Annie Hall (1977) * * *

(first lines)
Alvy Singer: (addressing the camera) There's an old joke--um... two elderly women are at a Catskill mountain resort, and one of 'em says, "Boy, the food at this place is really terrible." The other one says, "Yeah, I know; and such small portions." Well, that's essentially how I feel about life--full of loneliness, and misery, and suffering, and unhappiness, and it's all over much too quickly. The... the other important joke, for me, is one that's usually attributed to Groucho Marx; but, I think it appears originally in Freud's "Wit and Its Relation to the Unconscious," and it goes like this--I'm paraphrasing--um, "I would never want to belong to any club that would have someone like me for a member." That's the key joke of my adult life, in terms of my relationships with women.

Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) is a neurotic Jewish comedy writer living in Manhattan in a relationship with exuberant Annie Hall (Diane Keaton, née Diane Hall), an aspiring midwestern night club singer. He met Annie at a quick game of indoor tennis, and the film follows the up and down relationship of the two mismatched neurotics over several years, intercut with imaginary trips into each other's history. For example, Annie is able to "see" Alvy's family when he was only a child, and Alvy observes Annie's past sexual relationships. In the first flashback showing Alvy as a child, we learn he was raised in Brooklyn and his father operated a bumper cars concession on Coney Island. The family home was located below the Thunderbolt roller coaster, which Alvy thinks accounts for his "nervous personality".

Alvy Singer: Don't you see the rest of the country looks upon New York like we're left-wing, communist, Jewish, homosexual pornographers? I think of us that way sometimes and I live here. My grammy never gave gifts. She was too busy getting raped by Cossacks.

Alone in her apartment for the first time, Alvy and Annie engage in a self-conscious conversation. As they speak, subtitles flash their unspoken thoughts: "I'm not smart enough for him" and "I sound like a jerk." Despite all their caution, they connect, and we're swept up in their new romance. Annie is an extrovert, knows what she wants and radiates self-confidence, but after she meets Alvy she also begins to see a psychiatrist. Alvy ponders his quest for love and romance with Annie. The twice-divorced Alvy knows that it's not easy to find a mate when the options include pretentious New York intellectuals and lifestyle-obsessed writers, but Annie seems different. They discuss such topics as endless therapy, movies vs. TV, the absurdity of dating rituals, anti-Semitism, drugs, and, in one of the best set pieces, repressed midwestern WASP insanity vs. crazy Brooklyn Jewish boisterousness.

During a visit to a Long Island beach house, Annie sifts through her college course catalogue and considers taking Modern American Poetry or Introduction to the Novel. Alvy advises: "Just don't take any course where they make you read Beowulf." As Alvy begins to prepare to make love, he suggests: "We should just turn out the lights, you know, and play hide the salami." He complains that Annie is sexually idiosyncratic--she always needs to smoke pot each time before they have sex. Annie mentions his years-long Freudian psychoanalysis.

Alvy: Yeah, grass, right? The illusion that it will make a white woman more like Billie Holiday.
Annie: Well, have you ever made love high?
Alvy: Me? No. I - I, you know, If I have grass or alcohol or anything, I get unbearably wonderful. I get too, too wonderful for words. I don't know why you have to get high every time we make love.
Annie: It relaxes me.
Alvy: You have to be artificially relaxed before we can go to bed?
Annie: Well, what's the difference anyway?
Alvy: Well, I'll give you a shot of sodium pentothal. You can sleep through it.
Annie: Oh come on. Look who's talking. You've been seeing a psychiatrist for 15 years. You should smoke some of this. You'd be off the couch in no time.

To stimulate himself, Alvy produces "an erotic artifact"--a red lightbulb to create "a little old New Orleans essence." Without grass, while they go through the motions of making love, in a clever use of double-exposed film, Annie's bored and detached spirit leaves her body's position on the bed during intercourse and sits on a nearby chair to watch her conversation with him. He talks to her alter ego and makes love to Annie at the same time. He is frustrated because he cannot entirely possess her, saying "I want the whole thing."

Alvy: Hey, is something wrong?
Annie: No, why?
Alvy: I don't know. It's like you're removed. (she rises from herself on the bed)
Annie: No, I'm fine.
Alvy: Are you with me?
Annie: Uh, huh.
Alvy: I don't know. You seem sort of distant.
Annie: Let's just do it, all right?
Alvy: Is it my imagination, or are you just going through the motions?
Ghost Annie: Alvy, do you remember where I put my drawing pad? Because while you two are doing that, I think I'm going to do some drawing.
Alvy (gesturing at the Ghost version of Annie): You see, that's what I call removed.
Annie: No you have my body.
Alvy: Yeah, but I want the whole thing.
Annie: Well, I need grass.
Alvy: Well, it ruins it for me if you have grass. Because you know, I'm like a comedian. So if I get a laugh from a person who's high, it doesn't count, you know, 'cause they're always laughing.
Annie: Were you always funny?
Alvy: Hey, what is this--an interview? We're supposed to be making love.

In one scene Alvy is standing in line at a cinema with Annie and listening to someone behind him talk about Marshall McLuhan's work. He leaves the line to speak to the camera directly. The man then speaks to the camera in his defense, and Allen resolves the dispute by pulling McLuhan himself from behind a free-standing movie posterboard to tell the man that he is wrong. Another scene is animated, featuring a cartoon Allen and the Wicked Queen from Snow White. In another scene Alvy again addresses the audience, and then stops several passers-by to ask questions about love. Alvy breaks the fourth wall, and Woody Allen explained, "because I felt many of the people in the audience had the same feelings and the same problems. I wanted to talk to them directly and confront them."

(Alvy addresses a pair of strangers on the street)
Alvy: Here, you look like a very happy couple, um, are you?
Female street stranger: Yeah.
Alvy: Yeah? So, so, how do you account for it?
Female street stranger: Uh, I'm very shallow and empty and I have no ideas and nothing interesting to say.
Male street stranger: And I'm exactly the same way.
Alvy: I see. Wow. That's very interesting. So you've managed to work out something?

It becomes clear that the two are on separate tracks, and what was once appealing becomes annoying. After many arguments and reconciliations, the pair realize they are fundamentally different and split up. Annie moves in with Hollywood record company executive Tony Lacey (Paul Simon). She likes California, but Alvy hates it. Alvy soon realizes he still loves her and tries to convince her to return with him to New York. He fails and returns home to write a play about their relationship, recycling the conversation just exchanged but ending with him winning Annie back.

Annie: It's so clean out here.
Alvy: That's because they don't throw their garbage away, they turn it into television shows.
Annie: So you wanna go into the movie or what?
Alvy: No, I can't go into a movie that's already started, because I'm anal.
Annie: That's a polite word for what you are.

Later, with Annie back in New York, the two are able to meet on good terms as friends, now with different lovers. Alvy ends the film by musing about how love and relationships are something we all require despite their often painful and complex nature.

(last lines)
Alvy Singer: After that it got pretty late, and we both had to go, but it was great seeing Annie again. I... I realized what a terrific person she was, and... and how much fun it was just knowing her; and I... I, I thought of that old joke, y'know, the, this... this guy goes to a psychiatrist and says, "Doc, uh, my brother's crazy; he thinks he's a chicken." And, uh, the doctor says, "Well, why don't you turn him in?" The guy says, "I would, but I need the eggs." Well, I guess that's pretty much now how I feel about relationships; y'know, they're totally irrational, and crazy, and absurd, and... but, uh, I guess we keep goin' through it because, uh, most of us... need the eggs.

Woody Allen's romantic comedy of the Me Decade mixes the slapstick and fantasy from such earlier Allen films as SLEEPER (1973) and BANANAS (1971) with the more autobiographical comedy of his stand-up routines and screenplays, using the movie techniques of talking heads, splitscreens, and subtitles. With funny dialogue and sight gags, Allen and co-writer Marshall Brickman reversed the happy marriage of opposites found in classic screwball comedies. Considered Allen's most mature and personal film, ANNIE HALL beat out STAR WARS (1977) for Best Picture and also won Oscars for Allen as director and writer and for Keaton as Best Actress. Audiences loved Allen's take on contemporary love and turned Keaton's rumpled menswear into a fashion trend. Diane Keaton's baggy wardrobe provided a welcome alternative to polyester pantsuits and flared trousers in the 1970s.

It's a charming, clever and thought-provoking movie, not very exciting or gripping, even boring at times, but very enjoyable. ANNIE HALL brought a new level of seriousness to Allen's work, and is not so much about two people falling in love as about two individuals trying to negotiate a mutually beneficial relationship. The neurotic, self-obsessed commentary is pointed but relatively gentle, free of the bitterness that sometimes marks Allen's later work. This film is a series of insights that leave the viewer feeling strangely optimistic--or at least very amused--about human nature. Much of this is due to Alvy and Annie themselves. Unlike the oddly but perfectly matched couples who walk off into the sunset in the majority of romantic comedies, Alvy and Annie continue with further introspection, obsessive analysis, and reflection. The appeal of ANNIE HALL is that there are no easy answers. This movie elevated Allen to the forefront of modern filmmakers, promoting him from a comedian who made films to a comic filmmaker. It also set a new standard, its name becoming synonymous with the sub-genre of the intelligent, New York-based romantic comedy.

ANNIE HALL includes Allen's central themes: his love affair with New York and hatred of Los Angeles, how impossible relationships are, and his fear of death. One scene concerning death is when Annie moves into Alvy's apartment, and Alvy discovers a book of Sylvia Plath's poems, which contradicts Hall's later statement when she is moving out that all the books about death were given to her by Alvy. The film has been widely assumed to be semi-autobiographical, but Allen has denied this. It was originally intended to be a drama centered on a murder mystery with a comic and romantic subplot, and it was filmed that way. According to Allen, the murder occurred after a scene that remains in the film, the sequence in which Annie and Alvy miss the Ingmar Bergman film FACE TO FACE (1976). After shooting had completed, the film's editor persuaded Woody Allen to cut the mystery plot and make the film a romantic comedy. Allen has said that ANNIE HALL was "a major turning point" both thematically and technically: "I had the courage to abandon... just clowning around and the safety of complete broad comedy. I said to myself, 'I think I will try and make some deeper film and not be as funny in the same way. And maybe there will be other values that will emerge, that will be interesting or nourishing for the audience.' And it worked out very very well."

The cast also includes: Tony Roberts (Rob), Carol Kane (Allison), Shelley Duvall (Pam), Janet Margolin (Robin), Colleen Dewhurst (Mrs. Hall), Christopher Walken (Duane Hall), Donald Symington (Mr. Hall), Helen Ludlam (Grammy Hall), Mordecai Lawner (Mr. Singer), Joan Neuman (Mrs. Singer), Jonathan Munk (Alvy Singer - Age 9), Ruth Volner (Alvy's Aunt), Martin Rosenblatt (Alvy's Uncle), Hy Anzell (Joey Nichols), Rashel Novikoff (Aunt Tessie), Russell Horton (Man in Theater Line), Marshall McLuhan (himself), Christine Jones (Dorrie), Mary Boylan (Miss Reed), Wendy Girard (Janet), John Doumanian (Coke Fiend), Bob Maroff (Man #1 Outside Theater), Rick Petrucelli (Man #2 Outside Theater), Lee Callahan (ticket Seller at Theater), Chris Gampel (Doctor in Brooklyn), Dick Cavett (himself), Mark Lenard (Navy Officer on Dick Cavett Show), Ved Bandhu (Maharishi), Sigourney Weaver (Alvy's Date Outside Theater), Truman Capote (Truman Capote Look-Alike), and many others. The screenplay was written by Marshall Brickman and Woody Allen, who also directed.

Film critic Roger Ebert wrote: "Few viewers probably notice how much of Annie Hall consists of people talking, simply talking. They walk and talk, sit and talk, go to shrinks, go to lunch, make love and talk, talk to the camera, or launch into inspired monologues like Annie's free-association as she describes her family to Alvy. This speech by Diane Keaton is as close to perfect as such a speech can likely be... all done in one take of brilliant brinkmanship."

Woody Allen says he gets approached "all the time" about making a sequel to ANNIE HALL, but has always declined. However, he admitted in a 1995 interview that for a time he considered it, saying, "I did think once--I'm not going to do it--but I did think once that it would be interesting to see Annie Hall and the guy I played years later. Diane Keaton and I could meet now that we're about twenty years older, and it could be interesting, because we parted, to meet one day and see what our lives have become. But it smacks to me of exploitation....Sequelism has become an annoying thing. I don't think Francis Coppola should have done Godfather III because Godfather II was quite great. When they make a sequel, it's just a thirst for more money, so I don't like that idea so much."

Like all Woody Allen movie DVDs, ANNIE HALL has no fancy extras such as commentary tracks or "Making of" documentaries. In 2000 readers of Total Film magazine voted it the forty-second greatest comedy film of all time. Zagat Survey Movie Guide in 2002 ranked ANNIE HALL one of the top ten comedies of all time, one of the top ten movies of the 1970s and as Allen's best film as a director. In 1992, this film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Time Bandits (1981) * * *

Kevin (Craig Warnock) is the 11 year-old son of parents (David Daker and Sheila Fearn) who ignore him to keep up with the neighbors by purchasing all the latest hi-tech gadgets. Without their attention, Kevin has become a history buff, particularly of the Classical Greek period. One night Kevin is awakened from his sleep by a knight on horseback crashing through his wardrobe and riding off into a forest setting that has appeared in place of his bedroom wall. But when Kevin investigates, he finds nothing wrong, the forest setting was just one of the pictures that hangs on his wall. He prepares for the next night by packing a satchel with a torch and a Polaroid camera before going to bed.

(first lines)
Announcer: Yes, folks... Moderna Designs present the latest in kitchen luxury. The Moderna Wonder Major All Automatic Convenience Center-ette gives you all the time in the world to do the things you really want to do... An infrared freezer-oven complex that can make you a meal from packet to plate in 15 1/2 seconds.
Kevin's Mother: Morrisons have got one that can do that in eight seconds.
Kevin's Father: Oh?
Kevin's Mother: Block of ice to Beef Bourguignon in eight seconds. Lucky things.
Kevin: Dad, did you know that the ancient Greek warriors had to learn 44 different ways of unarmed combat?
Kevin's Father: (ignoring Kevin) Well, at least we've got a two speed hedge cutter.

Again, he is awakened by sounds from the wardrobe, but this time six dwarves stumble out. They are scared by Kevin's flashlight, thinking him to be the "Supreme Being" (Ralph Richardson), but when they discover he is a child, they ignore him and try to find an exit from the room using a map. The mischievous dwarves discover the bedroom wall can be physically moved, and as the dwarves push it down a long hallway, the disembodied head of the Supreme Being shows up behind them and chases them. Kevin is caught up with the dwarves in their rush to escape, as the hallway ends and they fall into the blackness of space.

Supreme Being: I should do something very extroverted and vengeful to you. Honestly, I'm too tired. So, I think I'll transfer you to the undergrowth department, brackens, more shrubs, that sort of thing... with a 19% cut in salary, backdated to the beginning of time.
Randall: Oh, thank you, sir.
Supreme Being: Yes, well, I am the nice one.

When Kevin regains his senses, he learns that the dwarves are employees of the Supreme Being, and were supposed to be using the map, which shows the locations of holes in time and space, to repair the space-time continuum. Instead, they have ended up in a labor dispute with the Supreme Being and are using the map to travel through time and steal treasures from history. At the same time, they are being watched by a malevolent character known as Evil Genius (David Warner), who while brooding in his fortress prison wants the map for himself to recreate the universe to his liking.

Evil Genius: What sort of Supreme Being created such riffraff? Is this not the workings of a complete incompetent?
Baxi Brazilia III: But He created you, Evil One.
Evil Genius: What did you say?
Baxi Brazilia III: Well He created you, so He can't be entirely...
Evil Genius: (blows Baxi to bits) Never talk to me like that again! No one created me! I am Evil. Evil existed long before good. I made myself. I cannot be unmade. I am all powerful!

The dwarves along with Kevin, travel through several time periods, meeting Napoleon Bonaparte (Ian Holm) and Robin Hood (John Cleese). Kevin becomes separated from the group while traveling through one hole and ends up in ancient Greece, where he meets Agamemnon (Sean Connery), who treats Kevin like his son. However, the dwarves catch up with Kevin and drag him away through another time hole, causing Kevin to become angry with them for ruining his Greek visit.

Robin Hood: And you're a robber too. How long have you been a robber?
Strutter: Four foot one.
Robin Hood: Good lord! Jolly good. Four foot one? Well that-that-that is-is- a long time, isn't it?

Kevin: I'll never get the chance to meet Robin Hood again.
Randall: Oh, stop moaning. He's obviously a dangerous man, unbalanced if you ask me. Giving away what isn't even his!
Kevin: That's what Robin Hood always did. Even I know that.
Randall: Of course, you know it all.
Kevin: He was one of my heroes.
Randall: Heroes! Heroes! What do they know about a day's work?

(Kevin had just fallen from the sky on top of a rival warrior, allowing Agamemnon to kill him)
King Agamemnon: Where did you come from?
Kevin: I'm not really sure.
King Agamemnon: Who sent you, the gods? Was it Zeus? Apollo? Athena? (removes his mask) Well... You're certainly a chatty little fellow, aren't you?

After the group lands on the Titanic and survives its sinking, Evil Genius brings Kevin and the dwarves into his realm, the "Time of Legends." The dwarves make their way to Evil Genius' Fortress of Ultimate Darkness, believing an epic treasure, "The Most Fabulous Object in the World," awaits inside. However, the treasure turns out to be a trap set by Evil, and the dwarves are forced to hand over the map. Trapped in a cage hanging over a bottomless void, the group discovers that one of the photographs Kevin has taken in their travels includes a shot of the map, and they are able to identify holes they can use to recruit help and recover the map.

Evil Genius: That's a good question. Why have I let the Supreme Being keep me here in the Fortress of Ultimate Darkness?
Robert: Because you...
Evil Genius: Shut up, I'm speaking rhetorically. When I have the map, I will be free, and the world will be different, because I have understanding.
Robert: Uh, understanding of what, Master?
Evil Genius: Digital watches. And soon I shall have understanding of video cassette recorders and car telephones. And when I have understanding of them, I shall have understanding of computers. And when I have understanding of computers, I shall be the Supreme Being!

The dwarves escape and put their plan into action, bringing soldiers and equipment from across time to face down Evil Genius, but he is able to conquer them all. As Evil Genius is about to unleash his ultimate power, he is suddenly turned to stone by The Supreme Being, now appearing as an elderly gentleman. The dwarves apologize to the Supreme Being, but he says that it was part of his plan, and thanks the dwarves for returning the map and tells them to remove all the rubble of "concentrated Evil" from the area, because it would be dangerous to anyone left. The Supreme Being thanks Kevin for his help, and then leaves him behind as he disappears with the dwarves. Kevin quickly discovers a piece of Evil Genius has been missed, and his vision goes dim as the smoke emanating from the chunk of black rock overwhelms him.

Kevin suddenly wakes up in his own bed, his bedroom filled with smoke and the house on fire. A firefighter breaks into the room and rescues him. As the fire is extinguished, the firefighters find that a microwave was the source of the fire, and hand the unit over to Kevin's parents. Seeing a firefighter (Sean Connery) who resembles Agamemnon, Kevin realizes he is still carrying his satchel. Inside it, he discovers the photographs he took during his journey. When his parents open the microwave to reveal a piece of concentrated Evil, Kevin tries to warn them not to touch it, but they do, and promptly explode. Kevin is left alone.

(last lines)
Kevin: Mom! Dad! It's evil! Don't touch it!
(Kevin's parents explode)
Kevin: Mom? Dad?

The ending is controversial, although there's more honesty and meaning in the last five minutes than any "happy ending" could hope to achieve, although young children may find it too disturbing.

The cast also includes: Shelley Duvall (Dame Pansy / Pansy), Katherine Helmond (Mrs. Ogre), Ian Holm (Napoleon), Michael Palin (Vincent), Peter Vaughan (Winston the Ogre), David Rappaport (Randall), Kenny Baker (Fidgit), Malcolm Dixon (Strutter), Mike Edmonds (Og), Jack Purvis (Wally), Tiny Ross (Vermin), Jim Broadbent (Compere), John Young (Reginald), Myrtle Devenish (Beryl), Brian Bowes (Knight / Hussar), Leon Lissek (1st Refugee), Terence Bayler (Lucien), Preston Lockwood (Neguy), Charles McKeown (Theater Manager), David Leland (Puppeteer), John Hughman (The Great Rumbozo), Derrick O'Connor (Robber Leader), Neil McCarthy (2nd Robber), Declan Mulholland (3rd Robber), Peter Jonfield (Arm Wrestler), Derek Deadman (Robert), Jerold Wells (Benson), Roger Frost (Cartwright), Martin Carroll (Baxi Brazilia III), Marcus Powell (Horseflesh), Winston Dennis (Bull-headed Warrior), Del Baker (Greek Fighting Warrior), Juliette James (Greek Queen), Ian Muir (Giant), Mark Holmes (Troll Father), Andrew MacLachlan (Fireman), Chris Grant (TV announcer voice), Tony Jay (Supreme Being voice), Edwin Finn (Supreme Being's Face), and Warwick Davis. Mike Moran composed the original music. The screenplay was written by Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam, who also directed.

TIME BANDITS is a fantasy film, the first in Terry Gilliam's "Trilogy of the Imagination" films, followed by BRAZIL (1985) and THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN (1989). Gilliam refers to it as a "trilogy about the ages of Man and the subordination of magic to realism." The connecting link shared by each film is that each celebrates the spirit of imagination, and is anchored by a central character whose imagination is suppressed by forces not of his own choosing or design. In each film the character must undergo a fantastic journey that will allow his imagination to be given its freedom as God had intended. What binds these three together is that in TIME BANDITS the dreamer is a boy, in BRAZIL a man, and in BARON MUNCHAUSEN an old man. TIME BANDITS uses the motif of bureaucracy and technology hurting imagination and creativity, a theme further expanded on in BRAZIL.

Gilliam wrote the screenplay with fellow Monty Python member Michael Palin, who appears with Shelley Duvall in the small, recurring roles of Vincent and Pansy. The film's script was broken down into two tasks, with Gilliam mostly devising the story and Palin mostly writing the dialogue. Gilliam has said of writing dialogue that it "doesn't come as easily as it should." TIME BANDITS was filmed at Lee International Studios, Shepperton, Middlesex, England, and on location in England, Wales and Morocco. The film is one of the most famous of more than 30 theatrical features produced by Handmade Films, the London-based independent company backed in part by former Beatle George Harrison.

TIME BANDITS is a triumphant use of fantasy to articulate truth, and the power of the imagination to find the reality hidden in plain sight. An unforgettable film, with images and characters that will stay with you for a long time, its sense of humor is irreverent and dark. Lead actor Craig Warnock is somewhat anonymous at times, and the whole film starts to drag a little towards the end. However, there are some fantastic moments in this movie: the knight-on-horseback exploding through the bedroom wardrobe, the wonderful acrobatics as the dwarves escape from a series of dangling cages, and John Cleese's hilarious portrayal of Robin Hood as an upper-class twit. Once you get past the expectation that it will be hilariously funny, you can easily get carried away with this delightful movie.

Despite it's vague resemblance to THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939) told upside down, it is not a typical modern kid's film. It has an old-fashioned Grimm-ness, with creatures dying nasty, sweaty deaths and even "good" characters behaving quite badly at times. Basically TIME BANDITS is a fairy tale, revisionist history lesson, a satire on technology gone awry, and it is more honest than any fantasy film made in a very long time.

A sequel to TIME BANDITS has long been rumored, and in "Gilliam on Gilliam", Terry Gilliam once expressed his intention of making one. It was intended to be released before or in 2000. The catalyst was the Supreme Being using the milestone of year 2000 as a time to reflect, and discovering that he was so disappointed with the way the universe turned out that he was going to end it. The time bandits were the only ones that could save the universe, if they wanted to.

The Criterion Edition DVD of TIME BANDITS released in 1999 is somewhat disappointing. It has interlace problems, an unstable picture, and sound that leaves much to be desired. But the aspect ratio is correct and the detailed transfer is sharp. The widescreen image is the way Gilliam intended the film to be seen. A much improved Divimax release from Anchor Bay is from a high definition digital transfer. The 2 DVD Anchor Bay edition isn't perfect but it's a noticeable improvement on the previous no-frills version they issued in 1999 and the Criterion Edition. A high definition transfer and the fact that the film has been enhanced for 16x9 televisions are definite improvements. The first disc features only the film and it doesn't have the great audio commentary compilation by Gilliam, Michael Palin, David Warner, John Cleese and Craig Warnock.

The soundtrack has been remixed for the Dolby Digital EX track, but the 5.1 mix sounds more natural. Since the original source material was designed for stereo and there were some recording limitations at the time the film was made, the tinny sound is still a bit of a problem. The second disc contains all the extras. The feaurettes include "The Directors: The films of Terry Gilliam" with interviews featuring Gilliam, Shelly Duvall, Brad Pitt, Amanda Plummer, Mercedes Ruehl, Madeleine Stowe and David Warner. There's also an interview with Gilliam and Palin as well as the original theatrical trailers for the film. Some of these features duplicate comments heard on the commentary track for the film from Criterion. There's also a Terry Gilliam biography, a DVD-Rom version of the original screenplay, a look at the original film treatment, dream facts, production stills, and a photo gallery. Anchor Bay includes a fold out Map of the Universe which also has a background on the film production.

Moonraker (1979) * * *

(first lines)
Captain: How are we doing, Richard?
RAF Officer: We should pass over the English coast 15 minutes ahead of time, sir.
Captain: Wow! With this load on our back, that's good going.
RAF Officer: Just trust the RAF, sir.

James Bond (Roger Moore) is recalled from Africa to investigate the hijacking and destruction of a Drax Industries Moonraker space shuttle on loan to the UK. En route in a small jet, Bond is attacked by the pilot and crew and is pushed out of the plane by the mercenary assassin Jaws (Richard Kiel), whom he has met before. Bond survives by stealing a parachute from the pilot in mid-air, while Jaws lands on a circus tent. 007 reports to MI6 headquarters in London, and is briefed by M (Bernard Lee) and Q (Desmond Llewelyn) about the hijacking. He begins his investigation at the Drax Industries shuttle-manufacturing complex in southern California.

Miss Moneypenny: Why are you so late, James?
James Bond: I fell out of an airplane without a parachute. Who's in there?
Miss Moneypenny: Q and the Minister of Defense.
James Bond: You don't believe me do you?
Miss Moneypenny: No.

At Drax Industries, Bond is greeted by the owner of the company, Hugo Drax (Michael Lonsdale), and henchman Chang (Toshirô Suga). At first Bond receives a warm welcome from Drax, and given the freedom to roam his magnificent chateau. Bond meets an astronaut, NASA scientist Dr. Holly Goodhead (Lois Chiles), and survives an assassination attempt in a centrifuge chamber. 007 is later helped by Drax's personal pilot, Corinne Dufour (Corinne Clery), when he finds blueprints for a glass vial made in Venice. While hunting game, Bond survives yet another attempt on his life when Drax has a man shoot him from a tree with a rifle. However, Bond notices this and uses his hunting shotgun to kill him. Dufour is fired by Drax because he found out that she helped Bond in his investigations, then she is gruesomely murdered by hunting dogs.

Hugo Drax: You missed, Mr. Bond.
(a sniper falls from a tree)
James Bond: Did I?

Bond again encounters Dr. Goodhead in Venice. He is chased through the canals by Drax's men but his gondola, with the ability to transform into a hovercraft, allows him to escape across the Piazza San Marco. Bond discovers a secret biological lab, accidentally poisons the scientists there, and learns that the glass vials are to hold a deadly nerve gas. Chang battles Bond and is killed. During the fight, Bond sees evidence that Drax is moving his operation to Rio de Janeiro. Rejoining Dr. Goodhead, he concludes that she is a CIA agent spying on Drax. They promise to work together and consummate their alliance, but quickly dispense with the truce. Bond has saved one of the vials he found earlier, gives it to M for analysis, then travels to Rio de Janeiro.

Q: It's activated by nerve impulses from the wrist muscles.
James Bond: Like this?
(dart pierces a painting on M's wall)
M: Oh, thank you, 007!
Q: Be careful, will you? Now, there's ten darts: five blue-tipped, armour-piercing; five red-tipped, cyanide coated, causing death in thirty seconds.
James Bond: Very novel, Q. Must get them in the stores for Christmas.

In Rio de Janeiro, Bond meets and seduces his Brazilian contact Manuela (Emily Bolton). Drax orders Jaws to finish Chang's job of killing Bond, who meets Dr. Goodhead at the top of Sugarloaf. They are attacked by Jaws on a cable car. After Jaws' car crashes he is rescued by Dolly (Blanche Ravalec) from the rubble, and the two fall in love. Bond and Dr. Goodhead are captured by Drax's henchmen, but Bond escapes.

Bond reports to an MI6 base in Brazil and learns that the toxin comes from a rare orchid found in the upper Amazon jungle. While deadly to humans, it is harmless to all other life. Bond travels the Amazon River looking for Drax's research facility, and soon encounters Jaws and other henchmen again. He escapes from his boat just before it hits the Iguacu Falls, and finds Drax's base. Captured by Jaws again, Bond is taken to Drax and witnesses four Moonraker space shuttles lifting off. Drax explains that he himself stole the Moonraker because another in the fleet had developed a fault during assembly. Bond is reunited with Dr. Goodhead, they escape and successfully pose as pilots on the sixth shuttle. The shuttles dock with Drax's hidden space station.

Dr. Goodhead: Have you broken something?
James Bond: Only my tailor's heart.
(she kisses him)
James Bond: What was that for?
Dr. Goodhead: For saving my life.
James Bond: Remind me to do it more often!
(Dr. Goodhead and Bond discuss how to destroy the death globes en route to Earth)
James Bond: Moonraker 5, that's the answer. Drax's shuttle is armed with a laser. We can track those globes and destroy them.

Drax plans to destroy all human life by launching 50 globes containing the toxin into the Earth's atmosphere. Before launching the globes, Drax also transported several dozen young men and women of varying races, which he regarded as genetically perfect, to the space station. They would live there until Earth was safe again for human life, and their descendants would be the seed for a "new master race." Bond persuades Jaws and Dolly to switch allegiance by getting Drax to admit that anyone not measuring up to his physical standards would be exterminated, including Dolly and Jaws, so Jaws fights Drax's men.

Hugo Drax: First there was the dream, now there is reality. Here in the untainted cradle of the heavens will be created a new super race, a race of perfect physical specimens. You have been selected as its progenitors. Like gods, your offspring will return to Earth and shape it in their image. You have all served in public capacities in my terrestrial empire. Your seed, like yourselves, will pay deference to the ultimate dynasty which I alone have created. From their first day on Earth they will be able to look up and know that there is law and order in the heavens.

Hugo Drax: Allow me to introduce you to the airlock chamber. Observe, Mr Bond, your route from this world to the next. (opens airlock door) And you, Dr Goodhead, your desire to become America's first woman in space will shortly be fulfilled.

Bond and Dr. Goodhead disable the radar jammer hiding the station from Earth. The U.S. sends a platoon of Marines in a military shuttle. A laser battle ensues in which Drax's guards as well as his new master race die. During the battle, Bond pushes Drax into an airlock and ejects him into space. The space station, heavily damaged in the battle, disintegrates. Jaws helps Bond and Dr. Goodhead escape in a space shuttle. In celebration, Jaws opens a champagne bottle and he and Dolly toast in his only spoken line: "Well, here's to us!" They also escape the space station as their module breaks away before the station explodes. Before the battle Drax launched three of the globes towards Earth, which Dr. Goodhead and Bond destroy from their shuttle. The two make love in space, prompting the line from Q: "I think he's attempting re-entry, Sir!"

(last lines)
Dr. Goodhead: James?
James Bond: I think it may be time to go home.
Dr. Goodhead: Take me 'round the world one more time.
James Bond: Why not?

MOONRAKER is the eleventh spy film in the James Bond series, and the fourth to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It was released on June 26, 1979 in the UK and was released three days later in the USA, grossing $70,308,099 in the UK. It opened in 788 theaters, grossing a total of $210,308,099 worldwide. It was the highest grossing film of the 007 franchise until the Pierce Brosnan Bond film GOLDENEYE (1995). Much of the film was shot in the cities of London, Paris, Venice, Palmdale, and Rio de Janeiro. MOONRAKER was also noted for its high production cost for a 007 film, spending almost twice as much money as the preceding James Bond movie THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (1977). It was intended by its creator Ian Fleming to be turned into a film even before he completed the novel in 1954, since he based the novel on a manuscript he had written even earlier than this.

One of the most overblown and lightweight additions to the 007 spy franchise, MOONRAKER is saved from mediocrity by decent effects and the hulking presence of Jaws. It's a very entertaining movie, but the narrative is mostly contrived, fragmented and disjointed. Instead of a coherent story, the movie tends to be a sequence of high-adrenaline danger situations. The film seems to miss the point of Bond movies. Its first mistake is to upset the balance between 007 and the technology around him. Previously these gadgets existed only to serve Bond, but here they dominate the film and make our favorite agent almost an afterthought. Secondly, Drax emasculates Bond further. In many ways MOONRAKER is actually impressive, especially the sets and effects. Moore is the only actor with significant screen time, and his performance determines the film's success. He is partially successful with an irreverent and tongue-in-cheek attitude. However, he generally lacks the seriousness necessary for Bond. There is a fanciful air about Moore, who often hardly seems to be trying. But some of the action scenes such as the opening free-fall brawl are superb, worth the price of admission. And for those who enjoy outer space movies MOONRAKER is a top favorite James Bond film.

The cast also includes: Geoffrey Keen (Sir Frederick Gray), Lois Maxwell (Miss Moneypenny), Irka Bochenko (Blonde Beauty), Mike Marshall (Col. Scott), Leila Shenna (Hostess Private Jet), Anne Lonnberg (Museum Guide), Jean-Pierre Castaldi (Pilot Private Jet), Walter Gotell (General Anatol Gogol), Douglas Lambert (Mission Control Director), Arthur Howard (Cavendish), Alfie Bass (Consumptive Italian), Brian Keith (U.S. Shuttle Captain), George Birt (Captain of Boeing 747), Kim Fortune (R.A.F. Officer), Lizzie Warville (Russian Girl), Johnny Traber's Troupe (Funambulists), Nicholas Arbez (Drax's Boy), Guy Di Rigo (Ambulanceman), Chris Dillinger (Drax's Technician), Claude Carliez (Gondolier), and many others. John Barry composed the incidental original music. Christopher Wood wrote the screenplay from Ian Fleming's novel. Lewis Gilbert directed.

Film critic Roger Ebert approved of the special effects and Ken Adam's production sets, but he criticized the pace in which the locations of the film evolved, writing that, "it's so jammed with faraway places and science fiction special effects that Bond has to move at a trot just to make it into all the scenes." Christopher Null wrote: "Most rational observers agree that Moonraker is without a doubt the most absurd James Bond movie, definitely of the Roger Moore era and possibly of all time", but approved of the remark "I think he's attempting re-entry!" by Q during Bond and Goodhead's orbiting of the earth which he described as "featuring what might be the best double entendre ever." Danny Peary wrote that "The worst James Bond film to date has Roger Moore walking through the paces for his hefty paycheck and giving way to his double for a series of unimaginative action scenes and "humorous" chases. There’s little suspense and the humor falls flat. Not only is Jaws so pacified by love that he becomes a good guy, but the filmmakers also have the gall to set the finale in outer space and stage a battle right out of Star Wars." James Berardinelli wrote: "The solid special effects, well-executed action sequences, and a strict reliance upon the 'Bond Formula' keep this film among Moore's better entries."

MOONRAKER was the third of the three Bond films with a theme song performed by Shirley Bassey, following GOLDFINGER (1964) and DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER (1971). The soundtrack of Moonraker was composed by John Barry and recorded in Paris. Barry also made use of classical music passages in the film: Frédéric Chopin's Prelude no. 15 in D-flat major (op. 28), Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka by Johann Strauss II, Tchaikovsky's "Romeo and Juliet Overture", and Richard Strauss's Also Sprach Zarathustra (op. 30).

The exaggerated plot and space station sequence have been parodied in numerous movies. For example, the Austin Powers spoof film THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME (1999) refers to MOONRAKER with Dr. Evil's lair in space. Also the scene in which Drax is shot by the cyanide dart and ousted into space is parodied by Power's ejection of Dr. Evil's clone Mini-Me into outer space in the same way.

MOONRAKER was one of the first James Bond movies released on DVD. In 1998 a barebones THX edition was released. It was released with a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix on the MGM Special Edition in 2000, but it was re-released in 2006 as an Ultimate Edition with enhanced footage. The 42 minute documentary "Inside Moonraker" on the special effects and stuntwork was carried over from the original release, as was the 18 minute "The Men Behind the Mayhem" featuring director Lewis Gilbert, executive and associate producers Michael G. Wilson and William P. Cartlidge and writer Christopher Wood, relating memories of the production. The Ultimate Edition comes with several commentaries, one which features Roger Moore, which had been recently recorded for the release.

The second disc of the Ultimate Edition DVD opens with an 11 minute footage of set designer Ken Adam's productions, including home interviews with him and an exploration of Eon Productions locations and sets. Other features include Michael G. Wilson introducing interviews with the members of the cast and crew, and an archive 12 minute featurette "007 in Rio" which covers the production team in Rio de Janeiro and takes a more general analysis of behind the scenes in the overall film. There is also brief storyboard coverage including four short storyboard sequences and test footage, which includes coverage of the circus landing, the cable car scene and the skydiving scene. MOONRAKER was released on Blu-ray Disc in March 2009. It includes the same special features as the Ultimate Edition DVD, some of which are now presented in high definition.

American Beauty (1999) * * *

(first lines)
Jane Burnham: I need a father who's a role model, not some horny geek-boy who's gonna spray his shorts whenever I bring a girlfriend home from school. What a lame-o. Someone really should just put him out of his misery.
Ricky Fitts: Want me to kill him for you?
Jane Burnham: Yeah. Would you?

Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) and his wife Carolyn (Annette Bening) are a seemingly perfect suburban couple who make life-changing choices mostly because of Lester's mid-life crisis. He is a father and advertising executive who serves as the film's narrator: "I'm 42 years old. In less than a year, I'll be dead. Of course, I don't know that yet. And in a way, I'm dead already." He describes himself as a loser in a dead end job with bosses he doesn't respect. Carolyn is an ambitious realtor who feels unsuccessful at fulfilling her potential, and his 16-year-old daughter Jane (Thora Birch) is unhappy and struggling with her self-esteem. Jane hates her parents and is saving money for a breast augmentation operation. Lester is reinvigorated when he meets Jane's sexually precocious friend and classmate Angela Hayes (Mena Suvari) at a high school basketball game. He immediately develops an infatuation for her, much to his daughter's dismay. Throughout the film, Lester has sexual fantasies about Angela and red rose petals.

His new neighbours are US Marine Corps Colonel Frank Fitts (Chris Cooper), his wife Barbara (Allison Janney), and their teenage son Ricky (Wes Bentley). Fascist Col. Fitts has homophobic disgust for a gay couple who are also neighbors, and believes Ricky is gay and having sex with Lester. This is not true, he only supplies marijuana for Lester, but Ricky claims to be gay to escape from his father. Frank controls Ricky with very strict discipline and gives him drug tests regularly. Ricky, a smoker and drug dealer, makes deals with a client of his so he can have clean urine samples to pass these tests. He frequently uses a hand-held video camera to record his surroundings and keeps hundreds of tapes in his bedroom.

Carolyn begins an affair with her business rival Buddy Kane (Peter Gallagher). Lester is about to be laid off, then he blackmails his boss, quits his job and takes up low-pressure employment at a fast food chain. He trades in his car for a 1970 Pontiac Firebird, starts running, and lifts weights so he can "look good naked" to impress Angela, whom he overheard tell Jane that she'd find him sexy if he had more muscles.

Brad Dupree: (reading Lester's job description) "My job consists of basically masking my contempt for the assholes in charge, and, at least once a day, retiring to the men's room so I can jerk off while I fantasize about a life that doesn't so closely resemble Hell." Well, you have absolutely no interest in saving yourself.
Lester: Brad, for 14 years I've been a whore for the advertising industry. The only way I could save myself now is if I start firebombing. I guess I'll have to throw in a sexual harassment charge.
Brad Dupree: Against who?
Lester: Against you. Can you prove that you didn't offer to save my job if I let you blow me?
Brad Dupree: Man, you are one twisted f**k.
Lester: Nope. I'm just an ordinary guy who has nothing left to lose.

Carolyn: Uh, whose car is that out front?
Lester: Mine. 1970 Pontiac Firebird. The car I've always wanted and now I have it. I rule!

Lester: I figured you guys might be able to give me some pointers. I need to shape up. Fast.
Jim Olmeyer: Are you just looking to lose weight, or do you want increased strength and flexibility as well?
Lester: I want to look good naked!

After watching Ricky and Lester make a drug transaction through the garage window, Frank mistakenly concludes that the two are engaged in a sexual relationship. That evening, Ricky returns home, where Frank beats him and accuses him of being gay. Ricky falsely admits the charge and goads Frank into turning him out of their home.

Frank Fitts: Where did you get that?
Ricky Fitts: From my job.
Frank Fitts: Don't lie to me. Now, I saw you with him.
Ricky Fitts: You were watching me?
Frank Fitts: What did he make you do?
Ricky Fitts: Oh, Dad, you don't really think that me and Mr. Burnham were...
Frank Fitts: Don't you laugh at me. Now, I will not sit back and watch my only son become a c**k-sucker.
Ricky Fitts: Jesus, what is it with you?
Frank Fitts: I swear to God, I will throw you out of the house and never look at you again.
Ricky Fitts: You mean that?
Frank Fitts: You're damn straight I do. I'd rather you were dead than be a fuckin' faggot.
Ricky Fitts: You're right. I suck d**k for money.
Frank Fitts: Boy, don't start.
Ricky Fitts: Two thousand dollars. I'm that good.
Frank Fitts: Get out.
Ricky Fitts: And you should see me f**k. I'm the best piece of ass in three States.
Frank Fitts: Get out. I don't ever want to see you again.
Ricky Fitts: What a sad old man you are.

Ricky goes to Jane and asks her to flee with him to New York City. An emotionally distraught Col. Fitts kisses Lester in his garage. Later gunshot rings out and blood spatters on the kitchen wall in front of Lester as he is shot from behind. Ricky and Jane find him dead. Lester's final narration reflects on his life, and the actions of the other characters at the moment of his death.

(last lines)
Lester: I had always heard your entire life flashes in front of your eyes the second before you die. First of all, that one second isn't a second at all, it stretches on forever, like an ocean of time... For me, it was lying on my back at Boy Scout camp, watching falling stars... And yellow leaves, from the maple trees, that lined my street... Or my grandmother's hands, and the way her skin seemed like paper... And the first time I saw my cousin Tony's brand new Firebird... And Janie... And Janie... And... Carolyn. I guess I could be pretty pissed off about what happened to me... but it's hard to stay mad, when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much, my heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst... And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain and I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life... You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure. But don't worry... you will someday.

AMERICAN BEAUTY is a cinematic triumph that is both funny and sad, disturbing, yet provocative and deep. This compelling well-paced film is an extraordinary achievement that reveals a tragic and realistic story about a family that is anything but ordinary. It has many layers and it deals with the disparity between appearances and their underlying realities. Lester's abrupt break with his superficial world is refreshing, and the circumstances that evolve from it are both provocative and entertaining. The beautiful cinematography, good music score, precise and evocative screenplay, and first-rate acting make this movie stand above most others. AMERICAN BEAUTY was a massive success both critically and commercially, and the film won a total of five Oscars, including Best Picture. Writing for the San Francisco Chronicle, Edward Guthman called it "a dazzling tale of loneliness, desire and the hollowness of conformity". Jay Carr for the Boston Globe called the film "a millennial classic". The New York Post called it "a flat-out masterpiece".

The cast also includes: Allison Janney (Barbara Fitts), Scott Bakula (Jim Olmeyer), Sam Robards (Jim Berkley), Barry Del Sherman (Brad Dupree), Ara Celi, Amber Smith (Christy Kane), John Cho, Fort Atkinson, Sue Casey, Kent Faulcon, Brenda Wehle, Lisa Cloud, Allison Faulk, Krista Goodsitt, Lily Houtkin, Carolina Lancaster, Romana Leah, Chekesha Van Putten, Emily Zachary, Nancy Anderson, Reshma Gajjar, Stephanie Rizzo, Heather Joy Sher, Chelsea Hertford, Amber Smith, and many others. Thomas Newman composed the original music. Alan Ball wrote the screenplay derived from his stage play. He saw a paper bag floating in the wind near the World Trade Center plaza and this inspired him to write it. Sam Mendes directed.

Wilde (1997) * * *

The film opens with Oscar Wilde's (Stephen Fry) 1882 visit to Leadville, Colorado during his lecture tour of the United States. Despite his flamboyant personality and urbane wit, he proves to be a success with the silver miners as he regales them with tales of Renaissance silversmith Benvenuto Cellini.

Wilde returns to London and weds Constance Lloyd (Jennifer Ehle), and they have two sons in quick succession. While the second child is still an infant, the Wildes are playing host to young Canadian Robbie Ross (Michael Sheen), who seduces Oscar and helps him come to terms with his homosexuality. On the opening night of his play "Lady Windermere's Fan", Wilde is re-introduced to the dashingly handsome and openly foppish poet Lord Alfred Douglas (Jude Law), whom he had met briefly the year before, and the two fall into a passionate relationship. Hedonistic Alfred is not content to remain monogamous and frequently engages in sexual activity with rent boys while his older lover plays the role of voyeur. Alfred's father, the Marquess of Queensbury (Tom Wilkinson), objects to his son's relationship with Wilde.

Marquess of Queensberry: Where d'you stand on cremation?
Wilde: I'm not sure I have a position.
Marquess of Queensberry: I'm for it. I wrote a poem about it. "When I am dead, cremate me." That's how it starts. 'When... I am dead... cremate me". Whaddya think of that for an opening line?
Wilde: It's... challenging.

Douglas: (Wilde is ill in bed) You look such an idiot lying there. Revolting. Have you forgotten how to wash?
Wilde: As a matter of fact, I'm dying for a glass of water
Douglas: Well, help yourself. You know where the jug is.
Wilde: Bosie, darling...
Douglas: It stinks in here. You'll be wanting me to empty your chamber pot next.
Wilde: Well, I emptied your chamber pot... I looked after you...
Douglas: Well, I'm not looking after you. Not now. You don't interest me, not when you're ill. You're just a boring, middle-aged man with a blocked-up nose.
Wilde: Bosie, dearest boy...
Douglas: Shut up! Dearest boy! Darling Bosie! It doesn't mean anything! You don't love me! The only person you've ever loved is yourself. You like me, you lust after me, you go about with me because I've got a title. That's all. You like to write about Dukes and Duchesses, but you know nothing about them. You're the biggest snob I've ever met, and you think you're so daring because you f**k the occasional boy.
Wilde: Bosie, please... You're killing me...
Douglas: You just about do when you're at your best. You're amusing, very amusing, but when you're not at your best, you're no one!
Wilde: All I asked for was a glass of water...

Carson: In this poem by Lord Alfred Douglas, "Two Loves", there is one love, true love, which, and I quote "fills the hearts of boy and girl with mutual flame." And there is another: "I am the love that dare not speak its name." Was that poem explained to you?
Wilde: I think it's clear.
Carson: There's no question as to what it means?
Wilde: Most certainly not.
Carson: So, is it not clear that the love described relates to natural and unnatural love?
Wilde: No.
Carson: Oh. Then what is 'the love that dare not speak its name?'
Wilde: "The love that dare not speak its name", in this century, is such a great affection of an elder for a younger man as there was between David and Johnathan. Such as Plato made the very basis of his philosophy, and such as you may find in the sonnets of Michelangelo or Shakespeare. It is, in this century, misunderstood. So much misunderstood that it may be described as "the love that dare not speak its name", and on account of it I am placed where I am now. It is beautiful. It is fine. It is the noblest form of affection. There is nothing unnatural about it. It is intellectual. And it repeatedly exists between an elder and a younger man when the elder has intellect and the younger man has all the joy, hope and glamour of life before him. That it should be so, the world does not understand. The world mocks at it and sometimes puts someone in the pillory for it.

The Marquess of Queensberry eventually baits Wilde by publicly demeaning him shortly after the opening of his play "The Importance of Being Earnest", and when Wilde makes a complaint of criminal libel against him, his sexual preference is exposed and he is arrested and tried for gross indecency. He chooses to fight the charge rather than flee the country. Eventually sentenced to two years' hard labor, he is visited in prison by his wife, who tells him she isn't divorcing him but is taking their sons to Germany and that he is welcome to visit as long as he never sees Douglas again. Oscar is released from prison and the film ends with his attempt to reconcile with Lord Alfred Douglas.

WILDE is the story of Oscar Wilde, the brilliant Victorian poet, writer, playwright, wit, and martyr for homosexuality. First the film establishes Wilde as a loving family man, complete with wife Constance and two sons, and portrays him as a dignified genius who is pained by his homosexuality. From his initial encounters with Robbie Ross, his first male lover, to his tragic affair with the beautiful and bratty Alfred "Bosie" Lord Douglas, Wilde is shown as a conflicted artist, fighting with his own urges as he amazes everyone around him. Bosie's father objects to his son's relationship with Oscar and eventually has him arrested and tried for gross indecency. Sentenced to two years' hard labour, Wilde is eventually released and the film ends with his attempt to reconcile with Bosie. Throughout the film, portions of the Wilde fairy tale "The Selfish Giant" are woven in: first by Wilde telling the story to his children, then as narrator, and finishing the story as the film ends with his tragic death.

Wilde: I do believe in anything, provided it is incredible. That's why I intend to die a Catholic, though I never could live as one.
Robbie Ross: I've given in and become a Catholic. I find Confession wonderfully consoling.
John Gray: I can't go to Confession when I want to kill Bosie... and myself...

The cast also includes: Vanessa Redgrave (Lady Speranza Wilde), Gemma Jones (Lady Queensberry), Judy Parfitt (Lady Mount-Temple), Zoë Wanamaker (Ada Leverson), Ioan Gruffudd (John Gray), Matthew Mills (Lionel Johnson), Jason Morell (Ernest Dowson), Peter Barkworth (Charles Gill), Robert Lang (C.O. Humphreys), Philip Locke (Judge), David Westhead (Edward Carson), Jack Knight (Cyril Wilde), Jackson Leach (Cyril Wilde, aged 4), Laurence Owen (Vyvyan Wilde), Benedict Sandiford (Alfred Wood), Mark Letheren (Charles Parker), Michael Fitzgerald (Alfred Taylor), Orlando Bloom (Rent Boy), Bob Sessions (Mine Owner), Adam Garcia (Jones), and many others. Arthur Sullivan and Debbie Wiseman composed the original music. Julian Mitchell wrote the screenplay from Richard Ellmann's book. Brian Gilbert directed.

In her review in the New York Times, Janet Maslin called the film "a broad but effectively intimate portrait", and added, "Playing the large dandyish writer with obvious gusto, Stephen Fry looks uncannily like Wilde and presents an edgy mixture of superciliousness and vulnerability." In the Los Angeles Times, Kevin Thomas stated the film, "has found a perfect Oscar in the formidably talented Stephen Fry...Coupled with Julian Mitchell's superb script...and director Brian Gilbert's total commitment to it and to his sterling cast, this deeply moving Wilde is likely to remain the definitive screen treatment of Oscar Wilde for years to come." In the San Francisco Examiner, David Armstrong wrote the film, "benefits from its lush period costumes and settings but gains even more from an accomplished cast of British film and stage actors. Gilbert's direction is sturdy but uninspired, and Ehle's part is underwritten. To her credit, Ehle movingly conveys the sad frustration that Wilde implanted in his lonely wife; but Ehle has to do the work, playing her feelings on her face, with little help from Julian Mitchell's screenplay."

Gods and Monsters (1998) * * *

Set in 1957 Los Angeles, James Whale (Ian McKellan), director of FRANKENSTEIN (1931) and THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935), has retired and lives with his housekeeper Hanna (Lynn Redgrave), who disapproves of his gay lifestyle. Whale has suffered a series of strokes that have left him fragile and tormented by memories of his past, growing up as a poor outcast, his World War I service and working in Hollywood as a director. He indulges in his fantasies, reminiscing of gay pool parties and toys with a starstruck fan who comes to interview him. Whale also battles depression knowing his life is slipping away and the diagnosis that his stroke damage grows worse, at times contemplating suicide.

Whale: Hatred was the only thing that kept my soul alive. And amongst the men I hated... was my dear old dumb father, who put me in that hell in the first place.

Whale befriends his handsome and muscular gardener, ex-Marine Clayton Boone (Brendan Fraser) and the two begin a friendship. Boone agrees to pose for Whale, is reluctant to remove his shirt, but does so. Whale begins sketching and the two begin talking about their lives. Clay researches Whale's film career, and is impressed. His girlfriend speculates that Whale is just an old fruit pretending to be famous to have sex with him. Hanna confirms that Whale is homosexual and Clay leaves when Whale talks about the young men who've posed previously. Boone, impressed with Whale's fame, watches THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN on TV as others mock the movie. He questions his friendship with Whale and Whale's intentions. After assuring Whale he is straight, Whale says he has no interest in him.

Hannah: Poor Mr. Jimmy. There is much good in him, but he will suffer the fires of hell.
Boone: Oh yeah?
Hannah: That is what the priests tell me. His sins of the flesh will keep him from heaven.
Boone: Hell, everybody's got those.
Hannah: No. His is the worst. The unspeakable. The deed no man can name without shame. What is the good English? All I know is bugger, he's a bugger, men who bugger each other...
Boone: A homo?
Hannah: Yes, you know...

Boone: No, I don't have a girlfriend.
Whale: Why not?
Boone: You have to kiss some ass to get a piece of it.
Whale: My life is a game of strip poker. Want to play?
Boone: You must think the whole world is queer.

Boone storms out when Whale graphically discusses his sexual history, then later returns with the agreement that no such discussion will occur again. Boone escorts Whale to a party given by gay director George Cukor (Martin Ferrero) hosted by Princess Margaret (Cornelia Hayes O'Herlihy) where a photo op has been arranged with Whale and "His Monsters", Boris Karloff (Jack Betts) and Elsa Lanchester (Rosalind Ayres). It starts raining and the two return to Whales' home. Whale realizes he is but a footnote in cinematic history, which only worsens his depression and uses a sudden rain storm as an excuse to leave.

Back home Whale persuades Boone to pose nude for him and uses the opportunity to make a brazen advance on Boone. Whale puts a gas mask on Clay, kisses him and touches his penis. Predictably, Boone becomes enraged and attacks James, who confesses that this was his plan all along, to use Clay as his means of assisted suicide. He begs Boone to kill him to relieve him of his suffering. Boone refuses, puts Whale to bed then sleeps downstairs. The next morning Hanna is alarmed when she can't find Whale, prompting a thorough search. Boone finds Whale floating dead in the pool, as a distraught Hanna runs out clutching a suicide note and orders Clay to leave.

The film closes roughly a decade in the future. In an epilogue, Clay has a son who enjoys watching THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN on TV. His son is skeptical of his father's claim that he knew Whale but is impressed when shown a sketch of the Frankenstein monster signed, "To Clayton Boone. Friend?". Clay gives his son the sketch for the Frankenstein monster. He then takes the trash out, and begins walking like the Frankenstein monster.

One of the most critically acclaimed films of 1998 and winner of several awards including the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, GODS AND MONSTERS is a speculation about the final days of James Whale (1889-1957), the director of SHOWBOAT (1936) and 20 other films of the 1930s and '40s. He was openly gay and said "I'm an artist, and don't have to put up with this s**t". Hollywood disagreed, and he was out of work. The movie is humorous but ultimately rather sad, a touchingly affectionate film that succeeds on many levels. A loving tribute to James Whale, it is a richly moving drama about loneliness, memory, and the passions that keep us alive. The title comes from a line in THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN with Dr. Pretorius toasting Dr. Frankenstein: "To a new world of gods and monsters." This film is about Whale and his straight gardener Clay Boone, usually considered his murderer by those in the know, but not in this Hollywood movie.

The cast also includes: Lolita Davidovich (Betty), David Dukes (David Lewis), Kevin J. O'Connor (Harry), Mark Kiely (Dwight), Jack Plotnick (Edmund Kay), Matt McKenzie (Colin Clive), Todd Babcock (Leonard Barnett), Brandon Kleyla (Young Whale), Pamela Salem (Sarah Whale), Michael O'Hagan (William Whale), David Millbern (Dr. Payne), Amir Aboulela (The Monster), Marlon Braccia (Starlet), Jesse Long (Assistant Director), Owen Masterson (Camera Assistant), Lisa Vastine (Librarian), Kent George (Whale at 25), David Fabrizio (Photographer), Jesse James (Michael Boone), Lisa Darr (Dana Boone), Paul Michael Sandberg (Sound Man), Judson Mills (Young Man at Pool), Arthur Dignam (Ernest Thesiger), John Gatins (Kid Saylor), Curtis Harrington (Cukor party guest), Sarah Ann Morris (Daisy), and Richard Pines (Bar Patron). Carter Burwell composed the original music. Bill Condon wrote the screenplay from Christopher Bram's 1995 novel "Father of Frankenstein" and also directed.

The War of the Worlds (1953) * * *

H. G. Wells' 1898 science fiction novel "The War of the Worlds" describes an invasion of Victorian England by Martians using tripod fighting machines equipped with advanced weaponry. The novel is narrated by an anonymous journalist who lives where the invaders land. Throughout the narrative he struggles to reunite with his wife and brother while witnessing the Martians destroying southern English counties and London. Finding London an abandoned ruin, and seeing little hope for humankind, he decides to sacrifice himself to the invaders, only to discover that they have succumbed to the effects of Earth bacteria, to which they have no immunity.

(first lines)
Radio Reporter: In the First World War, and for the first time in the history of man, nations combined to fight against nations using the crude weapons of those days. The Second World War involved every continent on the globe, and men turned to science for new devices of warfare, which reached an unparalleled peak in their capacity for destruction. And now, fought with the terrible weapons of super-science, menacing all mankind and every creature on the Earth comes the War of the Worlds.

Commentary: No one would have believed in the middle of the 20th Century that human affairs were being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than Man's. Yet, across the gulf of space on the planet Mars, intellects vast and cool and unsypathetic regarded our Earth with envious eyes, and slowly and surely joined their plans against us. Mars is more than 140 million miles from the sun, and for centuries has been in the last status of exhaustion. At night, temperatures drop far below zero even at its equator. Inhabitants of this dying planet looked across space with instruments and intelligences that which we have scarcely dreamed, searching for another world to which they could migrate.

The story is updated to the 1950s for this film, and the setting is moved from London to southern California. Narrator Cedric Hardwick opens the film with a prologue in black and white that switches to Technicolor at the opening title sequence. Pacific Tech scientist Dr. Clayton Forrester (Gene Barry), a renowned physicist, is on a fishing vacation in Pine Summit when a giant meteorite lands in the hills above the nearby town of Linda Rosa. Along with the residents, he goes to investigate. At the impact site, he meets Sylvia van Buren (Ann Robinson) and her uncle, Pastor Dr. Matthew Collins (Lewis Martin). Finding the meteorite too hot to examine closely, he decides to wait in town for the meteorite to cool down.

Sylvia: Did you see it come down?
Forrester: Yes, I was fishing up in the hills.
Sylvia: Well, you must have caught plenty with all that tackle!
Sheriff Bogany: What is that gizmo?
Forrester: I'd say that gizmo is a machine from another planet.

After most of the people have gone home, the meteorite turns out to be a Martian spacecraft which unscrews and disgorges a machine. When the three men who remained behind approach with a friendly greeting, it kills them without warning. Forrester and the sheriff are also attacked when they return, but survive. Amid reports of numerous other meteors landing throughout the world, a regiment of United States Marines arrives and surrounds the Martian ship. Three Martian war machines arrive. Pastor Collins approaches one of them in peace, but they kill him with their Heat-Ray without attempting to communicate. The Marines attack, but the Martians are protected by an impenetrable force field. The invaders use their Heat-Ray and disintegrator rays to vaporize most of the Marines, then move out.

Forrester: Any news from abroad?
Major General Mann: Washington is in constant touch with the leaders of other nations. Apparently they're coming down all over. South America; Santiago has two cylinders. They're outside London. They're in Naples. We've got them between here and Fresno, outside Sacramento, two on Long Island.
Forrester: They're just coming down at random?
Major General Mann: No. According to information from foreign sources, they're working to some kind of a plan. Now what it may be isn't clear yet. Simply because once they begin to move, no more news comes out of that area.

Pastor Collins: Colonel, shooting's no good.
Col. Ralph Heffner: It's always been a good persuader.

Forrester and Sylvia flee along with the rest of the civilians. After their plane crashes, they take shelter in a nearby abandoned farmhouse. They are trapped in the basement when another meteorite crashes into the house. The couple comes in contact with a Martian when the creature leaves its machine to look around, but they manage to fight it off. They reach Los Angeles, eventually rejoining Forrester's co-workers who are trying to find a way to defeat the aliens. With a sample of Martian blood and an electronic eye obtained from the farmhouse encounter, the scientists learn a good deal about Martian physiology, especially that they are physically weak creatures.

They then leave to observe a United States Air Force YB-49 drop an atomic bomb on the Martians advancing on Los Angeles. When this fails to destroy the machines, the government initiates large-scale evacuations of cities in danger. Refugees head for shelters set up in the Rocky Mountains. However, widespread panic among the general populace scatters the research group and their equipment is wrecked. In the confusion, Forrester and Sylvia become separated.

All seems lost, with humanity helpless before the onslaught. Forrester frantically searches for Sylvia in the burning ruins of a Los Angeles under attack. Suddenly, an approaching Martian war machine crashes. Upon investigating, Forrester realizes that the seemingly all-powerful invaders are dying. As in the book, they have no biological defense against Earth's viruses and bacteria. At the end, Forrester finds Sylvia in a church, and bells ring as the people praying in the church for a miracle witness the crash of the saucers as the Martians begin to die.

(last lines)
Commentary: The Martians had no resistance to the bacteria in our atmosphere to which we have long since become immune. Once they had breathed our air, germs, which no longer affect us, began to kill them. The end came swiftly. All over the world, their machines began to stop and fall. After all that men could do had failed, the Martians were destroyed and humanity was saved by the littlest things, which God, in His wisdom, had put upon this Earth.

When this adaptation of H.G. Wells’ famous novel hit the screen it wowed audiences with its visuals and the film won an Academy Award for special effects. It's official premiere was in Hollywood on February 20, 1953, and it was the year's biggest sci-fi box office hit. World War II stock footage was used to produce a montage of destruction to show the worldwide invasion, with armies of all nations joining together to fight the invaders. The city of Corona was used as the shooting location for the town of "Linda Rosa". Wells had used the second half of his novel to make a satirical commentary on civilization and the class struggle. Satire was removed from the film and replaced with a religious theme, to the point that the Martians begin dying shortly after blasting a church. The movie itself is understood better when you consider it was made at the height of the Cold War--just replace Martian with Russian. WAR OF THE WORLDS is considered to be one of the greatest science fiction films of the 1950s.

The New York Times noted the film was "an imaginatively conceived, professionally turned adventure, which makes excellent use of Technicolor, special effects by a crew of experts and impressively drawn backgrounds...Director Byron Haskin, working from a tight script by Barre Lyndon, has made this excursion suspenseful, fast and, on occasion, properly chilling", Variety felt it was "a socko science-fiction feature, as fearsome as a film as was the Orson Welles 1938 radio interpretation...what starring honors there are go strictly to the special effects, which create an atmosphere of soul-chilling apprehension so effectively audiences will actually take alarm at the danger posed in the picture. It can't be recommended for the weak-hearted, but to the many who delight in an occasional good scare, it's sock entertainment of hackle-raising quality."

This movie made such an impression on sci-fi that when a 1988 TV version of WAR OF THE WORLDS was produced, it was conceived as a direct sequel to the 1953 film, rather than a derivation of the Wells novel. The 1988 TV series uses several elements from the film, including having Ann Robinson reprise her role as Sylvia Van Buren in three episodes. Robinson also quasi-reprised her role in two later films, first as Dr. Van Buren in MIDNIGHT MOVIE MASSACRE (1988) and as Dr. Sylvia Van Buren in THE NAKED MONSTER (2005).

The cast also includes: Les Tremayne (Maj. Gen. Mann), Robert Cornthwaite (Dr. Pryor), Sandro Giglio (Dr. Bilderbeck), Houseley Stevenson Jr. (Gen. Mann's aide), Paul Frees (Second Radio Reporter / Opening Announcer), William Phipps (Wash Perry), Vernon Rich (Col. Ralph Heffner), Henry Brandon (Cop at Crash Site), Jack Kruschen (Salvatore), Edgar Barrier (Prof. McPherson), Russ Bender (Dr. Carmichael), Paul Birch (Alonzo Hogue), Walter Sande (Sheriff Bogany), Hazel Boyne, Tony Butala, Mushy Callahan, Ann Codee (Dr. Duprey), and many others. Leith Stevens composed the original music. Barré Lyndon wrote the screenplay based on H. G. Wells' novel. Byron Haskin directed.

WAR OF THE WORLDS (2005) is a science fiction-disaster film based on H. G. Wells' original novel. The film was directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Josh Friedman and David Koepp, and it was released on June 29, 2005. It is one of four film adaptations of the novel, preceded by two straight-to-video versions released the same year and the original 1953 film version. Spielberg's film transposes the setting of Wells' story from Victorian England to modern New Jersey.

The story opens in Newark, New Jersey, with dock worker Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) finishing the third shift in the morning. His pregnant ex-wife Mary Anne (Miranda Otto) and her wealthy new husband Tim (David Alan Basche), drop off Ray's 10 year-old daughter Rachel (Hannah Dakota Fanning) and teenage son Robbie (Justin Chatwin) at his house. They are staying with him in Bayonne, New Jersey, while Tim and Mary Anne visit her parents in Boston, Massachusetts for the weekend. Rachel suffers from a panic disorder, while Robbie harbors resentment and outright disrespect towards his father. Later that day, Ray wakes up from a nap and is told by Rachel that Robbie has stolen his car and left.

Ray immediately sets out to find him, but is distracted by a strange cloud formation near his neighborhood. As he and Rachel view it from the garden, the clouds unleash electromagnetic pulses, disabling all of the working electronic devices in the area, including cars. Ray finds an apologetic Robbie, and tells him to take care of Rachel in the house while he goes to look at a hole in the ground that Robbie mentioned. Traveling past, he advises a mechanic to replace the solenoid of a car he is repairing. Ray and many other people find the mysteriously cold hole in the intersection, from which a large tripod machine emerges. It begins to vaporize all humans within its range, and starts to destroy all the buildings in its path. Ray however, manages to escape and returns to his house. After packing food, Ray and the kids abandon their home and steal the car with the new solenoid, the only operating vehicle in town.

The family drive to Tim's house and take refuge in the basement for the night. During the night, a tripod destroys an airliner that crashes into the development, demolishing many of the houses. In the morning, Ray meets a news team, who show close-up video footage to Ray of the lightning in the previous "storm". In slow-motion, they see what they believe to be a pod and deduce that the aliens "rode" down the lightning into the ground where the tripods were located. One reporter believes that the machines were buried in the Earth long before there were humans. After hearing the siren of a nearby tripod approaching the area, the news crew flees, leaving Ray with the intention of driving on to Boston with his kids. The movie goes on and on and on. At the end the narrator reveals that the Tripods are breaking down because the invaders and their weeds are suffering from terrestrial diseases, for which they have no immunity.

This WAR OF THE WORLDS uses elements from the H. G. Wells novel, and also the 1938 radio play and the 1953 film. Spielberg described the movie: It's nothing you can really describe. The whole thing is very experiential. The point of view is very personal--everybody, I think, in the world will be able to relate to the point of view, because it's about a family trying to survive and stay together, and they're surrounded by the most epically horrendous events you could possibly imagine."

Extraterrestrials invade the Earth in a spectacular way, but the event is more disaster than spectacle. When characters stare at the looming tripods in awe it is never for long, as terror and the need to run for their lives inevitably takes over. Spielberg is not interested in entertaining us, he wants to terrify and shies away from nothing. His camera shows many incredible things, hints at others, swirls around the actors and effects in virtuoso displays of action movie artistry, and we realize that the PG-13 rating is a mistake.

Spielberg edits not for convenience, but for force. There is never the sense that something was done because of a limitation, budgetary or otherwise. He flawlessly assembles individual shots and entire complex set pieces, integrates them seamlessly, and makes us believe every frame. When the alien tripods unleash their fury, we do not question them, the aliens, or the people running away. They are there and Tom Cruise is right there with them.

Ultimately WAR OF THE WORLDS is frightening not because Spielberg has made a horror movie, or because of the way he assaults our senses. It's that he has taken the fantastic concept of an alien invasion and made it as realistic as possible. The result is that we watch it not as science fiction but as horror. We are not seeing some vague, distant movie universe violated and pulverized, but our own world, here and now. And we are not observers but participants, as astonished and scared as the people on the screen.

The three leads are pivotal elements of this connection. Though Tom Cruise represents the center of the film, it is the kids who make the greatest impact. Dakota Fanning provides the most primitive emotional base--sheer terror, bewilderment and despair, all the way through. If you think otherwise, that's not an easy task. Justin Chatwin is convincing as his character goes from the expected confusion to anger to a fierce and surprising determination.

WAR OF THE WORLDS would have been incredible had it consisted only of its first two acts. The third is somewhat disappointing, narrows its focus, dumps one character and strands us in a basement with the rest of them. By this point it had taken us to the edge, but it seems that it doesn't have the nerve to jump. The resolution does not quite ring true, as modifications to the story lessen the impact of Wells' original ending, and there is one particular reappearance that is like a slap in the face. However, you can criticize the plot and the script, find flaws in the storytelling, get irritated at the ending, but there is no way to look at what Spielberg has put together in the first two-thirds of this film and not be humbled and amazed.

Reviews have praised the film for its special effects and the direction of Steven Spielberg, but have criticized the film for gaps in the logic and holes and inconsistencies in the story line. Some critics such as Glenn Whip (LA Daily News) and Bruce Westbrook (Houston Chronicle) consider the film a near masterpiece. Critic Armond White, who also named the film the second best of the year, stated that "the film steps beyond the simple conventions of genre filmmaking (a sci-fi flick about an invasion from Mars) and expresses our very contemporary concern with survival", also describing the scene where the Rachel Ferrier character asks "Are we still alive?", as the "unexpectedly avant-garde moment" in the film. Critic James Berardinelli wrote: "WAR OF THE WORLDS may not stand up well to careful inspection and it may not be the smartest science fiction film brought to the screen (although, when considering movies such as the like-themed INDEPENDENCE DAY, it's far from the dumbest), but it is an intense, visceral experience." Roger Ebert regarded it as: "a big, clunky movie containing some sensational sights but lacking the zest and joyous energy we expect from Steven Spielberg."

H. G. WELLS' WAR OF THE WORLDS (2005), also known as INVASION and H. G. WELLS' THE WORLDS IN WAR, is a modernized adaptation much like Spielberg's version. It was released by production company The Asylum whose budget may be more on par with the Pendragon version. No theatrical release date had been planned. Instead the film was a direct-to-DVD release. The story tells of a man who is separated from his wife and child when a Martian invasion begins. He tries to make his way to Washington, D.C. to reunite with them as the world is torn apart. The protagonist is an astronomer named George Herbert (C. Thomas Howell), and the film does not attempt the voice-over narration that accompanies other versions of the story.

The film's Martians are insect-like in their appearance with four legs. These aliens also have the ability to spit acid, which melts anyone who is attacked. They also have an appetite for humans as in the novel. The tripods have been changed to six-legged crab-like machines called "walkers" Fighting machines do not appear to have heavy protection against modern human artillery, leaving their ability to crush resistance unexplained. The aliens do have a substance vaguely similar to the black smoke, which they distribute in shells, but is more of a green colored gas with an inability to rise above ground level, allowing the characters to escape by getting to high places. A major deviation from the text is that the protagonist actually tries to produce a means of stopping the Martians, but the film does not elaborate on whether their eventual downfall is due to these efforts, or whether their deaths simply coincided with his efforts.

Ralph Rieckermann composed the original music. David Michael Latt and Carlos De Los Rios wrote the screenplay based on H. G. Wells' novel. David Michael Latt directed.

The DVD was released on June 28, one day before Spielberg's film, and has a few notable stars including C. Thomas Howell, Peter Greene, and Jake Busey. The alternate title of INVASION is probably for the film's overseas distribution since Paramount claim to own exclusive film rights to the "War of the Worlds" title in the European Union. The chapters on the DVD are named after the chapter titles in the novel, something also done for the Pendragon and Spielberg films.

On April 1, 2008, the sequel WAR OF THE WORLDS 2: THE NEXT WAVE was released direct-to-DVD. The film begins two years after the original and the Martians return to complete their plan of human domination. Appearing in a town of a few survivors a new type of Martian fighter arrives and vaporizes all who come across it. Unlike the originals, however, these appear to be able to move through space at will.

Hiding out in their home that was left untouched in the first invasion George Herbert (C. Thomas Howell) and his son hear an odd sound from the radio used to talk with others. Eventually after reaching his work station George learns that the machines were controlled away from the planet and that the reason they could not see the invasion arriving was due to the use of a type of wormhole between Earth and Mars.

George meets another soldier who had his unit wiped out and is captured as is George's son. When the invasion truly begins we see a new group of battle ships used by the invaders, including a flying-machine and larger metallic machines used to attack Paris. Eventually, using new technology and with help from a virus, a United States Air Force team led by Major Kramer (Fred Griffith) travels to Mars and destroys the invaders' home.

The movie ends with the noise in the beginning of the movie playing over again in the radio during a picnic. It is unclear what happened to George's wife who died prior to the movie. If it was due to the first invasion or not is never revealed. The ending allows for another possible invasion to occur.

Ralph Rieckermann composed the music. Karen Forsberg wrote the screenplay from Steve Bevilacqua's story based on H. G. Wells' novel. C. Thomas Howell directed.

H. G. WELLS' WAR OF THE WORLDS (2005) directed by Timothy Hines follows the novel's plot, almost in exact detail, with some minor deviations. This version was produced by the independent film production company Pendragon Pictures and is distinguishable from the other film adaptations of the novel in that it is not a contemporary retelling, but rather set in the book's original time period and location. It is also the first film adaptation to be set in the United Kingdom as opposed to the more popular setting of the United States. The budget was approximately $25 million. A direct-to-DVD release, it was released on DVD in America and has been released through GAGA on DVD in Japan.

Although the film's music score by Jamie Hall was well received, the movie as a whole got mixed reviews by critics who often praised the good intentions behind the project and its faithfulness to the source material, but described the result as "unendurable" and "terrible in almost every way a movie can be", with "awful" effects.

Film rights to "The War of the Worlds" are in the public domain in the United States, with Paramount claiming rights in the European Union, leaving the rest of the world markets wide open and thus allowing adaptations such as Pendragon's version to be legal. However, Hines claimed that Paramount had harassed him over legal issues and held up the release of his film, showing a letter from Paramount to Susanne Ault, which pointed out that he had no right to distribute his movie in the European Union.

In July 2006, Pendragon Pictures gave formal legal notice that the Dark Horse Comics publication comic book, with the identically named "H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds", lifted certain unique elements, such as camera angles, from Pendragon's film. The production company set up a site that displayed comparisons and let audiences decide for themselves, but as part of a settlement of the legal action with Dark Horse, this site no longer exists.

H. G. WELLS' WAR OF THE WORLDS: DIRECTOR'S CUT was released in September, 2005. After complaints about the original film's three hour running time, this version cut about forty-five minutes from the running time. The version was only available in regions 2 and 4, and thus not available in the United States and Canada.

THE CLASSIC WAR OF THE WORLDS was released on December 25, 2006. This edition is the special final cut edit of H. G. WELLS' WAR OF THE WORLDS and is 125 minutes long, fifty-five minutes shorter than the original film. It has added scenes, re-edits, and re-tooled special effects. The director says this is the definitive version. THE CLASSIC WAR OF THE WORLDS replaces the 3 hour rough cut version, H. G. WELLS' WAR OF THE WORLDS, that was widely distributed and is now discontinued.