True RomanceTrue Romance
Movie DVDIt was directed with energetic skill by Top Gun Tony Scott, but this breathtaking 1993 thriller (think of it as an adolescent crime fantasy on steroids) has Quentin Tarantino written all over it. True Romance is really part of a loose trilogy that includes Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, with a crackling Tarantino screenplay that rides a fine line between raucous comedy and violent excess. Christian Slater plays Clarence, the comic-book lover who meets a beguiling prostitute named Alab
Rating:  List Price: $ 12.98 Price: $ 5.69 The Nativity StoryIt was the cruelest of times. Under Herod’s torturous reign, families struggled to survive and yet, in the midst of utter turmoil, a young woman’s faith is put to the test. Join Mary (Keisha Castle-Hughes) and Joseph (Oscar Isaac) on an incredible journey of hope and discovery. Epic in its scope, yet intimate in it’s portrayal of this historical family, this “wonderful film” (Bill Zwecker, Chicago Sun Times) is “a family feature that will be cherished for years to come!” (Greg Russell, WMYD-TV,
Rating: List Price: $ 14.98 Price: $ 2.66
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(out of 276 reviews)
Review by Mr. N. Carnegie for True Romance
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True Romance is one of those great films that was rather unfairly and bizarrely largely ignored on it’s original theatrical release but it’s really hard to know why. It’s not because of the script/screenplay, that was written by the great Quentin Tarantino, with all the trademark flourishes you’d expect, with witty dialogue and great set-pieces that leave you quoting them for weeks. It’s not because it’s got a poor cast or poor acting. Apart from the leads, Christian Slater and the wonderful Patricia Arquette (in undoubtedly their greatest screen performances), this movie has a cast list like a whose who of great screen actors; Dennis Hopper, Gary Oldman and Christopher Walken. It also boasts a great cameo performance from Brad Pitt and a superb supporting performance from (the then not so famous) James Gandolfino. Val Kilmer and Samuel L. Jackson even turn up too in blink and you’ll miss it performances.This is a great movie, a cool movie, a funny movie and an action movie. Directed by Tony Scott, one of the best (if not the best) action movie directors around, True Romance is the story of Alabama (Arquette) and Clarence (Slater) young newlywed lovers on the run with a stolen suitcase full of $5m worth of the mafia’s coke, which they intend to sell. But as the old saying goes, the path to true love never runs smooth and a battle of wits ensues between Clarence, the police and the mob leading to a classic finale in this action packed film. As a whole, this movie works beautifully but on DVD it’s even better because you can access all your favourite classic scenes that unmistakeably bare Tarantino’s hallmark again and again. Such as the opening scene where the heterosexual Clarence (Slater) states that he’d sleep with Elvis if he were still alive, or the showdown between Clarence and dreadlocked gangster (Oldman). Or the showdown between the mob boss (Walken) and Clarence’s Dad (Hopper). Classic scenes indeed, particularly the one with Walken and Hopper. It’s hard to believe this movie was made back in 1993 because it’s still as fresh, still as cool and still looks as enjoyable as it was back then. I just love this movie and if you haven’t seen it yet I hope you will too.
Review by Ghenghis for True Romance
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I really wish Brad Pitt would consider reprising his role as the stoner Floyd someday cause he absolutely stole the show-he’s hysterical. Some of the classic Tarantino lines of all time, several adlibs, and phenomenal scenes that are way outside the edge of reality, but it works. A better ensemble cast than anything else you’re liable to find. Was this Gandolfini’s first “sensitive hitman” role? Patricia Arquette is yummy, Hopper is in rare form, Walken is as menacing as he is weird, Oldman makes a great pimp, we find out about Samuel L’s sexual preferences, and Slater manages to turn in a credible understated but high energy performance. A monument to the Nintendo generation I suppose but a great movie worth watching over and over again. Oh yeah, if you’re quick to scream “ripoff” when you see a road movie that resembles True Romance, NBK, Freeway, Love and a 45, etc then pick up a copy of Badlands with Martin Sheen. Tarantino makes better movies than his predecessors but he’s borrowed an idea or two along the way. 5 Snorts.Now, the new “Unrated” Director’s Cut. well, they really can’t call it unrated since not one single change was made from the original release. The sound and picture are far superior to the original DVD however, and there are a few extras rabid fans will enjoy. Especially the commentary by Michael Rappaport and Brad Pitt. The ‘deleted’ scenes aren’t worth talking about. Sad actually. And the alternate ending…..thank god they didn’t go with that one. If you don’t already own the DVD then this one is for you. If you are thinking about getting this one for the added content you may want to think twice. The extras just aren’t worth it.
Review by Michael D. for True Romance
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Off beat and Over the Top. The Dialogue is Quick and Sharp, the only way Quentin knows how. I loved Patrica Arquette in this character and Bronson Pinchot is Hilarious. THis Unrated version contains a longer cut of the scene in the hotel room where one of the mafia guys ( James Gondofini) comes to find the drugs, to find Patricia’s Character alone and helpless not say a word and be brutally beaten only to repay the same to her attacker. I have the original On DVD and the unrated 2 disc version is not much longer just more intense.
Review by Michael J. Tresca for True Romance
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True Romance has Quentin Tarantino’s fingerprints all over it, although it was actually directed by Tony Scott. It has everything, from a Mexican standoff, to the rat-a-tat dialogue, to the same obsession with 70s flicks that are common in many of Tarantino’s films. The only thing it’s missing is Uma Thurman.
The story is almost beside the point: a comic book nerd named Clarence Worley (Christian Slater, were we all to suffer his lot in life!) hooks up with a prostitute, Alabama Whitman (Patricia Arquette) with a heart of gold. What could have been a traumatic experience for the both of them blossoms into a passionate romance. It’s not long before the two get married.
Unlike say, Pretty Woman, True Romance reminds us that being a prostitute is not fun. Part of the unglamorous side of Alabama’s life is her abusive pimp, Drexl Spivey (Gary Oldman, fantastic as always). Clarence decides to get Alabama’s possessions back from the pimp and settle the score. The plot spirals from there, but it involves a huge amount of cocaine that’s so expensive, just possessing it is a liability.
On Clarence’s side is his big doofus of a friend, Dick Ritchie (Michael Rapaport), an aspiring actor that’s particularly Joey-esque. For some reason, Brad Pitt plays Floyd, Dick’s stoner roommate. Clarence also looks for help from his dad, Clifford (the always amusing Dennis Hopper). Guiding (if you can call it that) Clarence through life is his illusionary mentor, Elvis (wouldja believe, Val Kilmer?). No, seriously. It doesn’t take long before Dick hooks Clarence up with a buyer. That buyer is Eliot Blitzer, representing the famous Hollywood director Lee Donowitz (played by Bronson Pinchot and Saul Rubinek respectively).
The cocaine belongs to the Mob, of course, led by Vincenzo Coccotti (Christopher Walken) and his thug Virgil (James Gandolfini), two of the most philosophical Mobsters you’ll ever meet. The dialogue between Walken and Hopper is worth the price of admission alone. Also on the trail of the coke are the police, led by Cody Nicholson (Tom Sizemore) and his partner Nicky Dimes (Chris Penn). They almost sound more like the Mob than the Mob does. Which is perhaps the point.
True Romance isn’t just about romance. It’s about passion, the kind of passion that binds people together in ways they can’t even understand: lovers (Clarence and Alabama), fandom (Clarence and Elvis), and even murder (Vincenzo and Clifford). Our hero perseveres because he believes in the power of love and, once he finds it, will do anything to keep it alive. It’s that passion that propels the plot forward, such that even those who only peripherally experience the romance between Clarence and Alabama are willing to sacrifice everything for them. But True Romance reserves its passion most for the love between father and son. It can be a love worth dying for (Clarence and Clifford), or a hatred so intense that it’s self destructive (Lee and Eliot).
This is one star-studded cast that actually lives up to expectations. Don’t be fooled: True Romance is as passionate and foul-mouthed as anything Tarantino has written. But it’s a love letter to lovers, celebrating what brings out the best and worst in humanity.
Watch it, if only to see two pros (Hopper and Walken) at the top of their game. Trust me, I should know…I’m part Sicilian.
Review by Shea K. Robison for True Romance
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I am sure my title for this review will generate more than a few cyber-eyerolls, but I mean it in all seriousness (kind of). This movie is chock full of all the American pop-culture references you can handle. These range from Christian Slater-as-Clarence’s comic book store (“Heros for Sale”), to his predilection for 70s kung-fu movies, to Clarence’s invocation of himself as Steve McQueen: “We now return to Bullitt already in progress…”, to the Elvis figure that actually haunts him and directs him at key moments in his life (an Elvis that is played in a sort of cameo by Val Kilmer). It also has some of the best, and oddest, performances of pretty much everyone involved: Val Kilmer (as Elvis mentioned above), Dennis Hopper IS Clarence’s ultimately wise but washed-out security guard father living in a trailer by the railroad tracks, Brad Pitt has a great small role as “Floyd” the good-natured stoner (another one of his great “grimy” characters), James Gandolfini (Tony Soprano) makes what might be his film debut(?) as a sadistic hit-man, Gary Oldman is perfect as the gloriously pimped-out and evil “Drexel”, and how could anyone forget Patricia Arquette as the jiggly “Alabama”?
As an example, one of the best scenes in this movie, and one of my all-time favorites, is the “interview” between the Mafia-envoy played to cold perfection by Christopher Walken and Dennis Hopper. This pairing alone makes this movie worth the [money]. The key moment is when Dennis Hopper realizes there is no good way out of this for him, so he tries to goad Walken into killing him before he is forced to give away the whereabouts of his son. To accomplish this, he gives Walken and all the other hit-men packed into his trailer a little history lesson on the genetic roots of their distinctive Sicilian phenotype.
Throw this all together with the pacing and camera work of “Top Gun” (thanks to director Tony Scott) and a typically-brilliant script provided by Tarantino, and that is why I would tentatively nominate “True Romance” as my “Best American Movie of the early-90s”.P.S.
Some other great performers that I didn’t get a chance to mention in my review, and that make this movie as entertaining as it is, are: Michael Rappaport as the dopy aspiring actor (auditioning, of all things, for a one-time role as Crook #2 for an episode of “T.J. Hooker” that is set to co-star Peter Breck!), Chris Penn and Tom Sizemore as over-zealous narc squad partners, and Bronson Pinchot is wonderfully whiny as a movie producer’s whipping boy and go-fer named Elliot. This is a great movie!
Review by Kona for The Nativity Story
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You know the plot: After young Mary is betrothed to an older man, she is told by an angel that she will bear God’s son. She could be stoned for this pregnancy, but Joseph has a dream explaining the situation, and he takes her as his wife. They must then make the difficult journey to Bethlehem for the census, and they arrive just in time for the baby’s birth in a stable.
It is a lovely story, told quite simply and tastefully. The costumes and village sets are rough-hewn and authentic-looking in earth-tones. The international cast features Keisha Castle-Hughes as a straightforward and uncomplaining Mary, used to hard work and Roman tyranny. Oscar Isaac is a warm and protective Joseph. Shohreh Aghdashloo is wonderful as Mary’s cousin Elizabeth; in fact, the entire cast is excellent.
The movie is suitable for all ages and I hope it becomes a tradition to show it on television every Christmas. It sticks to the Bible story and is happily lacking in Hollywood razzle-dazzle. The photography is beautiful and it is respectfully directed. Highly recommended.
Review by Golstriker for The Nativity Story
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While any Christian would like this movie, what was particularly moving for me was how it depicted the relationship between Mary and Joseph. All the difficulties they overcame, from public scorn to doubting the future, and wondering why they were put in the position they were in. Their relationship is loving, yet reverent for their bigger assignment. They are a team on a journey. So many times I wondered what the two might have said to one another, and the two people who play the roles are uniquely suited for them and they pull the whole thing off with splendor. This is a must-have for any Christian family during the holidays, and a wonderful story to show youngsters as they grow up. Certainly it’s the best-ever depiction of the nativity that I have seen and probably ever will see.
Review by family-style movie lover for The Nativity Story
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If you’re looking for a gradiose production in Cecil B. DeMille style, this film is not the one for you. But, if you want a sense of the mystery and beauty… the true meaning of Christmas, you will find this film everything your heart could desire. Throughout, the writers and director did everything possible to be in conformity with the history and theology of the birth of Christ, so that no mainstream Christian will find anything contrary to the scriptural account. While there are moments (like the slaughter of the infants and the birth of John the Baptist) which may not be suitable to little children, I highly recommend this film for family viewing. With a little sensitive explanation, most kids 12 and up should have no difficulties.
As for the performances, they are excellent (with, perhaps, the single exception of the Archangel Gabriel, whom I found a bit distracting)! Throughout, you get the sense of really getting to know the principle characters of the nativity narratives… what they might have been thinking, how they may have felt. The film provides unique perspectives that most never take the time to think through, and those perspectives bring the story to life. Again, if you have problems with films that are not packed with motion and non-stop action, you probably won’t make it through this one. If you enjoy deep thought and prayer, on the other hand, this film will more than satisfy. I love it and I’m buying multiple copies for all of my friends that missed it in the theaters.
Note: After reading a few other comments from others, I wanted to add a brief post-script regarding the scriptural accuracy of the film. There are a few trivial differences from scripture such as the Magi coming to the manger on the night of the birth and not arriving at “the house” some time later. But, let’s be reasonable. You DO have to allow for the time constraints of the movie and permit a couple times where the story is “condensed” (such as in this moment) in order to keep the story line moving. However, you will find that, where these liberties are taken, it has no impact on the story and the message of the bible. I know my scriptures well and I had no problems with this movie. I would hope that this movie would become a tradition for every Christian household during the Christmas season so that Christmas would once again become that season of grace… of quiet and humility… of hiddenness and charity… just as it was meant to be (instead of plastic trees, loud noise, pushing and shoving at the malls, runaway commercialism, etc.) Perhaps, if this movie hasn’t made the kind of money that sick comedies or blood-and-gore action movies usually draw, it’s a good sign. Maybe it will tell us that this movie brings to us precisely the kind of counter-cultural message that the world needs to hear… a message “rejected” that is the very cornerstone of Christian belief.
Review by KIM MCDANIEL for The Nativity Story
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The trailer made me cry, but the movie (dare I say it?) was a touch (yawn) BORING …
Which is not to say that I didn’t like it (because I did — hello? 5 stars!), but I think the plodding pace of the movie really drove home the fact that this “story” was NOT a “Bible story” to the people who were actually involved. It was real life. Every day life. And it really happened. To ordinary people. And not within the space of 2 hours, either. They actually had to live this stuff out — day by day by grueling day. And so I really appreciated how the movie gets that idea across withOUT the usual Hollywood pyrotechnics, FX & swelling orchestral music score …
I also like the way the movie weaves all the many & various threads of all the many & various lives together in a way that really makes sense — which is a picture that’s hard for most people to get, no matter how many times they’ve read the Biblical accounts. So, in that sense, the movie really does succeed in bringing the nativity story to life in a way that I’ve never seen done before.
And seeing the little “baby Jesus” being lifted up did make me cry, because it made me come to terms with the fact that — at one time — He was just that little, just that vulnerable, just that in need of someone to take care of Him & — WOW — can you imagine the awesome responsibility? And (although the movie didn’t come right out & say it) the Magi’s expensive gifts did make Mary/Joseph/Jesus’ flight to Egypt possible & was a powerful reminder to me of how God STILL provides for us when we’re in desperate need …
And so the movie does work on many different levels & probably needs to be seen a few times in order to fully appreciate the numerous nuances. They need to make more movies like this!
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NOTE: IF YOU FOUND THIS REVIEW HELPFUL, THEN PLEASE GO & GIVE MY “THE LAST MIMZY” REVIEW A VOTE, BECAUSE IT IS CURRENTLY BEING SLAMMED BY FOLKS WHO THINK IT IS WRONG TO WRITE A MOVIE REVIEW FROM A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE. AND, IF YOU’RE REALLY FEELING GENEROUS, THEN PLEASE ALSO VOTE FOR MY “DADDY’S LITTLE GIRLS,” “UNACCOMPANIED MINORS,” “APOCALYPTO” & “WE ARE MARSHALL” REVIEWS. (THINK OF IT AS A “RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS”
THANK YOU! & LOTS OF HUGS & BLESSINGS TO ALL MY BROTHERS & SISTERS IN CHRIST
Review by Marc Axelrod for The Nativity Story
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This is a beautiful depiction of how the birth of the Son of God happened. We get to see Joseph and Mary as people of character who really want to live righteously for the Lord. We see the godly and discerning Elizabeth as she counsels Mary on how to handle these unique circumstances.
I have always wondered how Mary broke the news to Joseph and her family about her divine pregnancy. How do you explain something like that? This movie gives a very realistic picture of how that news would have been initially received.
After Joseph’s dream reveals to him that Mary’s pregnancy is from the Lord, he goes to her and says “I believe you! I believe you! You shall call His name Jesus!” It is a touching scene!
Next, you have the long 100 mile journey to Bethlehem to register for the census. The baby Jesus is born in a cave in Bethlehem, though a good case can be made that the manger he was placed in was in the part of a house occupied by animals than a cave per se.
Also, the Magi (who are the funniest people in the film) are portrayed as coming to the cave the same night the shepherds are there, though scholars have suggested that the visit of the Magi in Matthew 2 may have been a few months later.
But I found the movie to be deeply satisfying, and it made me worship Jesus again as our Savior and Newborn King! All praise and glory and honor be to the Lord Jesus Christ!