Kitchen Party

Starring:Scott Speedman, Tygh Runyan, John Payne (II), Jessica Leis, Aisha Schliessler, Marc Petey, Ryan Petey, A.J. Bond, James McBurney, Jenafor Ryane, Joelle Thomas, Kevin McNulty, Gillian Barber, Marie Stillin, Sarah Strange, Michelle Skalnik, Laura Harris (II), Tom McBeath, Tamsin Kelsey, Jerry Wasserman
Director: Gary Burns
Studio: Vanguard Cinema
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Excellent!
A Classic
An excellent going away gift...
Completes the Original Novel
Mrs. Dalloway plans a party and remembers young Clarissa

Mrs. Dalloway
Starring: Vanessa Redgrave , Natascha McElhone , Michael Kitchen , Alan Cox , and Sarah Badel
Director: Marleen Gorris
Manufacturer: First Look Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Period Piece | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Art House & International | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Drama | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

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

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

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

To the Lighthouse
The Hours
Aberdeen
Orlando
Twice Upon a Yesterday

ASIN: B0001US7Q8
Release Date: 2004-05-25

Amazon.com essential video

Vanessa Redgrave glows from within as the heroine of this superb adaptation of Virginia Woolf's novel. As Clarissa Dalloway prepares to host a sumptuous party, her mind wanders back to a summer in her youth, when she was courted by an eager young man--a young man whose much older self will come to the very party she's preparing. Mrs. Dalloway moves fluidly between the past and the present, exploring the shifts in perspective and understanding with an unsentimental but graceful eye. What's most stunning is the remarkable interplay between the younger and older actors, who truly seem to be different versions of the same character (the young Clarissa is played by Natascha McElhone). Beautifully directed by Marleen Gorris (Antonia's Line), the movie also features Rupert Graves as a shell-shocked soldier who crosses Clarissa's path. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Excellent!.......2007-04-16

Excellent film - beautiful scenery and wonderful costumes. Easily takes you into the time period (early 20th century London). Touching and profound. Vanessa Redgrave is radiant with a superb supporting cast. A real sense of Virginia Woolf comes through. Extremely fine film on many levels.

A Classic.......2005-10-26

What a movie! What a classic! Classic as they come.All should have taken home an Oscar.

An excellent going away gift..........2004-12-02

...for someone you detest, but for whom convention dictates such: Prospective movie heaven transmutes into actual movie hell. By comparison, "My Dinner With Andre" is action-adventure.

Mrs. Clarissa Dalloway (the older, portrayed by Vanessa Redgrave) reminisces (ad nausea, as do others) about past relationships, love affairs (with lesbian overtones), or lack thereof. Between reminiscences, she plans that evening's house party. The reminiscences are interminable flash-backs, flash-forwards and flash-sideways between the cast of characters as young adults and two modern-day threads thirty years later. The film's first 53 minutes contains 41 such flashes, averaging every 1.3 minutes. The total 92 minutes contain 49 such flashes, averaging every 1.88 minutes. (The horror this reviewer experienced, dear reader, in the interests of an accurate review!) Sporadically (sowing more confusion) parallel, irrelevant and unrelated side-flashes occur: Ex-soldier Septimus experiences post-traumatic stress syndrome because of the battlefield death of war-buddy Evans. Sixty minutes and eight side-flashes in, Septimus commits suicide, fortuitously ending these irrelevant detours.

Young Clarissa is portrayed by Natascha McElhone. Peter Walsh, rejected lover from Clarissa's early life, is alternately portrayed by Michael Kitchen (older) and Alan Cox (younger); Richard Dalloway, the rival who Clarissa married, by John Standing (older) and Robert Portal (younger). Summing the time jumps in this flick would give whole new meaning to the title of Carl Claudy's 1933 novel "A Thousand Years A Minute". Moral: When doing 30-year flash-backs, minimize them and avoid character close-ups at all costs! Clarissa is half a head taller than both Peter and Richard in older age, previously being inches shorter, with other attribute disparities. Even sneaky camera angles (including platforms?) don't succeed.

Dialog is mostly trite drivel. Clarissa's voice-overs reach a peak of foppish snobbery and arrogance (shades of "Scarlet Pimpernel") during the big party, where her over-riding thought, amidst all this past love-life havoc, is the house party's success. (Is the film's whole point Clarissa's fundamental shallowness and Peter's great good fortune in inadvertently not marrying her?)

This reviewer has not read the book, but this turkey offers nothing which would motivate such. The DVD's picture is fine, except the presentation is non-anamorphic widescreen, meaning that using a system which assumes anamorphic input (for example a high-end HDTV and compatible DVD player) will likely produce unexpected results! Sound volume tends to be uneven.

Completes the Original Novel.......2004-11-27

I recommend this film as an afterthought to the original novel by Virginia Woolf; it will clarify any confusion and bring an intimacy to Woolf's wordy explanations.

Mrs. Dalloway (Vanessa Redgrave/Natascha McElhone) begins her day on a journey to buy flowers for her party. Along the way she encounters a mysterious man ravaged by the memory of war named Septimus Warren Smith (Rupert Graves) who will become a factor towards the end of her delightful day of contemplation. Clarissa Dalloway meets a man from her past, Peter Walsh (Michael Kitchen/Alan Cox) and memories of her exuberant youth flood her with thoughts as she goes about her day as an English upper crust wife. Added to Clarissa's memories are thoughts of her long lost friend Sally (Sarah Badel/Lena Headley) a young woman who once embraced the immaturity of whims. So that in the end a day of celebration becomes a deeper exploration into life than Mrs. Dalloway could have ever expected.

Virginia Woolf wrote the original novel, "Mrs. Dalloway," in 1925 and she intentionally wanted to stir a contemplated thought process into the art of a novel. She succeeded in that her novel is considered a modern classic and is timeless but extraordinarily complicated. However once read I believe that this film will bring about a closeness to Woolf's original characters and some closure to the reading experience. The actors in this film are all very good with a few standouts like, Redgrave, Graves and McElhone. Thankfully the film stays very close to the original novel and any changes are more of an awakening thought than true alterations. Add "The Hours," (novel/DVD) as an added exploration into Woolf's mind as a writer.

Mrs. Dalloway plans a party and remembers young Clarissa.......2004-09-26

Virginia Woolf's novel "Mrs. Dalloway" examines one day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, in which the title character prepares for a party and looks back on the point in her life when she choose Richard Dalloway over Peter Walsh. Meanwhile, the mentally ill war veteran Septimus Warren Smith spends his last day on earth. The action of the novel exists primarily in the consciousness of the characters, for the story itself is essentially plotless and written in the stream-of-consciousness style of James Joyce. Although written in the omniscient third-person voice, Woolf manages to enter the consciousness of her various characters, who are not as unconnected as they might seem to be, and reveal their feelings.

Translating this novel to the screen requires that it be done by those who have a strong understanding and affection for the authors and her characters. Vanessa Redgrave is clearly one of those people and she commissioned Eileen Atkins to write the script so that she could play the title character. Atkins is a Woolf scholar who not only played the author in a one-woman stage piece but also wrote "Vita and Virginia," in which she and Redgrave played Woolf and her lover Vita Sackville-West. Atkins chooses to allow us only into the inner thoughts of Mrs. Dalloway, using voice-over narration to reveal the thoughts that she would never speak out loud. Those who have read the novel might not enjoy the film more than those who have not, since there are always limitations with bringing any literary masterpiece to the screen, but they will certainly understand it more, especially the first part of the film.

A strength of this 1997 film is how easily we accept that Natascha McElhone as the young Clarissa grows up to be Vanessa Redgrave's Mrs. Dalloway. It is young Clarissa who chooses young Richard (Robert Portal) over not only young Peter (Alan Cox), but also over young Sally Selton (Lena Headey), whose kiss bespeaks something that is not going to even be thought about. Now Richard Dalloway (John Standing) is a cabinet official, Peter Walsh (Michael Kitchen) has come home from India, and Sally is now Lady Rosseter (Sarah Badel). Of course Mrs. Dalloway's thoughts go back to her fateful decision, made over the objections of her friends, when she accepted her life of comfortable sameness. But her concern over the evening's party is just as big of a concern. For those who are trying to figure out the point of the story the seemingly unrelated plotline involving Septimus Smith (Rupert Graves) and his Italian wife (Amelia Bullmore) helps the pieces come together, especially once Mrs. Dalloway's thoughts provide the big picture.

Dutch filmmaker Marleen Gorris, who won as Oscar for "Antonia's Line," brings this film in at 97 minutes and while I think "Mrs. Dalloway" the film captures the essence of the novel, I cannot find it approaches the depth. What makes the novel profound is not the end point that it reaches when we reach the close of a day in the life of Clarissa Dallowy, but the journey through her jumbled thoughts. For Christmas I gave my eldest daughter the movie "The Hours" along with the Michael Cunningham novel and Woolf's "Mrs. Dalloway," and I would think others would benefit from immersing themselves in the works of, and about, Virginia Woolf.

Average customer rating:

very good
A little disappointed
Sophie O. before HOTEL RWANDA
Of course...
Another example of strong Brit tv

Alibi
Starring: Michael Kitchen , Sophie Okonedo , Phyllis Logan , Stefan Weclawek , and Paul Thornley
Director: David Richards (II)
Manufacturer: KOCH VISION
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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

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

Falling
Dandelion Dead
Caught On a Train
Foyle's War - Set 3
The Last Detective - Series 1

ASIN: B0009H97IU
Release Date: 2005-07-12

Description

In this dense psychological thriller by acclaimed writer Paul Abbott (Cracker, Touching Evil), an upper-class man and a catering waitress are brought together over a corpse. Not knowing what else to do, they dispose of the body. As events unfold, seeds of mistrust spread until they threaten to destroy everyone in their reach. Caught in their relentless advance are two unlikely characters, portrayed by critically acclaimed actor Michael Kitchen and Academy Award® nominee Sophie Okonedo.

Customer Reviews:

very good.......2006-10-05

This one I rented ,not knowing what to expect. But when I watched it, I really didn't want it to end. This was a very good movie. Very suspensful,and believable. Just when you think somebody is busted ,they squirm away in a very believable manner. It's not all fake and contrived like all these movies these days. Everybody seems so calm and collected in movies, but not this one. And the most shocking thing about this movie is that it was made for TV in the UK. A TV movie ,that in my opinion is better than 90% of crap put out here. Very well worth checking out.

A little disappointed.......2006-08-31

I loved Alibi when I saw it on TV as a 3-part series. So, you can imagine my disappointment when I discover chunks of the story have been edited out !! And unfortunately this does detract from a great storyline. However, maybe you won't notice the missing threads but I think it's very sad that some lovely elements have been lost. Otherwise, what can I say, Michael Kitchen is brilliant

Sophie O. before HOTEL RWANDA.......2005-05-13

If you were impressed by Sophie Okonedo in 2004's HOTEL RWANDA, in which she played the wife of the beleaguered hotel manager, a role for which she received an Oscar nomination, then do yourself a favor and view ALIBI.

Here, in this movie made for the British telly, Sophie plays Marcey Burgess, whose regular 9 to 5 is as a benefits claims verifier. She also works a part time gig as a waitress for a catering company. In the latter capacity, she's present at the surprise birthday bash thrown by Greg Brentwood (Michael Kitchen) for his wife Linda (Phyllis Logan) at their country house. During the festivities, from her vantage point in the kitchen, she observes Greg's business partner, Martin Shaps (Tom Knight), engage in a bit of surreptitious touchy-feely with Linda. The two are evidently more than just friends. Later, on the way back to the city with the rest of the catering crew, Marcey discovers that she's left her purse back at the Brentwood house. She returns at 2:00 AM to discover the place pretty much deserted except for Greg bent over Martin's dead body. Terrified, Burgess locks herself in a bathroom, and listens through the door as Greg explains the situation; Martin's death was an accident. And Linda had left earlier to spend the night with her sister after a Big Row over the expense of the party; the Brentwoods are financially strapped. When Marcey lets slip that she thinks Linda and Martin were lovers by mentioning the tactile incident, Greg is devastated. Believing Greg's story about his partner's death, and feeling sorry for the former, Burgess emerges from the loo to help plan body disposal.

It would be unseemly to gush too much about ALIBI; there are problems. Marcey's motive for helping Greg out of a dodgy spot was never rationalized to my satisfaction. Sure, she obviously felt sympathy for the guy. But abet winkling away a corpse? Puhleeze! Perhaps she was compensating for having to deny petitioners benefits after listening to their hard luck stories all day/every day at the office. Also, the manner by which Martin's cadaver was eventually disposed wasn't completely thought out by the scriptwriters. Lucky for our two conspirators that Columbo wasn't on the local constabulary.

The real treat is watching Sophie display a range of behavior from fear-induced hysteria to coldly rational problem solving characterized by an intelligent cleverness unexpected in a bureaucratic desk drone. Yup, Okonedo has a wealth of acting talent that makes me want to seek out any other Big Screen role that she's played. Kitchen is good also, but his Brentwood persona is very nearly that of the same actor's Inspector Foyle in the marvelous British miniseries FOYLE'S WAR, albeit a bit more of a whiny Sad Sack.

ALIBI is the perfect film for that dinner before the telly.

Of course..........2005-04-20

...crap is always high proirity. There are about 10 movies with the same title. At least two are worthy of viewing (the french one (1931) with Erich von Stroheim I keep waiting for, and the english one (1942) with James Mason which is not too bad), but the TV crap was the only choice for release, and worse, it is even going to be re-released. Crap-lovers will be delighted, but are they the only customers who need to be served?????? Konrad Lorenz was sure right when he said (about half a century ago : "The missing link between ape and man, it's us"; what would he say now?

Another example of strong Brit tv.......2005-04-08

This is another captivating job of writing by Paul Abbott ('State of Play', 'Shameless'), and although it may strain our credulity a bit, the strong performances by Michael Kitchen, Sophie Okonedo and Phyllis Logan bring this piece up to a standard not reached by most US films in wide release.

From what I've seen of Abbott's pieces, he can really write and he has heart. Kitchen's role in this is certainly not as commanding as that of his loveable Foyle, - Sophie Okonedo really has the lead in this, and she's amazing. I don't agree with the other reviewer here, and wasn't interested in quibbling mystery/horror fare - it's not a mystery at all, it's a character study. And although the eventual ending might be a tad anticlimactic, every moment getting there, watching actors of this caliber get shuffled about in Abbott's twists and turns, was just delightful. Let's get all of Abbott's work out on dvd here in the States, what do you say?

Average customer rating:

Excellent!
A Classic
An excellent going away gift...
Completes the Original Novel
Mrs. Dalloway plans a party and remembers young Clarissa

Mrs. Dalloway
Starring: Vanessa Redgrave , Natascha McElhone , Michael Kitchen , Alan Cox , and Sarah Badel
Director: Marleen Gorris
Manufacturer: Fox Lorber
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Period Piece | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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

To the Lighthouse
The Hours
Aberdeen
Orlando
Twice Upon a Yesterday

ASIN: 6305570051
Release Date: 2003-01-28

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

Excellent!.......2007-04-16

A Classic.......2005-10-26

What a movie! What a classic! Classic as they come.All should have taken home an Oscar.

An excellent going away gift..........2004-12-02

Completes the Original Novel.......2004-11-27

Mrs. Dalloway plans a party and remembers young Clarissa.......2004-09-26

Average customer rating:

very good
A little disappointed
Sophie O. before HOTEL RWANDA
Of course...
Another example of strong Brit tv

Alibi
Starring: Michael Kitchen , Sophie Okonedo , Phyllis Logan , Stefan Weclawek , and Paul Thornley
Director: David Richards (II)
Manufacturer: Lance Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

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

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

Falling
Dandelion Dead
Caught On a Train
Foyle's War - Set 3
The Last Detective - Series 1

ASIN: B0002KQNTA
Release Date: 2004-09-21

Description

A waitress helps a frantic man cover up the accidental death of his business partner, but later fears that she concealed a premeditated murder.

Customer Reviews:

very good.......2006-10-05

A little disappointed.......2006-08-31

Sophie O. before HOTEL RWANDA.......2005-05-13

Of course..........2005-04-20

Another example of strong Brit tv.......2005-04-08

Average customer rating:

Kitchen Party
Starring: Scott Speedman , Tygh Runyan , John Payne (II) , Jessica Leis , and Aisha Schliessler
Director: Gary Burns
Manufacturer: Vanguard Cinema
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Teen | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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

The 24th Day
My Life Without Me
Dark Blue
Duets
The Dying Gaul

ASIN: B00012QKVK
Release Date: 2004-03-02

DVD:

DVD

DVD

DVD

An Evening with Harry Belafonte & Friends

The Salton Sea

Lady Frankenstein [1972] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

DVD: At War with the Army

Frankenstein schuf ein Weib