The Four Seasons

Amazon.com

Actually, this comedy is one of the more enjoyable films to examine midlife crisis in the 1980s. Written and directed by Alan Alda, it examines the effects of middle age on a group of married couples who are longtime friends. Each season they go away on a vacation together, but the dynamic gets skewed when one of the men dumps his wife for a younger woman. Though some may find the characters' self-satisfaction and upscale neuroses a shade cloying, they are more than matched by Alda's solid, often funny writing. The couple with the biggest laughs: the hilariously paired Jack Weston and Rita Moreno (although Alda and Carol Burnett also strike comic sparks). --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews:

Four Seasons equals 4 stars!.......2007-07-11

This well written and well directed movie by Alan Alda is one not to miss.
The story centers around three middle aged professional couples who share their vacations together during each season. When one of the couple's marriage ends in divorce as the result of a mid-life crisis, the other two couples begin to doubt their security and stability in their own marriages. This all star cast comes across realistically and relatively new actress, Bess Armstrong, pulls her own weight(among some well seasoned actors) and comes across as sensitive and caring instead of just another pretty face. My only criticism is that some scenes seem to drag on as Alan Alda's character tries to "analayze" everything from sailboats to bruised knees. Besides that the acting is great and the music in the background is wonderful. Again a movie not to miss!

A little corny & dated, but still great!.......2007-06-28

I enjoyed this movie back in the 80's and enjoy it almost as much today. A light comedy that pertains to married friendships and what happens when one member of the circle of friends decides to get a divorce thereby threatening the remainder of the group, forcing them to examine their own lives and relationships. Directed by Alan Alda, with very strong performances by Jack Weston and Rita Moreno. Carol Burnett can get on your nerves but also gives an excellent performance.

A Very Funny Movie.......2007-04-05

I love this movie. It is so rare to see Alan Alda much less the remainder of this unique cast all together at one time. This is about a group of spouses/friends that takes four seasonal vacations together, each and every year. This year is different though and that is what makes this movie very special. A definite buy!

Alan Alda's Best !!.......2007-04-04

Surprise ! This is a good movie ! This Early 1980's Comedy - Drama follows three middle aged couples who take vacations in the Spring , Summer , Autumn and Winter. Along the way the couples meet up with Middle age , Marital and Parental struggles. This is by far the best film Alan Alda ever directed as he also writes the moderately funny and (occasionally hilarious) script. The paired couple of (Jack Weston) and (Rita Moreno) provide the best laughs through the picture. (Carol Burnett) is Alda's wife and is no more than just fair in her performance. (Bess Armstrong) is very good as the younger woman for whom (Len Cariou) leaves his wife (Sandy Dennis) of 21 years for. Also watch for Alan Alda's two real life daughters (Beatrice Alda , Elizabeth Alda) who actually appear in the film when the two girls are visited at college by the three couples during their Autumn vacation.

If you Love MASH..........2007-03-30

Alan Alda fans will love this movie. Alda haters, stay away. Alda is great in his role, as are Rita Moreno and an absolutely smokin' hot Bess Armstrong--and I mean en fuego. Carol Burnett is so-so. The story is great, and the script fast-paced. Alda wrote and directed.

Three couples vacation/spend long weekends together in each of the four seasons, accompanied by Vivaldi. When divorce strikes one of the couples, much self-examination, mutual analysis, mortality fears, etc. occur. Definitely a good movie. And did I mention Bess Armstrong is smokin' hot?

Average customer rating:

Love this movie
LOVE AFFAIR - JUST ANOTHER UPDATED CLASSIC THAT DIDN'T WORK
i love the original but it was still romantic
Get the Original Instead!
Doesn't hold a candle to the original

Love Affair
Starring: Warren Beatty , Annette Bening , Katharine Hepburn , Garry Shandling , and Chloe Webb
Director: Glenn Gordon Caron
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( L ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00005RRJZ
Release Date: 2002-01-08

Amazon.com

You can hear the big gears clank in this glossy, oh-so-watchable remake of the classic 1939 film (and the popular An Affair to Remember). Instead of updating the story with contemporary attitudes (as Warren Beatty did so successfully with Heaven Can Wait), this is a virtual carbon copy of the other films. The early scenes succeed as the two love birds (Beatty and real-life wife Annette Bening) banter with smart, fun talk. But the dramatics never really work in the modern era and romance doesn't blossom. Do we have to visit the Empire State Building again? Why couldn't the man be the victim? Everything looks wrapped for Christmas: a lovely score, nice use of old songs, rich designer clothes, familiar faces popping up everywhere, all surrounded by ace Conrad L. Hall's glowing, luscious light. It comes off like a big still-life, no zeal with two big exceptions: Garry Shandling's comic portrayal of lawyerhood as Beatty's agent and the reappearance of Katharine Hepburn. Seen for maybe 10 minutes, she packs more magic in her work than the entire rest of the movie. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews:

Love this movie.......2007-08-12

A very clean chick flick. Two actors worth seeing together. Wish they would get together more often! Love is in the air on a cruise ship. Famous man finds shy girl and they fall in love. Only one problem...they both have significant others! To prove this was meant to be the decide that they will meet back up in six months if they still feel the same about each other. Tragedy happens and love has to come to the rescue in order to get these back together!

LOVE AFFAIR - JUST ANOTHER UPDATED CLASSIC THAT DIDN'T WORK.......2006-06-08

Many of the reviews I read felt strongly in favor of this remake, but some of the people had not seen "An Affair to Remember". Cary Grant & Deborah Kerr had the spark so lacking in this "Love Affair" remake. The original "Love Affair" with (forgive me, I can only remember Irene Dunne as Terry, and my opinion that film was not as good as this "Love Affair", however. I missed hearing the original scoring of "An Affair to Remember", but Annette Benning's music with the children was lovely.

As most of the reviews that stated they were in favor of "An Affair...", I missed the climactic ending with Cary Grant's reactions, and also the shipboard scene where he want's to be "worthy of her love".

I don't wish to underrate or "dump" on this film, but I wish all reviewers would watch the Grant/Kerr version just once. I believe they will become "old movie buffs" too. Thanks for reading my review.

i love the original but it was still romantic.......2006-02-18

This was so romantic, i love the original so much bascially i love them both. I think some old school might only stick to the original but for my generation i think being 24 they were both acceptible..

get your girlfriends and let lose and enjoy...

Get the Original Instead!.......2006-01-03

This is a remake of the classic "An Affair to Remember" starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. A good try, but it just doesn't compare to the original. Warren Beatty is no Cary Grant--in looks, general appeal, or acting ability. Annette Bening is wonderful, but loses some credibility--it's just hard to believe that this beautiful, competent, all together woman would dump urbane and caring Pierce Brosnan to fall for notoriously unfaithful jock Warren Beatty, whose favorite line seems to be "I love to watch you move."

A lot of the dialogue and plot follow the original closely, but several changes were made to modernize the story. I kept wondering how they would pull off the last scene, since Beatty's character was now a retired football player and coach, not a painter. The concept that within those 3 months apart (in the original, it was a more believable 6 months to adjust their lives), Beatty had coincendentally been asked to paint a picture for a New York restaurant and was able to execute a portrait of Bening in his aunt's shawl well enough the she recognized it was far-fetched at best.

The most moving part in the original came when Cary Grant found the portrait in Kerr's bedroom and realized that she was paralyzed. Watch the emotions that play over his face, and then view Beatty's rendition. There is simply no comparison.

IMO, there's also an inside story kind of approach here--we all know that in "real life" Beatty and Bening are married, and I guess the director assumed that this casting would make us believe more in the attraction and deep love developing between these two. I found the attraction between Bening and Michael Douglas in The American President far more believable, and for all I know they may not even like each other in "real life!" Go for the original--sure it's dated, but the acting is superb, and I guarantee it will give a greater pull to your heartstrings.

Doesn't hold a candle to the original.......2005-02-28

This is a remake of An Affair to Remember with Cary Grant and Deborah and it does not work. Some movies just should not be remade. The ONLY thing good about this movie is Katharine Hepburn's appearance. Get the original!

Average customer rating:

Action Packed Chiller!!!
Dedicated Wife
A fine little thriller.
Boring
Seaworthy thriller

Dead Calm
Starring: Nicole Kidman , Sam Neill , Billy Zane , Rod Mullinar , and Joshua Tilden
Director: Phillip Noyce
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Crime | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Sea Adventure | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Action & Adventure | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Art House & International | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: 6305161933
Release Date: 1999-12-14

Amazon.com essential video

There are several occasions when this rousing Australian thriller from 1987 should have ended with a well-placed shot from a speargun or a stronger knot of rope, but you don't think about these nit-picky details when you're being scared out of your wits. In a role that catapulted her to international stardom, Nicole Kidman plays a young wife who's joined her husband (Sam Neill) on a yachting trip to recover from the tragic death of their son. Far out to sea, they encounter a sinking ship with one survivor (Billy Zane, ten years before Titanic), but inviting him aboard turns out to be a very bad mistake. While Neill attempts to salvage the sinking boat, Kidman is fighting for her life against the psychotic Zane--a villain so creepy that you eagerly look forward to his demise. By the time that moment arrives director Phillip Noyce has resorted to a typical slasher-movie climax (proving that no boat should be without a flare gun), but until then Dead Calm is a nail-biting thriller that's guaranteed to keep you in a state of nail-biting suspense. To accommodate the widescreen compositions on the open ocean, the DVD offers the film in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio. --Jeff Shannon

Description

A suspense thriller about a husband and wife, recovering from a personal tragedy, who encounter a stranger while cruising their boat in the Pacific and become ensnared in a drama of mystery, high emotions and extreme danger.

Customer Reviews:

Action Packed Chiller!!!.......2007-08-24

I actually bought this movie based on my knowledge of seeing it years back. Certain parts were still fresh in my memory even before I watched it for a second time. I think the fact I bought this movie based on an old perception of it, and proving my perception correct on second watching should entice anyone to make it part of their collection. Aimed at all ages and genders. A heartbroken mother, a husband & a castaway with a serious bad attitude, at sea, should sum up this movie.

Dedicated Wife.......2007-04-11

You never hear much about this movie when people speak of Nicole Kidman I think this is one her very best roles, she is sweet, dedicated and a true heroine. She is cute in the movie as the wife who never gives up trying to save her husband and she never loses her temper being the victim she keeps her calm..................

A fine little thriller........2007-04-03

This movie may not have cost a bundle to make, but none the less it was finely done and is a really tight well crafted psychological thriller. Many weeks out to sea Nicole Kidman and her Husband help a stranded gentleman in a sinking ship. The man ,Billy Zane, is a paranoid delusional who is extremely dangerous. Situations take a turn for the worse when Husband and wife get separated, and Nicole Kidman gets stuck with the madman. The movie keeps you interested and you find yourself rooting for Nicole. The ending is a bit over the top, but still a most enjoyable ride.

Boring.......2007-03-24

I watched this movie with my fiancee last night, and it was disappointing. We started watching the clock after about twenty minutes, asking "Is this over yet?" The actors themselves aren't bad, but the dialogue they were given to work with was pretty bad, cliche, overcooked, etc. The fact that the husband and wife were split up and effectively had separate stories for most of the movie was a pretty cool idea, but I was never invested enough in either character to really care.

Seaworthy thriller.......2007-03-17

Alone on an ocean sailing trip to recuperate after the death of their son, a husband and wife (Sam O'Neill and Nicole Kidman) find themselves in a battle of wits against an insane killer (Billy Zane) who they rescue from the sea. The great majority of the film revolves around these three characters, and the actors generate some real tension, particularly Kidman and Zane, since O'Neill is alone on a sinking boat for much of the time. The tense stand-off between wife and killer and the husband's struggle to avoid drowning are effective counterpoints.

The subplot about the dead son never figures in the film after the extraneous prologue, and there are some classic dunderhead horror film cliches (ie, the killer who won't stay dead and the victim who doesn't shoot the killer when she can), but this remains an entertaining film.

Average customer rating:

Old fashioned horror movie that gets under your skin
A decent horror flick.
Jeepers Creepers A Poor Horror film
Fun Stuff
Scary as hell

Jeepers Creepers
Starring: Avis-Marie Barnes , Patricia Belcher , Jon Beshara , Jonathan Breck , and Eileen Brennan
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

Teen Terror | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( J ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00005RHGK
Release Date: 2002-01-08

Amazon.com

With confident style and low-budget ingenuity, Jeepers Creepers gets under your skin, provoking spine-tingling horror when college siblings Trish (Gina Philips) and Darry (Justin Long) encounter a flesh-eating demon along a barren rural highway. After a harrowing car chase that sets the movie's nerve-wracking tone, they investigate suspicious activity near an abandoned church, where a corrugated pipe leads to unimaginable horrors. What follows is a cat-and-mouse game against the regenerating demon, which feeds on fear--and selected body parts--according to a psychic (Patricia Belcher) who adds chilling portent to the routine climax in a besieged police station. Writer-director Victor Salva (Powder) emphasizes primal fear over logic, but plot holes are easily forgiven when you're scared out of your socks. A surprise box-office hit in late summer 2001, Jeepers Creepers will please even jaded horror fans with its back-to-basics frights. --Jeff Shannon

Description

You can keep your doors locked. You can keep your eyes closed. But still, he'll get what he wants and what he wants is you. Brace yourself for "90 minutes of steadily mounting horror [that] delivers more than its share of honest chills" (The Baltimore Sun). From "the scariest opening sequence of any horror picture in recent memory" (Los Angeles Times) to "one of the gutsiest endingsto a film this year" (Dallas Morning News), Jeepers Creepers is the real deal in terror! On a desolate country highway, two homeward-bound teens (Gina Philips, Living Out Loud and Justin Long, TV's "Ed") are nearly run off the road by a maniac in a beat-up truck and later spot him shoving what appears to be a body down a sewer pipe. But when they stop to investigate,they discover that the grisly reality at the bottom of that pipe is far worse than they could have ever suspected and that they are now the targets of an evil far more unspeakableand unstoppable 'than they could have ever imagined!

Customer Reviews:

Old fashioned horror movie that gets under your skin.......2007-08-06

A brother and sister, heading home on college break down a highway that looks like the never ending "route 66" have a encounter with a big, black, ugly van that holds an evil presence, in the form of a part man, part bat and part devil/evil.
I do have to say that this isn't your usual horror, cut-em-up, splatter flick. It actually is a creepy, spooky, intelligent scare movie with fantastic acting.
Because the main characters are teenagers the basis for this old fashioned horror has elements of innocence, fear, and the overt feeling that these kids are really terrified and alone in their nightmarish isolation.
This movie really got under my skin because it delves into the true psychological nature of what truly terrifies us----"the unknown."

A decent horror flick........2007-06-25

If monsters that can fly and enjoy killing people are your idea of scary, you may like Jeepers Creepers. If, however, you need more than this to get your heart pumping, it would be safe to skip this movie.

So what's this movie about? Siblings Derry and Trish are on a roadtrip when something goes terribly wrong. A truck attempts to ram the car off the road and soon after, the two witness a "man" tossing what appears to be bodies down a hole by a church. When the duo examine the hole more closely, their fears are confirmed and even worse, the "man" is not indeed a man but a monster who is chasing them.

What's to like? Up until the siblings discover what is going on in the hole, the movie is pretty good. From there, it's not so good. There are a few scenes during the latter part of the movie that were scary however. Also, whoever did the monster's makeup did a great job as he certainly does look creepy.

And what's not to like? First, the acting could be better. The actress that plays Trish is ok but Derry (played by Justin Long) is almost irritating during the majority of the movie. Second, as I said above, the latter part of the movie just isn't that good. I was disappointed that the movie went downhill after the first half an hour or so. The rest of the movie has the kids attempting to find help and running away. Also, they meet a woman who says that she can see things and explains that whenever they hear the song "Jeepers Creepers", the monster is near. This part of the movie was boring and laughable. Furthermore, the monster loses what was so creepy about him during the first half hour of the movie. I was bored to tears during the last hour or so.

The bottom line is this movie isn't scary enough nor has a good enough storyline to make it entertaining. If you like all things scary, you may want to watch this one anyway but be warned that it's a big waste of time.

Jeepers Creepers A Poor Horror film .......2007-06-03

To be fair this film was good for about the first 20 minutes that was until you see the thing that is chasing its two victims it is some sort of beast/vampire/human type creature thing with big wings that has a drivers licences and enjoys the comfort factor of wearing farmer's boots. You would kind of thought that when this beast with wings was going for its driving test someone at the driving test centre would have been alarmed in thinking this creature with wings might not be so human and seems a little bit odd but no it managed to pass its test and soon takes to the road with its truck to try run some guy & girl of the road and even when the creature itself is then ran over and then also reversed over 9 times it still manages to survive and just fly's of somewhere which makes you wonder why the hell it needed its driving licence in the first place. Surprisingly this film was not at all scary and was rather rank rotten at attempting to be any sort of horror film at all it would of made more sense to be a comedy film.

Fun Stuff.......2007-04-24

This is a fun time at the movies. Great to watch around Halloween.
If you haven't seen this yet and you enjoy horror movies, try it. There is a lot to like here.

I noticed that Amazon reviewers either love it or loathe it. The ones who loathe it say it's the worst horror movie ever made. That might be because subconsciously they're used to the usual pabulum that Hollywood spoon-feeds us, and expect everything to be like House of Wax, Saw, The Hills Have Eyes, and Hostel.
The reviewers who love it praise it to the skies (which makes it hyped unrealistically, and bound to disappointment the viewer).

In other hands Jeepers Creepers could have been a bad film, but the director and the two credible lead actors save it, as does the story and suspense.
It's no slasher flick, so pass if that's you're style. This is a nod to those simple but suspenseful horror films of the 70's (Duel comes to mind but that was so tedious after a while). And this movie includes a big amount of Alfred Hitchcock suspense, with a dash of tongue-in-cheek humor thrown in.

There are plot holes, yes... but there's no perfect scary film, really. And there are a couple of those cheap "jump" moments (you know, when there's a loud sting of music as a character pops into view out of nowhere; it's been done to absolute death in so many horror films, it's the biggest dead horse in Hollywood, and I wish directors and writers would stop that once and for all).

And yet I've got to give this movie credit for a few terrific things, including but not limited to: the realistic presentation of the siblings on a road trip in Florida, the discovery of something very creepy, and what the brother finds in the well. These things alone were really done nicely. I wish I had seen this in the movie theater instead of on dvd.

And the thing about the laundry in the car is a big shudder factor. (When they're at the diner.) Creepy.

The cinematography/direction is good; I love it when they show the AUDIENCE something sinister BEFORE the character sees it. Very Alfred Hitchcock, who believed that real suspense for a movie audience is not just seeing a bomb explode in a restaurant, it is showing the audience that there's a bomb which will soon explode.

(I haven't seen the sequel, and will eventually, out of curiosity. But I don't expect it to live up to the fun of this. If it does I'll be pleasantly surprised.)

Scary as hell.......2007-03-06

This movie is scary! I love horror movies and I havent seen horror movies for a while now until I watched this and Jeepers Creepers 2. My boyfriend and I had no lights in our house except the TV of course!! If you havent see this movie give yourself a chance and turn off all the lights and sit back and watch the movie! It will scare you but still it's great movie tho!! 5 stars for this movie and Jeepers Creepers 2

Average customer rating:

Meryl Streep Can Play Any Role
The River Wild
A Wild Ride!
Great adventure movie
Impressive

The River Wild
Starring: Meryl Streep , Stephanie Sawyer , Joseph Mazzello , David Strathairn , and Elizabeth Hoffman
Director: Curtis Hanson
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Crime | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

All Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0783222149
Release Date: 1997-12-10

Amazon.com

Meryl Streep tried her hand at action films with this Curtis Hanson film and proved herself quite credible, bringing emotion as well as the willingness to kick butt. She plays a suburban mom and former white-water rafting guide who is taking her family on a raft trip for summer vacation. But overworked Dad (David Strathairn) can't make the trip, so she and her son leave without him--and walk right into trouble. Killers on the run (Kevin Bacon, John C. Reilly) abduct them and force Streep to take them down the most dangerous stretch of river to elude the cops. Hanson understands how to pace and construct this kind of action fodder, but it's strictly formula stuff, enlivened only by the depth of Streep's portrayal and the viciousness of Bacon's character. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews:

Meryl Streep Can Play Any Role.......2007-03-03

Meryl Streep takes the lead in this adventure gone action movie. Kevin Bacon always plays a great villain. This movie is beautifully shot. Great outdoor action movie.

The River Wild.......2006-08-07

Great suspense movie with great "stars". Kevin Bacon was outstanding as usual. Definately worth the purchase.

A Wild Ride!.......2006-07-22

Have seen this movie many times - it only gets better. Suspenseful and engaging, it will keep you guessing, and it's good to see Kevin Bacon as a bad guy for a change. Well-acted by Meryl Streep and Kevin, this is great for a rainy Saturday!

Great adventure movie.......2006-03-23

This movie will keep you on the edge of your seat. The suspense and action is a must-see, and the scenery is absolutely beautiful. The way their ride through the rapids was filmed is fantastic!

Impressive.......2006-01-30

I have to say that Saturday night when my wife and I decided to play couch potato I wasn't expecting to get anything out of the movie she decided to watch. To be completly honest the only reason I stayed in the room was that I heard John C. Reilly was in this movie. But I'm glad I stayed, not for Rielly but fort he movie for it in itself was a really decent film. The story revolves around one family, Gail (Streep) and her husband (I can't spell his last name but it's the guy from Good Night and Good Luck) and their son as they go on a white water rafting trip down river. Gail is an experianced rafter and because of that she is inadvertantly forced to guide two thieves (Bacon and Reilly) down river. Kevin Bacon is great at playing bad and Reilly is always wonderfull as the sidekick, whether good or bad. It's Bacon though that steals the show as the completly evil and unpredictable Wade. I was impressed at how much I enjoyed the film and there were quite a few thrills and edge of your seat moments. I'd recomand it for anyone wanting an adrenaline pumper that falls more in line with action drama than scary. And I was equally impressed that Streep did all her own stunts...now thats dedication.

Average customer rating:

National Lampoon's European Vacation
Typical National Lampoon Humor
The best of the Vacation series
Problems with audio
Classier than film one

National Lampoon's European Vacation
Starring: Chevy Chase , Beverly D'Angelo , Dana Hill , Jason Lively , and John Astin
Director: Amy Heckerling
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Slapstick | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( N ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00005Y71D
Release Date: 2002-04-02

Amazon.com

After winning a tour package in a game show, the bickering Griswald family carve a trail of destruction through England (where they knock over Stonehenge), France, Germany, and Italy. Somehow Ellen (Bevery D'Angelo), the mom, gets kidnapped by gangsters, leading to a car chase that reunites the family, despite their differences. It's hard to believe that National Lampoon's European Vacation is only the second of the Vacation movies; it has the exhausted pallor of the last of a long series of sequels, drained of all zest or original ideas. The charmless smirk of Chevy Chase, mechanical in its idiocy, hangs over European Vacation like a death mask. It's hard to believe that this hack was once the funny and sexy hero of Foul Play. D'Angelo keeps her chin up and gives the movie whatever class it may have; she deserves better. --Bret Fetzer

Description

The Griswalds are on vacation again when they win a deluxe tour of the old world and take on the European continent -- the continent loses.

Customer Reviews:

National Lampoon's European Vacation.......2007-04-04

I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly the movie arrived. Also, the disc was in immaculate condition and didn't skip. Overall very enjoyable movie and excellent service from Amazon.

Typical National Lampoon Humor.......2007-01-04

I saw this movie, originally, when it came out in theatres. I loved it then, I love it now. It's not a thinking-man's movie. When you just want to laugh and be entertained, this is a good movie to watch. There are a lot of good one-liners in this movie.

The best of the Vacation series.......2006-10-27

I liked the first in the Vacation series but didn't really find anything truly can't-stop-laughing hilarious. Since I was born a few years after the first two Vacations were released, the movies' 80s-tinged comedic moments didn't really appeal to me. European Vacation is the only movie in the series I could say I really enjoyed. Beverly D'Angelo continues giving a great performance as Mom, especially when she gets drunk after realizing Chevy Chase's character accidentally left some private "footage" on his camera when it turned into a European porn video. But the standout performance here really comes from former child actress Dana Hill as an love-infatuated diet-obsessed teenage Audrey (trust me, she is hilarious!). The antics the family get into aren't believable and it's a surprise to see how Chevy's character Clark even is allowed to book a trip (let alone be in charge of one after his horrible attempts before), but in the end European Vacation makes for a hearty laugh nevertheless.

Problems with audio.......2006-08-22

This is a review of the DVD itself, not the movie (not sure why people seem to want to review the movie itself in this forum).

Overall, a good quality reproduction of the original. (This version does have the topless scenes, for those that have children...) However, the audio is not surround. When you play through a 5.1 speaker system, all the audio goes straight to the center speaker. I am not sure if this was a problem with the disc I received or the DVD in general.

Extras: There are no deleted scenes. The only worthwhile extra is Chevy Chase's commentary, which is actually quite funny and revealing.

Classier than film one.......2006-07-16

Although the original Audrey in National Lampoon's Vacaction was a really cute girl (I had a crush on her when I saw the film in 1983) Dana Hill does a fairly good bit replacing her here. Chase and D'Angelo are back in top form (especially D'angelo) as the Griswold parents. I love Mrs. Griswold's stripping scene she performs in fron't of her husband's camera. The European locations beat the scenes of Chicago and the southwest from film one in giving the 2nd film much more sophistication. Eric Idle is painful to watch (like he is in all his non-Python work) in an irregular series of cameos.

Average customer rating:

Cold winter blues are over.
A real taste of island life.
Classic laughs
Club Paradise DVD
wonderful movie

Club Paradise
Starring: Robin Williams , Peter O'Toole , Rick Moranis , Jimmy Cliff , and Twiggy
Director: Harold Ramis
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Slapstick | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Farce | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B000BYA4IS
Release Date: 2006-02-14

Amazon.com

Robin Williams went through a period in the mid '80s when he looked like he'd turned into the next Richard Pryor: yet another brilliant standup comic neutered by the script mills of the Hollywood studios. Indeed, Williams seems almost like a spectator in this film, reacting to a supporting cast extremely deep in talent doing what they can with the mediocre script by Brian Doyle-Murray and director Harold Ramis. Williams plays a heroic Chicago fireman, who is injured and retires after saving several lives in a fire. He takes his insurance settlement and buys a resort on a poor Caribbean island (the film was shot in Jamaica). He spends the rest of the time playing straight man to a gaggle of guests that includes such SCTV alumni as Rick Moranis, Andrea Gross, Eugene Levy, and Robin Duke, as well as Jimmy Cliff and Peter O'Toole. Occasionally rising to the level of mild amusement, Club Paradise is, disappointingly, little more than a series of hit-and-miss sketches strung together by the feeblest of plots. --Marshall Fine

Description

Pack your bags for Club Paradise, the Caribbean resort where the good times and laughter come at you in waves. Academy AwardO winner* Robin Williams steers their crazed course of this tropical romp as an ex-Chicago fireman who uses a sizable disability settlement to transform a remote island watering hole into a lucrative tourist waterland. Peter O'Toole, Twiggy, Rick Moranis, Andrea Martin, Eugene Levy and other comic cohorts cheerfully cavort (and Jimmy Cliff musically riffs) under the breezy direction of Harold Ramis (National Lampoon's Vacation, Caddyshack) for a lark that The New Yorker's Pauline Kael judged "as pleasant as can be."

Customer Reviews:

Cold winter blues are over........2007-08-22

This is a classic movie with tons of classic one liners. I think it is looseley based on "Don't stop the Carnival." For you Parrotheads out there you would love this show.

"I think those two hairy guys are looking at us MMMMEEEEAAAT! MMMMEEEAAAAT!""

I could watch it over and over if it wasn't for this diarhea.

A real taste of island life........2007-08-16

This movie is a must for people like my husband and myself. We experienced life "in the islands." We lived on a small island in Caribbean in the 80's and loved the life...we stayed 8 years and returned for 2 more years in 2004 ... like scenes in the movie we suffered "upper class British types and "let's save the world and the natives" types like Jack Moniker (Robin Williams; tourist types like Carol White (Andrea Martin);heard and used phrases like "cool vibes", had daily bouts with inconsistent water pressure; toilets backing up; met the Prime Minister who was also the Finance Minister, Minister of Tourism and Treasurer! We learned to relax and appreciate that "soon come" meant anything from minutes to hours to days, and that there was nothing that we could do to change it!
The cast and "crew" were exemplary in their depiction of over the top patrons of a "Third World" tourist resort. Like Jack I have often wondered where the other two worlds were????? The two Barry's were a hoot ..who didn't meet guys like these in bars in the 80's???? Andrea Martin and Brian Doyle Murray were a fun bunch. Peter O'Toole's portrayal of a tired washed up aristocrat who could live nowhere else but on "the islands" was so accurate.
People thinking of buying this DVD should bear in mind the fact that this is life as it was in the islands in the 80's when anyone with money could start a resort and did! We purchased a DVD version of the movie as our video copy was showing signs of age and repeated viewing. When we want a jolt of "reality" and a good belly laugh we watch Club Paradise. It should come with a warning...only for those with island experience!!!!

Classic laughs.......2007-02-20

I love Robin Williams before he became what he is today. Not to say that he's not a good actor with "range" but who cares when you can put out films like this. This is a good date movie and something that could be watched more than once.

Club Paradise DVD.......2007-02-13

One of my all time favorite movies, A genuine feel good movie that keeps ya laughing the whole time

wonderful movie.......2007-01-05

this was a really funny movie. it is a bit dated for the younger crowd
but I loved it

Average customer rating:

A GREAT BRITISH HORROR !!
Awesome British Slasher!!!

Severance
Starring: David Dyer , Tim McInnerny , Laura Harris , Toby Stephens , and John Frankish
Manufacturer: Magnolia Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Comic Action | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

Horror | Independently Distributed | Stores | DVD | Video

Independently Distributed | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B000SM6FM2
Release Date: 2007-09-18

Customer Reviews:

A GREAT BRITISH HORROR !!.......2007-08-26

I had mixed thoughts about buying this film on DVD - British films can be very hit or miss - WOW , what a surprise with this one - great cast / great acting / great script / edge of your seat action / realistic reactions from the cast , as you would expect if these events were happening in real life . This is an excellent original concept for a film using humour , fear , gore , horror , action , self preservation to perfection in the right doses and in the right places.

Most certainly in a far higher league than a previous reviewer wrote in Amazon.co.uk - saying it was as good as Dog Soldiers and 28 Days - those two films i would rate as very mediocre in comparison .

BUY IT - It's better than most films coming out of Hollywood at the moment .

Danny Dyer is going to be a very big worldwide star one day !

Awesome British Slasher!!!.......2007-08-15

I checked this one out not expecting much & was shocked to have loved it by the end of the movie. This is a true "slasher" (although there's more to it than just a scary monster guy running around in the woods hacking up teens)flick in every sense of the word. Now the box's cover art claims this to be a comedy/horror flick in the same line as "The Office", & "Shaun Of The Dead". Maybe I missed something, but I didn't get that. While the movie does have it's moments, it's more amusing, than it is just straight out comedy. You'll get some definate chuckles, but I doubt very seriously the film was intended to be strictly just a comedy. The blood & gore is definately there & done very well, & you really get a sense of danger by the end of the movie. The movie is actually really brutal too, which I always like to see; alot of the violence is kinda believable.

A brief synopses(as not to spoil the movie) is you've got a group of people going out on a company retreat. These people happen to be employees of a weapons manufacturer. Anyway there transpotation winds up breaking down on the way & they find a place out in the woods that they at 1st assume is the designated retreat area. After that things start to get bloody and that's all you really need to know. The movie is well acted, & the characters are well fleshed out so you really care what happens to 'em (which doesn't happen very often in horror flicks). Anyway, this is gonna be a sleeper hit, so make sure all you gore hounds & horror freaks check this one out. It's at very least worth a rental if not worthy of your very own collection/library at home. There's just something about British horror, they get it & I wish Hollywood would pick up on that. Check this one out & you won't be disapointed!!!

Average customer rating:

Meryl Streep Can Play Any Role
The River Wild
A Wild Ride!
Great adventure movie
Impressive

The River Wild - DTS
Starring: Meryl Streep , Stephanie Sawyer , Joseph Mazzello , David Strathairn , and Elizabeth Hoffman
Director: Curtis Hanson
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Crime | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

DTS | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Action & Adventure | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

All Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00000I236
Release Date: 1999-02-23

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Meryl Streep Can Play Any Role.......2007-03-03

Meryl Streep takes the lead in this adventure gone action movie. Kevin Bacon always plays a great villain. This movie is beautifully shot. Great outdoor action movie.

The River Wild.......2006-08-07

Great suspense movie with great "stars". Kevin Bacon was outstanding as usual. Definately worth the purchase.

A Wild Ride!.......2006-07-22

Great adventure movie.......2006-03-23

This movie will keep you on the edge of your seat. The suspense and action is a must-see, and the scenery is absolutely beautiful. The way their ride through the rapids was filmed is fantastic!

Impressive.......2006-01-30

Knife in the Water - Criterion Collection

Average customer rating:

Revisiting "Knife in the Water"
a masterpiece of understated fear and suspense
Roman's Spring
A tension-filling war of wills
The conflicted male ego

Knife in the Water - Criterion Collection
Starring: Anna Ciepielewska , Zygmunt Malanowicz , Leon Niemczyk , and Jolanta Umecka
Manufacturer: Criterion
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Thrillers | Criterion Collection | Stores | DVD | Video

Drama | Criterion Collection | Stores | DVD | Video

Classics | Criterion Collection | Stores | DVD | Video

International | Criterion Collection | Stores | DVD | Video

All | Criterion Collection | Stores | DVD | Video

General | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video

( K ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B0000AINJ8
Release Date: 2003-09-16

Amazon.com essential video

This simple but taut psychological thriller was the first full-length film from the great director Roman Polanski. A bickering couple pick up a hitchhiker, a good-looking young man whom they invite to go for a sail. But on the water the two men, separated by age, class, and experience, subtly and not-so-subtly jockey for status and fight for the attentions of the woman--a struggle that threatens to turn fatal. In Polanski's hands, this lean, spare movie, without any special effects or spectacular scenery, manages to lay bare the driving forces of machismo, envy, and marital spite. It's the beginning of a truly remarkable career that's ranged from the heights of Rosemary's Baby and Chinatown to the more dubious realms of Bitter Moon and The Ninth Gate. Knife in the Water is particularly significant to Polanski fans, but also a striking movie in its own right. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Revisiting "Knife in the Water".......2007-07-28

Before he gave the world "Chinatown," "Rosemary's Baby," "Macbeth," "The Pianist" and "Tess," the great Polish director Roman Polanski released his first feature film (1962) "Knife in the Water." It is much better than I remember since I saw it when it was first shown in the U. S. The plot is simple and straight-forward. A Polish couple, Leon Niemczyk and Jolanta Umecka, pick up a young hitchhiker Zygmunt Malanowicz and invite him to go sailing with them on a beautiful Polish lake. These three are the only characters in this low budget film although the lack of money certainly did not affect its quality. The movie teems with sexual energy as well as a certain scary quality that Polanski of course was to perfect in later works. Much is made of the hitcher's knife (phallic symbol?) which he bandies about and the viewer is never certain that something ominous is not about to happen. There isn't a lot of dialogue although not much is necessary so the subtitles aren't much of a bother.

Shot in beautiful black and white, the film often has the look of still photography. Some of the frames are suitable for framing. Polanski in a very informative interview included with the DVD discusses his art school and still photography background. He also says that the female in the movie had no previous acting experience and that he "discovered" her at a public swimming pool and that his own voice was dubbed for the young hitchhiker whose voice was too high pitched.

The beautiful cinematography, the fine directing and understated acting make this film a joy to watch.

a masterpiece of understated fear and suspense.......2007-04-16

Proof that the best of what movies can do to an audience depends not on beautiful faces in closeup, or lavish production, or even bright dialogue. You could watch "Knife in the Water" in Polish without any subtitles and still get chills. A young, privileged couple pick up a hitchhiker and take him out on their boat for the day. That's it. The rest is the suspense that builds between the three, especially between the two men, almost destined by biology and the nature of confined spaces to fight it out over the girl, at least symbolically, if not literally, to the death. Certainly the best Polanski film I've ever seen, one of my ten favorite movies of all time.

Roman's Spring.......2007-02-20

The first Polish film to be nominated for a Foreign Language Oscar, Roman Polanski's "Knife in the Water" is one of the most impressive director's debuts I've seen.

The story is simple. A wealthy couple on its way to spend a weekend on their yacht picks up a young and attractive hitchhiker. The middle-aged husband, a successful and cynical sportswriter invites the young man on board, perhaps to show off his nice yacht, his seamanship, and eventually, his superiority. His young and sexy wife does not say much but as the yacht moves along and tension between two men rises, she seems to enjoy the presence of a passenger and the obvious competition between them for her attention.

Made of the very simple material, the film is a brilliant psychological thriller that shows the young writer-director's extraordinary ability to create menace on the screen throughout the profound study of the characters' deep hidden emotions. Not as widely known as "Chinatown" and "Rosemary's Baby", "Knife in the Water" is the perfect introduction to the work of the director whose craft in creating disturbing studies of anger, humiliation, fear, and sexuality is truly remarkable.

A tension-filling war of wills .......2006-02-02

A married couple (played by Leon Niemczyk and Jolanta Umecka) on their way to the harbor and a yachting outing pick up a young hitchhiker (Zygmunt Malanowicz). From then on the two men engage each other in a childish but brutal war of wills, as each tries to outbully the other. Malanowicz joins the couple on their yacht and near the end falls overboard; when he doesn't surface Niemczyk dives in after him. A short while later Malanowicz re-emerges, hops back on board, and makes love with Umecka. Niemczyk and Umecka later confront each other with some upsetting truths about the incident.

This was Roman Polanski's first feature film, and it reveals what a master he was already; he knows exactly how to build the tension between Niemczyk and Malanowicz, heightening it ever more by having Umecka, who doesn't say or do much, always in the picture prancing around in her bikini or short sun dresses: the sexual tension is intense. Polanski's use of symbols - the knife, the pole, the wind directing the boat this way and that - is also masterful. Some think this is Polanski's best movie or that he never made better movies once he came to America, but they must be forgetting CHINATOWN. The second disc of short features is okay, but not up to the feature film.

The conflicted male ego.......2005-11-24

"Knife in the Water", an early Roman Polanski effort is a simple, unfettered yet analytical probe of the human condition. Filmed principally aboard a sailboat in the lake region of northern Poland the film examines the potentially explosive interactions between three people confined in this restricted setting.

A squabbling couple pick up a young hitchhiker on their way to the marina where they are about to embark on a weekend sailing trip. The husband an arrogant, bourgeoise writer Andrzej decides to invite the young man along for reasons that will soon become apparent. The hitchhiker, a landlubber is initially ill at ease on the water. The wife Krystyna is sympathetic to his plight. Andrzej however uses this as a wedge to commence berating the boy to help evoke within himself feelings of superiority.

The drama continues with the writer putting down the boy to bolster his own ego in front of his wife. A storm hits and the group in forced below decks where the confrontation continues and threatens to erupt in violence.

Ultimately the plot reaches a climax when the writer throws the boys treasured knife into the water causing the boy, who could not swim, to dive in after it and apparently drown.

Polanski using a cast of only three demonstrates his immense skill in fabricating a taut drama with a nicely conceived plot and very decent cinematography on a shoestring budget.

DVD:

DVD

DVD