Passion Fish

Starring:Brett Ardoin, Lenore Banks, Angela Bassett, Leo Burmester, Chuck Cain, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Nora Dunn, Daniel Dupont, Sheila Kelley, Paula Lafleur, Will Mahoney (II), Michael Mantell, Mary McDonnell, Nancy Mette, Mary Portser, Shana Ledet Qualls, Nelle Stokes, David Strathairn, Alfre Woodard
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com essential video

An intelligent and potent drama about taking life's second chances when they come, Passion Fish finds director John Sayles (Matewan, Lone Star) once again providing a strong cast of actors with a smart, literate screenplay to produce an entertaining and thought-provoking film. Mary McDonnell (Dances with Wolves, Grand Canyon) plays a soap-opera actress paralyzed in a car accident, who returns to the small town on the Louisiana bayou where she grew up to hide. But the hiring of a physical therapist with a tortured past (Alfre Woodard), and the sometimes antagonistic bond formed between them, allows the woman to try and rehabilitate herself and seize the opportunities that life still has to offer. With some great tradi\ tional Cajun music and the picturesque bayou as a backdrop, Passion Fish is an engaging yarn not to be missed. --Robert Lane

Customer Reviews:

Sayles Bait.......2007-06-06

I love John Sayles's movies--and he's an excellent short story writer, too. I hadn't gotten around to watching PASSION FISH, though, until very recently. It's everything I'd come to expect in a Sayles film: compelling dialogue, fascinating characters (all of them, even the bit-players who were only in one or two scenes), great soundtrack, smart casting, and wise, subtle humor.

The story is basically about two guarded, emotionally damaged women who find strength in each other as their friendship evolves.

However, there were a few little errors that irritated me, particularly since I had it on good authority that Sayles's understanding of rural Louisiana was dead-on. Apparently Sayles hadn't hired any Chicago fact-checkers, although one major, and a few minor, characters were from Chicago.

The sticking points were:

1. Two characters are discussing their Chicago origins and mention the high schools they attended. The Angela Bassett character says she graduated from Cooley High. Unfortunately, there's no such place. Maybe Sayles was giving a nod to the iconic movie of the same name, so we'll let him pass on this one.

2. The other character, Chantelle, supposedly graduated from DuSable High. At one point there was, indeed, a high school with that name. But she calls it "Du SAY ble High", while any Chicagoan would know the pronunciation is "Du SAH ble." This is as bad as if Sayles had a Kentuckian refer to LouISSville. Sheesh.

3. A passing reference is made to a "joke" about Chicago having been burned, in relation to the race riots of the late 1960's. Sayles has evidently never visited the West Side, which, 40 years later, still hasn't recovered from the initial arson fest and the subsequent abandonment and decay of that part of Chicago. Despite the occasional stab at gentrification, the area remains impoverished and desolate. That's no joke to the people who are still stuck there.

I recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys a good character-driven tale--and I recommend "The Encyclopedia of Chicago" to Sayles's production team, just in case.

PASSION FISH.......2007-03-28

THis is a movie rich. The acting is superb. No action but pleny of really good story. I have watched Passion Fish many times both in VHS and now in DVD. It never grows old.

Passion Fish.......2006-06-18

I borrowed this movie along with four or five others from the local library and I kept putting it off and eventually considered simply returning it without even watching it, thinking that it looked kind of sappy and would be a bore to watch. I decided to give it a try the night--very late in the night, I should say--before it was due, and boy was I ever wrong. This is one of the most moving and evocative movies that I've watched in a while, and could not help but watch it through to the end despite the late hour. This is one of the few times when I can say that I feel that a movie was perfectly cast. The acting, the character development is superb, and a nice tight story and excellent script. I most enjoyed the scene on the Bayou to the song Le Danse de Mardi Gras, it was just so beautifully done and the song really evokes the "fecund"--as one minor whimsically puts it when trying to decribe Louisiana--of the region. This alone makes the movie worth watching.

no title.......2006-02-11

There has not been a John Sayles movie made that I did not think superb, and this one is no exception. It was a wonderful film. Alfre Woodward (now of "Desperate Housewives") had much the better part, more stretch than Mary McDonnell ("Dances With Wolves"). Good Louisiana, creole, bayou, photography. Smaller characters were very well drawn too. And the dialogue - sharp.

B E A U T I F U L.......2005-12-27

Wonderful story situated in the bayou and great acting.
I wonder why good movies that are slow-paced and tell a good story don't reach the majority of the public who goes to the movies. Damn pity that many a gem goes therefore unrecognized.

Average customer rating:

A Slow, Marvelous Boat Trip through the Bayous

Passion Fish

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Secret of Roan Inish
Lone Star

ASIN: B000CBVLHI

Product Description

SUMMARY: May-Alice Culhane was a successful soap opera star, but a car accident has left her bound to a wheelchair. She returns to her now-empty family home in the bayous of Louisiana which she had eagerly left years before. She drinks heavily and vents her bitterness on the succession of nurses who are hired to take care of her and immediately quit because she is so unbearable. Chantelle is the latest of these nurses, and May-Alice is told that Chantelle is the last nurse she'll get. Chantelle for reasons of her own, is also in a position where she badly needs the job to work out. The movie focuses on how these two women become friends and help each other heal emotionally. [IMDB - Reid Gagle] ++++ DVD FEATURES: This officially licensed release from South Korea is All-Region NTSC Code 0 (playable worldwide). This 135 minute film is presented in Widescreen display format with Dolby Digital 2.0 (Surround) Sound in ENGLISH (as well as French and Spanish). Includes Scene Selections.

Customer Reviews:

A Slow, Marvelous Boat Trip through the Bayous.......2007-05-24

Passion Fish is one of my favorite John Sayles movies. Why? Because it combines real humor, depth and good characters so smoothly. There are no car crashes or explosions in this film, so if that is your cup of tea, this isn't it.

What exists is a story about a former soap opera star, May-Alice, who is wheelchair-bound and has to find a nurse. The early montage of the women interviewed for the position is a scream: the missionary, the dingbat, the Russian woman-dead on, and dead-funny. The minute Chantelle speaks(played by Alfre Woodard), there is something about her voice that says, "This is where I belong, and this is where I stay for now." These women are both formidable, both intense and have a keen rivalry that gradually turns to respect.

I also like A LOT the supporting characters: Chantelle's daughter Donita, who is very sweet, May-Alice's Cajun ex-boyfriend Remy, Uncle Max, whom May-Alice loves deeply, and Sugar, who is potential boyfriend material for Chantelle, who is shortcircuits her distrust of men very bluntly. You will have to see how he does this yourself. All I will say is that straight to the point sometimes works best!

What makes this film special is that Sayles isn't trying to ram a message down our throats. It is the characters and their interactions that reveal the story and themes. This redeems what could have become an extremely tedious socially-conscious drama about race into something wonderful and very profound.

Finally, the photography of the bayou country evokes the heat, the lush landscape, and Mary-Alice's emotions. In short, a gem of a film that has been underplayed. If you love good characters, this is your film.

Average customer rating:

Fun documentary about a fringe community

Gotham Fish Tales
Director: Robert Maass
Manufacturer: Passion River
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

Nature & Wildlife | Special Interests | Genres | DVD | Video

Documentary | Sports | Genres | DVD | Video

Art House & International | Independently Distributed | Stores | DVD | Video

Documentary | Independently Distributed | Stores | DVD | Video

Sports | Independently Distributed | Stores | DVD | Video

General | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video

Independently Distributed | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Fishing With John - Criterion Collection

ASIN: B000ASAU70
Release Date: 2005-07-25

Description

Catch the subway to go fishing? Only in New York. A subway car turned into an artificial reef? Only in New York.

Gotham is famed for its eccentrics. But in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty thrives a little known subculture. "New York City is a playground for the rich and famous," says one of its members, "but for me it's just a big ol' fishing hole, and I catch plenty of fish."

Once dead waters now harbor 370 species of fish. But the most interesting species are the people. The fishing cabbie who uses spark plugs for sinkers. The professional fisherman struggling to hold onto his livelihood. First-rate storytellers all, they share their love of their passion -- and their city.

With "buoyant bravado" (New York Times), filmmaker Robert Maass delivers a charming love letter to anyone who enjoys fishing, cities, and life itself.

Customer Reviews:

Fun documentary about a fringe community.......2006-04-20

My friend insisted I watch this film and even gave me a copy as a present - knowing that I love NYC and funky movies. One night, after dinner, I sat and watched it end to end. I expected to fall asleep half way through it and man was I shocked when it held my attention for the whole film. Basically, it's about people in NYC fishing in the waters around the City. They come in all shapes, sizes, ages, and ethnic backgrounds. Men and women too. Really a diverse group.

I laughed. I learned things I didn't know. I enjoyed it completely. Can't ask more from a documentary can you?

Like NYC and want to see a nice little movie? Give Gotham Fish Tales a try.

Average customer rating:

Once you start, you can't stop.

Dangerous Passion
Starring: Carl Weathers , Billy Dee Williams , Lonette McKee , Jason Keene , and Rudy Ramos
Director: Michael Miller
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Crime | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Playas Ball
Men Cry in the Dark
Restraining Order
Trouble Man
Akeelah and the Bee (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B0000JCFM2
Release Date: 2003-12-16

Product Description

The lure of big money has snared Kyle (Carl Weathers) into the deadly web of underworld crime. His boss, Lou Jordan (Billy Dee Williams), rules this empire with an iron fist of ruthless power. When Kyle falls in love with Jordan's beautiful wife (Lonette McKee), the pair find themselves trapped in a desperate struggle to survive as Jordan's blind rage fuels a massive attack of revenge and ultimate destruction.

Features:

Full Screen Version

2.0 Dolby Stereo Surround

Digitally Mastered

Scene Selection

English Closed Captioning

System Requirements:
Running Time: 94 Minutes

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

Once you start, you can't stop........1999-03-07

This was a good movie. Lots of passion and suspense. Definately a good movie for those romantic dates at home.

DVD:

DVD List

DVD

DVD

Secrets of Middle-Earth - Inside Tolkien's "The Hobbit"

The Water Margin - Season 2 -

Where Angels Go... Trouble Follows (REGION 1) (NTSC)

DVD: Manito

Manowar - Fire And Blood