Black Gunn

Starring:Jim Brown, Martin Landau, Brenda Sykes, Luciana Paluzzi, Vida Blue, Stephen McNally, Keefe Brasselle, Timothy Brown, William Campbell, Bernie Casey, Gary Conway, Chuck Daniel, Tommy Davis, Rick Ferrell, Bruce Glover, Toni Holt, Herb Jefferson Jr., Jay Montgomery, Mark Tapscott, Gene Washington
Director: Robert Hartford-Davis
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Description

Based on Alex Haley's best-selling novel about his African ancestors, Roots followed several generations in the lives of a slave family. The saga began with Kunta Kinte (LeVar Burton), a West African youth captured by slave raiders and shipped to America in the 1700s. The family's saga is depicted up until the Civil War where Kunte Kinte's grandson gained emancipation. Roots made its greatest impression on the ratings and widespread popularity it garnered. On average, 130 million - almost half the country at the time - saw all or part of the series.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary
Documentaries
Electronic press kit
Featurette
Interviews

Customer Reviews:

Roots.......2007-07-03

I have seen this movie a long time ago, and it is still a excellent picture.

Roots.......2007-06-29

I had forgotten how moving this film is! Great acting, well written characters and a shameful recounting of slavery.

Great story.......2007-06-29

What a story, I think it should be in schools,lest it's forgotten.

Roots(Four Disc 30th Anniversay Edition.......2007-06-27

Everyone should own this disc set. It is a good educational tool for children in helping them to understand how wrong slavery was and how much the black race had to suffer for their freedom.The story behind this saga is sad but it also shows the determination of the black race to survive through unbearable times.

Top Mini-Series of All-Time!.......2007-06-26

The stories, the actors, the emotion ... everything about this mini-series in awe-inspiring and just plain inspiring! I'll be watching it over and over again, especially with my kids!

Average customer rating:

These cuts are moronic.
Paramount, issue a legitimate DVD release
One of the rare cases of the movie being better than the book!
BEWARE: Hacked-up version
Ragtime is one of the greatest movies ever!

Ragtime
Starring: James Cagney , Brad Dourif , Moses Gunn , Elizabeth McGovern , and Kenneth McMillan
Director: Milos Forman
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Period Piece | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Drama | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Ragtime - The Musical (1998 Original Broadway Cast)
Ragtime: A Novel
Ragtime (1981 Film Soundtrack)
A Soldier's Story
Reds (Special 25th Aniversary Collector's Edition)

ASIN: B0002WZTO8
Release Date: 2004-11-16

Amazon.com essential video

Fact and fiction intertwine in Milos Forman's colorful kaleidoscope of E.L. Doctorow's sprawling novel of turn-of-the-century America. Anchored in the true story of the murder of architect Stanford White (Norman Mailer) by Harry Thaw (Robert Joy) over the affections of his wife Evelyn Nesbit (Elizabeth McGovern), Forman weaves a portrait of early 1900s America in a tapestry of intertwining fictional tales. The primary thread involves the proud black pianist Coalhouse Walker Jr. (Howard Rollins) and his demand for justice when a racist fireman destroys his automobile, which escalates into a reign of terror by Walker and a band of revolutionaries. A secondary story involves an ambitious immigrant artist (Mandy Patinkin) whose primitive flipbooks send him on the road to creating early cinema. Centering all of these stories in one way or another is an upper-class family known simply as Father (James Olson), Mother (Mary Steenburgen), and Younger Brother (Brad Dourif). James Cagney came out of a twenty-year retirement to play the irascible Irish police commissioner, a character created for the film. Forman's biggest departure from Doctorow's novel, however, is his focus on Walker's story, cutting away the other threads to little more than asides in the final half of the picture, the primary dramatic weakness of an otherwise rich evocation of America's past. Randy Newman's lyrical score and Miroslav Ondricek's understated cinematography earned two of the film's eight Academy Awards nominations --Sean Axmaker

Description

Based on the popular novel by E.L. Doctorow, RAGTIME tells the story of four New York families at the turn of the 20th century. Starving immigrant artist, Tateh sets off to make his fortune in Hollywood, but along the way encounters showgirl Evelyn Nesbit who is at the center of a murder investigation. Meanwhile, an upper-class family finds their seemingly perfect existence ruined when black pianist Coalhouse Walker Jr. begins to romance a pregnant girl living in their home.

Customer Reviews:

These cuts are moronic........2007-05-18

What a stupid piece of vandalism to cut 40 minutes out of such a great picture! Fortunately the Region 2 version is complete, a good reason in itself to buy a multi-system DVD player.

Paramount, issue a legitimate DVD release.......2007-03-20

I can't overemphasize the level of disappointment I have at the hack censorship Paramount management has engaged in with the DVD release of Ragtime. How they got Milos Forman to participate in adding commentary to that blatant smear of his efforts is is beyond me.

Does the studio actually think that diluting the film to "reposition" it (ergo, move it from an R to a PG rating) is going to dramatically grow its appeal? The core market for this DVD is the universe of film fans old enough to fondly remember seeing the original theatrical release in the early 1980s -- but what the studio is offering them (as many reviews here clearly state) is unacceptable.

I want to see Elizabeth McGovern's entire performance, Paramount - so I went to the secondary wholesale market and purchased a new old stock VHS copy, which contains the FULL original release.

Or put another way, one less DVD sale for you.

Because yes, while it's your right as the copyright holder, I won't purchase censored goods.

One of the rare cases of the movie being better than the book!.......2007-03-17

I read the novel RAGTIME years ago and was rather underwhelmed possibly because of my prejudice at the time against books that mingle fiction with real historical characters and events - a literary style I have now come to accept and appreciate. Even so, the movie is much more enjoyable and emotionally moving than the novel. The sets and costumes look authentic, the acting is convincing and the film simply transports the viewer to the early 20th century. One caution, though the movie is rated PG, the version I saw on DVD had some scenes that would probably put it in the R category today and would definitely make it PG-13 though that rating did not exist in the early 1980's when the film was produced.

BEWARE: Hacked-up version.......2007-02-13

BEWARE: the VHS version is 156 minutes long - the DVD version is 115 minutes long. THEY DELETED 41 MINUTES FROM THIS.

The long version is worthy of 4.5 stars - this short version is useless.

Ragtime is one of the greatest movies ever!.......2007-01-19

The central theme still resonates with how America was, and is, in this classic turn-of-the-century period piece. Intertwining multiple storylines with know historical events gives the movie a real sense of being. The directing is brillant, the music even better and the acting is stupendous!!!

Average customer rating:

Not want I wanted
Wow!!! What A Disaster
HEY...QUESTION....????
"Sorry" to all reviewers who purchased the DVD; but "Thanks" for the heads up
DON'T BUY THIS!

The Women of Brewster Place
Starring: Oprah Winfrey , Mary Alice , Olivia Cole , Robin Givens , and Moses Gunn
Director: Donna Deitch
Manufacturer: Xenon
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( W ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Color Purple
Eve's Bayou
Beloved
A Woman Called Moses
The Josephine Baker Story

ASIN: B0000560W1
Release Date: 2001-02-03

Customer Reviews:

Not want I wanted.......2007-05-13

Why do they put the movie on dvd and cut some of the good parts out of the movie? I thought I found this movie, but I was a sucker.

Wow!!! What A Disaster.......2007-03-14

Thanks to the other reviewers who warned of this horrible dvd. Such a fine movie deserves A+ treatment. Hopefully the movie will be re-released with widescreen, total digital restoration, and bonus features. Even though it was made for t.v. it still should be done right.

HEY...QUESTION....????.......2007-01-13

Has anyone ever bought this movie on VHS through amazon? and if so is that version chopped up too?

"Sorry" to all reviewers who purchased the DVD; but "Thanks" for the heads up.......2006-12-30

I am truly sorry to those who purchased the DVD. I read ALL the reviews and some critical scenes seems to be left out. I would have been totally pissed because I know this movie like that back of my hand. Obviously for those who never saw the movie/VHS, they got to enjoy the movie as is, but for those who had the opportunity to see this GREAT movie uncut, I feel the anger and frustration via your words.

I will not get this DVD, because I believe you all when you say they screwed up this DVD.

Maybe we should tell Oprah about this? Flood her with emails about how they chopped up HER film. With Oprah...you never know!

DON'T BUY THIS!.......2006-11-16

They cut major scenes out of this film, which makes no sense to me. This movie needs to be released in its original format. They could have took out the pointless special features and used the full movie. It really makes no sense when the movie comes on TV it is the full version -- very sad!

Average customer rating:

still banging
Compelling
Cornbread Earl and Me
"One of the Best movies out there
Superb !!!!!!

Cornbread, Earl & Me
Starring: Moses Gunn , Rosalind Cash , Bernie Casey , Madge Sinclair , and Jamaal Wilkes
Director: Joseph Manduke
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Sports | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | African American Cinema | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Cooley High
Claudine (1974)
Let's Do It Again
Sparkle
Uptown Saturday Night

ASIN: B00005N7Z4
Release Date: 2001-10-16

Description

He had all the right moves to put the ball away...until the cops put him awayfor good. UCLA All-American and NBA Rookie Of The Year Keith Wilkes and Academy AwardÂ(r)* and Golden Globe** nominee Laurence Fishburne III give spectacular debut performances in this "touching...sensitive and gripping movie" (Cue) that's "guaranteed to take your emotions for a reckless ride" (L.A. Herald-Examiner)! Step into the court with Cornbread, Earl And Me...you'll be glad you did. Wilkes is "Cornbread," a promising high school basketballer who has what it takes to shoot himself right out of the ghetto...until two cops mistake him for a rapist and gun him down in cold blood. But when the police attempt to cover up their mistake, strong-arming the community into silence with threats of jail time and violence, it's up to Cornbread's 11-year-old brother Wilford (Fishburne) and his pal Earl (Tierre Turner) to find the courage to speak the truth and clear Cornbread's name. *1993: Supporting Actor, What's Love Got to Do With It **1995: Actor, "The Tuskegee Airmen"

Customer Reviews:

still banging.......2007-03-20

The movie was excellent. The best thing I liked about my purchase was that I got it in less than a week. I was able to give it to my mother who has found Amazon to be a great place to buy all the old movies she use to watch as a child.

Compelling.......2007-01-29

Great movie for the entire family. Lots of good moral and character lessons on this flick. It's not about race. It's about doing the right thing and standing up for the truth.

Cornbread Earl and Me.......2005-06-10

Way back then, when I was a child growing up in Guyana, South America, I saw this movie on big screen. It touched an entire audience that night and I am happy to have seen it on Amazon.com. I am now lucky to be able to buy it because I have often thought about this movie, about the nice kid whom everyone called Cornbread. I remember both him and his basketball which was replaced that fatal day with a bottle of soda pop when he was shot. I can never forget this story, because it is indelibly encraved into my mind and I turned out pretty good, now living here in America. These movies are the real classics of all times, only...no one every says so! I rate this movie a classic and I am sorry Amazon.com. I love you but you don't have a buttom to rate a true classic of our time!

"One of the Best movies out there.......2005-05-16

One of the most shining examples out there of the blackploitation era is this film; You have a dilemma, and you have a solution. A young brother just about to go to college on a basketball scholarship was killed by the cops thinking that he was a suspect; All the witnesses of the crime get intimidated with the exception of one young brother played courageously by Laurence Fishburne, who tells the story just like it is even after he and his mother were intimidated by the prosecution. Most of the witnesses were intimidated and denied what actually happened. But Fishburne's character unbought and unbossed told Cornbread's story simply and saved the day;If you ever want to see a film and come across a situation that needs clarifying, THIS is the film to see;

Superb !!!!!!.......2003-10-23

I remember when I had saw this movie when I was a little girl and I had saw it on BET last year this is a great movie it is sad but it is still good I enjoyed this movie and I would recommend anyone who enjoys blaxploitation movies would enjoy this movie this is a great film about a little boy and his friend Cornbread he was a great basketball player and he had just recieved a scholarship to go to a college to play basketball and had dreams of becoming a pro- basketball player and one day a white cop accidentally shoots him and he dies and a big contorversy stirs in this small towm and causes havoc and trouble for everyone and really takes a toll on his friend and
makes it hard for him to cope with his loss but eventually things get better and then he goes on with his life but he never forget about his friend "Cornbread" . This is a touching heartwarming film that would make you just want to cry so therefore when you watch this movie be sure to have some tissue on hand. I would recommend anyone who is fond of dramas to purchse this video!!!!

Average customer rating:

this really happened?
Groundbreaking Mini-Series
Roots
What a great seller!!
The Epic Production: ROOTS!!!

Roots
Starring: Maya Angelou , Ji-Tu Cumbuka , Moses Gunn , Thalmus Rasulala , and Hari Rhodes
Director: Marvin J. Chomsky , David Greene , and Gilbert Moses
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

Miniseries | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

General | African American Cinema | Genres | DVD | Video

TV & Miniseries | African American Cinema | Genres | DVD | Video

Civil War | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Television | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman
A Woman Called Moses
Shaka Zulu - The Complete Miniseries
Roots - The Next Generations
4 Little Girls

ASIN: B00005QW6Y
Release Date: 2002-01-15

Amazon.com essential video

From the moment the young Kunta Kinte (LeVar Burton) is stolen from his life and ancestral home in 18th-century Africa and brought under inhumane conditions to be auctioned as a slave in America, a line is begun that leads from this most shameful chapter in U.S. history to the 20th-century author Alex Haley, a Kinte descendant. The late Haley's acclaimed book Roots was adapted into this six-volume television miniseries, which was a widely watched phenomenon in 1977. The programs cover several generations in the antebellum South and end with the story of "Chicken" George, a freed slave played by Ben Vereen whose family feels the agony of entrenched racism and learns to fight it. Between the lives of Kunta and George, we meet a number of memorable characters, black and white, and learn much about the emotional and physical torments of slavery, from beatings and rapes to the forced separation of spouses and families. Nothing like this had ever confronted so many mainstream Americans when the series was originally broadcast, and the extent to which the country was nudged a degree or two toward enlightenment was instantly obvious. Roots still has that ability to open one's eyes, and engage an audience in a sweeping, memorable drama at the same time. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

this really happened?.......2007-06-20

this film truly allows for viewers to experience 2nd had the cruelties of slavery. i 1st saw this film back in 1993 and it still hits hard everytime i watch it .

Groundbreaking Mini-Series.......2007-04-26

Still the most compelling program ever aired on televion. I bought this set so my children could experience a bit of their history. Great transfer to DVD, and still packs a powerful blow to racism. The cast is one of the best ensembles ever assembled for any project. A great adaptation of Mr. Haley's years of research.

Roots .......2007-04-10

Words cannot express how happy I am to have this history-making epic in my possession. Once again, Amazon shipped the product in a timely manner and now I can enjoy uninterrupted scenes, in addition to extra footage included by the late Alex Haley.

What a great seller!!.......2007-02-20

I received this package faster than any order I have placed through Amazon. It was in excellent condition and I am extremely happy with my purchase.

The Epic Production: ROOTS!!!.......2007-01-24

An honest and passionate portrait of American History. Great Movie from beginning to end.

Loved:
Levar Burton and John Amos' portrayal of Kunta Kinte
Ben Vereen as Chicken George
Leslie Uggams as Kizzie

Average customer rating:

D.D.
Big Shrug (spoilers)
dysfunctional family so real, it hurts.....
Creepy - nobody EVER discusses anything REAL ..........
disfunctional Wyle

The Myth of Fingerprints
Starring: Randee Allen , Arija Bareikis , Justin Barreto , Chris Bauer , and Nicholas Bourgeois
Director: Bart Freundlich
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Curve
World Traveler
It Had to Be You (2000) (Sub)
Touch Me
Sand

ASIN: 0767847466
Release Date: 2000-05-09

Amazon.com

A Sundance Festival special, this indie family comedy-drama was given unduly harsh treatment by critics when it was released. Starring as the long-estranged son of an emotionally distant father, Noah Wyle comes home to his family for Thanksgiving in hopes of reconnecting with his old girlfriend, and receives unexpected results. But he's not the only one coming back. There's the brother with a cute fiancée (Hope Davis), who doesn't quite understand what all the tension is about. There's the glum sister (a hilarious Julianne Moore) who is down on love and everything else until she connects with a childhood acquaintance. And Mom (Blythe Danner) is there to referee it all. But the central conflict involves Wyle and his father (Roy Scheider in a wonderfully eccentric performance). --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews:

D.D........2006-12-17

Is the family both the centerpoint of our adult strength and the source of our weakness?
The question lingers upon coming to the end of Myth of Fingerprint, and one is left with the age-old family conundrum of love as both an unspoken bond and a lonely device.

This movie about a family gathering at Thanksgiving - always the best time of the year to resurrect demons and compare scars - deals with familial relationships from the aspects of four adult children home for the holiday. The isolated setting of the large New England house amidst the backdrop of the cold and bare landscape is perfect for a film about the difficulties of family communication rendered more glaring when thrust together in an enclosed social setting. Noah Wylie as the son Warren, and Julianne Moore as daughter Mia are the most powerful of the sibling characters, with different and yet similar personalities. Mia is all anger, Warren all emptiness and regret. Both are uncomfortable in their own skin and seem confused about what makes them this way. The mother is the glue of the house, warm and caring, and yet gently and firmly willing to hold up a mirror for each family member to see their reflection.
But it is the father who is central to the story. Emotionally constipated and rigid, he seems almost fearful of his children when he isn't cultivating a detached, yet powerful presence over them. Though he speaks rarely the actions and expressions of the father expose the quiet source of his childrens reciprocated fear. By not saying much verbally he seems to say a lot emotionally.
The beauty and complexity of the movie are the lack of background as to why exactly the children have such a strained relationship with their father, though by his aforementioned actions one hardly needs to guess. Each persons relationship with their family and their significant other (or lack thereof) is examined without intense or excessive social history allowing the viewer to draw their own conclusions - perhaps based on their own personal experiences (another powerful aspect of the movie). And at the end a lingering memory, an emotional scar, will explode shattering the tension percolating below the surface of the family living room on Thanksgiving night. The closing two scenes of the father lend a quiet, powerful, and yet tragic beauty that best exemplify the crushing inner weight some carry preventing them from expressing themselves even to those they love.

Unavoidably opinions will differ on particular aspects and the overall enjoyment of the movie, but those differences will say more about the viewer themself and their relationship with their own family than it does upon the film. At its core the capacity to make us examine ourselves and our own relationships is its very power.

Big Shrug (spoilers).......2006-04-19

Some pretty pictures, some good acting on the parts of some of the actors as they portray a bunch of dysfunctional people home for Thanksgiving.

However, a plot seems to be missing. We meet the parents and grown kids, as well as dragged-along boyfriend/girlfriend of two of the grown kids as they gather at the parents' home for the holiday. All of them seem to have deep seated weirdnesses and problems, ranging from the oldest daughter, Mia (Julianne Moore) who seems to be stricken with a near-terminal case of the redass to the youngest daughter who seems to think it is hysterically funny to leap out from behind doors at people, screaming at the top of her lungs. The father, played by Roy Scheider, is distant and boorish and seems to be obsessed with the time and adhering to a schedule. The mother (Blythe Danner) acts as if nothing is going on at all, even though her children and their assorted guests are acting like twerps and her husband acts like he needs a lobotomy.

Fine, a good portrait of dysfunctional family dynamics - but it doesn't go anywhere from there. We never find out just why the kids are estranged from their father. The most shattering thing we see that he's done is that he gets bombed at some previous gathering and makes a pretty strong pass at his son, Warren's (Noah Wylie) then-girlfriend, kissing her in the hallway of the family home. In another scene, we see the father watching an old home movie of a birthday party for Warren, where he breaks a couple of eggs over the kid's head. Some confusing references are made to some kind of "game" the father has played through the years, which seems to consist of asking people who don't have watches what time it is.

Okay, so the father doesn't come off as Dad Of The Year by any means - but what we hear and see of him simply doesn't explain the obvious deep-seated problems of his adult children, ranging from the ongoing rage and viciousness of his oldest daughter, Mia, to his son, Warren's, obvious fear and distaste for him. Physical or sexual abuse isn't even hinted at. At most it seems as if the father character is obsessed by schedules and time and is rigid and emotionally distant from everyone.

So it is hard to accept the characters of the adult children or why they act like such putzes. From what we're told by the sketchy plot, they don't really seem to have much reason to indulge in continual rages or depression. Two of them have relationships with other people that seem to involve a lot of sex, but not much else. Mia's relationship with her boyfriend, Elliot, is simply painful, as she continually cuts him down, verbally abuses him and then tries to use him as a sex object - but then, for some reason unknown to us, Mia verbally abuses everyone without mercy. She's always angry and cruel - but we don't know why.

Warren, on the other hand, seems to excel at whiny depression. We see him in what appears to be a therapy session, mentioning a hometown girl, Daphne, who apparently dumped him in the past. This has been the catalyst for him being estranged from his family for three years. When we finally see what happened - his drunken father tried groping and kissing the girlfriend in a hallway, and apparently Warren saw the incident - we're left wondering "is that it?" All that trauma because someone got drunk and acted like a jerk? She dumped Warren, who did nothing wrong, because of something his father, an acknowledged jerk, did? Warren just comes off as oversensitive and self-absorbed, greatly enjoying his angst, and his girlfriend comes off as a little jerk who treated him badly becaue of something he didn't do (and who also, for some reason, makes him sit on the ice of a frozen lake for a long talk). Considering the buildup to the "shattering" moment, I had at least expected that his father had raped his girlfriend, or that Warren had discovered that she'd been having an affair with this father. Only something of that intensity could have explained Warren's ongoing grief.

Another brother, Jake, is involved with a pea-brained girlfriend that he can't seem to say "I love you" to. After seeing her behavior through the movie, we can understand why. She's quite rude, vacuous, insensitive to the discomfort and feelings of others, and manipulative. In other words, Jake is involved with a carbon copy of his father. Okay, fine - is that it? This is worth a two hour movie?

Youngest daughter, Lee, is just a little jerk. She's busy being the cute and funny mascot, always acting like a ten year old, making a rather pitiful pitch for the attentions of Mia's boyfriend. Insults and cruelties seem to just roll off her hide, particularly when they're aimed at her by Mia. At one point she's having a conversation with her mother, who is telling her that she still loves the kids' father in spite of everything - but we never hear what "everything" consists of.

A slice of life movie is fine, and this film comes off as a peek into a holiday weekend with a dysfunctional family, but empathy for any of the characters is almost impossible because we never see just what it is that has led to such a range of unhealthy behaviors in this family. More exposition would have helped - otherwise, everyone comes off as whiny, self-pitying, obnoxious and tiresome.

Some people who gave this film positive reviews mention that this is a true slice of life - that the ends aren't neatly tied up, that much remains unsaid and unrevealed, just as is the case in dysfunctional families. There is no Hollywood ending. That's fine - but for a film to really work, a little more than several days' worth of Big Brother is needed. If we're to see these people as anything other than a bunch of immature cretins, we need to know why they ended up that way, even if it's not entirely revealed.

All the angst doesn't add up to the supposed cause of the angst - and I was glad the film was finally over as a result.

Before purchase, rent it and be sure you want to own it before buying.

dysfunctional family so real, it hurts............2006-03-07

you'll recognize yourself and people you know, and it will strike an emotional chord wth you.
thought provoking, intense, distant and cold.
all performances are a sensation, julianne moore a standout as usual. a thanksgiving gathering gone wrong. buried and bitter feelings abound and resurface again.
look elsewhere if your expecting a happy ending, this isn't that kind of movie. the father/son relationship is very sad. anger underneath the surface between them.
there is a cellar scene where the father goes down and sees a family film from long ago. a birthday party for his son. this scene is very moving, showing the father how horrible he acted toward him. the look on roy scheider's face while watching the reel is heartbraking....he has no feelings at all of what he did, and why. subtle to its center, it is a good film.

Creepy - nobody EVER discusses anything REAL .................2004-05-11

I've watched this movie several times - to see if I missed anything before, just to see it again, because it's mesmerising (for me, anyway), and because I'm secretly hoping that it wasn't really THAT sick ......... the acting, photography, direction were all superb - the message came across so very true to life in every way ........... and because of all that, I often watch it when it's re-run on the tube; Noah Wyle does an excellent job of portaying the son who suffered so pointedly, the betrayal that goes on in this family - and as in all (or most anyway) families - this one is affected via the trickle down of the tone set by the parents - the father - Roy Scheider - isn't just distant; he's downright mean and destructive - blurred from being discerned clearly, because of his eccentricities - although I did feel that he contrived all of those too. And Blythe Danner did an excellent job of portraying the mother who goes on for decades overlooking her husband's cruel streaks, his creepy deceits, his silence, anger, and his tone-setting refusal to tolerate open communication; in spite of all this unpleasantness in the household, and the effect this all has/had on the now grown children - I enjoy this movie because it all "hangs together" so real and true. It's hard to believe that in this day and age, that there surely are families like this - who simply never communicate openly atall - ever!

disfunctional Wyle.......2003-10-14

lots of love making in this one. Wyle gives a great role as the son of a father and their lives arent really great as Wyle comes back after he is gone for awhile. Roy Schider is great too as Wyle's dad. people will note if there Alias fans that Michael Vartan of Alias is in this movie. powerful piece with some dry emotions.

Average customer rating:

Takin' it to the Man!

Black Gunn
Starring: Jim Brown , Martin Landau , Brenda Sykes , Luciana Paluzzi , and Vida Blue
Director: Robert Hartford-Davis
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Blaxploitation | Cult Movies | Genres | DVD | Video

General | African American Cinema | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Slaughter
That Man Bolt (Soul Showcase)
Slaughter's Big Ripoff
Trouble Man
Hammer

ASIN: B0000WN154
Release Date: 2004-01-20

Description

A successful and popular nightclub owner who believes financial independence is the path to equality and success must act as a go-between for his militant-minded brother and the white gang syndicate his brother has attacked and robbed. Their involvements lead to a breathless race-course chase, the destruction of a dope pusher and a violent waterfront climax. Stars Academy Award® Winner Martin Landau (1995, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Ed Wood) and Jim Brown (Any Given Sunday, Mars Attacks!, The Running Man).

Customer Reviews:

Takin' it to the Man!.......2005-10-14

If you're tired (like me) of The Man keepin' you down, then Jim Brown is the brother you got to dig! Black Gunn is a satisfying slice of Mob mayhem vs. righteous dudes. Takin' it upside the head is Martin Landau as the Mob boss, doing a lot with a relatively small role. The soundtrack is real fine, especially the chase scene at the horsetrack. But can you believe that white boy trying to outrun the World's Greatest Running Back? Disrespect The Man and check this out!

Average customer rating:

~AFTER ALL THESE YEARS~
I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!
Good Family Movie

Split Infinity: A Gift From the Past
Starring: Melora Slover , Marcia Dangerfield , Devin Healey , David Jensen , and Heath Ezell
Director: Stan Ferguson
Manufacturer: Bonneville Ent.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B0001V1M4G
Release Date: 2004-07-20

Description

Although 14-year-old "fashion plate" and entrepreneur A.J. Knowlton loves her down-to-earth, middle-class family, her behavior toward them often reflects irritation and embarrassment. She blames her grandfather for losing the family farm during the depression and keeping the family from becoming affluent. One night when A.J. goes to the barn to be alone, she falls from the hayloft, then awakens suddenly to find herself transported back to the year 1929. Her grandfather is a young man and she is his little sister, Amelia Jene. Before A.J. returns to 1992, she will gain a new set of values as she discovers the loving secret her grandfather has kept for so many years, until the day she would be ready to understand.

Customer Reviews:

~AFTER ALL THESE YEARS~.......2005-08-17

I have been searching for this movie for 13 years now. My sister and I first saw this movie on tv back in 1992. Never getting to finish the movie and not knowing the name of it has made me search for it for quite some time now. It is still as exclent as the first time I watched it, back when I was five. I must say it was well worth the wait!!!!

I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!.......2001-12-22

THIS MOVIE WAS SO GOOD!! IT'S ABOUT THIS YOUNG GIRL AND ALL SHE CARES ABOUT IS MONEY AND SHE GOES BACK IN TIME AND LEARNS THAT THERE IS MORE TO LIFE THAN MONEY AND THAT YOU CAN BE RICH WITH OTHER THINGS, TOO. IT IS SO GOOD!! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!!

Good Family Movie.......1999-05-21

This is a really good movie to teach a lesson about the love of money. The main character is obsessed with making money and it frequently infringes on her other goals. In an accident she is "transported" back in time and takes the place of a member of her family just before Black Tuesday. When in that time, she sees how her grandfather, in his pursuit of the dollar will cost the family the farm where they live. She tries to persuade him differently, then begins to raise money herself to try and keep him from selling the land. This movie is very good, and watchable for the whole family. Along with being entertaining, it has a very deffinite moral.

Average customer rating:

Interesting Movie, Decent Story, Great Cast!
excellent movie...horrible transfer
I thought the movie was ok, for the time it was made.

Black Brigade
Starring: Stephen Boyd , Robert Hooks , Susan Oliver , Roosevelt Grier , and Moses Gunn
Director: George McCowan
Manufacturer: Westlake Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Espionage | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Action & Combat | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

Action & Adventure | Independently Distributed | Stores | DVD | Video

Drama | Independently Distributed | Stores | DVD | Video

Independently Distributed | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

All Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings
Attack on the Iron Coast
Submarine X-1
Trouble Man
Beach Red

ASIN: B0000Z6N7O
Release Date: 2003-11-01

Customer Reviews:

Interesting Movie, Decent Story, Great Cast!.......2004-10-29

(...)That alone is scary-- I knew it might stink, but with the cast list, I thought it might actually be OK, and it is. It's a HORRID DVD transfer though, but for 1 dollar I can't complain too much!

It's what I thought it was, a TV movie (originally aired on ABC) from 1969 written by TV mogul Aaron Spelling and Produced by the great Danny Thomas Productions, who produced such classic TV shows as The Dick Van Dyke Show, That Girl, The Andy Griffith Show, etc,.
This film stars Stephen Boyd, a great character actor/leading man known for his roles in such movies as 'Ben Hur' and 'Fantatstic Voyage'.

It features young newcomers such as Richard Pryor and Billy Dee Williams & football star Rosie Grier in great supporting roles as members of an all-black WW II US Army company ('B' Company) in France who are doing the 'grunt' work of the Army. Digging latrines, digging graves, dealing with garbage, etc. Basically getting No Respect. Blacks were considered second class citizens during WW II.

The story shows how Racist Redneck Major Carter (Boyd) is asked to go on a dangerous mission to blow up a Dam held by the Nazis and the only company of men to help accomplish the task are 'B' Company, (the all black company).

They appear lazy and shiftless to Major Carter, who doesn't believe they can help him blow up the dam. Little does he know, they are more than up for the job. Carter asks their lieutenant in charge for 'volunteers', and he picks 6 men, including Pryor, Williams & Grier.

It's fairly standard TV movie fare, and it's kind of neat to see Pryor and Williams in early roles, as well as great black character actors Moses Gunn & Glynn Thurman (Cooley High)--as well as Susan Oliver, a great blonde character actress who appeared in lots of TV drama in the 60's on shows like 'Star Trek', 'Mannix', 'The Wild Wild West',etc.

It's a nice forgotten addition to black cinema, and shows that black men in WWII could be just as heroic as their white brothers. It's an interesting look at race relations in the late 60's context too, what with the Black Panther movement and all.

It's kind of funny how all the black actors have big afros and a few have mustaches/goatees--not typical of WWII U.S.Army standards, but more like1969 fashion. Pryor sports a natty red beret throughout the whole story, too.

I guess I recommend it as a piece of nostalgia. Again, The DVD transfer is Horrid, but viewable.

excellent movie...horrible transfer.......2004-07-11

I was curious about this movie primarily to see the comedic and cinematic development of a young Richard Pryor(pre the Toy and Superman 3 debacles)...the movie in my opinion DOES stand the test of time considering that it was made 34 years ago. There were some cool cameos(a young Paul Mooney in the background)and of course an ensemble cast of some heavy weight & familiar African american actors..i.e..Billy Dee Williams(starring in Brian's Song the following year), Moses Gunn, Rosie Grier, Glynn Turman and Robert Hooks(a superb actor and father of noted actor/director Kevin Hooks). Surprisingly, the movie holds up..an example of this is the reference to the Moses Gunn character being a physics teacher from Howard University who joined the war effort thus surprising the racist Stephen Boyd character for being a learned Black man. My main gripe is the transfer...yes..this was a Aaron Spelling made for tv movie but if the movie was remastered it would have been a hell of a lot more enjoyable to watch...but again...it WAS worth a gander to see some familiar actors during their prime.....it's worth a look.

I thought the movie was ok, for the time it was made........1999-06-26

due to the fact that it is an older movie, it has a good plot, story line and very good acting. it doesn't have the best of sound or the quility of a digial picture. which in point was part of the reason I didn't get into this movie as well as others. but it's worth 3 stars.

Average customer rating:

Dixie Lanes
Starring: Hoyt Axton , Karen Black , Art Hindle , Moses Gunn , and John Vernon
Director: Don Cato
Manufacturer: Trinity Home Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Comic Criminals | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Comedy | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Killing Secret (True Stories Collection TV Movie)
Heart of the Lie
Private School
Her Name Is Carla
Flannel Pajamas

ASIN: B0006J282I
Release Date: 2005-01-11

Description

It's small town America, in 1945. The Great War is over, but the battle is just beginning. Clarence Laidlaw is coming home - having gone overseas to avoid jail for moonshining. He survived World War II - now will he survive the family reunion?

DVD:

DVD List

DVD

DVD

Songxpress miniDVD: Tequila

Winnie the Pooh: Springtime With Roo

The Hard Word [2003]

DVD: Scarecrow Gone Wild

Eruption