The Photographer

Starring:Reg Rogers, Mary Alice, Chris Bauer, Rob Campbell, Marisa Berenson, John Heard, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Kristen Wilson, Anthony Michael Hall, Tina Holmes, Tom Noonan, Fenton Lawless, Leslie Lyles, Richard Bright, Missy Yager, Josh Stamberg, Siobhan Fallon, Alex Draper, Miles Chapin, Joe Mosso
Director: Jeremy Stein
Studio: Hbo Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

A milestone of cinematic eroticism, The Story of O was an art house sensation in 1975, and it's still worthy of intelligent discussion. As with the controversial French novella by Pauline Réage, reactions to Just Jaeckin's sumptuous adaptation range from moral outrage to masturbatory indulgence, yet this remains one of the few sex films that stand the test of time (and a lot of academic study). Championed by practitioners of bondage and discipline and vilified by feminists, this metaphorical "love dream" (as Jaeckin has called it) follows the beautiful fashion photographer "O" (Corrine Clery) as she, like many gorgeously naked women before her, is "trained" for a seemingly satisfying life of love and discipline, her freedom sacrificed to the man (Anthony Steel) whom she willingly obeys. The debate whether Jaeckin's feminine-empowerment ending, which differs from that of the novella, justifies a story of humiliating submission is just one more reason why The Story of O endures. (Note: This DVD presents the 97-minute version of the film, edited by the director to improve pacing and not for purposes of censorship.) --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

No Star if it were possible.......2007-06-08

I was so disappointed by this purchase and this film. Being a fan of the book I was very excited to see how they translated it on to film. What I found out is that they didn't translate it at all. They LOOSELY followed the story line and took the liberty to add and change which in my opinion, changed the story all together. I threw this movie away and would not reccomend it to any true Story of O fan.

A bit clumsy.......2007-05-15

Somehow, I was expecting better acting, knowing this would be a major undertaking based on a controversial book. Sadly, the film just doesn't work. There's no arguing Corrine Clery's beauty but Udo Kier is completely miscast.

you're better off reading the book.......2007-04-04

The book is amazing; this movie adaptation is quite poor. Although the actress who plays O is quite beautiful, and there are some fairly erotic scenes, this movie is deeply flawed, and I can't recommend it. The plotline gets totally garbled, especially toward the end, to the point where it runs entirely contrary to the book's intention on several key philosophical and psychological points. Second, the actor who plays Stephen is absolutely one of the worst casting choices I've ever seen; doesn't fit the role one bit. So please, read the book. If you've already read the book and love it, it is probably worth your while to eventually see this film, but expect to be disappointed.

Is this really what most "normal people" call erotic?.......2007-02-17

This is one of the most boring films I ever watched. There is nothing erotic in it. The whole story is perverted with a poor, innocent but very stupid woman submitting to the sadist fantasies of various "lovers" she is introduced. I put inverted comas in lovers because none of them have a single tender erotic moment with her, but instead they brutally beat her and rape her in the presence of others, who seem to be totally oblivious to the proceedings.

Not dominant submissive but metaphor.......2007-02-15

I have not yet read the originating novel, but I have just finished watching this movie for the second time. I was renting it. Now I'm going to buy it - one of very few, as I almost never buy movies.

I must say that I found much more in it the second time. The first time not only did the physical and emotional whippings disturb me but, just as much, O's willing apparent debasement and her masters' disregard for her feelings - they only seemed to care about her obedience. This is an anti-turnon for me. The sex scenes are not really convincing, nor are the whippings. I realized that I, as audience, was not being asked to accept that much pain or that much pleasure from either.

The male characters are much more flat than the female ones, particularly O, as if they really didn't count. And there was something in this most beautiful woman's portrayal which left me thinking it wasn't at all simple.

Bottom line, it is abundantly clear that this is far, far more than an S&M movie, nor is it about bondage, submission and domination, or any other kind of sexual perversion or obsession.

Some phrases stuck out to me, although I'm not sure I'm quoting exactly accurately. The narrator said the O loved everything and everyone that came to her because it came to her by request from her lover. She said that O knew that if she lasted to the end that all would be given to her. O's apparent peace of mind about everything that happened to her simply didn't gybe with a debasement/submissive/sexual perversion sort of story. She definitely does not come across as sick. She, at times, was as deeply terrified or ashamed as any normal woman would be in the circumstances and yet continued freely to accept the demands of obedience to those who loved her and those who didn't. I was puzzled at how easily she accepted that Rene was no longer her lover, and continued to do exactly the same thing with Sir Stefan. All of this indicated that something much deeper than anything relatively superficial about perversion, infatuation, and so-on was going on. It made far too deep an impression the first time I saw the movie, even without understanding it. It made me think that it was, as another reviewer mentioned, hitting some archetypes, and something deep in the human spirit.

I began to think of the whole story as an extended metaphor about the demands and rewards of love. When we love, we willingly go through hell for the sake of love -- not just for the sake of the lover. The love relationship places heavy demands of obedience on us. It whips us and debases us -- love and its intimacy always find our weaknesses, and their exposure makes us feel naked, beaten and debased. But love always allows us the freedom to opt out, as did O's lovers and masters. And something deep within us always knows that, if we succumb to the abasement we may feel, and accept the beating our feelings take, that love, real human love, marks us forever as O was marked, and enbles us to love and be loved fully and deeply, and gives us peace -- indeed, it grants us everything. O shows us how wonderful it can become if we are not overly defensive about our selves in the service of love.

The movie itself does not look as dated as you would think for a 1974 movie -- actually, not at all. The color is a little unsaturated compared to the kind of color we have today, and this contributes to the fantasy that is clearly being spun. I happen to enjoy naked women a lot, and there are a lot of them in this movie, fully frontal, more than a glimpse, naked and unashamed. There are few scenes that are fully clothed for very long. I thought all were beautiful women, self-possessed, graceful, fully feminine and sensual without being affected.

The two brief closeup shots of "female genitalia", as one reviewer put it, (although he apparently didn't even notice them), are exquisitely done - just close enough, just long enough, just modest enough, just open enough.

There is a visual potpourri of modern day (for 1974), turn-of-the-century wealth and romanticism, and even some medieval castles and costumes. The only thing that bothered me even temporarily was Sir Stefan's overly-coiffed hairdo, but it didn't take long to get past it. It's a legitimate part of his character.

And the best comment of all came from my wife when the movie was over. And I hasten to add that there are absolutely no submissive or dominative tendencies in her at all. She said, "Wierd. Wow. That's one very sexy movie".

Fur - An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus

Average customer rating:

A close shave indeed
Beauy and the Beast
Alice Goes Upstairs and Finds Life's Little Secret: Blend of Reality and Fairy Tales That Does Not Always Work
oblique
Ummmmmm???

Fur - An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus
Starring: Nicole Kidman , Robert Downey Jr. , Ty Burrell , Harris Yulin , and Jane Alexander
Director: Steven Shainberg
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000NO1XG8
Release Date: 2007-05-08

Amazon.com

Modeled loosely on Patricia Bosworth's 1984 biography, Fur opens with an independent, working Diane Arbus (Nicole Kidman), free of the familial restraints that previously prevented her from making art. Flashing back three months, the viewer comes to learn that she has just left her husband and children to photographically investigate her fetishes through observing the extraordinary. When Lionel (Robert Downey Jr.), a wig-maker who suffers from hypertrichosis, or excessive hair growth, moves into Arbus's apartment building with his entourage and basement full of carnival props, Arbus is seduced by this opportunity to visually feast on freaks. The split with her conventional family becomes inevitable. Confusing love with her desire to make art, Arbus is overwhelmed when Lionel perishes, though its made clear to the viewer that this event provides Arbus necessary artistic impetus. Early scenes establishing Arbus's distaste for society parties, such as the fur fashion show her parents host, her boredom during her husband's dull, ridiculous commercial photo shoots, and her initial fascination with Lionel and his bizarre friends are strange and funny, successfully separating Arbus from the 'average' people surrounding her. But as Lionel and Arbus fall in love, pretentious whispering replaces their regular conversations, and overacting spoils Lionel's death scene, in which they both float dramatically through the ocean, followed by Arbus crying in the surf like a weenie. Arbus desperately huffing air from a life raft Lionel inflated before he died is completely cheesy. The tortured artist myth has, once again, been pushed too far. For a film that has such fine costuming, production design, and cinematography, it's a shame that Fur succumbs to that Hollywood convention of reducing the entire plot to a tragic love story. For a project with so much potential, and with so many Arbus fans eagerly awaiting this tribute to the great photographer, it's unfortunate that Fur falls flat, due mostly to injected sentimental melodrama in scenes where it has no place. If Arbus sought to expel saccharine emotionality from portrait photography, then it's odd that a biopic dedicated to her memory would be so unabashedly corny.--Trinie Dalton

Description

From the window of her immaculate New York apartment, lonely housewife Diane Arbus (Kidman) locks eyes with a masked figure on the street, a mysterious new neighbor (Downey, Jr.) whose penetrating gaze strips the veneer off her tidy reality. Mysteriously drawn to the man that intrigues her and determined to take his photograph, Diane ventures to his apartment and embarks on a journey that will unlock her deepest secrets, awaken her remarkable artistic genius, and launches Diane on her path to becoming the artist she is meant to be.

Customer Reviews:

A close shave indeed.......2007-06-29

This movie walks a fine line between biography and fantasy and I must say the final product succeeds as a strange amalgamation of the imaginary and the real. The fantasy part provides the drama for the movie and the biographic part peaks my interests in Diane Arbus and her art. The film uses the fairy tale like narrative (ala Beauty and the Beast) to cunningly explain how Diane was led to break out of her conventional role as a housewife and as an under-appreciated assitant to her husband. There are some accurate biographical details here: e.g. that it was her husband who gave her her first camera and it was him who encouraged her to experiment with it. The couples at the nudist camp scenes which frame the story come from one of the more shocking works of Diane Arbus and the circus like entourage of Lionel explains how Diane got into using freaks and deformed people (dwarf, girl with no arms, siames twin) as subject ("Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats" - Diane Arbus). The director also did a fine job in contrasting the bohemian surrounding in Lionel's "dwelling" versus the modern, meticulously clean apartment of Diane and her husband. And the fact that they are in the same house reflects the dichotomy of the Diane's psychological mind set. Diane is ultimately freed from her conventional role through a sea change (an allusion to Shakespeare's Tempest?) and she's freed sexually also (as constrsted by the position she was forced into compromise with her husband and her preferred position with Lionel).

Overall this is a satisfying movie experience especially with introducing me to Diane Arbus, the photographer and her work. To quote Diane one more time: "I always thought of photography as a naughty thing to do - that was one of my favorite things about it, and when I first did it, I felt very perverse." Doesn't that "neatly" summarizes this film too - a little bit naughty, a little bit perverse?

Beauy and the Beast.......2007-06-26

Diane Arbus was an artist. This was a mockery of her life and total blather. If I were one of her children, I would sue the producer, the writer and the person who is responsible for this fairy tale. It had nothing to do with the real Diane Arbus and how she lived and died. Horrible, just horrible and I would even (dare I say) like a refund. I am embarrassed to admit that I even purchased this piece of garbage. It was merely a flitting tale of Beauty and the Beast. A shambles of a story. Shame on all of you. Shame shame shame...

Alice Goes Upstairs and Finds Life's Little Secret: Blend of Reality and Fairy Tales That Does Not Always Work .......2007-06-17

Steven Shainberg's follow-up to utterly unique and fascinating "twisted" romance "Secretary" starts with an intriguing blend of reality and fairy tale based on the life of photographer Diane Arbus played by Nicole Kidman. Diane is introduced as ordinary mother and housewife of wealthy family living in a clean and expensive New York apartment, but she is gradually attracted to a mysterious, ailing neighbor Lionel (Robert Downey Jr. with special make-up) who happens to move in the same building. As the story unfolds with an undercurrent motif of "Alice in Wonderland" and "The Beauty and the Beast," Diane begins taking photos, which eventually becomes her profession, or life.

As the film says in its introduction, "Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus" is not meant to be taken as biography. That's not a bad thing, and actually the first half of the film is engaging with cryptic words and apparently strange behaviors of Lionel, which remind of the characters Alice encounters in Wonderland. The images have mood, sometimes creepy, and the film's point is also clear.

Then, somewhere in the middle, "Fur" starts to lose uniqueness and becomes more ordinary and lifeless. Perhaps that is because the film has more familiar, melodramatic elements that we can see in other Hollywood films, or perhaps because the film's initial premise is stretched too much beyond its limit. Acting of Nicole Kidman and Robert Downey Jr. is good, often moving, but not in the same way as more daring Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader.

"Fur" has fantastic visuals and wonderful production designs, but for all such scenes as nudist club its initially interesting theme is finally lost among the story's conventions. "Fur" remains somehow engaging throughout, but for those who have been waiting for the next film after edgy and surprising "Secretary" like me, it is still a little disappointing.

oblique.......2007-06-08

If anyone can play Diane Arbus, I think Ms. Kidman is the one to do it. This is the kind of movie one has to accept without intellectualizing, or the heart of it would be lost. Definitely a right-brained movie and worth my while.

Ummmmmm???.......2007-06-05

I just don't see a person can shave a man who looks like a werewolf with a single little plastic razor. Not that this movie is poorly acted...but...IT IS SOOOOOOOO STUPID!!! It is also boaring. Dis I mention that this movie is stupid and baoring? Sheesh...what on Earth were Downey and Kidman thinking when they sighned on to make this easily forgettable film.

Austin Powers - International Man of Mystery (New Line Platinum Series)

Average customer rating:

One of my favorite comedies
Classic Comedy -- But Don't Waste Your Time with the Sequels
Austin Powers, Man of Mystery Indeed!
Give your undercarriage a little bit of a "How's your father?"
FACETIOUS IRREVERENT LIGHT- HEARTED SATIRE & VERY FUNNY TOO!

Austin Powers - International Man of Mystery (New Line Platinum Series)
Starring: Mike Myers , Elizabeth Hurley , Michael York , Mimi Rogers , and Robert Wagner
Director: Jay Roach
Manufacturer: New Line Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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Accessories:

Austin Powers: Original Soundtrack

ASIN: 6304696221
Release Date: 2004-06-01

Amazon.com

If you don't think Austin Powers is one of the funniest movies of the 1990s, maybe you should be packed into a cryogenic time-chamber and sent back to the decade whence you came. Perhaps it was the 1960s--the shag-a-delic decade when London hipster Austin Powers scored with gorgeous chicks as a fashion photographer by day, crime-fighting international man of mystery by night. Yeah, baby, yeah! But when Powers's arch nemesis, Dr. Evil, puts himself into a deep-freeze and travels via time-machine to the late 1990s, Powers must follow him and foil Evil's nefarious scheme of global domination. Mike Myers plays dual roles as Powers and Dr. Evil, with Elizabeth Hurley as his present-day sidekick and karate- kicking paramour. A hilarious spoof of '60s spy movies, this colorful comedy actually gets funnier with successive viewings, making it a perfect home video for gloomy days and randy nights. Oh, behave! --Jeff Shannon

Description

It's a smashing shagadelic party as Mike Myers (Wayne's World 1 & 2, So I Married an Axe Murderer) and Elizabeth Hurley (Dangerous Ground) star in a non-stop, hilarious comedy adventure. Frozen in the 60's, secret agent Austin Powers (Myers) is thawed back into action to once again battle his archenemy Dr. Evil. With his sexy sidekick Ms. Kensington (Hurley), Austin must stop Dr. Evil's outrageous plot to control the world. But first, this time-warped swinger must get hip quick and discover that there's no free love in the 90's! An all-star supporting cast including Michael York, Robert Wagner, Mimi Rogers and Carrie Fisher make Austin Powers a wacky, far-out trip you won't forget.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Commentary by actor Mike Myers and director M. Jay Roach.
Deleted Scenes
Other:An original animated sequence "Music to Shag to". Spy genre retrospective. Star highlights with scenes (all Letterbox 1.85, Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround) from Dangerous Ground (1997), Monkey Trouble (1994), Rapture, The (1991) (qv), and Wide Sargasso Sea (1993).
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer

Customer Reviews:

One of my favorite comedies.......2007-04-07

I Love owning this film because its one of those silly comedies that just gets funnier to me with each watching. just the anticipation of some of the jokes about to happen can make me laugh. Its like an old friend that you share so many private jokes with.you begin to giggle before its even said,even the really stupidest and corny of the lines. Dr. Evil is just so classic and probably my favorite of all of Myers characters.

Anyway, I think its worth letting it grow on you and watching again every few weeks.

whenever I might need a lift I know I can pop this movie in and its got me smiling again .

Classic Comedy -- But Don't Waste Your Time with the Sequels.......2007-04-02

I actually saw "The Spy Who Shagged Me" first, and was mostly bored throughout. There were maybe two funny scenes. I thought to myself, why do people seem to love "Austin Powers" so much? This was pretty lame.

Several months later I caught bits and pieces of the original ("International Man of Mystery") on TV, and found myself laughing at almost every scene! This is why people loved "Austin Powers"! Eventually I'd seen enough to know I needed to own the movie. I bought it on VHS about 5 years ago, and just got the DVD today. It is an absolute classic. I have to rate it among the best comedies of all time. If you haven't seen it yet, you just don't know what you're missing. It is extremely well-written, clever, witty, and with great delivery and timing.

Now, a warning. It is my opinion that the two sequels to this movie amount to a pile of crap. They are cliché, unoriginal, lame movies. If you like the first one, there is absolutely no guarantee you will like the second or third installments. I would recommend you not waste your time with them, period. I personally just try to pretend they don't even exist. That allows me to continue to love "Austin Powers."

Austin Powers, Man of Mystery Indeed!.......2006-11-10

What a film, brilliantly executed, the gags all reach without dragging on. Mike Meyers has done a good job with the script and characterizations as I really haven't laughed this hard in a while--probably since 'Mars Attacks'.

He manages to spoof 'Bond' films tastefully with a comics' aplomb. I fear however, that the mainstream Tom Cruise/Julia Roberts type of fan will miss the point on this one though.

Give your undercarriage a little bit of a "How's your father?".......2006-11-06

The first Austin Powers flick is still funny today, despite several catchphrases ("Do I make you horny, baby?", "Oh, behave!", etc.) having long since worn out their welcome and a duo of redundant, unimaginative sequels. There are two primary reasons why this movie is comic gold:

1. It's the best James Bond spoof you'll ever see. (You can take my word for it: I'm a HUGE 007 fan.)

2. The dialogue crackles with wit and is delivered flawlessly by the cast.

For reference, check out the scene where Dr. Evil struggles to come up with a contemporary scheme that *hasn't* already happened: "Oh, hell. Let's just do what we always do: hijack some nuclear weapons and hold the world hostage."

Or how about when Austin tries to live dangerously by staying at five while playing Blackjack with Number Two. "I SUGGEST you hit, sir!"

Yes, the movie plays to the adolescent crowd sometimes by throwing in a bunch of sex-related jokes, but at least they're clever and often howlingly funny (especially the Swiss-made penis enlarger bit). To the film's credit, there are no gags that go on for too long and the script is very economical.

Very few comedies have a killer-to-filler ratio as high as the first Austin Powers. Buy this DVD.

FACETIOUS IRREVERENT LIGHT- HEARTED SATIRE & VERY FUNNY TOO!.......2006-05-08

IN A NUTSHELL: A BIT TOO MUCH - BUT SO WHAT IF IT WORKS!

A bit too facetious, a bit too vulgar, a bit too irreverent, and a bit too overdone. Nevertheless, this comedy does work and it pays homage to the original James Bond series, as well as the anglo and american cultures of the 1960s. In the end, "Austin Powers - International Man of Mystery" is simply quite effective in its role as a satirical comedy.

* THE MAJOR PLAYERS *

Mike Myers - Austin Powers / Dr. Evil
Elizabeth Hurley - Vanessa Kensington
Mimi Rogers - Mrs. Kensington
Robert Wagner - Number Two
Michael York - Basil Exposition
Mindy Sterling - Frau Farbissina
Seth Green - Scott Evil
Will Ferrell - Mustafa
Fabiana Udenio - Alotta Fagina
Carrie Fisher - Therapist
Charles Napier - Cmdr. Gilmour
Paul Dillon - Patty O'Brien
Clint Howard - Johnson Ritter

* PRODUCTION CREDITS *

Jay Roach - Director
Todd Mike - Producer
Demi Moore - Producer
Mike Myers - Producer / Screenwriter
Jennifer Todd - Producer
Suzanne Todd - Producer
Peter Deming - Cinematographer
George S. Clinton - Composer (Music Score)
Debra Neil-Fisher - Editor

BOTTOM LINE: EXCELLENT IN MANY WAYS ESPECIALLY MIKE MEYERS DIFFERENT ROLES

Average customer rating:

Kinda of a girly movie, but . . .
funny & sweet...
A LightHearted Feel Good Movie
Bravo to 13 Going on 30 Excellent.
EXCELLENT!!!

13 Going On 30 (Special Edition)
Starring: Jennifer Garner , Mark Ruffalo , Judy Greer , Andy Serkis , and Kathy Baker
Director: Gary Winick
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0002C4JI0
Release Date: 2004-08-03

Amazon.com

Jennifer Garner glows like a rising star in 13 Going on 30, a girly version of the Tom Hanks classic Big. Jenna (Garner, Alias, Daredevil), a frustrated teenage girl, just wants to skip past all those annoying adolescent years and arrive at a glamorous adulthood--and thanks to some inexplicable wishing dust, she does. But once she reorients herself to a life as a high-end magazine editor with a sports-star boyfriend, she discovers that in the 17 years she skipped she became a not-so-nice person, including casting aside her best friend Matt (played as an adult by Mark Ruffalo, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). There's no question that Jenna will rediscover her lost innocence, but Garner rises above the lack of suspense. 13 Going on 30 floats along, buoyed by her goofy sweetness. Her lovely looks are made accessible by her unfettered silliness; it's a winning combination. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Kinda of a girly movie, but . . ........2007-05-14

If you grew up in the 80's this movie is for you. All the memories will come rushing back when you watch this.

The love story is better than the one from Big, but otherwise this is a big rip-off of Big. But I enjoyed it and Garner is adorable as a young girl in a woman's body. Is she Tom Hanks quality, maybe not, but she does a fine job and you believe it.

Overall fair movie.

funny & sweet..........2007-05-13

i enjoyed this movie, for me, it was very sweet.

the rule of life should be like that, to be nice to the people that are nice to us.

the chance to see your life in the future so that way you can somehow make things right, would be a good thing sometimes.

life is not like that and this is why we have movies like this to make us remember some of those important principles in life.

if you are in the mood for a comedy/romance that can kind of take you back in time, well, try this movie...

A LightHearted Feel Good Movie.......2007-05-11

I just loved this movie! It was recommended by a friend of mine. I'm not usually much of a Jennifer Garner fan but this one was great. It takes you back to your own childhood and the way you perceived adulthood at the time. It will put a smile on your face!

Bravo to 13 Going on 30 Excellent........2007-04-29

In an age where girls are being bombarded by the culture we live in, that deems a girls worth solely on her looks. This film goes beyond that and is a positive message for girls to be who they are, not what the world wants them to be . but shows that being nice and respecting yourself , family and others is the right place to be. that's what i got from it anyway. Great film, But i think the artwork for 13 going on30 is fun but lacking i prefer the special edition artwork better. Jennifer Garner is just wonderful in the role of Jenna Rink and Mark Ruffalo does a good job as Matt. If you like this film you ought to check out.( Just Like Heaven) it is also Excellent. This Film is PG-13 For some profanity, some sexual content. This film is not for young children as the case implies , but you can choose for yourself, that's a parent's job. Oh this film is in HD so the colors just pop out at you it's great. it works on regular tv but in HD it comes alive.

Highly Recommended Film.

P.S. What's funny about the clothes in this film are that Kids of the 80's like myself included wore alot of that stuff acid jean, the works, my sister had those belts it makes me laugh. Micheal Jackson was a big thing so was Madonna and Prince, Journey , The Cars, OMD, Depeche Mode, Human League , Huey Lewis And the News, Midnight Oil and The list goes on.

EXCELLENT!!!.......2007-04-12

This movie was soooooooo good! it brought back so many fun memories! all the good songs the "Thriller" dance, Razzles, i still buy those!! after i watched this movie i felt young again!!! i will watch it over and over!!...

Average customer rating:

Lost and confused
Sad & pathetic lives
Can't wait to get this movie in hi def !
I loved it

Lost in Translation [HD DVD]
Starring: Bill Murray , Scarlett Johansson , Giovanni Ribisi , Anna Faris , and Fumihiro Hayashi
Director: Sofia Coppola
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: HD DVD

General | HD DVD | Formats | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000O179FE
Release Date: 2007-05-29

Description

Bob Harris (Bill Murray) and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) are two Americans in Tokyo. Bob is a movie star in town to shoot a whiskey commercial, while Charlotte is a young woman tagging along with her workaholic photographer husband (Giovanni Ribisi). Unable to sleep, Bob and Charlotte cross paths one night in the luxury hotel bar. This chance meeting soon becomes a surprising friendship. Charlotte and Bob venture through Tokyo, having often hilarious encounters with its citizens, and ultimately discover a new belief in life's possibilities. Shot entirely on location in Japan, Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation is a valentine to the nature of close friendships and to the city of Tokyo. Ms. Coppola's film, from her original screenplay, contemplates the unexpected connections we make that might not last - yet stay with us forever

Customer Reviews:

Lost and confused.......2007-06-05

Loneliness is one of the most basic human emotions; when experiencing it, some people will reach out to others who understand that feeling. That sentiment seems to be at the heart of "Lost in Translation," a film that straddles the line between odd love story and a look at loneliness and isolation.

Bob Harris (Bill Murray) is a middle-aged actor with a faded career. Currently he's alone in Japan, filming a commercial, and feels lonely and alienated despite the luxurious surroundings and royal treatment. He catches glimpses of a pretty young blonde, Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), who intrigues him.

She is equally bored and lonely, and at loose ends since her husband is away working. The two finally meet over drinks, and begin to bond and explore the city of Tokyo. Bob is in a downtempo midlife crisis, while Charlotte is unsure what to do with her life. And they both learn that they have things to teach one another...

A small warning: "Lost in Translation" has very little plot. And yes, it can be pretentious at times, sometimes politically incorrect. Fortunately, Sofia Coppola's second full-length film has qualities to make up for its improvised plot, with the beautiful cinematography, good direction and outstanding acting by its two main leads. It's a movie that requires patience and slow unfolding.

Loneliness is the theme of this movie. Particularly, it's the loneliness of the soul -- Charlotte and Bob are surrounded by people, yet they feel alone. Hanging out together alleviates their loneliness for a little while, even though their problems won't go away. As a result, some parts of it can feel hollow. But at the same time, it gives the film a more realistic feeling -- often people in such situations DON'T deal with it.

In keeping with the theme, Coppola keeps the movie slow and pensive, with plenty of beautiful cinematography and exquisite shots of Tokyo. The entire film has a slightly shadowy, glowing look. And the quiet dialogue has a witty, acerbic edge, such as when dizzy blonde Kelly announces "I'm under Evelyn Waugh," only to have Charlotte inform her that, "Evelyn Waugh was a man."

Bill Murray rules this film, with his understated expressions and world-weary attitude. It's surprising that someone could act so blase, and yet be strangely charming. Scarlett Johansson proves that she is no longer just another child star, with a solid performance that stacks up well beside veteran Murray's.

Strange, slow and pensive, this is a film that takes some getting used to; it may even take multiple viewings to fully "get." Just soak it in, and see how you like it.

Sad & pathetic lives.......2007-06-01

Who wants to see a story of two people with absolutely no purpose?

Not me. Not again.

Can't wait to get this movie in hi def !.......2007-05-27

Great Movie!! Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson at their best!

some people write 1 star reviews because
it was not made by "their" director,
or because "their" movie is not in HD format ,
and i feel that , THAT is no reason
to give this movie 1 star.

I'm giving the movie what it deserves.
5 stars

I loved it.......2007-04-23

This movie is very slow, but if you have an attention span I think you will love it too. This is a fantastic film that I'm sure will look amazing in HD.

Average customer rating:

batcall
Awful
Gosh I liked Bill Murray so much more when he didnt know he was profound
A beautiful movie.
The best kind of love

Lost in Translation
Starring: Scarlett Johansson , Bill Murray , Akiko Takeshita , Kazuyoshi Minamimagoe , and Kazuko Shibata
Director: Sofia Coppola
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00011RPB0
Release Date: 2004-02-03

Product Description

Bob Harris (Bill Murray) and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) are two Americans in Tokyo. Bob is a movie star in town to shoot a whiskey commercial, while Charlotte is a young woman tagging along with her workaholic photographer husband (Giovanni Ribisi). Unable to sleep, Bob and Charlotte cross paths one night in the luxury hotel bar. This chance meeting soon becomes a surprising friendship. Charlotte and Bob venture through Tokyo, having often hilarious encounters with its citizens, and ultimately discover a new belief in life's possibilities. Shot entirely on location in Japan, Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation is a valentine to the nature of close friendships and to the city of Tokyo. Ms. Coppola's film, for her original screenplay, contemplates the unexpected connections we make that might not last - yet stay with us forever.

System Requirements:

Running Time 102 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

Like a good dream, Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation envelops you with an aura of fantastic light, moody sound, head-turning love, and a feeling of déjà vu, even though you've probably never been to this neon-fused version of Tokyo. Certainly Bob Harris has not. The 50-ish actor has signed on for big money shooting whiskey ads instead of doing something good for his career or his long-distance family. Jetlagged, helplessly lost with his Japanese-speaking director, and out of sync with the metropolis, Harris (Bill Murray, never better) befriends the married but lovelorn 25-year-old Charlotte (played with heaps of poise by 18-year-old Scarlett Johansson). Even before her photographer husband all but abandons her, she is adrift like Harris but in a total entrapment of youth. How Charlotte and Bill discover they are soul mates will be cherished for years to come. Written and directed by Coppola (The Virgin Suicides), the film is far more atmospheric than plot-driven: we whiz through Tokyo parties, karaoke bars, and odd nightlife, always ending up in the impossibly posh hotel where the two are staying. The wisps of bittersweet loneliness of Bill and Charlotte are handled smartly and romantically, but unlike modern studio films, this isn't a May-November fling film. Surely and steadily, the film ends on a much-talked-about grace note, which may burn some, yet awards film lovers who "always had Paris" with another cinematic destination of the heart. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews:

batcall.......2007-06-28

I watched because I thought Scarlett was going to be the new Marilyn Monroe. Bill Murray is very funny though.

Awful.......2007-06-17

This is one of the worst movies I've ever seen, and it's disappointing that people made such a big deal over it. Isolation, I get it.
But, seriously...what is the point, and the awkward script leaves so much to be desired. I wonder if Sophia would be allowed to make movies if she had a different last name? Is she just trying to be weird, and find some weird niche? Yes, her dad was ground breaking, so I guess those are big shoes to fill...but, then maybe you just should'nt try.
The movie is boring, with little dialogue, and you don't really care what happens with the character. The setting is boring, and the movie overall is weak.

Gosh I liked Bill Murray so much more when he didnt know he was profound.......2007-06-16

Wes Anderson and Sofia Coppola and Jarmusch all did him no favors. They are three of the most insincere, style over substance filmmakers around. And they all love clothes. And they all took a great baseball fan and turned him into an Oscar baiting self-serious ego wannabe genius walrus.

A beautiful movie........2007-06-11

I hope this is the cinema of the future -- no dogma involved. It puts you right there with the actors. Warning, though: as with the films of the Lars Von Trier, DON'T READ THE REVIEWS -- they give away too much of what takes place, elminating the intended surprises. Just watch and be absorbed by what takes place -- as we do in life.

The best kind of love.......2007-05-01

This is a movie that took time to grow on me. It doesn't move quickly, but it is full of depth and that shines through with every viewing. With vivid often surrealistic imagery and sharp witty dialog the film manages to entertain you while telling the real story.
I find most love stories to be trite, formulaic, and self-indulgent. This is far from that. What kind of love do our protagonists feel? They never sleep together, although they both wanted too. Bob even cheats on his wife with another woman but still doesn't sleep with Charlotte who he has fallen in love with.
That part of the story gives their love purity and validity. They marketed the movie as a story of friendship, but that is a lie. They love each other in a very real way, but they can't express it.
Both are married, the elder in a marriage of 25 years with children, the younger a newlywed trying to maintain a strained marriage. It is that unrequited love that makes it so beautiful. They love each other and are spending time with each other but they don't have each other.
Most of the time unrequited love is one way. A man is obssessed with a woman who doesn't return his feelings or maybe maybe even dislikes the man. This love is a far more tragic love. A love that stays in one place, one moment.
Watching the film you wish they could stay in Japan. We all have moments in our lives like that. A month, week, day, or hour that we wish we could freeze ourselves in. Outside that moment means nothing, no worries of the moments past or future. Just you and that moment trapped in happiness. Maybe thats heaven.

"Let's never come here again because it will never be as much fun"

Average customer rating:

Clásica!
Great Movie
Disturbing, poignant, yet beautiful....
Misunderstood
Absolutely a great movie

Pretty Baby
Starring: Brooke Shields , Keith Carradine , Susan Sarandon , Frances Faye , and Antonio Fargas
Director: Louis Malle
Manufacturer: Paramount
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ASIN: B0000AUHQ6
Release Date: 2003-11-18

Amazon.com essential video

A semi-scandal upon its release in 1978, this Louis Malle film is set in a turn-of-the-century, New Orleans bordello and focuses on a girl named Violet (then-child actress Brooke Shields) whose imminent twelfth birthday signals her "readiness" to become a career prostitute. Typical of Malle, the outwardly forbidden nature of the story and relationships within are morally obscured by the immediate experiences and unqualified urges of the characters. The little heroine brings a distinctly youthful and innocent view to the milieu, and the introduction of a photographer (Keith Carradine)--who eventually marries Violet--in the brothel carries the suggestion that there is art and beauty to be explored there. Susan Sarandon is beguiling as Violet's mother, who seems to unfold in the cameraman's presence. The film moves a little stiffly, a little slowly, possibly from a heavy emphasis on period art direction and Sven Nykvist's moody if gorgeous photography. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Clásica!.......2007-05-09

No puede faltarte en la colección.
No es una película herótica si tomás en cuenta de que actua una niña de 10 años, más bien explora un sub-mundo insólito que es una terrible realidad.

Great Movie.......2007-01-12

Is a wonderful movie, great acting, great directing, and interesting era. Brook Shields was stunning.
The movie portrays a young girl growing up in a brothal in the old days. Its how they lived, and how life was than.Its a little suprising some of the stuff in it, but that was life than. Thats how we use to live. Its very educationl also. All in all it was a great movie.

Disturbing, poignant, yet beautiful...........2006-05-17

The beautiful young Brooke Shields plays 11/12 year old Violet, daughter of Hattie (Susan Sarandon) a New Orleans prostitute living and working in a brothel in 1917. Violet has been raised in the brothel and has not been to school and has known no other life or anything about the outside world. When she turns 12, her virginity is auctioned off. Brooke Shields' portrayal of Violet is poignant and beautiful. Her childish charms and innocence are so heart-wrenchingly sweet. The scene where she jumps up and down on the photographer's bed (very childlike) and asks him whether he will take care of her before throwing her arms around him and giving him small childlike kisses on the nose, forehead etc. and reciting that little rhyme really pulled at my heart strings! I just wanted to jump into the TV and give her a hug!! This, mixed with the seductive adult things that she also says in this scene (and others) is particularly poignant as we know that young Violet is merely reciting what she's heard from the prostitutes. The photographer also says that Violet doesn't know what she's saying. You just want to turn the clock back, hug Violet and give her a proper childhood! The photographer marries her because he's fascinated with her beauty, innocence and is concerned that she is only a child and should not be in a brothel becoming a prostitute. The part where he gives her a doll is poignant as she has already lost her virginity and it seems that he's trying to give back her childhood, sadly she's been exposed to too much, too soon in her life. Susan Sarandon and Brooke Shields are wonderful in this movie as well as Keith Carradine, the photographer. The art aspect & music soundtrack are amazing. This movie deals with a taboo subject seen through the eyes of a child as 'normal' which enhances poignancy and brings out the viewers maternal need to 'rescue' young Violet.

Misunderstood.......2005-04-23

Louis Malle didn't make this film to exploit the sexuality of children. There is such a reactionary curse on this film that few people dare to actually view it. Compare it to Kids (1995),there are very few similarities. This is an objective view of a true story 1910's New Orleans. 12 year old Violet lives in a world of sexual currency, everything is acceptable and out front. She passes no judgement on the prostitutes and johns that parade across her mother's room. This is the only life she has known, what could be possibly wrong when everyone is smiling and there is food on the table. The camerawork captures the tragic lyrical situation. Very little ugliness appears, only once in the film when Violet loses her virginity. Bellocq, the photographer she marries, only does so to protect her from losing the innocence she still has. This film has been deemed child pornography but first and foremost it is an accurate biography of a specific place in time. Malle with his French sensibilty portrays the brothel as almost a sanctuary, the people laughing and without malice. Violet's life is tragic not just because she is overexposed to a sexual atmosphere but because the world around her will eventually paint her extended family as ugly and criminal. She has yet to realize this because she perceives them as her home. Pretty Baby offers a very innocent look at prostitution. Susan Sarandon,Brooke Shields,and Keith Carradine are very lovely with their doelike eyes. This is a romanticized world, a far cry from the hardcore reality that we perceive now. I think women would be more openminded to actually view the film as a period piece and not some abomination of morality.

Absolutely a great movie.......2005-02-01

Great movies, like great literature, are capable of evoking a definite atmosphere, that of the time and setting of the story, the plot of which, then, almost loses significance. The atmosphere in this case is that of New Orleans at the turn of last century - a slight anachronism here sets the story in 1917 to match the timing of the closure of Storyville, New Orleans's red light district, located roughly between Rampart and Robeson, Iberville and St. Louis, of which nothing remains today. That atmosphere is well expressed by the music, especially that of the pianist in the movie, who is modeled after Jelly Roll Morton, a pioneer jazz pianist and composer, and plays his compositions. For the curious listener, I have listed here some of the works by Jelly Roll and when they get played in the movie:

3:30 - 4:45, Winin's Boy Blues #1
5:05 - 7:21, Tiger's Rag, from the typical NO repertory, including the tiger's roar
24:35 - 25:00, Jelly Roll
26:11 - 27:12, Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say #1
30:10 - 31:30, Winin' Boy Blues #2
38:39 - 43:20, (composing of ) King Porter Stomp, in the background when the Susan Sarandon character poses half-naked for the photographer
54:46 - 56:35, (Original Jelly Roll?) Blues, with clarinet and bass
1:47:15 - 1:49:15 Blues

We can add to this the sweet, though perhaps already outdated by 1917, music played by the New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra, with the nice Creole clarinet of Louis Cottrell, who used to play in the Preservation Hall.

It is impossible to underestimate the importance of New Orleans in the world of culture, since it can be stated, as Jelly Roll Morton did, that it was for the musical world what Florence of the 14th and 15th century was for the visual arts. The fact that such culture flourished in whorehouses instead at the courts of princes is thus just a reflection of the cultural level of racist American society - which should be proud of its lupanars - which has prevented its own great culture to be accepted by its puritanical obsession, which led to the disaster of prohibition and the present overfilling of prisons for acts, such as possessing marijuana, which are not criminal in most of the civilized world.

Beside the music, there are great moments in this movie. Brooke Shields, besides being pretty, has an interesting role, oscillating between her behavior as a future [prostitute] and that of an immature girl, with a lot of innocence - which incidentally is to be found among all those ladies certainly despised by the pseudo-moralistic mainstream, that same one which seems so popular these days in the US. The Madam looks like a true character, a worn out woman with distinguished manners who keeps up with absinthe and cocaine (not without some humor, as when she says: "there are only two things you can do in a rainy day, and I don't like playing cards!"). And I am sure that the character of the distinguished photographer existed in reality, since I remember having seen an exhibition of pictures of such ladies taken in New Orleans at that time (in spite of the howling of some who wanted to label it degrading and censor it). Add to this the great photography, and the intelligence of Louis Malle, who has always used Jazz in a respectful way, as in "Elevator to the Gallows" with the music of Miles Davis and "Murmur of Heart" with that of Charlie Parker - the latter exploring an even more controversial subject than "Pretty Baby", that of an incest with the mother, in a poetic way.

The only reason I am not giving this movie five stars is because I would have loved to see more of the Jelly Roll Morton character. One has almost to strain his/her ear to listen to his composing of the masterpiece "King Porter Stomp" while the photographer tries to take pictures of Hattie (Susan Sarandon). Perhaps some viewers may prefer Sarandon's naked tits over Morton's playing, but that's not my case!

But on the whole this is a great movie and is to be recommended heartily to everybody, perhaps especially to Americans who generally know close to nothing of the great culture which has been created in the very places their society has systematically despised, by people which are still often considered as an inferior "race" (whatever that means).

Saw - Unrated (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

Brilliantly sick and twisted...if you can stomach it
Wow - That was a surprise!
One of the best horror movies I've ever seen!!
A Horror Classic
An Excellent Horror Flick

Saw - Unrated (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Leigh Whannell , Cary Elwes , Danny Glover , Ken Leung , and Dina Meyer
Director: James Wan
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
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ASIN: B000AMWIVM
Release Date: 2005-10-18

Amazon.com

Saw opens with a gruesome scenario: Two men are chained to the walls of a grimy bathroom with a bloody corpse lying on the floor between them. Tape recordings tell them that one of the men has to kill the other, or his wife and child will die. The corpse is holding a gun in one hand, but it's out of reach...but whoever has locked these two up has thoughtfully provided a hacksaw that can't cut through the heavy chain, but might cut through a little flesh and bone. From there, Saw jumps back and forth as the two men slowly unravel how they know each other and that their tormentor is one of those all-knowing, all-capable serial killers (it goes without saying that Saw is hugely influenced by Seven and the movies of Dario Argento), a fellow known as Jigsaw who disguises his voice and lets a creepy puppet (lifted almost directly from the eccentric animations of the Brothers Quay) be his visual representative. But imitation isn't inherently bad; what puts Saw ahead of its horror compatriots is a gleeful enthusiasm that a dozen sequels to Halloween couldn't muster. Saw has problems--it's clumsily overwritten (every detail of what's going on, no matter how visually evident, will be explained by the characters); most of the situations are static and implausible; and though the cast includes talented veterans like Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride) and Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon), the acting has the depth of a puddle. The rapid pace and frequently frenzied camerawork keep things in motion and while the philosophical underpinnings of Jigsaw won't challenge Hegel or Schopenhauer, they do offer more food for thought than most contemporary horror. Discriminating fans of the genre who like their gore with a glimmer of an idea will embrace Saw.

The Uncut Edition differs only slightly from the theatrical release; it reinserts a little more gore that was cut to get an R rating and tightens up the editing (the uncut version is actually a teensy bit shorter than the theatrical release). The extras are plentiful (if a bit thin): Two audio commentaries (one by director James Wan, screenwriter/actor Leigh Whannel, and Elwes), one by the producers--thankfully, no one takes themselves too seriously. Also included are a trio of typically self-congratulatory making-of featurettes ("He was amazing to work with" etc.), an animated storyboard of a sequence they couldn't afford to shoot, a DVD-ROM game in which you can construct your own puppet, a couple of self-mocking Easter Eggs, and lots of promotional stuff for Saw II. There's a very curious faux-news show purporting to be an investigation of the "real" Jigsaw, which uses clips from the movie as if they were documentary footage--it's hard to say whether this is a misguided attempt to make the movie seem creepier or a bit of flimsy humor. Most fans will find the regular DVD release satisfactory; this special edition is largely for hardcore enthusiasts. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Brilliantly sick and twisted...if you can stomach it.......2007-06-20

After countless raves from nearly every one of my horror film loving friends, I decided one day it was time for me to watch "Saw," an indie slasher film premiering at the Sundance Film Festival as one of the "Midnight Movies" that is widely considered one of the greatest horror films of its generation. In no way does this film disappoint, no matter what you are looking for in a film.

Let's start with the story. Two young men--a doctor named Dr. Gordon, and a photographer named Adam--wake up chained to the wall in a dirty, old washroom. Neither of them know how they got there--and they don't know each other either. There is a slaughtered corpse between them eerily clutching a tape recorder and two tapes addressed to each of the men. The message is clear: one must find a way to kill the other by 6:00 that evening or they will both--along with Dr. Gordon's family--be killed.

Before long, they realize they are now victims of the Jigsaw killer--a known serial killer who captures people who do not appreciate life and force them to hurt themselves or others in order to save themselves from a bloody, gruesome, brutal, torturous death. In a series of flashbacks, ze discover more about Jigsaw, and experience previous encounters his victims' have had. We learn of Gordon and Adam's past, an obsessed detective dedicated to finding Jigsaw, and a young drug addict named Amanda who survived Jigsaw's sick "games" and is now mentally scarred. As the story unfolds, it suddenly explodes into a brilliantly twisted psychological thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the credits roll after the shock ending and even for some time after that. Lots of hardcore gore and an INCREDIBLY SCARY atmosphere accompany this much-above-average slasher flick.

The acting is both great and dreadful at different times, but is always thoroughly realistic. Jigsaw is perfectly cast in his role. Adam was sort of an annoying character, but still managed to deliver, and Dr. Gordon seemed like some WAY overdramatic guy out of Star Trek, and was the only character in the small cast I was actually hoping to get killed.

The directing and editing is absolutely nothing to rave about and is solely why I didn't give Saw 5 stars. The flashbacks are adequetly done, sometimes poorly, but unfortunately, for a super psychological horror film like Saw, that is a huge failure and deserves negative feedback. Very fortunately, the strong storyline and sheer terrifying simple atmosphere holds the film together.

Overall--a very enjoyable movie watching experience, and it will scare the living daylights out of you if you watch it alone on a big screen with surround sound. Not one for the little kids however, as it is very violent in some select scenes (particularly the ending) but that shouldn't keep you from seeing it. Very good and much, much more and above and ultimately smarter and more brilliant the average super-violent slasher horror films that are out there today.

Wow - That was a surprise!.......2007-06-15

This was not as gory as I had been led to expect. The twists ARE NOT as predictable as most people think. No.. you don't really see the ending coming.
This is a psychological thriller and it's very good. Well done. There were discrepancies like someone having flash backs to someone else's memories. And some people acting pretty much annoying and the excuses for acting out of the very character templates are rather weak. A cop stays a cop. And if he's watching someone leave a building, he should have noticed when someone went in - or more specifically that he missed it when they went in and had an alarm go off in his head.
Characters are engines to further a plot but they need to be more or you end up with GhostShip where frankly you don't even bother remembering anyone's name - you already know their parts and purposes.

I will definately get the next one. This movie was such a pleasant surprise!

One of the best horror movies I've ever seen!!.......2007-06-01

If you like scary movies, you'd know that they're pretty much all the same. You have an inhumane killer that murders dozens and dozens of people either because they had a rough childhood or for no reason at all. If you've seen one scary movie, you've seen them all, right? Fortunately for horror movie fans, the creators of Saw have come up with a fresh and original concept that has spawned two sequels.

So what's this movie about? It starts out with two men passed out on opposite sides of a decrepit (and secluded) bathroom where they are chained to pipes. Oh and not to mention, there's a dead man lying down in a pool of blood in the middle of the floor. When they come to, they find a tape and upon listening to it, find out that they have to play a game in order to free themselves. The twist? This game is far from being fun. The reason? In order to free themselves, they must cut through their feet to escape. With a saw. The men must figure out why they were chosen to play the game, how, and what happens if they don't escape.

Horror movie fans, this is a must see. And if you don't like scary movies, you must see this anyway. Just turn your head during the gory parts. You'll still truly appreciate the mystery and surprise that surrounds this movie.

A Horror Classic.......2007-05-26

SAW is a true horror classic no doubt about it. Damn he {or she} who remakes this film...EVER. In the world of gore-porn and endless remakes or "re-imaginations", {I have to say this ~ Rob Zombie is pathetic for "re-imagining" Halloween...thanks for trashing it Rob} SAW stands alone as a film that is sick, very disturbing, scary, intense, frightful, mentally numbing, thrilling, avante garde, theatrical, spontaneous, evil, and macabre! This is a film where the villains recorded voice is as disturbing as his actions..and the villain is not even revealed until the last minute of the film...literally the final scene. The film cannot be compared to Se7en because we see most of the torture in the film and the villain takes up more time giving his monologue than Jigsaw's "Most people are so ungrateful to be alive...but not you...not anymore."

Two men wake up in a grimy abandoned bathroom chained and unable to escape. We see a dead man laying in the middle of the floor. His tape recorder reveals the two men are part of a deadly "game" in which only one of them will survive...if he can find the primal instinct..the "will" to survive. As the film progresses we learn about "Jigsaw" who tortures his "test subjects" in order to make them appreciate their lives they have apparently abused. Jigsaw's "test subjects" include: Jeff a man who attempted suicide but failed, Amanda the drug addict, Adam the voyeur photographer and loser, and Dr. Gordon a doctor who neglects his wife and daughter. Jigsaw makes them realize their blessings in his tortuous devices where the subject must maime his/her self or another to escape.

The films gives us clues to the identity of Jigsaw, directing attention to the orderly called Mr. Hindel aka "Zepp"...or is the killer one of the men chained in the bathroom? Dr. Gordon? Adam? The film is a Hitchcockian mystery to figure out 'who is doing this...and why?' that draws you to an intense and disturbing {not to mention disgusting} climax that will leave you stunned.

I like the film because like Se7en there is a sick twisted pathos that is plain and painfully clear in our times: "most people are so ungrateful to be alive...."

The Curse of Aleister Crowley: Descent into Lies and Madness

An Excellent Horror Flick.......2007-04-20

I'm not exactly sure why, but I hate to admit I liked this movie. It was blood, guts and gore at its very best. Halloween sets the standard in horror, as far as I'm concerned, and this is in no way on par with that movie, but it kept me engaged and on the edge of my seat. It's a simple plot filled with a lot of elaborate killings scenes. I liked it enough to rent two and three, and if a Saw four comes out, I'll rent it to. If you like horror with gore, you can't miss this movie.

Average customer rating:

batcall
Awful
Gosh I liked Bill Murray so much more when he didnt know he was profound
A beautiful movie.
The best kind of love

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ASIN: B00005JMJ4
Release Date: 2004-02-03

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

batcall.......2007-06-28

I watched because I thought Scarlett was going to be the new Marilyn Monroe. Bill Murray is very funny though.

Awful.......2007-06-17

Gosh I liked Bill Murray so much more when he didnt know he was profound.......2007-06-16

A beautiful movie........2007-06-11

The best kind of love.......2007-05-01

Average customer rating:

Just buy it
The Ultimate Reality Documentary
An Inspirational Experience
One of the best films ever made about human nature
Fantastic.... amazing.

War Photographer
Starring: James Nachtwey , Christiane Amanpour , Hans-Hermann Klare , Christiane Breustedt , and Des Wright (II)
Director: Christian Frei
Manufacturer: First Run Features
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000C825I
Release Date: 2003-11-18

Customer Reviews:

Just buy it.......2007-07-02

There are a lot of words in other reviews and they say it better then I can... Seriously, Just buy it (or rent if you prefer but), Watch and Think.

The Ultimate Reality Documentary.......2007-05-08

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Near the end of this powerful film, James Nachtwey, the photojournalist profiled in it states what might happen if people could see what he has:

"What you see [in war or conflict] is unmitigated pain, injustice, and misery. It has occurred to me that if everybody could be there just once to see for themselves what white phosphorus [used in bombs, artillary shells, and mortar shells] does to the face of a child or what unspeakable pain is caused by the impact of a single bullet or how a ragged piece of shrapnel can rip someone's leg off--if everybody could be there to see for themselves the fear and grief just one time, then they would understand that nothing is worth letting things get to the point where that happens to even one person, let alone thousands."

He continues by stating why the war photographer's work is so important:

"But everyone cannot be there and that is why photographers go there, to show them, to reach out and grab them and make them stop what they're doing and pay attention to what is going on--to create pictures powerful enough to...shake people out of their indifference."

This is what this documentary does. It reaches out and grabs you through Nachtwey's photographs enabling you the viewer to see what he sees. Besides seeing pictures and moving images of pain, injustice, and misery, the viewer also gets to see poverty, suffering, violence, brutality, and famine. You also get a glimpse of the danger Nachtwey is exposed to on each assignment.

Besides brief comments by Nachtwey, there are also comments made by others throughout the film. Specifically, there are comments given by Chief International Correspondent for CNN Christiane Amanpour, two foreign editors, a Reuters cameraman, and a screenwriter. Make sure the subtitles are turned on as all comments are not in English.

Locations we follow Nachtwey to include The Balkans, Kosovo; Jakarta, Indonesia; Ramallah, Pallestine; New York City; Hamburg, Germany; and Kawah Ijen, Indonesia.

Finally, the DVD itself (the one released in 2003) is perfect in picture and sound quality. It has some extras that I found to be very interesting.

In conclusion, this is a powerful film. Near the beginning of this Academy Award nominated documentary Nachtwey says,

"In a war, the normal codes of civilized behavior are suspended."

After viewing this film, you'll actually see that this is definitely true!!

(2001; 95 min; wide screen; 18 scenes)

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An Inspirational Experience.......2007-03-27

This documentary was by far the most moving, piercing, inspirational piece of film or any media I have ever seen. Not only is the subject, James Nachtwey, deeply inspirational in his devoted, quiet, compassionate commitment to documenting the lives of the countless millions suffering today, but the film itself is extraordinary. Seeing the full context of the photographer's subject before the photo is taken (through a videocamera attached to the camera) makes the effect of Nachtwey's work, his life, and the lives of those he photographs that much more powerful. This is the one documentary I would recommend all of my friends watch. Truly inspirational.

One of the best films ever made about human nature.......2007-03-20

This is an amazing documentary. I enjoyed every moment of it. Being an amateur photographer and pasionate about photography I could only admire the human quality if James Nachtwey. In order to apreciate it, I also reccomend another video "The Death of Kevin Carter" to see how war photography destroys men, specially those who in normal circumstances are strong sucesful men. Instead Nachtwey is the exception: he's at his best as a human been when other people suffer.

Any soldier should also watch it. The same morals applies to the military. Amazing film.

Fantastic.... amazing........2007-03-19

Sure it has 5 stars across the board, but what exactly is being conveyed in a DVD like this? Just someone following around a famous photographer? Or is it more than that? It tells a story, albeit a hard to swallow one, it's about humanity, professionalism, and duty.

He has this little video camera attached to his regular camera, which follows him around, and you see exactly what he's seeing as he shoots. In other parts he has another video guy following him around, showing an area, and James deducing what is the most important piece of the scene to shoot. Cristiane Amanpore chimes in several times as do other experts in the field and they talk about his dedication to his job etc... in a few shots they show post processing on a some photographs....

Truly an excellent DVD. If you can't take true humanity though, it can be tough to watch at times.

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