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Raising Arizona

Raising Arizona

List Price: $14.98
Your Price: $10.49
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "Son, You Got a Panty On Your Head"
Review: If you love a great comedy, this is the movie for you. Nicolas Cage was hardly the big time star he is now when this movie was made, but you can certainly see he was well on his way. All the characters in this story were absolutely halarious. EXCELLENT!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: If Mozart made movies...
Review: ...he couldn't have orchestrated a more perfect comedy. Not a single line, gesture, camera angle wasted. This is by far my favorite Nicholas Cage movie. Of course there's deep levels to it, but even on the most superficial level the caricatures of people are hilarious. And over here you got favoritism. Ten fingers up!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Nothing Compares
Review: The funniest movie ever made, or my Name ain't Nathan Arizona

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: "It ain't Ozzie and Harriet"
Review: Hysterical. Anyone I've ever had watch this movie loved the craziness. Not the average movie, it's for those of us with sicker senses of humor.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Coen Brothers In Top Form!
Review: Hurray to the Coen brothers! For someone who grew up in Phoenix Arizona, it's refreshing to see life on the outskirts of the Phoenix area brought to life in such a colorful and humorous way, that it would make one want to stay there forever. From the lonely country roads of Mesa where "Hi" tries to find a store to rob, to the explosive climax in the little desert town of Riata Pass north of Scottsdale, We see our hero's (Nicolas Cage & Holly Hunter) simple lives tranformed into a non-stop, laugh a minute, roller coaster ride brought on by their decision to kidnap a baby quintuplet to raise as their own. From life in a trailer park, convenience store lunacy, wacky convicts, angry dogs, and a crazy biker, you won't find a low point in this movie anywhere. Look for John Goodman and Randall "Tex" Cobb in some great supportive roles.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I'll be taking these Huggies, and whatever cash ya got..."
Review: Put simply, this story could've been, and definitely should have been, set in the deep south. While references to life in "Paradise Valley" seem pretty accurate, These characters--every one of them--are the nutcases that populate the novels of O'Connor, Faulkner and, hell, Ludlow Portch. The likely reason The Coens did not set it there is that they might of been unsure if they were portraying southerners correctly. Oh, but they did. They really did. Besides, "Raising Alabama" isn't catchy enough a title. Anyway, this movie endures for its endless supply of cool quotes and catch phrases. "Guv'mint do take a bite, dont she?".... "Ya see, theres somethin' wrong wit my semen.".... "REE-PEAT OF-FENDUR!".... "They had Yodas and shi* on them!"... "200 mississippi..201 mississipp--aw, Bullshi*!".... "O kay then." Man, thats good stuff.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A movie about fatherhood
Review: This movie examines fatherhood from many angles, and how a male progresses from boy to man to father--and how some fail to progress. "Father" is examined in many aspects: the benign father, the angry (and terrifying) father, the aged father. Wonderful comedy and thoughtful move.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: RAISING ARIZONA---PURE MOVIE CANDY
Review: The movie is funny from beginning to end---one of my favorites. The charactors are not glamorous---just regular people, with deep thoughts. Every time I watch it, I notice some new symbolism in it. The music score is hilarious...you will develop a new appreciation for yodeling. Love those accents the actors use. TWO THUMBS UP!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: RAISING ARIZONA---PURE MOVIE CANDY
Review: The movie is funny from beginning to end---one of my favorites. You will develop a new appreciation for yodeling. The music score is hilarious. Love those accents the actors use. TWO THUMBS UP!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: More Than Meets the Eye
Review: This movie is much more than an outrageous and unique comedy. One reason for its cult following has been consistently missed by the critics: repeated viewings reveal surprising layers of meaning and an intricate web of symbolism.

At the heart of this film is the timeless debate known as "nature vs. nurture": are we more a product of our genes, or of our environment? How much of an effect does our upbringing have on our likelihood to turn out as either a law-abiding member of society (a society which in this movie is of dubious merit, as represented by Hi's job and his unctuous boss) or as a criminal deviant from its norms?

The symbolism in this film is rich and evocative--while always contributing to the comedy. Note how often the adult characters cry and carry on like infants. Note the way the escaped convicts are "born" into the outside world. Note the marriage of a convict and a police officer, and the difference in their families visible in the brief wedding shot. Note the juxtaposition of milk poured over cereal with the infant's feeding bottle, as Evelle observes, "Ya don't breast feed him, he'll hate you for it later. That's why we wound up in prison." And note the frequent use of phrases such as "that's natural," as opposed to "you're not being true to your nature" or "mother didn't love me." As Hi observes, "maybe it's my upbringing, maybe it's just that my genes got screwed up, I don't know."

The quasi-biblical, poetical and aphorism-laden language the characters use in the-state-adjacent-to-Utah is both touching and funny. Every word of the film is a finely polished gem. Ed's little plan is "the solution to all our problems, and the answer to all our prayers." Her infertile womb is a "rocky place where my seed can find no purchase." And as Hi later writes in a touching letter to his dearest Edwina, "I feel the thunder gathering even now...I cannot tarry...better I should go, send you money, and let you curse my name." On the other hand, the crotchety Arizona characters also have a remarkable literalness of expression. A packet of balloons does not blow up into funny shapes, not "unless round is funny." And as the old codger in the bank robbery points out, "If I freeze, I can't rightly drop, and if I drop, I'm gonna be in motion!"

Even the music in this film is perfectly executed, from the hilarious yodeling and whistling of the main theme to the way the chilling accompaniment of a nightmare is later revealed to be a haunting children's nursery song, and then mutates into an ethereal melody in the film's final scenes. The characters, despite their flaws, are all surprisingly sympathetic. And the film is tightly constructed, without a single unnecessary scene or moment. It ends with a bang, not a whimper, its final words resonating with significance and yet leaving one wanting more, like a swift exit after a great punch line.

At the deepest core of this film lies a mystery wrapped in an enigma: who is the once-orphaned "motorcycle demon from hell," and what is his relation to Herbert I. McDonnough? The answer to this puzzle relates intimately to the "nature vs. nurture" theme. While I think I know the answer, I'll leave it for you to figure out, based on the clues ("show the tattoo!") liberally scattered throughout the film. "Okay then!"


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