Big City Blues

Starring:Burt Reynolds, William Forsythe, Giancarlo Esposito, Arye Gross, Georgina Cates, Balthazar Getty, Kevin Michael Moore, Bridgette Buttercup, Donovan Leitch, Michael Nicolosi, Steve Parlavecchio, Jad Mager, Roger Floyd, Guy Siner, Tom Wahl, Amy Lyndon, Roxana Zal, Bruno Ramos
Director: Clive Fleury (II)
Studio: Lions Gate
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Somber and enlightening
Norske
Stone Pillow
Brava Lucille
Excellent

Stone Pillow
Starring: Lucille Ball , Daphne Zuniga , William Converse-Roberts , Stephen Lang , and Susan Batson
Director: George Schaefer
Manufacturer: KOCH VISION
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Fancy Pants
The Dark Corner (Fox Film Noir)
The Lucy & Desi Collection (Too Many Girls / The Long Long Trailer / Forever, Darling)
Yours, Mine and Ours
I Love Lucy - The Complete Seasons 7-9

ASIN: B0009H97HG
Release Date: 2005-07-12

Description

The great Lucille Ball (I Love Lucy, Stage Door, Yours, Mine and Ours) plays Florabelle, an elderly bag lady struggling to survive on the streets of New York City. She carries her most prized possessions in a shopping cart, and has staked out a Manhattan street corner as "home."

When approached by Carrie, a curious young social worker played by Daphne Zuniga (Melrose Place, Spaceballs), Florabelle introduces her to the underground of Grand Central Station and the details of daily survival. Together both women discover a new perspective on their lives.

Customer Reviews:

Somber and enlightening.......2007-03-27

I've waited almost 18 years for this movie to come out on DVD - and what a surprise when it did - I've missed it countless times on television (Computer literate - can't set my vcr) - but a friend recc'd it - and I can't believe it - I freaking cried like a baby at some of the stuff that the homeless go through -

Lucille Ball is a wonderful actress - and this just puts the cherry on top of her wonderful career sundae. She's both light-hearted but heartfelt in her portrayal - and most of all - she gives her character truth and depth.

You want a great movie that isn't just a "chick flick" or a "Dude's dream"? This is it - it will effect everyone - young and old - and give them a more compassionate look at the lives of AMERICA'S ignored population.

Norske.......2007-01-23

Lucille Ball gives an outstanding performance in the movie Stone Pillow. I highly recommend watching this movie.

Stone Pillow.......2007-01-19

This is for the true Lucy fan. She shows just how far her acting ability goes. She doesn't have to be funny to be fun to watch.

Brava Lucille.......2007-01-11

Not much of a movie, indifferently acted by most of the cast but Miss Ball is truly special. Daring, believable, brave, it's a helluva performance. After decades in tv sitcom land, Lucy gave a last hurrah performance and demonstrated that she was an actress to be reckoned with.

Excellent.......2007-01-10

Excellent movie, We're a big Lucille Ball fan, she showed your acting skills with this movie. To bad we've lost and are losing the classic movie stars,

Average customer rating:

Thicker Than Water
Blew me away...
THIS WAS SUPRISINGLY WATCHABLE
must buy for fans of gangster movies
One of the worst movies I've ever seen

Thicker Than Water
Starring: Mack 10 , Fat Joe , Ice Cube , MC Eight , and CJ Mac
Director: Richard Cummings Jr.
Manufacturer: Palm Pictures / Umvd
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00003PE91
Release Date: 2000-01-11

Customer Reviews:

Thicker Than Water.......2007-01-12

My son loves this movie. Glad to find it on Amazon. Great price.

Blew me away..........2004-08-12

I expected some kinda low budget type of flick but it was kick ass. This type of ish really happens. If you think this movie is a gansta fantasy, you ain't never been in the game. Mack 10 and Fat Joe are surprisingly good actors. Wish there was a part 2.

THIS WAS SUPRISINGLY WATCHABLE.......2003-12-19

TWO GANG BANGERS [MACK 10 & FAT JOE] ARE IN RIVAL GANGS. BUT, THEY SOON BECOME BEST FRIENDS. DEFINITELY BETTER THAN MOST OF THE OTHER RECENTLY RELEASED GANGSTA MOVIES. FEATURES A LOT OF RAPPERS, SUCH AS; ICE CUBE, MC EIHT, B-REAL, CJ MAC, BAD AZZ, K MAC FROM THE COMRADZ, AND MANY MORE. IT HAS SOME PRETTY GOOD ACTION SCENES. IT WAS AN ALRIGHT MOVIE, DESPITE THE FACT THAT A LOT OF THESE RAPPERS CAN'T ACT. A PRETTY WORTHY ATTEMPT.

must buy for fans of gangster movies.......2003-04-25

this movie is not bad at all it is good funny and dramatic i think its better than menace to socioty its not that voilent it focoses more on the story which i like although they could of swaped mack 10's role for ice cube's because ice cube is only in it for 10 minutes

One of the worst movies I've ever seen.......2003-04-13

... It's not only bad. It's annoyingly bad. Some bad movies make you laugh. This makes you want to throw your tv out the window. It's full of every hip hop cliche you can think of. And I like hip hop. It's just a gangsta video fantasy made into a feature film. A lot of rap artists are in it (ones I like too, like B-Real and MC Eiht). But it makes no attempt to be more than a genre film, and a bad one at that. You want to watch a good urban gangster style movie? Check out Fresh or Ghost Dog, or even Menace to Society. Those are artistic movies. Anyway, I'm just [upset] this one keeps popping up on my searches because I want the surf movie 'Thicker than Water', not this ...

Average customer rating:

So Much to Offer - So Little to Give
Smithereens DVD is a Hit
Punky sleeper
Pain, longing, romance and dirt: Ah! exquisite nostalgia!
Low Budget Masterpiece

Smithereens
Starring: Susan Berman , Brad Rijn , Richard Hell , Nada Despotovich , and Roger Jett
Director: Susan Seidelman
Manufacturer: Blue Underground
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Blank Generation

ASIN: B00030AZFW
Release Date: 2004-11-16

Description

From SUSAN SEIDELMAN Director of DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN and SEX AND THE CITY

Filmmaker Susan Seidelman rocked the movie industry with this daring and quirky story of Wren (Susan Berman), a self-promoting Jersey girl desperate to break into the downtown Manhattan music scene. But with no money and no talent, she bounces between a nice guy artist (Brad Rinn) who lives in his van and an arrogant musician (Punk icon Richard Hell) who lives off of anyone who will let him.

SMITHEREENS - which also marked the debut of Oscar®-nominated screenwriter Ron Nyswaner (PHILADELPHIA) and features a score by beloved cult band The Feelies - remains a remarkable time capsule of the early `80s East Village scene and made history as the first American independent film invited to compete for the Golden Palm Award at the Cannes Film Festival.

EXTRAS INCLUDE: Audio Commentary with Co-Writer/Director Susan Seidelman Desperately Seeking Susan & Richard - Interviews with Stars Susan Berman and Richard Hell Theatrical Trailers Poster & Still Gallery

Music by The Feelies

Official Selection 1982 Cannes Film Festival

First time ever on DVD

Customer Reviews:

So Much to Offer - So Little to Give.......2005-05-22

I can watch this film over & over. It is about the heart at the end of the rainbow - the million miles between what we want and what we get. Wren(Susan Berman)shows us the difference between charming and nice - so much to offer - so little to give. When a nice-guy-boy-next-door who really loves her invites Wren to Maine, she says, "I don't even LIKE trees." Powerful music in the film glues these smithereens of people's existence together. Wren reminds me of another great own worst enemy: Jane Fonda's Gloria in "They Shoot Horses - Don't They."

Smithereens DVD is a Hit.......2005-04-02

I'm so glad they decided to release Smithereens on DVD. It's great to see it in widescreen (who knew!), and share all those dark moments with the punk from hell, ALL over again! The DVD is fantastic, every Smithereens fans fantasy come true. The actual DVD even has artwork. Thank you to the makers of the film and the DVD release!

Punky sleeper.......2004-11-20

Long before "Party Monster" or "Slaves Of New York" explored the underbelly of the NYC downtown arts scene, there was "Smithereens". A young woman hustles her way through the early 80's NYC punk scene in an attempt to grab her "15 minutes" any way she can. Basically a more nihilist, East Coast version of the standard "Bumpkin Getting Off The Bus In Hollywood With Stars In Her Eyes" tale. This gritty little independent feature was the debut for then unknown director Susan Seidelman, who is perhaps best known these days for her involvement with "Sex In The City". Good performances from the mostly unknown cast. Music fans are sure to recognize Richard Hell (of the Voidoids, who penned the memorable punk anthem "Blank Generation") playing an arrogant,self-absorbed musician (wow what a stretch!) "Sex In The City" fans will get a hoot spotting the future 'Mr. Big', Chris Noth, in a (very) small part as a transvestite. "Smithereens" was undoubtedly a blueprint for Seidelman's next film, the much more slickly produced "Desperately Seeking Susan", which I would go so far as to call "Smithereens" with a higher budget! I am hoping that the release of this little "skinny tie era" gem means we will see "Ladies And Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains" and "Starstruck" available on DVD sometime before they put us in the home?!

Pain, longing, romance and dirt: Ah! exquisite nostalgia!.......2001-02-12

Besides capturing the gritty reality of New York City and eighties punk nihilism (unlike Times Square, which makes NYC seem like the innocuous Disneyland it now sadly is), Smithereens captures both the intimacy and estrangement of the punk experience to the jangling beat of such notables as the Feelies, Richard Hell and the Voidoids, and Television. Susan Berman delivers a stellar performance as a vulnerable, [angry], terminal misfit/victim/enfant terrible ambiguously coveting celebrity status and the affections of Richard Hell, who also shines as a punk icon and sexy-but-worthless cad. Fun, edgy and disturbing, with a harrowing conclusion and a heartfelt sympathy for its desperate characters. Includes Kitty, my fave cameo, as a sultry, manic-depressive downtown Bardot. If you weren't there, this film will make you feel like you were.

Low Budget Masterpiece.......1999-10-18

This film is a classic! It has a raw street like feel to it, and a sense of urgency and desperation that runs rampant throughout the film. Susan Berman plays a pathetic groupie-type set out to become famous. She will step on anyone's toes and stab anyone's back and burn all her bridges along the way in order to achieve this goal. She meets a boy along the way willing to help her and love her and shelter her even though he hasn't got a pot to pee in himself. But she is hell bent on getting her way and in turn becomes a mean, self absorbed street weasel. She pushes away the people who love her most and ends up walking down that dreadful path of self destruction. Amazing to watch the transformation nonetheless, all set to early-eighties street rhythms and a pinch of the punk scene thrown in for good measure.

Average customer rating:

Decent sequel to the dynamite first film--
Much Better Than "Slaughter"
Not So Exciting: See the First "Slaughter" & Stella Instead
Not Bad Brainless AIP Jim Brown Vehicle

Slaughter's Big Ripoff
Starring: Jim Brown , Ed McMahon , Don Stroud , Brock Peters , and Gloria Hendry
Director: Gordon Douglas
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000053VBF
Release Date: 2001-01-09

Description

Slaughter's backand the mob's out to get him! Big Jim Brown (The Dirty Dozen, Ice Station Zebra) returns in the role of the ex-Green Beret who takes on the job of scorching the mob in this spectacular actioner! Co-starring Ed McMahon ('the Tonight Show ), Gloria Hendry (Live AndLet Die) and Scatman Crothers (The Shining), Slaughter's Big Rip-Off is one fast-paced massacre [that] puts it all out front (LA Herald-Examiner)!When a gunman in aplane tries to pull a fly-by on Slaughter, he knows his battle with the moband corrupt copsis far from over. Helped by an honest detective and a good-hearted pimp, Slaughter goes on a missionto expose a list that names every politician and policeman on the mob dole. But it won't be easy. The list is in the home safe of the big man himself (McMahon) and he'll do anythingincluding kidnapping Slaughter's babeto keep it!

Customer Reviews:

Decent sequel to the dynamite first film--.......2006-09-18

Army veteran Slaughter's latest adventure doesn't take him to South America (incongruously referenced as Mexico here), but there's still plenty of trouble to be found in the U.S.

The plot here follows a bungled Mob hit on Slaughter that ends up killing a good friend of his, and Slaughter's efforts to get revenge. Black Action Movie genre veterans abound in this film: Gloria Hendry ("Black Belt Jones", "Live & Let Die") is the leading lady here, Marcia. Brock Peters is Reynolds, a cop who thinks some of his superiors are on the take. They are, and the Mob boss behind them is Ed McMahon, aka Duncan. Don Stroud is Kirk, the lead henchman, and Slaughter's main foil here.

Again, a list of kickback recipients figures into the plot: Dick Anthony Williams (billed here as Richard) is Joe Creole, a pimp and professional burglar for hire(!), who becomes Slaughter's temporary partner in heisting Duncan's ledgers listing the politicians and other public officials receiving payoffs. This leads to a game of cat-and-mouse between Slaughter and Kirk, and the violent climax in one of Duncan's nightclubs.

There are almost as many fight scenes here as in the first film; the opening sequence somehow combines a horse race and a "fly-by" shooting by crop-duster. In keeping with genre standards, the women here are gorgeous and (mostly) of loose virtue. Here, Slaughter gets twice the love action, as he beds a palm-reader early on, in addition to Marcia later. There is also a hilarious Scatman Crothers cameo as a numbers man. McMahon as Duncan gets less to do than you would think-- also, unlike many Blaxploitation villains, he's not portrayed as a racist (that's Kirk's department): but seeing the Tonight Show sidekick as a crime lord is still amusing unto itself. We still don't get much of a glimpse into Slaughter's background (besides being ex-Army with a private arsenal, just what does he do for a living?); alas, such intellectual concerns are perhaps unnecessary to enjoy the fisticuffs and gunplay...

Much Better Than "Slaughter".......2002-06-11

A lot of people feel that the original "Slaughter" is the best one, but "Rip Off" is a much superior sequel. This is still a "revenge flick", but the characters are far more intersting. Jim Brown gets to have alot more fun and alot more sex. The added bonus is Dick Anthony Williams portrayal as a Pimp/Burgular who helps Slaughter bring down the Mob. The only downside to this one is that most of the songs from James Brown's classic soundtrack are missing from the movie.

Not So Exciting: See the First "Slaughter" & Stella Instead.......2002-03-11

"Slaughter" may not be exactly a first-rate action film, but it still can be proud of its own energy and Stella Stevens. Its quickly-made sequel has none of them; instead, you got Ed McMahon as a villain. Oh no....

This time again some crime syndicate tries to kill Jim Brown aka. Slaughter by shooting from a flying airplane. Instead, his friend got killed, so again Slaughter begins his own vendetta to get the man behind the killing. As usual, FBI got involved, and as usual, he has a girlfriend (Gloria Hendry) to protect.

Though action scenes themselves are not bad, McMahon of "Tonight Show" as baddie is as incredible casting as Demi Moore in "Scarlet Letter." Well, Jim Brown is as cool as ever, but there's nothing exciting about he film. The actions come too few and far between to raise the film's tension too the level of other blaxploitation films. Too ordinary.

Try to spot Valda Hansen (credited as Hanson), remembered by some movie fans as one of the friendly circle surrounding Edward Wood Jr. -- fondly called "the worst movie director" -- and herself star of his unbelievable "Night of the Ghouls."

I bought a VHS tape, but it MAY contain a different soundtrack from CD's or DVD's. As I have not listened to or seen either CD or DVD of "Slaghter's Rip-Off," I'm not quite sure, but the IMDB site shows the existence of the alternate take of the film, which uses a different soundtrack. Some part of the soundtrack of VHS tape, interestingly, clearly uses the same songs you can hear in "Coffy," including the instrumental version of that famous theme song. Very curious.

Not Bad Brainless AIP Jim Brown Vehicle.......2001-03-06

Though the original is preferred if only for some stunning Stella Stevens nude scenes, this is pretty entertaining on its own terms. Unfortunately, Ed McMahon (!) plays it straight in the bad guy role, when I was really hoping for some of the ol' "John P. Ryan As the Fake Nathan White" scenery chewing.

The Last of the Blue Devils - The Kansas City Jazz Story

Average customer rating:

Blue Devils
Joe Turner and friends - Kansas City Reunion
A Musical Genius
Oklahoma Music and Lester Young footage
This is the supertop of Kansas City music

The Last of the Blue Devils - The Kansas City Jazz Story
Starring: Gene Ramey , Jo Jones (II) , Charlie Parker , Jesse Price , and Herman Walder
Director: Bruce Ricker
Manufacturer: Rhapsody Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

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Louis Armstrong - Satchmo

ASIN: B00005M2CK
Release Date: 2001-08-14

Amazon.com

Kansas City in the 1930s was a wild, wide-open place. Under political boss Tom Pendergast, the booze flowed freely, prostitution and gambling flourished, and the Depression pretty much passed the city by, making it an ideal spawning ground for some great music. Pianist-bandleader Count Basie, saxophone immortals Lester Young and Charlie Parker, and blues belters Big Joe Turner and Jimmy Rushing were all working there, along with a host of lesser- known but equally formidable musicians, and they all played the blues, Kansas City style.

Director Bruce Ricker's 90-minute The Last of the Blue Devils chronicles the 1979 reunion of many of these legendary players, combining interviews, vintage film footage, photos, and some inimitably swinging performances by Basie, Turner, pianist Jay McShann, and many others to create an intimate, good- natured portrait of what one old-timer calls the "cool, relaxed sound" of the city. The camaraderie among these men, all of whom are colorful raconteurs (drummer Ernie Williams's harangues to some bemused local kids are especially entertaining), is palpable. But it's the music, unsurprisingly, that's the main attraction; performances include some familiar tunes, like Turner's "Shake, Rattle & Roll" and a Basie big band version of "Night Train" (featuring tenor saxophonist Jimmy Forrest, the tune's composer) that's as greasy as the local barbecue. The Last of the Blue Devils is an absolute delight. --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews:

Blue Devils.......2007-07-03

About 1986 or close to it, I saw a portion of "The Last of the Blue Devils" on late night TV, and I have always watched for it to be aired again, but I have not seen it. When I saw this CD listed, I jumped on the opportunity to buy it, hoping to see more of Lester Young than his brief appearance. But all in all, I still enjoyed the CD.

Joe Turner and friends - Kansas City Reunion.......2007-01-10

As an account of the history of Kansas City jazz "The Last of the Blue Devils" is a bit thin on detail. However this nostalgic record of a gathering of aged musicians is very interesting and at times highly entertaining. For those who are seriously interested in tracing the history and influences of Kansas City Jazz there are plenty of other sources to be explored but Big Joe Turner and friends enjoying themselves is something well worth experiencing - and a bit of the Kansas City jazz story creeps in too.

A Musical Genius.......2006-11-28

The Blue Devils never sounded so good as this. Jay has now completed his 5th Symohony (198 pages) which was written at the age of thirteen. It has been recorded for Sony BMG in the same studios where the Beatles' songs were recorded. This fifth composition was played by the London Symphony Orchestra in England,

He was not your normal twelve year old, not interested in sports. He was bored to distraction in history class. He sees music as a hobby, and not his destiny. He hears the music in his head at the speed of light. He hums what's channeled to him as he walks. He is the musical Einstein.

At the age of ten, he enrolled at Julliard. Now, at the age of fourteen, he is a 3rd year college student. Jay need to question his 'gift' like Beethoven and studies piano lessons. He played cello at the age of three. He had started writing music at the age of two. His mother is Israli and father lost his sight at the age of 36.

At twelve years, he became known as a musical prodigy and declares that "it comes right the first time." He writes the music for each instrument of the orchestra even though he has not played them. He write "when I am inspired;" when one long session is completed, he starts another immediately. I fear he will burn out before he reaches twenty. He writes what he has imagined and when asked "who can really define happiness" he answers "keeping one's mind challenged."

This was a good documentary filmed both in America and Britain as he takes his bows after the performance of his 5th Symphony. He may know music, but I would advise him to change his mind about history, as that is where we come from and is to be the result of our family heritage and genes as to what his future holds for him. He is an inspiration to all.

Oklahoma Music and Lester Young footage.......2006-11-10

I ordered this movie to supplement a class I am taking about the Culture of Jazz and Oklahoma music. The wonderful footage of some of the founding fathers of Kansas City Jazz, including the Oklahoman Jay McShann, is a treat!
This is a good movie for anyone interested in what musicianship can be...

This is the supertop of Kansas City music.......2004-09-18

I have seen this on film and video about 5 times and never got bored.
If you like the Kansas City Blues and Big bands of the 30ties and 40ties this is the DVD for you.

Average customer rating:

Big City Blues
Starring: Burt Reynolds , William Forsythe , Giancarlo Esposito , Arye Gross , and Georgina Cates
Director: Clive Fleury (II)
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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Direct Hit
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ASIN: 6305526346
Release Date: 1999-09-02

Average customer rating:

Pointless even for banal entertainment

Survival of the Illest
Starring: Ron Finberg , E-40 , Reynaldo Rey , Big Moe , and Jalene Mack
Director: Greg Carter
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Obstacles

ASIN: B0002235OY
Release Date: 2004-06-08

Customer Reviews:

Pointless even for banal entertainment.......2005-05-16

This title is one of the poorest 'boyz in da hood' clones of all time. The acting is akin falls flat and insincere. It's a bit like watching a porno movie, without the reward of nudity.
The weighty subject matter (socieconomics, violence and racism in an urban environment) has already been much more effectively addressed by similiar movies.
Boyz in Da Hood, Colors, New Jack City and Juice were directed far better and had a more compelling and immersive storyline.
One gets the feeling this movie was intended as a cult classic for gangsta rap movie fans, but it falls flat in even this aim.

Average customer rating:

i want to see this bad i cant wait cant wait
The Killers are Out There
it's just not good....
3 A.M

3 A.M.
Starring: Sarita Choudhury , Michelle Rodriguez , Arjun G. Awtramani , Sergej Trifunovic , and Danny Glover
Director: Lee Davis (III)
Manufacturer: Showtime Ent.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Girlfight
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ASIN: B00005V9I6
Release Date: 2002-03-26

Customer Reviews:

i want to see this bad i cant wait cant wait.......2003-08-26

this looks good i want to see it any thing with vin diesel( hhhooottttttiiieee) and michelle rodriegiez( awesome) ill watch it im ur tipicalyy stalker.

The Killers are Out There.......2003-05-26

A struggling taxi company has struggling taxi drivers with heavy emotional issues, add to this a serial killer who is after the taxi drivers and apparently enjoys killing them at night for sport, and what do you have? An instant movie classic? Perhaps not. But with good acting by Glover, Grier, and Rodriguez, you end up with a fine movie. This movie shows a colorful but desperate world of the working class in a big city. There is everything here: love, childhood trauma, fear of commitment, prostitution, and, of course, murder. There are even stories of Bosnian genocide!

We are introduced to a cab driver from Bosnia who is not only one of the worst natural drivers in the world, but also incredibly distracted. This means that every day he has an accident. He is so accident prone that he ends up having to leave the country and his love (who prostitutes herself at a bathhouse) and go back to Bosnia.

Not to be outdone, Glover's and Rodriguez's characters resort to extreme violence when they feel physically or emotionally pushed. The movie is original, and its host of ethnic characters makes it fun and colorful. The ending is also not your typical happy ending. It is not that unhappy. It is just not typical. I recommend the movie.

it's just not good...........2003-04-16

After seeing Girlfight I was excited about the new young actress Michelle Rodriguez. If anyone needs to see a phenomenal debut film, that would be the one. Girlfight marked Rodriguez as a new talent to watch. Her subsequent films (Fast and the Furious, Resident Evil, and even Blue Crush) have all played on the tough girl theme that was introduced in Girlfight. I was trying to find all of the movies in which she had acted in the hopes that a performance would measure up to her first. While nothing has measured up to her first movie, in my search for her movies, I found something called 3 AM. I had never heard of this movie before, and since it co-starred Danny Glover and Pam Grier, I figured this was some independent movie that slipped under the radar. I gave it a rent and sat down to watch it. When the opening credits rolled, I found out that this was a Showtime movie. It probably never had a theatrical release and until it came out on DVD was likely only shown on Showtime. While there is excellent programming on cable (Band of Brothers, The Sopranos, etc), finding out that it is a made for Showtime movie does not inspire confidence, regardless of the actors involved.

The story follows several cabdrivers in New York City. There is a serial killer out there who is targeting cabbies, and there is a lot of fear amongst the cabbies wondering who is going to be next. As the killings continue, it hits closer to home as a cabdriver friend is killed. Danny Glover plays a cabdriver who is in love with Pam Grier (a waitress). Michelle Rodriguez plays a young cabbie trying to pay her rent, but is haunted by visions of her past. Yes, Rodriguez is still playing to type as her character is the tough girl, somewhat angry. She plays it well, but at some point Michelle is going to have to stop playing variations on the same character.

This is a fairly disappointing movie. Despite being acted by some top line talents and being produced (with a cameo appearance) by Spike Lee, this movie is just not very good. I wanted very much to like this movie, but I just couldn't. Unless you are trying to complete a collection of movies starring your favorite actor, give this one a pass and spend your money on something good,

3 A.M.......2002-04-23

being a die hard michelle rodriguz fan i highly recommed this. i have all three of her movies. she is street tough, sexy. like her other movies girl fight and fast and the ferious this movie is awesome. love live michelle

Average customer rating:

Where have all the homeless gone?
Interesting look at NYC's evolution
A beautiful, elegiac look at the real Alphabet City
Really engaging look at snapshots of a NY neighborhood
I wish 7th Street was my street

7th Street
Director: Josh Pais
Manufacturer: Paradise Acres Productions, LLC
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000EI2MA
Release Date: 2003-10-20

Description

Get ready to dive into one of the most violent, drug-infested neighborhoods only to see it transform into the trendy, residential enclave it has become. Many of the old timers figured out how to survive the area when it was a ghetto - now the challenge for them is to see if they can survive gentrification.

7TH STREET draws the viewer into a neighborhood that most people were once too afraid to enter. An area that most people only heard rumors about: Alphabet City in NYC's East Village, once known as the drug capital of the East Coast.

The movie explores change in one of the most vital areas of NYC and the complexity of gentrification. Not only is this movie about one block in Manhattan - it's about neighborhoods and communities all over the world where progress sometimes comes at the expense of richness of character and diversity.

Viewers join in Pais' struggle as he sees his block transform and become a safe place for his newborn son and a trendy neighborhood for the new inhabitants at the expense of his street family. The people who were his role models as a child he now sees homeless in Tompkins Square Park or discovers them dead.

7TH STREET will undoubtedly pull your heartstrings and make you look with fresh eyes at the place you call home.

Customer Reviews:

Where have all the homeless gone?.......2007-01-19

7th Street: 5 out of 10: Nostalgia about ones childhood is a dangerous thing. It permeates 7th street where Josh Pais is clearly to close to the subject as he bemoans the loss of the crime ridden hellhole of his youth and worries about the gentrification of said block. (There are outdoor café's now and people are drinking lattés oh the horror the horror)

That said it is a fascinating documentary with a great group of people (especially Reno Thunder who was his mothers occasional boyfriend.) In fact this is quite the high production home movie with many interviews with family who often counteract Mr. Pais's thesis about the neighborhood change and when Mr. Thunder falls on hard times the change is so dramatic there are clearly more forces at work then the neighborhood cleaning itself up.

I wish we had spent even more time with Mr. Thunder after the change and less on Mr. Pais's childhood (especially the endless footage of his late mother and how she was at the center of an art revolution. She actually comes across as kind of a ...how does one put this nicely... party girl.) Mr. Pais's brother in a hilarious and all to short clip reminisces on his reaction of finding Marcel Marceau in his living room one morning. He clearly doesn't hold the neighborhood (or mimes) to his heart and seemed glad to escape.

There is a staged and telling scene at the end where an adult Mr. Pais and his friend play in a fire hydrant while yuppies look on disapprovingly, his point is lost in the fact he does look quite silly. There are some things from childhood we just let go.

Interesting look at NYC's evolution.......2004-08-18

Josh Pais paints a vivid picture of his East Village neighborhood over the span of several decades. He chronicles not only the lives of some of the colorful charaters that make the block truly a community but also looks at his own experience as a child growing up in the "ghetto" and his feelings at the prospect of raising his own son in a place the police tried to quarantine from the rest of the city.

A beautiful, elegiac look at the real Alphabet City.......2004-08-18

This is one of the most beautiful documentaries I have seen in a long time. Josh Pais does a masterful job of making the viewer fall in love with the residents of the East Village--and then showing how they have been completely disenfranchised by the young and hip new inhabitatants. Characters like Merlin (the sweet homeless man who greets everyone as they walk down the street), Reno (the lover of Josh Pais's mother) and Mickey (the charming con just struggling to get by) hook you in to the film from the first scene.

But what is most impressive about 7th Street is that it shows how what has happened to this small neighborhood is happening all over New York City. Working class citizens are constantly being uprooted by real esate agents who are looking for the next hot neighborhood.

Josh Pais directed this movie with both skill and passion, and it turned out beautifully.

Really engaging look at snapshots of a NY neighborhood.......2004-08-02

This was a moving documentary, showing the people behind the faces you walk by everyday. As a New Yorker, it is meaningful to see the history of one of the cities' neighborhoods so beautifully and purely portrayed. Pais hides nothing, and shows the neighborhood's wrinkles, scars, and beauty.

I wish 7th Street was my street.......2004-04-03

Josh Pais's 7TH STREET is a touching look at an area and a community that really had a distinct character to it. It evokes strong memories of a New York before the Gap and Starbucks, the New York of the 70's. This documentary is told in a very heartfelt way and is full of colorful characters. Absolutely worth repeat viewings. Saw it when it won the Audience Award at the 2003 Independent Film Festival of Boston.

Average customer rating:

Thicker Than Water
Blew me away...
THIS WAS SUPRISINGLY WATCHABLE
must buy for fans of gangster movies
One of the worst movies I've ever seen

Thicker Than Water
Starring: Mack 10 , Fat Joe , Ice Cube , MC Eight , and CJ Mac
Director: Richard Cummings Jr.
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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