As an engineer's son, I have never seen a better portrayal of an engineer's enthusiasm for new problems and new challenges. In one unforgettable scene, Frank Langella brought to the screen for the first time in my opinion what can only be called, "the-joy-of-development."
Too often films that deal with invention focus on that moment when the problem comes together and is solved. What they fail to recognize is the first step, when the men and women are looking at the challenge ahead, has even more emotional potential.
Thankfully the writers and actors in this film did not forget this human truth.
The cast is excellent. The script is uneven, but the only reason this is obvious is because instead of staying mildly good throughout, like most made for cable films, this movie is mildly good with occasional scenes of brilliance; such as almost any moment what Langella or Spacey grace the screen.
If you are an engineer or just have one as a friend or member of the family, see this film. It's a wonder.
A wonderful film
This wonderful film tells the story of Dr. Gerald Bull, a genius engineer who modeled his `superguns' after the German Hengersutzer from WWI. His theory was that large guns could deliver payloads into space at more economical levels then rockets. Unfortunately his contracts were cancelled with the Canadian government and he became a freelance defense artillery expert, helping the S. Africans and Israelis and finally being hired by the Iraqi's in the 1980s to build a giant gun capable of hitting Tel Aviv or Tehran from Baghdad. This wonderful film portrays Saddam Hussiens regime in its heyday, when it was not a pariah and the Americans supported it. Wonderful acting by Alan Arkin, who plays an intelligence officer assigned to tracking Bulls movements in the West compliments the film. Simply a gem, a diamond in the rough, you will not be dismayed by this great subtle historical film.
Seth J. Frantzman
A wonderful film
This wonderful film tells the story of Dr. Gerald Bull, a genius engineer who modeled his `superguns' after the German Hengersutzer from WWI. His theory was that large guns could deliver payloads into space at more economical levels then rockets. Unfortunately his contracts were cancelled with the Canadian government and he became a freelance defense artillery expert, helping the S. Africans and Israelis and finally being hired by the Iraqi's in the 1980s to build a giant gun capable of hitting Tel Aviv or Tehran from Baghdad. This wonderful film portrays Saddam Hussiens regime in its heyday, when it was not a pariah and the Americans supported it. Wonderful acting by Alan Arkin, who plays an intelligence officer assigned to tracking Bulls movements in the West compliments the film. Simply a gem, a diamond in the rough, you will not be dismayed by this great subtle historical film.
I have been a fan of the stage for several decades and have seached high and low for a copy of this production. I saw it on ebay several times for hundreds of dollars but finally it has been made available to all. If you are a lover of great stage performances than this dvd is for you. It has been missing from my collection far to long. You see the late great Jack Lemmon at his best (on stage) and a young raw Kevin Spacey (he even has hair) working togther on stage. Then add Peter Gallagher and Bethel Leslie and you have some of the great stage performers of our time. I missed this one live - don't know how - but still kicking myself. Great to see it on DVD for generations to enjoy.
A harsh, cutting, and wickedly funny look into the darker side of show business, Swimming with Sharks tells the story of a naive and eager assistant (Frank Whaley) and his slide into the cutthroat world of Hollywood power struggles. Whaley goes to work for a top movie executive (Kevin Spacey) who almost immediately begins to wear down his new assistant's exuberance with his whining, egomaniacal tantrums and relentless verbal abuse, even as he promises his young charge a chance to move up the ladder. Culminating in a violent and ultimately ironic confrontation between mentor and protégé, this brutal 1994 black comedy benefits from some razor-sharp writing and terrific comic turns from both Whaley (Hoffa) as one whose idealism is irrevocably shattered, ... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Kevin Spacey - Frank Whaley Director(s): George Huang DVD Release Date: Released the 29 August 2000 Usually ships in 1 to 2 weeks
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A real beauty of a true story provides the basis for The Man Who Never Was, a gripping World War II picture that has no combat scenes, no great vistas of troops. The time is 1943, as the Allies prepare the invasion of Sicily and desperately need a diversionary ploy to make the Germans suspect another invasion target. The solution is simple but ingenious: a dead man's body will be left in the sea to float ashore on the coast of Spain; made to look like a British pilot, he will be carrying papers suggesting an Allied attack on Greece. When the papers fall to the Nazis, they'll swallow the bogus story…or will they? The film's final third tracks an Irish spy for the Axis (Steven Boyd, in one of his first roles) as he travels to London to investigate loose ends.
Taut, styish, and smart, Second Sight is the rare detective thriller with a brutal poetry in its premise. Detective Chief Inspector Ross Tanner (Clive Owen) is a maverick cop and workaholic who solves crimes by putting his faith in facts he can see for himself. What more cruel irony could beset him than a slow and irreversible loss of vision? While a rare disorder attacks his cornea, causing intermittent blindness and hallucinations, Tanner conceals his problem in the pursuit of a murderer who brutally beat a 19-year-old man to death. The suspects are largely people the victim knew well, including his mother (Phoebe Nicholls) and stepfather (Stuart Wilson), the nanny (Louise Atkins) of his young sister, a gardener (Eddie Marsan) who supplied him drugs, and an uncle (Stuart... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Clive Owen DVD Release Date: Released the 23 November 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Mixing action, humor, sentiment, and even a few righteous moral convictions, The Wild Geese is good, rousing fun. Released theatrically in 1978 (oddly, this 2005 DVD release is referred to as the "30th Anniversary Edition"), director Andrew V. McLaglen’s film depicts the adventures of a group of British mercenaries hired by a shady multinational corporation to free the benevolent leader of an African nation held captive by a ruthless dictator. Led by the caustic, no-nonsense Col. Allen Faulkner (Richard Burton), these soldiers of fortune are all stout fellows out to earn a big payday and restore a good man to his rightful place of power (the underlying message of universal racial brotherhood is effective, if somewhat simplistic), and they do their job swiftly and... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Richard Burton - Roger Moore - Richard Harris - Hardy Krüger - Stewart Granger Director(s): Andrew V. McLaglen DVD Release Date: Released the 27 September 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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