Love Affair

Starring:Dunne, Boyer, Bowman, Allwyn, Boros
Studio: Alpha Video
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

"What happens if a car comes?" "We die."
Awesome
The Notebook
My favorite movie!
Unforgettable Summer Romance

The Notebook (New Line Platinum Series)
Starring: Tim Ivey , Gena Rowlands , Starletta DuPois , James Garner , and Anthony-Michael Q. Thomas
Director: Nick Cassavetes
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Notebook
A Walk to Remember
The Lake House (Widescreen Edition)
Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
Wedding Crashers - Unrated (Widescreen New Line Platinum Series)

ASIN: B000683VI4
Release Date: 2005-02-08

Amazon.com

When you consider that old-fashioned tearjerkers are an endangered species in Hollywood, a movie like The Notebook can be embraced without apology. Yes, it's syrupy sweet and clogged with clichés, and one can only marvel at the irony of Nick Cassavetes directing a weeper that his late father John--whose own films were devoid of saccharine sentiment--would have sneered at. Still, this touchingly impassioned and great-looking adaptation of the popular Nicholas Sparks novel has much to recommend, including appealing young costars (Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams) and appealing old costars (James Garner and Gena Rowlands, the director's mother) playing the same loving couple in (respectively) early 1940s and present-day North Carolina. He was poor, she was rich, and you can guess the rest; decades later, he's unabashedly devoted, and she's drifting into the memory-loss of senile dementia. How their love endured is the story preserved in the titular notebook that he reads to her in their twilight years. The movie's open to ridicule, but as a delicate tearjerker it works just fine. Message in a Bottle and A Walk to Remember were also based on Sparks novels, suggesting a triple-feature that hopeless romantics will cherish. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Behind every great love is a great story. Two teenagers from opposite sides of the tracks fall in love during one summer together, but are tragically forced apart. When they reunite 7 years later, their passionate romance is rekindled, forcing one of them to choose between true love and class order.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:2 Commentaries --Director Nick Cassavettes --Novelist Nicholas Sparks
DVD ROM Features
Deleted Scenes:12 Deleted Scenes
Documentaries:Nick Cassavetes Profile Featurette Author Nicholas Sparks Featurette Locating "The Notebook" Featurette Casting Noah and Allie featurette
Other:Widescreen & Fullscreen versions on one disc Rachel McAdams Screen Test
Theatrical Trailer

Customer Reviews:

"What happens if a car comes?" "We die.".......2007-07-02

A must have! This is by far one of the best movies I've ever watched. After witnessing a few scenes from this movie I just had to go out and buy it and I don't regret it!

"The Notebook" breaks away from the typical kind of chick flick and adds a touch of humor. The movie adds more focus to the character's first Summer together, unlike the book which I found to be quite a snoozer. Also, the character's personalities seems more realistic and have more depth to them as you will discover during their heated arguements. Noah's personality is so dreamy and you can't help but fall in love with him over and over again.

I found many differences between the book and movie, but I won't spoil it for you if you haven't seen either. :3 This movie definately allows you to take a step back and appreciate the relationship you have with your loved one.

Awesome.......2007-06-27

Excellent movie ! A wonderful story about soul mates, soul mates for life. It will bring tears of happiness and sadness. Definitely a feel good movie.

The Notebook.......2007-06-27

I rented this and decided it was one I could enjoy again and again
I figured the story right away which was good as it made it more enjoyable

My favorite movie!.......2007-06-22

I'm glad I finally got to buy this movie, it is one of my favorites. If you want to know what love could do to somebody and how powerful can be just watch this movie and you'll see what love is all about...

Just to let you know make sure you have a box of tissue handy, or maybe two haha!

Unforgettable Summer Romance.......2007-05-31

`The Notebook' is a sweet romance with a compelling story. The appeal easily develops with freewheeling dating scenes and revelations which unfold lovers sorting out priorities that hit so close to home. A bitter-sweet romance, the film is a beautiful tale of two sweethearts who come from completely different backgrounds but live in the same Southern town during the early forties.

Noah (Ryan Gosling) is from a dirt poor family and works as a logger for forty cents an hour. Allie (Rachel McAdams) belongs to the Southern aristocracy. She has private tutors for every class and most of her whims satisfied. It is love at first sight for Noah who spots Allie at a carnival and jumps between her and her chosen date from the platform of a Ferris wheel. Once he has her attention, he threatens to let go and fall to the pavement if she won't agree to date him. From there his colorful presence challenges every route she's ever known. They each bring a measure of deep beauty to each other: He recites poetry, and she creates paintings. All the oddball adventure he presents from lying down in the middle of a street to dare the traffic, letting go in a torrential rainstorm, to dancing in the street provide those defining moments that demonstrate how strangely people act when they are in love. As the summer ends their lives are disrupted: She is forced to go to Sarah Lawrence College in New York, and soon later he is drafted to fight in Europe during World War II. They split ways and find different lovers, but their relationship is truncated, especially when Allie's manipulative mother (Joan Allen) intercepts Noah's letters that are meant for her.

`The Notebook' is told from the point-of-view of "Duke" (James Garner) who reads the story of Noah and Allie to a beloved nursing home resident (Gena Rowlands) suffering from dementia. I kept thinking as they sit on a park bench in one scene that the story is retold in a manner not entirely different from 'Forrest Gump'. Duke narrates the story, and we come back to him and the woman until the two stories meet and have meaning.

Besides solid, absorbing performances by Gosling and McAdams, Garner softens the edge of the story as narrator, and Allen and Rowlands are easily captivating as Allie's complex and emotional mother and the elderly dementia patient. 'The Notebook' is a pleasing old-fashioned movie that easily plays on our heartstrings and provides a very satisfying viewing experience. (Based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks)

Average customer rating:

reality
So good to see again
Shirley Valentine
Great chick flick
a must see for all women

Shirley Valentine
Starring: Pauline Collins , Tom Conti , Julia McKenzie , Alison Steadman , and Joanna Lumley
Director: Lewis Gilbert (II)
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Notes on a Scandal
The Queen
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Music and Lyrics (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B000MGBSIU
Release Date: 2007-05-01

Amazon.com

British actress Pauline Collins repeats her stage success as the character Shirley Valentine, a married woman who decides in her middle years that she wants more out of life. Leaving her spouse behind, she heads to Greece, where she grows close to a low-key, local bloke (Tom Conti). Collins and director Lewis Gilbert (Educating Rita) choose to let the character, as she did in the play, speak directly to the audience at times, and the gamble works in terms of creating a gentle, intimate atmosphere. Conti is a bonus, a warm presence and funny to boot. --Tom Keogh

Stills from Shirley Valentine (click for larger image)

Product Description

In the role that won her Broadway's acclaimed Tony Award, Pauline Collins is the hilariously endearing Shirley Valentine, a wisecracking, completely unpredictable English housewife who proves it's never too late to recapture your dreams. Bored with her suburban life, Shirley takes a chance on adventure when a friend invites her on a vacation to Greece. Within no time she's back to her rebellious teenage roots, saying yes to a wild fling with a handsome rogue (Tom Conti) and the life she's always wanted.

Customer Reviews:

reality.......2007-07-01

I first saw this movie in 1989 - there is something for most women who have become less than themselves by taking care of everyone except themself. You can identify with the husband/wife , girlfriends and mother/child relationships. So if you need to get away - even though it is through Shirley - do it. This is a wonderful story of a 40'ish English woman who finds herself again - and has a good time on the way. I am so glad it is finally out in DVD - I have been looking for it for years.
I have to honestly say that this is my favorite movie!

So good to see again.......2007-07-01

Watch this movie any time you feel sad for a real pick me up--I laughed till I cried!!!!

Shirley Valentine.......2007-06-27

This movie is a wonderful suprise. It's about women who have lost their identity. We are someone's mother and someone's wife, but what happened to us, our hopes, our dreams. Shirley Valentine is about a woman who takes a chance by traveling to another country and discovering herself along the way.
The movie is funny with lots of British humor, the characters are people you know and it shows the Shirley she was, the Shirley she is and the Shirley she wants to be. It's a must have for any woman over 35 who feels old, dreams of running away from everyday life, work, children and what to fix for dinner again. I've bought multi copies for women in my family and friends.

Great chick flick.......2007-06-27

This great old movie is one that all women past the age of 40 can relate to and share together. I watched it with my 87 year old mother and she liked it as much as I did. My good friends recommended it to me and I plan to pass it on to others.

a must see for all women.......2007-06-17

for any woman who has ever felt unappreciated or underappreciated, this movie is bound to lift your spirits. You can live vicariously through Shirley Valentine as she lives out her fantasy of breaking away from her humdrum life and rediscovers the person she used to be. check it out, you won't be disappointed.

Average customer rating:

Loved Love Actually...
Previews: Be Warned
I actually love LOVE ACTUALLY
The best!
Wonderful movie!

Love Actually (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor , Colin Firth , Gregor Fisher , Martin Freeman (II) , and Jill Freud
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Love Actually
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About a Boy (Widescreen Edition)
Four Weddings and a Funeral

ASIN: B00005JMFQ
Release Date: 2004-04-27

Amazon.com

With no fewer than eight couples vying for our attention, Love Actually is like the Boston Marathon of romantic comedies, and everybody wins. Having mastered the genre as the writer of Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, and Bridget Jones's Diary, it appears that first-time director Richard Curtis is just like his screenplays: He just wants to be loved, and he'll go to absurdly appealing lengths to win our affection. With Love Actually, Curtis orchestrates a minor miracle of romantic choreography, guiding a brilliant cast of stars and newcomers as they careen toward love and holiday cheer in London, among them the Prime Minister (Hugh Grant) who's smitten with his caterer; a widower (Liam Neeson) whose young son nurses the ultimate schoolboy crush; a writer (Colin Firth) who falls for his Portuguese housekeeper; a devoted wife and mother (Emma Thompson) coping with her potentially unfaithful husband (Alan Rickman); and a lovelorn American (Laura Linney) who's desperately attracted to a colleague. There's more--too much more--as Curtis wraps his Christmas gift with enough happy endings to sweeten a dozen other movies. That he pulls it off so entertainingly is undeniably impressive; that he does it so shamelessly suggests that his writing fares better with other, less ingratiating directors. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description

"Get ready for fun!" (Leah Rozen, People) with the "feel good movie of the year!" (Clay Smith, Access Hollywood) Love Actually is the ultimate romantic comedy from the makers of Bridget Jones's Diary and Notting Hill. Funny, irresistible and heartwarming, an all-star cast (Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth and Emma Thompson, to name a few!) will take you on a breathtaking tour of love's delightful twists and turns. Fall under the spell of Love Actually and share the laughs and charm again and again.

System Requirements:

Running Time 135 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

Loved Love Actually..........2007-06-19

This is a VERY good movie! The music is good, the movie is good, the cast it good...

It is definitely a MUST see... you'll be glad you did!!

Previews: Be Warned.......2007-06-18

Ten minutes or more of previews, and the viewer is "prohibited" from fast-forwarding, even though the option to do so is stated on the disk. Who makes these decisions? I would not have bought the disk had I known.

I actually love LOVE ACTUALLY.......2007-06-17

What is not to love about this movie? I am a huge Hugh Grant fan. His charming, self-depreciating humor, mixed with his accent is always a win for me, I honestly did not know he was in it when I saw this movie by accident the first time. Love Actually is a story with a lot of moving parts. There are about 8 different stories going on at once, different types of love, of love stories....siblings taking care of one another, new love, infedility, unrequited love, loss of a spouse, first love....and all the stories are intertwined in a perfect quilt of a story. It won't lose you though....don't worry about that. It's easy to watch, and funny, and true. The cast is amazing, Hugh Grant, Collin Firth, Keira Knightley, and more. They way people relate to each other is odd, true and striking, and it just seems to resonate the love people feel for each other above anything else. Love actually is....all around.
Besides, who doesn't like to see cute Hugh Grant shaking his tail to the 80's hit " Jump"?

CAUTION- there are some partly nude scenes in here. I've had some friends tell me they let their kids watch not realizing. It's otherwise a great movie, it's a shame for the nude scenes because it's otherwise a good movie for the family. But, the nature of the nudity is pretty funny...just probably not the best thing for young viewers.

The best!.......2007-06-16

I could watch this movie over and over and over and never tire of it. I catch more bits every time I see it and it never ceases to touch me or make me laugh even though I can do the dialogue with the actors by now.
Highly recommended!

Wonderful movie!.......2007-06-13

I did not like this movie the first time I saw it. I watched it a second time at a friend's house and decided to buy it. It is a quirky, funny, and enjoyable movie. Sometimes, it is fun to cheese out and enjoy a silly movie.
Amazon delivered it promptly with no problems.

Average customer rating:

The Graduate
INTERESTING LOVE STORY FOR CRAZY ERA
Akwardness Excellence
GREAT MOVIE ABOUT AN INDIVIDUALIST
Classic

The Graduate
Starring: Anne Bancroft , Dustin Hoffman , Katharine Ross , William Daniels , and Murray Hamilton
Director: Mike Nichols
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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Annie Hall
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On the Waterfront (Special Edition)
Citizen Kane
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ASIN: B00079Z9VO
Release Date: 2005-04-05

Amazon.com essential video

Few films have defined a generation as The Graduate did. The alienation, the nonconformity, the intergenerational romance, the blissful Simon and Garfunkel soundtrack--they all served to lob a cultural grenade smack into the middle of 1967 America, ultimately making the film the third most profitable up to that time. Seen from a later perspective, its radical chicness has dimmed a bit, yet it's still a joy to see Dustin Hoffman's bemused Benjamin and Anne Bancroft's deliciously decadent, sardonic Mrs. Robinson. The script by Buck Henry and Calder Willingham is still offbeat and dryly funny, and Mike Nichols, who won an Oscar for his direction, has just the right, light touch. --Anne Hurley

Description

Nominated* for seven Academy Awards® and winner for Best Director, this groundbreaking and "wildly hilarious" (The Boston Globe) social satire launched the career of two-time Oscar®-winner** Dustin Hoffman and cemented the reputation of acclaimed director Mike Nichols. Pulsating with the rebellious spirit of the '60s and a haunting score sung by Simon and Garfunkel, The Graduate is truly a "landmark film" (Leonard Maltin). Shy Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) returns home from college with an uncertain future. Then the wife of his father's business partner, the sexy Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), seduces him, and the affair only deepens his confusion. That is, until he meets the girl of his dreams (Katharine Ross). But there's one problem: she's Mrs. Robinson's daughter!

*1967: Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actress (Katharine Ross), Cinematography and Adapted Screenplay

**1988: Actor, Rain Man; 1979: Actor, Kramer vs. Kramer

Customer Reviews:

The Graduate.......2007-06-28

One of the signature films of the 1960s, this feature introduced the world to Hoffman and gave Bancroft a racy role she played with marvelous feline cunning. This sublime black comedy transcends its period, speaking to new generations of alienated youth beginning to navigate a discordant, dysfunctional adult world. The supporting cast, including deft character players William Daniels and Murray Hamilton, are note-perfect, and that Simon & Garfunkel score still stirs the soul. A must for repeat viewings.

INTERESTING LOVE STORY FOR CRAZY ERA.......2007-06-09

The film boosted the profile of folk-rock duo Simon and Garfunkel, whose soundtrack album (The Graduate Original Soundtrack), on the strength of the hit single "Mrs. Robinson", rose to the top of the charts in 1968 (knocking off The Beatles' White Album).

The theme song of the movie, "The Sounds of Silence" is a melodramatic, slightly mournful tune. It manages to give the movie a sort of tension, which it demonstrates in other arenas. The generational gap is one of these themes which plays out throughout the movie. The songs seem to mainly play during moments of this particular tension, such as the scene when Ben is forced into the pool by his parents in his scuba outfit. The music gives the film a certain quality, without which it would be vastly different. Simon and Garfunkel were referred to as the "voice of a generation," and this is exactly what they provide in the movie for Benjamin and Elaine.

According to a Variety article by Peter Bart in the 15 May 2005 issue, Nichols had become obsessed with Simon & Garfunkel's music while shooting the film. Lawrence Turman, his producer, made a deal for Simon to write three new songs for the movie. By the time they were nearly finished editing the film, Simon had only written one new song. Nichols begged him for more but Simon, who was touring constantly, told him he didn't have the time. He did play him a few notes of a new song he had been working on; "It's not for the movie... it's a song about times past -- about Mrs. Roosevelt and Joe DiMaggio and stuff." Nichols advised Simon, "It's now about Mrs. Robinson, not Mrs. Roosevelt."

Noel Serrano
Gala Foundation

Akwardness Excellence.......2007-05-31

The Graduate is a classic. This is probably Dustin Hoffman's greatest performance. Never have I felt for such an awkward character. The cinetamography and directing is amazing. The ending is perfect. A most buy!

GREAT MOVIE ABOUT AN INDIVIDUALIST.......2007-03-15

Without giving spoilers away, I immediately see parallels that can be drawn between Groundhog Day and The Graduate. The main characters are individuals who, in their own way, are seeking happiness. Unlike Bill Murray's character in Groundhog Day, Hoffmann's Benjamin Braddock does not have the predicament or fortune, depending on how you look at it, of facing a "nine lives" way of living and reliving the exact same calendar day until he gets his life squared up and in order.

In both movies, there is plenty of stumbling and bumbling and repetitive, aimless wandering reminiscent of La Dolce Vita. Braddock is faced with several obstacles in his pursuit of happiness. He has just graduated from college and is expected to get a job and live out a life that is prescribed or envisioned by his parents and nearby locals.

Though he is a bit of an egoist and an egotist, Benjamin Braddock is willing to go against the grain to sort things out in his life and determine what his underlying sources of happiness truly are. This type of searching often puts him at odds with others, in fact, practically everyone else, and perhaps rightfully so, but the viewer almost cannot help but admire the "It ain't over 'til it's over" perseverance that comes to define this character.

In sum, after having also read and done a review of Ayn Rand's novel, We the Living, a book about a girl who is willing to sacrifice her personal safety in pursuit of her dreams, I conclude that The Graduate is a 1960's movie adaptation of this work but in a Western society with much fewer societal perils. A great character study is truly contained in this motion picture in a way that is not quite equalled forty years after the fact.

Five diplomas out of five for this movie!

Classic.......2007-03-04

Pretty much everybody agrres that this movie is a classic. Is it though a five star film? If you judge it from today's perspective probably not. But if you judge it from the perspective of the 60's it is. It talks (via Benjamin) about the new generation that does not know what to do with his life and his fears. Anne Bancroft is not the perfect looking woman, but she does have the capability and, in a certain way, the charm to seduce the young graduate. The film tends to be a bit slow, but again that is judging it from todays stadards and it is not exactly fair. The photography, the music and the perfomance of the cast is superb. Lets not forget that Alfa Romeo chaged the name of the car to "graduate" and sold it ntil the 80s in the US mostly due to the image of the movie.
A true classic.

Average customer rating:

Annie Hall
a classic!
Separating the "Horrible and the Miserable"
One of Woody's Best
A romantic comedy that's actually funny, moving, and original

Annie Hall
Starring: Hy Anzell , Colleen Dewhurst , Shelley Duvall , Russell Horton , and Carol Kane
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Hannah and Her Sisters
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Play It Again, Sam
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Casablanca

ASIN: 6304907729
Release Date: 2000-05-30

Amazon.com essential video

Annie Hall is one of the truest, most bittersweet romances on film. In it, Allen plays a thinly disguised version of himself: Alvy Singer, a successful--if neurotic--television comedian living in Manhattan. Annie (the wholesomely luminous Dianne Keaton) is a Midwestern transplant who dabbles in photography and sings in small clubs. When the two meet, the sparks are immediate--if repressed. Alone in her apartment for the first time, Alvy and Annie navigate a minefield of self-conscious "is-this-person-someone-I'd-want-to-get-involved-with?" conversation. As they speak, subtitles flash their unspoken thoughts: the likes of "I'm not smart enough for him" and "I sound like a jerk." Despite all their caution, they connect, and we're swept up in the flush of their new romance. Allen's antic sensibility shines here in a series of flashbacks to Alvy's childhood, growing up, quite literally, under a rumbling roller coaster. His boisterous Jewish family's dinner table shares a split screen with the WASP-y Hall's tight-lipped holiday table, one Alvy has joined for the first time. His position as outsider is uncontestable he looks down the table and sizes up Annie's "Grammy Hall" as "a classic Jew-hater."

The relationship arcs, as does Annie's growing desire for independence. It quickly becomes clear that the two are on separate tracks, as what was once endearing becomes annoying. Annie Hall embraces Allen's central themes--his love affair with New York (and hatred of Los Angeles), how impossible relationships are, and his fear of death. But their balance is just right, the chemistry between Allen's worry-wart Alvy and Keaton's gangly, loopy Annie is one of the screen's best pairings. It couldn't be more engaging. --Susan Benson

Description

Considered to be "Woody Allen's breakthrough movie" (Time), Annie Hall won* four OscarsÂ(r), including Best Picture, and established Allen as the premier auteur filmmaker. Thought by many critics to be Allen's magnum opus, Annie Hall confirmed that he had, "completed the journey from comic to humorist, from comedy writer to wit [and] from inventive moviemaker to creative artist" (Saturday Review). Alvy Singer (Allen) is one of Manhattan's most brilliant comedians, but when it comes to romance, his delivery needs a little work. Introduced byhis best friend, Rob (Tony Roberts), Alvy falls in love with the ditzy but delightful nightclub singer, Annie Hall (Diane Keaton). When his own insecurities sabotage the affair, Annie is forced to leave Alvy for a new lifeand lover (Paul Simon)in Los Angeles. Knowing he may have lost Annie forever, Alvy's willing to go to any lengthseven driving L.A.'s freewaysto recapture the only thing that ever mattered'true love. *1977: Picture; Actress (Keaton); Director; Original Screenplay

Customer Reviews:

Annie Hall.......2007-07-03

One of the great modern love stories, the charming "Annie Hall" has Allen essentially playing himself, with Keaton's sweet, spacy Annie providing an inspired foil. Aside from its examination of contemporary relationships, the movie hilariously contrasts the flavor and essence of New York with sunny, hip Los Angeles, that sprawl on the West Coast which, to Allen's mind, is definitely alien territory. Touching, true, and extremely funny, this is Woody's peak.

a classic!.......2007-06-29

This film marks the pinnacle of Woody's career, introducing the main themes later rehearsed to death in subsequent projects. A self-conscious neurotic quippy self-flagellating Jewish comedian meets a juicy self-conscious WASP, wooing her, rejecting her and after being rejected himself longing for a life that could have been. There is always an aura of sadness about Allen's films - a sadness of masculinity longed for and never realized, of self-contempt burning in someone who knows he can't ever escape the intellectual mindtrap that epitomizes the 'New Yorker' crowd. While Allen appears to despise the greed, snobbery and pretentiousness of this crowd, he always seems paralyzed and unable to find his way out of the mousetrap.

Annie Hall is a genuinely funny and profound film. Alvyn knows the New Yorker crowd lacks something that would fulfill his longing. He knows that 'Annie' represents his one chance to escape the straightjacket of empty intellectual poseurism. The self-revelatory autobiographical element are bittersweet as the viewer becomes all too aware that Alvyn fails the challenge of his life. the very character trait that makes him funny makes him incapable of being able to hold, endure and accept Annie for who she is . The film is, for me, a lesson showing how not to be a man. A demonstration of the consequences of not being able to love fully, of being unable to disappear into surrender.

Both Keaton and Allen do a fantastic acting job basically playing themselves. While Allen never surpasses the quirkines, the bittersweet lightness of the Annie Hall's Alvyn character, Keaton's best moments come in "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" made in the same year.

Separating the "Horrible and the Miserable".......2007-06-17

Before 'Borat' Borat - Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (Widescreen Edition) confronted anti-Semitism, and Seinfeld Seinfeld - Season 7 did brilliant comedy about "nothing," 'Annie Hall' said a great deal about a lot of things of varying magnitude in this funny Woody Allen movie masterpiece. Taking place, of course, in New York City, Allen's nearly autobiographical alter ego, Alvy Singer, has an on-again, off-again romance with the titled character (Diane Keaton) who is his soul mate and counterpart to his own labored existence. Episodic to be sure, Allen's directing and co-writing take everything bothersome and makes it into an honest labor of love. (Alvy, too, is a stand-up comic who spars about anything from strained love relationships to Republican politics. Not to mention both have that eloquent obssession with "sex and death".) While Alvy always seems maladjusted, he is unable to cope without Annie who, while from Chippewa Falls, WI, can relate to him and help him through the shipwreck of his nuerotic life.

'Annie Hall' is exceptionally funny. In one scene Annie is relating a dream to Alvy where "Frank Sinatra is suffocating" her. Alvy, quick to psychoanalysis, immediately says that she is suffocating her career as a singer. She counters that her therapist says that it is he who is suffocating her because his last name in Singer. (And by all means psychology gets a comedic thrashing many times.) While thinking aloud on the street, Alvy stops a couple to ask them roughly why they seemed so happy. "Basically, I'm shallow," she confides. "I'm basically shallow, too," he adds. In another scene he talks to his friend (Tony Roberts), where he relates talking to a dinner guest. He talks about the meal and tells of a companion who said, "I had salad. Didjyou?" To which they both debate anti-semitism. There's also a split-screen scene where Alvie and Annie are each talking to their pyschiatrists and the differences are acutely funny. (One should also add that Allen did more in these few minutes than 'Conversations with Other Women' did in a whole movie.) Pet peeves are also confronted to provide creator and audience with plenty of therapeutic laughs.

'Annie Hall' is just delightful fun. Chockful of wit and candor, it is a sustaining comedic classic. (Also with cameo appearances by Shelly Duvall as a 'Rolling Stone' reporter and Paul Simon.)

One of Woody's Best.......2007-06-11

Annie Hall is one of the best Woody Allen movies out there. It features Dianne Keaton in one of her best performances, and is a thoroughly enjoyable movie with great wit and humor. If you are ever tempted to rent or buy one of the new below average movies put out so often by Hollywood nowadays, rethink the decision and watch this instead. Some great fun and the New York v. Los Angeles debate that is often a basis of Woody' humor, is in great form here. 5 Stars.

A romantic comedy that's actually funny, moving, and original.......2007-06-05

Full of neuroses and classic comedy bits, Woody Allen's Annie Hall is that rare breed of movie: a romantic comedy that's actually funny, moving, and original.

Allen's character, a neurotic standup comic named Alvy Singer, meets free-spirited Annie Hall (played with superb wit and energy by a young Diane Keaton). Their on-again-off-again romance flows throughout the movie leading both of them on a roller coaster of emotions that they both want to stay on and get off of at the same time.

Annie Hall features cameos from several of today's stars, although when Annie Hall was filmed these actors were just dayplayers. It's a veritable who's-who of small parts. Jeff Goldblum as a party guest, Sigourney Weaver as one of Alvy's dates, Beverly D'Angelo as a character in a TV show, Truman Capote as a Truman Capote lookalike, and Christopher Walken as Annie's slightly off-kilter brother. Paul Simon also makes an extended appearance as musician Tony Lacey.

Annie Hall is the first Woody Allen movie I've seen, and now I can't believe I waited this long. If you're going to see one Woody Allen movie, or just one movie, make it Annie Hall. You won't be disappointed.

Average customer rating:

A Great Love Story
Yummy High Cholesterol '50's Fun!
A Summer Place-DVD
Summer, Sex and Suds
A SUMMER PLACE

A Summer Place
Starring: Richard Egan , Dorothy McGuire , Sandra Dee , Arthur Kennedy , and Troy Donahue
Director: Delmer Daves
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000JU8HBA
Release Date: 2007-02-06

Amazon.com

Think A Summer Place, and you'll probably be humming Max Steiner's wonderfully romantic instrumental theme song, a hand-holding hit in 1959. The movie itself is similarly irresistible, a colorful soap opera about the passions of a pair of dewy-eyed teens and their straying parents. At an island resort in Maine, Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue (the reigning teen idols of the day) fall hard for each other. What they don't know is that her father (Richard Egan) and his mother (Dorothy McGuire), lovers 20 years earlier, have rekindled their affair. Both, inconveniently, have spouses, which is what makes this a soap opera. Lovers of camp will find much to savor in the incredible '50s attitudes, and in the innocence of supervirgin Dee ("Johnny, have you been bad with girls?"). Yet the sincerity of writer-director Delmer Daves, cowriter of An Affair to Remember, comes shining through the corn; and the grown-up affair anticipates The Bridges of Madison County by 30 years. --Robert Horton

Description

Illicit romance take center stage when a wealthy family set off for a summer seaside vacation.

Customer Reviews:

A Great Love Story.......2007-06-27

I really love the actors in this story and recommend anyone,who truly want to be loved to look at this story.It doesn't matter about family situations long as you have a level head in this new reality world,you can over come any given situation.

Yummy High Cholesterol '50's Fun!.......2007-06-13

As a social barometer of the times it may be reading a bit too much into "A Summer Place" to proclaim it as an early ripple in the social tempests still to come in the 1960's. Still those of us alive at that time know that in 1959 it WAS controversial to sympathetically portray adultery and teen sexuality as depicted in "A Summer Place". I remember my high school years (early '70's) and how girls who "got into trouble" would simply disappear and you'd never know what became of them until a classmate told you years later of their waywardness (this was still a VERY rare occurrence here in "flyover country" even then; how things have changed). And of course while adultery and divorce were likewise not quite so prevalent "back in the day," they certainly happened but not without considerable burden of stigma for the convention-defying lovers who tossed everything over for their passion.

So yeah, I do think the sociology of "A Summer Place" is significant but that's really the least reason to see it. Mostly it's just maximum guilty-pleasure FUN and a HUGE blast of '50's nostalgia and "attitude" that still has great charm and luster for receptive movie fans.

Rule number 1 is that you must have full tolerance for what we could now call cheesy acting and intensely overripe melodrama. AND ALSO you must be prepared for the intense full-frontal gumball-vivid Technicolor cinematography of the time. Too many viewers can't see beyond the stylistic conventions of the time a movie was made to appreciate the human story being told; what a pity! Think of everyone you know who just won't watch a movie because it's in black & white, or because it's obviously an old, overcooked Hollywood potboiler. You know what? Many of those are GREAT works of art however (like most art) they require that you make the effort to meet them halfway. Think of them not only as theatrical productions but also as time capsules of the era they were created--because that's exactly what they are. And how fortunate we are now to have such easy access on DVD for our enjoyment now!

But enough of the film theory stuff. "A Summer Place" appeals on many levels; the gorgeous cinematography, the convention-challenging story & script, the VERY effective and well-remembered orchestral score, and let's not overlook the cast. Sandra Dee & Troy Donahue do indeed project a kind of youthful innocence that truly is a thing of the past now, but was common in their time. Dorothy McGuire & Richard Egan give it their all as the reunited Pine Island lovers who cannot resign themselves to half-lives of marital indifference or cruelty. And how about those jilted spouses? You gotta love Constance Ford as the scheming, triple-bitter wife interested only in keeping her husband & daughter under her thumb. Look-the DVD transfer shows how she has make-up "frown lines" painted at the corners of her mouth just in case we don't get the point that she's a sullen, PO'd bitter woman. A Snidely Whiplash mustache wouldn't have been gender-appropriate, would it?!? Arthur Kennedy also gives a GREAT performance as Dorothy's bibulous husband who despite his degraded state still musters considerable self-awareness & ultimately inspires our sympathy.

I described "A Summer Place" earlier as a guilty pleasure, but now I want to back off a little bit in closing. This is not really drama that will shake you fiercely like, say "21 Grams" or "Dead Man Walking," however I confess I AM touched by the underlying sincerity of "A Summer Place" and its intent to provoke--gently--some questioning of the Eisenhower era values that seemed set in stone and indeed WERE a cage of oppression for many. Perhaps your appreciation of "A Summer Place" will be proportional to your level of receptivity to such a re-evaluation. All I know for sure is that you enjoy it half as much as I do, you will like it a very great deal indeed!

A Summer Place-DVD.......2007-05-12

I saw this movie about 20years ago and loved it, but I fell in love with the Theme song and have loved it till this very day. The quality of this movie was fabulous as was the service, no hassles at all, its a pleasure to have my very own copy of this movie. Thanks Amazon.

Summer, Sex and Suds.......2007-05-08

Nowadays novelist Sloan Wilson's a nearly-forgotten footnote to 50's pop culture, but he produced two big bestsellers that were made into iconic films of their time, THE MAN IN THE GREY FLANNEL SUIT and A SUMMER PLACE. Neither picture's a masterpiece, but both are of interest, with SUMMER PLACE having the edge for entertainment value; its tale of angst and lust, senior and junior division, still provides plenty of sizzle. Thanks to the production code, Hollywood danced around sex for years. When films began to address the subject, in pictures like PEYTON PLACE and A SUMMER PLACE, the tone was often breathless hysteria -- there's something of a disconnect when actors coiffed and dressed in high 50's fashion are tossing around Victorian language like "house of ill repute" and "harlot". That said, these movies provide fascinating glimpses of public morality. In today's climate, Paris Hilton's X-rated antics provoke less commotion than Wilson's relatively straightforward adultery and teenage canoodling do here. Attractive performances from Egan and McGuire, nice work from Constance Ford as the embittered, puritanical mother (Angela Lansbury must have been washing her hair that week), and career-defining turns from Troy Donahue and Sandra Dee. As I've said before on this site, Dee's always better than you remember her being. She looks fine here, always maintaining her dignity in a thoughtful performance of material that could easily have turned ludicrous. Throw in a memorable Max Steiner score, a good Warner's DVD transfer, and you've got a great Saturday night movie.

A SUMMER PLACE.......2007-05-06

SUPERB OLD CLASSIC.RATHER DATED IN ITS APPROACH TO EXTRAMARITAL SEX, DIVORCE AND MORALS BUT STILL GREAT NOSTALGIA.

Desert Hearts (Two-Disc Vintage Collection)

Average customer rating:

desert hearts
Terrific Bonus Features!
The Bonus Disc - Info
coming out
Great Classic

Desert Hearts (Two-Disc Vintage Collection)
Starring: Andra Akers , Dean Butler , Patricia Charbonneau , Denise Crosby , and Katie La Bourdette
Director: Donna Deitch
Manufacturer: Wolfe Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000OVLC0W
Release Date: 2007-06-05

Amazon.com essential video

When college professor Vivian Bell (Helen Shaver) arrives in Reno in 1959 to get a quickie divorce, the last thing on her mind is romance. A prim intellectual, crippled by a sterile marriage ("We're a professional couple") and hiding behind her education, she moves into a ranch belonging to Frances Parker (Audra Lindley) and tries to keep to herself. But Parker's beautiful, sassy tomboy of a stepdaughter proves to be quite a distraction, and a love affair slowly blossoms. Cay (Patricia Charbonneau) refuses to be bound by convention or by expectations of how a nice girl should behave, and her devil-may-care attitude both attracts and terrifies the nervous professor.

Shaver is terrific as Vivian, and the slow thawing of her character is beautifully paced--you can feel the tension break when she finally lets down her guard. Another strong performance comes from Audra Lindley as Frances. She's a tough old bird with a drinking problem, but Lindley keeps the character from descending into stereotype, and she gives full rein to the tragic side of this lonely woman, especially as she struggles with her reaction to the developing relationship between Cay and Vivian.

There are scenes in Desert Hearts that would be painfully clichéd if they appeared in a heterosexual romance, and even here they only just escape that fate--relying a little too much on significant glances and lines that just don't sound like real conversation. Nevertheless, first-time director Deitch breathes new life into a standard straight-arrow-meets-free-spirit plot, and steadfastly refuses to turn this love story into an "issues movie." Add to that a strong feel for the period and a soundtrack filled with the likes of Patsy Cline and Gene Vincent, and the result is a warm, well-acted film that packs a real emotional punch. --Simon Leake

Customer Reviews:

desert hearts.......2007-07-03

This is one of the best lesbian movies of the time. It never grows old.

Terrific Bonus Features!.......2007-06-07

I loved the interviews with the lead actresses that come with this new release! The fact that Donna Deitch decided to conduct the interviews herself makes them so much fun to watch. Shaver and Charboneau are both very candid and there's lots of giggling throughout both interviews.

Helen Shaver is an absolute dreamboat and in my ideal world, an interview with her would be included on every dvd that I bought. When she starting speaking about her own nipple, I had to pause the dvd and get a drink of water.

Buy this new release! If you're like me, you'll fall in love all over again.

The Bonus Disc - Info .......2007-06-06

Most people purchasing this item have seen the film. Desert Hearts is a contemporary classic and ahead of it's time when first released. It's a standard now in most every gay-girls DVD collection. This newly released two-disc edition includes some bonus materials.

I'll review the bonus disc as there are plenty of well written reviews of the actual film.

1. The "never before seen footage" of the famous love scene. This is the first bonus item on the extra disc. It is NOT a re-cut extended scene. This is the raw footage from, argueably, the most famous lesbian love scene ever. We are not necessarily given more content, but simply the same content from different angles, over multiple takes.

2. Commentary by director Donna Deitch. Fun and informative.

3. Interviews with the two main stars by director Deitch. To me, this feature is worth the price of this collection. Donna Deitch interviews both Patricia Charbonneau ( Cay ) and Helen Shaver ( Vivian ). These are one-on-one sessions which recall memories of filming and, more importantly, the impact the film had on both actresses. These interview sessions were done in March 2007. The only thing that might have made them more interesting would have been if the actresses had actually been reunited for the interviews. They are each interviewed, separately, by Deitch. While both actresses are fun to watch, it is Helen Shaver and her insights that are the most rewarding.

4. The Theatrical Trailer - This is actually interesting because, while the film hold up strongly, the trailer comes across as rather dated.

All in all, I'd recommend this set. It's a wonderful film, and the bonus disc will add a nice dimension to viewing it again.

coming out.......2007-05-24

i first saw this movie 14yrs ago on bravo.. i knew i felt different about women then men. this movie opened my heart because i had the same feeling as the professor.. within a few days i finally told someone i thought i was a lesbian.... finally i had my identity!!!! this movie will always be close to my heart

Great Classic.......2007-05-23

A truly enjoyable movie once you get past some of the corny lines and scenes. Both women are just beautiful for their time and I loved the transformation of Helen's character because I could relate personally. I would of liked if they would of ended the movie without leaving us guessing where the relationship was going but at least it left us still hopeful!

Average customer rating:

Passionate ..and funny
LIKE A GOOD WINE - BETTER WITH AGE
A classic romance
Heritage House, Mendocino
terrific romantic comedy......

Same Time, Next Year
Starring: Ellen Burstyn , Alan Alda , Ivan Bonar , Bernie Kuby , and Cosmo Sardo
Director: Robert Mulligan
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0001CNRBG
Release Date: 2004-04-06

Amazon.com

Bernard Slade's smart, funny, and touching play about an adulterous couple who meet one weekend a year for 26 years is nicely adapted for the screen by Robert Mulligan (To Kill a Mockingbird) in this 1978 film. The two-person story stars Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn, both of whom are outstanding at conveying a rainbow of emotions over a quarter-century as life gives and takes away, and the world convulses with change. Mulligan brings taste and honesty to the film, and Alda and Burstyn give full, living performances. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Passionate ..and funny.......2007-05-26

Loved the historic timeline as backdrop to this movie.Alan Alda was perfect for this role! Wish it could be updated to the present time. The title song always gives me tingles....

LIKE A GOOD WINE - BETTER WITH AGE.......2007-05-14

My wife and I celebrate our 30th anniversary of marriage this year and remember this movie fondly from almost 30 years ago. We both agreed that every aspect of the movie seemed better than when we viewed it last. The story was easier to follow, the humour seemed more ironic and the music exceeded my expectations in it's placement within the movie. I was left wanting more.

A classic romance.......2007-05-13

Witty, philosophical, and an unlikely affair that happens once a year ... over decades. Delightful and sometimes a little painful. Ultimately, a classic romance (so now you know the ending).

Heritage House, Mendocino.......2007-05-07

I bought this video to view before we visited the inn where it all happens: Heritage House in Mendocino, CA. As we drove up the coast, we talked about the movie, the moral issues, the actors, and it gave us so much to talk about, we almost missed the view of the Pacific! Just a little dated, but Alan Alda is so magnificent in this that you can put
aside your critic's pen and just enjoy. His performance should have brought him an Oscar.

terrific romantic comedy.............2007-05-06

Doris (Ellen Burstyn) is a young housewife who has a chance encounter with George Peters (Alan Alda), at a country bed and breakfast. Though married to others, the two have an instant connection and mutual attraction. Though, both of them are devoted to their spouses and children, they agree to meet at the same time and place, year in and year out. As their 26 year love affair progresses, their conversations reflect the evolution of United States politics and social issues.

This film is funny, insightful and witty. Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn have wonderful screen chemistry. They are very believable and are a joy to watch, as they celebrate one another's joyous ups and comfort each other at their darkest hours in life. Really great!

Average customer rating:

Abysmal production of a great musical
Best King Arthur story going
The Arthur Legend
Great gift
Character building!!!!

Camelot (Special Edition)
Starring: Richard Harris , Vanessa Redgrave , Franco Nero , David Hemmings , and Lionel Jeffries
Director: Joshua Logan
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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