Lolita

Starring:James Mason, Shelley Winters, Sue Lyon, Gary Cockrell, Jerry Stovin, Diana Decker, Lois Maxwell, Cec Linder, Bill Greene, Shirley Douglas, Marianne Stone, Marion Mathie, James Dyrenforth, Maxine Holden, John Harrison (VII), Colin Maitland, Terry Kilburn, C. Denier Warren, Roland Brand, Peter Sellers
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Way before she grabbed an Oscar nomination for her searing performance as a world-weary prostitute in Leaving Las Vegas, Elisabeth Shue was known as one of the squeaky-clean actresses of the '80s. Having made a splash in The Karate Kid and the '60s-nostalgia TV series Call to Glory, Shue cemented her good-girl reputation with the charming but badly titled Adventures in Babysitting. Set in the John Hughes-style suburbs of Chicago, the titular adventures follow babysitter Chris (Shue), who agrees to watch the Anderson kids (Keith Coogan and Maia Brewton) when her boyfriend cancels their anniversary date. All is quiet on the home front until Chris is called upon to rescue her best friend (Penelope Ann Miller, also doing good-girl duty) from the seedy downtown bus station. She can't leave the kids, and she can't leave her friend alone in the big bad city, so she packs everyone in the station wagon and heads into Chicago. Screwball craziness begins as they encounter car thieves, knife-wielding gangs, gun-toting truck drivers, and, worst of all, Chris's duplicitous boyfriend. It's hardly mature entertainment, but Shue makes it work; when she wins over the audience at a blues club with her improv singing, you'll be won over, too. In his directorial debut, Chris Columbus (who later went on to helm the sap-fests Mrs. Doubtfire and Home Alone) gently skewers the suburbia white-bread mindset of the main characters, and plays up the comedy over the schmaltz with a subtlety of which he now seems incapable; the near romance between Shue and Coogan is played lightly and adorably. Look for brief appearances by art-house faves Lolita Davidovich as a college party girl and Vincent D'Onofrio as an unlikely savior. --Mark Englehart

Description

Chris Parker (Elisabeth Shue) agrees to babysit after her "dream" date stands her up. Expecting a dull evening, Chris settles down with three kids for a night of TV ... and boredom. But when her frantic friend Brenda calls and pleads to be rescued from the bus station in downtown Chicago, the evening soon explodes into an endless whirl of hair-raising adventures! Babysitter and kids leave their safe suburban surroundings and head for the heart of the big city, never imagining how terrifyingly funny their expedition will become.

Customer Reviews:

dvd purchase.......2007-06-27

Have been looking for this on dvd and finally found it. was shipped on time and is in perfect condition. was sold and received as advertised. perfectly happy with the purchase and service received.

Adventures in Babysitting.......2007-05-25

This movie always makes me laugh... esp the part in the phonebox "get out of my house!" This is a good movie for a quiet nite at home and to have a laugh...very 80's!

Still A Favorite.......2007-05-09

I purchased this movie for my 4 year old daughter. It was one of my favorite movies when it came out on video (I was in high school at the time). I still love this movie! I don't watch much TV, but my daughter watched this movie again last weekend and I found myself sitting down and catching a few scenes. It is such a great movie! I love it! Some of the clothing the characters wear (leggings) "date" the movie, but overall, the story line and film quality is like a "new release." There are a couple of instances of inappropraite language, but nothing major. I'm so glad this movie is available on DVD. This movie is definitely a "buyer." One of my other all time favorite movies is "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" with Sarah Jessica Parker and Helen Hunt.

Good Comedy/Adventure.......2007-04-11

When seventeen-year-old Chris Parker's boyfriend cancels their big date, she reluctantly agrees to baby-sit for Sara and Brad Anderson. Chris thinks she is too old to baby-sit but Brad doesn't mind - he has a huge crush on Chris. When Chris gets to the Anderson's, she has just settled in for what she thinks will be a very boring evening when she gets a phone call from her friend Brenda who is stuck at a bus station in "The City". Chris agrees to pick up Brenda and has to take Sara, Brad, and Brad's friend Daryl, with her for what she hopes will be a quick trip. Instead, a flat tire leads to all kinds of adventures including a crazed tow truck driver; a stolen car ring; a gang fight; a visit to a Blues Bar; a frat party; a meeting with "Thor" (Sara's hero); and a heart stopping chase down the side of an office building. Suddenly, what looked to be one of the most boring nights of Chris's life turns out to be one of the most exciting.

"Adventures in Baby Sitting" is a good fun movie, the kind you can watch without thinking too much about it - the kind of movie that keeps you smiling the whole time you are watching it. Nothing in it is to be taken seriously (for one thing Brad is way too old to need a babysitter) and while there are bad guys, they are never too scary and the kids easily outsmart them. The film is non-stop action and there are a lot of fun scenes in the movie. The scene in the Blues Bar is an instant classic. This is a good family movie, but parents should be aware that there is some colorful swearing (but in a very funny scene). The acting is good. Elisabeth Shue shines as Chris; Keith Coogan is good as the love struck Brad; Maia Brewton is wonderful as Sara; and Anthony Rapp is sufficiently annoying as Darryl. Of the supporting cast, Calvin Levels is a standout as Joe Gipp, the not so bad car thief.

"Adventures in Babysitting" is a great comedy/action film.

RELIVE THE EIGHTIES AND ENJOY!.......2007-03-29

FUN MOVIE ! MOST ENJOYABLE FOR THE 30 SOMETHING CROWD THAT WERE TEENAGERS IN THE EIGHTIES!
FUNNY!! CHECK OUT VINCENT D'NORFIO AS THOR!!!

Average customer rating:

Desire and death....
Utterly REVOLTING
"Can I touch your hand?"
Master Class of Lovely and Seemingly Effortless Screen Acting.
Bravo...

Venus
Starring: Peter O'Toole , Leslie Phillips , Beatrice Savoretti , Philip Fox , and Lolita Chakrabarti
Director: Roger Michell
Manufacturer: Miramax
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000NOKFHG
Release Date: 2007-05-22

Amazon.com

Peter O'Toole adds another Great One to his list of indelible performances: as Maurice, a frail but defiantly horny London actor in his sunset, O'Toole lays bare his weathered face and sophisticated soul for a marvelous portrait of mortality. Maurice, who mostly hangs out counting pills and parsing obituaries with his fellow old-trouper Ian (Leslie Phillips), is roused to play Pygmalion one final time... not on stage, but in life, as Ian's gauche, callow niece (Jodie Whittaker) comes to live with her uncle. It would be very easy to turn this set-up into a heartwarming drama, but screenwriter Hanif Kureishi (My Beautiful Laundrette) has never been one to warm hearts. Unless it's on his own terms. As Maurice takes his Venus under his frail wing and imparts a few old-school instructions to this junk-culture lass, Kureishi and director Roger Michell hit just the right notes of clumsiness, grace, and regret. Everybody's good in the film; Jodie Whittaker does nicely by the task of creating a rather ordinary young woman, and Vanessa Redgrave turns up as Maurice's patient, long-suffering ex (about whom there is nothing ordinary). But it's O'Toole's show, and the grand old actor gives a performance without a hint of grandness, except where it might fit. When he sighs a valedictory, "There really isn't anything else," you know a life's experiences and mistakes are distilled in the wisdom. --Robert Horton

Description

Academy Award® nominee Peter O'Toole (2006 Best Actor) leads a powerful cast to deliver a charming and poignant portrayal of Maurice, an aging veteran actor who becomes absolutely taken with Jessie - the grandniece of his closest friend. When Maurice tries to soften the petulant and provincial young girl with the benefit of his wisdom and London culture, their give-and-take surprises both Maurice and Jessie as they discover what they don't know about themselves. Featuring brilliant performances from a superb supporting cast, VENUS is a witty and wise celebration of how the greatest lessons in life can come from the most unlikely places.

Customer Reviews:

Desire and death...........2007-06-30

Not the death of desire, which this film tells us is ever alive. The flashing blue Lawrence-eyes are rheumy; the always spare frame is now fragile; the striking handsomeness bears the marks of time and a life hard-lived; the once powerful voice an echo of itself. But Peter O'Toole the great actor, is still in there, strong and vital, and he brings dignity to a very delicate piece about an old man's continuing desire for female beauty, and the life represented there, even on the precipice of eternity. And for that, this film is worth seeing.

O'Toole's Maurice feels mortality in every breath, and the indignities and infirmities of old age are present in every waking moment. He passes the time playing corpses in TV shows, and trading pills with his ancient friends. His has been a life lived selfishly, in service to his own pleasure, as is tellingly revealed in the very nice scene with his ex-wife, played by Vanessa Redgrave. The old ham finds infatuation with a rather fatuous young woman and this final dance with desire will bring some insight to the object of his affection and some final reflection to the old "player".

This is difficult material, an old man's lust or love for a young woman, but it was presented honestly in that both parties are using the other for their own purposes, until perhaps the end. If they are changed by one another, it is in subtle small ways, and while the ending may seem a bit too neat, the relationship limned before has been carefully constructed.

I found great care in the presentation, treading a fine line. It is a wistful film about final days and the heart's ever longing. Or, as Peter O'Toole says, it's about a dirty old man and a (trampy) young woman. It is both. Not for everyone, I found it worthwhile.

Utterly REVOLTING.......2007-06-26

I wonder at how so many viewers heap high praise upon Peter O'Toole for his role of Maurice Russell in "Venus". Depraved, dirty, and disgusting, the arthritic Maurice clings to anything that allows him to revel in his own decrepitude. Enter the slag-heap Jessie, his "Venus", and grand-niece of his closest friend, Ian.

Jessie is, if possible, even more despicable than Maurice. She mumbles incoherently in most scenes, a trait exacerbated only by her thick English-midlands accent; she also manages to masticate like a troll, food flying from her mouth every time she's attempting to feed. Maurice, who happens upon the trampy girl when she is shoved upon her unsuspecting uncle as a would-be caretaker, wastes no time plying her with booze and baubles.

He rhapsodizes about his fame and how utterly determined he is to pursue his own hedonistic code despite soon facing the grave. She takes advantage at every turn, landing a stint as an artists' model as the coup de grace of his favor.

A particularly horrific scene is where "Venus" offers Maurice a chance to bestow three osculations upon her bared shoulder. She does this throughout the movie, proffering tasteless little fondles as payment for jewelry, fine dining, etc. O'Toole's ghastly, grinning death's-head hovers for long moments next to the young female's nubile head -- and the resulting image is enough to have the viewer reach for the Mylanta.

Honestly -- this is hardly a triumphant or exultant film. In the end, Maurice, who has been soundly pummeled by Jessie's young man (whom she invites to visit at Maurice's home, at which point she tells the old man to take a hike [literally] so that she and the bloke can have a poke = so classy!), rapidly deteriorates (he's been managing to do so in nature's course throughout the film in any event) and drops dead at the seashore.

And a good riddance to bad rubbish.

Poor Vanessa Redgrave is underplayed in her portrayal of Mrs. Russell, Valerie, whom Maurice had abandoned decades before, replete with their three young children under age six. Why they've never properly divorced is confusing; why Valerie still entertains him, in the most civil and welcoming manner, is truly mystifying. She even shows immense grace at Maurice's funeral reception, when she offers to help the useless Jessie.

After having viewed this piece of cinematic trash I was elated that Peter O'Toole was, yet again, refused the honor of an Oscar win.

"Can I touch your hand?".......2007-06-24

As a Peter O'Toole fan, I had to see "Venus" and unlike most reviewers here, I loathed it.

The central character is Maurice, a veteran actor (brilliant performance from Peter O'Toole) who's at the end of his life. When considering all the elements that make a life 'good' can we say that he has had a 'good' life? Well he has financial difficulties, health problems, and as the story unfolds, it's revealed that he has a broken marriage in his past and is alienated from his children. While he enjoyed youthful good looks and a certain amount of fame, in old age he faces disease, loneliness and, of course, inevitability, death. Solace is found in the company of friends, but it's also through a good friend, Ian (Ian Phillips) that Maurice meets Jessie (Jodie Whittaker), a young girl he calls Venus.

The relationship between Maurice and Venus is one of the problematic elements to the film. She's not averse to letting grope Maurice her as long as there is a reward. Frankly, she's a hideous character whose bad judgment and moral vacuity leads to tragic consequences. Maurice suffers from the classic Pygmalion syndrome--justifying an absurd relationship with a much younger woman under the guise that it's some sort of even trade. But it isn't. Their relationship is grasping, and exploitive, but why on earth does the script then have to gloss over all this darkness and convert it into lustful, affectionate whimsy?

This would have been a much better film if the character of Venus didn't morph into a Pollyanna apologist at the end. She feels 'bad' and an apology apparently makes events 'right.' Furthermore, this happy ending is endorsed by the role of ex-wife Valerie (Vanessa Redgrave). We know that she's hard up for money (Maurice says she should apply to the children for assistance), and the little he manages to earn is spent on baubles for Venus. But in spite of years of disappointment and betrayal between Maurice and Valerie, the film has to sew up a happy ending with Valerie leading the adulation. This is a film about an elderly man with sexual longings who hooks up with an exploitive, crass young girl. Why make it all warm and fuzzy? The superficial, cliche-ridden, sentimental redemption angle is nauseating, and with a script written by Hanif Kureishi, I really expected more--displacedhuman

Master Class of Lovely and Seemingly Effortless Screen Acting........2007-06-24

"It's difficult to pull off May-December romances in movies, mainly because they're so creepy. As often as not, the movie doesn't even acknowledge the age difference, casting men in their fifties opposite girls in their twenties, with nothing in mind but the potential box office returns. Peter O'Toole, plays a British actor in thrall to a friend's grand-niece, nineteen-year-old Jessie (Jodie Whittaker). Don't go, "Eww." From his 1962 starring debut in Lawrence of Arabia to his hilarious turn in My Favorite Year, O'Toole is that rarest of species: an actor of stature who is also a movie star of genuine glamour. The new movie Venus miraculously manages a deft balance of all this. Of course, this is no traditional romance, but more of an odd, tender friendship, not unlike that of Lost in Translation (2003)." Peter Travers

The British always know how to do it right. May -December romances can be so bad, but 'Venus' is all above board. Both Peter O'Toole, Maurice and Jodie Whittaker, Jessie, are straight forward and keep nothing back. Maurice is a working actor busy with plays and television. He usually plays dead people, and his colleague Maurice Ian, Leslie Phillips, tells him it is good practice. Their humorous bickering sets the tone for the rest of the film. Ian's grand-niece is coming for a visit, and he expects that she will care for him such as c,ooking and cleaning. The girl that actually arrives is more of a modern teenager, Jessie, with modern teenage selfishness. While this drives Ian into fits, they actually intrigue Maurice. He engages her in conversation, and his way of telling the truth does not repulse her. Later, he offers to buy her a drink, and she discovers that, as an actor, he's "a little bit" famous. But though Maurice is having trouble with his prostate he is still very much of a charmer, someone that loves the limelight, so says his wife, Vanessa Redgrave. For some inexplicable reason Maurice left her and their three children for another woman. At one point in the film he declares his love for her and what could have been.

It is given that Maurice and Jessie, who he soon dubs "Venus," are going to get along better than either one of them anticipates, but almost nothing else about their relationship goes the way they anticipate.
Maurice is too old to have anything more than what he calls "a theoretical interest" in sex, but that theoretical interest takes some interesting turns. Neither one is a sweet person, and that prickliness and the bite the superb writing keep things from getting maudlin or sentimental. It becomes evident that what motivates Maurice is not lechery but a kind of yearning envy of Jessie's youth and a longing for his own.

"For though it looks to be about things fleeting and ephemeral, "Venus" touches, without forcing anything, on what matters most in life: love, friendship, connection. It's about aging and what keeps you alive, about the getting and passing on of the wisdom of a lifetime. And it is done with such surpassing skill on both sides of the camera that we can't help but marvel at it all." Kenneth Turan

The screenwriter Hanif Kureishi and collaborator-director Roger Michell. Kureishi, have come up with a smartly written script. And director Michell, knows how to produce line readings that get all the juice out of deliciously offbeat lines like: "Oh, just kill them, kill the young, exterminate their disgusting happiness and hope."

The British pop singer Corinne Bailey Rae, provides several tunes for the film's soundtrack. She has a sort of laid-back quality to her voice, which can croon over one verse and then soar joyously over the next, but she also feels genuine. She's a perfect addition to the movie's mood and part of the reason for its lightness.

"The movie belongs to O'Toole. This great, dazzling actor is his best performance since My Favorite Year (1982), and he's unquestionably in top form. He has the power to take this lecherous, sorry old fool and make us feel his weight, but also make him the most charming, most exciting fellow in town. Who wouldn't want to hang out with him, regardless of age?" Mark Dujsik

Such poignant remarkable performances by all of the actors, but particularly Peter o'Yoole and Jodie Whittaker. A film about love and friendship, and how we can let our feelings go and in the right hands our feelings will be handled with care.

Highly, highly Recommended. prisrob 06-23-07

Lawrence Of Arabia (International 1-Sheet), Framed Movie Print

One Night With the King

Man of La Mancha

Bravo..........2007-06-23

Wow, what a stirring masterpiece of filmmaking. The level of verisimilitude surpassed anything I have seen in recent years, if not decades. Probably going to be much more poignant to the over 40 crowd, however, the dynamic between Maurice and Jessie makes this equally as accessible to a younger crowd on a different level. I laughed, I cried, I learned...

Average customer rating:

My life on film!
Now and Then
movie
The Worst Film in the History of Cinema!!!!
Personal Classic

Now and Then
Starring: Christina Ricci , Rosie O'Donnell , Thora Birch , Melanie Griffith , and Gaby Hoffmann
Director: Lesli Linka Glatter
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
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ASIN: B00002SSKI
Release Date: 1999-12-21

Amazon.com essential video

This obligatory girls' version of Stand by Me begins with actors Melanie Griffith, Rita Wilson, Demi Moore, and Rosie O'Donnell doing a lousy job of playing adult versions of the film's youthful protagonists. The idea is that this quartet of characters is having a reunion, which serves as a preface to the main story about school chums who make a pact to stay close and supportive through thick and thin. The trouble is that Griffith, Moore, Wilson, and O'Donnell look like they've rehearsed their scenes for no more than a few minutes, and after boring us silly there's little reason to get excited about anything else. Still, it's nice to have a supporting cast that includes Janeane Garofalo and Bonnie Hunt, while among the girls are three young actresses who have been burning up the road in recent years: Christina Ricci (The Opposite of Sex), Thora Birch (A Clear and Present Danger), and Gaby Hoffmann (Strike). --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

My life on film!.......2007-06-23

The setting of this film is in Indiana in the early 70's. I was the same age as the characters at that time and was also growing up in a small Indiana town. The movie is like my youth on film..... I love it!!

Now and Then.......2007-05-17

Although it is something of a chic flick, "Now and Then" is a great movie. I would watch having a youngster see it as there are some adult topics discussed. Each child character and her adult counter part, look so similar that it is amazing! It is a very well told narrative of young ladies coming to terms with growing up and all that it involves and holding onto friendship in spite of it all.

movie.......2007-05-14

This was in wonderful condition it was almost brand new. Very quick delivery thank you.

The Worst Film in the History of Cinema!!!!.......2007-04-09

I dont care how bad a movie can be. Even films that suck beyond belief can at least have a few moments that are not so painful to watch. This film actually amazes me, I cannot think of a single second of this charade that I can actually call quality. It's actually insulting to watch. After viewing this garbage, I have come to discover that I HATE Rosie Odonell! I Hate Demi Moore!! I Hate Melanie Griffith!!
It Stinks! It Sucks! The DVD should include a hand-gun so you can blow your brains out as punishment for watching it!

Personal Classic.......2007-03-26

Great Movie! Great Music! Great story line! This fabulous film begins in the present, introduces the four main adult characters, and slips back
to the summer they were 12 yrs. old, and made the pact that has brought them together now. This is a story about growing up and into yourself.
'Now and Then' is deliciously well-cast, in both the adult and 12 yr. old roles, and very well presented. And for me, very vivid! (As I was 12 then, and even live to tell the tale...*).
While I classify this as a family friendly movie, I definately recommend it for mother/daughter/grand-daughter/babysitter connections.
Happy viewing!!!

Average customer rating:

Despite...
Do directors read?
Close but so far away...
An inconvenient truth
A hot and erotic iron.

Lolita
Starring: Jeremy Irons , Melanie Griffith , Frank Langella , Dominique Swain , and Suzanne Shepherd
Director: Adrian Lyne
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
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Lolita

ASIN: B00001IVFG
Release Date: 1999-10-12

Product Description

Excellent condition, includes the original DVD, case, and paperwork, fast shipped, ask me for my DVD List! :)

Customer Reviews:

Despite..........2007-03-08

the inconsistencies with the book, I thought it was great. You need to keep in mind that America is founded on Puritanism. They could never get away with a 12 yr old or any of that. The public had a problem with her just being 14. It's better than Kubrick's and closer to the book without trying to match it too closely. I personally hate when the movie tries too hard to copy the book word for word. In the end,they get the same point across. Not all pedophiles fit the stereotype. Both represent the risk of a sick relationship like his, and both are done so beautifully tragic.

Do directors read?.......2006-12-23

Another movie based on the Cliff Notes, this movie gets everything wrong. It is even worse than the Sue Lyon movie, since that older movie created a parallel story which, while nothing like the book, almost stood on its own. In that one we got a 21 year old Lolita to satisfy the censors. In this one we get a 15 year old Swain who looks 18. She is not a Lolita regardless, by Nabokov's definition of nymphet. She is too curvy by far and entirely too seductive. Lolita is supposed to be 12, weigh 84 lbs soaking wet, with "unflared iliacs" and dirty hair. Instead of this "pale little gutter girl" we get Swain, a "big-breasted and practically brainless baba." Irons is no better. A great actor, he has been wonderful in many roles, but he is not Humbert Humbert. Humbert was big and dark and hairy, handsome and educated but the opposite of Irons' catfoot delicacy. Beyond this, Irons and Swain have no heat regardless. The love scenes have this golden Hallmark falsity to them that could not possibly be further from Nabokov's intent. This movie is a misfire in all ways, an absolute disaster. I can envisage a wonderful adaptation of Lolita; what I cannot envision is where it will come from. The US and UK are more uptight now than they were in the 50's and France isn't much interested in American stories, even when they are penned by a Russian internationalist. Hopefully the world will survive into a new age where some true artist can rediscover this masterpiece and tell it faithfully.

Close but so far away..........2006-09-27

This films greatest strength is also its greatest weakness. This movie plays Humberts obsession with Lolita seriously and sympathetically. You can't help but feel bad for Humbert by the end of the movie as it is really Lolita who takes advantage of him and not the other way around. That is the film's strength but also the weakness; Lolita is 12 years old. That's just creepy. This film tries to make you feel bad for a man who, for all intents and purposes, uses his charm and status as stepfather to sleep with his 12 year old daughter. I find it disturbing. Surely this was not Nabokov's intention when he wrote the novel.

Jeremy Irons is very good at the role he plays, but he isn't the character the books gives us. The character in the book was not a nice man. He drugged his wife, he planned to drug Lolita to take advantage of her while she slept, he lied and manipulated, he planned in his mind to kill his wife and probably would have had she not been killed before he could get to it. But Jeremy Irons is not like that at all. His character is just a lonely man in the wrong place at the wrong time; he is haunted and almost, it seems, justified in his love(?) for Lolita by the sad events of his childhood.

Melanie Griffith is not a good Charlotte at all. She is not nagging enough, she is far too good looking, and until she give Humbert her love letter there is no indication that she is in love with him. There definitely needed to be more time spent developing her character.

Doninque Swain seemed far too aware of what she was doing at times, and far too childish at other times. The film made her look like the bad guy for seducing Humbert and using his obsession with her as a weapon against him. That isn't how the books played her at all.

Clare Quilty is all but absent in this film. He has a very short appearance at the hotel, and then we don't see him again until the end of the film. The book gives him a lot of charisma that was completely absent; in this film he is just a dirty old man. Look to Sellers performance in the 1962 version for a much more rounded and exact portrayal of Quilty.

Overall, this was not a bad film if it stood on its own. The camera work is excellent in expressing the emotions of the film and Jeremy Irons is excellent is his portrayal of a Humbert (albeit a different one that was presented to us in the book) but this film misses the message of the book even if it is a more literal cinematic translation of the book.

An inconvenient truth.......2006-08-24

(4.5/5 stars) Very few films (or the books upon which they are based) portray the relationship between an adult and an adolescent seriously, preferring instead to depict them as monsters, perverts or both. Not so with "Lolita." Humbert Humbert is as normal and as realistic as any other fictional character, and so are his human traits. He just so happens to fall in love/lust with Dolores, the fourteen year old daughter of Charlotte Haze, a widow with a room to rent. It is an unspoken fact that most men are attracted to teenage girls, yet are afraid to admit it because it is not acceptable for adults to act on these impulses. Most people see this as taking advantage of someone not yet old enough to make important decisions like this on their own. Even though Humbert acknowledges the socially unacceptability of this relationship and keeps it hidden from everyone, at the same time he indulges his fantasies and exploits his new-found fortunes. Although details would most likely differ, this sad tale is ultimately practical about the fate of a man who disregards reality and ignores potential consequences when he takes a fourteen year old girl as his lover. Many men would like to do this, John Mark Carr being one of the latest, yet few do because of the consequences. Most men can envision the effects of their actions and conclude both that this girl will not stay this age forever and he would not be able to keep this relationship secret indefinitely. In that sense, it is a cautionary tale for those who fantasize about this sort of thing. Conversely, it allows everyone else to experience a glimpse into the mind of someone who acts on this type of fantasy. Either way, "Lolita" is a tragic story that is faithfully brought to the screen by director Adrian Lyne and a magnificent cast.

A hot and erotic iron........2006-05-21

Beautiful!!
When I saw this movie,I was going to faint.It is a wonderful and succesful remake.I saw even the previous production of Lolita,in black n' white,but this is charming.Simply hits me at first sight.
It might be that Lolita is jealous of her mother.Psychologically,Lolita wants to be her mother's copyright(miniature).The father isn't there to hold back the spoiled child.She is matured enough in 'erotic relationship',but still a child in the mind.
Poor Professor Humbert,he can't be neither a father,nor a man.He should be a priest.

Average customer rating:

Heartwarming.....
mystery alaska
Totally Enjoyable "Small" Film
Decent screenplay overshadowed by a lousy leading man
Part of Your Hockey Collection

Mystery, Alaska
Starring: Hank Azaria , Cameron Bancroft , Adam Beach , Maury Chaykin , and Russell Crowe
Director: Jay Roach
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
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Classic DVD
Exclusive interviews, highlights, and behind the scenes coverage
DVD's main menu allow you to jump directly to the action
Presented in full-screen digital video

ASIN: B00003CWUX
Release Date: 2000-05-09

Product Description

With Russell Crowe (THE INSIDER, A BEAUTIFUL MIND), Hank Azaria (GODZILLA, THE BIRD CAGE), and Burt Reynolds leading an incredible all-star cast, here's a fun, uplifting, action-packed story that everyone will love! A remote hockey-obsessed town populated by 633 of the most eccentric characters you'd ever want to meet, Mystery is the kind of place where nothing ever changes. But then life as they know it gets turned completely upside down! When a publicity stunt brings the world-famous New York Rangers -- and the national spotlight -- to Mystery for a game with the local team of weekend warriors, the whole town rises to meet the challenge of a lifetime! Also starring Mary McCormack (TRUE CRIME, DEEP IMPACT) and Lolita Davidovich (PLAY IT TO THE BONE, JUNGLE 2 JUNGLE) in another critical favorite from the hit-making director of AUSTIN POWERS 1&2 -- you'll stand and cheer as this ragtag bunch shows that nothing can melt their dreams of a miracle on ice!

Amazon.com

When it comes to the subject of community, David E. Kelley--the prolific writer-producer behind television's The Practice and Ally McBeal--falls somewhere on a continuum between directors Howard Hawks and Robert Benton. While Hawks's professional characters are bound by a knowledge of how to do what they do even if they don't know why, Benton's people, professional or not, have long ago substituted their own eccentric reasons for that elusive why. Thus we get the kind of in-house, oddball rituals sandwiched between passages of actual work on Ally, and the affectionately entangled personal and professional ties between small-town folks in Kelley's earlier TV series Picket Fences.

Kelley's script for Mystery, Alaska (co-authored by Sean O'Byrne) takes that level of eccentricity to a geographical and spiritual extreme. The film revives the hackneyed Rocky formula, setting a lopsided hockey match within a remote, self-contained hamlet where the members of a tiny population all have to wear multiple hats and still keep neighborly ties intact. The story concerns the town's chief source of identity and pride: so-called "Saturday games," in which local men divide into teams and play pond hockey for the locals. When a prodigal son (Hank Azaria) of Mystery shows up with a television network offer to bring the New York Rangers in for a televised match against the homegrown team, the town fathers agree. Coaching falls to the town sheriff, John Biebe (Russell Crowe), an admirable man and a longtime player recently bumped from the team. John, however, doesn't want the job: everyone knows the real coach in those parts is Judge Burns (Burt Reynolds), but he wants no part of it either. All of that changes after a sad tragedy forces everyone to reevaluate their positions and pull together in order to beat the Rangers.

Following the success of Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Jay Roach proves to be an able director of drama, swift action, and low-key, character-driven comedy not unlike that in Benton's Nobody's Fool. He has to deal with some pure corn at the end, but Roach pulls it off and guides the actors to and through far better moments. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Heartwarming............2007-05-26

Mystery, Alaska is one of those movies called a "sleeper". Not much heard about it and not much expected when you see it, but it turns out to be an amazing feel good, heartwarming kind of movie. If you love hockey, then it's a must have for your collection. If you love good, clean, family oriented and feel good kind of movies, then it's definitely worth the purchase.

mystery alaska.......2007-05-16

mystery alaska is a very good hockey movie if you are a hockey fan and russell crowe plays a very good role in this movie and there is some humor to go with this movie.

Totally Enjoyable "Small" Film.......2007-03-25

In a town [New York] where "March Madness" has ruined every aspect of TV watching, except for PBS [they're begging instead -- seems as if they do that for two weeks every two weeks or so now], this little film was a real treat for this nonhockey fan! The performances were uniformly excellent [though I wish Russell Crowe would not go so terrifically soft in the voice at times so that you have to pitch your sound way up and then suddenly decrease the volume quickly; Burt Reynolds, an excellent actor, is also guilty of this in this film], the story good, the cinematography excellent -- in short, for me, a really good, totally enjoyable movie! Thank you, producers!!

Decent screenplay overshadowed by a lousy leading man.......2007-03-19

There is one major problem with this movie, and the problem's name is Russell Crowe. I CAN'T STAND Russell Crowe! I think he is one of the most overrated actors around, and his arrogance bleeds into every single movie he appears in. He is not particularly talented and makes the same faces in every film, and it drives me CRAZY! In this case, we have what could have been an okay movie, but Russell Crowe poisoned the whole thing with his very presence.

"Mystery, Alaska" has the potential to be a decent movie. It's about the small Alaskan town of Mystery, a place where everybody knows everyone else and each resident is obsessed with the game of hockey. One day a former Mystery resident turned sports promoter returns to town with very exciting news: he's set up an exhibition game between Mystery amateur hockey players and the New York Rangers. The people of Mystery must learn to put aside their various differences and pull together in preparation for the event of a lifetime.

This film is sentimental and can basically be summed up in one cliche: "It's not about whether you win or lose; it's how you play the game." There are several strong performances in this movie, including Hank Azaria as Mystery's prodigal son and Burt Reynolds as the town judge/coach. However, Russell Crowe spoiled the whole film for me. He plays the town sheriff/hockey player/coach, and he's basically just a big cocky oaf on ice. There's this one scene where Crowe's character is supposed to have a "touching" moment with his wife. He crosses out a bunch of words in a newspaper column and instructs his wife to read the remaining characters out loud. I think the intention of the scene was for Crowe's character to come across as being all sentimental and deep, but it was just incredibly stupid and serves as a perfect example of how every movie Crowe is in basically turns to garbage.

If ANYONE but Russell Crowe had been cast in the role of John, "Mystery, Alaska" might be worth watching. Sadly, though, I must advise you to skip it.

Part of Your Hockey Collection.......2007-02-06

If you are a hockey fan, this movie has to be part of your collection! Besides, without this movie, you will never be able to answer the question, "What are the best two activities to do in the cold?"

Average customer rating:

Fantastic Steve Martin Vehicle
A good picture of the spiritual chaos of modern society
Great Feel-Good Film
A Perpetual Favorite
Entertaining with great music. Very thought provoking.

Leap of Faith
Starring: Steve Martin , Debra Winger , Lolita Davidovich , Liam Neeson , and Lukas Haas
Director: Richard Pearce
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0000A2ZNZ
Release Date: 2003-09-23

Description

LEAP OF FAITH stars Steve Martin as Jonas Nightengale, a fraudulent faith healer who makes a living visiting small towns and giving hope in the form of prayer. Aided by his no nonsense manager, Jane (Winger), Jonas sets up his tent in a small suburb of Kansas where he soon learns that their hidden mikes, cameras and computers can't fool the neighborhood sheriff (Neeson). But, when Jonas is touched by a local waitress (Davidovich) and her disabled son Boyd (Haas), he learns something new about truth and what real miracles are made of.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic Steve Martin Vehicle.......2007-05-31

Steve Martin, without his funny-man routine, turns in a great performance as the leader of a ministry of con men who is out-conned by none other than.........Jesus.

This is a film for people who wonder about life under the "Big Top" of traveling ministries where miracles MAY take place--for a price. There's always a fix in to find the truly needy under the big top and its great theatre watching Martin on stage as the man "GOD" speaks to. Until one day he actually, by hook or by crook, pulls off the big miracles no one in his gang can figure out! Martin as well!

I hated the ending, you may see why. I wanted him to go on to bigger and better cons, but the spirit got to him.

An excellent film also starring Meatloaf and Debra Winger (Winger's chacter disappoints for some reason, maybe just too unbelievable a woman would act as she does in the end.)

Overall, Martin and cast are fantastic in this film, with George Duke Gospel songs throughout, Meatloaf on the radio, and the Glen Frye title track.

I want a sequel, where Martin goes back to the pulpit and cons all the suckers again. I hope Jesus dosen't mind.

Somebody say "Amen!"

A good picture of the spiritual chaos of modern society.......2007-03-22

Very good film about a fake travelling faith healer and his entourage of employees/followers.

The story is simple enough, almost cliché, but there are a few elements that raise the film above the garbage of Hollywood industry (post 1960's). The end has been commented enough, and I agree it's a nice ending. But what interests me most are the roles played by Debra Winger, the fake man's assistant, and the nice-guy sheriff. Watching this movie from a believer's perspective I must say that they both represent the real lost, no matter how nice human beings they are. Jonas Nightengale at least faces reality with honesty; when he leaves the town we know he will not be the same man after all that happened. No matter how big his sin was: using God and the gospel for his own profit. His attitude is sincere. He is not a manipulator, as he said, because his modus operandi is too obvious, only suckers don't notice it. So who is the real smooth operator? Debra Winger?. She acts like she cares about people's feelings getting hurt, and so complains about it to Jonas, but she takes the money. Isn't she more hypocrite than him? This contrast of characters really interested me, the way it was portrayed, subtlely. What about the sheriff, such an (apparently) well-intentioned and nice man? Same thing. Obviously, one does not see him in a bad light during the film. It's afterwards, when one thinks it over. Jonas and the sheriff. The first, may have even accepted Jesus, for real this time, in spite of what he did; the second, such a nice and good fellow though, goes and sleeps with "the devil". Humm, these are the elements that make a film worth watching, that keep you thinking once it's over.

I have to write down the following lines from thescript, I think they are great: JONAS: "-I KNOW I'm a fake. KID: -But what difference does it make if it gets the job done? JONAS: -Kid, it makes all the difference in the world."

That last line is the key line to the movie. Without it the film would be also a whole world different.

One last word about the company of employees that travels along with Jonas. It's a pity there isn't more time devoted to individualize these folks a little, because they are the crowd, the ones who enter the 'wide door' instead of the 'narrow one'; the ones that shouted for Jesus to be crucified, for money, in spite of knowing Him to be innocent. Jonas may enter the narrow door (Christ); these folks are happy as can be with a wide door to hell. Tells you something about lack of character in people. Don't blame others for your faith or the lack of it. Faith is a gift from God. The lack of it is when you become a willing puppet in the hands of manipulators, for money.

Great Feel-Good Film.......2006-11-19

I have never particularly enjoyed Steve Martin as an actor, but bought this film because based upon the description, it sounded like he was made for the role. Was he ever!

Often where that's the case the supporting cast is weak, but not here. This is one of those rare cases of nearly perfect casting.

If you enjoy traditional gospel music, or even if you generally don't, you will love the musical support provided by the Angels of Mercy (including La Chanze, Delores Hall and Albertina Walker) who are superb as Jonas's choir.

There is none of the unpleasant ridicule of evangelicals (I am not one) that often characterizes films of this type. This is one where everyone comes out smelling good. Truly uplifting.

A Perpetual Favorite.......2006-06-04

Yesterday, I found this move on DVD.. Over the last 10 years or so, I wanted it on a VHS Copy that was crowded into a couple of other movies I had copied... Grainy... So the DVD is a long overdue addition to my movie collection.

I'm always moved by this movie; it touches me deeply.. Steve Martin is what everyone says: born to play the role, Incredible physical movements... But the supporting cast: Liam Nieson, Debra Winger... the contrast of the simple small town, century old houses, 100 year old oak trees.. with the big-city hustlers, everything for a buck... The miracles definately turn on the Mircle Workers... with no effort, the flow and pace inspire.

Repeated Viewings are guaranteed.

Entertaining with great music. Very thought provoking........2006-05-22

This film bears repeating viewings, revealing a new layer of meaning each time.

Martin's performance is one of his best--funny and energetic, but this is no shallow role played just for laughs. The subject of faith is explored thoroughly here, but, as in life, there are no easy answers. Although Martin's character, Jonas Nightingale, is a con man of the first order, is God working through him? Even though he may have no faith of his own, he touches the lives of ordinary people, strengthening their faith.

Jonas shows us some of the tricks of the trade in manufacturing "miracles" for the gullible, but when the real miracles happen, some tough questions are raised.

Some have criticized the ending as being weak, but I'm glad the viewer isn't handed an easy answer.

If you return for repeated viewing (as you probably will), you may find yourself examing your own faith.

Average customer rating:

An ok movie
Impressed but not...
Possibly The Worst Film Blunder Ever
Better Than You'd Expect
Great Movie

The Hole
Starring: Thora Birch , Desmond Harrington , Daniel Brocklebank , Laurence Fox , and Keira Knightley
Director: Nick Hamm
Manufacturer: Dimension
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0000ARD7T
Release Date: 2004-10-19

Description

This suspenseful psychological thriller features hot young stars Thora Birch (GHOST WORLD, AMERICAN BEAUTY), Desmond Harrington (GHOST SHIP), and a hip, edgy cast! When Liz Dunn (Birch) and three of her prep school friends decide to bail on their scheduled weekend field trip and hide in a long-abandoned bomb shelter, they expect to party and hang out. They don't expect someone to lock them in! As anxious hours turn into desperate days, fear and insecurity erupt uncontrollably as their spontaneous adventure turns into a bloody fight for survival! Also starring Keira Knightley (PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL, BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM) and Embeth Davidtz (THE EMPEROR'S CLUB, BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY) -- you'll find yourself bolted to your seat as the electrifying tale unfolds through Liz's tormented eyes!

Customer Reviews:

An ok movie.......2007-06-10

If you are purchasing this movie to see Keira Knightly's breasts, make sure you don't blink as you will miss them.
Otherwise the movie is good

Impressed but not..........2007-05-13

I bought this DVD because of Kiera Knightly, I won't deny it. That said I was not expecting much. It still disappointed me.

This film had some good story ideas, but it didn't deliver on any of them. The thriller aspect of it was less than thrilling and I found it to be anticlimatic.

If you are a Kiera fan I guess its worth having for the collection or renting it. If not there is no point to buying or renting this DVD.

Possibly The Worst Film Blunder Ever.......2007-01-03

Warning: Spoilers Abound.

Okay folks, I was flipping channels and came across a movie called The Hole, starring Thora Birch, Keira Knightley and Desmond Harrington. Now, aside from this terrible blunder I'm going to tell you about in just a few more sentences, the film was fairly entertaining. I dig Thora Birch, and her character was really well-played. What really shocked me though, was my quick research after the film was over. I mean, I checked IMdB, Rotten Tomatoes and Wikipedia. Although all reputable sources, none mentioned this ridiculous mistake.

Have you ever been so utterly sure of something so blantantly, painstakingly obvious that it would literally take an entirely different, alien planet to be able to even minutely comprehend the vast insipidness of its vacuous residents? That's how I felt after watching this movie and realizing that apparently I'm the only goddamn human being on this prosaic, infantile planet who immediately saw the dimwitted aberration for what it was!

And what exactly was this stupendous error, you ask? Well... It's very simple. I mean, it couldn't get more common sensically moronic than this. The basic plot of the film is four teenagers trapped in an old war bunker. The movie begins with Thora Birch's rendition of what happened: that her friend set this whole thing up, locked them in the 'hole' and didn't come back when he was supposed to. She escapes and the three others die. The story changes from what she originally told her psychiatrist to what actually happened. Turns out the only way out was actually locked from the inside and Thora had the key the whole time. The other teenagers die for various reasons, irrelevant to the blunder at hand, and she ends up telling the tale to her psychiatrist from inside the bunker. In the end, she kills the guy who set it up and plants the key on him. The police come and find Thora and her psychiatrist in the 'hole' and after rebuking the psychiatrist, mention that the case is now closed. At that moment, a flashback shows Thora murdering her friend that set everything up and planting the key on him. Right after that moment, I said to myself: "What the heck? The door locks from the inside?! It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that either a) the door was never locked, or b) someone had to unlock it from the inside!" Alright, those weren't my exact words, but good god, it's so obvious!

And that, my friends, has got to be possibly the worst film blunder ever.

Better Than You'd Expect.......2006-12-23

Surprisingly good movie -- Laurence Fox as always, is hot, and the cast is very strong, even Kiera Knightly, who manages to pull off a good performance with a minimum of her trademark grimacing. The story is engrossing, and keeps you in gritty suspense all the way through.

Great Movie.......2006-09-28

I really enjoyed this movie and have told most of my friends about it and they liked it was well. I thought the acting was wonderful - you can feel the tension build as the whole situation disintegrates into chaos. Awesome ending as well :-)

~Most Happy~
¸.·' .·'¨¨))
((¸¸.·' ..·' -:¦:- ~Lady Anne~
-:¦:- ((¸¸.·'

Average customer rating:

A tremendously acted portrait of a first-class Prick, Ty Cobb
A Great Baseball Film
For BB fans a strong 4; casual sports fans a 3.
Five-Star Level of Disgust
A Tour de Force

Cobb
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones , Robert Wuhl , Lolita Davidovich , Ned Bellamy , and Scott Burkholder
Director: Ron Shelton
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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61*
Fear Strikes Out

ASIN: B0000A02YH
Release Date: 2003-09-02

Description

Tyrus Raymond Cobb played baseball like a man charging a machine-gun nest. He gave no quarter, took no prisoners. And when his Hall of Fame career was over, Ty Cobb attacked life the same way. Tommy Lee Jones portrays the legendary - and equally cheered and detested - Georgia Peach in this acclaimed film from writer/director Ron Shelton (Bull Durham, Dark Blue), also starring Robert Wuhl and Lolita Davidovich. From its recapturing of the outfielder's playing days (Roger Clemens portrays a rival pitcher) to its recreation of a 1961 Hall of Fame banquet, Cobb is a movie grand slam.

Customer Reviews:

A tremendously acted portrait of a first-class Prick, Ty Cobb.......2007-07-04

Talk about films that are totally unsentimental about their lead character!!! COBB is just that.

Baseball great Tyrus Raymond Cobb, by his own admission, was a prick his entire life. Ron Shelton, in his written and directed biopic of the "Georgia Peach" does nothing to dispel this claim. Tommy Lee Jones attacks this role with such ferociousness that I doubt that anyone could like this character. Cobb was arguably the best ball player of his time. He was generally hated by all that came in contact with him. Jones plays him to a tee. Cobb is totally repelling and there is not but possibly a half ounce of sympathy for him in this film. This is the film's biggest problem: who can sit and watch total narcissistic behavior for 129 minutes??? Even amidst his totally insane and irrational behavior, there are some brilliant comic moments, but not enough to lift this film from the relentless heavy-handedness. After a while you have simply seen enough and want to walk out, never to return. There is nothing that made me respect or care for Ty Cobb in the slightest. Cobb was a bully, a manipulator, a cheat, a liar, a carouser, a drunk, a wife-beater who was forsaken by his five children and more. No excuse can be given for this kind of behavior no matter how "great" the man.

This film did strike a very personal chord in me. My own father was a "Ty Cobb." My father did all and was even more than Cobb was. He, like Cobb, died alone,rejected by his family and friends in his old age. After 84 years, only six people attended his funeral, and only out of some weird obligatory feeling. So, in brief, COBB reflected much of what I knew to be true in my own experience from my life. NOT A PLEASANT WATCH FOR SOME!

Elliot Goldenthal's original soundtrack is appropriately riveting and truly is an asset in the fast moving scenes!

Is COBB a well done film? Absolutely.Is it stylish and clever? Absolutely. Does it drag on? Absolutely. Did I learn something? Absolutely. Have I seen enough, though? Absolutely.

A Great Baseball Film.......2007-04-08

Even if you're not a baseball fan, this is a helluva great film that really gets inside a complex human being who just happens to be the best baseball player of all-time.
Tommy Lee Jones has never been better and Robert Wuhl gives an outstanding performance that gets short shrift to Jones' sublime turn.
This movie never gets mentioned when they compile the list of best sport's movies but "Cobb" is a terrific film that is hands down a better film then "The Natural." (A highly overrated movie).
This is probably the second best baseball film of all-time after "Field of Dreams."

For BB fans a strong 4; casual sports fans a 3........2007-03-13

Though some people consider Cobb the greatest, I don't recall ever seeing any name higher than Mr. Ruth in any book, on any list, with the exception of one book which places Willie Mays at the top. So with that statement, there should be many sports fans and historains who would want to check this movie/DVD out (though it's a little light on actual baseball *playing* - too bad, because the photography/camera work is terrific).
Tommy Lee Jones plays the part as if he's auditioning for the part of Mephistofolies; or Sweeney Todd; it's surely "over the top" but he dominates every single scene he's in, actually over-running (with no sharpened spikes) Mr. Rhul, playing the (now) legendary sports writer Al Stump. In "real life", it seems Stump had to deal with a relatively tame but decidedly moody lion, in motel rooms, in banquet halls, in lounges, all over the place.
The movie portrays a somewhat self-righteous writing genuis, as it constantly refers to his own personal troubles - the more he yells at his employer, who ultimately he does befriend, albeit cautiously, the more the very perceptive, though dying 72 year old man, reminds him of his own mess as a filanderer and failed husband. There's a rather unconvincing scene towards the end of the picture, when at some motel Stump is presented with Divorce papers and he begins to fire Cobb's gun in the direction of this guy who's been chasing him around the country for this purpose. The script is very strong throughout but here the scene ends on a depressing note. What was needed was for Cobb to simply convey through his eyes "Wanna throw any more "stones" at *me*, son?" Well, maybe that's a bit trite, but the scene closes as Lee says that he saw nothing - just a coupla bad boys.
Lolita Davidovitch has some good scenes, but her 1960 Vegas Cocktail Waitress has the look but not the "feel", meaning Shelton probably had to make her a milennium feminist to fit the quasi-political contemporary movie industry demands. Keeping the character more to the period would have worked.
Another concession to the male-female spirit of today, not 1960, is in a deleted scene: Stump watches, through his office window, and in the company of his Secretary, a shapely lady ascend a staircase. In the midst of his confusion and disorientation, he tells his exasperated co-worker to tell his wife, who has just called, well, tell her something. I wonder what the "real" Al Stump thought of that kind of stuff.
Tyrus Raymond Cobb surely fought death...and life. In his profession, he reached high, refusing to be taken lightly or be beaten. As his violent world finally came crashing in, and his health was in free-fall, he still refused to acknowledge his vulnerability, his mortality. Maybe that's the only real lesson to be learned by all of this: even a wicked man can sustain by calling up his reserve of strength and courage; maybe even artfulness.
Mr. Shelton delivers a very interesting narrative of the back story, though he sounds very subdued - perhaps the memory that the kind of numbers the Georgia Peach drew out to the old ball park did not exactly compare to this movie about his last days.

Five-Star Level of Disgust.......2007-02-03

Yes, it is possible to feel utter disgust for the subject of a movie - even while acknowledging respect for the excellent performance by Tommy Lee Jones in transforming himself into Ty Cobb, a man who has nothing to redeem him but a talent for tossing and batting a ball. It is, after all, a game, folks.

The movie, in general, is well done. No technical complaints, no complaints on any performance by any actor, no complaints about how the life of this man Cobb was portrayed - may the truth be told. "Prince among men," says Cobb of himself. "A great who is misunderstood." Hardly. I have rarely seen a portrayal of a man with so little to redeem him. His only excuse, achingly lame, is that there was an ugly scene in his childhood, adulterous parents gone mad with rage. Okay. Anyone out there without a dysfunction in your childhood, raise your hand! Thought so. Albeit, Cobb's childhood contains some doozies, but as he himself admits: "I was a prick even before my father was murdered." He begs the nature versus nurture debate, but personally, I don't care. Anyone who so defies any accountability for himself throughout his 72 years, eschews all responsibility, gains no compassion from me. He beat his many wives, attempted rape, regularly frequented prostitutes, abused his children, was racist to the bone, purposefully aimed to injure other athletes on the field, exhibited only brutality and rudeness to others, and topped it all off with an incredible arrogance. At least justice reigns: Cobb has not a single friend in the world, knows only hatred, and must deal with his own demons to the very end.

And he is in the baseball Hall of Fame? Why? I struggle to respect the game if it honors such as Cobb, regardless of his stats.

Yes, that's right, that's five stars I gave this movie. Perhaps we at times need to be reminded of what and how not to be, where to draw the line, and perhaps a portrayal such as this might spur some on to think twice about who we honor in our baseball-adoring culture, and why.

A Tour de Force.......2007-01-21

Make no mistake: this is Tommy Lee Jones' vehicle. Cobb was a larger than life icon both on and off the field, the first superstar in American sports, and Jones plays him larger than life.

This movie, based on Al Stump's second biography of Tiger great Tyrus Raymond Cobb, is the biography Stump didn't release after Cobb's death in 1961 - that was the cleaned up version, the version Cobb wanted published, that talked of the nuts and bolts of baseball: how to steal second base, how to hit to the opposite field - all the things Cobb felt the public wanted to read about from one of the game's "immortals."

It wasn't until the 1990s, shortly before Stump's own death, that his second biography of Cobb was released, the one that painted the darkest depths of Cobb's very complex character. He was a man driven by inner demons who, only in the end, revealed to Stump, the highest paid sports writer of that era, some of what haunted him. Stump spent several months with Cobb shortly before his death to write the story as Cobb wanted it written, but late at night he wrote the other version.

Cobb was a monster, but the viewer is unable to look away, which only serves to peel away another layer of this movie: our fascination with greatness, our inability to look away, to deny ugliness in an effort to glimpse or brush up against greatness. When Stump threatens to quit before the book is finished, the result of Cobb's constant abuse and manipulation, Cobb tells him: "You won't quit. You've never been this close to greatness."

Jones' performance in Cobb is nothing short of brilliant: some of his expressions reveal more about Cobb's character than many other, less accomplished actors, could reveal even with a page of dialogue. When Cobb pulls up in front of his daughter's home (he hasn't seen her in 15 years), she looks out the window, recognizes her father, and pulls down the shade and closes the curtains, and the viewer aches for the pain Jones reveals in his simple expression.

We see Cobb as the consummate showman: "Do you know what it's like to have 50,000 fans boo and throw things at you?" he asks Stump. "It's the greatest feeling in the world." We see him at his worst: at a Reno nightclub, where he walks onstage to a cheering crowd enamored with seeing a living legend of the game, only to, within minutes, clear the room with racist slurs. We see him beat his wife and pistol whip to death in an alley a man he would later claim tried to rob him (he was later acquitted, largely in part because of his celebrity status - shades of O.J. and Kolbe Bryant). We watch him jump into the stands to beat up a fan who had no hands.

And still we are unable to look away. What causes a man to act in such a way?

We get a glimpse of some of Cobb's goodness: he left the largest portion of his fortune - yes, he was immensely wealthy, not so much from his playing days but from his investments in General Motors (ground floor) and Coca Cola ("Invest in Coke, Stumpy, it's coming out in cans.") - to be used to build a children's hospital, and for years he supported Mickey Cochrane, one of the game's all-time greatest catchers, and many other destitute players - "You won't put that in the book," he tells Stump. "But why not?" Stump asks. "Because it would embarrass Mickey."

Yet the good cannot justify the many monstrous acts; but Jones' riveting performance brings to mind another well-known monster, this one fictional, and the viewer realizes that monsters are not so much born but created, as was the Frankenstein monster, who, like Cobb, only sought to be loved and accepted. Yes, Cobb's monstrous behavior was due in part to our acceptance of that behavior, our willingness to look the other way in the presence of greatness. A telling moment in Cobb has him confessing to Stump: "You're the best friend I have."

Only in the end do we get a glimpse of what fueled Cobb's demons, a glimpse into a childhood that left him marked for a lifetime, that both drove him to greatness on the ball field while at the same time prevented him from achieving intimacy with anyone - wife, lover, team mate: "But a man must defend his mother at all times, shouldn't he, Al?"

Cobb was a pathetic man, worse than a curmudgeon, unable to give up his past achievements on the field, a feared and hated competitor, unable, even in his 70s, to allow another man to best him, loathed even by his own children; yet thanks to Jones' portrayal, Stump's book and Ron Shelton's brilliant screenplay, we find that he is also pitiable.

Robert Wuhl is cast as Al Stump and his performance is good, while Lolita Davidovich is the Reno cigarette girl to whom the impotent Cobb, on medication for high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer and half a dozen other ailments, gives $1,000 to tell everyone that she slept with "the great Ty Cobb." Roger Clemens, the real-life pitcher, makes a cameo appearance as an opposing pitcher in a flashback to a game played during Cobb's prime, and Ernie Harwell, Hall of Fame announcer for the Detroit Tigers, also makes a cameo appearance in a scene at a Hall of Fame banquet.

If you're looking for a baseball movie, a how to steal second base or hit to the opposite field movie, look elsewhere, but for the human drama of a real life monster and a glimpse into the dark side of the human psyche, both the monster's as well as our own, Cobb is highly recommended.

Average customer rating:

Great Documentary
A box set featuring the films of the world's greatest director
The master of his domain
Much better set
Warner Brothers Cleans Up Its Act - Literally.

Stanley Kubrick Collection
Starring: Stanley Kubrick
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Killing
Paths of Glory
Killer's Kiss
The Woody Allen Collection - 8 pack
Taxi Driver (Collector's Edition)

ASIN: B00005ASUK
Release Date: 2001-06-12

Amazon.com

With the 1957 release of Paths of Glory, Stanley Kubrick confirmed his early promise and joined the ranks of world-class filmmakers. The age of the auteur had arrived, and Kubrick was a prime candidate for inclusion in the pantheon of directors later canonized by critic Andrew Sarris in his influential book The American Cinema. Ironically, this was also the period during which Kubrick left his native soil for permanent residence in England, and from that point forward, the Kubrick mystique inflated to legendary proportions. But if Kubrick was no longer bringing himself to the world, he was certainly bringing the world to his films. From the comfort of his rural England estate and locations never far from London, Kubrick would command cinematic odysseys to isolated Colorado (in The Shining), battle-ravaged Vietnam (Full Metal Jacket), upscale New York City (Eyes Wide Shut), and, of course, Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite (in 2001: A Space Odyssey).

The New Stanley Kubrick Collection includes all eight of Kubrick's films from Lolita on--a quarter-century of brilliant, challenging cinema. This second edition adds Eyes Wide Shut to the previous collection and remastered sound on five of the films plus a new anamorphic edition of 2001. Purists have complained that Kubrick's last three films have been released in full-screen format only; this was in compliance with Kubrick's wishes, and the films do not suffer unduly from full-screen formatting. This set also features a new full-length documentary made by longtime Kubrick assistant Jan Harlan, Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures. The diversity of Kubrick's work is truly astonishing, even though the director's technical precision and steely perspective on humanity may strike uninitiated viewers as cold and even misanthropic. His films almost always received mixed (and sometimes scathingly negative) reviews upon their release, only to benefit from glowing reassessment as they grew entrenched in the public consciousness. Here, in all their glory, are the collected films of a genuine master, ripe for study and appreciation for many years to come. --Jeff Shannon

Description

The new Stanley Kubrick Collection includes eight of the great director's masterpieces in stunning all-new digital transfers, restored picture and new digital audio. Titles include: 2001: A Space Odyssey, Barry Lyndon, A Clockwork Orange, Full Metal Jacke

Customer Reviews:

Great Documentary.......2006-03-18

The documentary about Stanley Kubrick included in this collection ("Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures") makes it worth having. A truly great collection of movies, perfect for a Kubrick enthusiast looking to establish their DVD collection, or for people unsure about Kubrick to make them fans!

A box set featuring the films of the world's greatest director.......2005-07-03

The Stanley Kubrick Collection features 9 amazing DVD's, eight of them films. The films include Lolita, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, the documentary Stanley Kubrick: A Life In Pictures and more.
First of all, the sound/picture quality is amazing. If improves vastly over the sound/picture quality over the original, now out-of-print Stanley Kubrick Collection from 1999.
Also, the films are brilliant, except the vastly overrated A Clockwork Orange. For my review on this film, visit A Clockwork Orange on amazon.com
Every Kubrick fan should own this item!

The master of his domain.......2005-07-03

"Genius is the fire that lights itself." That could very well describe the mystique of, and the body of work from, Stanley Kubrick, arguably one of the greatest filmakers of the 20th century. This collection represents 8 of his works, from 'Lolita' to 'Eyes wide Shut', released after his sudden death in March 1999. Although other directors have a larger number of films to their credit, it only took 13 directions to go in for Kubrick to cement his legacy in the annals of movie history. From my perspective, two flicks stand out to define his greatness: 'Spartacus' (not included in this collection) and '2001: a Space Odyssey'. To do something no one else has done before, and for everyone to pull from that influence since, is a testament to his courage and perfectionism. He is listed in the Guiness book Of World Records as the director who demanded an astonishing 600-plus takes for one scene in 'The Shining'. Needless to say, Shelley Duvall was not happy after that week of shooting in the cold. But the actors who were fortunate enough to work on one of his films became major stars because of their apearances, from James Earl Jones in 'Dr. Strangelove', to Malcolm McDowell in 'A Clockwork Orange', to R. Lee Ermey and Vincent D'Onofrio in 'Full Metal Jacket', and Lelee Sobieski in 'Eyes Wide Shut'. Kirk Douglas was so fond of his talent, he made sure he got to work with him three times.

This is an excellent overview of a master artisan. Purchasing this along with the Criterion Collection version of 'Spartacus' will give you viewing enjoyment that will last a lifetime. Also check out 'A.I.: Artifical Intelligence', a Steven Spielberg product that was based on a screenplay given to him by Kubrick from ideas written in the books by Isaac Asimov. It was the last script Kubrick never finished making a movie of.

Much better set.......2005-05-30

Includes a couple more films and Vivian's feature-length documentary Stanley Kubrick: A Life In Pictures. One look at this set may be as a cash generator (after all, WB already released a Kubrick collection), but second look is Kubrick's artifact, an in-depth, beautifully remastered, feature-packed set. At last, gone are the days of Kubrick rolling in his grave from the original clunker set. He can now rest in peace, as his films are now preserved at highest imaginable quality with immersive 5.1 surround. Bless you, Vivian.

2001 was the only film in the original set to get the 5.1 treatment. Now, four other films (Barry Lyndon, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, and Full Metal Jacket) have been touched by the magic wand, and given a massive makeover, including-- you guessed it-- 5.1 surround. The features on the separate discs are essentially the same as the original set (we still get Vivian's Making of The Shining documentary, only with a restoration job done), but the real highlight is A Life In Pictures. After only seeing three of his films (2001, A Clockwork Orange, and Shining), I must agree that Kubrick is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, director(s) that ever lived.

Now WB has listened to the wailing Kubrick estate, and given his films the respect they deserve. Avoid the original clunker. Buy this one.

P.S. The films that are in fullscreen were shot that way, and the original aspect ratio is preserved according to Kubrick's wishes. So stop complaining about it!

Warner Brothers Cleans Up Its Act - Literally........2005-03-29

If you're reading this, chances are you've already seen many (if not all) of these movies and understand their significance in modern cinema. So, a review of the films themselves is fairly pointless. What I will discuss are the technical aspects of these DVDs as well as the bonus documentary "Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures." Like many of you, I bought some of the original Stanley Kubrick DVDs, and I can testify that they were shameful presentations of the director's work. "The Shining" had scratches, lines, and dirt all over the film. "A Clockwork Orange" looked woefully drab and washed out. But the worst offense was "Barry Lyndon." Not only did this picture suffer from print flaws, but the image, at one point, WOBBLED. Warner Brothers knew they had a turkey on their hands, so they discontinued these films and re-released them with digitally remastered picture and 5.1 sound. The improvements are noticeable, to say the least. The opening credits of "The Shining," which feature the steadicam roaming through the beautiful vistas of Colorado, is wonderfully crisp and clear. "Barry Lyndon," a visually stunning picture to begin with, is even more breathtaking with its sharp, rich colors. And "Full Metal Jacket," looks much better without the grain. Also, in place of the mono soundtrack that Kubrick allegedly preferred, we get remixed 5.1 audio ("Lolita" and "Dr. Strangelove," however, are still in mono). Simply put, Warners literally cleaned up its act by re-doing these films and presenting them the way they were meant to be shown. The fun doesn't stop there. Unlike the original Kubrick box set, this edition has a bonus documentary narrated by Tom Cruise: "Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures." This hugely entertaining film covers Kubrick's entire filmography, featuring interviews with crew members, friends, and cast including Malcolm McDowell, Jack Nicholson, Matthew Modine, Shelley Duvall, Nicole Kidman, Sidney Pollack, and Cruise himself. Woody Allen, Martin Scorcese, and Steven Speilberg also get to throw in their $.02. While they do praise Kubrick to high heaven, some predictably admit that he was very challenging to work with (he allegedly forced many of his actors to do dozens of takes while filming). Granted, this documentary doesn't exactly get us any closer to the director himself, but it does provide a fairly intimate and thorough look at his work. I've witnessed the price on this box set go down over the last couple years, so if you've been wanting to get your hands on it (and many movie buffs do), now is the time to do so.

Average customer rating:

Excellent WIDESCREEN DVD
Jungle2Jungle
wonderful family movie
Martin Short and the kid from Detriot Rock City have Chemistry.
Jungle 2 Jungle

Jungle 2 Jungle
Starring: Tim Allen , Luis Avalos , Joan Copeland , Lolita Davidovich , and Bob Dishy
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

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