The Fence

Starring:Freddy RodrÃguez, Stacy Logan, Ann Jacques, Billy Wirth, Jim Foley, Paul Benjamin, Marc Alaimo, John Hicks Pearce, David Razowsky, Clifton Williams, Dev Kennedy, Bill McGough, Neil Flynn, Peter Fontana, Victor Cole, Raynor Scheine, Richard Wharton, Lorenzo Clemons, Bernard Mixon, Twinkle Toes
Director: Peter Pistor
Studio: Image Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Based on a true story, Rabbit-Proof Fence moves with dignified grace from its joyful opening scenes to a conclusion that's moving beyond words. The title refers to a 1,500-mile fence separating outback desert from the farmlands of Western Australia. It is here, in 1931, that three aboriginal girls are separated from their mothers and transported to a distant training school, where they are prepared for assimilation into white society by a racist government policy. Gracie, Daisy, and Molly belong to Australia's "stolen generations," and this riveting film (based on the book by Molly's daughter, Doris Pilkington Garimara) follows their escape and tenacious journey homeward, while a stubborn policy enforcer (Kenneth Branagh) demands their recapture. Director Phillip Noyce chronicles their ordeal with gentle compassion, guiding his untrained, aboriginal child actors with a keen eye for meaningful expressions. Their performances evoke powerful emotions (subtly enhanced by Peter Gabriel's excellent score), illuminating a shameful chapter of Australian history while conveying our universal need for a true and proper home. --Jeff Shannon

Description

RABBIT-PROOF Fence -- featuring the Golden Globe-nominated score by Peter Gabriel -- is a powerful true story of hope and survival and has been met with international acclaim! At a time when it was Australian government policy to train aboriginal children as domestic workers and integrate them into white society, young Molly Craig decides to lead her little sister and cousin in a daring escape from their internment camp. Molly and the girls, part of what would become known as Australia's "Stolen Generations," must then elude the authorities on a dangerous 1,500-mile adventure along the rabbit-proof fence that bisects the continent and will lead them home. As shown by this outstanding motion picture, their universally touching plight and unparalleled courage are a beautiful testament to the undying strength of the human spirit!

Customer Reviews:

Inspiring True Story.......2007-06-05

Between 1905 and 1971 the Australian government had enacted a policy of forcibly removed all half-caste Aboriginal children to special training schools. The grown daughter of Molly wrote a book about her mother's experiences and this movie is an adaptation of that true story.

In 1931, Molly and her younger cousins, Gracie and Daisy, were three half-caste children from Western Australia who were taken from their parents under government edict and sent to an institution, were taught to forget their families, their culture, and re-invent themselves as members of "white" Australian society. The three girls begin an epic journey back to Western Australia, traveling 1,500 miles on foot with no food or water, and navigating by following the fence that has been build across the nation to stem an over-population of rabbits.

Though the movie shows that the government's officer in charge had essentially good intentions. That these actions brought about by this policy were misguided and ultimately very destructive to Australia's Aborigine people and to the nation's moral fabric. This story of hope and survival will give you faith in the undying strength of the human spirit. Well worth watching.

glad I bought it.......2007-05-15

After reading the book I wanted to see if the essence of the story would be uphelt in the movie and I wasn't disappointed. In fact I felt it helped me understand the enormity of what these girls accomplished!

Good and Simple.......2007-04-26

Can't add much to what Chris Luallen said about a good morality story with simplistic characters. I loved the movie nonetheless because of the journey these 3 young girls make across 1500 miles, much of which is desert. I do wish like Chris, that they had gone into more depth of their characters. Not to mention some depth into any of the characters. Not even the school master, the tracker, the people that help them along their sojourn, or any other character with any time on screen. We never feel we really know any of them. Still a great story about how between 1905 and 1970 the Austrailian government took half cast children and made orphans of them. I recommend it as a rental, but you may find it doesn't have much replayability because of the lack of character development.

Amazing True Story That Is A Bit Too Simplistic In Its Character Development.......2007-04-13

This movie tells the story of three aborginal children who were kidnapped from their mother and taken to a faraway school in order to be indoctrinated into white Australian culture. This was the policy of the Australian government towards "half-caste" children, meaning those born with one parent who was white and one who was aborginal. In some ways it was similar to how the United States built schools intended to assimilate American Indians into mainstream white society.

The rest of the movie depicts how the three kids escape and then, with tremendous bravery and determination, make a 1,500 mile journey on foot to home. It's an extraordinary story that covers an important aspect of Australian history that remains unknown to many people. So, on that level, I enjoyed the movie.

But what keeps it from reaching the highest level of cinema is that the movie is basically a simplistic "morality tale" with very little nuance or subtly. Of course, the three girls are inherently heroic. But I would have preferred that the rest of the cast were portrayed with greater depth and a wider diversity of perspectives. Instead almost all the white Australians are depicted as simplistic villans, with a few bad "sell-out" aborigines thrown in for good measure.

History teaches us that the interaction of cultures involves a complex dynamic with a wide diversity of personalities and both sides generally attempting to do what is in their own self-interest. This holds true even when one side is clearly more powerful and therefore able to generally dominate and victimize the other, as was the case between whites and aborigines in Australia.

I still consider this a movie worth seeing. But I do wish the movie had a bit more depth to it, particularly in terms of character development.

A difficult, but inspiring film.......2007-03-25

I recently watched this film again when we showed it to a group of fifth and sixth graders who will be visiting Australia this summer. The actions and attitudes expressed by the Australians in the film mirror those by some in the U.S. toward our American Indian tribes. The removal of half-caste aboriginal children from their families only ceased in 1970.

The acting by the children is unforced and excellent. Kenneth Branagh takes on and succeeds in a difficult role.

Average customer rating:

A microcosm deserves to be seen, with moral issues of certain school behaviors
Interesting Flick
A breakthrough for Asian American cinema.
Better Luck Tomorrow
Thoughtful, Disturbing, With A Fine Performance By Parry Shen

MTV Films Present: Better Luck Tomorrow
Starring: Shirley Anderson (III) , Ashley Arai , Ryan Cadiz , Karin Anna Cheung , and Danielle Conner
Manufacturer: Paramount
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ASIN: B0000AI424
Release Date: 2003-09-30

Amazon.com

Justin Lin's well-received 2002 independent feature, Better Luck Tomorrow, is a strangely appealing story of the mysterious, somehow inexorable drift of an ultra-conscientious, Southern California high school senior, Ben (Parry Shen), toward a fateful interlude with crime. Though highly focused on impressing colleges with his thoughtful balance of excellent grades, energized volunteer work (as a translator), and varsity sports (warming the bench during basketball games), something about Ben appears to be unraveling. Perhaps it is an attraction to his out-of-reach lab partner (Karin Anna Cheung), or his growing attachment to hard cash, or simply the malaise that coats his every act of self-denial. In any case, he and a brood of fellow Asian American overachievers metamorphose into the local go-to gang of black-market thievery--all while keeping up their classes. Lin brings a fresh angle to the exhausted youth-crime genre, and clarifies, with no small wisdom, the distinction between building a future and living one's destiny. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

A microcosm deserves to be seen, with moral issues of certain school behaviors.......2007-06-30

BETTER LUCK TOMORROW (2002) is a remarkable independent film, highly
realistic and original in the story that it tells. It brings forth,
as well, multicultural aspects as it has viewers mulling over that
and other moral and faith implications and foundations important to
each person. These too often are not taught, are forgotten or
dismissed as a pointless "overhead" needing eliminatation in the
final "profit analysis " in many people's lives.

Although the events occur in high school, the audience will surely
empathize with quite a bit of the storym as youngters build and
solify their character during those school years, from taking on new
life experiences.

In this tale, just as food cooks faster in a pressure cooker, and so
do the characters in this movie, aging faster than otherwise, by
taking on a large number of obligations, activities and social
interactions, beyond what many students do. The protagonists are
extraordinarily self-aware of what is needed in landing a
scholarship in the most expensive, brand name US universities, thus
ambitious objectives, in terms of a resume-building, such as
volunteerism, exam results, sports team membership, work experience.

A handful of school colleagues become friends, and thru exterior
influence, adopt small time scams, evolving to bigger ones, for
monetary profit, egomaniacal reasons (social status, self-worth) and
for the challenge. Examples shown include exam cheating, shoplifting
and simulating a return of merchandise, narco-trafficking, outright
theft of goods from their own school, etc.

A number of parallel issues, not edited out, are raised such as the
discomfort of affirmative action among those who are minorities who
obtained their jobs by merit. Another is the ghetto aspect to this
group of friends, all Asian yet all fully immersed in American
culture, well adjusted.

The flaw of this work, is that the moral aspects are brought out
into the open, in a clumsy, very vague, generalized manner, without
any familiarized notion of any organized existing religion or life
philosophy, irrealistically. The confusion, hesitance, remorse, pain
and self-doubt shown by the lead character, from a murder, sexual
excesses, simulated burglary, participation in the scams perhaps
could have been clarified, assisted by popular faiths. All students
are shown as atheistic or totally clueless about this, which seems
implausible, even unrealistic.

The picture is filmed with talent, very well edited, until the
cadence of action seems to flounder at the 75 minute mark, in the
plateau of the events, preparing the public for a relatively short
ending sequence. There's a sharp, clear DVD transfer, not quite a
widescreen. The soundtrack is original, and skillfully couples
various musical selections with the proper moods.

Undoubtedly, this work deserves to be seen, for the microcosm that
is laid out bare on screen, with events entirely realistic, and from
the action that maintains viewers attentions throughout as well as
from the aspects already mentioned (moral, multicultural) if not the
natural charisma of the actors.

Interesting Flick.......2007-02-21

Better Luck Tomorrow is an unusual little movie in that it is both a creation of Asian Americans and, most significantly, a film with Asian male characters who are not martial arts experts. In fact, it does not appear that any of the characters in this production are into martial arts at all.

The main characters are a group of Asian American students in Orange County who are generally academic standouts. After a fight with a white football jock who took exception to an Asian American tennis player wearing a letterman's jacket, the tennis player becomes studly in the eyes of the other students. The other Asian American male youths see adopting a violent pose as being the ticket to respect. Even so, they still must pay attention to their grades and the upcoming SAT's. Also, they are still unable to score any dates.

This latter point leads us to the true context that this movie needs to be seen in. Young Asian American males find it difficult to get dates. Many Asian American females seem to prefer white guys so much so that for every 1,000 married Asian American women, there are only 860 married Asian American males. Meanwhile, females of other racial groups seem to have little to no interest in Asian American male youth. Hence a great deal of frustration among many young Asian American males who cannot get dates.

This is a most interesting movie that hopefully presages more movies down the line pertaining to the Asian American experience that are made by Asian Americans.

A breakthrough for Asian American cinema........2007-01-14

Like many of you who have read the on-line reviews, "Better Luck Tomorrow" is a breakthrough film for Asian Americans. This is the film that helped put Justin Lin on the map, and I loved it for its respect in showing the pressures of high school life in the United States from the Asian American perspective. It is a groundbreaking film with a well-written script, and I commend it for the strong performances of its lead actors Parry Shen, Karin Anna Cheung, John Cho, and Sung Kang.

"Better Luck Tomorrow" is the first full-on Asian American feature film I have ever seen. Just imagine how I must have felt after years of watching my people portrayed as 1-dimensional stereotypical caricatures on screen for us to finally see a film that accurately portrays Asian Americans. Lin, arguably, understands the Asian American ethos better than any other Hollywood filmmaker out there. He's still a rising filmmaker in Hollywood who is making a name for himself in an extremely racist industry; I hope that in a few years, there will be more films by Lin and many other Asian American filmmakers that dispel a lot of the negative stereotypes perpetuated upon Asian Americans by mainstream American society for the past 150 years.

Most other Asian American filmmakers never got a shot at the brass ring, and I am sorry to hear that, but Lin did through his chance meeting with M.C. Hammer, who was impressed by the well-written quality of Lin's script for "Better Luck Tomorrow." This came at a time when Lin had no funding left for his independent film production company and was on the verge of shutting down. It was M.C. Hammer who helped fund Lin's film ($250,000 to produce "Better Luck Tomorrow"), and helped arrange Lin to meet with MTV executives to promote and distribute it through Paramount Pictures Studios. The only "luck" involved throughout the film's funding, production, and distribution was in its title. Lin put his heart and creative energy into this film like the way John G. Avildsen did with the original "Rocky."

I want Justin Lin to succeed in Hollywood, and his success allows more doors to be opened for Asian American filmmakers and Asian American actors who want to work in Hollywood. Lin got his foot in the gate, and he's prying it open. He has clearly shown to the American mainstream that Asian Americans can be portrayed as all-around human beings who can love, hate, think, feel like everyone else. At this point, Asian American filmmakers are still trying to find "a voice" in the Hollywood community. It's still in the "trials and tribulations" stage, and they have to take the lumps with the praises. We have to work with what we've got until that day arrives. It is good to know that we were able to establish that first breakthrough with "Better Luck Tomorrow."

As for martial arts, leave those films to Chuck Norris...

Better Luck Tomorrow.......2006-02-22

I love this movie, this is the movie I leave in the DVD player on REPEAT....haha.

Thoughtful, Disturbing, With A Fine Performance By Parry Shen.......2005-07-31

It's a hot Southern California afternoon. Two high school students, smart, from affluent families, are sitting in lawn chairs in the back yard of a home. They are Ben Manibag (Parry Shen) and his best friend, Virgil Hu (Jason Tobin). A cell phone rings. Ben checks and it's not his. Virgil looks at his phone; it's not his. The phone keeps ringing and the two look at each with increasing panic. They run to a section of the backyard and press their ears to the dirt. Then they begin frantically digging with their hands. The ringing cell phone is on the body of someone they and two other friends had recently killed and buried.

"It started with a pack of baseball cards," says Ben in flashback. "Then it snowballed. I guess it just felt good to do things I couldn't put on my college application. Besides, it was suburbia. We didn't have anything better to do. Our straight A's were our alibis, our passports to freedom. Going to a study group would get us out of the house until 4 in the morning. As long as our grades were there, we were trusted. We had it all. Well, almost." From trading in cheat sheets the four moved into whatever scams paid well and provided thrills, then into drug dealing. And they worked hard to get all A's, to list carefully considered volunteer community activities on their college applications, to have perfect scores on their SATs. They drifted further into the moral vacuum that led to the murder of another student, just as affluent and bored as they are.

I don't want to leave the impression that this is one more movie about teen-age angst. In many ways the first half of the movie is funny and sympathetic as it sets the scene with this vision of affluent suburbia, a huge, bland high school, and students who, as long as they have top grades and don't cause problems, are pretty much invisible to their teachers and parents. Parry Shen who plays Ben is the heart of the movie. He's an enormously engaging actor, not particularly handsome but with an open and thoughtful look about him. Ben is smart, knows what his future will hold (acceptance in one of the top Ivy League colleges and a major in biology), and has a crush on a cheerleader played by Karin Anna Cheung that he's too shy to do much about. As the movie progresses, however, we start to see decisions being made that get out of hand. Ben might be having second thoughts but it's unclear if the other three are. The end of the movie brings us to the present. Virgil has shot himself and lies in a coma in a hospital. The remaining three don't know if he'll live, if he'll talk about what happened, or what will happen to them. We don't either. "For the first time in my life," Ben says, "I don't know what my future will hold. I don't even know what the other guys are going to do. All I know is that there's no turning back."

This is a well-made movie. It's thoughtful and disturbing, with some very good performances. The DVD picture is just fine, with a commentary by the director and the two writers.

Average customer rating:

How is this a sequel??
Just a Special Feature
Meet The Sandlot's little annoying brother
doesn't get any better
Movie made for money

The Sandlot 2
Starring: Mike Antonakos , Neilen Benvegnu , Sean Berdy , Celia Bond , and Samantha Burton
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
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Rookie of the Year

ASIN: B0007LLPWO
Release Date: 2005-05-03

Product Description

From the director of The Sandlot comes this fun-filled sequel that proves the power of teamwork and celebrates the magic of friendship. Ten years after the original story, the local dirt field is no "home" to a new group of neighborhood kids who get together to share laughs, show off...and play ball! But the gang faces their toughest challenge as they try to retrieve an irreplaceable model rocket that lands in Mr. Mertle's (James Earl Jones) backyard behind left field - a forbidden territory guarded by a legendary beast know as "The Great Fear."

Amazon.com

A decade has passed in the small town where the original Sandlot gang banded together during the summer of '62 to play baseball and battle the Beast. Now comes the sequel, a campy romp back to the dugout where nine new kids descend on the diamond only to discover that a descendant of the Beast lives in Mr. Mertle's backyard--a monster of mythical proportions known as "The Great Fear." Director/writer David Evans cleverly ties his two films together by introducing Johnnie Smalls, kid brother of Scotty Smalls ("You're killin' me, Smalls") who is well-versed in the legendary struggle for possession of the Babe Ruth baseball. Smalls befriends the sandlot gang (which now includes three girls) and its leader, David Vincent Durango, and relates the rumor of "a mutated, insane Bigfoot dog thing" behind the left field fence. Summer unfolds with baseball rivalries, rocket launchers, and the infamous Carnival kissing booth, but fate will forever change the history of the sandlot when a crisis forces Smalls and Durango to join forces against The Fear. Regardless of one's sentiments on sequels, Evans' writing in this remake is nearly as fresh and full of memorable quips as the original, including his characteristically understated narration. And while the film may be faulted for its forced melodrama and unseasoned cast, James Earl Jones lends his star appeal and the 70s soundtrack will make you wish for the days when fireworks were legal. Rated PG for profanity and raunchy humor. (Ages 6 to 14) --Lynn Gibson

Customer Reviews:

How is this a sequel??.......2007-05-29

This is not a sequel to Sandlot.. It's a HORRIBLE remake.. the scenes are almost exactly the same but cheesier.. blech.. I can't believe they tried to murder the original. Shame on whoever made this.

Just a Special Feature.......2007-05-14

This dvd may be good for fans of the original movie only because of the Special Feature "Sandlot Kids: Then and Now" which has interviews and behind the scenes shots of the original films cast.
For a better follow up story to "The Sandlot" I'd recommend the recently released "Sandlot 3 Heading Home".

Meet The Sandlot's little annoying brother .......2007-04-13

Usually when a sequel is made it goes out of its way to be different than the original, even if the original was a classic film. This one, despite trying to be everything that the original Sandlot was, fails miserably.

First of all, there is no real personality to the characters like there was in the first one. This might just be the acting, the script, or a combination of both. There is no sense of camaraderie between the characters in comparsion to the original Sandlot. The stupidity of some scenes don't fall into the "fun" category that we might excuse in a kid's movie. Instead, this movie's production seemed rushed and out to profit from the first film. We see this with so many of the same scenes and conflicts from the first film: the battle for the sandlot, the insults being thrown between the two rival teams, hitting the ball over the fence and having to retrieve it, the legend, etc. If there is one difference, it is that it is supposed to be 10 years later, and there are 3 girls on the team.

Sometimes you can forgive a movie for being unoriginal and poor. But, not this one.

The average 2 star rating given to this film is about right on I'd say.

doesn't get any better.......2006-11-10

My 5 and 8 year old loved the first sandlot and so I ventured to buy this one. They love it! I was very impressed. It is a clean family movie that I feel comfortable letting them watch. They watched it over and over again. I think you will be very pleased.

Movie made for money.......2006-09-24

Not worth seeing if you have seen the first one...all this move does is mirror the first sandlot. Change the names add a couple of girls and maybe switch the script around and Sandlot 1 and 2 are pretty much the same. I bet you could watch them at the same time and the timing would be right but the words would be different. Not worth buying if you have the first one. Which I will add is an awsome movie. This movie should have never been made...stay away from S2 because the only purpose of this movie was to make the director some more money and make you poor.

Average customer rating:

Disappointed
Unable to Escape Your Past

The Fence
Starring: Freddy Rodríguez , Stacy Logan , Ann Jacques , Billy Wirth , and Jim Foley
Director: Peter Pistor
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00000IYR7
Release Date: 1999-09-14

Description

His only crime was trying to survive. Locked up since the age of 15, Terry Griff (Billy Wirth) has known nothing but the harsh realities of incarceration. Now at the age of 29, he is up for early release and finds a new beginning in Jackie (Erica Gimpel). His happiness is short-lived when Terry, framed by a dishonest parole officer, is thrown into a world of corruption, danger and violence that he never believed could have existed on the other side of "The Fence."

Customer Reviews:

Disappointed.......2004-04-03

I was really hoping this movie would be good because I love Billy Wirth and his work. I have to admit I was disappointed in the whole movie. While the acting wasn't bad, I just didn't get the sense that things mattered as much to people as they should have. The love affair between Billy's character and the sister-in-law wasn't developed nearly enough. I just didn't feel for these people like I wanted to. In my opinion, not enough attention was paid to character development.

Unable to Escape Your Past.......2001-08-13

The Fence (1994)

Starring Billy Wirth as Griff put in jail at 15 for defending his mother from an abusive father. Locked away his youth is wasted in the correctional system. Given a chance to be paroled, with a close inmate who has become a father figure to him (Paul Benjamin). When an overdose kills his mentor Griff gets out in the real world, a place where he has never been in 18 years. He tries to bring comfort to the family and becomes involved with the sister in law. (Erica Gimpel.)

Hoping to have a normal life and love for the first time in his life only to have inmates from his pass show up along with a parole officer who is crooked.

Description

Tiz has a dream. He wants to be asuccessful hip-hop rapper, get out of the projects and have a nice house in the suburbs where he can chill without worrying about a bullet in his back. But at 25, with a young son and close friends depending on him, is real escape ever possible? An inspiring story of survival, this hard-hitting documentary from award-winning Sergio Goes follows Tislam Miller, a struggling rapper in the public housing projects of Brooklyn's East New York. Mentored by the legendary Kool G Rap, Tiz is making impressive strides in his career but remains tied to his old life, primarily through his drug-dealing best friend, Mel, who has just gotten out of prison. With candid interviews, lyrical moments of grim beauty and powerful verite footage taking us beyond rap world stereotypes, Black Picket Fence is an powerful experience honored by the Brooklyn International Film Festival.

Customer Reviews:

ENY.......2005-07-29

Having lived in East New York for 12 years, and remaining very close the community, I can attest to the street authenticity of Black Picket Fence. This is basically a docudrama that follows the lives of an aspiring rapper and his close friend who is just released from prison. For those who don't know, East New York is a section of Brooklyn with a historically high crime rate. As there are many East New York's in the United States the story is indicative of the struggles of many young black males who are continuously tempted by the lure of fast-buck crime as they attempt to locate comfort within a world that is mainly indifferent to their existence. Producer Sergio Goes does an excellent job in capturing the pulsating turbulence of the environment where the subjects reside, as well as presenting their individual characteristics in a manner that allows the viewer to comprehend and appreciate their state of mind. For many Americans the ghetto is a caricatural habitat; for many residents of the ghetto it is the only world they will ever know. Goes provides an open gate along the Black Picket Fence which otherwise draws the line between both sides of ignorance.

The power of reality!!!.......2003-10-03

What a film...
...no stereotyps, no fuzz...
Real talks with real people living in a planet far away from mine but really only 10 stops away from my subway stop...

All my thumbs up!!!
M

Love in the Struggle.......2003-07-17

This film is in your face. After watching BPF the first time i felt the adrenaline of being on the streets of New York, felt the connection of Tiz, Mel and the crew and felt the message Goes worked so hard to get over the 2 years it took to film this in the real.

No cliches, just true life dreams of success in the struggle. These stories are rugged but somehow they translate to everyone's desire for love, happiness and security.
One of my all time favorites!
peace

"Black Picket Fence" Goes Farther Than "8 Mile".......2003-07-07

Sergio Goes, the director of this intriguing documentary, goes farther and deeper into the making of a rap artist than the makers of the film "8 Mile." Like the movie, the doc does a good job of delving into the oddyssey of a struggling rapper, but "Black Picket Fence" goes the extra mile to show how the real-life musician finds his way out of the 'hood' and ironically ends up in the 'burbs.' Whether his modest success is a spin-off of the American Dream, as the title implies, I'm not sure...but it's quite a journey, and there are some memorable scenes along the way.

REALITY SHOCKS.......2003-06-26

WE ALWAYS CLOSE OUR EYES TO WHAT IS HAPPENING IN OUR neighborhoods , BUT LIFE IS HARD TO THOSE AT EAST NEW YORK AND AROUND THE WORLD. POLITICIANS HAVE TO WAKE UP TO THE PROBLENS OF MINORITIES AND THE POOR.

Average customer rating:

Pure nostalgia
The Real Thing
2/3 of perhaps the best and funniest Roy Rogers movie
The Best Roy Rogers Video
Comments on Don't Fence Me In

Don't Fence Me In
Starring: Roy Rogers , Trigger , George 'Gabby' Hayes , Dale Evans , and Robert Livingston
Director: John English
Manufacturer: Good Times Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00022LIC0
Release Date: 2004-07-13

Customer Reviews:

Pure nostalgia.......2007-03-08

Just brings back memories of childhood. Get this one rather than the 'Roy Rogers Theatre' version. No idle chat or cuts. Lovely!

The Real Thing.......2006-09-10

The children of the 1940's loved Roy Rogers. He was the leading box-office cowboy for 10 years. However times were slower then. "The Little Rascals / Our Gang" series of the 1930's is a wonderful series, loved by children and adults of the time; but also made when times were slower. Children and adults today, may not have the patience and appreciation for the charm of "Roy Rogers" and the old "Little Rascals".

Roy Rogers was everything in real life that he plays in the movies. You like Roy Rogers films; if you like Roy. The stories are pleasant, and hold your attention; but not as exciting compared to today's special effects. Many of his films have similar plot style. Some of his stories, like the sheriff being crooked, with a gang of deputies that robs every gold shipment from the mines, with the town helpless, except for the arrival of the hero, seemed far-fetched. However, I later read a historical biography that told this same true story. It was true. Reality is sometimes stranger than fiction.

Roy was the best, in real life and on film, he was the best singer, always some good songs, the best yodeler,(he yodels in his songs in a couple films), he had true close, life-long, friendships with many of his on-screen friends, he was a great shot, and a real hunter, best outfits, his horse, which he owned in real life, did lots of tricks, his hard to win love, Dale Evans, took some effort for him to win in real life, but became a true and romantic love, and his wife. Roy was quite the athlete, he could walk for an hour on his hands. Roy was a good guy in real life, visiting children's hospitals throughout all the States.

Reading about Roy and Dale's off-screen lives, in their great book, "Happy Trails", makes their films endearing. The book tells how Dale was not at first interested in the real, cowboy, Roy; because she wanted to be a glamorous, city, singer, (it is best to read it) however, in summary, Roy does save her in a real life, adventure, incident, sweeping her off her feet. Their romance on-screen plays so interesting; because of their true romance off-screen.

I like the "Happy Trails Theatre" versions best. (This is such a version). A before and after segment, made many years later, is hosted by Roy and Dale, in their later years. They always have a guest.

The "Dont Fence Me In" song in this film is a good song.

I have seen 40 Roy Rogers films, and liked them all. Roy and Dale were good people, of an era gone by, the era of Walt Disney and Shirley Temple. Roy's films, not found here, can be found on RoyRogers dot commmmmm. "The Television Collection Vol.2" of Roy's has excellent songs, with guests, and is a pleasant surprise.

2/3 of perhaps the best and funniest Roy Rogers movie.......2004-07-24

Don't Fence Me is a 5-star Roy Rogers-Dale Evans movie which runs 71 minutes (B&W). This Happy Trails Theatre version cuts out about 19 minutes from the original movie. (An introduction and closing remarks with Roy and Dale done for TV in the 1980's adds about 12 minutes, but the film itself runs about 49 minutes in this eviscerated Happy Trails incarnation.)

The original version of Don't Fence Me In became available in 1998 on Republic VHS AIBN B00000EZWW. The audio on the Happy Trails DVD reviewed here is cleaner, raising hopes for an authentic DVD restoration of the whole film at some point. The 2 stars for this DVD are for better-than-nothing and the audio improvement. However, since songs such as Along the Navajo Trail have been edited out, along with much of the comedy--a 13 minute continuous segement is missing-- much of the benefit of better audio is lost. Get the Republic (not the Happy Trails) VHS instead for a delightful 1945 matinee classic.

The Best Roy Rogers Video.......2004-01-08

This video is probibly the best Roy Rogers video there is. Dale Evans is an Eastern reporter/photographer who goes west to find the true story of the long dead Wild Cat Kelly. She meets Roy and Gabby and messes things up for them, but in the end everything works out. Roy and Dale have some funny scenes together and Gabby does a wonderful job. Some of the great songs include Tumbling Tumbleweeds, Along the Navajo Trial and the title song by Cole Porter .

Comments on Don't Fence Me In.......2000-02-10

The quality of this video is very good from both visual and sound aspects. In addition this is a full length version with a running time of over 70 minutes as opposed to the 54 minute TV version found in some earlier video releases. This is one of the very best Roy Rogers films. An outstanding performance as the retired outlaw Wildcat Kelly by "Gabby" Hayes adds considerably to the value of this film. This is a must for Roy Rogers' fans

Average customer rating:

Pan n scan
Little style, less substance.

Lady Ice
Starring: Donald Sutherland , Jennifer O'Neill , Robert Duvall , Patrick Magee , and Jon Cypher
Director: Tom Gries
Manufacturer: Vci Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001WTWLA
Release Date: 2004-05-25

Description

This "hip" thriller takes place in the "Windy City" where Andy Hammond (Donald Sutherland), a detective, collaborates with an insurance company to investigate a theft of diamonds.... worth $3 million! Enter the lovely (and very affluent)Paula Booth (Jennifer O'Neill) and her father, Paul Booth (Patrick Magee), who deals in stolen goods. Although daughter and father are key suspects in the diamond caper, Andy is torn between capturing the criminals, or being captivated himself by a beautiful jewel thief. Bonus Features: VCI Previews| Actor Bios| Chapter Selection Menu. Specs: DVD5; Dolby Digital Mono; 93 minutes; Color; 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio; MPAA - PG; Year - 1973; SRP - $9.99.

Customer Reviews:

Pan n scan.......2006-06-14

VCI's budget DVD starts out well enough for the obscure thriller Lady Ice, with nice letterboxed credits foreshadowing interesting widescreen photography to come. Unfortunately, as soon as the credits end, the aspect ratio changes to full screen and the rest of the film is presented in one of the worst pan and scan jobs I've ever seen on DVD. Pass on this one from VCI, and hopefully down the line there will be a new widescreen transfer so we can see how the film is supposed to look after the credits.

Little style, less substance........2000-02-14

A made-for-TV "Thomas Crown Affair (1968)" tries hard to duplicate the Steve McQueen-Faye Dunaway chemistry, using Donald Sutherland and Jennifer O'Neill in this watery version.

Role reversal sets O'Neill as the wealthy jewel thief, hunted seductively by insurance investigator Sutherland..who works most of the film in shirts open to the navel...Ahh, the 70's!

O'Neill is beautiful and stylish, drives fast cars, swims unclothed and stays away from complex sentences, while Sutherland smokes those little thin cigars and from time to time falls back on his `Hawkeye' grin. There is a nice turn by Jon Cypher as the heavy. Soap opera vet Eric Braeden gets some on-screen time as does, of all people Robert Duvall as the straight-arrow cop.

Fun for a lark. Connoisseurs of the genre only please.

The Zane Grey Collection: 5 RARELY SEEN Features from the Golden Age of Hollywood Westerns: The Fighting Caravans, The Fighting Westerner, Hell Town, To the Last Man & Drift Fence
Average customer rating:

Zane Grey Collection

The Zane Grey Collection: 5 RARELY SEEN Features from the Golden Age of Hollywood Westerns: The Fighting Caravans, The Fighting Westerner, Hell Town, To the Last Man & Drift Fence
Starring: Various
Manufacturer: Total Content
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Zane Grey Collection, Vol. 1

The Shadow Riders: Collector's Edition

ASIN: B000F0UUUA
Release Date: 2006-03-14

Description

Saddle-up for high adventure in this new action-packed collection of Western classics based on the best-selling novels of Zane Grey. You'll ride along with Hollywood legends like Gary Cooper, John Wayne and Randolph Scott in some of their most thrilling roles and exciting scenes. This big Collector's Edition is packed with 5 rarely seen features from the "Golden Age" of Hollywood Westerns, including: "The Fighting Caravans," "The Fighting Westerner," "Hell Town," "To the Last Man," and "Drift Fence." Black & White

Customer Reviews:

Zane Grey Collection.......2007-02-07

I ordered this for my father who is 85. He is an avid Zane Grey reader and I thought he'd like the 'old time movies' by the same author. He really enjoyed them, said they were like the ones he'd enjoyed as a boy on Saturday at the movies. My mother even enjoyed watching them, and she HATES movies. Great purchase, I would recommend them to any Western Movie Lover out there.

Average customer rating:

MUCH TO ADMIRE IN THIS WELL-MADE FILM.

Drift Fence
Starring: Buster Crabbe , Katherine DeMille , Effie Ellsler , Tom Keene , and Leif Erickson
Director: Otho Lovering
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000F0UULO
Release Date: 2006-06-06

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MUCH TO ADMIRE IN THIS WELL-MADE FILM........2005-09-10

In this nifty Western, action opens with exciting moments at a rodeo where Jim Traft (comedian Benny Baker) is an onlooker and it is revealed that Traft is to be willed a ranch in Arizona, although he is obviously better suited for city surroundings. At the rodeo Traft is able to make an acquaintance of a wrangler whose name is similar to his, Jim Travis (Tom Keene), who he persuades to swap places with him at the ranch since a codicil in Traft's uncle's will stipulates that his nephew must learn the cattle business. When Travis arrives at the Traft ranch, he quickly impresses the crew there that he is the genuine article, and leads his hands in the construction of a drift fence, to contain his cattle and to keep rustlers and other interlopers off his spread. Successful construction of the fence is endangered by a band of rustlers headed by Clay Jackson (Stanley Andrews) who utilizes the fast draw of local rancher Slinger Dunn (Buster Crabbe) as his primary weapon. Jackson is applying pressure upon Slinger's sister Molly (Katherine DeMille) to wed him, and the grandmother of the siblings (Effie Elssler), matriarchal doyen of the Dunn ranch, approves of Jackson, which complicates matters since Travis (a Texas Ranger in disguise) is familiar with the rustler kingpin's felonious past. Based upon the novel of the same name by Zane Grey, which appeared in serial form two years prior, DRIFT FENCE benefits from the direction of Otho Lovering, a sterling film editor who utilizes fades to perfection, and the viewer feels no need for filler, as the work snaps along to an exciting conclusion. Paramount supplies an enjoyable cast and, in addition to those mentioned, Irving Bacon, Leif Erickson and craggy-faced Walter Long give solid performances. In only 55 minutes of film, this production yields an interesting story and dialogue, augmented by good acting, with comedy, romance and gunplay in the mix.

Thomas L. Friedman Reporting - Straddling the Fence

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Thomas L. Friedman Reporting - Straddling the Fence

Manufacturer: Discovery Communications Inc.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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A Thousand Splendid Suns

ASIN: B000HMOM3M

Product Description

Travel to Israel for a look at the causes and potential consequences of a massive new security wall now under construction a barrier between Israel and Palestine. Ostensibly, the wall is intended to keep suicide bombers out of Israel. But the wall's circuitous route which seems to go out of its way to include Jewish settlements smacks of a first step toward formalizing borders for two separate states. But, even as tensions rise in this "demographic time bomb," evidence points to a future that sees Palestinians giving up their pursuit of the West Bank and fighting instead for a better life.

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