American Beauty

Starring:Kevin Spacey, Thora Birch
Studio: Dreamworks Video
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com essential video
From its first gliding aerial shot of a generic suburban street, American Beauty moves with a mesmerizing confidence and acuity epitomized by Kevin Spacey's calm narration. Spacey is Lester Burnham, a harried Everyman whose midlife awakening is the spine of the story, and his very first lines hook us with their teasing fatalism--like Sunset Boulevard's Joe Gillis, Burnham tells us his story from beyond the grave.

It's an audacious start for a film that justifies that audacity. Weaving social satire, domestic tragedy, and whodunit into a single package, Alan Ball's first theatrical script dares to blur generic lines and keep us off balance, winking seamlessly from dark, scabrous comedy to deeply moving drama. The Burnham family joins the cinematic short list of great dysfunctional American families, as Lester is pitted against his manic, materialistic realtor wife, Carolyn (Annette Bening, making the most of a mostly unsympathetic role) and his sullen, contemptuous teenaged daughter, Jane (Thora Birch, utterly convincing in her edgy balance of self-absorption and wistful longing). Into their lives come two catalytic outsiders. A young cheerleader (Mena Suvari) jolts Lester into a sexual epiphany that blooms into a second adolescence. And an eerily calm young neighbor (Wes Bentley) transforms both Lester and Jane with his canny influence.

Amazon.com essential video

From its first gliding aerial shot of a generic suburban street, American Beauty moves with a mesmerizing confidence and acuity epitomized by Kevin Spacey's calm narration. Spacey is Lester Burnham, a harried Everyman whose midlife awakening is the spine of the story, and his very first lines hook us with their teasing fatalism--like Sunset Boulevard's Joe Gillis, Burnham tells us his story from beyond the grave.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic.......2007-06-22

American Beauty is the greatest movie ever made.

If you haven't already, watch American Beauty by yourself and give yourself some time afterwards to think it over. You will never, ever look at life the same way. It does exactly what movies are meant to do - give us a window into ourselves, and American Beauty does that better than any other film has ever done. No word of dialogue is unnecessary, no character exaggerated, everything is perfect...but if you have seen American Beauty you should know that already. Once you look closer at this movie, and see Beauty in every frame, it becomes so much easier to look closer and see Beauty in everything around you. You think I'm waxing poetic? Then you must not have seen the movie. Every character is a part of each of us: the Lester Burnham of change, the Carolyn of uncertainty and failure, the rebellion of Jane, the defeated Barbara, the false control of Angela and the Colonel, and the real control of Ricky. To me Ricky, not Lester, is the center of this story; he somehow controls or sets in motion the heart of Lester's rebirth and downfall. There are several parts of this movie where I lose control every time I see it, and none more so than the paper bag scene. To me that scene is simply the greatest monologue ever written.

I listened to the message of American Beauty - look closely and you can find Beauty in anything - and it changed my life. I rose out of a long, deep depression and started out into the world. Sometimes there is so much Beauty in the world, I can't even stand it, and it feels like my heart is going to burst.

This is the most beautiful movie I have ever seen.

This is BY FAR the best movie that I have had the chance to lay my eyes on!.......2007-06-15

Let's get this out of the way: Annette Bening (Carolyn) totally steals the show. She shows so many different sides to a human being, especially the extreme. She's super peppy and I almost loved to hate her in the movie. Kevin Spacey was pretty good. He plays a depressed man named Lester who's highlight of the day is pleasuring himself in the shower in the morning. In many ways I could relate to this character. Actually, most of the characters are relate able. Lester and Carolyn have a daughter by the name of Jane. She's pretty mean to her parents and wishes they would just disappear. I liked her character, but Mena Suvari's character was even better. I like the scene where some girl says "You're no goddamn Christie Turlington." Her response to that was very funny.

The ending was quite exciting with many things going on so I was definitely sad when it was over...I'm glad they never made a part II to it too because they probably would have tainted the name.

I left a lot out but I'll just say that if you haven't seen the movie, you really need to. Rent it, buy it, borrow it from a friend; whatever. Just get your grubby paws on it. It shows how beautifully messed up life can be. Bittersweet really. :)

Heavy Irony on Amazon.......2007-06-06

I'm always surprised by how many people do not appreciate this movie. The reasons people give for not liking it ARE OFTEN INCREDIBLY IRONIC.....think about it.

The movie says that morals (and pretty much everything else in life) are relative and subject to being perceived in every possible way...

Hell, Shakespeare said "there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." -Hamlet

Society is often so focused on nonsense that we all accept it without really stopping to think.

People read beauty magazines so they think people will love them more, and in turn people loving them will make them love themselves (Caroline). Many women have ingrained themselves so strongly in this that eating disorders have become a rampant problem in the U.S. With television shows like "The Swan," "American Idol," and who knows what else...it's no wonder this is the case.

Who says that smoking marijuana is "bad?" Who says that being fat is "bad?" Who says that being a homosexual is "bad?" Who says that never being afraid of anything is "bad?" In fact, why are we all so afraid of everything?? WHO is telling us to always be afraid? I think this is a very very important question in today's society.

Who says that a bag floating in the wind (litter) is necessarily "bad?" To really be content in life you have to perceive "reality" the way you want to. Not the way people (and the media) tell you to.

The fact that Lester Burnham chose to work at a fast-food restaurant, smoke pot, and lust after an underage girl (was she under 18?) is irrelevant.

He could have done anything other than what he was doing. He could have chosen to get up and follow his dream of starting a business, take over the world, become a monk in the mountains...IT DOESN'T MATTER. Was what he really did that "bad?" That's what made him content because that is the role HE WANTED to play in this world, but never had the guts to actually play out for himself.

If you've seen Fight Club the concept is pretty much the same (also came out in 1999, coincidence?) I like Fight Club, but this movie is much better. I believe Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) makes a statement like, "People do it everyday. They look into the mirror and see the person they'd like to be, but don't have the guts to run with it like you did."

The point is that THIS is what LESTER wanted to do. NOT Caroline, not his boss, and most importantly NOT SOCIETY.

Of course there are limits to this. Hurting people is never a good route. I doubt the movie was advocating people with the dream of being a serial killer to become a serial killer...Though of course Shakespeare's quote also applies here. Think about it...

The movie is saying that people need to stop being robotic automatons and become the person that they want to be, not what everyone else "thinks" they should be.

THINK. It's the greatest gift you'll ever have.

not my genre.......2007-05-24

I really liked "existentialist" lit and those Russian literary genres (pathetic character dramedy) when I was a teenager but can no longer stomache them. I never cared for the work of Kaiser Soeze. I find mid-life crisises to be a boring subject. Many of the details are absurd and hard to swallow. I'm not a fan of fractured plots esp. plots that start with the ending - what could be more played out? starting with the main characters death is not new or clever (like in "The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas"from the 1800s -or a more direct cinamatic comparison "Sunset Boulevard" with the main characters voice over and sympathetic conclusion to the love triangle before the big finale).

But I do appreciate that amalgam of literary, theatrical and clean cinematic/TV writing styles that went into the story. And I liked the look of the film. I'm sure it deserves all it's praise.

Not an "American" issue..........2007-05-05

I enjoyed all the feedback and interesting comments and points of view about the "issues" this movie conveys. But a sad truth that we all seem to miss is that the United States is a huge country with people from many different races and cultures all mixed and blended together. Add to this mix a society and culture that thrives on materialism and self-centeredness and you have what American Beauty attempts to communicate and raise our awareness about.

Needless to say, this movie does not portray an "American" issue, it effectively raises our awareness that IT IS a world issue because of the fact that most nations around the world make up what we like to call our "American Society and Culture." I DO agree with Mrs. Walker when she stated, "...it's a sad day when a movie likes this says something this important about who we are as a culture. A sad day indeed..." People like to say that this movie displays an "American" issue and it thrashes its culture, but it is a sad world out there where all nations and cultures have been "sedated" with its own desires for personal gain and power. BUT, thank the Lord that there is still "good" out there, around the whole globe...but we are just too "blind" to see this subtle beauty that surrounds us daily...

Average customer rating:

A feel good film for ALL women!!!!!
Waiting to Exhale DVD
Understanding!
Desperate women who need to BREATHE.
Read the book and saw the movie!

Waiting to Exhale
Starring: Whitney Houston , Angela Bassett , Loretta Devine , Lela Rochon , and Gregory Hines
Director: Forest Whitaker
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00000ILEE
Release Date: 2001-03-06

Amazon.com essential video

Based on a novel by Terry McMillan, this weepy melodrama about four African American women and the men who wronged them became an instant cultural phenomenon when it was released back in 1995. It's easy to see why Exhale struck a nerve: the movie boasts an attractive cast of African American actresses and personalities, including Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett, and Lela Rochon. Unfortunately, though, Exhale sags under the weight of its soapy, crisis of the week plotting and relentlessly cheery "you go, girl!" optimism. And African American men, cast here as insensitive lovers and pigheaded materialists, get the very short end of the feminist stick. Perhaps moviegoers were simply responding to the brilliant soundtrack by R&B superstar Babyface, who provided the movie's only real groove. --Ethan Brown

Description

Whitney Houston and Angela Bassett star in this funny and touching film about four women who find strength through their rare and special relationship. Savannah, Bernadine, Robin and Gloria are all searching for the Real Thing: true love. Bernadine thought she had it, until her husband left her for another woman. Savannah and Robin are successful in business but their love lives are bankrupt. And divorcee Gloria is getting back in the game by flirting with her new, very eligible neighbor. Based on Terry McMillan's best-selling novel, and featuring the #1 smash hit "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)," "Waiting to Exhale" is the film you and your friends have been waiting for! Original score by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds.

Customer Reviews:

A feel good film for ALL women!!!!!.......2007-07-04

I have to say that this is one of my favorite films of all time. Everyone did a good job in this film, especially Whitney Houston. My favorite character in the film would definitely have to be Bernadine. This film makes you laugh, cry, and also makes you aware of the fact that you do need friends to get you through the difficult times, especially when it comes to dealing with no good men!!!!

Waiting to Exhale DVD.......2007-06-15

Great Movie! I am glad to have it as part of my collection.

Understanding!.......2007-03-09

As a female, I enjoy watching what men call Chick Flicks but never watched them more than I had to. I enjoy horror movies, suspense, actions...
Watching Waiting to Exhale when I was a bit younger, I did not totally understand the concept of their struggles, often wondering why it is that the one girl would repeatedly put herself through a man that obviously did not really want anything to do with her but for sex only to hook up with a man that she obviously is not attracted to just for him to treat her coldly in the workplace. I could not understand why Bernie would burn some of her husband's belongings even the car then have garage sale with the rest, I could not understand why Gloria was hung on her very gay son's father hoping he would come back to her, I could not understand why Savannah would not hook up with the hunky fine chocolate brother... I could not understand why most of the things happened, but going through life itself, having children and friends I now do understand, which is why I decided to purchase this movie for my collections. Because inside of every female, there is a Savannah, Bernie, Robin and a Gloria.

Desperate women who need to BREATHE........2007-01-23

At first I loved this movie, it was one of my favorites. As a young lady who just turned 21, at that time I completely related to their struggles. A year later, I re-watched the film with more maturity. Surprising, my perspective of it was totally different.

Essentially, it is the story of four horny black women who think men are the key to happiness.

Yes, everybody craves sex at some point, some people more than others. The audience can resonate with their lust for sex, the characters' weaknesses, and minor faults. Still, after watching the movie a couple times, I realized that the characters in this film are simply naive.

I'm not trying to imply that females should be totally independent, and should never desire to date. However, they need to have standards!

Since the four characters are desperate for sex and a stable relationship, they lower their standards. This compromises their self-respect, morals and personal interests in order to "get a man". Obviously, they lure the sleaziest men the world has to offer. Even the four characters know that the men they're dating are worthless, as they repeat to themselves throughout the film. Nevertheless, the ladies waste time on these dogs in order to fuel they need for sex and attention.

At the end, it seems that they find more solidarity and happiness amongst each other. Though they don't seem to have fully learned from their mistakes, and seem likely to repeat the immature behavior.

To conclude, they need to breathe first, and with that added energy, they should cultivate some sense.

Read the book and saw the movie!.......2007-01-04

Read the book and saw the movie! NEXT!

Average customer rating:

Good Movie Sidelined by Stupidity
afro- american must have
Good Movie
Summer of '76
What Hostile Reviews!

The Inkwell
Starring: Larenz Tate , Joe Morton , Suzzanne Douglass , Glynn Turman , and Vanessa Bell Calloway
Director: Matty Rich
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00008978S
Release Date: 2003-04-08

Amazon.com

This sophomore effort by Matty Rich seems surprisingly run-of-the-mill, considering his first film was the low-budget success story Straight Out of Brooklyn.

Set in Martha's Vineyard during the summer of '76, this feels very much like an updated, African American version of Summer of '42. Larenz Tate is the shy teen from New York who, along with his politically radical parents, vacations with wealthy Republican relatives. When not confiding in his wooden doll, he learns a little about life and even more about sex. Inkwell, by the way, is the name of the beach where the African American population of Martha's Vineyard owns homes.

Clumsily written and executed, this is sweet enough on the surface, but too slick to feel genuine. Also released as No Ordinary Summer. --Rochelle O'Gorman

Description

At Inkwell Beach, summer's never been so much fun! It's a time and a place where cool clothes, hot music, and good friends turn a dull family trip into the summetime vacation of a lifetime! Critics everywhere praised THE INKWELL -- the hot, big-screen comedy treat that delivers outrageous summertime fun and good time entertainment, all set to an irresistible soundtrack! Spend some time down at the shore with the funniest folks you're ever going to meet -- summer fun doesn't get any better than this!

Customer Reviews:

Good Movie Sidelined by Stupidity.......2007-02-25

What could have been a wonderful coming-of-age film dealing with many issues (relationships, conflicts, growing boys, disappointment, psychology, etc.) was absolutely sidelined by the unsuccessful attempts at over-the-top humor. Never have I seen adolescent boys behave the way the group were portrayed. It was simply another Fat Albert-style farcical attempt to make the boys and feuding brothers-in-law appear utterly ridiculous. The director/producers didn't know whether to make an outrageous comedy or a drama with moments of good humor. Regrettably, they made neither.

Such a shame, because many moments in this film were truly enlightening and poignant. This could have been a tremendous drama! A remake done correctly would be wonderful!

afro- american must have.......2005-07-28

this movie should be a part of every afro-american dvd collection, and should be watched at least yearly as a motivator.

Good Movie.......2003-08-20

This is a good movie. I never even heard of Matty Rich, and was unaware of the movie altogether until stumbled across it this year. I was thoroughly impressed with the performances of Larenz Tate and Jada Pinkett Smith.

As an aspiring writer myself, I look forward to hearing a lot more from Mr. Rich in the nearing future. I thought the film was well developed, with a believable plot, and excellent development of character. I also enjoyed the fact that the character in which Mr. Tate was sheltered about a lot of things that in today's society is considered the norm for some minorities. I appreciated that because in a society of where today's youth are so bombarded with so many different things, and it is progressively getting worse as of this writing, it is good to have African Americans portrayed in roles that are less than the norm.

I applaud Mr.Rich for his creativity and for gleaning on events that somehow magnificently pulled this incredible movie together.

Summer of '76.......2003-04-06

The comparisions to "Summer of '42" are inevitable. But aside from the coming of age story of both films, they are completely different. The "Inkwell" is essentially a Shaggy Dog tale that flows nicely from beginning to end. Give credit for Matty Rich's abililty to create an authentic '70's atmoshphere with the use of very little of that era's well known music ("Dancing Machine" and "Let's Get It On" are the only two). ...

What Hostile Reviews!.......2003-01-31

How often dow we see movies about a teenage brother's coming of age that aren't violent or gang-related? Matty Rich(whatever he's doing now) did a superb job directing this film about an awkward teen vacationing with his parents in Martha's Vineyard visiting his well-to-do relatives.
He falls for the snot-nose Lauren who uses him to get back at her boyfriend who dropped her. Meanwhile he is also looking out for a married woman whose husband is cheating on her with other women.
It's a movie about growing up and what it means to be a person. Do all black movies have to be based on gang warfare and lewed sexual conduct?

Best Picture Collection (American Beauty / Braveheart / Forrest Gump / Gladiator / The Godfather / Titanic / Terms of Endearment)

Average customer rating:

Outstanding
Buy it Used, if possible.
Collection of modern best picture winners that actually made money

Best Picture Collection (American Beauty / Braveheart / Forrest Gump / Gladiator / The Godfather / Titanic / Terms of Endearment)
Starring: Best Picture Collection
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Best Picture Oscar Collection (18-Pack)
Studio Classics - Best Picture Collection (Sunrise / How Green Was My Valley / Gentleman's Agreement / All About Eve)
The Godfather, Part II (Two-Disc Widescreen Edition)
The Godfather, Part III (Widescreen Edition)
The Green Mile

ASIN: B000L43PLQ
Release Date: 2007-02-06

Amazon.com

Braveheart
Mel Gibson's Oscar-winning 1995 Braveheart is an impassioned epic about William Wallace, the 13th-century Scottish leader of a popular revolt against England's tyrannical Edward I (Patrick McGoohan). Gibson cannily plays Wallace as a man trying to stay out of history's way until events force his hand, an attribute that instantly resonates with several of the actor's best-known roles, especially Mad Max. The subsequent camaraderie and courage Wallace shares in the field with fellow warriors is pure enough and inspiring enough to bring envy to a viewer, and even as things go wrong for Wallace in the second half, the film does not easily cave in to a somber tone. One of the most impressive elements is the originality with which Gibson films battle scenes, featuring hundreds of extras wielding medieval weapons. After Eisenstein's Alexander Nevsky, Orson Welles's Chimes at Midnight, and even Kenneth Branagh's Henry V, you might think there is little new that could be done ! in creating scenes of ancient combat; yet Gibson does it. --Tom Keogh

American Beauty
From its first gliding aerial shot of a generic suburban street, American Beauty moves with a mesmerizing confidence and acuity epitomized by Kevin Spacey's calm narration. Spacey is Lester Burnham, a harried Everyman whose midlife awakening is the spine of the story, and his very first lines hook us with their teasing fatalism--like Sunset Boulevard's Joe Gillis, Burnham tells us his story from beyond the grave. It's an audacious start for a film that justifies that audacity. Weaving social satire, domestic tragedy, and whodunit into a single package, Alan Ball's first theatrical script dares to blur generic lines and keep us off balance, winking seamlessly from dark, scabrous comedy to deeply moving drama. The Burnham family joins the cinematic short list of great dysfunctional American families, as Lester is pitted against his manic, materialistic realtor wife, Carolyn (Annette Bening, making the most of a mostly unsympathetic role) and his sullen, contemptuous tee! naged daughter, Jane (Thora Birch, utterly convincing in her edgy balance of self-absorption and wistful longing). Into their lives come two catalytic outsiders. A young cheerleader (Mena Suvari) jolts Lester into a sexual epiphany that blooms into a second adolescence. And an eerily calm young neighbor (Wes Bentley) transforms both Lester and Jane with his canny influence. Credit another big-screen newcomer, English theatrical director Sam Mendes, with expertly juggling these potentially disjunctive elements into a superb ensemble piece that achieves a stylized pace without lapsing into transparent self-indulgence. Mendes has shrewdly insured his success with a solid crew of stage veterans, yet he's also made an inspired discovery in Bentley, whose Ricky Fitts becomes a fulcrum for both plot and theme. Cinematographer Conrad Hall's sumptuous visual design further elevates the film, infusing the beige interiors of the Burnhams' lives with vivid bursts of deep crimson, the c! olor of roses--and of blood. --Sam Sutherland

Gladiator
A big-budget summer epic with money to burn and a scale worthy of its golden Hollywood predecessors, Ridley Scott's Gladiator is a rousing, grisly, action-packed epic that takes moviemaking back to the Roman Empire via computer-generated visual effects. While not as fluid as the computer work done for, say, Titanic, it's an impressive achievement that will leave you marveling at the glory that was Rome, when you're not marveling at the glory that is Russell Crowe. Starring as the heroic general Maximus, Crowe firmly cements his star status both in terms of screen presence and acting chops, carrying the film on his decidedly non-computer-generated shoulders as he goes from brave general to wounded fugitive to stoic slave to gladiator hero. Gladiator's plot is a whirlwind of faux-Shakespearean machinations of death, betrayal, power plays, and secret identities (with lots of faux-Shakespearean dialogue ladled on to keep the proceedings appropriately "classical"), ! but it's all briskly shot, edited, and paced with a contemporary sensibility. Even the action scenes, somewhat muted but graphic in terms of implied violence and liberal bloodletting, are shot with a veracity that brings to mind--believe it or not--Saving Private Ryan, even if everyone is wearing a toga. As Crowe's nemesis, the evil emperor Commodus, Joaquin Phoenix chews scenery with authority, whether he's damning Maximus's popularity with the Roman mobs or lusting after his sister Lucilla (beautiful but distant Connie Nielsen); Oliver Reed, in his last role, hits the perfect notes of camp and gravitas as the slave owner who rescues Maximus from death and turns him into a coliseum star. Director Scott's visual flair is abundantly in evidence, with breathtaking shots and beautiful (albeit digital) landscapes, but it's Crowe's star power that will keep you in thrall--he's a true gladiator, worthy of his legendary status. Hail the conquering hero! --Mark Englehart

Terms of Endearment
Larry McMurtry's novel becomes a somewhat lumpy film as directed by James L. Brooks (As Good As It Gets). Nevertheless, it is entirely winning, with Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger playing a combative mother and daughter who see each other through various ups and downs in love and loss, and most especially through a terminal illness endured by Winger's character. Jack Nicholson deservedly won an Oscar for his supporting role as a free-spirited astronaut who backs away from a romance with MacLaine and then returns in the clutch. As he always does, Brooks keeps things from getting too soapy with his intense concentration on the soulful evolution of his characters. --Tom Keogh

The Godfather
Generally acknowledged as a bona fide classic, this Francis Ford Coppola film is one of those rare experiences that feels perfectly right from beginning to end--almost as if everyone involved had been born to participate in it. Based on Mario Puzo's bestselling novel about a Mafia dynasty, Coppola's Godfather extracted and enhanced the most universal themes of immigrant experience in America: the plotting-out of hopes and dreams for one's successors, the raising of children to carry on the good work, etc. In the midst of generational strife during the Vietnam years, the film somehow struck a chord with a nation fascinated by the metamorphosis of a rebellious son (Al Pacino) into the keeper of his father's dream. Marlon Brando played against Puzo's own conception of patriarch Vito Corleone, and time has certainly proven the actor correct. The rest of the cast, particularly James Caan, John Cazale, and Robert Duvall as the rest of Vito's male brood--all coping with how ! to take the mantle of responsibility from their father--is seamless and wonderful. --Tom Keogh

Titanic
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 f! ate 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

Forrest Gump
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

Description

This giftset includes 7 movies that have all won an oscar for Best Picture. The boxset includes American Beauty, Braveheart, Forrest Gump, Gladiator, The Godfather, Titanic, and Terms of Endearment.

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding.......2007-06-16

This package of Best Pictures is definitely a great buy. You can not beat the price for this package of first rate movies that any two would easily cost. Not to be missed.

Buy it Used, if possible........2007-03-07

A great buy for 20 bucks used! Bare boned releases with few extras except Forrest Gump, which is the 2 disc version. All of the films are 16 X 9 enhanced for widescreen EXCEPT Titanic! Very annoying!!

Collection of modern best picture winners that actually made money.......2007-02-01

It's rare these days for the Oscar winner for Best Picture to be something that actually drew a sizable audience. This is a pretty good collection of seven more modern movies that did just that.

"The Godfather", the oldest of the bunch (1972), holds up the best over time. In cinematography, casting, acting, and plot it is simply perfect. "Terms of Endearment" (1983) is a different kind of mother/daughter story than you usually see on screen - the kind where the mother holds the daughter in only "medium esteem". "Forrest Gump" (1994) just defies categorization. Forrest is a zen-like character with limited intelligence who manages to stumble into every major world event of his lifetime and come out on top. Even though it was adapted from a popular novel, on film it could have as easily bombed as it could have been the blockbuster it became. "Braveheart" (1995) is a great film about man's desire for freedom trumping everything else, even his desire to live.

1997's "Titanic" made the most money and won many Academy awards that year, but personally, I feel as time passes, it will probably be considered one of the cheesier films to win the Academy's highest honor. Director James Cameron's message of rich equals shallow and bored, poor equals fulfilled and happy just seems more and more simplistic and, quite frankly, sappy as I grow more accustomed to the film's tremendous special effects. 1999's "American Beauty", about the last year of life of a man in a dysfunctional family seemed OK when I first saw it, but you really have to have seen Alan Ball's series "Six Feet Under" to really get it. Ball writes the best dysfunctional characters since David Lynch. I thought "Gladiator" (2000) was indeed a great picture, and although Russell Crowe's Maximus comes to life to the point where some people actually believe he is a historical figure from the Roman Empire, I still think Tom Hanks was unfairly passed over for Best Actor in his tremendous performance in "Castaway".

These films don't really have any one theme in common, other than being a collection of seven of the better modern films to win the Academy's highest honors that also achieved blockbuster status. It really is a good value and I highly recommend it. All films included are the widescreen editions, but there are no extras worth mentioning except for the two-disc edition of Forrest Gump.

Average customer rating:

Fantastic
This is BY FAR the best movie that I have had the chance to lay my eyes on!
Heavy Irony on Amazon
not my genre
Not an "American" issue...

American Beauty [Region 2]
Starring: Kevin Spacey , Annette Bening , Thora Birch , Wes Bentley , and Mena Suvari
Director: Sam Mendes
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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A Beautiful Mind (Widescreen Awards Edition)
American History X
Almost Famous - The Director's Cut (Two-Disc Special Edition)
The Usual Suspects (Special Edition)
Pulp Fiction (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)

ASIN: B000055YG6

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic.......2007-06-22

This is BY FAR the best movie that I have had the chance to lay my eyes on!.......2007-06-15

Heavy Irony on Amazon.......2007-06-06

not my genre.......2007-05-24

Not an "American" issue..........2007-05-05

Average customer rating:

Clever and somewhat satisfying
Still a great movie, inspite of the DVD edition
Good movie, bad DVD
Good Movie, Bad DVD
Loved This Movie. John Malkovich is great.

The Object of Beauty
Starring: John Malkovich , Andie MacDowell , Lolita Davidovich , Rudi Davies , and Joss Ackland
Director: Michael Lindsay-Hogg
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Queens Logic
Deception
Crush
The Sheltering Sky
Birthday Girl

ASIN: B000065U1F
Release Date: 2002-06-18

Amazon.com

The director Michael Lindsay-Hogg has a name that sounds British despite the fact that he is a New Yorker by birth. Maybe that association derives from the fact that he's primarily helmed television films--segments of Brideshead Revisited, for example, as well as a pile of music videos for English bands like the Who and the Rolling Stones. One of his few ventures into feature filmmaking (another was the little-seen Frankie Starlight) is the 1990 film The Object of Beauty, which also looks, sounds, and feels British in sensibility. The film is set in a tony London hotel, the weather is England-dreary, and the clothes (when the actors are wearing them) are tweedish and woolly in appearance. And the story is essentially repressed and internal save for the brash American performances of John Malkovich and Andie MacDowell, who play a couple living way above their limited financial means. When Jake (Malkovich) bottoms out in a business deal, he urges Tina (MacDowell) to sell her little Henry Moore sculpture, an object of great beauty. Such beauty, in fact, that a young mute hotel maid decides to steal it for her own. The actress Rudi Davies, who plays the maid, steals more than the Moore, however. She sneaks the film out from under Malkovich and MacDowell, who was just coming off of her sex, lies, and videotape acclaim, and who is quite good here as well. The Object of Beauty is too subtle in its message--Jake and Tina lose their last monetary chance and in penury begin to discover who they are as people--to let us care about such a pouty pair, and the "hilarious mix-ups and mayhem" that the film promises are, in actuality, tame and trite. --Paula Nechak

Customer Reviews:

Clever and somewhat satisfying.......2005-04-24

Here's a real clever little comedy about vacuous people and a stolen piece of art that turns into a morality tale.

John Malkovich and Andi McDowell -- who both bare their backsides as well as their souls in this flick -- are a couple escaping something and living in London far beyond their means. As a way to resolve this they hatch a plan to swindle an art dealer with an expensive trinket that looks like a Hurst shifter from the 1970s.

The little mystery about deceit, swindling and lost souls becomes much more than this when an attendant at the hotel where the pair live decides she is in love with the piece of art -- and takes it home. What follows is conundrum after conundrum for a half-dozen people, including all the principals, told in a very witty and funny style.

Lolita Davidovitch steals scene after scene as the deaf mute that makes up rooms in the hotel and makes off with the object of beauty, which she says speaks to her. Everyone gets theirs in the end, as the small diversion of a movie concludes with its characters exiting with less than they arrived.

This movie is good fun that delivers rewards to attentive viewers far bigger than its ideas.

Still a great movie, inspite of the DVD edition.......2003-09-14

I was totally frustrated sharing one of my all time favorites with my husband and not being able to hear the dialog that makes this movie so unique. This movie has a depth, rich use of language, passionate characters, a plot and the classic American happy ending. I still learn something every time I watch it, but was surprised to find it in the Comedy section. And I love that I still cry when the deaf girl explains why she stole the piece. Great Art moves you. And for art lovers who want the real Henry Moore experience, go to the Art Gallery of Ontario, in Toronto.

Good movie, bad DVD.......2003-08-19

This little gem of a movie is one of those rare movies for grownups. The characters are real, imperfect people, not cardboard cutouts.

Unfortunately, the full-frame DVD doesn't do the movie justice. The sound is horrible, the picture is not especially good, and there are no extras whatsoever. Too bad. This movie deserves an audience, but this DVD will not help it get one.

Good Movie, Bad DVD.......2003-05-26

This is a really good film for people who appreciate subtlety and somewhat offbeat character development. This will not impress people who tend to gravitate more towards action or overt drama. Malkovich and MacDowell turn in understated, nicely done performances as the films antiheroes, and they accomplish the somewhat difficult task of making us feel for these self-involved characters. All the other characters are played well and the different plots mesh nicely.

The only complaint I have is with the DVD itself. The audio was abysmal on my system, and I am not really the pickiest of audiophiles. In fact, this is the only time that I've been disappointed in or even noticed a DVD's lack of sound quality. My player has a special feature that brings dialogue to the center speaker, and for some reason it would not work with this DVD. The dialogue was difficult to understand throughout, and I often had to adjust the volume and replay bits of scenes to figure out what had been said. Also, there are zero special features on this DVD... no trailers, no commentary, nada.

I would wait for a better transfer rather than buying this DVD version of the film. It's definitely worth a rent, however, for those who can appreciate what it has to offer.

Loved This Movie. John Malkovich is great........2002-11-01

I became interested in this movie, because I always thought that John Malkovich was a great actor in everything. Especially in In The Line Of Fire. I became curious of this movie when I heard it was a comedy. I rented it last night and thought it was great. I just placed an order for the dvd. There is just the right amount of humor. Both John Malkovich and Andie Macdowell are great together in this. I only gave it four stars because I think there could have been a little less scenes with the deaf and mute maid. However, I did think she was good in it. There was also a part of the story that they could have done without, and they didn't bring any closer to it. But, I highly recommend this movie. Especially if you are fans of John Malkovich and Andie Macdowell. It was nice to see John Malkovich as a nice guy, with some short comings though. He had great humor. I would definitly like to see him play this type of character again.

Average customer rating:

An Original American Beauty
Yeah Right!

Dorothy Dandridge: An American Beauty
Starring: Joe Adams , Obba Babatunde , Halle Berry , Dorothy Dandridge , and Laurence Fishburne
Manufacturer: PASSPORT VIDEO
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

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Carmen Jones
Introducing Dorothy Dandridge
Everything and Nothing : The Dorothy Dandridge Tragedy
Dorothy Dandridge

ASIN: B00009MEGF
Release Date: 2003-06-24

Description

Dorothy Dandridge was both goddess and trailblazer - - Magical in a nightclub, on television or in film - - Mysterious away from the lights, camera and action. Here is the Dorothy you haven't been introduced to - - a close-up look at her triumphant and tragic life.

Obba Babatunde, the man who played Harold Nicholas in "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge," hosts this one-hour program.

Interviews with *Halle Berry, *Brock Peters, *Fayard Nicholas, *Joe Adams, * Jasmine Guy, *Laurence Fishburne, and others, as well as unseen, rare footage and photographs help explain Dorothy Dandrige as never before.

Her personal life was full of torment and tragedy, yet fueled by her charisma, talent and strong will, Dorothy became Hollywood's first full-fledged black female movie star.

Born into a racist, sexist world, Dorothy Dandridge rose above its restrictions to become a cultural icon and set a new standard for American Beauty.

Customer Reviews:

An Original American Beauty.......2004-05-01

This is a wonderful dvd to add to your collection. It's basically a 1 hr documentary on the life and career of the 1st African American woman to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress. If you have an attention span comprable to a fish, don't buy it, but if you're genuinely interested in learning about an exeptional trailblazer (in her own right), this is the dvd to purchase. Respect is finally being rightfully given to this amazing woman, and she definitely deserved it.

Yeah Right!.......2004-03-24

This absoluely is borrrrring! Ive never been so bored!. The interactive DVD menu is by far the highlight!. Skip this! BElieve ME!!!

Average customer rating:

Great Movie Loved It very Much and Chris Hunter is so Hot, He looks like Dierks Bentley
room for improvement

American Black Beauty (2005)
Starring: Dean Stockwell , Danielle Keaton , Peter Jason , Leah Lail , and Chris Hunter
Director: Richard Gabai
Manufacturer: FWE Picture Company
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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The Black Stallion
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Virginia's Run

ASIN: B0009PW4C8
Release Date: 2005-03-31

Customer Reviews:

Great Movie Loved It very Much and Chris Hunter is so Hot, He looks like Dierks Bentley.......2007-01-08

HI, This movie was great i Loved it. It is one of my favorite movies. It is about a girl that her dad dies in a horse acident and her mom dies involing horses. So she goes and lives with a family friend, where she falls in love with carry, and the town mayor wants to buy the ranch, but she will not let that happen, it comes down to that she races with the town mayor to see who will win and get the ranch. To find out who does win. Buy the Movie.

room for improvement.......2005-08-29

The movie is about a teenage girl whos father died after falling of a horse, because her mother was already dead, they send her to a Ranch temporarily where she becomes a part of the family, they soon face a dillema when the town's Mayor is fighting to take buy out all of the towns land, including theirs.

This movie was absolutely horrible! With bad acting and an over abunance of cheesy love scenes . The filming was so bad you would think it was filmed on a video camera. The plot was probably the only decent thing, besides the movies cover, which i am throughly convinced more money was spent on that then the movie itself.

Average customer rating:

Generic tv movie

Miss All American Beauty
Starring: Diane Lane , Cloris Leachman , David Dukes , Jayne Meadows , and Alice Hirson
Director: Gus Trikonis
Manufacturer: Trinity Home Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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A Walk on the Moon
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ASIN: B0001WTVIE
Release Date: 2004-05-04

Customer Reviews:

Generic tv movie.......2006-02-19

I rented this because of Diane Lane. I have to admit I didn't think it would be too good and I got what I excepted.

Diane Lane plays a naive Texas girl who wins a national beauty contest. She realizes that it isn't all it's cracked up. She has to leave behind her loved ones and live up to the phony image. It doesn't take her long before she's disillusioned. It's like an after school special minus the cheese. Cloris Leachman is her mentor and she does her usual eccentric character well.
Diane is pretty here and does the best job she can with a weak cliche script. There is one serious scene with a blue eyeliner that was unintentionally hilarious. For an example of a young Lane the charming A Little Romance is a better recommendation.

Average customer rating:

The Figure Competition Training Guide
Starring: Julie Green
Director: Daniel Burke
Manufacturer: American Beauty and Fitness LLC
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Collectibles | Categories |
Similar Items:

Competing With Class: A Guide to Women's Fitness
The Figure Book (The Figure Book : The Figure Competition Training Guide, 1)
Monica Brant's Secrets to Staying Fit and Loving Life
The Eat-Clean Diet: Fast Fat-Loss that lasts Forever!
Body Flex--Body Magic

Product Features:

Detailed information on posing for Figure
Weight loss. Fat loss dieting.
Beginner Weight Training. Learn from the start.
Advanced split training and contest prep training.
Double split cardio for weight loss.

ASIN: B000EPYLGA

Product Description

2 DVD set. 108 minutes. The Complete Guide to Figure Competition. Complete training on posing for NPC and Pro Figure Contests. DISC ONE CONTESTS: Introduction to Figure. Competing and posing and diet. Bathing suits. Shoes. Make-up. Tanning. DISC TWO CONTENTS: Beginner weight training. Advanced training. Pre-contest splits. Cardio. Fat burnig. Posing at a show. Competing. Here is what you will see: Exciting footage from live shows to inspire and teach the art of Figure. 7 complete lessons on Figure posing from Beginner to Advanced. Detailed sections on beginner weight training all the way to advanced split training. Learn complete routines and exercises. Double split cardio. Fat burning and weight loss. Diets. Contest Diets. The final week countdown diet. Choosing make up, bathing suits, shoes, stage walk and more to be successful in Figure Competition. Limited Edition 2 DVD set. DVD is DVD-R compatible player.

DVD:

DVD List

DVD

DVD

Galileo Smith Visits the Solar System

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

The Kirov - A Night Of Classical Ballet

DVD: The Sound of Music (Double Digipack)

Transformers - Season 2 - Vol. 2