Siskel & Ebert Classics - 12/22/89 - Tango & Cash, Always, Born on the Fourth of July

Christmas '89 episode also includes MUSIC BOX and CAMILLE CLAUDEL. With original commercials. As a reminder, if you're looking for the latest home video reviews -- from Blu-Rays of classic catalog titles to the latest releases -- be sure to check out my own review site at www.andyfilm.com

[@horsebitracing]

I love Tango & Cash. I want a Sequel!

[@thunderballsz]

To take nothing away from Siskel and Ebert (I worshipped them beginning in the 90's), but it's the vintage commercials that really raised my eyebrows here. It's a time capsule to the 80's and my childhood. The Kodak commercial with Bill Cosby...simply eerie and compelling at the same time.

[@GreatNorthWeb]

I love their banter especially when they argue about the very manner in which they agree.

[@sleong]

Born on the Fourth of July was one of the best movies of the 1980s

[@reneedennis2011]

I agree.

[@michaelkrolewski7406]

Yes, very sad though

[@sandal_thong8631]

Maybe. It was number 10 at the box office in 1989, and I think I missed it. But I think I can find 10 good movies in the 1980s worth seeing more than once.

[@terryjackson324]

Agreed! also 1989 had some of the best films of that decade.

[@sandal_thong8631]

@@terryjackson324 Every year of the 1980s "had some of the best films of that decade." What's your criteria, or favorites? Another person criticized 1989 for having too many sequels. But except for Star Trek V (which isn't on my list of good movies) and Back to the Future 2, the other three were pretty good and worth seeing more than once (Indiana Jones 3, Lethal Weapon 2, Ghostbusters 2).

[@omardoe406]

It's amazing how, i watched tango and cash today in 2023, and still luv it, timeless movie.

[@knownpleasures]

Frederick Forrest was totally different in Music Box than he was in Falling Down 4 years later!! Lol. Great you kept the advertisements including Bill Cosby and Kodak

[@Firstmajortomlikestoticker]

Thanks for uploading these. These two are never duplicated or imitated Awesome Show and memories

[@andyfilm5785]

happy to do it! :)

[@mykal.7424]

Most critics didn't like Tango & Cash . I saw it opening night in a large packed house in 70mm blow up and people were loving it . I had a blast . You can't take these movies seriously . It's a fun and entertaining. I remember the movie never reached #1 at the box office , but it played in theaters for months into spring of '90 hanging around #2 or #3 at the box office with good word of mouth earning a slow burn $63m and was huge on video and cable . Fun times

[@citygirl5705]

Yeah, they missed the whole lighthearted point of "Tango and Cash." And Ebert saying "It's a loop" doesn't make any sense.

[@mykal.7424]

@@citygirl5705 Totally Agree

[@jamesmitchell8922]

Not to mention Sly and Kurt's bare asses

[@mykal.7424]

@@jamesmitchell8922 That was for the ladies I'm sure

[@negtype13]

Amen brother!🤘

[@Geektoid]

Thank you for leaving the commercials. Beautiful.

[@threeminuteshate]

Thanks for uploading these. I’m snowed in and have been binge watching all the S&E I can!

[@sahej6939]

don’t watch The Shining

[@jacobdehaan4114]

Tango and Cash is one of my favorite Sylvester Stallone movies

[@jokerswildio]

Both were spot on about "Born on the 4th of July." Tom Cruise really should have won the oscar for this. Siskel put it best when he says "it shows the true aftereffect of getting hit with a bullet and what these guys have to go through daily." That bullet is a symbol for all kinds of life changing trauma. Oliver Stone is one of the best filmmakers in history. This one made me sad and made me reevaluate what's reallly important in life. True classic and especially effective that it's a true story.

[@GQguy24]

The latter half of 1989 (age 9 for me) was the beginning of the BEST years of my childhood and probably of my life that lasted until 1994. I also grew up in Chicago so the S&E from these years are particularly nostalgic for me. If I could somehow reverse time and go back to 12/22/1989 and relive my life all over again from that point......I would do it in a heartbeat.

[@LannieLord]

What happened to you in 1994 ?

[@GQguy24]

@@LannieLord In fall 1994 I started high school and I hated high school LOL. My grade school years were magical though.

[@adamchrysler5847]

Tango and Cash is classic!

[@luisgomez7367]

Tango and Cash hidden gem.

[@babymammoth34]

yes absolutely and these two pompous clowns were way off base here about it...unfortunate...

[@bobspence5322]

its entertaining but not a great movie.

[@wetwilly01]

that movie is trash

[@knownpleasures]

Complete rubbish lol

[@courts7878]

Terrible movie. Tried to be Lethal Weapon and failed badly.

[@kevint1719]

I like the Kodak commercial at 9:57. I wonder why we don't see Bill Cosby in commercials anymore?

[@FedotDaNeTod]

his commercial just puts me into a sleep

[@ricardocantoral7672]

I have never been much of a Tom Cruise fan but I think he did great job in Born on the Fourth of July. I also loved him in Collateral.

[@reneedennis2011]

I agree. Born on the Fourth of July showed that he's not just a pretty boy, but a good actor. I also liked the villainous role he played in Collateral.

[@suzycreamcheesez4371]

Ron Kovic thought he did a good job.

[@connernehemiah6733]

I dont mean to be so offtopic but does anybody know of a method to get back into an Instagram account?? I stupidly forgot the login password. I love any help you can offer me!

[@jaredbronson5821]

@Conner Nehemiah instablaster ;)

[@sahej6939]

I’d rather watch another Transporter movie than Collateral… I miss the old popcorn 🍿 guy and his grandson.

[@booknooky9436]

11:00 I literally came in my pants when I saw this beauty...these commercials encapsulate the 80's better than anything I've ever seen.

[@mikem.3308]

Martin Sheen!

[@sahej6939]

I remember seeing this episode… I did try to watch Music Box as a kid but I couldn’t get it. I did Love Tango & Cash as a kid though!!! Interesting the father plays the same role in Eastern Promises. Camille Claudel 🎉should be more well known

[@booknooky9436]

21:13 is that Jimmy Stewart's voice I hear? I need to find out if it is, wow.

[@WorldsUnhealthiestFitPerson]

And Thora Birch!

[@sahej6939]

It does look like Thora Birch and does sound like Jimmy Stewart!

[@malafakka8530]

Sounds like it

[@mwebb999]

9:59 I didn't think I'd ever see a Bill Cosby endorsement again

[@ChipWhitingtonIII]

9:58.... cover your drinks, ladies.

[@Kevincarlloven]

Tango and Cash was awsome!!

[@reneedennis2011]

I like Tango and Cash, too.

[@Kevincarlloven]

@@reneedennis2011 its just a turn off your brain and have fun movie. Sister and Ebert never could understand.

[@reneedennis2011]

@@Kevincarlloven I agree.

[@babymammoth34]

@@reneedennis2011 They did not want to understand. Too Much Pretentious High-Brow puss between their ears I guess.

[@caza728]

@@Kevincarlloven For a turn off your brain and have fun movie, I would rather watch The Last Boy Scout.

[@TobeyStarburst]

What are you going like this for? LMFAO!

[@nyki7fykxtjxyi]

Tango and cash is a good background movie for testing video equipment

[@lerm2866]

20:20 in the next few weeks Ebert gets Downtown and Loose Cannons😂

[@stephensimington479]

Listen to what they say about Music Box (about the father having lived to completely different lives and how everyone perceived him) and it immediately goes to a commercial with Bill Cosby...weird

[@wasteland76]

Did anyone else notice the book on the tray of Tom Cruise's character in the hospital? Dalton Trumbo's JOHNNY GOT HIS GUN, which if you know this book then you'll understand the reference and why it was included in that scene. A hint; Metallica's ONE song and video use the story of JGHG exclusively.

[@michaelnantell]

Always is not Spielberg‘s best film but it’s three times better than the average film.

[@Jamal3.87]

Kudos to the uploader. Thanks a lot! Do you have any episodes from 1992 like Basic Instinct or White Men Can’t Jump or The Player?

[@reneperez7903]

It’s not on the website

[@andyfilm5785]

@@reneperez7903 I have a few episodes not on the website though not much from early 92, sadly. Some of the shows up on "the website" are also from my recordings I had given to the webmaster there years back. I'm just throwing up everything I have here from my own tapes, not rips from that site, for a/v improvements and to get everything I have out there.

[@bobspence5322]

ok when i was doing some work with the VA hospital there years back, a retired air force pilot was talking about doing 10 years after his service as a firefighter, flying in dumps on large brush fires in california, which was met with the chagrin of every army vet there, who had fought on the ground in some major war, with taunts like "fly boy". so iRL terms i see where ebert was going. however, fire fighters do give their lives quite often and i think backdraft hammered that one home later. not to "misrepresent" anyone. also foo fighters.

[@RemoGutierrez1]

💛👏💛👏💛👏

[@kevinkim390]

Nothing against Daniel-Day Lewis' performance in My left foot, but Tom Cruise should've gotten the Oscar that year. It was a brilliant and mesmerizing work that he put out.

[@bobspence5322]

lmao the review for the music box then bill cosby commercial at 9:58.. maybe that said more than their review.

[@reneperez7903]

Always 👎⭐️⭐️ out of 4 Born on the 4th of July 👍⭐️⭐️⭐️ & a half out of 4 Tango & Cash 👎⭐️ & a half out of 4

[@Jbaxter85]

Born on 4th of July 👍🌟🌟🌟🌟 Camille Claudel 👍🌟🌟🌟 Tango & Cash 👎🌟🌟

[@bobspence5322]

born on thee 4th was hard to watch in fact i was a teen when it came out.. i almost passed out watching the hospital scenes siskel mentions. its great as a second act to platoon but dont expect the same movie. very diff for tom cruise and back then not what we expected really..

[@branagain]

I am not a fan of Spielberg (I know I’m alone on this) but I really like Always.

[@mikem.3308]

Is there anything better than Roger trashing a movie like Tango and Cash? That answer is no lol

[@mercster]

I liked Always... I know exactly what Siskel is talking about, too. The dialog seems kind of flippant and too facile. But it's charming in its own way, and in the whole, kind of grounds the relationship. The dialog between the two could have been smarmy and melodramatic, but we've all seen that too many times. Wouldn't have worked with these two anyway. In the end it was just part of the quirky charm of the film.

[@sandal_thong8631]

I barely remember it. "Weak."

[@chadsmith3171]

Sorry, guys. "Always" was awesome, especially all these years later.

[@ADAMSIXTIES]

5:36 The Music Box was the best film of the year; lost on the idiots Gene and Roger

[@bobbletcher17]

The boys how old is Stallone in this Kurt was like 38 in this and Stallone was 44 very old boys lol.

[@DoncoEntAgain]

I agree with Siskel on Always. That movie really does have some annoying dialogue and performances by the leads.

[@meteozberk9776]

sly all career has a onlly 1 goood film its rocky

[@FedotDaNeTod]

Rambone was good too. First one.

[@CogensFamilyTV]

I agree with Gene, but I think "Coming Back Home" was far more realistic in its depiction of wounded veterans and how they deal with coming back home.

[@stevenclarke8773]

Richard Dreyfuss is winey and nasali( a squeeking ,honking speaking through the nose sound) .kind of the way The lead for the band Rascal Flatts who sings through his nose(squeeze nostrils together and sing life is a highway.......

[@Hellraiser0601]

Siskel really came to Ebert's rescue. That's a novelty. But I agree, Ebert's comment about "forest fires not being worthy of dying" was sorta off-color... I'd much rather die protecting the forest than in any brainless war.

[@CaminoAir]

I think Ebert's point was that 'A Guy Named Joe' (the original film) was about someone dying in a situation on which the fate of the Western World was in the balance and that it was probably inevitable Spencer Tracy might die in that situation. The emotional stakes would be more powerful, because Dreyfuss probably could have made different decisions and avoided his death in 'Always'. If you watch the original first and then Spielberg's remake.....that's the perspective Ebert was commenting from.

[@jacobadams5924]

Two thumbs down.

[@zxbc1]

@@CaminoAir It was actually a pretty good point, and Gene's attempt to steer him away from that argument was also understandable with them going into the increasing PC culture in the late 80s. Firefighting is dangerous but in most cases people would try to preserve lives over trying to save a few trees, while in WWII risking one's life was entirely expected and chance of dying was very high. The translation from the former to the latter probably was a huge part contributing to the failure in the draw of the film.

[@babymammoth34]

@@zxbc1 by '91 or '92 pc culture was really kicking into gear, at least in the northeast united states. which is a shameless, hyper breeding ground for pc culture.

[@sandal_thong8631]

Forestry today suggests that in winter they should let some forest clutter burn for a healthy forest. They suppressed all forest fires after taking away these lands from Native Americans and making them national parks. The latter knew that fire was natural and encouraged it when it wouldn't burn too hot or get out of control. Allowing fire in Yellowstone has had positive results. But they didn't do it in California, so the fires burned too hot and killed a lot of trees as well as burning out of control.

[@uyeda]

Not one of Steven Spielberg's best films.

[@brownjenkin8893]

He went downhill after "Night Gallery" and "Duel" anyhow.

[@uyeda]

@@brownjenkin8893 Even Empire of the Sun and Hook those were bad too.

[@ricardocantoral7672]

@@brownjenkin8893 I wouldn't go that far but Duel is still one of Spielberg's better films.

[@iluvmylovebirdandmybudgiet7729]

sappy,,..but not as bad as the Terminal

[@davidl570]

@@uyeda I disagree that Empire of the Sun was bad.

[@FedotDaNeTod]

Рад что им не понравились Танго и Кэш и Всегда. Мусор, а не фильмы.

[@Joeyblackblue1408]

🤦‍♂️

[@matthewschwartz6607]

Born was just too looooong! And overdone. Oliver did it better with Platoon.

[@GrosvnerMcaffrey]

I disagree. Both movies are great in their own way platoon showing the clusterfuck that was the war and BOT4th shows the struggle of the post war world for many veterans. They both serve a purpose