| Daddy's Dyin'...Who's Got the Will (1990) Buford Turnover is suffering from advanced dementia, and it's only a matter of time before he dies. Told by Buford's mother-in-law Loyce ('Mama Wheelis' to her grandchildren) that their father is dying, his four adult children arrive at the family's homestead to spend time with their father during his last days. It's a mixed bag of personalities: Lurlene, the eldest sister, a minister's wife who rarely visits the rest of the family; Sara Lee, the spinsterish middle sister who cares for her father with the help of her grandmother; Orville, the greedy, abusive brother, and his wife, Marlene; and the youngest sibling Evalita, the six-times married aspiring country singer, who brings her hippie boyfriend Harmony. All arrive at the Turnover homestead, and personalities clash. Similar in ways to the Pulitzer Prize winning play, August Osage County, which I saw in Honolulu in 2011. | |
| Dan in Real Life (2007) Widowed now for four years, Dan Burns is a lonely man. An advice columnist for the New Jersey Standard, he could use some advice himself, not only in making himself happier, but on how to deal with his three daughters of whom he is overly protective. They are heading to Rhode Island for their annual visit with Dan's parents, his several siblings and their respective families at the family home. There, Dan meets a woman named Marie at a local bookstore. They spend a memorable afternoon chatting with each other, although she is up front about not being able to take things further with him because she is in a relationship. It isn't until later that Dan learns that that relationship is with his womanizing brother Mitch, who seems to love her, and that Marie has been invited to the family gathering. The more time that Dan spends with Marie that weekend, the more he realizes that she could be the one for him. Because of his feelings, he acts a little unusually, which the rest of the family notices. But as the weekend progresses, Marie also gets to know Dan and the entire Burns family better. She learns some information which makes her realize her true feelings. If those feelings are for Dan, he isn't sure if he could ever hurt his brother by falling for the first supposed love of his life | |
| Dances with Wolves (1990) Lt. John Dunbar is dubbed a hero after he accidentally leads Union troops to a victory during the Civil War. He requests a position on the western frontier, but finds it deserted. He soon finds out he is not alone, but meets a wolf he dubs "Two-socks" and a curious Indian tribe. Dunbar quickly makes friends with the tribe, and discovers a white woman who was raised by the Indians. He gradually earns the respect of these native people, and sheds his white-man's ways. Excellent but overly long movie. The beginning could have been shortened considerably. Suffers a bit from reverse bigotry. A very enoyable tale. | |
| Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959) Darby O'Gill seems to be as full of blarney as any old codger in Ireland, but the stories of leprechauns he tells at the pub are true. In fact, he and the tiny King Brian, ruler of the little people, are friendly adversaries, continually out-foxing each other. Darby needs a bit of magical help from the wily king when Lord Fitzpatrick replaces him as caretaker with the handsome, strapping young Michael from Dublin. Michael falls in love with Darby's beautiful daughter, Katie, which is all right with Darby; but the lad has a rival in a local ruffian, the son of a devious widow who wants her boy to be the caretaker. King Brian's supernatural assistance is necessary to make everything come out all right, but the sneaky leprechaun won't play matchmaker without a fight. Finally, real trouble comes in the form of the Banshee, and Darby will need all his quick wits to save his daughter from the wicked spirit. This was the film that brought Sean Connery to the attention of Albert R. Broccoli, who then went on to cast Connery in his most famous role as James Bond. In Irish legend, the Banshee is often said to be seen combing her hair as she approaches. Although the Chroma Key technique makes it difficult to see, the Banshee that comes to Darby is indeed combing her hair. | |
| Top | The Dark Angel (1925) Alan Trent (Ronald Colman), his cousin Gerald Shannon (Wyndham Standing) and neighbor Kitty Vane (Vilma Bánky) have grown up together, as close playmates When World War I starts, both Alan and Gerald enlist in the British Army as officiers, and Kitty sees them off to war. Many months later, Alan and Gerald come back to Kitty, on a short furlow. Alan and Kitty reveal their love for each other. Gerald (who's in love with Kitty, too) congratulates his friends. But before Kitty and Alan can arrange to be married the next day, the furlow is cut short and both men head back to the front lines. Weeks later, Gerald will not give Alan leave to marry Kitty. Still arguing, both men volunteer for a reconiscience raid into enemy lines, where a grenade goes off near Alan and appears to kill him. Gerald and Kitty mourn Alan's death. After the war ends, Gerald and Kitty become engaged to be married. However a year later after his apparent death, we see Alan in a British hospital, as part of a prisoner exchange. He is now blind and posing as Roger Crane. His doctor, Sir Vane (Charles Lane), cannot persuade Alan to reveal his identity, even though there is a picture of Alan, Gerald and Kitty found in Alan's possesions. After his discharge, Alan/Roger assumes he will be a burden to Kitty and does not return home. He takes up residence in a nearby village and decides to write children's stories. After the war ends, Sir Vane (Charles Lane), visits Alan/Roger. While there, he sees Kitty and Gerald's wedding announcement in the local paper, and recognizes their faces from Alan's picture. He calls Gerald and asks him to help Alan reconcile with his past. Alan arranges things so that his friends will not realize he is blind. Gerald also brings Kitty. Both are happy to see Alan alive, but hurt when Alan declines to resume their friendship. Gerald is upset for Kitty but leaves her alone with Alan. He meets with Sir Vane, who reveals Alan's blindness. When Kitty comes running out of Alan's house, he persuades her to quietly enter Alan's rooms, where both see Alan talking to what he assumes is his secretary, though they are standing in plain sight. Kitty berates Alan for underestimating her love and hiding his blindness from her. Alan and Kitty reconcile. |
| The Dark Crystal (1981) Another planet, another time. 1000 years ago the mysterious Dark Crystal was damaged by one of the Urskeks and an age of chaos has began! The evil race of grotesque birdlike lizards the Skeksis, gnomish dragons who rule their fantastic planet with an iron claw. Meanwhile the orphan Jen, raised in solitude by a race of the peace-loving wizards called the Mystics, embarks on a quest to find the missing shard of the Dark Crystal which gives the Skesis their power and restore the balance of the universe. Intense but very good. | |
| The Dark Knight (2008) Batman raises the stakes in his bourgeois war on crime. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the city streets. The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as The Joker. The best of the Batman movies by far. Heath Ledger portrays a true psychopath. Aaron Eckhart is a star worth watching too. | |
| The Dark Knight Rises (2012) Eight years after the events of The Dark Knight finds Gotham at a time of peace. This is due to Batman taking the fall for Harvey Dent's murder. However, a new evil force named Bane has arrived in Gotham and aims to take over the city and expose the truth behind who Harvey Dent really was. Now that Wayne Manor has been completely rebuilt - Bruce Wayne has become almost reclusive, rarely leaving the estate. And with Bane taking over the city by force, it forces Batman to come out of retirement. But his allies are few and far apart. An elusive jewel thief by the name of Selina Kyle could be the key to stopping Bane - but whose side is she on? | |
| The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) A flying saucer orbits the 1950s Earth. It lands in Washington, DC, on the Mall. The lone occupant steps out and is shot by a jumpy soldier. Gort, a large and very powerful robot appears to save him and is able to melt tanks with the slightest bit of his power. The wounded alien orders Gort to stop his rampage and is taken to a hospital from which he escapes in order to learn more about this planet, even moving in as a boarder with an Earth family. When they begin to suspect him, he reveals himself, along with the news that Gort is a member of a race of super-robot enforcers invented to keep the peace of the galaxy that will destroy the Earth if provoked. Still the best scifi movie ever. The remake is dreadful, like a perfect wedding cake that someone added a fresh turd to. Defintely miss the remake. | |
| A Day at the Races (1937) Doctor Hugo Hackenbush, Tony, and Stuffy try and save Judy's farm by winning a big race with her horse. There are a few problems. Hackenbush runs a high priced clinic for the wealthy who don't know he has his degree in Veterinary Medicine. The boys at their zany best. | |
| Days of Wine and Roses (1962) Joe Clay is a top-notch public relations man. Anything a client wants Joe can arrange for them, whether it be dancing girls or an article in a prominent magazine. Part of the job however is drinking and Joe's ability to consume alcohol seems boundless. When he meets the very pretty Kirsten Arnasen, she prefers chocolate to alcohol but Joe has a solution to that in the form of a Brandy Alexander (made up of brandy and creme de cocoa). They eventually marry but their love is insufficient to prevent them from the downward spiral that alcohol brings to them. They try desperately to break the habit but continually relapse until only one of them manages to break free. | |
| Dead Man (1995) This is the story of a young man's journey, both physically and spiritually, into very unfamiliar terrain. William Blake travels to the extreme western frontiers of America sometime in the 2nd half of the 19th century. Lost and badly wounded, he encounters a very odd, outcast Native American, named "Nobody," who believes Blake is actually the dead English poet of the same name. The story, with Nobody's help, leads William Blake through situations that are in turn comical and violent. Contrary to his nature, circumstances transform Blake into a hunted outlaw, a killer, and a man whose physical existence is slowly slipping away. Thrown into a world that is cruel and chaotic, his eyes are opened to the fragility that defines the realm of the living. It is as though he passes through the surface of a mirror, and emerges into a previously-unknown world that exists on the other side. While living in San Francisco I would frequently go to movies with a friend. On week we went to see The Rock. We arrived late and had to set in the front row. Not my favorite spot. The next week I picked the movie, Dead Man. She hated it. The next time we saw a movie again it was in San Diego. Parts were filmed near my home in Washington. The movie begins on a train. There is no dialog for the first 14 minutes, but you feel the grittiness of the car change as it crosses the country. This is a best film. Many critics didn't get it, though. | |
| Dear Bridgitte (1965) Professor Leaf, an absent-minded poet with a prejudice against the sciences, is forced to face the fact that his son is a math prodigy with little artistic talent of his own. | |
| Death Becomes Her (1992) Helen, a writer, and Madeline, an actress, have hated each other for years. Madeline is married to Ernest, who was once Helen's fiance. After she recovers from a mental breakdown, Helen vows revenge by stealing back Ernest and plotting to kill Madeline. Both rivals have secretly drunk a miracle cure for aging; they accidentally discover, when each tries to eliminate the other, that they have become immortal and that "life" will never be the same again. Excellent performance by Bruce Willis in a very different role. | |
| Death Takes a Holiday (1934) Death decides to take a holiday from his usual business to see what it is like to be a mortal. Posing as Prince Sirki, he spends 3 days with Duke Lambert and his guests at his dukal estate. Several of the women are attracted to the mysterious prince, but shy away from him when they sense his true nature. But Grazia, the beautiful young woman whom the Duke thought was to marry his son, loves him even when she knows who he is. | |
| Deathtrap (1982) To make Sidney's slump all the more painful, Clifford Anderson, a student of one of Sidney's writing seminars, has recently sent his mentor a copy of his first attempt at playwrighting for Sidney's review and advice. The play, "Deathtrap," is a five character, two act thriller so perfect in its construction that, as Sidney says, "A gifted director couldn't even hurt it." Using his penchant for plot, and out of his desperate desire to once again be the toast of Broadway, Sidney, along with Myra, cook up an almost unthinkable scheme: They'll lure the would-be playwright to the Bruhl home, kill him, and market the sure-fire script as Sidney's own. But shortly after Clifford arrives, it's clear that things are not what they seem! Indeed, even Helga Ten Dorp, a nosey psychic from next door, and Porter Milgram, Sidney's observant attorney, can only speculate where the line between truth and deception lies. The final scene in the film was shot on the actual set of the Broadway production at the Music Box Theatre of 'Deathtrap' which was running at the time the movie was made. According to director Sidney Lumet, "A melodrama like 'Deathtrap' requires a different set of movie muscles. You shoot, write, act and edit for story. The object is to have fun and, if you take yourself seriously, you're dead. The line between good mystery and good comedy is very thin, a knife edge. Both take delicate timing. And when an audience is really scared, their natural reaction is to laugh." | |
| Death at a Funeral (2007) Daniel is a decent young man, married to Jane, still living at his father's home. When his father dies, it is up to him to organize his funeral. On this painful morning, the suitable grave expression on his face, Daniel is ready to welcome his father's friends and relatives. But preserving the dignity inherent in such circumstances will be a hard task. Particularly with an undertaker who botches his work, the return from the USA of his famous but selfish brother, his cousin's fiancé who has accidentally ingested drugs, the presence a moron who takes advantage of the sad event to win back the heart (or rather the body) of a woman who is about to marry another, of a handicapped old uncle who is also the most unbearable pain in the neck. To cap it all, Daniel notices the presence among the mourners of a mysterious dwarf nobody else seems to know. Charming well acted comedy. Enjoy. | |
| Debbie Does Dallas (1978) This all-time best-seller among adult movies is about Debbie (Bambi Woods) whose talents have earned her a coveted place as a professional football cheerleader for the Dallas Cowboys. However Debbie and her friends on the cheerleading squad are faced with a problem. She doesn't have any money to make it to Dallas. She and her girl friends try to figure out ways to make a little extra cash... on the side! One of them works in a library, another in a candle shop, and Debbie herself works in a clothing store for Mr. Greenfield (R. Bolla). While doing their odd jobs they realize that they can make more money by doing sexual favours for their bosses. Debbie makes enough money when "Mr. Greenfield scores a field goal and Debbie makes a touchdown." The early 70s had lots of T&A movies. As the X-rated movies gained traction, Debbie was an attempt to provide a storyline to a movie. Even though this is far from being a great movie, it is worth seeing to get a feel for what the director hope to achieve. If you have the DVD, there are two versions one is softporn the other hardcore. There are several good interviews and director comments. According to the documentary "Debbie Does Dallas Uncovered", this film is one of the top-five highest grossing pornography titles in history. An interesting debate would be to try to define what a "good" porn movie is. | |
| Deconstructing Harry (1997) Harry Block is a well-regarded novelist whose tendency to thinly-veil his own experiences in his work, as well as his un-apologetic attitude and his proclivity for pills and whores, has left him with three ex-wives that hate him. As he is about to be honored for his writing by the college that expelled him, he faces writer's block and the impending marriage of his latest flame to a writer friend. As scenes from his stories and novels pass and interact with him, Harry faces the people whose lives he has affected - wives, lovers, his son, his sister. | |
| Deep Impact (1998) Journalist Jenny Lerner is assigned to look into the background of Secretary Alan Rittenhouse who abruptly resigned from government citing his wife's ill health. She learns from his secretary that Rittenhouse was having an affair with someone named Ellie but when she confronts him, his strange reaction leads her to reconsider her story. In fact, a meteor, discovered the previous year by high school student Leo Biederman and astronomer Dr. Marcus Wolf, is on a collision course with the Earth, an Extinction Level Event. A joint US-Russian team is sent to destroy the meteor but should it fail, special measures are to be put in place to secure the future of mankind. As the space mission progresses, many individuals deal with their fears and ponder their future. Well made SciFi film but not well received by audiences. Much better science than competing film Armaggedon. The public prefers action over thought. | |
| Defending Your Life (1991) Yuppie Daniel Miller is killed in a car accident and goes to Judgment City, a waiting room for the afterlife. During the day, he must prove in a courtroom-style process that he successfully overcame his fears (a hard task, given the pitiful life we are shown); at night, he falls in love with Julia, the only other young person in town. Nights are a time of hedonistic pleasure, since you can (for instance) eat all you want without getting fat. Charming look at a possible end of life senario. | |
| Delirious (2001) Jack is the head writer for a successful soap opera, and he's sweet on the show's star, lovely Laura. It's easy for everyone but Jack to see that she's playing him for a sap. But a conk on the head brings Jack some new insights - and some new powers. He finds himself in Ashford Falls, site of his fictional soap opera -- and everything he writes comes true! It's a fantastic opportunity to get Rachel, Laura's character, to fall in love with him. But life isn't easy even in the fictional world, and even when you're the author! Entertaining but not great. | |
| Deliverance (1972) The Cahulawassee River valley in Northern Georgia is one of the last natural pristine areas of the state, which will soon change with the imminent building of a dam on the river, which in turn will flood much of the surrounding land. As such, four Atlanta city slickers - alpha male Lewis Medlock, generally even-keeled Ed Gentry, slightly condescending Bobby Trippe, and wide-eyed Drew Ballinger - decide to take a multi-day canoe trip on the river, with only Lewis and Ed having experience in outdoor life. They know going in that the area is ethno-culturally homogeneous and isolated, but don't understand the full extent of such until they arrive and see what they believe is the result of generations of inbreeding. Their relatively peaceful trip takes a turn for the worse when half way through they encounter a couple of hillbilly moonshiners. That encounter not only makes the four battle their way out of the valley intact and alive, but threatens the relationships of the four as they do and are asked to do things they never thought possible within themselves. | |
| Demolition Man (1993) Los Angeles in the year 1996. The streets are ruled by acts of violence and terror, nothing and nobody is safe. Simon Phoenix is one of the worst criminals that Los Angeles has ever seen, and only one man can stop him - L.A.P.D. officer John "Demotion Man" Spartan. When John apprehended Phoenix, he was surprisingly found as an accessory to the recent crime and was also sent to the "Cryo Prison". During John Spartan's sentence, Los Angeles' theme and society had dramatically changed from one of violence to one of peace. Phoenix, revived for a parole hearing managed to escape and uses Los Angles to his advantage. The Police are unable to stop him with their non-violent solutions and have no choice but to let out John Spartan to stop him. Now, Spartan not only has to stop Phoenix, but to adapt himself to the future society he has no knowledge about. IMDB.COM lists this as an action, crime, sci-fi genre. I found it better to watch as a comedy. Wesley Snipes's kicks and punches sometimes look lurchy and awkward. Snipes is a black belt in real life, and his kicks and punches were so fast that they blurred on camera. Hence the producers asked him to slow them down. Lenina Huxley tells John Spartan about the Arnold Schwarzenegger Presidential Library, explaining that, based on the sheer popularity of his movies, a Constitutional amendment was passed in order for Schwarzenegger to run for president, which, according to Huxley, he did. In 2003, ten years after this film's release, Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected governor of California and shortly after his election, three senators separately proposed amendments to the US Constitution to allow naturalized citizens to become president. | |
| Dennis the Menace (1993) Dennis, everyone's favorite kid from the comics is back. When his parents have to go out of town, he stays with Mr and Mrs Wilson. The little menace is driving Mr Wilson crazy. But Dennis is just trying to be helpful. Even to the thief he bumps into. | |
| Desk Set (1957) The mysterious man hanging about at the research department of a big TV network proves to be engineer Richard Sumner, who's been ordered to keep his real purpose secret: computerizing the office. Department head Bunny Watson, who knows everything, needs no computer to unmask Richard. The resulting battle of wits and witty dialogue pits Bunny's fear of losing her job against her dawning attraction to Richard. | |
| Destination Moon (1950) After their their latest rocket fails, Dr. Charles Cargraves and retired General Thayer have to start over again. this time, Gen. Thayer approaches Jim Barnes, the head of his own aviation construction firms to help build a rocket that will take them to the moon. Together they gather the captains of industry and all pledge to support the goals of having the united States be the first to put a man on the moon. They build their rocket and successfully leave the Earth's gravitational pull and make the landing as scheduled. Barnes has miscalculated their fuel consumption however and after stripping the ship bare, they are still 100 lbs too heavy meaning that one of them will have to stay behind. I was seven when I saw this movie and became a reader of science fiction because of it. Based on a Robert A. Heinlein short story. The Woody Woodpecker cartoon used in the movie was updated and then used by NASA to explain space travel to the public. | |
| Destry Rides Again (1939) Kent, the unscrupulous boss of Bottleneck has Sheriff Keogh killed when he asks one too many questions about a rigged poker game that gives Kent a stranglehold over the local cattle rangers. The mayor, who is in cahoots with Kent appoints the town drunk, Washington Dimsdale, as the new sheriff assuming that he'll be easy to control. But what the mayor doesn't know is that Dimsdale was a deputy under famous lawman, Tom Destry, and is able to call upon the equally formidable Tom Destry Jr to be his deputy. Featuring a career reviving performance from Marlene Dietrich as bar singer Frenchie, which could well have been the inspiration for Madeline Kahn's "Blazing Saddles" character, Lili Von Schtupp. James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich had an affair with lasted for the duration of filming. She later claimed that she had to have an abortion after Stewart made her pregnant. According to her grandson Peter Riva interviewed for the Icons Radio Hour, Marlene Dietrich's fight scene was unchoreographed. She and Una Merkel agreed to do it impromptu with the only rule being no closed fists. They used feet, pulled hair, and Marlene had bruises for weeks afterwards. but the director got everything in one take. In the original script, there was a scene in the movie showing Marlene Dietrech putting her winnings from a wild night of gambling below her dress neckline. The censors initially approved her comment. Patting her chest, she exclaims, "There's gold in them thar hills." After the preview audience roared at the line, the censors ordered it removed. | |
| The Devil's Advocate (1997) Devil's Advocate thematically raises the preposition that 'winning is everything' in the legal profession.Does a lawyer commits the basic sin of Vanity if he believes his job is to win, as Kevin does. Further the movie in John Milton's trenchant speech questions the very notion of righteousness in the post-modern world. Milton's speech rips apart the whole discourse of religion when he presents the inherent contradiction of it. Kevin's dilemma reflects the modern man who accuses the circumstances for being what he is,the culture dominated by making money 'which build egos of the size of cathedral', the question is can one really call what one does 'freely-willed'?. The movie deals with these 'Hamltian questions' in a lawyer's mind. Inspite of Keanu Reeves, this is a great film. The rest of the cast drag him a long the story as just another inept prop. | |
| The Devil in Miss Jones (1973) Miss Jones, a lonely, depressed spinster, commits suicide. Although she's led an exemplary life, suicide damns her. When she learns this at a way-station en route to Hell, she wishes she'd lived a more sinful life; she asks to return to earth briefly to pursue one of the seven deadly sins, lust. The clerk grants this wish, and she's first assigned a teacher who tells her to focus on pleasure even as he dispenses pain. After time with him, Miss Jones seeks pleasure with another woman, with a couple, with two men, with a stream of water from a bathtub hose, and with a bowl of fruit. When these adventures end, eternal punishment mocks her brief experiments with lust. I know this is a classic poron film made in the era of T&A movies. However, with such a small amount of effort it could have been an outstanding horror film, complete with gratuitous sex. | |
| The Devil Wears Prada (2006) In New York, the simple and naive just-graduated in journalism Andrea Sachs is hired to work as the second assistant of the powerful and sophisticated Miranda Priestly, the ruthless and merciless executive of the Runway fashion magazine. Andrea dreams to become a journalist and faces the opportunity as a temporary professional challenge. The first assistant Emily advises Andrea about the behavior and preferences of their cruel boss, and the stylist Nigel helps Andrea to dress more adequately for the environment. Andrea changes her attitude and behavior, affecting her private life and the relationship with her boyfriend Nate, her family and friends. In the end, Andrea learns that life is made of choices. | |
| Devine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002) Playwright Siddalee Walker, on the verge of opening a new play, gives a magazine interview in which she discusses her unhappy childhood. Her mother is furious and cuts her off. Her mother's friends, who formed a secret society, the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, as children, kidnap Siddalee from her New York apartment and take her home to Louisiana, where they explain why her mother mistreated her with help from the secret Ya-Ya scrapbook (and copious flashbacks). | |
| Dick (1999) Comedy about two high school girls who wander off during a class trip to the White House and meet President Richard Nixon. They become the official dog walkers for Nixon's dog Checkers, and become his secret advisors during the Watergate scandal. Learn what happened to those erased 18.5 minutes from Nixon's secret tapes. | |
| Dick Tracy (1990) Based off of a comic book created by Chester Ghould. Dick Tracy is one of the toughest and the best police officer for the city. He is currently on the hunt for the biggest crime boss named Big Boy Caprice who recently killed off the former crime boss Lips Manless. Now Big Boy is rallying up all of the criminals in the city who are not only trying to make the city bow to Big Boy's wishes but to eliminate Tracy their only huge competition. However Tracy is facing with a whole lot of issues, as he is trying to not only track down Big Boy, but to keep his girlfriend Tess Trueheart, take care of a nameless orphan and dodge a seductive club dancer Breathless Mahoney and a mysterious gangster named "The Blank". Can Tracy overcome these obstacles and save the city? The main colors in the film are the six that the original comic strip appeared in: red, blue, yellow, green, orange, purple, plus black and white. One of the hardest characters for the make-up artists to create was "Littleface" Finney, one of the hoodlums killed in the garage shootout at the beginning of the film. The character, as created in the comics, has a normal sized head with a face no bigger the average adult nose. In order to create this effect, a child was cast as Finney and then fitted into an over-sized body and made-up head as shown by behind the scenes photos. His voice is overdubbed in the film and cut-away shots where you only see his back were done with an adult actor. When Dick Tracy jumps off the building and slides down a pole watch carefully because when he lands on the pole he smacks the hell out of his face, it looks pretty bad. | |
| Dirty Dancing (1987) In 1963, Frances "Baby" Houseman, a sweet daddy's girl, goes with her family to a resort in upstate New York's Catskill Mountains. Baby has grown up in privileged surroundings and all expect her to go on to college, join the Peace Corps and save the world before marrying a doctor, just like her father. Unexpectedly, Baby becomes infatuated with the camp's dance instructor, Johnny Castle, a man whose background is vastly different from her own. Baby lies to her father to get money to pay for an illegal abortion for Johnny's dance partner. She then fills in as Johnny's dance partner and it is as he is teaching her the dance routine that they fall in love. It all comes apart when Johnny's friend falls seriously ill after her abortion and Baby gets her father, who saves the girl's life. He then learns what Baby has been up to, who with and worse - that he funded the illegal abortion. He bans his daughter from any further association with "those people". In the first deliberately willful action of her life, Baby later sneaks out to see Johnny - ostensibly to apologize for her father's rudeness - and ends up consummating her relationship with Johnny. A jealous fellow vacationer sees Baby sneaking out of Johnny's bungalow the next morning, and in an act of retribution, tells management that he is responsible for a theft the evening before, knowing he would not furnish his real whereabouts. | |
| Dirty Dozen (1987) US army Major John Reisman, based in London, is an inventive man who often thinks outside the box which causes many problems in the structured military. But it is because of this mentality that in March 1944, he is assigned, or as his superiors put it volunteers for a near suicide mission. Prior to the Allied forces invading continental Europe, he and his team, who he will train personally with Sergeant Bowren as his second in command, will infiltrate a highly fortified and guarded French château being used by the Nazis as respite house and meeting place primarily for high ranking German officers, kill as many of the officers as possible and take out the communications tower. His squad will consist of twelve of the most heavily sentenced GI convicts, many whose sentence is death. Reisman, who doesn't like the assignment because of the involvement of the convicts, adds one caveat to doing this job: that the convicts have their sentences commuted if they survive. Reisman quickly learns that besides a resentment to authority, the twelve convicts are a disparate group, each with their own button issues and motivations. Reisman not only has to get them to cooperate, but work as a team, which includes having a zero tolerance policy for the group as a whole on issues such as escape attempts while under his command. Even if he can achieve these goals, Reisman also faces the obstacle of Colonel Everett Breed, who is the antithesis of Reisman and who will be at the parachute training base at the same time as Reisman's squad, for which Breed has disdain. The Dirty Dozen author E.M. Nathanson may have gotten the idea for the title (if not the plot) of his best-selling novel from a real-life group of World War II 101st Airborne Division paratroopers nicknamed "The Filthy Thirteen." These men, demolitionists in Headquarters Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st, supposedly earned their nickname by not bathing or shaving for a long period of time during training prior to the Normandy invasion. Members of The Filthy Thirteen can be seen in famous vintage film footage and still photos, their faces painted with Indian "war paint," before boarding their planes for the D-Day jump. Production on the film ran for so long that Jim Brown was in danger of missing training camp for the up-coming 1967-68 football season. As training camp and the NFL season approached, the NFL threatened to fine and suspend Brown if he did not leave filming and report to camp immediately. Not one to take threats, Brown simply held a press conference to announce his retirement from football. At the time of his retirement, Brown was considered to be one of the best in the game and even today is considered to be one of the NFL's all-time greats. | |
| Disorganized Crime (1989) Several top thieves are planning to rob a bank. The All-Star cast makes many blunders along the way. Meanwhile a member of their group is missing and two cops chase after him. Almost a good movie. It has some real funny moments. | |
| Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) Freddy Benson, a con(fidence) man, lives off women by waking their compassion with shocking stories about his fake fate. One day in beautiful Beaumont sur Mer, he meets Lawrence Jamieson, who shares the same passion, works the rich ladies with the same scheme, but in quite a different league. With the knowledge of his profession, Freddy forces Lawrence to teach him high-society behaviour, so that he himself can earn a major living. When time comes to say goodbye, Freddy decides to stay a little longer. As there is no way two con men can work a town that small at the same time, Lawrence and Freddy agree on a settlement: The first one to extract $50.000 from a young female target wins, the other leaves town. The sum is no match for Lawrence, the age of the lady no match for Freddy. Let the games begin! The scene where Steve Martin is posing with the bikini-clad women on the beach was shot twice. For the American release, the women all had their bikini tops on. For the European release, director Frank Oz filmed the same scene with the women topless. Oz states in the DVD commentary that when he commanded the women to remove their tops, he felt like the most powerful man in the world. | |
| Doctor Zhivago (1965) Lara inspires lechery in Komarovsky (her mother's lover who is a master at surviving whoever runs Russia) and can't compete with passion for the revolution of the man she marries, Pasha. Her true love is Zhivago who also loves his wife. Lara is the one who inspires poetry. The story is narrated by Zhivago's half brother Yevgraf, who has made his career in the Soviet Army. At the beginning of the film he is about to meet a young woman he believes may be the long lost daughter of Lara and Zhivago. Awesome film. The one thing I don't understand is all the women I know strongly identify with Lara--the other woman. I would think they would side with the wife, but then what do I know about women. | |
| Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004) White Goodman is the owner and founder of Globo Gym, and would love nothing more than owning Average Joe's Gymnasium. Peter LaFleur doesn't want to lose his gym to Goodman, but can't find a way to get $50,000 in time. Peter and his gang of gym buddies think of ways to raise money, finally settling on winning a dodgeball tournament. White Goodman retaliates by creating his own dodgeball team to finish off Peter. Peter's team doesn't do too well, until legendary ADAA champ Patches O'Houlihan turns up ready to train them. Like Balls of Fury this is supposed to be a satirical look at underdog sports movies. It fails. But has some good stars and some good moments. | |
| Dog Day Afternoon (1975) Based upon a real-life story that happened in the early seventies in which the Chase Manhattan Bank in Flatbush, Brooklyn, was held siege by a gay bank robber determined to steal enough money for his male lover to undergo a sex change operation. On a hot summer afternoon, the First Savings Bank of Brooklyn is held up by Sonny and Sal, two down-and-out characters. Although the bank manager and female tellers agree not to interfere with the robbery, Sonny finds that there's actually nothing much to steal, as most of the cash has been picked up for the day. Sonny then gets an unexpected phone call from Police Captain Moretti, who tells him the place is surrounded by the city's entire police force. Having few options under the circumstances, Sonny nervously bargains with Moretti, demanding safe escort to the airport and a plane out of the country in return for the bank employees' safety. Awesome story. Awesome acting. | |
| Do the Right Thing (1989) It's the hottest day of the year in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, and tensions are growing there, with the only local businesses being a Korean grocery and Sal's Pizzeria. Mookie, Sal's delivery boy, manages to always be at the center of the action. | |
| Doctor Detroit (1983) Clifford Skridlow teaches at a small Chicago college run by his father. Conned into managing four prostitutes by their pimp, who skips town to escape the mob boss known as Mom, Clifford draws on his course in medieval literature in his quest to save the women from Mom. He is making the world safe for insanity. | |
| Don Juan DeMarco (1994) Dr Jack Mickler, a psychiatrist, is only 10 days away from his retirement. A week before he is due to leave, he encounters a young man who attempts suicide- would be a pretty straightforward case except the young man claims to be Don Juan, the fabled Spanish nobleman and world renowned seducer/lover of woman. Despite original hostility from his coworkers Jack manages to persuade his associates to put the boy in his care for 10 days after which the boy will undergo an evaluation to be either released from psychiatric care or sent to a mental institution. However, as the 10 days progresses Dr Mickler and the other staff become gradually drawn into to the young man's exotic world of love, passion and pleasure as he recounts his story to them. Whilst doing so the man's philosophies and zeal for life and love begins to revive Dr MIckler's somewhat passionless relationship with his wife. | |
| Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986) Beverly Hills couple Barbara and Dave Whiteman are very rich but not happy Dave is a hard working business man, his wife is only interested in yoga, aerobics and other meditation classes, and he sleeps with the house maid. Their teenage son is confused about his sexuality and their daughter is suffering from eating disorders. While they are celebrating thanksgiving having plenty of food, street tramp Jerry is hungry, homeless, sleeping rough and has lost his dog. Jerry decides to end his life by drowning himself in their swimming pool. Dave rescues him and invites him to stay for a while. How does this stranger change the life style of this family? | |
| Draw! (1984) In the final days of the Old West, a former desperado faces down a now drunken ex-sheriff, who was his long time nemesis.Funny look at an ageing gun fighter who just wants to collect his bet and ride out of town. Sorry no video available as of 12-18-2012. | |
| Dr. Doolittle (1967) Doctor Dolittle is a world-renowned veterinarian who speaks a wide array of animal languages. He sets off from his home in Puddleby-on-the-Marsh, England, in search of the Great Pink Sea Snail. In so doing, he and his friends meet such exotic creatures as the Pushme-Pullyu and the Giant Moon Moth. This musical is the source of the hit song, "If I Could Talk To The Animals." The movie set was no picnic: One of the fawns snacked on a quart of paint during a scene break and had to have her stomach pumped. Gub-Gub the Pig had to be replaced several times during filming since piglets grow so fast. Squirrels ate through several key pieces of scenery, costing the crew thousands of dollars in repairs. In the scene where Rex Harrison is singing in the field of sheep, he had to be sprayed down repeatedly for flies. Worse, the sheep urinated on him as well, forcing multiple retakes. One of the goats broke loose during a scene, got ahold of the director's script and ate it. The first several weeks of filming in Castle Combe were disrupted by torrential downpours, after the producers had ignored detailed climate reports warning about the area's weather patterns - and a homemade bomb, set by a disgruntled member of the town the crew was filming in. "The Reluctant Vegetarian" number proved to be one of the hardest to film, mainly because of the number of animals that had to sit still for a lengthy period. Hours of rehearsal and preparation went into it before filming actually started. During the first take, it looked like they might actually get it done without any additional shooting but then Rex Harrison stopped singing. Director Richard Fleischer asked him why he stopped, and Harrison said he heard him yell "Cut!" Fleischer denied this, and just as they were starting to argue about it, both of them heard a voice yell "Cut!" The guilty party turned out to be Polynesia the Parrot, who obviously had heard Fleischer yell this word many times during the production. Harrison took this in good humor, saying, "That's the first time I've ever been directed by a parrot. But she may be right. I probably can do it better." | |
| Dr. Strangelove (1964) U.S. Air Force General Jack Ripper goes completely and utterly mad, and sends his bomber wing to destroy the U.S.S.R. He suspects that the communists are conspiring to pollute the "precious bodily fluids" of the American people. The U.S. president meets with his advisors, where the Soviet ambassador tells him that if the U.S.S.R. is hit by nuclear weapons, it will trigger a "Doomsday Machine" which will destroy all plant and animal life on Earth. Peter Sellers portrays the three men who might avert this tragedy: British Group Captain Lionel Mandrake, the only person with access to the demented Gen. Ripper; U.S. President Merkin Muffley, whose best attempts to divert disaster depend on placating a drunken Soviet Premier and the former Nazi genius Dr. Strangelove, who concludes that "such a device would not be a practical deterrent for reasons which at this moment must be all too obvious". Will the bombers be stopped in time, or will General Jack Ripper succeed in destroying the world ? Great movie but parts of it are overworked. Peter Sellers was to have played the Major "King" Kong role also, but he got into a snit with Kubrick. Sellers showed up on the set with a fake cast on his arm. Kubrick recuited Slim Pickens. Pickens was not told that they were making a satire. He played the part straight. | |
| Dr. T and the Women (2000) Dr. Sullivan Travis "Dr. T." is a wealthy Dallas gynecologist for some of the wealthiest women in Texas who finds his idealist life beginning to fall apart starting when his wife, Kate, suffers a nervous breakdown and is commited to the state mental hospital. Dr. T's eldest daughter, Dee Dee, is planing to go through with her approaching wedding despite the secret that she is a lesbian and romantically involved with Marilyn, the maid of honor. Dr T's youngest daughter, Connie, is a conspiracy theorist freak who has her own agenda to everything, while Dr. T's loyal secretary, Carolyn, has romantic feelings for him, which are not mutual. Dr. T's sister-in-law, Peggy, meddles in every situation she stumbles into, while one woman, Bree, a golf instructor, is the only one who offers him any comfort and salvation. This movie was panned by the critics, but I find it to be very funny. | |
| Dracula (1931) After a harrowing ride through the Carpathian mountains in eastern Europe, Renfield enters castle Dracula to finalize the transferral of Carfax Abbey in London to Count Dracula, who is in actuality a vampire. Renfield is drugged by the eerily hypnotic count, and turned into one of his thralls, protecting him during his sea voyage to London. After sucking the blood and turning the young Lucy Weston into a vampire, Dracula turns his attention to her friend Mina Seward, daughter of Dr. Seward who then calls in a specialist, Dr. Van Helsing, to diagnose the sudden deterioration of Mina's health. Van Helsing, realizing that Dracula is indeed a vampire, tries to prepare Mina's fiance, John Harker, and Dr. Seward for what is to come and the measures that will have to be taken to prevent Mina from becoming one of the undead. Great movie, great performance. If you get the DVD, make sure to see the alternate versions, including the Spanish one. | |
| Dracula (1992) This version of Dracula is closely based on Bram Stoker's classic novel of the same name. A young lawyer (Jonathan Harker) is assigned to a gloomy village in the mists of eastern Europe. He is captured and imprisoned by the undead vampire Dracula, who travels to London, inspired by a photograph of Harker's betrothed, Mina Murray. In Britain, Dracula begins a reign of seduction and terror, draining the life from Mina's closest friend, Lucy Westenra. Lucy's friends gather together to try to drive Dracula away. Director Francis Ford Coppola was insistent that he didn't want to use any kind of elaborate special effects or computer trickery when making the movie. He initially hired a standard visual effects team, but they told him that the things he wanted to achieve were impossible without using modern digital technology. Coppola disagreed and fired them, replacing them with his 29 year old son Roman Coppola, who set about achieving some of the effects by using old-school cinematic trickery. A thorough exploration of these effects can be found on the 2007 Special Edition DVD in the In Camera: The Naïve Visual Effects of 'Bram Stoker's Dracula' featurette and in the 'Heart of Darkness' article from Cinefax magazine (also found on the DVD), but some of the most interesting examples include: - When sitting in the train on his way to Transylvania, Jonathan Harker is looking at a map which appears superimposed on his face. This was a live effect achieved simply by projecting the image of the map onto actor Keanu Reeves' face on set. - In the same scene, outside the window, Dracula's eyes mysteriously appear in the sky, watching Harker as he travels. This was achieved by combining three separate shots. First, the shot of Gary Oldman's eyes was done with him wearing special makeup so that only his eyes would be visible when the image was projected onto the sky backdrop. The next shot involved the projection of the eyes onto the backdrop of the Carpathian Mountain set, making it appear as if two eyes are appearing in the sky. Then, a shot was taken of Keanu Reeves sitting in the train with the combined background/eye shot rear-projected through the window. - Another shot in this sequence involves a close up of Harker's journal with the train appearing to travel along the top of the book, blowing smoke across the pages. This was a forced perspective shot using a huge book and a tiny miniature train model. - After arriving in Translyvania, Harker is met by Dracula's carriage and the driver seems to magically reach out and lift Harker into the carriage. This shot was achieved by having the rider sitting on a camera crane which reached out and brought him towards Keanu Reeves. At the same time, the camera was moved to the right, so it appeared as if the rider's hand wasn't actually stretching, but was simply defying physics. For the lift, Reeves himself was also standing on a fake floor, which was in fact a movable rostrum which raised him up into the carriage. - As the carriage approaches the castle, there is a shot of the castle in the background as the carriage speeds along a narrow driveway. This was achieved by painting the image of the castle onto a piece of glass, and then positioning the glass in front of the camera whilst the scene of the carriage was shot on the sound stage. - The scene when Harker is shaving and Dracula approaches him from behind without a reflection in the mirror was shot by a classic technique as old as cinema itself. The actor with his back to the camera is actually Keanu Reeves double, not Reeves himself, and the 'mirror' is simply a hole in the wall, with the real Keanu Reeves standing on the other side in a portion of the set - hence when the hand touches the shoulder of the double there is no reflection to be seen because there is literally no mirror. - When Harker is exploring the castle, there is a shot of some rats walking on the ceiling upside-down whilst Keanu Reeves descends a staircase right-way-up. This was achieved by using a double exposure. First, the shot of the rats was done with the camera upside-down. Then the film was rewound and a matte box was placed in front of the lens so as to ensure only the correct portion of the image would be exposed. The camera was then turned right way up and the scene of Harker going down the stairs was shot. Due to the matte box, it appears as if the beam with the rats is above Reeves, and because it was shot upside-down, the rats appear to be defying gravity. - The first scenes in London after Dracula's arrival were shot with a real Pathé camera that was being hand cranked. It was also shot on a special Kodak stock to enhance the grain. There were no post-production effects added for this scene. - The scene when Dracula seems to magically catch Mina's bottle was shot by simply having two men and two bottles. On set Winona Ryder drops the bottle and Gary Oldman scoops down and catches it. The camera then pans up to reveal he is already holding it out to Mina seemingly without having raised his hand. In reality, the hand holding the bottle out is a double standing just behind Oldman, wearing identical gloves, and holding a completely different bottle. - For the scenes involving Dracula's POV, Francis Ford Coppola wanted to achieve something unusual, and it was ultimately decided to try to create something of staccato effect. These shots were created using an old piece of equipment rarely used today called an intervalometer. When shooting at 24fps, an intervalometer trims the end of certain frames, and prevents the exposure of certain frames here and there, creating the 'jumpy' effect seen in the scene. Again, this was all accomplished in-camera, no post-production effects were added to the scenes. | |
| Dragnet (1987) Friday and Streebek are assigned to some very strange robberies, like i.e. the stealing of one bat, a 30 feet long snake and the mane of a lion from a zoo. All the latest BAIT magazines were also recently stolen, and some chemicals that when are mixed correctly develops a very deadly gas. All these thefts have one thing in common; visit cards with the word "PAGAN" left at the crime scenes. Solving these crimes, including why plenty of police vehicles have been stolen lately, involves the usual; to drink coffee at strip tease bars, rescue kidnapped virgins from drowning and lose the job. Good spoof of the TV series of the same name, some of the scenes are too goofy to be believe, but still worth seeing. Dan Aykroyd's dead pan performance is awesome. | |
| The Dream Team (1989) Mike is a tad delusional. Harry believes he's a doctor. Jack is an ad executive who believes Jesus is speaking to him. Albert is an adult who occasionally wets himself. When they are taken to a ball game by Dr. Weitzman they witness a murder and Weitzman is attacked and hospitalized. The four crazies find that Weitzman will be murdered as a witness and no one believes four mental patients. They have to both use and overcome their delusions in order to save the only decent doctor who is treating them, with both the police and the killers looking for them. | |
| Drowning Mona (2000) Mona Dearly, a spiteful, loud-mouthed, unpopular woman dies when the car she is driving plunges off a cliff and into a river near the small upstate New York town where she lives. Wyatt Rash, the local police chief, investivates and suspects foul play in Mona's death and tries to contain the whole town whom all are suspects including Wyatt's daughter Ellen, who is going to marry landscape artist Bobby Calzone whose business was suffering from his lazy business partner, Jeff, Mona's slow-witted son, as well as waitress Rona Mace, who was having an affair with Mona's husband. Not a great movie but still here because it is fun to watch. Stars are worth seeing. Fairly good murder mystery. | |
| The Drowning Pool (1975) Harper is brought to Louisiana bayou country to investigate an attempted blackmail scheme. He soon finds out that it involves an old flame of his and her hellion of a daughter. What is more, he finds himself caught in a power struggle between the matriarch of the family and a greedy oil baron, who wants her property. Poor Harper! Things are not as straight-forward as they initially appeared. On the set, Joanne Woodward told the then seventeen-year-old Melanie Griffith, who was playing her daughter, that she had three goals in life: Marry a movie star (Paul Newman), have beautiful babies (she had three), and win an Oscar (which she did in 1958). Melanie said that she adopted those goals for herself by marrying a movie star (Antonio Banderas), having beautiful babies (she also has three), but expressed frustration that she hasn't won an Oscar, even though she was nominated in 1989. | |
| Duck Soup (1933) To rescue the small country of Freedonia from bankruptcy, Mrs. Teasdale agrees to donate 20 million dollars if Rufus T. Firefly is appointed its new president. Firefly is a cynical, sarcastic dictator who refuses to play politics by the book. For instance, he does reduce workers' hours--by shortening their lunch breaks! Firefly attempts to win the hand of Mrs. Teasdale, as does Ambassador Trentino of the neighboring country, Sylvania. When the two leaders cannot resolve their dispute over the wealthy dowager, war between the countries is declared, and Mrs. Teasdale's house comes under attack. Who will save the day? Absolute Marx Brothers at their best. Hail Freedonia. | |
| Duplex (2003) Alex Rose and Nancy Kendricks are a young, professional, New York couple in search of their dream home. When they finally find the perfect Brooklyn brownstone they are giddy with anticipation. The duplex is a dream come true, complete with multiple fireplaces, except for one thing: Mrs. Connelly, the cranky old lady who lives on the rent-controlled top floor. Assuming she is elderly and ill, they take the apartment but their hopes are quickly dashed when they realize that Mrs. Connelly is an energetic senior who enjoys watching her television at top volume day in and day out and rehearsing in a brass band. A writer, Alex is attempting to finish his novel against a looming deadline. However, each day as he begins to write, he is interrupted by Mrs. Connelly's numerous demands and requests and what begins as a nuisance quickly escalates into an all-out war. When Nancy loses her job and the pair are trapped at home together with Mrs. Connelly, their rage turns to homicidal fantasy as they plot ways to get rid of their no-good neighbor. Good script and cast, but misses being a great film. It has trouble decideing if it is drama, comedy or horror. It is still worth watching. | |
| Dune (1984) It is a distant galaxy in the far future. It is the year 10191. Arrakis is a desert planet and the only source of Melange, a vital drug used by the Guild Navigators for space travel from star system to star system. Two rival families, the Atreides and the Harkonnens, fight for control of the mining operations of Melange on Arrakis. When his father Duke Leto Atreides is assassinated by the evil Baron Harkonnen, Duke Leto's son Paul and Paul's mother Lady Jessica flee deep into the desert and are befriend by the Fremen, natives of Arrakis. Because of the influence of Melange, Paul learns he has special powers and he can see into the future. Paul unites the Freman, forms an army of warriors and leads them into battle against Baron Harkonnen and the corrupt Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV, who is in league with the Harkonnens, vows to avenge his father and sets out to liberate Arrakis and its people from the Emperor's rule and fulfill his destiny. Okay movie made from a great book. It probably should have been a miniseries or at least two films. If you read the book, then you can follow the movie, if not, good luck. The number of production crew came to more that 1,700. Dune required 80 sets built upon 16 sound stages. More than 6 years in the making, it required David Lynch's work for three and a half years. Director David Lynch and producer Raffaella De Laurentiis arranged a screen test in New York with Sean Young for the role of Chani. Young's agent never told Young about the meeting, and she was in fact booked on a flight that evening to Los Angeles. Lynch and De Laurentiis missed their flight back to Los Angeles, and ended up catching the same plane as Young. During the flight, De Laurentiis noticed Young and told Lynch, "I bet that girl's an actress." A stewardess told the pair that her name was "Sean Young", and De Laurentiis confronted Young about standing him and Lynch up. The misunderstanding sorted out, the three ended up drinking champagne and reading the script together upon returning to Los Angeles. |