White (Three Colors Trilogy)

Starring:Zbigniew Zamachowski, Julie Delpy, Janusz Gajos, Jerzy Stuhr, Aleksander Bardini, Grzegorz Warchol, Cezary Harasimowicz, Jerzy Nowak, Jerzy Trela, Cezary Pazura, Michel Lisowski, Philippe Morier-Genoud, Piotr Machalica, Francis Coffinet, Barbara Dziekan, Yannick Evely, Marzena Trybala, Jacques Disses, Teresa Budzisz-Krzyzanowska, Krystyna Bigelmajer
Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski
Studio: Miramax
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
White is the second of witty Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowki's "three colors" trilogy Blue, White, and Red--the three colors of the French flag, symbolizing liberty, equality, and fraternity. White is an ironic comedy brimming over with the hard laughs of despair, ecstasy, ambition, and longing played in a minor key.

Product Description

The magic on Morning Glory Circle continues as Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery), Darrin (Dick York), and Endora (Agnes Moorehead) return in Bewitched - The Complete Fifth Season. Join the Stephens family as Samantha takes a trip back to 1868 New Orleans (with guest stars Jack Cassidy and Isabel "Woozy" Sanford), Endora shrinks Darrin down to size, Serena tries her luck at computer dating, and Tabitha wreaks havoc in nursery school. This four-disc DVD collection contains all 30 episodes of season five, marking the final season with Dick York as Darrin.

Customer Reviews:

One of the BEST seasons ever! .......2007-06-23

I LOVED this season of Bewitched especially the Tabitha episodes like "I Dont Want To Be A Toad", "Tabitha's Weekend" & I loved the Serena episode of "Mrs Stephens Where Are You". Also LOVED "Weep No More My Willow" about Sam's willow tree! And Samantha's Shopping Spree is a funny one too with no Derwood included. This season was especially fun because there are a lot of NON Darrin episodes near the end of the season and they are more magical and no party poopers to mess up the fun like Derwood always did. I liked this season and season 4 the best....because they had some of the most fun and most magical episodes. While a lot of the reviewers are sad that this was York's last season. I thought there were some good Sargent episodes too like their Salem episodes in season 7. Not to mention the famous Jack & The Beanstalk episode in season 6. Sargent was a good Darrin though I do agree York was my favorite but really Derwood was not my favorite character any of the time. The only down side I can think of which is only a minor downer is this season does not feature any Aunt Clara episodes because the actress who portrayed her had passed away.But there are MORE Serena & Uncle Arthur fun this season which is good. I cant wait to have this season 5....its a good one....!!!

A Sad Farewell To Dick York In An Otherwise First Class Fifth Season.......2007-06-05

I believe the one thing above all else that really made the classic series "Bewitched", so special was the near perfect chemistry between actress Elizabeth Montgomery and actor Dick York as the beautiful housewife witch Samantha and her often harried but always loving husband Darrin. This well thought out teaming of two performers who were so compatible together and who actually seemed to be like a real husband and wife on screen certainly helped to carry "Bewitched", to the incredible success it enjoyed right from Episode One. By the beginning of Season Five, which is now happily being released onto DVD, the classic comedy series had really hit its full stride. With its ratings still high and with the show still collecting an annual batch of Emmy nominations the future for "Bewitched", looked very bright indeed. Season Five despite being very entertaining, as every true fan will know unfortunately has a dark side to it in that Dick York's ongoing back problems meant that he began to miss episodes as the show progressed through its fourth year and on into the fifth. About half way through Season Five with Dick York's health problems growing worse with him often unable to perform, the character of Darrin was repeatedly written out of many of the stories thus loosing that famed "Sam and Darrin", basis to the whole story. His characters absense was usually explained away by having Darrin "away on business", during the episode. Unfortunately York's health crisis didn't improve and he was forced to leave the series all together before the end of the season. It wasn't certain whether he would return for Season Six at that time which explains why an earlier filmed episode "Samantha and Darrin in Mexico City", was held back and shown as the last episode of Season Five.

Despite the tragedies going on behind the scenes during this season on "Bewitched", for the most part it's a terrific season with some wonderful episodes, a few of which even tackle some quite serious social issues that are timely even today. Ironically enough in the light of Dick York's declining health some of the earlier episodes in Season Five such as "Samantha's Wedding Present", and especially the classic "Mirror Mirror on the Wall" in my belief contain some of his greatest and very funniest work and give no indication of the terrible agony he was usually in with his back at this late stage of his involvement with "Bewitched".

Season Five of "Bewitched", holds some real favourites for me and a few of what I feel are the standout episodes are listed below.

"Samantha's Wedding Present", which introduces a more tanned and blonde Elizabeth Montgomery in a story borrowing heavily from the Sci Fi classic "The Incredible Shrinking Man", wherby Endora shrinks Darrin down to miniature size which causes him some harrowing experiences when he encounters the Kravitz's over sized new dog and is captured by an Irish drunk who thinks Darrin is a Leprechaun who he'll only release when he grants him three wishes.

"Mirror, Mirror on the Wall", a great favourite of mine with an absolutely hilarious performance by Dick York when Endora zaps a vanity spell on him making him the most egocentric and vain person imaginable. The sight of Dick York swishing around and camping it up in a Gold Lame Suit, hippy beads and Elvis-like sideburns will have you laughing out loud.

"Samantha's Super Maid", a great performance by Mabel Albertson as the interfering Mrs Stephens Snr. who forces Samantha to hire a new maid much to her and Darrin's opposition considering the witchcraft happening in the house all the time. Endora and Samantha join forces to undo Mrs Stephen's plans to "give Samantha more time away from home duties to socialise with the people who can help boost Darrin up the ladder of success".

"Going Ape", An episode Dick York missed but a very funny story of Tabitha changing an ape into a man who Larry feels has great potential for McMann and Tate's latest ad campaign. Desite his initial reluctance to allow Tabitha to change him back the Man/Ape gets bored with all the attention and with Samantha's help literally "goes ape", in the television studio causing complete mayhem and forcing Larry to fire him.

"Tabitha's Weekend", Another episode without Dick York but a great family domestic story when Phyllis attempts to have Tabitha stay for the weekend much to Samantha's opposition. Phyllis' plans however go astray when Endora and Samantha both also turn up causing all sorts of domestic tensions especially between long time rivals Endora and Phyllis. The resulting mayhem causes Phyllis to develop one of her famous "sick headaches".

"The Battle of Burning Oak", a wonderful story and another great favourite of mine where Endora turns Darrin into a terrible snob who aspires to join the exclusive Burning Oak Country Club. However when Samantha learns of the type of discrimination and "screening" used to gain membership, at the club she sets out to teach the snobs a very humbling lesson in tolerance and acceptance of others regardless of creed, colour, or status, with hilarious results. Samantha's catty lunch with the snobby "ladies", at the club is a comic highlight.

"Daddy Does His Thing", not really a great episode but significant to all "Bewitched", buffs in that this was the final episode Dick York actually filmed before collapsing with a massive seizure. Quite heart breaking to watch as you can clearly see for the first time how terribly ill Dick York was during its filming.

"Samantha and Darrin in Mexico City", an earlier episode held back to finish the season off with a Dick York appearance. Complications arise for Darrin when Endora casts a spell that makes him disappear everytime he attempts to speak Spanish to a potential client group while in Mexico City. Samantha saves the day with a few spells of her own that allows Darrin to deliver a long dinner speech in both English and Spanish.

Great Season..........2007-05-14

Bewitched Season 5 - Pre-order Release date July, 10, 2007

Bewitched Season 5 is a GREAT season and it will be the last season that Dick York will play the roll as Darrin Stephens. He will truly be missed after this season because he had such wonderful chemistry with Elizabeth Montgomery and more so I believe than Sargent. No offence to Dick Sargent because they both played good roles but I do feel that York had better chemistry and was quite funny to watch.

Aunt Clara (Marion Lorne) will sadly not be in this season or the rest of the seasons of Bewitched because she passed away from a sudden heart attack right before the filming of Bewitched Season 5. She will be surely missed!

I definitely recommend this season for any Bewitched fan!! There are many great shows on this set and Tabatha will have more show time as well. Another reviewer right before me has included a list of all the shows in this set so I decided not to duplicate it. I am buying this season because I am a big fan of the show and also to dedicate this set to Dick York because of his last appearances, I have not decided if I am going to purchase "Bewitched Season 6-8" yet because York will not appear but I may buy them to get a complete set.

Highly recommended!

The last of the classics..........2007-05-07

This fifth season of Bewitched was the last good one before the show began to run out of ideas (evident by the recycling of earlier episode plots in the sixth season onward). Here's the list of the episodes you'll be getting plus a brief description:

1. Samantha's Wedding Present

First aired: 9/26/1968
Endora tries to make peace with Darrin, but ends up shrinking him down to size . . . gradually. Samantha tries to get her mother to return Darrin to his regular size, but not before a drunk finds the diminutive Darrin in a mayonnaise jar in the trash.

2. Samantha Goes South for a Spell

First aired: 10/3/1968
Because of Serena's foolishness, Samantha is sent back in time by a jealous witch named Brunhilda, who happened to be Serena's boyfriend's wife. In 1868 New Orleans, Samantha is taken in by a maid named Aunt Jenny, and her owner, Rance Butler, falls for her. Now it is up to Darrin to get her back from the Southern gentleman.

3. Samantha on the Keyboard

First aired: 10/10/1968
Endora gets Tabitha to play beautifully on the piano, and Darrin dares Samantha to learn how to play the mortal way. The Piano teacher hears Tabitha play and invites a famous conductor to see her play. Without magic, Tabitha does a poor job and the conductor is stunned. Samantha then finds a real prodigy for the conductor, and wins the bet with Darrin.

4. Darrin, Gone and Forgotten

First aired: 10/17/1968
Once upon a time, Endora made a deal with another witch Carlotta that Samantha will marry her son Juke, but Samantha hasn't lived up to her part of the deal. Now Carlotta and Juke are back and Carlotta will stop at nothing to give Juke what he wants. She makes Darrin disappear and never brings him back until Samantha agrees to marry Juke. Samantha tells Juke to finally stand up to his mother and tell her off.

5. It's So Nice to Have a Spouse Around the House

First aired: 10/24/1968
Serena is involved again. This time, Darrin takes her to the honeymoon spot where he and Samantha went. Samantha is at a Witches Council meeting and doesn't know what is going on. Darrin gets intimate with Serena, thinking that she is Samantha, and she tells him to back off. Then Tabitha is called to solve the puzzle.

6. Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

First aired: 11/7/1968
Endora turns Darrin into the most self-centered, conceited person on earth. He thinks that this will make him lose an account with a new client, but Samantha saves the day when she tells the client that they should zero in on the youth market.

7. Samantha's French Pastry

First aired: 11/14/1968
Uncle Arthur is supposed to make napoleons for dessert, but ends up bringing in Napoleon Bonaparte instead! Arthur cannot remember how to send him back and Larry wants to use Napoleon to advertise detergent. Unknowingly, Samantha says the right words and he disappears back to his own time.

8. Is it Magic or Imagination?

First aired: 11/21/1968
Mrs. Stephens drops in unexpectedly, and insists Samantha enter a slogan contest to win a trip to Tahiti. And she wins! Of course, Larry Tate's none to happy as it turns out to be one of their biggest clients. The typical Stephens fight occurs. Darrin's furious! He thinks Samantha used witchcraft. Darrin heads to the neighborhood bar, gets drunk, and tells the he's married to a witch. Darrin comes around when Samantha's slogan is rejected after all.

9. Samantha Fights City Hall

First aired: 11/28/1968
Samantha gets involved in a fight against tearing down a neighborhood park for a supermarket. The bad news is that the park is owned by Darrin's new client, Mr. Mossler, and because of her involvement, Darrin ends up losing his job. Samantha saves the day when she brings one of the statues in the park to life to convince Mossler to stop with the construction.

10. Samantha Loses Her Voice

First aired: 12/5/1968
As a joke, Uncle Arthur switches Samantha and Darrin's voices, and they try to keep a depressed Louise and Larry from finding out.

11. I Don't Want to Be a Toad, I Want to Be a Butterfly

First aired: 12/12/1968
Tabitha goes to pre-school for the first time and meets Amy, a classmate. When the teacher groups the children in animal groups, Amy gets chosen to be a toad in the toad group, but she wants to be in a butterfly group. Tabitha misunderstands her request and actually turns her into a butterfly! Samantha, who has been watching the whole thing through the window, chases Amy the butterfly all around the city and catches her so Tabitha can change her back.

12. Weep No More My Willow

First aired: 12/19/1968
Samantha wants to keep a willow tree in her yard and decides to treat it. She calls Dr. Bombay to make her tree weep, but Samantha gets caught in the spell and each time the wind blows, she starts crying. When Larry hears her cry, he thinks that she and Darrin are having a fight and comes over to comfort her, but not before Dr. Bombay comes by to give her an antidote to make her laugh. When Larry comes by, Samantha starts laughing and laughing, and Larry starts laughing too. Then Darrin comes in to find Samantha and Larry laughing for no apparent reason. Then Dr. Bombay comes by with another antidote to make everything and everyone normal again.

13. Instant Courtesy

First aired: 12/26/1968
Darrin is turned into the most nicest person in the world by Endora and gets a tough client named Mrs. Sebastian to sign with McMann and Tate. When Mrs. Sebastian suspects that something is up, she then takes back her account, but Samantha changes her mind and she accepts Darrin.

14. Samantha's Super Maid

First aired: 1/2/1969
Phyllis hires a maid for Samantha and Darrin, and a good-hearted maid named Amelia is chosen. The Stephens have to let her go because of the witchcraft in Samantha's family. Phyllis' friend, Mrs. Otis, decides to use Amelia.

15. Serena Strikes Again (1)

First aired: 1/9/1969
A sexy client named Clio Vanita tries to get with Darrin, but not if Serena can help it. Taking up for her cousin, Serena decides to turn Clio into a monkey! Darrin tries to get Serena to change her back, but she doesn't and Clio the monkey hangs around......

16. Serena Strikes Again (2)

First aired: 1/16/1969
The minute Clio flies the coop, Serena comes back. The Stephens and Serena find the monkey Clio in the hands of a little boy, an organgrinder, and the police! Serena changes Clio back and Samantha comes up with a stellar idea for the Clio Vanita wine account when Larry meets the organgrinder who kept Clio company as a monkey.

17. One Touch of Midas

First aired: 1/23/1969
Endora creates a toy called the Fuzz, a toy that has the power to charm people. Darrin presents this idea to Larry and the Fuzz charms Darrin to the tune of a million dollars. Samantha is worried about Darrin when he tells her that he will finally give her and Tabitha everything they could possibly want. Endora removes the spell and Samantha tells Darrin that as long as she and Tabitha love Darrin, that is worth a lot more than money.

18. Samantha the Bard

First aired: 1/30/1969
Samantha is speaking in rhymes, which turns out to be a bad thing when Darrin is entertaining a client who has been using jingles for years and is tired of them. Larry gets tired of Samantha rhyming and wants her to quit it. Dr. Bombay comes by and gets Samantha to stop rhyming. She then explains to the client that she spoke in rhymes to prove how annoying they can be.

19. Samantha the Sculptress

First aired: 2/6/1969
Endora causes trouble when she zaps two living statues of Larry and Darrin in Morning Glory Circle.

20. Mrs. Stephens, Where are You?

First aired: 2/13/1969
Phyllis breaks bad on Samantha's family, and Serena shuts her up by turning her into a cat! Miss Parsons finds Phyllis as a cat and decides to keep her. Meanwhile, Frank is looking for Phyllis and Samantha finds her at Miss Parsons' house with a whole bunch of other cats she has collected! She then finds cat Phyllis and gets Serena to change her back to a human.

21. Marriage, Witches' Style

First aired: 2/20/1969
Serena decides to do the same thing that Samantha did and tries to find a mortal to date. She finds Franklin Blodgett through a computer dating service, but like all TV Land computer dating agencies, the matches always turn out to be bad. This proves this fact when Franklin insults Serena's magic when they are about to be engaged.

22. Going Ape

First aired: 2/27/1969
Tabitha changes an ape into a handsome man named Harry who is instantly discovered as model potential. Harry gets bored of the whole situation, and Samantha tells him to act like himself, a mad ape.

23. Tabitha's Weekend

First aired: 3/6/1969
Phyllis wants Tabitha to spend a weekend with her and Frank, but doesn't count on Samantha and Endora to be there also. They all start fighting and arguing until Tabitha turns herself into a cookie. Samantha convinces her daughter that she is not the cause of all of their arguments and wants her to turn back into a human.

24. The Battle of Burning Oak

First aired: 3/13/1969
Darrin is invited to join the Burning Oak Country Club, a very exclusive club. To get the right attitude, Endora changes him into a snob of all snobs.

25. Samantha's Power Failure

First aired: 3/20/1969
The Witches Council takes away Samantha's powers when she refuses to break up with Darrin. Uncle Arthur and Serena help out Samantha and, as a result, loses their powers as well. After a terribly frustrating day in the mortal working world, Serena and Uncle Arthur decide that they are better off with their powers. Samantha goes to the Witches Council and tells them they are in the wrong for their ignorance. Then Samantha, Serena, and Uncle Arthur get their powers back.

26. Samantha Twitches for UNICEF

First aired: 3/27/1969
Samantha gets through to a greedy miser Mr. Haskell when he doesn't contribute to the UNICEF fund. Samantha and Endora mess up Haskell's love life when they hex Lila to admit that she is in an affair with another man!

27. Daddy Does His Thing

First aired: 4/3/1969
Maurice gives Darrin a magic lighter, which Darrin doesn't accept. Maurice turns Darrin into a donkey because of his ingratitude. Samantha tries to find her father and finds him in Paris. She returns to see that Darrin the donkey has been taken to an animal shelter. Darrin is released and Maurice back tracks everything that he did to turn Darrin back to a human.

28. Samantha's Good News

First aired: 4/10/1969
Endora and Maurice get into an argument about Maurice's new secretary and Endora makes him jealous by going out with a warlock who good in speaking Shakespeare. Then Maurice and the warlock duke it out with soliloquies and Maurice wins out. Then Samantha announces that she is to have another baby!

29. Samantha's Shopping Spree

First aired 4/17/1969
Samantha, Endora, Tabitha and their warlock cousin Henry spend a day in a department store. Henry is offended by a salesman, and he turns the salesman into a mannequin and refuses to change him back. Samantha and Endora try everything, but Tabitha remembers the spell and restores the salesman.

30. Samantha and Darrin in Mexico City

First aired: 4/24/1969
Samantha and Darrin are in Mexico City where Darrin is working on a new account for McMann and Tate. Endora puts a spell on him that makes him disappear when he speaks Spanish. Samantha gets her mother back who has the nerve to reverse the spell, this time, making Darrin disappear when he speaks English! Samantha helps him out when he delivers an excellent speech to Spanish and American patrons.

Let's hope they give us some extras on this one; haven't seen too much of that since the release of the first season and there are some terrific documentaries on the cast and the show itself that could and should be issued at some stage. Enjoy!

Having a Bewitching time with Sam and the Gang .......2007-05-04

This is the 5th season of the eight year series and the final for Dick York as he became ill while filming the series and he had missed a lot of episodes in this season so Elizabeth Montgomery had to react with somebody who usually with David White (Larry Tate) and even with herself when she became Serena her cousin. the most memerable episode in this season for me is when Serena turned Darrin's mum into a cat as Phyllis was being very catty towards Sams family. Another episode I liked is when she collected money for UNICEF where a person wouldn't pay it so she haunted him until he paid it. So for all you Bewitched fans this is a must have. So I definately give a 5 out of 5 for this season. So I hope they will bring out the remainder of this series before this year is out.

Average customer rating:

Overrated
I hated this movie
A Classic
Self-important
Moving story and great HD

Children of Men (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Juan Gabriel Yacuzzi , Michelle Hussain , Rob Curling , Jon Chevalier , and Rita Davies
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000N6TX1I
Release Date: 2007-03-27

Amazon.com

Presenting a bleak, harrowing, and yet ultimately hopeful vision of humankind's not-too-distant future, Children of Men is a riveting cautionary tale of potential things to come. Set in the crisis-ravaged future of 2027, and based on the atypical 1993 novel by British mystery writer P.D. James, the anxiety-inducing, action-packed story is set in a dystopian England where humanity has become infertile (the last baby was born in 2009), immigration is a crime, refugees (or "fugees") are caged like animals, and the world has been torn apart by nuclear fallout, rampant terrorism, and political rebellion. In this seemingly hopeless landscape of hardscrabble survival, a jaded bureaucrat named Theo (Clive Owen) is drawn into a desperate struggle to deliver Kee (Clare-Hope Ashitey), the world's only pregnant woman, to a secret group called the Human Project that hopes to discover a cure for global infertility. As they carefully navigate between the battling forces of military police and a pro-immigration insurgency, Theo, Kee, and their secretive allies endure a death-defying ordeal of urban warfare, and director Alfonso Cuaron (with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki) capture the action with you-are-there intensity. There's just enough humor to balance the film's darker content (much of it coming from Michael Caine, as Theo's aging hippie cohort), and although Children of Men glosses over many of the specifics about its sociopolitical worst-case scenario (which includes Julianne Moore in a brief but pivotal role), it's still an immensely satisfying, pulse-pounding vision of a future that represents a frightening extrapolation of early 21st-century history. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Overrated .......2007-07-03

Interesting film but wildly overrated by the critics. Confusing and ambiguous story line trips up a pretty good cast and produces a mediocre science fiction film. I am afraid that all this film really foreshadows is more bad movies to come. This film does not, by any stretch of the imagination, compare to Sci-Fi classics like Blade Runner. Save your money and watch it on cable.

I hated this movie.......2007-07-03

Bleak, weak story line..everyone is always running. very confusing and depressing and I thought it made NO sense even though I understood what was trying to be said. The ending was a joke. Don't waste your money or time! I didn't even want to give it one star! One of the worse movies I ever saw!

A Classic.......2007-07-03

I really enjoyed this movie and the sci fi element was great.
A defintie keeper to the collection.

Self-important.......2007-07-02

It's a political thriller filled with horrifying implications about our future, implications we'd really rather not face. It's timely, it's hard-hitting, and all that. So naturally I was curious and wanted to see this film that wise critics told me was foretelling our possible fate. And so I rented Black Sunday recently.

And 30 years later, the film doesn't show its age very well. It's very rooted in the 70s. It is filled with more "movie moments" than genuine truths, though those moments are well-disguised.

And that about sums up Children of Men, too. It's trying so hard to be Important. It's obviously a protest against the current war on terror and all the infighting it has generated. But it's based on a red herring--or a gimmick, to put it less charitably--and it's about as subtle as a boulder falling off a thousand foot cliff.

Folks, the issue we'll be facing in the near future won't be wars stemming from underpopulation (why terrorists are at war on this is never really explained), it will be on *over*population. More specifically, overpopulation with dwindling natural resources, and electorates everywhere who have done nothing past lip service because they're busy stuffing their pockets with donations from those who control the existing natural resources. *That's* a topic I'd like to see a grim movie like this tackle. But it just might make theater-goers a little uncomfortable as they climb into their Hemi pickups and SUVs afterwards.

So instead we get this self-important movie that either the NY or LA Times (I forget which) says frightens us because we know, deep down, this could be our future. I'd say it's watchable and enjoyable because deep down we know this isn't our future. Is there really an infertility epidemic going on that I'm unaware of? There are grave problems threatening us today, and not one of them is in this film. There's not much in this film, really. It's a cleverly-disguised action thriller, Mad Max meets Brazil (both better movies, btw).

In addition to the red herring of infertility (which is never explained, by the way...Nor do we have any reason to believe the child at the end will survive any better than anyone else, especially since she's a preemie, so the whole ending felt pointless to me), there's the infighting. Here the message is obvious, driven home by power tools, and in case you're out getting popcorn during this bit the director constantly has huge overbearing signs in all the locations with messages like "Report Suspicious Activity." Yes, I know there are really such signs nowadays. Yes, I get the indictment of what's going with British and American governments currently. Anyone who hasn't been lobotomized gets it. But after beating us up with it, the filmmakers don't develop it, doesn't make a point past the obvious one. By contrast, look at the odyssey the central character in Brazil undergoes, and how it affects both him and the people he loves and looks out for.

What stymied me after watching Children of Men was that such a one-dimensional movie impressed all the high-brow critics. Then I went back and reread the 1970s reviews for Black Sunday and understood. So often films that seem so foretelling look naive a couple decades later. It's hard to predict the weight of your warning when you are so close to it--and this film is very emotionally-close to its subject. I make the prediction right here and now that this film will play very different on our consciousness 30 years from now, as environmental warnings from the 70s about an impending ice age do today.

And this wasn't particularly groundbreaking filmmaking either. We have a standard stock of characters here: the reluctant hero who rediscovers his idealism after a great personal loss, the old flame who reunites him with his past ways (and geeze, Julianne Moore has one of the most heavy-handed, literally un-believable entrances in screen history here), the sacrificing fatherly figure (did anyone not know how that part was going to end?), the shining young woman who represents Hope, and so on.

Children of Men is the latest in a line of Syrianna/Constant Gardener/Traffic-type films, with sprawling plots, timely messages, a documentary look, lots of violence, a backdrop of decaying society, large cast of characters, etc. Except the other films had valid conceits. That's the difference.

The disc looks great, however, and there's plenty of bangy-boomy sound to give your subwoofers a workout. There are several small featurettes about the making of the film, including a nifty pieces demonstrating worldlessly how they created the CGI baby. No trailer, oddly. But after you, not believing my review, rent this anyway, go see Brazil, a far deeper film that has turned out to be eerily accurate about how things are shaping up (terrorist wars that drag on and bankrupt governments, governments that are pennywise and pound foolish, drone workers whose only escape is disembodied fantasy, trying to achieve immortality through plastic surgery, wrapped presents that are destroyed at checkpoints, consumerism run rampant and in the guise of patriotism or religious fervor). That's the difference between a pseudo-intellectual movie and a film that really makes you think.

Moving story and great HD.......2007-06-28

Children of Men stands out as one of the better movies recently released on HD DVD for two reasons: the film itself tells an engaging story and the HD presentation is one of the best so far released.

Firstly, the story. The film starts out with a bang and uses this to keep the viewer on the edge of their seat as the story unfolds. Children of Men tells a dark tale of a future which has a dead end due to the sudden infertility of the human race and the subsequent xenophobia on a large scale. It is one of the most emotionally engaging dramas that I have seen in a very long time.

Then there is the HD presentation. This is without a doubt, one of the best HD transfers that I have seen to date. The cinematography, palette and sound all contribute to this experience. If you are just getting into HD this should be high on your first purchase list.

Average customer rating:

Almost exactly like the book
Fresh Eyre
Jane Eyre
The Best Ever Jane Eyre
Can't get enough of this dvd...

Jane Eyre (Masterpiece Theatre, 2006)
Starring: Ruth Wilson (II) , Toby Stephens , Amy Steel (II) , Jacqueline Pilton , and Anne Reid
Director: Susanna White
Manufacturer: WGBH Boston
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000LPQ6DE
Release Date: 2007-02-20

Amazon.com

You may think the world doesn't need another adaptation of Jane Eyre--but you're wrong. This new and wonderfully lush Masterpiece Theatre version, directed by Susanna White (who directed the equally sumptuous miniseries of Bleak House starring Gillian Anderson), contrasts Jane Eyre's vivid inner life with the harshness of her outer life; both Georgie Henley (The Chronicles of Narnia) as the young Jane and newcomer Ruth Wilson express the inner vitality of the outcast orphan girl whose spirit captures the heart of the rough, charismatic landowner Mr. Rochester (Toby Stephens, Die Another Day). Stephens, it must be said, is far too conventionally handsome for the part, but he makes up for it by capturing Rochester's abrasive and mercurial temperament. (Wilson's looks are perfect; at one moment she seems awkward and homely, at another utterly luminous.) Jane Eyre is so often remade because the story is so potent; this production brings all of the novel's juice and passion to the fore, emphasizing the characters' sensual experience while staying true to the restrictions and mores of the period. All in all, exceptional. --Bret Fetzer

Amazon.com

After a wretched childhood, orphaned Jane Eyre yearns for new experiences. She accepts a governess position at Thornfield Hall, where she tutors a lively French girl named Adele. She soon finds herself falling in love with the brooding master of the house - the passionate Mr. Rochester. Jane gradually wins his heart, but they must overcome the dark secrets of the past before they can find happiness. When Jane saves Rochester from an eerie fire, she begins to suspect that there are many mysteries behind the walls of Thornfield Hall. Her fears are confirmed when Rochester's secret past is revealed, destroying her chance for happiness, and forcing Jane to flee Thornfield. Penniless and hungry, she finds shelter and friendship in the shape of a kind clergyman and his family. But she is soon shocked to uncover the deeply hidden truth of her own past. This lavish and sensual new version of Charlotte Bronte's classic novel is modern and moody, timeless and romantic. Starring Toby Stephens as Mr. Rochester, Ruth Wilson as Jane, and Francesca Annis as Lady Ingram.

Customer Reviews:

Almost exactly like the book.......2007-07-04

I enjoyed this version of Jane Eyre the most compared to the 1996 and 1997 versions. The Mr. Rochester is perfect. Although the actress who played Jane Eyre wasn't very believable I expected her to have a stronger presence. This movie pretty much met my expectations.

Fresh Eyre .......2007-07-04

This is the most enjoyable "Jane Eyre" I have seen. The dialogue is good and it is very well paced. There is a definite chemistry between the two principals (which make it a success) along with an excellent supporting cast. Jane and Rochester are attractive and appealing, despite the premise that they are both not physically good looking. Most versions of "Jane Eyre" work on some level,to me, this works on all levels.

Jane Eyre.......2007-06-27

I saw it on TV and had to buy the DVD
somewhat modernized, romantic tale
probably the sexiest Rochester ever

The Best Ever Jane Eyre.......2007-06-22

I have been a huge fan of Charlotte Bronte's novel since I was a teenager, and have seen many interpretations of the story over the years. I did not believe it was possible for the 1983 miniseries starring Timothy Dalton and Zelah Clarke to be improved upon - but I was wrong. This is the most involving, passionate Jane Eyre I have ever watched. Ruth Wilson is staggeringly good - utterly believable. Initially, I thought Toby Stephens would not fit the image I had of Edward Rochester, but the nuances and intelligence he brought to the role made him the most romantic, beguiling Rochester ever. You could feel the two characters falling in love and every step of the way it made perfect sense that they do so. The `updated' screenplay captured the essence of the story and made it more accessible for a modern audience than any other film or television version I have seen - it was sheer perfection. I know I will watch this DVD again and again and again.

Can't get enough of this dvd..........2007-06-19

Jane Eyre is my favorite book of all time. I love this adaptation. I also own the William Hurt movie version which I also adore but have always regretted the detail it omits. This Masterpiece Theatre version captures the passion of the book, especially highlighted in the encounter between Mr. Rochester and Jane following their fated wedding which was not meant to be. It is very well cast though I found the choice of little Adele a bit odd. You will love Ruth Wilson as Jane. I have few criticisms of Jane Eyre. I thought the first meeting between Jane and Mr. R was a bit too harsh. Didn't love the occult board game addition. I also wish the childhood portion of the movie could have developed the relationship between Jane and Helen a little better. I also missed Miss Temple. While these are shortcomings in my opinion, they do not significantly detract from the overall beauty of this film. It is EXCELLENT!

Die Hard Collection (Die Hard / Die Hard 2 - Die Harder / Die Hard with a Vengence / Live Free or Die Hard - Bonus Disc)

Average customer rating:

Yippee-Ki-Yi-Yay
One more movie to add to an already useless film franchise....
What is people's problem?
Nice cases, nice collection for those who don't got it!
live free or buy this again?

Die Hard Collection (Die Hard / Die Hard 2 - Die Harder / Die Hard with a Vengence / Live Free or Die Hard - Bonus Disc)
Starring: Bruce Willis , Reginald VelJohnson , Bonnie Bedelia , Alexander Godunov , and Paul Gleason
Director: John McTiernan , and Renny Harlin
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Action & Adventure | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Bridge to Terabithia (Widescreen Edition)
Shooter (Widescreen Edition)
Breach (Widescreen Edition)
Ghost Rider (Two-Disc Extended Cut)
Deja Vu

ASIN: B000O77SQS
Release Date: 2007-06-19

Amazon.com

Die Hard is the movie franchise that made a movie star out of TV star Bruce Willis, and created an entire action-movie genre of its own. In the original 1988 film, Willis plays wisecracking New York cop John McClane, who arrives at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles to meet up with his estranged wife, Holly (Bonny Bedelia), at her office Christmas party. As luck would have it, the company ends up in the middle of a terrorist plot led by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) and his gang of expert killers, and with little help coming from outside, McClane has to pick off his enemies one by one. Thus was born the "Die Hard genre ", epitomized by such films as Under Siege ( " Die Hard on a ship "), Passenger 57 ("Die Hard on a plane" ), Speed ( "Die Hard on a bus" ), and Cliffhanger ( "Die Hard on a mountain "). But few measure up to the explosive brilliance of Die Hard. Director John McTiernan develops the action at a fast and furious pace, culminating in some fantastic set-pieces on the top of the building, in the elevator shaft, and in the building's outer plaza. Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza's script, based on Roderick Thorp's novel Nothing Lasts Forever, is smart, funny, and full of memorable lines (among them "Welcome to the party, pal!" and of course "Yippee ki-ay, motherf*****"), and the cast is perfection, especially Rickman as the cunningly evil villain, and Willis, whose McClane character--bloodied, beaten, bruised, and barely breathing, as he battles both bad guys and bureaucrats--is someone audiences could genuinely cheer for.

Directed by Renny Harlin, the 1990 sequel, Die Hard 2 (unofficially referred to as Die Harder), doesn't match the level of the original, but it's still an exciting thrill ride with some terrific action sequences. One year after the Nakatomi incident, McClane (Willis) is awaiting his wife's (Bedelia) plane to arrive at Dulles Airport when he stumbles onto a plot to paralyze the entire airport, including all the planes trying to land. It's up to McClane to take on the cadre of bad guys despite all the bureaucrats standing in his way, and before the planes run out of fuel and crash to the ground. The cast includes William Sadler as rogue military man Col. Stuart, Dennis Franz as the latest bureaucratic cop to get in McClane's way, Richard Thornburg as the annoying reporter from the original movie, John Amos as a special-forces commander, early-in-their-career John Leguizamo and Robert Patrick as terrorists, and future politician and Law and Order actor Fred Thompson as the head of air traffic control.

The third film in the series, Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), was again directed by John McTiernan and uses a different concept. The villain (played by Jeremy Irons) claims to have planted bombs all over New York City and gives John McClane (Willis), now alchoholic and separated, a series of clues to try to track them down. Along the way, he's aided by, and eventually teams up with, a Harlem shopkeeper named Zeus Carver (Samuel L. Jackson). The interplay between Willis and Jackson is engaging, but better suited to the Lethal Weapon franchise it was previously considered for, and not till the end does the movie return to the familiar McClane-vs.-villains-showdown format.

The 2007 Die Hard Collection is a four-disc set that comes up short when compared to the previous six-disc Ultimate Collection , which is now out of print. That 2001 set had two discs for each film (plus, Die Hard was a Five Star Collection release). This set does away with all of the second discs, though it retains the features that were on the movie-only discs, including director commentaries and the seamlessly branched version of the first film with a scene added back in. There's also a brand-new fourth disc, but it's pretty minor. "Wrong Guy, Wrong Place, Wrong Time" is a 40-minute retrospective of the original movie. Wide-ranging but rather dull, it collects interviews with director John McTiernan, cinematographer Jan De Bont, screenwriters Jeb Stuart and Steven E. De Souza, other crew, and actors Reginald Veljohnson, Hart Bochner, and William Atherton. Also from 2007, "The Continuing Adventures of John McClane" looks at the second and third movies in the series. It's a mere 13 minutes and only interviews the two directors, Renny Harlin and (in new and old footage) John McTiernan. Last, three trailers for the 2007 film, Live Free or Die Hard, make this set look like something that was released merely to have something on the shelves while the new film was in theaters. --David Horiuchi

Description

Disc 1: **"Die Hard" Widescreen Feature with optional Commentary by director John McTiernan and production designer Jackson DeGovia **Additional scene-specific commentary by special effects supervisor Richard Edlund **Subtitled commentary by various cast and crew **Branching version with the extended power shutdown scene **DVD-ROM - script-to- screen comparison

Disc 2: **"Die Harder" Widescreen Feature **Directors commentary

Disc 3: **"Die Hard with a Vengeance" Widescreen Feature **Directors commentary

Disc 4 Bonus Disc: **Inside Look: LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD **Wrong Guy, Wrong Place, Wrong Time: A Look Back At Die Hard **The Continuing Adventures of John McClane

Customer Reviews:

Yippee-Ki-Yi-Yay.......2007-07-02

I just love the die hard movies and this was a perfect set to get. All of them together plus a bonus disc with interviews and commentary. Not to mention a free ticket to Live Free or Die Hard. I knew I waited to buy them for a reason!! There is nothing like a good action movie where the good guy always comes out on top!

One more movie to add to an already useless film franchise...........2007-07-01

what do Mr. Willis and lots of action sequances equal....Three very bad movies. Here you get to relive it all over again, with a fourth disk that showcases the hopefully last movie they will ever make (Live Free, Die Hard). A movie I already saw because nothing else better was playing and Mr. Willis as always showcases his non-acting talents and bad jokes. And a joke is what these movies are.

What is people's problem?.......2007-06-30

The Die Hard films are the greatest action series ever made. This is a small collection of the trilogy. It does not have all the extras of the six disc ultimate box set that was released a couple years ago, but you get what you are paying for here. For $30 you get the three films. You can look at it as only getting half of the old box set, but you are getting it for half the price as well.

This is a Die Hard set for people like me who don't care about a million extra features and just want to enjoy the movies at an affordable price. Don't get me wrong, it isn't like I dislike extras, but to be honest I only watch them once or twice, so to me it isn't worth the extra cash.

Nice cases, nice collection for those who don't got it!.......2007-06-26

Everyone wants to whine about how much this set lacks, it's a great re-release for people who don't have any of the movies yet and yes it does lack special features and if that's what you care for then yeah don't buy this, but if you just care about the movies straight up then buy the collection, it's a great price and some pretty cool artwork. And honestly, how many people re-watch special features? I know a few do but I mean, c'mon...

live free or buy this again?.......2007-06-24

This is a money grab, absolutly right. Better editions exist and they will release the box set again with the fourth film included a couple of months after it's been available on it's own. Isn't that the formula these days?

Average customer rating:

A Heartwarming Story About Freindship
Great Movie!
wonderful movie
Sweet and Fun
Charlotte's Web

Charlotte's Web (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Julia Roberts , Steve Buscemi , John Cleese , Oprah Winfrey , and Cedric the Entertainer
Director: Gary Winick
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000NA6CPE
Release Date: 2007-04-03

Amazon.com

E.B. White's classic tale gets a Babe-like makeover in Charlotte's Web, a delightful and well-made film that is sure to become a family classic. Directed by Gary Winick (13 Going on 30), the new version eschews the musical numbers of the 1973 cartoon and mixes CGI with live-action animals. Dakota Fanning brings the right amount of chutzpah to Fern, the young farm girl who rescues a runt, Wilbur, from death and visits him every day at her Uncle Homer's farm. But it's Wilbur's friendship with Charlotte the spider (voiced by Julia Roberts) that ultimately saves him from the "smoke house" (a kid-friendly alternative term to the slaughterhouse), for Charlotte's talent for weaving praiseworthy words about Wilbur into her web turns the Zuckerman farm into a tourist attraction. The more tragic elements of the book are handled sensitively by Winick, working from a script by Susannah Grant (Erin Brockovich), and Roberts' soothing, maternal voice (who knew it would work so well?) makes it all go down easy. It turns out to be just one of many perfect celebrity voice-casting choices, for the farm animals, voiced by an all-star cast including Oprah Winfrey (the goose), Robert Redford (the horse), Steve Buscemi (Templeton the rat), and John Cleese (the sheep), lend plenty of sharp humor. But it's two corn-hungry crows, voiced by Thomas Haden Church (Sideways) and OutKast's Andre "3000" Benjamin who steal the show. (Ages 4 and older) -- Ellen A. Kim

Beyond Charlotte's Web

Other Children's Book Adaptations on DVD
Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
The Original 1973 Charlotte's Web Cartoon

Stills from Charlotte's Web (click for larger image)

Product Description

The classic story of loyalty, trust, and sacrifice comes to life in this live-action adaptation. Fern (Dakota Fanning) is one of only two living beings who sees that Wilbur is a special animal as she raises him, the runt of the litter, into a terrific and radiant pig. As Wilbur moves into a new barn, he begins a second profound friendship with the most unlikely of creatures - a spider named Charlotte - and their bond inspires the animals around them to come together as a family. When the word gets out that Wilbur's days are numbered, it seems that only a miracle will save his life. A determined Charlotte - who sees miracles in the ordinary - spins words into her web in an effort to convince the farmer that Wilbur is "some pig" and worth saving.

Customer Reviews:

A Heartwarming Story About Freindship.......2007-07-03

My Oppinion: Charlotte's Web is an excellent movie very entertaining for all ages.

About the film: The movie is about a spider who bfriends a young pig and tries to save his life by writing on her web's and the two becomes good friends.

My Oppinion 2: This movie is a great story about friendship. this was a very good film, they didn't change much from the animated version which is great.

f you like this movie then check out the soundtrack to the movie, then the original animated movie.

Great Movie!.......2007-07-03

I loved watching this with my children. They kept rewinding it back to their favorite parts. Dakota Fanning really brings Fern's character to life, and Templeton was hilarious. This movie, taken from the classic by E.B. White, should be both read and watched, for, although most of the main characters are animals, they personify something significant about the human spirit. Some pig, some movie! Enjoy it!

wonderful movie.......2007-07-02

wonderful movie , and great adaptation of the book, great for the whole family, my 2 nieces love it

Sweet and Fun.......2007-07-02

Charlotte's Web, based on the classic tale, is a sweet adaptation of the classic novel. It is becoming increasingly rare that the entire family can sit down together and enjoy a movie together. This is one that is perfect for families to enjoy as the movie dislpays the importance of acceptance, friendship, and sacrifice. The voice work here is outstanding, especially with Julia Roberts as the voice of Charlotte. Dakota Fanning is charming as usual. This is a sweet and fun film well-worth 4.5 stars. Enjoy. My family sure did.

Charlotte's Web.......2007-06-22

Great, great, great! I cried the whole time because the animals are just soooo cute! The picture was colorful, and the community where the town folks lived reminded me of home in Louisiana. Wish I could move to that farm when I retire. All should watch it and learn a lesson from the animals about being different but having the same idea about helping a friend in need.

Average customer rating:

Recommended
A range of emotions on film
Clement Virgo's Lie With Me is self-indulgent porn masquerading as an 'art' film
a porn movie disguised as a 'b' movie
It's like watching a car wreck, only prettified

Lie With Me
Starring: Lauren Lee Smith , Eric Balfour , Polly Shannon , Mayko Nguyen , and Michael Facciolo
Director: Clément Virgo
Manufacturer: Velocity / Thinkfilm
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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9 songs - Unrated Full Uncut Version
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Battle In Heaven
Devil in the Flesh

ASIN: B000DZ95MG
Release Date: 2006-02-14

Amazon.com

Shot in sunny Toronto and set to a dreamy score, Lie With Me looks and sounds like an art film, but the end result isn't quite so lofty. The plot is thin and the dialogue superfluous, but no matter--Canada's Clément Virgo (Love Come Down) just wants to turn you on and he has enlisted two attractive, uninhibited young performers to assist in his aims. Leila (Lauren Lee Smith, The L Word) and David (Eric Balfour, Six Feet Under) meet at a party. He's with his girlfriend, but finds himself drawn to her. The feeling is mutual. She's alone, but quickly finds an unattached hipster with whom to have a tryst. David catches her in the act. Instead of turning away, he watches. They start seeing each other immediately afterwards. "I'm not hooked on danger, [I'm] hooked on sex," Leila claims, but she isn't exactly the most trustworthy narrator. She wants a purely physical relationship, while David wants something more. They return to their old lives, but the obsession refuses to die. Based on the novella by Virgo's partner, Tamara Berger, Lie With Me plays like a low-budget cross between Adrian Lyne's overrated 9 1/2 Weeks and Wayne Wang's underrated The Center of the World. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Customer Reviews:

Recommended.......2007-07-01

Lie With Me is more than just lust and sex. David for example doesn't know what he wants they show him with his dad, which we know is an invalid. He has trust issues just like Leila. When he first sees her, I think that he is infautated with her. He helps her at the party when she becomes dizzy, he watches her when she is walking through that wooded area. Basically he is in love with her. When Leila is having sex with that guy he can't help but feel lust for her at first. I mean the guy watches her and then they make a connection. Leila is dealing with the collaspe of her parents marriage and struggling with herself and what she wants. She meets David and she feels actual love i mean she can't be away from him for one second without wanting to feel him. She talks about how when she has sex that she can feel the pleasure inside of her but wants to feel something completely different with someone else. You guessed it that someone is David she wants to love him but she doesn't know how that is why she leaves him. Then she realizes how much she wants to be with him and he pushes her away. She is persistant and then she shows herself to him. In turn he rips out her heart and tells her he doesn't want to be with her, but that is all a lie cause the hurt in his eyes shows through. I think that Leila freaks out because she doesn't know how to comfort him when his dad dies, because you comfort the ones you love in their time of need. Plus i think Eric Balfour has a nice everything in that movie. Both are passionate towards each other even in those scenes when he gets jealous or is still grieving he hurts and the one person who he loves, leaves him. I don't think that he needs a mommy i thinks he needs a lover and someone to show him who he is. Also when they show Leila like having sex form behind i think that she is scared to let someone make actual love to her but David changes that i mean he asks her out on a date. You don't date someone you just want to have sex with. I love this movie i mean yeah theres graphic nudity but its hot and steamy and the actors make David and Leila come to life. Both Eric Balfour and Lauren Lee Smith are the perfect actors to play them.

A range of emotions on film.......2007-06-24

I bought this movie out of curiosity. I love this movie because of the range of emotions many of us experience when one desires and loves. Virgo uses long scenes with few cuts and dialogue to show what's felt when one falls for another. There's lust, attachment, uncertainty, and resolution. The movie shows how one may grow or regress because of these feelings. Rather than lots of dialogue, Virgo uses the nonverbal communication to show what's felt - the trembling of the lips with anticipation, the attachment to another when kissing their arm while asleep, or the misery and disconnect from being without the other. The plot is simple, but many of us have felt the contents of the movie at some point in time. This movie is the first that has delved into the depth of these feelings and put it brillantly on film.

If you're looking for erotic scenes, they're definitely there, and add to the content of the movie. However, if you're thinking this movie is about nothing but sex, you're misled.

Lie With Me will make you think and feel for these characters. Take the 90 minutes; it's worth the time.

Clement Virgo's Lie With Me is self-indulgent porn masquerading as an 'art' film.......2007-06-23

I've learnt to spot the danger signs of an impending bad movie. One of them is when the director is also the screenwriter and producer -- in short, there's no one there to put the brakes on when the film starts to get too self-absorbed. Such is the case with this Canadian indie film that seems to have gone straight to video.

Based on Tamara Berger's novel of the same name (published by the appropriately named Gutter Press), we meet Leila (Lauren Lee Smith), a young woman at a party. She's more than a little tipsy, and looks to be on the scrawny side, dressed clearly with the message that she's there to get laid -- oops, I mean have a good time. One man there is pretty bold about eyeing her, and the pair end up in the bathroom, where he helps her to sober up a little with a drink of water. It almost turns into sex, but his girlfriend calls for him outside and he leaves. He, we find out, is named David (Eric Balfour).

She leaves the party, taking with her Shy Guy (Michael Facciolo), and proceeds to have sex with him outside, up against a chain-link fence. Sitting in his car, watching the pair, is none other than David, along with his girlfriend. David and Leila watch each other getting laid, mimicing each others actions, as it were. At this point, I had a pretty good idea of what this film was going to be about, but as I have this thing about finishing the book or film I start, I didn't turn it off right away.

Eventually, Leila and David meet up again, this time in a public playground, and in a daring moment, she exposes herself to him, making her own interest pretty well known. They move onto his apartment for sex, and the sexual compulsion between the two of them gets going. And in fact that's what most of this film is about -- we're either watching Leila and David going at it like deranged rabbits, or she's letting us know her thoughts and experiences in a voice over that supposed to be titillating and erotic, but sounds more like a bad memoir.

The relationship is pretty predictable -- lust, jealousy phase, playing house together phase, she tries to get it past sex, he withdraws and treats her like trash, they break up, and so on and so forth. Yawn. We've seen this before. While I have to say that the sex at least looks real and honest, the rest of the film isn't that interesting. David, in particular, strikes me as the sort of young man that is fashionable these days -- unshaven, grungy and without any visible means of support. He does take care of an elderly, ailing father, so I guess that's something in his favour. But who in their right mind goes about in dirty jeans without underwear? I had a strong urge to go dip him in a vat of lye.

Leila's not much better. She's perpetually rumpled in skimpy clothing that looks to be ready to fall off at anytime. It's a cheap and sleazy look, and if she's looking for true love or respect from men, it's not a way to really inspire it either. Her personal life isn't that much better -- her parents are going through a divorce, her job is a dead-end job, she seems to spend her free time on the couch watching porn, or partying it up with weed and alcohol. She's not someone I would really care to know in reality either.

In short, this is a couple made for each other. Neither one of them are very responsible, and frankly, he treats her like a piece of meat. I suppose this is what makes this a modern, young adult relationship, sex without strings or emotion. And while the sex does get interesting, I've seen far far better in x-rated film, the only thing this lacks is what is known as the money shot in the trade.

Indeed, Virgo tries to make this as arty as possible, with lots of soft lighting, on location shots in Toronto, use of colour and texture, and I guess that works. But there isn't any sort of plot in this except for the so-called romance between the two leads, and their sexual shenanigans. Oh, there's an attempt or two with the illness of one parent, and the impeding divorce, but the central relationship is so tawdry, the viewer is left with the attitude of so what? by the end.

I don't demand syrupy romance, as long as there is some sort of passion there, but these two are so out of touch with themselves, how can they possibly make it work with each beyond the rubbing together of two body parts? That was the other big complaint with this one -- no one hits a climax that fast, and here it's the slam-bam-thankee-ma'am sort of sex. I kept thinking that she must have had insides of old leather to put up with that.

This is not for children of any age, and I would suspect that most adults would find it a bit on the disturbing side. There is quite a bit of sex in this, with male and female frontal nudity, sex in public, public exposure, sex in public, in cars, with lots of foul language and every form of straight sex that can be performed. There's plenty of drug and alcohol abuse as well. But they do try with a bit of condom use -- after all, this is the age of safe sex, I suppose.

No subtitles, some lackluster trailers for other films, and a voice-over commentary from the director. Nothing really special to watch either.

This is certainly a D-list film. Those who prefer their film to have sex and be honest about it might find a few minutes worth watching, but this 100-minute clunker has nothing else going for it. Those who are looking for a love story will be turned off by the callous brutality and attitudes. It's not a likeable film at all, and I urge you to spend your time with something, anything, else.

Not recommended.

a porn movie disguised as a 'b' movie.......2007-06-21

this movie was about a female sex maniac seeking free rides in the city of angels. there were lot of love making scenes in this hollow movie. the screenplay writer was the original author of that book titled in the same name. if this movie was shot in the '70s timeline, i'd accepted it unconditionally, but regretfully, this is a 2005 movie, aids, hiv and other diseases transmitted from random sex are real. so every time when this young woman involved in free sex, i was just sick to death.
a big question here: what's the point of making this movie?

It's like watching a car wreck, only prettified.......2007-06-10

I saw this movie on cable one night and couldn't help but purchase it on DVD. There were some elements that if you take them one by one, are not great by itself, but taken as a whole, it sorta worked. The 2 main characters were openly flawed; both had their own background stories, but to me, the movie was really about the heroine. Leila (Lauren Lee Smith) was your typical hookup girl. She looks like a disheveled model with committment issues, and she has a face that sorta grows on you-- she's not pretty right away. She also doesn't say anything new (how guys don't feel love, all they think about is sex blah blah), but just like what my title suggests, it's something you can't help but watch anyway. Part of that feeling too is that the two protagonists look like they can be a real-life couple. They both look like models, but not typical (annoying) Abercrombie, just good-looking without trying too hard. David (Eric Balfour) did his part of looking good and sexy...I didn't focus on his acting too much; He certainly looked desirable enough that would merit the fuss over him. I really appreciated the scenes that showed sexual restlessness; it's late in the afernoon, there's-nothing-to-do-and-I'm-lonely/frisky and Leila is by herself...It was a relief to see that after a rebuff, Leila didn't go out shopping or hang out with the girls and sputter self-righteous crap.

Average customer rating:

Not Billy Bob's best
Real? Or Not?
A movie for dreamers
Reach the stars and your dreams
Great FICTIONAL movie!

The Astronaut Farmer
Starring: Billy Bob Thornton , Virginia Madsen , Max Thieriot , Jasper Polish , and Logan Polish
Director: Michael Polish
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B00005JPLE
Release Date: 2007-07-10

Amazon.com

If you can give The Astronaut Farmer the big, bounding leap of faith it requires, you'll probably enjoy this good-natured film about the importance of holding on to your dreams. The title character (and the dreamer in question) is Charlie Farmer (Billy Bob Thornton), a Texas ranch owner and former aeronautics engineer who's got a homemade rocket in his barn and a dream to blast into space. Even though Charlie's deeply in debt and threatened with foreclosure, his wife (Virginia Madsen) and kids are deeply supportive of Charlie's Earth-orbit mission, even when he attracts the glaring attention of a seasoned Air Force colonel (played by Bruce Willis, in an uncredited role), the FAA, the FBI, and the national media. "If we don't have our dreams, we have nothing," says Charlie at a particularly desperate impasse, and this loopy, offbeat, and unabashedly sentimental drama embraces that message with disarming sincerity.

Suspension of disbelief is a challenge when the movie glosses over so many of its logistical details (like, where does one buy an old NASA space capsule?), and in trying for a kind of Capra-esque, eccentrically Western spin on the American dream, the Polish twins--director Michael and cowriter/actor Mark (making their mainstream debut after such indie hits as Twin Falls, Idaho and Northfork)--are only marginally successful in making Charlie's ambition genuinely believable. The film works much better as a kind of post space-age fable for families, and it's just involving enough to make its climax emotionally rewarding, mostly because Thornton, Madsen, and their costars (including Bruce Dern and Tim Blake Nelson) handle the delicate material with the earnestness it needs to be marginally convincing. Elton John's "Rocket Man" is predictably heard over the closing credits (accordingly, Charlie's launch-time is "zero hours, nine a.m."), and at a time when several adventurous entrepreneurs (including Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos) are gradually developing a civilian space-flight industry, The Astronaut Farmer is an admirable yet forgivably flawed reminder that we should never stop reaching for the stars. --Jeff Shannon

Description

All systems are "Go" for Charles Farmer. He's faced bank foreclosure, neighborhood naysayers and a government alarmed by his huge purchase of high-grade fuel, but now he's ready to blast into space inside the homemade rocket he built in his barn. Just be home in time for dinner, Charlie. Billy Bob Thornton portrays Charlie in this charmer about chasing dreams...and about what it means to be a family. 10,000 pounds of rocket fuel alone can't lift Charlie into the heavens. He needs a launch/recovery crew, and he has one of the best: his wife (Virginia Madsen) and children, dreamers all. They have liftoff. Our spirits have uplift. Gravity cannot hold down our dreams. The Astronaut Farmer is that kind of movie.

DVD Features:
Featurette:Includes two featurettes: How to Build a Rocket: The Making of The Astronaut Farmer and A Conversation with NASA Astronaut David Scott
Outtakes

Customer Reviews:

Not Billy Bob's best.......2007-06-30

If you are looking for a good Billy Bob Thornton movie then this is not it. If you are looking for a piece of entertainment that is just that, this is the Billy Bob movie to watch. Not bad but not great either. Don't buy it but rent it as I doubt it could be watched 2x.

Real? Or Not?.......2007-06-19

Stewardess told me this was a true story and it's only now, several days later, that I begin to think she might have been pulling my leg. I guess that's a tribute to the way the movie sort of makes you believe. Charles Farmer might be a real guy, but if so, he had the kind of dream you just don't find anywhere else but in Hollywood movies. This is a quasi-"indie" sort of mood picture from the Polish brothers (who show up as government agents halfway through the film), and it uses mostly actors you recall from various indie pictures over the years. For me, the highlight was seeing yet another grand old "old man" performance by the underrated Bruce Dern, whose new memoir I reviewed recently. Dern doesn't have to say a word (in fact most of the time he just shows his face, with Einstein hair exploding from his skull, so at first he looks like Christopher Lloyd from the BACK TO THE FUTURE movies). Indeed BACK TO THE FUTURE now that I think of it must have as much of a "real science" basis as THE ASTRONAUT FARMER and was likely a direct influence on it. Anyway Dern has only one scene where he does any talking at all, and yet, his quiet and heroic individuality dominate every scene of the picture.

Virginia Madsen might be asking her agent, "Why did you let me do this?" and yet at the end of the day I expect she will be glad she has this film to look back on. The two twin brothers who wrote and directed this film must have been in love with her. I have never seen her photographed looking so gorgeous, young, or sexy, even when she was a starlet 25 years ago. She is incredible here and by the way, she's what gives the movie its reality quotient, not white-lipped, white-haired Billy Bob Thornton.

I kept wishing the rocket would somehow strand the two little girls out in space or something. They were annoying plus. Take them out of school? Leave them in school? I just couldn't get interested. But I'm sure that they are fine little girls in real life and girls, if you're reading this, remember, it wasn't your fault, and better parts will come your way and there's always the Olsen twins to emulate.

A movie for dreamers.......2007-06-11

This movie is perfect, I could not have been more moved by the story and Billy-Bob Thorntons acting. When you walk into a movie, whether its based on a true story or not, you either "buy into it" or you dont. Like "The Man From Snowy River", its not a real story but an incredibe and wonderful adventure.

If you are a dreamer I believe this movie will touch you deeply. When one "dreams" he/she is essentially believing that something wonderful is possible, against all odds, and if you want to realize that dream you must hold on even when everyone loses faith. All of the emotional highs and lows of that experience are captured beautifully in this movie.

This movie is in my top 10 favorites of all time. Dare to dream!

Reach the stars and your dreams.......2007-05-29

*No spoilers*
Once again we come across another inspirational film to tell us that dreams do come true. The road to success is a difficult one--you might be the only one seeing it. The Astronaut Farmer is an uplifting, but formulistic film about a man who fought against all odds to follow the path to redemption--yes, we have seen it before, but it doesn't hurt to experience it again.

Story:
Texan farmer and ex astronaut-in-training Charles Farmer (Billy Bob Thornton) has a particular dream; he wants to go to space. In order to accomplish that, he builds a rocket--with a bunch of leftovers from a military junkyard--right in his barn. He is smart and has a strong engineering background to complete this peculiar, but dangerous project. His family and many of his friends support his goal, but unfortunately he is broke--the bank is about to take his property. Not only that, the government has found out about his "project" and will try to stop it. Will he ever launch his rocket?

Review:
The Astronaut Farmer brings back the same "feel good" formula of previous films like The World's Fastest Indian and The Pursuit of Happyness, where our main characters have one thing in common; they all want their dreams come true at any cost. In this film we see a supportive family--his wife and three kids--who stick with Farmer during the good times and bad. In a way, the rocket is what unites his family. They have no money--probably spent on the rocket--but he makes his family part of his dream by letting them participate in his project. Working on the rocket becomes a family tradition.

I'm not a big fan of Billy Bob Thornton--the memories of Bad Santa and The Alamo are still fresh on my mind--but in this movie, he gives us a decent performance. He is a likable family man. His "follow your dream" cliché speech is not as uplifting as other similar films, but it gets the job done.

The Astronaut Farmer was craftily shot. The special effects are about average, but create the desired effect--and some funny moments. It's not jaw-dropping a la Apollo 13 and it doesn't want to be.

Unfortunately, not everything in The Astronaut Farmer is "inspirational." Low points of the film are the tiresome topic, soapy feeling and long draggy parts. The notion of somebody building a rocket in his farm--by himself and with almost no budget--to go to outer space is a bit far-fetched. Also some of the humor feels force and unnecessary, especially the "it's so huge" comments by a local girl.

The Verdict:
"Been there done that" is what people are going to say when they get out of the theater. The Astronaut Farmer is another film that gives us hope--once again--to go ahead and build a rocket to reach our dreams. It has its flaws, but it's a good "feel good" family film nevertheless.

My Score: 7

Great FICTIONAL movie!.......2007-05-21

This movie was fantastic. I think what a lot of people are missing is that some movies, while not actually plausible, are meant to entertain. This is a work of fiction; it should be taken as such. As a result, it's a feel good movie with fantastic imagery that you can't help but love, so long as you take your "impossible" disposition out of the equation.

Average customer rating:

Love the stomp
unimpressive dance film
Stomp the Yard
Great dvd
stomp the yard

Stomp the Yard (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Columbus Short , Meagan Good , Ne-Yo , Darrin Dewitt Henson , and Brian J. White
Director: Sylvain White
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | African American Cinema | Genres | DVD | Video

General | African American Cinema | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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Dreamgirls (Two-Disc Showstopper Edition)
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ASIN: B00005JPK8
Release Date: 2007-05-15

Amazon.com

At its core, Stomp the Yard is a romantic drama disguised as a dance film. Or is it the other way around? DJ (Columbus Short) is a troubled teen from Los Angeles who gets a chance for a better life when he is admitted into Atlanta's privileged Truth University. Just when he thought he had escaped a life of gangs, DJ finds himself in the middle of a "war" between two upper-crust fraternities where stepping (a popular dance form) is their weapon of choice. When DJ realizes the coed he falls for is the girlfriend of the school's champion stepper, he joins the rival fraternity to try to show her--and himself--that he's as good as anyone else there. Stomp the Yard is not an original film. Add some drums and you've got Drumline. Change some of the characters around and you've got Save the Last Dance. What sets the movie apart is the stepping. The precision involved at this level is impressively complicated and Short--a dancer and choreographer--is beautifully expressive both as an actor and a dancer. Sure the plot is predictable and hokey at times. But Short and Meagan Good (as his crush April) have wonderful chemistry together, and the supporting cast--including Harry J. Lennix as DJ's no-nonsense uncle--are delightful to watch. --Jae-Ha Kim

Stills from Stomp the Yard (click for larger image)

Beyond Stomp the Yard on Amazon.com

Stomp the Yard on Blu-ray
CD Soundtrack
Dance DVDs

Product Description

DJ (Columbus Short), an amazing underground street dancer, hasn't been in college for a day before he's entranced by the lovely April (Meagan Good).Working as a gardener to pay the bills, DJ doesn't fit in with the wealthier students around campus, but one thing does catch his attention the rival fraternity competitions known as stepping. With April's help, DJ learns about the legacy and heritage behind the fraternities and decides to join up. Now part of an official step group, DJ must balance rehearsals, work, and school, while at the same time winning the heart of the girl of his dreams. With the National Step Championship drawing closer, DJ must learn to stop dancing as an individual, and start stepping as a team.

Customer Reviews:

Love the stomp.......2007-07-04

Say what you want about the storyline, the acting, whatever... you know you cheered for the under dog. To manage making a black movie with no sex, moderate violence, promoting higher education, unity and brotherhood, come on, you got to love it, especially in these days and times.

unimpressive dance film.......2007-06-21

"Stomp the Yard" is a film that exists solely for its dancing. All else is mere filler. That includes the plot, which revolves around a young L.A. street dancer named D.J. (Columbus Short) who enrolls in Atlanta's Truth University and immediately finds himself caught up in the rivalry between two fraternities specializing in what is called competitive "stomp" dancing. The film also chronicles the lovelorn lad