Romance on the High Seas

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For a crystal-clear lesson in how an unknown vaults into immediate stardom, look no further than Romance on the High Seas, the silly 1948 musical that launched the movie career of Doris Day. A band singer, Day was plucked from the ranks when Warner Bros. and director Michael Curtiz needed to find a replacement for a role intended first for Judy Garland and then for Betty Hutton. She's fourth-billed, but there's no question Doris Day owns the picture; in retrospect, the part seems tailor-made to break a new star. The plot is a howler: society wife Janis Paige is suspicious when husband Don DeFore (hubby to TV's Hazel) claims he must stay in New York on business instead of going on a cruise to South America. So Paige gives the cruise ticket to lounge singer Doris, on the condition that she pretend to be Paige, while wifey hangs back in New York. Make sense? Meanwhile, a suspicious DeFore hires a detective (Jack Carson) to spy on his wife during the cruise, except of course it isn't really his wife, it's... well, you get the picture. Day is somewhat sassier than her later well-scrubbed image would allow; she actually seems like an up-from-the-streets, well-traveled barnstormer. The saucy script has a handsome pedigree; it was penned by Casablanca boys Julius and Philip Epstein and polished by future Billy Wilder partner I.A.L. Diamond. However, it must be stated that Curtiz is nobody's idea of a buoyant comedy director, even if the lounge-singing sequences are sharply made. The cast is stocked with screwball stalwarts such as S.Z. Sakall, Eric Blore, and Franklin Pangborn. As Day's accompanist and suitor, the celebrated musican-wit Oscar Levant has one of his better screen roles--and his experience here was likely the source of his later quip, "I knew Doris Day before she was a virgin." If you see her cheeky performance here, you might agree with him. --Robert Horton

Description

Elvira is supposed to go on a cruise, but decides to stay home when she suspects her husband is cheating on her. Her husband suspects the same of his wife, and sends an investigator to spy on her on the cruise - but he is really spying on Elvira's husband.

Customer Reviews:

IT'S A GREAT DAY.......2007-05-15

At last Doris Days first film is released on DVD
It is a first class quality print with Doris radiating all she stands for from the screen from her very first appearance & the extras are great too

a star is born.......2005-05-07

Doris Day sparkles in this film, which was her film debut; it's a predictable, silly but fun plot of a couple who suspect each other of cheating, and devise ways of spying, only to be confused by wrong identities and of course, love.
The cast surrounding Doris is terrific, with Janis Page and Don DeFore as the couple, Jack Carson as Peter Vigil, the private investigator in love with Doris, Oscar Levant as a down and out pianist also in love with Doris, S.Z. Sakell as Uncle Lazlo who meddles in everything, and Leslie Brooks as the stunning secretary that raises Janis Paige's suspicions.

This 1948 film is peppered with lovely Jule Styne/Sammy Cahn songs, including the Oscar nominated "It's Magic". Others are "I'm in Love", "It's You or No One", "The Tourist Trade" (sung by Avon Long), "Put 'Em in a Box, Tie 'Em with a Ribbon, and Throw 'Em in the Deep Blue Sea", "Two Lovers Met in the Night", "Run, Run, Run" (sung by Jack Carson), and Oscar Levant plays his "Caribbean Rhapsody".
Directed with swift pacing by Michael Curtiz, the dance numbers are choreographed by Busby Berkeley, The Page Cavanaugh Trio back Doris in some numbers, and the Technicolor cinematography and fabulous fashions are great to look at.

The circumstances of Doris Day being hired for this film read like a Cinderella story. Jule Styne heard her sing at a party while he was looking for a replacement for Betty Hutton, who had to back out of the film due to pregnancy, and urged Michael Curtiz to hire her. Doris was 23 at the time, and as a singer had a hit with "Sentimental Journey", but according to biographies was in the process of a second divorce, at a low point in her life, and ready to "quit show business" when this opportunity came her way...and a star was born.
Total running time is 99 minutes.

Put this in a box, tie it with a ribbon, and take it home!!!.......2004-10-09

I am a huge fan of Doris Day!!! And this is one of my all time favorite movies!!!! Doris day stars as Georgia Garret in this fantastic masterpiece. This film is for people who LOVE Doris Day!!!!!! Like me!!!!

What A Magical Film.......2004-07-11

I love Doris Day Movies and I own all 39/39 of her movies but I have to say that this is my favorite one. Doris was so magical in this role as Miss Georgia Kent and Who can forget Jack Carsons fantastic Role as the Detective. Elvira Kent (Janis Page) thinks that Her Husband is being unfaithful and her husband thinks the same about her. So they both make the other one think they are going on their honeymoon so they each send a spy but they don't know that the other one didn't go. Well Georgia uses the name of Elvira Kent and The Detective thinks she is Elivra Kent and they go on a merry little chase. This movie was Doris's Film Debut and she sings my personal favorite song in this movie It's Magic. And who can forget the catchy tune the Tourist Trade. What a beautiful movie. This is a great movie for the whole family to enjoy.

It's magic with Doris Day in her film debut........2004-07-04

Janis Paige would just once like to go on a honeymoon vacation with her husband, Don DeFore (Hazel tv series), but everytime their anniversary comes up, he has got business to take care of. Meanwhile, Doris day plays a nightclub singer. She dreams of going on a trip somewhere. She is obsessed with going to the travel agency. Even has seven passports. Janis paige and Doris Day get their passports done the same day, but Janis got Doris' passport. They meet again and Janis has an idea. Janis wants to spy on her husband in secret. She invites Doris on the same cruise trip with expenses paid under Janis' name.
Watch the fun begin!
Doris day is a delight in this her film feature film debut. She sings "It's Magic!".
***Be sure to buy the CD "Doris day--A Day At The Movies". Tunes from this movie and other Doris Day films are included.

Average customer rating:

This isn't a bad movie at all...
Overcooked Southern Gothic
Finally on DVD
Sad, Surreal, Tedious. (And a Ridiculous, Stupid Final Scene)
"Have you ever been collared and dragged out into the street and thrashed by a naked woman?"

Reflections In A Golden Eye

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ASIN: B000KHI2FS

Product Description

Official Warner Brother Release

Customer Reviews:

This isn't a bad movie at all..........2007-09-13

I actually liked this one better than most Elizabeth Taylor movies. This is definitely worth watching. Taylor plays a cheating wife to Marlon Brando's character, and she's cheating with his buddy, played by Brian Keith. Julie Harris is Keith's wife whom everyone sees as "crazy". Taylor and Brando brawl a couple of times, and Keith is indifferent to Harris's troubled mind. Robert Forster is the creepy character who's strangely in the center of this film. He sneaks into Taylor's room and watches her sleep, he spies on her, and he rides a horse naked; he also lounges around naked in the woods. The ending is one you suspect will happen the way it does.

This is a fine Southern gothic movie; the only problem I have with it is understanding what Brando is saying; the jokes about his unintelligible speech are true. But if you like creepy, perverted movies without all-out vulgarity, this is one you don't want to miss. I would watch it again.

Overcooked Southern Gothic.......2007-08-23

John Huston's Reflections in a Golden Eye is like Tennessee Williams rewritten by the Monty Python team for Russ Meyer and directed by Stanley Kubrick as a contractual obligation, with dialogue filled with non sequiters and surreal flights of fantasy, increasingly absurd situations and relationships, all shot with a sepia-tinted color scheme that takes the title way too literally and a solemn, detached look that's worryingly close to implying we're meant to take this all very, very seriously. At other times it's as if Huston decided that the only way to approach such ripe material was to send it up, with Marlon Brando and Elizabeth Taylor competing to see who can come up with tha mows rhidicluss Sahffan accsunt, Marlon drowning any hope of a decent performance in a sea of mannerisms while Liz gives a magnificent display of bad acting inbetween sticking her behind in the air as often as possible as the slut on a hot tin roof.

A tale of stolen spoons, over-zealous yard clearance, horsewhips, repressed desires, murderous passions and a tragic failure to communicate set in an army base where all the square pegs are expected to fit into round holes, it piles absurdity on absurdity as voyeuristic private Robert Forster sneaks into Liz's bedroom to watch her sleep and sniff her clothes, but it's Marlon who really has the hots for him after seeing him riding bareback and naked. But then you know that things are screwed when Julie Harris is the most normal character, and she's performed an act of self-mutilation with the garden shears ("She's alright. She's just neurotic") and is planning on leaving her husband to run a prawn boat with her ballet-dancing peacock-painting Rachmaninov-obsessed Filipino manservant Anacleto who dreams of boots full of squirming baby mice (Zorro David, dubbed by Bond movie regular Robert Rietty). Traditionally you'd say that it will all end badly, but for anyone without a taste for absurd southern Gothic that goes for the beginning and middle as well.

Warners DVD offers a 2.35:1 widescreen transfer with the original golden tint that was used for the film's first engagements and rapidly withdrawn, but not the more natural colour transfer that was most viewers are familiar with. In addition to much mute black and white home movie footage of the shoot, the original theatrical trailer is also included.

Finally on DVD.......2007-08-11

I am going to direct you to a review in the out-of-print "Bad Movies We Love" (seek it out and maybe they will reissue it) as the penultimate statement about this laugh-out-loud classic. Elizabeth Taylor is married to hopelessly buttoned-up repressed Marlon Brando (in this case BrandMo, complete with Greek statue porn and slatherings of "rejuvinating cream"), but boinking Brian Keith, who is married to Julie Harris, who had cut her own nipples off with garden shears (!) in reaction to I forget what, but who is served and entertained by her best friend/servant/companion Anacleto, the only person who understands her (completely understandable) desire to get away from this lot of repressed loonies and retire to a prawn trawler. In the midst of this rolls in hot, hunky (and often nude) Robert Forster, who only wants to ride a horse. Since half the rest of the cast wants to be ridden by him, that presents a problem. I won't give anymore away, only to write that this feels like it was something that would have been earth-shattering if it was released in say, 1957. Ten year later we are thinking this could have gone a lot further and not ended up as the rather dried up affair it is.

Plus side? Elizabeth is gorgeous, and nearly peels it all off. Robert Forster is gorgeous, and does peel it all off, and runs around in army drag when he's not nekkid. Grr.

Downside? Nearly everything else in this unending overlong fever-dream snooze-fest. If there was any interest in filming anything by Carson McCullers, this killed it

Sad, Surreal, Tedious. (And a Ridiculous, Stupid Final Scene).......2007-06-14

If you sit through this strange film to the ending (you should be rewarded for stamina), you are treated to the stupidest camera work you could imagine. It is laughable. The last scene is the dramatic high point, but the director and cinematographer abolutely ruin a moment that could have been decent. If you've seen it, you may agree. It practically screams motion sickness. What a cheap trick.

As for the film itself, it is bizarre. There are a handful of characters who are all in one way or another sad or pathetic or deranged. Marlon Brando gurgles and mumbles his way through the movie (where did he ever get that affectation, that strange manner of speaking? He was fine in "Streetcar"). Anyway, he plays a closeted military school instructor married to a silly, shrill, vapid broad played by Elizabeth Taylor. She gives me the impression of a washed up and [..] Scarlett O'Hara. We are not told how these two opposites ever got together. Maybe they lost a bet. She refers to him as Prissy, and he calls her a slattern. Both correct, I might add.

Brando's character is silently obsessed with one of the young military men (who is stalking Brando's wife quietly); Taylor is involved secretly with their friend (Brian Keith), whose depressed wife (Julie Harris) is recovering from a miscarriage and a depression in which she mutilated herself.

A highlight of the film is Julie Harris' Filipino houseboy Anacleto: softspoken, flamboyant, odd, and oh so dramatic. His scenes are fascinating and comical.

The movie originally was filmed with some odd gold wash that permeates it, but this was removed when audiences didn't care for it. I've seen that version and the second (regular Technicolor); I prefer the latter. To paint everything in a light amber hue is tedious, no matter what John Huston was going for. The movie's surreal enough without the tint.
When I think of the cast in this film, sadly, they are wasted. Even megastars can't save the heavy, boring material. Yes, Taylor and Brando are good (they are great actors, no doubt). But these characters aren't likeable people, any of them.
Sadly, Reflections in a Golden Eye does not give us much to like. I'd skip it. You're not missing much of anything.

"Have you ever been collared and dragged out into the street and thrashed by a naked woman?".......2007-02-24

John Huston's REFLECTIONS IN A GOLDEN EYE, adapted from the acclaimed novel by Carson McCullers, is a bizarre film indeed. The main draw, of course, is the pairing of the two greatest actors in screen history, Marlon Brando and Elizabeth Taylor. How odd, then, that the film itself overshadows them! The film is set at a military post: Brando is Major Penderton, who fights his own secret homosexuality; Taylor is his nymphomaniac wife, Leonora, who is having an affair with Lt. Colonel Langdon (Brian Keith). Langdon's wife, Alice (Julie Harris), recently had a failed pregnancy, after which she cut off her nipples with garden shears. And Robert Forster makes his film debut as a young enlisted man who enjoys riding horses naked and who observes the curious interactions of the Pendertons.

Sound odd? Believe me, it is. To add to the weirdness, director Huston printed the film with a golden tint, which adds a sort of nautious quality to the whole thing. Brando and Taylor are the glue that holds the film together. Taylor is a delight, but Brando gives a somewhat lacking performance. Forster, however, is great, as is Harris and Zorro David as her wacky Asian servant. As I haven't read the novel on which the film is based, I can't comment on how faithful the film is nor on which is better, but I fully intend to read the novel after viewing the film. It isn't bad, in fact it's far from it, but it's not really good either. In the end, it's a film one won't necessarily regret seeing, but it seems like a waste of Brando's talent, and that really detracts from the film, but if you've a taste for the bizarre, give it a shot.

Average customer rating:

fascinating Hollywood expose
Affleck and Reeves
NOT A BAD MOVIE TO WATCH
CINEMA NOT SLOP.
Film Noir or . . . Film Bore???

Hollywoodland (Full-Screen Edition)
Starring: Adrien Brody , Diane Lane , Ben Affleck , Bob Hoskins , and Lois Smith
Director: Allen Coulter
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
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ASIN: B000KWZ7JM
Release Date: 2007-02-06

Amazon.com

The fact-based mystery of Hollywoodland takes place in 1959, when the death of Adventures of Superman TV star George Reeves cast a pall over the waning days of golden-age Hollywood. As written by Paul Bernbaum, this intriguing whodunit effectively evokes the tainted atmosphere that surrounded Reeves' death (officially ruled a suicide but never conclusively solved), and speculates on circumstances to suggest that Reeves may have been murdered. In combining the melancholy course of Reeves' career with the investigation of a down-and-out private detective into the possible causes of Reeves' death, the film evolves into an engrossing study of parallels between lives on either side of the Hollywood dream. Building upon a distinguished career in TV including episodes of HBO's The Sopranos, Rome and Six Feet Under, director Allen Coulter finds a satisfying balance between the tragic overtones of the Reeves case and the time-honored elements of the gumshoe genre, with Adrien Brody doing fine work as private eye Louis Simo, a fictional composite character who is our conduit to the desperate yearnings of Reeves' final months.

In a critically acclaimed performance, Ben Affleck plays Reeves in moody flashbacks, caught between Superman stardom and financial dependence on his lover Toni Mannix (Diane Lane), the somewhat predatory wife of Hollywood "fixer" and MGM honcho Eddie Mannix (Bob Hoskins), whose mob connections suggest foul play as Simo's investigation progresses. Reeves' subsequent lover (played by Robin Tunney) may also be culpable, and as Simo's own personal life unravels, his empathy for Reeves takes on added significance. In presenting its mystery as a set of plausible scenarios, Hollywoodland holds interest as a mystery that's refreshingly compassionate toward the fate of its characters. Warts and all, they're likable dreamers in a town where dreams don't always come true. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

fascinating Hollywood expose.......2007-09-14

Was it murder or suicide? The death of George Reeves, television's original "Superman", has fascinated the public since 1959. HOLLYWOODLAND attempts to solve this riddle, and delivers a riveting film experience that will be relished by fans of classic movies.

George Reeves (played brilliantly by Ben Affleck) is a small-time Hollywood actor, bumming around various nightspots when he attracts the attention of Toni (Diane Lane), the wife of M-G-M studio executive Eddie E.J. Mannix (Bob Hoskins). Pretty soon, with the help of Toni's money, George has a comfortable house in Brentwood and a very healthy allowance. Despite not wanting to do TV, he lands the role of "Superman" and unwittingly becomes a hero for children all around the world; film success with a supporting role in "From Here to Eternity" still eludes him. Toni, an older woman, is outraged when George decides to marry Leonore Lemmon (Robin Tunney) a sexy young starlet. The stage is set for the fateful night in 1959 when George Reeves was discovered dead from gunshot wounds in his Los Angeles bedroom.

HOLLYWOODLAND is a brilliant piece of Neo Noir filmmaking, complete with a struggling, small-time private investigator (played by Adrien Brody) trying to make sense of the crime. The story of the investigator--Louis Simo--and the actions of Reeves are beautifully-intercut. As we flip between the past and the present, we slowly learn more about Reeves and his life; but we also learn much more about Louis Simo, his family's breakup and his unhappy young son who is very much traumatised (as were thousands of children) over the death of "Superman".

HOLLYWOODLAND should be a must-see movie for fans of classic cinema; it features top performances all around (particularly Ben Affleck and Diane Lane), plus an evocative period design. A real winner.

Affleck and Reeves.......2007-09-14

For me, the movie "Hollywoodland" is an attempt to sell the story of a very good actor, George Reeves, through the performance of a fairly average actor, Ben Affleck. I know, many have praised Ben for his deeply sensitive performance as the distraught George Reeves, and to an extent I sing similar praise. "Hollywoodland," without question, is a very good film. The set design, costumes, period flavor, and script are above average.

I shall add that the performances of Adrien Brody, Diane Lane and Bob Hoskins are outstanding. These actors bring these characters to life as if they were figures looking back at us from the pages of Los Angeles history. They carry the story along superbly.

Then there is Ben Affleck. So much of "Hollywoodland" depends on an expert performance given by an actor playing the highly charismatic George Reeves. One must understand that there would not even be a movie about George Reeves if Reeves had simply been an ordinary personality. He was more than that. As a child growing up in the 1950s it was clear to me and virtually everyone else I knew that George Reeves was a bigger than life TV star who was so good in the role of Superman/Clark Kent, that it was inconceivable that anyone else could possibly fill his shoes in that role. It took until 1978 for that to happen when Christopher Reeve played the hero from Krypton in that great Superman movie.

I mention all this about Reeves because I do not think that Affleck was able to communicate the charisma of George Reeves. Yes, he probably did an above average job in communicating the man's disappointment, frustration, and ambition, but that was not sufficient. There should have been more on the screen to communicate WHY WE SHOULD CARE. For example, what about the charity work Reeves did for children? How about his good natured personality, and fun-loving side that had been frequently reported by his co-stars, and Hollywood friends? Very little evidence of his "brighter side" was presented. One must understand that everyone was deeply shocked by his sudden death. His death at the time was more than one of those, "Well, there goes another screwed up actor."

The concept of "Why We Should Care" harkens back to all great tragedies--and I think the writers and director of Hollywoodland were trying to show Reeves' death as a modern tragedy within an interesting cloud of mystery. The concept of tragedy primarily shows us someone who was great, or potentially great, who has unfortunately died abruptly and unable to fulfill promise and success. I think George Reeves qualified as a tragic figure, but Ben Affleck did not communicate such loss. The loss he communicated was something akin to the pathos. The movie exhibits a lot of "gee,what a shame," and very little, "No! This loss is terrible!!!"

I might be measurably unfair to Affleck. Perhaps the director did not work with Ben Affleck adequately to illicit a better performance conveying the positive side of Reeves as well as the sad dimension. Ben is not bad in the film, I just don't think he's great. In fact, his acting seems inferior to that of the character he is playing, George Reeves. This is hugely problematic.

In conclusion, I should note that in spite of my criticism, "Hollywoodland" is definitely a film worth seeing. It is a good dramatic story, albeit somewhat unsatisfying. I think the choice of another actor in the role of George Reeves would have been a better idea. Someone like Hugh Jackman, or a complete unknown,perhaps. Anyway, see the film, but keep in mind that George Reeves had a lot more charisma than Mr. Affleck should ever hope to possess.

NOT A BAD MOVIE TO WATCH.......2007-09-09

But I do find it ironic that a movie about a guy that was a very good actor who hardly ever got any work was played by a guy that is not a very good actor who gets too much work. Maybe that's the hidden meaning of this movie.

CINEMA NOT SLOP........2007-09-06

I think this film is fantastic. I love the slow pacing, the dialogue and especially the acting. I think Adrian Brody is just fantastic. I also loved him in "Summer of Sam". I never thought I would like any film Ben Affleck was in, but he proved himself to me in this film!!! I'm actually not surprised the masses did not like this film. The masses would rather see Ben Affleck in a spider-man costume. (get it?, I'm sorry it takes a brain to fully understand that comment). There are no action figures and happy meal boxes to save a regurgitated movie like all of the super hero movies made in recent times. That's why I don't follow the herd to multiplexes...MOOOOOOOOOO............ sorry I don't feed from a troft.

Film Noir or . . . Film Bore???.......2007-08-26

Questions for the Ages:

How did the universe begin?
Why did the dinosaurs become extinct?
Did Lee Harvey Oswald act alone or with accomplices?
Did "Superman" actor George Reeves commit suicide or was he murdered?

This last weighty question is tackled by "Hollywood land." No doubt you have tossed and turned at night, pondering this last question. (Who cares? Some may wonder...)

Diane Lane does a decent job as an aging temptress. Bob Hoskins too as a movie studio mogul. Ben Affleck does a creditable job.

Adrian Brody as a tough guy private-eye, however, is hard to believe. The guy is an ectomorphic bean pole who, at the beach, would likely have sand kicked in his face. Expecting viewers to believe that he is some kind of tough guy muscling other cops and private eyes is a hoot. (Unless, perhaps, he impales them on his ginormous hook nose, which according to scientists must comprise approximately 65% of his body weight.)

I have seen worse movies but the pacing is slow and afterwards you may scratch your head and kick yourself for wasting two hours of your life watching "Hollywood land."

Average customer rating:

Interesting exotic film noir featuring a sultry Jane Russell
Macao
PLEASING POPCORN PICTURE
Russell switches hips while Mitchum dodges switchblades
STAR POWER.....

Macao
Starring: Philip Ahn , Rico Alaniz , Edward Ashley , Trevor Bardette , and William Bendix
Manufacturer: Turner Home Ent
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ASIN: B000JLTREU
Release Date: 2007-01-23

Description

A traveling night club singer gets hired by an American expatriate who runs a casino in Macao and specializes in converting stolen jewelry into cash. Complications ensue when one of her traveling companions turns out to be a cop.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting exotic film noir featuring a sultry Jane Russell.......2007-08-08

This begins with a chase scene: a man in a white suit and white hat running, being chased by some thugs and a sinister Chinese guy with a knife. The man stops and looks back, forgetting Satchel Paige's dictum: "Don't look back, something might be gaining on you." They are in fact only dozen yards or so behind. But he starts running again and miraculously they are now further behind! (Typical chase scene camera work resulting in illogic. But never mind.) He ducks around a corner and hides. One of the thugs pauses, turns and sees him, which gives the man in the white suit a chance to knock him off his feet with a swift uppercut. Then he runs off in the direction he had turned. I was thinking how much he would be ahead of everybody by now if he had just kept running.

Chase scene ends with a knife thrown at him landing in the middle of his back. He's a cop from New York. Dead. Somehow this scene reminded me of something from Bud Abbott and Lou Costello.

Next scene is much better. Jane Russell as Julie Benson is in a cabin room on a passenger ship with a touristy kind of guy who's dancing, if you can call it that. He wants more than dancing. Julie pushes him away. He won't take no for an answer. She takes off a high heel and throws it at him. He ducks and the high heel flies out the window and hits Robert Mitchum who's playing an adventurer named Nick Cochran who just happened to be walking by. Boy meets girl, cute.

After a fashion he rescues the lady in distress. She's a hard talking, sultry babe with attitude. He wants to continue the party after knocking the masher out, but Julie isn't interested. So he takes her and kisses her. Very manly. She still isn't interested and tells him to beat it.

He does, but some time later he notices that his wallet is missing. We see her take out the dough and toss the wallet overboard. A few minutes later she meets up with William Bendix playing a global traveling salesman named Lawrence C. Trumble. Of course we know this is an elaborate disguise and he is somebody other than who he pretends to be. The "C" stands for Cicero, he later tells Nick, "but don't tell anybody." Trumble makes with the pleasantries, but Julie brushes him off. He tells her what he's selling. One thing she likes is nylons. He gives her a free pair, "no strings attached." She takes off her old nylons right there on the deck, tossing them overboard, one by one. Nick manages to be passing on the deck beneath and catches one of them as she puts on the new nylons. Later she asks, "Did you get a nice view?"

It's Macao, 36 miles from Hong Kong. It's hot. People are smoking and smuggling and gambling, and ex-pats who are stranded tend to make friends quickly. Naturally there's romance with Julie falling for Nick and vice versa, but some misunderstandings come between them. One has to do with Margie, played by the always intriguing Gloria Grahame, who, unlike Jane Russell, actually has an Oscar statue for her work in The Bad and the Beautiful from 1952, which, alas, I haven't seen. Seems that Margie would like to get her mitts on Nick and so manages at the urging of her boss, who owns a gambling nightclub, to make it seem like Nick bedded her down, or vice-versa, as you like.

This reminded me a bit of Casablanca (1942) and To Have and Have Not (1944) in that we have an American in an exotic locale with a dame in a joint amid some nefarious goings-on. As in To Have and Have Not, Jane Russell, like Lauren Bacall, does some singing. One of the numbers is "Make It One for My Baby and One More for the Road," which she does very well. Russell hails from a time when movies featured full-figured babes, and she was one of the best. Sexy, shapely and not a bad actress, Russell melted a few hearts in her time.

In a way "Macao" is almost a parody of Far Eastern intrigue films, which might account for the slight Abbott and Costello feel. I think this may come from the fact that Josef von Sternberg began as director, but Howard Hughes fired him and had Nicholas Ray finish up. Anyway, this moves right along and there is some nice chemistry between the two stars. Personally I got a kick out of seeing them both again after all these years.

Bottom line: a kind of film noir done with atmosphere and a lot of snappy one-liners. Definitely worth seeing.

Macao.......2007-08-06

I am a noir film buff and think that Mitchum played in some of the best of this type of film. Macao is an excellent film with co-stars William Bendix and Jane Russell. It has plenty of intrigue and a good well developed plot sufficient keep the viewer's interest througout the film.

PLEASING POPCORN PICTURE.......2007-03-20

"Macao" is the film noir for those who think all film noir is gloomy and deprerssing. Yes, Mitchum sleepwalks through his "Bob, Son of Bogie" role as an American adventurer kicking around the mysterious Orient. Jane Russell gets to look fetching and sing a few songs but this one is basically a light workout for all concerned. Lacking the comedic flair of its predecessor "His Kind of Woman!", "Macao" sort of works as a not-terribly-serious manhunt drama. I suppose the fun for hardcore cineastes is trying to figure out where Josef von Sternberg's work leaves off and Nicholas Ray's patch-up job begins. Strangely enough, it all works just fine and what might have been a mess becomes a commendable '50s adventure/thriller that happens to reside "in the vicinity of" film noir.

Russell switches hips while Mitchum dodges switchblades.......2007-03-10

Nick Cochran (Robert Mitchum) and Julie Benson (Jane Russell) bump lips on a ship to Macao. She's looking to serenade gamblers while Nick is there looking for trouble. Surrounded by knife throwing henchmen, American casino owner Vincent Halloran (Brad Dexter) suspects one of three new Macao visitors is an undercover detective. Naturally this concerns him since he moves hot jewels throughout Asia. A bumbling salesman named Lawrence Trumble (William Bendix) becomes a casino sap. Offering competition to Holloran's girlfriend Margie (Gloria Grahame), Julie rather stiffly switches and sashays to her own lullabies while Nick fences baubles and dodges switchblades between fishing boats.

With a moderate level of suspense, Mitchum and Russell make up for any plot deficiencies. There are a few surprises and foot chases, but for this to be a true Film Noir, I would expect more plot twists and a true femme fatale (like in ANGEL FACE or OUT OF THE PAST). Again, the lead actors (and the females' wordrobes) make up for most script shortcomings.

Before his death in 1997, Mitchum and Russell sat down with Osborne for a 30-minute interview, which makes a nice bonus on the DVD. Mitchum, who did not age gracefully, exhibits his popularized care-less attitude and uncharacteristic bad taste in clothing during the interview.

MACAO is a good movie if you eliminate the notion that this is a thrilling Film Noir. There is suspense and even some lighthearted comedy. If you enjoy watching Mitchum or Russell, MACAO comprises half the collection of films featuring the dynamic duo.

Movie quote: "That's the first time I ever saw a warden dolled up in a negligee."

STAR POWER............2007-02-03

"Macao" is one of those fast-paced adventure yarns that's thoroughly enjoyable to watch---providing you don't think too hard. What is basically a pulp story (complete with stereotypes) is put over with irresistible panache by the stars. Jane Russell as a been-around saloon singer and Robert Mitchum as a been-around chump on the lam collide in the exotic waterfront locale of Macao and get tangled up with a very sinister vice king, a crooked cop, "traveling salesman" William Bendix and the vice king's sultry girlfriend Gloria Grahame. Lots of action and double entendre as the sparks fly between Russell and Mitchum. Russell and Grahame wear some very sexy outfits as each is a femme fatale in conflicting positions. Nice b&w DVD print. This is one of about 5 films Grahame did in 1952---the year she won Best Supporting actress for "The Bad & the Beautiful". Enjoy.

Average customer rating:

"He's fuzz, Puddler. Private."
Harper
Fun whodunnit, with a superb cast and an intriguing plot
Slightly above average...slightly.
"One of Paul Newman's best!"

Harper
Starring: Paul Newman , Lauren Bacall , and Janet Leigh
Director: Jack Smight
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000HWZ4D4
Release Date: 2006-11-14

Amazon.com

The reason to see Harper is the kooky mid-Sixties design, the peculiar over-the-hill-gang supporting cast, and the crazy Rat Pack lingo written by famed screenwriter William Goldman. And, of course, Paul Newman fans will want to see their guy in the full flower of his anti-hero hero phase. Anyone seeking a decent adaptation of Ross Macdonald's great series of detective novels will, however, be sorely disappointed. Macdonald's Lew Archer is a melancholy knight who operates in an increasingly somber tangle of family crimes; the movie's Lew Harper is a wisecracking hepcat who mugs his way through an indifferent missing-persons investigation. (Frank Sinatra, who was offered the role, would have been a better fit than Newman.) The cast includes Lauren Bacall, Janet Leigh, Julie Harris, and Shelley Winters as various femmes, none of them especially fatale, and Robert Wagner has one of his better roles as a kind of cabana boy to the rich. Strother Martin pops up as a bearded guru with a love temple on top of a Southern California mountain. The director is Jack Smight, whose career was largely made up of TV work. This was the first Goldman script to be made into a film, based on Macdonald's novel The Moving Target; as Goldman states in an enjoyable DVD commentary track, the name Lew Archer was switched to Harper because of Macdonald's reluctance to sign away franchise rights to his private eye's name, not because Newman wanted to have another movie with an "H" title (after The Hustler and Hud). That clears up a long-running urban legend. Newman did make another Macdonald adaptation, The Drowning Pool, in 1975 again using the Harper name. For a much better mid-sixties cool private-eye picture, see Blake Edwards' Gunn. --Robert Horton

Product Description

Hard-boiled private investigator Lew Harper is hired to locate a missing millionaire named Sampson. Elaine Sampson the victim's invalid wife is indifferent and apparently happy he's gone. The trail leads him to the plush pad that Sampson maintained in Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 012569816718 Manufacturer No: 81671

Customer Reviews:

"He's fuzz, Puddler. Private.".......2007-08-12

Not a classic, but fun and Paul is clearly having a blast.
On the commentary track Goldman covers much of the anecdotes and opinions those who've read his books are familiar with. The bombshell is his revelation that he wrote a follow-up adaptation of The Chill - maybe the best detective novel by an American. It never happened. Why? So Paul could make The Secret War of Harry Frigg? Oh, the pangs.

Harper.......2007-06-27

Based on Ross MacDonald's novel, this big-city thriller is notable for two reasons: It marks the debut of Newman's ultra-cool Lew Harper character (later seen to lesser effect in "The Drowning Pool") and was William Goldman's maiden voyage as a screenwriter. Peppered with witty dialogue and immersed in the sex-and-drugs cult weirdness of mid-sixties California, "Harper" is directed with flair by Jack Smight. Shelley Winters, Janet Leigh, Robert Wagner, Julie Harris, and Bacall all contribute choice characterizations, but the center of gravity here is Newman's Harper, never hipper nor more determined to finish the job. Here's another chance to catch Newman in his pri

Fun whodunnit, with a superb cast and an intriguing plot.......2007-06-05

Like so many movies, I just picked this one up on a whim off the shelves of our local library (Netflix will never get my business until I've gone through every enticing movie at the libs which, truth to tell, I don't see ever happening).

At any rate, it was a fun movie, not only because of its storyline, but also because of the cast: Paul Newman, Shelley Winters, Julie Harris, Robert Wagner, Janet Leigh--all in top form and having a blast with their noir roles. Newman is the lead and with his charming ways he keeps you entertained the whole time.

The story revolves around the kidnapping of an obnoxious zillionaire and the questions, of course, are--Who among the totally nefarious cast of characters is/are involved and, Will Newman get the criminals before they "do in" the kidnap victim?

Along the way, we see all sorts deliciously seedy sections of L.A. and encounter numerous colorful characters.

R. Baker's Rule--"Just about everything-be it film, book, play, or party-is 20% too long"--applies here. A few mintues trimmed out of this film would definitely have increased it's star rating by at least .25!! :)

Anyway, when you're in the mood for a good detective story, this should fill the bill.

Slightly above average...slightly........2007-03-20

So, at some point in the sixties either the people who watched films or the people who made them grew tired of the same film-noir/detective films that had been around for ages featuring stars like Humphrey Bogart. As a result, the detective movie changed, and the focus was more on making the lead character cool or funny or tough. Some of these new films were good (the absolute best is Robert Altman's "The Long Goodbye" with Elliott Gould), some were not so good, and some were just in the middle. "Harper" falls in the middle.

The basic premise is that you have a private investigator, played by Paul Newman, who's hired to find a cheating husband, but when he starts digging around he find the husband isn't off with a mistress--he's actually been kidnapped. Eventually Newman gets mixed up with a bunch of shady characters (a gigolo, a drug addict, a washed up actress, a shaman, etc.) and a plot to smuggle migrant workers across the border from Mexico.

The plot is this type of movie is always convoluted. "The Big Sleep," is one of the best detective films ever made, yet there are large plot holes. What really makes the movie worth seeing is whether or not the stars can keep you entertained. "The Third Man" had Orson Welles in a key role. "The Maltese Falcon," had Humphrey Bogart.

This movie has no shortage of stars--Paul Newman, a young Robert Wagner, Janet Leigh, Shelley Winters. They even cast an aging Lauren Bacall--perhaps as a nod to the old Bogart-Bacall films. But the movie still seems to fall a little flat. Wagner is good, and Newman is good at times, but this performance isn't one of his best and the film is barely remembered for a reason.

Overall, the story is enough to keep you interested and there are several laughs, but you'll forget this one a month after you see it.

"One of Paul Newman's best!".......2007-02-21

I probably would give this movie a five star rating, but the age of it
brings it down slightly. I really enjoy it and would highly recommend
it to anyone who used to enjoy seeing Humphrey Bogart in movies of the
same style. It's great fun and has enough surprises to keep you interested all the way through.

Average customer rating:

Good Movie But It Is Not In Color!
Roy Rogers takes on an unscrupulous female lawyer...

Eyes of Texas
Starring: Roy Rogers , Trigger , Lynne Roberts , Andy Devine , and Nana Bryant
Director: William Witney
Manufacturer: Bridgestone Group Inc
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000CBXYF
Release Date: 2003-08-26

Customer Reviews:

Good Movie But It Is Not In Color!.......2005-01-16

There are several Roy rogers movies on VHS that are listed as being in color when they are not. This is one of those. It is made by Alpha Omega Publications and is dated Oct. 19th, 2004. This movie is in B&W and is not in color.

Roy Rogers takes on an unscrupulous female lawyer..........2001-06-16

In this 1948 Roy Rogers western, ranch owner Thaddeus Cameron (Francis Ford) has turned the place into a home for orphaned boys who lost their fathers in World War II. However, the old man's lawyer, Hattie Waters (Nana Bryant), wants to take over the place, so while she bakes cakes for the boys she conspires with Cameron's long-lost nephew to take over the place. In her basement she has a secret kennel full of killer dogs that she has been starving just so they get really mean. It is up to U.S. Marshall Roy Rogers to save the day, if only he can survive being bullwhipped by one of Nana's henchmen. "Eyes of Texas" is interesting because the villain is a woman, who conveniently drops dead before Roy has to get violent with her at the end. This 1948 film was directed by William Whitney, and co-stars Lynne Roberts as Fanny Thatcher, the female lead (What? Where's Dale, Roy?) and good old Andy Devine as Cookie Bullfincher, the town doctor. "Eyes of Texas" has less singing than most of Roy's films and certainly the subject matter is more serious. For that reason, I am willing to make some allowances for the absence of Dale Evans in this movie.

Average customer rating:

STILL FIGHTING THE ZERAVIRE
hmph
Ok New Start
PLEASE LOOK AT THE CASE BEFORE BUYING!!!!
big boobs

Gravion Zwei, Vol. 1: Eye of the Storm
Starring: Gravion Zwei
Manufacturer: Adv Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0007D4MAY
Release Date: 2005-03-08

Amazon.com

The second (2004) season of Gravion mixes several genres: sci-fi, mecha, comedy, adventure, and jiggle. Under the leadership of dashing Klein Sandman, the elite G-Knights continue their battles against the alien Zeravire. Eiji and Taro remain the only males in the squadron of nubile young women. Their individually piloted machines combine to form Heavy Metal God Gravion, a handsomely designed mecha in the Gundam tradition. The poorly staged battle sequences fail to showcase the gigantic robot, but it doesn't really matter: Gravion Zwei is more about fan service than military service. The girls range from mildly curvaceous Ena to Mizuki, who, like June, is bustin' out all over. Viewers see a lot of Eiji's bare buns in episode 3, suggesting that fan-service nudity is becoming more gender neutral. But Gravion Zwei is an inane throw-away of a series. (Rated TV MA: violence, nudity, risqué humor, alcohol use) --Charles Solomon

Description

Sandman and his ragtag crew are back to save the Earth from the deadly Zeravire invasion, but they're not the only ones on duty this time! Enter the elite G-Soldier Squadron, the firstt unit in the government's attempt to mass-produce Gravion technology.

Customer Reviews:

STILL FIGHTING THE ZERAVIRE.......2006-07-20

When the first season of Gravion ended, basically none of the questions raised throughout the series had been answered. For example: Where is Eiji's sister? Are Toga and Leele even human? What past is Sandman hiding? Most importantly, what is the origin of the Zeravire and why are they attacking Earth? Is someone controlling them? Well, I have to say that in Volume 1 of Gravion Zwei, we might have taken half a baby step towards getting the answers to some of this, but it doesn't look like a sure thing. The back of the DVD trumpets "Effeminate Heroes! Giant Fighting Robots! Gravity-Defying Breasts!" which appears to be a desperate ploy by ADV Films to improve the sales of this show to the lowest denominator. It does have all those things, but its not the borderline porn that it's hyped to be. If anything it's more about comedy than the first season, and seeing the characters get on each other's nerves or just being in everyday situations like a company picnic or a hot springs trip is great. Yet, in the end, there's always an alarm triggered off by an encroaching Zeravire, and everybody gets into their mecha transforming overacting hand motioning alien butt kicking mode! (If the Zeravire are aliens) The Gravion crew is also getting some competition because the government is tired of being beholden to the mysterious Sandman and is planning to mass-produce its own Gravion-like mecha.

I actually thought Volume 1 of Zwei was more enjoyable than the previous season's installments. My favorite part of this anime was always the story before the token battle of the week at the end. Most of the episodes of this DVD deal with what leads up to the battle instead of focusing on the battle itself. The conflict between Eiji and Luna has gotten even funnier, and at times it seems as if they might be in love. Even Sandman seems to be enjoying himself this time around, letting the Gravion crew have a break at a hot springs resort. I know the whole giant robot with assembling vehicles has been done to death, but so what! The fun is in the path to the metamorphosis, not in the transformation itself.

hmph.......2005-11-27

another fans service diguised as something eits not. Basically like Ikki Tousen its basically a showcase of complicated and detahced plot,and busty hot chicks. at times i wish it was just about the chicks.The dialogue usual showcase of the flat and dull to the annoying and grating. While all the while laying out corny jokes thorughout.WEll i guess the creaters think they can mix fan service with big scaled nonsence action to keep us distcrated from the dead tired and over familair set up(even as a comdey it bores with old tired jokes).IT even says on the back of friggin cover in bold letters "fan service".

Ok New Start.......2005-03-23

After the first season gravion begins to be very funny but you still want more of story from them. The best new addition to Gravion is that they seem to be creating a Villan. Something other than a gigantic alien that froms every shape learned in preschool, that appears every other day that never talks to say why It wants all humans to die because there isn't anyone or anything in it It's just a big kiling machine sent by who knows. The big thing about gravion is that It is a comedy and serious show all at the same time but sometimes a little bit more comedy It's very funny but It's nice to see them put some more concentration on the serious part of the show so fans can keep buying the dvd's for the excitement and suspence and not the big boob chicks. The only thing that they haven't done that I would like to see is Eiji and Luna create some kind of a relationship. In conclusion this dvd really isn't worth 36$ so do like i did and borrow it off a friend or watch it on the anime netwok that way you can't lose.

PLEASE LOOK AT THE CASE BEFORE BUYING!!!!.......2005-03-12

The last reviewer complained about the big boobs. If you look at the back of the case, it clearly states that big boobs are in the show. It is your fault, but anyways, the review.

I was a fan of the first season. The first season was pretty much organized like this one. It is a guy named Sandman and his group of warriors protecting the Earth from a alien invasion of some aliens named the Zeravire. If he watched the whole DVD, he would have known that those fanservice episodes were setting up a plot. The fanservice in the third episode introduces some new characters. I wish people would stop giving bad reviews just because someone in the show has big boobs. As a matter of fact, the fourth episode on this DVD is very serious and there is no fanservice at all. If you like mecha anime, this anime is very recommended, but don't expect Gundam or Evangelion. It is more original than any current mecha show out. Don't sleep on this series.

ANIMATION - A+ COOL, COOL, COOL, CHARACTERS
PLOT - C+ WHILE THERE ISN'T MUCH ON THIS DVD, THE FOURTH EPISODE SETS UP FOR THE NEXT DVD
MUSIC - B+ I SAY THE MUSIC IS ALRIGHT, IT DOES FIT THE MOMENTS
OVERAll - A- I LOVE THIS SHOW, I LOVE THE CHARACTERS AND THE ACTION

(BEWARE- IF YOU DO NOT CARE FOR FANSERVICE, STEER AWAY!!!!)

big boobs.......2005-03-01

these girls have the biggest boobs. this show has absolutely no point other than fanservice. If you actually like the show you must be on crack. This is a mecha show,but they dont even need the mechas mizuki can battle them off with her boobs. this show is a piece crap and no one should buy it.

(13 Movie Pack) ROY ROGERS: Hands Across the Border, Billy the Kid Returns, Eyes of Texas, Bells of Rosarita, Grand Canyon Trail, Heldorado, Roll on Texas Moon, Under Nevada Skies, West of Badlands, Young Bill Hickok / THE LONE RANGER: Six Gun's Legacy, the Return of the Convict, Rustlers' Hideout

Average customer rating:

(13 Movie Pack) ROY ROGERS: Hands Across the Border, Billy the Kid Returns, Eyes of Texas, Bells of Rosarita, Grand Canyon Trail, Heldorado, Roll on Texas Moon, Under Nevada Skies, West of Badlands, Young Bill Hickok / THE LONE RANGER: Six Gun's Legacy, the Return of the Convict, Rustlers' Hideout

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

DIGITALLY MASTERED, INTERACTIVE MENUS, SCENE ACCESS, ENHANCED AUDIO 5.1

[10 Movie Pack "OVER 10 HOURS"] Billy the Kid Returns, Eyes of Texas, Bells of Rosarita, Grand Canyon Trail, Heldorado, Roll on Texas Moon, Hands Across the Border, Young Bill Hickok, Under Nevada Skies, West of the Badlands

Average customer rating:

[10 Movie Pack "OVER 10 HOURS"] Billy the Kid Returns, Eyes of Texas, Bells of Rosarita, Grand Canyon Trail, Heldorado, Roll on Texas Moon, Hands Across the Border, Young Bill Hickok, Under Nevada Skies, West of the Badlands

ProductGroup: DVD
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General | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

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***** DIGITALLY MASTERED / INTERACTIVE MENUS / SCENE ACCESS / ENHANCED AUDIO 5.1 *****

DVD:

DVD

DVD