Reviews

I swear that this film actually gets funnier every time I view it. It's one of the few movies that can do that. So, it was a movie that was shot in just two days. *pfft* If this is the result of a two-day shooting, more films ought to be low budget and shot with 24 hours! This is an incredible film in a category of it's own. In my opinion, it was Roger Corman's best and I'm sure that it would be a full-fledged classic, instead of a cult classic, if more people had a chance to see it. Seriously, folks, if you ever come across this film, don't pass up the chance to view it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ (the following is for people who read my review for "Little Shop of Horrors" (1986))

BTW, I love the musical, too. I wrote a review of that as well, but when I wrote it, I hadn't seen the movie in a while. I think that for the most part, my review was pretty accurate, but I'd like to correct myself on one thing: Bill Murray did not *subtly* give off gay undertones, compared to Jack Nicholson. The undertones that Jack Nicholson gave in the original film were very funny, and like some of the other jokes in the film, ahead of its time, but Bill Murray just went totally wild and turned the subtext from the original film into maintext. Course, that was the 80's and displaying that sort of thing was much more easier to do than it was a couple decades before.

This movie doesn't have a lot of great visuals (with the exception of a quick shot of Kevin Kline's cute, naked butt). It doesn't have fast-paced action.....But the story and the acting make it a great film. Kline, Spacek, and Bedelia put in some great performances, and they make this film an intense drama, with their subtle and realistic portrayals. It's certainly not the best film any of those actors ever did, but it is truly a joy to watch them in.

I was a fan of Rick Moranis long before I first saw this movie, and I had always admired his comic/acting abilities, but I was blown away by his performance as Seymour Krelborne. I'm an actress who doesn't enjoy many musicals, but I have about five that I am simply crazy about, and Little Shop of Horrors is one of those. On the stage, I have seen many actors tackle that leading role, but none of them could ever hold a candle to Mr. Moranis' portrayal. I've seen other actors play the character almost one-dimensionally, but Rick Moranis truly showed viewers what a complex character Seymour Krelborne is. Rick Moranis is an amazingly talented man, and as I plan to write thesis on Little Shop of Horrors, I hope that I'll one day get to meet him.

But enough praising of that glorious actor, let me get on to talking about the movie.

So few plays make a respectable and admirable transition from the stage to the screen, but this one did, and I'm inclined to agree with a previous critic here that this may in fact be the last great movie musical. A fair amount of the play was altered for the screen, like a couple of songs that were replaced by new songs or more dialogue, but that seemed to make the movie better (I was very happy to find that "It's Just the Gas" was omitted from the film). The movie also adds the masochistic dental patient who was in the original 1960 Roger Corman film, but who wasn't added to the play. Played by the wonderful Bill Murray, the character has a delightful meeting with the sadistic dentist, played by the brilliant Steve Martin. Bill Murray doesn't give off the same amusing gay undertones as the great Jack Nicholson did in the original (and if you don't believe me about the original gay undertones, go watch that scene where he tells Seymour, who is posing as the dentist, to "DON'T STOP NOW!!!"). However, Bill Murray does seem to very subtly show that his character finds the dental torture to be sexually gratifying, which of course results in hilarity that is reminiscent of the original film.

As for the ending of this film, it's hard for me to form an opinion about it being better or worse than the ending performed on stage. I agree with another previous critic, that the play is a Greek tragedy (and I thought I was the only one who took interest in deeply analyzing that play!), and that it is important for Seymour to pay the price he's given. When watching Little Shop of Horrors on stage, I find the tragic ending to be quite fitting, but in this movie I honestly don't think I could see that happening. I'm not the kind of viewer that has to have a happy ending in whatever she sees, no not by a long shot, but something about this movie made me want to see them live happily ever after. I think I can chalk that feeling down to the fact that, like Leonard Maltin wrote, Rick Moranis "played the character to perfection", and the fact that Moranis and the lovely and talented Ms. Greene had such dynamic chemistry together. Like I wrote above, Rick Moranis played the character with so many dimensions, that I felt drawn more to his portrayal than anyone elses' I had ever seen. I felt more compassion, hope, and love for his Seymour than I had for anyone elses' (Rick even gave the character more sex appeal, in my opinion). Rick Moranis knew how to make his character have that desired and appropriate effect on the audience. So, because of how he truly got down to the heart of the character, I don't think I would have enjoyed seeing his end come.

However, I would love to see that ending. Ellen Greene is a magnificent, versatile actress and for her sake, it was a shame that scene was cut; the audience should have gotten to view that. And I'm sure Rick, who hasn't had the chance to do many dramatic scenes in his career so far, was amazing as well. So, what it comes down to is that I would love to see Rick and Ellen in that last scene, for I too feel deprived of parts of two great performances, but I'm still a fan of the happy ending.

Does anyone know where I can find the movie on DVD with the original ending? I believe I read that it was released with the original ending, but that was taken out of stores after some time. I would really like to see that, so if anyone can tell me of *anywhere* where I might find a copy (never before seen, used, or re-recorded) of the DVD, I would pay any price asked and be greatly appreciative.

Well acted with an appropriate atmosphere for any one who really enjoys classic ghost stories from authors such as Washington Irving, Edgar Allan Poe, and Edith Wharton (of course, I'm not saying that this film in any way measures up to their stories cause it does not). It's a period piece, and that's one of the most charming things about the film, that and the fact that most scenes are lit by candle light alone.

All and all, I can't give this movie a great review. It was much to slow and too many scares were not where they should have been. The director teased the audience constantly, and not in a good way. While the many plot twists and turns were very engaging welcomed, the movie just didn't have enough "ommph" to be great. It would have been a great comeback for old fashioned ghost stories, if not for it's flaws.

I haven't seen this movie in years, but a flick like this one just cannot be forgotten! I am in my early twenties and for more than half my life, I have been a film buff of movies old and new. Martin and Lewis are one of my all time favorite comedy duos, and at one time, I was renting movies here and there so that I could see all of the films they made together, and ones the lively, virtuous humanitarian Lewis did during his solo career.

When I saw this movie, it just blew me away. This film is the most dramatic film those boys ever made--and if you're thinking that that can't possibly be saying much since most of their movies were screwball comedies, I'm here to tell you you're mistaken. This movie is funny, but it's also very impassioned and heart-rendering, so you might do yourself a favor by keeping a box of tissues near you when viewing it.

Both Martin and Lewis are great in these dramatic and comedic roles as a comedy team that splits up because Lewis' character is under-appreciated and emotional mistreated by Martin's character. In a oddly coincidental way, this movie seemed to foreshadow the boys' split up in '56, but of course, in the movie, there is a happy ending. And while everyone knows that both Dean and Jerry went on to have successful solo careers and reunited as friends years later, I think that it would have been great to have seen them do a couple more films together that were as unforgettable as this one.

This show is an absolute gem! Nick has created shows in the past that lacked so many elements that go together to make a successful show. Mostly, their best shows have been animated (like their biggest hit, "Rugrats"), but the majority of their live action shows have been, well, rather pathetic (like "Clarissa Explains it All", "The Secret World of Alex Mack", and "My Brother and Me"). So with such a past filled with mediocre shows, it was quite surprising that Nick created such a fantastic show. Yes, folks, Nickelodeon finally got it right! The show has great writing and with its talented cast, often joined by classic television veterans, Richard Moll and Joe Piscopo, the show serves up hearty laugh-out-loud moments for the whole family.

I love this show! I am so glad that MTV is finally presenting a show that is too hilarious for words and is head and shoulders above that awful Tom Green show. Some people think that "Jackass" and "The Tom Green Show" are very much alike, but I think it's important for me to explain in this comment why that is not true. There are several things that make it better than Tom Green. First of all, Johnny Knoxville has a very nice body, but Tom Green's could make a straight woman gay. Secondly, the comedy on "Jackass" is not (usually) made at the expense of other people, but that's all that Tom Green's act: embarrassing and angrying other people...and that's not funny. But that is not what "Jackass" does. The guys on that show do things to themselves to get laughs; they don't have to degrade other people to make themselves look funny. They are funny and I think what they're doing is pretty cool. It's not very safe ;D, but it's pretty cool.

"Explore Our World" is an exceptional show. Every episode is like five or more exciting and fascinating documentaries all rolled into one. This program is designed to make people aware of all the wonderful, educational shows that are on channels like The Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel, and Animal Planet. It can easily peak anyone's interest in certain subjects. Harry Anderson as the host is, as usual, a joy to watch and listen to and his adorable face, charming personality, and cheery attitude towards life certainly makes me want to explore my world.