Imagine if "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" was made in the mid-eighties, for television, with almost no budget. Also, imagine the hero is a misfit young witch rather than a wizard prodigy, attending an all-girl school for witchcraft. Replace Maggie Smith with Diana Rigg, Richard Harris with Mrs. Garrett from "Facts of Life," and Lord Voldemort with... Mrs. Garrett from "Facts of Life," and you have the 1986 classic television Halloween special, "The Worst Witch."

Fairuza Balk plays Mildred Hubble, the absolutely worst witch at Miss Cackle's International Academy for Witches. No matter how hard she tries, Mildred screws up everything, from her potions to her broomstick flying, and being tormented by school bully Ethel Hallow doesn't help her any either. As Halloween approaches, Mildred does her best to improve, especially at flying, knowing that this year's Halloween guest of honor will be the Grand Wizard himself! To her joy, Mildred manages to make her way onto the team of students who will fly in formation for the Grand Wizard's visit. Sadly, good ol' Ethel manages to make Mildred look bad again, and right in front of the Grand Wizard (Tim Curry). Her heart broken, Mildred gathers her belongings and her cat, Tabby, and sets out to run away the following morning, but encounters a group of evil witches plotting in the woods as she makes her getaway. Now, Mildred will have to face her fears and conquer her low self-esteem if she is going to save her friends and school from Miss Cackle's wicked sister, Agatha, and her plot to take over!

Despite the no-budget special effects, Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer-like plot, campy...everything, and a disturbing Halloween night music video performance by Tim Curry himself, "The Worst Witch" is an annual must-watch film at the very least! In fact, it is because of all those reasons, and the fantastic cast, that this film should not be overlooked! It is the best at being the worst! As enjoyable as a cheesy Halloween special can be, and as cheesy as a cheesy Halloween special can be! I'm so glad this is finally on DVD and wish "The Night Dracula Saved the World" (AKA "The Halloween That Almost Wasn't") would follow suit. I'm dying to see that ol' chestnut again! If you're a fan of Halloween and have strong feelings for 80's childhood nostalgia, if you are a die-hard Tim Curry or Fairuza Balk fan, or if you just want to know what Harry Potter would have been like on a shoe-string TV budget, "The Worst Witch" is a must see! Based on the popular children's books by Jill Murphy, "The Worst Witch" was more recently revitalized through a TV series (that I've yet to see) which is also available here on Amazon, but for your first look at Mildred Hubble, make sure you see this Fairuza Balk/Tim Curry classic! The Curry video alone is worth the price! Also highly recommended: The Harry Potter film series, "Hocus Pocus," "The Night Dracula Saved the World," "The Witches," "Bewitched," "Return to Oz," the Casper film series, "Labyrinth," and "The Wizard of Oz."

Extra info about the DVD: While it is great to finally have this classic on DVD, it was clearly produced on a budget to equal the film itself, relatively speaking. The picture quality is about the same as the VHS (without VHS problems), and some DVD players might not play the film properly. For example, I can't play this at all on my Samsung player. However, it should be noted that, in my experience, Samsung players stink and won't play an awful lot of DVDs, and I need to replace my player at the first opportunity. The DVD probably plays fine on most other stuff. It plays perfectly on my family's Sony. Anyway, in addition to that, there are 3 extra feature sections. Two are run of the mill text extras: Cast Bios and Cast Trivia. The third is something to be more aware of, especially if you buy this DVD for your children. The third text extra (actually, on the menu it is the first) is basically a brief schooling on Wicca. That's right, not the fantasy, Harry Potter style witchcraft of the film, but several pages of basic info on various spells, tools one needs (including a dagger), etc... Yeah, shocking and inappropriate for this particular DVD, since the film is about Halloween style witchery, not the Wicca religion. So, there's the information, just so you parents can be aware and decide for yourselves whether or not to buy the DVD without an unpleasant surprise. As an adult who grew up with this children's classic, the extras are not a problem for me to ignore, but I can see how some parents would be very concerned to find such information on a DVD they've bought for their small children. If this is a problem for you and you don't think talking to your kids about it will be enough (or controlling the remote), I recommend seeking out the VHS version. The film by itself is such a wonderful treat that it would be a shame for them to miss it!

It was o.k.; court room scene was a joke. Acting was so so. Too much of the same scenes. Same scene over & over but in different ways, but was obvious.

I saw this film at its premiere in Seattle (The Emerald City) in 1985. I had read the Oz books for years (including the then-elusive non-Baum books written after his death) and always loved the mix of danger, whismy, and enchantment in the books.
I grew up (like every other person in America)with memories of the 1939 musical--but even as a kid I hated the fact that the MGM musical messed so much with the dangerous and frightening aspects of Oz, turning everything into a candy-coated Technicolor dream.
Thus, when I finally saw RETURN TO OZ (based on two books, OZMA of OZ and THE LAND of OZ), I realized that the filmmakers had actually sat down and read the books. Gone were the happy go-lucky images of a very safe place (was Judy Garland's Dorothy ever truly in danger?!?) and in its place was a fairyland full of dark dreams, scary villains, and entirely unique characters. And yet, most of America kept asking, "Where's the Munchkins?"
In fact, the film critic for our local paper so trashed the film on its release that I (as a lowly high school sophomore) wrote him a detailed letter explaining what he had missed in the film by spending all his time comparing it to the MGM film. He (like most of America) missed some wonderful moments: Fairuza Balk's film debut as a real, brave, and sometimes scared little girl being called on to save an entire country from extinction, the Oscar-nominated special effects that brought to life characters that had only existed on paper (like Tik-Tok, Jack Pumpkinhead, and the Nomes), and the great performances by British actors Nicol Williamson and Jean March as the villains.
Walter Murch and his team got everything right with this one, even down to character design: look at how closely the Oz chracters (Tik-Tok, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodsman, etc.) match the way they looked in John R. Neil's illustrations; listen to the amazing score composed by David Shire, full of life, brilliance, and haunting motifs (the opening credit sequence alone gives chills); and the use of Will Vinton's Claymation (of California Raisins fame) to bring the rock-based Nomes to life.
Unfairly dumped by Disney in the ensuing years (to the point that this DVD version isn't even released by them), the film is only now being rediscovered by people who love great fantasy, great filmmaking, and who truly love to see OZ on screen.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Before 'Thirteen' and 'American Beauty,' there was 'Gas Food Lodging.' I can remember when I first watched it some ten years ago. Not expecting much from this almost unknown indie flick, I was clued to the screen for the next hour and a half. While its story of an overworked single mother struggling to raise her two daughters was nothing new, something about it just shined. Like a diamond, it sparkled with a crisp innocence and yet cut with a hard edge. Growing up in a similarly barren environment like Laramie, New Mexico, it wasn't difficult to connect with this film.
Ten years later, this film still packs a punch. Despite its flaws which have become more obvious over time, Allison Anders' film still hits home with its gritty power.
Its strongest attraction is its very plausible portrayal of life in the middle of nowhere. Brooke Adams plays the single-mom waitress fighting to hold her family together, while her daughters search for a way out of their loneliness. Frustrated with her oldest daughter's rebellious ways, Adams' character wears the face of constant helplessness. For those of us who have undergone the same, their screaming parent-child tirades are painful to watch. Ione Skye's Trudi, the wayward 'bad girl' who hides her scars with boyfriend after boyfriend, is the highlight of the film. At times touchingly wounded and at others, screechingly impossible, Trudi embodies the chaos of growing up. Her withdrawn and innocent little sister, Shade (Fairuza Balk) fills up her father void by spending her afternoons watching Spanish tearjerkers at the near-empty town cinema. When she finally follows her heart and falls for somebody from the wrong side of town, you end up pulling for her.
Sparing nobody, all of Anders' characters carry deep wounds. No heroines nor heros here. Victims of a shattered home and a bleak future, all three women struggle to break free and find their little slice of happiness. While the 'men always leave' undercurrent of the film comes across heavy-handed at times, Anders refreshingly refuses simple answers. While most of the men in the film DO fall under the 'loser' category--weak and self-destructive, Anders is careful to be balanced. James Brolin is great as the washed-out ex who, despite his aw-shucks cowboy charm, does nothing to win back his girls. Fatherhood for him means giving a few bucks (his girlfriend's nonetheless!)to Shade. Yet, what saves 'Gas Food Lodging' from being a depressing man-bashing polemic is that all three women eventually find partners who, although far from being flawless, stand by their women.
Anders couldn't have picked a better backdrop for her film. The spartan beauty of the New Mexican desert mirrors the sharp edges and bleak prospects of her characters. Moreover, J. Mascis' (Dinosaur Jr.) soundtrack perfectly underscores the sorrow and loneliness of the film. The songs are great by themselves, but together with the desert sunsets and tumbleweed trailer parks, the end-result is magic.
While not a perfect film, 'Gas Food Lodging' is still a rare treat for those lucky enough to stumble upon it. For those looking for a tightly-acted and moving family drama, 'Gas Food Lodging' won't disappoint!

How terrifying is it while listening to some of Edward Norton's rants in this movie....that you actually begin to understand his point of view on things? That's a very important aspect of this film. The hatred spewing from his mouth along with statistical evidence and insightful rhetoric places the viewer amist what seems to be an actual white supremicist rally. It becomes easy to see how so many fall into crowds like this with characters like the fictional Derrick Vinyard preaching to the masses. Many people don't like the way the world around them is. They're looking for a change. People like Vinyard offer a path to that change.
But this story is mainly about redemption. The redemption of the character in question, Derrick Vinyard. Only after he loses everything can he begin to see the horrible path that he has beaten for his younger brother who is speedily chasing after him. The unlikely friendship with a black prison inmate and the tutalage of his former principle are what helps him return to his humanity. The simple yet distanced solution to all the hatred and anger that he's felt most of his life comes like an epiphany: "It's just not worth it." A point that he vehemently drives into those around him.
Be forwarned, this is not a happy story. The ending is tragic yet depressingly real. Hatred becomes a vicious circle.

Okay, let's set the record straight. This movie was in concept and script a very awesome choice for the average viewer, but some scenes were elegantly pulled off, and some were just pulled off. The lead character "Josh" was a convincing complicated teenager (except if you read into it, you can tell that JRM is originally irish)and Matthew Modine is a beautifully acted older brother. Now the I already told you that the actors were great and so was the script, but the scenes were jumpy and sometimes hard to catch. Seeing the movie a second time is highly recommended, not only because the movie was wonderful, but to laugh at some pretty funny scenes (aka josh being pulled over by the chick cop).Overall? Highly recommended.

According to this flick 1 out of every 2 people are serial killers.
Serial Killers who are by no means methodical,
and kill simply when the chance presents itself.
Serial Killers who don't take their victims to a secluded area,
and are in no way sexually driven.

This is the tale of two spontaneous killers preying on the same group of unfortunate travelers, whose bus broke down in the middle of Murderville, USA. One is disguised as a trucker in shining armor, and the other as a hitch-hiker in desperate need of a ride. (Appropriatly named, "Wheeler" and "Rider"). Both killers eventually set their sights on the last of the passengers, Ms. Faruza Balk. What should have ensued was a wild game of cat(s) and mouse. What happened instead can only be described as ... well a tame game of mouse and mouse trap.

To say the least,
this installment of "Masters of Horror" is flawed at best.
At worst it seems kind of rushed.
Now I'm not going to point out all the mistakes,
'cause it would take a while,
and quite honestly, it's better to make a game out of it.
See how many flaws you can catch before the credits.
Trust me you'll find a bunch.

You should definitely rent before buying.
Soley based on the fact that this is a love/hate sort of movie.
And you won't know whether or not you love or hate it 'til you see it.
Regardless of all its mistakes, it was a fun ride, so I didn't mind purchasing the DVD.
But would I recommend it?
- Only for someone looking for a fun movie.
- But definitely not for someone whose a stickler for details.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Don't take rides and Don't give 'em.

I can't stress enough how important it is for anyone considering seeing this movie to ignore the heaps of negative reviews here. Most justify their opinions by calling this film strange, grotesque, or both. Both are fitting, but there's alot more to this film than that, and those two things in themselves are not necessarily reason to dislike a film. Quite the contrary, when Hollywood is so overrun with unchallenging, unoriginal fodder.
I could praise the movie on any number of levels. Every actor here carries his or her eccentric role with a perfectly tasteful care not to go over the top or become too cartoonish. The dialogue is free of fluff and carries quite an element of eloquence, which is fitting when considering the overall dramatic intent. On a more basic level, the creature effects used on the half human, half animal hybrid creations inhabiting Moreau's Island are handled by none other than Stan Winston and done very well, and the soundtrack is appropriately eerie, with tribal drumming used in parts to enhance the mood. And, of course, the themes explored here, despite their familiarity (the power of instnct, and the danger of playing God), are driven home with potent efficiency, probably thanks to the extreme and sometimes bizzare nature in which they're handled.
The fact that this movie carries such a human element with it is what I really like about it. It's easy to feel for the man-beasts, tragic abominations intelligent enough to know they're nothing but the waste products of a madman's search for genetic perfection. The protagonist, as well, benefits from the fact that he is very much an introvert and probably speaks less than Val Kilmer, who is less vital to the plot. His quiet observation helps add to the realism and mold a film which could have easily been a silly mess into a moving, artfully crafted piece of work.
If you choose to judge this movie as harshly as most have, then go ahead, but at least see it first with an open mind. I for one feel a movie this bold deserves every bit of respect.

My father was a gang member in 1956 Queens, New York. He told me stories about Zipguns and bats he used for protection. He also told me how realistic this movie was just by taking a look at the way the gang members wore their belts. The belt buckle was always worn just above the left front pocket! I wish I could have been there to back my father up! Forget about Hollywood's Outsiders & Rumble Fish brat pack, that was fictional bull! Also recommend Blackboard Jungle.