A Farewell to Arms (1957) Review

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(More customer reviews)When David O. Selznick undertook to remake "A Farewell to Arms" he was hoping to top Gone With the Wind. Needless to say, every movie he made after GWTW would be compared to it and deemed inferior. Most of his films have merit. However, "A Farewell to Arms" is a bona-fide disaster on most counts. David O. Selznick, who broke up Jennifer Jones and Robert Walker, was only concerned with Jones and her portrayal. Unfortunately, Jennifer Jones with her distracting facial contortions (which the director should have kept in check) is terrible in this film right down to the last reel where we have to endure an interminable child birth scene and her subsequent death. "A Farewell to Arms" could have been a superb film. Instead, it is an overlong, talky, mishmash of romanticism between two characters who are portrayed by good actors who have no chemistry between them. Hudson was perfect. He did the best he could under less than ideal circumstances. But Jones is the flaw in this film. A fine actress if directed properly and that twisted mouth and deep voice inflection distracting kept in check, Jones is horribly miscast. At the age of 38 she is certainly too old to be playing Catherine, a 23 year old nurse. She is supposed to be british but her playing is stilted and forced, not to mention over-intense. Even the musical score is unmemorable. No wonder this film failed at the box office. And no wonder David O. Selznick never made another film. He was an anachronism by this time. Skip this one folks unless you are a die hard JOnes and Hudson fan. I recommend "Song of Bernadette", "Portait of Jennie" or "Love Letters" if you want to see Jones at her best!

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Set against the backdrop of the Italian front during World War I, an American Army volunteer (Rock Hudson) meets a British nurse (Jennifer Jones) on the eve of the big offensive in the Alps and they fall passionately in love. Torn apart, then reunited, they escape to Switzerland to await the birth of their child - and the tragic conclusion to their once-in-a-lifetime romance. "Moving and realistic" (The Hollywood Reporter), this sweeping epic remains a powerful and emotional experience.

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The Karate Kid II (1986) Review

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(More customer reviews)The first Karate Kid literally spoke to any kid who felt out of place and picked on. Strongly enough, it was a concept played out over and over again. But the evenhanded direction of Avildsen made it a triumph. So what do you do for a sequel? You get real. Not that the first one wasn't real. The threat to Daniels safety in the first movie was always there and fully realized. But take this student and mentor pair and send them to Okinawa, and you have a whole different ball game. The story centers more on Miagi and his journey home to see his dying father, and facing demons he left as a young man. Asian culture takes certain things much more seriously. Honor in this movie is a subject brought up constantly, and we see it from Daniels perspective; as an American who does not understand why these people do things they way they do in the name of honor. As Daniel comes to grips with this life code in the small village of Miagi's youth, he realizes that the bully who has targeted him this time does not hold back. He's ready to kill Daniel. He has no qualms about it either and feels it's justified. As Daniel swoons a beautiful Asian girl and finds he's getting in deeper with the affairs of Miagi's past, he holds his ground, and his good upbringing helps to hold his own honor in place. In the end, the climatic fight scene is what really makes the movie. The whole story builds up to that moment. The idea is that this fight is real, there is no competition, no points. This is not a tournament, this is not a spectacle. Daniel is fighting to stay alive. And it is more brutal then the rules laden tournament of the first movie. Morita and Maccio play off each other so well it's obvious these two have great chemistry. The teacher/student relationship is apparent from the first scene despite their polar opposite personalities. As in the first movie, each character gives the other what they are missing. Daniel gets a father figure/teacher, Miagi gets a son/student. This movie is just as good as the first in my opinion, just different. A different set of circumstances played similarly to the first one. It's as different as it can be while still holding the same values. I give it four stars only because of some very minor inconsistencies but overall, it is a very good film.

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Love is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955) Review

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(More customer reviews)LOVE IS A MANY-SPLENDORED THING remains to this day one of Hollywood's most beloved and heartbreaking love stories. Set in the turbulent days of Hong Kong during the Korean War, the story concerns war correspondant Mark Elliott (William Holden) who falls in love with widowed Eurasian doctor Han Suyin (Jennifer Jones) who, while coming from completely different walks of life, fall in love. Based on the real-life Han Suyin's bestselling novel of the same name, the film candidly deals with themes of prejudice and the dangerous political climate of the time. Beautifully-filmed on location in Hong Kong.
The casting is impeccable: Jennifer Jones is luminous as Suyin (even more glorious in Technicolor) and William Holden adds a great edge to his performance. Isobel Elsom plays Mrs Palmer-Jones, the racist wife of the head of the hospital (her scenes with Jones still ring true).
For a romance with a similar theme I recommend THE WORLD OF SUZIE WONG with William Holden and Nancy Kwan.

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Newsman Mark Elliott is an American war correspondent temporarily staying in Hong Kong during the Korean War. While there he meets and pursues a beautiful Eurasian Doctor. But when they begin to fall in love, their friends and families pressure them to stop the cross cultural relationship.

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Nights in Rodanthe (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a real tear-jerker. The acting is fantastic and the emotions seem very real. The story line is well-considered, but it is definitely not the typical love story. The best way to describe this film is that it just feels real. You could imagine the characters being pulled off the screen and placed in the "real world" without any problem. I would definitely recommend Nights in Rodanthe to those who like a good love story with plenty of drama.

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The stars of Unfaithful rekindle their screen chemistry in this rich tale of hearts awakenings based on a bestseller by Nicholas Sparks (The Notebook, Message in a Bottle). Richard Gere is Paul, a surgeon who long ago unwittingly traded career for family. Diane Lane is Adrienne, a devoted mother trying to move on after her husbands infidelity and struggling with his desire to return to their marriage. At a remote inn on the Outer Banks, Paul and Adrienne expect to do some serious soul-searching. But an approaching storm forces each to turn to the other for strength, setting the stage for a life-resonating romance.

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The Love Boat - Season Two - Vol. 1 Review

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(More customer reviews)Come aboard the Pacific Princess and sail away on a tidal wave of nostalgia with Captain Stubing (Gavin MacLeod), Doc (Bernie Kopell), Gopher (Fred Grandy), Isaac (Ted Lange), Julie (Lauren Tewes) and a boatload of guest stars on The Love Boat - Season Two, Volume One! Promising something for everyone, The Love Boat - Season Two, Volume One is a 4-disc set featuring the show's first 13 hour-long Season Two episodes which include the first appearance of Captain Stubing's illegitimate daughter, Vicki (Jill Whelan) in "A Time For Everything"; Full Frame (1.33:1) video; English, Spanish mono audio; Closed Captioning; English, Spanish subtitles; Episodic Promos; plus the following guest stars:
Edward Albert, Melissa Sue Anderson, Adam Arkin, Bess Armstrong, John Astin, Conrad Bain, Jimmy Baio, Billy Barty, Orson Bean, Barbi Benton, David Birney, Sonny Bono, Todd Bridges, Melendy Britt, Red Buttons, Pat Carroll, James Coco, Dabney Coleman, Bert Convy, Jamie Lee Curtis, Billy Crystal, Cathryn Damon, Richard Dawson, David Doyle, Erik Estrada, Lola Falana, Norman Fell, Betty Garrett, Melissa Gilbert, Grant Goodeve, Dody Goodman, Robert Goulet, Peter Graves, Pat Harrington Jr., Florence Henderson, Marty Ingels, Van Johnson, Nancy Kulp, Judy Landers, Janet Leigh, Audra Lindley, Dave Madden, Dick Martin, Rue McClanahan, Donna Mills, Mary Ann Mobley, Greg Morris, Richard Mulligan, Mackenzie Phillips, Vincent Price, Robert Reed, Soupy Sales, Avery Schreiber, Connie Stevens, Larry Storch, Loretta Swit, Toni Tennille, Ellen Travolta, Robert Urich, Jimmie Walker, Laurie Walters, Vernee Watson and more.
Here are the episodes contained in this volume, plus original airdates:
1. Marooned / Isaac's Holiday / The Search (9/16/1978)*
2. Julie's Dilemma / Who's Who / Rocky (9/23/1978)
3. The Man Who Loved Women / A Different Girl / Oh, My Aching Brother (9/30/1978)
4. Where is it Written? / Julie's Aunt / The Big Deal (10/14/1978)
5. The Kissing Bandit / Mike and Ike / The Witness (10/21/1978)
6. Ship of Ghouls (10/28/1978)
7. Accidental Cruise / The Song is Ended / A Time for Everything / Anoushka (11/4/1978)
8. Till Death Do Us Part / Maybe / Chubs / Locked Away (11/11/1978)
9. Tony's Family / The Minister and the Stripper / Her Own Two Feet (11/18/1978)
10. Heads or Tails / The Little People / Mona of the Movie (11/25/1978)
11. Folks from Home / The Captain's Cup / Legal Eagle (12/2/1978)
12. Isosceles Triangle / El Kid / The Last Hundred Bucks (12/9/1978)
13. Double Wedding / The Ventriloquists / Julie Falls Hard (12/16/1978)

*Episode 1 is presented in the show's original two-hour season premiere format, before it was split in two for syndication.

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The Thorn Birds (1983) Review

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(More customer reviews)Ok... first, I have to say that Tom Keogh, whose review sits above as the standard review for Amazon, needs to actually watch the movie. Opinion is one thing, but at least get the facts correct. Rachel Ward plays Meggie Cleary (not Meggie Carson) and Barbara Stanwyck plays her greedy, manipulative, devil-incarnate aunt.... not her grandmother. That aside...this still stands...for me at least, as the greatest mini-series ever! And, considering all the recent scandal surrounding the Catholic Church today, it is as relevant and thought provoking today as it was in 1983 when so many were incenced not only by the content and plot of the movie, but by its time of airing (holy week-the days leading up to Easter). The cast is perfection and makes an already engaging story about the inner battles of an ambitious Austrailan Priest (played by Richard Chamberlain who never looked more gorgeous)even more amazing. Not a single miscast here. The performances are phenomenal. This is a movie with that searing edge of forbidden love and the torment of unrequited love combined with a heavy dose of romance, great characters, manipulation, greed, and the progress of a family torn apart by various maladies. The chemistry between the all the characters is so apparent. It is a movie that makes you think and makes you cheer for something that is deliciously guilt-ridden. In case you couldn't tell... I love this movie!!!!!!! This is a guilty pleasure to the highest degree... like the most decadent Godiva chocolate if it could be made in the form of a film. Buy it...keep it... watch it over and over. Perfect for a girls only party or a rainy saturday afternoon. Get some snacks... sit back and know that 8 hours will seem to float by.

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Based on the bestselling novel, the film follows a priest and his struggle between his calling and his carnal lusts.

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