Rating: 
Summary: Slick and original
Review: A friend of mine told me about "Things to do in Denver..." a few years ago. For my birthday this year I recieved the DVD. While I love all of Quentin Tarantino's films, I don't believe any of his work can live up to a film such as this (with the exception of maybe "Pulp Fiction"). Andy Garcia plays Jimmy the Saint, an ex-mafioso that gets pulled back into the business by The Man With The Plan (Christopher Walken, that's the only name we get). To unfamiliar ears, the story might sound familar and worn out. It is not, in fact screenwriter Scott Rosenberg puts an entirely different spin on the plot, keeping this audience in suspense until the very last closing credit. This movie works on several different levels. First, the casting was phenonminal. Andy Garcia, Treat Williams, Christopher Lloyd, Bill Nunn, Gabrielle Anwar, William Forsythe and Christopher Walken comprise the ensemble cast. Second, Scott Rosenberg's irresistable knack for clever dialogue and twisted plots will always be a crowd pleaser. With "Things to do in Denver...", you simply cannot go wrong. Purchase the DVD and let us know what you think. If there were only a few more extras on the disc, I think I might add it as one of my faves.
Rating:
Summary: Requiem for Jimmy the Saint
Review: THINGS TO DO IN DENVER WHEN YOU'RE DEAD is the highly stylized tale of doomed ex-mobster "Jimmy the Saint" Tosnia, played brilliantly by Andy Garcia, who is forced to perform one last job for his crippled, sadistic, former boss known as "The Man With The Plan"(Christopher Walken), so that Jimmy can save his failing business, "Afterlife Advice", a video service for dying customers who wish to leave behind pearls of wisdom for their progeny. The job seems simple enough. The Man is convinced that the only salvation for his fat, dim-witted, child-molesting son Bernard is to re-unite him with his former girlfriend, who has run off to California with a hunkish wannabe orthodontist. But how to supplant the dental Adonis with pudgy psycho Bernard? "She loved him for six years, she can learn to love him again", reasons The Man. The Man has inside information that the orthodontist is driving back to Denver for the purpose of asking for his lover's hand in marriage and the plan is to intercept him on the highway. Jimmy's task is to convince the orthodontist by any means necessary that it would not be in his best interest to continue his love interest. No job worth doing is worth doing alone, so Jimmy recruits his over-the-hill crew with the promise of 10K each. The wilted bunch includes "Franchise" (William Forsythe) now managing a trailer park for free rent, "Pieces" (Christopher Lloyd) eking out a living as a porn-house projectionist while his toes and fingers are falling off owing to circulatory problems, "Critical Bill" (Treat Williams) who stays in shape by pummeling the corpses at the funeral home he works in, and "Easy Wind" (Bill Nunn), who hates Critical Bill for his jailhouse antics involving fecal matter. Naturally they botch the job and The Man With The Plan issues a collective death sentence known as "buckwheats", a euphemism for being shot in the rectal area, thus insuring a slow and painful death. Jimmy the Saint is given a reprieve from The Man as long as he leaves Denver within 48 hours. Eschewing the easy way out, however, Jimmy soon proves that he isn't called Jimmy the Saint for nothing. The rest of the film is a dark, hauntingly poetic exercise in desperation as Jimmy attempts to save the lives of his crew, manage a doomed romance with new-found love Dagney (Gabrielle Anwan), right a wrong done to heart-of-gold hooker Lucinda (played deliciously by Fairuza Balk), and finally to settle accounts with The Man. THINGS TO DO IN DENVER WHEN YOU'RE DEAD has so many linguistic and visual gems it is difficult to give them adequate acknowledgment in this space, but you'll soon be adding pithy phrases such as "Boat drinks" and "Give it a name" to spice up your language. In another clever device, Jack Warden as a former wise guy and Bill Cobbs as a soda jerk are wonderful as the muses who provide the narrative glue throughout the film while holding court for the curious each day in a Denver malt shop. It's not a perfect film, but it's a damn good one with numerous outstanding performances, memorable characters, and a highly original, well-conceived, well-written story that has not received the acclaim it deserves.
Rating: 
Summary: Denver Done Right !
Review: I,too, agree with other reviewers;This is a vastly underrated film.Then,again Andy Garcia is also a vastly underrated actor. Some critics thought he pigeon-holed himself by playing repeated mobster-like characters since his role in The Godfather III; Not so. He tends to take roles that not only may be a challenge but seem to have a personal meaning to him. Mr. Garcia is definitley not an "I'll- do -anyhing- for- the- money"type actor. He comes across as an actor with integrity and style ! He knows how to romance the ladies on screen and deliver emotional performances without losing credibility to the macho roles. In fact, it just does the opposite for him ! Also, he does much for the Latino community and culture... While Things To Do may not have garnered the high praise it should have or the box office dollar it still holds up for its awesome actors, story line, and it's sometimes slight, dark-edged humor.Pieces the character played by Christopher Lloyd and Steve Buschemi as Mr. Shhh are killer (no pun intended) roles ! Treat Williams as Critical adds to the harsh and somewhat violent nature but otherwise entertaining atmosphere of the movie. This is a highly recommended sleeper.Don't miss.
Rating:
Summary: GREATEST MOVIE YOU NEVER HEARD ABOUT
Review: I never heard of this movie until I rented it and then I bought the DVD as soon as I bought my player. This is one of the most underrated movies of all time. Andy Garcia is Jimmy the Saint, a reformed mobster who runs a video service for people that are terminally ill. The business is failing and his old mob boss (Christopher Walken) calls on him to make good on a loan. The job of Jimmy and his chosen team is to rough someone up, but the job goes all wrong ..... the rest you can guess from the title of the movie. The supporting cast is a bunch of B list actors who score A plus performances. Steve Buschemi even appears as a hit man who doesnt have much to say. The character of Critical Bill is priceless and offers one of my favorite movie lines of all time "I AM GODZILLA, YOU ARE JAPAN!!!". Garcia offers his usual reserved acting, but it fits nicely with this role and he does a convincing job when the emotions get fired up near the end of the movie. His lines that he uses on Gabrielle Anwar are a little over the top or "clunky" as Jimmy the Saint would say, but overall Garcia does a good job with the role. Christopher Walken is excellent as the man with the plan. Then again, he was born to play the bad guy. He doesnt dissapoint with this portrayal. The editing and lighting of the film add to the film where they should. The ending doesnt dissapoint, after all in a film like this you don't expect everyone to live happily ever after. The DVD version doesnt offer anything spectacular in the area of extras, but as much as I love this film it was a must have DVD for me and I think if you see it you will agree.
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Summary: A gem for your collection
Review: TTDIDWYD is a masterpiece in the crime-caper genre. The key thing is the dialogue, and the language that it introduces. Walken's character tells Garcia that it is to be "an action, not a piece of work." (meaning not a murder). The scenes in the restaurant are brilliant. "Give it a name" will resonate in your head, long after the movie is over. The interplay between Treat Williams, William Forsythe, Christopher Lloyd, and Bill Nunn is an aural treat. "Buckwheat" is their future, and the larger-than-life Steve Buscemi is their Angel of Death. Garcia is PERFECT as "Jimmy the Saint," a hood with choir-boy looks (hence the moniker), whose attempt to retire from the mob ends in tragedy. Garcia's scenes with Gabrielle Anwar are magical, especially his observation that she "glides" rather than walks. In short, buy this movie, it has the best-written dialogue of any movie in the 90's.
Rating:
Summary: Things to Do - See this movie
Review: Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead ranks among the most underrated of its genre, a quick-witted, clever film with an outstanding cast. Andy Garcia is brilliant at adding depth to the role of the too-cool gangster and Gabrielle Anwar, as Garcia during the movie, is "a thing to be amazed by." Her beauty in this movie just can't be understated. Christopher Walken is his usual incredible self and the rest of the cast is good, if not great. It is easily as good if not better than any of the Tarantino flicks...
Rating:
Summary: Dandy Andy!
Review: This movie is what makes Andy Garcia so cool, and he doesn't do it by acting with his hair. Although they could have picked someone better than Gabrielle Anwar, Garcia made it believable. Christopher Walken as the psycho boss-man was brilliant. Clearly, this movie didn't get the hype that it deserved. It's one to watch over and over again and well worth the money to own!
Rating:
Summary: A vastly underrated movie
Review: The worst thing about Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead was probably its publicity campaign. It definitely deserved much more attention than it received. This is a fantastic movie in the gangster tradition, focusing on the costs of loyalty, love and a violent lifestyle. It starts out relatively straight-forward, even a little predictable, but then takes a wild left about 20 minutes into the movie down a dark, blackly humorous path. You won't think of the word "buckwheat" without laughing and cringing. I'd tell you more, but it might ruin the plot. Suffice to say, it's a must-see.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best dialogue driven movies EVER
Review: Exceptional dialogue and superb acting make an otherwise bland Tarrantino-wannabe film into a masterpiece. The scenes with Garcia and Lloyd and Garcia and Gabrielle Anwar are great. Easily one of Christopher Lloyd's best performances.
Rating:
Summary: Goodfellows in OZ
Review: An amazing cast and wild tale , full of twists and turns . a must see up there with THE USUAL SUSPECTS and GOODFELLOWS . i'm still looking for people to show it to so i have an excuse to watch again . Fun stuff with lotsa deep messages and heart.
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