BitterSweet

Starring:Mickey Alzona, Camilla Ball, Joanne Baron, Tom Billett, Gerry Black, Carl Ciarfalio, Lenny Citrano, Francia Dimase, Angie Everhart, Amy Fry, Linda Li, Steven Mattila, Stefanos Miltsakakis, Keith Neubert, Joe Penny, Eric Roberts, James Russo, John Snyder, Brian Wimmer
Studio: Geneon [Pioneer]
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Samantha (Angie Everhart) has a bright career ahead of her until her boyfriend tricks her into helping him with a burglary that turns to murder. Sam takes the rap, and when she gets out of jail four years later, her life in tatters, she's looking for revenge. Turns out her boyfriend's joined the mob and there's a maverick cop (James Russo) who's going to force her to help him get the Big Boss. The dialog is lame and the plot is ludicrous in this direct-to-video distaff variation on Payback. It's the sort of movie in which Angie sneaks off and shoots a buncha bad guys, so the cop threatens to throw her in jail. She sneaks off again--bang, bang, bang--he threatens to throw her in jail again. This goes on three or four times. Former supermodel Everhart skulks and scowls her way through the picture, but even her greased-up hair and grunged-down outfit can't hide those glorious cheekbones. Eric Roberts phones in another one for the paycheck. Only Joe Penny, as a mid-level mobster, brings any life to the party. All that being said, the film works on its most fundamental level--as the story of a woman grimly seeking revenge because it's the only meaningful response to what life has dealt her. --Geof Miller
Description
Sam (Angie Everhart) is a bright, young college student with a promising future when she suddenly finds herself in the middle of her boyfriend, Jed's (Brian Wimmer), half-million dollar robbery. During the heist things go terribly wrong when Jed shoots a security guard. Sam rushes to the security guards aid only to be shot herself by her ruthless boyfriend, who takes the money and runs. Taking the fall rather than turn Jed in, Sam serves hard jail time. Four years later, she is released and determined to seek revenge. D.A. cop, Joe Massa (James Russo), who has followed Sam's story, offers to help get her man, but only on one condition -- that she helps him get his --Jed's powerful and vindictive boss Mr. Venti (Eric Roberts), the head of a major crime ring. Angie Everhart, James Russo, Eric Roberts

Average customer rating:

Miss Potter - a life of courage and beauty

Light-hearted, charming and full of colorful friends

a gem

An Outstanding and Heart Warming Film

Renee Zellweger deserves 6 Stars as does the Movie!!!

Miss Potter
Starring: Renée Zellweger , Ewan McGregor , Emily Watson , Barbara Flynn , and Bill Paterson
Director: Chris Noonan
Manufacturer: Weinstein Company
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Bamber, David | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Beevers, Geoffrey | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Flynn, Barbara | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
McGregor, Ewan | ( M ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Paterson, Bill | ( P ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Watson, Emily | ( W ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Noonan, Chris | ( N ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000N4SHOE
Release Date: 2007-06-19

Description

(Drama) The story of Beatrix Potter, the author of the beloved and best-selling children's book, "The Tale of Peter Rabbit", and her struggle for love, happiness and success.

Customer Reviews:

Miss Potter - a life of courage and beauty.......2007-07-02

The quiet introduction of a watercolorist at work, sparkling with swirls of vivid color, set the mood for this wonderful, gentle film. The settings were a feast for the eyes, and the story development moved at an satisfactorily eighteenth century pace, but the impeccable characters, wonderfully played, are the life-blood of this movie. The brisk energy of Beatrix [Zellweger], the engaging smile of Norman Warne [MacGregor], and the directness and kindness of Millie [Watson] created a marvelous chemisty. In joy and in sorrow, each character rang true. Though a less central character, Lloyd Owens adds value in his role as Willie Heelis as well. Potter's indomitable spirit, however, is what keeps this movie from sinking into mere romanticism. In spite of pain, disapproval, and deep loss, she found happiness in her art and in her determination to live life forward. It is more than a feel-good movie; it is an inspiration to courageous living wrapped in delightful artistry.

Light-hearted, charming and full of colorful friends.......2007-07-02

I rented this DVD for my wife, thinking it was the kind of thing she'd enjoy. She loves period films and adores Renée Zellweger. I'm not typically fond of either of those two things so I didn't figure on watching much if any of the movie. But as the film started, and I happened to be in the room, I realized quickly that this is a charming and warm movie built on a strong character.

Notably, Renée Zellweger seems to nearly disappear into the role of Beatrix Potter and you quite forget that you're watching her act. It's rare to see that kind of skill but when it is captured in a movie like this it's magical.

Ewan McGregor is every bit the modern leading man but with a respectful nod to the dashing gents of yesterday's Hollywood. He is easy-to-like and doesn't for a moment feel as though he's trying to 'star' in this movie. He's more than happy to let the movie become its own entity in which he is but a part.

I began by saying that I wasn't sure I'd even sit down and watch this film, so it's worth noting that I sat entertained straight through to the end as was glad I did. This is certainly something you can watch with the kids, though the romance and the character development might be a bit slow for some of the younger ones.

One very odd thing to mention is that the DVD cover art is quite strange in that it shows Ewan McGregor clean shaven. But when you watch the movie you'll realize that he sports a moustache throughout. Not sure why the difference in appearance from one to the other but it was something that caught my eye as I navigated to this page to leave this review. It hardly matters though... this movie is about so much more than just a moustache. :)

5 Stars! Highly recommended!!

a gem.......2007-06-29

you can say this movie is perhaps avoiding the much mentioned darker side of miss potter- who seems almost delightfully frothy throughout most of this great bio pic-- u could say mcgregor's performance was a bit superficial---tho there is more chemistry between them here than say between drew barrymore and hugh grant in music and lyrics-- an unwatchable mess of a movie ! but this labor of love-- w a very interesting director's commentary-tho i wish miss zellweger was there to chime in--is probably one of the best movies ive seen recently---- the attention to detail is thrilling actually-- the art direction impeccable ! and ms zellweger-- gives her best performance to date by a long shot---- her sustained performNCE is a revelation---was she even nominated for an oscar?? who remembers ?? but i give her my own right here----and the actors who play her parents--are also so in character so convincing-- so relaxed and nuanced in their work---what goes on between these three actors is just a sheer joy to watch ! very uncommon stuff in any movie---kudos to everyone involved in this charming touching & delightful and very well wrought gem of a movie----i`ve seen this movie 4 times now showing it to different friends---enjoying it more and more each time- i swear!!!beautiful !!!!!!!! i'd like to see the same cast and direcors/producers do chekov's three sisters-- w renee as masha---- and the mother here as the brother's crazy wife who takes over the household--- anyway -- miss potter is golden as they say-----check it out now !! its rich !!

An Outstanding and Heart Warming Film.......2007-06-29

This is an excellent film with truly delightful characters. The most evil person in the film is not really evil -- just clueless. Rene Zellweger makes a great Potter and shows her to be ahead of her time as she opts for independence from male domination. Ewan McGregor does a good job in playing her shy suitor. This was a wonderful film that had no profanity, no nudiy, no explosions, no car crashes, and relied totally on the characters, who came across as realistic and believable. Watching Beatrix grow from a shy spinister into an independent woman in love with a man who loved her for herself was a treat to watch. True love grows by inches and this is what was shown here, so when the kiss came it was powerful and had meaning.

This is really not a guy's movie, but any guy who wants to get on the good side of girl should rent this movie because I think most women will relate to Beatrix and for the guys it is a lesson in how patience is better than haste when it comes to women. I liked the film -- my wife loved it!!

Renee Zellweger deserves 6 Stars as does the Movie!!!.......2007-06-28

Beautifully brought to life, not only the love and beauty of her characters, but of her life as well. Renee Zellweger is American, but she speaks the British accent so brilliantly as she did in Bridget Jones' Diary. It gave me the pleasure of focusing on her acting and how beautifully she does it too. So well written that I found myself there. This movie is being added to my library of everything English!!

Forrest Gump (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)

Average customer rating:

Forrest Gump a hero for our times
Forrest Gump
a spiritually and intellectually bankrupt enterprise
Forrest Gumpism
HANKS DOES IT AGAIN! GREAT FILM!

Forrest Gump (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)
Starring: Joe Alaskey , Sam Anderson , Geoffrey Blake , Charles Boswell , and Michael Burgess
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00003CXA2
Release Date: 2001-08-28

Amazon.com essential video

The Academy Award winner for Best Picture, Best Director Robert Zemeckis, and Best Actor Tom Hanks, this unlikely story of a slow-witted but good-hearted man somehow at the center of the pivotal events of the 20th century is a funny and heartwarming epic. Hanks plays the title character, a shy Southern boy in love with his childhood best friend (Robin Wright) who finds that his ability to run fast takes him places. As an All-Star football player he meets John F. Kennedy; as a soldier in Vietnam he's a war hero; and as a world champion Ping-Pong player he's hailed by Richard Nixon. Becoming a successful shrimp-boat captain, he still yearns for the love of his life, who takes a quite different and much sadder path in life. The visual effects incorporating Hanks into existing newsreel footage is both funny and impressive, but the heart of the film lies in its sweet love story and in the triumphant performance of Hanks as an unassuming soul who savors the most from his life and times. --Robert Lane

Customer Reviews:

Forrest Gump a hero for our times.......2007-06-28

Forrest Gump is a greatlook at the 60s and 70s. Tom Hanks is the most likable actor from his generation. Forrest Gump may seem dumb but he mostly makes sense. Forrest Gump has a good heart and guts, his life is a good full life. Forrest Gump is one of the best characters in movie history. This movie is everything its supposed to be.

Forrest Gump.......2007-06-27

It is one of the greatest movies than I've ever seen BUT it doesn't have spanish subtitles.

a spiritually and intellectually bankrupt enterprise.......2007-06-15

This movie celebrates one of the worst possible perspectives on life and does it by exploiting all of the good will and energy of music of the Woodstock generation. Think about it: Tom Hanks portrays a pure innocent who presumably is to be seen as an American Buddha -- detached from everything except pure love. Meanwhile, Robin Wright Penn is portrayed as an idiot because she invests herself in silly causes such as opposing the Vietnam War. We are manipulated into sympathizing with the figure who remains utterly detached from life instead of the figure who cares about the world around her.

Meanwhile, we are further manipulated by a soundtrack carefully assembled so as to have us associate all the good feelings and hopes connected to the songs with what we are watching: a phenomenal bit of film making that successfully transposes the audiences associations with the highest ideals of the sixties and seventies on a film that belittles commitments to those beliefs.

This is a truly insidious, reactionary piece of work. At the end of the movie, "Nashville," Robert Altman cleverly decries the ease by which an audience can be seduced into acquiescing to feel-good nihilism by having everyone leave the theater singing "You may say that I ain't free, it don't worry me." with gospel abandon. The raves that the movie Forest Gump got proves Altman's point.

No one can deny that this movie is a well made film with some sweet and wonderful performances. But, at its core, it is spiritually bankrupt. While it is not as powerful a film as "Triumph of the Will" and the "philosophy" it attempts to manipulate the audience into buying isn't as remotely evil as that of Leni R's patrons, it is nonetheless of that ilk -- a successful attempt to bypass the audience's frontal lobe.

Forrest Gumpism.......2007-05-13

My boys asked me for this. They loved it. It is on TV all of the time but they still wanted the video.

HANKS DOES IT AGAIN! GREAT FILM!.......2007-04-10

An engrossing story of a simple man. This movie covers so many facets of life that it just can't be summed up in a few sentences. If you haven't seen it, buy it now. The DVD is loaded with extras and has a nice transfer......what are you waiting for? You will not be disappointed.

Average customer rating:

Never Gets Old
Casablanca
buy it
From a professional
It's a Bogart and Bergman movie, how many stars would you have given it?

Casablanca
Starring: Humphrey Bogart , Ingrid Bergman , Paul Henreid , Claude Rains , and Conrad Veidt
Director: Michael Curtiz , and Scott Benson (II)
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: 6305736650
Release Date: 2000-02-15

Amazon.com essential video

A truly perfect movie, the 1942 Casablanca still wows viewers today, and for good reason. Its unique story of a love triangle set against terribly high stakes in the war against a monster is sophisticated instead of outlandish, intriguing instead of garish. Humphrey Bogart plays the allegedly apolitical club owner in unoccupied French territory that is nevertheless crawling with Nazis; Ingrid Bergman is the lover who mysteriously deserted him in Paris; and Paul Heinreid is her heroic, slightly bewildered husband. Claude Rains, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, and Conrad Veidt are among what may be the best supporting cast in the history of Hollywood films. This is certainly among the most spirited and ennobling movies ever made. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Never Gets Old.......2007-06-25

What can I say that hasn't been said before about this movie? For those few that have been living under a rock: Casablanca is about Rick a Cafe owner who "I don't stick my neck out for nobody" is his life's motto, and how this motto begins to wreck at him when his old flame (has Ingrid Bergman ever looked better?) comes back into his life.
The movie has it all: Suspence, romance, humor (in spades), and that song!
Watch it, just because it's a classic.

Casablanca.......2007-06-21

No film has embedded itself more firmly in the collective imagination than this captivating, still-unparalleled romance adventure, which epitomizes everything that Hollywood filmmaking--at its very best--strives to be. Was there ever a more unlikely yet perfect pairing than the radiant Bergman and the world-weary Bogart? Portraying the twilight of civilized society in a foreign place, and the rising menace of new world evils, director Curtiz masterfully juggles tragedy and humor, intrigue and action to tell a timeless story rich in personal and political detail. And what an indelible, heart-catching finale! "Casablanca" won Oscars for Best Picture, Director, and Screenplay, and continues to mesmerize on repeat viewings.

buy it.......2007-06-10

you must own this film

and never watch the colored version. ever.

From a professional.......2007-06-08

A look back to Quality and to great talent. I have a friend in the film.
Golden Days in all ways!

It's a Bogart and Bergman movie, how many stars would you have given it?.......2007-06-02

Casablanca, of course, doesn't require a review from me--the entire world knows about it. So I'll make this short and to the point.

PROS:

1. Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid and that darn French Captain Louis Renault (Claude Rains) star. That's two stars right there.

2. Some of the best writing Hollywood (we called it Hollywood in those days instead of Harletwood) ever produced. That's a star.

3. Some of the best music ever mastered for a movie--the world still remembers it a zillion years later. That's another star.

4. When you consider the idea is actually a simple love triangle during World War Two how could it have attained such greatness...well of course anyone who has ever seen it already knows, it was the writing, directing, acting, and music. Oh yes, Peter Lorre stars in it and several others you will reconize such as Sydney Greenstreet. I could go on and on about this movie, take it apart and tell about how great the writing, and acting are, but have you seen how many reviews this thing has? Besides, you all don't need this country boy to tell you about THIS movie. Moving along, that's a star right there, a really low end idea that came out 'great'. Proof once again, if you got the idea, writing, your actors can act, and your director can director, (and a fine song or two) nothing else really matters.

CONS:

1. There are no CONS: in this movie, I can suggest no updating, no changing of script, idea, directing, acting or anything to make it better. It's such a good thing Hollywood had a long list of actors to choose from--I don't think they could have pulled it off without them...I'm watching it again as I write this, that darn French Captain kind-a grows on you, and to think HE turns out to be a sentimentalist to!

I will add one last thing, Casablanca is not a popcorn movie like I usually watch (the old Science Fiction and monster movies). It can not be watched like a regular popcorn movie. No. It's script, acting, directing goes too far for such trival things as simple entertainment. You must listen to each word, study their body language, watch their eyes as you watch the movie. And just remember...this movie was filmed and I believe shown as Casablance was "actually" being invaded by the darkest shadow this world had faced in its' ten thousand years of recorded history...and they almost won.

If I weren't a Christian I would have said you need a shot of gin and a cigarrette...but I am, and most snack foods just don't do credit to this movie. You decide.

So there it is, rated as the second greatest movie ever made, and not one s--t, not one cuss or swear word, not one exploding head and almost no special effects. Casablanca can only be described one way and with one word...Art. Bye!

Average customer rating:

One of my top ten most romantic movies ever made!
Not Persuaded by the film
Didn't like at first .. but then I did.
Excellent film!
Superb

Persuasion (1995)
Starring: Amanda Root , Ciarán Hinds , Susan Fleetwood , Corin Redgrave , and Fiona Shaw
Director: Roger Michell
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00003JRCQ
Release Date: 2000-02-01

Amazon.com

Movie adaptations of Jane Austen's classic novels were all the rage (relatively speaking) in the mid-1990s. Clueless updated Austen's Emma, which was more conventionally adapted in another version (Emma) starring Gwyneth Paltrow. Emma was produced yet again, this time for British television, as were a celebrated miniseries of Pride and Prejudice and this splendid film of Austen's Persuasion. Persuasion is the story of a love that survives eight years of dormancy and the frustrating obstacles of class prejudice in 19th century England. Anne (Amanda Root) is captivated when she meets the dignified naval officer Capt. Wentworth (Ciarán Hinds), but she is advised to discourage his romantic overtures because he has no fortune. They meet again eight years later, but now Capt. Wentworth has become wealthy while Anne's father is in reduced circumstances in the wake of reckless extravagance. A series of circumstances ensue which prevent Anne and Wentworth from expressing their mutual and inevitable love. The film's success depends entirely on the subtle, superb performances of Root and Hinds. The film builds slowly, occasionally leaving you wondering if anything at all is going to happen. When it does, you realize how carefully crafted a film this is, and the final result is grandly rewarding. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

One of my top ten most romantic movies ever made!.......2007-06-22

This less-than-2-hour movie aired on PBS with a great intro by host Russell Baker. I still enjoy that VHS tape I made at the time, but its colors are dark and sometimes the dialog is hard to understand. Not having it on dvd is NOT an option for me. Luckily, it had been over a year since I last viewed this one, and it was better than ever, even better than the 1st time I saw it. Sometimes I see Captain Wentworth as mildly retarded, that he cannot see that Anne obviously has feelings for him. Then I remember he was thoroughly snubbed by her family as well as refused by her, so his hesitancy is understandable. In the 8 years that have elapsed since refusing him, Anne has found herself & her own voice, & is finally able to tell her well-meaning but patronizing friend, "That is not a thing that I want!" I am always so proud of her for going after what she does want, finally. The last few minutes of the film are some of the most romantic ever made.

My top ten: Pride & Prejudice (mini series with Colin Firth), 2)Persuasion, 3)Room With a View, 4)Casablanca, 5)Emma (Kate Beckinsale version), 6)My Foolish Heart, 7)The Terminator, 8)Doctor Zhivago ('65 version), 9)Best Years of Our Lives, 10)Will Penny. Ok, those last 5 shift around a bit sometimes, depending on which old movies I come across. Some of the traditionally favorite ones like GWTW, or Love Story -- there's more anguish than romance there, to me. What are your favorites? Always on the lookout for romantic moments on film. Hey, that could be another top ten, of your Top Ten Romantic Moments on film, which could be altogether a different list!

Not Persuaded by the film.......2007-05-30

Glad I read the book before watching the film. There were scenes from the book that could have been included to make the film story line flow better. The actors/actresses were not as believable and didn't seem to fit the descriptions in the book as well. This adaptation of "Persuasion" was not as good as Ang Lee's "Sense and Sensibility" (with Emma Thompson) nor Andrew Davies' "Pride and Prejudice" (with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle).
If you're not keen on owning this DVD, I'd borrow it from the local library, a friend, or NetFlix before spending money to buy it.

Didn't like at first .. but then I did........2007-05-04

I am a big Austin fan and have seen just about all of her movie adaptatons. At first I found this movie slow and pointless but about 1/2 way through I got excited to see how it would end. The ending makes good sense but could have been more detailed. The movie builds up antisipation and then ends ubruptly and leaves you saying what just happened. All and all this movie is worth seeing if you enjoy other Austin movies.

Excellent film!.......2007-04-26

This is one of my favorite movies. I saw it at the theater when it first came out and then I bought the book. The characters seem like real people that a person could meet.

Superb.......2007-04-18

This is one of the best of this genre, literary adaptations. Highly recommended, great cast especially Amada Root.

Average customer rating:

"What happens if a car comes?" "We die."
Awesome
The Notebook
My favorite movie!
Unforgettable Summer Romance

The Notebook (New Line Platinum Series)
Starring: Tim Ivey , Gena Rowlands , Starletta DuPois , James Garner , and Anthony-Michael Q. Thomas
Director: Nick Cassavetes
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000683VI4
Release Date: 2005-02-08

Amazon.com

When you consider that old-fashioned tearjerkers are an endangered species in Hollywood, a movie like The Notebook can be embraced without apology. Yes, it's syrupy sweet and clogged with clichés, and one can only marvel at the irony of Nick Cassavetes directing a weeper that his late father John--whose own films were devoid of saccharine sentiment--would have sneered at. Still, this touchingly impassioned and great-looking adaptation of the popular Nicholas Sparks novel has much to recommend, including appealing young costars (Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams) and appealing old costars (James Garner and Gena Rowlands, the director's mother) playing the same loving couple in (respectively) early 1940s and present-day North Carolina. He was poor, she was rich, and you can guess the rest; decades later, he's unabashedly devoted, and she's drifting into the memory-loss of senile dementia. How their love endured is the story preserved in the titular notebook that he reads to her in their twilight years. The movie's open to ridicule, but as a delicate tearjerker it works just fine. Message in a Bottle and A Walk to Remember were also based on Sparks novels, suggesting a triple-feature that hopeless romantics will cherish. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Behind every great love is a great story. Two teenagers from opposite sides of the tracks fall in love during one summer together, but are tragically forced apart. When they reunite 7 years later, their passionate romance is rekindled, forcing one of them to choose between true love and class order.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:2 Commentaries --Director Nick Cassavettes --Novelist Nicholas Sparks
DVD ROM Features
Deleted Scenes:12 Deleted Scenes
Documentaries:Nick Cassavetes Profile Featurette Author Nicholas Sparks Featurette Locating "The Notebook" Featurette Casting Noah and Allie featurette
Other:Widescreen & Fullscreen versions on one disc Rachel McAdams Screen Test
Theatrical Trailer

Customer Reviews:

"What happens if a car comes?" "We die.".......2007-07-02

A must have! This is by far one of the best movies I've ever watched. After witnessing a few scenes from this movie I just had to go out and buy it and I don't regret it!

"The Notebook" breaks away from the typical kind of chick flick and adds a touch of humor. The movie adds more focus to the character's first Summer together, unlike the book which I found to be quite a snoozer. Also, the character's personalities seems more realistic and have more depth to them as you will discover during their heated arguements. Noah's personality is so dreamy and you can't help but fall in love with him over and over again.

I found many differences between the book and movie, but I won't spoil it for you if you haven't seen either. :3 This movie definately allows you to take a step back and appreciate the relationship you have with your loved one.

Awesome.......2007-06-27

Excellent movie ! A wonderful story about soul mates, soul mates for life. It will bring tears of happiness and sadness. Definitely a feel good movie.

The Notebook.......2007-06-27

I rented this and decided it was one I could enjoy again and again
I figured the story right away which was good as it made it more enjoyable

My favorite movie!.......2007-06-22

I'm glad I finally got to buy this movie, it is one of my favorites. If you want to know what love could do to somebody and how powerful can be just watch this movie and you'll see what love is all about...

Just to let you know make sure you have a box of tissue handy, or maybe two haha!

Unforgettable Summer Romance.......2007-05-31

`The Notebook' is a sweet romance with a compelling story. The appeal easily develops with freewheeling dating scenes and revelations which unfold lovers sorting out priorities that hit so close to home. A bitter-sweet romance, the film is a beautiful tale of two sweethearts who come from completely different backgrounds but live in the same Southern town during the early forties.

Noah (Ryan Gosling) is from a dirt poor family and works as a logger for forty cents an hour. Allie (Rachel McAdams) belongs to the Southern aristocracy. She has private tutors for every class and most of her whims satisfied. It is love at first sight for Noah who spots Allie at a carnival and jumps between her and her chosen date from the platform of a Ferris wheel. Once he has her attention, he threatens to let go and fall to the pavement if she won't agree to date him. From there his colorful presence challenges every route she's ever known. They each bring a measure of deep beauty to each other: He recites poetry, and she creates paintings. All the oddball adventure he presents from lying down in the middle of a street to dare the traffic, letting go in a torrential rainstorm, to dancing in the street provide those defining moments that demonstrate how strangely people act when they are in love. As the summer ends their lives are disrupted: She is forced to go to Sarah Lawrence College in New York, and soon later he is drafted to fight in Europe during World War II. They split ways and find different lovers, but their relationship is truncated, especially when Allie's manipulative mother (Joan Allen) intercepts Noah's letters that are meant for her.

`The Notebook' is told from the point-of-view of "Duke" (James Garner) who reads the story of Noah and Allie to a beloved nursing home resident (Gena Rowlands) suffering from dementia. I kept thinking as they sit on a park bench in one scene that the story is retold in a manner not entirely different from 'Forrest Gump'. Duke narrates the story, and we come back to him and the woman until the two stories meet and have meaning.

Besides solid, absorbing performances by Gosling and McAdams, Garner softens the edge of the story as narrator, and Allen and Rowlands are easily captivating as Allie's complex and emotional mother and the elderly dementia patient. 'The Notebook' is a pleasing old-fashioned movie that easily plays on our heartstrings and provides a very satisfying viewing experience. (Based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks)

Average customer rating:

Loved Love Actually...
Previews: Be Warned
I actually love LOVE ACTUALLY
The best!
Wonderful movie!

Love Actually (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor , Colin Firth , Gregor Fisher , Martin Freeman (II) , and Jill Freud
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
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Love Actually
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ASIN: B00005JMFQ
Release Date: 2004-04-27

Amazon.com

With no fewer than eight couples vying for our attention, Love Actually is like the Boston Marathon of romantic comedies, and everybody wins. Having mastered the genre as the writer of Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, and Bridget Jones's Diary, it appears that first-time director Richard Curtis is just like his screenplays: He just wants to be loved, and he'll go to absurdly appealing lengths to win our affection. With Love Actually, Curtis orchestrates a minor miracle of romantic choreography, guiding a brilliant cast of stars and newcomers as they careen toward love and holiday cheer in London, among them the Prime Minister (Hugh Grant) who's smitten with his caterer; a widower (Liam Neeson) whose young son nurses the ultimate schoolboy crush; a writer (Colin Firth) who falls for his Portuguese housekeeper; a devoted wife and mother (Emma Thompson) coping with her potentially unfaithful husband (Alan Rickman); and a lovelorn American (Laura Linney) who's desperately attracted to a colleague. There's more--too much more--as Curtis wraps his Christmas gift with enough happy endings to sweeten a dozen other movies. That he pulls it off so entertainingly is undeniably impressive; that he does it so shamelessly suggests that his writing fares better with other, less ingratiating directors. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description

"Get ready for fun!" (Leah Rozen, People) with the "feel good movie of the year!" (Clay Smith, Access Hollywood) Love Actually is the ultimate romantic comedy from the makers of Bridget Jones's Diary and Notting Hill. Funny, irresistible and heartwarming, an all-star cast (Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth and Emma Thompson, to name a few!) will take you on a breathtaking tour of love's delightful twists and turns. Fall under the spell of Love Actually and share the laughs and charm again and again.

System Requirements:

Running Time 135 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

Loved Love Actually..........2007-06-19

This is a VERY good movie! The music is good, the movie is good, the cast it good...

It is definitely a MUST see... you'll be glad you did!!

Previews: Be Warned.......2007-06-18

Ten minutes or more of previews, and the viewer is "prohibited" from fast-forwarding, even though the option to do so is stated on the disk. Who makes these decisions? I would not have bought the disk had I known.

I actually love LOVE ACTUALLY.......2007-06-17

What is not to love about this movie? I am a huge Hugh Grant fan. His charming, self-depreciating humor, mixed with his accent is always a win for me, I honestly did not know he was in it when I saw this movie by accident the first time. Love Actually is a story with a lot of moving parts. There are about 8 different stories going on at once, different types of love, of love stories....siblings taking care of one another, new love, infedility, unrequited love, loss of a spouse, first love....and all the stories are intertwined in a perfect quilt of a story. It won't lose you though....don't worry about that. It's easy to watch, and funny, and true. The cast is amazing, Hugh Grant, Collin Firth, Keira Knightley, and more. They way people relate to each other is odd, true and striking, and it just seems to resonate the love people feel for each other above anything else. Love actually is....all around.
Besides, who doesn't like to see cute Hugh Grant shaking his tail to the 80's hit " Jump"?

CAUTION- there are some partly nude scenes in here. I've had some friends tell me they let their kids watch not realizing. It's otherwise a great movie, it's a shame for the nude scenes because it's otherwise a good movie for the family. But, the nature of the nudity is pretty funny...just probably not the best thing for young viewers.

The best!.......2007-06-16

I could watch this movie over and over and over and never tire of it. I catch more bits every time I see it and it never ceases to touch me or make me laugh even though I can do the dialogue with the actors by now.
Highly recommended!

Wonderful movie!.......2007-06-13

I did not like this movie the first time I saw it. I watched it a second time at a friend's house and decided to buy it. It is a quirky, funny, and enjoyable movie. Sometimes, it is fun to cheese out and enjoy a silly movie.
Amazon delivered it promptly with no problems.

Titanic (Three-Disc Special Collector's Edition)

Average customer rating:

Mixed reactions....
Great DVD for Filmakers
How was this such a high grossing movie?
Titanic (3-Disc Special Collector's Edition)
A GREAT FILM THAT LIVES UP TO THE HYPE AND A WORTHY DVD TREATMENT

Titanic (Three-Disc Special Collector's Edition)
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio , and Kate Winslet
Director: James Cameron
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Batman Begins [HD DVD]

ASIN: B000ANVQ0K
Release Date: 2005-10-25

Amazon.com essential video

When the theatrical release of James Cameron's Titanic was delayed from July to December of 1997, media pundits speculated that Cameron's $200-million disaster epic would cause the director's downfall, signal the end of the blockbuster era, and sink Paramount Pictures as quickly as the ill-fated luxury liner had sunk on that fateful night of April 14, 1912. Titanic would surpass the $1-billion mark in global box-office receipts, win 11 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Director, launch the best-selling movie soundtrack of all time, and make a global superstar of Leonardo DiCaprio. A bona fide pop-cultural phenomenon, the film has all the ingredients of a blockbuster (romance, passion, luxury, grand scale, a snidely villain, and an epic, life-threatening crisis), but Cameron's alchemy of these ingredients proved more popular than anyone could have predicted. His stroke of genius was to combine absolute authenticity with a pair of fictional lovers whose tragic fate would draw viewers into the heart-wrenching reality of the Titanic disaster. As starving artist Jack Dawson and soon-to-be-married socialite Rose DeWitt Bukater, DiCaprio and Kate Winslet won the hearts of viewers around the world, and their brief, but never forgotten, love affair provides the humanity that Cameron needed to turn Titanic into a moving emotional experience. Although some of the computer-generated visual effects look artificial, others--such as the climactic splitting of the ship's sinking hull--are state-of-the-art marvels of cinematic ingenuity. It's an event film and a monument to Cameron's risk-taking audacity, blending the tragic irony of the Titanic disaster with just enough narrative invention to give the historical event its fullest and most timeless dramatic impact. --Jeff Shannon

DVD features
Perhaps James Cameron wasn't ready to dish in 1999 when his mega-hit debuted on DVD with nary an extra (no, we don't count the trailer). Now in 2005, Cameron and his magicians dish on the cutting-edge effects and the craft of the movie. The heart of the extras are over 45 minutes of deleted scenes fans will fawn over, including some dealing with historical backstory (including a scene on the nearby ship California), a great kiss between Jack and Rose, and an extended suspense scene (listen to Cameron's commentary on that one). Happily, the alternate ending was not used (no, Jack doesn't live). The sound has been upgraded (including a DTS 6.1 ES track), the color palate is richer (the interiors glow more), and the picture is anamorphically enhanced for widescreen televisions, although the film is now split onto two discs.

The three-disc set has an abundance of materials; the galleries, for example, contain 628 on-set photos, 447 personal photos from the cinematographer, 532 storyboard sketches, 148 technical drawings, and even a 72-page bibliography. The features on the sets and effects offer some great tidbits, many dealing how everything had to be made versus rented since most items were going to be destroyed on camera.

Cameron is pictured on the box art and his stamp is all over the DVD set. He narrates the deep dive footage, you can read his original "scriptment" (if you want to read though 492 page clicks; some of these extras would have been better on a CD-ROM), and his commentary track is so complete, he covers most of the items the historical experts offer on their own track (they get too caught up in the film to muster more interesting facts). He offers only one apology for a factual "guess" and clears up that "king of the world" riff at the Oscars. The third commentary with most of the key members of the cast and crew is worth a listen but, alas, Leonardo DiCaprio does not contribute to this or any other new feature. Other must-sees: a time-lapse short on the creation of the boat set, and the first-half of a salute to the staff that works as a blooper reel. One caveat: there's a four-disc Region 2 version available in Europe with parodies and other extras, but no one is offering an official reason why it's not offered in the States. --Doug Thomas

Description

Leonardo DiCaprio and Oscar-nominee Kate Winslet light up the screen as Jack and Rose, the young lovers who find one another on the maiden voyage of the "unsinkable" R.M.S. Titanic. But when the doomed luxury liner collides with an iceberg in the frigid North Atlantic, their passionate love affair becomes a thrilling race for survival. From acclaimed filmmaker James Cameron comes a tale of forbidden love and courage in the face of disaster that triumphs as a true cinematic masterpiece.

Customer Reviews:

Mixed reactions...........2007-06-30

I have mixed feelings about this film. It has great moments, a genuinely tragic true story, really lame dialogue, an unbelievable sentimental (though effective) "romance", and there are some factual errors in the film (which is not good considering James Cameron bragged about its authenticity). Yet, this film is remarkable in so many ways.

Titanic, by all accounts, should have been a box office disaster. It has many things that the "experts" say will kill your film. First, it's 194 minutes long. Second, it has no stars (Leo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet were not big stars when this was released). Third, it's depressing (the boat sinks...SPOILER). Fourth, it's predictable (the boat sinks...it's a true story). Fifth, it was a troubled production that had its release date postponed due to cost overruns. Yet, it is the biggest box office hit of all time. The look of the film is sumptuous, with great production design, gorgeous cinematography, and excellent acting (for the most part). Tecnhincally, the film is flawless (Cameron is known for his technological prowess). As much as I like DiCaprio, I think he's a bit uncomfortable playing a role like this, but he is still believable. Winslet is superb. One of the best things about the film is how Cameron contrasts the upper deck snobs with the lower deck "lower classes", and how the lower classes are much more human and real than the snotty upper classes are. Themes like that were not in great abundance in the 1990's. There are moments of pure poetry and sadness, especially with the musicians playing on board as the boat goes down.

However, the romance between Winslet and DiCaprio is hokey and detracts from the film a bit. The film also makes a glaring omission that there was a nearby ship that ignored the flares and the calls from the Titanic. I found this out in the film A Night to Remember, which was far more meticulous about the actual sinking and the reasons behind it. This film was more about the romance between Winslet and DiCaprio. There is an awful lot of really bad dialogue here, which also detracts. Interestingly enough, the only main categories this film didn't get nominated in was screenplay (which Cameron, rather pigheadedly, complained about), and best actor (which DiCaprio didn't show up at the Oscars, which caused some controversy, unwarranted in my opinion).

In conclusion, this is a pretty good film that should be seen. James Cameron made a film that defied all expectations, and won a bunch of Oscars for it. To date, he hasn't directed a feature film (10 years and counting), and he may never do it again. This film took a lot out of him, like Fitzcarraldo and Apocalypse Now did out of Herzog and Coppola (although those films are superior to Titanic).

Great DVD for Filmakers.......2007-06-28

I saw this movie back in December of 97. I had knowledge of the Titanic and I asked myself 'Do we really need another movie about this subject? James Cameron did a remarkable job and I loved this movie. The 3 disc DVD-let me suggest that any budding filmmaker rather young, in between or old should purchase this DVD. Cameron gives great insight on how to make a movie. The precise and intricate planning,his great writing.His technical expertise and great cinematography. A hands on director no doubt. He can do it all. He is a well educated and intelligent man that knows how to work. Unlike alot of them these days who got their big positions based on who they were related to. Filmakers should pay close attention to his subject on pacing, as a writer myself, the advice on this technique is still the same. I learned quite a bit.

Thank You James Cameron for this fantastic DVD.

Pamela

How was this such a high grossing movie?.......2007-06-10

This movie sucked. Too sentimental for one thing.

Titanic (3-Disc Special Collector's Edition).......2007-05-25

I love this movie. Watching the deleted footage is great. Was intrigued about the alternate ending. I am so glad they didn't use it.

A GREAT FILM THAT LIVES UP TO THE HYPE AND A WORTHY DVD TREATMENT.......2007-05-13

I was one of many who did not run to theaters to see this film when released. I didn't want to spend over three hours watching a film I knew the ending to. I have since built a state of the art theater in my home with a 10 foot screen. This movies lives up to the hype and is a fine example of how to tell a story. A long movie that doesn't feel that long with exceptional cast,script and FX. Well worth buying the special edition DVD.

To Kill a Mockingbird (Universal Legacy Series)

Average customer rating:

WARNING TO DEAF & HEARING-IMPAIRED PEOPLE...
One Fantastic Flick
Ban both book and movie from all schools
Excellent DVD and appropriate additional features
What more can be said?

To Kill a Mockingbird (Universal Legacy Series)
Starring: Gregory Peck , John Megna , Frank Overton , Rosemary Murphy , and Ruth White (II)
Director: Robert Mulligan
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
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To Kill a Mockingbird

ASIN: B0009X7664
Release Date: 2005-09-06

Product Description

A true motion picture masterpiece, To Kill A Mockingbird is the acclaimed film version of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee. Gregory Peck's brilliant, Oscar-caliber performance captures the emotion and conflict of racism, set against the backdrop of Depression-era America. Peck stars as attorney Atticus Finch, a distinguished lawyer in a small Southern town who chooses to defend a black man wrongly accused of raping a white woman. His compassion and courage in the face of the town's unjust rage win him the admiration of his two young children, while setting the stage for a riveting, unforgettable drama.

System Requirements:
Starring: Gregory Peck
Directed By: Robert Mulligan
Running Time: 130 Min.
Copyright Universal Studios Home Entertainment 2005

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com essential video

Ranked 34 on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 Greatest American Films, To Kill a Mockingbird is quite simply one of the finest family-oriented dramas ever made. A beautiful and deeply affecting adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee, the film retains a timeless quality that transcends its historically dated subject matter (racism in the Depression-era South) and remains powerfully resonant in present-day America with its advocacy of tolerance, justice, integrity, and loving, responsible parenthood. It's tempting to call this an important "message" movie that should be required viewing for children and adults alike, but this riveting courtroom drama is anything but stodgy or pedantic. As Atticus Finch, the small-town Alabama lawyer and widower father of two, Gregory Peck gives one of his finest performances with his impassioned defense of a black man (Brock Peters) wrongfully accused of the rape and assault of a young white woman. While his children, Scout (Mary Badham) and Jem (Philip Alford), learn the realities of racial prejudice and irrational hatred, they also learn to overcome their fear of the unknown as personified by their mysterious, mostly unseen neighbor Boo Radley (Robert Duvall, in his brilliant, almost completely nonverbal screen debut). What emerges from this evocative, exquisitely filmed drama is a pure distillation of the themes of Harper Lee's enduring novel, a showcase for some of the finest American acting ever assembled in one film, and a rare quality of humanitarian artistry (including Horton Foote's splendid screenplay and Elmer Bernstein's outstanding score) that seems all but lost in the chaotic morass of modern cinema. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

WARNING TO DEAF & HEARING-IMPAIRED PEOPLE..........2007-06-23

AS A DEAF FAMILY, WE LOOK FORWARD TO WATCHING MOVIES, BUT THEY MUST BE CAPTIONED (OR HAVE ENGLISH SUBTITLES). WE RENTED THIS DVD FROM NETFLIX. SURPRISINGLY, THIS CLASSIC WAS NOT CAPTIONED. THAT WAS THE DISAPPOINTMENT. WE ATTEMPED TO WATCH IT ANYWAY, BUT REALLY HAD ONLY A SMALL IDEA OF WHAT WAS GOING ON. IT'S DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND WHY THIS GREAT FILM CLASSIC WASN'T CAPTIONED. THANK GOODNESS THAT NETFLIX IS GIVING US CREDIT TOWARD A DIFFERENT MOVIE. I GAVE IT 5 STARS ONLY BECAUSE THE MAJORITY OF OTHERS LIKED THE FILM SO MUCH AND I DON'T WANT TO APPEAR NEGATIVE ABT THE FILM, CAUSE IT WOULDN'T BE FAIR TO DO SO.

One Fantastic Flick.......2007-06-19

This has got to me, in my opinion, the best movie ever made. It takes me back to my childhood. It's poignant, hard-hitting, real and inevitably sad. Life used to be like this.

Ban both book and movie from all schools.......2007-06-16

Why ban them? Then, we might be spared what is possibly the most infantile, ignorant and uninformed collection of negative reviews present on Amazon.

I originally intended to post a review a few weeks ago after I had viewed it on cable, but for some reason I decided to read the negative views (both book and movie) to see why in the world anyone could condemn either. Afterwards, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I decided to laugh, but with an undertone of sadness.

A few examples of the absurd negative comments follow (with my own comments in parenthesis):

"Every copy of this book should be burned and never allowed to be read again." (Ah, the sweet smell of scorched paper around the bonfires. Armbands optional?)

"Yuk! Try to avoid reading this book as much as possible. . . . [I]t is confusing . . . and there is too much information given at one time." (You had me at "Yuk!")

"Thanks to all my friendswho had to tourchure threw reading this disgrace and supporting me in not likeing the book. By the way, DO NOT BUY, because if i find it in your house i won't think to kindly of you." (I tremble in terror and weep in shame at what you would think of my bookshelves.)

"Talk about a bad movie i would only buy it if someone paid me twice it's value to." (I don't think this is what was meant by the "new math.")

And, my favorite: "Do not watch, do not read ... stay ignorant of Harper Lee." (I suspect, young reader, that you have succeeded far beyond Harper Lee.)

Sorry to review the reviews, but now I actually have something serious to say about the movie and book.

Years before the publication of Harper Lee's novel, there was a trial in a small southern Mississippi town in 1945. A black man named Willie McGee was accused of the rape of a white woman. The circumstantial evidence pointed strongly to the possibility that the relationship was forced by the woman. Just as in "To Kill a Mockingbird," such a relationship at the time could not - would not - be tolerated. The case attracted national attention at the time, and after a prolonged series of appeals (spearheaded by former New York Congresswoman, Bella Abzug), a public execution was staged, which was no more than a legally sanctioned lynching. The state's portable electric chair was installed in the courthouse, which was filled to standing room only. Outside spectators climbed trees to gain a look at the execution through the opened windows. (A white Mississippi attorney, Dixon Pyles, also took part in the defense, so Atticus Finch is not without a foundation in fact.)

The Scottsboro trials have been cited as the main inspiration for Lee's novel, but I've often wondered if the McGee trial might not also have played a role. But it really doesn't matter. Fiction is often more suited to tell the truth than history. And the truth is that although many people in the South knew Jim Crow laws and lynchings were wrong, they also knew that if you were vocal about it, you could lose your job - or your life, which is what makes the portrait of Atticus Finch a true profile in courage, a Southern Gothic version of Sir Thomas Moore in "A Man For All Seasons."

But beyond the racial themes, both the book and the movie weave a gentle tapestry of what life in the South was like before air-conditioning, where games were things to be played outdoors rather than in front of computers, a discarded tire was an endlessly renewable resource for entertainment and summers seemed to last forever. (I've lived what I'm talking about.)

What saddens me about the negative reviews such as I quoted above is not their ignorance, but the lack of curiosity they display about our nation's history. I do, however, fervently hope that the young reviewer who urged the burning of all copies of the book is oblivious of the historical events he or she evoked and will someday realize the horror of what such comments endorse.

Ten stars if I could.

Excellent DVD and appropriate additional features.......2007-06-13

This DVD provides clear images and speech. In addition to the complete motion picture, there are a question and answer session by Gregory Peck (Atticus Finch), an interview with the adult Mary Badham (Scout Finch), and other offerings.

What more can be said?.......2007-05-26

What can really be written about this wonderful film that hasn't already been said since its release on December 25th 1962?

One can write that this has to be one of Gregory Peck's greatest performances portraying the memorable Atticus Finch with such believability that Peck attempted time and again to shed "Atticus" as an actor, even as an established one for twenty years, asking for "villain" roles and being turned down until The Boys From Brazil, Atticus Finch was a role made for Gregory Peck as the actor can play the sensitive, caring man of integrity with utter ease and did so for several films following To Kill a Mockingbird, such as "Behold a Pale Horse" (1964) "Mirage" (1965) and "Arabesque" (1966).

Harper Lee's novel addresses many issues for its time including racism and entrenched prejudice against the black American in the deep south before and during The Great Depression and after...as an audience of the film, we are exposed to the necessity of pursuing virtue as human beings and what it really means and how important it is to have basic good manners in one's life; what it means to reach for and practice goodness and have core beliefs and in the end, standing firm by those beliefs against overwhelming opposition. The film also shows us the need to walk a mile in another person's shoes before making any judgements on them, or as Atticus says to Scout... "Until you step inside their skin and walk around a little..."

The magnificent performance of Mary Badham as the irrepressible Scout won her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress only to miss out to Patty Duke in her stunning role in The Miracle Worker Considering both performances, Duke and Badham (both children) should have won a Joint Oscar as both were absolutely magnificent in their respective roles.

When the Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee was published, a somewhat recent bio of the author, Lee was asked about the character, Atticus Finch, and was he based on her actual attorney father, she said that Atticus of course was based on her father, but she embellished and added, creating a new character, a father and man she believed would be the ideal father & human being living under the circumstances presented in the novel.

Despite this film opening forty years ago, the story and performances continue to be a model for present day filmmaking...beginning with a great story, a well adapted screenplay, a director who loves the project thus all in the crew give 100%, and the same basic example of virtue and integrity communicated in the novel and adapted for the screen: compassion, kindness, courage, respect and love.

Truly one of the all time great films of the twentieth century...something to show the children, something to learn.

A Bright 5 Stars.

Good Will Hunting (Miramax Collector's Series)

Average customer rating:

More Like Great Will Hunting
Could've been better with different cast
Among the Best Films EVER.
Not very realistic, but very idealistic
WOW DANG ONE OF THE BEST TV DVD-MOVE FOR SHORE EVER DONE

Good Will Hunting (Miramax Collector's Series)
Starring: Robin Williams , Matt Damon , Ben Affleck , Stellan Skarsgård , and Minnie Driver
Director: Gus Van Sant
Manufacturer: Miramax
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 6305216088
Release Date: 1998-12-08

Amazon.com essential video

Robin Williams won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, and actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck nabbed one for Best Original Screenplay, but the feel-good hit Good Will Hunting triumphs because of its gifted director, Gus Van Sant. The unconventional director (My Own Private Idaho, Drugstore Cowboy) saves a script marred by vanity and clunky character development by yanking soulful, touching performances out of his entire cast (amazingly, even one by Williams that's relatively schtick-free). Van Sant pulls off the equivalent of what George Cukor accomplished for women's melodrama in the '30s and '40s: He's crafted an intelligent, unabashedly emotional male weepie about men trying to find inner-wisdom.

Matt Damon stars as Will Hunting, a closet math genius who ignores his gift in favor of nightly boozing and fighting with South Boston buddies (co-writer Ben Affleck among them). While working as a university janitor, he solves an impossible calculus problem scribbled on a hallway blackboard and reluctantly becomes the prodigy of an arrogant MIT professor (Stellan Skarsgård). Damon only avoids prison by agreeing to see psychiatrists, all of whom he mocks or psychologically destroys until he meets his match in the professor's former childhood friend, played by Williams. Both doctor and patient are haunted by the past, and as mutual respect develops, the healing process begins. The film's beauty lies not with grand climaxes, but with small, quiet moments. Scenes such as Affleck's clumsy pep talk to Damon while they drink beer after work, or any number of therapy session between Williams and Damon offer poignant looks at the awkward ways men show affection and feeling for one another. --Dave McCoy

Description

A true motion picture phenomenon, this triumphant story was nominated for 9 Academy Awards(R) -- winning Oscars for Robin Williams (Best Supporting Actor) and hot newcomers Matt Damon and Ben Affleck (Best Original Screenplay). The most brilliant mind at America's top university isn't a student ... he's the kid who cleans the floors! Will Hunting (Damon) is a headstrong, working-class genius who's failing the lessons of life. After one too many run-ins with the law, Will's last chance is a psychology professor (Williams), who might be the only man who can reach him! With acclaimed performances from Academy Award(R)-nominee Minnie Driver (GROSSE POINTE BLANK) and Ben Affleck (ARMAGEDDON) -- you'll find GOOD WILL HUNTING a powerful and unforgettable movie experience!

Customer Reviews:

More Like Great Will Hunting.......2007-07-04

This movie is by far the best Matt Damon or Ben Affleck movie I have ever seen. It's a touching story of a twenty something kid who wasn't raised with a lot and he turns out to be a math genius. Excellent movie.

Could've been better with different cast.......2007-05-30

Movies can be placed, you could say, into 3 categories:

1. Movies to be seen in a theater or owned on DVD
2. Movies to rent
3. Movies to ignore

This one, for me, falls into the second category. Who would believe Matt Damon is some blue collar genius? Damon is not a good actor in my opinion. Ben Affleck is worse. Robin Williams is obnoxious. This film used the wrong actors.

Among the Best Films EVER........2007-05-21

One of the most affecting movies in my life I've ever seen. This movie is an example of why movies can be good, why they can change you're life. One of my favorite quote's from the movie is: "You're sitting on the winning lottery ticket and your too afraid to cash it in." Not only one of my all time favorite films but Elliot Smith who's music they used PERFECTLT for the film is one of my favorite artists. Do yourself a favor and see this film.

Not very realistic, but very idealistic.......2007-05-19

Somebodies and Nobodies: Overcoming the Abuse of Rank
Not many people can ever say that they have been in any kind of situation like that of
Will Hunting and the Field's Medalist , let alone that of a psychologist faced with
helping a scared by society genius. One thing is important here:
no professor that I have ever met is going to put himself out
for someone not in his elite class. Such behavior in our society is taboo.
He would be endangering his own position in society
and such men don't get to that high a point by not playing the social games very seriously.
The closest that anyone came to this level of idealism and selflessness in history is Dr. Hardy
in his mentorship of Ramanujan.

WOW DANG ONE OF THE BEST TV DVD-MOVE FOR SHORE EVER DONE.......2007-05-08

NOW I COULD EASYLY SAY THIS WILL GO DOWN AS ONE OF THE GRATEST MOVE EVER MADE IN THE WORLD THAT IS SO FOR SHORE & THAT IS PUTTING IT LIGHTLY

Sleepless in Seattle (10th Anniversary Edition)

Average customer rating:

What is last line spoken by Meg Ryan?
Wonderful
What I think about Sleepless in Seattle
Feel Good Movie!
Outstanding Romantic Fantasy

Sleepless in Seattle (10th Anniversary Edition)
Starring: Tom Hanks , Meg Ryan , Bill Pullman , Ross Malinger , and Rosie O'Donnell
Director: Nora Ephron
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B0000AOV4I
Release Date: 2003-10-07

Customer Reviews:

What is last line spoken by Meg Ryan?.......2007-07-01

Also one of my favorite movies. This classic is shown at least once a month on one or another of my cable channels. I am particularly impressed with the way the music moves the story along as it reaches its conclusion. I'm still trying to get the last line--spoken by Meg Ryan just before the elevator doors close and the credits begin. Can anyone tell me what she says to Sam and/or Jonah. Thank you for your assistance. Mary McCue

Wonderful.......2007-06-16

This is a classic film, full of romance and yet the 2 main characters are almost never together...great job!

What I think about Sleepless in Seattle.......2007-05-18

This was supposedly a little known film that made a big impact on me and the general product. Anthing with Tom Hanks is usally a good bet it's going to be good, plus add in Meg Ryan and it's going to be a winner. I realy enjoyed this movie

Feel Good Movie!.......2007-03-18

This is such a feel good movie. It makes you believe in "Love At First Sight" or Love at first touch. This is a movie I watch over and over again. When I am sad and want to be lifted up. When I want to believe in love. There is a line in the movie that goes something like this, "it was like coming home, but not to any home I have ever know before". That's what you want to believe love is, like coming home.

Outstanding Romantic Fantasy.......2007-02-07

I dislike most chick flicks, so I wondered why I found Sleepless in Seattle (SIS) so entertaining and emotionally satisfying. I concluded that it succeeds for me primarily as a fantasy. My remarks here focus on that aspect of the movie and ignore its other strengths, notably its witty screenplay and the outstanding acting, by both youngsters and old pros.

For me, a good fantasy, in a movie or in a book, does at least two key things. (1) It uses a fantasy environment to strip away distractions from underlying truths that are basically important and emotionally resonant but that are so simple that they seem trite when considered more baldly. (2) It provides characters with whom one can easily and enjoyably identify because they act -- within the unrealistic fantasy environment -- in ways that are very plausible, human, and appealing. The actions of these characters may be more admirable than the viewer or reader typically aspires to in everyday life, but they do not reach the point of being unrealistic (like the fantasy environment) and unbelievable.

To illustrate my first criterion for a good fantasy, consider the subgenre of heroic fantasy, where the defining underlying truth is that some battles are worth fighting, and some causes are worth risking one's life for. In a typical non-fantasy story about WWII, it is not entirely satisfying to realize that one is being induced to forget that many of the German or Japanese soldiers that are being mowed down would have lived entirely decent lives if the war had not occurred. On the other hand, in the fantasy environment of Lord of the Rings (LOTR), one is much less distracted by such issues when orcs and Uruk-hai are being mowed down. The empathetic consideration of bravery thereby becomes more powerful and satisfying. (Tolkien's books take a few moments to wonder about the family lives of orcs, but those moments are fleeting.)

Considering SIS as a fantasy, the most important underlying simple truth for me -- admittedly trite -- is that there is an important element of chance and luck in finding a more compatible partner, not to mention one that is more universally desirable.

Key elements of the SIS fantasy environment are more exaggerations than the kind of pure contrivance commonly employed in heroic fantasy: (1) Compatibility with a partner ideally exceeds a recognizable threshold beyond which it becomes "magical," and prospective long-run satisfaction from the relationship takes a quantum leap. (2) A few minutes of overheard phone conversation or a few seconds of direct observation are sufficient to identify a potential soul mate with high probability of success. (3) Certain gifted preadolescents can be extremely mature and perceptive in identifying promising and unpromising potential soul mates for adults.

From very limited examination of chick flicks, my impression is that most do not work as fantasy because they do not partition unrealistic plot elements into a fantasy environment. Instead, lack of realism pervades the plot and the behavior of the lead characters. The behavior of the lead characters is often made even less appealing because they are overwrought and self-absorbed.

In two-world heroic fantasies such as Chronicles of Narnia, the heroes typically have great initial skepticism about the fantasy world they have encountered, which serves generally to reinforce the realism of the heroes' personal behavior and particularly to reinforce the partitioning off of the fantasy environment. In SIS, protagonists Annie and Sam do something similar. Moreover, they do it with entertaining humor, which is even better.

Many professional movie reviewers liked SIS but seemed to be embarrassed to admit it and seemed compelled to express reservations. Considering SIS as a fantasy, their reservations tend to become insignificant or irrelevant. A typical criticism was that the plot was contrived and gimmicky -- a stunt. However, saying that the fantasy elements of the SIS plot are contrived is akin to criticizing LOTR because there is no such thing as a ring of power that can make its wearer invisible. The observation is literally correct but, for the cooperative viewer or reader, fundamentally irrelevant. Another typical reservation from the pros was that the proceedings of SIS are entirely feather-light and ephemeral. However, for me at least, a light touch is exactly what best serves the underlying simple truth that this fantasy is considering.

SIS particularly resonates for me because I have been lucky enough to find a wife who puts up with me much better than I deserve, despite idiosyncrasies that are more reminiscent of Walter than of Sam Baldwin. In fact, I am writing this commentary primarily for Valentine's Day 2007. I will be including a copy, with this concluding paragraph highlighted, in my card.

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