The Proposition

Starring:Proposition
Studio: Allumination
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

A savage Western set in Australia's Outback, The Proposition is relentless in its intensity and bloody imagery. Set in the late 19th century, the film tells the brutal story of a gang of brothers that kills not out of desperation, but because they can. Arthur Burns (Danny Huston) is the mastermind who shares little in common (other than total disregard for human life) with his younger brother Charlie (Guy Pearce, L.A. Confidential, Memento). When Charlie and their baby brother Mike (Richard Wilson) are captured, Charlie is offered a proposition to save their necks from the gallows. "Suppose, Mr. Burns, I was to give both you and your young brother Mikey, here, a pardon," offers Captain Stanley (Ray Winstone). "Suppose I said that I could give you the chance to expunge the guilt beneath which you so clearly labor.... Now, suppose you tell me what it is I want from you." Without blinking, Charlie says, "You want me to kill my brother." For most people, this would be an unthinkable proposition. For Charlie, the answer's obvious. He'll do whatever he has to spare his own life, even if that means trading his for Arthur's. The Proposition at times is a difficult film to watch. But thanks to a compelling story by rocker Nick Cave and a supporting cast (including Emily Watson as the Captain's gentle wife), the film is a classic in the making. --Jae-Ha Kim

Customer Reviews:

Intense & Disturbing.......2007-06-23

The Australian outback plays a pivotal role in this movie set in the 19th century Australia when law is far in between. The story is simple enough where Guy Pierce's character is given a proposition to kill his brother (leader of the pack that allegedly massacres a family and raping a woman pregnant with a child) within nine days so that he shall be given a pardon & to redeem his younger brother. And so the journey begins. There is a glimpse of racism of the time (and still does) when there's a discussion of Darwin and how ridicule the white people felt when they are compared to monkeys and to Aborigines. The Police Chief with a constant headache is fervently trying to resolve the crime properly by stamping down upon the Gang whilst his Superior is keen to dispense quicky justice to appease the citizens. This movie succeeds in creating a feeling of living on the edge and unpleasantness. Swarms of fly are ever present, intense heat, loneliness of the outback. Headed by outstanding casts such as Emily Watson, John Hurt, Dany Houston, they portray a hostile outback where everyone fends for themselves and perhaps the desolation is driving people to madness &/or desolation. This is an outstanding movie that deserves to be seen on the big screen. Nick Cave's music accompaniment to the Proposition really is rather appropriate indeed. Overall, a very comprehensive movie that should have a bigger commercial success. Here, Guy Pierce truly shows his versatility in different genres. Highly recommended.

A One-Sided Gunfight.......2007-06-07

This is a gorgeous film, offering one of the few close, accurate depictions of the "wild west" of the Australian outback. It is an "arty" western, with lots of sunsets and a lovely sound track which mixes native traditional instrumentation and modern "Western" sounds to good effect. The acting is superb - lots of memorable faces, including a few Aborigines. The story is predictable, but nothing else is. But in the third act,it is not at all clear why the protagonist leaves himself wide open for attack. It is as if he had suddenly become incompetent, or had lost the will to fight. The fine dining scene just doesn't make sense to me. Why were there no guards, no dogs, no alarms. Still, apart from plotting, the film is a welcome surprise.

Had it's moments but hard to stay awake at times.......2007-04-24

I really wanted The Proposition to be good. It had an excellent cast including the almost always reliable Ray Winstone and the excellent Guy Pearce. However, this film was not as good as I had thought it would be. Sure, it conveys the savagery and the grime of the Australian outback in the 18th century but the story plodded along and the climax of the film was quite disappointing.

With such an array of good actors and material, it could have been so much better. The story was written by Nick Cave, the Australian "singer" and dark lord of grumpy indie murder ballads. Sure , it had plenty of violence and pessimism about it but it was gore for the sake of gore and the film ended unsatisfactorily.

violent art western from Down Under.......2007-04-02

"The Proposition" is a grim, atmospheric western set not on the American frontier but rather in the Australian outback of the 1880's.

Captain Stanley (Ray Winstone) is a police officer sent from England to impose law and order on the largely uncivilized populace inhabiting that newly settled region of the world (his jurisdiction includes aborigine natives as well as the recently arrived whites). Those orders set Stanley in direct opposition to the Burns Gang, a notorious band of thieves and cutthroats comprised of three Irish brothers who are suspected in the rape and murder of one of the most prominent and influential families in the territory. After Stanley captures two of the men, he imprisons one - the weak, sniveling Mikey - and frees the other, Charlie (Guy Pearce), threatening to hang Mikey if Charlie fails to hunt down and kill the third brother, Arthur, purported to be the vile ringleader of the group. Thus is set into motion a brutal, violent tale of revenge and justice that soaks the exquisite Australian landscape in generous helpings of blood and gore.

"The Proposition" is not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach, as it literally rubs our noses in the violence it is portraying. In vivid, unflinching detail, the movie captures the inhumanity and bloodshed perpetrated by the characters on one another throughout the course of the story. Stanley is an unlikely central figure for the tale, since even though he begins as a hardnosed, unyielding stickler for law and order, he turns out, in the long run, to be one of the most reasoned and restrained players in the drama. In fact, he faces intense opposition from the townsfolk for being too lenient with his prisoners and too slow in exacting justice for the horrible crimes committed. Stanley, who is also deeply devoted to his loving wife, stands as a kind of transitional figure linking the barbarous past with the hopefully more "civilized" future of the off-in-its-own-corner continent.

The second major character is Charlie, who has to decide between betraying his older brother by killing him in cold blood or letting his younger brother swing at the end of a rope if he doesn`t. Unfortunately, Charlie is not nearly as fully developed a character as Stanley is, nor is his moral dilemma as clearly developed or dramatized either. We don't get the sense that we know much about Charlie even after we have spent quite a bit of time with him which is a shame since his thought processes and actions are pivotal to understanding the outcome of the story. Perhaps more successful is the portrayal of Stanley's wife, Martha (Emily Watson), who is torn between her innate compassion for humanity and her desire to have her dear friend's death avenged by the public execution of the men responsible for the heinous crime.

What distinguishes "The Proposition" from so many other westerns is its deliberate moral ambiguity, its recognition that people don't always fit into nicely wrapped packages of good and evil, and that fairness and justice are not always the clear-cut commodities we've been taught to believe they are from literature and movies. And all this is done against a stark natural landscape that stands as a mute, indifferent witness to the insanity of the humans' actions.

Pearce, Watson and, especially, Winstone deliver remarkably restrained, understated performances as the three main characters caught up in the drama. After all, with all the blood and carnage up there on the screen, the last thing the film needs is a bunch of over-emoting actors adding to the excess of it all.

"The Proposition" is clearly not for everyone, but diehard Western aficionados would be remiss in not seeing it.

Guilty all.......2007-03-26

Beautifully photographed, well acted with a heavy dose of Peckinpah. What's not to like. You know Christmas is not going according to plan.

Average customer rating:

Don't SWAT this Blu-Ray

S.W.A.T. [Blu-ray]
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson , and Colin Farrell
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: Blu-ray

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ASIN: B000F9RB94
Release Date: 2006-09-19

Customer Reviews:

Don't SWAT this Blu-Ray.......2007-01-04

SWAT has some awesome video shots in 1080p. The audio is bold.

The movie is non stop action.

I have 3 Sony Blu-ray units displaying on a Sony 1080p LCD, a Pioneer 1080p Plasma & a Sony 1080p projection unit. The video is awesome on all three.

Average customer rating:

20th Century Movie with 1980 Score !!
Good Cast-Good Action
one of the best action movies
:0)
One of those movies you either love or hate -- I enjoyed it.

S.W.A.T. (Widescreen Special Edition)
Starring: Jay Acovone , Mario Aguilar Jr. , Denis Arndt , Reg E. Cathey , and Josh Charles
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00008EYA5
Release Date: 2003-12-30

Amazon.com

Samuel L. Jackson and Colin Farrell swagger through S.W.A.T., a guns-and-big-trucks macho extravaganza based on the 1970s TV show of the same name, about the police teams brought in to take care of extremely dangerous situations. Jackson plays a sergeant brought out of retirement to form a new squad, which includes rebellious Farrell (The Recruit) and tough babe Michelle Rodriguez (Girlfight, Blue Crush). After a lot of training and head-butting with a smarmy police captain, the squad gets assigned to transfer the head of a European crime cartel (Olivier Martinez, Unfaithful) who's declared on television that he'll give $100 million to anyone who gets him out. Every scumbag in Los Angeles descends to claim the money, turning a routine transfer into a bullet-filled gauntlet. Despite some gaps in logic and a generic flavor, S.W.A.T. will satisfy most action-movie junkies. Also featuring LL Cool J and Josh Charles. --Bret Fetzer

Description

An arrested drug kingpin is transported by a Los Angeles Police Department S.W.A.T. team, led by Jackson's character, out of the city and into federal custody. Plans go awry when the kingpin offers $100 million to anyone who can free him. Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, Michelle Rodriguez, LL Cool J, Oliver Martinez.

Customer Reviews:

20th Century Movie with 1980 Score !!.......2007-05-18

Overall good film... Well acted ,good plot.. but taken aback by the fact that the film's Producers allowed a "1980s made for TV film score" to go with this masterpiece, Bad Judgement, Why ??,

Good Cast-Good Action.......2007-04-22

SWAT is a good, not a great action movie. The opening scene is a take on a real life bank robbery, in which the robbers wore body armour and fired fully automatic assualt rifles. This is probably the most intense scene in the film. The rest of the film is pretty much Hollywood fare, with a predictable storyline and character profiles, examples: good cop(s) turn bad, evil drug lord, tough female cop etc. etc. etc. Samuel L. Jackson gives a credible performance as the leader of the SWAT team. Colin Farrell as the hotshot member leaves no memorable screentime. The film attempted to forge a middle ground between reality and super heroism, but remained as neither.

one of the best action movies.......2007-01-27

SWAT is one of the best films to be released in the last 5 years.

The mix of actors add to the excellent storyline that has enough twists and turns to keep you wondering what will happen next. Colin Farrell, Samuel Jackson and Michelle Rodrigues make an excellent trio.

The entire film deserves a lot of credits.

:0).......2007-01-07

I liked it.. it was an entertaining movie and very watchable..love the actors and their chemistery on screen a good movie for your collection..

One of those movies you either love or hate -- I enjoyed it........2006-04-10

I saw this movie on t.v. for the first time a few days ago and now I'm buying the DVD. I'm not a big fan of action movies but I do watch them now and again. I've read quite a few negative reviews about this film and I think they are undeserved. When I saw it I thought it was good, not Diehard good, but it held its own. I really enjoyed it. I really liked the idea that they included a female member of SWAT. One never sees a woman SWAT member. It looks like this is one of those movies you either love, like, or hate. One has to make up one's own mind.

Average customer rating:

20th Century Movie with 1980 Score !!
Good Cast-Good Action
one of the best action movies
:0)
One of those movies you either love or hate -- I enjoyed it.

S.W.A.T. (Full Screen Special Edition)
Starring: Jay Acovone , Mario Aguilar Jr. , Denis Arndt , Reg E. Cathey , and Josh Charles
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0000U0X1G
Release Date: 2003-12-30

Amazon.com

Description

Customer Reviews:

20th Century Movie with 1980 Score !!.......2007-05-18

Overall good film... Well acted ,good plot.. but taken aback by the fact that the film's Producers allowed a "1980s made for TV film score" to go with this masterpiece, Bad Judgement, Why ??,

Good Cast-Good Action.......2007-04-22

one of the best action movies.......2007-01-27

:0).......2007-01-07

I liked it.. it was an entertaining movie and very watchable..love the actors and their chemistery on screen a good movie for your collection..

One of those movies you either love or hate -- I enjoyed it........2006-04-10

Average customer rating:

20th Century Movie with 1980 Score !!
Good Cast-Good Action
one of the best action movies
:0)
One of those movies you either love or hate -- I enjoyed it.

S.W.A.T. (Superbit Collection)
Starring: Jay Acovone , Mario Aguilar Jr. , Denis Arndt , Reg E. Cathey , and Josh Charles
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00000F3GI
Release Date: 2004-10-26

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

20th Century Movie with 1980 Score !!.......2007-05-18

Overall good film... Well acted ,good plot.. but taken aback by the fact that the film's Producers allowed a "1980s made for TV film score" to go with this masterpiece, Bad Judgement, Why ??,

Good Cast-Good Action.......2007-04-22

one of the best action movies.......2007-01-27

:0).......2007-01-07

I liked it.. it was an entertaining movie and very watchable..love the actors and their chemistery on screen a good movie for your collection..

One of those movies you either love or hate -- I enjoyed it........2006-04-10

Average customer rating:

Wispy and Romantic
One of England's important silent films
Milestone Films Has Done It Again. Simply Exquisite!

Hindle Wakes (Fanny Hawthorne)
Starring: Estelle Brody , John Stuart , Norman McKinnel , Marie Ault , and Humberston Wright
Director: Maurice Elvey
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0007LXP72
Release Date: 2005-04-12

Amazon.com

Nineteen twenty-seven was a landmark year for silent cinema, and Maurice Elvey's Hindle Wakes--now impeccably restored by the British Film Institute--was part of it. Stanley Houghton's 1912 play, a once-scandalous drama seconding the progressive politics of Ibsen and Shaw, had been brought to the screen before; Elvey himself had had a shot at it in 1918. But in this version, for long, purely visual stretches, he points his camera at things that could never have figured in any stage production. And when Elvey does film scenes from the play, often as not he withholds dialogue cards, so that we "read" the drama from the actors' faces and stances, and details selected by the camera's eye.

Hindle is a Lancashire milltown, and although the "Wakes" in the title hints at consciousness-raising, it's also the name given to the custom of shutting down the textile factories one week a year while the workforce goes on holiday. For Fanny Hawthorn (Estelle Brody) and her next-door girlfriend Mary (Peggy Carlisle), this means Blackpool, Britain's Coney Island, with its giddy-making amusement rides and yet-headier swirl of pavilion dancing in which proletarian types used to having the earth firmly under their feet may get carried away. Fanny falls into more or less accidental company with the factory owner's son (John Stuart)--the owner and her father are lifelong friends--and they embark on a clandestine holiday of their own. How the town, their families, and the lovers themselves handle the ensuing crisis is the stuff of drama much less black-and-white than you'd expect, with a feminist upshot that is matter-of-factly revolutionary.

Two things more: Elvey's location footage of Blackpool--the camera soaring with the Ferris wheel, then hurtling along on the rollercoaster--and the sea of dancers churning under a moving spotlight is a window into another time, another world. And there is a wordless scene between the two young women--after one has spent the night with a man and the other has not--that is a small miracle of shared trust and apprehension. --Richard T. Jameson

Description

Factory girl Mary Hollins decide to take a vacation and becomes entangled with the son of a factory owner, with shocking results.

Customer Reviews:

Wispy and Romantic.......2005-10-27

Three things are at work here.

The first is the music. It should be the image or the story or whatever first, but the music sticks out predominantly. It's actually really amazing music and very etherial, ephemeral, all those good dreamy-soft tones and stuff. They at first make the film seem VERY romantic and soft, and it's nice to watch and gets you into the film immediately.

Unfortunately, it sets the tone for a film that doesn't really keep that tone all the way through. The second element of this film is its story, the most simplistic part of the entire movie. High-class guy meets low-class girl, have a scandalous affair, and try to work it out in the end. It's just simplistic enough to surprise modern-day viewers, and yet complicated enough that it's not cliched and throws a real curve-ball at the end. It's a nice story that, with the music, seems like it should be a kind sort of sad, but which is really less transient than that. This is why this movie is difficult to watch, the music is so gripping in mysticism and the story isn't really mystical at all.

The third element is the imagery. The music is great, but disjunctive. The story is great, but a little odd. The imagery is fantastic. Everything from this long, surreal shot of people dancing that is just amazing to a first-person rollercoaster ride that's more realistic-feeling than the many that have been made in color and with sound ever since.

Thus, it's really a good movie. Acting is pretty good too, forgot to mention that. You can get into it and enjoy it (the music sucks you in like that), so it's a great experience. It's just that after a while the plot will start to feel a bit "off" because of the tone of everything else not necessarily working for the tone of the story proper.

--PolarisDiB

One of England's important silent films.......2005-04-22

It's nice to experience the life and culture in another country for a change, and "Hindle Wakes" gives us a poignant feel for society in Lancashire, England a century or so ago. Brilliant camera work and direction give us glimpses into the lives of two classes: the cotton mill factory workers and the wealthy upper class, and what happens when the son of a wealthy family has a holiday romance with a factory girl. The story moves along quite slowly, with dramatic events unfolding only near the mid-way point, but the focus is on surroundings, characters and atmosphere. The scenes at the amusement park where the casual romance begins are very impressive and really involve the viewer, especially on the Big Dipper ride. Then we get to know the characters and their attitudes, especially as the secret romance is revealed and the emphasis turns to drama as this revelation causes turmoil in three different families, with the climax being the decision by the factory girl in question. Today we might wonder what all the fuss is about, but "Hindle Wakes" was an important film in its time, as was the play on which it was based, making a statement about the attitudes towards women and their status in society. In fact, I found it more of a women's liberation statement, which was already an issue in those days under very conservative Edwardian society. It is still quite relevant and interesting for us today however, and the excellent cinematography of "Hindle Wakes" makes it very good viewing even for those not so familiar with silent films. Apart from all these aspects, this is also an excellent DVD all round with the film wonderfully restored by the British Film Institute, which has produced many other fine quality films as well, and Milestone has given us the choice of two soundtracks: the traditional piano score or a pleasant modern soundtrack for a nice change. As if this is not enough, there is bonus material such as stills and information on the 1912 play on which "Hindle Wakes" was based, so all up, an excellent DVD well worth having.

Milestone Films Has Done It Again. Simply Exquisite!.......2005-04-17

When it comes to quality silent film releases on video, Milestone Films has been second to none in recent months. First there was LEGONG: DANCE OF THE VIRGINS, then the restored version of PICCADILLY along with Mary Pickford's LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY and now this. The British film HINDLE WAKES is a masterpiece. It shows fully what the silent cinema was capable of when all the necessary elements were in place. Based on a famous play about life in the Lancashire mills (the title refers to vacation time for mill workers in a small town), it was a British version of A DOLL'S HOUSE which scandalized audiences in 1912 with its plucky heroine who defied convention and was determined to live her life her way. The storyline is traditional soap opera. A mill foreman's daughter has a romance with the mill owner's son and the problems and conflicts it has on their respective families. What made the play important was the statement that women had the right to choose their own lives. What makes the film a masterpiece is its use of documentary style footage of the mills and the vacation spot Blackpool (a British version of Coney Island) to highlight and emphasize the lives of the characters and the conflicts they face. It's like a silent film version of ANGELA'S ASHES. The photography is absolutely astonishing as it creates images that linger in the mind long afterwards (especially the Blackpool scenes). This is one of the greatest virtues of silent cinema. The acting from the leads down to the smallest parts is flawless drawing us into the characters and not allowing us to let them go. Rarely have I seen such a perfect balance between the acting and the technical aspects of a silent film. It is simply exquisite. HINDLE WAKES was obviously a big influence on King Vidor's THE CROWD which came out a year later. High praise should also be given to In The Nursery, the British group who scored the film. It is among the best modern scores that I have ever heard accompanying a silent film and easily the best to incorporate a synthesizer. There is also a traditional piano score by Philip Carli which is also quite good on its own terms. The British Film Institute restored this movie in 2001. If you're a fan of dramatic silent films (as opposed to silent comedy) then it doesn't get any better than this. Thanks again to Milestone Films for giving us yet another high quality little known silent film.

Average customer rating:

faithful to the original story
Mohammed Mrabet not Paul Bowles
Beautiful scenery and actors, weak story line

Beach Cafe
Starring: Jacques Nolot , Ouassini Embarek , Leïla Belarbi , Delia Amrani , and Meryem Serbah
Director: Benoît Graffin
Manufacturer: Picture This! Home Video
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Release Date: 2005-06-28

Customer Reviews:

faithful to the original story.......2006-10-18

This 93 minute drama, set in morocco, follows very closely mohammed mrabet's original story. The director has chosen not to heighten things in any way. The story was a transcription of an oral performance so the film, being visual, is inevitably more fleshed out but the moroccan actors, while good in front of the camera, have not been goaded to bring any of the verve and dynamism of their culture to the screen. It's as if they are pretending to be french (they speak almost entirely in french as well) and sedated frenchmen at that. For some reason one of the main actors is a frenchman playing a moroccan (he's the only one) and he isn't very good but as he is an experienced actor it is probably the director's fault. It must be hard to get a handle on a character if you're told to do nothing. Ninety minutes in the zoco chico of tangier might provide more drama than this. Strange that a french film goes direct to video in the u.s.a. and is available only as an import in its country of origin. With english subtitles.

Mohammed Mrabet not Paul Bowles.......2006-08-04

The book that this film was apparently based on was called "The Beach Cafe" by Mohammed Mrabet, not Paul Bowles. Bowles translated Mrabet for years but did not write for him. (Mrabet didn't write but was an oral storyteller). I haven't seen the film but acted in the original story.

Beautiful scenery and actors, weak story line.......2006-01-09

This film is a very mixed product. I will first identify the strenghts of the film and then identify the weaknesses.

A first strength is the sunny stark beauty of the Morroccan landscape and the dark beautiful people. The film is full of male and female North African beauties in a wonderful Mediterranean landscape with turquoise oceans and white rocky cliffs. The film gives the viewer a sense of place so that you really feel that this is an accurate view of North African Morrocco, with its hillside archtecture and older model cars.

A second strength is the acting from the three main young actors. Ouassini Embarek plays a young male who befriends a reclusive cafe owner, played by Jacques Nolot. The two young women in the film however are excellent actresses, both of whom love Driss, the handsome young protagonist of the film.

The primary weakness is the bleak minimal storyline based on a Paul Bowles short story. I love Paul Bowles but this short story was insufficient to carry an 83 minute film. Basically a young man befriends a reclusive rough owner of a broken down beach cafe. The man is gruff and rude. The young man recieves over four warnings that the man is dangerous. First a fisherman warms him that Foaud has a bad character. Then the boy meets Foaud's three wild sons who also warn him that their father is a dangerous man. Then Driss asks his girlfriend to accompany him to the cafe where Foaud tries to seduce the girl away from Driss as well as talks bad about Driss while he fishes. Then Driss takes another girl friend to the cafe where the same thing happens. Then Driss visits the cafe at night and find that it is a spot where prostitutes have sex with customers which is the real way Foaud supports himself. Driss runs away with one of the women who is very taken with Driss's good looks. Driss does not touch her sexually and rejects her advances. The story ends with Foaud implying that Driss is homosexual which accounts for his rejection of the female prostitutes as well as his attraction to Foaud.

The film ends with Driss replying that he is not gay and that he befriended Foaud because he wanted to prove to himself that he could change a person with a bad character. This excuse did not ring with authenticity.

Beautiful scenery and young actors, good acting, yet a too thin story line did not combine to rank more than 3 stars.

Average customer rating:

Not the most interesting but I liked it.

The Proposition
Starring: Patrick Bergin , Richard Lynch , Theresa Russell , Richard Harrington , and Owen Garmon
Director: Strathford Hamilton
Manufacturer: Allumination
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The New World

ASIN: B0001Y4MHW
Release Date: 2004-05-04

Description

Across the untamed frontier, Catherine (Theresa Russell) faces the struggle of a life-time to save her family and her country. With the help of a handsome roughneck (Patrick Bergin), she braves the elements and defends her honor in this epic romantic adventure.

Customer Reviews:

Not the most interesting but I liked it........2007-03-12

Bought this DVD for its storyline. It is a kind of movie I like, where the characters beat the odds against them and triumph. But nothing really outstanding.

Average customer rating:

Intense & Disturbing
A One-Sided Gunfight
Had it's moments but hard to stay awake at times
violent art western from Down Under
Guilty all

The Proposition
Starring: Richard Wilson (VII) , Noah Taylor , Guy Pearce , Mick Roughan , and Shane Watt
Director: John Hillcoat
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005JP4Z

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Customer Reviews:

Intense & Disturbing.......2007-06-23

A One-Sided Gunfight.......2007-06-07

Had it's moments but hard to stay awake at times.......2007-04-24

violent art western from Down Under.......2007-04-02

Guilty all.......2007-03-26

Beautifully photographed, well acted with a heavy dose of Peckinpah. What's not to like. You know Christmas is not going according to plan.

Average customer rating:

Very cool stuff!
Extremely well done videos; fascinating research
Important...very important!
The Pear DVD Set.

The PEAR Proposition
Starring: Robert G. Jahn , and Brenda J. Dunne
Director: Aaron Michels
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Educational | Genres | DVD | Video

Science & Technology | Educational | Genres | DVD | Video

The Secret (Extended Edition)

Product Features:

2 DVDs and one audio CD, including:
Four-part lecture series by Robert Jahn
Laboratory tour with Brenda Dunne including equipment and protocol demonstrations
Supplementary lecture by York Dobyns, discussions with lab staff and colleagues
Representative articles, links, and more.

ASIN: B000M4UJMS

Product Description

"Consciousness contemplates no more profound or perplexing a question than this: what is its role in the establishment of reality." (quote from "Margins of Reality" by Dr. Robert G. Jahn and Brenda J. Dunne) For more than a quarter century, Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) has pursued this challenging question via rigorously controlled experiments in human/machine interaction and remote perception. Their research has shown that human consciousness can influence simple devices and acquire information by other than recognized sensory means. The monumental implications of this work constitute the beginnings of a "Science of the Subjective." This multi-media set is one element of an extensive archiving project that seeks to preserve the heritage and accomplishments of the PEAR laboratory. It features a lecture series given annually as part of an undergraduate course in Human/Machine Interactions at Princeton University, and also includes an introductory tour of the experimental facilities that provides the viewer with a rare opportunity to experience the spirit and substance of this unique research program.

Customer Reviews:

Very cool stuff!.......2007-01-27

I enjoyed these DVDs tremendously. If you are at all interested in the interface between intention and response, this is another puzzle piece to consider. We know have to use our own brainwaves to produce physical response and action via sensory prostheses/interpreters, the next question is can we use our brainwaves via intention without an interpreter device. These DVDs explore what may be a pre-evolutionary process leading to a leap in consciousness.

Extremely well done videos; fascinating research.......2007-01-26

I cannot tell you how interesting, exciting and provocative I have found PEAR's work. You can read about it in the book Margins of Reality, which is a wonderful read. I have used these videos in my Consciousness Studies course at the University of Florida and my students were dismayed that there wasn't enough time to watch the series in its entirety. The videos are extremely well done and capture the essence of the courageous research of Jahn and Dunne. I can't recommend their work and the DVD journey to Princeton more highly.

Important...very important!.......2007-01-26

The PEAR lab is of primary importance to the developing field of consciousness studies. Their work is clearly outlined in this set. It is both an inspiration and a signpost. A must have for anyone in science or the arts.

The Pear DVD Set........2007-01-25

In the field of consciousness exploration, PEAR is at the forefront of exploring the interaction between the mind and the machine. Over two decades of research and dozens of publications back up their findings that our current model of the physical world is not complete.

This DVD set is a must have for anyone interested in consciousness research. Director Aaron Michels paints a vibrant picture of the PEAR Lab, which will soon be closing its doors. Interactive interviews and a live tour with laboratory manager Brenda Dunne gives an accurate and vivid image of not only the physical laboratory but also its spirit and energy that have intrigued students, academics and curious people for so long.

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