Your Friends & Neighbors

Starring:Amy Brenneman, Aaron Eckhart, Catherine Keener, Nastassja Kinski, Jason Patric, Ben Stiller, Josh Dotson, Lola Glaudini
Director: Neil LaBute
Studio: Universal Studios
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Based on Susanna Kaysen's acclaimed journal-memoir, Girl, Interrupted bears inevitable resemblance to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and pale comparison to that earlier classic is impossible to avoid. The mental institution settings of both films guarantee a certain degree of déjà vu and at least one Oscar winner (in this case, Angelina Jolie), since playing a loony is any actor's dream gig. Unfortunately, director James Mangold seems to have misplaced the depth and delicacy of his underrated debut, Heavy, despite a great deal of earnest effort by everyone involved. It's easy to see why Winona Ryder chose to star in (and executive-produce) this nearly worthy adaptation of Kaysen's book, since it's a strong vehicle for female casting and potent drama. Mangold certainly got the former; whether he succeeded with the latter is not so clear.

To be sure, Ryder conveys the confusion and chaos that signified Kaysen's life during nearly 18 months of voluntary institutionalization beginning in 1967. But the film seems too eager to embrace the cliché that the "crazies" of the Claymoore women's ward are saner than the war-torn world outside, and lack of narrative focus gives way to semipredictable character study. Susanna (Ryder) is labeled with "borderline personality disorder," a diagnosis as ambiguous as her own emotions, and while Jolie chews the scenery as the resident bad-girl sociopath, Ryder effectively conveys an odyssey from vulnerable fear to self-awareness and, finally, to healing. The ensemble cast is uniformly superb, making this drama well worthwhile, even as it treads familiar territory. If it ultimately lacks dramatic impact, Girl, Interrupted makes it painfully clear that the boundaries of dysfunction are hazy in a world where everyone's crazy once in a while. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Angie gives us an almost FLAWLESS performance........2007-06-18

This movie is what REALLY introduced me to the intoxicating world of Angelina Jolie. Her acting is enthralling, and at times, I cannot take my eyes off of her. That's a REAL actress for you. I had seen her previously in the Tomb Raider series. But that was nothing compared to this masterpiece. Another work of art in the Jolie realm is 'Foxfire.' Check that out after this one!! I recommend this to anyone with an open minded sense for stories and characters outside the box...

Boring, self-indulgent.......2007-06-15

Probably if one read the book, a lot of things would be explained that are confusing and poorly spelled-out in this film. As it stands by itself, though, the movie is dull and seems to go nowhere worth getting to. The two hours passed at a tortoise pace and you found yourself wishing the characters would just o.d. and end their torment and yours.

The characters are universally unlikeable. Both Ryder and Jolie seem spoiled and self-indulgent (their characters and the actresses). I'm really surprised Jolie won an Oscar for this role when all she does is perform Acting 101 hystrionics. Even when her acting is turning you off, however, you find yourself fascinated and repulsed by her mutant lips.

As I said, I'm sure the book approaches this topic in a much more coherent and sympathetic way. Having wasted two precious hours watching this movie, I'm not at all tempted to find out if this is true or not. But for the sake of the author, and for anyone suffering from borderline personality, I hope it is so. Both deserve better than this snore-fest.

WOW DANG ONE OF THE BEST MOVE.......2007-05-08

NOW I COULD EASYLY SAY THIS WILL GO DOWN AS ONE OF THE GRATEST MOVE EVER MADE IN THE WORLD THAT IS SO FOR SHORE

doesn't really follow the book, does it?.......2007-03-17

Lots of extra stuff that wasn't in Kaysen's memoir--that bothers me. It just seemed like it was a chance for Winona Ryder to attempt "real" acting, and to gain respect as an actor. Instead, Jolie snagged the Oscar, and Ryder slipped into A Scanner Darkly.
Ryder again showcases her highly over-emotive acting ability that has been overrated from day one, and Jolie gets to look crazy and beautiful at the same time for the umpteenth millionth time. YAWN.
Read the book instead.

Girl Interrupted.......2007-03-09

This is a very true story based on true facts.
It's very intense, sad, happy, triumphant, provocative in many ways, it's nerve wracking, it's exciting in some ways. It all depends on your perspective, but I think this movie has a not to offer and is very knowledgeable to the ways of the insane.
Angelina Jolie, Whoopie Goldberg,and Winona Ryder are exceptional in this movie.
Jared Leto, even though he has not that many scenes adds a very nice flavor to the break in manotony of the story line. He, along with the ladies mentioned, are all just so phenominally talented in their crafts.
It's war time, Vietnam to be exact, he is drafted, but leaves the country. Winona's character, although she does love him, knows that she must stay behind and take care of herself. She comes to terms with her own demons, and sacrifices her love for him to take care of herself.
She not only wins her own battles with depression, but also wakes up the self awareness to many of those who she shares her story with.
Those who win the inner war within themselves succeed to move on to normal somewhat happy lives. Those who can't get past themselves, remain locked inside of their own heads.
This is a very compelling movie of self worth, self control, self respect, and respect for others as very delicate beings.
I highly recommend this movie to anyone who suffers from self doubt and depression. I think it could really help, and inspire those who need self motivation, when you think all else has failed.
It's about gathering all that is within you, and finding love within yourself, FOR yourself.
I give this movie 5*'s.
Excellant performances by Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie, WHOOPIE GOLDBERG, and Jared Leto.

Fight Club (Collector's Edition Steelbook)

Average customer rating:

I dislike violent films, and I love this movie
Bad
This movie kicks....
Anarchy anyone?
If you are ready to wake up and do more than just behave ...

Fight Club (Collector's Edition Steelbook)
Starring: Edward Norton , Brad Pitt , Meat Loaf , Helena Bonham Carter , and Zach Grenier
Director: David Fincher
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Comic Action | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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

American History X
Pulp Fiction (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
Seven (New Line Platinum Series)
Snatch (Special Edition)
Reservoir Dogs (15th Anniversary 2-Disc Special Edition)

ASIN: B000O76TA4
Release Date: 2007-06-05

Amazon.com essential video

All films take a certain suspension of disbelief. Fight Club takes perhaps more than others, but if you're willing to let yourself get caught up in the anarchy, this film, based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk, is a modern-day morality play warning of the decay of society. Edward Norton is the unnamed protagonist, a man going through life on cruise control, feeling nothing. To fill his hours, he begins attending support groups and 12-step meetings. True, he isn't actually afflicted with the problems, but he finds solace in the groups. This is destroyed, however, when he meets Marla (Helena Bonham Carter), also faking her way through groups. Spiraling back into insomnia, Norton finds his life is changed once again, by a chance encounter with Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), whose forthright style and no-nonsense way of taking what he wants appeal to our narrator. Tyler and the protagonist find a new way to feel release: they fight. They fight each other, and then as others are attracted to their ways, they fight the men who come to join their newly formed Fight Club. Marla begins a destructive affair with Tyler, and things fly out of control, as Fight Club grows into a nationwide fascist group that escapes the protagonist's control.

Fight Club, directed by David Fincher (Seven), is not for the faint of heart; the violence is no holds barred. But the film is captivating and beautifully shot, with some thought-provoking ideas. Pitt and Norton are an unbeatable duo, and the film has some surprisingly humorous moments. The film leaves you with a sense of profound discomfort and a desire to see it again, if for no other reason than to just to take it all in. --Jenny Brown

Description

"'Fight Club' pulls you in, challenges your prejudices, rocks your world and leaves you laughing" (Rolling Stone). Brad Pitt ("12 Monkeys", "Seven"), Edward Norton ("Primal Fear," "American History X") and Helena Bonham Carter ("Mighty Aphrodite," "A Room With A View") turn in powerful "performances of which movie legends are made" (Chicago Tribune) in this action-packed hit. A ticking-time-bomb insomniac (Norton) and a slippery soap salesman (Pitt) channel primal male aggression into a shocking new form of therapy. Their concept catches on, with underground "fight clubs" forming in every town, until a sensuous eccentric (Bonham Carter) gets in the way and ignites an out-of control spiral toward oblivion.

Customer Reviews:

I dislike violent films, and I love this movie.......2007-06-25

Fight Club MUST be seen twice to be truly understood. Can't say more than that, it would ruin the fun.
This film was way ahead of its time in its devastatingly exact portrayal of the emptiness of its time. Give this puppy a few decades and it will be seen as perhaps the finest celluloid expression of millenial ennui/nihilism. The violence is entirely necessary to the experience, and this isn't the standard defense-industry-sponsored Hollywood Gun Porn; it's straight-up bare-knuckle brawling, and its visceral point hits home hard. In the anesthetized homogenized consumerist vacuum of a culture that we call home, it takes at least a few solid shots to the jaw to begin to wake up from our American Dream/Nightmare.
Fight Club was widely panned upon release, and no wonder. This is one of the most subversive major studio films of all time, intelligently deconstructing modern film and the entertainment/distraction industry in general. Fight Club's heroes blow up the headquarters of credit card companies (!) in a decidedly unapologetic way...not really the message our Feudal Lords wish us to ponder while being entertained. Why not buy a copy on your Mastercard just for kicks, but whatever you do don't burn it for everyone you know just because the message of this film is more important than making money for the system this flick slams at every turn.
So many hidden details, so much black humor (the Ikea lifestyle catalog scene is brilliant), three excellent lead performances, tremendous writing (Palahniuk must have been thrilled with the adaptation), a wild score, state of the art editing, sets, and direction, and so much more.
But, and this can not be overstated, you absolutely have to see it twice; the second viewing is a completely different animal, and will make you realize how thoroughly manipulated we are by modern culture, no matter how above and beyond it we think we may be.
For a culture constantly and adoringly staring up its own ahole, Fight Club is a satisfyingly violent enema.

Bad.......2007-06-24

I was like ok, everyone talked about fight club likes its the greatest movie of all time plus I am a huge Brad Pitt fan so let me just buy it without ever seeing it. Big mistake. The only interesting aspect of this movie is the ending revelation of the relationship between Brad Pitt and Edward Norton. Other than that, it was a waste of a lot of time. This movie was no short. But, than again, I am hard to entertain but I suggest that before you buy it, bit torrent it first!

This movie kicks...........2007-06-17

Fight Club....so fresh when it came out, and still so. Man, the action, the comedy, the drama.....and so so so so well put together. Ed Norton has a very controlled, boringly normal, compulsively square life. Then he joins a fight club, and Brad Pitt (smokin hot in this movie...it had to be said) steps into his life. I don't want to give away any twists or turns, but I will just say that while a little violent, the movie is amazing to watch. It's so well acted, and adventerous, and like nothing else you'll see.

Anarchy anyone?.......2007-06-15

Fight Club is a crude raunchy slugfest that knocks the wind out of you like an unsuspecting kick to the balls. Edward Norton a mealy mouthed insurance inspector runs into his antihero, a wise smart mouth punk, who knows what ails today's men. They have lost their animal instinct, the bloodlust, and their will to survive. The two start up a clandestine bare knuckle fight club. Surprisingly clubs spring up everywhere. The members begin to worship Pitt and Norton like gods. Things take a turn for the worse as the fight clubs turn its energy on society. Norton slowly but surely begins to realize that there is something really familiar about Pitt. This is really a great film if you're planning to be part of the new revolution; of course we all know the first rule.

If you are ready to wake up and do more than just behave ..........2007-06-14

I loved this movie. It give a much needed message while providing excellent, though dark, entertainment. I highly recommend it for anyone who needs to grow a pair!

Average customer rating:

With the friends like Mary, Barry, Terri, Cheri, Cary and Jerry
Quirky and weird, yet I can't stop watching
The Cast is simply great but it really doesnt have a point
Say what?
Dark, comical, and disturbing

Your Friends & Neighbors
Starring: Amy Brenneman , Aaron Eckhart , Catherine Keener , Nastassja Kinski , and Jason Patric
Director: Neil LaBute
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Black Comedy | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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

In the Company of Men
The Shape Of Things
Lovely & Amazing (Ws Sub)
Happiness
After Dark, My Sweet

ASIN: B0000AMU7A
Release Date: 2003-09-23

Amazon.com

In the age of ever-increasing crassness on screen (see the Farrelly brothers' comedies), there are some filmmakers who can make serious commentary instead of just throwaway gags. Neil LaBute's second feature is a corkscrew comedy of savage, bitter people who can't find happiness in many a thing, let alone sex. The film is not as tight or commanding as his first feature, the black-hearted In the Company of Men, but he gives six nameless characters six juicy parts with plenty to talk about. The emotional punch is devastating for those trying to find love and happiness on celluloid. One wife and husband (Amy Brenneman, Men's Aaron Eckhart) are nice people, living in a dream home, who can't connect sexually. Drama teacher Ben Stiller and live-in girlfriend Catherine Keener may just work out if, well, he didn't talk all the time. Stiller confesses his love for best friend Eckhart's wife; Keener starts an affair with artist assistant Nastassja Kinski. Then there's Jason Patric (who also produced) as a calculating, misogynistic doctor who has not had a peer on film or theater since David Mamet's Sexual Perversity in Chicago (which took a different film form as About Last Night...). Manipulative and forward, he's the white-hot core to LaBute's fire and has the monologue of the year to boot. LaBute's callous films aren't for everybody, but there is an art and clear-headedness to his work that most American independent filmmakers can't create on screen. Note: the six characters speak the only lines in the film, although through careful editing it never seems this way. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews:

With the friends like Mary, Barry, Terri, Cheri, Cary and Jerry.......2007-01-31

"Your Friends and Neighbors" (1998) is the second film by director/writer Neil LaBute and it tells the story of three couples and their complicated friendships and relationships. I've seen it more than once during the last couple of days - and I found it incredibly clever written, well acted (especially by Jason Patric and Catherine Keener - their only scene together was the second best in the movie - so dynamic and tight) and skillfully directed. LaBute certainly has a very unique sense of humor and he knows well the history of cinema. To give all characters the names that rhyme - Mary, Barry, Terri, Cheri, Cary and Jerry - was a clever idea - the characters are interchangeable in their relationships and it does not matter really, who is with whom - Mary with Barry or with Cary or Jerry or Barry with Barry, and Cheri with Terri or Jerry? The important thing is that they are selfish and often unpleasant and despicable people who are not happy with themselves and can't make happy their spouses or partners. Another interesting trick - the repeating scene in the Art gallery that starts with exactly the same words for each character but leads to different developments. I mentioned that LaBute knows his movies. Have you noticed the poster from Goddard's Le Mépris, (1963) aka "Contempt" with Brigitte Bardot? "Contempt" features one of the most fascinating and longest scenes of a breakup ever filmed. The breakup scene between Terri (Catherine Keener) and Jerry (Ben Stiller) started like in "Contempt" but it only lasted a few minutes and it was a good scene. Actually, I loved all scenes with Catherine Keener and if I have to choose one character that I liked, it would be Terry. Seems that Charlie Kaufman might have seen LaBute's movie because Terry and Maxine from "Being John Malkovich" have a lot in common. I was actually waiting for Terry to say to Jerry, "The thing is if you ever get me, you would not know what to do with me".

Jason Patric was a revelation - I don't know him very well but I remember that he gave a very good performance in "Narc". As for the scene in a steam room, it is not just the best of the film; it is one of the best scenes - monologues ever. I know not many would agree with me but the scene is as powerful, unforgettable and strangely erotic as the monologue in Bergman's "Persona". LaBute's writing, his camera, and mesmerizing performance by Patric made this scene an instant classic.

The film is not perfect and sometimes it drags but overall I found it interesting and enjoyable. You don't have to like the characters in order to like and appreciate the film. Sadly, the beautiful, sensual and talented Nastassja Kinski (Cherri) does not have much to play while Ben Stiller does and I am not his fan - even in this film.

LaBute's usage of "Metallica"s "Enter Sandman" (performed by Apocalyptica) during the opening and the closing credits instantly pulled me in and Bryony Atkinson's song "My Hollow" is terrific.

3.5/5 or 7/10

Quirky and weird, yet I can't stop watching.......2007-01-04

Yeah, what to really say about "Your Friends And Neighbors", kind of an all star cast, and definately not what to expect in a movie. I think it really portrays the weaknesses that all of us go through in day to day life. It's really just a matter of whether or not you give into these weaknesses. Throughly enjoyed it, and bought it so I could lend it to other people and show them that you don't have to blow up things on the big screen in order to be riveted!!!

The Cast is simply great but it really doesnt have a point.......2005-11-14

Your Friends & Neighbors stars Jason Patric (NARC, The Alamo), Nastassja Kinski (One Night Stand, Little Boy Blue), Ben Stiller (Envy, Duplex), Catherine Keener (The 40 Year Old Virgin, The Interpreter), Aaron Eckhart (Suspect Zero, In The Company of Men) and Amy Brenneman (Heat, Tv's Judging Amy) about two couples, one obssesed stud and a art gallery assistant. Stiller and Keener arent having the greatest marriage. During Sex, Keener doesnt like Stiller to yell things and say things. Eckhart and Brenneman are also having trouble and when they have sex, when Eckhart wants to talk to her, she cant say anything. So, Stiller then has an affair with Brenneman and Eckhart doesnt know about it until Stiller tells him. On the other line, Stiller's wife Keener is having a lesbian affair with Kinski, the art gallery assistant because she knows that Stiller is having his own affair. Last but not least, there's Patric, who is so obsessed with himself he even records himself saying sexual things in a voice recorder, he listens to it while he does crunches...hmm, ok. This is anchored by the cast, they do a damn good job but this has no point and being that the cast is good, it doesnt matter. The women look sexy and gorgeous and Patric is dead on target with his role. "Is this part of the gallery or another collection?"

Say what?.......2005-08-03

Im confused. Are we supposed to like anyone in this movie? Are we supposed to believe that these people hung together long enough to fall apart in the time frame of this movie? The only character I even remotley liked was Cary (Jason Patrick) because he was such a complete vilain. Never once did he deviate from exactly the person he portrays. He is utterly dispicable, and in the scene where he reveals his best sexual experience to his friends Berry and Jerry, any posibility of liking or relating to the character is hopefully destroyed. All that aside, Cary accomplishes one task in this movie, other than atracting our enmity. He confronts Jerry's girlfriend (Terry?), and completely destroys her in the span of a single nasty sentence. You see, from the beginning, we understand that's she's completely self absorbed, and doesn't care about anybody. Cary is excessive, but that's also in keeping with his character, so somehow he's absolved, right?

So this movie is supposed to be dark is it? Well, okay fine, but here's the problem with that approach. When you isolate the characters from the audience to such a degree, anything dark they do loses its impact because we can no longer relate to them anymore. All I wanted to see was bad things happen to everyone in this movie, without acception. That may sound dark on my part, but they started it.

This movie is basically about 2 a--holes, and 3 cowards. 2+3= why am I watching this? Is this really a slice of the American social experience? Because I don't know anybody like this. Maybe the people I can't stand being around live like this, but that doesn't mean I want to watch a movie about them either. Two stars are given because at least this movie engaged me on an emotional level, but if I want to watch a bunch of people I can't stand, I'll watch the news. Read that how you like. Sure this movie is dark, but there's nothing organic about it, so it ends up feeling contrived, and ultimately pointless.

Dark, comical, and disturbing.......2004-08-30

I liked this movie because it is original, and you get very absorbed in the characters. The acting is very good, the story ties together, and it holds your attention. Best of all, at least for those who appreciate dark humor, this is very comical. It is, in my personal opinion, a brilliant, well directed film.

Average customer rating:

What a Way to GO
A Well-Acted, Fascinating Biography
Ken and Joe were lovers. ..
A great biographical representation.
Neglected classic

Prick Up Your Ears
Starring: Gary Oldman , Alfred Molina , Vanessa Redgrave , Frances Barber , and Janet Dale
Director: Stephen Frears
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Gay & Lesbian | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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

My Beautiful Laundrette
Nil by Mouth
Chattahoochee
Bent
Sid & Nancy

ASIN: B0001V6ZJI
Release Date: 2004-06-15

Amazon.com

Joe Orton was briefly the embodiment of a certain kind of '60s rebel, and Stephen Frears's film adaptation of the British playwright's biography successfully conjures up that outrageous spirit. The hostile, fussy codependency between Orton (Gary Oldman) and his brooding lover Kenneth Halliwell (Alfred Molina) forms the centerpiece of a story that features not only Orton's success and his brutal demise at Halliwell's hand, but also a vivid depiction of what gay sexuality meant in a repressive era. What really propels it are the performances--Oldman's naughty, overgrown boy could believably have written Orton's romps, and the powder-keg priss rendered by Molina helps establish motivations that the script lacks. It's always good to see Vanessa Redgrave (ideal as Orton's agent), and Julie Walters has a hysterically unrecognizable bit as Orton's exasperated mum. If the film is a bit aloof, it's also crisp and often acidly funny (Orton and Halliwell do jail time for writing luridly phony synopses in library books). Frears has done a memorable bit in bringing both a man and his time to life. --Steve Wiecking

Description

Gary Oldman (Hannibal) and Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2) star in this stunning true story about a long-term love affair that ends with a shocking murder-suicide. Told in "sizzling flashbacks and forwards" (Elle), this Golden Globe-nominated*, "sharp, pithy, exuberant and unflinching film" (The Hollywood Reporter) from director Stephen Frears (Dirty Pretty Things)and writer Alan Bennett (The Madness of King George) "mesmerizes you, holding you in its thrall" (Los Angeles) from first frame to last. Frustrated writers, co-conspirators, friends and lovers, Joe Orton and Kenneth Halliwell (Oldman and Molina) serve respectively as protégéand mentor in each other's life until Orton's breakout success heightens Halliwell's sense of his own failure. With the young playwright's every new achievement, Halliwell's diminishing role leads him to a desperate attempt to keep them as equals forever. *1987: Supporting Actress (VanessaRedgrave)

Customer Reviews:

What a Way to GO.......2006-12-31

"PRICK UP YOUR EARS"

What a Way to Go

Amos Lassen and Literary Pride

"Prick Up Your Ears" is a gem of a movie. It tells the true story of English playwright Joe Orton and his homosexual relationship with his talented but not so successful partner, Kenneth Halliwell. It is a solid drama and most amazing is that it is twenty years old.
Joe Orton was a daring and rebellious writer. Told through flashbacks, Orton's literary agent, played wonderful by the incomparable Vanessa Redgrave, relates her memories and reads entries from Orton's diary, beginning and ending with his horrible murder.
Born into the lower class, Orton (Gary Oldman) teamed up with an ambitious writer, Halliwell (Alfred Molina) at the Royal Academy of Drama in England,. They collaborated for years and when Orton broke out on his own, fame bit him on the neck. His plays include "loot" and "What the Butler Saw" and the charmed the critics and the public with his black comedies. At the same time he was living in a homosexual relationship which, back then, was illegal. He was also extremely sexually adventurous. The competition between he and hi s lover heightened and Halliwell dejected, feeling rejected, and very jealous hammered Orton to death in 1967 and took his own life immediately afterwards.
It was not only success de t talent that brought Orton fame. His personal charisma and luck also helped. The two men, who seemed to be talented equally were split apart when one of the pair became an award winning playwright and the other had no luck whatsoever.
Orton's death in 1976 caused quite a stir not only by the way he dies but by the fact that the nature of his relationship with Halliwell was revealed to the public.
It was Halliwell that seduced Orton when they were students and it was Halliwell who was more imaginative but a bit disturbed. After the two had begun their relationship each spent half a year in prison for defacing library books and while there Orton`s agent discovered his talent and guided him to success while Halliwell stayed behind in the shadows of his lover.
The acting in the movie is far above anything else dealing with homosexuality at the period in which it was made. In many cases, it is far above what we see today. The script is brilliant and it is very sad that the movie did not get the exposure it deserved. At times it is very raw and the death of Orton is shocking as we watch it from beginning to end. As is typical of so many British movies, it is literate and beautifully acted and photographed. Were it to be re-released today, I am sure it would find its rightful audiences and acting prizes would be handed out to the entire cast.

A Well-Acted, Fascinating Biography.......2006-09-26

I've been a huge fan of both Gary Oldman and Alfred Molina for years and I think they are both outstanding in this biography of the late British playwright Joe Orton.

Although most people think of Oldman from films like AIR FORCE ONE or the Harry Potter films and Molina from SPIDER-MAN 2, they are both some of the most dependable and most talented actors in films today.
PRICK UP YOUR EARS would be worth seeing for either one of these actors, but both of them make this an excellent film.

I would recommend it to anyone who likes them but I would also warn anyone about the film's openness about their characters' homosexuality. If you have a problem seeing men kissing, then you might want to take a pass (or just turn your head). I don't know. I wouldn't trick anyone into watching this movie without letting them know that the main characters are gay--and one of them loves to pick up strange men in London public bathrooms (called "cottages").

But this is a good movie with great performances. If you see and like this film, I would also recommend CARRINGTON with Jonathan Pryce and Emma Thompson.

Ken and Joe were lovers. .. .......2006-09-25

. . . . well, maybe not lovers but more like two men who
shared a sexual history. When Ken hammered Joe to death,
it was hardly an act of love, but it was certainly an
act of history.

Unravelling the history of Ken and Joe is what Prick Up
Your Ears is about. Joe was playwright Joe Orton. Ken
was first his mentor, then his lover and finally-when
Joe's fame exceeded his-his depressed and angry drudge.
Prick Up Your Ears doesn't unravel the history of this
relationship so much as it caresses its surface,
playing with issues of wit and style. The play is
attractive, even funny, but it never hellps us to
understand what kept this unlikely pair together
for 16 years.

The movie rises above the level of morbid peep
show only by standing on the shoulders of three
great performances. Alfred Molina as the tormented
Ken and Gary Oldman as the sociable and heartless
Joe keep the somewhat superficial screenplay together.
Julie Walters (Educating Rita) as Joe's crazed kin
almost steals the show.

In the end, Orton's inability to recognize the value
that Ken had added to his life and Ken's refusal to
live without that recognition leads the grisly murder-
suicide with which the film begins.

A great biographical representation........2005-06-28

Joe Orton was the, "bit of rough", Leicester lad who became the voice of edgy, sexual charged playwriting in the 60's, exactly the kind of representaions peole were seeking at the time.
The film depicts his life and rise to fame beautifully, exploring his sexually charged adoloscence,his early admission to RADA, his emerging and confident sexuality and meeting with Halliwell, throught to his final success and the destruction of his realtionship with Halliwell which led to their deaths; Halliwell battered Joe to death with a hammer before overdosing himself on a barbiturate cocktail (bizarrely Halliwell died first). The casting is perfect and the lead actors are immensley evocative and emotive. There is a delicious cameo by Julie Walters as Orton's Mum, too afraid to answer the door to a theatre offical seeking Joe because she has left her teeth upstairs. Frances Barber is excellent and loyal as Joe's Sister, Vanessa Redgrave is slightly cold and bitchy as his agent, particularly with women. An excellent depiction of Joe's high octane, interesting and sadly short life, I was only sorry that the "Morrocan Holiday" scene did not feature a representaion of the comic actor Kenneth Williams(of "Carry On" fame), a dear freind of Joe's who often holidayed with Joe and Halliwell. Not an easy film but a very good and beautifully depicted one.
Fnas of Joe may wish to know that Leicester City Council have now marked the council house he grew up in with a blue plaque, it is situated off Saffron Lane, an estate of houses bulit in the 1930's.

Neglected classic.......2005-04-27

This is one of the best film biographies of all time. Gary Oldman (fresh from his triumph in "Sid & Nancy") and Alfred Molina (the greatest actor of his generation - look at this film along with "Frida" and "Enchanted April" and ask yourself if you don't agree) play the in-your-face gay writers Joe Orton and Kenneth Halliwell. This film, based on the biography by John Lahr, tells their whole sorted story - how they met, became lovers, lived together, went to goal (apart from one another), and, finally, grew estranged as Orton found fame as playwright and Halliwell slipped into mental illness. The two leads should have received Oscar nominations for their work here (indeed this film, the director, Vanessa Redgrave and the screenplay should all have been nominated). Director Stephen Frears hasn't spared his audience any of the graphic details. Orton was a sexual compulsive who liked to pick up strangers in public lavatories and bus stations. The camera never flinches. It all here - even the gruesome way their story ends. Fascinating meterial. Don't miss this one. My one complaint about the DVD - no extras - nothing from the director, no documentary footage of Orton or any of his television appearances. I recommend Lahr's book, as well as Orton's plays and those wonderful "Orton Diaries."

Average customer rating:

What exactly is the plot here???
Ya'll peep is crazy
Ennui would be a kind descriptor
It had potential; I'll give it that
I don't know about this one

I Love Your Work
Starring: Marisa Coughlan , Judy Greer , Shalom Harlow , Jared Harris , and Joshua Jackson
Director: Adam Goldberg
Manufacturer: Velocity / Thinkfilm
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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

Americano
10th and Wolf
Shadows in the Sun
Hollywoodland (Widescreen Edition)
The King

ASIN: B000E1NXKO
Release Date: 2006-03-28

Amazon.com

Filmed like an art-house project, I Love Your Work offers thoughtful insight to fame from both the celebrity's and the fan's points of view. When you're a celebrity, every fan is a potential stalker. Or at least that's how movie star Gray Evans (Giovanni Ribisi) sees it. An A-list actor married to a sex symbol, Gray wants to see things clearly in black and white. But his world is a cloudy haze of gray. Are his flashbacks of a comely girlfriend (Christina Ricci) hallucinations or memories of a simpler, happier time? Are his encounters with a stoic fan (Jason Lee) the prelude to his demise, or the manifestation of his paranoia? Director Adam Goldberg doesn't make this clear, but that's also clearly his intent. The drama offers a charismatic performance by Franka Potente (Run Lola Run, The Bourne Identity) as Gray's frustrated wife. But Ribisi--at his twitchiest--is an unconvincing movie star, appearing more like a run-down wannabe than a full-fledged insider. I Love Your Work? Not so much. --Jae-Ha Kim

Description

Movie star Gray Evans (Giovanni Ribisi) is at the top of his game: a seemingly endless supply of money, celebrity friends (Vince Vaughn), parties, a beautiful wife (Franka Potente)…and his name and image, known all around the world.

But with fame and fortune comes attention, and not always the kind that is wanted. Convinced that the `chance' encounters that he has been having with his fans are not really coincidental, he looks to his bodyguard (Jared Harris) and a video store clerk (Joshua Jackson) for help - despite the protests of those around him. Is he truly paranoid, as they suggest? Or are they motivated by jealousy and spite? Has he found himself in the crosshairs of an obsessed fan…or is it someone much closer to him? Will one of the top movie stars in the world be able to survive, when he doesn't even know who - or what- he is up against?

Customer Reviews:

What exactly is the plot here???.......2007-04-02

This movie was painful to watch at times. The main guy seems pretty cool, but his wife in the movie is, well.. it's just unbelievable that she's supposed to be a movie star's wife - she's flat chested and has a big butt, not to mention ugly. And she's really annoying and has some BS accent. The sound levels are totally screwed up - channels aren't mixed right, I found myself straining to hear one minute, and then blasted with sound the next, esp when when music was mixed in. I felt like I was on a miracle ear commercial asking my wife "what did he just say?" And I have otherwise perfect hearing. Overall the "film" is totally shallow and a strained effort to make a clever movie with alot of pretentious B-movie grade ideas. It would be like what would happen if a 5th grader whose father is a bigtime director wrote a script and his father directed and cast it. It's just dumb and poorly executed with good acting and decent cinematography. Did I mention how bad the sound was?? It's very rare that I stop watching a movie partway through, as the last movie that I stopped watching partway through was 'The Man' with Samuel L Jackson, to give you an idea of how high my tolerance for pain really is. And whoo-hoo, people do drugs in the movie!! Wow!! I've never seen anyone do drugs before, and something like that just blows away the average 13 year old from Provo. So totally cutting edge with the drug scenes...and there's boobs, too!! Yee-ha!! Boobs!! I gave it 2 stars b/c the acting is OK and Elvis Costello made a cameo.

Ya'll peep is crazy.......2007-02-23

This was one of the best movie I've seen all year. Guliana Rabissi (sp?) is PHENOMINAL. People giving this movie low ratings must not understand the complex, multi-demintional plot. The acting is excellent, the cinematography is capticating. I rarely purchase DVD's, but I bought this one because of how much it touched me. It's a remarkable piece of art.

Ennui would be a kind descriptor.......2006-11-08

Clocking in at just under two hours, I LOVE YOUR WORK leaves the viewer feeling as though from the opening sequence that stones have been tied to your feet and your body thrown into the very deep and dank water to slowly settle into the mud at the bottom. Sound dreary? Then avoid this little mess of a film.

It is hard to believe that Adrian Butchart who is giving us the radiant GOAL! THE DREAM BEGINS trilogy could help write this script: one wonders if writer/director Adam Goldberg didn't just bring him in for help. The story is tired (small time guy gives up love for a career as a movie star with all the accessories of money, fame, celeb status, gorgeous wife, etc. only to find life in its simpler fashion was preferable) and the choices of casting this very dark and dreary tale are inappropriate. Giovanni Ribisi, superb an actor though he most assuredly is, simply is not credible as a movie star sex symbol whose stardom is accompanied by alcoholism, self hate, paranoia, fragmented thinking, and bad decisions. The only time we see anything vaguely suggestive of his ability to create a role is in the many flashback scenes (with girlfriend Christina Ricci): his on screen chemistry with his famous wife Mia (the enormously talented Franka Potente who here is wasted in a mannequin's role) is nil, and his interplay with such actors as Vince Vaughn, Marisa Coughlan, Judy Greer, Shalom Harlow, Joshua Jackson, Jason Lee, and Elvis Costello is unilateral.

Goldberg films this boring redundant tale using all manner of artsy camera tricks that only serve to make the tedium increase. With a cast like this the product had promise. Goldberg needs some time to think about this phase of his career. Grady Harp, November 06

It had potential; I'll give it that.......2006-11-05

The last time I saw the names "Adam Goldberg" and "Giovanni Ribisi" together, they were two American Soldiers who perished while trying to save a certain Private Ryan.

Goldberg co-wrote and directed this contemporary psychological drama that has all the ingredients for a great finale but gets left in the oven too long. At times towards the end I was thinking it could have been something perhaps similar to "Memento" or something of that nature. What this film gives you is a plethora of cross analyzing ideas meshed with real time parallels, that ultimately bogs down in a mosh of messy execution. Some of the biggest points and profound themes that it spends so much time getting to in a bizarre and confusingly intricate way are so simplistic they leave you yawning. Despite a stellar cast that besides Rabisi also features Jason Lee, Christina Ricci, Vince Vaughn, Haylie Duff and Elvis Costello, it gets to far out of the main points of what it is trying to convey.

Rabisi stars as Gray Evans, a movie star actor who is having marital trouble. Gray starts thinking amid his days of working on the set, going through fan email, and getting bugged by people, that a fan is stalking him. Relentless in his obsession of this belief, he starts obsessing about others around him. Great ideas here but then the film basically spends too much time zigzagging around to all the different characters and locales. We understand that Gray seems to have a connection with a film grad who is also a fan and is suspected by him at one time, of being the stalker, but by the time 100 minutes roles by it gets to the point of not caring. The ideas are there, I just feel it was a bit over ambitious in the portrayal of it all. The sections that are supposed to be psychological really come off more like psycho confusing, and the parts that are to be rewarding in tying up loose ends towards the films finish end up falling flat.

If you like Independent films, or want to try something different, by all means give it a try. I don't see it as being something I would watch again, or have in my collection for killing time on a Sunday afternoon with.

I don't know about this one.......2006-10-05

I really don't know about this one. It started out really interesting but just fell off in the end. It was really wierd, because I really went from one end of the spectrum to the other. I really like it to I really don't? After a while it kinda got all artsy and confusing. Maybe it was suppose to , but I think that the guy making this film wanted you to think too much. Could have been alot better if it explained more. It was alright.

What About Your Friends - Weekend Get-Away

Average customer rating:

What About Your Friends
great family movie

What About Your Friends - Weekend Get-Away
Starring: Keshia Knight Pulliam , Angell Conwell , Monica McSwain , Kym Whitley , and Riley Weston
Director: Niva Dorell
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Teen | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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

Just Another Girl on the I.R.T.
House of Grace
The Seat Filler
Sinsitivity
Restraining Order

ASIN: B0002A2VZ0
Release Date: 2004-07-13

Description

This coming of age drama explores teen angst and friendship from a multi-cultural perspective as three high school girls, who are best friends from different social levels, spend a weekend at a college campus competing for three coveted college scholarships. As the weekend away from their parents unfolds and the competitions in their respective subjects intensifies, upscale and sophisticated Temple (Knight Pulliam), middle class and rebellious Alex (Conwell), and the straight-laced and from modest means Breena (McSwain) negotiate the pressures and pitfalls of adolescence. They struggle to maintain their close bond while learning they must take responsibility for their actions. Starring: Keshia Knight Pulliam, Monica McSwain, Alexis Fields, DJ Quik, Ella Joyce.

Customer Reviews:

What About Your Friends.......2005-07-17

I have never seen this version but I love the original. I remember watching it on HBO when it came out in 95. I hope it comes out on DVD or at least a VHS will somehow appear on Amazon.

Plot Outline: "What About Your Friends" is a one-hour film that takes a unique look at the senior year successes and failures of three high school girlfriends as they prepare for college.

Monica Calhoun .... Temple Baham
Jonas Chaka .... Neil
Albert Hall .... Mr. Black
Bruklin Harris .... Alex
Tyrin Turner .... Reggie
Lark Voorhies .... Sabrina
Malinda Williams .... Alex

great family movie.......2004-08-13

This movie is a positive , a movie that you can watch with the whole family and it is a lesson in it for the girls, my family
enjoyed this movie.

Average customer rating:

With the friends like Mary, Barry, Terri, Cheri, Cary and Jerry
Quirky and weird, yet I can't stop watching
The Cast is simply great but it really doesnt have a point
Say what?
Dark, comical, and disturbing

Your Friends & Neighbors
Starring: Amy Brenneman , Aaron Eckhart , Catherine Keener , Nastassja Kinski , and Jason Patric
Director: Neil LaBute
Manufacturer: Polygram USA Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Black Comedy | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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

In the Company of Men
The Shape Of Things
Lovely & Amazing (Ws Sub)
Happiness
After Dark, My Sweet

ASIN: 6305461236
Release Date: 1999-07-13

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

With the friends like Mary, Barry, Terri, Cheri, Cary and Jerry.......2007-01-31

Quirky and weird, yet I can't stop watching.......2007-01-04

The Cast is simply great but it really doesnt have a point.......2005-11-14

Say what?.......2005-08-03

Dark, comical, and disturbing.......2004-08-30

The Shape Of Things/Your Friends & Neighbors (2 Pack)

Average customer rating:

Two Brilliant Films

The Shape Of Things/Your Friends & Neighbors (2 Pack)
Starring: Gretchen Mol , Paul Rudd , Rachel Weisz , Fred Weller , and Amy Brenneman
Director: Neil LaBute
Manufacturer: Mca Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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

Bash: three plays
In the Company of Men
Beautiful Creatures
Fat Pig
The Mercy Seat

ASIN: B0000AMU7B
Release Date: 2003-09-23

Customer Reviews:

Two Brilliant Films.......2007-03-07

The films, based on Neil Labute's Plays, are both wonderful in their own ways, however, both fall flat on that final, final scene. Scenes that always keep you questioning, what next? However I don't give either of the films lower than a four rating because they are good, they do examine the human condition, they do examine males in society, females in society, chauvinism, and in that, they make for great and wonderful films.

Combo Pack - Stoner Shorts Vol. 1 and Reefer Madness / Hemp for Victory

Average customer rating:

High on DVDs!
Twofer Madness!

Combo Pack - Stoner Shorts Vol. 1 and Reefer Madness / Hemp for Victory

Manufacturer: PromoDVDs.com
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Special Interests | Genres | DVD | Video

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

Reefer Madness - The Movie Musical
Why Marijuana Should Be Legal
The Departed (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Product Features:

Combo Pack saves you over 10%
Each packaged in it's own hard shelled DVD case
Makes a great gift!

ASIN: B000FR23FS

Product Description

REEFER MADNESS is the quintessential cult classic. Originally made as a 1930's propaganda film, it was meant to scare America's youth away from drugs, showing them that one puff of the "demon weed" turns teens into raving reefer addicts. The height of camp entertainment! Includes BONUS "HEMP FOR VICTORY" a film by the US government on the merits of hemp. STONER SHORTS VOL. 1: A hand-picked cornucopia of "chronic" counterculture! A previously unreleased collection of hilariously odd short films and trippy cartoons including: Drugs are Like That, 50's Drug Addiction, Social Smoke & Mirrors-Tom, Social Smoke & Mirrors-Bunny, Betty Boop (1930s) +Plus other great Bonuses! This a fantastic voyage into the drug use of yesteryear. Timeless in it's truth, brutal in it's honesty and sincere in it's message, this 1 hour 37 minutes of the most medicinally induced fun your can have! The FEEL GOOD movie of the century!

Customer Reviews:

High on DVDs!.......2006-05-23

Gotta get this! If you don't know about Reefer Madness it is a great Cult Classic - and this is the only version I know of with Hemp for Victory, which is a pretty odd flick on it's own. The government showing Farmers how to grow and harvest weed! I got it coupled with Stoner Shorts Vol.1, which is even better! The interface is as trippy as the rest of it. You can play all (straight thru) or play the "scrambled mix" - (just like your brain) I think this'll be great for my next party - even on in the background with the sound off, it's great the Betty Boop stuff coupled with the Vincent Collins short, really all of it is perfect - great price for what you get, especially with the extra free stuff, it's almost four times the Reefer Madness or Cocaine Fiends Length when added together. I would review each short, but there is so much to go over, their website does a decent job of explaining the parts if you're still wondering whether you should buy - plus there are some clips edited together there that you can download to your Ipod.

Twofer Madness!.......2006-05-23

I got the twofer from Promodvds ("Reefer Madness with Hemp for Victory" AND "Stoner Shorts vol.1") and was floored! If you have any interest in social history, or just want to laugh until you puke, you have to get this. The main features are 2 anti - drug films and 2 "social films". These were actually made to be played for kids in school! The "Social" films seem to be made for the purpose of discussion in maybe a high school social studies class or something. Get some friends together to watch these because I guarantee you'll wanna discuss this stuff MST3000 style! Oh, and the Betty Boop cartoons - I had NO idea she was so naughty, or controversial. I had looked this DVD up at stonershortsdvd [dot] com - there's more info than their amazon store, and there is a reel in quicktime of clips from the DVD- -I had to get this after seeing the reel and am so glad I did.

Average customer rating:

I don't love this

I Love Your Work
Starring: Randall Batinkoff , Glen Campbell , David Graf , Jared Harris , and Joshua Jackson
Manufacturer: Velocity / Thinkfilm
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video

( I ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000G2YCU6
Release Date: 2006-07-04

Customer Reviews:

I don't love this.......2006-07-23

Oh joy. Another movie about how horrifying it is to be famous, rich and liked.

Actor/director Adam Goldberg's "I Love Your Work" attempts to tackle that subject, but the "poor little rich actor" storyline merely ends up feeling self-indulgent and whiny. Several of the actors are talented, but most of them -- except for star Giovanni Ribisi -- are misused.

Gray Evans (Giovanni Ribisi) is famous, rich and miserable. He married Mia (Franka Potente) after seeing her in a French film, but their marriage is crumbling because he thinks she's cheating with Elvis Costello, who is friendly with Mia. Distraught, Gray ends up in a video store, where he becomes fascinated with a young video store clerk (Joshua Jackson) and his loving girlfriend (Marisa Coughlan).

As his sanity begins to crumble, Gray stalks the couple, and starts to have visions of an ex-girlfriend (Christina Ricci) who reminds him of a happier time. He begins to reimagine his past, pre-fame life through the clerk and girlfriend, and soon the world of sanity is beginning to fade away.

Perhaps this movie would be more palatable if it hadn't been done by an actor. In the hands of someone like Wes Anderson, this movie would have been brilliant, dark and understatedly satirical. From Goldberg, it just seems self-indulgent, boo hoo poor little me. It has nothing new to say, and it doesn't add any sparkle to the old stuff.

And while Goldberg tries hard to make this a dark satire, he takes his Big Message too seriously. It starts off well, with Gray teetering on the edge of insanity, and imagining that everybody is watching, touching and pursuing him. For a short time, it has the elements of a lightweight Fellini movie.

But after the first half hour, Goldberg goes wild with the camera tricks and the plot. He's trying so hard to be arty and insightful, that he ends up almost making the film a parody of itself. And not a good parody either. It aspires to be a bizarre, surrealist experience like "Mulholland Drive." But it's too unfocused and self-conscious to even come close.

It doesn't help that Gray is not somebody we're going to care about. He's egotistical, self-absorbed, suspicious and whiny. And for all his complaints about his terrible life, it never seems to cross his mind to do the obvious thing. Quit acting. Retreat from the limelight. Maybe he secretly likes complaining.

Ribisi is definitely the center of the film, and his turn as a crazed movie star is wonderfully unsettling. Yes, it really is that weird, even though Gray is such an annoying character. Potente isn't required to do much more than sit there and look glamorous, but Ricci is brilliant in her small role as Gray's nebulous ex.

If you want to see self-indulgent navel-gazing, then "I Love Your Work" might be the ticket. But for anyone looking for clever, ingenious, entertaining filmmaking, look for someone else's work to love.

DVD:

DVD

DVD

DVD

Don Henley Live - Inside Job

Eraser

Drunken Tai Chi [1995]

DVD: Wolfman

Blue Man Group - The Complex Rock Tour: Live