter with a strange man (Peter Lorre) who he sees lurking around the building, and after finding his neighbour murdered in the same way, he cowers into a paranoid and disillusioned state. When Ward is arrested on suspicion of the murder, Jane wanders the streets searching for this strange man with bulging eyes, thick lips, and a white scarf.Although it wasn't released until after similar films of the genre, Stranger on the Third Floor is considered to be the first 'true' film noir. The classic tale of an innocent man out to prove his innocence is given a slight spin with a short central section depicting Ward's descent into panic. This is punctured with a quite strange dream sequence that is filmed quite nicely given the obvious budget limitations. These limitations tend to damage the film's potential impact, with McGuire's quite outlandish performance making it disappointing that director Boris Ingster couldn't afford a better lead. With very literal narration, he flails around as if locked in an operatic Russian silent, feeling it important to inform the audience "I'm tired," after yawning and stretching.The extremely dull first two-thirds of the film spend most of the time tip-toeing around the strongest plot thread, which is Jane's search for Peter Lorre's creepy stranger. Lorre saves the film, having been a veteran of German Expressionism, is perfectly suited to the film's overwrought, dramatic style. His soft voice and small stature make him barely imposing, but subtly unnerving. Running at just over an hour, Stranger was never intended to be challenging, but a simple thriller, and that's exactly what it is. But it's also frightfully pedestrian, offering none of the sleaze or sweat I usually love from B-grade noirs. It certainly had a key role to play in the development of one of the most successful genres in American cinema history, but this, combined with Lorre's memorable but sadly brief appearance, are the only reasons why this film is fleetingly remembered.www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033107/reviews-61

ur3741220

title: Overwrought noir saved by a creepy performance from Peter Lorre review: After discovering a dead man with his throat slit, reporter Mike Ward (John McGuire) proves to be the key witness in the murder trial, putting away the accused to face the death penalty. His fiancée Jane (Margaret Tillachet) harbours doubts about the man's guilt, causing Ward to question himself and what he really saw. Returning to his apartment, he has a brief encounter with a strange man (Peter Lorre) who he sees lurking around the building, and after finding his neighbour murdered in the same way, he cowers into a paranoid and disillusioned state. When Ward is arrested on suspicion of the murder, Jane wanders the streets searching for this strange man with bulging eyes, thick lips, and a white scarf.Although it wasn't released until after similar films of the genre, Stranger on the Third Floor is considered to be the first 'true' film noir. The classic tale of an innocent man out to prove his innocence is given a slight spin with a short central section depicting Ward's descent into panic. This is punctured with a quite strange dream sequence that is filmed quite nicely given the obvious budget limitations. These limitations tend to damage the film's potential impact, with McGuire's quite outlandish performance making it disappointing that director Boris Ingster couldn't afford a better lead. With very literal narration, he flails around as if locked in an operatic Russian silent, feeling it important to inform the audience "I'm tired," after yawning and stretching.The extremely dull first two-thirds of the film spend most of the time tip-toeing around the strongest plot thread, which is Jane's search for Peter Lorre's creepy stranger. Lorre saves the film, having been a veteran of German Expressionism, is perfectly suited to the film's overwrought, dramatic style. His soft voice and small stature make him barely imposing, but subtly unnerving. Running at just over an hour, Stranger was never intended to be challenging, but a simple thriller, and that's exactly what it is. But it's also frightfully pedestrian, offering none of the sleaze or sweat I usually love from B-grade noirs. It certainly had a key role to play in the development of one of the most successful genres in American cinema history, but this, combined with Lorre's memorable but sadly brief appearance, are the only reasons why this film is fleetingly remembered.www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com

Unknown but impressive film noir

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News reporter Mike Ward (John McGuire) testifies at a trial that convicts a man (Elisha Cook Jr.) of murder. However all the evidence is not definitive and Ward starts to wonder if he made a mistake.I never even heard of this movie until TCM played it. I'm glad I caught it. It's no masterpiece but it's a tight, short and pretty strong film noir. Peter Lorre (playing the Stranger) is top billed but don't let that fool you--he's hardly in the movie! It's about Ward and his guilt and his girlfriend Jane (Margaret Tallichet). The film is beautifully directed just like later film noirs. Plenty of dark shadows and strange camera angles. Purportedly this was the first film noir ever. The script is fast (this is only 64 minutes) and there's an incredible dream sequence halfway through which is well worth seeing. Even the acting is good. I never heard of John McGuire (sadly he didn't have a very successful career) but he's tall, handsome and very convincing in his role. Tallichat is even better as his girlfriend. So--this is a good strong B movie worth seeing. I give it an 8.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033107/reviews-32

ur0463200

title: Unknown but impressive film noir review: News reporter Mike Ward (John McGuire) testifies at a trial that convicts a man (Elisha Cook Jr.) of murder. However all the evidence is not definitive and Ward starts to wonder if he made a mistake.I never even heard of this movie until TCM played it. I'm glad I caught it. It's no masterpiece but it's a tight, short and pretty strong film noir. Peter Lorre (playing the Stranger) is top billed but don't let that fool you--he's hardly in the movie! It's about Ward and his guilt and his girlfriend Jane (Margaret Tallichet). The film is beautifully directed just like later film noirs. Plenty of dark shadows and strange camera angles. Purportedly this was the first film noir ever. The script is fast (this is only 64 minutes) and there's an incredible dream sequence halfway through which is well worth seeing. Even the acting is good. I never heard of John McGuire (sadly he didn't have a very successful career) but he's tall, handsome and very convincing in his role. Tallichat is even better as his girlfriend. So--this is a good strong B movie worth seeing. I give it an 8.

Nicholas Cage's best movie in years.

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This is Nicholas Cage's best movie in years. He is in top form. The story itself is taut, crisp, engaging and original. In fact, there is little about which this movie can be criticized. The story moves forward at a brisk pace. The story includes all kinds of interesting characters, all driven by a plot that grab's the audience's attention. January Jones' performance is absolutely outstanding and Guy Pearce's performance is chilling. The movie poses certain ethical questions adding to its dramatic power. But it is Nicholas Cage who carries this movie. He gives a commanding performance as a man who is forced to make difficult choices. If you like movies with strong stories, lots of action, and great acting, then this movie is for you.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1214962/reviews-34

ur6458242

title: Nicholas Cage's best movie in years. review: This is Nicholas Cage's best movie in years. He is in top form. The story itself is taut, crisp, engaging and original. In fact, there is little about which this movie can be criticized. The story moves forward at a brisk pace. The story includes all kinds of interesting characters, all driven by a plot that grab's the audience's attention. January Jones' performance is absolutely outstanding and Guy Pearce's performance is chilling. The movie poses certain ethical questions adding to its dramatic power. But it is Nicholas Cage who carries this movie. He gives a commanding performance as a man who is forced to make difficult choices. If you like movies with strong stories, lots of action, and great acting, then this movie is for you.

Entertaining and better than I expected

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I was not very interested in watching Seeking Justice but I decided to risk myself, because the publicity and the title suggested a typical tale of personal revenge in the purest style of B cinema, and besides, Nicolas Cage can be a good actor whenever he wants to. To my surprise, the film ended up defying my low expectations with a screenplay which is more ambitious than I expected, and even though it eventually tangles itself too much for its own good, I never found it boring or predictable.I found the concept of Seeking Justice very interesting...something like an hybrid thriller, built with parts from Fight Club, Straw Dogs and Strangers on a Train. The combination works pretty well until the half of the film, when we get into conspiracy fields which quickly become confusing, improbable and even a bit ridiculous. However, Roger Donaldson's dynamic direction avoids the movie from getting boring. Cage makes a credible work in the leading role, and he is well complemented by the solid performances from January Jones and Guy Pearce.So, I would say that the screenplay from Seeking Justice is simultaneously its main pro and its main obstacle, because it starts with an interesting idea, it develops it well for a while, but it looses the course and the narrative focus during the second half, until leading to an excessively convenient ending.Anyway, I had a good time while watching Seeking Justice, and I consider it worthy of a moderate recommendation. However, if you wanna watch better movies about revenge, I recommend you Oldboy, both versions of I Spit on Your Grave or Death Wish. Nevertheless, I liked Seeking Justice despite its fails, and it was better than I expected.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1214962/reviews-8

ur6216723

title: Entertaining and better than I expected review: I was not very interested in watching Seeking Justice but I decided to risk myself, because the publicity and the title suggested a typical tale of personal revenge in the purest style of B cinema, and besides, Nicolas Cage can be a good actor whenever he wants to. To my surprise, the film ended up defying my low expectations with a screenplay which is more ambitious than I expected, and even though it eventually tangles itself too much for its own good, I never found it boring or predictable.I found the concept of Seeking Justice very interesting...something like an hybrid thriller, built with parts from Fight Club, Straw Dogs and Strangers on a Train. The combination works pretty well until the half of the film, when we get into conspiracy fields which quickly become confusing, improbable and even a bit ridiculous. However, Roger Donaldson's dynamic direction avoids the movie from getting boring. Cage makes a credible work in the leading role, and he is well complemented by the solid performances from January Jones and Guy Pearce.So, I would say that the screenplay from Seeking Justice is simultaneously its main pro and its main obstacle, because it starts with an interesting idea, it develops it well for a while, but it looses the course and the narrative focus during the second half, until leading to an excessively convenient ending.Anyway, I had a good time while watching Seeking Justice, and I consider it worthy of a moderate recommendation. However, if you wanna watch better movies about revenge, I recommend you Oldboy, both versions of I Spit on Your Grave or Death Wish. Nevertheless, I liked Seeking Justice despite its fails, and it was better than I expected.

Good Nic or Bad Nic?...

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Well made with some nice action and stunt sequences. Point of interest; I happened to notice in the opening credits that one of the producers was one Tobey Maguire, but not one spidey-web anywhere! All the performances were very good with Nicolas Cage taking the lead role of Will Gerard. I've seen both better and worse from him and I wasn't entirely convinced, I guess he was good without being great. January Jones did a great job as his wife, Laura; as did Guy Pearce as the mysterious Simon. Also worthy of note were; Harold Perrineau as Will's best friend, Jimmy and Jennifer Carpenter as Laura's best friend Trudy.I guess this is one of those films that, if it didn't have the likes of Nicolas Cage and Guy Pearce in the cast, you'd be pretty happy with. But because it has these two fine actors in it (amongst others) you would not be shot down for expecting a little more. Not that I was particularly disappointed; it was a perfectly decent action/thriller but I just somehow expected a little more, given the cast. I gave it a decent score because it did have a nice plot and there wasn't much wrong with the script. Over all, a decent watch, although you may find yourself wanting a little more by the end… Still worth a look though.SteelMonster's verdict: RECOMMENDED.My Score 5.8/10IMDb Score: 6.1/10 (based on 15,875 votes at the time of going to press).MetaScore: 38/100: (Based on 21 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).Rotten Tomatoes 'Tomatometer' Score: 25/100 (based on 68 reviews counted at the time of going to press).Rotten Tomatoes 'Audience' Score: 39/100 'Liked It' (based on 5,323 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).You can find an expanded version of this review on my blog: Thoughts of a SteelMonster.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1214962/reviews-56

ur29798050

title: Good Nic or Bad Nic?... review: Well made with some nice action and stunt sequences. Point of interest; I happened to notice in the opening credits that one of the producers was one Tobey Maguire, but not one spidey-web anywhere! All the performances were very good with Nicolas Cage taking the lead role of Will Gerard. I've seen both better and worse from him and I wasn't entirely convinced, I guess he was good without being great. January Jones did a great job as his wife, Laura; as did Guy Pearce as the mysterious Simon. Also worthy of note were; Harold Perrineau as Will's best friend, Jimmy and Jennifer Carpenter as Laura's best friend Trudy.I guess this is one of those films that, if it didn't have the likes of Nicolas Cage and Guy Pearce in the cast, you'd be pretty happy with. But because it has these two fine actors in it (amongst others) you would not be shot down for expecting a little more. Not that I was particularly disappointed; it was a perfectly decent action/thriller but I just somehow expected a little more, given the cast. I gave it a decent score because it did have a nice plot and there wasn't much wrong with the script. Over all, a decent watch, although you may find yourself wanting a little more by the end… Still worth a look though.SteelMonster's verdict: RECOMMENDED.My Score 5.8/10IMDb Score: 6.1/10 (based on 15,875 votes at the time of going to press).MetaScore: 38/100: (Based on 21 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).Rotten Tomatoes 'Tomatometer' Score: 25/100 (based on 68 reviews counted at the time of going to press).Rotten Tomatoes 'Audience' Score: 39/100 'Liked It' (based on 5,323 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).You can find an expanded version of this review on my blog: Thoughts of a SteelMonster.

Hare-Raising Vigilante Yarn

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"Thirteen Days" director Roger Donaldson's edgy but implausible vigilante thriller "Seeking Justice" qualifies as the best movie that actor Nicolas Cage has done since "The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans." Essentially, this is a formulaic but Faustian nail-biter that combines elements of Alfred Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train" and Peter Hyams' "The Star Chamber." The action takes place in post-Katrina New Orleans as our protagonist's musician wife, Laura (January Jones),who plays a cellist in a classical orchestra, is raped and brutally beaten up by an assailant while he is off elsewhere playing chess with his boss. Since Cage plays an inner city school English teacher with a goateed, he isn't prepared to exact vengeance in the usual Hollywood fashion. Indeed, this Cage character seems a mite more realistic than most that he has played. While he is sitting in the hospital waiting room, our hero is approached by an enigmatic individual named Simon (Guy Pearce of "The Proposition") who offers to provide closure for the predicament. Since it will take six months to obtain the DNA of the rapist, who was recently released from prison, Simon promises a quick, clean resolution. Unfortunately, Will takes the easy way out and accepts Simon's terms. Simon and his shadowy organization will deal with the rapist, but Will must agree to return the favor for them in the future. The favor that they demand of Will turns out to be more than he is prepared to honor. Will soon learns that many others are coerced into doing things for Simon. Simon wants our hero to eliminate a man who is a child molester. Problem is that Will's quarry isn't a child molester. When our hero gets cold feet, bad things really happen and he finds himself battling a huge, underground organization. The twist ending and the concession that vigilante justice may not be deplorable makes this thriller an above-average entry in the genre. Strong performances by Cage (no rage here) and the villainous Pearce bolster this cat & mouse melodrama.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1214962/reviews-45

ur2079400

title: Hare-Raising Vigilante Yarn review: "Thirteen Days" director Roger Donaldson's edgy but implausible vigilante thriller "Seeking Justice" qualifies as the best movie that actor Nicolas Cage has done since "The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans." Essentially, this is a formulaic but Faustian nail-biter that combines elements of Alfred Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train" and Peter Hyams' "The Star Chamber." The action takes place in post-Katrina New Orleans as our protagonist's musician wife, Laura (January Jones),who plays a cellist in a classical orchestra, is raped and brutally beaten up by an assailant while he is off elsewhere playing chess with his boss. Since Cage plays an inner city school English teacher with a goateed, he isn't prepared to exact vengeance in the usual Hollywood fashion. Indeed, this Cage character seems a mite more realistic than most that he has played. While he is sitting in the hospital waiting room, our hero is approached by an enigmatic individual named Simon (Guy Pearce of "The Proposition") who offers to provide closure for the predicament. Since it will take six months to obtain the DNA of the rapist, who was recently released from prison, Simon promises a quick, clean resolution. Unfortunately, Will takes the easy way out and accepts Simon's terms. Simon and his shadowy organization will deal with the rapist, but Will must agree to return the favor for them in the future. The favor that they demand of Will turns out to be more than he is prepared to honor. Will soon learns that many others are coerced into doing things for Simon. Simon wants our hero to eliminate a man who is a child molester. Problem is that Will's quarry isn't a child molester. When our hero gets cold feet, bad things really happen and he finds himself battling a huge, underground organization. The twist ending and the concession that vigilante justice may not be deplorable makes this thriller an above-average entry in the genre. Strong performances by Cage (no rage here) and the villainous Pearce bolster this cat & mouse melodrama.

Seeking Justice (2011-12) - Oh, Nicolas Cage!

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No other actor in the history of film has brought a variety of bad movie choices, delivered a collection of bad dialouge, and gave a lot of hideous hair styles than Nicolas Cage. It leaves me to wonder what happened to the Nicolas Cage I used to know, the guy who won an Oscar for "Leaving Las Vegas", and that guy whom I loved in "Adaptation". In his latest mediocre film, "Seeking Justice", Cage plays Will Gerard, a humble high school teacher in New Orleans, living happily with his loving wife, portrayed by January Jones, whom unexpectedly was brutally beaten by a stranger out of nowhere. While waiting in the hospital, Will is approached by Guy Pearce's character, whom he makes a deal with to bring an end to the guy responsible. But, in order for Guy Pearce to accept the deal, Will must make him a small favor. What is that favor, you ask? Well, we don't know! All we get is a 105-minute mediocre fest. "Seeking Justice" was probably doomed from the start, because this is one of the worst movies of the year! Starting off with the cast, Nicolas Cage continues with the same old mediocre act that he usually portrays most of the time, and it definitely shows in this movie. You can tell that Nicolas Cage really tries his best to do better, but all great actors must have their downsides. His performance is probably more of a laughable one, rather than a serious one. As for Guy Pearce, he's probably the only actor that actually tries to make a good performance, while receiving an easy paycheck in the end. January Jones, especially, whom is absolutely given nothing to do with her performance, rather than asking question after question throughout the entire running time. This movie's entire narrative feels like a big joke, or a "slap to the face", to the audience. Almost every single moment ranges from ludicrous, unrealistic, to downright unbelievable, that this movie appears more as a comedy, than a serious drama. Not that there was no unintentionally funny moment, but with a poorly made direction from Roger Donaldson, it seems like this movie was trying to be seen as a funny one. But, probably the biggest problem with "Seeking Justice" is that it has one of the corniest scripts ever put to screen. This movie easily shows that to the audience, in the most simplest of scenes. For example, at times when the movie tries to become either clever or serious, it just falls flat and becomes way too goofy. Some scenes have Nicolas Cage in the middle of phone-call conversations with Guy Pearce telling him what to do, and those scenes just lead into flat-out goofiness. For example, some dialouge will be Pearce telling Cage to go to the vending machines and buy two chocolate bars, or go to the convenience store to buy a pack of gum, or go buy a hot dog. Not only is it flat-out ridiculous, but it also makes no sense to the plot, and it creates major plot holes that ruin this movie's tempo, if I can call it that. Seriously, that could have been for something useful. Although I wasn't really mad at this movie in the end, the rest of this movie fell flat. The plot was beyond ridiculous, the acting was lame as hell, the dialouge is terrible, and the plot holes are completely noticeable. Maybe Nicolas Cage will never find his comeback right away with "Seeking Justice", since this movie is a reminder that Cage's career is dropping, and this was the best that he can come up with, at a level of little lost talent. "Seeking Justice", in my review, "laughably mediocre, poorly made mess".

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1214962/reviews-62

ur25627714

title: Seeking Justice (2011-12) - Oh, Nicolas Cage! review: No other actor in the history of film has brought a variety of bad movie choices, delivered a collection of bad dialouge, and gave a lot of hideous hair styles than Nicolas Cage. It leaves me to wonder what happened to the Nicolas Cage I used to know, the guy who won an Oscar for "Leaving Las Vegas", and that guy whom I loved in "Adaptation". In his latest mediocre film, "Seeking Justice", Cage plays Will Gerard, a humble high school teacher in New Orleans, living happily with his loving wife, portrayed by January Jones, whom unexpectedly was brutally beaten by a stranger out of nowhere. While waiting in the hospital, Will is approached by Guy Pearce's character, whom he makes a deal with to bring an end to the guy responsible. But, in order for Guy Pearce to accept the deal, Will must make him a small favor. What is that favor, you ask? Well, we don't know! All we get is a 105-minute mediocre fest. "Seeking Justice" was probably doomed from the start, because this is one of the worst movies of the year! Starting off with the cast, Nicolas Cage continues with the same old mediocre act that he usually portrays most of the time, and it definitely shows in this movie. You can tell that Nicolas Cage really tries his best to do better, but all great actors must have their downsides. His performance is probably more of a laughable one, rather than a serious one. As for Guy Pearce, he's probably the only actor that actually tries to make a good performance, while receiving an easy paycheck in the end. January Jones, especially, whom is absolutely given nothing to do with her performance, rather than asking question after question throughout the entire running time. This movie's entire narrative feels like a big joke, or a "slap to the face", to the audience. Almost every single moment ranges from ludicrous, unrealistic, to downright unbelievable, that this movie appears more as a comedy, than a serious drama. Not that there was no unintentionally funny moment, but with a poorly made direction from Roger Donaldson, it seems like this movie was trying to be seen as a funny one. But, probably the biggest problem with "Seeking Justice" is that it has one of the corniest scripts ever put to screen. This movie easily shows that to the audience, in the most simplest of scenes. For example, at times when the movie tries to become either clever or serious, it just falls flat and becomes way too goofy. Some scenes have Nicolas Cage in the middle of phone-call conversations with Guy Pearce telling him what to do, and those scenes just lead into flat-out goofiness. For example, some dialouge will be Pearce telling Cage to go to the vending machines and buy two chocolate bars, or go to the convenience store to buy a pack of gum, or go buy a hot dog. Not only is it flat-out ridiculous, but it also makes no sense to the plot, and it creates major plot holes that ruin this movie's tempo, if I can call it that. Seriously, that could have been for something useful. Although I wasn't really mad at this movie in the end, the rest of this movie fell flat. The plot was beyond ridiculous, the acting was lame as hell, the dialouge is terrible, and the plot holes are completely noticeable. Maybe Nicolas Cage will never find his comeback right away with "Seeking Justice", since this movie is a reminder that Cage's career is dropping, and this was the best that he can come up with, at a level of little lost talent. "Seeking Justice", in my review, "laughably mediocre, poorly made mess".

Tolerable thriller

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We do love Nicolas Cage, don't we? His career is always interesting, even if his films aren't - he seems to make, in equal measure (although not necessarily consecutively) critically acclaimed art-house movies, multiplex crowd pleasers, and utter clunkers. Justice (aka Seeking Justice) seems to have been prejudged as being a clunker.It tells of what befalls teacher Will Gerard (Cage), after his musician wife Laura (January Jones) is brutally raped and beaten. He is approached in the hospital waiting room by mysterious and vaguely menacing stranger Simon (Guy Pearce) who observes how little the law seems to do for people in the Gerards' situation, and offers to fill that gap - and it will only cost some sort of small favour in the future. Seeing his wife's condition, Will accepts, and Laura's rapist duly turns up dead in fairly short order. Then Simon calls Will for the favour, and that's when things go pear-shaped.This isn't such a clunker as you may have been led to believe. It isn't a multiplex crowd-pleaser either, but it has a good set-up, a gritty feel, and a cast who perform with commitment. The resolution, unfortunately, isn't as good as the set-up, and the script isn't too brilliant (with, frankly, some fairly unbelievable stuff in it), but it is a decent, if unexceptional, thriller - there have been much worse, and Cage has been responsible for some of them!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1214962/reviews-4

ur7813355

title: Tolerable thriller review: We do love Nicolas Cage, don't we? His career is always interesting, even if his films aren't - he seems to make, in equal measure (although not necessarily consecutively) critically acclaimed art-house movies, multiplex crowd pleasers, and utter clunkers. Justice (aka Seeking Justice) seems to have been prejudged as being a clunker.It tells of what befalls teacher Will Gerard (Cage), after his musician wife Laura (January Jones) is brutally raped and beaten. He is approached in the hospital waiting room by mysterious and vaguely menacing stranger Simon (Guy Pearce) who observes how little the law seems to do for people in the Gerards' situation, and offers to fill that gap - and it will only cost some sort of small favour in the future. Seeing his wife's condition, Will accepts, and Laura's rapist duly turns up dead in fairly short order. Then Simon calls Will for the favour, and that's when things go pear-shaped.This isn't such a clunker as you may have been led to believe. It isn't a multiplex crowd-pleaser either, but it has a good set-up, a gritty feel, and a cast who perform with commitment. The resolution, unfortunately, isn't as good as the set-up, and the script isn't too brilliant (with, frankly, some fairly unbelievable stuff in it), but it is a decent, if unexceptional, thriller - there have been much worse, and Cage has been responsible for some of them!

A well crafted, mainstream thriller that entertains beginning to end

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I am not sure how decently budgeted films end up bypassing theatres or getting very little play and end up straight to DVD. Seeking Justice seems to be the sort of thriller that would play solidly in theatres and had a decent budget to boot. I held off seeing it because although for the most part I like Nicholas Cage, we all know he churns out the stinkers every year. Well I am pleased to say this is not one of his stinkers. This is actually a well crafted psychological thriller with great story, good characters, and great pacing. Perhaps the only fault of the film is that it is relatively predictable and very mainstream and simplistic. It won't challenge your brain or anything but it entertains and sometimes that is enough. The New Orleans setting is getting pretty played out in movies and Television but its not overused or pushed into your face in the film with the exception of the climatic scene in a hurricane ravaged mall. The film does touch on morality issues but again doesn't go into any detail about it and doesn't really give a clear black or white on the issues at hand.Nicholas Cage is really at his best playing a doting husband and devoted teacher. He is not over the top in this movie and that's good for him. He's actually very likable and has great on screen charisma when he's not hyper and over acting. January Jones is good as his loving wife and victim at the beginning of the movie. Shockingly so, Jones and Cage have really good chemistry together. They were actually believable as soul mates and the "perfect" couple. Guy Pearce is excellent as the pervasive and morally dented head of the justice seekers. He is the perfect adversary and makes a great bad guy. My only wish is that we had seen more of him and him and Cage interacting. Harold Perrineau also gives a solid supporting performance as Cage's best friend and someone holding a secret. He doesn't steal any scenes but he does a good job.Director Roger Donaldson has a ton of experience under his belt when it comes to thrillers and really tightly woven stories. He's done everything from classic drama-comedy like Cocktail, to political thrillers like Thirteen Days and full on action like The Italian Job. I mention those films because you can see a little of all of that in Seeking Justice. He has a style and he knows what the general public wants. This will never win critical approval and many of our more pretentious reviewers would call it 'mainstream drivel' and to an end it is that. But I didn't for a second regret watching it, it left me satisfied and pleased and entertained. Not everything has to be a spectacle of art. Sometimes plain old entertainment is enough for this movie critic and if you're looking for a good solid entertaining thriller you won't be disappointed in Seeking Justice. 8/10

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1214962/reviews-63

ur1697212

title: A well crafted, mainstream thriller that entertains beginning to end review: I am not sure how decently budgeted films end up bypassing theatres or getting very little play and end up straight to DVD. Seeking Justice seems to be the sort of thriller that would play solidly in theatres and had a decent budget to boot. I held off seeing it because although for the most part I like Nicholas Cage, we all know he churns out the stinkers every year. Well I am pleased to say this is not one of his stinkers. This is actually a well crafted psychological thriller with great story, good characters, and great pacing. Perhaps the only fault of the film is that it is relatively predictable and very mainstream and simplistic. It won't challenge your brain or anything but it entertains and sometimes that is enough. The New Orleans setting is getting pretty played out in movies and Television but its not overused or pushed into your face in the film with the exception of the climatic scene in a hurricane ravaged mall. The film does touch on morality issues but again doesn't go into any detail about it and doesn't really give a clear black or white on the issues at hand.Nicholas Cage is really at his best playing a doting husband and devoted teacher. He is not over the top in this movie and that's good for him. He's actually very likable and has great on screen charisma when he's not hyper and over acting. January Jones is good as his loving wife and victim at the beginning of the movie. Shockingly so, Jones and Cage have really good chemistry together. They were actually believable as soul mates and the "perfect" couple. Guy Pearce is excellent as the pervasive and morally dented head of the justice seekers. He is the perfect adversary and makes a great bad guy. My only wish is that we had seen more of him and him and Cage interacting. Harold Perrineau also gives a solid supporting performance as Cage's best friend and someone holding a secret. He doesn't steal any scenes but he does a good job.Director Roger Donaldson has a ton of experience under his belt when it comes to thrillers and really tightly woven stories. He's done everything from classic drama-comedy like Cocktail, to political thrillers like Thirteen Days and full on action like The Italian Job. I mention those films because you can see a little of all of that in Seeking Justice. He has a style and he knows what the general public wants. This will never win critical approval and many of our more pretentious reviewers would call it 'mainstream drivel' and to an end it is that. But I didn't for a second regret watching it, it left me satisfied and pleased and entertained. Not everything has to be a spectacle of art. Sometimes plain old entertainment is enough for this movie critic and if you're looking for a good solid entertaining thriller you won't be disappointed in Seeking Justice. 8/10

Very Good Thriller

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Will Gerard (Nicolas Cage) makes a deal with a Vigilante gang who will kill the man who raped his wife. All they ask is a favor in the future. The favor is that Will has to kill someone for them. Will desperately needs to find a way out, and this does get complicated. This story probably came out of the old TV show "Who Do You Trust." I say this because it seems as though everyone in New Orleans is part of something bigger than anything Will had ever imagined. As we follow Will, we surmise that he was set up to take the fall for the death of that person that Will is supposed to have killed, but we don't know why and neither does Will. Hence, Will is all alone and doesn't know who to trust. Can you see the hook here?Initially, I thought this was going where a Mel Gibson character would seek justice when something bad happens to someone in his family, but this is not the case here. For one thing, Will doesn't know where this gang hangs out and he is on the run because NOW he is wanted for murder. There is very good tension and suspense throughout and the acting by all is first rate. The stunts involving vehicles and foot-running on the highways are super-spectacular and no CGI was incorporated. Hey, at times, I flew under my couch as I thought I would be run over by a big truck. Big screen viewing does have a disadvantage. Who knew?One cannot help wonder if the "something bigger" than we could ever imagine is going on throughout the country as we saw in New Orleans or is this just a writer's twist? Pay attention to the last scenes. Alfred Hitchcock and Rod Serling would be so proud. (7/10)Violence: Yes. Sex: Not really, but there is a scene early on where you know……doesn't last long. Nudity: No. Language: Yes.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1214962/reviews-46

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title: Very Good Thriller review: Will Gerard (Nicolas Cage) makes a deal with a Vigilante gang who will kill the man who raped his wife. All they ask is a favor in the future. The favor is that Will has to kill someone for them. Will desperately needs to find a way out, and this does get complicated. This story probably came out of the old TV show "Who Do You Trust." I say this because it seems as though everyone in New Orleans is part of something bigger than anything Will had ever imagined. As we follow Will, we surmise that he was set up to take the fall for the death of that person that Will is supposed to have killed, but we don't know why and neither does Will. Hence, Will is all alone and doesn't know who to trust. Can you see the hook here?Initially, I thought this was going where a Mel Gibson character would seek justice when something bad happens to someone in his family, but this is not the case here. For one thing, Will doesn't know where this gang hangs out and he is on the run because NOW he is wanted for murder. There is very good tension and suspense throughout and the acting by all is first rate. The stunts involving vehicles and foot-running on the highways are super-spectacular and no CGI was incorporated. Hey, at times, I flew under my couch as I thought I would be run over by a big truck. Big screen viewing does have a disadvantage. Who knew?One cannot help wonder if the "something bigger" than we could ever imagine is going on throughout the country as we saw in New Orleans or is this just a writer's twist? Pay attention to the last scenes. Alfred Hitchcock and Rod Serling would be so proud. (7/10)Violence: Yes. Sex: Not really, but there is a scene early on where you know……doesn't last long. Nudity: No. Language: Yes.

Run-of-the-mill time passer

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(34%) A very by the numbers, far from great, and rather quite silly offering featuring poor old Nic Cage paying off his tax bill, that really does beg the question: just how crippling was it in the first place? This though is just about entertaining enough for a simple, late-night watch; but there just isn't anything up this movie's sleeve to make it a memorable or worthy a repeat watch. With its very B-movieish plot that really lacks both spark and any sort of intelligence, along with a real lack of tension or any trace of believability. This is a better watch than 2011's terrible Trespass, but Nic still deserves better than this.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1214962/reviews-93

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title: Run-of-the-mill time passer review: (34%) A very by the numbers, far from great, and rather quite silly offering featuring poor old Nic Cage paying off his tax bill, that really does beg the question: just how crippling was it in the first place? This though is just about entertaining enough for a simple, late-night watch; but there just isn't anything up this movie's sleeve to make it a memorable or worthy a repeat watch. With its very B-movieish plot that really lacks both spark and any sort of intelligence, along with a real lack of tension or any trace of believability. This is a better watch than 2011's terrible Trespass, but Nic still deserves better than this.

Nothing great but it's still good enough all to watch.

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Well, I can't say this is a bad movie but it's definitely one formulaic and unremarkable one. I probably will forget all about this movie, in a day or so but having said that, it's still a good enough little movie to have a good time with.It's a very typical modern Nicolas Cage flick, in which Nicolas Cage is playing a very typical Nicolas Cage character and goes through some very typical Nicolas Cage sort of situations. He's playing an average guy, who gets stuck in a certain situation and needs to get out of it fast, before he and his loved ones end up getting killed. If you have seen one of those action-thrillers you have basically seen all of them already and there also is nothing too original or surprising about this movie.The movie is using a good and interesting enough premise, that keep this a perfectly watchable one, all throughout. Just don't expect to be blown away by any of it. It has some twists and turns in it but nothing that should shock or surprise the average movie watcher. Of course the story has plenty of problems and plot holes in it but I don't even really hold that against this movie. It's a movie that still serves its purpose well enough and provides plenty of entertainment. Changes are you wont be bored by this movie but it just really isn't one that will leave a lasting impression on you.You still feel that the movie could had done so much more with its story and characters but the movie decides on being safe and average rather than new and daring. Nothing wrong with these sort of movies of course and they always remain perfect to watch on a day when you have absolutely nothing else to do and simply want to have a good time, without having to think too much about anything. It's not an all that spectacular or tense movie but it at least never gets boring and mainly thanks to that, the movie remains a perfectly watchable enough one, all throughout.See it or don't. You wont feel any better or worse afterward.6/10 http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1214962/reviews-50

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title: Nothing great but it's still good enough all to watch. review: Well, I can't say this is a bad movie but it's definitely one formulaic and unremarkable one. I probably will forget all about this movie, in a day or so but having said that, it's still a good enough little movie to have a good time with.It's a very typical modern Nicolas Cage flick, in which Nicolas Cage is playing a very typical Nicolas Cage character and goes through some very typical Nicolas Cage sort of situations. He's playing an average guy, who gets stuck in a certain situation and needs to get out of it fast, before he and his loved ones end up getting killed. If you have seen one of those action-thrillers you have basically seen all of them already and there also is nothing too original or surprising about this movie.The movie is using a good and interesting enough premise, that keep this a perfectly watchable one, all throughout. Just don't expect to be blown away by any of it. It has some twists and turns in it but nothing that should shock or surprise the average movie watcher. Of course the story has plenty of problems and plot holes in it but I don't even really hold that against this movie. It's a movie that still serves its purpose well enough and provides plenty of entertainment. Changes are you wont be bored by this movie but it just really isn't one that will leave a lasting impression on you.You still feel that the movie could had done so much more with its story and characters but the movie decides on being safe and average rather than new and daring. Nothing wrong with these sort of movies of course and they always remain perfect to watch on a day when you have absolutely nothing else to do and simply want to have a good time, without having to think too much about anything. It's not an all that spectacular or tense movie but it at least never gets boring and mainly thanks to that, the movie remains a perfectly watchable enough one, all throughout.See it or don't. You wont feel any better or worse afterward.6/10 http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

" When you seek Justice, expect to lose a lot more than your life "

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Todd Hickey wrote this story about Will Gerard a dedicated English teacher (Nicolas Cage) who's' contented marriage is destroyed by a vicious attack on his wife. Realizing, the Justice system is flawed and inadequate, Will accepts a 'favor' from a stranger called Simon (Guy Pearce) who promises retribution against the rapist. In return, Will is called on to repay the debt by killing a sexual predator. The deed done, Will also discovers too late he himself must be killed by the same organization who helped him. Once he himself becomes a target, Will tried to get help from Lieutenant Durgan (Xander Berkeley) of the New Orleans Police department only to discover they are after him as well. From start to finish, this movie directed by Roger Donaldson proves Cage still has what it takes to make an exciting movie. There is plenty of suspense and drama as well as much intrigue as our hero finds himself in quicksand and sinking fast. Among all the films created by Nicolas Cage, this will soon become a Classic for him and his fans. For us in the audience, we have to make due to realize that he is one great actor. ****

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1214962/reviews-49

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title: " When you seek Justice, expect to lose a lot more than your life " review: Todd Hickey wrote this story about Will Gerard a dedicated English teacher (Nicolas Cage) who's' contented marriage is destroyed by a vicious attack on his wife. Realizing, the Justice system is flawed and inadequate, Will accepts a 'favor' from a stranger called Simon (Guy Pearce) who promises retribution against the rapist. In return, Will is called on to repay the debt by killing a sexual predator. The deed done, Will also discovers too late he himself must be killed by the same organization who helped him. Once he himself becomes a target, Will tried to get help from Lieutenant Durgan (Xander Berkeley) of the New Orleans Police department only to discover they are after him as well. From start to finish, this movie directed by Roger Donaldson proves Cage still has what it takes to make an exciting movie. There is plenty of suspense and drama as well as much intrigue as our hero finds himself in quicksand and sinking fast. Among all the films created by Nicolas Cage, this will soon become a Classic for him and his fans. For us in the audience, we have to make due to realize that he is one great actor. ****

Tic-free Cage engages potboiler with aplomb & fine direction by vet Donaldson.

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SEEKING JUSTICE (2012) **1/2 Nicolas Cage, January Jones, Guy Pearce, Harold Perrinneau, Jennifer Carpenter, Xander Berkeley. When his beautiful wife is brutally attacked and raped, mild-mannered high school literature teacher Cage (in a surprisingly tic-free turn) finds himself unwittingly mixed up with a vigilante cabal spear-headed by mystery man Pearce (snakily good) and O.Henry/Shakespearean overtones be damned, attempts to gain some wiggle room by uncovering a larger conspiracy. Directed with lean precision by veteran Roger Donaldson and a decent enough screenplay by Todd Hickey & Robert Tannen the film careens from wrong-man-at-the-right-time potboiler to freefall action thriller (some nice set pieces including a busy freeway and a dilapidated shopping mall all in seam New Orleans for local flava) ultimately runs on vapors in its jerry-built third act, but Cage makes in engaging to say the least.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1214962/reviews-35

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title: Tic-free Cage engages potboiler with aplomb & fine direction by vet Donaldson. review: SEEKING JUSTICE (2012) **1/2 Nicolas Cage, January Jones, Guy Pearce, Harold Perrinneau, Jennifer Carpenter, Xander Berkeley. When his beautiful wife is brutally attacked and raped, mild-mannered high school literature teacher Cage (in a surprisingly tic-free turn) finds himself unwittingly mixed up with a vigilante cabal spear-headed by mystery man Pearce (snakily good) and O.Henry/Shakespearean overtones be damned, attempts to gain some wiggle room by uncovering a larger conspiracy. Directed with lean precision by veteran Roger Donaldson and a decent enough screenplay by Todd Hickey & Robert Tannen the film careens from wrong-man-at-the-right-time potboiler to freefall action thriller (some nice set pieces including a busy freeway and a dilapidated shopping mall all in seam New Orleans for local flava) ultimately runs on vapors in its jerry-built third act, but Cage makes in engaging to say the least.

Disastrous, laughable pot boiler cum action flick

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STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning Will Gerard (Nicolas Cage) is an inner city high school teacher with a touch of the do gooder about him, whose idealistic views are shattered one night when his wife Laura (January Jones) is viciously raped and left in a catatonic state. When he is approached by a man (Guy Pearce) who offers to settle the score for him in exchange for a favour, he gives the go ahead...not realising just what this 'favour' will involve.Roger Donaldson is a bit of a take or leave director for me, with a few notable hits under his belt like The Bank Job and Thirteen Days, but mostly stuff of the disposable, instantly forgettable variety. But I can never say I've seen a film of his that was just plain bad before, which is the case with Justice. While exactly the sort of thing I've come to expect from Nicolas Cage, this may be the start of a downward slope for the Aussie director.There is the potential here for a solid, compelling revenge thriller, but the premise and the set up just fail to hold together and it all comes off in such a ridiculous bundle that it's impossible to take it seriously. There are echoes of Magnum Force and The Star Chamber about it, so maybe it's not as original as it seems to think it is and far more predictable than it seems to think it isn't. In the lead role, Cage is as intense and zany as ever, but still turns in one of his more wooden performances, which you can't really blame him for given the material, whilst in the supporting role Pearce also appears to have lost none of the spark that made him a star, but is at odds with the story as Cage. The likes of Jones, Harold Perrineau and and Xander Berkeley are equally flat.Cage did appear to have overcome his downward streak, but falls back down faster and flatter than a pancake with this horrible, misguided effort and seems to have taken everyone else with him. *

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1214962/reviews-39

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title: Disastrous, laughable pot boiler cum action flick review: STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning Will Gerard (Nicolas Cage) is an inner city high school teacher with a touch of the do gooder about him, whose idealistic views are shattered one night when his wife Laura (January Jones) is viciously raped and left in a catatonic state. When he is approached by a man (Guy Pearce) who offers to settle the score for him in exchange for a favour, he gives the go ahead...not realising just what this 'favour' will involve.Roger Donaldson is a bit of a take or leave director for me, with a few notable hits under his belt like The Bank Job and Thirteen Days, but mostly stuff of the disposable, instantly forgettable variety. But I can never say I've seen a film of his that was just plain bad before, which is the case with Justice. While exactly the sort of thing I've come to expect from Nicolas Cage, this may be the start of a downward slope for the Aussie director.There is the potential here for a solid, compelling revenge thriller, but the premise and the set up just fail to hold together and it all comes off in such a ridiculous bundle that it's impossible to take it seriously. There are echoes of Magnum Force and The Star Chamber about it, so maybe it's not as original as it seems to think it is and far more predictable than it seems to think it isn't. In the lead role, Cage is as intense and zany as ever, but still turns in one of his more wooden performances, which you can't really blame him for given the material, whilst in the supporting role Pearce also appears to have lost none of the spark that made him a star, but is at odds with the story as Cage. The likes of Jones, Harold Perrineau and and Xander Berkeley are equally flat.Cage did appear to have overcome his downward streak, but falls back down faster and flatter than a pancake with this horrible, misguided effort and seems to have taken everyone else with him. *

Standing on it's own, honestly, it wasn't bad, but looking at it as a remake, yeah, it was silly

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I had my doubts, Night of the Living Dead the original is one of my favorite movies of all time, it's perfect. It was made on one of the lowest budgets possible, but it worked on so many levels, politics, claustrophobia, fear, racism, everything blended so well and was so perfect for the time. But seeing how George still had his hand in the remake, I figured to give this movie a chance. After all, Dawn of the Dead the remake was a success and I really enjoyed it, well, like I said in the title, standing on it's own for a directorial debut, it wasn't bad at all, but from a remake standard, it was a little too much.Basically, Barbara and her brother Johnny are going to visit their mother's grave, but embark on some zombies, Johnny is killed in the process of trying to save Barbara, but she barley makes it to an abandoned house where later on Ben comes and they together try to survive the plague that is going on outside with these flesh eaters. Later on they are joined by people who have been hiding in the basement and together they must try to survive this horrific night.Over all, I would recommend it for fun, don't compare it to the original or I guarantee you'll probably not have a good time. This was a remake that wasn't needed, but it wasn't a BAD idea to introduce it to a newer generation. Tony Todd did a fantastic job and was such a great Ben, along with then new comer Bill Mosely who we now know from House of 1000 Courpses and Devil's Rejects as Odes. So, just give this movie a shot, it's one of those films you have to see for yourself.6/10

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100258/reviews-146

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title: Standing on it's own, honestly, it wasn't bad, but looking at it as a remake, yeah, it was silly review: I had my doubts, Night of the Living Dead the original is one of my favorite movies of all time, it's perfect. It was made on one of the lowest budgets possible, but it worked on so many levels, politics, claustrophobia, fear, racism, everything blended so well and was so perfect for the time. But seeing how George still had his hand in the remake, I figured to give this movie a chance. After all, Dawn of the Dead the remake was a success and I really enjoyed it, well, like I said in the title, standing on it's own for a directorial debut, it wasn't bad at all, but from a remake standard, it was a little too much.Basically, Barbara and her brother Johnny are going to visit their mother's grave, but embark on some zombies, Johnny is killed in the process of trying to save Barbara, but she barley makes it to an abandoned house where later on Ben comes and they together try to survive the plague that is going on outside with these flesh eaters. Later on they are joined by people who have been hiding in the basement and together they must try to survive this horrific night.Over all, I would recommend it for fun, don't compare it to the original or I guarantee you'll probably not have a good time. This was a remake that wasn't needed, but it wasn't a BAD idea to introduce it to a newer generation. Tony Todd did a fantastic job and was such a great Ben, along with then new comer Bill Mosely who we now know from House of 1000 Courpses and Devil's Rejects as Odes. So, just give this movie a shot, it's one of those films you have to see for yourself.6/10

Acceptable remake about flesh-eating living dead taking over the world , in which again a bunch of people are chased by Zombies

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Interesting remake of the original classic film filmed by expert make-up artist , Tom Savini . This powerful horror film is the Tom Savini's directorial debut with more budget than George A Romero classic film , one of the most successful independent films of all time that was initially dismissed as exploitation, but when was re-released , it struck deeply with a disillusioned youth angry with the desperation about Vietnam . Tom Savini's gruesome first film, combining gore, 'bona fide' frights horror and in colorful style with skillful characterization . A mysterious plague expands about people , as every cadaver for miles around hungers for their flesh , it creates the recently dead to rise from their graves and scout the countryside and surrounding a farmhouse for feed on and where find shelter a hapless group . The legions of dead people who stalk the house are looking exasperatingly for live humans . A woman (Patricia Tallman ,she had known Tom Savini since they went to college together, he chose to cast her because of her strong-willed demeanor) along with an African-American named Ben (Tony Todd, Laurence Fishburne and Eriq La Salle both auditioned for the role of Ben ; Ving Rhames was also considered) escape the frightening zombies to take refuge at a house . The group is trapped inside a farmhouse as legions of the walking dead try to get inside and use them for food .The first time the Zombies appeared was in ¨White Zombie(1932)¨. From then on Zombies remained a firm staple of terror B-genre , bringing the dead back to life was a popular pastime in the 30s and 40s . The early zombies were basically genteel beings and generally likable and agreeable types . Romero created in Pittsburg his own production company Image Ten Productions with his friends, John Russo among them and they each contributed 10.000 dollars and formed the budget for his first ¨Night of living dead¨ movie which made Romero world famous and he gave birth to the modern Zombie genre . Tom Savini cast an African-American Tony Todd , Duane Jones-alike , along with usual horror secondaries as Bill Moseley and Tom Towles ; furthermore ,Billy Cardille appears as a reporter in both the 1968 version and the remake . And acting debut for Katie Finneran and Heather Mazur . Claustrophobic picture , giving interesting consideration to the violence executed by the zombies and , along with the original ¨Night of the living dead, has had a lasting importance . It was one of the first successful independent terror productions influencing and inspiring countless imitations, copies and rip-offs . The scene at the end of the film, where several zombies are lynched from a tree and shot at was in fact scripted in the original 1968 film, but was cut because of the racial tensions gripping the country at the time , the scene pays homage to the cut. As is tradition with most zombie films, the word 'zombie' is never once used in this movie to describe the Living Dead . The motion picture was well directed by Tom Savini , though Peter Hyams was asked to direct, but turned it down to make ¨Margin narrow¨. However , Tom Savini's originally wanted to start the film in black-and-white, then slowly add color. Other equally celebrated sequels are the followings : ¨Dawn of the dead (78)¨ where the zombies attack a shopping mall ,¨Day of the dead dead(85)¨ and scientific experimenting on zombies and ¨Land of dead (2005)¨ with high budget played by Simon Baker, Asia Argento and Dennis Hooper .

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100258/reviews-210

ur3270789

title: Acceptable remake about flesh-eating living dead taking over the world , in which again a bunch of people are chased by Zombies review: Interesting remake of the original classic film filmed by expert make-up artist , Tom Savini . This powerful horror film is the Tom Savini's directorial debut with more budget than George A Romero classic film , one of the most successful independent films of all time that was initially dismissed as exploitation, but when was re-released , it struck deeply with a disillusioned youth angry with the desperation about Vietnam . Tom Savini's gruesome first film, combining gore, 'bona fide' frights horror and in colorful style with skillful characterization . A mysterious plague expands about people , as every cadaver for miles around hungers for their flesh , it creates the recently dead to rise from their graves and scout the countryside and surrounding a farmhouse for feed on and where find shelter a hapless group . The legions of dead people who stalk the house are looking exasperatingly for live humans . A woman (Patricia Tallman ,she had known Tom Savini since they went to college together, he chose to cast her because of her strong-willed demeanor) along with an African-American named Ben (Tony Todd, Laurence Fishburne and Eriq La Salle both auditioned for the role of Ben ; Ving Rhames was also considered) escape the frightening zombies to take refuge at a house . The group is trapped inside a farmhouse as legions of the walking dead try to get inside and use them for food .The first time the Zombies appeared was in ¨White Zombie(1932)¨. From then on Zombies remained a firm staple of terror B-genre , bringing the dead back to life was a popular pastime in the 30s and 40s . The early zombies were basically genteel beings and generally likable and agreeable types . Romero created in Pittsburg his own production company Image Ten Productions with his friends, John Russo among them and they each contributed 10.000 dollars and formed the budget for his first ¨Night of living dead¨ movie which made Romero world famous and he gave birth to the modern Zombie genre . Tom Savini cast an African-American Tony Todd , Duane Jones-alike , along with usual horror secondaries as Bill Moseley and Tom Towles ; furthermore ,Billy Cardille appears as a reporter in both the 1968 version and the remake . And acting debut for Katie Finneran and Heather Mazur . Claustrophobic picture , giving interesting consideration to the violence executed by the zombies and , along with the original ¨Night of the living dead, has had a lasting importance . It was one of the first successful independent terror productions influencing and inspiring countless imitations, copies and rip-offs . The scene at the end of the film, where several zombies are lynched from a tree and shot at was in fact scripted in the original 1968 film, but was cut because of the racial tensions gripping the country at the time , the scene pays homage to the cut. As is tradition with most zombie films, the word 'zombie' is never once used in this movie to describe the Living Dead . The motion picture was well directed by Tom Savini , though Peter Hyams was asked to direct, but turned it down to make ¨Margin narrow¨. However , Tom Savini's originally wanted to start the film in black-and-white, then slowly add color. Other equally celebrated sequels are the followings : ¨Dawn of the dead (78)¨ where the zombies attack a shopping mall ,¨Day of the dead dead(85)¨ and scientific experimenting on zombies and ¨Land of dead (2005)¨ with high budget played by Simon Baker, Asia Argento and Dennis Hooper .

"Good Horror Remake!"

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Tony Todd and Patricia Tallman star in Tom Savini's 1990 horror remake of George Romero's 1968 classic. This update is slightly different, but basically the same story. It begins with a young woman, Barbara (Tallman) and her brother, Johnny (Bill Moseley) heading to a cemetery to visit their mother's grave. They become attacked by flesh hungry zombies and Barbara barely escapes while Johnny becomes unfortunate. She seeks shelter at an isolated farmhouse nearby and is attacked by more zombies. She soon meets trucker, Ben (Todd) who helps her and together they protect themselves along with a few other people. Savini (Creepshow, From Dusk Til Dawn) wanted to do the make-up effects for Romero's original, but got to helm this version that's also written by Romero. Todd (Candyman) and Tallman (Army of Darkness) are great in it and I like the make-up effects. I recommend this good remake.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100258/reviews-208

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title: "Good Horror Remake!" review: Tony Todd and Patricia Tallman star in Tom Savini's 1990 horror remake of George Romero's 1968 classic. This update is slightly different, but basically the same story. It begins with a young woman, Barbara (Tallman) and her brother, Johnny (Bill Moseley) heading to a cemetery to visit their mother's grave. They become attacked by flesh hungry zombies and Barbara barely escapes while Johnny becomes unfortunate. She seeks shelter at an isolated farmhouse nearby and is attacked by more zombies. She soon meets trucker, Ben (Todd) who helps her and together they protect themselves along with a few other people. Savini (Creepshow, From Dusk Til Dawn) wanted to do the make-up effects for Romero's original, but got to helm this version that's also written by Romero. Todd (Candyman) and Tallman (Army of Darkness) are great in it and I like the make-up effects. I recommend this good remake.

A Terrific And Memorable Remake From Tom Savini And George A. Romero.

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Night Of The Living Dead is a terrific and memorable remake that combines great direction,a wonderful cast,a good score and great special make-up effects. And while the Night Of The Living Dead remake isn't a good as the original it is a well-done and worthy remake of the original classic from Tom Savini and George A. Romero.Set in Pennsylvania,Night Of The Living Dead tells the story of a group of strangers including Ben(Tony Todd),Barbara(Patricia Tallman),Harry Cooper(Tom Towles)and his wife Helen(McKee Anderson)Tom(William Butler)and his girlfriend Judy Rose(Katie Finnerman)who are holed up in a farmhouse and have to fight off Zombies who want to eat their flesh.Night Of The Living Dead(or Night Of The Living Dead 90)is a wonderful Horror remake that was the directorial debut of Special Effects master Tom Savini and with a screenplay by George A. Romero(the director of the original film). Remaking a classic landmark film like Night Of The Living Dead(1968)is no easy task but I think Savini,Romero and company have made a film that is one of the better Zombie films and remakes around. One of the reasons Night Of The Living Dead 90 is a great remake and Zombie movie is that while it's the same story as the original with the same setting,characters and some of the dialog but is updated and works not only as a remake of the original film but as an homage as well. While NOTLD 90 lacks the genuine scares and Black and White documentary style atmosphere of the original it some moments of suspense and atmosphere that hangs over the movie throughout. This film doesn't have a lot of the social commentary like the first film or any of Romero's other Zombie films(like Dawn Of The Dead in 1978 or in Day OfThe Dead in 1985)it does tackles that same themes as the original such as tension among the human characters and pulling in different directions showing how things fall apart in drastic situations which will always be relevant. The Action scenes in NOTLD 90 are simple but effective with a lot of shotgun action that is done with great timing and editing. The blood and gore in the movie is fine and memorable although compared to the gore in DAWN and DAY the blood and gore is pretty light(which was because of the MPAA which gave NOTLD an X rating and the movie had to cut some of the gore out although an unrated version of this has been released). While the main characters are the same as the original with Ben being the headstrong leader,Cooper being a jerk,Tom and Judy being a scared young couple and Helen having problems with Harry the biggest character change is with the character Barbara. Where as Barbara in the original and was pretty weak and was always screaming,the Barbara in this film is strong and tough always shooting and fighting the zombies and holding her own when things start to fall apart which almost like Ellen Ripley in the Alien franchise. Strong female characters have been a long staple in the Horror genre and the character Barbara in this film is apart of that fantastic tradition. The Zombies are still the slow walking dead creatures they were in the original film coming from every corner and wanting to feast on the living and attack in packs. Although NOTLD is not a Horror-Comedy and is very serious there are some moments in the movie that are over the top and make me laugh whether it's Ben and Cooper's bickering or moments that are just unintentionally funny. The ending of Night Of The Living Dead is great because it's an ironic twist on the original's ending and offers a powerful message about human beings and society's own destruction. An amazing conclusion.The cast is great. Tony Todd is excellent and intense as Ben,with Todd bringing depth and power to the role. Patricia Tallman is terrific as Barbara,with Tallman being tough and fierce. Tom Towles is fantastic as Harry Cooper,a jerk who wants to do things his way. McKee Anderson is wonderful as Helen Cooper,Harry's wife. William Butler and Katie Finnerman do fine jobs as Tom and Judy Rose,a young couple. Bill Mosley is amusing in his small role as Johnny,Barbara's brother. Heather Mazur(Sarah Cooper)and David Butler(Hondo)give good performances as well.The direction by Tom Savini is great for his directorial debut,with Savini using a style that is simple but effective with good angles and wide shot giving the movie nice lighting and atmosphere. Good direction,Savini.The score by Paul McCollough is good and is filled with enough tension to match the movie's tone. Fine score,McCollough.The Special and Practical Make-up effects are outstanding,effective and work for the movie. Great effects.In final word,if you love Zombie films or Horror films in general,I highly suggest you see Night Of The Living Dead 90,a terrific and memorable remake that's not as good as the original but still an entertaining Zombie movie. 9.5/10.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100258/reviews-224

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title: A Terrific And Memorable Remake From Tom Savini And George A. Romero. review: Night Of The Living Dead is a terrific and memorable remake that combines great direction,a wonderful cast,a good score and great special make-up effects. And while the Night Of The Living Dead remake isn't a good as the original it is a well-done and worthy remake of the original classic from Tom Savini and George A. Romero.Set in Pennsylvania,Night Of The Living Dead tells the story of a group of strangers including Ben(Tony Todd),Barbara(Patricia Tallman),Harry Cooper(Tom Towles)and his wife Helen(McKee Anderson)Tom(William Butler)and his girlfriend Judy Rose(Katie Finnerman)who are holed up in a farmhouse and have to fight off Zombies who want to eat their flesh.Night Of The Living Dead(or Night Of The Living Dead 90)is a wonderful Horror remake that was the directorial debut of Special Effects master Tom Savini and with a screenplay by George A. Romero(the director of the original film). Remaking a classic landmark film like Night Of The Living Dead(1968)is no easy task but I think Savini,Romero and company have made a film that is one of the better Zombie films and remakes around. One of the reasons Night Of The Living Dead 90 is a great remake and Zombie movie is that while it's the same story as the original with the same setting,characters and some of the dialog but is updated and works not only as a remake of the original film but as an homage as well. While NOTLD 90 lacks the genuine scares and Black and White documentary style atmosphere of the original it some moments of suspense and atmosphere that hangs over the movie throughout. This film doesn't have a lot of the social commentary like the first film or any of Romero's other Zombie films(like Dawn Of The Dead in 1978 or in Day OfThe Dead in 1985)it does tackles that same themes as the original such as tension among the human characters and pulling in different directions showing how things fall apart in drastic situations which will always be relevant. The Action scenes in NOTLD 90 are simple but effective with a lot of shotgun action that is done with great timing and editing. The blood and gore in the movie is fine and memorable although compared to the gore in DAWN and DAY the blood and gore is pretty light(which was because of the MPAA which gave NOTLD an X rating and the movie had to cut some of the gore out although an unrated version of this has been released). While the main characters are the same as the original with Ben being the headstrong leader,Cooper being a jerk,Tom and Judy being a scared young couple and Helen having problems with Harry the biggest character change is with the character Barbara. Where as Barbara in the original and was pretty weak and was always screaming,the Barbara in this film is strong and tough always shooting and fighting the zombies and holding her own when things start to fall apart which almost like Ellen Ripley in the Alien franchise. Strong female characters have been a long staple in the Horror genre and the character Barbara in this film is apart of that fantastic tradition. The Zombies are still the slow walking dead creatures they were in the original film coming from every corner and wanting to feast on the living and attack in packs. Although NOTLD is not a Horror-Comedy and is very serious there are some moments in the movie that are over the top and make me laugh whether it's Ben and Cooper's bickering or moments that are just unintentionally funny. The ending of Night Of The Living Dead is great because it's an ironic twist on the original's ending and offers a powerful message about human beings and society's own destruction. An amazing conclusion.The cast is great. Tony Todd is excellent and intense as Ben,with Todd bringing depth and power to the role. Patricia Tallman is terrific as Barbara,with Tallman being tough and fierce. Tom Towles is fantastic as Harry Cooper,a jerk who wants to do things his way. McKee Anderson is wonderful as Helen Cooper,Harry's wife. William Butler and Katie Finnerman do fine jobs as Tom and Judy Rose,a young couple. Bill Mosley is amusing in his small role as Johnny,Barbara's brother. Heather Mazur(Sarah Cooper)and David Butler(Hondo)give good performances as well.The direction by Tom Savini is great for his directorial debut,with Savini using a style that is simple but effective with good angles and wide shot giving the movie nice lighting and atmosphere. Good direction,Savini.The score by Paul McCollough is good and is filled with enough tension to match the movie's tone. Fine score,McCollough.The Special and Practical Make-up effects are outstanding,effective and work for the movie. Great effects.In final word,if you love Zombie films or Horror films in general,I highly suggest you see Night Of The Living Dead 90,a terrific and memorable remake that's not as good as the original but still an entertaining Zombie movie. 9.5/10.

Surprisingly Entertaining Remake from the Original 1968 film.

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In this faithful remake of the 1968 original "Night of the Living Dead" is satisfyingly enough to overcome sereval flaws moments of this remake. The remake is directed by George A. Romero long time friend:Tom Savini (Who is best known for his Make-Up effects work). The remake is penned by George A. Romero (Bruiser, The Dark Half), who re-wrote his original screenplay from the 1968 film. Which Romero wrote with John A. Russo back in 1968. The remake has a few new ideals with a different third act.The remake has basically the same story about Barbara (Patrica Tallman) and her wise-cracking brother-Johnny (Bill Moseley) went to the graveyard to visit their Mother's grave. When Barbara is attacked by a strange man. Her brother tries to save her but he ended getting killed. She runs away to a nearby farmhouse and she finds herself with a sensitive but tough African American man (Tony Todd). Thinking that they are safe in that farmhouse but once it turns night. Barbara and Ben, their world turns upside down, because these strange people are trying to get in the house.Then later... Barbara and Ben finds out that they are not alone in the house. When they find themselves with five other people (Tom Towles, McKee Anderson, William Bulter, Katie Finnerman and Heather Mazur). Thinking that they might have more hope but one of the survivors in the house finds out that these strange people are actually the living dead coming back to life and attacking (and eating) the living.This film is a scene for scene remake of the Disturbing Original until near the end. Only difference, the remake is color with a tougher heroine and more potent violence. But the film in the film, it has almost none of the impact from the 1968 movie. This is familiar territory for Romero and Savini. Producers of the original 1968 film-Russell Streiner and John A. Russo are also producing this remake. Originally, this was not the film that Romero and Savini intended to be. In fact 30 to 40 % of George A. Romero's Screenplay wasn't filmed, because of Budgetary Reasons. Most people hated this remake, when it first came out (even i hated it). But over the years, the remake got better, thanks to sharp performances by Todd, Tallman and Towles.The music score by Paul McCollough is a mixed bag. Sometimes the score works and sometimes it doesn't. But it does have a good music score at the end credits. Savini does let his actors overact at sereval tense moments, which almost makes the film funny unintentionally. This is certainly a flawed remake but better than expected. The remake of "Dawn of the Dead" is more successful than the "Night of the Living Dead" remake. DVD Quality of "Night of the Living Dead" remake is very good with an fine anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1) transfer (also in Pan & Scan). The Dolby 2.0 Surround is good and clear sounding. The DVD has an commentary track by Savini (Which the Commentary has some dead air, Savini should have someone with him in the Commentary like Romero). The DVD has an amusing 25 minute feautrette and the original trailer. This is not the best horror remake but Romero and Savini come very close. If they filmed the entire screenplay from Romero, maybe it would have ease the flaws of this film. It is worth a look. Romero also Executive Produced the film. Followed by the remake of "Dawn of the Dead". (*** ½/*****).

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100258/reviews-116

ur5115203

title: Surprisingly Entertaining Remake from the Original 1968 film. review: In this faithful remake of the 1968 original "Night of the Living Dead" is satisfyingly enough to overcome sereval flaws moments of this remake. The remake is directed by George A. Romero long time friend:Tom Savini (Who is best known for his Make-Up effects work). The remake is penned by George A. Romero (Bruiser, The Dark Half), who re-wrote his original screenplay from the 1968 film. Which Romero wrote with John A. Russo back in 1968. The remake has a few new ideals with a different third act.The remake has basically the same story about Barbara (Patrica Tallman) and her wise-cracking brother-Johnny (Bill Moseley) went to the graveyard to visit their Mother's grave. When Barbara is attacked by a strange man. Her brother tries to save her but he ended getting killed. She runs away to a nearby farmhouse and she finds herself with a sensitive but tough African American man (Tony Todd). Thinking that they are safe in that farmhouse but once it turns night. Barbara and Ben, their world turns upside down, because these strange people are trying to get in the house.Then later... Barbara and Ben finds out that they are not alone in the house. When they find themselves with five other people (Tom Towles, McKee Anderson, William Bulter, Katie Finnerman and Heather Mazur). Thinking that they might have more hope but one of the survivors in the house finds out that these strange people are actually the living dead coming back to life and attacking (and eating) the living.This film is a scene for scene remake of the Disturbing Original until near the end. Only difference, the remake is color with a tougher heroine and more potent violence. But the film in the film, it has almost none of the impact from the 1968 movie. This is familiar territory for Romero and Savini. Producers of the original 1968 film-Russell Streiner and John A. Russo are also producing this remake. Originally, this was not the film that Romero and Savini intended to be. In fact 30 to 40 % of George A. Romero's Screenplay wasn't filmed, because of Budgetary Reasons. Most people hated this remake, when it first came out (even i hated it). But over the years, the remake got better, thanks to sharp performances by Todd, Tallman and Towles.The music score by Paul McCollough is a mixed bag. Sometimes the score works and sometimes it doesn't. But it does have a good music score at the end credits. Savini does let his actors overact at sereval tense moments, which almost makes the film funny unintentionally. This is certainly a flawed remake but better than expected. The remake of "Dawn of the Dead" is more successful than the "Night of the Living Dead" remake. DVD Quality of "Night of the Living Dead" remake is very good with an fine anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1) transfer (also in Pan & Scan). The Dolby 2.0 Surround is good and clear sounding. The DVD has an commentary track by Savini (Which the Commentary has some dead air, Savini should have someone with him in the Commentary like Romero). The DVD has an amusing 25 minute feautrette and the original trailer. This is not the best horror remake but Romero and Savini come very close. If they filmed the entire screenplay from Romero, maybe it would have ease the flaws of this film. It is worth a look. Romero also Executive Produced the film. Followed by the remake of "Dawn of the Dead". (*** ½/*****).

A worthy installment.

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The script is pretty weak and at least as many bad things as good things were brought over from the original for this remake, but the 1990 version of George Romero's classic horror film has its heart in the right place, I guess you could say. The movie wastes no time, starting out in a cemetery where a bickering brother and sister have driven no small amount of distance to visit the grave of their mother. So the Don't Go Into A Cemetery rule of horror movies is immediately broken and swiftly punished. I really liked the way the zombies were introduced, it reminded me of the zombies in Shaun of the Dead, where Shaun walked among them, not paying attention to his surroundings, before noticing that he was surrounded by the walking dead.Patricia Tallman turns in a satisfactory performance as Barbara, the sister involved in the opening scene and the heroine of the movie. I thought it was strange that she turns out to be such a strong character when at the beginning of the movie she was immediately reduced to a blubbering basket-case when she arrived at the farmhouse in which most of the movie takes place. Granted, she had just witnessed her brother being killed by a zombie, but no matter how much I sympathize with their plight, I can't stand hysterical people in horror movies, male or female. When someone starts whining and moaning and screaming and crying and sobbing and blubbering and won't even respond to someone shaking them and hollering into their face, I just want them to hurry up and get killed so they'll shut the hell up.Harry Cooper is still the same ridiculous jerkoff he was in the first movie, displaying an entirely unacceptable and unjustifiable state of constant rage, even when finally finding himself in the company of other living, breathing people rather than mindless zombies. Just like the security guard in Dawn of the Dead, this guy wants his own way, even if it means separating himself from other living people, who are fast becoming an endangered species. One thing I'm not sure I understand is the way his insults have been updated to fit the modern times of 1990. At one point, after locking himself, his wife and his zombie-bitten daughter alone together in the basement, he flings a few more vicious insults at the people in the rest of the house, curiously calling them 'lame-brains,' and 'yo-yo's.' If this movie was meant to be shown on the Disney channel, I could understand including such words in the script. But it wasn't. I don't even think the Disney channel was around in 1990.The zombies are updated, needless to say, but they're not over-the-top and they maintain the general appearance of the original zombies. There's nothing worse than using special effects just because they're there, and this remake doesn't do it. Then there are newer horror movies made that try to improve upon the make-up in the original films, such as the first color installment in the Night of the Living Dead series, the original Dawn of the Dead, tried to do it in color and wound up with a lot of bad extras wearing blue make-up all over their faces. Awful.(spoilers) There are lots of radio broadcasts throughout about an epidemic of mass murder being committed by a virtual army of unidentified assassins and do not attempt to reach loved ones and blah blah blah. A brother and sister finally get Ben's truck running enough to get it to the gas pump (the fact that it was out of gas should have been mentioned earlier than it was, because it looked a little ridiculous to see him drive up to the house and then frantically shake Barbara, asking her repeatedly if she has a car), only to be killed by fatal stupidity.I have to admit that I thought the ending was fairly clever. The horribly ironic ending of the original has been changed, but it's still horribly ironic. The whole gang of characters gets saved by a bunch of drunken rednecks, who gleefully and repeatedly shoot zombies between pounding cans of beer, stringing them up in the trees and whatnot, while one character has a bit of insight about the zombies, 'They're us and we're them.' Nice, but I could have done without the philosophy lesson.I think this remake really tried hard to justify itself, to be more than just a static colorization of a classic, and I think that to a large extent it succeeds. Where it falls short is that it doesn't know what is good and what can be changed about the original. Lots of good is brought through, but there are a few things that I could simply have done without. I'm not a big fan of people remaking classic movies and changing them, but Harry Cooper needs a total character overhaul. Nevertheless, this one's worth a look.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100258/reviews-107

ur0562732

title: A worthy installment. review: The script is pretty weak and at least as many bad things as good things were brought over from the original for this remake, but the 1990 version of George Romero's classic horror film has its heart in the right place, I guess you could say. The movie wastes no time, starting out in a cemetery where a bickering brother and sister have driven no small amount of distance to visit the grave of their mother. So the Don't Go Into A Cemetery rule of horror movies is immediately broken and swiftly punished. I really liked the way the zombies were introduced, it reminded me of the zombies in Shaun of the Dead, where Shaun walked among them, not paying attention to his surroundings, before noticing that he was surrounded by the walking dead.Patricia Tallman turns in a satisfactory performance as Barbara, the sister involved in the opening scene and the heroine of the movie. I thought it was strange that she turns out to be such a strong character when at the beginning of the movie she was immediately reduced to a blubbering basket-case when she arrived at the farmhouse in which most of the movie takes place. Granted, she had just witnessed her brother being killed by a zombie, but no matter how much I sympathize with their plight, I can't stand hysterical people in horror movies, male or female. When someone starts whining and moaning and screaming and crying and sobbing and blubbering and won't even respond to someone shaking them and hollering into their face, I just want them to hurry up and get killed so they'll shut the hell up.Harry Cooper is still the same ridiculous jerkoff he was in the first movie, displaying an entirely unacceptable and unjustifiable state of constant rage, even when finally finding himself in the company of other living, breathing people rather than mindless zombies. Just like the security guard in Dawn of the Dead, this guy wants his own way, even if it means separating himself from other living people, who are fast becoming an endangered species. One thing I'm not sure I understand is the way his insults have been updated to fit the modern times of 1990. At one point, after locking himself, his wife and his zombie-bitten daughter alone together in the basement, he flings a few more vicious insults at the people in the rest of the house, curiously calling them 'lame-brains,' and 'yo-yo's.' If this movie was meant to be shown on the Disney channel, I could understand including such words in the script. But it wasn't. I don't even think the Disney channel was around in 1990.The zombies are updated, needless to say, but they're not over-the-top and they maintain the general appearance of the original zombies. There's nothing worse than using special effects just because they're there, and this remake doesn't do it. Then there are newer horror movies made that try to improve upon the make-up in the original films, such as the first color installment in the Night of the Living Dead series, the original Dawn of the Dead, tried to do it in color and wound up with a lot of bad extras wearing blue make-up all over their faces. Awful.(spoilers) There are lots of radio broadcasts throughout about an epidemic of mass murder being committed by a virtual army of unidentified assassins and do not attempt to reach loved ones and blah blah blah. A brother and sister finally get Ben's truck running enough to get it to the gas pump (the fact that it was out of gas should have been mentioned earlier than it was, because it looked a little ridiculous to see him drive up to the house and then frantically shake Barbara, asking her repeatedly if she has a car), only to be killed by fatal stupidity.I have to admit that I thought the ending was fairly clever. The horribly ironic ending of the original has been changed, but it's still horribly ironic. The whole gang of characters gets saved by a bunch of drunken rednecks, who gleefully and repeatedly shoot zombies between pounding cans of beer, stringing them up in the trees and whatnot, while one character has a bit of insight about the zombies, 'They're us and we're them.' Nice, but I could have done without the philosophy lesson.I think this remake really tried hard to justify itself, to be more than just a static colorization of a classic, and I think that to a large extent it succeeds. Where it falls short is that it doesn't know what is good and what can be changed about the original. Lots of good is brought through, but there are a few things that I could simply have done without. I'm not a big fan of people remaking classic movies and changing them, but Harry Cooper needs a total character overhaul. Nevertheless, this one's worth a look.

The Dead walk again in this remake, which isn't quite forgettable, but it's still nothing to get worked up about

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George A. Romero's original 1968 horror masterpiece "Night of the Living Dead" is just that - a horror masterpiece, and a bona-fide landmark horror film that gave birth to an entire sub-genre of horror. Romero followed it up 10 years later in 1978 with the superior sequel "Dawn of the Dead," my personal favorite horror movie of all time and my favorite zombie movie of all time. 1985 saw the premiere of the second sequel, the somber yet effective "Day of the Dead," and concluded the series with "Land of the Dead" (2005). 2007 saw the high-tech, revisionist "Diary of the Dead."We know that in 1968, seven people barricaded themselves inside a decrepit farmhouse on the Pennsylvania countryside from the hordes of flesh-hungry zombies on the outside. And in 1990, Romero approached his right-hand special effects man Tom Savini to direct the remake of his 1968 landmark horror masterpiece.The two best things that can be said about Savini's remake is that the special effects and gore are better and the acting is slightly improved and the characters are a bit smarter than those in the original (though this can be explained by the fact that 22 years passed between 1968 and 1990, which was more than enough time for zombie lore to be effectively fleshed out by zombie movie fan sub-culture, and the filmmakers rightfully took a few of their cues from the source material).Like a lot of remakes, "Night of the Living Dead" is pretty by-the-numbers all the way through and neatly repeats many of the most significant events of the original. However, there are a few differences, some of them are actually quite good, while others are not-so-good. For example, the film's heroine Barbara (Patricia Tallman) is no longer the near-catatonic screamer she was in the original. Here she eventually "nuts up" (so to speak) and learns to carry a rifle (and later a revolver) in order to effectively defend herself and others from the legions of the living dead trying to munch on warm human flesh. (It's the work of some post-"Aliens" cinematic feminism at work here.)Ben (Tony Todd, the understated and underused actor who would later play Candyman is an adequate substitute for the late Duane Jones, but doesn't approach the late actor's intensity or heroism) leads the survivors because he is the only one with a level head and a truck with a near-empty tank of gas as their only means of transportation. He's also quick and resourceful and brave, qualities a lot of his cohorts don't share. (Duane Jones was also notable in the original for being the strong black hero, with no reference made to his skin color.) Of course, he butts heads with the arrogant Harry Cooper (Tom Towles), who was hiding in the cellar with his wife Helen (McKee Anderson), injured daughter Sarah (Heather Mazur), and a young couple named Tom (William Butler) and Judy Rose (Katie Finneran). Tom and Judy Rose both make themselves useful in helping to barricade the house from the zombies outside along with Barbara once she snaps out of her catatonia state.To be fair to Savini, he does a good job of mounting the tension and dread from the get-go. But where he falters is the by-the-numbers plot; I would think that Romero would take a few hints to not be so by-the-numbers in writing the screenplay to a remake of his own film. Of course, since this is Savini's film, after all, the special effects are top-notch. The zombies here all look like they were once living people, and the spectacular make-up effects employed here are skillful in making them look like real-life walking cadavers. The effects also give way to some pretty startling imagery, such as one zombie that is seen carrying a baby doll and another who was clearly a heroin junkie and is seen with a telltale needle dangling out of his arm.When the movie ends, it's the same as the original, but some details are quite different because Savini's film ends on a slightly more positive note, with some ham-fisted social commentary (about Us being not-so-different from Them) for good measure."Night of the Living Dead" is not a bad film because it does have some significant improvements from the original, but like most remakes it was unnecessary and seemed to be a bit of a cash-grab. Romero's "Dawn of the Dead" was remade in 2004 by Zack Snyder; true zombie movie fans and fans of Romero's original need to check it out because it scared the living daylights out of me when I first saw it. "Day of the Dead" also received a very poor direct-to-video remake in 2008.6/10

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100258/reviews-190

ur0892646

title: The Dead walk again in this remake, which isn't quite forgettable, but it's still nothing to get worked up about review: George A. Romero's original 1968 horror masterpiece "Night of the Living Dead" is just that - a horror masterpiece, and a bona-fide landmark horror film that gave birth to an entire sub-genre of horror. Romero followed it up 10 years later in 1978 with the superior sequel "Dawn of the Dead," my personal favorite horror movie of all time and my favorite zombie movie of all time. 1985 saw the premiere of the second sequel, the somber yet effective "Day of the Dead," and concluded the series with "Land of the Dead" (2005). 2007 saw the high-tech, revisionist "Diary of the Dead."We know that in 1968, seven people barricaded themselves inside a decrepit farmhouse on the Pennsylvania countryside from the hordes of flesh-hungry zombies on the outside. And in 1990, Romero approached his right-hand special effects man Tom Savini to direct the remake of his 1968 landmark horror masterpiece.The two best things that can be said about Savini's remake is that the special effects and gore are better and the acting is slightly improved and the characters are a bit smarter than those in the original (though this can be explained by the fact that 22 years passed between 1968 and 1990, which was more than enough time for zombie lore to be effectively fleshed out by zombie movie fan sub-culture, and the filmmakers rightfully took a few of their cues from the source material).Like a lot of remakes, "Night of the Living Dead" is pretty by-the-numbers all the way through and neatly repeats many of the most significant events of the original. However, there are a few differences, some of them are actually quite good, while others are not-so-good. For example, the film's heroine Barbara (Patricia Tallman) is no longer the near-catatonic screamer she was in the original. Here she eventually "nuts up" (so to speak) and learns to carry a rifle (and later a revolver) in order to effectively defend herself and others from the legions of the living dead trying to munch on warm human flesh. (It's the work of some post-"Aliens" cinematic feminism at work here.)Ben (Tony Todd, the understated and underused actor who would later play Candyman is an adequate substitute for the late Duane Jones, but doesn't approach the late actor's intensity or heroism) leads the survivors because he is the only one with a level head and a truck with a near-empty tank of gas as their only means of transportation. He's also quick and resourceful and brave, qualities a lot of his cohorts don't share. (Duane Jones was also notable in the original for being the strong black hero, with no reference made to his skin color.) Of course, he butts heads with the arrogant Harry Cooper (Tom Towles), who was hiding in the cellar with his wife Helen (McKee Anderson), injured daughter Sarah (Heather Mazur), and a young couple named Tom (William Butler) and Judy Rose (Katie Finneran). Tom and Judy Rose both make themselves useful in helping to barricade the house from the zombies outside along with Barbara once she snaps out of her catatonia state.To be fair to Savini, he does a good job of mounting the tension and dread from the get-go. But where he falters is the by-the-numbers plot; I would think that Romero would take a few hints to not be so by-the-numbers in writing the screenplay to a remake of his own film. Of course, since this is Savini's film, after all, the special effects are top-notch. The zombies here all look like they were once living people, and the spectacular make-up effects employed here are skillful in making them look like real-life walking cadavers. The effects also give way to some pretty startling imagery, such as one zombie that is seen carrying a baby doll and another who was clearly a heroin junkie and is seen with a telltale needle dangling out of his arm.When the movie ends, it's the same as the original, but some details are quite different because Savini's film ends on a slightly more positive note, with some ham-fisted social commentary (about Us being not-so-different from Them) for good measure."Night of the Living Dead" is not a bad film because it does have some significant improvements from the original, but like most remakes it was unnecessary and seemed to be a bit of a cash-grab. Romero's "Dawn of the Dead" was remade in 2004 by Zack Snyder; true zombie movie fans and fans of Romero's original need to check it out because it scared the living daylights out of me when I first saw it. "Day of the Dead" also received a very poor direct-to-video remake in 2008.6/10

Night of the Living Dead

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I didn't like this movie. I would recommend to watch it if you are really boring and don't have anything better to do.I didn't like the plot, the characters and the performances.The plot of the movie is about a woman (Barbara) who goes tho visit her dead mother to the cemetery in the country, and there she is going to be attacked by zombies, she get to run away and find a house where she meets a group of people. In that house they will try to survive the attack of the zombies, meanwhile they hear in the TV news that people who just died recently are turning in to zombies trying to eat people, and the scientists doesn't know the cause of this.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100258/reviews-171

ur19997672

title: Night of the Living Dead review: I didn't like this movie. I would recommend to watch it if you are really boring and don't have anything better to do.I didn't like the plot, the characters and the performances.The plot of the movie is about a woman (Barbara) who goes tho visit her dead mother to the cemetery in the country, and there she is going to be attacked by zombies, she get to run away and find a house where she meets a group of people. In that house they will try to survive the attack of the zombies, meanwhile they hear in the TV news that people who just died recently are turning in to zombies trying to eat people, and the scientists doesn't know the cause of this.

Very Good Remake of the 1968 Romero Classic Night of the Living Dead

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Because of the inexperience of the people who made The Night of the Living Dead back in 1968, the film quickly fell into public domain and they lost out on the lion's share of the profits as it developed from a cult favorite to a genuine horror classic. The Tom Savini directed remake was a way for them to get back some of what they lost as the old crew reassembled hoping lightning would strike twice. Unfortunately, it wasn't the hit they were hoping for but it's a pretty good movie which faithfully recreates the tone and feel of the original while throwing in a few welcome twists and maxing out the prerequisite gore. An early starring role for future Candyman headliner Tony Todd.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100258/reviews-221

ur48169717

title: Very Good Remake of the 1968 Romero Classic Night of the Living Dead review: Because of the inexperience of the people who made The Night of the Living Dead back in 1968, the film quickly fell into public domain and they lost out on the lion's share of the profits as it developed from a cult favorite to a genuine horror classic. The Tom Savini directed remake was a way for them to get back some of what they lost as the old crew reassembled hoping lightning would strike twice. Unfortunately, it wasn't the hit they were hoping for but it's a pretty good movie which faithfully recreates the tone and feel of the original while throwing in a few welcome twists and maxing out the prerequisite gore. An early starring role for future Candyman headliner Tony Todd.

Hit-and-miss zombie movie.

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'Land of the Dead', 'Diary of the Dead', 'Dawn of the Dead', and 'Planet Terror' are my favorite zombie movies so far.What they did so well was create an atmospehere that helped make interesting characters, a good plot, and a really good movie.This remake of George A. Romero's version probably should've have just stayed beneath the ground.It's not that I didn't like it, it's just that I wish the people didn't stay in the house for an hour and a half.Zombie movies need to take the people and put them in different areas.The only zombie movie that put the characters in one place and let them stay that I liked was 'Quarantine'. This is a bad zombie movie, but it's a so-so movie overall.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100258/reviews-180

ur20781972

title: Hit-and-miss zombie movie. review: 'Land of the Dead', 'Diary of the Dead', 'Dawn of the Dead', and 'Planet Terror' are my favorite zombie movies so far.What they did so well was create an atmospehere that helped make interesting characters, a good plot, and a really good movie.This remake of George A. Romero's version probably should've have just stayed beneath the ground.It's not that I didn't like it, it's just that I wish the people didn't stay in the house for an hour and a half.Zombie movies need to take the people and put them in different areas.The only zombie movie that put the characters in one place and let them stay that I liked was 'Quarantine'. This is a bad zombie movie, but it's a so-so movie overall.

Very good remake.

tt0100258

Hearing of this remake, I was very interested in seeing it. On Halloween 1983, MTV showed the original Night of the Living Dead, which was my first exposure to George Romero's film-making. Later that year, I caught his masterpiece, Dawn of the Dead at a midnight movie.To review the contemporary Night of the Living Dead, it will be juxtaposed to the original. The remake follows the same storyline of Barbara (Patricia Tallman) visiting her mother's grave with her brother. He starts acting kooky when they come across some zombies.She flees from the walking dead and finds an abandoned farmhouse. There, she meets Ben (Tony Todd). Of course, there are others like Tommy (William Butler), his wife Judy Rose (Kate Finneran), and the nefarious Harry Cooper (Tom Towles). Tommy is good to deal with, but Cooper is a major league jerk. Even his wife has trouble defending him.Then the group works hard to board up the windows to protect themselves from the zombies. Unfortunately, while the living dead have no divisions, the living continuously vie each other for power. Guess who wins.As for its strengths, the remake has a lot going for it. At the outset, the new one has a budget that allowed for better acting and better special effects. Tom Savini also takes the directing reigns from Romero, proving he can offer his own unique vision for the classic.Another strength was enough changes in the storyline to give fresh scares and avoid predictable pratfalls. In the original, the Barbara character was a weak, simpering fool. Thanks to feminism, this time around she is stronger and takes a more active approach to her predicament. Unfortunately, she also falls to the over arching theme.The moral to the story is also a strength. While the first rendition of Night gives us a panic of revolutionaries, this movie simply makes a statement on how we treat each other. "We're them, and they're us," contemplates Barbara. How we treat the dead is an indicator of how we treat life. How they treat us is also reflective.This leads to an ending that is, while cynical towards human nature, not as dark and depressing as the first movie.The only weakness, though, is the new Night is not original. It does not have the freshness of the original 1968 release. If that is the only weakness, though, it must be good.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100258/reviews-165

ur10002238

title: Very good remake. review: Hearing of this remake, I was very interested in seeing it. On Halloween 1983, MTV showed the original Night of the Living Dead, which was my first exposure to George Romero's film-making. Later that year, I caught his masterpiece, Dawn of the Dead at a midnight movie.To review the contemporary Night of the Living Dead, it will be juxtaposed to the original. The remake follows the same storyline of Barbara (Patricia Tallman) visiting her mother's grave with her brother. He starts acting kooky when they come across some zombies.She flees from the walking dead and finds an abandoned farmhouse. There, she meets Ben (Tony Todd). Of course, there are others like Tommy (William Butler), his wife Judy Rose (Kate Finneran), and the nefarious Harry Cooper (Tom Towles). Tommy is good to deal with, but Cooper is a major league jerk. Even his wife has trouble defending him.Then the group works hard to board up the windows to protect themselves from the zombies. Unfortunately, while the living dead have no divisions, the living continuously vie each other for power. Guess who wins.As for its strengths, the remake has a lot going for it. At the outset, the new one has a budget that allowed for better acting and better special effects. Tom Savini also takes the directing reigns from Romero, proving he can offer his own unique vision for the classic.Another strength was enough changes in the storyline to give fresh scares and avoid predictable pratfalls. In the original, the Barbara character was a weak, simpering fool. Thanks to feminism, this time around she is stronger and takes a more active approach to her predicament. Unfortunately, she also falls to the over arching theme.The moral to the story is also a strength. While the first rendition of Night gives us a panic of revolutionaries, this movie simply makes a statement on how we treat each other. "We're them, and they're us," contemplates Barbara. How we treat the dead is an indicator of how we treat life. How they treat us is also reflective.This leads to an ending that is, while cynical towards human nature, not as dark and depressing as the first movie.The only weakness, though, is the new Night is not original. It does not have the freshness of the original 1968 release. If that is the only weakness, though, it must be good.

Solid B-remake with some big shoes to fill

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What is at once satisfying and disappointing about Tom Savini's 1990 redux of George Romero's penultimate horror film "Night of the Living Dead" is that it's a well-done B movie that retains the same western-Pennsylvania atmosphere of its predecessor. It's a credible, reverent take (re-scripted by Romero himself) that falls prey to some notable flaws (particularly a lack of real scares and some campy performances) while moving quickly, efficiently along with some periodically chilling moments (the re-constructed freeze-frame ending being one of them). What this "Night" lacks, however, is a sense of purpose (save for letting the makers of the original see a long-delayed paycheck) and the gritty, raw look that made the 1968 original a visceral, horrifying experience. The performances are a mixed bag, with solid turns from Tony Todd ("Candyman") and especially Patricia Tallman as a much tougher Barbara; Tom Towles plays Harry Cooper as a cross between Archie Bunker and Homer Simpson; and William Butler and Kate Finneran (as Tom and Judy) are exceedingly weak links, dumbing the characters down to shrill clichés. Like I said, as a stripped-down B movie, this "Night" has its merits and is fairly entertaining, but lacking the sociopolitical subtexts (and historical reference) that made Romero's original resonate on a much deeper, more disturbing level, this can only be seen as pupil that just isn't apt enough.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100258/reviews-163

ur1193248

title: Solid B-remake with some big shoes to fill review: What is at once satisfying and disappointing about Tom Savini's 1990 redux of George Romero's penultimate horror film "Night of the Living Dead" is that it's a well-done B movie that retains the same western-Pennsylvania atmosphere of its predecessor. It's a credible, reverent take (re-scripted by Romero himself) that falls prey to some notable flaws (particularly a lack of real scares and some campy performances) while moving quickly, efficiently along with some periodically chilling moments (the re-constructed freeze-frame ending being one of them). What this "Night" lacks, however, is a sense of purpose (save for letting the makers of the original see a long-delayed paycheck) and the gritty, raw look that made the 1968 original a visceral, horrifying experience. The performances are a mixed bag, with solid turns from Tony Todd ("Candyman") and especially Patricia Tallman as a much tougher Barbara; Tom Towles plays Harry Cooper as a cross between Archie Bunker and Homer Simpson; and William Butler and Kate Finneran (as Tom and Judy) are exceedingly weak links, dumbing the characters down to shrill clichés. Like I said, as a stripped-down B movie, this "Night" has its merits and is fairly entertaining, but lacking the sociopolitical subtexts (and historical reference) that made Romero's original resonate on a much deeper, more disturbing level, this can only be seen as pupil that just isn't apt enough.

Well-done remake of a horror classic; Savini does Romero proud

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NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1990) *** Tony Todd, Patricia Tallman, Tom Towles, McKee Anderson, William Butler, Katie Finneran, Bill Moseley, Heather Mazur. Make-up wiz Tom Savini's big-screen directorial debut is a a doozy: a remake of the seminal zombie horror classic for a contemporary day audience doesn't disappoint with more than enough tension, terror and violence. Teaming up with frequent collaborator - and the original's creator/director - George A. Romero (who also does a better turn with the screenplay), the film echoes its counterpart nicely yet layers on the dread. While Todd does a comparatively equal (if not better and tougher) job as the Duane Jones hero, Tallman is a bit off for the most part (a bit stiff and then suddenly gung-ho makes an uneasy transition) while Towles is perfectly cast as the obnoxious loud- mouth whose negativity is only second to the slow-moving corpses taking a stranglehold on their holed-up farmhouse sanctuary. The original is the bellwether curve for modern-day horror and this well-produced homage is just as good.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100258/reviews-214

ur0937743

title: Well-done remake of a horror classic; Savini does Romero proud review: NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1990) *** Tony Todd, Patricia Tallman, Tom Towles, McKee Anderson, William Butler, Katie Finneran, Bill Moseley, Heather Mazur. Make-up wiz Tom Savini's big-screen directorial debut is a a doozy: a remake of the seminal zombie horror classic for a contemporary day audience doesn't disappoint with more than enough tension, terror and violence. Teaming up with frequent collaborator - and the original's creator/director - George A. Romero (who also does a better turn with the screenplay), the film echoes its counterpart nicely yet layers on the dread. While Todd does a comparatively equal (if not better and tougher) job as the Duane Jones hero, Tallman is a bit off for the most part (a bit stiff and then suddenly gung-ho makes an uneasy transition) while Towles is perfectly cast as the obnoxious loud- mouth whose negativity is only second to the slow-moving corpses taking a stranglehold on their holed-up farmhouse sanctuary. The original is the bellwether curve for modern-day horror and this well-produced homage is just as good.

Extremely Entertaining!

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As someone who just wanted to see this film purely from the captivating trailers, I was definitely not disappointed. No, I've never seen the series, so my review is purely one of THE FILM as just that - a film. And I, my husband, and my sister (we are all adults,) LOVED it.The cinematography was truly stunning - the CGI water effects were magnificent! The fight scenes were also very well choreographed (especially the one with Aang and the "Blue Spirit,") and the Tai Chi based forms were gracefully fluid. The boy's technique was spot on!The action was very well done without going over the top, and the dramatic aspects stemming from the various relationships is extremely intriguing. The relationships: between the father/son, the uncle/nephew, and especially the one between Aang and Prince Zuko - they are all wonderfully illustrated and executed, creating the right amount of tension, give, and conflict.We were so pleased with this film's ending and are happily waiting for the sequel! For those of you out there, like us, who do NOT watch this cartoon series (the adult population out there) GO SEE THIS FILM. You will be taken away from your everyday life into a time and place beyond your wildest dreams, and you WILL be entertained.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0938283/reviews-412

ur17109012

title: Extremely Entertaining! review: As someone who just wanted to see this film purely from the captivating trailers, I was definitely not disappointed. No, I've never seen the series, so my review is purely one of THE FILM as just that - a film. And I, my husband, and my sister (we are all adults,) LOVED it.The cinematography was truly stunning - the CGI water effects were magnificent! The fight scenes were also very well choreographed (especially the one with Aang and the "Blue Spirit,") and the Tai Chi based forms were gracefully fluid. The boy's technique was spot on!The action was very well done without going over the top, and the dramatic aspects stemming from the various relationships is extremely intriguing. The relationships: between the father/son, the uncle/nephew, and especially the one between Aang and Prince Zuko - they are all wonderfully illustrated and executed, creating the right amount of tension, give, and conflict.We were so pleased with this film's ending and are happily waiting for the sequel! For those of you out there, like us, who do NOT watch this cartoon series (the adult population out there) GO SEE THIS FILM. You will be taken away from your everyday life into a time and place beyond your wildest dreams, and you WILL be entertained.

did not like the story

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I thought the whole story behind this movie was boring. There was just a bunch of useless fighting, with silly special effects, and it's like who cares. The characters are not memorable. I didn't like any of them. And the movie ends setup for a sequel and according to IMDb, there is no sequel in development yet. That shows how bad this movie was, no one wants another version. Even the flying creature is a rip off from the Never Ending Story. The boy wonder in this mainly can summon up the wind and create gusts of wind. How exciting, but if there is a sequel he will learn to control water, earth and fire.FINAL VERDICT: Just silly.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0938283/reviews-1264

ur1773414

title: did not like the story review: I thought the whole story behind this movie was boring. There was just a bunch of useless fighting, with silly special effects, and it's like who cares. The characters are not memorable. I didn't like any of them. And the movie ends setup for a sequel and according to IMDb, there is no sequel in development yet. That shows how bad this movie was, no one wants another version. Even the flying creature is a rip off from the Never Ending Story. The boy wonder in this mainly can summon up the wind and create gusts of wind. How exciting, but if there is a sequel he will learn to control water, earth and fire.FINAL VERDICT: Just silly.

M. Night Shyamalan's worst work?

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It's entertaining. I'll give it that. But I'm supposed to base this review on this single film alone when clearly it's the first part of what looks like three.I could careless that there was no famous actor in it. It makes the story and special effects work for themselves. It's still very noticeable that no Nicholas Cage, Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis or top name actor is absent.The story follows Aang, "The Last Airbender" (the only living person who can bend or control air) but unfortunately for his people, and I suppose fortunately for the audiences (?), he must learn the other three elements (fire, earth and water). This film centers on him learning and struggling with the single element of water, while his enemies use fire.It sounds good on paper. It sounds interesting enough and the trailers really work to reel you in for a viewing. But honestly, skip it and look for a bigger draw. This movie is a flashback galore and it relies solely on it's tame special effects that have already been done before.I believe M. Night Shyamalan has lost his touch since Lady In the Water. Much like that film, the movie drags on and Aang struggles to control the element of water until a few minutes before the end credits. You sit there for ninety minutes watching basically nothing.I am not excited about a possible sequel because the first film wasn't even exciting to begin with. I felt the need to walk out numerous times. But I wanted to stay till the end in order to fully make my review valid.Trailers give you false hope that this movie will be mind blowing. It's not anything special or unique. It's a waste of time and money. Skip it and see something better.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0938283/reviews-505

ur6732597

title: M. Night Shyamalan's worst work? review: It's entertaining. I'll give it that. But I'm supposed to base this review on this single film alone when clearly it's the first part of what looks like three.I could careless that there was no famous actor in it. It makes the story and special effects work for themselves. It's still very noticeable that no Nicholas Cage, Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis or top name actor is absent.The story follows Aang, "The Last Airbender" (the only living person who can bend or control air) but unfortunately for his people, and I suppose fortunately for the audiences (?), he must learn the other three elements (fire, earth and water). This film centers on him learning and struggling with the single element of water, while his enemies use fire.It sounds good on paper. It sounds interesting enough and the trailers really work to reel you in for a viewing. But honestly, skip it and look for a bigger draw. This movie is a flashback galore and it relies solely on it's tame special effects that have already been done before.I believe M. Night Shyamalan has lost his touch since Lady In the Water. Much like that film, the movie drags on and Aang struggles to control the element of water until a few minutes before the end credits. You sit there for ninety minutes watching basically nothing.I am not excited about a possible sequel because the first film wasn't even exciting to begin with. I felt the need to walk out numerous times. But I wanted to stay till the end in order to fully make my review valid.Trailers give you false hope that this movie will be mind blowing. It's not anything special or unique. It's a waste of time and money. Skip it and see something better.

Lame at its highest.

tt0938283

Known for his gloomy and dreary-looking movies, director M. Night Shyamalan gives us a film that follows the adventures of Aang, a young successor to a line of Avatars, deity beings. He must stop the Fire Nation from enslaving the Water, Earth and Air nations.In a nutshell, the movie's story is unamusing, acting is terrible, special effects were campy and unbelievable and the entire plot is very juvenile (even for a movie aimed mostly at children).Basically, this movie really doesn't spawn one's imagination or has a story that captivates one's mind and sends a strong message. Don't waste your time watching this.Grade D-

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0938283/reviews-1404

ur0437174

title: Lame at its highest. review: Known for his gloomy and dreary-looking movies, director M. Night Shyamalan gives us a film that follows the adventures of Aang, a young successor to a line of Avatars, deity beings. He must stop the Fire Nation from enslaving the Water, Earth and Air nations.In a nutshell, the movie's story is unamusing, acting is terrible, special effects were campy and unbelievable and the entire plot is very juvenile (even for a movie aimed mostly at children).Basically, this movie really doesn't spawn one's imagination or has a story that captivates one's mind and sends a strong message. Don't waste your time watching this.Grade D-

out of this world 3D

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it is out of this world in 3D i think you will enjoy this incredible movie there is nothing like this it is a super film that the whole family will enjoy there is no other movie like this if you like movies in 3D than you will enjoy this 3D movie you will just like this movie it is one of the coolest movies ever created if you like it so you like it it is one of my favorite movies ever this is the the bomb i never saw a movie like this that has been this good it is out of this world in 3D this is in my top 5 best films ever created and that is for sure i never saw a movie like this go last airbender go you rock i hope you enjoy this masterpiece of a 3D film it is a must see movie for sure because it is a cool movie have a great day everyone

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0938283/reviews-1271

ur25362190

title: out of this world 3D review: it is out of this world in 3D i think you will enjoy this incredible movie there is nothing like this it is a super film that the whole family will enjoy there is no other movie like this if you like movies in 3D than you will enjoy this 3D movie you will just like this movie it is one of the coolest movies ever created if you like it so you like it it is one of my favorite movies ever this is the the bomb i never saw a movie like this that has been this good it is out of this world in 3D this is in my top 5 best films ever created and that is for sure i never saw a movie like this go last airbender go you rock i hope you enjoy this masterpiece of a 3D film it is a must see movie for sure because it is a cool movie have a great day everyone

horrid,in every way imaginable

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(i have not seen the animated series this movie is based on,so i can't compare the two)this has to be one of the most awful films i have sen in the theatre in quite some time in all aspects.the acting was abysmal.the special effects were not so special.the dialogue was horrid as was the delivery.and don't get me started on the predictability.it's a real shame,because i think there was the potential for a good movie.this just wasn't it.the only decent part was the ending which was intriguing,and which definitely sets up a sequel.it's possible this film,despite horrid reviews,may make enough money for a second instalment,in which case it would be interesting to see where it goes ,and if it any improvements will be made.for me,The Last Airbender is a 2/10,because of the ending

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0938283/reviews-411

ur11423174

title: horrid,in every way imaginable review: (i have not seen the animated series this movie is based on,so i can't compare the two)this has to be one of the most awful films i have sen in the theatre in quite some time in all aspects.the acting was abysmal.the special effects were not so special.the dialogue was horrid as was the delivery.and don't get me started on the predictability.it's a real shame,because i think there was the potential for a good movie.this just wasn't it.the only decent part was the ending which was intriguing,and which definitely sets up a sequel.it's possible this film,despite horrid reviews,may make enough money for a second instalment,in which case it would be interesting to see where it goes ,and if it any improvements will be made.for me,The Last Airbender is a 2/10,because of the ending

How satisfying it must be for other critics to side with bullies...

tt0938283

Two members of the southern tribe of water-benders, Katara and Sokka, while out hunting encounter what an only be described as an anomaly beneath the ice in their barren kingdom. After breaking the ice and allowing said anomaly to escape. The pair of then discover in the ice, Aang, the last of the air-benders, and possibly, the avatar, the one elemental who can bend all the elements to his will. Thus begins their journey as the three of them attempt to bring down the warring fire nation who have forced the elements out of balance.Thus begins M Night Shyamalan's journey into critical hell. For those who loved the series many cannot stand what he has done to the film and so lavish fierce criticism against the film as a thing in itself, the film critics who for a long time have wanted to really rip into him, have, with this film finally got the ammo they needed and laid into him like a pack of bullying thugs. "Oh look at us, jumping on a band-wagon all saying it's rubbish. Tee hee!" Well critics, having a longer memory than most of you (I do remember, Batman and Robin, Transformers 2, GI Joe and Iron Man 2) I can say knowing all this, that this film isn't as bad any of those mentioned.Also the critics tend to struggle when reviewing either children's films or action films. They're just not their thing, which is why you tend to see such ridiculous reviews for the worst kind of tripe whereas class films get ripped to bits. The performances by the children are not particularly brilliant early on, but as the film progresses all three of the leads grow more assured. Dev Patel is excellent as the prince with equal plaudits going to both Shaun Toab and Aasif Mandi as Prince's Uncle and Nemesis accordingly, the script is adequate for a kids film, the direction is fine, and for the action sequences is excellent, of which there are many, the score, whilst it borrows heavily from star wars, is a triumph. Set design, effects, story and pretty much everything else you can think of are all far better than any of the previously mentioned films, and the kids that I know have seen this film have all enjoyed it, of any age.I know that many people will find what I've said unpalatable and you know what I don't care. I have seen films that truly suck and the stain of seeing them will stay in my conscious for ever, but this is not one of those films.Never going to be great, but far better than the critics would have you believe.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0938283/reviews-1147

ur15327507

title: How satisfying it must be for other critics to side with bullies... review: Two members of the southern tribe of water-benders, Katara and Sokka, while out hunting encounter what an only be described as an anomaly beneath the ice in their barren kingdom. After breaking the ice and allowing said anomaly to escape. The pair of then discover in the ice, Aang, the last of the air-benders, and possibly, the avatar, the one elemental who can bend all the elements to his will. Thus begins their journey as the three of them attempt to bring down the warring fire nation who have forced the elements out of balance.Thus begins M Night Shyamalan's journey into critical hell. For those who loved the series many cannot stand what he has done to the film and so lavish fierce criticism against the film as a thing in itself, the film critics who for a long time have wanted to really rip into him, have, with this film finally got the ammo they needed and laid into him like a pack of bullying thugs. "Oh look at us, jumping on a band-wagon all saying it's rubbish. Tee hee!" Well critics, having a longer memory than most of you (I do remember, Batman and Robin, Transformers 2, GI Joe and Iron Man 2) I can say knowing all this, that this film isn't as bad any of those mentioned.Also the critics tend to struggle when reviewing either children's films or action films. They're just not their thing, which is why you tend to see such ridiculous reviews for the worst kind of tripe whereas class films get ripped to bits. The performances by the children are not particularly brilliant early on, but as the film progresses all three of the leads grow more assured. Dev Patel is excellent as the prince with equal plaudits going to both Shaun Toab and Aasif Mandi as Prince's Uncle and Nemesis accordingly, the script is adequate for a kids film, the direction is fine, and for the action sequences is excellent, of which there are many, the score, whilst it borrows heavily from star wars, is a triumph. Set design, effects, story and pretty much everything else you can think of are all far better than any of the previously mentioned films, and the kids that I know have seen this film have all enjoyed it, of any age.I know that many people will find what I've said unpalatable and you know what I don't care. I have seen films that truly suck and the stain of seeing them will stay in my conscious for ever, but this is not one of those films.Never going to be great, but far better than the critics would have you believe.

Shyamalan's awful interpretation of the Nick Cartoon

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Where to even start with The Last Airbender? I can start by saying this is absolutely the worst film of the year. The acting is weak and lacking, the direction is flimsy, and the dialouge is absolutely terrible. The Nickelodeon T.V show has been ruined here. I think even kids will be able to tell how bad this filmmaking and acting is. Even Dev Patel of Slumdog Millionaire is flat here. M. Night Shyamalan has now made four stinkers in a row starting from The Village, along with The Happening and Lady in the water. You have to wonder if Shyamalan is still a worthy director or not. I say after this monstrosity, no, but only time will tell.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0938283/reviews-1181

ur26550510

title: Shyamalan's awful interpretation of the Nick Cartoon review: Where to even start with The Last Airbender? I can start by saying this is absolutely the worst film of the year. The acting is weak and lacking, the direction is flimsy, and the dialouge is absolutely terrible. The Nickelodeon T.V show has been ruined here. I think even kids will be able to tell how bad this filmmaking and acting is. Even Dev Patel of Slumdog Millionaire is flat here. M. Night Shyamalan has now made four stinkers in a row starting from The Village, along with The Happening and Lady in the water. You have to wonder if Shyamalan is still a worthy director or not. I say after this monstrosity, no, but only time will tell.