Down Periscope

Amazon.com

Kelsey Grammer stars as the captain of a rust-bucket submarine who is fighting for his career by proving his skills in a contest against far more sophisticated ships. Rob Schneider provides comic support as an uptight ensign, and Lauren Holly plays an officer who has to fight her own will-they-accept-me-because-I'm-a-woman anxieties. The film didn't do well at the box office, but it is actually pretty funny, Grammer is enjoyable, and the above-the-water/below-the-water action sequences are as good as any in most submarine films. --Tom Keogh

Description

Kelsey Grammer sails from TV's "Frasier" to the big screen in this screwball comedy co-starring Lauren Holly and Rip Torn. Veteran skipper John Dodge (Grammer) will never be a textbook officer, but he's a brilliant seaman who's always wanted to command a nuclear submarine. Unfortunately, Admiral Graham (Bruce Dern) would rather sink the fleet than give Dodge his own boat. So Dodge is given the helm of a diesel-powered WW2 sub crewed by a collection of maladjusted, mistake-prone misfits. Then he's tagged "the enemy" in a crucial war game, and ordered to take on the U.S. Navy's best. Batten down the hatches for unstoppable hilarity that takes 200 years of naval tradition¿and throws it all overboard!

Customer Reviews:

good sillynes.......2007-07-09

Kelsey Grammer is a master of drool humor and surrounded by a bunch of crackpots makes for a great movie

When will we get the widescreen version????.......2007-06-12

It is definitely NOT widescreen. The trailer is 2.35:1 widescreen. The movie is as said 1.33:1 with the tops and bottoms cut off to make it 1.85:1. TERRIBLE. It is the same thing they did to the Kung Fu TV show First season. When will they put it out in Panavision 2.35:1????????

The movie is one of my favorites but watching the DVD is like watching the VHS tape. Pan and Scan. When will these studios learn to put out their movies in Origal Aspect Ratio??? Most people have widescreen TVs now. Let's get with it.

Heroes, laughs and drama, without the need to think.......2007-06-01

While this movie is no Caddyshack or Police Academy, it can hit the spot when you are looking for a movie you can enjoy, without being asked to think.

Laugh it up with "Down Periscope".......2007-05-19

What a terrific movie! All the characters are very believable, and what a bunch of characters they are. Too bad some of them don't appear in more movies. Lots of talent there! One expects stellar performances from the likes of Kelsey Grammer, Harry Dean Stanton, Bruce Dern, William H. Macy, and Rip Torn, and they deliver. But the lesser-known actors do an outstanding job as well. (Some great-looking guys are in this flick! I could watch Brad Tatum flex his muscles all day -- Jonathan Penner and Duane Martin are very easy on the eyes, too.) The humor is there all the time, in varying degrees, from dry and subtle to out-and-out slapstick, and it all works. There's not a player in this movie who doesn't bring great skill and great "business" to his or her part. As a confirmed landlubber, I have no idea if the "underwater" scenes are real or not, but they work for me. The plot has some neat twists and turns, and you'll find yourself laughing hysterically, sitting on the edge of your seat, wondering how they'll get themselves out of one fix after another, and constantly rooting for the unconventional crew of the ancient USS Stingray. From the piss-ant Exec Officer who gets to walk the plank, to the super-slob cigar-chomping king of the mess hall, to the electrician whose brain has absorbed a little too much voltage, to the sonarman who talks to whales, you'll come to love every crew member. Don't miss this movie!

Welcome Aboard.......2007-05-14

If you love Kelsey Grammer as Fraiser, you'll fall all over again with him as a Captain. Who doesn't love a man in a uniform;) Down Periscope is funny, charming and over all a great movie to sit back and enjoy. The mis-fit crew is All-Star and makes the movie 10 times better. Love it!!

Average customer rating:

Better Than The Original Flick
Bryan Brown?!?!? Oh, please . . .!!!
A lot of potential squandered to make a chick flick
"Powerful" isn't the word for it
An intriguing remake of the 1959 film .....

On the Beach
Starring: Armand Assante , Rachel Ward , Bryan Brown , and Mark Pennell
Director: Russell Mulcahy
Manufacturer: Platinum Disc
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0007N1JNM
Release Date: 2005-03-01

Customer Reviews:

Better Than The Original Flick.......2007-08-23

I'm not often a fan of remakes of any sort but I'm glad I finally overcame my bias and bought this. I read Neville Shute's novel back in eighth grade and it left a lasting impression (I'm just past 50). I enjoyed - and own - the 1959 MGM B&W version starring Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner and Anthony Perkins and still love it. However, this dvd (from a made-for-tv "mini" series I believe) stands out from the original in several ways, most impressively in the deeper character insights although I'll admit that the cast doesn't have the chops of the original stars. Perhaps it's the updating of these characters that got to me as the story itself remains as bleak and unsettling as it has always been.

Bryan Brown?!?!? Oh, please . . .!!!.......2007-08-20

Hmmm, a doomsday story, Armand Assante and co-starring . . . Bryan Brown?!?!? After watching this movie, and considering it OK watching fare, I found out there was an older version made back in the 1959. Now, I'm curious because my guess is the original version was probably even better? In this version we get some pretty decent acting except for two things that could have been improved.

1. Bryan Brown. This guy always plays the same character in every role he portrays. Brash, grating on the nerves, pompous "bloak". It really is hard to watch a movie with Brown because you think he's a character from one of his other B-movies. Try and treat his acting as a minor nuisance and you might be able to enjoy the rest of the film.

2. Assante's occasional slips into Al Pacino deliveries. On the whole, Armand does a fine job of acting the duty-bound submarine commander and also the troubled soul trying to keep himself together after personal loss. Intermittently he also seems to be doing an accent which I don't recall are natural to Assante's normal speaking voice. It's almost like the Aussies told him to "act American". I'm surprised he isn't wearing cowboy boots and the hat to go with it! There are even times when Armand slips into short Al Pacino-like monologues. Very strange because when he isn't so filled with convictions his performance is pretty darn good.

The plot is interesting and the ironic twist in the middle of the picture is a jewel. Rachel Ward's portrayal of, Moira Davidson, is compelling to watch along with the supporting casts' performances. On the whole the movie is gloomy, and the storyline comes a bit too close to reality at times. It sends a thought-provoking shiver up one's spine. BRAVO for that in any movie.

Pictures like these do have their silver lining of making the viewer give thanks for what they have and who they hold dear. I'd watch it again.

A lot of potential squandered to make a chick flick.......2007-08-20

The end of humanity is a pretty compelling theme, the end coming as a result of Nuclear War is something we really ought to be thinking about given some current events (rekindling of the Cold War for example). It also has is a compelling hook for those who secretly yearn for the downfall of modern 'civilization' and the chance to return to a simpler more primal type of life.

There have been some half- good attempts to take a serious look at THE END, the Day After comes to mind, along with more campy variations ala Logans Run, Omega Man, Mad Max, Escape from New York etc.

This one started out interesting, there was a fairly solid cast for a lower budget TV film, the sets were somewhat convincing (looks like they let them shoot on a real Sub) but this was really squandered and turned into being all about what was essentially an ego trip for this middle aged woman. She looked so happy when she first thought Capitan Assante was coming to hang out with her (to slowly die of radiation poisoning or commit murder-suicide together) you would think the entire race of humanity wasn't doomed along with herself. In the last scene she is bitterly toasting the captain for going out to sea to die with his men (who all have radiation poisoning) she's delighted when he shows up in his dress whites, the end is sort of a pathological zinfindel commercial. And an ode to self-absorption on a colossal scale...

The scenario though is a really interesting one. If you had a nuclear submarine, you would probably be able to avoid the radiation. All you would actually need is food. You could surface and check satellite data on what areas were 'hot' (if the satellites were still functioning) it would be an interesting game of being able to stand being cooped up in the sub long enough for some of the radiation to dissipate until you could surface somewhere Animals live on the site of Chernobyl and all over Bikini Atol so nature does revive, even if the infection of man has been scourged from the planet. Fun for everyone else to start over again, much the same appeal here of Zombie movies. Too bad they squandered all that to make this into an overwrought Hallmark Romance novel with the apocalypse as a mere backdrop....

"Powerful" isn't the word for it.......2007-07-08

Nevil Shute's On the Beach is the most haunting, terrifying, and depressing Cold War-era post-apocalyptic tale ever told, and with the 2000 production it has now been successfully translated to the screen not once, but twice. Both of the film versions retain the wrenching impact of the novel, and in many ways the new 2000 version does this better than either of the earlier efforts. **SPOILERS FOLLOW** For one thing, the longer, miniseries-style treatment lets the production develop the characters more fully than did the first film, especially their attachments to one another, so that when these attachments are inexorably ripped apart by the radioactivity, the viewer feels it all the more keenly. The final scene involving the Holmes family, superbly acted (to the point that, frankly, made me concerned for the mental welfare of the child actress), is nothing short of devastating. Even though I knew the story well from reading (and rereading) the novel and seeing the earlier film, this scene caught me unprepared for its sheer force and gave me a couple of sleepless nights. Another key to the newer film's effectiveness is the relative lack of squeamishness of the modern viewer, which allowed the producers to incorporate more of the grisly details of radiation sickness into the film's imagery. One of the new movie's most poignant scenes takes place when we see, through Julian Osborne's eyes, a queue of people waiting to receive their cyanide pills, and we catch a fleeting glimpse of a forlorn and pretty young woman as she vomits. The expression of shame and hopelessness on her face is priceless and (I'll use the word once again) wrenching. Still another element is the change to San Francisco; while the earlier versions have the city essentially undamaged (except by radiation), this version presents it as having taken a direct nuclear hit. The submarine crew's exclamations of horror-mingled despair as it sees a real-time through-the-periscope video of the collapsed Golden Gate Bridge and the ruins of the city is one of the most important moments in a carefully-choreographed downward spiral. The production is good at giving hope and then slowly stealing it away, and the San Francisco viewing, along with the sudden reading of 150 rads off Anchorage (again, linked with the crew's explosive response) are the film's major turning points in this regard. The "prayer scene" near the end of the film shows sailors who are no longer U.S. naval personnel but walking ghosts; it is if they (and by extension we) have transformed from viewers to participants in the terrible drama that they once saw only through the periscope. Eschewing "Waltzing Matilda" (the running theme fore the first film), the producers opted for a more contemplative score (punctuated with some sinister themes during the submarine voyage) that moves near the film's ending to a heavily religious/choral style that resembles a dirge for mankind (which was no doubt the intension).

The film does, of course, have its weaknesses. The biggest, for me, was Armand Assante's portrayal of Dwight Towers. Assante's Towers seems to be more of a cross between Rocky Balboa and a (stereo)typical Marine officer or senior noncom than a (stereo)typical naval officer. Perhaps the casting department was Australian and this was its idea of a (stereotypical) American nuclear warrior, but Assante's characterization just didn't ring right, especially compared to Gregory Peck's more equable portrayal (a word Shute uses to describe Towers more than once). Bryan Brown's Julian Osborne, too, is more harshly portrayed in this version than the earlier movie, and (I believe) the novel as well. On the other hand, Rachel Ward's portrayal of Moira Davidson is excellent, if perhaps a bit bitchier than the previous versions. Peter and Mary Holmes are likewise perfectly acted by Grant Bowler and Jacqueline McKenzie. McKenzie's almost waiflike Mary is exquisite; while watching her I found myself thinking that with her looks she would have made a perfect Elf in The Lord of the Rings.

The other weaknesses were relatively minor and even nitpicking. Towers is a four-striper, a captain in navy rank, but several people (including naval officers) refer to him repeatedly as Commander even while looking at his shoulder boards. The long-dead corpse in Anchorage blinks a few times. Finally, the ending (which does for Shute's novel what My Fair Lady did for Shaw's Pygmalion, if not a weakness, is a definite change. It seems to offer a faint hope that love is stronger than death, which softens the sheer brutality of the film's ending sequences. I myself welcomed that softening, but others might not.

All in all, this is probably the most profoundly disturbing film I've ever seen, including the previous version. It's also more disturbing even than the original novel. If you like an emotional tour de force this is it, but be prepared for what awaits you; this is not a film for the faint of heart.

An intriguing remake of the 1959 film ............2007-06-19

I'll have to admit upfront that I've never read the novel this movie is based upon, so can't determine how much the plot may veer from the written page. I *have,* however, seen the 1959 version of On the Beach at *least* a dozen times, and this remake does veer from *that* path. ;-P

This movie definitely held my attention ... and my fascination over how the characters (from the 1959 film) have been cast and updated for modern times. The plot variations almost have me curious enough about the written page to buy and read the novel. *Almost!*

This remake is undoubtedly more realistic in its portrayal of what might really happen when people realise that the end is inevitable. Where the 1959 film portrayed a more accepting and sedate mood throughout, this remake pulled no punches about probable violence and blame-laying. Hey, that's the difference forty years can make, huh?!

Overall quite interesting and engrossing with its variations from the original film. I was impressed enough to go ahead and recommend it. :-)

Average customer rating:

A reverse hero quest
The Beatles in their psychedellic colorful animated best!
A Unique Contribution To The World Of Animation
Animated Beatles is Timeless.
Apple and the out of print UA films.

Yellow Submarine
Starring: George Dunning (II) , John Clive , Paul McCartney , Geoffrey Hughes , and Ringo Starr
Director: George Harrison
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00000JRUQ
Release Date: 1999-09-14

Amazon.com essential video

This restored, animated valentine to the Beatles offers viewers the rare chance to see a work that's been substantially improved by its technical facelift, not just supersized with extra footage. Recognizing that its song-studded soundtrack alone makes Yellow Submarine a video annuity, United Artists has lavished a frame-by-frame refurbishment of the original feature, while replacing its original monaural audio tracks with a meticulously reconstructed stereo mix that actually refines legendary original album versions.

What emerges is a vivid time capsule of the late '60s and a minor milestone in animation. The music represents the quartet's zenith--Rubber Soul, Revolver, and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The story line, cobbled together by producer Al Brodax and a committee of writers, is a broad, feather-light allegory set in idyllic Pepperland, where the gentle citizens are threatened by the nasty, music-hating Blue Meanies and their surreal arsenal of henchmen, with the Beatles enlisted to thwart the bad guys. Visually, designer Heinz Edelmann mixes the biomorphic squiggles, day-glo palette, and Beardsley-esque portraits of Peter Max with rotoscoped still photographs and film; Edelmann's animated collages also nod to Andy Warhol and Magritte in properly psychedelic fashion, which works wonderfully with such terrific songs.

High orthodox Beatlemaniacs can still grouse that the animated Fab Four are (literally) flat archetypes, but that's missing the sheer bloom of the music or the giddy, campy fun of the visuals. Making sense of the story is second to submerging blissfully in the sights and sounds of this video treat. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews:

A reverse hero quest.......2007-08-31

When this film first came out in '68 I found it unwatchable. I thought that it was mind-less, plot-less eye candy. Now, after nearly four decades I finally get it- this is a reverse hero quest.

You have old/young Fred, captain of his magical vessel, voyaging to our world in a desperate search for help. He comes from the unearthly paradise of Pepperland (the paradise of the Devas) which has been treacherously conquered by the Blue Meanies (Asuras.) He finds the earthly manifestations of the champions of his realm (Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band) on our earth in the form of...the Beatles. Together they voyage back across the seas that separate the two planes (including the Sea of Monsters.) Once they have won their way back, they use the power of music to restore the land through joy and love. That's the twist- in a traditional tale it would be a hero from earth who traveled to the supernatural realms to win a boon for mankind, while here it is a hero from the otherworld that traveled here for help. That's also kind of neat- the angelic coming to us for help for a change.

Perhaps now that our own world is so completely overrun with Blue Meanies Pepperland might send us help in our time of need. It would make an interesting sequel.

The restoration of this film is incredible. It is a visual feast for the eyes with its vivid, intricate, original artwork- and the sound could not be better. Together they make perfect alchemy.

The Beatles in their psychedellic colorful animated best!.......2007-08-25

I saw this movie for the first time when it came out as I was growing up. So I decdided to plunk down my money to purchase my copy. It was great to relive the animated treasure that Yellow Submarine was known for nearly 40 years ago. The music, and those sinister Blue Meanies!!! Enjoyed every minute of it! I think you already know the voices in the movie are NOT the Beatles but the Fab Four are featured in the closing minutes! I just wish the animated Beatles TV series was on DVD! You will enjoy Yellow Submarine and watch out for the Meanies!!

A Unique Contribution To The World Of Animation.......2007-08-18

I remember seeing this movie when it first came out, when I was eight. I had seen part of it on network TV in the mid-seventies, and again at a college film night in '77. I figured it was a time to step into the time machine.

Actually, the animation is what earned this five stars. The plot rambles, and at times seems to be a showcase for either the creative animation or the Beatles music. For example, where did an animated video of "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" fit in the story?

Additionally, it gave opportunity to introduce children to the themes of drugs and eastern mysticism, with some possible sexual references (was the finger of the flying hand getting stuck in the letter "o" several times just humorous cartooning, or was it an entendre, as my dad suggested?). Thus, even a G-rating doesn't mean it's wholesome for children.

There is a lot of good quality English humor in here. The video added the segment with the song "Hey, Bulldog" (my all-time favorite Beatles song, by the way), which seems like it was cut from the movie. Again, the animation was unique and creative. Kids would like it, though as I always say, parents need to be present.

Unfortunately, even 90 minutes seemed too long with the plot (and implausibilities) in this movie.

Animated Beatles is Timeless........2007-07-24

Although the animation is old style, the whole movie makes me feel great. Especially the ending. I saw the movie when it first came out, and people were leaving the theatre singing "All Together Now." -- Sam Yulish, author of "Where Have All the Hippies Gone" and "The Hesitant Psychic and Other Starnge Stories."

Apple and the out of print UA films........2007-07-21

Why Yellow Submarine is out of print is anyones guess.
Can you say AL BRODAX?
It's not particularly entertaining but my seven year old son loves it
and best yet is that he learned several Beatle songs from it.
Besides, the trailer is worth the asking price.
The 5.1 mix is very good as is the film transfer.
Go ahead and buy it already.
You know you want to.

Average customer rating:

Torpedo in the water
Newer Submarine Movie
A Soild Film U-571
This Sub Rises to a Five-Star Rating!!!
fascinating movie

U-571 (Collector's Edition)
Starring: Jon Bon Jovi , Terrence "T.C." Carson , Tom Guiry , Harvey Keitel , and Thomas Kretschmann
Director: Jonathan Mostow
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
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ASIN: B00003CXHJ
Release Date: 2000-10-24

Amazon.com

Taut and gripping, U-571 follows the exploits of a fictional team of World War II U.S. submariners who undertake a secret mission to capture a German Enigma machine to decode German documents. Writer-director Jonathan Mostow (Breakdown) tells an intense, economical tale, reminiscent of the best classic war films, while infusing it with modern sentiments.

Spring 1942: A crew of young submarine sailors are on a much-needed 48-hour liberty when they're suddenly called together and engaged in an expedition. At the helm are Lieutenant Commander Mike Dahlgren (Bill Paxton), Lieutenant Andrew Tyler (Matthew McConaughey), and Chief Klough (Harvey Keitel). Other pivotal crew members include Tyler's Annapolis pal Lieutenant Pete Emmett (Jon Bon Jovi, proving his acting mettle) and Lieutenant Hirsch (Jake Weber), who, along with Marine Major Coonan (David Keith), organizes the mission. As much of the movie takes place in a submarine during WWII, there are inevitable comparisons with the technical masterpiece Das Boot, but Mostow's masterfully shot tale can hold its own.

McConaughey's Tyler is believably earnest as he comes to grips with the reality, tragedy, and consequence of being in command. While this explosion-filled film consistently maintains its tense pace (as did the underrated Breakdown), it also presents with surprising restraint a genuine human story--and the remarkable journey of an unexpected hero. --N.F. Mendoza

Customer Reviews:

Torpedo in the water.......2007-08-28

The Allies did get an Enigma machine from a German U-Boat in World War II but not as the movie portrays. Regardless the movie is entertaining.

Corey Cotta, Author of All of Yesterdays Tomorrows.

Newer Submarine Movie.......2007-07-26

Not bad for a newer sub movie. Probably ranks 3rd behind Red October and Crimson Tide. Good DVD quality.

A Soild Film U-571.......2007-06-18

This film U-571 is a good solid film with a perfect cast and solid script, i really enjoy this film. yes jon is in the film but you can't really tell it's him i could'nt really i had to do a double take in the theater when i saw it he blends into scene well. i really don't understand why some people don't like this film , but i guess that's they're opinion. Rent it and watch you won't be sorry.

Highly Recommended Film

This Sub Rises to a Five-Star Rating!!!.......2007-06-04

After reading Jenny J.J.I.l's review of Das Boot - The Director's Cut, a very nice reviewer who doesn't mind me promoting her here, I was reminded of this classic film and watched it over the weekend with my family. Amazon did a fine job with it's review that explains the basics of the story well enough, so I don't feel the necessity of repeating the plot here. I'll just stick to what I liked and disliked about the film within this review. I'm also going to experiment with that new feature here on Amazon of inserting a "product link" as these actors should also be noted for their other great performances.

The nearly all-star cast is exceptional and for some this was the film that either jump-started their careers, reignited older ones, or in both cases if it didn't, it should have. For starters, this film has the ever believable and reliable Bill Paxton as the perfect military head huncho with his lean tall build, chiseled facial features, forever military haircut, and that "to the point" verbal delivery. He is such an underrated and under-appreciated actor. Click on his name and a load of great films come up, but his brilliant performance in the lesser known A Simple Plan he really shows his acting chops.

Harvey Keital, Reservoir Dogs (15th Anniversary 2-Disc Special Edition), and more recently National Treasure (Widescreen Edition), is really the commanding officer, but wisely steps aside and allows Matthew McConaughey prove he's capable of leading a crew after just missing a promotion. McConaughey reminds us that although he's often a Hollywood lightweight pretty boy, he can really actually act when given the right material as in A Time to Kill and this film.

I would be greatly remiss in pointing out that Jon Bon Jovi is wholly believable in this film as he has been in throughout his limited acting career. This rock singer can really act and this film should have really put him on the map, but it didn't. Check him out by clicking on his name and a series of interesting films will come up wherein he gave believable and sensitive performances.

Some other fine actors in this film ranging from small almost cameo roles to more substantial co-starring roles are David Keith of too numerous films to mention (just click his name for his many great credits), Jake Webber of TV's "Medium," Jack Noseworthy of Event Horizon (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition) wherein he gave a very sensitive performance in his limited role, Erik Pallidino who is best known for his three year role on TV's "ER" (1999-2001) and one year on "Joan of Arcadia", and lastly there is Terrance "T.C." Carson, the cook on the sub, whose career went nowhere, but should have gone somewhere. I should point out that the German U-boat crew is also made up of excellent actors, most notably is the captain played by Thomas Kretschmann who played Captain Englehorn in the recent remake of King Kong - Extended Cut (Three-Disc Deluxe Edition).

Naturally none of this film would have been much good without the terrific direction and writing of Jonathan Mostow of Breakdown and Terminator 3 - Rise of the Machines (2-Disc Widescreen Edition) fame and the special effects, sound, and set direction teams that made this film so believable. The claustrobic feeling is intense as is the action in this well-paced and produced film. This should be on your "must-see" list and belongs in your DVD collection if you are into this military genre.

fascinating movie.......2007-05-10

I have this VCD long time ago and was very fascinating movie with breathtaking moment from beginning until the end,now I have this HDDVD version and brings up the memory of deep low bass bangover my hometheatre with very clear bubble splash out as the depth chargers bump up the sub, but unfortunately my system cannot produce dolby true hd since I have been waiting to see what receivers will come out on August. This disc will be great media for testing the total performance of the new HD feature.

System:
Denon AVR3805, xbox360 add on HDDVD, Mordaunt short Avant,optoma HD70

Average customer rating:

Destination to a great movie....
Destination Tokyo
Had To Return
We can win if we can take it.
Cary Grant? The skipper of an American sub? No way.

Destination Tokyo
Starring: Cary Grant , John Garfield , Alan Hale , John Ridgely , and Dane Clark
Director: Delmer Daves
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001WTWWE
Release Date: 2004-06-01

Amazon.com

The offbeat casting of Cary Grant as a submarine captain pays off in this tense WWII underwater picture; he ably trades in his sophistication for the sweaty close quarters of an action movie. The mission? Infiltrate the mined harbor of Tokyo itself, a feat bookended by a brief confrontation in the Aleutians and a depth-charge chase through the open sea. Skipper Grant is supported by the usual stock crew of Navy melting-pot types, with John Garfield drawing duty as the resident dame-crazy fantasist. (Somebody forgot to put the saltpeter in his chow, apparently.) The solid action alternates with dialogue that tends toward the schmaltzy or jingoistic (the movie's become somewhat notorious for its unusually nasty propagandistic jabs at the Japanese enemy). Destination Tokyo was the directing debut of Delmer Daves, who would later excel in smart Westerns such as 3:10 to Yuma. --Robert Horton

Description

World War II submarine the U.S.S. Copperfin must complete a secret mission in Japanese waters. Film is as much about the relationship between the naval men as it is about their heroic mission. John Forsythe's film debut.

DVD Features:
Featurette
Theatrical Trailer

Customer Reviews:

Destination to a great movie...........2007-08-12

Early World War II movie with Cary Grant playing the captain of a submarine that must sneak into Tokyo Harbor and retrieve information that will be vital to the up-coming Doolitle raid. Surrounded by a thoughtful screenplay and well cast actors, this movie is a must have.

Destination Tokyo.......2007-06-21

Notwithstanding some explicit anti-Japanese sentiment, crew rough-housing and longings for home that feel a touch sappy in today's unsentimental world, "Destination" stands as a first-rate propaganda picture, released at a time when we needed it most. Grant is fabulous playing against his usual well-tailored image in a modern war movie, one of his few. His Cassidy is steady but human--a born leader. His crew is also tops, with young star-to-be John Garfield a stand-out as a female-crazed sailor aptly dubbed "Wolf." And the movie only improves the closer we get to Japan, and to the outcome of the sub's delicate and dangerous assignment.

Had To Return.......2007-03-19

I was rather disappointed because this DVD would not play on my DVD player. The way it was recorded could not be read. I am searching for this movie recorded by another source.

We can win if we can take it........2007-01-31

Unless you were around and aware of things in 1943 - I wasn't - watching DESTINATION: TOKYO is going to be a bit like taking a trip to a foreign country. It's a war flick made at the mid-point of America's involvement in World War Two. Like a lot of in-war (1941-1945) Hollywood war movies it takes place in the Pacific theater. America is planning a bombing raid on the Japanese mainland, and they need to land a meteorologist on the outskirts of Tokyo - into the heart of Enemyland, in other words - to take weather readings, gather information on shore installations, etc. The submarine USS Copperfin, commanded by Cary Grant, is ordered to transport the meteorologist to Tokyo and, hopefully, bring him back alive.

Hollywood movies made while the war was raging, and still in doubt, provided information, inspiration, and a more or less accurate reflection of the national spirit. If not complete feel-good movies - the war wasn't going that good for the Allieds in 1943 - they generally reflected a gritty determination to get the job done and, all too often, depicted heroism in defeat. There's a reason these movies are packed with clichéd characters - the fast-talking kid from the big city, the slow-talking kid from the small town in Iowa, or Wisconsin, or Montana, the wise old vet who just wanted to get home to his wife and kids and easy chair. Those were the men who were Over There, the sons and uncles, brothers and fathers of the audience. John Garfield plays the fast-talker in DESTINATION: TOKYO, appropriately named Wolf, who has a swell dish in every port and a long, elaborate, and filmable story about each (plenty of flashback action in this one.) Alan Hale plays `Cookie,' the gruff mess cook who has a soft side he shows when it's most needed. William Prince is the agnostic pharmacy attendant named `Pills' who finds his doubts about the existence of a higher being evaporating when a higher power is most needed. Unlike later war movies, the characters can be abrasive at times, but none are pushed to the margins.

So, if a movie like DESTINATION: TOKYO wants to fill its roster with generally likeable characters and spend a slightly mawkish Christmas with them - the Copperfin sets sail on December 24th, and most of the first act is spent trailing on-board carolers and partaking in a makeshift Christmas party - more power to it. It slows down the action, but it gives the major players a chance to introduce themselves, and it's so sentimentally treated it probably boosted the morale of the stateside audience. The weirdest aspect of this picture is listening to the men discuss the `Japanese character.' It'd take a couple of decades for Americans to become enamored with the Way of the Warrior. As best I can make it out, we were in that war because the 8-year-old Japanese child was dis- and re-assembling machine guns blindfolded while the 8-year-old American child was getting a pair of roller skates on their birthday. If you can wade through the shallow social science and the casual racism in these explanatory scenes there's a message of real value, which can be distilled down to "The enemy isn't inherently bad, but their culture is." Yeah, I know, that kind of talk can lead to bad results, but in 1943 it was progressive (the enemy weren't subhuman animals after all) and oddly optimistic (let's talk about peaceful co-existence with the up-to-now invincible enemy we're destined to beat the stuffing out of.)

Don't get me wrong, though. DESTINATION: TOKYO is a still-exciting action movie with minimal philosophizing - the social science stuff caught my ear because I watch too many of these kind of movies. Cary Grant is now-to-earth and sincere as the ship captain, and the underwater scenes hold up well. Strong recommendation.

Cary Grant? The skipper of an American sub? No way........2006-07-15

Way. Unlike a lot of pretty movie stars, Grant had talent & could play anything believeably. Proof here. He is Capt. Cassidy of the USS Copperfin. It can be forgiven its jingoistic, propaganda tone (hey, there's a war going on!) because it is a very good movie. It was done in the Warner Bros. trademark style: efficient with no wasted effort. It has the added virtue of being done mid-war, 1943, like its competiton from Century Fox, Crash Dive. It is slightly better without that silly Tyrone Power romance nonsense. It has the stock character actors most notably Alan Hale as Cookie. I love that guy! Also just like a Warner Bros. film, it was shot in glorious black & white which is the way I prefered it, thank-you. Great war-time stuff.

Average customer rating:

OK
ALAN HALE WHO?
Good Sunday Afternoon Movie
UP PERISCOPE
Up Periscope

Up Periscope
Starring: James Garner , Edmond O'Brien , Andra Martin , Alan Hale Jr. , and Carleton Carpenter
Director: Gordon Douglas
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005JN9P
Release Date: 2006-12-19

Amazon.com

Anyone with a fondness for the conventions of the submarine picture will be content with the modest pleasures of Up Periscope, a World War II melodrama starring James Garner in one of his early Maverick-era roles. Pulled away from a week-long romance, Garner tags along with the sub to a Japanese-held island, where he will SCUBA ashore and copy a secret radio code. On top of the reliable suspense of a man alone behind enemy lines, the film also offers captain Edmond O'Brien, whose previous mission has his crew suspecting him of cowardice. Will he cut and run before Garner returns to the submarine? Director Gordon Douglas made a batch of entertaining pictures over the years (a bunch of Sinatra titles, the giant-bug classic Them!, In Like Flint) and he coolly finds some effective ways to photograph men in the close quarters of a sub. The main draw is James Garner in his youthful prime; even if the movie doesn't exploit his comic talent, it shows how effortlessly he connects with an audience. The supporting cast consists of the kind of actors who inevitably seem to people a WWII ship's crew: solid character actors (Alan Hale Jr., who performed similar undersea duties in Destination Tokyo), oddballs and one-offs (Frank Gifford, Edd "Kooky" Byrnes), and future names (Warren Oates). --Robert Horton

Description

A navy lieutenant (James Garner "Maverick") during World War II is ordered aboard a submarine to get special photographs of a Japanese-controlled island.

DVD Features:
Featurette
Theatrical Trailer

Customer Reviews:

OK.......2007-06-14

As an old diesel submarine officer collecting old diesel submarine movies, I enjoyed this one I had missed.

ALAN HALE WHO?.......2007-03-12

Robert Horton is mistaken. Alan Hale Jr. was not in Destination Tokyo, That was his father Alan Hale Senior.

Good Sunday Afternoon Movie.......2007-02-20

Great movie for a Sunday afternoon. James Garner's acting is what you would expect from an excellant actor. The Skipper (Alan Hale Jr.) was also a pleasure, even though he plays a fun loving Officer.

UP PERISCOPE.......2007-02-08

AN OLD FAVORITE WITH JAMES GARNER. IT IS AN ENJOYABLE CHARACTER DRIVEN MOVIE, THAT I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO OWN. MANY THANKS.

Up Periscope.......2007-01-04

This is a great movie. I had look forward to the DVD and I wasn't disappointed.

Average customer rating:

Torpedo in the water
Newer Submarine Movie
A Soild Film U-571
This Sub Rises to a Five-Star Rating!!!
fascinating movie

U-571 [HD DVD]
Starring: Matthew McConaughey , Bill Paxton , Harvey Keitel , Jon Bon Jovi , and David Keith
Director: Jonathan Mostow
Manufacturer: Universal
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: HD DVD

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ASIN: B000E1ZK5A
Release Date: 2006-05-23

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Torpedo in the water.......2007-08-28

The Allies did get an Enigma machine from a German U-Boat in World War II but not as the movie portrays. Regardless the movie is entertaining.

Corey Cotta, Author of All of Yesterdays Tomorrows.

Newer Submarine Movie.......2007-07-26

Not bad for a newer sub movie. Probably ranks 3rd behind Red October and Crimson Tide. Good DVD quality.

A Soild Film U-571.......2007-06-18

This Sub Rises to a Five-Star Rating!!!.......2007-06-04

fascinating movie.......2007-05-10

Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah - Giant Monsters All-Out Attack

Average customer rating:

Awesome
Godzilla ROCKS in this movie!
Best G-Film of the Millenium series...Bare bones release
The fat Godzilla
Now this is a Kaiju film!

Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah - Giant Monsters All-Out Attack
Starring: Chiharu Nîyama , Ryudo Uzaki , Masahiro Kobayashi (II) , Shirô Sano , and Takashi Nishina
Director: Shusuke Kaneko
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000VAGXU
Release Date: 2004-01-27

Amazon.com

This 2001 Godzilla feature from Japan's Toho Studios, released as part of the mighty monster's 50th anniversary, is a visually impressive and action-packed entry in the long-running franchise, but also one with a fast and loose re-interpretation of its history that may displease some stalwart fans. Writer-director Shusuke Kaneko (who previously revitalized the Gamera series) erases everything that occurred after 1954's Godzilla and re-imagines the beast as a mythical creature harboring the souls of the Japanese victims of World War II; its attack is challenged by three "Guardian Monsters": Mothra, perennial villain King Ghidorah (here reinvented as hero) and B-list player Baragon (from Frankenstein Challenges the World). The retooling, while imaginative, is supported by spectacular special effects, but the monsters' brawls (a core reason for enjoying these films) seem abbreviated, and Kaneko's script experiences awkward seismic shifts from comedy to grim drama that may befuddle longtime G-fans. Columbia-Tri-Star's DVD is widescreen and offers Dolby Digital 5.1 sound and a Japanese language track (with English subtitles) that should please viewers with an aversion to dubbing. Trailers for other Sony/Columbia sci-fi titles like the American Godzilla feature are also included. --Paul Gaita

Description

After 50 years since his attack on Tokyo in 1954, the destructive monster Godzilla has somehow returned to life to destroy the city again. Now the religious cult must call upon the three monsters, King Ghidorah, Mothra and Baragon to protect Japan from Godzilla!

Customer Reviews:

Awesome.......2007-08-03

This Movie Rocks First Of the Story For Once In the Millenium series Is Actually Fun To watch through the whole movie. Godzilla is Both Creepy, Powerful, And Cool. Why Didn't This Godzilla Suit ever appear Again? I Loved It. This is For All Godzilla Movies If they ever EVEN MENTION THE FIRST GODZILLA IN ANY NEW MOVIE EVER AGAIN I SWEAR I'LL BUST INTO TOHO STUDIO'S AND BURN THAT MOVIE! Not REally But They Mention it in all the Millenium Movies. Well the battles are cool Great special effects. King Ghidorah Mothra and baragon all look great. The last Battle in it was long, but it wasn't like other godzilla movies. it was filled with eye popping special effects. Something new happens every move. Godzilla's breath was awsome only to have the next godzilla movie have a different and less powerful godzilla. In godzilla x MechaG When he blew his fire at a tank the tank started melt in stead of blowing up it melted? I know bigG's fire is more powerful than that, But this one's Breath just blew tanks up and could kill monsters with one, two, three blows. This movie is just awesome. So Get It. I promise you won't regret it. Why don't they bring back that guy who directed this back?

Godzilla ROCKS in this movie!.......2007-06-12

My 5 year old son has been watching Godilla movies with me for some time now, and this movie recently appeared on cable. I had never seen it before , and WOW - Gozilla ROCKS! He is certainly more agressive, and with his milky eyes seems far more sinister. Having King Ghidorah as a good guy was a little wierd, but seemed to work OK.
The special effects were excellent. The miniature work was above par in comparison to earlier Godzilla movies. And this lizard is MEAN.
There are no annoying "faries" sining songs on miniature Mothras, just an excellent movie overall.

Best G-Film of the Millenium series...Bare bones release.......2007-03-21

Despite the creative controls forced by Toho, Shusuke Kaneko delivers a fantastic entry to the Godzilla series, perhaps the best since Biollante in '89. Although there are a few plot elements that could have been better explained, GMK has a strong story and features memorable characters performing some of the most heroic acts since the golden age of the '60s. The effects are top notch, with very few "cringe" moments that often plague tokusatsu eiga. I can only dream of what could have been if Shinji Higuchi was at the spfx director's helm. But that's only a fanboy wish. In the end, while certainly nowhere near the masterpiece that is Gamera 3, GMK is a slice above the rest of the Godzilla series and we have Kaneko to thank for it.

The DVD by Tristar unfortunately suffers from the same minimalist approach as most of their other Godzilla releases. The film presentation is superb (and it should be...the movie was only 3 years old at the time of it's release). The 5.1 surround is fantastic and sounds great. The English dub is horrendous as usual, so don't bother listening to it. However, be forewarned: the subtitles on this disc are taken from the English dub and NOT from the original Japanese dialog. Therefore, expect a great deal of "loose" translations that may confuse you or even give the wrong information. In other words, those often idiotic phrases you will see do not come from the original script. Believe me, the Japanese acting is great and does not suffer from bad dialog (I've seen this movie with proper subtitles).

Extras are non-existent, which is a real shame seeing as the R2 release by Toho is filled to the brim with behind the scenes footage and documentaries. Why Tristar doesn't just use those is completely beyond me.

In the end, this is a worthwhile release and if you don't care about how they made it (which is too bad seeing as how suitmation BTS are fantastic to watch...more interesting than a bunch of people sitting at a computer rendering effects) then this is for you. If you are a geek like me and willing to spend a little more money, get a region-free player and buy Toho's disc (I plan on doing that soon).

The fat Godzilla.......2007-02-17

The big G is back and fatter than ever. The story is different in this movie, and I'm annoyed how they just push all the other godzilla movies out of the way. The three monsters who fight Godzilla, who are called Guardian monsters, are called Beragon, the newcomer, Mothra, the peacemaker and Ghidorah, the villian that has now turned hero. Godzilla's cool, his attitude being one of the crappiest I've ever seen, but they make him way too fat in this movie; and he's walks too upright to me. I think it's good, and Godzilla has done it again.

Now this is a Kaiju film!.......2006-07-21

This is the darkest Gojira film since the original from 1954. Thanks to the director of the awesome "Gamera: Advent of Legion", Shusuke Kaneko. He has a knack for making dark, sinister, awesome Kaiju films. This is what Gojira is suppose to be: a wicked, unstoppable force. Gojira shows no mercy towards anyone or anything. Gojira purposely takes human life. Look for a scene with a girl in a hospital as Gojira approaches. Grant it, Ryuhei Kitamura's "Godzilla: Final Wars" is good, but it is nothing like this film. One of the great aspects of this film is that Gojira has all white eyes; being that he is possessed by the souls of dead soldiers. King Ghidorah being a savior of man is something different. He was always a destroyer of mankind. Overall, the finest Kaiju film in decades. MUST BUY!!!

Average customer rating:

Despite fantastic director and actors.....
A superior submarine movie - sad and elegiac rather than triumphant
My 2 cents . . .
Not Quite Das Boot or U-571, But Intense and Well-Acted Nevertheless
Loving Subs

K-19: The Widowmaker
Starring: Sam Spruell , Peter Stebbings , Christian Camargo , Roman Podhora , and Sam Redford
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00005JLGJ
Release Date: 2002-12-10

Amazon.com

Based on an incident that was officially suppressed for 28 years, K-19: The Widowmaker is a fine addition to the "sub-genre" of submarine thrillers. The first major American film about Russian cold war heroes, it re-creates the nightmare endured in 1961 by the crew of the Soviet nuclear submarine K-19, when an exposed reactor core nearly resulted in a nuclear catastrophe. Several crewmen died, and K-19's captain (played by Harrison Ford) had to assert his command when near-mutiny favored his executive officer (Liam Neeson). This escalating tension gives the film its potent dramatic thrust, and both Ford and Neeson deliver intense performances while director Kathryn Bigelow (Near Dark, Strange Days) ably controls a sub full of seething testosterone. It's not as viscerally thrilling as the classic Das Boot or U-571, and some K-19 survivors protested the inclusion of inauthentic drinking scenes, but the movie benefits from grand-scale production values, seamless computer graphics, and a compelling real-life twist. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Despite fantastic director and actors............2007-08-24

.....this movie just falls flat. Harrison Ford is probably one of the greatest underappreciated actors of our time and is one of my favorites. I've always liked Liam Neeson too. Director Kathryn Bigelow has also been a favorite of mine since the mid-80's.

Despite all of these "big time" players, this movie is so BOOOORRRRRRIIIIINNNNGGGG!

The plot slowly (and I DO mean SLOWLY) unfolds and the end result is just plain unsatisfying. Another thing that bothered the hell out of me was Ford's on again/off again "Russian" accent. Not only did it come and go, but when it was there, it was a TERRIBLE imitation of a Slavic accent.

I really expected so much more. I rented this title once and will never have the desire to see it again, even if it's on network TV.

If you like Harrison Ford, I would recommend:

Any of the original STAR WARS trilogy films
Any of the INDIANA JONES films
BLADE RUNNER
WITNESS
REGARDING HENRY
AIR FORCE ONE

If you like Kathryn Bigelow, I would recommend:

NEAR DARK
POINT BREAK

A superior submarine movie - sad and elegiac rather than triumphant.......2007-08-03

'K-19: The Widowmaker' may be historically inaccurate, but show me a military movie that isn't. This film is way more true to life than the idiotic fantasy that was 'U-571', in which Americans won the second world war by capturing a cipher machine (FYI, it was a British crew who captured the machine and anyway the Brits already had one, reverse-engineered by Polish intelligence and given by them to British intelligence in one of the more stunningly generous acts of wartime cooperation).

The important thing is not so much how doggedly authentic the story is. After all, Wolfgang Petersen's classic 'The Boat', surely the ultimate sub movie ever in its original miniseries form, is fictional. What matters is the quality of the story, and the story told here in K-19 is profoundly touching. Harrison Ford seems really engaged for the first time in a long time, Liam Neeson is properly cast for a change as a slightly ambiguous figure (instead of just as a nice guy) and Peter Sarsgaard is heartbreaking as the head of the team that attempts to repair K-19's reactor. 'K-19' has an emotional depth and sense of tragedy that most movies set in submarines simply don't come close to. ('The Hunt for Red October' may be the most famous sub movie of recent times, but it suffers severely from being based on a Tom Clancy novel.)

Kathryn Bigelow's films have veered between genuinely eerie (Near Dark, The Loveless), silly (Point Break, Blue Steel) and romantic but a bit daft (Strange Days). For my money, this is the first movie she's made that her fans don't have to apologise for. So who cares that the crew all have silly Russian accents? Like you'd prefer that Harrison Ford sounded American and Liam Neeson sounded like he was from Ballymena? The sadness and grimness of life in the USSR have not generally been paid attention to by US filmmakers, who for the most part have been content to portray Soviet military personnel as cannon fodder, but this is a brave effort and a gripping and affecting movie. The complete story of the K-19 is almost so sad that you couldn't film it at all, so it's a small miracle that they managed to get even this bit of it onto celluloid.

My 2 cents . . . .......2007-06-18

Firstly, there several are excellent exhaustive reveiews on this wonderful film (Chapulina R did a particularly good job). Read a few of them. My review comments are related to a relevant technical aspect ---

Hollywood NEVER gets it right on things "nuclear", usually muddling comparison and contrast between weapons and power production plants. A loss of coolant (heat sink) to a nuclear powered ship's reactor at sea will NOT give rise to a sustained nuclear chain reaction and absolutely not one that would also involve the weapons aboard . . . even on the shoddily designed/built early Russian boats. It is likely the core would indeed experience some melting (localized or homgenous) and theoretically could eventually melt through the hull of the ship . . . at which point the Atlantic Ocean would provide a superb heat sink.

Other than local bottom feeding sea life, the real threat to anyone other than the crew of a ship at sea is not really mathematically significant. The threat to the crew, however, in a situation as depicted in the film is huge. For the incident as depicted on "K-19", I'm surprised that anyone aboard lived to reach old age. Great peril and heroism were involved. But excessive radiation exposure often involves a slowly developing and non-spectacular demise so, as usual, Hollywood caved in in favor of the "mushroom cloud over the Eastern Seaboard" scenario. A shame.

I believe that challenge for the Captain involved two issues: 1. Saving the lives of his crew from the accumulating radioactive contamination (not an explosion), and 2. Not allowing his ship to fall into American hands. Mammoth tasks under the circumstances in the story.

Overall, a great submarine flick however. Other than these nuclear issues, there is very little submarine technical baggage to keep up with. Much of the film's tension involves the human aspect.

A very nicely done, high dollar production and is great entertainment.

Not Quite Das Boot or U-571, But Intense and Well-Acted Nevertheless.......2007-06-04

After reading Jenny J.J.I.'s review of Das Boot - The Director's Cut, a very nice reviewer who doesn't mind me promoting her here, I was reminded of this film and watched it along with U-571 (Collector's Edition) over the weekend with my family. Amazon did a fine job with it's review that explains the basics of the story well enough, so I don't feel the necessity of repeating the plot here. I'll just stick to what I liked and disliked about the film within this review.

There is plenty to like about this well-made and well-acted "sub" genre. Harrison Ford give a compelling performance although it is hampered a bit by his ill-attempt at a Russian accent. This film, however, doesn't really belong to Ford, but to his co-star Liam Neeson, Batman Begins (Widescreen Edition), The Haunting, Schindler's List (Widescreen Edition), who steal just about any movie he is in.

The director, the very underrated and versatile Kathryn Bigelow whose credits include the crime drama Blue Steel (1990) with Jamie Lee Curtis, the bizarre sci-fi film Strange Days with Ralph Fiennes, and the small classic thriller Near Dark (2pc) (Ws Spec) with Bill Paxton, Adrian Pasdar, and Lance Hendrikson, is confident and uncompromising.

This film failed to find an audience upon its release and I think that was more an issue of this film being about a RUSSIAN sub and for the most part, we didn't and don't care about them and their Cold War efforts no matter how compelling the story is or how well-acted. In addition, this film was released during the summer blockbuster time of year and was just kind of lost in the shuffle wherein lighter or more exciting films made more of splash at the box-office than this heavier film which would have done better in the fall or winter months.

Regardless of why this film failed to find an audience upon its release, it is a top-notch thriller that is executed very well and has a very compelling storyline no matter what country one comes from.

Loving Subs.......2007-04-07

Great movie, really shows other beliefs in bad luck and whatnot. Just an excellent drama with bravery showed every step of the way. If you like sub movies, this is one to add to your collection.

Average customer rating:

Right UP your ALLEY...
[Three-and-a-half out of Four stars] Fine performances by Carradine, Heston, Beatty and look for Christopher Reeves (unbilled)
Showcasing the Past and Future....DSRV Intelligence Story
Terrible
***** Film of my life!

Gray Lady Down
Starring: Charlton Heston , David Carradine , Stacy Keach , Ned Beatty , and Stephen McHattie
Director: David Greene
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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