Always

Amazon.com

Considered by many to represent a low point in Steven Spielberg's career, 1990's Always did suggest something of a temporary drift in the director's sensibility. A remake of the classic Spencer Tracy film A Guy Named Joe, Always stars Richard Dreyfuss as a Forest Service pilot who takes great risks with his own life to douse wildfires from a plane. After promising his frightened fiancée (Holly Hunter) to keep his feet on the ground and go into teaching, Dreyfuss's character is killed during one last flight. But his spirit wanders restlessly, hopelessly attached to and possessive of Hunter, who can't see or hear him. Then the real conflict begins: a trainee pilot (Brad Johnson), a likable doofus, begins wooing a not-unappreciative Hunter--and it becomes Dreyfuss's heavenly mandate to accept, and even assist in, their budding romance. The trouble with the film is a certain airlessness, a hyper-inventiveness in every scene and sequence that screams of Spielberg's self-education in Hollywood classicism. Unlike the masters he is constantly quoting and emulating in Always, he forgets to back off and let the movie breathe on its own sometimes, which would better serve his clockwork orchestration of suspense and comedy elsewhere. Still, there are lovely passages in this film, such as the unforgettable look on Dreyfuss's face a half-second before fate claims him. John Goodman contributes good supporting work, and Audrey Hepburn makes her final screen appearance as an angel. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Always.......2007-08-16

Not only was this item in excellent condition, delivery time was at it's best. The product was received in less then four days. I would definately order from this murchant. Thank you.

Reminiscense.......2007-04-11

I leanded how to pilot a plane at Hemet Ryan Field in Hemet, CA and I know that the PBY in this film belonged to Venable Flying Serive and that MAKES this film more special to me than anything........

Fantastic score... wish they left the oldies stuff off.......2007-03-20

I would have preferred more of the etherial Williams music and less of the oldies and country stuff. It's a very good score... very sedate stuff for the most part (and hushed, too... you have to crank the music to hear some of Williams' music)

Always.......2007-03-11

Wonderful movie. Great flying scenes and a love story the ladies will love!

Always.......2007-03-11

This movie is a great story of love and loss. If you liked Ghost, then you'll love this flim its the aviator version of that story. This film has an alstar cast Richard Dreyfuss, Holly Hunter, John Goodman,Audrey Hepburn. Always is about daredevil firefighter pilots that fly planes to help put out forest fires.

Average customer rating:

Great movie
I feel the need... for speed!
BAD MOVE
Steven Burke - Grow up!
Looking forward to this HDDVD

Top Gun [HD DVD]
Starring: Tom Cruise
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: HD DVD

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ASIN: B000RZIGZ4
Release Date: 2007-10-02

Customer Reviews:

Great movie.......2007-09-09

A great movie being made available in it's finest presentation.

I am a high def enthusiast and love watching everything I can in HD. I chose the HD DVD format for it's price, picture, interactivity, and the fact that players can be upgraded via the ethernet port.

All these Blu Ray babies crying, really need to get a life. Paramount, Dreamworks seen the light and seen that there are 3 to 1 HD DVD players over Blu Ray players in American households. Consumers are going to buy what is affordable and movie studios are going to go where they can make the most profit. Also, it is more profitable to make an HD DVD disc over a Blu Ray disc, as HD DVD uses similar technolgy shared with DVD.

It's been noted that the BD Java code needed to write Blu Ray disc is alot more complicated than the Microsoft HDi code used to writing HD DVD. In turn it makes HD DVD have much more features and come out with less bugs than Blu Ray. This makes HD DVD more profitable for the simple reason that studios don't have to pay programers to learn a new code for making movies.

Plus do you really think that Sony didn't grease Disney's pocket to go exclusive with Blu Ray?

Bottom line is technology is made for consumers and Sony has always tried to make it proprietary for them. Examples, mini disc, umd, memory stick, betamax, atrac3 (music format) and blu ray. Look at all the failed formats Sony has tried to push onto consumers that have all failed. Did you really think it would be different with Blu Ray?

I feel the need... for speed!.......2007-09-05

I am so looking forward to this video... even re-bought aviator sunglasses and was quoting top gun quite a bit recently. I really need to be in a top gun support group... if you are on myspace search for the top gun support group and u'd know what i mean.

BAD MOVE.......2007-09-05

Bad move by Paramount to drop Blu-ray for HD-DVD. I hope they wise up and get back to Blu-ray quicker than 18 months and drop the desperate bribing HD-DVD format. Idiots!

Steven Burke - Grow up!.......2007-08-25

To the person who uses a review feature to complain about Paramount dropping Blu-Ray -- GROW UP! Go complain to Fox, Disney and Sony for not supporting HD DVD, or stop being a complete hypocrite! Sony is the one that brought on this fiasco of a format war, trying to strong-arm the consumer into their overpriced technology. Go cry somewhere else.

Better yet, go play with your PS3. Oh, I forget, Sony forgot to develop any decent games for it.

Looking forward to this HDDVD.......2007-08-21

Top Gun is a great movie and will be fantastic on HDDVD. Thanks Paramount for supporting the best format for High Definition!

Top Gun (Widescreen Special Collector's Edition)

Average customer rating:

MST3K Fans Rejoice -- Rifftrax is Here!
Even Better On DVD!!!!
Top Gun
No review needed
Top Gun Fun

Top Gun (Widescreen Special Collector's Edition)
Starring: Tom Cruise , Kelly McGillis , Val Kilmer , Anthony Edwards , and Tom Skerritt
Director: Tony Scott
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0002WZTOI
Release Date: 2004-12-14

Amazon.com essential video

Jingoism, beefcake, military hardware, and a Giorgio Moroder rock score reign supreme over taste and logic in this Tony Scott film about a maverick trainee pilot (Tom Cruise) who can't follow the rules at a Navy aviation training facility. The dogfight sequences between American and Soviet jets at the end are absolutely mechanical, though audiences loved it at the time. The love story between Cruise's character and that of Kelly McGillis is like flipping through pages of advertising in a glossy magazine. This designer action movie from 1986 would be all the more appalling were it not for the canny casting of good actors in dumb parts. Standouts include Anthony Edwards--who makes a nice impression as Cruise's average-Joe pal--and the relatively unknown Meg Ryan in a small but memorable appearance. --Tom Keogh

Description

In TOP GUN, Tom Cruise stars as Maverick, a talented training pilot in an elite U.S. school for fighter pilots. When he stumbles upon some MiG's over the Persian Gulf, and his wingman panics, Maverick cleverly talks him through the situation to safety. Consequently, he is moved up in rank and sent to the Top Gun Naval Flying School. There he has several conflicts with other students while trying to live up to his deceased father's reputation. Unable to cope with the death of his best friend, and fellow pilot, Goose, Maverick contemplates dropping out, but follows through with his dream and ultimately becomes one of the "best of the best."

Customer Reviews:

MST3K Fans Rejoice -- Rifftrax is Here!.......2007-08-24

Iceman, Maverick and Slider: while they make great names for members of a tracksuit wearing boy band, they make even better names for shirtless, pretty boy pilots! And Tom Cruise is the prettiest and shirtless-liest of them all as Maverick, a bad boy aviator who lock horns with the large-toothed Iceman (Val "The Island of Dr. Moreau" Kilmer) and locks other things with the saucy MIT-educated Naval consultant Charlie (Kelly "Supergator" McGillis). And if you're a fan of music that is likely to be heard in an aerobics class, you'll love the pulse-pounding soundtrack by disco top gun Giorgio Moroder! For this RiffTrax, Mike flies high with his Mystery Science wingman, Bill Corbett. It will literally "take your breath away"!*

*No breath will actually be taken away. When we say "literally" we don't literally mean it.

Even Better On DVD!!!!.......2007-08-09

This classic movie is always great anytime you watch it on TV and/or VHS, but just wait until you see it on DVD!!!! It is the best ever!

Top Gun.......2007-06-27

A classic!!! Everyone should own a copy of this movie in their home entertainment collections.

No review needed.......2007-06-27

Look at the other 200+ reviews. They say it all; Top Gun was a masterpiece and you should own it!

Top Gun Fun.......2007-06-15

With my new home theater sound system it sounds like your sitting at the end of the aircraft carrier when they take off! Awesome.

Average customer rating:

Simple DVD.
Great Movie
Great for me!
Terrific entertainment
Corny, clunky, a deserved turkey of the early 90s.

Rocketeer
Starring: Bill Campbell , Jennifer Connelly , Alan Arkin , Timothy Dalton , and Paul Sorvino
Director: Joe Johnston
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 6305428514
Release Date: 1999-08-17

Amazon.com

Based on a retro-styled comic book hit of the '80s, this Disney film was meant to launch a whole line of Rocketeer films--but the series began and ended with this one. That's too bad, because this underrated Joe Johnston film has a certain loopy charm. The story centers on a pre-World War II stunt pilot (Bill Campbell) who accidentally comes into possession of a rocket-propelled backpack much coveted by the Nazis. With the aid of his mechanic pal (Alan Arkin), he gets it up and running, then uses it to foil a plot by a gang of vicious Nazi spies (is there any other kind?) led by Timothy Dalton. Jennifer Connelly is on hand as the love interest, but the real fun here is when the Rocketeer takes off. There's also a nifty battle atop an airborne blimp. --Marshall Fine

Description

The discovery of a top-secret jetpack hurls test pilot Cliff Secord into a daring adventure of mystery, suspense, and intrigue! Cliff encounters an assortment of ruthless villains, led by a Hollywood screen star who's a secret Nazi spy (Timothy Dalton). With the help of his actress girlfriend, the young pilot battles enormous odds to defeat his foes who are anxious to use the device in an evil plan to rule the world! The dangerous mission transforms the ordinary young man into an extraordinary hero!

Customer Reviews:

Simple DVD........2007-08-25

For me this movie holds a lot of nostalgia and that makes it great!
BUT, this is a really simple version of the movie. No extras, no books, no 5.1 SS.

Great Movie.......2006-11-10

This movie is great - I wish a sequel had been made, as was originally planned. It would have been nice if the DVD had been anamorphic, but otherwise it is a great product.

Great for me!.......2006-11-05

I always liked this movie, a simple idea with a great out come. A good story of good verses evil, with a cool strap on rocket. Now i get to enjoy this movie when ever i please.

Terrific entertainment.......2006-08-23

(4.5/5 stars) This is a fantasy film set during World War II, with the Nazis chasing jet-propelled backpack technology that will enable their airmen to land in enemy territory. There is even a mock Nazi propaganda film to illustrate the awesome power of this new weapon. In fact, the film really blurs fantasy with reality, with appearances by W.C. Fields and Cab Calloway, among others. Timothy Dalton plays Neville Sinclair, an actor whose life bears an uncanny resemblance to that of Errol Flynn's. Fiction mixed with reality can be amusing because it offers an imaginative alternative to straight fiction and non-fiction. On the other hand, "The Da Vinci Code," "JFK" and the current Bush administration have all proven mixing fantasy and reality can produce downright ugly results. There is some very good action as The Rocketeer, played by the dashing and handsome Bill Campbell, eludes the Nazis and attempts to foil their plot. Jennifer Connelly is radiant as his love interest, Jenny Blake. This is the type of movie where gray areas do not exist; everything is either black or white, good or bad. Along with excellent sets, wardrobes, styles, etc., this aids the film in establishing its nostalgic, 1940s feel. This is a very fun movie for most of the family. Even though there is little objectionable material, some themes might be better suited for ages ten and up.

Corny, clunky, a deserved turkey of the early 90s........2006-07-15

The Rocketeer is the cinematic version of all the faux-Deco buildings that have been erected in recent years around Los Angeles, particularly the Miracle Mile area. It's wafer-thin nostalgia masks a chintzy story that can't stand on its own two feet.

The plotting of The Rocketeer is sound enough for adolescent fare. Unfortunately, the characters are totally uninspired and the dialogue atrocious. Worse still is the execution of the material. Every actor is miscast and thoroughly lacking in charisma. Bill Campbell -- ever hear of him anymore? He overacts every single scene. Timothy Dalton? Hammy. Jennifer Connelly is the only one to come out unscathed.

The direction is beyond weak. When The Rocketeer appears at the nightclub it is so poorly staged, so cloyingly "goofy" that it extinguishes the promise of anything remotely thrilling from happening. Add to this foul mixture a horrendous James Horner score... you get the idea. Still, some nice set design and an effective animated film-within-a-film make for a couple high points.

Average customer rating:

A great war movie
Outstanding WW 1 aviation flck
Blue Max DVD
The Blue Max
Great movie, effects as good as flyboys even tho it was from the 60's

The Blue Max
Starring: George Peppard , James Mason , Ursula Andress , Jeremy Kemp , and Karl Michael Vogler
Director: John Guillermin
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00008AOTN
Release Date: 2003-05-20

Amazon.com

The Blue Max is highly unusual among Hollywood films, not just for being a large-scale drama set during the generally overlooked World War I, but in concentrating on air combat as seen entirely from the German point of view. The story focuses on a lower-class officer, Bruno Stachel (George Peppard), and his obsessive quest to win a Blue Max, a medal awarded for shooting down 20 enemy aircraft. Around this are subplots concerning a propaganda campaign by James Mason's pragmatic general, rivalry with a fellow officer (Jeremy Kemp), and a love affair with a decadent countess (Ursula Andress).

As directed by John Guillermin (who later made The Battle of Britain in 1969), the film's main assets are epic production values, great flying scenes, and stunning dogfights. The weak point is the sometimes ponderous character drama, not helped by Peppard, who is too lightweight an actor to convince as the driven antihero. Clearly influenced by Kubrick's Paths of Glory (1958), The Blue Max is a cold, cynical drama offering a visually breathtaking portrait of a stultified society tearing itself apart during the final months of the Great War. --Gary S. Dalkin

Description

The "Blue Max", a coveted medal for achievement in flying, is ruthlessly sought by Peppard, a poor-boy german soldier who climbs out of the trenches and into the aristorcratic air force. He is met with prejudice by the other contestants, wealthy snobs who

Customer Reviews:

A great war movie.......2007-08-21

What some people will do to get a medal! An excellent movie from beginning to end, although some of the effects are not as good as they do nowadays. However, the better some modern special effects are today the more they LOOK like special effects. The air combat sequences were pretty decent in this flick, primarily done with real planes. A really enjoyable film

Outstanding WW 1 aviation flck.......2007-05-12

This is my favorite WW 1 flick superbly depicting the dawn of aviation in warfare. It is an exceptional character study of individuals and of a war from the perspective of elite aviators of the country who unjustifiably started the horribly brutal and bloody worldwide conflict. The film takes place near the end of the war showing just how quickly Germany's fortunes turned from great optimism to obvious impending defeat.

The other reviewers have done well in explaining the paths of the individual characters and I will just say that George Peppard did a nice turn playing the main character. The other actors turned in excellent performances. The production values are exceptional and the Jerry Goldsmith musical score is moving and soars as one of his best. The dogfight combat sequences are well done too. Script and screenplay nicely compliment the films other attributes.

I highly recommend "The Blue Max" to everyone not just war buffs as it is outstanding drama, historically educational and an interesting character study. Well done on all all fronts. Bravo.

Blue Max DVD.......2007-03-22

I recently ordered an old movie, THE BLUE MAX, from Amazon. It arrived in a timely manner and in excellent shape. I was thoroughly satisfied with every aspect of my purchase.

The Blue Max.......2007-03-15

I was enticed to view this movie since I am a military veteran and a licensed pilot. The acting by George Peppard, James Mason and Ursula Andress is very compelling and captivating. The plot centers around a class struggle of a commoner (Peppard) against the officer corps and the aristocratic class of Germany and his zeal to prove that he is as good as they are by earning the coveted Blue Max. This medal is Germany's highest award for valor and is given after a pilot is credited with 20 confirmed kills. The air combat scenes are fairly accurate and the aircraft are correct for the models depicted, such as the British SE5 and the Fokker DRI. The ground war scenes are just as grisly and filthy as I can imagine that the trench warfare must have been. I would recommend this movie as a definite collectible to any war buff who enjoys air combat.

Great movie, effects as good as flyboys even tho it was from the 60's.......2007-03-09

The planes look great in this movie and the plot is cool. Its hard to tell sometimes that ist was made that long ago. I recemend this movie to every WW1 plane fanatic as well as fans of war flicks

Average customer rating:

An Exploding Dirgible, Two Loyal Brothers, and Jean Harlow.
"The Aviator" Created a Great Film
Hell's Angel
You have to consider when it's made.....
Terrific WW1 movie

Howard Hughes' Hell's Angels
Starring: Ben Lyon , James Hall , Jean Harlow , John Darrow , and Lucien Prival
Director: Edmund Goulding , Howard Hughes , and James Whale
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0002MHE1O
Release Date: 2004-12-07

Amazon.com

Two bright facets light up Hell's Angels, a 1930s aviation melodrama. One is the extraordinary footage re-creating World War I air battles; the other is 18-year-old Jean Harlow. Both are enough to offset the cornball story and stilted dialogue, the latter added late in production, with the advent of motion-picture sound. The movie, almost three years in the making, with a budget of nearly $4 million--very high for its day--was the obsession of eccentric millionaire director Howard Hughes. Apparently, the authenticity of the dogfight scenes was so important to Hughes that he piloted a plane himself, and ended up breaking a few bones in the process. More shocking, it's said that three pilots lost their lives making the movie. The sequence depicting an epic encounter between the British Royal Flying Corps and a German zeppelin is especially stunning, thanks to the eye-popping use of hand tinting. A bombing raid on a German munitions depot is also remarkably convincing.

The movie's other bombshell, Jean Harlow, fairly jumps off the screen as an upper-class floozy who plays fast and loose with the two leading men, RFC pilots Monte and Roy Rutledge (Ben Lyon and James Hall), one a scoundrel and one a saint. Harlow glows in the film--it's immediately obvious why her appearance here put her on the fast track to Hollywood stardom. Beauty, sex appeal, vulnerability, audacity--whatever the intangible something is that makes a movie star, it's clear Harlow had it, even as a teenager. --Laura Mirsky

Customer Reviews:

An Exploding Dirgible, Two Loyal Brothers, and Jean Harlow........2007-09-06

In 1930 when HELL'S ANGELS was released, it was one of the most anticipated films of all time. The movie took over three years to get made and had cost nearly four million dollars to produce, largely because of the perfectionism of director & producer Howard Hughes. Hughes wanted the film to have the most realistic camera shots ever seen from air. He hired actual WWI pilots to fly his film's air force. However, at one point he was so disappointed by some of the footage that he took off in one of the planes to get the shots he wanted himself. He ended up crashing the plane and broke a bunch of bones, but he did get the footage he wanted. As a result, HELL'S ANGELS has some of the best aerial photography seen on film.

HELL'S ANGELS is also significant because it was one of the first movies to fully incorporate sound. The film was original shot as a silent picture, but with the advent of sound, Hughes re-shot much of the movie and dubbed the rest. This delayed the movie's premier for about a year.

The storyline of the film is rather simple. The film opens in Germany where two brothers, Roy (James Hall) and Monte Rutledge (Ben Lyon) are spending a vacation away from Oxford visiting the home of one of their friends, Karl Armstedt (John Darrow) from school. Some comical adventures ensue and the trio returns to Oxford. Early in the semester, WWI breaks out. Karl receives a notice that he's been drafted into the German airforce and Roy and Monte leave school to join the RAF. Roy and Monte are very close brothers, but they have completely different personalities. Monte is wild, a drunkard, and a womanizer. He's also afraid of combat. Roy, on the other hand, is an upstanding citizen who lives a temperant life and is devoted to only one woman, his girl Helen (Jean Harlow). Helen, though, isn't suited for monogamy and fools around with other men and even Monte when Roy isn't around. The babe between the brothers almost destroys their relationship, but in the end doesn't. When Monte volunteers for a dangerous bombing mission, Roy volunteers too. Their mission leads them deep into enemy territory and the brothers are confronted with a critical choice.

Outside of these themes and the amazing aerial sequences, the other reason that HELL'S ANGELS is historically significant is that it was the major film debut of Jean Harlow. Not only that, but thanks to a vault find in John Wayne's estate, HELL'S ANGELS features the only surviving color footage of Harlow in known existence.

As far as story goes, HELL'S ANGELS follows the plot of a typical action-buddy flick. However, it does a couple things better than many pictures similar to it. First, it does a better than normal exploration of the bonds of fidelity between brothers. The other thing HELL'S ANGELS does really well is providing a completely unexpected ending. This combined with the exceptional aerial cinematography and the feature debut of Jean Harlow, make HELL'S ANGELS a must see picture for movie lovers.

"The Aviator" Created a Great Film.......2007-06-04

My interest in this film was totally spawned by the Hughes' bio film "The Aviator." My only other knowledge of a Hughes film is "The Outlaw" which has its points, but for the most part, a B+ grade western (if that.) "The Aviator" had stressed the flying sequences and the way that Hughes had formed his own air force to produce many of the flight sequences.

My own surprises were largely related to the characters, the wording of the script (this was, after all, started as a silent film, finished as a talkie), and the overall message of the film.

In a more typical film - with a general scenario of 'college buddies go to war' - all the main characters would live to the end, with some sort of heroic death involved that somehow saved the other two; something like "Pearl Harbor" for example. "Hell's Angels" doesn't follow the typical scenario.

And at the end, even though the relative gentility of the military of the Brits and the Germans, war was seen as a bloody business, exercises in futility even when the men who sacrificed their lives to short term gains ultimately are shwon to have gained nothing in the larger picture.

The use of the two brothers as near opposites in personality and behavior seems too obvious now, but there is nothing obvious about the ending!

Hell's Angel.......2007-03-28

Excellent quality picture and sound. A remarkable picture, especially considering that it was released only a few years after the opening of the sound era. Special effects in the zeppelin sequence were superior to many films made during WWII. I don't know the production deails, but it appears that in many of the air scenes the performers were actually in the airplanes (no process screen work). It is good to see this film in conjuncton with "The Aviator".

You have to consider when it's made............2007-03-10

After seeing "The Aviator" we were curious about the movie. I would have given it a 1 star,but my husband said you have to consider WHEN it was made. They all "over acted"back then because they were just coming off silent movies. It was kind of fun to watch it from the stand point of recently seeing "The Aviator". You could see when Hughes was loosing it, you could see the problems he had while making it. I guess my husband was right, a 3 star might be good for this movie. The story was pretty decent, the plane fight was pretty amazing for the time it was made considering they didn't have "CG" back then!!

Terrific WW1 movie.......2007-02-19

I wanted to see this movie for years, finally it happened. I had to laugh at the sound (ladies voices, etc) But I was amazed at the flying sequences.
The overall theme is a typical moral play, but I expected that. If you are interested in WW1 this is a pretty good version.

Top Gun (Full Screen Collector's Edition)

Average customer rating:

MST3K Fans Rejoice -- Rifftrax is Here!
Even Better On DVD!!!!
Top Gun
No review needed
Top Gun Fun

Top Gun (Full Screen Collector's Edition)
Starring: Tom Cruise , Kelly McGillis , Val Kilmer , Anthony Edwards , and Tom Skerritt
Director: Tony Scott
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0002WZTPC
Release Date: 2004-12-14

Amazon.com essential video

Description

Customer Reviews:

MST3K Fans Rejoice -- Rifftrax is Here!.......2007-08-24

Even Better On DVD!!!!.......2007-08-09

This classic movie is always great anytime you watch it on TV and/or VHS, but just wait until you see it on DVD!!!! It is the best ever!

Top Gun.......2007-06-27

A classic!!! Everyone should own a copy of this movie in their home entertainment collections.

No review needed.......2007-06-27

Look at the other 200+ reviews. They say it all; Top Gun was a masterpiece and you should own it!

Top Gun Fun.......2007-06-15

With my new home theater sound system it sounds like your sitting at the end of the aircraft carrier when they take off! Awesome.

Around the World in 80 Days (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

Odd old clunker
Poor Quality for the price
In the grand tradition of Hollywood
Too Much Padding and Not Enough Substance
A spectacle in every sense of the world!

Around the World in 80 Days (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: David Niven , Cantinflas , and Robert Newton
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001US8F8
Release Date: 2004-05-18

Amazon.com

This Mike Todd production was a star-studded, multi-million dollar extravaganza when first released in 1956. It remains enjoyable family fare, but time has somewhat dulled its shine. Still, it compares favorably to the overly long, TV mini-series starring Pierce Brosnan and Eric Idle.

Elegant David Niven plays the neurotically punctual Phileas Fogg, a British gent who is spurned on by a wager to prove he can travel around the world in 80 days. He is accompanied by his valet, played with persnickety humor by Cantinflas.

Nominated for several Academy Awards, this was written by John Farrow (Mia's dad) and S.J. Perelman, based on Jules Verne's 1873 classic. The fun part is the razzle-dazzle. Todd knew what he was doing with all those exotic locales and over 40 cameo appearances, including Charles Boyer, Ronald Colman, Marlene Dietrich, José Greco, Peter Lorre, Buster Keaton, Frank Sinatra, and Red Skelton. A very young Shirley MacLaine was painted and dyed to play a lively Indian Princess. --Rochelle O'Gorman

Description

Phileas Fogg bet his fellow club members that he can circle the globe in eighty days. That may not be impressive today, but in 1872, it was nearly impossible. Accompanied by his valet, Passepartout, and the wandering Princess Aouda, Fogg crosses Europe, India, Japan, the Pacific and the United States.

Customer Reviews:

Odd old clunker.......2007-04-12

I bought this film to watch with my 4 year old....odd clunker of a film that really stars the butler. A cavalcade of stars and good old fashioned fun. You can really see the film making in this film...and not in a good way. But some sequences are really fun for a four year old. He loved the train across America sequence and the steamboat across the Atlantic. I think at the time David Niven was okay for the role but I don't find him terribly appealing and this is my biggest problem with the film. Shirley MacLain (I love her in most everything) but what were they thinkin', a princess from India! I know this film won an Oscar for Best Pic in 1956....It is what it is....But now I want to read the book by Jules Verne. Funny story. We were waiting for my husband to watch the film and turned on our TV (Frankfurt, Germany) and lo and behold the 80's mini series version of Around the World was on starring Pierce Brosnan and Peter Ustinov. My son seemed to like this version better and so did I. It was more engaging, more human like and 6 hours long which is probably what the story needs and Mr. Brosnan brought a different feel to the role of Phinneas than Mr. Niven. He seemed more human, perhaps!

Poor Quality for the price.......2007-03-01

Although the film is still very enjoyable, I was very dismayed at the quite poor quality of the video image. It is very annoying to pay a premium price for a dvd and then discover that the imaging is very poorly done. I do not understand why they had to cut this dvd without good clarity. The dvd simply comes off as "fuzzy"---this is very disappointing!

In the grand tradition of Hollywood.......2007-01-28

Around the World in 80 Days is a movie in the grand tradition of Hollywood. The transfer to DVD is excellent as are the supplemental materials included in the set.

Too Much Padding and Not Enough Substance.......2007-01-25

When you go to the movies today, what movies you go see may force you to ask yourself "Where's the beef?" Today there are movies with wonderful special effects, grand stars, and no heart. Movies that are visual feasts that wow you, but leave you feeling empty on the inside. While people may consider this a recent trend with all the advances in technology, the truth is these sort of movies have been around for years, and the 1956 Best Picture winner "Around The World In 80 Days" is living proof of this. The story for "Around The World In 80 Days" takes up a whole twenty minutes of the movie. Several gentlemen hear of a bank being robbed by a thief who has fled the country, which leads to a discussion on whether or not he could successfully get away from the law. Phileas Fogg says that technology has advanced so much that if the thief were resourceful enough he could circle the world in exactly 80 days. The other gentlemen laugh and say it can't be done, so Fogg bets them 20,000 pounds that he personally could travel around the world in 80 days.

The gentlemen accept his bet, and with his assistant Passepartout sets out to circle the globe using whatever means necessary . A subplot involving a police man chasing Fogg due to a suspicion that he might have stolen some money, as well as a subplot where Fogg and Passepartout save an Indian princess (played by a young Shirley MacLaine in makeup) take place during this movie, but they are all second nature to what the movie is really about: Exotic locations and wondrous sights to see. Now, before we get into the meat (or lack therefor) of the movie, it should be noted that "Around The World In 80 Days" was not made with the intention of being good. Oh I'm sure producer Michael Todd (who gets his name above the title over the director) was pleased that people thought it was good, but the intention was not to make something that would be digested slowly. Michael Todd was tired of movies that were all talk and no action, and he wanted people to feel like a participant in the movie.

Therefore he created a new camera called Todd-AO, which would later be known as 70mm Cinescope. "Around The World In 80 Days" was not the first widescreen film (that was "The Robe") but made the biggest impression on the world. Ingeniously, the movie's opening (with a prolog by Edward R. Murrow) begins in the standard 35mm full screen mode, which was the shape of a TV screen. After a lengthy history of science and travel, the screen widens up to reveal the 70mm Todd-AO format. If you saw this movie in the theaters in 1956, this is where the curtain would pull open to cover the whole wall of the theater, therefor making the movie as immersive as possible. But making the picture bigger was only the beginning. Now Todd was going to make it so that audiences would be taken where they never went before. In a hot air balloon ride. To Spain to watch a bull fight. On a train where savage Indians are raiding the train, which results in a epic gun fight with the main characters fighting for their lives.

Everything that could thrill audiences were thrown into this movie, as well as a bunch of cameo appearances from famous stars such as Buster Keaton, Frank Sinatra, and Trevor Howard. In fact, this is the first movie where the term "cameo appearance" was coined in the first place. There are more then twenty cameo appearances in "Around The World In 80 Days," though most of the people don't say anything, and where there just to get a reaction from the audience (Example: A salon player looks up from his piano long enough for us to see it's Frank Sinatra and then puts his head back down). Considering this film pioneered so many techniques we take for granted now, I can't say I completely hate this film. That said, "Around The World In 80 Days" is the dullest Best Picture winner you are most likely ever going to see. Not bad, dull. For all the techniques this film created, it is a shame the story itself is not more interesting.

I don't know whether or not this is the fault of the source material, the film makers, or both. Certainly science has evolved so much in the past few years, that the idea you would need 80 days to circle the globe is absurd, you could travel it in less then a few days (and that's if you're being lazy). Even at the time of this films release it was easy to travel the world in half the time of this film, so the novelty of the story is long gone. So yes, the source material doesn't provide much suspense or imagination anymore, but worse was the film makers insistence of being too much in love with their own techniques. So intent are the film makers to make the audiences feel like they are viewing the world, the movie stalls several times in the movie, becoming tedious along the way. I mentioned that the storyline takes up about twenty minutes of the time in this movie, but the movie itself is more then three hours long. So what is it you are actually watching for those three hours?

Well, everything but story. The prolog with Edward R. Murrow is a good example of how much time the film wastes. Aside from the introduction to the Todd-AO format, this introduction has a documentary feel that has nothing to do with the movie. Then there's the fact that when you consider that Fogg and Passepartout are in a race it's very odd that they spend so much time lounging around. They go to Spain and spend almost a half hour fighting a bull. A balloon flight takes fifteen minutes. Indians chase the train for twenty. Shots of the sky and sea easily amount to more then an hours worth of film. And it just goes on and on, with these characters saying absolutely nothing of interest. During a boat scene there is about ten minutes of crew members throwing wood into the steam engine to make a boat go faster. It helps that Fogg has enough money to buy boats, trains, and whatever else he needs to win the race. I'm not exactly sure how much 20,000 pounds was worth back in 1956, but it seems like the cost of the race far outweighs the reward for winning it.

This movie won five Academy Awards. It's saying something that film did not win Best Director or was even nominated for any acting awards. This is a technical film through and through. The problem with technical films winning Oscars for Best Picture is that the excitement of them wear down pretty fast. While movies like "Ben-Hur," "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," and "Amadeus" were all very technical movies, they also had the story and characters to back up the movie when the visuals became outdated. "Around The World In 80 Days" is easily one of the worst Best Picture winners. It's not terrible, but it's painfully dull, it's so long it's maddening, and you don't ever really feel like your joining a race considering how many side trips are taken that wastes time. If there's a Best Picture winner you have to chose to not see, "Around The World In 80 Days" should be high on the list of considerations.

Rating: ** Stars

A spectacle in every sense of the world!.......2006-12-18

Mike Todd's version of Jules Verne tale offers a refined English comedy, giant-screen travel landscapes, dazzling brilliant color, famous actors in small roles... as Phileas Fogg and his comical valet made the tour of the world beginning in England, going to Europe, the Middle East, India, and Asia...

It begins in (1872) Victorian London as the wealthy, supremely confident Phileas Fogg sets out a wager that he can traverse the globe in precisely eighty days... The other club members at the Reform Club think Fogg is a fool, and challenge his claim and wager £20,000 that he is wrong...

The snags begin almost immediately, as the true gentleman misses a train and has to travel by balloon... The wild journey takes Fogg and his new servant into a series of incredible adventures in every land they pass through...

David Niven plays the true impassive Englishman Phileas Fogg... A polished man of the world, who makes no superfluous gestures, and is never seen to be moved or agitated... A puzzling personage, who believes in progress, science, and intellectual deduction... An eccentric quiet gentleman who talks very little and lives by a precise schedule of tea, whist games, fish and chips... He lives alone in a big house, and a single domestic sufficed to serve him...

Mexican screen legend Cantinflas known as the comic genius of the Spanish-speaking world, plays Passepartout, the most faithful of domestics...

Passepartout is a multi-skilled honest Frenchman with a pleasant oval face, slender and slight, soft-mannered and serviceable...

Robert Newton plays Mr. Fix, the mysterious detective who had been dispatched from England in search of the bank robber... He is a slight-built personage, with a nervous, intelligent face, and bright eyes peering out from under eyebrows which he is incessantly twitching...

Shirley MacLaine plays the charming young Indian princess, Aouda, who was married against her will at age seven... She speaks English with great purity...

One of the main interests of the film is the various cameos played by stars of the time who give minute but exquisite characterizations:

- Finlay Currie, Mr. Fogg's usual partner at whist...

- Robert Morley, one of the directors of the Bank of England...

- John Gielgud, the dismissed servant who relates that his master wears two watches, and every available surface in his house is covered with so many clocks...

- Trevor Howard, the club's member who rejects the news that the English gentleman has robbed the Bank of England...

- Charles Boyer, the educated travel agent who proposes to the couple to travel with a hot-air balloon...

- Martine Carol, the offended lady who slaps the new butler just for saying: 'Mademoiselle!'

- Fernandel, the French coachman who was not so content with the tip...

- Gilbert Roland, the Arab who offers his ship to Marseilles just on one condition...

- Cesar Romero, the henchman who sadistically insists Passepartout must fight a bull even if he doesn't know how...

- Ronald Colman, the Railway Official who announces (No more railway!) all passengers know that they must provide means of transportation for themselves from Kholby to Allahabad...

- Cedric Hardwicke, the officer who finds happily a means of conveyance : to cross the deep jungle on an elephant!

- Charles Coburn, the Steamship Company clerk who makes the observation that the 'Carnatic' had sailed the evening before...and he doesn't expect any vessel to Yokohama one week from now...

- Peter Lorre, the smiling Japanese steward who informs Passepartout that being broke without money in Yokohama... is catastrophic!

- Glynis Johns, the sporting lady who bets with her companion on Fogg's outcome...

- George Raft, the suspicious mob who chases everyone who stands near his glamorous woman...

- Marlene Dietrich, the Barbary Coast saloon hostess who looks for a way to be free...

- Frank Sinatra, the honky-tonk pianist...

- Red Skelton, the drunken with great appetite...

- John Carradine, the insolent colonel hit by an arrow...

- Buster Keaton, the American train conductor who announces some delay...

- Andy Devine, the first mate who refuses 'Henrietta' to be burn...

- Victor McLaglen, the helmsman who is ordered ('Full steam!') to feed all the fires until the coal is exhausted...

- John Mills, the sleepy carriage driver at the delicate moment...

The other scenes that were actually outrageous and delightful are:

Passepartout scooping some snow off an alp to chill a bottle of champagne; his funny and graceful way of bullfighting; his burlesque dance with a troupe of Spanish dancers; his venture to ride an ostrich through a back-lot Hong Kong; his anxiety when he is captured by savage Sioux; his courage when he is almost burned to death with an Indian widow; his fault when he clears the 'human' pyramid; his ignorance when he breaks Hindus religious beliefs and his absurdity when he constantly tries to hit on anything in skirts...

With terrific music, this Academy Award winner for Best Picture of 1956 is nice for the family to watch...

Average customer rating:

Good Movie - Funny Jokes - Something Missing ???
Not a bad sequel, but Shatner scenes overrated
funny movie
Airplane2
Airplane 2

Airplane 2 - The Sequel
Starring: Craig Berenson , Sonny Bono , Lloyd Bridges , Raymond Burr , and Chuck Connors
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00004Y62X
Release Date: 2000-10-24

Amazon.com

The 1982 sequel to Airplane! is basically more of the same class-clown ironies but with a more forced feeling to the jokes. In the first film, veterans such as Peter Graves, Robert Stack, and Lloyd Bridges were feeling their way through self-parody, and the air of experimentation was part of the fun. By this film, however, everybody knows what's up, and the assuredness of new cast members Raymond Burr, William Shatner, and Chuck Connors is almost counterproductive. Still, there's lots to laugh about. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Good Movie - Funny Jokes - Something Missing ???.......2007-06-28

I loved the first Airplane! and this was pretty good too :) But something was missing from this to take it to the top of my movie list. Maybe Leslie Neilsen not being in the cast had something to do with it but overall this movie is a great Saturday night treat :)

A lot of the jokes are funny and I love the physical and visual gags that they do just like in the original.

Overall I'd say rent it, buy it cheap, or watch it on TV. If you liked the first you'll probably like this one too, but as with my suggestion when watching Monty Python's Holy Grail, you might want to be high when you watch it

Not a bad sequel, but Shatner scenes overrated.......2007-01-22

Of course, "Airplane 2" isn't quite as good as the first film, but it's still amusing, and short. I think its running time is less than 90 minutes. My favorite character in the movie is Chad Everett playing that stereo-typical disaster movie character, the guy who "cut corners" and caused the mishap. He said something like, "Striker, they made me cut corners on those designs." And Striker punches him. Earlier in the movie he says something like, "Striker, I'd watch my step if I were you." Then he finally turns to jelly...literally.

And the only thing I didn't like about this film is William Shatner. Everybody seems to love him in this film, but I've never found Shatner funny when he tries to do this kind of comedy. His humor always seemed forced and overdone. Comedy doesn't flow out of him smoothly and naturally like it does out of say, Leslie Nielsen. Now there's a funny guy. Lloyd Bridges was way funnier than Shatner, too. I love Shatner as Kirk, but in comedic roles, no.

funny movie.......2007-01-19

another good movie, you can watch this many times without getting tired of it. Lots of jokes, play on words.

Airplane2.......2007-01-11

Very dissapointed, but then sequels are very seldom better than the origional. I can highly recommend the origional, one of the funniest flying movies ever
Ron Nash

Airplane 2.......2006-08-28

You'll laugh your [...] off. It sends up the 60s, the 70s, the 80s (which were just beginning), pop culture, sci-fi, sequels, and its predecessor. I thought it was funnier than the original. Some people didn't. It's not important. It's hilarious. That's important. It's a keeper, same as the first movie. You know you'll watch it over and over again and find things you missed before.

Average customer rating:

Pure Entertainment
An Excellent Mixture of Top Gun, Firefox and Wargames
If you can't suspend disbelief then don't watch any movies
Iron Eagle
80s teen flick + top gun = delicious cheese, thrilling action

Iron Eagle
Starring: Louis Gossett Jr. , Jason Gedrick , Tim Thomerson , Larry B. Scott , and Caroline Lagerfelt
Director: Sidney J. Furie
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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