Rating: Summary: A Mixed Bag Review: "What's Up Doc?" is, of course, one of the greatest screwball comedies of all time. Bogdonavich's ode to the 30's deserves all respect. Barbra and Ryan are both wonderful, even though Streisand claims she never understood the concept. "Nuts" is a wobbly movie, touching and invigorating at times, but the inclusion of Leslie Nielson, an established nonsensical comedian, as a rapist, never made sense and requires too great a suspension of reality. "Up The Sandbox!" is a tour de force for Barbra, the first film she had a hand in making, rather just acting in. Her plain Jane persona is juxtaposed brilliantly with the fantastic situations that her character finds herself in, in her imagination. This is a rich, complex movie, and can be enjoyed by fans of both drama and farce, if the viewer can allow herself to jump from reality to fantasy and still keep track of what is going on, a skill sorely lacking in most of the modern-day movie audience, as it was when the film was released. "The Main Event" is pure froth, a feel-good money-maker that never was quite as funny as it was supposed to be. Streisand trying to be "modern" and young, flashing her spandex-clad rear at the audience, borders on insanity. She is alternately agressive and vulnerable, and this does not work. My advice to her is, choose one persona per movie, and stick with it. Streisand fans, like myself, will snatch up the boxed set, even with misgivings. I simply wish that Yentl was coming out. I ache to have that one on DVD, her finest moment.
Rating: Summary: One great movie Review: 'What's Up Doc?' is a five-star movie, no doubt about that. Streisand's best role probably, and a film that's so well made it will be watched for years to come. It's so good, people tend to learn half the script to quote in everyday life. But we knew that was good.
I wanted to have that on DVD, and thought I may as well, considering the price, have three other movies as a bonus.
The best of the rest is 'Nuts', and Barbra gives a truly compelling performance alongside an excellent Dreyfuss. It's a good pairing. The script is good, and the movie, whilst not exactly ground breaking, is pretty good.
'Up the Sandbox' is a curiosity, but not entirely a success. What I do like is Barbra's rather ordinary character Margaret, which she plays with understatement and compassion. What I don't like is when her fantasies are extended into fifteen minute epics, one like a very poor James Bond episode, and one tedious African jungle adventure. The director used poor judgement here. Still, it's an interesting period piece, and I love the bit when Barbra shoves her mother's head into her birthday cake...
'The Main Event' is dreadful. It's the clunker of the four. Our Barbra, sporting a hideous hairdo of tight red curls, plays a woman who coaches a boxer who dropped out after an earlier incident, and there are scenes of boxing, training, and guess what happens at the end? It's impossible to make it sound interesting. The plot is tedious, the script awful and the actors desperate-seeming. The only good thing about this DVD is that it props up the other ones in the box set.
But hey, you're still getting 'What's Up Doc?' so who's complaining?
The bonus is that there are good extra features on the DVDs: commentary by Barbra herself, then the director, and one or two ther bits and pieces, like a mini-documentary from US TV about the making of 'Up the Sandbox'. The commentary is from 2003, so it's nicely up to date and offers an interesting view of the past by actors and directors.
Rating: Summary: A TERRIFIC SET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Review: ...So, being someone who has actually seen these films, let's be fair. WHAT'S UP DOC is a terrific example of a screwball comedy with a winning cast. Streisand is funny, with spot-on timing and is sexy and tanned on screen. UP THE SANDBOX, dramatically, is unlike anything Streisand ever did before or after... it took courage to take-on a role like this, and she can be proud of the "real woman" qualities that she brought to the role. THE MAIN EVENT is a good try... it has its funny moments and Streisand gives it her best. It's just not a terrific script. NUTS, however, is underrated... not only is the supporting cast superb, but Streisand gave a performance worthy of an Academy Award nomination. In all fairness, this is a terrific and enjoyable set, by an artist who has given much to the world of entertainment. Highly Recommended!!!!!
Rating: Summary: A TERRIFIC SET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Review: ...So, being someone who has actually seen these films, let's be fair. WHAT'S UP DOC is a terrific example of a screwball comedy with a winning cast. Streisand is funny, with spot-on timing and is sexy and tanned on screen. UP THE SANDBOX, dramatically, is unlike anything Streisand ever did before or after... it took courage to take-on a role like this, and she can be proud of the "real woman" qualities that she brought to the role. THE MAIN EVENT is a good try... it has its funny moments and Streisand gives it her best. It's just not a terrific script. NUTS, however, is underrated... not only is the supporting cast superb, but Streisand gave a performance worthy of an Academy Award nomination. In all fairness, this is a terrific and enjoyable set, by an artist who has given much to the world of entertainment. Highly Recommended!!!!!
Rating: Summary: Finally! Review: A must for Streisand fans, this is a long-awaited box set. Four great movies, four great DVDs. Thank you, Barbra!
Rating: Summary: Five is Alive with these Four Review: As a devoted Streisand fan, these four films are a welcome addition to the rest of the DVD's that are already out! I am especailly thrilled about What's Up Doc and Nuts. Anytime that Barbra sinks her teeth into a project, you get star quality and devotion to the craft of acting. I too like another reviewer is anticipating the day that YENTL will come out on DVD. That will be a day that I will gladly call in sick to work so that I can be pain free with glee!
Rating: Summary: Five is Alive with these Four Review: As a devoted Streisand fan, these four films are a welcome addition to the rest of the DVD's that are already out! I am especailly thrilled about What's Up Doc and Nuts. Anytime that Barbra sinks her teeth into a project, you get star quality and devotion to the craft of acting. I too like another reviewer is anticipating the day that YENTL will come out on DVD. That will be a day that I will gladly call in sick to work so that I can be pain free with glee!
Rating: Summary: GIMME A BREAK! Review: As if this set could be anything BUT five stars!!! Barbra Streisand - four of her films on their DVD debut - her own commentary - oy vey! Order it now and plan a vacation day for the day after you get delivery!
Rating: Summary: Wonderful Set Review: Every movie here is great, and very differnt from one another! Barbras Warner Years were very eclectic, Sandbox seems to get better with age, The Main Event has always been funny and entertaining, Nuts is drama at its best and then theres the gem of them all Whats Up Doc, Barbra is hysterical, Madeline Cahn is Hysterical, The whole Movie is one great laugh, a ride you want to go on time and time again!!!
Rating: Summary: AMERICAN IDOL BARBRA!! Review: Here's my two cents on what will shape up to be a wonderful collection to any DVD library. WHAT'S UP, DOC? I believe this film is one of the few blockbusters that has used punctuation in its title. A very fine picture indeed and one that Barbra was quite tentative about making. Coming off of a series of pre-packaged Hollywood bonanzas and two "smaller films" ("The Owl and the Pussycat" and "Up the Sandbox"), this ode to the screwball comedy enabled Barbra to have magnificent clout (not that it made getting Yentl up on its feet any easier). The happening of this project remains in the terrific ensemble cast. The late, great Madeline Kahn and Mabel Albertson (her second supporting role in a Barbra film) and a host of others--all at the top of their craft. Barbra looked so slim, tanned and "foxy"--you could tell she was glistening. The only disappointment here is that this was a project Barbra made instead of "Klute"--Jane Fonda's classic, landmark performance nothwithstanding--that would have been extraordinary...making Barbra even more of an American Idol than she already is. ...more to come.
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