(24 May 2012)

what a hoot

i watched this on comcast in demand last night and man was it hilarious!! john candy rules and cover your little children's eyes 'cause there are naked ladies sometimes.

(24 May 2012)

STRIPES ROCKS!

STRIPES is a comic Ivan Reitman film that was released in movie theaters on Friday June 26, 1981 about a deadbeat taxi cab driver named John Winger(Bill Murray) who in the span of a few hours gets fired, dumped by his girlfriend(Roberta Leighton), gets evicted from his apartment, and gets his car stolen.Therefore John realizing that his life is a joke and that he's terribly out of shape, he decides to straighten out his life by joining the military and talks his best friend Russell Ziskey(Harold Ramis)into joining the Army with him and are soon off to boot camp. Upon arrival at Ft. Arnold; John and Russell meet their fellow recruits along with their hard-nosed drill instructor Sgt. Hulka(Warren Oates)making John stand out as a misfit throughout the rest of their basic training while John and Russell fall for 2 sexy M.P.'s named Louise Cooper(Sean Young)and Stella Hansen(PJ Soles).This film also co-stars Judge Reinhold, John Diehl, Timothy Busfield, Joe Flaherty, Bill Paxton, and John Larroquette known for his role as Dan on NIGHT COURT who plays the incompetent Capt. Stillman in this movie as well as Lance LeGault as the hard-nosed Col. Glass known for his role as the bitter Army nemesis(Col. Decker)on THE A-TEAM and Magnum's insensitive Navy nemesis(Col. Greene)on MAGNUM, P.I. In fact STRIPES reminded me a lot of the movie PRIVATE BENJAMIN since Goldie Hawn's Judy Benjamin chracter was very similar to Bill Murray's John Winger character in this flick. This comedy flick also takes me back to memory lane to when we had all those fiscal budget cuts going on from the recession we had back in 1981-1982 during Ronald Reagans presidency too. So if you liked PRIVATE BENJAMIN, you'll love STRIPES too since STRIPES was basically like a masculine version of PRIVATE BENJAMIN.

(20 May 2012)

Greatest Bill Murray Movie ever

Genius Genius Genius! Comedies dont have this type of class anymore. Bill Murray is perfect for this story and it is still funny today. Totally worth ones time. You dont even have to be under the influence to enjoy this but it wouldnt hurt. No food recommendations from me to compliment this movie viewing but maybe just some chips or ice cream will do fine.

wwwhpcom (19 May 2012)

The movie Ramis and Murray did before "Ghostbusters"

Not much to write about...this film took two comedy stars (Murray fromSNL, Ramis from SCTV, with help from SCTV alum John Candy) and teamed themtogether to make an early Reagan-era "Hope and Crosby" wannabe...pretty muchtreads on the other summer release work Bill had done in Meatballs, thoughnobody is called "Spaz" in this outing...I thought the second half of thefilm was totally unbelievable, even for an Ivan Reitman movie...what littlescreentime Bill Paxton got typecast him in military roles until "Twister", Ithink...it's always good to see Warren Oates in anything, though this is afar cry from "The Wild Bunch"...in summary, this is the sort of movie"Comedy Central" would run at 7:00 am on the weekend with re-runs of "ThePowerpuff Girls" beating it in the ratings...like "Manos: The Hands ofFate", best watched either stoned or dead drunk...Celine is screaming inHell because I stole his writing style to rip this insignificant movie...

(16 May 2012)

Classic, the ultimate Bill Murray flick

Absolutely one of the funniest movies ever made. It would definitely have to be highly ranked, if only for the fact that it is possibly the most quoted movie of all time. Who among us has never said "Lighten up, Francis" or "You can't leave, all the plant are gonna die! ". Bill Murray is at his best, and Harold Ramis is the perfect straight man for him. Add in a supporting cast that includes John Candy, Judge Rheinhold, John Laroquette and Sean Young, and you have something pretty special. Also, gains points for the fact that it doesn't start to fade out at the end, like many comedies do when the decide to get "message-y". It just keeps up the energy and humor right up to (and including) the credits. To this day, the only movie I have ever enjoyed so much that I went right back to see it the very next night.

pendragon679 (16 May 2012)

Hilarious! A must-see for any potential recruit.

Probably the funniest service comedy ever made, stacks up beautifully withsuch films as "No Time for Sergeants," "Mister Roberts," and Abbott &Costello's riotous "Buck Privates." This is the picture that boostedrecruitment for months and made stars out of John Larroquette (sp?) andJohnCandy. I won't summarize the picture; we've all seen it, some of us over&over & over again.Look for bravura performances by John Larroquette as Capt. Stillman (thisisthe role that brought him to the attention of the producers of "NightCourt"and gave birth to D.A. Dan Fielding), Warren Oates as Sergeant Hulka ("Youdon't say 'sir' to me; I'm a sergeant. I work for a living."), and JohnCandy (his big-screen debut) as Dewey Oxburger. If you're thinking ofjoining the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines; see this movie first. .."That's the fact, Jack!"

(16 May 2012)

Enlist Stripes

Stripes is yet an comedic tour-de-force for Bill Murray. He stars as a John Winger, who is a basic loser. After his girlfriend dumps him, he sees a commercial on television for the army. He convinces his friend, Russell (wryly played by Harold Ramis) to enlist with him. The fellow soldiers in their troop include John Candy, Judge Reinhold, John Diehl and as their leader, Sgt. Hulka, Warren Oates. Hulka is a by the book, strict drill sergeant and the clashes between he and Winger are a scream. The high moment of the film is where the members of the troop introduce themselves to one another. A young Sean Young plays the love interest of Russell and Mr. Candy excels as Ox, who joined the army as a way to lose weight. The supporting cast is great, but this is Mr. Murray's film all the way. His eats up every scene he's in and fast and furious pace forces you to keep up with him. The film is proof that Bill Murray is one of the funniest men alive.

(15 May 2012)

pretty good film

Bill Murray& Harold Ramis give funny performances in this film.but overall it feels like one long skit from SNL.though it makes the ARMY look cool.

Sanjay (09 May 2012)

excellent movie

Great comedy. This film is light hearted, funny, and entertaining. It is a bit juvenile though. The best scenes are in the first half.

Ken Hanke (08 May 2012)

Who called Ivan Reitman "the king of comedy" and what drugs were they taking?

(06 May 2012)

STRIPES ROCKS!

STRIPES is a comic Ivan Reitman film that was released in movie theaters on Friday June 26, 1981 about a deadbeat taxi cab driver named John Winger(Bill Murray) who in the span of a few hours gets fired, dumped by his girlfriend(Roberta Leighton), gets evicted from his apartment, and gets his car stolen.Therefore John realizing that his life is a joke and that he's terribly out of shape, he decides to straighten out his life by joining the military and talks his best friend Russell Ziskey(Harold Ramis)into joining the Army with him and are soon off to boot camp.Upon arrival at Ft. Arnold; John and Russell meet their fellow recruits along with their hard-nosed drill instructor Sgt. Hulka(Warren Oates)making John stand out as an outcast throughout the rest of their basic training while John and Russell fall for 2 sexy M.P.'s named Louise Cooper(Sean Young)and Stella Hansen(PJ Soles).This film also co-stars Judge Reinhold, John Diehl, Timothy Busfield, Joe Flaherty, Bill Paxton, and John Larroquette known for his role as Dan on NIGHT COURT who plays the incompetent Capt. Stillman in this movie as well as Lance LeGault as the hard-nosed Col. Glass known for his role as the bitter Army nemesis(Col. Decker)on THE A-TEAM and Magnum's insensitive Navy nemesis(Col. Greene)on MAGNUM, P.I.In fact STRIPES reminded me a lot of the movie PRIVATE BENJAMIN since Goldie Hawn's Judy Benjamin chracter was very similar to Bill Murray's John Winger character in this flick.This comedy flick also takes me back to memory lane to when we had all those fiscal budget cuts going on from the recession we had back in 1981-1982 during Ronald Reagans presidency too.So if you liked PRIVATE BENJAMIN, you'll love STRIPES too since STRIPES was basically like a masculine version of PRIVATE BENJAMIN.

(05 May 2012)

Silly but entertaining

One of Murrays' earlier works, this slapstick military comedy was one of my favorite "high school days" movies. A bit stupid in places, a low class mud wrestling scene (redeemed only by a hilarious John Candy), and some "yeah right" situations still don't ruin this otherwise funny and enjoyable film. Murray does some good "song and dance" stuff with his military unit in basic training, and a few of the other characters become memorable; "touch my stuff, and I'll kill ya". As with almost anything that has Harold Ramis involved this film doesn't fail to be entertaining, but probably scores the highest with the twenty something crowd. A good strong recommendation to Bill Murray fans and those that enjoy meaningless and silly comedy a mild one to everyone else.

GlennBrody0312 (04 May 2012)

A little dated, but classic Murray

"Stripes", one of Bill Murray's classic post-SNL films sums up prettymuchas a classic in it's on right. With great comedic acting from HaroldRamis,John Candy, John Larroquette, Warren Oates and others, you just have tolaugh, no matter haow bizzare or Politically incorrect itis.John Winger (Murray) and Russell Ziskey (Ramis), two bummed friends, arebored and tired of their lives...so they join the US army. Not really awise choice, in a post-Vietnam War backdrop it presents. Hilarity ensueswhen the Winger and Ziskey join up with a platoon of misfits and rejects,which includes Candy, Oates and a young Judge Reinhold. Capt. Stillman(Larroquette) plays a grumpy officer intolerable of Winger's men (aslightwink to the film's staggering number of "National Lampoon's Animal House"references) After promoting from basic training, the team is sent to aEuropean country (I believe it's Italy at first) to guard and secure anewarmed transport automobile that looks more like a RV than a tank. Unabletohold him, Winger takes Ziskey to West Germany (remember the time) withhimto go see his girlfriend, a fellow officer. During this time, theplatoonmakes a dumb mistkae by crossing the 'Iron Curtain' of Czechoslovakia (atthe time still under the control of the former Soviet Union) to do acovertmission and the team is captured by boarder guards. Feeling a sense ofduty, Winger and Ziskey cross the boarder to rescue the crew from Russiancontrol. Of course, laughter is served."Stripes" is a hilarious film, even though it's, wihtout any doubt,extemelydated for the time. Not dated meaning Murray and Ramis' younger looks,butof the politics in the film...the entire army still wears theVietnam-issuedgreen uniforms (compared to the enventual brush fatigues that was issuedatthe beginning of the 80's). It's kinda silly still seeing Germany spiltinto West and East (remember, the wall didn't come down until 1989, so itwould be another 8 years before Politically correctness would step in),along with a Soviet control Czech republic. Still, very funnymovie.

(04 May 2012)

Extra footage makes the cut on Extended Version

This review is from: Stripes (Extended Cut) (DVD) Here's another of these love it-hate it type movies. My wife hates this movie. I love it. The additional footage does answer some questions as to context of why Russel and Winger got stuck watching the RV, explains futher the AWOL scene where Hulka states two soldiers went AWOL (technically, just going out by the tanks wasn't AWOL since they never left the base) when all they did in the original was to go out by the tanks. I also didn't mind the additional mud-wrestling footage and the other nude scenes. Probably not something to have the kids watching though...so go with the original version that can be played from the same disk if the kiddies are watching. I didn't mind the notations as to when the added scenes started/stopped either...made you really appreciate them even more. For less than the price of a ticket to almost any movie these days, the chance to relive this one with improved sound and added scenes makes this an easy choice to buy. Not likely they can do more with it if it's blu-ray but DVD upconverted looks just fine. It was never meant to be a special effects flick anyway.

twelvewaystodie (02 May 2012)

Worst film ever?

Possibly not, but it is awful. Even the fantastic cast cant save it.OK, I admit it started off quite funny but it seemed to plummetdownhill as soon as they jumped those girls in the Generals house. BillMurray turned from being a quick witted, humorous guy into an arseholewho was shouting things at people in the street that just weren'tfunny, its like he was trying too hard to be funny. His character stolea weapon (an RV? come on...) and ends up being a national hero afterinvading another country and killing god knows how many soldiers, for alaugh. One good point is that this film shows the inadequacy andincompetence of the US Army and shows how arrogant and imbecilic theyreally are, albeit unintentionally. I actually felt disgusted that thiskind of propaganda crap could really be released.

(01 May 2012)

This is the version you should get

I have always liked this movie. It's funny from the beginning, moves at a good pace at the beginning to the middle of the movie, and shows off Harold Ramis and Bill Murray (as "the comedian in our midst") at their youthful best. The uncut film has plenty of drug references, sex and nudity- and I love it. The cut scenes are frankly some of the best, and should have gone into the original theatrical version released in 1981. Be sure to choose the Extended Version when you watch the film (it will tell you when the "bonus scenes" begin and end).My main gripe with the film (not the DVD) is that it could have easily stopped after the well-known graduation scene (an infamous segment w/ Bill Murray leading a riotous military dance routine that will stay in my head forever). Besides some great lines delivered from wonderfully deadpan Warren Oates and the underrated Ramis, the rest of the movie could have ended before the European trip began. Uncut, the film was already at an hour-and-a-half long before this plot line. The final half of the movie drags and seems like a desperate attempt to fill time, possibly in order to please the movie studio. It is a typical Russians vs. America ending so common in 80's films (Spies Likes Us, No Way Out, etc.). That makes the film seem dated and the performances by all of the actors, minus Oates, were obviously quite forced in regard to the Russia vs. US aspect. Sean Young and P.J. Soles were gorgeous in this film and had fabulous chemistry with Ramis and Murray, respectively. Their love scenes were not really important to the plot, but they are to be expected. The best aspect of the movie was watching a downtrodden John Winger (Murray) attempt to revamp his life via a belated stint in the army, then of course breaking all the strict rules once he got there. John, true to character, hilariously runs around trying not to get caught by their much smarter, world-weary and tough-as-nails Sargeant (played by the outstanding Oates, in one of his final performances). A slick and smart fat guy, played to the hilt by the late John Candy, was a memorable foil to the cute but clueless Judge Reinhold and John Diehl characters. The rest of the supporting cast was a fine ensemble of talented actors.Lastly, John Larroquette was a riot as a demanding and moronic, newly-promoted Captain, a man more interested in looking at naked female soldiers showering than properly performing his job. A true-to-life character of a boss unwilling to take responsibility for his own blunders, placing blame on anyone who happens to be near to the scene of his crimes, Larroquette played the role of the antoganist very well indeed.This film is almost like an item for a time capsule, watching the first big-time work of many who became more famous in later roles (much like "The Outsiders"). A must-have in any comedy collection, perhaps not Harold Ramis' finest film, but very good nonetheless.

(28 April 2012)

Stripes DVD

This DVD arrived well packaged and in perfect condition. This will be given to my son for a stocking stuffer at Christmas. I expect lots of laughter!

Kerry keane (28 April 2012)

Classic Comedy

Ever since I was a kid I've considered this one of my all time favorites ... Don't know really why the other poster claimed some deep NYC relationship - Since it's an Army Spoof ... Bill Murray (as always) plays the great wise-guy to Army discipline ... Great supporting moments by John Candy ... Stripes, along with the classic Caddy Shack, has certainly withstood the test of time ...

(26 April 2012)

STRIPES , The Review

This review is from: Stripes (Extended Cut) (DVD) This has got to be one of Bill Murray's best works of all time. Great film & it will never go out of date .

XRANDY (26 April 2012)

Good stuff

Minor spoilersMy best friend and I saw this in theaters a few months before we shippedoffto basic training. This and the TV show "MASH" were my impressions of thearmy and when I got in I immediately started looking for the Hawkeyes andBill Murrays. Unfortunately, I found that the Army is actually filledwiththe Frank Burns and Captain Stillmans of the world.Anyway it's a funny flick with numerous classic one-liners: "We're nothomosexual, but we are willing to learn", "I wanna party with you cowboy","Were Americans...you know what that means? Our ancestors were kicked outofevery decent country in the world", "See, if we were in Germany I'd havetomake your bed", "Aunt Jemimah treatment", "Arrrrmy training sir", and ofcourse "That's the fact, Jack!".Sometimes you forget how funny Bill Murray really is, then you watch thisor"Ground Hog Day" and you are nicely reminded. Oh yeah, themagazine/newspaper covers were great.