Rookie of the Year

Amazon.com

Baseball movies seem like a sure thing, combining the drama of the game with positive values. So it's too bad this pleasant film takes the field in the most superficial way. Henry, the worst player in Little League, suffers an injury that miraculously heals as the strongest pitching arm in the world. His life becomes a kid's dream with a career in the Majors, but nothing really happens. His strength cannot hide his lack of skill, yet audiences love him, probably to support subplots such as the team being rescued from bankruptcy and Mom's boyfriend turning bad. Small attempts are made to create character, relationships, and themes. Gary Busey, as a burnt-out pitcher named Rocket, finds a family. Henry learns the importance of being a kid, not to mention a surprisingly cynical lesson about stardom, when Rocket says, "One day your gift will be gone." Mom learns Henry always respected her and Henry learns to rely on himself when his "power" disappears in the climactic game. Sadly, a fine cast including Dan Hedaya, John Candy, and '40s comedian Eddie Bracken is given nothing to work with. Worse yet, director Daniel Stern plays Phil, who suffered a head injury that left him an insult to comedy fans as well as the mentally challenged. Kids who love baseball films where kids are the heroes and the comedy is dumb will enjoy sitting through Rookie of the Year, but I wouldn't expect them to pull it off the shelf too often. --Lloyd Chesley

Description

When the cast is removed from his severely broken arm, clumsy 12-year old Henry Rowengartner (Thomas Ian Nicholas) is shocked to find his arm has become a 100 mile per-hour thunderbolt. His throw from the bleachers directly to home plate alerts the last place Chicago Cubs and before you can shout "play ball!" he is signed as their new ace pitcher. With a few pointers from an aging star pitcher (Gary Busey) young Henry actually manages to pull of the impossible.

Customer Reviews:

Rookie of the Year.......2007-08-29

Great family fun! Funny movie, satires baseball cliches. Likeable characters and good ending.

great movie .......2007-06-14

This is a great movie for kids and adults

Terrific Coming-Of-Age Baseball Fantasy. Excellent For Family Viewing. Performances Are Top-Notch. Score Is Rousing........2007-05-29

This adorable baseball fantasy is a home run with families. Thomas Ian Nichols (before he went on to racy roles, a la the "American Pie" movies) is a treat to watch as [...] Henry Rowengartner, an average kid who becomes a phenom pitcher for the Chicago Cubs after a freak accident. Gary Busey ("Lethal Weapon," "Under Siege") does a fine job as the washed-up pitcher who takes Henry under his wing. Daniel Stern (who also directed) is a riot. Rated PG for some thematic elements and brief language.

For all baseball fans.......2007-01-10

For any kid who has wanted to be in the big leagues, this is their movie. By accident, Henry ends up with an amazing arm, and the Chicago Cubs want him to play for them. He does, and helps lead them to success. It's really movie for the whole family to watch together. (The only thing that I didn't like was the use of "Oh my God" during the movie a fair number of times.)

Hard to Find.......2006-11-28

Why is this movie so hard to find on DVD? It is one of my absolute fav's from when I was a kid. I still find myself saying some of the cheeseball lines from this flick. I love all the different names the coach gives Henry, hey Ravenbooser! hey Gardenhoser! Great stuff.

Average customer rating:

How to solve a mystery?
Denzel fans must purchase
Recommended for someone that doesn't have anything better to do in his or her life.
Pretty Good
as always a great movie with a great actor

The Bone Collector
Starring: Olivia Birkelund , Daniel Brochu , James Bulleit , Desmond Campbell , and Bobby Cannavale
Manufacturer: Universal Home Video
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ASIN: 0783240295
Release Date: 2001-08-28

Amazon.com

Released in late 1999, The Bone Collector was originally promoted as a thriller in the tradition of The Silence of the Lambs and Seven, suggesting that it would earn a place among those earlier, better films. Nice try, but no cigar. The Bone Collector settles instead for mere competence and the modest rewards of a well-handled formula. With a terrific cast at his service, director Phillip Noyce (Dead Calm, Patriot Games) turns the pulpy indulgence of Jeffery Deaver's novel into a slick potboiler that is grisly fun only if you don't pick it apart.

Noyce expertly builds palpable tension around a series of gruesome murders that lead us into the darkest nooks of New York City. Now a bedridden quadriplegic prone to life-threatening seizures and suicidal depression, forensics detective Lincoln Rhyme (Denzel Washington) gets a new lease on life with a sharp young beat cop (Angelina Jolie) who's a wizard at analyzing crime scenes. She does field work while he deciphers clues from his high-tech Manhattan loft, and as they narrow the search their lives are increasingly endangered. As this formulaic plot grows moldy, Noyce resorts to narrative shortcuts, using perfunctory scenes to manipulate the viewer and taking morbid pleasure in his revelation of the murder scenes. And yet it all works, to a point, and the cast (including Queen Latifah and Luiz Guzmán) is much better than the material. If you're looking for a few good thrills, The Bone Collector is a pretty safe bet. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

How to solve a mystery?.......2007-05-10

The story was nicely produced with excellent color. The mystery being solved was nicely handled throughout the movie. The killer was completely unexpected and it was unclear why the detective had not checked up on those around him (the killer in this case) when it was realized the killer had to be a forensic expert. This loose end in no way interferred with the suspense. After the climactic scene the rest of the movie seemed superflous. I guess they just had to get Angelina Jolie into a tight dress some how and bring Lincoln's sister into the movie.

Denzel fans must purchase.......2007-05-07

Excellent movie, close as you can get to the book. Angelina Jolie and Denzel Washington chemistry was off the scale. Will keep you guessing until the end of the movie.

Recommended for someone that doesn't have anything better to do in his or her life. .......2007-04-20

This movie is probably one of the most boring movies of both Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie's careers. I was expecting something in the tradition of The Silence of the Lambs or Seven. Wow was I wrong. This is the type of movie that I'd only recommend watching if you don't have anything better to do. Your time would be better spent reading the novel by Jeffery Deaver.

Pretty Good.......2006-12-23

As a thriller, this is a pretty good movie, but it suffers from what the books suffer from - namely Rhymes irritatingly correct deductions from the evidence when many many alternate possibilities must, and do, exist.

That quibble aside, this movies looks pretty good - in a "post-Seven dystopian gloom" filled kind of a way. Jolie looks great - as always. I can watch this movie just to catch THAT dress at the end. Oh boy.

Why did the movie producers change Jolie's character from Jewish to the daughter-of-an-Oirish cop? Sachs to Donaghy? Did they think an ex-model Jewish beat cop was what, too incredible? Surely in whatever movie she is in, Ms Jolie stretches credibility just because people as beautiful as her don't exist in real life doing menial jobs like the rest of us. So why change her character? If I remember rightly ( and I may not ) isn't Sachs' Jewishness very useful in at least one of Rhymes later cases?

as always a great movie with a great actor.......2006-11-04

i loved this movie-it is a thinkers movie-not fluff or gore.

Average customer rating:

The Rookies - what a great show !
DVD's are very good quality and the programs are great!
wonderful
Where's the Pilot?
The Rookies Season 1

The Rookies - The Complete First Season
Starring: Sam Melville
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000PMGS5E
Release Date: 2007-07-17

Amazon.com

Aaron Spelling's series The Rookies was a mildly successful attempt to put a younger face on the aging cop-drama genre via a trio of new police recruits, who attempted to protect and serve Southern California with their hearts and minds as well as their guns. The trio in question--former project resident Georg Stanford Brown, who sought to solve his people's problems from behind a badge, solid ex-vet Sam Melville, and good-natured Michael Ontkean--saw their share of action during the show's four-year run from 1972 to 1976, but frequently solved conflicts through dialogue, not brawn. Gerald S. O'Laughlin was their seen-it-all lieutenant, while a pre-Charlie's Angels Kate Jackson was Melville's wife, who did her part as a nurse. The Rookies' blend of social conscience and street action worked for the most part, especially in episodes like "The Commitment" (disc 1), in which Brown and Melville hunt down the assailant who shot Ontkean (their search takes them onto the back lot of the Fox Studios, which provides an interesting glimpse at their movie production slate), and "Crossfire," in which a black cop dealing with anger issues is sent to a camp that bolsters community relationships between the police and the public. The dialogue borders on the heavy-handed at times, but for the most part, The Rookies is an engaging alternative to the by-the-books cop shows of the '50s and '60s. The five-disc set includes no extras, which is unfortunate, given that the original two-hour movie that served as the show's pilot (which featured Darren McGavin in O'Loughlin's role) would've made an interesting companion piece to the episodes. --Paul Gaita

Product Description

The Rookies stars Sam Melville as Mike Danko, Michael Ontkean (Twin Peaks) as Willie Gillis, and Georg Stanford Brown (Roots) as Terry Webster. They portray three young and handsome new police officers learning to protect and serve the public under the watchful guidance of Gerald S. O'Loughlin as Lt. Ed Ryker. Also starring is Kate Jackson as Jill, a practicing nurse married to Mike Danko. The Rookies depict the personal and professional adjustments officers make as they embark on their careers and focus on the dramatic police cases they are assigned.

Notable guest stars the first season include Martin Sheen, Tyne Daly, Cheryl Ladd, Academy Award® winner Louis Gossett, Jr. (Best Supporting Actor, An Officer and a Gentleman), and Dick Van Patten (TV's Eight Is Enough).

Customer Reviews:

The Rookies - what a great show !.......2007-09-12

I have not seen this show since it was aired while I was on holiday in California in the 1970s. This is a good series with excellent plots. Watch out for guest stars like Roddy McDowall, Clint Howard,
Lou Gossett, Jr and Martin Sheen.
If you have never seen this before and you like TV cop shows like Starsky & Hutch or TJ Hooker, then you will love The Rookies.

DVD's are very good quality and the programs are great!.......2007-09-08

I loved the Rookies when it was originally on television and am enjoying them even more now that I have them on DVD and can watch whenever I please. I would recommend them to anyone interested in cop programs that do not have a lot of foul language in them.

wonderful.......2007-08-23

This was a gift for my brother. He was very satified with the quality of the dvd.

Where's the Pilot?.......2007-07-31

The 2 hour pilot started launched the series is sadly not included on this DVD set. That is why I gave it a 4. Otherwise the show and quality of the dvd are both terrific. The show also sports very nifty opening credits and the coolest theme this side of SWAT!!

The Rookies Season 1.......2007-07-30

The hit 1972-1976 television Spelling/Goldberg Production cop show about three rookie cops fresh out of the academy. The three rookies each come from vastly different backgrounds--Terry Webster, social worker; Willie Gillis, college graduate, raised in Ohio; Mike Danko, just discharged from the Air Force after a long stint; married--but share one common goal which is a more humane approach to law enforcement. Guided by their boss and mentor, Lt. Ryker, the rookies tackle some of the most prominent social problems of the 1970's from racism to drug abuse. Some of these problems can be seen to this day.

The Rookies is a no nonsense drama that successfully attempts to bring out the human side of the police force. Not only does the viewer see the rookies at work but the viewer can also see them in their private lives and how the job affects them and their families. Although the show does contain some violence, it doesn't rise to the occasion of today's television shows. This DVD is highly recommended.The Rookies - The Complete First Season

Average customer rating:

Should have been better
Follow Your Dreams!
Never Grow Up
Nice formula movie
A wholesome family film

The Rookie (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Dennis Quaid , Rachel Griffiths , Jay Hernandez , Beth Grant , and Angus T. Jones
Director: John Lee Hancock
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000068DBE
Release Date: 2002-08-27

Amazon.com

Jim Morris, the real-life hero of The Rookie, has an inspirational story all but guaranteed to put a smile on anyone's face. Happily, this G-rated Disney drama, based on Morris's published memoir of the same title, is suitable for an all-ages audience. Blessed with an awesome fastball, Morris nursed dreams of pitching for Major League Baseball during his 20s; injuries and bad luck, however, forced him to give up hope and become a teacher and coach. Years later, pressed by students and colleagues to try out for "the Show" one more time, Morris discovered he still had a powerful arm, and he was signed by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The Rookie is at its best throughout this first chapter in Morris's midlife adventure, though the rest of the film finds fresh angles on more familiar baseball-movie conventions. Dennis Quaid is soulful and charismatic as Morris, perfect in his depiction of a man both thankful and startled that destiny has given one of the good guys his due. Appropriate for ages 4 and up. --Tom Keogh

Description

From the studio that brought you REMEMBER THE TITANS comes an inspirational film based on a true story. Jim Morris (Dennis Quaid), father, teacher, and high school coach, thought his dream was over. He'd had his shot playing baseball, blew out his shoulder, and retired without ever making it to the big leagues. Then, in 1999, Coach Morris made a fateful bet with his perpetually losing team. If they won the district championship, Morris -- who threw a 98 mph fastball -- would try out for the majors. The team went from worst to first, and Jim, living up to his end of the bargain, threw caution to the wind and was on the road to becoming the oldest rookie in the major leagues. This heartfelt, uplifting story about not giving up on your dreams will have everyone cheering.

Customer Reviews:

Should have been better.......2007-07-08

The movie is good..but when you read the book The Rookie aka The Oldest Rookie, the movie looks like fiction. Morris' dad was actually not that supportive of him at all and I thought it should have covered the resentment he got from some teammates. Disney's other sports films are better because they are more in-depth than this one.

Follow Your Dreams!.......2007-07-07

This is a feel good story about taking the risk and following your dreams. Based on the true story of a highschool baseball coach, who challenges his team to achieve their best and they turn around and challenge the coach to do the same! It is a heart warming story.

Never Grow Up.......2007-04-18

What a good movie. After having to call it quits due to a shoulder injury, Coach Jim Morris took another approach to baseball, coaching. After taking over a high school team in Texas, he made a promise to them. He told them that of they won districts, he would try out for a big league team.

After the districts were won, that only left Coach Morris with one thing to do, try out for the majors!

Nice formula movie.......2007-04-01

This is an affecting movie. Many of those who have loved and played basball in their teens has, even if only fleetingly, a question in the back of their minds. Could I make it in baseball? Obviously, very few do succeed in the quest to make the bigs. But lots of us wondered.

This movie is actually two movies in one. First, the local team, with no record of success over the past few years, starts off poorly. They make a deal with their coach (played by Randy Quaid) that if they win the district championship, he--who had once labored in the vineyards of minor league baseball before calling it quits--would attend a try out and try to attain his dream. Needless to say, things work out as you would expect.

Then, upon attending a try out, the coach throws harder than he ever did in his earlier minor league efforts. He goes from a mid-80 MPH fastball when he was younger to a 98 MPH fastball well into his thirties. Makes one wonder? However, this movie is based on a real life story; the real Jim Morris (played by Quaid), indeed, got to the major leagues.

Lots of emotional moments. Baseball afficianados will like this, even if it is formulaic. Others might not "get it," although it is an affecting movie on several levels (father-Morris as son, husband-wife, Morris as father-son).

All in all, worth watching. A lot of fun.

A wholesome family film.......2007-03-17

This is a good movie to watch with the whole family. It may also spark some interest in baseball for those not already interested. All in all the movie is entertaining, realistic and believable as far as families and emotions are concerned.

Average customer rating:

Ice cube?
How do you stretch twenty minutes of footage into a ninety minute movie?
Good cheesy fun
john carpenter's ghost of mars
Bloody ,Gorey, Violent, and Alot of Fun (3.5 STARS)

Ghosts of Mars (Special Edition)
Starring: Robert Carradine , Joanna Cassidy , Duane Davis , Rosemary Forsyth , and Pam Grier
Director: John Carpenter
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
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ASIN: B00003CY6P
Release Date: 2001-12-04

Amazon.com

Ghosts of Mars may not be one of John Carpenter's finer efforts, but you can't knock the veteran director for staying true to his roots--it's clearly a Carpenter film, reveling in its B-movie blood lust, and fueled by the director's rock & roll rebellion as well as the sex appeal of star Natasha Henstridge. This rickety sci-fi/horror hybrid recalls Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13, with various connections from throughout the director's career--for better and worse. It's the year 2176, and human colonists on Mars are controlled by a political "matronage," with women (for reasons unexplained) holding court in the capitol city of Chryse. Mars Police Force Lt. Ballard (Henstridge) has been sent to retrieve James "Desolation" Williams (Ice Cube), the planet's most notorious criminal, from a remote mining-colony prison. With her ill-fated crew, Ballard discovers that the colonists have nearly all been possessed by ancient Martian spirits bent on reclaiming the planet, turning them into an army of self-mutilating freaks suggesting an unholy union of Marilyn Manson and the sadomasochistic Cenobites from the Hellraiser films. None of this makes much sense, and the shaky alliance between cops and criminals is a predictable excuse for rampant battle scenes between surviving humans and the ghost-possessed maniacs. Exotic weaponry abounds (along with cheap special effects and some laughable dialogue), resulting in the gruesome dispatch of expendable costars Pam Grier, Joanna Cassidy, Robert Carradine, and Clea Duvall. Driven by Carpenter's synth-metal score, this violent free-for-all has a few brief highlights, but it's suspenseless and ultimately absurd. It's not much, but for loyal fans it's probably enough. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Ice cube?.......2007-08-05

Ice cube in space? C'mon people be real here, he cannot even get off the front porch! I have seen Friday or whatever that was and yeah, get off the porch! Carpenter sux so bad nowadays it is just sad because he used to be so good. Now we have ice T in space oh sorry Ice cube and what next Vanilla Ice? Not worth watching unless you use it to torture your babysitter into giving you five dollars to spend at the arcade.

How do you stretch twenty minutes of footage into a ninety minute movie?.......2007-06-26

Just keep repeating it over and over and over.

Note to filmakers: If your audience is too stupid to remember what happened five minutes ago, repeating it isn't going to help.

No kidding, some scenes were repeated verbatim three times...

This movie is ridiculous. That's the only word for it. The filmography is bad. Sudden jumps in movement isn't artistic, it's just a lazy way to cover a big chunk that was edited out.

The fighting is worse than the old Battlestar Galactica fighting. You can see them miss even as the enemy goes flying. People with knives in their hand and grenades on their chest resort to punching faces before they are disarmed. Perhaps most amazing of all, after the group of heros discovers there are two hundred enemy and kill thousands with bombs, grenades, many many rounds of apparently unexpendable bullets, there are still at least five hundred left to storm the train. A nuclear power plant's rods are exposed and the core exploded creating a moderate explosure with a two mile radius and no nuclear fallout???? All those people at Chernyobl and Three Mile Island must have exagerated the danger. I feel much safer now. Of course now I have live in feat that someone will throw an aluminum pie pan at me and slice off my head.

Perhaps the hardest thing to swallow, other than the acting or lack there of, is the rather convoluted explanations via a druggies bad trip of why Martian Ghosts would take the form of dried dust and wait around thousands of years to steal bodies, then act like the motorcycle gang in mad max two... I think they even borrowed their costumes. Hmmm... maybe it was the same gang, I detected some bad australian accents...

Anyway, the gist of the review, do waste your time and certainly not your money on this pretentious piece of tripe. It's so bad, it makes Vampires look good. *shudder* At least Vampires showed some boobage.

Good cheesy fun.......2006-12-09

Remember when movies were fun and didnt take themselves too seriously? This movie invites you into its world with a smile and a wink. Thats not to say its not a well crafted film I believe it is. However, Carpenter obviously had fun making it because I had fun watching it. Its up to the viewer if they're willing to shut their thoughts off and enter Carpenters world. You can nit pick if you want, but whats the point really, this film isnt about realism its about fantasy.
For me Carpenters strength is his ability to create a sense of time and place, an alternate reality if you will. This isnt a real world or even a realistic world but Carpenter invites you into it and it has a sense of place and time.
Thats where the fun comes from, the escapism, the strange setting, the slightly off key plot and dialogue.
I enjoyed it all and consider it great fun!

john carpenter's ghost of mars.......2006-08-28

This a classic John Carpender film but defentaly one that needs a sequel by him. The skill with which action mixed with heavy metal music is excellent. As far as I'm concerned everyone in this si-fi horror thriller did their job right. I could feel it ,be it , live it. It could be real. Each character brought something essential to this film. I'm not the only one that likened the martian leader to a cross between Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie. There are very powerful fight survival scenes with just enough blood and gore to freak you out and keep you on edge. Who will get possessed next? A must see. More than once to notice all of the effects, and believe me they are powerfull.
Watch it and see who lives and who dies and how.
Great work Mr. Carpender!

Bloody ,Gorey, Violent, and Alot of Fun (3.5 STARS).......2006-07-11

O.K. yes this movie is violent, bloody, gorey and a bit shallow
but not so much as to make it a bad movie (the shallow part that is). If you like the doom video games you will probaly like this. No it is not about hell invading mars but it is just as good. It is about aliens that have been released from an acient prison that can go from human to human via air currents and they start to destroy the facilities on mars and killing every thing that is breathing. in order to regain their acient home. there are a coulple of corny lines but this movie is still in the same class as Quentin Tarintino's remake of dawn of the dead. So if you want a good bloody, gorey, and violent killfest check this movie out. However I reccomend this movie for mature audiences ONLY. Because believe me this movie has earned its R rating

Average customer rating:

......HERE COMES THE US NAVY!!!........
OLD IS NEW AGAIN!!
A little disappointed.
YOU'RE IN THE NAVY NOW
An Obscure but Entertaining Comedy

You're in the Navy Now
Starring: Gary Cooper , Jane Greer , Millard Mitchell , Eddie Albert , and John McIntire
Director: Henry Hathaway
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000EHSVX2
Release Date: 2006-05-23

Description

Oscar®-nominated Director Henry Hathaway (1935: Lives of a Bengal Lancer) enlisted an all-star cast, headed by Gary Cooper in a ?smash performance? (The Hollywood Reporter), for You?re in the Navy Now, a hilarious, critically-acclaimed comedy that also features memorable performances by Jane Greer (Out of the Past), Eddie Albert (Roman Holiday) and Jack Webb (Sunset Boulevard)!

Based on the Navy?s real-life experiment with a steam engine in a WWII submarine chaser, the film follows the misadventures of the ill-prepared crew of a ship on trial runs. Led by a captain (Cooper) who is as inexperienced as his officers ? they don?t call them the ?90-day wonders? for nothing! ? they sail out to sea on an unforgettable journey. They?ll either sink or swim?but they?ll make history either way!

Customer Reviews:

......HERE COMES THE US NAVY!!!...............2007-06-12

....A hilarious comedy but with objectivity, too....#3 and #4 below critics sum up the movie OK...the cast is wonderful/perfect...Gary Cooper, the enticing Jane Greer, Eddie Albert, Charles Bronson, Jack Webb, Lee Marvin, Ray Collins, John McIntire, Jack Warden, Richard Erdman, Harry Von Zell, Ed Begley, Sr and Harvey Lembeck...all combine talents worthy of the price of admission by far...and the US Navy for art/direction...Cooper and Greer are both Navy officers and are Mr & Mrs but always away on official Navy duties; however, one scene finally finds them together for a weekend at a Navy fund-raiser and Jane Greer does a masterful job of telling her husband to shower up; Cooper, rather quizically, wonders why??...just the look at Greer's smiling eyes does Cooper finally realizes this is his 'lucky' nite after a long absence...they had chemistry these two for this scene as a married couple...all the shipboard shennanigans are rip/roaring for this entire unproven crew...the look on Admiral Ed Begley's face is slide/spliting, as he is inspecting the engine room gang's antics in the bowels of this lil tea/kettle of a ship...they are given a hopeless task to perform, but with great improvisation they succeed the impossible...by coming into the harbor of the Philadelphia Navy Yard at full speed on their sub/chaser is the raucous climax to this enjoyable/fun comedy...especially, any military service person will love this timely comedy during the early years of WW2 getting our Reserve Officers acclimated to active duty the hard way...FAST!!!!.....well done, Navy!!.....SSGT CHRIS SARNO-USMC FMF

OLD IS NEW AGAIN!!.......2007-03-13

Good transfer to DVD. My husband is an "Old Movie" fan and really enjoyed this.

A little disappointed........2007-01-06

Gary Cooper was such a wonderful actor, I was a bit disappointed with this film. Although I still enjoyed watching him.

YOU'RE IN THE NAVY NOW.......2006-11-06

Gary Cooper is not generally known for his comedic roles, however his straight face as the captain of an experimental sub chaser during WWII adds to the fun this film generates. Ably supported by Eddie Albert, Jack Webb, Harvey Lembeck, Millard Mitchell et al, this is one of my all time favorites. Picked to prove the workability of a new type of steam engine as their propulsion unit, the crew does everything in it's power to make the "Beast" work, (by approved (or otherwise) means. While broken down in the middle of Chesapeake Bay in the middle of the night, the crew sights a tanker who they immediately signal for help by lamp. Their reply is quick in coming, not by signal lamp, but by a round from the tankers deck gun! The tug that keeps towing them back to base keeps a scorecard on it's deck house showing how many times the "U.S.S. Teakettle" has been brought home. Towards the end of the film, they finally get the "Beast" to work only to find that their throttles are frozen and they can't slow down! What follows is hilarious. This is a must see film! It hasn't lost it's punch over the years!

An Obscure but Entertaining Comedy.......2006-09-08

This little comedy is based upon an actual incident of World War II. In an effort to get more speed out of some of its ships, the Navy tries an experiment using a modernized steam engine. Steam does prove to be capable of giving higher speeds but the problem is with getting enough fresh water to make the steam. A new design is tried to try and solve this problem but there is a war on and not many experience officers are available to conduct the trials.

Enter Gary Cooper. He plays an engineer who has been commissioned as a reserve officer. He has not real experience in ship handling but is assigned to command the experimental ship. He is not too worried at first. He figures he can rely on experience officers and crew and devote himself to the engineering problem. Unfortunately for him, the only experienced sailor is the bosun. All of the rest, officers and crew, are short time reservists. This leads to a slew of comedic situations.

It's a fun and light hearted comedy worth the viewing.

The Corruptor (New Line Platinum Series)

Average customer rating:

Yellow Fever, ha ha ha.
good movie
Gripping Cop Flick
an amazing premise action movie
If all bad cops could be this good!

The Corruptor (New Line Platinum Series)
Starring: Yun-Fat Chow , Mark Wahlberg , Ric Young , Paul Ben-Victor , and Jon Kit Lee
Director: James Foley
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00000JGNP
Release Date: 1999-09-14

Amazon.com

Nick Chen (Chow Yun-Fat) is not your average New York cop. Working in Chinatown has its multifarious cultural nuances and its fair share of ubiquitous enticement, both of which are reflected in detective Chen's weary face. He had to get into bed with the highest echleons of the Chinese Mafia as a way of augmenting his own career, while maintaining a semblance of control over the dime-a-dozen hoods who proliferate on this turf. To make matters worse, he now has to break in rookie detective Danny Wallace (Mark Wahlberg), who has asked to be assigned to the Chinatown division. Apparently Wallace is infatuated with all things Chinese, or is suffering from "Yellow Fever," as his fellow colleagues would have us believe. Chen, not one to suffer fools gladly, takes young Wallace under his protective wing, oft-warning the shady powers of the neighborhood not to sink Danny into their sordid pool of corruption. But before he knows it, both he and Wallace are caught in a deadly ring of double-crosses, shady-dealings, murders, and car chases. And all of this under the suspicious eye of Internal Affairs.

Part Serpico and part Hard Boiled, this film seems at first to be a major departure from director James Foley's previous work. However, Foley has frequently revealed a keen eye and understanding for emotionally complex relationships, especially between teacher and pupil (Glengarry Glen Ross) or father and son (At Close Range). This movie is no different. In fact, Foley's meticulous attention to the relationship between the wise, morally burdened Chen, and the naïve, innocent Wallace morphs this otherwise tedious plot into a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Hats off to Chow Yun-Fat and Mark Wahlberg, whose sympathetic chemistry creates an authentic and deeply personal connection, a factor that proves crucial to the film's poignant, disturbing finale. --Jeremy Storey

Customer Reviews:

Yellow Fever, ha ha ha........2007-01-21

I initially got this movie because I remember watching it some years ago when I lived in Germany and there was a time when my father and I decided to make up the time to swing by faster by renting movies almost every day or every week at least and watching them through; movies I'd never even really heard or seen. Usually they were kung fu movies and such, but every now and then we'd pick up a movie that would seem to pass the entertainment radars for us (when you're an American in Germany, it's REALLY hard to find American movies or their debuts to hit overseas as it takes at least 6 months, if you're lucky, to almost 2 years just for an American movie to come out... can you imagine? While you read on the news that somewhere in California the Matrix has started, you'd have to wait an extra few months just to watch, or something like that-- I just use the Matrix as an example.)

The Corruptor was one of those movies and sadly, we'd ended up watching the movie on DVD because it just never showed up in the bigscreens there. So anyway, I remember watching this movie and thought about how insanely deep this movie was. All the stuff about Chinese gangs, crime, the asian-flare of a metropolis society and how everyone seems not to care-- plus it has Mark Wahlberg who's one of my most favorite hollywood actors. More importantly, it also houses CHOW YUN FAT!!! Not only does it have a favorite actor of mine but has an amazing chinese kung fu actor! Performances from both these actors really stock you in for the vicious ride and twists this movie has for a plot and the action that befits it isn't over the top since the setting is basically China Town.

In a way I wanna say this is like Law & Order meets Shaft, but that's a disheartening comparison except to say that it has the crime story scene with the heart-pounding action of the latter but intensified ten fold. The cinematography is astounding, the characters, protagonist and antagonists, all are a great bunch to watch intermingle with and against one another and it's a really good movie worth the watch; the least to say, own.

Really, if you dig cop movies, this is your hit.

If you dig drama, this movie's your bag.

If you dig action, this movie's your well-given shot.

Seriously top notch stuff and glad I came across it years ago. The fond memory of it being the thing that pulled me back to watch and own it now.

good movie.......2006-09-11

I am stuck between a 3 and a 4 but since the movie was so good, I have to give it a 4. The only reason I give it a 3.5 is because I need my bad guys to be really bad. Then they opened up Chow Yun Fat's character so much I almost forgot about it. Mark Walbergh is good as always. There is a lot of acting going on. When I say acting I am talking about these guys using all the tools. From facial expressions to saying the line just right, the director did a very good job. Movie comes in at about 2 hours but keeps you really into it for almost the entire film. This is by far Chow's best American performance. Make sure you check out The Killer if you are a big Chow fan.

DVD is widescreened with 2 good special features. One has interviews and the behind the scenes is more like a documentary. There is also a commentary with the director james Foley.

Gripping Cop Flick.......2005-11-19

"The Corruptor" is a tough complex crime thriller set among the vicious power grabs by competing tribes in New York's Chinatown. Out to bring them down is decorated detective Nick Chen(Chow Yun-Fat), head of the Chinatown Gang Unit, and the partner that was foisted on him, the apparently green officer Danny Wallace(Mark Wahlberg). Chen is an effective cop but some of his methods are a little unorthodox and occasionally skirt the law. This does not always go over well with the more idealistic Wallace. Yun-Fat is excellent as the tarnished hero and Wahlberg is solid in a role that is not as stereotypical as it first appears. Ric Young is effectively creepy and villainous as the duplicitous gang leader Henry Lee. The film has many plot strands to it and may appear at some junctures to be overplotted. Never fear because these elements come together in the end for a satisfying experience.

an amazing premise action movie.......2005-02-26

Chow Yun Fat and Mark Wahlburg are amazing in this
all I can say is
action action
moving story
see this
see this seriously
it's just as entertaining and interesting as the Replacement Killers
see that one too
I will watch this more times then I can count on my dvd player. rest assured

If all bad cops could be this good!.......2004-05-01

I loved the confrantation that Danny Wallace had with his dad about the contemplation of what to do about turning in his partner Nick Chen .. I won't spoil the quote you have to take it in context of the scenario of the movie. What an impact it made in my life that what I do in my life will be what I live with. I don't know if I over looked the goings on with Nick Chen because after all he was Yun-Fat Chow or that his over looking Uncle Benny's activities was some how a kindness to help May a lost drug addict and prostitute unable to escape her fate he tries to be more then a cop in her heart. The entire movie was tastefully done, story line excellant, directed in a way to make you laugh, cry, sit at the edge of you chair during those action scenes. Not to mention the sound track subpurbly done. I have had always found Yun-Fat Chow a believable actor in all rolls he portray; this movie he stole my heart (more then in Anna and the King).. the ending must be seen to appreciate how to me he was a good cop, with admiration to the writer in whatever message he wanted to leave you at the end. If you thought Mark Wahlberg was exceptional in this roll you should see him in The Perfect Storm and never thought he would play such a sicko in Fear but had me convinced. Lady's don't judge all men by what goes on in this movie but be wise to it's message of common sense. It always amazes me when an actor can play his/her complete opposite. I look forward to watching more of both of these great actors movies. Don't wait to buy THE CORRUPTOR should it go out of print you will regret it! Well I think so. Thanks for listening - Bye. Would welcome your comments too.

Average customer rating:

Against all Jackie usually stands for
Jackie!
Back to basics
A worthwhile entry
Wow! Jackie CAN act!

New Police Story
Starring: Jackie Chan , Nicholas Tse , Mak Bau , Tak-bun Wong , and Winnie Leung
Director: Benny Chan
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000EWBKIK
Release Date: 2006-05-16

Description

Inspector Wing of the Hong Kong Police Force has become the victim of a gang, led by the evil Joe. When his entire team is killed, Wing becomes a hapless drunk, feeling guilty for the deaths of his team. It is up to a young rookie officer to get Wing back on his feet and begin an adventure to get revenge on the evil Joe and his Gang of Five, especially when it becomes personal.

Customer Reviews:

Against all Jackie usually stands for.......2007-08-31

I have a few good things. It is nicely filmed and the side kick got in a few funny lines. The rest of it, the swearing, the bloodshed, the cgi graphics. All of this is against what he always stood for. If this was the only Jackie Chan movie I had seen I would never watch another. I have seen almost all of his films, where are the morals here? Where are the life lessons. This movie left Me in a dark mood. Crime Story shows that Jackie can play a straight role, but why make a Chinese version of a Steven Segal movie. Hope he never tries this type of thing again. This has nothing to do with the other Police Stories, and should not be marketed this way. Every one of the Police Stories were progressively worse but the first three still hold up, and the initial one is near perfect. Yet even the clichéd feel good number four that perhaps went too far in the other direction of being too cuddly has so much more to offer. Jackie can do more roles suited for his age, tired of him using his once forbidden special effects to be who he was 20 years ago.

Jackie!.......2007-06-05

All in all, I found this to be a pretty good film. I just have one burning question: Why, when I'm putting this DVD in my player in 2007, am I seeing an ancient home video ad for Jean-Claude Van Damme's "Kickboxer"? I mean seriously, WTF?

Back to basics.......2007-02-21

I've only seen this movie once over a year ago, so it's not as fresh in my mind as it could be, but I can at least offer some things.
Unlike his other 4 installments of the police story series, this one doesent have really any comedic elements. It's a straight up drama/action movie. It came off a little depressing from what I remember, but it still had a pretty uplifting ending. There is a fight towards the end that may not be to that long, but still makes you realize why you starting liking Jackie Chan.
I won't waste time describing the plot because it's listed, so if you read it you can kind of see how this is more of a serious movie.
I still enjoyed it and again it has this the unique-ness that is Hong Hong cinema.
I'm waiting on my copy of this movie that should be coming in the mail any day now and I'll probably get a better picture of it once i see it again.

Like the other two movies in what I call the "Return to Hong Kong Trilogy" (New Police Story, The Myth, Rob B Hood) I recommend seeing this one as well. Whether you'll like it really depends on your tastes, I can't really say for sure!

A worthwhile entry.......2007-01-04

An uneven movie but it satisfies the cravings of ardent Jackie Chan fans. A lot of emoting by Jackie and not as much fun to watch as his other movies.

Wow! Jackie CAN act!.......2006-12-29

This has to be the darkest Jackie Chan movie I've seen. But, that is not a bad thing. Here, we get to see Jackie expand his acting to the point of him being driven to tears as a malicious group of kids execute his team members one by one in front of him during a botched raid.

A New Police Story has Chan playing the disgraced inspector who must come back from alcoholism to bring justice for his fallen comrades. Enter a young man who mysteriously wants to help the fallen officer out. Of course, you don't know why until the end, but suffice it to say, he is the comedic relief at times and until the end, you have to wonder why he's there. What are his motives? Is he good or bad?

The unfortunate thing with this movie is some of it has been digitally enhanced to remove wires, but I can understand why. Unlike the first Police Story (which this has no connection with the previous characters), safety regulations are probably tougher now than they were when the first Police Story was shot. Plus, the budget is bigger and they can rehearse stunts. Of course, with Jackie Chan pushing 50, it's going to be tougher for him to recover from serious injuries. But, this doesn't detract from the action that occurs and believe me, there is some great stunt work in this movie.

The fight scenes are fast and furious, but don't expect there to be a lot. This is a story that hinges more on Jackie's character redeeming himself, both with the police force as well as his fiancée that never stopped loving or believing in him, even when the inspector himself felt he was a disgrace. Many might not like it, but for me, it was refreshing to see the focus more on Jackie's acting and his character rather than the actual fighting.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, possibly even more than the first Police Story. It's more polished and Jackie's acting is superb. There is still the funny humor in it and the use of props during the fights, especially the Lego fight and how can you not forget the skyscraper escape down the side of the building? Wow!

This is a must see. I highly recommend it!

Average customer rating:

Should have been better
Follow Your Dreams!
Never Grow Up
Nice formula movie
A wholesome family film

The Rookie (Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Dennis Quaid , Rachel Griffiths , Jay Hernandez , Beth Grant , and Angus T. Jones
Director: John Lee Hancock
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Product Features:

Classic DVD
Exclusive interviews, highlights, and behind the scenes coverage
DVD's main menu allow you to jump directly to the action
Presented in full-screen digital video

ASIN: B000068NNU
Release Date: 2002-08-27

Product Description

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Should have been better.......2007-07-08

Follow Your Dreams!.......2007-07-07

Never Grow Up.......2007-04-18

Nice formula movie.......2007-04-01

A wholesome family film.......2007-03-17

Average customer rating:

Stray Dog
could any other 'missing gun' movie better than this one?
This should be hackneyed by now
To Make A Mends
EARLY KUROSAWA: FORETELLS HIS CINEMATIC TALENT

Stray Dog - Criterion Collection
Starring: Toshirô Mifune , Takashi Shimura , Keiko Awaji , Eiko Miyoshi , and Noriko Sengoku
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Manufacturer: Criterion
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0001UZZSG
Release Date: 2004-05-25

Amazon.com essential video

A classic crime film steeped in the vivid environs of postwar Tokyo, Stray Dog is arguably Akira Kurosawa's finest film preceding the international success of Rashomon. A classic theme--the identification between criminal and crime fighter--is presented here in one of its earliest incarnations, as a promising young detective (Toshiro Mifune) struggles to retrieve his stolen pistol. The missing gun is used in a robbery and murder, and Mifune's superior (Ikiru's Takashi Shimura) is caught in the case's volatile crossfire. As the detective closes in on his lethal alter ego, his own moral compass spins out of control, into a psychological tempest that inspires Mifune to give one of his best early performances. Using real locations and a sense of sweltering heat rivaled only by Do the Right Thing, Kurosawa (who first wrote this film as an unpublished novel inspired by an actual incident) maintains an atmosphere of lurid urgency perfectly suited to this riveting film noir scenario. --Jeff Shannon

Description

A bad day gets worse for young detective Murakami (Toshiro Mifune) when a pickpocket steals his gun on a hot, crowded bus. Desperate to right the wrong, he goes undercover, scavenging Tokyo's sweltering streets for the stray dog whose desperation has led him to a life of crime. With each step, cop and criminal's lives become more intertwined and the investigation becomes an examination of Murakami's own dark side. Stray Dog goes beyond a crime thriller, probing the squalid world of postwar Japan and the nature of the criminal mind. The disc also includes an audio commentary by scholar Stephen Prince, a booklet of essays, and a 32-minute documentary on the making of the film.

Customer Reviews:

Stray Dog.......2007-06-25

Landmark, atmospheric Japanese noir helped cement Kurosawa's reputation as a director to watch. Not only is "Dog" a satisfying thriller, it exposes the thin line between a vengeful cop and his base and desperate prey. Superb film also fascinates in capturing a scarred Tokyo in the wake of the Second War.

could any other 'missing gun' movie better than this one?.......2007-05-18

we saw the rare and young toshiro mifune in this 1949 movie as a sentimental, blood-boiling, headstrong, moronic, almost witless rookie detective lost his colt and felt so guilty when that gun later incurred robbery and homicide case after case. we could also saw akira kurosawa as a young director who had already done a great movie before 1950. of course, the screenplay was not perfect, still a little bit dragged sometimes, but never failed to get you unfocused.
whew....the summer heat in tokyo in the '40s was so dense and so humid that made new orlean look like a pretty cool place. this movie also made 'in the heat of the night' like taking a lukewarm water shower.
it also told that choosing to become a stray dog or not is absolutely by one's own choice. choosing to take drugs and becoming an addict is nothing but your own choice, don't blame your parents, your unhappy childhood or anything as an excuse for you to become a stray dog. same as to choose a bad dog to feed, then dealing with the consequences are decisions that nobody else could do but you.

This should be hackneyed by now.......2007-03-27

I've seen many of Kurosawa's films and I'd have to say that this one is my favorite. You might think you've seen every permutation of the detective story that compares the cop to the criminal but this movie is surprisingly fresh and engaging. Cultural differences and the setting of post-war Japan add a little extra to a typical Noir story arc. The familiar themes make this one of Kurosawa's most approachable films even while it holds and rewards your attention.

To Make A Mends.......2006-11-03

In the post WWII environment of Japan, the line between becoming a criminal and a cop was a very thin one. The prospect of upholding any myths or nationalistic fervor must have been slim for soldiers returning home, after a brutal war, one which ended in the most barbaric of ways, and effectively castrated and humiliated a proud and rigid culture. A lifetime of pride in your homeland could evaporate as quickly as a backpack being stolen...
In Stray Dog, master Kurosawa wastes no time in setting up the film's one story line, that of rookie detective Murakami, who on a sweltering and packed bus loses his gun. For the new detective, a former soldier, the transition between war and domestic soldiering proves the mettle of the film, and the depth of it's story comes in that difficult place. Unfamiliar with procedure, departments, as well as the in's-and-out's of Tokyo's underworld, the search for his strength, his pride, his manhood, etc., will define him, make him or break him.
With the dogged leadership of veteran cop Sato, Murakami's mentor in this pursuit, he recognizes the significance of his position, seeing himself and perhaps allowing for hope in a fractured society.
Toshiro Mifune, legend, is Murakami, frazzled, humiliated, frequently an emotive wreck. Though an early sequence in which he goes undercover as a soldier to search out black market guns-a long sequence that is completely without speaking-is beautiful and powerful in it's exposure of the seamy world of desperate people, "stray dogs" who suffer the dregs of a crowded uncomfortable world. Takashi Shimura is Sato, the other lead, and his presence is a strong, calming one, as the knowing cop, the rudder perhaps, to Murakami's windy sail.
An interesting deep cop film, it is very stylish, naturalistically made and acted, though it's print is visibly aged, it's shadows seem to be less sharp than a noir, allowing for the light to get in.

EARLY KUROSAWA: FORETELLS HIS CINEMATIC TALENT .......2006-08-15

This early Akira Kurosawa film is outstanding. What captivated me about this early Kurosawa film was the way in which he allows us to see post-war Japan. It is truly remarkable that we are seeing the streets that just a few years before were being laid to waste by massive bombings.

The character played by Toshiro Mifune is also a great glimpse into what will become one of the greatest actors ever to come out of Japan. And there is the presence of my favorite Japanese actor, Takashi Shimura.

And with Shimura guiding the young Mifune through the maze of police work, and suggestions on how to proceed with his obsession in finding his missing, stolen handgun: we see a wonderful study in character development in this early Kurosawa classic.

Criterion did a wonderful transfer with this film. This is a truly great classic. Just looking at post-war Japan itself is a cinematic masterpiece. Highly recommended.

DVD:

Running on Karma (Sp