Mail Order Bride

Starring:Danny Aiello, Ivana Milicevic
Studio: Monarch Video
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Love Story from America's Heartland
A bit of Norwegian history
Sweet Land
A Cinematic Gem That Deserves a Wider Audience
One of the Finest Films of the Immigrant Experience Ever Made!

Sweet Land - A Love Story
Starring: Elizabeth Reaser , Tim Guinee , Alan Cumming , John Heard , and Alex Kingston
Director: Ali Selim
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Miss Potter
The Painted Veil
Bridge to Terabithia (Widescreen Edition)
Breach (Widescreen Edition)
The Queen

ASIN: B000P5FH26
Release Date: 2007-07-10

Description

Inge (Elizabeth Reaser) is a feisty German mail-order bride who has come to Minnesota to marry Olaf (Tim Guinee), a young Norwegian immigrant farmer of few words. But in a post-WWI, anti-German climate, the local minister (John Heard) openly forbids the marriage. Inge and Olaf fall in love despite the town's disapproval. But when the town banker (Ned Beatty) attempts to foreclose on the farm of his friend Frandsen (Alan Cumming), Olaf takes a stand...and the community unites around the young couple, finally accepting Inge as one of their own.

Customer Reviews:

Love Story from America's Heartland.......2007-06-20

I often see romance movies with my wife and that will be the end of it, but this movie kept me coming back, I saw it 3 times (twice by myself) in the theater and would see it again if it was still showing, its that good, I can't imagine why this movie wasn't awarded "Best Picture" "Best Everything". There is a charming innocence about this film, that makes you want to live in yesteryear, and that's coming from a guy! Now I want to own it.

A bit of Norwegian history.......2007-04-23

This film is a must-see. The beginning and ending perfectly frame the main part of the movie which is a flashback of Inge's and Olaf's love story. It's set in Becker County Minnesota which is my former neck of the woods.

The movie is largely authentic, but liberties have been taken. First, Olaf is the perfect incarnation of a Norwegian immigrant farmer. His demeanor perfectly captures the personality and mentality of the Norwegian farmers that I knew in my youth. His acting is absolutely stunning. On the other hand, Inge is luminous, but her behavior is Hollywoodized--she would have been much more subdued for a woman at that time. The Lutheran pastor too, would have been more subdued and perhaps stricter. Other inauthenticities include the flatness of the land--Becker County is full of hills, lakes, rocks and trees. And how can there be a movie about Norwegians that doesn't include a scene of them eating lefse?

Nevertheless, one truly accurate scene was the ground-level shot of Inge's and Olaf's boots trudging through the very black soil. The dirt in northwestern Minnesota is exceedingly black and rich, being the former bottom of a glacial lake. Olaf's muttering "Uff da" at one of Inge's outbursts and his slogan "Banking and farming don't mix" are ideal representations of the classic characteristics of the Norwegians that I know.

All in all, this film is charming and engaging. It is a fabulous introduction to the microculture of Scandinavian heritage that is entrenched in the Upper Midwest, which few Americans are aware of and even fewer understand.

Sweet Land.......2007-04-21

Sweet Land is a movie about a mail-order bride from Germany who comes to America during the time right after WWI. Obviously, the towspeople are a little leary about having a German there so soon after the US had just finished war with them. Anyway, it follows the bride and her soon-to-be groom during their first few weeks (months?) together.

The story itself is great. It's completely simple, but still excellent. I truly enjoyed it. I saw this movie because it was dubbed the new 'Days of Heaven'. But other than the early 1900s farm setting, I saw few similarities. The cinematography was very well done, but still much different than Malick's film. Overall, I would say it was strong in visuals. My biggest complaint about this film was the present-time bookends. The meat of the story was a complete and beautiful film all by itself. The first 5-10 minutes and the last 5-10 minutes should have been cut. They were cliche and really did not match the tone of the rest of the film. Had those parts not been included, this movie is a 9/10 easily.

Sweet Land is one of the best films of 2006 and you will be glad you saw it. If possible, see it with a significant other. It's a very rare 'real' love story, and well worth a viewing.

A Cinematic Gem That Deserves a Wider Audience.......2007-03-09

"Sweet Land" is the only movie I've ever watched twice at the movie theaters. It was just as entertaining the second time I saw it. I am of Irish descent, and when I moved to Minnesota a few years ago, I found myself surrounded by many people of Scandavian heritage. "Sweet Land" allowed me to traverse back to my neighbors' cultural antecedents. (It also gave me a greater appreciation for basic amenities like indoor plumbing.) The movie seemed to really capture the hardscrabble existence of immigrants who risked coming to America for a better, more independent life. It also showed the cultural sensibilities the Scandavians brought over with them. The characters and their life stories are very memorable. "Sweet Land" is truly charming movie that deserves a much wider distribution.

One of the Finest Films of the Immigrant Experience Ever Made!.......2007-02-14

Ali Selim is a gifted artist and one that surely will continue to create magical films such as his masterpiece SWEET LAND in the coming years. Selim wrote the screenplay based on Will Weaver's perfect little short story 'A Gravestone Made of Wheat', found the perfect setting for his tale of the trials of immigrants entering America searching for the American Dream in the spacious grandeur of Nebraska, and selected a cast to bring life to his story that simply could not be better. This film DESERVED to be considered among the best at the time of awards.

Though the time of the story is 1920, the film opens much later in slow motion, only soft music comes from the soundtrack, yet the actors are mouthing words that make us realize we are witnessing the passing of someone important. When the characters begin to speak, the story of remembering what love and trials and experiences years ago were like, transporting us to a station house where we meet Inge (Elizabeth Reaser), a Norwegian/German girl who has come to America to marry a man she has never met, a man who will provide her with home, marriage, and a chance to start afresh. Her 'intended' is Olaf (Tim Guinee) who is shy and unsure of how to make Inge a part of his life: Inge's German background makes her suspect to the townsfolk who fear the course of Germany's power in WW I. Inge speaks no English but has been learning through a common phrase book. Olaf's friend Frandsen (a brilliant role for Alan Cumming), married to Brownie (Alex Kingston) with at least eight children already, helps Inge connect with Olaf. The intended marriage cannot take place with the minister (John Heard) because Inge can't speak English and because she is German... And there begins the trial that places Inge and Olaf in a home unmarried and fending for themselves.

Through extraordinary acts of love bestowed upon Frandsen and Brownie (threatened with eviction from their farm) Inge and Olaf gain the respect of the townspeople and gradually are appreciated for the strong couple they are. They are married, and have children, and the story proceeds to the point where it started, where the aged Inge (now played with humility, grace and style by Lois Williams) carries on the integrity of the departed Olaf and brings closure to her family's disparities through her bonding to her son Lars (Patrick Heusinger and later Stephen Pelinski). Both Inge and Olaf wished to be buried in the soil of their land that raised the wheat that gave them material and spiritual sustenance. And it is done.

There are numerous fine cameo roles portrayed by Ned Beatty, Paul Sand, Jodie Markell, Sage Kermes, Kirsten Frantzich, Stephen Yoakam, and Karen Landry. But the equal 'stars' of this breathtaking (and heart-taking) film are cinematographer David Tumblety and musical scoring by Thomas Lieberman and Mark Orton. The end credits are screen on the horizon of the farm with the young Inge and Olaf dancing, a touch that places Ali Selim in the ranks with the finest of filmmakers of the day. This is a brilliant, must-see film. Grady Harp, February 07

Average customer rating:

Excellent!
Passion of Mind entertwined with Passionate Bodies
Better than expected
Sexy afternoon thriller
Original Angelina

Original Sin (Unrated Version)
Starring: Antonio Banderas , Angelina Jolie , Thomas Jane , Jack Thompson , and Gregory Itzin
Director: Michael Cristofer
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Gia (Unrated Edition)
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Taking Lives - Director's Cut (Widescreen Edition)
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ASIN: B00005V4XV
Release Date: 2002-03-26

Amazon.com

Original Sin belongs in the "so bad it's good" category of languid potboilers, offering enough nudity, sexual chemistry, and far-fetched plotting to make it an enjoyable lazy-day diversion. Based on Cornell Woolrich's novel Waltz into Darkness (previous filmed by François Truffaut as Mississippi Mermaid) and set in turn-of-the-century Cuba, the film traces a tailspin of amorous obsession when coffee plantation owner Luis (Antonio Banderas) discovers that his American mail-order bride (Angelina Jolie) is not the plain wife he'd expected, but a beautiful, scheming thief who's after his fortune. The movie asserts that love is truly blind, but absurd twists of plot make Luis appear more stupid than passionate. Writer-director Michael Cristofer fared better with Jolie in Gia; here, he's made another good-looking film about beautiful people, but its plot just can't be taken seriously. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Excellent!.......2007-05-13

I had been searching for the Original Sin DVD for a number of years. I had seen it once when I was very young, and it wasn't available in the UK. It may not be a life changing movie, but I found it very enjoyable to watch. Jolie and Banderas work very well together. A lot better than you'd think.
Definitely one to buy!

Passion of Mind entertwined with Passionate Bodies.......2007-02-15

The film is well titled and is full of intrigue and mis-direction, yet it always returns to its central theme of over arching sexuality and attractiveness.

Better than expected.......2007-02-13

I had seen the rated version of this movie, but bought the unrated version instead. Great Movie...!! Rated or not. Worth the watch. Angelina Jolie is wonderful in this movie. And Antonino Banderas-its always a pleasure to watch him.

Sexy afternoon thriller.......2007-01-25

Please don't buy this film if you are a super film critic and wish to tear apart the weaker aspects of Original Sin. Buy this film if you love love and are fans of Antonio Bandaras and Angelina Jolie. It was quite a strech for these two blockbuster actors to do such intimatly nude scenes together, I have never seen either do nudity. They were beautiful together and sizzled the screen with their bedroom and tub love making. It was definatly an afternoon turn on to see these two great actors make love in such a realistic fashion it made me blush. Thomas Jane added more to the film with his bad boy good looks, these three actors were made to take their clothes off, they all had such awesome bodies, it was art on the screen. The plot was set in Havana, and shot in Mexico and you could really get a feel for the Spanish influence Antonio wore elegant panama suits and the wedding scene all the people wore beautiful panama draped white suits it really made you feel you were in Cuba, the shots of the cuban country side were rich with sensual colors and mexican people and planations were beautiful. The plot had many interesting twists to keep you intrigued. When I saw this movie I was extrmemly surprise that it didn't get a better box office review, but I am the kind of person that doesn't always like what everybody else does and this is one film I really loved.

Original Angelina.......2006-09-11

I am really glad that I got the unrated version of this movie. It was worth the extra cost. I would put this at the top of my favorite Angelina Jolie movies list.

Hot Dawg! This one rocks!

MC White said: Check it out!

Average customer rating:

the story about the ants
Wow!
Eleanor - Oh God!!!
Heston & Parker equals spontaneous combustion!
the best of the best

The Naked Jungle
Starring: Eleanor Parker , Charlton Heston , Abraham Sofaer , William Conrad , and Romo Vincent
Director: Byron Haskin
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Jungle Action | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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Elephant Walk
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The Greatest Show on Earth

ASIN: B0002WZTIY
Release Date: 2004-11-09

Description

In THE NAKED JUNGLE, Charlton Heston plays the powerful, brooding owner of a plantation in the wild and treacherous South American jungle, while Eleanor Parker plays his charming American mail order bride. He is wary of this beautiful and talented woman, and wonders why she would leave America for the rigors of jungle life. But with the advance of relentless killer ants making their way across the jungle, the two find their relationship changing as they fight to save the jungle.

Customer Reviews:

the story about the ants.......2007-05-08

actually the story about the ants takes up only about half this film; the first half is about charleton heston's mail order bride, eleanor parker, who is excellent in one of her 2 best roles,( the other being 1945's "pride of the marines" w/john garfield)but when the ant story moves center stage, the movie really takes off. the technicolor is outstanding, as are the special effects.as a side note, it's interesing to see william conrad as the commissionar. on the original radio broadcast of this story, then called "leinengen vs. the ants", it was he who had the heston role.on the whole an enjoyable adventure film w/ a touch of science fiction.

Wow!.......2007-03-09

Charlton Heston is a handsome, troubled man who has his brother send him a mate. He has a beautiful home in the jungle and I guess is too busy to find his own. Are there any women in the jungle? Not any like Spitfire, Eleanor Parker, which shocks him with her beauty and personality. She is also shocked with his masculine body and good looks. There are times when you would like to smack him around, but then... The romance is definately there, he tries to protect her from ... well you'll see. It's romantic in an animal-like way. The ending is great! I love the action and the Romance!!

Eleanor - Oh God!!!.......2007-02-21

Marabunta, Shmarabunta - who cares about all that. It's worth ten times the price just to look at Eleanor Parker for two hours!

Heston & Parker equals spontaneous combustion!.......2007-02-03

I like this film a lot - Charlton Heston plays a 34 yr old virgin owner named Christopher of a massive plantation who marries a woman by proxy without ever meeting her. Eleanor Parker plays the woman that he finds is his stunningly gorgeous wife "Joanna." What an incredibly beautiful woman - the hair, blue eyes and ivory skin! Parker looks like a porcelain doll - she's so stunning in this color film that it just takes your breath away. Her character is strong and deliciously feminine. Christopher is both awed and intimidated by his "luck" in such a terrific catch. He knows absolutely nothing about women and never bedded one. Boy, is his character sexually repressed. He freaks out when he discovers Joanna has been married before and widowed. Memorable line "Lady, the piano you are playing has never been played before" - subtle hint that Joanna is used goods in his mind. He cannot forgive her and wants her to go back to where she came from - New Orleans. As he is trying to get rid of her, the ants show up and she proves her strength & character to him. The sexual tension and chemistry between Heston and Parker is electric. And yes, Heston is so handsome in this film.

the best of the best.......2007-01-21

Recently I have purchased quite a few items from Amazon,and have never had a problem with anything i have purchased,Naked jungle was always a favorite of mine,and Amazon will usually have what i'm looking for.Just recently I introduced Amazon to a couple members of my family who were looking for some old serial movies that continue each week,and they were able to find what they were looking for.Thanks for the good work,keep it up. Louise

Average customer rating:

Touching story set in beautiful Hawaii
Picture Bride
The Deceptive Pastoral
Married Strangers
A BEAUTIFUL, HYPNOTIC FILM...

Picture Bride
Starring: Youki Kudoh , Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa , Tamlyn Tomita , Akira Takayama , and Yôko Sugi
Director: Kayo Hatta
Manufacturer: Miramax Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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

Come See the Paradise
Picture Bride: A Novel
Snow Falling on Cedars
Beyond Barbed Wire/Go For Broke
The Joy Luck Club

ASIN: B0000DZTIX
Release Date: 2004-06-01

Amazon.com

The first feature by Hawaii-born filmmaker Kayo Hatta, 1995's Picture Bride takes us into unexplored story territory in its tale of a young Japanese woman (Youki Kudoh of Jim Jarmusch's Mystery Train) who leaves her home in 1918 to become the mail-order wife of a sugar plantation laborer (Akira Takayama) in Honolulu. Her first shock is discovering that her husband is actually 20 years older than his photograph; after that, life just becomes hard as the intensity and dangers of plantation work eclipse all joy. Hatta achieves an admirable authenticity in her portrait of the island community and the ghosts it (literally) harbors; she also gives us a strong sense of racial and class divisions that crackle like live wires through Oahu's booming industries at the start of the century. Tamlyn Tomita is excellent as the woman who becomes Kudoh's closest ally and friend in this new world, and the late Toshirô Mifune has a memorable, small part as a traveling narrator of silent films. This is an original, fascinating, and touching work. --Tom Keogh

Description

Highly acclaimed by critics everywhere, this memorable story of passionate love is set amid the breathtaking scenery of a tropical paradise. With only a picture in hand, a beautiful young woman leaves behind all she knows for the far-off islands of Hawaii -- and an arranged marriage with a man she has never met. Though she initially regrets her decision, in time her new life on an island sugar plantation is filled with unexpected discovery and joy. Featuring Youki Kudoh (MYSTERY TRAIN) and Tamlyn Tomita (THE JOY LUCK CLUB), PICTURE BRIDE was the winner of the Audience Award for Best Dramatic Film at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival.

Customer Reviews:

Touching story set in beautiful Hawaii.......2006-10-29

Picture Bride is the touching story of a young Japanese girl who travels to Hawaii in 1918 to marry a man she has only seen in a photo. The movie does an excellent job portraying the emotional ups and downs of the immigrant Japanese community and their complex relationships to the other cultural groups in Hawaii at the time.

Youki Kodoh gives a memorable performance as the young bride. She is probably best know to English audiences from her roll as a Japanese tourist in the quirky move "Mystery Train" and her smaller role as a Geisha in the more recent "Memoirs of a Geisha." This film also contains the last appearance of veteran actor Toshiro Mifune. Despite his failing health at the time he wanted to help this remarkable story be told.

The DVD extras contain an informative documentary on the making of the film and the history of the real people who inspired the movie. The all woman team who produced, directed and wrote the movie interviewed many Japanese Americans who had gone through similar experiences to get their first hand recollection of this historical phenomena. This sense of authenticity is in part why it was voted an Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival.

For anyone interested in the history of Japan, America and Hawaii this is good choice.

Picture Bride.......2006-07-13

This is a good movie that presents what happened in Hawaii in the early 1900's. It's important that 3rd, 4th and 5th generation Japanese Americans see this movie so they have a sense of what life was probably like for their ancestors.

The Deceptive Pastoral.......2006-06-13

Caught between a rock and a hard place, "Picture Brides" succumb to the "push" factors that force them to leave their homes (in this case Japan) to marry "site unseen" (except for a picture of a man halfway across the world) in this case, Hawaii.

Picture Bride centers around the life and time of the fictional Riyo (Youki Kudoh - who made the character "Pumpkin" in Memoirs of a Geisha famous), a 17-year-old who leaves Yokohama, Japan; in order to marry a man (as mentioned previously) she's never met. Set in Hawaii in 1918, Matsuji (Akira Takayama) it is revealed lied about his age. He is 25 years older than she is. Their relationship is unsatisfactory to both sides - her from the betrayal and him, well, you do the math. In the interim, Riyo, formerly of Yokohama is having difficulty coping with her new conditions - working in the sugar fields with one leg in Hawaii and another trying to book passage back "home."

Riyo meets up and forms a bond with Kana (Tamlyn Tomita), who teaches her to earn extra money by doing laundry for others after work in the fields - she fuels a dream to go home. Riyo, as previously mentioned is desperately trying to get back to Japan, puts money away until she slowly begins to see her condition from a different perspective - she will become a settler.

The movie is sensitively directed by Kayo Hatta. Hatta does an incredible job maneuvering this already tense drama which sets the stage for the likes of Snow Falling on Cedars but was presaged by Come See Paradise. Engaging in yet a different version of the deceptive pastoral, the movie is set in picturesque Hawaii.

Picture Bride is a tribute to the resilience of immigrants and an amazing filmic representation of a narrative that would have otherwise gone silent.

Miguel Llora

Married Strangers.......2005-09-07

"Picture Bride" is the first film by director Kayo Hatta. It won the Audience Award @ the Sundance Film Festival in 1994. Hatta has apparently remained inactive as a director until this year with a short film "Fishbowl" in 2005. This film is gorgeously photographed with the landscape in Hawaii breathtakingly photographed by Claudio Rocha who also served as cinematographer on a film I enjoyed with Peter Fonda called "The Maldonado Miracle." Yuki Kudoh who was so memorable in "Snow Falling on Cedars" and has "Memoirs of a Geisha" out this year plays Riyo, a young Japanese woman who becomes engaged to a man in Hawaii only by looking at his picture. She does an excellent job of showing the character's inner strength as she works in the fields, brings in extra work doing laundry and eventually finds her place in her new home. In his first & only film credit of which I'm aware, Akira Takayama plays Matsuji her husband who is 25 years older than his photograph. Riyo's main friend becomes the worldly-wise Kana played by Tamlyn Tomita who has been in "Karate Kid, Part 2," "The Joy Luck Club" & "The Day After Tomorrow." Tomita brings out the strength and caring of the character and shows the tragedy of people who are not considered important as she perishes searching for her baby who has wandered when the sugar cane is set on fire. Her husband is played by the dashing Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa whose long list of film credits include "The Last Emperor," "Mortal Combat," "The Phantom," "Snow Falling on Cedars," "Pearl Harbor" & "Elektra." As Kanzaki, he is not the most caring of husbands, inflicting bruises and abuse. But his drunken misbehavior is also balanced by being a buddy to Matsuji and with a great grief scene as he realizes his wife & child have perished. Legendary Toshiro Mifune from "Rashomon" (1950) & "The Seven Samurai" (1954) does a cameo as the Benshi, who narrates silent films. Yoko Sugi who did 8 Japanese films in the 1950's gives a cameo performance as Aunt Sode who sets up the marriage. While the episodic film doesn't climax with a great crescendo, it does paint the picture of those in the early 1900's who married strangers to find a life. Enjoy!

A BEAUTIFUL, HYPNOTIC FILM..........2005-09-07

I had never heard of this film, but when I stumbled upon it in the video store, I found its premise fascinating. As the film explains, with the advent of photography, the Asian tradition of arranged marriages became modernized in the early twentieth century, allowing families and matchmakers to meet, using photographs of the prospective brides and bridegrooms in lieu of face-to-face meetings. This was especially convenient, when the parties sought to be matched lived in far-flung parts of the country or even different parts of the world. This film explores this phenomena within the context of the so-called "picture brides" of Hawai'i. It is estimated that between 1907 and 1924, approximately twenty thousand young Asian woman from Japan, Okinawa, and Korea, became "picture brides", leaving their native country and journeying to Hawai'i to become the wives of men that they had never met. This film is a composite of their stories and experiences.

The story begins in 1918 in Yokahama, where a beautiful, young, Japanese woman named Riyo Nakamura (Youki Kudoh) is left an orphan, having just buried her father. It seems that both her parents have died of a disease that stigmatizes Riyo in terms of her marriage prospects. Shortly after, Riyo's Aunt Sode (Yoko Sugi) visits a matchmaker. She then presents her niece with a photograph of a young, handsome man. She tells her niece that his name is Matsuji Kimura and that he is a sugar cane farmer in Hawai'i. Her aunt hopes that Hawai'i is far enough away so that Riyo's prospective husband will not know how her parents died. With Riyo's assent, the marriage is arranged.

When Riyo arrives in Hawai'i, dressed in western style clothing, she gets the shock of her life. It seems that she is not the only one with secrets. It turns out that the photograph that Matsuji Kimura (Akira Takayama) had sent was one that had evidently been taken many years earlier, as the man who meets her at the dock turns out to be even older than Riyo's deceased father. A group marriage then takes place, as she is but one of many "picture brides" arriving. Shocked by the deception, which apparently was quite common at the time, with men routinely sending old photographs or substituting photographs of their better looking friend, the reluctant Riyo accompanies her new husband to her new home. She is clearly not a happy camper. Riyo, a city girl, is in for a further shock, discovering that her home is deep in the country and is nothing more than a tiny wooden shack in the middle of nowhere.

The next day, she discovers the fate that awaits her. She is taken to a sugar cane plantation, where she is expected to work in the fields from morning til dusk for sixty-five cents a day. It is there that her husband also works. Riyo decides then and there that she will work as hard as she can to save money to return to Japan. She makes a friend, a beautiful, young, earthy woman named Kana (Tamlyn Tomita) with whom she bonds. Kana is married to a handsome, young man named Kanzaki with whom she has a child. The hard working Kana is also a laundress, in addition to being a field worker, and Riyo joins Kana as a partner in her laundry business in order to be able to save more money and expedite her return to Japan.

As her friendship develops with Kana, Riyo discovers that Kana and her husband have a tempestuous marriage. While passionate, it is also filled with violence, as Kanzaki is unmanned by his inability to provide for his wife and child in the way that he would wish. Meanwhile, Matsuji is a patient man, who has not forced himself on his wife, knowing her aversion to him. He is kind to her, despite knowing that she is working very hard to save money in order to return to Japan and be rid of him. Little by little, however, he grows on her, as a mutual affection begins to develop, and Riyo learns to appreciate his good qualities.

The film tells the story of Riyo and the reality of her life in Hawai'i. It shows what life was like for her, as well as the development of her relationship with Matsuji. Hers is the story of many women who were "picture brides" at the time. It is a beautifully told tale on many levels. It captures much of the story of those who were actual "picture brides", from the singing in the fields, to the hardships sustained, and the despair sometimes felt at their lot in life, often juxtaposed with contentment.

There is even a special treat in the film where the legendary and much revered Japanese actor, Toshiro Mifune, plays the role of a Benshi, which was a silent picture narrator. In Japan, Benshis would often have their own following, depending upon their narrative skills, with people flocking to hear a particular Benshi narrate a film. This would be Toshiro Mifune's final film role, before succumbing to the ravages of Parkinson's disease in 1997.

This is the first feature length film for filmmaker Kayo Hatta, and the first feature length film by an Asian-American woman. It won the coveted 1995 Sundance Film Festival Audience Choice Award. Having seen the film it is not surprising, as the film tells such a compelling story. Moreover, the cinematography is exquisite in this film, and the acting is first rate. It is hard to believe that the film was made on a shoe string budget by a first time feature film director. One would never know it from seeing the film, as it is a quality film directed with a seeming sure hand. I am only glad that Miramax Studio had the good sense to pick up this film. Bravo!

Average customer rating:

Century Hotel the movie
An interesting, quircky movie
Despite flaws and uneven quality, I found it enjoyable
Interesting idea with mixed results
Interesting idea with mixed results

Century Hotel
Starring: Joel Bissonnette , Lindy Booth , Albert Chung , Colm Feore , and David Hewlett
Director: David Weaver (II)
Manufacturer: Platinum Disc
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

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Get Down
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ASIN: B00019PD52
Release Date: 2004-01-01

Customer Reviews:

Century Hotel the movie.......2007-05-13

Great movie to watch. You have to watch the whole thing form the beginning or you could get lost. David Hewlett was great.

An interesting, quircky movie.......2007-02-11

Century Hotel is a movie about a hotel room, and seven stories about the people who have stayed in Room 720 over nearly a century. The writers and director made conscious decisions about the cinematic styles for each era, and even though none of the stories was very long by necessity, they brought the moment into the light and gave you enough for you to hang your imagination on. They went for edgy and succeeded in some ways with stories about love, betrayal, beginnings and endings. The stories are told through the characters' actions and dialog, and you're allowed to draw your own conclusions about what went on after.

I liked Century Hotel, it was a fine freshman effort that came in under $750,000. The DVD is nicely done, with a commentary track that is a tiny bit pretentious, but overall they do have a few things to say about the film. The short "Moon Palace" was worth the cost of the DVD.

Despite flaws and uneven quality, I found it enjoyable.......2005-05-29

This 2001 Canadian art film is composed of several short stories which all take place in the same hotel room over the last century. Century Hotel is a low budget film and a good platform for aspiring actors, most of whom were unknown to me with the exception of Mia Kushner who I recognize as the character who plays Jenny on "The L Word".

Some of the stories work. Some don't. And the quality of the acting is mixed. The stories are not interrelated but yet we see them in pieces which make the concept rather interesting. Also, the many romantic scenes all display an abundance of flesh and there are many surprises in the twists and turns of the plots. There are definitely flaws in the production however and some of the stories are quite unbelievable.

I can't help it though. I enjoyed this film immensely and couldn't stop watching. I therefore give it a mild recommendation just because it held my interest.

Interesting idea with mixed results.......2003-08-21

I feel like this plot has been done before - vignettes about the various occupants of a single hotel room - but I was still intrigued by this movie. The setting is a hotel in a cosmopolitan Canadian city. The stories - set in 1921, 1933, 1945, 1953, 1968, the late '80s to early '90s, and the turn of the millennium - do not follow each other in chronological order but are broken into short scenes and jumbled together in a creative if sometimes confusing (especially early on) manner.
As the box cover says, there are four lost souls, three love stories and one murder, the murder being part of one of the love stories. Some characters are easier to sympathize with than others. I really felt drawn to the sad Asian woman in an arranged marriage in the Depression era. I also rooted for the eccentric cuckold seeking his wife with the aid of a hotel detective in the noirish '50s story.
Mia Kirshner is sweetly seductive as the prostitute who agrees to annual liaisons with a besotted customer. Unlike the other stories, this piece allows for a passage of time within the story as we see the two meet for brief occasions over the next few years.
Other characters left me cold, like the two gay war veterans who betray one's fiance to satisfy their own sexual urges. Then there are the two millennial youths planning what turns out to be a suicide pact. The girl in this case was selfish and dishonest, yet the ending is supposed to be some magical completion of a circle. It was an unsatisfying ending.

Interesting idea with mixed results.......2003-08-07

Average customer rating:

Excellent!
Passion of Mind entertwined with Passionate Bodies
Better than expected
Sexy afternoon thriller
Original Angelina

Original Sin (R Rated Version)
Starring: Antonio Banderas , Angelina Jolie , Thomas Jane , Jack Thompson , and Gregory Itzin
Director: Michael Cristofer
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Period Piece | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Crime & Criminals | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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Similar Items:

Gia (Unrated Edition)
Killing Me Softly (Unrated Edition)
Taking Lives - Director's Cut (Widescreen Edition)
The Dreamers (Original Uncut NC-17 Version)
Unfaithful (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B00005V4XU
Release Date: 2002-03-26

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Excellent!.......2007-05-13

Passion of Mind entertwined with Passionate Bodies.......2007-02-15

The film is well titled and is full of intrigue and mis-direction, yet it always returns to its central theme of over arching sexuality and attractiveness.

Better than expected.......2007-02-13

Sexy afternoon thriller.......2007-01-25

Original Angelina.......2006-09-11

Average customer rating:

Good when mixed with brews and bros...NOT a "chick flick"
A Norovirus of a Mooovey
Dystopian masterpiece...
Cant Believe its a Mockumentary!!!
a strong film

Mail Order Wife
Starring: Jose Canseco , Charles Debold , Krista Gall , Luke Geissbuhler , and John Gramaglia
Director: Huck Botko
Manufacturer: First Independent
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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2 Brothers and A Bride
Me and You and Everyone We Know
11:14
Mail Order Bride
Junebug

ASIN: B000AL72RI
Release Date: 2005-10-04

Description

An outrageous film about the lengths some men will go to for the companionship of an attractive woman, MAIL ORDER WIFE captures the story of a doorman from Queens, his mail order bride, and the one man they entrust along the way. The film stars Andrew Gurland (Cheats, Frat House) Eugenia Yuan (Memoirs of a Geisha; Charlotte Sometimes), and Adrian Martinez (The Interpreter).

Customer Reviews:

Good when mixed with brews and bros...NOT a "chick flick".......2007-06-16

This mockumentary is funny and played off very well. While it has a few good laughs, this is relatively dark humor that you might need to be in the right mood for. The movie starts out pretty slow for the first half because it's trying to convince you that it's a legit documentary, so I wouldn't recommend starbucks prior to viewing. This would be good for chillin' with your bros and having a few drinks. Not even close to a first date movie...the male stars are just the very revolting pigs that women should avoid like the plague. Debra Teng, who plays the Chinese translator, is a knockout and I hope to see her in more films, preferably in nude scenes.

A Norovirus of a Mooovey.......2007-04-11

The shot of Andrew the filmmaker's denim-clad flat backside pretty much sums up the condescending posturing of the title character's tormentors.

Dystopian masterpiece..........2007-01-03

...this film reminds me of the work of Todd Solondz, who also specializes in making movies designed to make the audience squirm and cringe, yet keeps us riveted out of morbid curiousity as well as strong filmcraft and the unmistakable stench of ugly reality.

I had not read the synopsis/blurb on the box real closely before watching it, so like many other reviewers I was also not entirely sure if this were a documentary or a mockumentary until about 2/3rds through.

Really superb characters, script, acting and direction.

Cant Believe its a Mockumentary!!!.......2006-11-02

I was seeing the first 30 minutes of the film in cable, and I thought how horrible for the girl to be "ordered" and a maid for a disgusting man. I actually was disgusted by it thinking it was a real documentary and stopped seeing it. Today I was curious over what happend to her, so searched here to my surprise it was a fake! So now I want to watch it. They are so convincing, good acting I tell you. Not happy with the other reviewers they kind of gave it away.

a strong film.......2006-08-24

This movie is a classic example of how a great movie is not made by star power or cgi effects, but by a solid premise and splendid execution.

_Mail Order Wife_ is a movie about Andrew, a young and arrogant filmmaker, who decides he'd like to make a documentary about Adrian, an NYC boy who has decided to order himself a mail order bride. An immediate problem is presented when Andrew helps pay for Lichi, the Burmese woman, and brings up a classic dilemma about moviemaking also addressed in great films like _Man Bits Dog_--Andrew is already showing signs of getting involved with his subject matter a little too subjectively. This is reinforced after Lichi arrives and Adrian turns out to be much less than an ideal husband, and Andrew decides that he needs to rescue this woman from an awful situation.

This may sound like the premise of a light, romantic comedy, or a hackneyed Lifetime made-for-TV, but what I revealed so far is only the first 30 minutes of this 90-minute film, because things don't move along so easily, and that's because these characters aren't easily categorizable, which is also a sign of strong filmmaking. Andrew has his own problems, with an inordinate sense of 'normalcy' and an arrogance streak that leaves him, in his own mind, justified in everything he does. Adrian, though a twisted man, is somehow charmingly simple. And Lichi isn't simply a quiet, victimized Asian girl, but one who has her own ulterior motives.

_Mail Order Wife_ is a comedy with dark undertones--there are wonderfully subtle moves, like how Andrew is always carrying his director's notebook even when involved in 'personal' conversations, and (you've seen it in the credits above) a surprising appearance by Jose Canseco, but these are also very troubling characters, played by unfamiliar actors to help make the mock-documentary motif seem all the more plausible. The movie takes many unpredictable and sensible turns, that makes 90 minutes feel like a satisfyingly large glimpse into these people's lives.

I would highly recommend this film to many, and I relish in the fact that such a small budget can result in such a wonderful endeavor.

Average customer rating:

Different but deeelicious!

Victor Herbert - Naughty Marietta
Starring: Patrice Munsel , Alfred Drake , John Conte , Gale Sherwood , and Don Driver
Manufacturer: Video Artists Int'l
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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( V ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ROSE-MARIE with Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy [Import]

ASIN: B0000E1WJ4
Release Date: 2003-11-11

Customer Reviews:

Different but deeelicious!.......2007-04-15

I thought that the version with Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy could not possibly be improved. Eddy was a magnificent baritone, and Jeanette, THE Perfect Ingenue and a dang great coloratura soprano. The Academy didn't give Oscars to musicals in those days and Jeanette & Eddy in "New Moon" in the garden scene made one of the greatest love scenes ever filmed, and Jeanette should have gotten an Oscar for her inimitable acting. But Patrice Munsel is a sexy, saucy coloratura soprano who can also dance, and very well. So the '55 telecast version (warning: some grainy video) had great dancing, a somewhat modified story, a superb chorus and -- I have to admit it -- better orchestral arrangements. The young Munsel, the reigning Met coloratura [high] soprano for many years is different, deelicious, with legs like Eleanor Powell -- HEY! Nothing to complain about! Worth the higher price. DEElightful. The rest of the cast was great including, especially Alfred Drake, John Conte and Gale Sherwood. Not the video quality of new DVDs, but watch for a few moments, and you'll be groveling for more. Lotta great gams here. Remember that this video was made of a staged opera. You can tell everybody you saw it at the Met and they'll say, "Geez! I didn't think he had allathat culture!"

Average customer rating:

Could've Been Better
Beautiful Photography in the Philippines
Buying into the American dream is not as easy as you think
Close to a masterpiece
An Original Story Told From Two Very Different Angles...

Closer to Home
Starring: Arthur J. Nascarella , Jack P. Mclaughlin , James Lorinz , Ralph Buckley , and Ric Sanchez
Director: Joseph Nobile
Manufacturer: Elibon Film Productions
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

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