True Crime

Starring:Graham Beckel, Penny Bae Bridges, John Finn, Frances Fisher, Francesca Fisher-Eastwood, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Bernard Hill, Michael Jeter, Erik King, Denis Leary, Mary McCormack, Michael McKean, Sydney Tamiia Poitier, Marissa Ribisi, Laila Robins, Diane Venora, Isaiah Washington, Hattie Winston, James Woods
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Not enough people went to see True Crime in theaters. Wasn't Clint Eastwood too old to be playing a guy whom a variety of glorious women, from the middle-aged Diane Venora and Laila Robins to the young Mary McCormack and Lucy Liu, find attractive? Could the onetime Man with No Name credibly play a brilliant crime reporter, Steve Everett, with an ironic turn of phrase and an incurable habit of screwing up both his personal and professional lives? The respective answers to those questions are: hell no and hell yes. True Crime features one of Eastwood's best and most entertaining performances--and his work as director is utterly assured.

The story (from Andrew Klavan's bestselling novel) gives Everett the last-minute assignment of interviewing a condemned man (Isaiah Washington) on the eve of his execution. The prisoner, a born-again Christian and exemplary family man, has everything the reporter lacks except a shot at seeing the next sunrise. Everett sets out to get him that, yet far from making a beeline to the exculpatory evidence that will save the life of his "client," this very tarnished hero has to spend a lot of the next 24 hours contending with the baggage he's accumulated through drinking, wenching, and familial neglect. (A Pirandellian note: Everett's daughter is played by Eastwood's own daughter, Francesca Fisher-Eastwood, and her mother, Frances Fisher, returns for a feisty cameo as a prosecutor.)

Description

An abused young man. A hair-trigger temper. A trail of dead bodies. What makes a cold-blooded killer tick? THE ICEMAN AND THE PSYCHIATRIST is now available for the first time on DVD. Renowned forensic psychologist Dr. Park Dietz gets up close, personal and even confrontational with psyche of one of the most dangerous men alive. Bringing together the earlier THE ICEMAN TAPES: CONVERSATIONS WITH A KILLER and THE ICEMAN: SECRETS OF A MAFIA HITMAN with the newly released Dietz interview, this new special edition, THE ICEMAN INTERVIEWS is the ultimate compendium of the mind of a murderer. Includes Richard "The Iceman" Kuklinski's riveting on-camera confession, exclusively for HBO, of the murder of police officer Peter Calabro. Making news in February 2003, Kuklinski accepted a plea bargain for a concurrent 30-year term to his 60-year prison sentence and implicated Sammy "The Bull" Gravano in the crime. THE ICEMAN INTERVIEWS - this new special edition is guaranteed to run chills up and down your spine all over again.

Customer Reviews:

Worth Watching.......2007-06-12

If you like documentaries this is worth watching. It was worth the money i spent on it. It is a good movie also, if you like anything to do with the mophia.

The Iceman Interviews.......2007-06-02

THIS IS JOURNALISM AT ITS BEST - CAPTIVATING AND RIVETING; WELL DONE.

Iceman Is A Great Name For This Man.......2007-05-15

I have never seen such a cool customer - you really have to see this DVD to believe it.

The Hitman.......2007-05-08

Don't bother. Get the HBO DVD and call it good. This is just a poor repeat.

The Iceman Interviews.......2007-05-06

If you are a true crime addict, as I am, this interview will chill you to the very core. The Iceman was a stone-cold killer and this interview gives one insight into a mind without feeling. He did, however, show human emotion when speaking of his wife and children. A wonderfully well-crafted interview that should not be missed.

Average customer rating:

Professional Actors
A flawed but fascinating look at murder, hookers, ambition and the Church...as well as Charles Durning dancing an Irish jig
DVD Has Both Full Screen AND Widescreen
Two legends in top form.
On Second Thought

True Confessions
Starring: Robert De Niro , Robert Duvall , Charles Durning , Kenneth McMillan , and Ed Flanders
Director: Ulu Grosbard
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
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Straight Time

ASIN: B000MTFFPY
Release Date: 2007-04-17

Amazon.com

John Gregory Dunne turned the true story of Los Angeles's Black Dahlia murder case into a compelling novel and then adapted the novel (with wife Joan Didion) for this meaty movie mystery directed by Ulu Grosbard. A study of the ways power corrupts, and the way corruption consumes the soul, the film stars Robert Duvall and Robert De Niro as a pair of brothers (a cynical police detective and a rapidly rising monsignor, respectively) who come into conflict over the case of a murdered woman in 1940s Hollywood. De Niro gives a beautifully shaded performance, while Duvall, who never gives a bad one, gets the slightly flashier role. Yet there's nothing showy about Duvall, who gets under the skin of this cop and who knows better than to get personally involved in a case but ultimately can't help it. A fine supporting cast includes Kenneth McMillan, Charles Durning, and Burgess Meredith. Maybe too studied for some, but worth watching if only for the two leads. --Marshall Fine

Description

Detective Tom Spellacy (Duvall) and Catholic Monsignor Desmond Spellacy (De Niro) find their worlds colliding amidst a flurry of political finger-pointing and public outcries over a scandalous, headline-making murder. As Tom hunts down the elusive killer, his investigation threatens to expose secrets that could ruin his brotherÂ...and rock the foundation of his beloved church.

Customer Reviews:

Professional Actors.......2007-05-14

This is a real showcase for three great actors, Robert Duvall,Robert DeNiro and Charles Durning.
I saw the movie in the theater when it first came out. I had to immediately read the book.
I would recommend the book but the movie is more entertaining. This story rings true as a parable about two brothers struggling with their ethics and morals.
Heavy religuous references.

A flawed but fascinating look at murder, hookers, ambition and the Church...as well as Charles Durning dancing an Irish jig.......2007-05-13

True Confessions, with a screenplay by Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne, is a movie with a split personality. Half of it is a skewering look at pride and ambition in the Catholic Church, where the desire to build orphanages and schools is too easily transformed into rubbing shoulders with the powerful and the sleazy, where a young monsignor is the smooth arm of the cardinal, extracting money from the rich, making sure high awards go to those who contribute and who is accustomed to his usual lunch of a rob roy with a twist and a large shrimp cocktail at exclusive restaurants. The other half is the story of a gruesome murder of a young woman whose torso, cut into two pieces, is found in a Los Angeles field. This part also is the story of the detective who investigates the crime and the tawdry world of prostitution and bribes he operates in. Any chance that the monsignor and the detective are brothers? Any chance that we're supposed to draw parallels between the two worlds the brothers operate in? Nope.

Robert De Niro plays Monsignor Des Spellacy. He's helped transform the Los Angeles archdiocese under the knowing eye of Cardinal Danahan. He raises vast amounts of money on the golf courses and he's not above manipulating a church raffle. One of the men he deals with is the wealthy, aggressive Jack Amsterdam (Charles Durning), a heavy contributor and a man eager for lucrative building contracts and high Catholic awards. Robert Duvall plays L. A. Homicide detective Tom Spellacy, long estranged from his brother. Tom is a cop who started out as a bagman for pimps, changed his ways, isn't above ignoring small payoffs. He has an intense dislike for both Amsterdam and what he believes is the hypocrisy of the Church.

The movie takes us to the tawdriest parts of 1948 Los Angeles, where there's usually no percentage in finding the killers of prostitutes. "You know who we're going to pick up on this one?" says Frank Crotty to Tom, his partner. "Panty sniffers, weenie flashers, guys who beat their hog on the number two bus, guys who fall in love with their shoes. Know how we're going to break this case? A couple of years from now, we'll pick up someone running a red light. I killed the girl, he'll say. What girl, we'll say. The girl with the rose tattoo, he'll say. What girl was that, we'll say. This is a 9-to-5 stiff, Tom. No overtime." That all changes when Tom gets Jack Amsterdam in his sights.

We also learn the other side of that coin. When the Cardinal says he's nominating Des for appointment as an auxiliary bishop, he tells Des, "If you're lucky you'll find an ambitious young monsignor to do your dirty work for you." That's immediately after the Cardinal instructed Des to remove a fine old priest from a parish because the man had complained too often that the Church wasn't compassionate enough.

The two themes come together, but only barely. The murder mystery, which to me gives the movie its juice, just slowly peters out in a conclusion where the murderer seems to be an afterthought and newspaper headlines seem sufficient for retribution and redemption.

Although for me the movie is something of a disappointment, it's a fascinating one. True Confessions has a great look about it. The movie captures that same golden ambiance of Los Angeles corruption that Chinatown did. We move from pornographic studios in abandoned warehouses to elegant archdiocese offices, from ritzy restaurants to cathouses. Charles Durning as Amsterdam, Kenneth McMillan as Frank Crotty, Burgess Meredith as Father Fargo, Cyril Cusack as the Cardinal are each superb in their roles. Most of all, the dynamic between De Niro and Duvall is fascinating. In the face of Duvall's utter believability as Tom Spellacy, De Niro was smart enough to underplay. They give the movie far more energy than do the messages Didion and Dunne serve up.

If Didion and Dunne had simply concentrated on the murder and let the messages indirectly seep into our heads, I think they would have had a stunning film. But make no mistake, True Confessions with all its faults is still a lot of fun...but you'll need to be fond of stylish, grubby murder, post WWII Los Angeles and have a high tolerance for meaningful messages.

The DVD transfer is acceptable but it's not anamorphic. There are no extras. Wide-screen is on one side of the disc; pan-and-scan on the other.

DVD Has Both Full Screen AND Widescreen.......2007-04-26

I received my DVD today and despite what the "Product Details" say above, the movie is presented in both Full Screen AND Widescreen.

Two legends in top form........2007-04-20

Fans do not fret, this IS a widescreen and fullscreen DVD. I couldn't wait to pick up my copy of True Confessions this last tuesday. This film is as excellent as I remember it being back in '81 when I first saw it in a theatre. DeNiro and Duvall just don't make movies like these anymore, they both have fallen to the "Hollywood" format these day. This is a must see for fans who may have forgotten just how wonderful these two men were at the top of their game. This film is on the slower side with character and story development happening slowly, but the wonderful performances keep this film moving forward with interest. This film is a 10+!

On Second Thought.......2007-04-03

Thanks to the reviewers who posted information about the widescreen version on this DVD. (Perhaps Amazon will update their details.) Based on that, I add one star back to my initial three-star review. Had there been any extras on the disc, I could have given it a fifth star. No matter; it's still a terrific movie and a very worthwhile purchase! Finally, my VHS copy gets retired.

Average customer rating:

Just about as good as it gets for special dvd
True Romance Directors Cut
Quick delivery!!
Shocked that more people haven't seen this one...
Alabama Luvs Clarence

True Romance (Unrated Director's Cut)
Starring: Christian Slater , Patricia Arquette , Michael Rapaport , Bronson Pinchot , and Val Kilmer
Director: Tony Scott
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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ASIN: 6304602979
Release Date: 1997-09-30

Amazon.com

It was directed with energetic skill by Top Gun Tony Scott, but this breathtaking 1993 thriller (think of it as an adolescent crime fantasy on steroids) has Quentin Tarantino written all over it. True Romance is really part of a loose trilogy that includes Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, with a crackling Tarantino screenplay that rides a fine line between raucous comedy and violent excess. Christian Slater plays Clarence, the comic-book lover who meets a beguiling prostitute named Alabama (Patricia Arquette), confronts her vicious pimp (Gary Oldman), and embarks on a cross-country odyssey with $5 million worth of Mafia cocaine. Mayhem ensues, culminating in a favorite Tarantino climax--the "Mexican standoff"--in which a roomful of guys are pointing guns at each other, waiting to see who shoots first. Brutal, profane, and totally outrageous, True Romance is not for everyone, but with a supporting cast that includes Dennis Hopper, Christopher Walken, Brad Pitt, and Val Kilmer (as the ghost of Elvis!), you can be sure this movie will never be boring. --Jeff Shannon

Description

DVD Features:
3D Animated Menus
Production Notes

Customer Reviews:

Just about as good as it gets for special dvd.......2007-06-27

This special DVD release pretty much has all you could ask for, trailers, commentary from main cast PA and CS, commentary from Quentin, commentary from Tony Scott, even five minutes from Brad Pitt, Val Kilmer even though they were in the movie for only five minutes!!!!! :) The only problem I can really think of aside from it not being free is that the bulk of the material is on the first disc, slop a little more on one and you have it all on one disc. I don't really understand the whole more discs is better thing.

True Romance Directors Cut.......2007-06-27

I love the movie, hence the 4 stars, but, feel the 2nd Disc is basically worthless (hence the reduction by one star).

Quick delivery!!.......2007-06-14

Great condition, great movie and quick delivery!

Shocked that more people haven't seen this one..........2007-05-29

It has an all star cast and a very good plot. You can't guess the ending because it sneaks up on you.

Alabama Luvs Clarence.......2007-04-11

I just saw this movie for the first time, after hearing lots of guys rave about it (I just *knew* it was a guy movie and I wouldn't enjoy it). Well, I was wrong. I really liked! And it is surprisingly romantic.

Christian Slater plays Clarence, the comic book store worker that meets his dream girl in Alabama (Patricia Arquette), a sexy blonde with a checkered past. They get married after a perfect first date (complete with first date sex) and the next day he decides to help her totally move on from her past...by killing her ex-pimp. Along the way he accidentally ends up with a suitcase full of cocaine that he decides to sell so he and Alabama can move to Mexico and live out their lives in bliss.

He makes his decisions by talking to Elvis, his ideal woman is a woman that loves kung fu, and his ideal date is movies followed by pie. This makes Alabama perfect for him as the sweet ex-call girl that is totally devoted to him and prances around in bubblegum colored sexy outfits.

It's a really good movie. Dennis Hopper plays his dad, Gary Oldman plays the pimp, Christopher Walken is head of the local Mafia, James Gandolfini plays a sizeable role in it too (he works for Walken's charactr) and Brad Pitt plays a pothead. Very funny movie, rather violent, with it's sad moments. Definately recommended.

This edition of the DVD is the best because it also includes the alternate ending (I won't spoil it) and deleted scenes, and well as behind the scene information, all on two DVD's.

Average customer rating:

Lesson learned or lesson forgotten?
Propaganda and a Witch Hunt to Boot
Interesting but ....
"All of them showing up to the hearing in their...goth glam, isn't going to help Damien's case". Right on.
I guess

Paradise Lost 2 - Revelations
Starring: Michael Moore , Burk Sauls , Damien Wayne Echols , Kathy Bakken , and Jessie Miskelly
Director: Kathy Bakken , Joe Berlinger , and Bruce Sinofsky
Manufacturer: Docurama
ProductGroup: DVD
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Paradise Lost - The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills
Almost Home: My Life Story Vol 1
Devil's Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three
Brother's Keeper
Murder on a Sunday Morning

ASIN: B00005MKOU
Release Date: 2001-08-28

Amazon.com

Directors Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky return to the scene of the crime with this urgent follow-up to their harrowing 1996 documentary, Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills. That profoundly disturbing film chronicles the tragic and twisted case of three young men--Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley--who were convicted of the brutal 1993 murders of three second graders. The film suggests that perhaps their only crime was dressing in black and liking Metallica. To the townspeople, this smacked of Satanism and marked them as made-to-order suspects. Meanwhile, Mark Byars, the stepfather of one of the victims emerged from the film as a "Why-isn't-anyone-following-up-on-this?" suspect. Revelations, which, for those who missed the first film, efficiently recaps the case, and charts the trio's maddening appeals process (police browbeat a confession out of Misskelley, who has an IQ of 71, after 12 hours of questioning), as well as the efforts of a group of Internet advocates to "Free the West Memphis Three." Byers is back as well, and he is infinitely more terrifying than anything in Book of Shadows, Berlinger's Blair Witch sequel. We learn that Byers had all his teeth extracted in the years after the murders (human bite marks are among the new evidence introduced). We also learn that his wife has since died of undetermined causes. When Byers passes a suspect lie detector test, he exults, "I knew I was innocent." A further mystery is why both Paradise Lost films have not garnered the media attention or sparked the outrage that attended Errol Morris's The Thin Blue Line, which led to the release of an innocent man who was imprisoned for more than 10 years. Both films give new meaning to the concept of reasonable doubt. --Donald Liebenson

Description

Paradise Lost 2: Revelations revisits the 1994 Arkansas murder of three 8-year-old boys and the three teenagers convicted of the crime. A follow up to Paradise Lost, Revelations features new interviews with the convicted men, as well as with the original judge and police investigators. While focusing on advocates who believe the young men are innocent Revelations also includes footage of the stepfather of one of the victims, who some suspect might be involved in the crime.

A disturbing and moving documentary, Revelations is investigative journalism and advocacy at its best. This case, as with the OJ Simpson and Jon Benet Ramsy murder trials, for better or worse, will remain in the spotlight for years to come as an example of America's judicial system gone astray.

DVD Features: Filmmaker Filmographies; Exclusive Photo Gallery; Interactive Menus; Scene Selection

Customer Reviews:

Lesson learned or lesson forgotten?.......2007-04-08

I loved Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills. It had a great message, teaching us how important the notion of "innocent until proven guilty" really is. With that in mind, the sequel to it should have never been made.

The first movie focused on rightfully condemning those who were quick to judge three teenaged defendants, Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jesse Misskelly, as guilty while ignoring the complete lack of evidence supporting this verdict. "Those boys wear black and listen to heavy metal music; they look like they worship Satan; they must have committed the murders," many people thought around West Memphis, Arkansas, the rural, backward community in which the murders took place. Watching the first Paradise Lost, we were shown exactly how absurd this thinking is. Somewhere between the making of that film and the making of its sequel, Paradise Lost 2: Revelations, the films' producers lost sight of that important notion.

In Paradise Lost 2, the filmmakers are essentially judging one of the murder victims' stepfather, Mark Byers, as guilty of the Robin Hood Hills murders without really giving sufficient evidence to back this theory. There seems to be some evidence supporting his guilt (okay, a lot of evidence supporting it), but one can't help but wonder what facts the filmmakers are exaggerating, what facts they are manipulating, and what facts they are leaving out.

Mark Byers is a man who has never officially been a suspect in the West Memphis murders, and frankly there seems to be about as much evidence against him as there was evidence linking the murders to the three defendants who were found guilty of them. Mark Byers' main offense is that he looks like how a killer would look, or that he acts like how a killer would act. Sound familiar? Sounds ironic to me.

The "witches" in the first film were Damien, Jason, and Jessie and the witch hunters were exposed for what they were. In the second film, the monster is Mark Byers and the people chasing him with torches and wooden stakes are we who are ignoring the lesson learned from the first film.

Propaganda and a Witch Hunt to Boot.......2007-04-04

Paradise Lost 2 - Revelations is a poor excuse for a documentary. It never rises above the level of a tabloid. Logic and reason have been discarded in favor of attempting to paint the stepfather of one of the murdered boys as being the real killer. There is all sorts of grandstanding by likes of the unrepentant killers and their ignorant supporters.

A disturbing aspect of this documentary is the fact short shrift was given to 2 of the convicted murderers, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelly both of whom are plain looking. However, a huge amount of attention was paid to convicted murderer Damien Echols. This was done because Echols is quite handsome.

This movie is also a witch hunt. Specifically, it attempts to make the case that the real killer is one John Mark Byers who was the stepfather of one of the murdered boys. There is no attempt at balance here. All sorts of aspersions are cast on Byers without ever attempting to talk to Byers' dentist, doctors or the police officer who cleared Byers of suspicion via polygraph test. The producers of this documentary claim that Byers' wife died under mysterious circumstances. The claim was made that the dead children had bite marks all over them without disclosing that well before the documentary was made, the assertion about bite marks was thororughly discredited. Additionally, the documentary claims that Byers had all of his teeth removed without proof of it. The reality was that Byers had a disease that caused most of his teeth to fall out, but the documentary left that fact out to make Byers look as guilty as possible.

At the beginning of Paradise Lost 2 - Revelations, it was stated that most of the relatives of the 3 victims (who are the real West Memphis 3) did not want to be involved in the making of this production. Given the facts that the first Paradise Lost was horribly slanted in favor of the convicted murderers and also that this sequel was a witch hunt directed at Byers, it appears that the families of the victims showed very good judgment.

Interesting but ...........2007-02-07

Like it's predecessor, this is a fascinating and probing look at a case that continues to rouse many questions and controversies. Made a few years after the original "Paradise Lost", it is interesting to see where the people, especially the accused Memphis Three, had come to, and how they now viewed all that had happened. But a great deal of this documentary is just footage from the first - which is important in giving context - but it means that there is not all that much new content here. But what is there is very good, and very interesting. I just in some ways think it would have been better to have found a way of adding the new material onto the original documentary, turning into a single "extended version". If you watch the two together, chances are you will find this second one just a tad tedious because you will have already seen so much of it before.

"All of them showing up to the hearing in their...goth glam, isn't going to help Damien's case". Right on........2007-02-05

There aren't very real-life events that get me. But the whole deal with the West Memphis 3 did just that when I saw Paradise lost a few weeks ago. Like most people, I was astounded by how pitiful the case was against the three boys convicted, and how the entire court just dismissed evidence that clearly showed they were innocent without giving it a chance. The now overused "modern day witch trial" is exactly what it was. If you somehow are reading this without having seen the first movie, do yourself a favor and watch it first. But as a small summary, 3 teenagers in Arkansas were charged with murdering 3 young boys as a part of a Satanic ritual. There was no evidence to support that it was a ritual, and the crime committed was so precise and done expertly (no blood at all at the scene where the bodies were found, meaning it was just a dump site), yet the police arrested the 3 kids in town who wore black and listened to metal. The whole town and jury had made up their minds before the trial even began, and things didn't end well obviously, as this is the sequel to that, and a third one is in the works. Revelations here continues to look at the lack of evidence and lack of justice in giving Jessie, Jason and Damien life sentences, and one death, and looks into new autopsy records and other various reports where they try to figure out who really did the murders. It's fairly obvious who the prime suspect would be when you watch the first one, and that happens to be the focus.

Unlike the first movie, which is understandable since they're all in prison now, Revelations doesn't really key in on any of the 3 boys. In fact, we only see Jessie for a few quick minutes in the beginning, his dad a little after, and that's it. Jason and Damien get much more screen time, but it's still fairly limited. It's nice seeing them a few years older than when we last left them: Jessie looks the exact same, Damien has lost weight and sports glasses and shorter hair, and Jason still talks slowly, but seems a bit more responsive to questions he's asked. I want to say about 60-70% of the movie's runtime is directed to Mark Byers, and getting the viewer to see how suspicious he is. While the first Paradise Lost did a good job of not quite helping one side over the other, here it's pretty obvious where they're going. A nice touch was when Mark is talking to a WM3 support member, and the second they're about to be interviewed, Mark starts talking bad about the member. Just then, the guy mentions that before the cameras were rolling, he had been nice and buddy-buddy to him. There's something to think about. The WM3 support group gets a lot of time on film as well, and it's not a bad bunch from what they're shown. They never degrade Byers or the town, but do stress how the entire court sessions were messed up and point out the lack of evidence over and over again. The most they bug Byers is try to get him to take a tooth print test to see if his teeth match those found on the children. His story changes more than 3 times as to how he lost them, and when it happened. At the end of the movie, it's explained that dental records show he lost them a few years after the murders. And why isn't this guy going on trial again? More or less, Revelations is a movie that focuses in on who the "real" murderer is, even if a lot of it is redundant when you've seen the first movie. There are many cuts to the first film, which got annoying after a while. I know this was made for HBO and all, but c'mon- the majority of people watching this saw the first movie, and are probably very familiar with everything. Also, did they have to use THIS MUCH Metallica music? I've never been much of a fan of theirs, but after hearing Sanitarium probably 8+ times in one sitting, my stance isn't going to get any better.

I guess I should take a few minutes to mention how wacked out Byers is now. When we last left him, he seemed like an idiot. Throwing religious passages and holier than thou messages, cursing the boys convicted, and mentioning what he'd do to their graves if they died before he did. It's now official that he's a complete nut case and should be locked away. The guy guess back to the crime scene, and digs up 3 graves for Jessie, Jason and Damien, makes little markers for each, then proceeds to burn them all, stomping on them for what must've been 5 minutes. Isn't burning part of a creek's natural appearance breaking a law of some sort? He also gets even more dramatic as the film progresses. When he visits his now deceased wife's grave, he walks slowly toward it, then collapses, only to curse the boys once again, looking dead into the camera. He's trying so hard to seem like he's a good guy that it's sad. His voice rarely sounds serious, his eyes remain neutral most of the time, and his body language is totally off. Byers even tries to get more sympathy from the viewer by showing that he went from living in a nice house to a very small (300 square feet) apartment, and even gives out his room number. Way to milk it there, Mark.

Visually, everything looks quite good compared to the first movie. There's not as much grain or fragmenting. It's presented in widescreen for obvious reasons again, but still looks good. There was a bit of a weird look to some close ups- faces would have a watery texture to them and move around a bit on certain areas. I don't see this much in movies, so I'm unsure of what to call it. Unless you're watching the movie on your computer right in your chair, or on a huge tv, you won't notice it too much. The audio got a bit louder as well- I had to end up turning things down a few minutes into the movie.

Sadly, there are practically no extras. Filmographies for the directors/creators of this series, trailers for other movies, and that's about it. Why was there no extra footage of Jessie's great defense lawyer, who's STILL working on this case (for no money too!)? We see him and another lawyer working out some new info through the movie, but not very much aside from inspecting bite marks. Surely there was more footage of them finding out some new info. Or how about a commentary by the WM3 support group? Man I hope the third film gets something good. I know there's only so much you can do for a documentary like this, where most of the info is available on various sites, but at this price, I expected more. This disc made me feel like I was back in 1998.

When a movie that's a collection of real-life events and interviews makes me wish it were all fake, and the people involved were actors, that's a good and a bad thing. Good because it shows how much it affects me, and bad for the people involved. Revelations isn't anywhere near the quality of the first film, but for what reason? Easy- the big part of the first was that it was mostly about the initial trials and their conclusions. Here, we're revisiting the town and some of the people from the first movie. The judge for the cases and the ones here even states that had he known how people were going to take in the first Paradise Lost, he wouldn't have allowed cameras in the court room. For the movie itself, 4 stars. But the lack of extras, even less than the first's in terms of both quality and quantity, I have to knock off another. But don't get me wrong- this was very much interesting and I stuck with it all the way through, watching it 3 times before this review. I can't say that about many other movies, or even real-life situations like this. Here's hoping that Jessie, Jason and Damien all get released before they hit their 40s.

I guess .......2007-01-22

the makers of this film felt they had exonerated the defendents in the first film, so their intent was to find the real killer, and of course they focused on the step father of one of the victims, Mark Breyer.

I say 'of course' becasue the circumstantial evidence to convict Mr. Breyer is far greater and more convincing than anything shown to conivct the three boys accused of the crime.

If you think he's a stupid hillbilly, you weren't paying attention. He only talks like a hillbilly. This is a highly intelligent, very manipulative, probably narsacistic sociopath that lies incessantly throughout the movie.

Of course, that doesn't mean he's a murder, but on the other hand, the one time they call him on it, with a polyograph, he passes. (this guy is good)

It irked me that they didn't focus more on the elements of the crime, that cast serious doubt on the guilt of the defendents.

1> No physical evidence links them to the crime scene.

2> No physical evidence links them to the victims.

3> It is virtually impossible for the crime to have occured at the place where the prosecution says it did. (Even the procecution pathologist agreed to this)

4> The prosecution's theory of the crime is not supported by one single piece of convincing evidence.

The scary thing is a guy can go to death row, and the original court judge can uphold that decision with no regard what so ever to the concept of reasonable doubt.

Serial Killers: Real Life Hannibal Lecters

Average customer rating:

It was okay
Excellent for Students of Criminal Psychology
A good starting point
Creepy Cool
There are CANNIBALS among us...

Serial Killers: Real Life Hannibal Lecters
Starring: Serial Killers-Real Life Hannibal Lecters
Manufacturer: Trinity Home Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Serial Killers 2-pack
Crime Stories: Volume 1 - Serial Killers
The Serial Killers
Cold Case Files - The Most Infamous Cases
NBC News Presents: Inside Evil - Serial Killers Jeffrey Dahmer & Son of Sam

ASIN: B00005B208
Release Date: 2001-02-27

Customer Reviews:

It was okay.......2006-03-19

I didn't find anything different from other books and DVD's. It's basically the same information you can read or look up on the internet free.

Excellent for Students of Criminal Psychology.......2006-03-16

Gives you the facts, and also the opinions of various Serial Killer experts. It gives you the stories of some of the world's most horrifying examples of human depravity. Overall it is an essential part of a true student of criminal psychology's collection.

A good starting point.......2004-04-30

This documentary primarily covers the psychological profiles and exploits of three particular serial killers (Albert Fish, Andrei Chikatilo, and Jeffrey Dahmer), and features various psychologists, authors, pioneering FBI profiler Robert Ressler, and the prosecuting and defense attorneys of the Jeffrey Dahmer trial discussing their thoughts on the events. Also given a look are the factors, conditions, and motivations that might lead someone to become a serial killer. And, as suggested by the show's title, the most infamous fictional serial killer Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter is discussed, compared and contrasted to his real-life counterparts.

While I found the presentation reasonably informative, the subject matter tended to be a bit dry at times: much of the show consisted of psychobabble from experts in the study of serial killers. Another somewhat low point was a bit of misleading advertisement: although they're featured prominently on the front of the DVD cover box, Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy are given only minimum coverage. Gacy is talked about a little bit in the show itself, but is covered in greater detail in the disc's bonus feature, a five-minute-long interview with Robert Ressler. As for Bundy, his only real presence in this show were a few quotes that popped up between chapter breaks.

Another bit of somewhat misleading advertising is the blurb on the back of the DVD case that states, "shocking never-before-seen footage" of the criminals and their horrid acts. Aside from a few scenes from the classic "night of the Living Dead" flicks, a few reenactment shots of Andrei Chikatilo drooling blood whilst hiding his latest victim in a pile of leaves, and a few black-and-white pics of Dahmer's beat-in brain in a formaldehyde jar, I didn't find any of the footage particularly shocking or outrageous. Of course, I've been watching these true-crime documentaries for so long now, I've probably become a bit jaded by it all. Still, I don't recommend this for the young'uns to watch, as the subject material is fairly graphic in nature (we ARE talking about serial killers and/or cannibals here, after all) and would likely have fallen somewhere into PG-13 territory had the MPAA rated it.

While the presentation gave a reasonable general overview of serial killers, what makes `em tick, and what may have led them down the dark path to #ell that they chose, there little here I didn't already know or heard about from other sources. Overall, I'd recommend `Serial Killers: Real-Life Hannibal Lecters" more for the novice true-crime aficionado who doesn't mind a little egg-headed psychobabble. Otherwise, I suggest you for a more in-depth documentary or documentaries on the subject.

`Late

Creepy Cool.......2003-05-10

Very good factual study inside the minds of the most prolific Serial Killers. Deliciously Disturbing. Truth is always stranger than fiction.

Don't plan on eating meat or sleeping for a while.

There are CANNIBALS among us..........2002-09-13

I owned the VHS of REAL LIFE HANNIBAL LECTERS for a while and was thrilled to see that it'd been upgraded to DVD format. For anyone interested in learning more about the criminal cannibals in the world, and the twilight zones in which they reside, this documentary is a MUST-have. Features the infamous Jeffrey Dahmer and Albert Fish cases, among several other "well-knowns". Discussed is the serial killer mentality in general, as well as possible explanations as to why some people choose to cannibalize in such a brutal fashion. For instance, Dahmer ate pieces of his victims so he could feel closer to them. Other career cannibals engage in anthropopaghy (technical word for humans consuming humans) in order to completely CONQUER the victims (as was the situation with the Russian cannibal killer Andrei Chikatilo). Very well produced, I think, with some cool haunting music and a variety of eerie quotes (some anonymous, which makes it even creepier..."IF YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT, I COULD BE YOU TOMORROW" is a chilling example!). Be warned, however, this one is NOT for the faint of heart. Afterall, this does indeed go into details of these human-flesh consumers...Do you REALLY know your neighbors?

Average customer rating:

dynamite story, hitting viewers not unlike a hammer hits a nail on the head
Outstanding, if very disturbing, film, but perhaps not everyone's cup of tea
Phenomenal Movie
Normal Life
The Abnormal Life

Normal Life
Starring: Ashley Judd , Luke Perry , Bruce A. Young , Jim True-Frost , and Edmund Wyson
Director: John McNaughton
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
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Norma Jean and Marilyn
The Cool Surface
Uncovered
Mischief
Havoc (Unrated Version)

ASIN: B0006Q948M
Release Date: 2005-02-15

Customer Reviews:

dynamite story, hitting viewers not unlike a hammer hits a nail on the head.......2007-01-07

Perhaps, in NORMAL LIFE, director John McNaughton never
realized his luck in combining the right timing,
assembling the right actors and actresses and the right
story, all wrapped into one movie, considering his other
boring one, Lansky, that was a sleeper, for example.

NORMAL LIFE is quite skeletal in its complexity (or in
other words, is not unnecessarily convoluted), telling a
dynamite story, hitting viewers not unlike a hammer hits a
nail on the head, such is the shock of seeing the
progression of a upstanding, law-abiding police officer
mutate into a hidious, stickup artist, on the word of a
hot, crazed, libido-filled, drugged, delinquent young
chick, played incredibly well by Ashley Judd, known to not
shy away from controversial, shocking and out-of-the-norm
roles.

A Christian friend of mine, having seen this movie,
admitted having cried from having seen it, in dispair of
the damage borne by the man, in an attempt to preserve
that monogamous relationship with Judd, satisfying her
many wants and needs, to the point of sacrificing his own
line of work, and putting his life on the line in criminal
enterprises for profit. Other people loved this movie,
from its originality, all praised Judd's natural feel in
playing the role that she did, and the maturity of Luke
Perry, who very well conveyed to the audience the anguish
and emotional torture endured from this wild ride of
a relationship.

Of course, NORMAL LIFE's ending, condemns the entire
behavior, as it obviously had to, considering the movie is
taken from a real life story, from almost 40 years ago,
in USA.

Outstanding, if very disturbing, film, but perhaps not everyone's cup of tea.......2006-06-26

A week ago I had never heard of this film and stumbled upon it on the Amazon website. I bought it on a whim and was amazed, I found this to be an absolutely oustanding film. The acting performance by Ashley Judd was unbelievable, I never considered her a serious actress until I saw this. She played the role of a `distressed woman' as well as Isabelle Huppert could have done, this was a performance worthy of the finest French actresses, not some lame Hollywood starlet. I can't believe I never heard of this film before, and I'm in stunned amazement that Judd could play this role so well. This is a story about a beautiful manic-depressive woman (Judd) who meets a straightlaced cop (Luke Perry) and they fall in love. Well, Perry's character falls madly in love with Judd's, and in her lucid moments, these feeling are reciprocated. If there is a better, more realistic film about mental illness, obsession, and manic-depression, I don't know what it is. We follow the ups and downs of the characters as they meet, get married, and begin their life together. They begin to have financial trouble due to Judd's obsessive spending, and Luke Perry's character resorts to robbing banks to recover their finances. This is like watching the build up to a train wreck; you know it isn't going to end well. There are some scenes in this film that are very disturbing (like the scene in which Judd shows up to her father-in-law's funeral wearing rollerblades - ouch), and this film won't appeal to everyone's tastes. If you like Huppert (particularly in films like La Ceremonie and other Chabrol films, or Coup de Torchon), you are certainly going to like this. Luke Perry also did a surprisingly good job in this film, although his role was much less demanding than AJ's. A great film, but this will not be everyone's cup of tea, so you should read the reviews and plot summaries carefully before purchasing.

Phenomenal Movie.......2006-01-12

This is a really great movie.....balanced all around
with many interesting aspects, very well emotionally
acted out by both leading actors, and so well constructed
that those watching the movie are pulled into the story,
and taken for a ride lasting almost 2 hours, much
like a rollercoaster. This is a movie very well done,
very challenging to write and film, I would guess -but
completed with incredible skill.

Normal Life.......2005-09-13

Based on a true story because no fiction writer could make it believeable. Well worth the time.

The Abnormal Life.......2005-08-26

Question: What can you do when you fall in love with a manic-depressive?

Answer: Why, rob banks of course!

Normal Life, ostensibly based on a true story, is a film about two social misfits, opposites in a way, who find each other and start living a life that is anything but normal.

Chris Anderson (Luke Perry), a straight laced policeman in a small Illinois town near Chicago, while having a drink with his brother in a a local bar, can't help but notice a lovely creature (Ashley Judd) sitting in a booth with two guys. All of a sudden she blows up arguing yelling at her companions and as they walk out on her, she smashes a beer glass, cutting her hand in the process. Our chivalrous knight, Chris goes to help and Pam is impressed. So starts a torrid courtship which doesn't slow down until marriage and the drudgery of making a living.

There is something wrong with Pam but Chris either doesn't see it or he's not willing to face it. Pam has short attention span and seems to be ambivalent about sex but nevertheless craves excitement for which Chris's answer is to buy her things on credit. Pam seems to be fighting a never ending battle with her inner demons. She drinks to excess and enjoys humiliating Chris. When visiting his family she ignore them and showed up at his father's funeral on roller skates. She fixes dinner for herself and forgets Chris, tears up the apartment, mutilates herself, threatens suicide. She is a disturbed, self destructive, manic-depressive, .

In the meantime Chris is starting to make enemies on the force and eventually is forced out. Pam works in a factory but they were having trouble with two paychecks and they certainly can't make it on one. Pam flips out and leaves reminding Chris that he promised to take care of her. When he finds her, he tells her that she doesn't have to worry because he will handle things.

That's when Chris starts robbing banks. Being an ex-cop helps if you're going to rob banks and Chris is successful for quite a while. Eventually Pam finds out and she is thrilled. She insists on helping him and he reluctantly agrees but the police and FBI are setting a trap.

CONCLUSION

First, I rented the un-rated CD version. I'm not sure what the difference was versus the R version but this version was fairly explicit and showed both Perry and Judd in the nude but Judd much more as she seemed to lounge around the apartment naked when she was depressed, which was a lot.

Since Ashley Judd is probably my favorite actress this was a pleasant bonus, seeing my favorite actress in the buff. But Ashley didn't just show off her physical attributes she really got into the part. This was some of her best acting if not her best. It's a shame that it was wasted on what is essentially a `B' movie.

The movie itself seemed hokey at times and except for the nudity, I would have thought it to be a low budget TV movie. The sets and the cinematography resembled a TV movie and I would say that most of that would probably fall on the director, McNaughton.

Perry's acting was also good but supporting actors seemed a little tentative. I thought the story was good and it was portrayed well, if cheaply. I thought the film was entertaining, though it is not one I'd like to watch more than once. I give Normal Life 31/2 stars rounded up because I like Ashley Judd.

A Killing in a Small Town (True Stories Collection TV Movie)

Average customer rating:

HERSHEY DOMINATES
DVD Killing in a Small Town
Great Movie
DVD: A Killing in a Small Town (The True Stories Collection)
Sharp & Cutting

A Killing in a Small Town (True Stories Collection TV Movie)
Starring: Barbara Hershey , Brian Dennehy , John Terry , Richard Gilliland , and Lee Garlington
Director: Stephen Gyllenhaal
Manufacturer: Mpi Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Disappearing Act (True Stories Collection TV Movie)
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ASIN: B000784WYU
Release Date: 2005-05-03

Description

Candy Morrison (Barbara Hershey, The Killer Beside Me, Chicago Hope), is bored with her life as a wife and mother in a small town. She yearns for excitement and finds it in the arms of her husband's close friend, Stan Blankenship. But, the passionate affair ends almost as soon as it began. A few weeks later, Stan's wife is found brutally murdered - axed to death. Never before in the town's history has someone been killed in such a violent manner. Unbelievably, Candy becomes the prime suspect. Is Candy merely a scapegoat? Or, does she harbor a secret that could push her past the brink of insanity? DVD extras include:About the Film, About the Stars, Interactive Menus, Scene Selections; Approx. 91 minutes; Color

Customer Reviews:

HERSHEY DOMINATES.......2007-02-16

Based on a true story and a book called EVIDENCE OF LOVE, this tv movie is made remarkable by the Emmy-winning performance of Barbara Hershey. She is utterly magnificent in the role of a middle class housewife who brutally murders her ex-lover's wife in a self defensive rage. Hershey superbly captures the many nuances of this seemingly normal woman who commits a heinous deed. Her hypnosis sequence is brutally painful and she pulls out no stops in showing us the hidden rage.
Brian Dennehy is equally good as the lawyer who tries to get her out of her terrifying predicament.
The movie is impressively done and once again worthy most of all for Ms. Hershey's dynamic presence.

DVD Killing in a Small Town.......2007-01-22

I received this DVD in excellent condition and it was packaged with care and arrival time was very fast. I would recommend this seller to everyone and would definitely buy from them again.

Great Movie.......2007-01-10

Barbra Hershy was great she is very good actress i loved the part in the court room and when she killed her best friend with a ax.

DVD: A Killing in a Small Town (The True Stories Collection).......2006-11-22

The movie grabbed my attention within first ten minutes and continued to be interesting throughout. I would highly recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys watching true crime type flicks or murder mysteries. It is also interesting from the standpoint of someone who studies personality disorders.

Sharp & Cutting.......2005-08-14

Good film portrayal of the story of axe murderess Candy Morrison and her neighbor. Rivalry, cruelty and jealousy flare up between these small town women that ends with the brutal strokes of an axe.

Average customer rating:

One of the best documentaries I've seen
a solid tv documentary taken to its heights
Excellent documentary
I will never forget it.
Inspiring story of faith in Christ

Murder on a Sunday Morning
Director: Jean-Xavier de Lestrade
Manufacturer: Docurama
ProductGroup: DVD
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The Staircase
Children Underground
Paradise Lost - The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills
Brother's Keeper
Paradise Lost 2 - Revelations

ASIN: B00008DDJ4
Release Date: 2003-04-29

Amazon.com

The Academy Award-winning documentary Murder on a Sunday Afternoon, which originally aired on HBO as part of its America Undercover series, is a troubling look at modern police investigation that unfolds in a story as compelling and suspenseful as any fictional drama. French director Jean-Xavier De Lestrade's intimate camerawork pulls viewers into the jury box to help decide the fate of 15-year-old Brenton Butler, a black resident of Jacksonville, Florida, who becomes the prime suspect in the shooting death of an elderly white woman simply because he was seen in the vicinity of the crime. Butler's attorney, a magnetic public defender named Patrick McGuinness, must pit his legal skills against a mountain of shoddy investigative work and corruption to save his client from life in prison. Similar in intent to HBO's Paradise Lost, Murder's white-knuckled pacing and a wealth of courtroom fireworks should leave true-crime and documentary fans breathless--and angry. --Paul Gaita

Description

Beating out some of the most poignant and powerful films of the last decade, this gripping, edge-of-your-seat whodunit catapulted to the top of "must see" lists everywhere when it emerged to win the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. A mesmerizi

Customer Reviews:

One of the best documentaries I've seen.......2006-10-22

It was especially moving because that wrongly accused teenager was such a wonderful, patient young man. He remained quiet, stoic, and soft-spoken throughout the tiral. But then when his mother testifies on his behalf, tears started to well up in his eyes. It really got to me, and I was crying, too. You will totally cheer for the defense! Usually this sort of courtroom docudrama doesn't get me emotional or riled up, but this film really does it for me!

a solid tv documentary taken to its heights.......2006-10-06

arguably just a glorified "48 hours" episode, but better done than anything you will see on television, telling the tale of a frameup and ultimate vindication of a young man by a corrupt police department looking for an easy bust.

Excellent documentary.......2006-09-30

This was an excellent documentary. I had never heard of this film, until I viewed it during a class. A must see...

I will never forget it........2006-08-09

Never have I seen such a powerful, gripping documentary on the criminal justice system.

How can one begin?
I immediately, upon finishing the documentary, thought of Brenton Butler, the defense attorney, Patrick McGuinness, who is the best defense attorney as I have seen for such a trial. I thought of the wronged people of the world, the innocent people behind bars, my brother, miles away in a town foreign to him, my other brothers, my friends, those who can, upon one stroke of a pen, one lie on the lips of a detective, at any given moment, be torn away from those they love, those who love them....at any given moment, lose the splendor of what brought life to the human eye to begin with.

I shall never forget this case; it reminds me, now, of why I chose my occupation and why I am degreed in another.

For those who want justice for this country and the state of the people of the world, I urge you to watch Murder on a Sunday Morning.

You will never forget it.

Inspiring story of faith in Christ.......2006-03-11

A very well directed docu-drama. It follows de case, in real time and in situ, of the 15 year old black young man who was accused of murdering a white woman in front of a motel on a Sunday morning. The special thing about this case is that the police seemed to pick the first young black male who happened to be walking about his business on the street at the time. The rest of the details you should see yourself. It's all as amazing as true. By the way, blaming it on white racism is the wrong conclusion if you were thinking of that. There's more, much more than that if you are willing to see it for yourself.

This video is a good, though saddening picture of human nature.

But I have to emphasize the watching of this video for another completely different reason which has not been pointed out in most of the reviews:

To me this is a spiritual uplifting document, a blessing for believers in Christ and a call to the ranks of the real King for those who are still skeptical. Why? The family is a true and faithful Christian one. They congregate with their fellow Christians continuously to pray devotely to Christ for their son's freedom. The director does not make this the subject of the film but leaves it in the background respectfully. Before every important moment in the case we see, we ourselves emotionally, how they unite and put their faith in the true Savior. The camera, from a respectful distance, quiet and still watches the scene...

And for the end I have to quote what Derek Prince said to a colleague-reviwer of this website when he was asked what was the most important thing he had learned about life. He said: "God is faithful. He keeps His word. He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. I cannot emphasize this enough......"

And this makes this documentary a wonderful witness of the living Jesus. The only God who died (for you) and resurrected and lives now, again, in the form of a Holy Spirit, in those who put their trust in Him. He is awesome and omnipotent. Did the director realize what implications this video had? Is he an instrument of God without knowing? Would be sad, wouldn't it?

Salvation is free. Why would you want to pay for it.

Average customer rating:

Weird and wild
Well made documentary of a world of mistakes
A Waste of Money
michael alig dvds
Vey Cool

Party Monster - The Shockumentary
Starring: Michael Alig , James St. James , Gitsie , Keoki , and Eric Bernat
Director: Fenton Bailey , and Randy Barbato
Manufacturer: Picture This
ProductGroup: DVD
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Party Monster
Party Monster: A Fabulous But True Tale of Murder in Clubland
Clubland: The Fabulous Rise and Murderous Fall of Club Culture
Party Monster
Freak Show

ASIN: B0000C23GA
Release Date: 2003-10-28

Description

The original documentary about NY club impresario Michael Alig that inspired the upcoming motion picture of the same name starring Macauley Culkin and Seth Green.

Customer Reviews:

Weird and wild.......2007-06-09

If you are interested in 1990s New York club life, the "club kids", or sordid tales of drugs and murder, this is the DVD to check out.

Well made documentary of a world of mistakes.......2007-05-21

There is a Monty Python skit where a young felon is being arrested by the police. Someone remarks, "Society is to blame." "Well, we'll be arresting him, too." I kept thinking of that skit while watching this movie. Why, I wondered, was it possible for any of the people in this documentary to become famous? Ultimately Michael Alig had to take responsibility for murdering fellow Club Kid and drug dealer Angel Melendez, but for some unfathomable reason Alig was a celebrity murderer. My bafflement wasn't merely because neither he nor any of the other people in this film deserved in any way to be famous. They had not, after all, achieved anything, done anything of importance, made the world a better or more wondrous place, or shown themselves to be in any real way to be interesting people. Their only apparent talent was for engaging in more and more extreme behavior. But my concern is not just that none of them deserved any kind of fame; my concern is why our society enabled them to become famous in the first place.

Perhaps there are ideas in Debord's THE SOCIETY OF THE SPECTACLE that would explain this. Perhaps he and his colleagues could explain why people could become famous and notorious simply for being over the top. It is a baffling form of fame. There are parallels with Dandyism in the 19th century, but I doubt of these people have heard of Huysmans let alone À REBOURS. The documentary was fascinating if only for presenting an endless string of inconceivably unimpressive bores addicted to surpassing limits. The idea that kept passing through my brain was how dull they all must be, how empty they all must have felt, to be possessed with the need to surpass all boundaries just to make themselves feel special. To do these things to make some sort of personal statement seemed tantamount to shouting, "I have no other statement to make than this!" Their activities seemed acts of nihilism.

In short, this is an interesting movie about some dramatically dull and uninteresting people, who were willing to go to almost any extreme to make themselves envied by people who didn't know any better. The filmmakers tell the story well and you get a real sense of what transpired. To their credit they do not make the Party Kids seem interesting or enviable. I can't imagine anyone watching this movie and saying, "Dang, I wish I'd been a part of that!" And nothing makes Michael Alig an especially likable person.

A Waste of Money.......2006-07-02

Since this story has been told a hundred times before, I expected something more from the documentary. Perhaps a more perceptive analysis, or something that would explain the mind of the sociopath that is Michael Alig. It is worthy only for the ability to see a group of shallow individuals devoid of empathy. These are a group of "jumped up nothings" as the British would say, and it appears that the ones who aren't dead haven't learned much. The most frightening parts of the DVD are the current interviews of a delusional Alig who still envisions himself as somewhat of a star. He laughs, while hystrionically recounting horrific events in his life, and gloats over how many drugs he could consume. Yet brushes aside the murder of Angel with the pitiful confession that he has "bad dreams." Listening to his Baby Jane-esque mother who also wallowed in the club kid scene, might help explain why the bad seed, knew no boundaries. I would have liked to have learned what exactly happened besides the drugs to make Alig devoid of humaness. But at the end of the documentary all you wonder is why Alig wasn't given the death penalty. Even clean and sober, there seems to be nothing salvageable about this man. With his degree of narcissism, I have no doubt that he could kill again. Watch the story on Biography and save your money.

michael alig dvds .......2006-01-11

http://brianmills.com/michaelalig.htm

Vey Cool.......2005-11-13

This is a great documentary. After you've seen it the first time, be sure to watch it again with James St. James's super-catty comentary. For example, when Angel's brother Johnny starts to weep for Angel, James comments,"Johnny, what is that HAIR?!". Mee-OOOOOOOW!!!!

Average customer rating:

UGH!...I lived this and still was bored to tears!!!!!!
Crap
Powerful Acting, Powerful Movie
Tour De Force, a bit chaotic
Disturbing

Affliction
Starring: Nick Nolte , Brigid Tierney , Holmes Osborne , Jim True-Frost , and Tim Post
Director: Paul Schrader
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
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Similar Items:

The Sweet Hereafter (New Line Platinum Series)
Afterglow
A Simple Plan
The Last Picture Show (Definitive Director's Cut Special Edition)
Paris, Texas

ASIN: B00008RV1F
Release Date: 2003-05-20

Product Description

1998 Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winner James Coburn and Best Actor nominee Nick Nolte star in this high-powered drama about a middle-aged son trying to come to terms with his abusive past and salvaging his strained relationship with his father.

System Requirements:

Starring James Coburn, Jim True, Mary Beth Hurt, Nick Nolte, Sissy Spacek, Willem Dafoe

Directed by Paul Schrader

Running time: 114 minutes

Amazon.com essential video

Paul Schrader's Affliction, adapted from the novel by Russell Banks (The Sweet Hereafter), charts the slow descent of small-town sheriff Wade Whitehouse (a raspy, gruffly restrained Nick Nolte) into violence, the legacy of the corrupt love of an abusive, alcoholic father. The story ostensibly centers on a hunting death on the outskirts of town, but as Wade digs into what may or not be a conspiracy, his personal life spirals out of control. James Coburn, who deservedly won an Oscar for his mocking, sneering performance, is Wade's father, who jumps back into the cycle of abuse when Wade moves in to care for the aging man. Chronicling the story in distant, dispassionate tones is Willem Dafoe as Wade's younger brother Rolfe, who "escaped" his father's legacy in a world of books. Schrader has made his reputation revealing the scarred psyches of American men trying to reconcile the contradictions of masculine fantasy and social reality, as in his screenplays for Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, and in Affliction he creates his most poignant and powerful work. The quiet beauty of the snow-blanketed New Hampshire setting (using Canadian locations) and Schrader's restrained yet intimate cinematic style builds the underlying emotional tensions until they explode in startling close-ups, revealing the repressed fear, rage, and helplessness cracking through Wade's carefully maintained façade. As Rolfe's narration coolly analyzes his brother's affliction, he reveals his own: an emotional remove so complete that he's edited himself out of his family history. The legacy of abuse leaves no one untouched. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

UGH!...I lived this and still was bored to tears!!!!!!.......2007-06-20

AFFLICTION is about one thing alone; how abuse affects future generations and those that are in the path of the abuser.That said, having come from the this background myself, all I could think of is "Yes this is all sadly true. I know that. I have experienced it first hand. Why did someone feel compelled to make a film about it?" If this film was to enlighten those who lived the idyllic childhood with great parents, perhaps then that audience will be the one most affected by their own disbelief that something could be so tragic. I lived through all that this movie presented, and personally was bored with the entire plot. I knew from moment one where this film was going and NOTHING shocked me or moved me in the least...not even the ending.

AFFLICTION presents an absolute hopeless and nonredeeming story of the legacy of abuse as if there is no escape and nothing but misery and aimlessness for those that lived through it. I cannot disagree more, and this is why I found the movie dull and arriving at a wrong conclusion as far as I am concerned. True, many do not rise above these unfortunate circumstances...granted. There are just as many that do,though! This film presented the "victim" side of abuse and not the "victorious". These people in this New Hampshire town just walked about in a mindless fog,victims simply carrying out their fate. Not for me! Sorry.

Despite James Coburn playing the drunk and violent father, I still believe that his Oscar win was a sympathy nod due to his age.I have seen this role done better and with more force from Dicken's adaptations. Nolte was nothing special and neither was Sissy Spacek. Willem Dafoe has little screen time and does deadpan narration. This film is as bleak as they come and nothing special...especially for those who broke the "affliction" of violence in their own lives.

As important a subject as abuse and violence is, that does not mean that with an assemblage of Oscar winning actors makes it at all a great, watchable or even necessary film.

Films such as the French A LOVING FATHER handled this subject with alot more panache and evenhandedness.

Okay....you can come after me now!!! Let's see where the violence is lurking in you!

Crap.......2007-06-09

Just because a movie is "indie" and isn't "Hollywood" does not in itself mean that it's good. Based on the evidence of this and The Sweet Hereafter I feel pretty sure that Russell Banks' books, while they may make for acceptable fiction, are not suited for the screen.

The performances are good, particularly Coburn. It's so nice to see Sissy Spacek in ANYTHING, and Nolte was fine, but his performance in The Thin Red Line was much more intense and said much more (to me) about male pride and violence that this entire movie did.

First of all, are we really all shocked to learn that violent and abusive parents beget violent and abusive children? Is that news? Is there anything else this movie has to say? I left the theater feeling that the performances and direction were fine, it's just that what this film had to say just wasn't very interesting. I can see why actors wanted to be in it, since there are so few characters these days, but why make this movie? What does it really have to offer anyone? And why see it?

This is actually one of the movies that was most instrumental in my decision to sharply reduce the amount of movies I see in the theaters, and to stop seeing all these crappy "acclaimed indie" movies of the week. Paul Schrader, if you ever read this, please know that your film put at least me not just off that film, but off of watching movies forever! You know, if you can reach just one person...

Powerful Acting, Powerful Movie.......2007-05-21

Affliction has a great cast, including Nick Nolte, James Coburn, Sissy Spaceck, and Willem Dafoe. It does an excellent job of portraying the dead end lives that can accompany certain small towns. The murder mystery aspect of the movie takes a back seat to the drama of Nolte's past, and how it has affected him. This was a wise move, as I cared more about Nolte anyway. Certainly not a feel good movie, it is worth watching, if not for the plot, than for the vast array of talent on display.

Tour De Force, a bit chaotic.......2006-05-31

Excellent idea, nolte, coburn, and spacek carry this movie through a somewhat chaotic script. Different, deep and thought provoking, unlike most mindless dribble comeing out of hollywood.

Disturbing.......2005-05-27

I saw this outstanding yet very disturbing movie shortly after it came out. It staid with me and, as I had a chance to see it again tonight, it still makes a very strong impression.

The premise of the movie sounds like the old Biblical proverb that the sins of the fathers are visited upon the sons. Most of us have seen a lot of truth in that adage. Likewise most of us never had a father like Wade did in "Affliction". This is an extreme lesson in that Wade's father (played excellently by James Coburn) is an alcoholic, abusive, #%@**&$.

The movie develops the theme extremely well. We start out with seemingly but tellingly innocent glimpses of Wade's incompetance as a father. He is divorced, his young daughter is with him for Halloween, he can't think of much to say to her and keeps finding ways to leave her to go out and gab with the guys. The movie gets our attention with the emergance of a somewhat interesting plot. However, all along we become a bit more uncomfortable with the character of Wade. Yet, if we think Wade is weird, we KNOW that his father is psychotic. Coburn won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his brilliant and haunting preformance an the evil father. Events create the need for Wade to move back home with his father and that's when things really go downhill for him. Enough about the plot! The power of "Affliction" is in the characters of the father and son. This movie will disturb you and some may want to challenge the message. Fair enough. I certainly can't complain about my upbringing so I don't have a point of comparison. However, I have noticed, over the years, little picadillos that confuse me until I remember their origen im my childhood. I believe that the basic premise is true and the auther, to make a point, picked a extreme example.

Watch "Affliction" for its' excellence in acting, writing, and directing. But be sure and hug your son afterwards.

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