¡Three Amigos! (2011)

"The Three Amigos!" is good fun, a rare comedy that plays well with the whole family. Slapstick, wit, funny songs, sight gags, all tongue-in-cheek transcends generation.

The Plot?

Three actors get fired by their production company and try to make it on their own. Their first gig in Mexico turns out to be more than act. Much to their surprise, they were hired to protect a town from a thieving band of bad guys, lead by El Guapo, an unusual bandito with a strong vocabulary.

As great movie comedy goes, "The Three Amigos!" might be overlooked. It doesn't have the constant laughter that might be expected. Why? It has an intelligent plot.

While calling this a serious drama would be forgetting that Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short are the stars. Steve Martin, though, in the last 20 years, has veered away from total silliness, except when the humor is organic to the plot.

Of all the scenes I found funny, one with Martin Short hanging from a piñata, when El Guapo comments how the Three Amigos keep appearing, like they are falling from the sky. As expected, Short falls. Predicted, and still funny.

There are nuances of Monty Python in here, and some fantastic parody of silent films. Each of three stars purposefully overplays his role is makeup reminiscent of the great Buster Keaton. Overall, the balance between plot and humor, over-the-top and subdued humor works in grand fashion.

I fully recommend "The Three Amigos!"

Anthony Trendl

editor, HungarianBookstore.com

This is Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short in their comedic prime, playing recently fired silent movie actors forced to earn money by ridding a small Mexican village of its evil oppressor. They assume it is nothing more than a Public Appearance gig, but the enemy is quite real!

This movie is kinda goofy, kinda silly, and all funny. Each of the three comics gets his turn to shine in memorable gags, and there are too many of those gags to list here. Watch for a pre-"Saturday Night Live" Phil Hartman and John Lovitz in an early scene. Funniest bits: Short and Martin running out of water in the desert, Short telling his story of being "discovered" by Lillian Gish's sister, summoning the Invisible Swordsman, Chase trying not to blow his cover in front of the main villain and his henchmen, and Steve Martin's character learning that the supposedly "staged gunfight" is actually real.

Cost of DVD with shipping -[item price]

DVD player -$200.00

Microwave popcorn -85 cents

Laughing your [head] of watching "The Three Amigos" -PRICELESS!

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This is, without a doubt, one of the greatest movies ever made. Not only are the comedic situations hilarious, but a classic 'heros save the day' situation touches your heart while tickleing your funnybone. I could never understand why the critics all miss the joke while countless others share my absolute love of this cult classic. It ranks up there with the best of the Saturday Night Live alumni celluloid offerings.

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I love this movie, but this transfer is horrible. It was taken from a movie print instead of an original copy of the movie, so it's grainy, has serious stability issues, and is generally not pretty. Not only that, but it's letterboxed on the disc, so if you have a 16x9 television, you'll be watching the movie with black bars on all sides of the screen, with the actual picture only taking up 50% of your TV's screen.

It's a shame that after all of these years that this movie still hasn't been transfered to DVD or Blu-ray properly. It's terrible that such a classic film has to be represented so poorly.

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This movie is a real riot! The characters, dialogues and situations are simply laugh-out-loud funny.

I am not sure this movie is getting it's' due credit, but at $5 this is simple a steal. The replay value alone is worth so much more! Get it!

P.S. The actors metioned as the main cast in this specific product are not really the principals (those are, of course, Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short) although they do appear in the movie. I think Amazon was just trying to differentiate this dvd from the other one that is out of print but that still appears in the catalogue.

Still, Amazon should do something about this so as not to confuse people.

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The Mysteries of Pittsburgh (2007)

For those who find it difficult to appreciate the adaptation format of film making from a famous novel, THE MYSTERIES OF PITTSBURGH as now released on DVD should help explain the naysayers' opinions. In a very valuable session of conversations among Michael Chabon and Rawson Marshall Thurber (screenwriter and director) and the producer and cast, the transition of this complex novel into a very altered story is comfortably explained and the person most happy with the result seems to be the originator Michael Chabon!

That being said this film stands well on its own terms. June and July in hot Pittsburgh generate mysteries among a variety of people, especially the young college graduate Art Bechstein (Jon Foster) who while working in a bookstore wastes time with a fling with the supervisor Phlox (Mena Suvari) with disinterested post grad classes dealing with becoming a broker and having monthly dinners with his mobster father Joe Bechstein (Nick Nolte), until he encounters an odd couple: bisexual biker and thief Cleveland (Peter Sarsgaard) and his female consort, the violinist Jane Bellwether (Sienna Miller). The bizarre interactions among these characters drive Art to make many decisions and discoveries including his falling in love with both Cleveland and Jane. The summer winds down with Art finally discovering his own identity despite the clouds of mystery that have surrounded his life. It is a piece of life as lived by disparate characters whose direction in life seems at odds with the natural flow of finding happiness and success. But then the question is asked what is happiness and what is success if not survival?

For this viewer the explanation by the makers of this film was interesting enough to encourage a repeat watching of the movie. A good movie not a great movie, but it still tastes strongly of Michael Chabon's genius. It deserves more attention than the critics have given it.....Grady Harp, August 09

I'm sure this was a good novel, and I will read it. However, whoever brought it to the screen made it quite dull and slow. It's also hard to understand why anyone would ever want to be with Peter Saarsgard's obnoxious character at all.

That said, I was glad to see Jon Foster again, having enjoyed his work in The Door in the Floor. Saarsgard is as good as ever, and Sienna Miller was wonderful as the woman caught between these troubled men. Nick Nolte also makes a fine turn as the very unpleasant and controlling father.

Soundtrack recommended too.

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The beginning captivates the viewer and the movies has a decent story. Having said that, it's also worth mentioning that the storyline is hardly Michael Chabon's and why the changes were made (from the book) is unclear, however, as a stand-alone it seems to work (if you ignore that it's a novel adaptation and think of it as a standalone film). It's no the most engaging movie nor is it the worst movie ever. If you haven't read the book or don't mind watching the movie and can refrain from comparing it to the book, there's a good chance that you'll like it.

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In 2000, I saw a great movie, Wonder Boys, and immediately bought the book. When I finished the book, I picked up Michael Chabon's other two novels, The Mysteries of Pittsburg and Kavalier & Clay. Since reading Pittsburg in 2000, I have re-read it three times, most recently when I heard the movie was being made. Upon release, I read several reviews trashing this movie. In the movie, Art (Ben Foster) is a recent college grad trying to figure out what to do with his life when he meets Cleveland (Peter Sarsgaard) and Jane (Sienna Miller). The first 15 minutes are pretty annoying with Art delivering tons of exposition in voice overs. Eventually, the voice overs stop, (well, they stop until the end of the movie), and then I didn't hate it as much. The movie is well shot. I really liked the music. They use a great Ryan Adams song, The Rescue Blues. Sienna Miller is stunning and I've been a fan of Jon Foster ever since I saw him in Life As We Know It. The movie is fine, not good, just fine. If I hadn't read Chabon's first three books before seeing this movie, this would not have convinced me to check out the books. Buy Wonder Boys, unquestionably a better movie. It might motivate you to shut your TV off for a while, and read Pittsburgh, Wonder Boys, and/or Kavalier & Clay. This one won't. This flick is not as bad as everyone made it out to be, but not exactly good either. Mediocrity at best, worth a rental. . . a three star rental.

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When i first saw this movie the begging was somewhat slow for me but after getting into the middle it started unfolding and was pretty surprised. Thought this was a decently made film with kind of a sad ending.

If you're looking for a good film to watch with some turns in it then take this one out for a spin.

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Joe Somebody (2001)

Joe Somebody is a pretty good family movie. movie is about an average Joe played by Tim Allen who gets zero respect from his peers and work buddies. after 10 years with the same company, he wasn't given the promotion he wanted, and after getting beaten up and embarassed in front of his daughter and co-workers, he decides to take a stand, and get back what he lost in the parking lot.

i LOVE Belushi's character, Chuck Scarett. he's a former actor who had one good movie, and then his career tanked. he now teaches karate, and as he says, 90 percent of his business comes from people who got their butts kicked. i love the interaction between the Allen and Belushi character.

overall, solid and very enjoyable movie about your average Joe who wants to be somebody.

also includes some special features with a HILARIOUS deleted scene from Belushi's character.

good movie. good father's day present.

Tim Allen may not always pick the best films to star in (`Big Trouble', `Galaxy Quest', `Jungle 2 Jungle') but there is no denying that what he brings to the table helps bolster those films into a league they wouldn't inhabit on their own. In fact, typing the name of any Tim Allen film comes with a sharp mix of cringe and smile, since while none of his films are typically `good' films, they are all a lot of fun to watch. `Joe Somebody' is no exception. It is generic and predictable and sits nice and easy on the `family friendly' line, but it's respectably all of those things. It understands its audience and so it serves up what that audience requires, but it does so with the extra `something'; that something being Tim Allen. Allen plays the `everyman' with ease (a role he could take on in his sleep) and so he elevates the standard material by making it warm and inviting and `lived in'. Tim Allen may not be one of the best actors out there, but he's one of the most likable and so his participation in any film helps make it palatable. `Joe Somebody' will pull you and in and keep you engaged and will leave you with a smile.

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You know, sometimes you just want to watch a movie that doesn't tax your brain. "Joe Somebody" is a good romantic comedy that has a message I'm sure we can all agree on "Be Yourself"! The cast seems to be enjoying themselves and that carries over on to the viewer. I don't think Tim Allen has ever been more likable and the romantic chemistry between him and quirky cutie Julie Bowen is believable.

Jim Belushi is very amusing as a "has been" action hero star turned boozer Karate instructor, so the next time you wake up in one of those "I don't want to do anything moods" It might be time to watch "Joe Somebody" It just might have the inspirational fluff you need! lol! The DVD transfer is very good and is a worthy purchase. You can find this for under $5.00.

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JOE SOMEBODY has a pretty clear message: being "somebody" is mainly being yourself, and star Tim Allen does a good job in bringing this message home. He plays Joe, a nice corporate visual aid consultant, who gets slapped around by a bully employee in front of his impressionistic daughter. He decides to take lessons from a has been karate movie star, and challenges the bully to a rematch. It's all cutesy stuff, but it benefits from Allen's on target performance and a nice supporting cast including Julie Bowen, Hayden Patteniere, Patrick Warburton and Jim Belushi as the karate instructor. It's ending is not predictable and that is refreshing in movies of this type. Fans of Allen will love it; you'll like it too.

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I saw a sneak preveiw for Joe Somebody in the theatres and thought that it was very very bad.But since then I have been talking about the film and now I think it is pretty good and probally will by it.Tom Allen has been on a really good movie spree with this and Big Trouble.Joe Somebody is worth seeing.

The Plot:Tim Allen plays Joe who is a good natured guy who has been working in his buniness for the past 10 years.His wife divorced him and his daughter is with her mother and Joe doesn't see her all the time.On Take Your Daughter to Work Day a worker who has been working there for 2 years parks in the ten year parking lot played by Patrick Warberton.When the 2 year worker hits Joe in the parking lot Joe spends his week drowing out his sorrows.Joe begins to exercise and decides to have a rematch with him.The rest of the movie shows how he gets ready for the fight.Untill the big day comes...

Joe Somebody is a good family film that got bad reveiws and should have gotton better.This movie will definatly be in my DVD collection.

ENJOY!

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Money Train (1995)

Myself and my wife loved this movie! Woody Harrelson plays a down-on-his-luck gambler who falls foul of the local Mafia with his gambling debts. Wesley Snipes plays his brother, a New York Transit Authority cop, who guards the so-called Money Train, an armoured subway car which collects the takings from each station. When Woody's character gets a good beating for failing to keep up repayments, he feels the only way out is to rob the Money Train, with or without Wesley's help! And we are treated to a host of spectacular action sequences on the rails! Jennifer Lopez(BABE!) also features as a cop with whom both Woody and Wesley's characters try to have more that a friendship with as well! Overall, this movie is action-packed and funny, with enough stunts to satisfy the most jaded connieuseurs of slam-bang flicks, and contains great cinemantography and SFX with the train scenes in the climax! DVD enhancement inmproves it even more, with sound FX that'll blow away your living room!

Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson rekindile their teamwork fromWhite Men can't Jump in an action packed thriller which packs punch but lacks focus. This story is all over the place involving two interracial step brothers competeing for a female partners affection (Lopez). The story includes a gambling problem, a bosses irrational behavior, and saving ones brother from the law as he tries to rob a NYC transit money train. Unfortunately firebug scenes were copied and killed a token booth clerk in Brooklyn after this movies release. One problem with this movie is that it alleges it's using a letter B train to Coney Island when the trains used for filming were 4,5 and 6 number cars. The movie was said to be filmed in North Carolna studios however the stations resemble those of the Lexington Ave. Line. Any consious New Yorker knows that they're not passing De Kalb Ave. Why after spending millions of dollars is the simplest research messed up? They should have gotten their subway legend right! Jenifer Lopez looks real good and acts well in a movie that indirectly refers from her the self motivated title of her cd "On the 6" which refers to the 6 subway line. Lot's of mistakes for anyone who knows the subway but some good action scenes aside from the movies implausibility.

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This film had one good intention: a decent cast. It lacked direction, however, and seemed to be adrift in a sea of identity confusion. Is it a thriller? Not quite. Is it a "buddy" film. Well, not really. It it a romance? Uh-uh. It is a mish-mash of all of the above. There were some excellent action sequences (many incredibly unbelievable), especially in the last 20 minutes. Some of the comic interplay between Wesley and Woody was amusing, but far from their chemistry in "Jump". J-Lo's character served no purpose except to show a little skin. She slowed the pace down for the first hour of the movie, it seemed like watching it in slow motion. It could have been an excellent action-packed buddy film of the Lethal Weapon genre if only the writers offered us a decent script. Instead, we got disconnected plotting and a whole lot of far-fetched antics. And Robert Blake should have "Virginia Baked" tattooed on his forehead. And what was up with Cooper's character? It seemed like the writers of the script came up with an idea for a serial killer/robber plot, but then couldn't figure out what to do with him and wrote him out of the film halfway through without any resolution for his motive or background. Instead, the writers might have just recently spent an evening watching "The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3" and switched tracks, so to speak, and said "hey, this might be a good idea for that new Harrelson/J-Lo/Snipes film we have to provide a script for tomorrow." The writing and direction seems to be spontaneous, and NOT in a good way.

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I did not expect much from this movie, but since I got a real good deal on it I said why not. Contrary to my original thoughts about this movie, it was actually really good. There aren't many action scenes in this movie, and there shouldn't be. The makers of this did a very good job in balancing action, drama, and suspense themes. Harrelson and Snipes do a spectacular job, as well as Jennifer Lopez. There is one really good fight scene that involves Snipes that you will enjoy. The ending scenes were exciting and suspensful and it has you going for the train robbers. That's all I can say without giving away the movie. But I can say that this movie was perfectly balanced, not too much acton, and not too much drama; you will definetely like this one, especially if you want a break from the typical Hollywood Action crap that is out there today.

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This is an explosive cocktail of chemistry that pulls the plot from "The Taking of Pelhan 1-2-3 that triggers the rush for the Money Train. If you've ever been to New York City during Christmas season, you will feel the nostalgia of ringing Salvation Army Santas, Squeeching overhead L trains and faceless people rushing home through the dark cold iron city, renders its charm and mystery. You will love it, and just maybe identify with one or more characters. The train robbery will keep you at the edge of your sofa each time you watch it. This is a film that you can add to your inventory and play time and time again especially during the Christmas season.

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The Last Rites Of Ransom Pride (2009)

Every so often, a director takes a genre and rips it inside and out to create a vision which is totally his own but has respect for the works which already preceded it. Jodorowsky did it with 'EL TOPO', David Lynch with 'BLUE VELVET' , Quentin Tarantino with 'RESERVOIR DOGS' all come to mind. What director/screenwriter Tiller Russell has done is a variation on the revenge western but with touches of Salvador Dali and Sam Peckinpah. A lone woman gunslinger goes to Mexico to claim the body of her dead lover who was involved with a shooting of a priest who was the brother of a powerful shamanistic witch who runs the town and has a bone to pick with the lone woman. If it seems complicated , wait till you experience the other story which co-mingles with it. Add a pair of killer siamese twins and a gun toting midget and you have the genesis of a cult classic in the midst. A great cast which includes Kris Kristopherson, the brilliant Dwight Yoakam, and creepy Cote De Pablo (Ziva from the TV series NCIS)in an extraordinary performance as an ageless Mexican Bruja round out the mix but the scene stealer is Lizzy Caplan as Juliette Flowers, the gunslinger girlfriend. Recommended to lovers of bizarre cinema and those wishing to have a fresh view of the western genre, "THE LAST RITES OF RANSOM PRIDE' is a true masterpiece and probably will not be truly appreciated for many years to come.

That is a recurring quote from Mr Pride (deceased but you probably got that from the title). This is a violent western from director Tillen Russell, who has been more famous for his TV and documentary work. He has gone for a full throttle action fest that starts as it means to go on, with a bad gun deal going wrong. The perpetrator is Ransom Pride, and in the subsequent shootout he kills a Priest, and this is Mexico which takes a dim view of that sort of behaviour; even though he has been shot and killed, the sister of the Priest who comes across as a Shaman / Witch, won't let the body be buried. Not sure if the Catholic Church would agree with her, but I guess she is not up for a theological debate.

Enter Juliette Flowers (Lizzy Caplan) who was Ransom's love interest and she has promised to bury him with his momma. But she will have to deal with Pappa, the Rev Early Pride, (Dwight Yokam) who is an ex gunfighter who has seen the Lord, become a preacher and developed a dysfunctional alcohol dependency along the way. Ms Flowers strikes a deal with the grieving sister but it involves Ransoms brother Champ (Jon Foster -`Terminator 3'). So the intrepid pair set off to reclaim the body. Meanwhile Rev Pride takes out a bounty on Flowers' head as he considers her to be nuthin betta than a whore!

Thus the scene is set for a blood infused western that is shot and framed with great care, it oozes style like a Vogue Special and that goes for the costumes too. The music is spot on in that it adds to the mod instead of creating it as is the sad case for many a film. There are even stylised sub titles when it goes all Mexican. We have a plethora of characters and stars of yesteryear including Jason Priestly and Kris Kristofferson who I would have liked to have seen more of. We have frontier gallows humour, iconic shots including more than one church without walls and characters from the less mundane side of life including a gun toting dwarf. The one off thing is the deliberate insertion of subliminal shots that get longer air time the further into the film we go. They act as add on's to the on screen action and like mono sodium glutamate in food are really not that necessary here too.

All of that said I really enjoyed it, this has been compared to Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy which is a book I love; whilst this is nowhere near as visceral it kept my interest at full tilt for the whole ride. As ever there are some plot twists that stretch credulity a tad and the ending will leave some feeling short changed. Despite all of that it is still a slick, well made and acted western in the modern genre and as such I will gladly like to see more of Mr Russell's work.

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After 1/2 hour of this I gave up. It tries hard to be stylish, with a barely there story. Choppy editing, and just too many shots of sky, rocks, skulls...over and over. Move on, I say, pilgrim.

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The Last Rites of Ransom Pride is a piece of modern-day western film-making which seems out of the Something Weird catalog.

The Film's cast seem familiar to TV and Movie watchers everywhere.... Blade's Kris Krissofferson, Classic 90210's Jason Priestly, NCIS's Cote de Pablo, Game of Thrones's Peter Dinklage, True Blood's Lizzy Caplan, and Dwight Yoakam. With a cast like this you expect good things, what you get is a disjointed darken mess. Don;t blame the cast, blame the script they had to work with

It takes place in 1901, however the look of the film seems early 1940's. This film is shot in a dark hues and shadows that you cannot see who is who unless they speak. Even the sub titles for the Spanish that is spoken seem written over stylish in a font almost like Chinese.

The story is as most simple western's genre is. Juliette Flowers (Caplan) is trying to bring her lover's body home from Mexico for burial. His body is held prisoner by a disfigured Mexican voodoo priestess Bruja (Spanish for witch) played in too much make-up by Cote de Pablo, whose father was killed by Ranson Pride. In this odd trek of a Journey, Juliette and Ranson's brother Champ (Jon Foster) encounters Pride's bereaved father (Yoakam), a bitterly articulate dwarf (Dinklage), and Pride's uncle who is a scripture-quoting killer (Krissoffeson)

Director Tiller Russell, who is know for his documentary filmmking, has shot this film too dark and in shadows. That does not transfer were to a blue-ray or DVD watching. The performances of his actors seem over staged and over done, rather than coming from a real place. When a film seems real, it works..thar is why this does not work at all.

If you like star vehicles, watch this. However if you like westerns, miss this at all costs.

Bennet Pomerantz

AUDIOWORLD

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It was full of eye-candy, and fun to watch... but that's about where it stopped for me. Then again, I wasn't expecting any Academy Awards either. Worth a watch if you like movies that blend a little Tarantino with equal measures of steam punk and spaghetti western added in. Not a bad combo IMO

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