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Whistle Stopper - The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai
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List Price: $4.94
Our Price: $1.77
Your Save: $ 3.17 ( 64% )
Availability:
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
Starring: Peter Weller, John Lithgow, Ellen Barkin, Jeff Goldblum, Christopher Lloyd
Directed By: W.D. Richter
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9780792848509
Format: Closed-captioned
ISBN: 0792848500
Label: MGM (Video & DVD)
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: MGM (Video & DVD)
Release Date: 2001-02-06
Running Time: 103
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Theatrical Release Date: 1984-08-15
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Not for everyone but a neat cult film
Comment: When this came out no one knew what to make of it. All these years later they still don't! Peter Weller plays a kind hip Doc Savage in Buckeroo Banzai and with his side kicks (like Doc's Amazing Five) the Hong Kong Cavaliers (also his back up band consisting of Clancy Brown, Pepe Serna, Jeff Goldblum) a love interest in Ellen Barkin and John Lithgow as Lord John Worthin -- leader of an alien race from another dimension, all of whom have the first name "john". Classic one-liners: "We don't have to be mean because you know, no matter where you go, there you are." "Laffa while you can monkey boys!"
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Fun, But Don't Expect Anyone Else to Get It
Comment: It's made in the 80's. It includes 80's music, 80's sci-fi visual effects, Rastafarian aliens... need I say more? The plot is simple. The character's are standard. In fact, it's mundane qualities are so mundane that they make the movie enjoyable. This movie relishes in it's ridiculousness all the while throwing in witty comments and jokes. And there's a watermelon. Don't expect groundbreaking performances or a plot that will make you think - this movie is about fun. So, "laugh-a while you can-a monkey-boy."
Customer Rating:
Summary: A cult classic in the truest sense
Comment: I have loved this film since I first saw it in high school. Peter Weller does an amazing job as the main character Buckaroo Banzai. This extended DVD version has some great extras that really make it worth the purchase.
This movie has all you could want from a cult classic - from the campy special effects to the great dialogue "It's bivouac man, they sleep here" This movie is simply a lot of fun. As such - you definitely cannot take it too seriously or you will be disappointed. John Lithgow puts in a superb performance as well.
Highly recommended.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A bedtime story for an alternate universe.
Comment: Once upon a time ... there was a neurosurgeon who was also a rock & roller, and his wife died, or did she just leave? Not sure that really matters because he can drive through solid rock, except that it's really not solid, it's actually another dimension, or maybe not.
Confused? Not surprising. You may be just as confused the first time you watch Buckaroo Bonzai. You may need to watch it a few times to catch it all. You see, it's a bit like a cross between a screwball comedy from the 40's and a Woody Allen film. Half the time you can't keep up and the other half you don't understand what's going on. But, and this is a big but or bute' (inside joke), it is well worth watching, as many times as it takes to get it, all of it. Every bizarre detail.
I first saw it in the mid 80's on cable. My daughter, who was about 5 got it very quickly and thought it was a hoot. She went around playing Buckaroo games for days and I finally had to hide the hammer and explain to her that it was make believe and that there really were no aliens in the rocks in the yard. She still loves to watch it twenty years later and I have to admit to a certain fondness for Buckaroo and the Hong Kong Cavaliers which is why I recently bought two DVDs - one for each of us.
It's fun to watch, with or without popcorn. I'm not sure which part I like the best - John Lithgow as a maniacal dictator or Jeff Goldblum in fuzzy chaps. It's a quandary. It's a fast paced thrill ride into an imaginary world inhabited by ordinary people doing extraordinary things with surreality. You'll love it! Just give it a spin on your DVD player and become enthralled.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Not so hip after all
Comment: Sadly this is a movie that has not stood the test of time. The jokes are dated, the performances are unconvincing, and what one seemed outrageous now seems tame. It's destined to be forgotten along with "Strange Invaders" and "Earth Girls Are Easy."
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Editorial Reviews:
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The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the 8th Dimension is one of the most agreeably insane movies ever made. Peter Weller stars as Buckaroo, an acclaimed neurosurgeon, particle physicist, and, of course, rock star. He travels with the Hong Kong Cavaliers, a band of hard-rocking scientists who are also really good dressers. Buckaroo's interdimensional experiments with his Operation Overthruster throw him (and the Earth) straight into the middle of an alien war, and before you know it, he's got just a few hours to save the world. Confused? Hang on, we're only 10 minutes into the movie. Buckaroo Banzai hurls you right into the middle of its comic-book universe and keeps going at a breakneck pace. It's chock-full of overlapping jokes (even as we're trying to make sense of Dr. Lizardo's hospital room, a voice calmly announces that "lithium is no longer available on credit" over the PA system), hilarious throwaway dialogue ("You're like Jerry Lewis: you give me hope to carry on."), and weirdness just for the sheer joy of it ("Why is there a watermelon there?" "I'll tell you later."). You'll want to watch it at least twice--there's just no way to catch everything the first time around. Ellen Barkin has a terrific time doing a dead-on film noir moll parody as Penny Priddy, and John Lithgow turns in a brilliant manic performance as Dr. Lizardo/John Whorfin. There is no reason not to own this movie unless you are cold and dead inside. Laugh while you can, Monkey Boys. --Ali Davis
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