Dot

Starring:Dot, Simeon Schnapper
Studio: Vanguard Cinema
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Are you kidding? This is like a gift from the Hollywood Gods!
Horribly overrated
Belongs Under Comedy/Fantasy not Action/Drama
A Good Guy Movie for Macho Men
WOW, AMAZING EPIC!!

The Boondock Saints
Starring: James Binkley , Matthew Chaffee , Billy Connolly , Bill Craig (III) , and Willem Dafoe
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels (Widescreen Edition)
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ASIN: B00005PJ8R
Release Date: 2002-05-21

Amazon.com

Charismatic young stars Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus play two Irish brothers, Connor and Murphy, who believe themselves ordained by God to rid the world of evil men. Their first killing is in self-defense; but after that, they start killing with devotion, gunning down a summit of the Russian mafia. Willem Dafoe plays a gay FBI agent (he listens to opera while examining crime scenes) who knows what the boys are doing but feels that their vigilante tactics are necessary. There's not much plot to The Boondock Saints--it's mostly a series of violent scenes in which the boys are partially ingenious and partially lucky. The movie seems to want to provoke debate about vigilantism, but the scenario is too implausible to stir any real controversy. The peculiar mix of earnestness and machismo will not appeal to everyone, but it's certainly unique and may acquire a cult following. --Bret Fetzer

Album Description

Canadian DVD release for 'Reservoir Dogs'-style vigilante thriller starring Willem Dafoe. 97 mins.. 2000 release.

Customer Reviews:

Are you kidding? This is like a gift from the Hollywood Gods!.......2007-06-19

I cannot believe that a movie with so much intelligence and gnashing bite made it through the editing room to my home theater. Two Irish-Catholic brothers that fall into vigilantism so effortlessly and do it so well, that is a recipe for a plot that fuels this amazing film. Do yourself a favor and watch this over and over.
~Charlie Will

Horribly overrated.......2007-06-07

As another reviewer put it, this is one of those movies that is unintentionally funny. The acting is awful and the plot nonsensical. I originally got it because of all its rave reviews here, of which I no longer trust. This one has all the acting and plot of a late-night straight-to-TV flick. I had a hard time making it all the way through. This one is a real stinker, if you want Boston-style mob violence save yourself the trouble and watch the horribly depressing (but much, much better) The Departed instead.

Belongs Under Comedy/Fantasy not Action/Drama.......2007-05-08

This self-indulgent caricature of a movie was just plain awful. I admit, the story intrigued me; two shanty Irish vigilantes from Southie killing bad guys in the name of God? OK, I'll give it a shot, plus I heard all these rave reviews about it. Boy was I in for an unpleasant surprise. The acting was horrible and most of the characters were so ridiculous that I couldn't even take them seriously. This is one of those films that is unintentionally funny. All kidding aside, this is literally how I think a 13 year old would visualize a good action/drama film. So unless you have the mentality of a pre-teen or can enjoy this movie for what it is, a comedy/fantasy, I would suggest you don't waste your time. For a decent movie about South Boston, go watch The Departed or even Southie instead.

A Good Guy Movie for Macho Men.......2007-04-02

The Boondock Saints is rich with symbolism and pop culture disdain, while making a statement that things have gotten out of control with a film that got out of control. The irony is steep, intention and not, throughout the film and the backstory.

Up front and center, I liked the movie. It ranks with the better films in a genre that arguably owes homage to Reservoir Dogs. The Tarantino elements are rich and clear, but not ripped off - a clear distinction for me. Duffy created a wild picture full of violence, but where he parted ways with Tarantino was in the significance of life in South Boston. These people are victimized by crime and shoddy policemanship and every day is an exercise in futility. Duffy brings to the screen the drama that answers the question, "what would you do about it?"

The brothers, two tough Irish kids have enough when assaulted and nearly killed by pissed off Russians. Something snaps inside them, something religious and right, something straight out of the worst war of heaven. They take this religion and make it a religion of violence, exacting revenge against the mob for injustices done to every Irish mother and daughter, son and father, throughout blue-collar Boston. It's not realistic, but it's realism, the dream that tough kids wanting to make a difference share throughout our violent society.

Where Duffy really makes his mark, however, is in the freedom of artistic excess he portrays. The FBI agent is gay and crossdresses. The funny man hates his mob bosses and tells particularly unfunny jokes. The cops are clowns, but not intentionally, it's just a system they don't think they can make a difference in. The gags aren't funny so much as ironic, like the brothers falling through a ceiling into a mob meeting, hanging upside down accidentally tangled in ropes, yet still succeed in their mission. Mission Impossible meets Hannah Barbara with an R-rating and blood splatter.

Irish Catholicism seeps through the pours of these brothers and this film, centering on cathedrals and confessionals, and a prayer that guides their murderous ways.

And shepherds we shall be
For Thee, my Lord, for Thee
Power hath descended forth from Thy hand
That our feet may swiftly carry out Thy command
So we shall flow a river forth to Thee
And teeming with souls shall it ever be
In nomine Patri, et Filii, et Spiriti Sancti

I only regret that Duffy destroyed the chances for this film to be legendary by biting the hand that feeds, so as to speak. He could've had it all, and it could've been to our benefit.

C'est La Vie.

- CV Rick

WOW, AMAZING EPIC!!.......2007-03-20

WOW!! I just rented this flick, and LOVED it!!! Great camera shots, good solid acting and cast, I thought "Quentin tarantino", direct this jam-pack action, because the style and killing and shooting part is amazing!!! Love the sound track! Every bit of this movie is SUPER!!! Insane & violent shooting and action mafia scenes, real good directed & shot!! Defiantly check this out FOR SURE!!! B+

Average customer rating:

Complete, Interesting, Emotional - Wonderful !
I Really Enjoyed This DVD Set
Titanic was out of luck, so was I
Compelling and Fascinating
Great detail...fascinating!

Titanic - The Complete Story
Starring: David McCallum , Wyn Wade , Eva Hart , Ken Marschall , and Dot Kendle
Director: Melissa Jo Peltier
Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

National Geographic - Secrets of the Titanic
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Ghosts of the Abyss

ASIN: B00005UW79
Release Date: 2002-02-26

Amazon.com

Of all the many documentaries that have been made about the Titanic disaster, this two-part, 192-minute film, produced in 1994 for the Arts & Entertainment network, remains the most thorough, authoritative, and fascinating chronicle of the Titanic tragedy. Written, produced, and directed by Melissa Jo Peltier and elegantly narrated by actor David McCallum, the film utilizes thorough research, archival films and documents, and expert testimony to span the entire history of the legendary S.S. Titanic. From blueprint design and construction in Ireland, to the ill-fated maiden voyage and the lasting legacy of Titanic's fateful sinking, no detail has been neglected in the film's meticulous description of events. Part 1, "The Death of a Dream," builds dramatic momentum to the ship's collision with an iceberg in the freezing North Atlantic, including detailed accounts of the agonizing two-hour sinking and the rescue of survivors. Part 2, "The Legend Lives On," explores the investigation into Titanic's sinking, the impact on later ship design and the dramatic rediscovery of Titanic's ghostly remains on the ocean floor. Parts 1 and 2 include abundant interviews with such noted Titanic authorities as Don Lynch and Ken Marschall (consultants on the blockbuster movie Titanic), and several Titanic survivors who have since passed away. The cumulative effect of this detailed film is a complete appreciation for the sheer irony, drama, and magnitude of the Titanic disaster. The James Cameron film was certainly entertaining, but this superior documentary proves that truth can be every bit as absorbing as fictionalized history. It's an essential addition to any Titanic buff's library. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description

The unsinkable Titanic was a dream come true: Four city blocks long and a passenger list worth 250 million dollars. But on her maiden voyage in April 1912, that dream became a nightmare when the giant ship struck an iceberg and sank in the cold North Atlantic. More than 1,500 lives were lost in one of the greatest disasters of the 20th century. Now, the complete sensational history of the premier liner is recounted in TITANIC: THE COMPLETE STORY. Using newsreels, stills, diaries, and exclusive interviews with survivors, TITANIC: THE COMPLETE STORY charts the fateful history of the ship and its passengers as well as providing an overview on the popular culture phenomenon that this tragedy has become.The definitive story in 3 feature-length programs:DEATH OF A DREAM--The largest ship ever built is Christened in Ireland before a cheering crowd of 100,000. Witnes the disaster this trek becomes as numerous iceberg warnings go unheeded and the ship sinks in the icy North Atlantic.THE LEGEND LIVES ON--Overpacked lifeboats edge away from the crippled liner as futile SOS signals flare into the night--leaving 1,500 passengers to a watery grave. Also, witness the courageous deep sea expedition to unearth Titanic's secrets.BEYOND TITANIC--Explore the aftermath and the legacy of the most momentous shipwreck of all time, taking viewers through the entire popular phenomenon surrounding one of the most outsized events in modern history.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

Complete, Interesting, Emotional - Wonderful !.......2007-06-06

This is by far the best Titanic documentary I've seen, and I have seen quite a few. To me, it is more entertaining than any of the Titanic movies, or any of the other documentaries; And, it can take you from a Titanic novice to an expert in 3-4 hours.
The expert accounts are plentiful - from survivors to historians and enthusiasts. The son of Stanley Lord even has a spot in there.
If you find Titanic interesting, you must have a copy of this set. It is the most complete account of the Titanic story that I have found. I loved it!

I Really Enjoyed This DVD Set.......2007-01-09

After seeing the Titanic Exhibit in Las Vegas, the tragedy of the Titanic was brought to life to me.

I love the 1997 film, but I knew very little about the real story of the Titanic.

This set is a fantastic introduction to anyone who wants to know more about the Titanic and needs a starting point.

Each of the 3 DVDs is informative and interesting.

It was chilling to see and hear the survivors of the disaster and to hear interviews of leaders of the search for the wreckage and the authors of books.

I also love the paintings of the disaster. They are beautiful and seem to bring that fateful night to life!

I strongly recommend this series for any interested adult like me or for educational purposes.

This set would be a great library addition for anyone homeschooling their child.

It belongs in every public library and school.

One other item: The 1997 film is quite accurate as far as the story goes -- of course there were no Jack nor Rose.

Titanic was out of luck, so was I .......2006-05-30

I ordered and received a copy of this DVD boxed set. When it arrived I found that there were 2 DVDs, played the first it was good. My wife and started to watch the second DVD and found that the second disc was identical to the first. Sent them back and asked for replacement set. They arrived. You guessed it, same story again. Amazon let me keep this set and credited my Visa A/C. Seems like poor quality control at A&E. I just want a complete set. Anyone else had this problem?

Compelling and Fascinating.......2006-02-21

The Titanic is a compelling film about the real life story of H.M.S. Titanic. The story is detailed and moving and provides Titanic lovers with a perspective of the agony and suffering that passengers of this great ship endured during its last moments. For those interested in maritime safety or just interested in knowing the story behind the Titanic tragedy, this is a highly recommended movie.

For those not familiar with the history of this great liner, a brief narration may help. The Titanic was launched in Belfast in May 1911. A magazine at the time described it as "practically unsinkable".

The liner was impressive in its size and features. She was 269 metres long, 28 metres wide and as tall as an eleven storey building. The luxury of the ship was unique and unparalleled at the time. Among the luxury features was a swimming pool for first class passengers, the first to be built on a liner.

The Titanic set sail from Southampton on 10 April 1912. On 14 April 1912, a look out man sounded the alarm bells and announced an iceberg just ahead of them. Unfortunately, it was too late and the ship collided with the iceberg and within some few seconds, the starboard side of the liner was torn open and seawater poured in.

Sadly, there were not enough lifeboats on board and only a small fraction of the passengers (largely those travelling first class) were rescued and almost all those in third class were not rescued. The ship's band continued to play during the commotion that followed and as the stern of the ship rose high and the ship began to sink. Over 1500 people perished in this accident.

Among the critical lessons that we learn from this tragedy is the need to have an effective safety management system. Thankfully, many of the lessons learnt in the tragedy helped the regulatory authorities, manufacturers and ship owners to come up with design and operational features that have made liners much safer.

Great detail...fascinating!.......2005-05-02

I purchased this for my 9 year old as he is obsessed with the tragedy of the Titanic sinking in 1912. We both were fascinated by it. Great Job A&E. I watched it with my son and have already repeated watching the second disc the very next day myself! It is awesome and really detailed. It is hard to believe some of the facts that had to do with the "times" such as class distinctions, also equally disturbing that even that as gallant as it was and appropriate in those times for "women and children first" to be saved, the tragedy left the rescued women instant widows in a time that was very difficult as it was pre-sufferget, also not to mention fatherless children and the horrible fact that most 3rd class passengers (if not all of them) perished, women, children and men. They left no stone unturned in this presentation. I would highly recommend this DVD to anyone really seeking facts about that night and the history and politics involved afterward, with the trials of Ismay and also Captian Lord (Captain from the ship accused of not responding to the Titanic's distress flares). It takes you from the beginning of the Titanic in Belfast Ireland to the sinking and rescue of the survivors in the life boats and bringing them to New York. There are personal quotes from passengers as written to loved ones and still photographs taken on the ship prior to the night of April 14th. The show also includes footage of commentary from living survivors today, that add another dimension to the presentation, which makes it so much more real, as well as commentary from Titanic historians and book authors (one inparticular Walter Lord "A Night To Remember" who had interviewed survivors years ago before some of them passed away). Then leads you up to the finding of the sunken ship in the 1980's. I think they covered it all. It is the most complete account in every way of anything I have seen or read on the Titanic so far. Excellent!

Average customer rating:

oh yes tis a great movie
I Had Heard Too Much
They loved it

The Boondock Saints
Starring: James Binkley , Matthew Chaffee , Billy Connolly , Bill Craig (III) , and Willem Dafoe
Director: Troy Duffy
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Snatch (Special Edition)
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ASIN: B0000AC8LP
Release Date: 2002-05-21

Customer Reviews:

oh yes tis a great movie.......2007-05-13

I love the scene we he is tied to the toilet. Yes there is alot of shooting, but this is done well. William Dafoe does a good job as the detective assigned to get the two brothers.

I Had Heard Too Much.......2006-12-25

I had never seen this movie until about 2 months ago. As soon as I watched it once I was on amazon purchasing a copy. There is so much in this movie that will have most action type people in the mood. There is mystery, action, a little twist, and the little guy standing up for what is right. This is all done with little animation which makes it seem more real. You might even be asking yourself at the end.... do I agree.

They loved it.......2005-07-09

I've never seen the movie but my step-son (22) and husband loved the movie--so did many of their friends. They give it two thumbs up!

Average customer rating:

This was one of the one's that inspired me to start breakdancing!
Rare Laserdiscs-dvds Movies Collector
ONE OF THE CLASSICS
verite narrative
Not As Great As All The Hype

Wild Style
Starring: Sandra Fabara , K.K. Rockwell , Carlos Morales (IX) , Kara Vallow , and Master Rob
Director: Charlie Ahearn
Manufacturer: Rhino Theatrical
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Beat Street
Style Wars
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Krush Groove
Subway Art

ASIN: B00006L938
Release Date: 2002-10-22

Customer Reviews:

This was one of the one's that inspired me to start breakdancing! .......2007-02-07

You can read about this movie on all the other reviews. I have nothing to add! I want to promote the 2 videos that helped me really start to dance like this though! How To Do The Robot - Breakdance Instructional DVD or Top 20 Breakdance Moves, both available on Amazon. Check em out so you can dance like they do in this movie!

Rare Laserdiscs-dvds Movies Collector.......2006-04-30

Wild Style's one of my greatest movies ,I Own the dvd And you Should too...you wont regret addin' it to your Collection :P

ONE OF THE CLASSICS.......2006-03-28

I see some people saying this movie was not all it was said to have been. But you definately had to have seen this during the early 80's to relate to it and it was only meant for the people that actually lived in this time era. For most of you seeing it for the first time in 2006, it wont make sense to you and seem outdated. If your recollection of Hip Hop is N.W.A. or the likes, you will know nothing about this movie or relate to it in anyway - this is raw Hip Hop.

verite narrative.......2006-03-13

The historical importance of this piece is clear. In addition, DV filmmakers should own a copy to study the method. First: know someone who knows everyone at the center of a cultural explosion in its early days. Second: give them creative license. Third: film all their friends. Fourth: stage an amazing concert in an abandoned amphitheater without a permit. Fifth: film everything. I love this movie.

Not As Great As All The Hype .......2006-02-24

I hear all the time as i read hip hop mags and articles
all about how great Wild Style IS THE BEST HIP HOP movie
ever. Well I purchased it at the first of the year and guess
what it cant't hold Beat Street and Breakin or Krush Grooves
jockstrap. I think the movie Rappin or even the not so get
Lorenzo Lamas Hip Hop movie Body Rock has moments that's
even better than Wild Style. People who read this will
probably say what gives you the right to think you know so much
well me being 30 years old you can do the math. Thats around when the Hip Hop movement started. So if your a movie collector.
Go ahead and buy it but if you want a good movie to watch.
Then purchase somthing else.

Average customer rating:

Pointless
Kevin Bacon is such a good actor
the past isn't over
Not worth the money
excellent casting--an intensive character study

The Woodsman
Starring: Kevin Bacon , David Alan Grier , Eve (II) , Kyra Sedgwick , and Benjamin Bratt
Director: Nicole Kassell
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0007PID84
Release Date: 2005-04-12

Amazon.com

Kevin Bacon gives one of the best, most nuanced performances of his career in The Woodsman, a daring and thought-provoking drama he co-produced with his wife, Kyra Sedgwick. In portraying a convicted pedophile named Walter, recently released from prison and struggling to rebuild his life, Bacon and writer-director Nicole Kassell (making her feature-film debut) do a remarkable job of exploring all facets of this troubling yet very human character, from his continuing criminal impulses to the despair he feels over having to conceal his horrible past. Sedgwick costars as the one woman who appears willing to accept Walter, secrets and all, and while The Woodsman takes a few regrettable shortcuts in illustrating Walter's quest for the good man he can be, the film deserves to be seen and discussed as a provocative yet admirably humane study of an individual whom society may too quickly label a "monster." The film allows for different interpretations, and that complexity--along with Bacon's performance--makes it worthy of a wide and hopefully understanding audience. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Pointless.......2007-04-05

I found this movie pointless, devoid of story, dull and sick. I couldn't feel for the poor sick, child molesting man. I couldn't like the woman for caring about him. And when the molester wanted the little girl to sit on his lap, I wanted to jump into the film. Please avoid this film. There is much better in the sea of movieland than this stinker.

The movie attempts to build sympathy for a child molester. One scene the molester is trying to entice a child, and the next the molester beats up another molester.

Regarding Kevin bacon's acting performance - the entire movie he remains quiet, looking depressed. That's it. Very few lines.

This film left me sick to my stomach and bored to tears.

Kevin Bacon is such a good actor.......2007-03-13

This film really deserved better press and exposure than it got.
Kevin Bacon is just sensational in this film.

I really wish that all the deleted scenes would have been left in,I think
they tied up the film in more of a complete film.

It really is one of the top acting jobs of the season,yet was virtually
ignored. The soundtrack was very,very good also.
I don't think that Mos Def is an actor..how on earth does he get film roles??

Kevin and his wife were just so good and believable,and really looked good together in this film.
The close up filming of this film was so good in studying Kevin's face,the folks that made this film deserve alot of credit on that.

the past isn't over.......2007-01-25

Not until the final sentence or two of this film does The Woodsman reach anything like dramatic resolution, and even then it is a resolution of the sort befitting the deep complexity and ambiguity of its subject matter. The film begins when Walter is released from serving 12 years in prison for his conviction as a sex offender, and he tries to make a new life for himself. He takes an apartment across the street from an elementary school (yes, a bad choice), and rides the bus to his job at a lumber yard. Except for his therapist, all those outside of and around Walter ostracize him as a monster and a freak. His sister refuses to talk to him or allow him to see his niece, a detective monitors his every move, and when his work colleagues discover his past they "out" him in a most bizarre way. Within himself another war rages. Neither Walter nor the viewer really knows to what extent he has moved beyond his past and is, therefore, safe. Involuntary hallucinations plague him, and poor choices born of habit implicate him. Three important sub-plots, all revolving around child molestation, contribute to Walter's unfolding narrative. Watching this film I was reminded of Faulkner's unnerving observation that "the past isn't gone; it isn't even past." Still, and not to reveal too much, this incredibly tense and powerful film ends on a hopeful note that is nevertheless sobering for all of us who seek redemption this side of eternity.

Not worth the money.......2007-01-04

This movie is somebodies idea of what it would be like to be a person with this type of horrible past. It has no bearing on reality. Do not waste your money unless you have money to waste.

excellent casting--an intensive character study.......2006-11-15

This is one of those small movies that comes out with a very intriguing cast. Most notable, of course, is Kevin Bacon, who has been showing us since _Murder in the First_ that he is quite a capable actor and is likely to show up just anywhere...and his appearance here does not quash that image at all. Kyra Sedgewick also stars, as well as Benjamin Bratt. But there are also other recognizable names--Eve, David Alan Grier and Mos Def--though these are a surprise for showing up in a film that is so serious and a little dark as well. They are also a surprise for how competent they are.

_The Woodsman_ focuses on Walter (Kevin Bacon), a released child molester out to move onward with his life. He gets a job at a lumber yard and quickly stirs interest in how withdrawn he is, how damaged. Kyra Sedgewick is a co-worker who develops an interest for Walter, maybe partly attracted to the fact that he is 'damaged goods.'

But of course, life on the outside isn't easy for Walter. Though he has a tight relationship with his brother-in-law (Benjamin Bratt), his sister and neice do not want to have any contact with him, and a detective (Mos Def) is keeping a close eye on every move he makes. Walter, of course, has his own struggles, for he knows how likely his type is to repeat offend, and in his thinking he had 'never harmed' any of his victims. Also, he lives across the street from an elementary school, so temptation presents itself regularly.

The film itself is a good study of the struggles of this character to move onward with his life, though there are plenty of incentives, both interior and exterior, to give up any impulse to change. Kevin Bacon is wonderfully reticent though not emotionless, presenting well a tortured soul still trying to determine what is right and wrong. In the course of this movie, we find out that many characters are damaged in many ways, making the issue of the film not an investigation of who is damaged, but how people sort out the damage in their own lives. Even Mos Def's character, who may seem a little belligerent and bordering on persecutorial at first, only wants to end pain in the world.

The ending of _The Woodsman_ is a little too well wrapped-up and feels a little easy, but the rest of the film is a thorough study of characters who feel very fleshed-out and actual. They don't always make the best decisions, but that is what makes them so sympathetic. Most of all, it is clear that the casting for this film was extraordinary, as well as the directing--the act of making a child molester a sympathetic character is challenging, and this film pulls this off well.

The Val Lewton Horror Collection (Cat People / The Curse of the Cat People / I Walked with a Zombie / The Body Snatcher / Isle of the Dead / Bedlam / The Leopard Man / The Ghost Ship / The Seventh Victim / Shadows in the Dark)

Average customer rating:

The Val Lewton Horror Collection
The Val Lewton Horror Collection
Quintessential Lewton...
Elegant horror
Note recycled Lewton props.

The Val Lewton Horror Collection (Cat People / The Curse of the Cat People / I Walked with a Zombie / The Body Snatcher / Isle of the Dead / Bedlam / The Leopard Man / The Ghost Ship / The Seventh Victim / Shadows in the Dark)
Starring: Simone Simon , Kent Smith , Tom Conway , Jane Randolph , and Jack Holt
Director: Jacques Tourneur , Robert Wise , and Gunther von Fritsch
Manufacturer: Turner Home Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Bela Lugosi Collection (Murders in the Rue Morgue / The Black Cat / The Raven / The Invisible Ray / Black Friday)
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The Innocents

ASIN: B000A0GOEQ
Release Date: 2005-10-04

Amazon.com

Val Lewton's name is synonymous with the subtlest, most mysterious brand of horror filmmaking in Hollywood's golden age, and the nine horror classics he produced at RKO between 1942 and 1946 constitute the most remarkable cycle of creativity in B-movie history. (For the record, the Lewton/RKO legacy also includes two non-horror entries, Youth Runs Wild and Mademoiselle Fifi.)

Before becoming a film producer, the Russian-born Lewton was a prolific writer of pulp fiction, nonfiction, and a couple of pornographic novels. He also worked for years as assistant to David O. Selznick, a legendary producer with a distinctive personal signature--and a flair for grandiosity Lewton himself never emulated. It's ever so revealing that, on Selznick's Gone With the Wind, it was Lewton who came up with the idea for the famous rising shot of the Atlanta railyard filled with Southern wounded, with the Confederate flag streaming above--only he idly proposed it as a joke, never imagining that anyone would actually film such a spectacularly ambitious scene.

In 1942 Lewton left Selznick to undertake a series of horror films for RKO Radio Pictures. The studio would give him a budget around $200,000 per picture and a title RKO deemed to be grabby; Lewton would have a free hand as long as he stayed on budget, used the title, and gave the studio a salable movie of second-feature length (around 70 minutes). Over time, Lewton would increasingly have trouble with studio supervisors, but RKO was the right place for him. Although low in the pecking order among Hollywood majors, the studio made up for its lack of MGM-style glamour and Warner Bros. grit-and-gusto by working in a finely filigreed, almost miniaturist style. The art department under Van Nest Polglase and Albert S. D'Agostino was capable of exquisite artisanry, and in Nicholas Musuraca, a master of low-key cinematography and supple camerawork, Lewton found an invaluable collaborator in creating moody shadow-worlds where what you couldn't see was more disquieting than what you could.

He was also fortunate in having Jacques Tourneur to direct his first three efforts (they had teamed years earlier on the Bastille-storming sequence for Selznick's A Tale of Two Cities). They scored first time out of the gate with both a popular hit and a masterpiece: Cat People (1942). The story involves a pretty young Serbian woman in Manhattan (Simone Simon) convinced that her ancestors had practiced animal worship during the Middle Ages--and that she herself might shape-change into a lithe, ravening panther if her passions were aroused. The film is uncannily successful in keeping the viewer guessing whether this is a phobia borne of morbid obsession and sexual repression, or a genuine, horrific possibility. There are two sequences of matchless artistry and almost unbearable suspense--a lonely, echoing walk through pools of lamplight alongside Central Park, and a late-night swim in a deserted indoor pool--that build to throat-grabbing climaxes and remain milestones in the history of screen horror.

Many critics feel that the second Lewton-Tourneur endeavor, I Walked With a Zombie (1943), is both men's finest work. The title is so lurid that the heroine-narrator (Frances Dee) must shrug it off with her very first words, yet the movie is an amazingly delicate and poetic piece of spellbinding--nothing less than a reworking of Jane Eyre on a voodoo island in the Caribbean. Other horror aficionados prefer the more mainline ferocity of The Leopard Man (1943), an adaptation of a Cornell Woolrich story about a serial killer strewing corpses along the U.S.-Mexican border. Although on one level this is the Lewton film that veers closest to conventional mystery-suspense, there's no end of unsettling ambiguity (another black panther on the loose!) and hints of occultism and religious mania.

RKO promoted Tourneur to A-movies after this; Lewton would never again have so masterly a directorial partner. Yet in a weird sense (which is only appropriate), this underscores how much Lewton--with his wealth of arcane historical lore and storytelling archetypes, his quiet, patient attention to detail, and his taste for oblique narrative--was the essential auteur of all his films. Promoting first Mark Robson and then Robert Wise from the editing table, Lewton went on to make the deeply mysterious The Seventh Victim (1943) and The Ghost Ship (1943), two films in which such grotesque elements as Satan worship and murderous psychopathology are folded away inside eerily drifty, almost becalmed sleepwalks into eternal night. The Seventh Victim--a movie populated with more walking dead than Lewton's out-and-out zombie picture--is one of the cinema's supreme meditations on the ways lives brush against one another in the spaces of a great, impersonal city. And The Ghost Ship (the rarest of Lewton's films, owing to a ruinous copyright suit) is like a fever dream from which the viewer never awakens.

That's enough for a legacy, surely. Yet there remain The Curse of the Cat People (1944), a sequel that is not quite a sequel, a pretend-horror movie that's really a contemplation of the fragility of childhood; Isle of the Dead (1945), a doomed reverie about travelers who escape the Goya-esque chaos of a 19th-century war only to be beset with plague on a miasma-shrouded island; The Body Snatcher (1945), an atmospheric Robert Louis Stevenson adaptation that invokes the grisly history of graverobbers Burke and Hare, and supplies a together-again-for-the-last-time occasion for Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi; and Bedlam (1946), the Hogarth painting come to life to portray the real-life horrors of an 18th-century insane asylum. Bedlam's critical and box-office failure ended Lewton's quasi-independent status at RKO; he would live to make only three other, unsuccessful films.

James Agee, the premier American film critic of the 1940s, reckoned that Val Lewton was one of the three foremost creative figures in Hollywood--an assessment yet more impressive when we consider that the other two were Charles Chaplin and Walt Disney. His greatest films--Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie, The Seventh Victim--are towering achievements, and even his half-realized projects are haunting experiences, the products of an utterly distinctive sensibility. This is an extraordinary collection. --Richard T. Jameson

Description

Val Lewton, a famous RKO Radio Pictures producer, redefined the horror genre with low-budget, high-box office films. Now available are nine of these horror classics on DVD in the all new Val Lewton Horror Collection. Exclusive to the collection are a new documentary on the producer and 3 of the 9 films.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Greg Mank with Simone Simon on Cat People and Curse of the Cat People, Kim Newman and Steve Jones on I Walked With a Zombie, Steve Haberman with Robert Wise on The Body Snatcher, Tom Weaver on Bedlam, and Steve Haberman on The Seventh Victim.
Documentaries:Shadows In The Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy
Theatrical Trailer

Customer Reviews:

The Val Lewton Horror Collection.......2007-06-25

-------------------------------------------------------------
"Cat People"
What you can't see "will" hurt you

A man marries a strange woman with a European accent. She seems shy, but she actually carries a secret. Seems she knows she came from a line of "Cat People" and passion can bring out her claws. This is reinforced in a scene at a restaurant where another one of her kind recognizes her. She also suspects her new hubby's female friend has designs on him. So we get a spooky scene at a swimming pool at night alone in the gym.

There was not enough money or sufficient technology to show scary cat people. They tried people in cat suits, but they just looked cutesy. So they decided to just show shadows and sounds. The rest was up to your imagination. It is a psychological movie with a touch of film noir. ---------------------------------------------
"The Curse of the Cat People"
In many ways superior to the original

The Curse of the Cat People (1944) is not really sequel to Cat People (1942) as much as a stand alone physiological thriller that just happens to be an extension of the original characters. We have seen the formula before but you may not have seen such a presentation; a lonely child Amy Reed (Ann Carter) seeks a playmate that understands her. Who best but the spirit of Oliver's dead wife, Irena (Simone Simon) one of the cat people. Naturally this upsets the parents. Toss in Amy's new relation to reclusive neighbor Julia Farren (Julia Dean). Julia has problems of her own relating to her daughter. The story just gets complex from there.

The question is, is it dangerous to fantasize that much and what will become of the characters in the end.
-------------------------------------------
"I Walked with a Zombie"
A classic Val Lewton production

We are treated to exotic titles and expectations with titles such as "I walked With a Zombie." My only encounters with Zombies are those that process in an UNIX operating system that can not be killed. I also watched "Weekend at Bernie's II."

As with other Lewton productions he got a way with a psychological thriller in the guise of a monster movie. In the days of sailing ships a nurse (Frances Dee) is employed to go to San Sebastian to look after a plantation owner's wife (Christine Gordon.) She fined that her charge is more than just a victim of a disease that heft her without will. Turns out if you cut the wife she does not bleed. We all know what that means.

The true story is the relationship to man and wife, man and nurse, nurse and wife, brother and brother, brother and wife, need I say more? Could it mean that there is nothing supernatural or is love moving in mysterious natural.

Can this all be straightened out or is Jessica Holland the wife destined to be zomiated for ever and the nurse must learn to love from afar?

Yeah Lord pity them who are dead and give peace and happiness to the living.
--------------------------------------
"The Body Snatcher"
Based on a short story by Robert Louis Stevenson

"It is through error that a man tries and rises. It is through tragedy he learns. All the roads of learning begin in darkness and go out into the light." Hippocrates of Gos

This film has the psychological complexity of a Val Lewton production but is a lot more graphic than most of his productions where he just implies violence. He even takes it out on innocent dogs. I feel that some one was pushing Lewton from behind to be more vicious with this film.

A young student (Russell Wade) wants to become a doctor like the great Dr. Wolfe 'Toddy' MacFarlane (Henry Daniell.) Little does he know what it will entail?

The DVD has a voiceover commentary from the late Director Robert Wise who directed "West Side Story" and "The Sound of Music." Surprisingly he said that the original basic script was written by Philip MacDonald.
--------------------------------------
"Isle of the Dead"
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,

than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE / Hamlet Act 1. Scene V abt. 1601

`Under conquest and oppression the people of Greece allowed their legends to degenerate into superstition; the Goddess Aphrodite giving way to the `Vorvolaka.' This nightmare figure was very much alive in the mines of the peasants when Greece fought the victorious war of 1912."

Gen. Nikolas Pherides (Boris Karloff) is an experienced watcher. That is he must watch over his troops to be sure the do what they are supposed to and survive to win the day.

Finding some time take a war correspondent (Marc Cramer) to visit the grave yard island where his wife is buried. There he meats a strange collection of people and an unseen enemy that is much deadlier than any bullet. Will he be able to fight it logically and scientifically? Or will his cultural fears lead him to see the truth?

Once again we see that Boris Karloff can act and that Val Lewton can take a scary title and turn it from a cheap horror movie into a classic Psychological Thriller.
---------------------------------------------------
"Bedlam"
Story suggested by The William Hogarth painting Bedlam plate 8 "The Rake's Progress

Once again Val Lewton takes what would have been a second rate horror story and turns it into a sit on the edge of your seat psychological thriller. The basic question of the story is the same as the one in his movie "Ghost Ship"; that is, is man fundamentally good and helpful of others or is he so self centered that he will act even to his own ultimate demise? An added element is that of not quite being granted all mental faculties.

The year is 1791 Lord Mortimer (Billy House) is just one of the upper class (Wiggs) that gets his kicks from watching the loonies of Bedlam loon. His protégé (Anna Lee) is discussed at the treatment of the "guests" by the head apothecary, Master George Sims (Boris Karloff who can actually act). She attempts to correct this to the detriment of Lord Mortimer. So Lord Mortimer and Sims invite her as a guest to Bedlam.

Will she ever get out or just go crazy. While there she applies a theory supplied by a Quaker (Richard Fraser), one of the Society of Friends if this works the tables may turn on Sims. What can Sims say in his defense?
------------------------------------
"The Leopard Man"
All or our lives are like the ball bouncing at the top of the fountain

Rival entertainers meet in a club in New Mexico Kiki Walker (Jean Brooks) brings in a leopard to upstage Clo-Clo (Margo). But Clo-Clo gets the last laugh when she chases the leopard off with her castanets.

All is fun rivalry until people start dying. Naturally the local authorities think it is the leopard. But Jerry Manning (Dennis O'Keefe) who rented the leopard has a theory that this is the work of a demented person. This theory is sort of supported by Dr. Galbraith (James Bell) the local museum curator. To make matters worse the leopard's owner, Charlie How-Come (Abner Biberman) does not remember where he was at the time.

As with the cat people it is what you don't see that can harm you. And the simile turning of a card can mark you for death.

You may recognize Dynamite the leopard that was also used in the movie "Cat People".

Produced by Val Lewton (7 May 1904, Yalta, Crimea, Russian Empire (now Ukraine) ) whose story telling device is unique in that this is more of a psychological film that does not focus on any one person as they are all pawns in a much larger story. Some time it verges on the surreal.

Now that you have seen the film read the book "Black Alibi" by Cornell Woolrich.
----------------------------------
"The Ghost Ship"
A new third mate on his first long sea voyage in introduced to captain and crew. Before he steps on bard he is warned by a blond man. He runs into a mute. And before they even leave port Jensen is found dead, just a heat attack. "With his death the waters of the sea are open to us. But there will be other deaths and the agony of dieing."

Don't go looking for anything supernatural as this is a Val Lewton movie. I would pay close attention to the characters. One of them may be a bit unhinged. The big question in this story is man's nature to help or ignore their fellow man.
--------------------------------------
"Shadows in the Dark"
This is more of a Val Lewton biography with more emphasis on his producer years.

The Val Lewton Horror Collection.......2007-06-25

While the plots alone are enough to distinguish Lewton's brand of horror from other practitioners--a mysterious Serbian beauty might or might not have the ability to transform herself into a panther in "Cat People," a death-haunted New York woman is pursued by a cabal of satanists in "The Seventh Victim"--these films are also masterpieces of noir atmospherics. Karloff, an intellectual bored by ghoulish makeup, emerged from semi-retirement to make three pictures with Lewton: "Bedlam," "The Body Snatcher," and "The Isle of the Dead," with Bela Lugosi. It was a fruitful relationship. And this omnibus collection amply demonstrates Lewton's pulpy, lurid genius.

Quintessential Lewton..........2006-10-31

I've read the other reviews, and agree with most. Still, my favorite is "Curse of the Cat People". I've always been fascinated by (good) films that see life through the eyes of a child.Next to "To Kill a Mockingbird", I can't think of another film that brought me back to those simple, sweet times that adults just didn't get! (Except for Atticus, of course). I was also annoyed that the collection was in a tall box that would never fit on my shelf; I hate to separate them to fit on my shelf, alphabetically. Lewton had that wonderful idea, realized by Tourneur, with the glorious black & white photography, crisp and clear as a bell, and much appreciated by those of us who love outstanding film-making. I enjoy this collection a lot, but wish I could put it on the shelf with my other "collections", in a nice box.

Elegant horror.......2006-10-30

Steven Spielberg and Brian DePalma should be locked in a closet with a projection screen and forced to watch these films repeatedly until they swear an oath to imitate them. Made on what Tom Cruises' cleaning bill for one day's shoot would be adjusted for 1940 dollars, and infinitely superior to anything they have done. "Curse of the Cat People" and "The Seventh Victim" are largely unknown but the best and most subtle of these works. Less is more, I only wish there were more of them.

Note recycled Lewton props........2006-08-31

Val Lewton's productions have long been treasured by cinematic aestheticians. This accrues not only from his singularly intelligent treatment and subtle presentation of macabre themes, but from his recurring Lewton "stock company" of players. How we Lewton devotees savor the return of Jane Randolph, Jean Brooks, Isabel Jewell, Russell Wade, Sir Lancelot, Tom Conway, Ottola Nesmith ! etc. etc.

Less noted perhaps, are the recurring props to be spotted in Lewton films. Thus, Ottola Nesmith's tufted Victorian sofa from "The Leopard Man," later becomes the property of Miss Julia Dean in "Curse of the Cat People." Likewise, Miss Nesmith's daughter in the same film, ("Teresa") sleeps in the same curly maple bed destined to later belong to little Ann Carter in "Curse...".

Many other Lewton props follow this same recycling pattern, i.e., Kim Hunter in "Seventh Victim," turns up in that film's cocktail party sequence sporting Jane Randolph's fur trimmed topcoat from "Cat People"; the exterior double doors to Simone Simon's "Cat People" brownstone apartment building do double duty as the entrance to a hotel in "Seventh Victim," as well as serving as portals to the museum in "Leopard Man."

These delightful economies, however, may have more to do with RKO than Mr. Lewton, since Julia Dean's Victorian chairs may also be spotted in the non Lewton productions, "Beware My Lovely" and "Experiment Perilous."

The Dot...and More Stories to Make You Feel Good (Scholastic Video Collection)

Average customer rating:

The Dot is Terrific

The Dot...and More Stories to Make You Feel Good (Scholastic Video Collection)
Starring: Dot & More Stories to Make You Feel Good
Manufacturer: New Video Group
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Animation | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

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Bear Snores On... and More Stories to Celebrate the Seasons (Scholastic Video Collection)
I Love You Like Crazy Cakes... and More Stories About Families (Scholastic Video Collection)
Tikki Tikki Tembo... and More Favorite Tales (Scholastic Video Collection)
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers... and More Inspiring Tales (Scholastic Video Collection)
The Wheels on the Bus... and More Sing-Along Favorites (Scholastic Video Collection)

ASIN: B00092ZT50
Release Date: 2005-12-26

Description

Turn that frown upside down with inspirational stories that never quit. THE DOT (By Peter H. Reynolds, Narrated by Thora Birch) Vashti may not be able to draw, but she can at least make dot. At the school art show, her dot makes a big splash. AMAZING GRACE (By Mary Hoffman, Illustrated by Caroline Binch, Narrated by Alfre Woodard) Grace's classmates discourage her from trying out for Peter Pan in the school play because she doesn't look the part. But guess who wins the part and role and proves them all wrong? BRAVE IRENE (By William Steig, Narrated by Lindsay Crouse) When Mrs. Bobbins, the dressmaker, gets too sick to deliver her dress on time, her daughter Irene steps in and battles powerful winds and snow to prove that where there is a will, there is a way. DVD Features: Extra Bonus Story Exclusive to DVD: "Flossie & The Fox" By Patricia C. McKissack, Illustrated by Rachel Isadora; Spanish Version of "Amazing Grace"; Read Along; Interactive Menus; Story Selection; Auto-Play

Customer Reviews:

The Dot is Terrific.......2006-03-04

This dvd, The Dot was an attempt to encourage my 4 year old son to keep picking up the crayons, and not to compare his work to his big sister, who is 5 years old. It worked like a charm, even a dot is a beautiful work of art, and the way you choose to look at it, can make it magical. He is finding his way to paper and pens more often, thanks to The Dot.

Average customer rating:

Well crafted and executed film
This beautiful film sort of frightens me a bit with its dramatics'
Smart, racy and unpredictable...everything you'd ever want in a movie...
"Dot the I" is a fabulous movie!!!
Wow!

Dot the I
Starring: Gael García Bernal , Natalia Verbeke , James D'Arcy , Tom Hardy , and Charlie Cox
Director: Matthew Parkhill
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Amores Perros

ASIN: B000ASDFEA
Release Date: 2005-10-18

Description

A wavering bride, a stranger, an earnest groom: "romantic triangle," right? Think again. To that set-up, filmmaker Matthew Parkhill adds twist after twist to shape a surprising romantic thriller. Gael Garcia Bernal (The Motorcycle Diaries) plays the stranger. Natalia Verbeke is Carmen. And James D'Arcy (Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World) portrays her fiance. Each has secrets to be revealed. Each is prey to the others' agendas. Keep your eyes open. Don't miss a detail. Cross your t's and Dot the I.

DVD Features:
Additional Scenes:with filmmmakers' commentary
Audio Commentary:by Matthew Parkhill, Director, and Jon Harris, Editor
Theatrical Trailer:Trailer for the movie within the movie

Customer Reviews:

Well crafted and executed film.......2007-04-09

This is one of those films that you don't really want to give too much away in the review or it won't be as entertaining to the people who watch it after reading your review. The less you know, the better. What you do need to know is that this movie is more than it seems and more than the first two/thirds of the movie lets on.

Dot the I starts out feeling like a darker English version of 10 Things I Hate About You or any other American teenie-bopper film. In fact, as the last third reveals, it's much, much more.

Although, ultimately, it feels like Dot the I may be a bit ambitious for its budget and script, the payoff is still there and it will still leave audience members satisfied and surprised. There's nothing like seeing a movie that exceeds your expectations.

I checked this movie out because I heard it was Gael Garcia Bernal's first english speaking role. He definitely delivers in this film. Every scene he's in is enhanced just by his intensity. Natalia Verbeke is very visually enjoyable, but her acting leaves a lot to be desired... as do her english language skills. James D'Arcy's performance is deceptively well done.

This beautiful film sort of frightens me a bit with its dramatics' .......2006-10-14

Having seen most of Bernal's films, I've grown to like him greatly as an actor, thus explaining my motivation for picking this up. I think this is the first English speaking film Gael has done and that I've seen. On the first scene when he open his mouth I was taking aback because I wasn't use to him speaking English with an English accent to top it all off. I won't lie it took some getting use too; to me he sounded okay but it wasn't the best.

In this film his character is up for causing some mischief in this romantic thriller. Kit (Gael Bernal) plays a Brazilian immigrant living in London. He works odd jobs until he is provided a most fortunate opportunity. Carmen (Verbeke) moves to London to escape a troublesome past in Spain. Carmen falls in love with Barnaby (D'Arcy), a local Londoner, who eventually proposes marriage. The three end up crossing paths throughout the plot.

Personally, I find the romantic drama as a genre in dire need of a wake-up call. Films such as this one, `Closer,' `Unfaithful', `Wicker Park,' and very few others, are daring to attempt something original, whether it be a more frank look at relationships, a less clichéd or sexist view of infidelity, or a new take on the love triangle... and by new I mean new in both this film and `Wicker Park.' Rather than recycle `Shakespeare,' `Jane Austen,' or `An Affair To Remember' for the thousandth time, the director and cast has broke some new ground on this.

The efforts on direction is good, well, that style of combining the footage in film and the one extracted from a camcorder, wasn't really good, you will learn near the end of the film that is justified but again, didn't feel neat when you see it. The budget for this film is low; you can easily guess that, especially in that Indie Film Festival scene when you realize that you are seeing another indie movie that couldn't make thinks work with its own money, because seriously, that festival looked fake. What I do love is the story, the twists and the characters.

`Dot the I' is a good film that I'd recommend viewing especially to all the Gael Bernal fans.

Smart, racy and unpredictable...everything you'd ever want in a movie..........2006-08-25

I'm beginning to realize the joy that is Independent Film now and I can add `Dot the i' to my list of favorites. What drew me to the film in the first place was Gael Garcia Bernal; an actor who I've heard raves about yet have not had the privilege to watch. After seeing this film I am determined to see his previous films ASAP. I knew nothing of the plot before indulging in this film so I was all the more blown away as the pieces started to fit. The direction this film takes is absorbing, giving you just enough to keep you curious and suspecting, but never enough to really tell all. I will admit I thought I had this all figured out and I was starting to get irritated because if I were right then the movie would have been a waste, but luckily I was dead wrong, and that made the ending so much more enjoyable.

The story, or as much as I can tell you, takes place in London and is about a young woman named Carmen (Natalia Verbeke) who is engaged to marry a rich Englishman named Barnaby (James D'Arcy). On her Hen Night (Bachelorette Party) she keeps the French tradition (since she's dining in a French restaurant) of kissing on last boy before she's wed. That boy is Kit (Gael Garcia Bernal). The only problem is their kiss is far more than a passing peck but it starts a fire in each of them leading to a passionate affair that threatens Carmen's stable life with Barnaby. As the film progresses each of the three involved are given reason to suspect something ominous from the others, to where none of them can really be trusted because all of them are hiding something.

The acting in this movie I thought was done very well, Gael being a believably romantic lead and commanding his role, but he was no match for Natalia's fire and ferocity. She was brilliantly cast as the young heroine who is hiding a dark past. I was also impressed with D'Arcy for I felt he really became his character, especially in the end when all is revealed (won't say anymore for I feel this movie will lose all its vitality if the ending is prematurely revealed). All in all I was whole heartedly pleased by this film, from its script to its acting to its direction, everything was done brilliantly and just cemented the fact that IF are worth their weight.

"Dot the I" is a fabulous movie!!!.......2006-06-14

This movie was recommended by the guy at the movie rental store and I was SKEPTICAL to say the least. He asked if I liked love triangle movies and I said yes but that my husband might not like it.....he assured me the TWISTS in this movie would keep his attention. This movie was so well done. It is filmed in Paris and London and the actors are European. It was very very entertaining and the twists made it intriguing as well. I have recommended it to anyone who will listen! There is some nudity and explicit sex so not for the youngsters.

Wow!.......2006-05-30

This film has more twists and turns than the yellow brick road. This is an excellent suspense film -- good acting, good plot, and one wow of an ending. Fascinating.

Average customer rating:

Masterpiece!
YES DVD SALLY POTTER
So just what am I agreeing to here?
I hear you. Tell me more.
I Vote "No" on "Yes"

Yes
Starring: Shirley Henderson , Joan Allen , Sam Neill , Simon Abkarian , and Wil Johnson
Director: Sally Potter
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000B6CO5C
Release Date: 2005-11-08

Amazon.com

It's unsurprising that a movie written in rhyming verse would have stilted or self-conscious moments--but the sumptuous beauty, sinuous rhythms, and cinematic intricacies of Yes may astonish viewers who expect something stuffy or antiquarian. The plot is little more than an affair between an unnamed Irish-American biologist (Joan Allen, once the queen of repression in The Ice Storm, now becoming an art-house sexpot in this and Off the Map) and an unnamed Middle-Eastern chef (Simon Abkarian, Ararat), yet the movie explores just about everything: Marriage, religion, international politics, motherhood, and the nature of zero, while travelling from London to Belfast to Beirut to Havana. Writer/director Sally Potter (Orlando, The Tango Lesson) has enormous ambitions; Yes abounds with complex ideas and daring flourishes, both verbal and visual, juxtaposing the austere and the erotic, intellect and grief. If not everything succeeds, what doesn't is more than made up for by what does. Also featuring Sam Neill (The Piano, Jurassic Park) as Allen's aloof husband and Shirley Henderson (Topsy-Turvy) as a housecleaner with a philosophical perspective on dirt. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Masterpiece!.......2007-05-25

This movie is simply a masterpiece! The actors are all very believable and passionate. We fall in love with Joan and Simon from the very beginning. We learn about love, deception, loss, poetry, language, the list is neverending. Thank-you Simon for telling us how the East feels about the West. You are simply touching and your speeches are overwhelming. Please see this movie, give it a try. Let the love and characters set you free:)

YES DVD SALLY POTTER.......2007-05-12

Quite the most intelligent DVD I have seen in years. Written immediately after 9/11 it is a moving love story, with witty disalogue. This is real life, political as we all live politics, whether an MP in London, a low wage earner washing up in a big kitchen hotel, or a struggling immigrant. It defines what it is to be human, whoever we are, in a rivetting short moment in the two main characters lives. surprisingly the dialogue is in iambic poetry, but this rarely intrudes as it is spoken so well, and it adds an intensity to the speech. It also has a sort of Greek chorus in the form of a cleaner who sees all without herself being seen or acknowledged. The results is deeply philosophical and makes one think about a huge range of issues,war,love, marriage, immigration, racial prejudice, inequality, teenage difficulties, etc. etc. Camera work is highly creative, unusual angles and even CCTV footage. This is essential viewing .the only problem is `I could only buy Area 1 DVD and that cannot be played in the UK. This is crazy as the film is about London. My early copies were Area 2, so they are about, and well worth the searc h.

So just what am I agreeing to here?.......2007-03-25

Two of my favorite films are ones by Sally Potter, _The Tango Lesson_ and _Orlando._ So it was pretty much a given that at some point, I'd sit down and take in Yes, a film about two nameless people who encounter one another, and lives get turned upside down.

She (Joan Allen) is a research scientist, married to an icy politician, Anthony (Sam Neill), who only seems to find any sort of emotional release in the blues. When we first meet them, they're off to a dinner party, all very formal, and he warns her not to make a scene. Once there, She wanders into the dining room, where a very elegant mideastern man in a tuxedo (Simon Abkarian) has a passing conversation with her.

It's clear enough that they are both interested in each other, enough to where She hands Him her business card on the stairs. A phone call, a meeting, and soon, enough, the interest and conversation soon lands them both in bed together. It's a slow, tumultuous affair, lasting from spring blossoms, to the Christmas season.

Others, from His co-workers in the restaurant where he is a chef, and Her family and friends, suspect that something is up, but no one can quite put a finger on it. His coworkers engage in the nature of God and religion and of course, women, over dirty pots and dishes, and she goes running and out and about with her sister Kate (Samantha Bond) and her niece.

Her world is the sparse, sterile one of the London flat, all whites and bare walls, crisp white couches and linens, while His is full of colour and textures. And She, under his careful touch and words, slowly begins to bloom.

But things start to unravel, first for Him, when an argument with a fellow employee results in a drawn knife, and for Her, when her husband can't even summon up the guts to engage in an verbal fight with her. And that animosity expands to the He and She, with her being drawn away to a death in her birthplace of Belfast, and he runs to his homeland of Beruit.

No, not everyone is going to like this one. The themes are very adult, it's mostly a plotless film about two people who find each other, lose one another and then come again full circle. Everyone in this one are extremely lonely, each one existing in their own little microcosm, and rarely can see beyond themselves if at all.

In fact, the only ones who seem to get what things are really about are the various charwomen in the film, especially the one who cleans She and Anthony's immaculatte London flat (Shirley Henderson), who whispers up commentary and secrets as she gazes directly at the viewer. All of the cleaning women in this film, who silently push about their brooms and mops and brushes, seem to be saying can you believe these fools?

And frankly, that's where the film starts to disintegrate. While it's composed of beautiful cinematography and images, the dialogue is of rather insipid poetry -- nice, but rarely inspiring -- there are times when it is delivered in such muddled sound that I had to really crank up the volume to hear, or just guess at what was being said.

That's a big problem. Too, there isn't a plot beyond of He and She's encounters, and the unraveling of their lives until they have to make choices. Sadly, the film only has subtitles in French, so I couldn't even resort to using the subtitles to figure out the story. Another problem was that I was left wondering if the story was about discrimmination and the question of terrorism through His eyes, or her general alienation to everything for Her. Secondary characters appear, give soloquies, then vanish into the background, and don't do much except to spread more confusion in their wake.

Sadly, there really ought to be more on the DVD to help the viewer along. The only audio track is in English, and the only subtitles are in French; there is a photo gallery of images in the film, and a little featurette on the making of the pivotal scene in the film, where the relationship shatters in the face of reality. Nice, but there could have been much more, what with the level of DVD technology these days.

Sally Potter both directed and wrote the script for this one, and while I really admire her courage in seeing her vision through to the end, it's a murky one at best, and a snoozer at worst. Not for everyone, but if you have the patience to sit through it to the end, you might find it an interesting 'slice of life' film.

Recommended, with three and half stars rounded up to four.

I hear you. Tell me more. .......2007-01-07

Ms Potter is trying to teach us that adults solve their problems of expressing their feelings via dialogue rather than by acting them out/in (what adult children do). "I hear you .. tell me more."
Her macho stiff husband didn't want to talk (act in). The dishwasher and the cook/doctor want to fight with weapons (act out). She keeps saying, "Hold the phone, how did we get here, we all want the same things for the same reasons, let's talk" (my paraphrase). To stay bound to our old systems or to cut the cords and grow up. That is the question.

I Vote "No" on "Yes".......2006-12-03

Writer/director Sally Potter's movie "Yes" gives us an inkling - at least in terms of style - of what it might be like if Shakespeare were alive today and writing screenplays (though one hopes that they would turn out considerably better than this one happens to be). The "unique" characteristic of the film is that the characters discuss the meaning of life and the complexities of relationships entirely in poetic verse. Pure rhymes, slant rhymes, internal rhymes - virtually every type of rhyme can be found in this film. The problem is that the novelty of the conceit wears off mighty quickly, so that all we are ultimately left with are a bunch of pretentious, whiney characters driving us crazy with their high-toned blathering. Allow me to propose a simple rule of thumb: you know you'll be needing a sturdy pair of hip boots to wade through any movie, play or novel in which two of the main characters are referred to simply as He and She.

I hope I won't be dismissed as a Philistine for objecting to this film. As a matter of fact, I am always open for anything even remotely novel and different in filmmaking, and I actually quite like the idea of a movie that plays like an extended poem. The problem is that I just couldn't stand any of the people we were being asked to care about in this particular work. Joan Allen and Sam Neill play a middle-aged English couple whose marriage has long ago become a hollow shell. They are clearly intended to be models of the enervated upper class - cynical, bored, filled with ennui and unable to communicate their innermost thoughts and feelings to one another - but we've seen these types of characters and marriages so many times before that Anthony and She feel more like caricatures than actual people (I`m not quite sure why he gets a real name and she - I mean She - doesn`t, but no matter). And their speaking in verse only makes them all that more insufferable in their pseudo-profundity and monumental self-absorption.

Allen, due to her extraordinary gifts as an actress, is at least able to cut through the pretentiousness and create some feeling for her character, but Neill and Simon Abkarian (who looks distressingly like Borat), as a chef from Beirut who becomes her lover (he`s the He to Allen`s She), are not quite so fortunate. Moreover, to make matters worse, in a movie in which language plays such a crucial part, some of the accents are so thick that much of the dialogue is simply incomprehensible. That only compounds the frustration of watching the movie.

There are some genuinely lyrical moments when the movie seems to be working and we can see what the filmmakers were trying to get at. But, unfortunately, those wind up being too few and far between to keep us from voting a resounding "Nay" to "Yes."

Average customer rating:

a classic
Amazing
An all-time favorite
Dot and the Kangaroo
Not EXACTLY like I remembered, but love it anyway

Dot and The Kangaroo
Starring: Barbara Frawley , Joan Bruce , Spike Milligan , June Salter , and Ross Higgins
Director: Yoram Gross
Manufacturer: Henstooth Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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