Reviews

The original version of this story, done on the radio Gunsmoke, was a masterpiece of gritty, bleak and realistic storytelling. As other reviewers have suggested, it's a little out of place in the TV version.

Furthermore, Bill Conrad's version of Marshal Dillon with his gravelly voice works much better with the often gloomy and dark story lines that were much more common with the radio show than the more tame television Gunsmoke. Beyond that, radio's reliance on sound effects rather than pictures add a haunting element with the howling winds and the noises in the pitchfork scene.

This episode is good, and worth watching... but do yourself a favor and give the radio version of "The Cabin" a listen!

This is an awesome, awesome miniseries (or 12 hour movie, depending how you look at it). The title "Into the West" might make you think this is another movie about the US and its expansion westward, settling the wild west. You'd be very wrong. This movie focuses heavily on the experience of the people who were already there, and what the invasion meant to them and their culture. Spielberg has used his incredible talents to produce a powerful chronicle of an epic clash of civilizations, and the profoundness of what was lost. It's also a good movie to watch, with top notch acting and cinematography. I caught the last episode of this when it was on TV, and when I saw it available on DVD, I immediately bought it so I could see the whole thing. I'm very satisfied with my purchase!

While I find the ethical message of this movie to be somewhat offensive, endorsing theocratic fascism, I can get past that and still enjoy a good work of fiction. What I can't get past though is the horrible, stiff, forced, wooden cue-card "acting" and the unbelievable plot holes. The only reason I would tell anyone to watch this stinker is to see just how bad acting can be. I suspect even most Christians (which I am not) would find this movie repulsively bad.

This movie haunted me for months after seeing it, but I think that it should be considered required viewing. This movie does an amazing job at showing the kind of mindset which allows tyrants like Stalin to get away with their crimes. Those who don't understand history are doomed to repeat it, and this movie does a great job at hammering that understanding home in a very heart-wrenching manner. This movie will shake you up but you'll come away from it with some really interesting perspectives on the human spirit and what we're capable of.

This movie is disguised as some sort of hippie coming of age drama... but the sad truth is that this is just a thinly veiled bit of anti-drug propaganda. The soundtrack and watching Tara Reid be hot are about the only things going for this movie. Beyond that, the movie suffers from a predictable (and very bad) plot, stereotype characters, and cheezy dialog. It's like watching an After School Special that just drags on and on and on.

If you are considering watching this movie... put on a Grateful Dead CD and download pictures of Tara Reid from the internet. You'll get all the good points of the movie without having to endure the painful "Drugs are bad, mmkay?" plot. If you don't already use drugs, listening to the dialog in this movie will drive you to drugs in an effort to kill the pain.

This may very well be the worst movie I've ever seen. Watching this was comparable to running my male generative organs through a meat grinder. Low budget early 90s grungy sci-fi with a limp plot and horrible acting. The only reason I sat through the whole thing is because I was hypnotized by how much it sucked. This movie may in fact give "Plan 9 from Outer Space" a run for the title of "worst movie EVER!"

This movie is an interesting look at the artistic underground in China, but more than that its a thought provoking meditation on the value of life. Its also a good story... the ending has several unexpected and shocking plot twists, and this movie will leave you thinking for a while. In spite of (or perhaps because of) the rather dark quality of the movie, it leaves you with a deeper appreciation for life.