tutorsontap
One of my all time favorites and I'm a Daughter of the Republic of Texas! The views inside the Alamo and those on the streets of San Antonio are accurate and evocative. The actual history of the Alamo is one that should not be overlooked and this lighthearted tribute is among the most congenial.
moonspinner55
James Lehrer's novel becomes sporadically funny modern-day military-takeover satire featuring a band of Mexican soldiers and their blustery Brigadier General who enter the States by way of Texas and assume control of the Alamo. For the first three quarters of an hour, a sprightly, silly/funny comedy with exaggerated accents...but the plot has nowhere special to go and quickly peters out. Pamela Tiffin (in a blonde wig, and resembling Shelley Fabares) plays a graduate student who is taken hostage and falls for Ustinov, while souvenir shopper Alice Ghostley inexplicably thinks the U.S. has been invaded by the Chinese. Ustinov probably hoped this would be a colorful showcase for his acerbic brand of humor--sending up the outrageous nature of human behavior--but his jokes are too obvious, and the character actors in bit parts nearly steal his thunder. ** from ****
Daniel Hall
OK, So I'm not old enough to have seen this movie in the theaters. Either way, It's really late, and I'm flipping through old reruns of Lassie, and Star Trek. I come upon this movie that has John Astin in it. Now I'm a bit of an Addams Family Fan, so I figure "Why Not?" To Put it simply, It was hilarious!! And it really showed that Astin can do more than one type of comedy. Pretty much every comedy character I have ever seen him play is the zany, sometimes idiotic, REALLY out of touch guy.(Gomez Addams, Buddy from Night Court) In 'Viva Max' as Sgt. Valdez His comedy is far more serious, and quite deadpan. After seeing this movie my appreciation of Astin as an actor and comedian raised considerably.This movie was also my introduction to Peter Ustinov as an actor. He plays the General, the central character of this movie, and he really carries the role well. In fact, without his serious portrayal of this character, the movie wouldn't be nearly as funny. His acting ability clearly shows through in this movie, even making an authoritative character into a sympathetic character at some points. After watching this movie, I sought out other Ustinov movies (there were quite a few) and I can honestly say that now Ustinov is one of my Favorite actors of all time.Harry Morgan is back again in his Support your local sheriff / Colonel Potter role. But it is still quite entertaining.All I can say is that if you get the chance to watch this movie, do so...You will not regret it.
Theo Robertson
Peter Ustinov died a few days ago and is traditional with stars dying the BBC showed a film as a hasty tribute , and what film did we get as a tribute ? SPARTACUS where Ustinov gives a show stopping performance as a slave trader ? Nope . Another Oscar performance this time from TOKAPI ? Nope . What about ASHANTI ? , it`s a film a lot of critics can`t stand but Ustinov`s politically incorrect performance had me in stiches . No can do . The film we got was VIVA MAX a slap stick comedy that seems a bit of a slap in the face as far as tributes go Ustinov plays the title character of Max very well but to be honest VIVA MAX isn`t much of a comedy . It might be politically incorrect but it`s also very unsophisticated . The Mexicans decide to recapture the Alamo . Let`s be honest , does that sound like there`s going to be a lot of milage in this premise ? You`re right there isn`t so we`re treated to scenes featuring silly Mexican soldiers fighting off silly American soldiers with fire hoses and exchanges of dialogue along the lines of " Drop your weapons - No you drop your weapons - No you drop your weapons - No you drop your weapons " and it`s all done with the subtlety of THE BLUES BROTHERS another film where I didn`t start laughing
AD
